Abstract: A solid-state imaging device has a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, a plurality of first vertical shift registers, a plurality of slice circuits, a plurality of second vertical shift registers, a plurality of charge cumulating media, a read circuit, and a horizontal shift register. The photoelectric conversion elements are arranged in a matrix, and generate charges in accordance with an irradiated light amount. The first vertical shift registers are coupled to the photoelectric conversion elements, and transfer the charges read from the photoelectric conversion elements. The slice circuits are connected to output terminals of the first vertical shift registers, cut excessive charges exceeding a preset slice level from the charges input from the first vertical shift registers, and output effective charges.

Abstract: An object image is formed on an imaging surface through a photographing optical lens system. A first displacement detector detects a displacement associated with the photographing optical lens system within a plane perpendicular to an optical axis. A second displacement detector detects a displacement associated with the imaging surface within the plane perpendicular to the optical axis. A correct section corrects positional errors of the object image to be formed on the imaging surface by adjusting an optical, positional relationship between the photographing optical lens system and the imaging surface in accordance with displacement amounts detected by the first and second displacement detecter.

Abstract: A solid state image pick-up device includes a solid state image pick-up body and two-dimensional filtering sections. The solid state image pick-up device body includes a plurality of semiconductor photoelectric sections and parallel transfer sections. The plurality of semiconductor photoelectric sections are arranged as a matrix, having a plurality of pixels to store the signal charges corresponding to the quantity of incident light. The parallel transfer sections are given corresponding to the pixels in order to parallel transfer and output the signal charges stored in the semiconductor photoelectric sections in lines. The two-dimensional filtering section is integrated in the output section of the solid state image pick-up device body in order to directly apply a predetermined two-dimensional filtering to the signal charges output from the solid state image pick-up device body.

Abstract: An electronic still camera comprising an image-pickup section, and A/D conversion section, a primary recording section, a secondary recording section, a control section, and an image-signal processing section. The image-pickup section generates still-image signals. The A/D conversion section converts the still-image signals into digital signals. The primary recording section records the digital signals. The control section reads the digital signals recorded by the primary recording section, at least during non-operating period of the image-pickup section. The image-signal processing section performs predetermined processing on the digital signals read by the control section, thereby outputting data. The predetermined processing includes at least data compression. The secondary recording section records the data output by the image-signal processing section.

Abstract: An optical apparatus which can reproduce an image having a large focal depth without losing resolution and luminance, wherein there is inputted a plurality of images focused on different object planes. A plurality of input images are then weighted and added together. Image recovery processing of the thus added images is then performed.

Abstract: An electronic camera apparatus provides an image pickup signal to serve an image display by an image monitor. An image pickup section has at least a solid-state image pickup element and generates an image signal by electrically picking up an image of a target object to be photographed. A control section time-divisionally and repeatedly executes image pickup processing of the target object a plurality of times by using the image pickup section and a read operation of the image signal obtained by the image pickup processing. An accumulative addition section sequentially performs accumulative addition of the image signals repeatedly read from the image pickup section by the control section. A processing section processes the image signal obtained by the accumulative addition section upon sequential, accumulative addition so as to allow the image signal to be used for an image display by the image monitor.

Abstract: An automatic focusing apparatus of this invention includes a photographing optical system for forming an optical image of an object, an image pickup element for converting the optical image formed by the photographing optical system into an electrical signal, a drive circuit for changing a relative position between the photographing optical system and the image pickup element, a reading circuit for reading the electrical signals at different relative positions as image signals from the image pickup element, a frequency extracting circuit for extracting frequency components of the same specific bands from the image signals read by the reading circuit (34), a focusing signal generator for adding the plurality of frequency components extracted by the frequency extracting circuit to generate a focusing signal, a filtering circuit for filtering the focusing signal to generate a filtering signal, and a microprocessor for performing an in-focus detection operation using a plurality of signal values of the filtering

Abstract: An automatic focusing apparatus comprises a photographic optical system for forming an optical image of an object, an optical system driving circuit for moving the photographic optical system in a direction of its optical axis, a storage circuit for prestoring a plurality of MTF ratios corresponding to a plurality of focusing states of the photographic optical system, an image sensor for detecting the optical image, a spatial frequency component extracting circuit for extracting a plurality of spatial frequency components from image signals output from the image sensor, a calculating circuit for calculating a ratio between spatial frequency components representing different focusing states at every common frequency from the spatial frequency components extracted by the spatial frequency extracting circuit, a defocus detecting circuit for detecting a defocus amount and a focusing direction from the spatial frequency component ratios calculated by the calculating circuit and the MTF ratios stored in the storage

Abstract: A ferroelectric memory includes a ferroelectric thin film having first and second surfaces opposite to each other, a first electrode assembly having a plurality of stripe electrodes arranged in parallel on the first surface side of the ferroelectric thin film, a second electrode assembly having a plurality of stripe electrodes arranged in parallel on the second surface side of the ferroelectric thin film to intersect the stripe electrodes of said first electrode assembly, first and second common electrodes arranged separately from the end portions of the respective first and second electrode assemblies to extend in respective directions in which the stripe electrodes of the first and second electrode assemblies are arranged, and selecting sections for respectively connecting the first and second electrode assemblies to the first and second common electrodes and selectively activating at least one of the stripe electrodes of each of the first and second electrode assemblies.

Abstract: An image pick-up section generates an electronic still image signal. An A/D conversion section converts the electronic still image signal generated by the image pick-up section into a digital signal. A conversion section converts the digital signal converted by the A/D conversion section into a plurality of streams of signals. A recording section includes a plurality of memories for respectively storing the plurality of streams of signals converted by the conversion section. A control section includes a section for sequentially controlling at least the plurality of memories of the recording section in a write enable state.

Abstract: An endoscope incorporating a solid state image pickup element for picking-up optical images of an object under observation, and an accessory means having a high frequency oscillator, is able to perform imaging and an accessory function without mutual interference due to high frequency noise from the accessory means oscillator affecting the imaging signals. The output of high frequency oscillation in the accessory means is inhibited during a signal reading period of the image pickup element by a control pulse sychronized with the application of clock signals to the image pickup element.

Abstract: An image sensing and recording device includes a light-receiving element array, an analog memory, and a transfer section which are integrally formed. The array has an image sensing surface on which a plurality of light-receiving elements are two-dimensionally arranged and generates signal charges by photoelectrically converting light images incident on the surface in units of the elements. The memory has a plurality of storage regions having a multilayer structure stacked on the array. The storage regions transfer the signal charges generated by the elements of the array in a stacked direction thereof and sequentially storing the signal charges. The transfer section is stacked to sandwich the memory between the transfer section and the array and is designed to read out the signal charges, which are sequentially stored in the memory, as time-serial image signals. A dark box incorporates the device. An optical lens is arranged in the dark box so as to form an object image on the surface of the device.

Abstract: A medical resecting device is disclosed in which, a living organism tissue is resected with ultrasonic vibrations while the corresponding body cavity is observed with an optical observation pipe. The resecting device includes an ultrasonic vibrator for generating ultrasonic vibrations, a horn connected to the vibrator, a probe connected to the front portion of the horn to transmit the ultrasonic vibrations generated by the vibrator, the probe being provided with a rod-like shaft and a distal end portion with a resecting blade, a power source unit for supplying a drive voltage to the vibrator, and an optical observation pipe having a guide hole in which the shaft of the probe is inserted.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope having a light emitting unit for emitting illuminating light from the tip of the insertable part, a solid state imaging device at the tip for receiving an illuminated light image, a sample-holding circuit for sample-holding an output signal from the solid state imaging device, a light source for such light emitting unit and an iris device in such light source, the iris device comprising a diaphragm device for preventing the spectral characteristics of the endoscope from being changed due to the amount of light reduction which consists of a diaphragm assembly consisting of two dimensionally diaphragm units which consists of light passing openings with small sectional area and light shading parts formed by tubular surfaces surrounding the side surfaces of the openings, positioned in the beam emitted from illuminating lamp, and provided with means for turning diaphragm assembly from a position where the tubular surfaces are in parallel with the axis of the illumination beam to a position

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus comprises a probe for transmitting an ultrasonic beam onto a target body and receiving an ultrasonic echo from the target body and a diagnosis device for supplying a transmission pulse to the probe and processing an electrical signal from the probe to prepare tomographic image information.

Abstract: An automatic focusing apparatus comprises a photographic optical system for forming an optical image of an object, an optical system driving circuit for moving the photographic optical system in a direction of its optical axis, a storage circuit for prestoring a plurality of MTF ratios corresponding to a plurality of focusing states of the photographic optical system, an image sensor for detecting the optical image, a spatial frequency component extracting circuit for extracting a plurality of spatial frequency components from image signals output from the image sensor, a calculating circuit for calculating a ratio between spatial frequency components representing different focusing states at every common frequency from the spatial frequency components extracted by the spatial frequency extracting circuit, a defocus detecting circuit for detecting a defocus amount and a focusing direction from the spatial frequency component ratios calculated by the calculating circuit and the MTF ratios stored in the storage

Abstract: A medical treatment device for resecting, e.g., a prostate or breaking a bladder stone, which includes a vibrator for generating ultrasonic vibrations, a horn connected to the vibrator, a casing for accommodating the vibrator and the horn, a probe connected to the front portion of the horn to transmit ultrasonic vibrations generated by the vibrator, and a power source unit for supplying a drive voltage to the vibrator, the power source unit having an oscillator for producing a wave having a frequency for vibrating the probe and a frequency switching circuit for selecting an oscillating frequency at which the distal end of the probe serves as a loop of vibration or a frequency at which the distal end of the probe serves as a node of vibration.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope using a solid-state image pickup device has a filter arranged in the foreground of the solid-state image pickup device within the body of the endoscope for removing lights having wavelengths not related to observation in order to effectively eliminate those light components which are not required for the observation from among those lights incident to the solid-state image pickup device. As such a filter, either a lens component constituting the objective lens or an illuminating lens can be used.

Abstract: A chrominance signal constituting a color image is modulated to generate a modulated chrominance signal. A phase difference between this modulated chrominance signal and a signal corresponding to a particular color is detected. The saturation of the chrominance signal where the phase difference is small is enhanced, thereby making it possible to readily discern a portion of a particular hue from a surrounding portion having a hue different from that hue.

Abstract: A pulse compression apparatus comprises a quadrature detector for converting an echo signal obtained by an ultrasonic transducer into a complex signal, a reference wave oscillator for producing a reference wave signal, and a correlation circuit for deriving a correlation between the complex signal and the reference wave signal to compress the echo signal.