Sony Corporation

Kiyosuke Suzuki

Hideki Wanami

Noboru Koyama

Masahide Maruyama

Mitsuyoshi Shindo

Haruo Watanabe

Tomohiro Maekawa

Tatsuru Sato

Toshiaki Fukuma

Akio Yasuda

Takao Tsuchiya

Takeshi Ninomiya

Junetsu Seto

Fumihiko Kaise

Koichi Kawasumi

Masaaki Sakai

Hiroe Honma

Kiyotaka Dochi

Michihiro Hino

Atsushi Shirata

Shigemichi Honda

Akio Hitachi

Hiroshi Hatanaka

A first editor memory is supplied with picture data that a user has selected, a second editor memory is supplied with a template that the user has selected, and a key memory is supplied with a key information that the user has selected. A switch inserts the picture data into the template in accordance with key information to deliver it to a video memory. A picture synthesis section inserts the picture data stored in the first editor memory into the picture insertion area designated by the key information within the template stored in the second editor memory in accordance with instruction from the user.

Picture editing apparatus

A camera system is provided for acquiring an image of a scene with a wide angle such as an omni-directional scene with a high resolution and for acquiring an image of a dynamic object. The camera system includes a reflecting mirror, a first imaging unit, and a second imaging unit. The reflecting mirror has a mirror surface disposed around a center axis and spread on one side of the center axis to form an opening portion. The first imaging unit is provided within a plane composed of an outer surface of the reflecting mirror and a plane extending from the outer surface of the reflecting mirror on the opening portion side. The second imaging unit is disposed opposite to the mirror surface of the reflecting mirror, and includes a number of cameras disposed on the same circumference centered at the center axis of the reflecting mirror in such a manner as to be spaced from each other at equal intervals. Another camera system is provided which includes a first imaging unit having at its leading end a fish-eye lens and a second imaging unit having at its leading end a fish-eye lens. The optical axes of both the fish-eye lenses are offset from each other in parallel and imaging directions thereof are reversed to each other.

Camera system

In a picture reading apparatus, in the pre-scan, an approach is employed to control a CCD line sensor 5 and a film carrying roller 103 so that plural pictures recorded on an optical film 1 are read at a predetermined sampling rate in order from the latest frame to generate frame position data indicating position of left and right ends of frame, etc. Further, in the main scan, an approach is employed such that, in controlling the CCD line sensor 5 and a film carrier 100 so that plural pictures recorded on the optical film are read at a sampling rate higher than the predetermined sampling rate in order from the oldest frame, the reading start and end timings of the CCD line sensor 5 are controlled on the basis of frame position data obtained by the pre-scan. As a result, in this picture reading apparatus, it is possible to precisely obtain picture data of picture of frame in the state where no positional shift takes place. In addition, since the pre-scan is carried out at a low sampling rate, frame position data can be obtained in a short time.

Picture reading apparatus

Still picture system

Film scanning apparatus using plural film feed speeds and sampling rates

A color film image reader for obtaining an image signal from a color film, comprising a light source for irradiating the color film with light; a color CCD for producing blue, green and red image signals from the light received from the color film; and means for adjusting the level of each of the image signals obtained by the color CCD. The light source comprises a 3-band type fluorescent lamp, and the relative emission powers thereof regarding blue, green and red light are approximately at a ratio of 10:4:1, wherein the molar weight ratios of its blue, green and red fluorescent materials satisfy the functions that (molar weight ratio of blue fluorescent material.quantum efficiency of blue fluorescent material):(molar weight ratio of green fluorescent material.quantum efficiency of green fluorescent material).(molar weight ratio of red fluorescent material.quantum efficiency of red fluorescent material).apprxeq.10:4:1. The glue fluorescent material is composed of BaM.sub.g2 Al.sub.16 O.sub.27 :Eu; the green fluorescent material is composed of La.sub.2 O.sub.3.0.2SiO.sub.2.0.9P.sub.2 O.sub.5 :Ce,Tb; and the red fluorescent material is composed of 3.5MgO.0.5MgF.sub.2 /GeO.sub.2 :Mn.sup.4+.

Image reader

A shading correction circuit for correcting the shading distortion of a photoelectric conversion device including a plurality of arrayed photocells, has a memory for storing data on the output characteristics of each pixel, represented by image signals having a given level outputted by the photoelectric conversion device a plurality of image pickup times. Thereby, the data on the output characteristics of each pixel stored in the storing means is read by desirably switching the order of the image pickup for each pixel to provide shading correction data. Noise or irregularities which readily appear on the output picture after shading correction are reduced.

Photoelectric conversion device's shading correction circuit

A quantizing circuit is applied to a film scanner which is adapted to read image data from a negative or positive film, and the resultant film scanner is simple in arrangement, and is advantageous in that deterioration in picture quality of the output image can be prevented, and the adjustment operation for gamma correction can be simplified. In such a quantizing circuit, an analog-to-digital conversion circuit converts an input signal into a first digital signal D1 having a predetermined first bit length, and a digital signal processing circuit converts the first digital signal into a second digital signal whose bit length is smaller in the number of bits than the first bit length. In this case, the first digital signal is converted into the second digital signal based on detected maximum, minimum and average values of the second digital signal during a preview scan.

Quantizing circuit

A video image reading apparatus stores video data from a reader of the video image of an original document and outputs the stored video signals as a standard television video signal by successively reading the video signals from the video memory in a timing relationship complying with a given standard television format. The present invention makes it possible to reduce the storage capacity of the video memory by comparing the lower-order bits of the video data from the video image reader with a reference data which cyclically changes and by adding a result of comparison to the higher-order bits to store the sum to the video memory.

Video image reading apparatus

An image reading device includes an image reading device, a video memory for reading the read image and a device for controlling the reading frequency, when the video data recorded in the video memory are repeated read, so that the reading frequency will be equal to the scanning frequency of the television signals. The image read by the line sensor may be converted in this manner into video signals by a simplified operation.

Image reading device

A scanning apparatus for reading an image having a line sensor composed by positioning a plurality of sensing devices in line for reading an image of a document, a motor for moving the line sensor and the document relatively, the motor making a motion to move the line sensor at a right angle with a direction of an arrangement of the sensing devices, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter for converting a first anaglog image signal output from the line sensor to a first digital image signal, a memory for storing the first digital image signal, a memory controller for generating a write signal to the memory and for appointing an address at which the first digital image signal is written in the memory according to each writing mode, each writing mode being used to determine a sequence to appoint the address, a selecting circuit for selecting the writing mode by controlling the memory controller, and a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter for converting a second digital image signal output from the memory to a second analog image signal.

Scanning apparatus for reading an image

An image forming material is provided in which a developer container containing a developer consisting of an electrically insulating organic material which is solid at ambient temperature and which may be liquefied on heating, and wherein colorant particles are dispersed in the material, is made as one with a photosensitive base on which to form an electrostatic latent image. With such image forming material, the developer required in the developing process is incorporated in the photosensitive base to permit image formation and storage by the electrophotographic process to be performed as easily as in so-called instant photography. When the outer size of the image forming material or that of the separated photosensitive base is of the 35 mm format slide size, the imaging material or the base may be attached directly to a slide projector or the like to permit the image information to be easily seen.

Image forming material with developer and photosensitive base on which

A PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control circuit for printing apparata comprises a memory for storing digitized image data, a main converter connected to the memory for converting upper bits of the digitzed image data into a main pulse-width modulated signal based on a first unit time duration, a sub-converter connected to the memory for converting the rest of the bits of the digitized image information into a sub pulse-width modulated signal based on a second unit time duration, and a drive circuit connected to the main converter and sub-converter for generating the driving signal in accordance with the main pulse-width modulated signal and sub pulse-width mnodulated signal. The amount of transferred digital tone data per horizontal line of a whole printing screen is reduced and the color concentration characteristics of the thermal head are appropriately maintained within an acceptable range.

Circuit for controlling thermal array recording head

A color image scanner which includes a plurality of light sources composed of a first light emitting diode for emitting a red light, a second light emitting diode for emitting a yellow light and a fluorescent light source for emitting a blue light, a control circuit for switching the plurality of light sources, sequentially and an image sensor for receiving light reflected from the original, scanned image, wherein a characteristic value of the light emitted from the first light emitting diode is selected so as to have an overlap in wavelength with that of the light emitted from the second light emitting diode, and a characteristic value of the light emitted from the fluorescent light source is selected so as to have an overlap in wavelength with that of the light emitted from the second light emitting diode.

Scanner for reading color image

A head drive system for printer apparatus for gray scale recording divides digital data representing each pixel into upper and lower groups of bits respectively defining upper bit data and lower bit data. The lower bit data is compared with periodic reference data. On the basis of the comparison, binary data is derived and added to the upper bit data to form output data for controlling a printer head. The invention combines the advantages of density modulation and area modulation and at the same time enables high speed data processing and printing.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Kiyosuke Suzuki