Abstract: A range finding apparatus includes a light emission unit including a light source and a light source driver, a light detection unit, and circuitry. The light source driver supplies a plurality of drive pulses having different pulse width at different time periods. The light detection unit receives the light emitted from the light emission unit and then reflected from an object. The circuitry calculates a range to the object based on a time difference between one time point when a pulse light is emitted from the light source and another time point when light reflected from the object is received by the light detection unit. One of the drive pulses set with a smaller pulse width is set with a sine wave pattern, and another one of the drive pulses set with a greater pulse width is set with a rectangular wave pattern.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image in accordance with image information includes: an image forming unit configured to form an image that is uniform in area percentage of each of primary colors and a secondary color on an intermediate transfer belt; a measurer configured to measure amounts corresponding to density distribution of residual toner left on the intermediate transfer belt, on which the image uniform in area percentage of each of the primary colors and the secondary color is formed and from which toner is transferred onto a recording medium, in the main-scanning direction; and a corrector configured to correct a tone value of the image information so as to reduce density nonuniformity of a streak region observed in the density distribution in the main-scanning direction using the amounts measured by the measurer.

Abstract: A magnetic-plate laminated body includes: a laminated part made up of a plurality of laminated soft magnetic ribbons; first and second metal plates that sandwich the laminated part from upper and lower surfaces in a lamination direction of the laminated part; and a fastening mechanism that penetrates the first and second metal plates and the laminated part and fastening the laminated part by the first and second metal plates.

Abstract: A range-finding device including a light-emitting device, an imaging unit, a calculator, and a controller. The image unit receives pulsed light reflected from an object within the space for a plurality of time periods in a time-division manner, electrically converts the pulsed light into an electrical signal, and accumulates electric charge of the electrical signal for each of the plurality of time periods. The calculator calculates a time difference between emission of the pulsed light and reception of the pulsed light reflected from the object based on the electric charge accumulated for each of the plurality of time periods and determine a distance to the object based on the time difference. The controller controls the timing of reception of the pulsed light for each of the plurality of time periods at the imaging unit according to an intensity of the pulsed light reflected from the object.

Abstract: A distance measurement device includes a projection optical system, a light-receiving system to receive light projected from projection optical system and reflected by an object; and a correction system to correct a difference in timing of light emission between the plurality of light sources. The projection optical system includes a plurality of light sources and a plurality of drive circuits to drive the plurality of light sources.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a first phase difference detector configured to detect two phase differences in a range that contains a phase difference that provides the highest correlation between a pair of image signals, a comparator configured to compare a signal representative of a matching degree when the pair of image signals have a first phase difference among the two phase differences, and a signal representative of a matching degree when the pair of image signals have a second phase difference among the two phase differences, a signal separator configured to separate a pair of signal components relating to a specific object from the pair of image signals, based on a comparison result by the comparator, and a second phase difference detector configured to detect a phase difference that provides the highest correlation between the pair of signal components separated by the signal separator.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for processing image signals that are obtained from an image pickup element. A correlation operation unit operates a correlation of the image signals of two images that are obtained from the image pickup element, and operates an image shift amount between images that are picked up by photoelectric conversion units, on the basis of the correlation. A detection unit detects whether or not an image signal reaches a predetermined level, and produces count information in a case that the image signal reaches the predetermined level. A controller controls the correlation operation unit, in which the controller normalizes the correlation that is used for the operation of the image shift amount, on the basis of the count information.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus comprising an image sensor including a plurality of focus detection pixels for generating a focus detection image and a plurality of imaging pixels for generating a captured image, a color ratio detection unit detecting a color ratio based on a pixel value output from a pixel in a position surrounding a processing target pixel, a color conversion unit generating a first pixel value by applying color conversion with the color ratio to a pixel value output from a pixel that is located in the predetermined direction of the processing target pixel, and an adding unit generating a third pixel value by adding a second pixel value output from the processing target pixel with the first pixel value having the same color as the second pixel value.

Abstract: In a configuration in which a non-saturated readout value of a division pixel is subtracted from an addition signal of division pixels, an imaging apparatus capable of performing focus detection with respect to a saturated signal is provided. The imaging apparatus includes a subtraction unit and a suppression unit. The subtraction unit obtains the second image signal by subtracting the first image signal output from the image sensor from an addition signal acquired as a sum of the first image signal and the second image signal output from the image sensor, and the suppression unit suppresses the first image signal to a value equal to or less than a predetermined value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus, including a setting unit configured to set a focal plane of a still image, which is generated from moving image data including a plurality of frames, each of which is refocusable; a reconstruction unit configured to reconstruct a predetermined number of the frames of the moving image data in accordance with the focal plane of the still image, which is set by the setting unit, to thereby generate the predetermined number of refocused images; and a combining unit configured to combine the predetermined number of the refocused images, which are generated by the reconstruction unit, to thereby generate the still image.

Abstract: An image capturing apparatus comprises an image sensor including a photoelectric conversion portion configured to receive light beams having passed through a portion of a pupil area of an imaging lens and output an image signal, a control unit configured to output, from the photoelectric conversion portion, a plurality of image signals captured by shifting a focus position of the imaging lens, an acquisition unit configured to acquire an image shift amount on an image sensing plane of the image sensor, which corresponds to a shift amount when shifting the focus position of the imaging lens; and a calculation unit configured to calculate a correction coefficient for shading on the image sensing plane based on the image shift amount by comparing signals corresponding to the same object among the plurality of image signals.

Abstract: A focus detection apparatus performs focus detection of a phase difference method by using signals from an image pickup element including a first pixel and a second pixel sharing one micro lens, and the focus detection apparatus includes a first saturation detector configured to detect saturation of a first signal obtained from the first pixel, a second saturation detector configured to detect saturation of a second signal obtained from the second pixel, a luminance generating portion configured to generate luminance signals of the first signal and the second signal after detecting the saturations of the first signal and the second signal are detected, and a processor configured to perform a correlation calculation based on the luminance signals.

Abstract: A sensor includes a light source to emit a pulse light, a light receiver to receive light, emitted from the light source and reflected from an object, a range information acquisition unit to calculate information of a range to the object based on light emission timing at the light source and light reception timing at the light receiver and a speed of the pulse light emitted from the light source, and a pulse controller to control a pulse pattern of the pulse light emitted from the light source based on the range information calculated by the range information acquisition unit.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image in accordance with image information includes: an image forming unit configured to form an image that is uniform in area percentage of each of primary colors and a secondary color on an intermediate transfer belt; a measurer configured to measure amounts corresponding to density distribution of residual toner left on the intermediate transfer belt, on which the image uniform in area percentage of each of the primary colors and the secondary color is formed and from which toner is transferred onto a recording medium, in the main-scanning direction; and a corrector configured to correct a tone value of the image information so as to reduce density nonuniformity of a streak region observed in the density distribution in the main-scanning direction using the amounts measured by the measurer.

Abstract: An image pickup element includes a first pixel, a second pixel, and a third pixel that share one microlens, a first boundary that is provided between the first pixel and the second pixel, and a second boundary that is provided between the first pixel and the third pixel, and when a charge amount of the first pixel is saturated, a first charge amount from the first pixel to the second pixel via the first boundary is larger than a second charge amount from the first pixel to the third pixel via the second boundary.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup element including a plurality of focus detection pixels configured to generate a pair of image signals based on light beams passing through pupil regions different from each other in an image pickup optical system, a detection unit configured to detect a base line length of the plurality of focus detection pixels and a pupil division direction based on position information of a focus detection region in the image pickup element and information relating to the image pickup optical system, and a calculation unit configured to calculate a phase difference in the pupil division direction by using the pair of image signals.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a storage unit to store therein, for each of a plurality of colors, correction information in which a correction value for obtaining a target output value is associated with each of combinations of one of a plurality of density values of image data corresponding to the color and one of a plurality of positions in a main scanning direction of image data; and a corrector to correct, when a pixel in input image data indicating image data received from a host device includes two or more colors, for each of the two or more colors, a density value of the color using a value smaller than a correction value corresponding to a combination of the density value of the color and a position of the pixel in the main scanning direction.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a process for forming a multiple layered coating film in three wet coating method, which the multiple layered coating film has excellent chipping resistance while maintaining smoothness between the coating films. The present invention provides a process for forming a multiple layered coating film comprising the steps of forming an uncured first base coating film; an uncured second base coating film and an uncured clear coating film in order on an automobile body having an electrodeposition coating film on the surface thereof, and then simultaneously heating and curing the uncured coating films to form a multiple layered coating film, wherein the multiple layered coating film comprising the first base coating film having the dry coating film thickness of 25 ?m, the second base coating film having the dry coating film thickness of 10 ?m and the clear coating film having the dry coating film thickness of 30 ?m has an elongation at 20° C.

Abstract: A charging system includes central server capable of communicating with electric vehicles, and charging stations. Central server receives travel information on the electric vehicles and remaining charge information on rechargeable batteries from the electric vehicles, forecasts demanded power in a predetermined area, and issues a charge schedule change request to charge control devices included in the predetermined area. Charging stations change charge schedules for the rechargeable batteries mounted on the electric vehicles in accordance with the charge schedule change request.

Abstract: A focus detection apparatus performs focus detection by a phase difference method using an image pickup element including first and second pixels, the focus detection apparatus includes a correlation data calculator which calculates correlation data between pixel data obtained from the first pixels and the second pixels in ranges of image data, a detector which detects a saturated pixel having a level of at least a predetermined value in each of the ranges, an adding processor which performs an addition processing of the correlation data calculated in each of the ranges based on a detection result, and a defocus amount calculator which calculates a defocus amount based on a result of the addition processing, and the adding processor performs the addition processing using correlation data obtained from a first range in which the number of the saturated pixels is less than a predetermined number.