Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8184967 | Lens barrel assembly for a camera A lens barrel assembly for a camera is disclosed. The lens barrel assembly comprises a lens barrel, at least one optical element disposed within the lens barrel, and an actuator configured to move the optical element. The actuator can be disposed entirely or partial... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8180212 | Optical system for infinite image formation and method for fabricating camera module using the same Disclosed are an optical system for infinite image formation and a method for fabricating a camera module using the optical system. The optical system includes a first lens unit including at least one lens; a projection chart capable of partially allowing light to p... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8175449 | Driving device, driving mechanism, and image sensing apparatus A driving device is adapted to drive a driven member, and includes a driving member, and a linear shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator. The driving member has a displacement output portion which is movable in a first axis direction, and a displacement input portion for... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8165464 | Image pickup apparatus with AF sensor unit An image pickup apparatus with an AF sensor unit fixed thereto promptly with high precision by a parallax adjustment method. The image pickup apparatus with the AF sensor has a stationary cylinder. The stationary cylinder constitutes an image pickup lens barrel with... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8090251 | Frame linked 2D/3D camera system A method of operating a 3D camera and a frame-linked 2D/3D camera system. The 3D camera may receive data conveying operating parameters of at least one 2D camera. Operating parameters of the 3D camera including a pan angle Φ3D, a tilt angle T3D | 01/03/2012 |
| 8090252 | Lens barrel assembly for a camera A lens barrel assembly for a camera is disclosed. The lens barrel assembly comprises a lens barrel, at least one optical element disposed within the lens barrel, and an actuator configured to move the optical element. The actuator can be disposed entirely or partial... | 01/03/2012 |
| 8090250 | Imaging device with focus offset compensation An imaging device comprises a lens barrel having a lens opening, and a lens positioned in the lens opening of the lens barrel, the lens having an optical center, a focal length F, an aperture diameter D, and an aperture number FN=F/D. An image sensor comp... | 01/03/2012 |
| 7949244 | Method for measuring subject distance An exemplary method for measuring a distance from a subject to a camera includes the following operations: focusing on the subject using the imaging system; illuminating an area on the subject using auxiliary light; capturing an image of the subject, the image havin... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7936985 | Lens barrel and image pickup apparatus A lens barrel having an increased strength against external impact. The lens barrel is configured to move in an optical axis direction. A photographic lens unit moves in the optical axis direction. A cylindrical unit is engaged with the photographic lens unit, and h... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7929852 | Integrated 2D/3D camera An integrated 2D/3D camera system may include a 2D camera and a 3D camera affixed to the 2D camera. The 2D camera may include a first lens that is lens adjustable to set a 2D focus distance. The 3D camera may include a left camera and a right camera including respec... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7885526 | Grey card for controlling exposure and white balance of a digital camera A target (10, 20) is disclosed suitable for setting the exposure and white balance of a photographic digital camera. The target (10, 20) comprises a target surface (12) that has a reflectance of 18% for all wavelengths of visible light. The targ... | 02/08/2011 |
| 7881599 | Measurement device and method, imaging device, and program A measurement device has a light source, an imaging device, and a distance measuring section The distance measuring section obtains a distance between the imaging device and a person based on a presence of occurrence of a red-eye effect at an eye of the person in an... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7844172 | Adaptive autofocus lens positioning A method and system for effecting adaptive autofocusing, such as for a camera, are disclosed. The method can comprise obtaining focusing information, such as historic focusing information, storing the focusing information, and subsequently using the focusing informa... | 11/30/2010 |
| 7769284 | Lens barrel assembly for a camera A lens barren assembly for a camera is disclosed. The lens barrel assembly comprises a lens barrel, at least one optical element disposed within the lens barrel, and an actuator configured to move the optical element. The actuator can be disposed entirely or partial... | 08/03/2010 |
| 7729603 | Resolution adjustment for miniature camera A method and system for enhancing the resolution of a camera are disclosed. For example, a single lens can be placed at a predetermined position and the position of a lens assembly can be adjusted so as to enhance the resolution of the camera. The single lens can th... | 06/01/2010 |
| 7711259 | Method and apparatus for increasing depth of field for an imager An imaging method and apparatus is disclosed which improves the depth of field of an image by, in one exemplary embodiment, capturing a plurality of images at respective different focus positions, and combines the images into one image and sharpens the one image. In... | 05/04/2010 |
| 7684688 | Adjustable depth of field A camera having a depth of field which can be modified to produce desired photographic effects. The camera determines the depth of field for a subject when the subject is focused upon. A modification to the depth of field is determined based upon the distance to the... | 03/23/2010 |
| 7680406 | Liquid-lens assembly Disclosed herein is a liquid-lens assembly using an electrowetting method. The liquid-lens assembly includes a liquid-lens module, a barrel supporting the liquid-lens module, and a housing coupled to the barrel and having an image sensor. Electrodes are provided on ... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7634184 | Digital camera with tiltable image sensor The invention relates to a camera for generating digital images with an image sensor that is configured to convert an image formed by a lens into electronic signals. The digital camera is characterized by that the image sensor is attached to a movement element with ... | 12/15/2009 |
| 7634183 | Focus adjustable method of optical image A focus adjustable method of an optical image is implemented by a numerical analysis. An external light beam is allowed to pass through a lens module, thereby generating an optical image. The focus values of the optical image at four corners thereof are computed acc... | 12/15/2009 |
| 7613389 | Image taking apparatus and assembling method thereof The image taking lens has the minimum effective diameter lens whose effective diameter is minimum, and the maximum effective diameter lens whose effective diameter is maximum on the most image side, and in the space generated in the minimum effective diameter lens p... | 11/03/2009 |
| 7609958 | Automatic focus system calibration for image capture systems Imaging systems and methods for calibrating imaging systems are provided. The imaging system has a body, a scene image capture system that captures images using a taking lens system that can be set to a plurality of different focus distances, and a rangefinder that ... | 10/27/2009 |
| 7567754 | Fluid operated lens-position controller and imaging module A lens holder for supporting a lens is put so as to slide on a side surface of a lens barrel in which an image sensor having a light receiving portion is arranged at the bottom, and the lens barrel and the lens holder are connected together by a connecting material.... | 07/28/2009 |
| 7536094 | Focus detection apparatus and image taking apparatus A focus detection apparatus having a first focus detection unit and a second focus detection unit of a scheme differing from that of the first focus detection unit, for detecting the shift amount of a focal position by the first and second focus detection units, inc... | 05/19/2009 |
| 7519284 | Automatic focusing mechanism An automatic focusing mechanism (100) is suitable for a digital camera in a portable electronic device. A preferred embodiment of automatic focusing mechanism includes a barrel (1), a holder (2), an optical module (3), and an image sensor... | 04/14/2009 |
| 7515817 | Camera module A camera module is provided wherein an image pickup device, a camera optical system and a driver, for aligning and focusing the camera optical system, are mounted on a board; wherein a connection terminal, to be electrically connected to the driver, is formed on a m... | 04/07/2009 |
| 7505678 | Control apparatus, control method, and computer program A control apparatus for controlling a driver driving an optical element of an image pickup device to adjust a focus position of the image pickup device in the capturing of an image of a subject, includes a focus position control process startup unit for managing a s... | 03/17/2009 |
| 7440689 | Electromagnetically actuated adjusting apparatus for lens An electromagnetically actuated adjusting apparatus for lens is disclosed. The adjusting apparatus comprises a body capable of furnishing a lens inside, at least one permanent magnet, a first magnetic conductor and a second magnetic conductor. The first and the seco... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7433585 | System and method of lens placement A lens-placement system in accordance with the invention includes an imaging system having an imaging camera to capture an image of at least a portion of an image sensor module that is located in a fixed-focus camera. The captured image is used for placement of a le... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7430370 | Optical element, lens unit and image pickup apparatus An optical element and a lens unit each includes: a liquid container transmitting light at least in a predetermined optical axis direction, the liquid container containing an insulating liquid and an ionic liquid being mutually immiscible and optically transparent, ... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7417803 | Focusing mechanism for a vision detector A machine vision image acquisition system is provided with a housing or enclosure that protects the acquisition system components from an industrial environment. The machine vision image acquisition system has a focusing mechanism that can be actuated externally to ... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7415201 | Auto focusing device for camera and method used in auto focusing device for camera for determining whether or not to emit auxiliary light An auto focusing device for a camera includes a focus detecting section which detects a focused state of an image taking lens an AF mode setting section sets an AF mode of the camera to either a first AF mode or a second AF mode. An auxiliary light emitting section ... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7412158 | Deeper depth of field for video A digital camera apparatus has a sensing surface that captures images at a first resolution. A derivative of the captured image is displayed at a viewfinder or stored in a memory, after encoding, with a second, generally lower resolution. The resolutions are related... | 08/12/2008 |
| 7409149 | Methods for improved autofocus in digital imaging systems Methods to improve autofocus in digital imaging systems, such as digital cameras, are disclosed. Embodiments may include, in response to locking of lens focus on a subject image, determining an initial subject focus distance and an initial attitude, and in response ... | 08/05/2008 |
| 7391966 | Selective focus system for use in photography An optical system is provided for allowing regional focus control. The system uses a variable power optical component system as two optical shear plates that can be laterally displaced with respect to each other to adjust and alter the field curvature of the optical... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7388720 | Imaging apparatus A lens-controlling device controls a first lens unit which moves for zooming and a second lens unit which moves for correcting the displacement of an image plane caused by zooming and for focusing. The lens-controlling device includes a memory which stores data for ... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7386226 | Stereo camera system and stereo optical module This stereo camera system is constituted of a stereo optical module which acquires a stereo image, a central control unit which evaluates an object as a target based on the stereo image acquired by the stereo optical module, and a communication line through which st... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7372638 | Lens barrel There is disclosed a lens barrel including a fixed frame, a rotary frame rotatable with respect to the fixed frame to advance or retract in an optical axis direction, and a rectilinear guide frame rotatable relative to the rotary frame to displace integrally with th... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7372759 | Power supply control circuit and controlling method thereof The present invention provides a power supply control circuit and a control method thereof, capable of securing an accurate operation of a GIO in a burst data transmission having a high compression rate. The power supply control circuit of a semiconductor memory dev... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7367724 | Imaging device, method of production of same, and holding mechanism of same An imaging device including a base on which an imaging element is provided, a cylindrically shaped plastic lens member holding a condensing lens at the inside, and a plastic barrel member in which the lens member can move in the axial direction and provided above th... | 05/06/2008 |
