A visual positioning method and system for a battery replacement device. The method comprises: controlling a battery replacement device to move below a battery accommodating portion at the bottom of an electric vehicle; photographing, by means of a photographing apparatus, a first target photographing region at a first focal length so as to obtain a positioning determination photograph; controlling the photographing apparatus to adjust the first focal length to a second focal length; and photographing, by means of the photographing apparatus, a second target photographing region at the second focal length so as to obtain a lock-state determination photograph. By means of the photographed photographs at different focal lengths, automatic adjustment of positioning, locking and unlocking is realized, not only achieving efficient and accurate determination of positioning, locking and unlocking of the battery replacement device, but also enabling the battery replacement device to achieve integral and efficient adjustment.

The present technology relates to an imaging device, an imaging method and a program, each of which enables a user to appropriately give an instruction on a subject to be focused. The imaging device according to the present technology includes a signal processing unit configured to display information representing recognition results of a subject in an image obtained by shooting, and to display in a superimposed manner, in response to a user's voice input indicating a focus position, information representing the focus position estimated as the user's intention on the image. The present technology can be applied to an imaging device operable by a voice.

A system and methods for performing focus tuning of an imaging system. The method includes an image sensor obtaining a plurality of images, with each image obtained at a different focus of a tunable optical element. A processor identifying a reference element in at least one of the images of the plurality of images. The processor then determines a reference image that includes the reference element and identifies a reference focus of the tunable optical element. The processor then stores the identified reference focus in a memory.

According to one embodiment, an image processing device includes an imaging element, a lens and an image processor. Light passes through the lens toward the imaging element. A relative position of the imaging element and the lens is changeable. The image processor acquires a first image and a second image. The image processor derives a first stored image by adding at least a portion of the second image to the first image. The first image is captured by the imaging element when the relative position is in a first range. The second image is captured by the imaging element when the relative position is in a second range different from the first range.

The present invention provides a mobile terminal and a method of capturing an image using the same. The mobile terminal controls a camera conveniently and efficiently to capture an image and performs focusing in various manners to capture an image. Accordingly, a user can obtain a desired image easily and conveniently.

Provided is an imaging apparatus including a determination unit configured to perform scene determination and a combination unit configured to combine a plurality of images different in focus position in an optical axis direction. The combination unit automatically performs the combination based on a result of the scene determination. A composite image to be generated in a case where the combination unit performs the combination is deeper in depth of field than the plurality of images.

A system for generating high dynamic range (HDR) imagery obtains a history frame associated with a first timepoint and with a first set of image capture parameters. The system obtains an image frame associated with a particular set of image capture parameters and captured at a second timepoint that is subsequent to the first timepoint, and the particular set of image capture parameters comprises the first set of image capture parameters or a second set of image capture parameters. The system generates a normalized image frame by applying a normalization operation to the image frame. The normalization operation may be determined based upon the particular set of image capture parameters. The system generates a weight map based upon at least the normalized image frame and generate an HDR image frame based upon the normalized image frame, the history frame, and the weight map.

Provided is an operation control device that includes an operation detection unit that detects a first type operation and a second type operation having an operation area common to the first type operation. The operation control device further includes an operation response processing unit that performs response processing corresponding to the first type operation and the second type operation detected by the operation detection unit, and an operation determination unit that determines whether the second type operation detected by the operation detection unit is a valid operation or an invalid operation in a determination period corresponding to that the operation detection unit has detected the first type operation.

A method for determining whether or not a transparent protective cover of a video camera comprising a lens-based optical imaging system is partly covered by a foreign object is disclosed. The method comprises: obtaining (402) a first captured image frame captured by the video camera with a first depth of field; obtaining (404) a second captured image frame captured by the video camera with a second depth of field which differs from the first depth of field; and determining (406) whether or not the protective cover is partly covered by the foreign object by analysing whether or not the first and second captured image frames are affected by presence of the foreign object on the protective cover such that the difference between the first depth of field and the second depth of field results in a difference in a luminance pattern of corresponding pixels of a first image frame and a second image frame. The first image frame is based on the first captured image frame and the second image frame is based on the second captured image frame.

An image processing apparatus processes a first image and a second image so as to detect a corresponding pixel in the second image which corresponds to a target pixel in the first image. The first image has a first parameter value, and the second image has a second parameter value different from the first parameter value. The first parameter value and the second parameter value are values of optical parameters of image capturing systems used to capture the first image and the second image. The image processing apparatus includes an area setter that sets a two-dimensional search area as a partial area in which the corresponding pixel is to be searched in the second image, based on a predetermined range in which each of the first and second parameter values can change, and a detector that detects the corresponding pixel by searching the two-dimensional search area.