Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Takehiro Katoh

Hiroshi Ootsuka

Yoshihiko Azuma

Toshihiko Ishimura

Kenji Tsuji

Masayasu Hirano

Naohiro Kageyama

Masaaki Nakai

Yasuteru Yamano

Masataka Hamada

Shuji Izumi

Nobuyuki Taniguchi

Akihiko Fujino

Tokuji Ishida

Manabu Inoue

Norio Ishikawa

Takashi Okada

Masayuki Ueyama

Katsuyuki Nanba

Hisayuki Masumoto

Katsumi Kozakai

Tetsuo Yamada

Yoshihiro Hara

Kenji Ishibashi

Hiromu Mukai

Hiroaki Kubo

Gen Sasaki

Takeshi Egawa

Takashi Kondo

Shigeto Ohmori

Eiji Yamakawa

Kenji Mizumoto

Hirokazu Yagura

Keizou Ochi

Hiroshi Ishibe

Nobuo Hashimoto

Koji Hata

Hiroshi Yoshino

Shinichi Nishimura

Yasuo Nakanishi

Kyoko Kakudo

Dai Shintani

Yoshinobu Kudo

Hiroyuki Okada

Takanobu Omaki

Shinji Tominaga

Hisashi Tokumaru

Jun Minakuti

Kazuhiko Naruse

Yukio Maekawa

Yasuo Maeda

Keiji Tamai

Kazunori Soda

Tatsuya Suzuki

Yoshihiro Okui

Masayuki Ikemura

Yoshifumi Maitani

Yasuhiro Inoue

Akira Okuno

Noritomo Nakashima

Hirokazu Kuroda

Tetsuro Ohya

Norihide Momose

Rieko Izume

Susumu Shirai

Yoshio Nishimoto

Kenichiro Hibi

Masayuki Gomi

Naoya Takata

Norihisa Hosoi

Hiroki Kinoshita

Hideki Sekino

Atsuhisa Ohno

Hiroko Ono

Takehiko Karasaki

Masaki Nakai

Yukinari Satou

Masahiro Kitajiri

An image signal output from a CCD is input to an edge emphasis adjusting unit. A scene determining unit determines a scene of an image to be processed on the basis of an operation of selecting a shooting mode or the like. A tone characteristic control unit performs a control of selecting a tone characteristic used in a tone converting unit for edge emphasis on the basis of the scene determination result. A plurality of tone characteristics for edge emphasis are prepared, and have different luminance ranges in which a &#x3b3; value changes. After the tone converting process for edge emphasis, an edge emphasizing process is performed by an edge emphasizing unit, and the tone conversion according to the monitor characteristic is performed in a tone converting unit for correction.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program product

An input device includes a touch panel which recognizes a press on each touch area and outputs press information and a controller which receives the press information output from the touch panel and transmits corresponding data to a main apparatus. The controller registers pressed regions of the touch panel and regions surrounding the pressed regions as touch areas in a touch area registration process performed prior to execution of data input operation. Upon receiving particular press information, the controller switches the kind of data to be input by pressing the touch areas and annunciates switching of the kind of input data by producing an audible message.

Input device and touch area registration method

A compact film player has a picture reproducing unit and an information reading unit capable of reading a photographing information on each frame of the film. When a developed film is fed in an inlet of the picture reproducing unit in a prescribed direction, a scan mirror scans a picture provided on the film perpendicularly to the feed direction, so that a line sensor takes the picture every line. The line sensor and the scan mirror read two-dimensional pictures provided on the film. When the picture of the frame previously read is on display, the scan of the next frame is effected.

Still image reproducing apparatus saving time for still image reproduction

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a paper transport unit, and a control unit for supplying the image forming unit with image data for a plurality of pages so that the image forming unit forms images page by page on sheets transported by the paper transport unit, wherein, when the image data for each page includes data representative of blanks on a leading end side and on a tail end side of the page in a paper transport direction, the control unit deletes the data representative of the blank either on the leading end side or on the tail end side from the image data prior to supplying the image forming unit with the image data, and controls the paper transport unit so that a plurality of sheets are transported sequentially to the image formation unit in a multiple state in which one sheet partially overlaps with another in the paper transport direction by a length corresponding to the deleted data representative of the blank.

Image formation apparatus

An automatic exposure control apparatus comprises a skin color extracting circuit for extracting a skin-colored portion from an input video signal and a focus condition detecting circuit for detecting a focus condition of the skin-colored portion. Exposure is controlled based on outputs of the two circuits. That is, when a skin-colored portion is extracted and it is detected that the skin-colored portion is in an in-focus condition, exposure is controlled so as to be appropriate with respect to the skin-colored portion.

Automatic exposure control apparatus

A camera is provided with a photographing device for setting various photographing conditions which determine a state of a subject image to be obtained as a picture, the photography device including an exposure device having a Plurality of selectively settable exposure modes for automatically setting at least one exposure value based on brightness of a subject, a mode selector for selecting one of the plurality of exposure modes, a calculation unit for calculating an amount indicative of the state of the subject image in accordance with the photographing conditions set by the photography device, an estimation unit for estimating visual effects which the subject image provides based on the calculated state amount, and a display device for displaying the visual effect corresponding to the exposure mode selected by the mode selection means in accordance with the estimated visual effects. Accordingly, an operator of the camera is allowed to conceive before an exposing operation what the final picture will look like in accordance with the photographing conditions set in a variety of exposure modes.

Camera capable of displaying the level of visual effect

A camera is provided with a photographing device for setting various photographing conditions which determine a state of a subject image to be obtained as a picture, the photograph device including an exposure device having a plurality of selectively settable exposure modes for automatically setting at least one exposure value based on brightness of a subject, a mode selector for selecting one of the plurality of exposure modes, a calculations unit for calculating an amount indicative of the state of the subject image in accordance with the photographing conditions set by the photography device, an estimation unit for estimating visual effects which the subject image provides based on the calculated state amount, and a display device for displaying the visual effect corresponding to the exposure mode selected by the mode selection means in accordance with the estimated visual effects. Accordingly, an operator of the camera is allowed to conceive before an exposing operation what the final picture will look like in accordance with the photographing conditions set in a variety of exposure modes.

A camera provided with an aperture controllable shutter capable of determining exposure by varying aperture movement, and a photographic lens capable of varying focal length. In accordance with the focal length of the photographic lens, an aperture size or an aperture characteristic of the aperture controllable shutter is determined. A diaphragm of the aperture controllable shutter is driven based on the determined aperture size, aperture characteristic and object brightness.

Camera having an aperture controllable shutter

An automatic exposure control apparatus comprises a skin color extracting circuit for extracting a skin-colored portion from an input video signal and a focus condition detecting circuit for detecting a focus condition of the skin-colored portion. Exposure is controlled based on outputs of the two circuits. That is, when a skin-colored portion is extracted and it is detected that the skin-colored portion is in an in-focus condition, exposure is controlled so as to be appropriate with respect to the skin-colored portion. A skin color correction unit can correct colors corresponding to the skin color from the video signal.

Image sensing device that can correct colors corresponding to skin in a

A camera is provided with a photographing device for setting various photographing conditions which determine a state of a subject image to be obtained as a picture, the photography device including an exposure device having a plurality of selectively settable exposure modes for automatically setting at least one exposure value based on brightness of a subject, a mode selector for selecting one of the plurality of exposure modes, a calculation unit for calculating an amount indicative of the state of the subject image in accordance with the photographing conditions set by the photography device, an estimation unit for estimating visual effects which the subject image provides based on the calculated state amount, and a display device for displaying the visual effect corresponding to the exposure mode selected by the mode selection means in accordance with the estimated visual effects. Accordingly, an operator of the camera is allowed to conceive before an exposing operation what the final picture will look like in accordance with the photographing conditions set in a variety of exposure modes.

In still frame images from a film, the first frame of an image block is produced in a fade-in manner for gradually outputting a picture. If the end of a beginning part of a theme block is detected from information for a next frame, the process is advanced to a step to select a production method including relevantly large movement on the assumption that the scene is moved to an intermediate part of the theme block. If the intermediate part is ended, a different production method including relevantly small movement is selected on the assumption that the scene is moved to an end part.

Apparatus for reproducing still images of a plurality of frames

A camera includes an operation device having a plurality of operation modes for executing an operation, a mode changing device for changing over operation modes, a designation device for designating a desired operation mode as an initial mode, and a reset device for resetting the operation device to the designated initial mode.

Camera

A camera system comprises a brightness measuring circuit, a exposure line choosing circuit, an operable switch, a film driver and a film driving mode selector. The brightness measuring circuit measures brightness of a photographic scene to send a brightness value. The exposure line choosing circuit chooses one of a plurality of exposure lines in which each lines selects a combination of an aperture value and a shutter speed value at each brightness value. The film driver drives a film in either of a first mode in which the film is wound only one frame in response to the operation of the operable switch and a second mode in which the film is wound frame by frame continuously as long as the operable member is operated. The film driving mode selector selects one of the modes in accordance with the exposure line chosen by the choosing circuit. In the camera system, a photographer may only select the exposure mode in accordance with his intention and purpose in photography, and then the film driving mode corresponding to the intention and purpose is automatically selected.

Camera system

A light measuring apparatus capable of measuring ambient light, flash light from a flash source directly connected to the light measuring apparatus and flash light from a flash source that is remote. A photoelectric sensor can convert the light into electrical signals when an operator starts a light measurement cycle. A flash light emission signal can be generated to a flash source. The computer circuit can process the light signals to determine the specific mode of operation of the light measuring process, and based upon that particular mode of operation to appropriately calculate measurement values.

Light measuring apparatus capable of measuring ambient light and flash

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Takehiro Katoh