Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Kazuyuki Inokuma

Toshiya Fujii

Shigeo Sakaue

Yukihiro Tanizoe

Shigetaka Kasuga

Makoto Kawakami

Toshiyuki Nakashima

Yoshiyuki Matsunaga

Takumi Yamaguchi

Takahiro Yamada

Shinji Yamamoto

Hiroyoshi Komobuchi

Shinji Kitamura

Takahiro Yamamoto

Mayu Ogawa

Takahiro Iwasawa

Keijirou Itakura

Keiichi Tsumura

Kentaro Takakura

Shinichi Tashiro

Ryoichi Nagayoshi

Katsumi Tokuyama

Tsuyoshi Hasuka

Shinichi Takada

Izumi Shimizu

Minako Shimizu

Yasuhiro Morinaka

Ryuichi Miyakoshi

Mitsuya Nakahara

Color signals that have passed through a multilayer film filter and been photoelectrically converted are inputted into an image processing LSI. A color signal processing section of the image processing LSI corrects the color signals on a color matrix. The color matrix is divided into a plurality of regions corresponding to the color signals, and the correction is made for each of the regions.

Vehicle-mounted imaging device

In a multilayer film filter formed of inorganic dielectric materials, a spacer layer has different thicknesses to form a plurality of color-transmissive filter elements having multiple different spectral characteristics on an image sensor.

Image pickup device having a color filter for dividing incident light into multiple color components and image processing system using the same

An imaging system according to the present inventions includes an image sensor in which a plurality of unit pixels are arranged on a chip and an image processing LSI for converting color components output from the image sensor to color signals. The imaging system is configured to select only color component which have passed through filters having similar spectral characteristics to spectral characteristics of the human eye from separation filter groups forming multi-layer film filters under white light and, on the other hand, combine color components which have passed through arbitrarily selected filters of the filters the separation filter groups to output the combined color components under illumination of low rendering lightning.

Imaging system and image sensor with filter selectively transmitting combination of plural narrow wavelength bands of incident light in low color rendering illumination

A drive unitsets a saturation amount in a read period in which charges generated in pixels are read to vertical CCDs to be lower in a combination mode than in an individual mode (see Vsub in count valuestoin FIG.). As a result, excess charges in the pixels are drained to an n-type substrate. The drive unitalso sets an accumulation period to be shorter in combination mode than in individual mode (see Vsub in each mode in FIG.).

Driving apparatus for driving an imaging device

In relation to search positions within a search range determined with a reference image block located in the same position as a standard block of interest, correlation computation is performed by parallel processing under a pipeline method through use of a plurality of correlation computing units. A correlation extreme value is searched while the center position is sequentially moved on the basis of a predetermined search position setting standard according to the result of correlation computation. Further, sub-sampled image data for a plurality of channels corresponding to the search positions are retained in system memory for a plurality of channels, and correlation computation is performed in connection with search positions through parallel processing under a pipeline method through use of the plurality of correlation computing units.

Motion vector detecting apparatus and method for detecting motion vector

An imaging device free from discoloring under high temperature or high irradiation and having high color reproducibility is provided. Multilayer filters made of inorganic materials are provided above respective photoelectric conversion elements. The filters include red filters having predetermined spectra characteristics, green filters having predetermined spectral characteristics, and two kinds of blue filters having spectral characteristics different in peak wavelength.

Imaging device

A motion vector detection section detects as a reference macroblock a reference pixel block with which a sum of differences in pixel data between a target macroblock and each pixel is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold among macroblocks in a reference frame. An intraframe time management section measures a detection time. If an allocated predetermined detection time has elapsed before detection of such a reference macroblock, the detection processing is stopped. In this case, a macroblock with which the previously-calculated sum is minimum is selected as a reference macroblock.

Moving picture encoding device and method with time constraint

A signal processing circuit generates an image signal by performing signal processing to an imaging signal obtained through a picked up optical system that includes a lens, a diaphragm, an image sensor, and a lens barrel. A main light source detector detects a main light source contained in a picked up image of the image signal. An estimated ghost generator generates an estimated ghost based on layout information of the main light source and the imaging optical system, and structural information of the lens barrel. A matching device extracts an estimated ghost image by searching the estimated ghost in the picked up image through pattern matching. A ghost subtractor subtracts the estimated ghost image from the picked up image.

Imaging system

An image display apparatus that prevents a transfer of data of a main image from going into wait state when two or more types of image data, which are generated by different generators, are transferred in parallel. In the image display apparatus: a first image data generating unit generates first image data, divides it into a plurality of data pieces, and intermittently outputs the data pieces which each have a predetermined size smaller than a data size of one screen; a second image data generating unit generates and outputs second image data; an image display unit displays an image represented by the first and second image data; and a transfer arbitration unit transfers the data pieces to the image display unit, and transfers part or all of the second image data to the image display unit during a period in which any of the data pieces is not transferred.

Image display apparatus and image data transfer method

From horizontal and vertical coordinate values HC and VC of a pixel, a distance operation unit calculates a distance value RV indicating the distance from an optical-axis position to the pixel. A correction-data operation unit receives the distance value RV, and calculates correction data CD for the pixel by referring to an approximation function indicating relation between distance values and correction data. The approximation function is divided into a plurality of segments, and in each segment represented by a quadratic function defined by a predetermined number of sample points.

Shading correction method and system and digital camera

To enable the recording of a high-quality motion image and enable the recording of a still image which is focused with high precision even when the still image is recorded during the recording of the motion image, a mixed image signal obtained by mixing image signals in a one-to-one correspondence with individual pixels is outputted from an image sensor when a specified operation for starting the recording of the motion image is performed so that relatively high-speed automatic focusing is performed based on the mixed image signal and a high-quality motion image is recorded. When a shutter switch is half-pressed, a thinned image signal for an image from which pixels in vertical directions have been thinned out is outputted from the image sensor so that relatively high-precision and high-speed automatic focusing is performed based on the thinned image signal. When the shutter switch is full-pressed, image signals for all the pixels are outputted from the image sensor so that a still image is recorded.

Automatic focusing method and automatic focusing camera

A solid-state imaging element includes photoelectric conversion elements having a complementary or Bayer color filter array. The solid-state imaging element adds together electric charges stored in nine photoelectric conversion elements having color filters of one of multiple colors in each portion of six rows and six columns, to obtain a resulting electric charge, and outputs the resulting electric charge as one pixel. A portion for one of the colors deviates from a portion for each of the other colors by three rows and/or three columns. This pixel-addition operation produces an effect of a spatial low pass filter, thereby reducing signal components exceeding a Nyquist frequency corresponding to a target resolution. Consequently, aliasing noise in an image with the target resolution is reduced, and therefore higher image quality can be achieved, when compared with a conventional resolution reduction technique.

An imaging device chip set includes an imaging chip provided for obtaining an electric signal by photoelectric conversion of incident light, and a DSP chip provided for carrying out digital signal processing with respect to the electric signal obtained by the imaging chip. The imaging chip includes a plurality of unit pixels for generating the electric signal by the photoelectric conversion of incident light, a horizontal scanning circuit for selecting the unit pixels in a horizontal direction, and a vertical scanning circuit for selecting the unit pixels in a vertical direction. The DSP chip includes a timing generating circuit for generating timing pulses necessary for operations of the horizontal scanning circuit and the vertical scanning circuit, and a digital signal processing circuit for carrying out digital signal processing with respect to the electric signal generated by the plurality of unit pixels. The timing generating circuit and the digital signal processing circuit, which are included in the DSP chip, are formed with CMOS transistors. The plurality of unit pixels, the horizontal scanning circuit, and the vertical scanning circuit, which are included in the imaging chip, are formed with transistors of the same conductivity type.

Imaging device chip having transistors of same conductivity type and image pickup system

A memory controller controls so that the number of maximum macro blocks for which inter coding is performed in one image frame is set to a smaller value than the number of macro blocks configuring the image frame, the capacity of the reference image memory is reduced to capacity for the maximum macro blocks for which inter coding is performed, macro block positions for which intra coding and inter coding are performed in the next frame are determined based upon image information and the quantity of codes in the coding of a present image and reference image macro blocks equivalent to only macro block positions for which inter coding is determined to be performed in the next frame are stored in the reference image memory.

Moving image coding method and apparatus for determining a position of a macro block which is intra-coded or inter-coded

An image pickup area including a plurality of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional matrix pattern, each pixel being an amplified MOS image sensor, is divided into a block A including odd-numbered columns of pixels and a block B including even-numbered columns of pixels. A horizontal signal line and an output amplifier are provided for each of the block A and the block B. Signal voltages on vertical signal lines are temporarily stored in a line memory. In the normal mode, the signal voltages of two pixels adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction are supplied from the line memory respectively to the output amplifiers. In the correction mode, a switch is closed to connect the horizontal signal lines with each other so that the signal voltage of the same pixel is supplied to the output amplifiers.

Growing community of inventors

Yawata, Japan

Kazuyuki Inokuma