Using Both Optical And Electronic Zoom Patents (Class 348/240.1)
  • Patent number: 8405741
    Abstract: A zoom adjustment system, comprising a touch panel, a course detector, and a first zoom adjuster, is provided. The touch panel has an input surface. The touch panel detects a certain location on the input surface when it is touched. The touch panel detects a touched location. The course detector detects a course traced on the input surface by the touched location when the touched location is moved about on the input surface while maintaining continuous contact with the input surface. The first zoom adjuster adjusts a magnification of a photographic optical system according to the traced course detected by the course detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Nakahara, Satoru Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 8405743
    Abstract: An image-data processing apparatus includes a writer which writes image data into a memory according to a non-interlaced-scanning or an interlaced-scanning of each N line. An updater updates a cumulative zoom coefficient by accumulating, for each line, a decimal portion of the cumulative zoom coefficient to a first numerical value corresponding to the zoom coefficient. An accumulator accumulates, for each line, a second numerical value corresponding to an integer portion of the cumulative zoom coefficient. A reader reads out image data in a line corresponding to an accumulated value of the accumulator. A first setter sets N-times the zoom coefficient to the first numerical value in the non-interlaced-scanning, and sets the zoom coefficient to the first numerical value in the interlaced-scanning. A second setter sets an integer portion to the second numerical value in the non-interlaced-scanning, and sets N-times the integer portion to the second numerical value in the interlaced-scanning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideki Matsumura
  • Publication number: 20130063626
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the display of a portable electronic device having a camera application, a viewfinder having at least two viewfinder resolutions, and a sensor array, is provided. When a zoom level of the camera application is 1×, a first image is generated by scaling a predetermined number of rows and columns of pixels of the sensor array to a first viewfinder resolution at a given frame rate. When the zoom level is greater than 1×, a region of interest of the predetermined number of rows and columns of pixels is cropped in accordance with the zoom level and a second image is generated by scaling the cropped region of interest to a second viewfinder resolution smaller than the first viewfinder resolution at a frame rate higher than the given frame rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventors: Andrew BOCKING, Russell ANDRADE
  • Publication number: 20130057731
    Abstract: Offered digital zoom levels may be distributed at equal spacing of zoom factors. Offered digital zoom levels may be distributed among optically uniform digital zoom levels. Gradual zoom may be achieved by generating preview images at one or more intermediate digital zoom levels at which generation of a recordable image is not permitted. One or more intermediate digital zoom levels may be distributed generally evenly between two adjacent offered digital zoom levels. An image sensor supports a discrete set of zoom factors. One or more intermediate zoom factors may be distributed generally evenly between zoom factors that correspond to two adjacent offered digital zoom levels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventor: Research In Motion Limited
  • Publication number: 20130050534
    Abstract: A zoom lens barrel capable of decreasing a distance between a lens and a diaphragm in an optical axis direction to thereby increase the photographing magnification and at the same time to reduce the lens barrel size, and capable of changing a diaphragm aperture diameter according to zoom control. The lens barrel has a lens relatively movable toward and away from an iris diaphragm in the optical axis direction with a change in the photographing magnification. An operation of the iris diaphragm is controlled in such a manner that a minimum diameter of an aperture of diaphragm blades of the iris diaphragm changes according to an amount of intrusion of a part of the lens into the aperture of the diaphragm blades in a range where the diaphragm blades do not interfere with the lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Kudoh
  • Patent number: 8379113
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging unit for acquiring a plurality of viewpoint images imaged from a plurality of view-points by a plurality of imaging optical systems each including a zoom lens; a storage unit for storing an error of the imaging optical system; an optical zoom magnification specifying unit for receiving specification instruction of an optical zoom magnification; a zoom lens driving unit for moving the zoom lens to a position corresponding to the instruction of the optical zoom magnification; and a correction unit for setting an electronic zoom magnification corresponding to the position of the zoom lens, magnifying a viewpoint image to be corrected from within the plurality of viewpoint images based on the electronic zoom magnification, and extracting a part of the magnified viewpoint image to eliminate an object point shift amount corresponding to the error from the magnified viewpoint image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Michitaka Nakazawa
  • Publication number: 20130027586
    Abstract: A zoom lens system has a plurality of lens units each composed of at least one lens element and, in order from the object side to the image side, comprises: a negative first lens unit being composed of two lens elements; a positive second lens unit; and a positive third lens unit, wherein in zooming from a wide-angle limit to a telephoto limit during image taking, the individual lens units are moved along an optical axis such that an interval between the first lens unit and the second lens unit decreases and that an interval between the second lens unit and the third lens unit increases, so that magnification change is achieved, and wherein on the image side relative to the second lens unit, an aperture diaphragm is arranged that moves along the optical axis integrally with the second lens unit during zooming.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keiki Yoshitsugu, Takakazu Bito
  • Publication number: 20130027585
    Abstract: A first lens unit having negative power, a second lens unit having positive power, a third lens unit having negative power, and a fourth lens unit having positive power are disposed in this order from an object side. At least the first lens unit to the third lens unit move to change intervals between lens units so that magnification is varied. The second lens unit has at least one air interval inside and is split into two lens units with a boundary of an air interval closest to an image side in the second lens unit, which includes a second-a lens unit on the object side and a second-b lens unit on the image side, and the second-b lens unit is moved in a plane substantially perpendicular to an optical axis for damping vibrations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Advanced Layers, Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshihito SOUMA
  • Patent number: 8350944
    Abstract: A recording mode control circuit controls a first recording mode in which still image data having a first image size corresponding to the number of pixels of an image sensing element is generated and recorded and a second recording mode in which moving image data having a second image size smaller than the first image size is generated and recorded. In generating the moving image data in the second recording mode, a camera signal processing circuit executes electrical zoom processing to obtain the second image size. At this time, a maximum magnification ratio setting circuit sets the maximum variable magnification ratio of electrical zoom processing in the camera signal processing circuit. With this processing, an image recording apparatus which allows a user to select a zoom mode with a small degradation in image quality in electrical zoom processing can be implemented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiki Ishii
  • Publication number: 20120327273
    Abstract: An imaging unit outputs a video signal at a frame rate higher than a standard frame rate. During a zoom operation period or a period including the zoom operation period and periods before and after the zoom operation, a video signal from the imaging unit is recorded in a recording medium at a high recording frame rate. Other than this period, a video signal is recorded in the recording medium at the standard frame rate. The recording frame rate and zoom operation information is recorded as metadata in the recording medium. During reproduction, based on a set reproduction mode, thinning processing is carried out on a video signal recorded during a zoom operation, and the processed signal is output at the standard frame rate. In this way, it is possible to change a frame rate in view of a photographer's intention and assure compatibility with existing viewing and reproduction environments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshihiko Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20120327272
    Abstract: A zoom lens system comprising: a positive first lens unit; a negative second lens unit; a positive third lens unit; a fourth lens unit; and an aperture diaphragm provided between the third lens unit and the fourth lens unit, wherein in zooming, the first to third lens units are moved along an optical axis to perform magnification change, the third lens unit includes two or more lens elements and one or more inter-lens-element air spaces, and the conditions: ?7.0<f1/f2<?4.0 and fT/fW>9.0 (f1 and f2: composite focal lengths of the first and second lens units, fW and fT: focal lengths of the entire system at a wide-angle limit and a telephoto limit) are satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Takakazu Bito
  • Patent number: 8319860
    Abstract: An electrical device with zooming function includes an image-sensing module, a display unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is electrically connected to the image-sensing module and the display unit respectively. The image-sensing module senses an image. The processing unit includes an image display module, a selecting module and a zooming-control module. The image display module makes the display unit display the sensed image. The selecting module receives a selection signal for selecting a reference point from the image displayed on the display unit. The zooming-control module makes the image-sensing module sense another image, the reference point is in the center of which, by zooming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wei-Cheng Huang, Mei-Yi Tsai, Shang-Yuan Yuan
  • Patent number: 8310564
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a control unit which switches between a first display mode and a second display mode based on whether a zoom state is equal to or greater than a predetermined zoom magnification. The imaging apparatus, in a zoom state where a part of an imaging area is clipped and recorded, switches between the first display mode, which displays on a display unit a clipped recording area, and the second display mode, which displays on the display unit an area which is wider than the clipped recording area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoshi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8305465
    Abstract: When a hand shake reducing mode has been set for shooting a subject, an exposure is controlled in accordance with a program diagram (solid line) B for the shake reducing mode, which is different from a program diagram (broken line) A for a normal mode. In a state where a shutter speed is set to less than “ 1/80”, two-pixel addition and/or four-pixel addition is executed on an imaging signal to amplify subject luminance, raising ISO sensitivity. A shutter speed set to fall in a high speed range reduces deterioration in image quality due to hand shake and/or subject movement during a shooting operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masami Yuyama, Tsuyoshi Matsunaga, Yoshiyuki Kato, Takeshi Tsukagoshi, Masaru Onozawa, Shohei Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 8305466
    Abstract: A zoom adjustment system, comprising a touch panel, a course detector, and a first zoom adjuster, is provided. The touch panel has an input surface. The touch panel detects a certain location on the input surface when it is touched. The touch panel detects a touched location. The course detector detects a course traced on the input surface by the touched location when the touched location is moved about on the input surface while maintaining continuous contact with the input surface. The first zoom adjuster adjusts a magnification of a photographic optical system according to the traced course detected by the course detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Nakahara, Satoru Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 8305467
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup unit which forms a subject image on an image pickup device through an optical system to generate an image pickup signal; an adjustment unit which changes an optical zoom magnification with respect to the subject image; and a control unit which records image data as a moving image in a memory in response to a moving image recording command, the image data being obtained based on the image pickup signal, and stops recording the moving image for a time period during which the zoom magnification is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenichi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20120268625
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, a third lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power in order from an object side to an image side. The second and fourth lens units move during zooming, and the first and third lens units do not move for zooming. A focal length fw of the entire zoom lens at a wide-angle end, a focal length ft of the entire zoom lens at a telephoto end, a focal length f1 of the first lens unit, a focal length f2 of the second lens unit, and a focal length f4 of the fourth lens unit are appropriately set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shinji Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 8294805
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes: an imaging unit configured to capture an image of a subject and outputs image data containing the image; a display unit configured to display a live preview image of the subject based on the image data output from the imaging unit; a processor configured to set an image size of the image to be recorded and perform image processing on the live preview image to control a display range of the live preview image to be displayed on the display unit based on the image size to be recorded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazunori Kita
  • Patent number: 8289419
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to perform photoelectric conversion of an optical image, an optical zoom unit configured to perform optical magnification variation in response to a zooming operation, an electronic zoom unit configured to perform electronic magnification variation on a signal output from the imaging unit, and a controller configured to operate the electronic zoom unit together with the optical zoom unit in a first zoom range in response to the zooming operation, to operate the optical zoom unit without operating the electronic zoom unit in response to the zooming operation in a second zoom range, which is closer to a telephoto side than the first zoom range, and to operate the electronic zoom unit together with the optical zoom unit in response to the zooming operation in a third zoom range, which is closer to the telephoto side than the second zoom range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuji Tsuda
  • Patent number: 8284273
    Abstract: An imager is provided having an image-capturing device, a display, and a view angle controller. The image-capturing device captures a subject image and outputs an image signal. The display displays a through image consisting of multiple images continuously displayed. The view angle controller controls a view angle of an image so that a ratio of an area of a subject in an area of an image is maintained at a certain value when the display displays a through image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Maeda, Hiroyuki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8269859
    Abstract: A photographing apparatus is provided that is capable of minimizing an access bandwidth of memory included in the photographing apparatus and is capable of reducing power consumption, and a method of controlling the photographing apparatus. The photographing apparatus includes a distortion correction unit for performing distortion correction on a captured image by performing image processing; a digital zoom unit for performing digital zoom on the captured image by performing image processing; and a host central processing unit (CPU) for controlling the photographing apparatus to perform one of the distortion correction by the distortion correction unit and the digital zoom by the digital zoom unit. A method of controlling the photographing apparatus is also provided. In addition, a recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program to implement the method is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mineki Taoka
  • Publication number: 20120224032
    Abstract: An image capturing device includes: a plurality of image capturing units that capture images from different viewpoints; an image analyzing unit that detects characteristic points by image analysis of the images captured by the plurality of image capturing units; a control unit that calculates image conversion parameters for correction of inputting characteristic point information generated by the image analyzing unit to correct deviation in the up and down direction of the plurality of images captured by the plurality of image capturing units; and an image conversion unit that performs a conversion process of the captured images of the plurality of image capturing units by applying the image conversion parameters calculated by the control unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2012
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Masafumi TAKIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20120206625
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to perform photoelectric conversion of an optical image, an optical zoom unit configured to perform optical magnification variation in response to a zooming operation, an electronic zoom unit configured to perform electronic magnification variation on a signal output from the imaging unit, and a controller configured to operate the electronic zoom unit together with the optical zoom unit in a first zoom range in response to the zooming operation, to operate the optical zoom unit without operating the electronic zoom unit in response to the zooming operation in a second zoom range, which is closer to a telephoto side than the first zoom range, and to operate the electronic zoom unit together with the optical zoom unit in response to the zooming operation in a third zoom range, which is closer to the telephoto side than the second zoom range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuji Tsuda
  • Publication number: 20120206626
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus including: an image pickup element; an image pickup optical system for forming an image of an object by using a beam; a phase modulating element disposed on a pupil plane, for modulating a phase state of the beam; a modulating element controller for controlling the phase modulating element; and an image pickup element controller for dividing the image pickup element into multiple areas, and reading, for each of the multiple divided areas, information on the image in a time-sharing manner, in which, when the image pickup element controller reads the information on the image formed on the image pickup element by an area-by-area basis for the multiple divided areas in the time-sharing manner, the modulating element controller controls the phase modulating element so as to reduce a wavefront aberration in the divided area from which the information is to be read.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akira Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8243171
    Abstract: A camera system and a method for zooming the camera system is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating an electronic image by sensing an optical image received by the camera, the sensing including electronic cropping to a window size to establish an initial resolution for the electronic image, (B) generating a final image by decimating the electronic image by a decimation factor to a final resolution smaller than the initial resolution and (C) changing a zoom factor for the final image by adjusting both of the decimation factor and the window size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Didier LeGall, Leslie D. Kohn, Elliot N. Linzer
  • Publication number: 20120194707
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a target image generating portion that generates a target image by photography using optical zoom and digital zoom, and an output image generating portion that generates an output image by performing image processing on the target image. An entire image region of the target image includes a first image region and a second image region having a focus degree lower than that of the first image region. The image processing includes a blurring process for blurring an image in the second image region of the target image, and the output image generating portion performs the blurring process in accordance with a magnification of the digital zoom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kanichi KOYAMA, Masahiro YOKOHATA
  • Publication number: 20120169903
    Abstract: A zoom lens system, in order from an object side to an image side, comprising a positive first lens unit, a negative second lens unit, a positive third lens unit, and a positive fourth lens unit, wherein the first lens unit is composed of a cemented lens element of one object side negative lens element and one image side positive lens element, the fourth lens unit is composed of one lens element, in zooming, the first to fourth lens units are individually moved along an optical axis so that air spaces between the respective lens units vary for magnification change, and the conditions: vdL12<43.50 and fT/fW?6.0 (vdL12: an Abbe number of the positive lens element in the first lens unit, fT and fW: focal lengths of the entire system at a telephoto limit and a wide-angle limit) are satisfied; an imaging device; and a camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2010
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori Touchi, Yoshiaki Kurioka, Shunichiro Yoshinaga
  • Publication number: 20120162481
    Abstract: Digital image photographing apparatuses and methods of controlling the same to provide location information are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes generating a preview image by photographing an object; detecting the current location of the digital image photographing apparatus; detecting a photographing direction in which the digital image photographing apparatus photographed the object; generating distance information regarding the object; and displaying the distance information regarding the object according to the photographing direction around the current location of the digital image photographing apparatus. Digital image photographing apparatuses disclosed herein are capable of providing location information and/or additional information regardless of its their optical limits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-hoon Kim, Nam-young Jang
  • Publication number: 20120162482
    Abstract: A compact and lightweight zoom lens system having excellent imaging performance, which is favorably applicable to an interchangeable-lens type digital camera system, is provided. The zoom lens system of the present invention includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having positive optical power and composed of not more than two lens elements, a second lens unit having negative optical power, a third lens unit having negative optical power, and a fourth lens unit having positive optical power. In zooming from a wide-angle limit to a telephoto limit, the fourth lens unit moves along an optical axis. Further, the following condition (9) and (10) are satisfied: 1.50<nd1<1.72, 50<vd1<75 (nd1: a refractive index to the d line of a positive lens element constituting the first lens unit, vd1: an Abbe number of a positive lens element constituting the first lens unit).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2011
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunichiro Yoshinaga, Isamu Izuhara, Nobuyuki Adachi, Kyoichi Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 8203627
    Abstract: A zoom lens system includes a variator lens group, a compensator lens group and a third lens group. The compensator lens group is arranged to only partially compensate for movement of the variator group. In order to provide further compensation for the zoom lens, an image enhancer implement wavefront coding and artifact reduction techniques. The compensator group may be fixed or alternatively, its movement relative to the variator may be effected by a simple cam mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Research & Development) Ltd
    Inventors: Ewan Findlay, Andrew Harvey, Mads Demenikov
  • Patent number: 8194157
    Abstract: An image-pickup apparatus includes an image-pickup element that photoelectrically converts an optical image formed by an image-pickup optical system having a zoom function, and a correcting part that performs correction processing for a distortion component in image data generated based on an output from the image-pickup element, the distortion component corresponding to a distortion of the image-pickup optical system. The image-pickup optical system provides a first zoom range in which a distortion amount at a certain image height is larger than a predetermined value and a second zoom range in which a distortion amount at the certain image height is smaller than the predetermined value. The correcting part performs the correction processing so that the distortion component remains in a first corrected image data in the first zoom range is larger than the distortion component remaining in a second corrected image data in the second zoom range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinichiro Saito
  • Patent number: 8184180
    Abstract: An audio/video (A/V) capture device and method that capture audio and video in a spatially synchronized manner. In one implementation, the device and method automatically adjust the shape of a spatial directivity pattern of a microphone array used for acquiring audio so that the pattern is spatially synchronized with an amount of video zoom being applied by a video acquisition section to acquire video. For example, a wider spatial directivity pattern may automatically be used during wide-angle shots and a narrower spatial directivity pattern may automatically be used during close-ups. This beneficially allows for the consistent attenuation of audio signals received from audio sources that lie outside the field of view of the video acquisition section while passing or even enhancing audio signals received from audio sources that lie within the field of view even though the width of the field of view has changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Franck Beaucoup
  • Publication number: 20120113279
    Abstract: A digital photographing apparatus such as a digital camera, having a retractable body tube containing a lens assembly, and a method of controlling the same. The digital camera receives an ongoing series of images, analyzes differences between images to determine an abnormal camera condition such as dropping the camera, and automatically retracts the body tube into the camera to protect it from impact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Byeong-chan PARK, Hyun-sik YU, Sang-ryoon SON
  • Patent number: 8159563
    Abstract: Provided are a digital photographing apparatus having a zoom function, which may easily obtain still images having various viewing angles, a method of controlling the same, and a recording medium storing a computer program for executing the method. The digital photographing apparatus obtains data regarding a first still image at a first zoom ratio, and then automatically obtains data regarding a second still image at a second zoom ratio that is different from the first zoom ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Won-seok Song
  • Patent number: 8154623
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus that includes an optical zooming unit, an electronic zooming unit, and a controller, wherein when the optical zooming unit moves from a first zoom region to a second zoom region that is closer to a wide-angle end than the first zoom region, the controller discretely moves the electronic zooming unit along with the operation of the optical zooming unit at the first change rate, and when the optical zooming unit moves from the first zoom region to a third zoom region that is closer to a telephoto end than the first zoom region, the controller discretely operates the electronic zooming unit along with the operation of the optical zooming unit at the second change rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yusuke Fujita
  • Patent number: 8154624
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus that has an optical zooming unit and an electronic zooming unit includes a temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of the image pickup apparatus, and a controller configured to move the electronic zooming unit along with an operation of the optical zooming unit, and to move a telephoto end for control of the optical zooming unit toward a wide-angle side according to the temperature detected by the temperature detector. Along with control to move the telephoto end of the optical zooming unit to the wide-angle end, the controller sets smaller than a change rate of a zoom magnification of an electronic zooming unit in a first zoom region a change rate of a zoom magnification of an electronic zooming unit in a second zoom region that is adjacent with and closer to the telephoto end than the first zoom region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ryunosuke Iijima
  • Publication number: 20120057052
    Abstract: A system and method for effectively optimizing zoom settings in a digital camera includes a digital zoom module that performs a digital zoom function, and an optical zoom module that controls a lens unit of the digital camera to perform an optical zoom function. A depth of field manager performs a zoom-setting optimization procedure to select optimal zoom values for the optical zoom module and the digital zoom module to thereby optimize image quality characteristics of images captured by the camera device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Inventors: Nikolaos Georgis, Fredrik Carpio, Paul Hwang
  • Patent number: 8130287
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus which stores an image signal from an image sensing element and reads out and processes the stored image signal to magnify and display an image on a display device includes a designation unit that designates the magnification ratio of the image to be displayed, a storage unit that stores the magnification ratio designated by the designation unit, and a magnifying processing unit that executes magnifying processing for the stored image signal on the basis of the magnification ratio stored in the storage unit and outputs the image signal to the display device. The magnification ratio stored in the storage unit is updated when a different magnification ratio is designated by the designation unit, and the magnification ratio stored in the storage unit is used for a plurality of images that are sequentially displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuyuki Furukawa
  • Publication number: 20120050540
    Abstract: A method of determining the movement in position of the optical axis of a camera having an optical zoom lens, comprising the steps of: obtaining a test image at a predetermined level of optical zoom; applying a digital zoom to at least part of the test image, selecting a plurality of test points in the digitally zoomed test image; changing the level of optical zoom by a predetermined amount and changing the level of digital zoom; obtaining the test image at the different level of zoom; analysing the digitally zoomed test image at the different level of optical zoom; searching at least part of the digitally zoomed test image at the different level of zoom for two of said plurality of said test points; converting the position of the test points in the digitally zoomed images into corresponding positions within the optically zoomed images; and determining the amount of movement of the optical axis on the basis of the difference in position between corresponding test points within the optically zoomed images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Sarah Elizabeth WITT
  • Publication number: 20120050577
    Abstract: A lens driving apparatus comprises: a zoom lens driven in an optical axis direction; first and second correction lenses driven in the optical axis direction; a storage unit that stores, for each predetermined focal length, positional relationships between the zoom lens, and the first and second correction lenses used for correcting a shift of an image plane upon driving of the zoom lens; a position detection unit that detects a position of the second correction lens; and a control unit that calculates driving amounts of the first correction lens and the second correction lens, and controls driving of the first and second correction lenses. The control means corrects an image plane position difference caused by a difference between a position of the second correction lens corresponding to a position of the zoom lens, and the detected position of the second correction lens, by moving the first correction lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideyasu Hongu
  • Publication number: 20120038795
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a first lens unit having a positive refracting power and including a reflecting member having a reflecting surface, a second lens unit having a negative refracting power, a rear lens unit group having a positive refracting power as a whole and including at least three lens units, which includes in order from the object side, a third lens unit, a fourth lens unit, and a fifth lens unit. An aperture stop is provided between the second lens unit and the fourth lens unit. During zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end, the first lens unit is kept stationary, the second lens unit is located closer to the image side at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, and the distances between the lens units change. The first lens unit includes, in order from the object side, a negative lens component, the reflecting member, and a rear sub-lens unit including a first positive lens element and a second positive lens element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2011
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Inventors: Masato Katayose, Kenji Ono, Hideyuki Nagaoka, Kazuhito Hayakawa
  • Patent number: 8111305
    Abstract: A photographing apparatus includes a first digital zoom device, a second digital zoom device capable of zooming at a higher magnification power than the first digital zoom device, a manipulation unit for performing manipulation of zoom, and a conversion unit for performing conversion between the first and second digital zoom devices when a predetermined magnification power is reached through the manipulation of the manipulation unit. A photographing method includes performing zoom manipulation, determining whether a magnification power according to the zoom manipulation reaches a predetermined reference magnification power to convert between a first digital zoom device and a second digital zoom device capable of zooming at a higher magnification power than the first digital zoom device, and converting the first digital zoom device and the second digital zoom device when the magnification power reaches the predetermined magnification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mineki Taoka, Masayu Higuchi
  • Patent number: 8081246
    Abstract: There is provided a drive circuit of a solid-state image pickup device capable of generating a pulse for vertical scanning, an interval of which changes non-linearly, and of generating a pulse other than the pulse for vertical scanning, without increasing a circuit size and a communication time for setting an electronic shutter. There also is provided a drive circuit of a solid-state image pickup device including a polynomial arithmetic operation unit for carrying out an arithmetic operation of a polynomial of a first or higher order; an arithmetic operation controller for generating a variable of the polynomial to control an arithmetic operation in the polynomial arithmetic operation unit; and a pulse generator for generating a pulse based on a result of an arithmetic operation in the polynomial arithmetic operation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shintaro Takenaka
  • Publication number: 20110304749
    Abstract: The image pickup apparatus includes an image production unit producing an image by using an output signal from an image pickup unit, a size detection unit detecting a size of a specific object in the image, a storage unit storing a target value of the size of the specific object, a control unit performing auto zoom control that automatically provides a zoom operation to make the size of the specific object equal or closer to the target value, and a position detection unit detecting a position of the specific object in the image. The control unit controls, in the auto zoom control, a speed of the zoom operation depending on the position of the specific object detected by the position detection unit. The apparatus can prevent easy disappearance of the specific object from the image when the auto zoom operation is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Daisuke Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 8077225
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes optical and electronic zooming units, and a controller configured to control an operation of the electronic zooming unit. When the first aspect ratio is selected, the controller operates the electronic zooming unit along with an operation of the optical zooming unit between a first zoom state and a second zoom state that is closer to a telephoto end than the first zoom state. When the second aspect ratio is selected, the controller does not operate the electronic zooming unit between the first zoom state and a third zoom state that is located between the first zoom state and the second zoom state, and operates the electronic zooming unit along with the operation of the optical zooming unit between the second zoom state and the third zoom state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoshi Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20110292252
    Abstract: In an image forming optical system which includes in order from an object side, a first lens group G1 having a positive refractive power, a second lens group G2 having a negative refractive power, an aperture stop, a third lens group G3 having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens group G4 having a negative refractive power, and in which, at the time of zooming, air distances between lens groups are variable, and an air lens nearest to an image side in the third lens group G3 has a shape of a convex lens, the fourth lens group G4 includes one lens component, and is movable even at the time of focusing, and satisfies the following conditional expressions 0.5<(R4F+R4R)/(R4F?R4R)<8.0 ??(1) ?12.0<(R4LAF+R4LAR)/(R4LAF?R4LAR)<?2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Inventor: Shinichi Mihara
  • Publication number: 20110285877
    Abstract: An electrical device with zooming function includes an image-sensing module, a display unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is electrically connected to the image-sensing module and the display unit respectively. The image-sensing module senses an image. The processing unit includes an image display module, a selecting module and a zooming-control module. The image display module makes the display unit display the sensed image. The selecting module receives a selection signal for selecting a reference point from the image displayed on the display unit. The zooming-control module makes the image-sensing module sense another image, the reference point is in the center of which, by zooming.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Applicant: CHICONY ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wei-Cheng HUANG, Mei-Yi TSAI, Shang-Yuan YUAN
  • Publication number: 20110267483
    Abstract: An image processor (101) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a polarized light source (102) and a polarization camera (103). In shooting an object (104), the object is irradiated with polarized light (105) that rotates its polarization plane. The polarized light is reflected from the object's surface and the polarized reflected light (106) reaches the polarization camera (103), thereby recording an image there. The polarization camera (103) includes a polarization image sensor (201), an intensity and polarization information processing section (202), a polarization plane control section (204), and an image capturing control section (205). By capturing an image every time the polarization plane control section (204) changes the polarization state of the polarized light, an intensity image Y and a polarization phase image P are obtained in association with each polarization state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Inventor: Katsuhiro KANAMORI
  • Publication number: 20110267503
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging apparatus including a lens unit having an optical zoom function of collecting light from a subject and optically changing an angle of view, an imaging unit that continuously generates electronic image data using the light collected by the lens unit, an electronic zoom unit that performs electronic zoom by sequentially trimming and enlarging an image corresponding to the image data, a setting unit that sets an enlargement area to be enlarged in the image, a lens manipulation unit that receives a manipulation signal for changing an angle of view, and a control unit that continuously controls, while switching between enlargement of a center of the image by the optical zoom of the lens unit and enlargement of the enlargement area by the electronic zoom of the electronic zoom unit, according to the manipulation signal received by the lens manipulation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Inventors: Keiji KUNISHIGE, Koichi Nakata, Osamu Nonaka
  • Patent number: 8040398
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus is provided, which includes an image capturing unit, an adjusting unit and a display unit. The adjusting unit adjusts a clipped area for an image captured by the image capturing unit on photographing mode. The display unit displays a first number of pixels of the clipped area adjusted by the adjusting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tohru Yoshida