"That’s an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?"
President Rutherford B. Hayes ; Said in 1876, after Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated the telephone to him at the White House
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8111981 | Focus detection apparatus and focus detection method This invention includes accumulation units (102a, 102b) which accumulate signals obtained by sensing units (111a, 111b), an area determination unit (103, 100) which sets the size of an area of a sensing ... | 02/07/2012 |
| 7933510 | Focus detection apparatus and focus detention method This invention includes accumulation units (102a, 102b) which accumulate signals obtained by sensing units (111a, 111b), an area determination unit (103, 100) which sets the size of an area of a sensing ... | 04/26/2011 |
| 7817910 | Imaging apparatus An imaging apparatus includes an image sensor; a strobe unit; a preliminary. illumination controller which instructs the strobe unit to preliminarily illuminate for a predetermined period before main illumination; a reading controller which divides the image sensor ... | 10/19/2010 |
| 7734164 | Focus state detection apparatus and optical instrument A focus state detection apparatus has a sensor that senses light rays that pass through a lens subjected to focus detection and is composed of a plurality of photoelectric converter elements, a charge accumulation unit that accumulates pixel signals obtained by the ... | 06/08/2010 |
| 7643743 | Focus detection apparatus, method of driving the same and camera system A low cost and high speed AF sensor is realized by increasing AF speed without providing a sensor dedicated for a large de-focusing AF. The AF sensor has two sensors each including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements and detects a focus based on signals... | 01/05/2010 |
| 7512330 | Focus state detection apparatus and optical instrument A focus state detection apparatus has a sensor that senses light rays that pass through a lens subjected to focus detection and is composed of a plurality of photoelectric converter elements, a charge accumulation unit that accumulates pixel signals obtained by the ... | 03/31/2009 |
| 7493034 | Focus detection system A focus detection system includes a line sensor array wherein the line sensor array photoelectrically converts object light into an electric charge, and outputs the accumulated electric charge as an image signal; a monitor sensor array for monitoring an integral val... | 02/17/2009 |
| 7460779 | Focus detection system A focus detection system includes a line sensor array having areas including pixels, wherein the line sensor array photoelectrically converts object light received by each pixel into electric charges, and outputs accumulated electric charges as an image signal; moni... | 12/02/2008 |
| 7454133 | Solid-state image sensor and automatic-focus camera using the same A solid-state image sensor for automatic focus with highly precise automatic focus performance is realized at low cost. In the solid-state image sensor for automatic focus which has paired linear sensors (L1 to L10) respectively provided with linear se... | 11/18/2008 |
| 7405762 | Camera having AF function A camera having an electronic image pickup element and a distance-measuring circuit that uses light signals obtained from light images of a plurality of distance-measuring areas set in a photographing screen to select a main subject and measure the distance to the s... | 07/29/2008 |
| 7370975 | Image processing apparatus An image processing apparatus which includes: an imaging device; a reference luminance property storage device that stores a predetermined reference luminance property; a luminance property calculating device that calculates a luminance property of the imaging devic... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7369333 | Lens unit and image capturing apparatus A lens unit for focusing light onto an image pickup device, including: a frame body; a first lens group having a first optical axis and being movable between an operating position and a storing position; a bending member for bending the light along the first optical... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7359000 | Image pickup apparatus, control method therefor, and computer-readable program for implementing the control method There is provided an image pickup apparatus that is capable of eliminating the influence of errors attributed to differences in characteristics between lens devices attached to the image pickup apparatus such as a camera or errors attributed to differences in charac... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7355634 | Moving image pickup apparatus carrying out automatic focus adjustment and still image recording method therefor A moving image pickup apparatus which is capable of attaining both enhanced focusing accuracy and increased chances of snapshooting. A predetermined time period is determined according to a designated image pickup period. Responsive to designation of still image rec... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7352403 | Method for adjusting relative position of lens module by using uniform light source A method for adjusting relative position of a lens module by using a uniform light source is provided. The lens module includes a bottom board, an image sensor, an adjusting module and a lens apparatus. The image sensor is disposed on the bottom board and perpendicu... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7352020 | Solid-state image pickup device, and manufacturing method thereof The present invention aims to provide a solid-state imaging apparatus that realizes less leakage current, high image quality and low noise during the driving operation, and manufacturing method for the same. A MOS type imaging apparatus 1 includes an imaging ... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7317480 | Imaging apparatus providing black level compensation of a successive approximation A/D converter Image sensor with a successive approximation A/D converter that automatically compensates for black level and provides a signal indicative of the difference between the reset level and the signal level. Black level for each of a plurality of color pixels may be obta... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7262798 | System and method for simulating fill flash in photography A digital camera simulates the use of fill flash. The camera takes a series of photographs of a scene at various focus distances. The photographs are stored, along with their corresponding focus distances. The photographs are analyzed to determine the distance to ob... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7230598 | Electric dimming device and its driving method An electrical dimmer device and its driving method applicable to, for example, an image pickup unit and a display unit operate so that when a control signal for stop adjustment is changed from its current value of stop adjustment to a larger value, which occurs when... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7224397 | AF control apparatus and AF control method A CPU performs a control for photographing a main subject in absence of auxiliary light, whereby an image signal is outputted from an analogue signal processing section. Next, the CPU performs a control for photographing the main subject in presence of the auxiliary... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7218341 | Apparatus capable of shake estimation A camera is provided with: a detector for detecting a shake amount of the apparatus with respect to an object at an interval; a calculator for calculating a shake speed and a shake acceleration rate based on detected shake amounts, and calculates an estimative shake... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7161628 | Image-pickup apparatus outputting signals for finder display and signals for focal-point detection, control method applied to the apparatus, and computer readable medium having encoded thereon a program implementing a method using the apparatus An image-pickup apparatus, a control method applied to the image-pickup apparatus, and a control program for operating a computer used for the image-pickup apparatus are provided. The image-pickup apparatus comprises an image-pickup element for picking up the images... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7154524 | Exposure apparatus including a controller configured to read electrical signals from an array of photoelectric converters An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to a light pulse via a mask. The apparatus includes an array of photoelectric converters to detect the light pulse, and a read circuit to read electrical signals from the array. The read circuit reads electrical signals... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7132634 | Distance measuring apparatus using passive AF sensor A distance measurement object is imaged by a pair of line sensors of an AF sensor, and sensor data showing the sensor images is generated. A CPU generates AF data showing the contrast of sensor images with the sensor data being sequentially acquired by the CPU for e... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7116502 | Optical apparatus An optical apparatus is disclosed which can control a position of a driven member with precision using a simple control algorithm. The optical apparatus includes an actuator, a driven member, a transmission mechanism for transmitting a driving force from the actuato... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7106372 | Method and apparatus for programmable color balance in an image sensor An integrated circuit including a pixel sensor array having a set of pixel sensors arranged in a set of rows and a set of columns, the set of pixel sensors having a set of first color pixel sensors, a set of second color pixel sensors, and a set of third color pixel... | 09/12/2006 |
| 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 |
| 7102675 | Photoelectric conversion device, focus detection device, method of controlling these devices, and storage medium An object of this invention is to provide a photoelectric conversion device which can always appropriately perform charge accumulation independently of the luminance levels of objects, can read out an image signal by effectively using the dynamic range, can attain a... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7068317 | Photoelectric conversion apparatus This invention is to decrease the sensor pitch, prevent saturation by external light, accurately determine skimming, simplify skimming determination, and prevent any difference in influence of the transfer efficiency between the ON and OFF states. For this purpose, ... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7049571 | Focus detection device A focus detection device includes a plurality of line sensors, each having a plurality of pixels, the line sensor photoelectrically converting and integrating light from a photographic object received by each of the pixels so as to output the received light as an im... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7016110 | Microscope suitable for high-throughput screening having an autofocusing apparatus The apparatus for automatically focusing an image in a microscope includes onto an object plane includes an optical system configured to form an optical image of a sample plane to be observed, an autofocusing detection system, and a focus correction system. The auto... | 03/21/2006 |
| 7009642 | Method and apparatus for detecting the presence of artificial illumination in a scene A method and apparatus for detecting the presence of artificial illumination in a scene powered by alternating current by sampling the light in a scene at a periodic rate. ... | 03/07/2006 |
| 6993255 | Method and apparatus for providing adaptive illumination An illumination system (20, 72, 110, 142) for illuminating a scene comprising: an illuminator (24, 74, 116) having a plurality of substantially contiguous independently controllable light (26, 76) providing regions each of which provides light t... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6987538 | Multipoint autofocus system In a multipoint autofocus system in which a focus state of objects at different positions in a plurality of focus detection zones in an image surface is detected, and thereafter, one of pieces of information on the focus state thus detected is selected, so that a fo... | 01/17/2006 |
| 6974938 | Microscope having a stable autofocusing apparatus The apparatus for automatically focusing an image in a microscope includes onto an object plane includes an optical system configured to form an optical image of a sample plane to be observed, an autofocusing detection system, and a focus correction system. The auto... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6973262 | Camera and wide-angle field distance-measuring camera A camera includes a sensor array which can detect a brightness signal of a subject and has a plurality of segments for focal point detection, a first photometry unit for calculating the brightness signal of the subject on the basis of an output of one segment or out... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6970195 | Digital image sensor with improved color reproduction An image sensor includes a sensor array including a two-dimensional array of pixel elements. The array of pixel elements includes a first group of photodetectors having a first sensitivity level and a second group of photodetectors having a second sensitivity level.... | 11/29/2005 |
| 6963437 | Devices incorporating electrochromic elements and optical sensors The device of the present invention includes an electrochromic element having a transmittance that varies in response to an electrical signal, a base substrate disposed in spaced relation to the electrochromic element, a seal disposed between the base substrate and ... | 11/08/2005 |
| 6950135 | Method and apparatus for gathering three dimensional data with a digital imaging system A digital image capture device including circuits capable of measuring the distance between the image capture device and an imaged object allows the capture of three-dimensional data of the surface of the object facing the image capture device. The distance data is ... | 09/27/2005 |
| 6937818 | Focus detection device A focus detection device includes a plurality of line sensors, a plurality of monitor sensors provided adjacent to respective the line sensors, wherein each of the monitor sensors monitors the quantity of light received by a corresponding the line sensor, and a cont... | 08/30/2005 |