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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8120698 | Focus control apparatus useful for image pick up apparatuses equipped with an auto focus function and method therefor A focus control apparatus and method capable of shortening a focus adjustment time in focus control. The method includes extracting a first high frequency component depending upon a first cutoff frequency and a second high frequency component depending upon a second... | 02/21/2012 |
| 7929045 | Solid-state image pickup device and electronic apparatus including same A camera module 1 includes: an optical structure 3 that forms a subject image and moves up and down along an optical path; a solid-state image pickup element 21 that converts, into an electrical signal, a subject image formed by the optical stru... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7609319 | Method and apparatus for determining focusing position A photography device has an AF mechanism including: a CCD; an analog signal processing section; an image input controller; an AF processing section; a CPU; and a focusing lens driving section. The AF mechanism operates to focus an imaging lens on a subject. If an im... | 10/27/2009 |
| 7589781 | Automatic focus for image sensors The embodiments of the invention relate to automatic focusing methods and apparatus suitable for use in digital imaging devices. The proposed methods and apparatus evaluate the focus condition of the optical system by evaluating the digitized image, without requirin... | 09/15/2009 |
| 7421195 | Apparatus for acquiring focussing information and method of acquiring focusing information A storage unit is configured to store beforehand a table that shows a relation between spread parameters and command values supplied to a control unit to acquire a focused image of an object, and information that designates a command value corresponding to an inflec... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7333672 | Image processing system/network which performs recognition process only upon regions having higher high spatial frequency content An image recognition process applied to a photograph is preceded by a pre-processing step which identifies parts of the image which are in focus. The recognition process is then limited to those parts. The pre-processing typically operates by creating a measure of h... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7327395 | Autofocus apparatus When a high-frequency component of a video signal that is output from a CCD image sensor (1-2) can be extracted from band-pass filters (1-13, 1-14), the band-pass filters (1-13, 1-14) are changed in accordance ... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7319487 | Focusing apparatus, camera and focus position detecting method A focusing apparatus includes a filter unit for performing frequency filtering processing on an image pickup signal, and a focus position detecting unit for detecting a focus position based on the contrast value of the image pickup signal having undergone the freque... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7295243 | Autofocus apparatus having a flash synchronized to an autofocus sampling time The autofocus apparatus determines a focus position according to a result of sampling an AF evaluated value and drives a lens system to the focus position. This autofocus apparatus further performs a flash in synchronism with a sampling timing of an AF evaluated val... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7289251 | Image sensor An image sensor is disclosed, in which the image sensor changes the diameter of a lens from the center area of a chip to an edge thereof to obtain uniform sensitivity as a whole. The image sensor includes a plurality of light-receiving portions for converting a sign... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7268817 | Method of automatically focusing using a quadratic function in camera A method of automatically focusing a camera determines a position of a focus lens where an amount of a high frequency in an image signal is a maximum. The amount of a high frequency included in an image signal is measured at intervals of multiple focus motor steps. ... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7256819 | Order processing method and system for image output service, and order information generating apparatus, order receiving apparatus, and digital camera used in the method When order information is recorded in a recording medium and an image output service is requested using this order information, the content of a new order is not confused with that of an old order and a user's intention can be conveyed accurately to a service provid... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7233737 | Fixed-focus camera module and associated method of assembly A fixed-focus camera module includes an image sensor, a lens for focusing an image onto the image sensor, and a positioning structure for maintaining an alignment of the lens and image sensor. The alignment provides a desired image quality of the image focussed onto... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7228069 | Focusing method for digital camera using plural spatial frequencies An automatic focusing method includes the following steps: providing a digital camera module, which includes a lens member, an image sensor member, a distance-measuring member, a signal-processing member, a drive control member, and a drive member; measuring an obje... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7221805 | Method for generating a focused image of an object A method is provided for computing a composite image representing a focused image of an object in an application of machine vision in an optical inspection system. An image tessellated into focus regions is evaluated by region for fine feature sharpness. A sharpness... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7196729 | AF evaluation value calculating device The present invention provides an AF evaluation value calculating device in which speed of AF control does not deteriorate even when a number of AF areas are set. The AF evaluation value calculating device for calculating an AF evaluation value used for AF (auto-foc... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7176976 | Autoexposure methodology in a digital camera An improved method for automatic exposure control at a digital camera is described. In response to a user request for capture of a digital image, image data is captured on the camera's image sensor. The captured image data includes pixel values of brightness of pixe... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7145700 | Image processing system including synchronous type processing unit and asynchronous type processing unit and image processing method In order to improve the processing speed in an apparatus that carries out a plurality of image processing on image data, an image processing system carries out image processing that allows high speed processing such as γ correction on all the region in document ima... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7116359 | Image capture device and method of controlling blur in captured images An image acquired by an image sensor is recorded, and the blur amount of the recorded image is changed in accordance with a blur amount determined beforehand. ... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7110035 | Device and a method for an infrared image analyzing autofocus An apparatus and a method is introduced by which infrared image analysing automatic focusing is made possible. The invention among others comprises a focus function to be used by a search operation in order to control a moving means (50) adjusting a focusing ... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7102681 | Focus detecting apparatus In a focus detection apparatus, an accumulation-type sensor formed of a plurality of sensor cells accumulates an image signal, and a component of the image signal is read from each cell for a focus detection calculation. A signal is read from a part of the cells in ... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7098954 | Interchangeable lens video camera system In an interchangeable lens assembly video camera system including an interchangeable lens assembly and a camera, a filter of an AF signal processing circuit (113) of the camera extracts a focus evaluation value signal from an image sensing signal correspondin... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7084910 | System and method for using multiple images in a digital image capture device A digital image capture and processing system, comprising a lens coupled to a lens control element is disclosed. The image capture system includes an image sensor configured to capture images from the lens, and a memory element and a processor coupled to the lens co... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7079187 | Focus adjusting apparatus and focus adjusting method An apparatus, such as a focus adjusting apparatus, includes a focus adjusting system, a driving device which drives the focus adjusting system from one of a state in which a near-distance object is in focus and a state in which a far-distance object is in focus to t... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7071985 | Optical device and method for selecting object of focus A camera capable of automatically detecting a main object in a sensed image. A distance distribution generation unit discriminates a plurality of areas in the sensed image on the basis of a predetermined condition, and a main object area determination unit automatic... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7046279 | Image taking apparatus An image taking apparatus includes an image sensor which picks up an image of a photographic object and a selector which selects a first photographing mode or a second photographing mode and a controller. The second photographing mode is a mode for composing a plura... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7024107 | Focusing device and method An automatic focus adjustment device has an image sensing element for converting an object optical image into an electrical signal, and outputting an image signal, a filter for extracting high-frequency components of the image signal obtained by the image sensing el... | 04/04/2006 |
| 6992719 | Method and device for focusing a camera utilizing filters contained in a processor This digital camera comprises a lens system (5) for focusing the image of a subject (10) on a sensitive plate (7), a control system formed, inter alia, by a motor (8) that act on the lens system to ensure a sharp image of the subject on t... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6972798 | Focusing device and method An automatic focus adjustment device has an image sensing element for converting an object optical image into an electrical signal, and outputting an image signal, a filter for extracting high-frequency components of the image signal obtained by the image sensing el... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6954418 | APPARATUS FOR ADJUSTING SIGNAL LEVELS DERIVED FROM AN OPTICAL DISC TO BECOME EQUAL TO A REFERENCE LEVEL DETERMINED FROM AT LEAST ONE OF THE SIGNAL LEVELS OF THE SIGNALS AND FOR SYNTHESIZING THE SIGNALS A plurality of light receiving detectors receive a plurality of segments of a beam returning from an optical disc when a reading beam of light is radiated to the optical disc. An optical pickup assembly produces a plurality of signals from the beam segments in accor... | 10/11/2005 |
| 6940555 | Image taking apparatus having focus control An image taking apparatus includes an image sensor which takes a plurality of images different in focal distance, a processor which creates a pan-focus image focused on each of different photographic objects from the plurality of images taken by the image sensor, a ... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6930720 | Video camera system with interchangeable lens assembly A video camera system having a camera (128) and an interchangeable lens assembly (127) attachable to and detachable from the camera. A distance measurement frame is set by a distance measurement frame controller (129) on photographer's line-of-s... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6822688 | Movable-lens position control apparatus An optical apparatus having an image-forming optical system comprising a movable lens, comprises a lens drive mechanism for moving the movable lens, a focus adjusting device for automatically adjusting an imaging position by moving the movable lens or another optica... | 11/23/2004 |
| 6798455 | Image pickup apparatus having a common circuit portion for autofocusing and outline emphazising circuits A luminance signal is extracted from an image pickup signal photographed by a solid state image pickup device and at least a high frequency component in the extracted luminance signal is extracted by a filter. A gain of at least the high frequency component in the l... | 09/28/2004 |
| 6654061 | Automatic focus adjusting apparatus and method utilized by an image sensing apparatus A focus adjusting apparatus of an optical image formation system performs focus adjustment by: splitting light coming from an object into at least two rays along light paths of different lengths and projecting an image of the object; sensing the split ray... | 11/25/2003 |
| 6507367 | Image pickup apparatus for varying filter characteristics for focus adjustment An image pickup apparatus includes a filter for extracting, from a video signal, a high-frequency component which varies with a state of focusing, and a control part arranged to control a cutoff frequency of the filter according to a luminance level in th... | 01/14/2003 |
| 6496225 | Auto focusing device and a focus detecting device for determining the phase difference between image signals A focus detecting device for determining the focus state of an imaging optical system, of a type for time-sequentially entering light beams, transmitted by different areas of an imaging optical system, into a sensor and detecting the phase difference betw... | 12/17/2002 |
| 6342922 | Image pickup apparatus having normal and high resolution modes An image pickup apparatus with operation modes including a normal-resolution mode and a high-resolution mode has the capability of automatically adjusting the focus by driving a part of an imaging optical system wherein the minimum amount of movement in d... | 01/29/2002 |
| 6222588 | Automatic focus adjusting device with driving direction control An automatic focusing device includes an extracting circuit which extracts a focus signal corresponding to a degree of focus from a picked-up image signal, a focusing lens and a direction deciding circuit which decides the direction of driving the focusin... | 04/24/2001 |
| 6166771 | Peak hold method and apparatus for detecting a peak value from a plurality of input sections An adaptive peak value detector, wherein the peak value for a peak hold section is detected, the peak hold section being selected by a peak hold control circuit. A solid-state imaging sensor generates pixel signals representative of an image and the peak ... | 12/26/2000 |
