Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Akihiko Shiraishi

Atsushi Inoue

Masatake Kato

Akira Suga

Kazuo Fujibayashi

Mayumi Yamamoto

Yoshiro Udagawa

Akira Mamiya

Kenichi Kawamoto

Kazuyuki Matoba

Takashi Sasaki

Hideo Yokota

Makoto Sekita

Kan Takaiwa

Mamoru Sato

Yasuyoshi Miyazaki

Tetsuo Kuwabara

Kota Terayama

An object of this invention is to eliminate cumbersomeness and improve the photographer's convenience by inputting settings to an image sensing apparatus by the user. To achieve this object, an image sensing apparatus includes a memory which stores information on a photographing frequency in association with object distance information and brightness information, an acquisition device which acquires an object brightness value on the basis of image information sensed by an image sensing device, and a control device which refers to the memory to detect an object distance having the highest photographing frequency among object distances corresponding to the acquired object brightness value, and controls image sensing operation on the basis of the detected object distance information.

Image sensing apparatus, image sensing method, program for realizing the image sensing method, and storage medium which stores the program

In a camera control system capable of, in a video conference, remote surveillance or the like, issuing an instruction for a camera posture or the like, the user desires, on the moment in a simple way, an image with a small angle of view and a panoramic image are transmitted to a personal computer to be individually displayed. This arrangement constructs a system whereby the user can see not only a detailed image the user desires now but also an image surrounding the detailed image in substantially real time. Further, another arrangement for sensing an image reflected by a convex mirror which is constructed such that a central portion thereof is formed as a low-curvature surface and a peripheral portion thereof is formed as a high-curvature surface enables a panoramic image having a high resolution in a desired portion thereof to be obtained by using only one image sensor.

Camera control system

A color image pickup apparatus includes a solid state image pickup element having one of four types of color filters, comprising first to fourth color filters, arranged on an element surface. Respective color filters are arranged to be separated from each other by a two-pitch interval in horizontal and vertical directions. The first to fourth color filters are arranged to form a square sampling structure.

Color image pickup apparatus having a plurality of color filters

An optical low-pass filter includes an optical member formed of a material capable of absorbing light in a particular wavelength range, e.g., an infrared range. The optical member has a plurality of ridge-like portions formed on at least one surface thereof at a predetermined pitch. The ridge-like portions comprise a phase type diffraction grating which has a low-pass filtering effect with respect to bundles of optical transmission rays passing therethrough.

Integral infrared absorbing optical low-pass filter

Disclosed is a color signal processing apparatus in which at least three types of color signals corresponding to filters are received from a solid-state image pickup element on which at least three types of color filters are formed, and linear matrix conversion of the at least three types of color signals determined by spectral characteristics of the corresponding color filters is performed to generate R, G, and B signals.

Color signal processing apparatus using plural luminance signals

A color image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup element, an optical low-pass filter, and a memory. The image pickup element has four types of color filters which are arranged to form an offset sampling structure in which color filters of different colors are repeatedly arranged at a two-pixel period in the horizontal direction, and color filters of different colors are repeatedly arranged at a two-pixel period in the vertical direction while being offset in the horizontal direction by one pixel. The optical low-pass filter has an optical member for splitting an incident light beam into two light beams separated from each other by a distance D in a direction inclined clockwise or counterclockwise at an angle .theta. with respect to a scanning direction of the image pickup element, the distance D satisfying conditions defined by

An image sensing apparatus for converting an object image formed by a photographic lens into electrical signals includes a solid-state image sensor having an offset sampling structure for converting the image into electrical signals. An optical low-pass filter is positioned between the lens and the solid-state image sensor and includes at least two optical members each for splitting a light beam into plural light beams having two different propagation directions from each other.

Image sensing apparatus having an optical low-pass filter

In a color image pickup apparatus having an objective lens or a member for removably mounting the objective lens, an image pickup device for converting the image of an object formed by the objective lens into a color electrical signal, and an optical low-pass filter comprising a diffraction grating and disposed between the rear end of the objective lens and the image pickup device, the optical low-pass filter satisfies the condition.

Color image pickup apparatus provided with a diffraction type low-pass

An image pickup signal processing apparatus for generating a digital luminance signal and digital color difference signals from output signals from a solid-state image pickup element, includes subtracters for generating primary color signals or color difference signals from the output signals from the solid-state image pickup element, and an A/D converter for converting the primary color or color difference signals output from the subtracters into digital signals.

Image pickup signal processing apparatus

A video camera equipped with an optical low-pass filter, which is to be arranged in front of a solid state imaging device. The optical low-pass filter comprises: a first sub-refractive plate adapted to separate an incident ray of light by a separation distance of d.sub.1 in a direction deviated 45.degree. clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the horizontal scanning direction of the solid state imaging device; a second sub-refractive plate adapted to separate an incident ray of light by a separation distance of d.sub.2 in a direction parallel to the horizontal scanning direction of the solid state imaging device; and a third sub-refractive plate adapted to separate an incident ray of light by a separation distance of d.sub.1 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of separation of the first sub-refractive plate; wherein the second sub-refractive plate is arranged between the first and third sub-refractive plates; and wherein the condition: d.sub.1 &gt;2d.sub.2 is satisfied.

Optical low-pass filter

An image processing apparatus for converting different television standard signals includes an image pickup apparatus for selectively outputting an image signal of one of (i) a first television scheme and (ii) a second television scheme having a larger number of pixels than the first television scheme. An image pickup device is provided having a number of pixels corresponding to the first television scheme. A memory is provided for storing an output image signal from the image pickup device at a frequency corresponding to the first television scheme. An interpolation signal generating circuit is provided for generating an interpolation signal by adding a constant signal to a television signal corresponding to the second television scheme for compensating for an output of the second television signal. Video signal forming circuitry is also provided for forming a video signal by combining the signal read out from the memory and the interpolation signal generated by the interpolation signal generating circuitry.

Image processing apparatus for converting different television standard

A color image sensing device comprises an image sensor having pixels of the offset sampling structure in which the horizontal pitch is P.sub.H, the vertical pitch is P.sub.V and the horizontal offset amount is P.sub.H /2, and a color filter array comprising three or four types of color filters provided in one-to-one relation to the pixels of the image sensor. The color filter array has the offset sampling structure in which those types of color filters are each arranged with the horizontal pitch of 2P.sub.H, the vertical pitch of 2P.sub.V and the horizontal offset amount of P.sub.H.

Color image sensing device

A color image pickup apparatus for converting an object image into an electrical signal having luminance information and color information includes an image pickup element arranged in a rectangular matrix having pixels arranged at a horizontal pitch P.sub.H and a vertical pitch P.sub.V, a color filter array having first color filters arranged in correspondence with the pixels and having an offset sampling structure having a horizontal pitch 2P.sub.H and a vertical pitch P.sub.V and offset by P.sub.H in a horizontal direction, and second and third color filters each having a rectangular matrix sampling structure having a horizontal pitch 2P.sub.H and a vertical pitch 2P.sub.V, and a color information forming circuit having a first color signal forming circuit for forming the color information and a second color signal forming circuit for forming the color information, the first and second color signal forming circuits operating on the basis of first, second, and third color signals output from pixels corresponding to the first, second and third color filters, and a color information forming switch switching between the first and second color signal forming circuits in accordance with a frequency component in a scanning direction of the object image or a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction.

Color image pickup apparatus for object image conversion

A color image pickup apparatus having: an image pickup device in which a color filter array is provided, the color filter array being composed of color filters of three or more colors disposed in such a manner that, assuming that the horizontal scanning directional pitch of the color filters is PH and the vertical scanning directional pitch of the same is PV, the color filters of the same color are disposed at a horizontal scanning directional pitch of 2PH and a vertical scanning directional pitch of 2PV while being offset by PH in the horizontal scanning direction.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Akihiko Shiraishi