Abstract: An imaging apparatus is provided which performs optimum zooming and focusing even after long use. The imaging apparatus includes: a lens which is movable along the optical axis; a driving module to drive the lens; a driving amount calculation module to determine a drive count indicating the number of times the driving module has been operated or a drive time for which the driving module has been operated; a storage module to store compensation amounts which are used to compensate for the mechanical play of the driving module according to the drive count or the drive time; and a control module to control the driving module wherein a compensation amount appropriate for the drive count or time determined by the driving amount calculation module is selected from the compensation amounts stored in the storage module and the selected compensation amount is used to compensate for the mechanical play of the driving module.

Abstract: A surveillance camera apparatus includes a first storage unit for storing a size of pixels configuring a image-sensor, a computation unit for performing a computation using first information, second information, third information, and fourth information to calculate angle information on a plurality of vertex-points, the information stored in the first storage unit being defined as the first information, a focal length of an optical lens being defined as the second information, angle information on an optical axis that passes through a rotation center of the surveillance camera apparatus as the third information, and pixel information corresponding to a plurality of vertex-points that form a region to be masked whose image has been picked up by the image-sensor being defined as the fourth information, and a second storage unit for storing the computation result by the computation unit.

Abstract: When a remaining battery power amount of a child appliance is lowered, a battery recharging operation of the child appliance is not quickly carried out, lowering of the remaining battery power amount of the child appliance is displayed on a mother appliance which is owned by a mother. When there is a risk that the remaining battery power amount of the child appliance is lowered and thus operations of the child appliance will be brought into a malfunction condition, a content of a special instruction is stored into a non-volatile memory employed in the child appliance. Otherwise, while the content of the special instruction has been stored in a management server, an operation may be carried out in response to the instructed response after the remaining battery power amount has been recovered to a sufficiently high battery power amount.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus is provided which performs optimum zooming and focusing even after long use. The imaging apparatus includes: a lens which is movable along the optical axis; a driving module to drive the lens; a driving amount calculation module to determine a drive count indicating the number of times the driving module has been operated or a drive time for which the driving module has been operated; a storage module to store compensation amounts which are used to compensate for the mechanical play of the driving module according to the drive count or the drive time; and a control module to control the driving module wherein a compensation amount appropriate for the drive count or time determined by the driving amount calculation module is selected from the compensation amounts stored in the storage module and the selected compensation amount is used to compensate for the mechanical play of the driving module.

Abstract: In a remote monitoring system, when a guardian inputs predetermined authentication data to a master terminal in order to make a request for authentication of the master terminal, the authentication data is transmitted to a firm server via a base station and a cellular phone network. The firm server 15 compares the authentication data with reference data in a registration data file for authentication of the master terminal to execute authentication decision. When the guardian operates keys of a slave operation section 31 to operate the slave terminal remotely from the master terminal, a command signal for causing the slave terminal to perform a desired operation is transmitted form the master terminal to company facilities and temporarily held therein.

Abstract: When a remaining battery power amount of a child appliance is lowered, a battery recharging operation of the child appliance is not quickly carried out, lowering of the remaining battery power amount of the child appliance is displayed on a mother appliance which is owned by a mother. When there is a risk that the remaining battery power amount of the child appliance is lowered and thus operations of the child appliance will be brought into a malfunction condition, a content of a special instruction is stored into a non-volatile memory employed in the child appliance. Otherwise, while the content of the special instruction has been stored in a management server, an operation may be carried out in response to the instructed response after the remaining battery power amount has been recovered to a sufficiently high battery power amount.

Abstract: A surveillance camera apparatus includes a first storage unit for storing a size of pixels configuring a image-sensor, a computation unit for performing a computation using first information, second information, third information, and fourth information to calculate angle information on a plurality of vertex-points, the information stored in the first storage unit being defined as the first information, a focal length of an optical lens being defined as the second information, angle information on an optical axis that passes through a rotation center of the surveillance camera apparatus as the third information, and pixel information corresponding to a plurality of vertex-points that form a region to be masked whose image has been picked up by the image-sensor being defined as the fourth information, and a second storage unit for storing the computation result by the computation unit.

Abstract: Autofocus control for a subject in various luminance areas when a plurality of screens obtained by image picking-up the subject on a plurality of exposure conditions are synthesized to generate a wide dynamic range image. A focal voltage selector is provided for selectively outputting one, as a focal voltage to be referred to by an autofocus controller, out of focal voltages detected from a plurality of images different in exposure condition. Thus, autofocus control can be applied to various images of the subject picked up in appropriate signal levels on different exposure conditions. Further, a circuit for normalizing the focal voltages is provided. Thus, the influence of variation in exposure condition on the focal voltages is eliminated so that autofocus control can be carried out independently of exposure conditions.