Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Pentax Corporation

Hoya Corporation

Asahi Kogaku Kogyo K.k.

Nobuhiro Tani

Shuzo Seo

Harumi Aoki

Shinichi Kakiuchi

Takeharu Shin

Yukihiro Ishizuka

Makoto Nukui

Keiji Sawanobori

Tetsuya Abe

Tahei Morisawa

Kiyoshi Yamamoto

Tadashi Takahashi

Kimiaki Ogawa

Makoto Mogamiya

Noriko Iriyama

An imaging-device driving unit comprising a detector and an exposure controller is provided. The imaging-device driving unit controls a CMOS imaging device amounted in an endoscope. The detector detects the pattern of emitted illumination light. The illumination light is emitted by a light source. The illumination light is shone on a subject. The CMOS imaging device is ordered to capture an optical image of the subject. The exposure controller orders the CMOS imaging device to perform the global exposure and the line exposure when the patterns of emitted illumination light detected by the detector are the first and second patterns, respectively.

Imaging-device driving unit, electronic endoscope, and endoscope system

An endoscope system comprises an electric scope and a light source apparatus. The light source apparatus has a light source and a light control apparatus. The light control apparatus adjusts a quantity of light that is incident to the electric scope, based on a comparison between a scope characteristic that indicates a relative value of the quantity of light that can be incident to the electric scope and a light source total characteristic that indicates a relative value of the quantity of the light radiated from the light source to the electric scope.

Endoscope system

A three-dimensional image capturing device comprises a plurality of laser devices, and an imaging device, such as a CCD, having a plurality of photo-diodes. Each of the laser devices radiates a pulse modulated laser beam so as to detect distance information or data relating to a topography of a measurement subject. The laser beam is radiated onto the measurement subject and a reflected light beam is sensed by the CCD. Signal charge corresponding to a distance from the image capturing device to the measurement subject is accumulated in each of the photo-diodes, and thus the above distance information is sensed. Each laser beam, respectively radiated from each of the laser devices, shares illuminating area at the distance of the measurement subject, so that radiant energy of each laser beam can be reduced by sharing a single distance measurement operation among the plurality of laser devices.

Three dimensional image capturing device and its laser emitting device

A three-dimensional image capturing device comprises an imaging device, such as a CCD, having a plurality of photo-diodes, a vertical transfer unit and a substrate. The plurality of photo-diodes is separated into a plurality of groups and each of the groups can be controlled independently. A distance measuring light beam having a predetermined pulse width is radiated to a measurement subject and a reflected light beam, generated by the measurement subject due to the distance measuring light beam, is sensed by the photo-diodes, so that a distance information sensing operation which detects distance information of the measurement subject is executed. In the distance information sensing operation, only predetermined groups of the photo-diodes are used for sensing the distance information, while in an image information sensing operation, which detects an image of the measurement subject, all photo-diodes in the CCD are used.

Device for capturing three-dimensional images with independently controllable groups of photoelectric conversion elements

A three-dimensional image capturing device comprises a light emitting device and an imaging device, such as a CCD, having a plurality of photo-diodes, a vertical transfer unit and a substrate. A pulse-modulated distance measuring light beam is radiated from the light emitting device to a measurement subject and a reflected light beam, generated by the measurement subject due to the distance measuring light beam, is sensed by the photo-diodes, so that a distance information sensing operation which detects distance information of the measurement subject is executed. The data, for example, relating to the distance information or the image information of the measurement subject, which is stored in the device, is transmitted to an external computer system by an optical transmission system using the above light emitting device. A data transmitting light beam may be superposed onto the distance measuring light beam.

Three-dimensional image capturing device

Three-dimensional image capturing device and its laser emitting device

A three-dimensional image capturing device comprises an imaging device, such as a CCD, having a plurality of photo-diodes, a vertical transfer unit and a substrate. An electric charge discharging signal and an electric charge transfer signal are periodically output, respectively. Due to the electric charge discharging signal, unwanted charge accumulated in the photo-diodes is discharged to the substrate. A distance measuring light beam is radiated on a measurement subject, and a reflected light beam from the measurement subject is sensed by the CCD, so that electric charge, corresponding to distance information from the device to the measurement subject, is accumulated in the photo-diodes. The electric charge is transferred to a vertical transfer unit due to the electric charge transfer signal. By starting an output of the electric charge transfer signal at the same time as the end of the output of the electric charge discharging signal, electric charge accumulated in the photo-diodes in the transfer operation is sensed to correct the distance information obtained by the CCD.

A three-dimensional image capturing device obtains distance information of a standard subject, to which the distance from the device to each point of a surface of the standard subject is known. Based on the distance information of the standard subject, correction data is sensed, which is an error of distance information sensed when using a measurement subject, to which the distance from the device to each point of a surface of the standard subject is unknown. A distance measurement is performed for the measurement subject, so that distance information is obtained. The distance information of the measurement subject is corrected using the correction data.

A three-dimensional image capturing device comprises a light source for irradiating a distance measuring light beam to a subject. The light source has a plurality of light source rings, each of which is formed of a plurality of LEDs. The LEDs are annularly disposed along an outer periphery of a lens barrel. The ratio of the intensities of light beams irradiated by the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth light source rings is 1:2:4:8:16. The intensity of the distance measuring light beam irradiated by the light source rings is modulated by selecting the light source rings to be turned ON, so that the intensity of the distance measuring light beam changes in accordance with the time.

A three-dimensional image capturing device comprises an imaging device, such as a CCD, having a plurality of photo-diodes, a vertical transfer unit and a substrate. First and second electric charge discharging signals and an electric charge transfer signal are periodically output, respectively. Due to the first electric charge discharging signal, unwanted charge accumulated in the photo-diodes is discharged to the substrate. An output of the electric charge transfer signal is started before the end of the output of the first electric charge discharging signal, and ends after the start of the output of the second electric charge discharging signal. A reflected light beam, generated by a measurement subject due to a distance measuring light beam, is sensed by the photo-diodes. Due to the second electric charge discharging signal, the electric charge accumulation in the photo-diodes ends.

A ground positioning system integrated with a distance measuring device that detects the distance from the device to a selected object for each pixel of the captured image of the selected object. The system, which also includes an azimuth sensor, calculates ground positioning coordinates of a selected object that correspond to a certain pixel of captured image using distance information, device ground positioning coordinates and device direction information.

Ground positioning system applied in a distance measuring device

A stationary data symbol reader includes a CCD, lens, CCD drive circuit, amplification circuit, binarization circuit, memory, CPU, light sources, light source drive circuit, communication driver, switch circuit and trigger switch. When reading, a frame image capture is carried out, and a number of picture elements of the fields of the frame corresponding to the displacement of an authenticator pattern (associated with the data symbol) between a second field image and a first field image is calculated. The moving speed of the data symbol is calculated from the displacement. The optimal light exposure time is calculated from the moving speed, and the optimal intensity of illumination is calculated from the exposure time.

Data symbol reading system

A casing of an optical reader comprises a reading head and a handle. The reading head includes a frame portion having a bottom opening constituted as a parallelogram. The optical reader comprises an angular speed sensor. The optical reading is controlled in accordance with the trembling speed of the casing sensed by the angular speed sensor.

Optical reader for information pattern representing coded data

An encoded symbol reading device capable of reading and decoding a tessellated symbol. A detector detects an optical image formed by the encoded symbol and outputs a signal corresponding to the optical image. The signal is compared with threshold values and a 1-bit data value is output. The 1-bit data values are converted into an n-bit data value which is stored in a memory. The threshold values are also stored in memory and are obtained by detecting an optical image formed by a surface having a predetermined color.

Digitizing encoded symbol reading device

A casing of an optical reader comprises a reading head and a handle. The reading head includes a frame portion having a bottom opening of a parallelogram. A first switch and a second switch are provided on the frame portion, adjacent to the bottom opening. The first switch and the second switch are placed symmetrically and diagonally about the center of the bottom opening. When the first switch and the second switch are pressed and the tip ends of them become flush with the frame portion, they are turned on. The optical reading is controlled in accordance with the combination of the signals outputted from the first and second switches.

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Tokyo, Japan

Nobuhiro Tani