1. In a combustion engine having a discharge conduit for discharging exhaust combustion gases, a converter for converting heat energy from the exhaust combustion gases, comprising:
a heating chamber being in thermal contact with the discharge conduit and defining a hydraulic channel through which a fluid passes;
an inlet port disposed in the heating chamber for receiving the fluid into the heating chamber; and
an outlet port disposed in the heating chamber for discharging the fluid from the heating chamber,
wherein the heat energy from the exhaust combustion gases is transferred to the fluid while the fluid passes through the hydraulic channel.
2. The converter of claim 1, further comprising a surface extension in the heating chamber partially blocking the hydraulic channel so as to increase a fluid residence time of the fluid within the hydraulic channel.
3. The converter of claim 2, wherein the surface extension comprises a plurality of fins extending from a surface of the heating chamber that is in thermal contact with the discharge conduit.
4. The converter of claim 2, wherein the surface extension comprises a helicoidal fin spirally extending along at least a portion of the heating chamber.
5. The converter of claim 2, wherein the surface extension extends across two internal surfaces of the heating chamber to withstand pressure exerted by expansion of the fluid within the heating chamber.
6. The converter of claim 1, wherein the heating chamber is configured such that the fluid enters into the heating chamber in a liquid state and exits the heating chamber in a vapor state.
7. The converter of claim 1, further comprising an insulation substantially surrounding the heating chamber.
8. The converter of claim 7, wherein the insulation comprises an insulation chamber.
9. The converter of claim 8, wherein the insulation chamber comprises an access valve for filling, emptying, or venting the insulation chamber.
10. The converter of claim 9, wherein the access valve comprises a movable fin.
11. The converter of claim 8, wherein the insulation chamber maintains in a vacuum.
12. The converter of claim 8, wherein the insulation chamber comprises an insulating material.
13. The converter of claim 1, wherein the heating chamber comprises a discharge valve for draining condensate of the fluid.
14. The converter of claim 1, wherein the heating chamber comprises a cylindrical body substantially enclosing a portion of the discharge conduit.
15. A method of converting heat energy from a discharge conduit of a combustion engine through which exhaust combustion gases passes, comprising:
providing a heating chamber in thermal contact with the discharge conduit;
injecting fluid into the heating chamber, wherein the heat energy from the exhaust combustion gases is transferred to the fluid in the heating chamber;
discharging the fluid from the heating chamber.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the heating chamber comprises a surface extension configured to partially block a hydraulic channel for the fluid so as to increase a fluid residence time of the fluid within the hydraulic channel.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring the heating chamber such that the fluid enters into the heating chamber in a liquid state and exits the heating chamber in a vapor state.
18. The method of claim 15, further comprising substantially surrounding the heating chamber with an insulation.
19. The method of claim 15, further comprising draining condensate of the fluid from the heating chamber.
20. The method of claim 15, wherein the heating chamber comprises a cylindrical body substantially enclosing a portion of the discharge conduit.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An image signal processing device, comprising:
an imaging means including a focus lens;
a point light source detection means for detecting a point light source in a target area used to calculate a focus evaluation value, the focus evaluation value to be used to move the focus lens to an in-focus point;
an evaluation value calculation means for identifying a point light area, within the target area, having the point light source detected by the point light source detection means, and for calculating a focus evaluation value for each position of the focus lens, for a remainder area obtained by removing the point light area from the target area; and
a system control means for controlling the focus lens based on the focus evaluation value calculated by the evaluation value calculation means, and for controlling an operation during a time period starting when autofocus control is started and ending when the focus lens is set to an in-focus state;
wherein during a time period in which the evaluation value calculation means calculates the focus evaluation value for each position of the focus lens, the system control means conducts a control operation to keep the point light area unchanged.
2. The image signal processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:
an area setting means for dividing the target area, in order to calculate a focus evaluation value for each of a plurality of areas, and for setting the areas;
wherein the evaluation value calculation means sets the point light area in an area determined by the area setting means.
3. The image signal processing device according to claim 2,
wherein the evaluation value calculation means calculates the focus evaluation value by determining a weight factor for each of the areas set by the area setting means.
4. The image signal processing device according to claim 2,
wherein the areas set by the area setting means have arbitrary sizes, and form a tiled wall with an arbitrary number of areas in each of the vertical and horizontal directions.
5. The image signal processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:
an arbitrary area setting means for setting the target area in order to calculate a focus evaluation value, with an arbitrary size and at an arbitrary position.
6. The image signal processing device according to claim 5, further comprising:
a small-area setting means for setting an arbitrary number of small areas, each with an arbitrary size and at an arbitrary position in the area set by the arbitrary area setting means,
wherein the system control means controls the position and the size of each of the small areas set by the arbitrary area setting means, based on information detected by the point light source detection means regarding the point light area.
7. The image signal processing device according to claim 6,
wherein the focus evaluation value used to control the focus lens is obtained by subtracting
the focus evaluation value calculated based on image signals in the small area set by the small-area setting means from
the focus evaluation value calculated based on image signals in the area set by the arbitrary area setting means.
8. The image signal processing device according to claim 5,
wherein the arbitrary area setting means is also for setting an arbitrary number of areas.
9. The image signal processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a pantilt detection means for detecting any of a panning operation and a tilting operation,
wherein whenever the pantilt detection means detects any of a panning operation and a tilting operation, the point light source detection means conducts an additional operation to detect a point light source, even during a period of time during a time period starting when autofocus control is started and ending when the focus lens is set to an in-focus state.
10. The image signal processing device according to claim 1,
wherein whenever a change in the number of high-luminance pixel is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the point light source detection means conducts an additional operation to detect a point light source, even during a period of time during a time period starting when autofocus control is started and ending when the focus lens is set to an in-focus state.
11. An image signal processing device, comprising:
an imaging unit including a focus lens;
a point light source detector configured to detect a point light source in a target area used to calculate a focus evaluation value, the focus evaluation value to be used to move the focus lens to an in-focus point;
an evaluation value calculator configured to identify a point light area, within the target area, having the point light source detected by the point light source detector, and to calculate a focus evaluation value for each position of the focus lens, for an area obtained by removing the point light area from the target area; and
a system controller configured to control the focus lens based on the focus evaluation value calculated by the evaluation value calculator, and to control an operation during a time period starting when autofocus control is started and ending when the focus lens is set to an in-focus state;
wherein during a time period in which the evaluation value calculator calculates the focus evaluation value for each position of the focus lens, the system controller is configured to conduct a control operation to keep the point light area unchanged.
12. The image signal processing device according to claim 11, further comprising:
an area setting unit configured to divide the target area, in order to calculate a focus evaluation value for each of a plurality of areas, and to set the areas;
wherein the evaluation value calculator is configured to set the point light area in an area determined by the area setting unit.
13. The image signal processing device according to claim 12,
wherein the evaluation value calculator is configured to calculate the focus evaluation value by determining a weight factor for each of the areas set by the area setting unit.
14. The image signal processing device according to claim 12,
wherein the areas set by the area setting unit have arbitrary sizes, and form a tiled wall with an arbitrary number of areas in each of the vertical and horizontal directions.
15. The image signal processing device according to claim 11, further comprising:
an arbitrary area setting unit configured to set the target area in order to calculate a focus evaluation value, with an arbitrary size and at an arbitrary position.
16. The image signal processing device according to claim 15, further comprising:
a small-area setting unit configured to set an arbitrary number of small areas, each with an arbitrary size and at an arbitrary position in the area set by the arbitrary area setting unit,
wherein the system controller is configured to control the position and the size of each of the small areas set by the arbitrary area setting unit, based on information detected by the point light source detector regarding the point light area.
17. The image signal processing device according to claim 16,
wherein the focus evaluation value used to control the focus lens is obtained by subtracting
the focus evaluation value calculated based on image signals in the small area set by the small-area setting unit from
the focus evaluation value calculated based on image signals in the area set by the arbitrary area setting unit.
18. The image signal processing device according to claim 15,
wherein the arbitrary area setting unit is configured to set an arbitrary number of areas.
19. The image signal processing device according to claim 11, further comprising:
a pantilt detector configured to detect any of a panning operation and a tilting operation,
wherein whenever the pantilt detector detects any of a panning operation and a tilting operation, the point light source detector conducts an additional operation to detect a point light source, even during a period of time during a time period starting when autofocus control is started and ending when the focus lens is set to an in-focus state.
20. The image signal processing device according to claim 11,
wherein whenever a change in the number of high-luminance pixel is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the point light source detector conducts an additional operation to detect a point light source, even during a period of time during a time period starting when autofocus control is started and ending when the focus lens is set to an in-focus state.