A visual inspection system for a product can test various kinds of liquid crystal displays by changing only the data in a video system for automatically testing a liquid crystal display panel, and comprises a data input block operated by a control signal or data inputted by the tester; a signal processor for inputting the data required for a control program and an operation from the data input block, and for testing a product; and an image sensor for inputting a video image, of a photograph of a product to be tested, to the signal processor.

An exposure controller of a digital camera, using an image pick-up device, includes a photometering sensor, and a control device. The control device calculates a first exposure time in accordance with a photometering value obtained via the photometering sensor, and performs a pre-exposure in which a sensitive surface of the image pick-up device is exposed at a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time. Thereafter, the control device performs a main exposure in which the sensitive surface of the image pick-up device is exposed at a third exposure time obtained by changing the value of one of the first exposure time and the second exposure time in accordance with a picture signal output from the image pick-up device, the picture signal being output when the image pick-up device is exposed at the second exposure time by the pre-exposure.

A semiconductor based image sensor comprising a plurality of pixels formed upon a major surface of a semiconductor substrate, a majority of the pixels having a photodetector with a plurality of color filters of at least two different colors arranged over a second majority of the pixels a sense node formed within each of the pixels and operatively connected to CMOS control circuitry a plurality of busses arranged such that there is at least one unique bus operatively connected to the pixels for each color and interface means for providing an electrical connection to a timing circuit, the interface means having individual connections to each of the busses and capable of providing the predetermined voltage on the busses at a desired time.

An automatic exposure system is arranged to dynamically adjust the exposure time of a pixel array in an imaging system. A selected group of pixels from the pixel array are evaluated using a non-destructive readout procedure to determine the proper exposure time for the pixel array, while the pixel array is exposed to light that is reflected from a scene. Threshold detectors are employed to compare the signals from the selected group of pixels to a peak level that corresponds to a threshold limit for the pixels. The exposure of the pixel array is terminated when at least one pixel from the selected group of pixels exceeds the threshold limit. The threshold limit may be set to a level that is below total saturation for the pixels such that an overexposure margin is provided. Enhanced image contrast is achieved using automatic exposure time adjustment.

An image reading apparatus which includes a timing adjusting circuit for adjusting a generation timing of a drive signal for driving at least an image pickup element which reads an object image and outputs an image signal of the object image, a memory circuit for storing an adjustment value of the generation timing of the drive signal adjusted by the timing adjusting circuit, and a drive signal generating circuit for generating the drive signal in accordance with the adjustment value stored in the memory circuit.