Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan

Panasonic Corporation

Kawaso Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Nippon Steel Corporation

Kurosaki Refractories Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.

Keiichi Mori

Keijiro Mori

Yasukiyo Ueda

Seiji Nakamura

Mitsuhiko Otani

Shojiro Inoue

Junichi Matsuo

Katsuhiko Yamamoto

Shigeru Shirai

Kunihiro Imamura

Mayu Ogawa

Taichi Nagata

Yoshitaka Hiraiwa

Mayu Nishikawa

Mitsuhiro Imajima

Takashi Tanahashi

Kuniaki Uchida

Shozo Shima

Yukio Nakamura

Hisao Ikawa

Manabu Takada

Manabu Takata

Shoji Iizuka

Tetsumi Murata

Toyohiko Torii

Koji Matsuura

Masao Nakano

A distance-measuring imaging device includes: a controller which repeatedly performs outputting of an emission signal instructing light emission and outputting of an exposure signal instructing exposure; a light source unit which performs light emission a plurality of times in accordance with the emission signal repeatedly outputted by the controller; and an imaging unit which includes a solid-state imaging element for performing exposure a plurality of times in accordance with the exposure signal repeatedly outputted by the controller and which generates an imaging signal through the exposure performed the plurality of times.

Distance-measuring imaging device and solid-state imaging element

An imaging apparatus includes a light emitter, a pixel section, and a signal processor which calculates distance information of a subject. The pixel section includes a photoelectric converter, first and second read-out gates, and a plurality of charge accumulators including a first charge accumulator and a second charge accumulator. The first read-out gate is activated in a first period and deactivated in a second period. The second read-out gate is activated in the first period and the second period. The signal processor calculates the distance information based on a total amount of signal charges accumulated in the charge accumulators in the first period and the second period and a difference between an amount of signal charges accumulated in the second charge accumulator in the first period and the second period and an amount of the signal charge accumulated in the first charge accumulator in the first period.

Imaging apparatus and distance information calculation method

A distance image generating device includes a light emitter that emits light pulses; a light receiver that includes light receiving elements and receives reflected light; a distance calculator that generates a distance image based on an amount of the reflected light; and a light amount adjuster that determines an emission count in accordance with which the light emitter is to emit the light pulses and an exposure count in accordance with which the light receiver is to receive the reflected light based on the distance image and causes the light emitter to emit the light pulses in accordance with the determined emission count and the light receiver to receive the reflected light in accordance with the determined exposure count. The distance calculator calculates the distance based on an amount of the reflected light received at the exposure count by the light receiver.

Distance image generating device and distance image generating method

In a distance measuring device that measures a distance to an object using a round-trip time of light, a solid-state image sensor includes a plurality of pixel groups capable of being exposed independently, and causes each of the plurality of pixel groups to receive, at a different exposure time, reflected light from the object that is originally pulsed radiation light from a light emitter. A light emission and exposure controller cyclically and intermittently exposes each of the plurality of pixel groups of the solid-state image sensor at the different exposure time to obtain pixel signals of types corresponding to a time difference between the reflected light and the radiation light, and a signal processor obtains information about the distance to the object according to pixel signals of adjacent pixels exposed at different exposure times for each of the plurality of pixel groups.

Distance measuring device

A distance-measuring system includes: a plurality of light sources; a light source controller that controls the plurality of light sources; an imager that generates a distance image for each reflection light emitted by the plurality of light sources and reflected by a subject; a reliability level output unit that outputs a reliability level for each distance image; and an image compositor that composites a plurality of distance images. The emission areas of the plurality of light sources which emit light at different angles relative to an optical axis of the imager have a common emission area to which light is emitted in common, and the image compositor exclusively selects pixels to be composited from the plurality of distance images for an outside of the common emission area, and determines pixels to be composited based on the reliability level for the common emission area to generate a composite distance image.

Distance-measuring system and distance-measuring method

A distance measuring device includes: a light emitter which emits light from a light source to a target object; a light receiver which receives reflected light in a group of pixels two-dimensionally disposed, the reflection light being generated through reflection of the light emitted from the light emitter on the target object; a synthesizer which generates a synthesized signal by synthesizing pixel signals read from pixels exposed at different exposure intervals to generate a synthesized signal; and a distance arithmetic operator which calculates a value of distance to the target object based on the synthesized signal and the difference in time between emission and reception of the light. The synthesizer generates the synthesized signal by the first synthesis processing when a pixel signal of a pixel exposed at a first exposure interval has a signal level higher than a predetermined saturation level, and generates the synthesized signal by second synthesis processing the pixel signal of the pixel exposed at the first exposure interval has a signal level lower than the predetermined saturation level.

Distance measuring device and distance image synthesizing method

A distance measuring apparatus includes a light source, a light source controller, a light receiver including pixels arranged two-dimensionally, an exposure controller, and a signal processor. The light receiver outputs, to the signal processor, a signal corresponding to the amount of electric charge accumulated in the accumulator. The signal processor determines that the interference is present when at least one of (i) a ratio between signal levels of the same pixel included in the pixels, the signal levels representing respective amounts of electric charge in respective exposure periods and (ii) a ratio between signal levels of the first and second pixels exceeds a predetermined threshold with respect to a determination criterion that is based on a difference between a period in which a read gate of the first pixel is open and a period in which a read gate of the second pixel is open.

Distance measuring apparatus

A solid-state imaging device includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements configured to perform photoelectric conversion on incident light. The device also includes a color filter array including at least three kinds of color filters different in filtering wavelength region. Any of the color filters is placed for each of the photoelectric conversion elements to filter the incident light. The spectral transmittances of the color filters are equal to each other in a predetermined wavelength region.

Solid-state imaging device, imaging module, and imaging system

When still images are captured, signals read from all pixel cells of a pixel cell array having a Bayer array of color filters are selected, as a first output to be recorded and displayed, by an output selector. When moving images are captured, a 9-pixel binned signal is selected as the first output by the output selector, and a differential component between an output signal of a pixel cell located at the center-of-mass position of the 9 pixels, and the 9-pixel binned signal, is supplied as a second output from a memory circuit. Contrast information of a subject image is acquired based on the second output to perform lens focus adjustment.

Still image and moving image capturing device

An apparatus for measuring oxygen within a molten substance comprises a compact oxygen probe unit constructed by assembling a tubular shell whose one end is closed, which is made of solid electrolyte and which is to be soaked into the molten substance to be measured, a metal cylinder which surrounds the outer periphery of the shell and which serves also as an outer electrode and a sheath thermocouple which is inserted to a reference pole provided within an inner face of the shell and which serves also as an inner electrode to a terminal box. The metal cylinder comprises a protecting cylinder portion which surrounds the outer periphery of the shell and an opening for exposing the closed end of the shell. Both element wires of the sheath thermocouple are connected to temperature measuring means via the terminal box. The inner electrode formed by one element wire of the thermocouple and the outer electrode formed by the metal cylinder are connected to electromotive force measuring means also via the terminal box.

Apparatus for measuring oxygen within molten substance

An apparatus for continuously measuring temperatures of molten metal including a thermocouple unit (A) and an immersion protection tube unit (B), wherein the thermocouple unit (A) comprises a thermocouple (1) having an end equipped with a temperature sensing element (8) and an opposite end connected to terminals (2), an insulator (9) of substantially one piece containing the thermocouple (1), a porcelain protection tube (6) of high airtightness containing the insulator (9), and a terminal box (3) having an extension sleeve (5) with which the upper part of the porcelain protection tube (6) is held and having a housing (20) which contains the terminals (2). The immersion protection tube unit (B) comprises an alumina-graphite protection tube (21), a holding sleeve (22) with a flange which is connected to the upper part of the alumina-graphite protection tube (21), and a connecting sleeve (26) connected with the holding sleeve (22). The porcelain protection tube is detachably inserted into the alumina-graphite protection tube (21) to allow easy removal of the thermocouple and alumina-graphite protection tube (21). Further, the alumina-graphite protection tube (21) is manufactured by a process of adding a resin type binder which has high carbonization yield to a compounding component formed of a mixture of graphite powder, a powder selected from and/or mixed with a powder of SiC derivatives, Si derivatives, ZrO.sub.2 --SiO.sub.2 derivatives, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 --ZrO.sub.2 --SiO.sub.2 derivatives, and a powder of substantially granular and/or powdered alumina, and then subsequently kneading the mixture, forming it into a tube and sintering the formed tube.

Apparatus for continuously measuring temperature of molten metal and

Combustion apparatus

A high performance automatic temperature control system enables fries and Japanese tempura to be prepared in optimum condition. The temperature of the outer bottom surface of a container being heated is measured by a temperature sensor a given time later. A temperature rise gradient of the temperature sensor established at a given time in the initial stage of heating is used as a temperature correction value peculiar to the container, while a temperature rise gradient of the temperature sensor established after a certain temperature has been reached is used as a temperature correction value for the amount of food being cooked. The former and latter temperature correction values are converted into preset temperature values and serve as operating temperatures for the temperature sensor. When the temperature sensor reaches the operating temperature, the heating rate is controlled to hold the operating temperature. Thus, the system performs automatic temperature control irrespective of the kind of the material, wall thickness and size of the container, by means of the temperature rise gradients of the temperature sensor so as to ensure that the preset temperature and the temperature of the food are equal.

Cooker with heating control system

A highly automationed cooking apparatus especially suitable for stew cooking or the like liable to boiling over. Temperature of outer bottom face of a pan is measured by a sensor and temperature gradients are sampling-measured at a sampling time pitch. Boiling point of food material is detected by finding a decrease of the temperature gradient, and thereafter the heating is lowered to avoid boiling over to a suitable value which is given by processing the temperature gradients.

A combustion control system having incorporated therein an electronic circuit for driving and controlling a proportional control valve provided on a fuel supply line to control the amount of combustion and thereby maintain the temperature of fluid to be heated by combustion at a constant level even when the amount of the fluid varies per unit time. The output voltage of a bridge circuit including a sensor for detecting the temperature of the fluid as a component is fed to operation amplifiers for differentiating, integrating and proportional amplification to control the control valve with the resulting output. The system is best suited for use in instantaneous water heaters.

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Osaka, Japan

Keiichi Mori