Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Shigeki Murata

Yasushi Sogabe

Kenichi Hayashi

Kenji Matsuura

Jirou Kajino

Hitoshi Minabe

Michihiro Yamagata

Yasuhiro Tanaka

Hiroaki Okayama

Hideyuki Hashi

Takayuki Hayashi

Yoshimasa Fushimi

Kazutake Boku

Haruo Isaka

Hiroshi Ishiguro

Hideaki Yoshio

Kenji Matuura

Noriya Iwata

An object of the present invention is to provide: a thin imaging device in which a high image resolution is obtained and in which the resolution does not uniformly vary even when the shooting distance is changed; and a lens array used therein. The present invention relates to an imaging device comprising: a lens arrayconstructed by arranging in parallel a plurality of lens elements having optical power in at least one surface; and an image sensorin which an optical image formed by an optical system having each of the lens elements is received by each of mutually different imaging regions each having a plurality of photoelectric conversion sections so that the optical image is converted into an electric image signal, wherein each lens element and the imaging region corresponding to the lens element constitute an imaging unit, while the imaging units have diverse imaging region areas. The present invention relates also to a lens array used therein.

Imaging device including a plurality of lens elements and a imaging sensor

In a wide-angle image-generating device for obtaining a developed image by picking up a wide-angle image of about &#xb1;90 degrees using a reflecting mirror having a rotary-symmetrical convex shape, and performing computational processing, the contents of the developed image thus obtained are tilted by the amount commensurate with the inclination of the central rotational axis of the reflecting plane, which produces the drawback of giving a sense of discomfort to the viewer when the central rotational axis of the reflecting plane is tilted from a vertical direction within a plane perpendicular to a 0-degree direction. In the present invention, an angle sensor () is provided in the imaging device for picking up a wide-angle image of about &#xb1;90 degrees using a reflecting mirror (), and the tilt within the plane perpendicular to the 0-degree direction is measured. The resulting value is used to perform development processing and to rotate the developed image by means of the computational processing device () so as to make the horizontals of the developed image and the TV monitor () conform to each other.

Wide-angle image generating device

There is provided an imaging device which is small in light loss, is operable to suppress an occurrence of a stray light, and is operable to provide an image with a high quality as far as a periphery thereof. The imaging device operable to output an image of an object as an electrical image signal, comprising: a solid-state imaging sensor including pixels which are two dimensionally arranged on a first flat surface and each of which has a photo-electric conversion function; and a lens array including micro lenses two dimensionally arranged on a second flat surface separately provided so as to be parallel to the first flat surface, in which the solid-state imaging sensor includes an imaging area of unit including a plurality of pixels, and each of the micro lenses forms an optical image of the object on a corresponding imaging area of unit and satisfies a predetermined condition, arctan(L/f)&#x2266;&#x3b8;, for a pixel, from among pixels included in an imaging area of unit corresponding to each micro lens, positioned farthest from an optical axis of a corresponding micro lens. Here, &#x3b8; is a maximum angle of an incident light capable of entering a pixel, f is a focal length of a micro lens, and L is a diameter of a circle circumscribing an imaging area of unit corresponding to one of the micro lenses.

Imaging Device

A wide-angle imaging device suitable for a monitor area of about 180 degrees. A first reflection mirror () is provided that has, around the rotation center axis () of a rotary symmetrical body, a reflection surface having an approximately &#xb1;90-degree convex shape with respect to a reference optical axis direction, an image forming lens () that has a principal point () on the rotation center axis of the first reflection mirror () and forms the image of a reflection beam from the first reflection mirror () and an imaging element () are disposed, and an object within approximately &#xb1;90 degrees around the rotation center axis of the first reflection mirror () is imaged.

Wide-angle imaging device

An omnidirectional video apparatus that operates when an image at an arbitrary view point is cut out from an omnidirectional image for reproduction, to minimize the amount of information transferred if all directions are stored in another apparatus is provided. Only positional information from an omnidirectional image position storage means ( ) is displayed on an image pickup position display means ( ) of a terminal device via a bidirectional communication means ( ). A view point position indicating means ( ) specifies a required view point position. An image converting means ( ) of a supply center extracts required images from the omnidirectional image position storage means ( ) depending on the view point position indicated by the view point position indicating means ( ) and transmits the images via the bidirectional communication means ( ) to the terminal device for display.

Omnidirectional video output method and apparatus

To provide an omnidirectional visual camera having a simple configuration and which can pick up omnidirectional images covering an angle of 360&deg; around an axis. This camera comprises a reflecting member and a camera section. The reflecting member is composed of a rotating surface portion, a cylindrical portion and a joining section, which are integrally formed of a transparent material.

Omnidirectional visual camera

The present invention provides a tape driving apparatus capable of receiving a cassette tape to be mounted therein, the cassette tape including a magnetic tape and a take-up reel hub for winding the magnetic tape, the take-up reel hub having a first flange and a second flange for limiting movement of the magnetic tape along a direction of the width of the magnetic tape. The tape driving apparatus includes: a capstan for driving the magnetic tape; and a tape guide disposed in a tape travel path extending from the capstan to the take-up reel hub, the tape guide including a first flange and a second flange for limiting a travelling height of the magnetic tape, wherein a distance between the first flange and the second flange of the tape guide is larger than a distance between the first flange and the second flange of the take-up reel hub.

Driving apparatus in which a distance between a first flange and a

A track width error inspector apparatus for examining a width error of recording tracks of a magnetic tape, in which a signal of a given frequency range is recorded on alternate tracks with a plurality of magnetic heads and magnetic powder is applied to the tape and light is radiated thereon and a reflection of the light therefrom is detected, includes: a movable table on which the tape is disposed; an image pick-up for producing an image of the recording tracks; a memory for storing image data from the image pickup; a frequency spectrum detector for detecting frequency components of a frequency spectrum produced by a Fourier transformation of the image data; a ratio calculator for calculating a ratio between one odd-numbered order frequency component and one even-numbered order frequency component; and a track width error calculator for calculating the width error of the recording tracks from the calculated ratio.

Track width error inspector apparatus

A tape transporting apparatus comprising a detecting device for detecting the winding diameter of a reel or the travelling state of tape, and a height variable device for varying the tape restricting height of a tape guide depending on the output of the detecting device, in which the tape restricting height is varied when the tape is deformed when the winding diameter becomes small and the tape tension becomes large, thereby preventing tape damage.

Tape transporting apparatus including a tape guide with variable

The present invention purports to provide a tape recording/reproducing apparatus capable of causing a plurality of tapes having different width respectively to travel smoothly and its cassette. The cassette positioning spring 1 gives an appropriate pressing force even in the case that the cassettes have different thicknesses, and the cassettes are respectively fixed at predetermined positions so that the lower edges of the magnetic tape 3a, 3b are positioned at the same height. The flange 9 of the guide post 12 is shifted in an up-and-down direction in response to a magnetic tape width signal detected through the cassette detecting switch 13 or the beginning edge detector 14a, or the ending edge detector 14b, so that even narrow magnetic tape 3a can travel at the predetermined height. Furthermore, by changing the inclined angle and/or the inclined direction of the movable post 10, a downward torsion force is applied to the narrow magnetic tape 3a. In this fashion, magnetic heads to be used are selected in accordance with the magnetic tape width detected by the cassette detecting switch 13 or the beginning edge and the ending edge detectors 14a, 14b.

Tape drive apparatus

A rotating head apparatus includes an electromechanical conversion element which moves a magnetic head. The electromechanical conversion element allows the contact state between the tape and a rotating head to be stably optimum by varying a voltage applied to the electromechanical conversion element cyclically and according to an output from a discriminator which discriminates the kind of the tape or the rotation speed of the rotating head. Therefore, the apparatus makes it possible to keep the space loss minimum, and prevents a reduction of the performance of signal recording and reproducing.

Apparatus with arrangement for keeping rotating head in optimal contact

A method and an apparatus for obtaining a displacement condition of a track in a longitudinal direction thereof on a magnetic tape on which a periodic signal is recorded by detecting a signal position from image information obtained by imaging said track while moving the magnetic tape and/or the image device in the longitudinal direction of the track.

Method of measuring track displacement on a magnetic tape

The amount of displacement of a track recorded on a magnetic tape from the linear state is analyzed by using an image analysis apparatus, and a two-dimensional distribution state of the displacement state is displayed, so that a difference in the displacement state due to the position on the magnetic tape can be known, while the changes in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic tape or the variation state of the displacement in the time course can be obtained.

Method of and apparatus for measuring track displacement on a magnetic

In a clutch assembly, a driven member is driven by a driving member through an engaging or clutch member which is mounted on the driven member movably between a position to be engaged with the driving member and a position to be released from the driving member. The engaging or clutch member is thrust toward the engaged position by a first thrusting force. A releasing member is movable between an active position to abut at one end thereof against the engaging or clutch member and an inactive position to be apart from the engaging member, and is thrust toward the abutting end by a second thrusting force. When the releasing member abuts against the engaging member, the releasing member is first moved in the opposite direction to the second thrusting force direction by a driving force of the driving member to reach a stop position, and then the engaging member is moved in the direction to be disengaged from the driving member by the driving force of the driving member. The engaging or clutch member is further moved, after having been disengaged from the driving member, by the second thrusting force to reach the released position.

Clutch assembly

A magnetic tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus wherein a magnetic tape is drawn out of a tape cartridge by a tape loading mechanism which is moved from its inoperative position to its operative position by the rotational power of a motor, and which motor also drives an operating mode changing mechanism which changes the operating mode of the apparatus.

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Nara, Japan

Shigeki Murata