Abstract: An ink cartridge, ink filling method and apparatus are disclosed. A one valve is disposed in the ink chamber of an ink cartridge and includes a foot support portion, a wall support portion projecting at an angle from the interior side of foot support portion, a shoulder support portion bending towards the interior side of wall support portion, and a head support portion projecting from shoulder support portion with a through hole. A valve sealing assembly being maintained selectively in contact with the head support portion through hole by a pressure difference. A sealing assembly integrally formed with a block portion is disposed at ink outlet port. The cartridge is very sensitive to pressure changes, which enhances printing quality. At the same time, the sealing assembly of the cartridge has an enhanced sealing function in non-usage status and usage status as well.

Abstract: An ink cartridge has pivotable levers connected to walls of a container, and both pawls and protruded guide portions formed on the levers. The pawls are engageable with an ink cartridge holder. The protruded guide portions contact the ink cartridge holder to move the levers in the opening direction. Further, protruded stopper portions are formed to permit pivoting movement of the levers to such a degree as to disengage the pawls from the ink cartridge holder.

Abstract: The present invention provides a connector device for establishing fluid communication between a first container and a second container. The device has a first sleeve member having a first and a second end, the first sleeve member having at the first end a first attaching member adapted to attach to the first container. The device further has a second sleeve member having a first end and a second end, the second sleeve member being associated with the first sleeve member and movable with respect thereto from an inactivated position to an activated position, the second sleeve member having at the second end a second attaching member adapted to attach the second sleeve member to the second container. First and second piercing members project from one of the first and second sleeve members for providing a fluid flow path from the first container to the second container, and the first and second piercing members are independently hermetically sealed.

Abstract: An ink cartridge may have an ink accommodating portion shaped to contain ink, an k supply hole disposed at a bottom of the ink accommodating portion, and a valve unit including a movable valve portion and a fixed valve portion, the movable valve portion being oriented such that a flow of ink is regulated by a horizontal motion of the movable valve portion The valve unit may further include a main portion and an auxiliary portion, the movable valve portion being disposed on the main portion and the fixed valve portion being disposed on the auxiliary portion, wherein the auxiliary portion is selectively detachable from the main portion. The ink cartridge may further comprise a supply hole attachment located at the bottom of the ink accommodating portion, the supply hole being defined in a selectively detachable supply hole attachment.

Abstract: Methods for reducing cavitation in impulse or drop on demand ink jetting devices are provided. Impulse ink jet compositions comprising antioxidant are also provided which are suitable for printing clear, well-defined alphanumeric text or low spread, narrow bar width bar codes on porous substrates such as Kraft paper or corrugated cardboard. The antioxidant additive lowers the dissolved oxygen level in the ink, thereby enhancing the jetting performance of the printhead.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for allowing a high quality image to be recorded with good coloring.

Abstract: An ink for ink jet recording and an ink jet recording method which realize an image quality of laser printer on a plain paper in a one-pass printing mode under conditions of a volume of an ink droplet ejected being 5 to 43 Pico liter, a velocity of an ink droplet being 6 to 20 m/sec, frequency of 1 kHz and resolution of 300 dpi or more. The ink for ink jet recording is a penetrating type ink which comprises (1) at least one humectant selected from glycerin, 1,3-butandiol, triethyleneglycol, 1,6-hexanediol, propyleneglycol, 1,5-pentanediol, diethyleneglycol, dipropyleneglycol, trimethylolpropane and trimethylolethane, (2) colorant contained in the amount of 6 % by weight or more, (3) a polyol having 8 to 11 carbon atoms and glycolether, and an anionic surfactants or non-ionic surfactants, the ink has viscosity of 5 mPa.s or more at 25° C. and a surface tension of 40 mN/m or less.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image-transfer medium for ink-jet printing, comprising a base material, and a releasing layer and a transfer layer, both, provided on the base material, wherein the transfer layer comprises fine particles of a thermoplastic resin, a thermoplastic resin binder, inorganic fine particles and a coupling agent.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus of an ink-jet printer includes a cassette to accommodate sheets of paper detachably provided in a main body of the printer, a pickup roller rotating in close contact with the paper accommodated in the cassette to have the paper enter into the main body, and a buffer member to prevent damage of a pickup roller portion occurring when the pickup roller continuously performs a pickup operation when no paper remains in the cassette. The buffer member includes a guide portion provided in the cassette, a stop portion protruding from sides of the cassette to support end portions of the pickup roller when no paper remains in the cassette, a pad installed between the stop portion and the guide portion to slide, and an elastic unit to apply a restoration force pad opposite to a direction in which the paper is supplied into the main body of the printer.

Abstract: In one aspect, the invention provides an image receptor medium which comprises an extruded image receptive layer that is receptive to solvent-based inkjet ink. Image receptive layers of the invention comprise a blend of an ink absorptive resin and a carrier resin. The ink absorptive resin is compatible with the carrier resin and had a Hildebrand Solubility Parameter within about 3.1 (MPa)½ of that of the solvent of the ink. In another aspect, the invention provides an image receptor medium which comprises a coextruded or extrusion coated image receptive layer and a core layer bonded together. In other aspects, the invention provides methods of printing images and methods of making an extrusion coated or coextruded image receptor medium.

Abstract: An ink jet printing method having the steps of: A) providing an ink jet printer that is responsive to digital data signals; B) loading the printer with ink jet recording element having a substrate having thereon a porous image-receiving layer of a) organic particles encapsulated with an organic polymer having a Tg of less than about 100 ° C.; and b) water-insoluble, cationic, polymeric particles; C) loading the printer with an ink jet ink composition; and D) printing on the image-receiving layer using the inkjet ink composition in response to the digital data signals.

Abstract: An inkjet recording element comprising a support having thereon an image-receiving layer comprising non-silicon-containing inorganic oxide particles, the particles having their surfaces treated with a silane coupling agent having a hydrophilic, organic moiety.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printing process for making identification cards is provided. The process involves printing indicia onto a dye-receptive surface of a card substrate. A metallic dye is applied in precise registration with selected print indicia to form a metallic border along the edges of the indicia. The invention also includes identification cards produced by this process. The process can be used to produce cards such as licenses, employee badges, student cards, bank cards, and the like having unique security features.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printing process for making identification cards is provided. The process involves printing indicia onto a dye-receptive surface of a card substrate. The indicia is printed in a processed color generated from a combination of yellow, magenta, and cyan dyes. An overlay coating is applied in precise registration with selected print indicia to form indicia having latent fluorescent properties. The printed indicia is visible in ordinary light and exhibits a bright, distinctive fluorescent glow when irradiated with ultraviolet light (black light). The invention also includes the identification cards produced by this process. The process can be used to produce cards such as licenses, employee badges, student cards, bank cards, and the like having unique security features.

Abstract: A sheet of inkjet printed photographic images having orthogonal fiducial marks extending along a leading edge of the printed field and along a lateral side of the printed field. The fiducial marks register with the printed field and provide information regarding the location of the images in the printed field relative to the larger sheet. The registration of the lateral side fiducial mark and print field is accomplished by exercising the nozzles of the print head at each pass of the print head during the printing of the photographic image.

Abstract: Image carriers are arranged so as to satisfy an expression; −Ts/2 <t1 +t2−t3−nTp<Ts/2. “Ts” is a time period of scanning performed by each of scanning surfaces of a rotary polygon mirror. “Tp” is a time period of one rotation of the polygon mirror. “t1” is a time period required for a first image formed on a first image carrier among the image carriers is transferred to the transferred object at a first transferring position “t2” is a time period required for the first image is traveled from the first transferring position to a second transferring position at which a second image formed on a second image carrier adjacent to the first image carrier at a downstream of the transporting path is transferred to the transferred object. “t3” is a time period required for the second image formed on the second image carrier is transferred to the transferred object at the second transferring position.

Abstract: In an optical recording apparatus, a detecting section detects disk identification information of an optical disk for selecting a constant which relates to the detected disk identification information. A test OPC section performs test writing operation for OPC at a predetermined linear velocity prior to recording of data so as to obtain a test value. A formulating section formulates an equation expressing a target value in function of a recording linear velocity based on the constant, the predetermined linear velocity and the test value. A running OPC section performs running operation of OPC by monitoring an actual value while irradiating a laser beam for the recording of data at the recording linear velocity. A controlling section controls the power of the laser beam such that the monitored actual value coincides with the target value which is determined by the equation with respect to the recording linear velocity.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system of controlling the motions of a set of stereoscopic cameras based on a viewer's eye motion. The method comprises displaying at least one stereoscopic image, detecting motion of at least one of a viewer's eyes while the viewer is watching the at least one stereoscopic image, and transmitting data indicative of the detected viewer eye motion to a set of stereoscopic cameras located at a remote site. The method also comprises receiving the eye motion data at the remote site, determining camera adjustment values based on the received eye motion data, and controlling the motion of the set of stereoscopic cameras based on the camera adjustment values such that the cameras follow the viewer's eye motion.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a movie camera and a method for photographing an object in three-dimensional which makes it possible to photograph for 3-D while taking picture so that image on display can be shown in three-dimensional, but with no help of special glasses or complex optical instruments. An movie camera for stereoscopically taking a photograph of an object in three dimensional comprises a camera body provided with an image record units for obtaining the photograph; a lens assemble installed into the camera body, capable of being attached to and separated from the camera body, wherein the lens assemble includes a plurality of lens for imaging an object on the image record unit of the camera body, a first input means for providing a left eye image of the object to the image record unit; and a second input means for providing a fight eye image of the object to the image record unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system of displaying stereoscopic images. The method comprises displaying at least one stereoscopic image on a set of display device, the stereoscopic image comprising a pair of two-dimensional plane images. The method also comprises providing the distance (Wa) between the center points of a viewer's eyes. The method also comprises moving the two-dimensional images displayed on each of the display device such that the Wa value is substantially the same as the distance (Wd) between the center points of the displayed images.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system of adjusting the display direction of stereoscopic images according to positions of a set of stereoscopic cameras with respect to a scene. The method comprises detecting the respective positions of the set of stereoscopic cameras with respect to a scene that is imaged. The method also comprises transmitting the camera position data to a set of display devices, receiving the camera position data, and determining display device adjustment values based on the camera position data. The method comprises adjusting a position of at least one of the display devices based on the adjustment values.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for camera navigation that provides a player with a unobstructed, non-disorienting view of a target. The system includes a memory for storing a camera navigation/control model, a central processing unit for executing the camera navigation/control model to provide unobstructed and non-disorienting target character views, and a graphics processing unit configured to render the unobstructed views of the target in an image for display. In addition, the camera navigation/control model includes an object detection model, line-of-sight restoration models to restore a line-of-sight view of an obstructed target, and a camera navigation path model.

Abstract: A surveillance system includes video surveillance cameras that are in various locations sought to be monitored. Each camera is associated with a variable frame rate that is faster when motion is detected in the location and slower when little or no motion is detected, to improve resolution when needed. A system hub receives video feeds from the cameras and sends them on to wireless clients upon client request.

Abstract: A computer-interfaced camera system identifies and tracks groups of socially interrelated people. The system can be used, for example, to track people as they wait in a checkout line or at a service counter. In a preferred implementation, each recorded camera frame is segmented into foreground regions containing several people. The foreground regions are further segmented into individuals using temporal segmentation analysis. Once an individual person is detected, an appearance model based on color and edge density in conjunction with a mean-shift tracker is used to recover the person's trajectory. Groups of people are determined by analyzing inter-person distances over time.

Abstract: A surveillance and security system for automatic detection and warning of detected events includes a unit for observing behavior in a predetermined area under surveillance, a unit for processing an output of observed behavior from the unit for observing, and a includes a pattern recognition module for recognizing whether the observed behavior is associated with predefined suspicious behaviors. Upon recognition that the observed behavior is suspicious, security is notified about the potential need for increased surveillance, or automatically increased surveillance can be provided. The pattern recognition module may include infrared heat profiles of persons, images of actually people, sequences of people manipulating shopping bags, tearing sounds of tearing different types of packaging such as paper and plastic for retail products. The observation of motion, which is related to behavior, is compared against a database of predefined acts.

Abstract: The present invention provides a DIY photo print device suitable for the digital camera. The device comprises a billing box, a wireless image-receiving unit, a card data receiving unit, a processor, a monitor, and a photo printer. Wherein, the processor includes a plurality of control and IrDA protocol-processing programs to control the other units that are connected to the processor. The billing box provides a variety of payment methods. The monitor displays the two-way communication between the device and the user, and also displays the status of the image file transmission. The wireless image-receiving unit receives the optic signal of the image file, processes the photo-electronic transformation, and outputs an image file data to the processor. The card data receiving unit receives the image file data that is stored in a memory card. The processor controls the photo printer to print and output the photo.

Abstract: A dental video camera includes a housing, a charge coupled device that is disposed within and slidably coupled to the elongated cavity of the housing at said proximal end thereof, a plurality of light emitting diodes that are optically coupled to the charge coupled device, a sleeve that is slidably coupled to the housing. The sleeve is able to move laterally back and forth and has achromatic lenses and fixed lenses. The sleeve engages the charge coupled device so that the sleeve laterally moves the charge coupled device back and forth in order to change the position of the charge coupled device with respect to the achromatic lenses and fixed lenses thereby changing the field of focus. A mechanism bi-directionally drives the sleeve laterally to produce back and forth lateral movements.

Abstract: Geometrical structures of a human image and a background image picked up by a camera are extracted as difference in pixel value distributions, a statistical model of the appearance of the human image is first constructed to find a discrimination axis, the model is compared with an input image, a score is calculated based on the discrimination axis of the model and a distance value vector of the input image, and when the score exceeds a threshold value, it is determined that a human figure is detected. Thus, highly efficient recognition is possible using a small number of models.

Abstract: A digital camera includes a communicator that communicates with other digital camera, a receiver that receives a camera information of another digital camera and an imaging device that forms a digital image of an object. The digital camera further includes a processor that creates a digital image data from the digital image based upon the camera information.

Abstract: A wireless camera 11 includes a main body unit 16, encoding/transmission unit 17, and a battery unit 18. The encoding/transmission unit 17 includes a encoding/modulation unit 23 for performing MPEG 2 encoding and OFDM modulation, frequency converter 27, high-frequency amplifier 28, and a transmission antenna 19. The main body unit 16, encoding/transmission unit 17, and battery unit 18 are unitedly configured.

Abstract: To reduce power consumption of an image pick-up device in which an object to be photographed is illuminated, during a period until a release switch is operated, a control part controls a light emitting part to emit a smaller quantity of light than that necessary for photographing the object. When a photographing instruction is output by the release switch, the control part controls the light emitting part to emit light with the quantity of light necessary for photographing the object.

Abstract: A digital camera 10 includes a CCD imager 14. When an interval photographing or an animation photographing is selected, an object is photographed by the CCD imager 14 for a plurality of times, and compressed image data is generated each photographing by each photographing. The generated compressed image data is stored in a temporary area of an magnetooptical disk 42. Upon completion of photographing the desired number of frames, the generated respective compressed image data are converted into a moving image file, and moved to a proper recording area of the magnetooptical disk 42. Frame rate information is written in the moving image file. Upon reproducing, firstly, the frame rate information is detected, the compressed image data of each frame is reproduced in accordance with this information. The moving image that moves at a desired speed is displayed on a monitor 30.

Abstract: An apparatus for capturing an image to generate pixel data thereof. The apparatus comprises a sensor having pixel lines sequentially reset to be exposed by reflection from the image for a period of time, wherein all the exposure time periods of pixel lines overlap, a light source illuminates the image, whereby the image is reflected to the sensor, and a controller turns on the light source during the overlapping interval of the exposure time periods of pixel lines.

Abstract: An image sensor such as the conventional CMOS image sensor, in which automatic controls including so-called automatic iris control and white balance adjustment for adjusting the sensor sensitivity, namely the charge accumulation time in each pixel, according to the brightness of the image sensing ambience are performed, involves the problem that, when the frame rate of the image sensor is slowed to save power consumption, the operation of the automatic control systems will also become slower and the image quality deteriorates. In the invented image sensor system using a CMOS image sensor, while a CMOS image sensor is operated at the full frame rate all the time, a circuit for processing image signals from the CMOS image sensor is operated at a speed close to that of full frame processing only when the power supply is turned on or when the image sensing ambience varies and switched to a lower frame processing speed when automatic controls, including iris control, have become stabilized.

Abstract: An electronic imaging camera has an image pickup element which converts an object image into an electric signal via an image pickup optical system. A signal processing section processes output from the image pickup element to generate image data. A memory section stores a plurality of image data. A date information output section outputs date information. The memory control section controls a storage operation to associate the image data with the date information and store them in the memory section and a read operation to read the image data stored in the memory section. The memory control section performs a first read operation to read the image data from the memory section in the order of image pickup and an second read operation to skip the image data of a same date and read the image data of a different date.

Abstract: A system which operates to determine temperature of an image sensor using the same signal chain that is used to detect the image sensor actual outputs. A correlated double sampling circuit is used to obtain the image outputs. That's same correlated double sampling circuit is used to receive two different inputs from the temperature circuit, and to subtract one from the other. The temperature output can be perceived, for example, once each frame.

Abstract: In a solid-state image capturing device 100 comprising pixel arrays 11r, 11g and 11b arranged in a row direction and a column direction which is orthogonal thereto and a vertical register 12 including a plurality of transfer electrodes in which a signal charge generated by light acceptance of each pixel is read and is sequentially transferred in the column direction upon receipt of a transfer pulse, an electrode terminal for generating K (K is an integer of 2 or more) continuous electric potential wells for a signal charge in the vertical register 12 upon receipt of the transfer pulse and an electrode terminal for generating one electric potential well for a smear charge after the K electric potential wells for a signal charge are provided as electrode terminals 101 to 116 for cyclically transmitting the transfer pulse to each of the transfer electrodes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor structure and the potential reading method employing the same. The integration area composed of the photo diode and the photo gate is applied to receive the light emitted from the light source. The sensitivity is changed via the operation of controlling the gate voltage of the photo gate. Moreover, the variance of the potential is read many times. The characteristic of the potentials under different conditions in different times having the same dark current and fixed pattern noise is utilized. The dark current and the fixed pattern noise can be eliminated by calculating their difference. Higher sensitivity in low illumination and lower sensitivity in high illumination can be obtained by calculating their summation, so as to increase the dynamic range.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for driving a solid-state image pickup device and a camera provided with the driving function. In the method for driving the solid-state image pickup device and the camera according to the present invention, the frame rate of the image pickup device is varied according to the frequency of illumination or the brightness. Alternatively, the frame rate of the image pickup device is varied and an electronic shutter is driven at the same time according to the brightness. Consequently, it is possible to suppress occurrence of flicker and give a liberal brightness condition under which an image can be picked up.

Abstract: An optical sensor array includes an array of pixel circuits. Each pixel circuit includes a photo detector and a voltage supply line. The voltage supply line from each pixel circuit is connected to a common node. A voltage supply input configured to be coupled to a voltage supply and to the common node supplies a voltage to each pixel circuit. A sensing circuit coupled to the common node senses signals from the common node and outputs at least one signal representative of an average intensity of light directed onto the array of pixel circuits.

Abstract: A time-integrating pixel sensor having a photo-detector, a capacitor, a comparator and a pixel data buffer. In operation, the photo-current from the photo-detector charges the capacitor and produces a photo-voltage. The photo-voltage sensed by the capacitor and a reference voltage is compared with the comparator. If the photo-voltage exceeds the reference voltage, a global code value is latched into the pixel data buffer. The optical power falling on the photo-detector is determined from the latched code value. An array of sensors is incorporated into a semiconductor device together with circuitry to read and decode the pixel data buffers. The reference voltage may be varied in time to increase the dynamic range of the sensor.

Abstract: A camera according to the present invention includes a picture-taking lens unit including a picture-taking optical system having a bending optical system which optically bends incident light and an optical finder unit including a finder optical system having a bending optical system which optically bends incident light. A pre-bending optical system and a post-bending optical system in the bending optical system of the optical finder unit are arranged adjacent to a pre-bending optical system and a post-bending optical system in the bending optical system of the picture-taking lens unit, respectively. The body of the camera is therefore decreased in size.

Abstract: To provide a camera that is suited to shoot both a demagnified image and a magnified image.

Abstract: To provide an image pick-up device in which a lens does not need to be driven when information corresponding to the distance to an object to be photographed is obtained by using image information output by an image pick-up part. When a control part determines that an image is darker than a prescribed value based on a luminance signal contained in image information output by an image pick-up part, the control part stores the luminance signal in the image information input from the image pick-up part while a light emitting part does not emit light and then controls the light emitting part to emit light with a prescribed quantity. The control part stores the luminance signal in the image information output by the image pick-up art to obtain the luminance difference between the two luminance signals. When the luminance difference is not larger than a prescribed value, the control part controls the light emitting part to emit light with a prescribed quantity of light.

Abstract: An extensive device for use with a digital camera, including a lens and a display for showing an image received via the lens, is disclosed. The extensive device includes a housing having a window thereon and a cradle for placing the digital camera therein and an optical guiding device disposed inside the housing for guiding the image received via the lens and shown on the display to the window. The window and the lens of the digital camera in the cradle substantially orient the same first direction, so that an image information is recorded via the lens and viewed via the window in the first direction.

Abstract: A double sampling time-integrating pixel sensor having a photo-detector, a capacitor, a comparator and two pixel data buffers. In operation, the photo-current from the photo-detector charges the capacitor and produces a photo-voltage. The photo-voltage sensed by the capacitor and a first reference voltage are compared by the comparator. When the photo-voltage exceeds the first reference voltage, a first global counter value is latched into the first pixel data buffer. When the photo-voltage exceeds a second reference voltage, a second global counter value is latched into the second pixel data buffer. The optical power falling on the photo-detector is determined from the difference between the second and first counter values. An array of sensors is incorporated into a semiconductor device together with circuitry to read and decode the pixel data buffers.

Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus according to the present invention receives an image signal inputted thereto that is generated by subjecting a telecine-converted image to double speed conversion, in which signal one film frame is formed by four fields, identifies a first field on the basis of a difference value calculated between pixel signal levels, and shifts the position of a detected pixel in a vector direction of a motion vector such that an amount of shift is progressively increased as transition is made from the identified first field to the subsequent fields.

Abstract: A video signal detecting circuit includes a synchronization detector for detecting a vertical synchronous signal in an input video signal. A counter starts counting pixel clock pulses in response to every vertical synchronous signal thus detected, and outputs a first signal when the count of pixel clock pulses reaches a preselected value. A comparator compares the vertical synchronous signal detected with the first signal for outputting a second signal representative of a difference between them. A mean circuit produces a mean value of the second signals over a plurality of pictures of the input video signal. An adjusting circuit adjusts the vertical synchronous signal with the mean value to output the resultant adjusted signal as a vertical synchronous signal. The preselected number is substantially equal to the standard number of pixels included in a single picture.

Abstract: A system and method for configuring and installing devices of a home entertainment system includes a portable memory media that can be installed in a memory slot of a television. The portable memory media can be preprogrammed with set-up instructions that are displayed at the television. A user can follow these instructions step-by-step in order to properly install and configure a television and any peripheral entertainment devices.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically establishing TV audio/video/closed captioning, based on time/date/geographic location/location of the TV within the home.