Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Fujifilm Corporation

Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.

Fijifilm Corporation

Fujifilm Holdings Corporation

Jin Murayama

Ryuji Kondo

Tetsuo Yamada

Tatsuya Hagiwara

Takashi Miida

Hiroshi Tamura

Satoshi Arakawa

Takaaki Terashita

Hiroaki Yasuda

Makoto Shizukuishi

Yoshimitsu Kudoh

Ko Aosaki

Hideki Kosaka

Takashi Yano

Yoji Okazaki

Kenji Suzuki

Hiroshi Ohmura

Nobuo Matsumoto

Hiroshi Sunagawa

Akihiko Funaki

Toshio Iijima

Jun Fukazawa

Toshihiko Komatsu

Noboru Maruyama

Koichi Kimura

Keisuke Shiba

Masao Mitani

Takayuki Iida

Shintaro Washizu

Takayuki Nakamura

Hiroshi Tamayama

Hiroshi Komatsuzaki

Toshihiko Kaku

Nobuharu Nozaki

Masashi Takamura

Kiichiro Sakamoto

Nozomu Ozaki

Masatoshi Tabei

Chiaki Goto

Hiroyuki Karasawa

Minoru Takahashi

Kazukiyo Tamada

Shinichi Yamakawa

Akio Higashi

Tsuyoshi Ashida

Kozi Kamiyama

Kazuyoshi Hara

Takashi Kagechika

Kazuhiro Kawaziri

Tsutomu Kimura

Fumitoshi Toyokawa

Hidetoshi Hirata

An electronic endoscope has normal and high-sensitivity image sensors. In a special mode for imaging an oxygen saturation level of blood, one of the normal and high-sensitivity image sensors is selected in accordance with a reflected light amount of special illumination light. When the normal image sensor is selected, the normal image sensor captures an image under irradiation with the special illumination light and outputs a second normal-sensor image. When an average pixel value of the second normal-sensor image is less than a first sensor selection threshold value, the use of the high-sensitivity image sensor is started. When the high-sensitivity image sensor is selected, the high-sensitivity image sensor captures an image under irradiation with the special illumination light and outputs a high-sensitivity-sensor image. When the average pixel value of the high-sensitivity-sensor image is more than a second sensor selection threshold value, the use of the high-sensitivity image sensor is stopped.

Endoscope system, processor device thereof, and method for controlling endoscope system

An endoscopic device includes: a light source unit configured to repeat for every frame period, an operation of emitting illumination light during a front period and turning off the illumination light during a back period of the frame period; a buffer memory mounted in an endoscopic scope and configured to store image information of a frame image signal output from an image capturing unit; and an information transmitting unit configured to read out the image information of the frame image signal from the buffer memory and transmit the image information to an image processing unit, in which the information transmitting unit reads out the image information of the frame image signal from the buffer memory within the frame period.

High frame rate endoscopic device and methods thereof

In a special mode for imaging an oxygen saturation level of blood, an internal body portion is imaged under irradiation with special illumination light. A light amount evaluation section judges based on an obtained image whether or not a reflected light amount of the special illumination light is adequate for calculating the oxygen saturation level. When the reflected light amount is judged to be adequate, a normal image sensor captures an image under irradiation with the special illumination light. When the reflected light amount is judged to be low, a high-sensitivity image sensor is used. In using the high-sensitivity image sensor, a binning process is applied to an image signal in accordance with the reflected light amount of the special illumination light, in order to further sensitize the image signal.

In an electronic endoscope, an insert section has a beam splitter, a CCD, and an EMCCD at its distal end portion. When white light being normal light is applied to an internal body portion, the reflected white light is incident on the CCD through the beam splitter, and a normal image is produced. When the internal body portion is irradiated with special light being excitation light, weak autofluorescence is emitted from specific tissue of the internal body portion. The weak autofluorescence is incident on the EMCCD through the beam splitter. The EMCCD uses an avalanche multiplication effect in its electron multiplier. The EMCCD multiplies signal charge produced from the weak autofluorescence by the electron multiplier, and outputs a high level signal.

Electronic endoscope system

A solid-state imaging device has a single plate structure and is capable of imaging of visible light and infrared light. While imaging of the visible light and the infrared light is performed by the imaging device every one-frame scanning period, an IR pulse is emitted, every other one-frame scanning period, to a space to be shot. A visible-light image is produced every one-frame scanning period. A range image from which influence to be caused by infrared component of the ambient light is removed is produced every other one-frame scanning period by subtracting an IR pixel image (SIR), which is obtained by imaging of non-emission time of the IR pulse, from an IR pixel signal (SIR), which is obtained by imaging of emission time of the IR pulse.

Range image system for obtaining subject image of predetermined distance position

A solid state image pickup device includes: a semiconductor substrate; a well formed in a surface layer of the semiconductor substrate; a light reception region formed in the well and including a plurality of charge accumulation regions formed in a matrix shape and a plurality of vertical CCDs formed along each column of the charge accumulation regions; a horizontal CCD formed in the well and coupled to ends of the vertical CCDs; a peripheral circuit formed in the well in partial regions of the light reception region and the horizontal CCD; a shield layer formed on the semiconductor substrate including a partial area above the peripheral circuit, made of conductive material and surrounding the light reception region, the shield layer being electrically connected to the semiconductor substrate; a support disposed above the shield layer and made of conductive material; and a translucent member placed on the support.

Solid state image pickup device and endoscope

A stereoscopic camera includes a master camera for photoelectric conversion of object light to generate a first image signal with three color components G, R and B. A slave camera generates a second image signal. In an adjusting method, a first gain Dmr, Dmg and Dmb of the color components is determined according to the first image signal to correct a brightness level and white balance of the master camera, to adjust the first image signal by use thereof. A second gain Dsr, Dsg and Dsb of the color components is determined according to the first gain and color calibration information predetermined according to color sensitivity of the master and slave cameras in relation to the color components. The second image signal is adjusted by use thereof, for color matching between the first and second image signals to set equal the brightness level and the white balance.

Multi-eye image pickup apparatus and adjusting method

An apparatus for image taking includes a range image sensor, in which a range image is produced in which a distance is represented with a pixel value by image taking of a principal object from an image taking position. An image pickup device receives light reflected by the principal object, to output an image signal for respective pixels. A light reception control unit changes over a reception sequence and reception time, and causes the image pickup device to output image signals associated with first and second distance ranges. The second distance range is a distance range where the principal object exists and is over the first distance range. A first range image and second range image, are formed according to the image signals. Blank portions are designated within the second range image by comparison of the first range image and second range image, to compensate for the blank portions.

Range image producing method and apparatus for image taking

A liquid crystal display unit has a transmissive liquid crystal plate having a number of pixels arranged on a two-dimensional basis, on which an image is formed, and a light source unit emitting beams of light of a plurality of luminescent colors for irradiating said liquid crystal plate from back. An interface circuit receives an image signal representative of a color image to sequentially form on said liquid crystal plate a plurality of separation images in which the color image is separated in association with the plurality of luminescent colors of said light source unit. The interface circuit causes said light source unit to flash with a luminescent color associated with a separation image formed on said liquid crystal plate in synchronism with a sequential formation of the separation images onto said liquid crystal plate. Beams of light emanated from the light source unit and transmitted through the liquid crystal plate reproduce an image.

Image photography apparatus, image reproducing apparatus, image photography and reproducing apparatus, stereographic projector, jig for image stereoscopic vision, and printer

A solid state image pickup device includes: a first area defined on a principal surface of a semiconductor substrate; a second area defined in an area adjacent to the first area along a first direction; and a third area defined in an area adjacent to the second area along the first direction, wherein the first area includes: a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; and a plurality of vertical transfer channels formed adjacent to the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; the second area includes: a horizontal transfer channel; and a floating diffusion region and a first stage drive FET of an amplifier; and the third area includes: a first state load FET, a second stage drive FET, a second stage load FET, a third stage drive FET and a third stage load FET, respectively of the amplifier. The solid state image pickup device can be made compact.

Solid state imaging unit and endoscope

A charge read-out method and a solid-state imaging device capable of shortening a read-out time of charges stored in a plurality of light receiving units arranged linearly are provided. The charge read-out method includes the steps of moving the charges, which are generated and stored in the plurality of light receiving units linearly arranged by receiving light, to charge transfer paths disposed along a row of the light receiving units on both sides thereof, transferring the charges along the charge transfer paths to an output unit, and calculating a sum of converted values based on amounts of the charges transferred from the charge transfer paths for outputting.

Charge read-out method and solid-state imaging device capable of shortening read-out time charges stored in a plurality of light receiving units

An MEM unit according to the invention comprises an Si (silicon) substratehaving such a thickness as to transmit a visible light therethrough, an insulating layerformed in contact with the upper surface of the Si substrate, a lower electrode layerformed in contact with the upper surface of the insulating layer, a sacrificial layer gapof a space formed in the partial region of the upper surface of the lower electrode layer, a movable filmformed on the upper surface of the lower electrode layerto cover the sacrificial layer gap, an upper electrodeformed in contact with the upper part of the movable film, a contact holepenetrating to reach the surface of the lower electrode layerfrom the surface of the movable film, and a lower electrodeformed from the surroundings of the upper part of the contact holeto the surface of the lower electrode layerthrough the contact hole

Image display unit and method of manufacturing the same

A linear image sensor chip is manufactured by forming an image pickup section, peripheral circuit sections, a plurality of bonding pads, and a light-suppressing layer on a semiconductor substrate having an elongated shape. In this case, each of the bonding pads is formed outer than photodiode groups in the image pickup section along a longitudinal direction of the semiconductor substrate. Even if the dynamic range of an image reader utilizing such a linear image sensor chip is broadened, it is possible to suppress generation of noises without lowering the sensitivity.

Linear image sensor chip and linear image sensor

A linear image sensor is constituted to include a red diode line, a green diode lineand a blue diode line, and the green diode linepositioned between the red diode lineand the blue diode lineis provided with a shift of an approximately &#xbd; pitch in the vertical direction of a photodiode as shown. Electric charge transfer channelsandfor transferring signal charges detected by the photodiodes are formed close to the red diode line, the green diode lineand the blue diode linerespectively, and take a winding shape extended in a main scanning direction. Signal charges read onto the electric charge transfer channelsandare transferred in the main scanning direction and are output from output ends OUT, OUTand OUT

Image sensor

The charge read out efficiency of a line sensor utilizing a large photodiode is improved. A line sensor formed of a photoelectric converting portion utilizing a photodiode divided into a plurality of regions and having a potential inclination configuration wherein the potential wells thereof become deeper the closer the position thereof is to a readout gate is provided.

Radiation-image data readout apparatus and line sensor to be utilized therein

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Miyagi, Japan

Jin Murayama