Patents Represented by Attorney Panasonic Patent Center
  • Patent number: 8169535
    Abstract: An interchangeable lens mountable to a camera body includes an optical system operable to collect light from a subject to form a subject image, a diaphragm operable to adjust an amount of light of the subject image to be collected by the optical system, a driving unit operable to drive the diaphragm based upon an aperture value within a predetermined range, a storage unit operable to store speed information relating to a speed at which the driving unit can be set to drive the diaphragm, and a transmitting unit operable to transmit the speed information stored in the storage unit to the camera body. The speed information is provided for each of a plurality of aperture value ranges which are obtained by dividing the predetermined range of the aperture value, and relates to the speed indicating a settable rate of change in the light amount which changes as the driving unit drives the diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Abe, Koji Shibuno
  • Patent number: 8169540
    Abstract: A camera body allows the mounting of a lens unit configured to form an optical image of a subject, and includes a body mount, an imaging element, a capacitor, and a housing member. The body mount allows a lens unit to be mounted. The imaging element includes a light receiving face arranged to receive light passing through the lens unit, and converts an optical image of the subject into an electrical signal. The capacitor is disposed above the imaging element and more to the imaging element side than the body mount in a landscape orientation. The housing member accommodates the imaging element and the capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Dai Shintani
  • Patent number: 8164014
    Abstract: A concavo-convex light emitting section provided on an under surface of a base material is formed of a synthetic resin with inorganic oxide dispersed therein. A larger amount of light is reflected by inorganic oxide having a large refractive index and dispersed inside the synthetic resin, to cause a plurality of light emitting sections to emit bright light with a small number of light emitting elements. A light guiding sheet capable of making bright and uniform illumination and a movable contact body using the same are realized with a simple configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Tatehata, Tsutomu Aisaka, Hirotoshi Watanabe, Yousuke Chikahisa
  • Patent number: 8164680
    Abstract: An imaging system includes an interchangeable lens and a camera body. The camera body includes a second communication unit capable of communicating with a first communication unit, an imaging element operable to generate an image signal from the optical image, and a main body controller operable to transmit a reference signal for providing a reference of a driving start timing of the focus lens to the lens controller through the second and first communication units. The main body controller transmits the reference signal to the lens controller during a period for which neither communication of predetermined signals other than the reference signal nor process related to the communication is performed between the first communication unit and the second communication unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Kawazoe, Mitsuyoshi Okamoto, Naotake Kitahira, Koji Shibuno
  • Patent number: 8160440
    Abstract: A three-dimensional image pickup apparatus for capturing a three-dimensional image which includes a left-eye image and a right-eye image includes: a first imaging unit having a first optical system and operable to take the left-eye image; a second imaging unit having a second optical system and operable to take the right-eye image; and a controller operable to control the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit. The first optical system and the second optical system individually include a convergence angle changing unit capable of optically changing a convergence angle and a focal length changing unit capable of optically changing a focal length. The controller, when controlling the focal length changing unit to change the focal length, controls the convergence angle changing unit based on a predetermined constant convergence angle tracking curve to keep the convergence angle constant before and after the change of the focal length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yuki Kishida, Takashi Kokuwa, Hiroyuki Makuta
  • Patent number: 8148810
    Abstract: In a substrate for a stacking-type semiconductor device including a connection terminal provided for a connection with a semiconductor chip to be stacked and an external terminal connected to the connection terminal through a conductor provided in a substrate, connection terminals of a power supply, a ground and the like, which terminals have an identical node, are electrically continuous with each other. Thus, it is possible to facilitate an inspection of electrical continuity between each connection terminal and an external terminal corresponding to each connection terminal by minimum addition of inspecting terminals. Further, it is possible to improve reliability of a stacking-type semiconductor module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi Shinagawa, Takeshi Kawabata
  • Patent number: 8150253
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a plurality of lenses movable along an optical axis, a plurality of drivers configured to drive the plurality of lenses, respectively, and a synchronizm loss detector configured to detect a loss of synchronizm of one of the plurality of drivers. The one of the plurality of drivers is a driver that drives a lens which is heaviest in the plurality of lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Honjo, Hideo Onishi
  • Patent number: 8150232
    Abstract: A BD-ROM on which a VC-1 video stream and an entry map (EP_map) are recorded. The VC-1 video stream includes: (a) picture data (I/P picture) whose first fields are the intra frame coding format and whose second fields are the inter frame predictive coding format; and (b) picture data (P/I picture) whose first fields are the inter frame predictive coding format and whose second fields are the intra frame coding format. The entry map indicates entry positions (SPN) of the I/P pictures, in correspondence with playback times (PTS), but does not indicate entry positions of the P/I pictures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Wataru Ikeda, Satoshi Kondo, Tadamasa Toma, Yoshinori Matsui, Tomoyuki Okada
  • Patent number: 8145035
    Abstract: When reading an AV Clip which is formed by multiplexing a plurality of elementary streams from a BD-ROM and playing back the AV Clip, an STN_table that lists an entry of each elementary stream is acquired from PlayList information on the BD-ROM. For each elementary stream shown in the STN_table, a judgment is made as to whether the elementary stream satisfies a predetermined condition. Of all elementary streams judged as satisfying the predetermined condition, an elementary stream having a highest entry in the STN_table is selected and played back.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Wataru Ikeda, Tomoyuki Okada, Yasushi Uesaka
  • Patent number: 8139140
    Abstract: A digital camera has an optical system, an image capturing unit, an aperture adjuster, a focal point adjuster, and a body microcomputer. The aperture adjuster has an aperture included in the optical system and is capable of adjusting the state of the aperture. The focal point adjuster has a focus lens included in the optical system and is capable adjusting the focal state of the optical system by using the focus lens by contrast detection method. The body microcomputer controls the operation of the aperture adjuster so that the aperture value of the optical system will be at or below a set aperture value before the focal state is adjusted by the focal point adjuster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Naoto Yumiki
  • Patent number: 8139915
    Abstract: An AV Clip generated by multiplexing a video stream and a graphics stream is recorded on a BD-ROM. The graphics stream includes a plurality of DSs (Display Sets) each of which is used for graphics display and includes a control segment and graphics data. When an active period of the control segment in the DS overlaps with an active period of a control segment in an immediately preceding DS on a reproduction time axis of the video stream the graphics data in the DS is assigned a different object_id from graphics data which is referenced by the control segment in the immediately preceding DS, so as to prevent graphics generated by decoding the graphics data in the DS from overwriting graphics generated by decoding the graphics data referenced by the control segment in the immediately preceding DS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph McCrossan, Tomoyuki Okada
  • Patent number: 8132795
    Abstract: A bathroom sauna device having a heating device for heating air in a bathroom, a humidifying device for humidifying the air in the bathroom, and an airflow path for sending the air, which is adjusted in temperature and humidity by the heating device and humidifying device, to the bathroom. The temperature and humidity of the air in the bathroom are controlled by the heating device and humidifying device to a temperature and humidity immediately before which a human body starts sweating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kyou Hayasi, Yoshihiro Nishizuru
  • Patent number: 8131130
    Abstract: A BD-ROM playback apparatus simultaneously executes reproduction of a title including an AVClip and executes an application. The BD-ROM playback apparatus includes a BD-J module (35) executing an application, a playback control engine (32) for playing the AVClip belonging to one title, and a module manager (34) for controlling branching between a plurality of titles. The title includes a data management table. The data management table indicates an application read priority level for each title. The BD-J module (35) includes a java virtual machine (38), a local memory (29), and an application manager (36) for loading the application to the local memory (29). The application manager (36) reads in the application into the local memory (29) according to the read priority level of each application and the memory size of the local memory (29).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Wataru Ikeda, Hiroaki Iwamoto, Tomoyuki Okada
  • Patent number: 8126317
    Abstract: An AV Clip generated by multiplexing video and graphics streams is recorded on a BD-ROM. The graphics stream includes a plurality of DSs (Display Sets) which are each a group of segments used for graphics display. When a total size of rendering areas of m windows defined by a WDS (Window Definition Segment) in a display set DSn is denoted by ?SIZE(DSn[WDS].window[i]), presentation time stamps PTS(DSn[PCS]) and PTS(DSn+1[PCS]) satisfy a relation PTS(DSn[PCS])+(90000×?SIZE(DSn[WDS].window[i])) // 256,000,000?PTS(DSn+1[PCS]).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph McCrossan, Tomoyuki Okada
  • Patent number: 8123468
    Abstract: A centrifugal fan used as a ventilating fan is provided which can increase a range of frequencies of noises in which noises can be suppressed and can adjust frequencies of noises at which noises can be suppressed. The centrifugal fan includes, in an outer casing, a motor that couples an impeller, a casing that surrounds a periphery of the impeller and has a bell-mouthed suction port on one side, and a bell-mouthed orifice that has an opening that is concentric with the suction port and has a diameter equal to or smaller than that of the suction port, wherein a member closing a clearance portion between an end of the orifice and the casing is a noise absorbing structural material, and a space formed by the orifice is a rear air layer, thereby forming a resonance type noise absorbing structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Seiji Shirahama, Kazuo Ogino, Yasuji Tsubakishita, Akira Sadamoto
  • Patent number: 8126322
    Abstract: An interchangeable lens has a zoom lens, a zoom driver operable to drive the zoom lens along an optical axis, a focus lens, a focus driver operable to drive the focus lens along the optical axis, and a storage unit operable to store link information which links position information indicating a position of the zoom lens on the optical axis with information about a variation in magnification caused by the focus lens advancing and retreating on the optical axis with the zoom lens located at the position indicated by the position information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Okamoto, Koji Shibuno, Akihiro Okamoto, Takashi Abe
  • Patent number: 8125792
    Abstract: In a stacked semiconductor module, a test covering connecting terminals is easily conducted and high reliability is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Takeshi Kawabata
  • Patent number: 8126316
    Abstract: An AV Clip generated by multiplexing video and graphics streams is recorded on a BD-ROM. PTS(EPOCHm DSlast[PCS]) and DTS(EPOCHm+1 DSfirst[PCS]) satisfy a relation PTS(EPOCHm DSlast[PCS])?DTS(EPOCHm+1 DSfirst[PCS]), where PTS(EPOCHm DSlast[PCS]) is a presentation time stamp of a packet containing a PCS (Presentation Composition Segment) in a last display set EPOCHm.DSlast, and DTS(EPOCHm+1 DSfirst[PCS]) is a decoding time stamp of a packet containing a PCS in a top display set EPOCHm+1.DSfirst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph McCrossan, Tomoyuki Okada
  • Patent number: D657771
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Hideaki Sakamoto
  • Patent number: D657772
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Shadovitz, Takashi Hasegawa, Toshiya Moriyama