Patents Examined by Carramah J. Quiett
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Patent number: 9392197Abstract: Disclosed herein is a camera module capable of selectively using according to a mode by disposing an imaging sensor and a recognition sensor within a view angle of a lens, the camera module including: a sensor die including a silicon substrate and a sensor implemented on the silicon substrate; and a lens barrel hermetically holding the sensor die and including at least one lens, wherein the silicon substrate includes an imaging sensor and a recognition sensor implemented adjacent to each other so as to be included within a view angle of the lens.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2013Date of Patent: July 12, 2016Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.Inventor: Hyun Kim
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Patent number: 9363428Abstract: An apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to output an image signal of a captured image, a display unit configured to display the image signal as an image, a swing detection unit configured to detect a component of acceleration of a swinging operation, an operation detection unit configured to detect the swinging operation, and a control unit to change the image to be displayed on the display unit based on the swinging operation, wherein the operation detection unit is configured, if the acceleration signal reaches a first and a second threshold values, to determine that the apparatus has been swung.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2010Date of Patent: June 7, 2016Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Teruhiko Ueyama
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Patent number: 9344654Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes pixels each including: a charge storage portion; an amplifier transistor having a gate connected to the charge storage portion; a selection transistor having a source connected to a source of the amplifier transistor and a drain connected to a column signal line; and a reset transistor having a source connected to the charge storage portion and a drain connected to the column signal line, and further includes a control unit which applies to a gate of the selection transistor a first voltage to place the selection transistor in a conductive state and applies to a gate of the reset transistor a second voltage to place the reset transistor in a non-conductive state in a pixel signal readout period, and applies to the gate of the selection transistor a voltage intermediate between the first voltage and the second voltage in a charge storage portion resetting period.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2015Date of Patent: May 17, 2016Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.Inventor: Motonori Ishii
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Patent number: 9344656Abstract: A pixel includes an embedded photo diode (PD), an amplification transistor forming a source follower circuit having a gate for input and a source for output, and a transfer transistor that transfers a charge to the gate of the amplification transistor, the charge being photoelectrically converted by the PD. The amplification transistor is formed in a semiconductor substrate electrically isolated from a substrate on which the embedded PD and the transfer transistor are formed and the substrate of the amplification transistor is in a floating state. The reading unit includes a ?? modulator that inputs/outputs the image signal per pixel unit and the output of the ?? modulator is given, as feedback, to a capacitative unit functioning as a capacity to integrate the pixel.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2012Date of Patent: May 17, 2016Assignee: SONY CORPORATIONInventor: Hirofumi Sumi
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Patent number: 9332173Abstract: An imaging device is configured to include an imaging lens, an imaging unit which acquires image data based on an optical image of a subject received via the imaging lens, a motion detector which detects a motion of the subject based on image data sequentially obtained from the imaging unit, a focus detector which calculates focus position data based on the image data obtained from the imaging lens when the motion detector detects a motion of the subject, and an in-focus position estimating unit which estimates an in-focus position based on the calculated focus position data.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2010Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Kei Itoh, Kazuya Niyagawa
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Patent number: 9329454Abstract: A focal-plane shutter includes at least one blade group, a shutter base plate where the blade group is rotatably attached, a blade driving member rotatably supported by the shutter base plate and configured to drive the blade group from a standby position to a travelling completed position when taking pictures, a charge member configured to charge the blade driving member and a braking member formed on a first surface opposite to a second surface where the blade driving member of the shutter base plate is rotatably supported and configured to abut against a protruding portion which penetrates the shutter base plate from the blade driving member so as to protrude to the first surface.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 2013Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Yoshiyuki Matsumoto
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Patent number: 9330324Abstract: A method for forming a three-dimensional (3D) map of an object, including illuminating the object from a light source so as to project a pattern onto the object, capturing an image of the pattern using an array of detector elements, and processing the captured image so as to measure respective offsets of elements of the pattern in the captured image relative to a reference pattern, the offsets including at least a first offset of a first element of the pattern and a second offset of a second element of the pattern, measured respectively in first and second, mutually-perpendicular directions in a plane of the array. The method further includes computing a correction factor in response to the first offset, applying the correction factor to the second offset so as to find a corrected offset, and computing depth coordinates of the object in response to the corrected offset.Type: GrantFiled: July 5, 2012Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Daniel Cohen, Dmitri Rais, Erez Sali, Niv Galezer, Alexander Shpunt
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Patent number: 9288428Abstract: A camera includes: a shooting section that outputs images of an object; a moving image shooting control section that controls the shooting section to repeat shooting under predetermined shooting conditions at a predetermined frame rate; a moving image generation section that generates moving images based on images shot under the predetermined shooting conditions, respectively; an image extraction section that extracts a first image and a second image based on a predetermined condition from each of the moving images; a display section; and a display control section that performs control to simultaneously multi-display the first image and the second image of each moving image on the display section.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2011Date of Patent: March 15, 2016Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Osamu Nonaka, Masaomi Tomizawa
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Patent number: 9264587Abstract: An image transfer system configured with an image transmission apparatus, an image transfer apparatus and the image saving apparatus. The image transmission apparatus transmits image data recorded in a storage medium to the image transfer apparatus. The image transfer apparatus receives the image data, records the image data into a first storage device and transfers the image data to the image saving apparatus in response to a request issued from the image saving apparatus. The image saving apparatus receives the image data and records the image data into a second storage device. The image saving apparatus includes: the second storage device; a communication unit; a recording control unit for controlling read/write of management information; a request receiving unit from a user; a decision-making unit as to whether or not target image data are recorded; an image requesting unit for the target image data; and an image recording unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 2013Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Hiromi Kuwata, Nobuhiro Hayashi, Atsushi Ohori
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Patent number: 9264650Abstract: A video system comprises a camera, an enclosure, and an interface system integrated with the enclosure. The interface is configured to receive, on a link external to the enclosure, video captured by the camera and transfer the video on a link internal to the enclosure. The video system further includes a conversion module and a processing system. The conversion module is configured to receive the video on the internal link and transfer the video for delivery to the processing system on another internal link which has a different characteristic impedance than the first internal link. The processing system is configured to receive the video on the other internal link and encode the video. The video system further includes a monitoring system which is configured to display and store the video.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2010Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignee: VERINT VIDEO SOLUTIONS INC.Inventors: Nicolas Gonthier, Guy Shahmoon
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Patent number: 9264600Abstract: Before receiving an instruction, an apparatus identifies an object region to be focused by detecting a focus signal while moving a focusing lens. When the instruction is received, the apparatus moves the focusing lens based on the focus signal of the identified object region to be focused to detect a focus signal and perform a focus adjustment for the focusing lens.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2010Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Masaaki Uenishi
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Patent number: 9264620Abstract: An image photographing method and apparatus for proposing a human composition. The image photographing apparatus may determine optimal composition information based on feature information that is detected from a photographed image and control a photographing parameter based on the determined optimal composition information.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2009Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Jong Ha Lee, Young Kyoo Hwang, Jung Bae Kim
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Patent number: 9250131Abstract: A multi-imaging device includes a multiplexed optical system and a filter fixture. The multiplexed optical system forms multiple optical images of an object. These multiple optical images are interleaved at the sensor plane. The filter fixture is configured to allow a user to change filter assemblies. The filter assemblies can include different filter regions, which apply different filtering to the optical images.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2011Date of Patent: February 2, 2016Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kathrin Berkner, Keith Bennett
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Patent number: 9245194Abstract: An efficient line detection technique pre-processes an image to remove edge pixels that are not on straight lines, before performing line detection. By removing edge pixels not on straight lines, the complexity of the task of line detection can be significantly reduced, while increasing the accuracy. Various embodiments preprocess the edge maps of an image by anisotropic line filtering, kernel density estimation-based edge pruning, and connected component analysis. The resulting pruned edge map may then be processed using a Hough transform to detect straight lines in the image, having removed much of the noise in the edge map.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2012Date of Patent: January 26, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventor: Zehang Sun
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Patent number: 9244259Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side: a first positive lens unit not moving for zooming; a second negative lens unit moving during zooming; a third positive lens unit moving during zooming; a fourth positive lens unit moving during zooming; and a fifth positive lens unit not moving for zooming. Each of the lens units includes positive and negative lenses, and satisfies 10<?p??n<54, ?1<?2w<?0.05, ?5<?2t<?1, and ?1<?34z2<?0.3, where ?p is average Abbe constant of the positive lens of the fourth unit, ?n an average Abbe constant of the negative lens of the fourth unit, ?2w a magnification of the second unit at wide angle end, ?2t a magnification of the second unit at telephoto end, and ?34z2 a magnification of a combined lens unit including the third and fourth unit at a zoom position where the magnification of the second unit is ?1.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2013Date of Patent: January 26, 2016Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Tomoyuki Nakamura
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Patent number: 9225881Abstract: The present invention relates to digital cameras and in particular to positioning of image sensors in digital cameras. By providing a digital camera comprising a lens system, at least one image sensor which is attached to a sensor disc and an axle to which the sensor disc is attached and wherein the axle is configured to allow manipulation thereof for adjusting the tilt of the at least one image sensor, a simple solution is provided, enabling adjustment of the image sensor position in the digital camera.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2012Date of Patent: December 29, 2015Assignee: Axis ABInventors: Jonas Hjelmstrom, Daniel Persson, Jan Sonnvik
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Patent number: 9219869Abstract: A shading compensation method of an image capturing device, adapted to an image capturing device having a primary lens, a secondary lens, and a diffuser as well as pre-storing a primary-secondary lenses table and a secondary lens-diffuser table, includes the following steps. First, the secondary lens is covered by the diffuser. A scene is simultaneously captured by the primary lens and the secondary lens covered by the diffuser so as to generate a primary image and a diffused image. Next, according to the primary image and the diffused image, a shading compensation table corresponding to the scene is constructed by using the primary-secondary lenses table and the secondary lens-diffuser table. A shading compensation process is then performed on the primary image according to the shading compensation table so as to generate a compensated image.Type: GrantFiled: July 16, 2014Date of Patent: December 22, 2015Assignee: Altek Semiconductor Corp.Inventors: Tsan-Wei Wang, Shan-Lung Chao, Hong-Long Chou
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Patent number: 9217841Abstract: A compact camera modules has first, second, and third lens groups that move along an optical axis. A stepping motor is centered on the optical axis rather than offset from the optical axis. The motor has two coils that are fixed in place and a shared rotating magnet. The magnet is attached to a rotating guide that has slots to move the first and second lens groups as it rotates. The two coils are alternately energized to rotate the magnet, the rotating guide, and to move the first and second lens groups for zoom. The magnet has alternating thicker and thinner segments of opposite polarity. The thicker segments exert a greater force on an autofocus coil that is energized to move the third lens for the autofocus function. The same shared rotating magnet is used for both zoom and autofocus functions. A more compact design is possible using a shared magnet.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2011Date of Patent: December 22, 2015Assignee: Hong Kong Applied Science & Technology Research Institute Company, LimitedInventors: Kin Ming Fan, Kwok Sing Cheng
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Patent number: 9215371Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an image sensor; an image obtainer that obtains a plurality of images from the image sensor; a posture detector that obtains posture information of the imaging apparatus; a posture information accumulating buffer that accumulates the posture information obtained by the posture detector; and a power saving mode setter that activates and deactivates a power saving mode in which power consumption is suppressed, wherein the power saving mode setter determines to activate and deactivate the power saving mode based on the accumulated posture information in the posture information accumulating buffer.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2012Date of Patent: December 15, 2015Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventor: Akira Nakano
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Patent number: 9210313Abstract: Method and device are described for customizing the content selection to present on a display device based on identifying the viewer of the device. In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to selecting from among a group of digital images, those images that are most likely to be of interest to the viewer. In general, many of the images available to the display device will be comprised of images containing subject faces. Using the relationship information to predict subject affinity, the display device computes an image affinity for each image by accumulating the individual subject affinity predictions between the viewer and each subject identified in each image. The image affinities are used to select images for presentation on the display device.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2010Date of Patent: December 8, 2015Assignee: Ikorongo Technology, LLCInventor: Hugh Blake Svendsen