Sony Corporation

Konica-minolta Holdings, Inc.

Konica Corporation

Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.

Fujitsu Corporation

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Jun Takayama

Takeshi Ninomiya

Tadao Fujita

Koichi Kamon

Katsuichi Tachi

Seiichi Isoguchi

Takenori Sonoda

Yasuo Sugizaki

Yoshiaki Inaba

Tetsuya Katagiri

Hideto Suzuki

Ichiro Ninomiya

Shoichi Nakamura

Katsuya Nagaishi

Yoshikazu Tsuchiya

Toshiya Nakajima

Yoshio Murai

Akihiro Iseno

Koichi Sato

Takashi Watanabe

Masashi Saito

Kenji Konno

Motohiro Asano

Hiroshi Kibayashi

Teruyuki Yoshida

Seiichi Sakai

Po-Chieh Hung

Hiroshi Hatano

Seiji Kumagai

Tetsufumi Takaba

Shoji Kogo

Makoto Jin

Yoshikazu Kurose

Takao Hosaka

Jiro Fujiwara

Yukinori Koizumi

Kenkichi Umeda

Katsuya Yagi

Michio Mita

Kozo Kaminaga

Masahiro Kanaguchi

Hisayoshi Chino

Sei Koh

Kyosei Miyata

Takenori Kitada, I

Kiyoshi Sawakata

Tetsuya Horichi

Shinji Hamada

Kazuko Nakagawa

Kenshiro Masuzaki

Madoka Ichikawa

Chiaki Yamauchi

Daijiro Okihara

Naruo Takizawa

Junichi Yoshioka

A compound eye optical system forms a plurality of images with different fields of view for connecting the plurality of images with the different fields of view and outputting one composite image. The system includes: a plurality of individual eye optical systems forming the plurality of images with different fields of view on an imaging surface; and an overall optical system forming an image with a field of view incorporating the entire fields of view obtained by the plurality of individual eye optical systems on the imaging surface, wherein the individual eye optical systems and the overall optical system are configured by a lens array plate having a plurality of lenses integrally formed.

Compound eye optical system and imaging device using the same

A luminance signal and a color information signal having high S/N ratios are generated by combining a visible luminance image component and an infrared image component at an appropriate ratio according to brightness of a subject such as brightness on a sunny day or brightness in darkness. An image pickup elementpicks up a ye image component Dye, an R image component DR, an infrared image component DBlk and a luminance image component DW. An evaluation value calculatorcalculates an evaluation value eDW and an evaluation value eDBlk by adding pixel values of the luminance image component DW and pixel values of the infrared image component DBlk in a local area, and calculates an evaluation value e (=eDW&#x2212;eDBlk). A factor determinerdetermines weighting factors k, kw from the evaluation value e. A signal generatorweights the luminance image component by the weighting factor k, weights the visible luminance image component by the weighting factor kw, combines the luminance image component and the visible luminance image component to calculate a luminance signal dY, and also calculates color signals dR, dG and dB.

Image pickup apparatus and image pickup element

Provided is an image inputting apparatus wherein luminance signals having a high S/N ratio can be generated even during nighttime with a small quantity of photons. An imaging element images image components. A color signal generating section generates color signals from the image components. A color space conversion section converts the color signals into a color space that includes luminance signals and color difference signals. The color space conversion section calculates a luminance signal obtained by adding the image components, as the luminance signal of the color space to be converted.

Image input apparatus

An image sensing apparatus includes: an image sensing section for sensing an image of a subject; a detector for detecting a luminance of the subject; a compressor for compressing a dynamic range of the subject image; and a controller for controlling a compression characteristic to be used in compressing the dynamic range based on a detection result of the detector.

Image sensing apparatus and image processing method

Provided is a magnetic tape that includes a data band, including servo patterns, data, and a guard space. The servo patterns is formed along a longitudinal direction of the magnetic tape with an interval provided between each of the servo patterns, each of the servo patterns formed across a full width of the data band. The data is recorded between the servo patterns. The guard space is left between each of the servo patterns and the data.

Magnetic tape, magnetic tape apparatus, servo pattern recording apparatus, magnetic tape producing method, and magnetic tape recording method

There is described an image capturing apparatus, which makes it possible to conduct a high-accurate range finding operation irrespective of the position of the subject. The apparatus, comprises: a plurality of imaging elements; a plurality of luminance signal generating sections, each of which generates a luminance signal by mixing the plural wavelength signals with each other at a predetermined mixture ratio; a plurality of mixture ratio controlling sections, which respectively correspond to the plurality of imaging elements, and each of which changes a mixture ratio, at which the plural wavelength signals are mixed with each other, based on a positional relationship between a corresponding one of the plurality of imaging elements and a subject; and a range detecting section to detect a distance to the subject, based on a correlation between luminance signals, each of which is the luminance signal generated by each of the luminance signal generating sections.

Image capturing apparatus and image capturing method

An imaging device () including; a fluctuation correcting section () for correcting fluctuation of the input/output characteristics of the imaging element (), and the linearizing section () for converting the signals outputted from the imaging element () into the state where the output signals are uniformly converted by one conversion characteristic. The fluctuation correcting section () is provided with a first correcting section () for correcting fluctuation based on a computing equation obtained by modeling a plurality of kinds of conversion characteristic, and a second correcting section () for correcting the output signals in a region close to a switch point of a plurality of kinds of conversion characteristics among the output signals whose fluctuations are corrected by the first correcting section (), by using model equations of two characteristics on the sides of the switch point, so that the output signal overlaps the characteristic of the imaging element ().

Imaging apparatus

An imaging device including an imaging element having a plurality of pixels for switching a linear conversion mode for linearly converting incident light to an electric signal and a logarithm conversion mode for logarithmically converting incident light to an electric signal on the basis of incident light intensity,

Imaging device

There is described an image capturing apparatus and method, in which the electric signals originated from the logarithmic conversion source are converted into those originated from the linear conversion source and which makes it possible to prevent the apparatus from capsizing. The apparatus includes an image sensor that includes a plurality of pixels to convert incident light to first electric signals according to a plurality of photoelectronic conversion characteristics, based on intensity of the incident light; and a signal processing section to apply signal processing to the first electric signals. The signal processing section has: a linearization section to convert the first electric signals to second electric signals, which represent such electric signals that are linearly converted from the incident light; and a compression section to compress a predetermined range component corresponding to a predetermined signal value range, among the first electric signals outputted from the image sensor.

Image capturing apparatus which converts incident light to first electric signals according to a plurality of photoelectronic conversion characteristics and image capturing method

A solid-state imaging device provided with a light receiving surface, in which plural unit pixels, each having a photoelectric transducer to convert light signals into electric signals, are two-dimensionally arranged; a microlens to focus a light beam, the microlens being arranged in each unit pixel corresponding to the photoelectric transducer; an aperture section, to allow the light beam to enter the photoelectric transducer, the aperture section being arranged in each unit pixel corresponding to the photoelectric transducer; a wiring layer, which comprises plural layers, and is formed between the photoelectric transducer and the microlens, wherein the plural unit pixels are arranged such that each of the photoelectric transducer is located axisymmetrically with a symmetrical axis of a first centerline passing through an approximate center of the light receiving surface.

Solid state imaging device in which each photoelectric transducer of plural unit pixels being located axisymmetrically with a symmetrical axis of a centerline passing through an approximate center of the device

A solid-state image pickup apparatus includes a light receiving pixel group having light receiving pixels to convert photoelectrically incident light and to be two-dimensionally arranged; a microlens array to be two-dimensionally arranged to correspond in position to the light receiving pixels; a transparent member to be arranged on a light entering side of the microlens array; and a protrusion to support the transparent member, wherein the protrusion is higher than the microlens array and is formed to be integrated with the microlens array.

Transparent member in a solid-state image pick-up apparatus supported through use of micro-lenses larger in size than pixel micro-lenses and a method for producing the micro-lenses and transparent member

To provide a magnetic head, a recording/reproducing method for a tape magnetic recording medium and a rotary magnetic head mechanism. A flat head FHis mounted on a rotary drum DRcapable of allowing a magnetic tape MT to run thereon, and a smooth flat surface PLthat faces the magnetic tape MT and produces hydrodynamic interference with the magnetic tape MT is provided on a flat head FH, and a head element HEthat contacts the magnetic tape MT and produces magnetic interference is provided in the area where the magnetic tape MT contacts the smooth flat surface PL

Magnetic head, method for recording/reproducing tape-like magnetic recording medium, and rotary magnetic head mechanism

The invention concerns an image-capturing apparatus and an imager. The image-capturing apparatus includes the imager in which a plurality of circuit cells are two-dimensionally aligned, and an electronic charge, photo-electronically converted from a received light and stored in each circuit cell, can be discharged from an arbitral circuit cell. The imager includes first group circuit cells to generate electronic charges corresponding to the pixels of the image including a subject, and second group circuit cells to generate electronic charges corresponding to an amount of light coming from the subject, the electronic charges further being converted to a detected value. In the imager, at least one of two operations of halting a generating-action of the electronic charges in the first group circuit cells and discharging the electronic charges from the first group circuit cells is performed, when the detected value exceeds a threshold value.

Image-capturing apparatus

Photographing for one image plane is conducted by CCD under the completely dark condition created by closing aperture when the power supply is turned on, then image data obtained from this photographing are compared with a threshold value, and when the image data show higher luminance than the threshold value, the image data are detected to be defective pixels (white flaws) and positional information thereof is stored. Further, under the condition that the mode for detecting defective pixels is selected by mode switch , photographing for one image plane is conducted by CCD while a camera is directed to an exclusive subject, then image data obtained through this photographing are compared with a threshold value, and when the image data show lower luminance than the threshold value, the image data are detected to be defective pixels (black flaws), and positional information thereof is stored. In ordinary photographing, a mean value of peripheral pixels surrounding the image data of the defective pixel is used for replacement based on positional information of the defective pixel.

Electronic camera capable of detecting defective pixel

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Tokyo, Japan

Jun Takayama