Abstract: An electronic camera according to the present invention includes: an image-capturing element that outputs image-capturing signals; a shutter device that allows subject light pass through to the image-capturing element or shields the image-capturing element from the subject light; an image-capturing circuit that engages the image-capturing element in an image-capturing operations over a predetermined length of time to output to a first image-capturing signal while the subject light is allowed to pass through to the image-capturing element and also engages the image-capturing element in an image-capturing operation over a predetermined length of time while the image-capturing element is shielded from the subject light; a signal correction circuit that executes a signal correction by subtracting the second image-capturing signal from the first image-capturing signal; and a control circuit that controls the image-capturing circuit so as to set an upper limit to the length of the image-capturing operation executed

Abstract: A system and method for calibration and compensation of a visual sensor system. The visual sensor system includes dark pixels adjacent active pixels on a CCD imaging array, which provide dark current data corresponding to image response data. Concurrently, the temperature of the focal plane of the CCD is measured by one or more temperature sensors disposed on the array. Concurrently, the temperature of a circuit board including a processor is measured by one or more temperature sensors arranged on the circuit board. The image response data, dark current data, and circuit board and focal plane temperatures are used to compensate the image response data.

Abstract: An image sensor that has a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor senses the temperature of a pixel array of the image sensor. The sensed temperature is used to scale a dark frame image generated by the pixel array. The scaled dark frame image is subtracted from a light image frame generated by the pixel array. The scaled dark image frame compensates for temperature variations in the pixel array. The scaled dark image frame may be generated by multiplying the dark frame by a scale factor(s). The scale factor may be computed from an equation or determined from a look-up table. The equation or look-up table may compensate for thermal gradients across the pixel.

Abstract: A digital camera includes: an image-capturing device that captures a subject image through a taking lens; a signal processing circuit that performs predetermined processing such as noise removal on an image-capturing signal output by the image-capturing device; a drive circuit that enables the image-capturing device to operate; a delay device that outputs a signal achieved by applying a predetermined delay to a drive signal used to drive the image-capturing device and the signal processing circuit; and a control device that sets a delay time for the delay device.

Abstract: This invention is a digital camera that measures its internal temperature using the dark current of the photo detector. Using the temperature information the digital camera controls its internal temperature by selectively shutting down or slowing down heat generating components.

Abstract: A photosensitive device, such as would be found in a digital scanner or camera, includes at least two sets of photosensors, the video signals from which are multiplexed together. While the two video paths are separate, before the multiplexing step, an offset correction process is carried out on each video path. After multiplexing, a final offset correction process is carried out to the combined signals, to remove offsets associated with the combined video path.

Abstract: An exposure period control device comprises a thermo sensor that senses the temperature of an imaging device, such as a CCD. The thermo sensor faces the rear surface of the CCD. A maximum exposure period is controlled to be decreased as the temperature of the CCD increases. When it is supposed that the temperature is T° C., a maximum exposure period is t0 at 0° C., and 7≦Th≦11, the maximum exposure period tmax is tmax=t0×(½)T/Th When the value of the dark current occurring in a photo-diode of the CCD becomes excessive, the maximum exposure period of the CCD controlled to be decreased. Therefore, the amount of the noise component occurring in a photographed image is reduced, so that the image quality is not affected.

Abstract: An image sensor that has a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor senses the temperature of a pixel array of the image sensor. The sensed temperature is used to scale a dark frame image generated by the pixel array. The scaled dark frame image is subtracted from a light image frame generated by the pixel array. The scaled dark image frame compensates for temperature variations in the pixel array. The scaled dark image frame may be generated by multiplying the dark frame by a scale factor(s). The scale factor may be computed from an equation or determined from a look-up table. The equation or look-up table may compensate for thermal gradients across the pixel.

Abstract: In an image-sensing device, a temperature-corrected image signal obtained from a sensor 1 is converted into a digital signal by an A/D converter circuit 2. The image signal thus converted into a digital signal is separated into three color signals, i.e. R, G, and B signals, by an RGB selection circuit 3. An initial state setting circuit 4 adds offset voltages to the R, G, and B signals individually to adjust the white balance for initialization. In actual image sensing, on the basis of the thus initialized R, G, and B signals, a color temperature detection circuit 5 detects the color temperature of the subject, and, on the basis of the detected color temperature, a white balance adjustment circuit 6 adds offset voltages to the R and B signals to adjust the white balance.

Abstract: CMOS imagers can possess higher levels of imager noise than their predecessors, CCDs. This noise can be of the form of temporal variation and fixed pattern. The fixed pattern component of this noise can be removed, which is known already in the art. The invention in this disclosure is that proper correction can be developed for all imager conditions (imager integration time and imager temperature) using a single FPN (fixed pattern noise) dark map, a single FPN PRNU (pixel response nonuniformity) map, imager integration time and imager temperature. Without this invention, a dark frame capture and a flat field capture (integrating sphere), are required before every image capture, a practical impossibility in typical picture taking.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus including: CCD image pickup device for converting object light into electrical signals; a light cutoff plate; an exposure controlling section for controlling the light cutoff plate and image pickup device to control exposure period of the image pickup device; a dark signal storage section for storing dark signals obtained from the image pickup device in the condition where the incident light is cut off by the light cutoff plate; a subtracting section for subtracting dark signals stored at the storage section from the main exposure image pickup signals obtained at the image pickup device by a main exposure where the light cutoff plate is withdrawn; a defect detecting section for detecting fault pixels from the image pickup signals after the subtraction of dark current components; and a correcting section for correcting the detected fault pixels.

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 an image-sensing apparatus, shading data obtained when a sensor 1 is irradiated with uniform light is compressed by a COM 6 and is then stored in a memory 3. During image sensing, the data stored in the memory 3 is decompressed back into the shading data by an EXP 7. By a COR 4, this shading data is subtracted from the image data obtained from the sensor 1, and thereby the unevenness in the outputs from the individual pixels of the sensor 1 is corrected.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention includes a temperature sensor with current mode output utilized within a cathode ray tube (CRT)-based display system for providing thermal protection to a CRT driver. Specifically, the current mode output temperature sensor of the present embodiment is implemented with the CRT driver of the CRT display system. Furthermore, the temperature sensor has a current sink output that is connected to an Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL) circuit of the CRT display. The current sink of the temperature sensor operates in a manner similar to an “OR gate” with the CRT anode current. As such, when the CRT driver temperature rises above a threshold temperature, the current mode output temperature sensor sinks a current and activates the ABL circuit. As a result, the video amplitude of the CRT driver is reduced and its temperature is stabilized.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device having contacts for a charge sweeping component or the like, with which increases in dark current can be suppressed while increases in contact resistance and the production of alloy spikes can be prevented, and a method for manufacturing this device. A solid-state imaging device has a charge accumulator for producing and accumulating signal charges when light is received, and a charge transfer component for transferring these signal charges, including a conductive layer 18 formed on a substrate 10, such as a silicon layer or metal wiring; an insulating film 21 formed over the conductive layer 18; an opening CH formed over the insulating film 21 and leading to the conductive layer 18; and a wiring layer 34 composed of aluminum containing copper in an amount between 0.4 and 5 wt %, formed at least inside the opening CH contiguously with the surface of the conductive layer 18.

Abstract: In an image sensing system having an image sensing optical system, and an image sensing element for photoelectrically converting incoming light from the image sensing optical system, a predetermined pattern image for adjustment, which is specified in advance, is read by the image sensing element, and the image sensing element is driven to adjust its position on the basis of an output from said image sensing element, thereby adjusting the relative position of the image sensing element with respect to the image sensing optical system prior to an image sensing operation.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion apparatus has a photoelectric conversion element, a transistor for transferring a signal from the photoelectric conversion element, and a driver for supplying a drive pulse to the control electrode of the transistor. A temperature of the photoelectric conversion element and/or transistor is measured. The measured temperature is compared to a reference temperature, and based on that comparison, a length of the supplied drive pulse is made shorter or longer.

Abstract: An image pickup device including: a solid state image pickup element; a memory; an image pickup data generating unit for generating image pickup data through an image pickup operation of reading data from the solid state image pickup element and A/D converting the data; a first processing unit for storing the image pickup data in the memory; a noise data generating unit for generating noise data through an operation, similar to the image pickup operation in a non-exposure state, of reading data from the solid state image pickup element and A/D converting the data; and a second processing unit for generating a desired image pickup data by subtracting an average data of a plurality of noise data obtained by a plurality of repetitive operations of the noise data generating unit, from the image pickup data stored in the memory means.

Abstract: A heat-sensitive infrared-light image sensor is provided with an array of reference cells and video cells. During a setup (initialization) mode, video offset values are produced as representative of deviations of video samples from the video cells and stored in a memory. First reference offset values are produced as representative of deviations of reference samples from the reference cells and a first average value representing an average of the first reference offset values is derived and stored into a first register. During an operational mode, second reference offset values are produced as representative of deviations of reference samples from the reference cells, and a second average value representing an average of the second reference offset values is derived and stored into a second register.

Abstract: In a photosensitive device wherein voltages are read sequentially from a dark, or dummy, photosensor and a plurality of active photosensors with each of a series of scans, a circuit downstream of the photosensors resets the offset value of the voltage signals, based on successive voltage readings from the dark photosensor. An RC circuit in parallel with the video line maintains a running average of readings from the dark photosensor over a large number of scans. This averaging of many dark-pixel readings averages out short-term thermal noise on the dark photosensor, for a truer offset value.

Abstract: A television camera apparatus having at least one image-pickup element with a light incidence portion and supported by an image-pickup element holder, a housing connected with the image-pickup element holder and enabling light to pass through a portion thereof for incidence on the light incidence portion of the image-pickup element, and a temperature controlling cooling section provided in a predetermined portion of the housing. The temperature controlling cooling section includes a cooling-side surface portion which is controlled to have a temperature lower than a temperature of the light incidence portion of the image-pickup element during operation of the television camera apparatus, so that free water contained in air inside of the housing is condensed on the cooling-side surface portion. The apparatus also enables discharge of the condensed water outside of the housing.

Abstract: The solid state image sensor comprises a chip in a package. A image sensor is formed in the chip. The package has a package main body, a light receiving glass plate fixed to the package main body, and a buffer member arranged between the package main body and light receiving glass plate. The buffer member is fixed to the light receiving glass plate and to the package main body. The thermal expansion coefficient of the buffer member is substantially equal to that of the light receiving glass plate, so that the light receiving plate is fixed to the package main body even though the temperature of the imaging device changes. Therefore, the adhesion between the package main body and the light receiving glass plate and the airtightness in the package are maintained.