In one embodiment, an electrostatic actuator includes a generally planar fixed frame, a generally planar moving frame coupled to the fixed frame by a flexure for substantially coplanar, perpendicular movement relative to the fixed frame, a plurality of interdigitated teeth, a fixed portion of which is attached to the fixed frame and a moving portion of which is attached to the moving frame, and an elongated output shaft having opposite input and output ends, the input end being coupled to the moving frame.

In one embodiment, an electrostatic actuator includes a generally planar fixed frame, a generally planar moving frame coupled to the fixed frame by a flexure for substantially coplanar, perpendicular movement relative to the fixed frame, a plurality of interdigitated teeth, a fixed portion of which is attached to the fixed frame and a moving portion of which is attached to the moving frame, and an elongated output shaft having opposite input and output ends, the input end being coupled to the moving frame.

An image sensor may include a pixel array with high dynamic range functionality and phase detection pixels. The phase detection pixels may be arranged in phase detection pixel groups. Each phase detection pixel group may include three adjacent pixels arranged consecutively in a line. A single microlens may cover all three pixels in the phase detection pixel group, or two microlenses may combine to cover the three pixels in the phase detection pixel group. The edge pixels in each phase detection pixel group may have the same integration time and the same color. The middle pixel in each phase detection pixel group may have the same or different color as the edge pixels, and the same or different integration time as the edge pixels. Phase detection pixel groups may also be formed from two pixels that each are 1.5 times the size of neighboring pixels.

An optical system is provided that uses unwanted light to perform autofocus functions. More particularly, one or more optical elements may be used to reflect unwanted light to one or more secondary image sensors associated with an autofocus function. Such unwanted light may include, for example, IR, UV, or visible light not necessary for creating a resulting image detected by a primary sensor.

A method for providing content via a computer network and computing device, which may include: storing data associated with and indicative of a plurality of presentations; receiving a request to host an audio presentation; receiving and storing data associated with the requested audio presentation; initiating and recording one or more telephone calls; and, presenting at least a portion of the stored data for selection by the computing device; wherein, selection causes the stored data indicative of the selected audio/visual or audio presentation to be provided to the computing device for playback thereby via the computer network. The method may include storing data associated with and indicative of a first plurality of presentations; storing data associated with a plurality of second presentation feeds: automatically and periodically accessing each of the feeds; and aggregating each of the presentations for delivery via the computer network.

Provided is an eyepiece optical system including, in order from an observation object (Ob): a first lens (L11) having positive refractive power; a second lens (L12) which has negative refractive power and of which an observation object (Ob) side lens surface is concave; and a third lens (L13) which has positive refractive power and of which an eye point (EP) side lens surface is convex. The third lens (L13) is fixed on the optical axis with respect to the observation object (Ob) when adjusting the diopter, and the following conditional expressions are satisfied:
0.65<R31/fe<1.30(1)
0.80<(R32+R31)/(R32R31)<0.10(2)
where fe denotes a focal length of the eyepiece optical system, R31 denotes a radius of curvature of the observation object (Ob) side lens surface of the third lens (L13), and R32 denotes a radius of curvature of the eye point (EP) side lens surface of the third lens (L13).

Provided is an image-acquisition apparatus including an image-acquisition lens that collects light coming from a subject A; an image-acquisition device that acquires images with the light collected by the image-acquisition lens; a microlens array that is disposed between the image-acquisition device and the image-acquisition lens; and a distance calculating portion that calculates a distance to the subject by using information obtained by the image-acquisition device. The microlens array has multiple types of microlenses, for different polarization states, that focus light incident thereon to form individual images on an image-acquisition surface of the image-acquisition device and that are arranged in an array in directions orthogonal to an optical axis thereof, and the distance calculating portion calculates the distance by performing matching processing in which each polarization state is weighted according to frequency components of the information obtained by the image-acquisition device.

A shooting apparatus comprising: a photographing optical system having a variable aperture diaphragm; an imaging section that outputs an image signal; a diaphragm position detection section that detects a diaphragm position; a lens control section that controls movement of a focus lens; a storage section that stores an amount of focal shift corresponding to the diaphragm position; a focus detection section that detects a peak of a contrast value based on the image signal, wherein the lens control section, while moving the focus lens to a focusing position based on a position at which the contrast value indicates the peak, corrects a position of the focus lens to be moved, on the basis of a diaphragm position when the position at which the contrast value indicates the peak is detected, a diaphragm position while moving the focus lens, and the amount of focal shift stored in the storage section.

An imaging area in an image sensor includes a plurality of photo detectors. A light shield is disposed over a portion of two photo detectors to partially block light incident on the two photo detectors. The two photo detectors and the light shield combine to form an asymmetrical pixel pair. The two photo detectors in the asymmetrical pixel pair can be two adjacent photo detectors. The light shield can be disposed over contiguous portions of the two adjacent photo detectors. A color filter array can be disposed over the plurality of photo detectors. The filter elements disposed over the two photo detectors can filter light representing the same color or different colors.

The present invention relates to a camera module, the camera module including a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) mounted with an image sensor, a housing configured to protect the image sensor and mounted therein with camera constituent parts, and plural pieces of lenses mounted on the housing, wherein a surface of the housing is metalized.