Patents Examined by Chan T. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11818476
    Abstract: An embodiment method for estimating a missing or incorrect value in a table of values generated by a photosite matrix comprises a definition of a zone of the table comprising the value to be estimated and other values, referred to as neighboring values, and an estimation of the value to be estimated based on the primary neighboring values and the weight associated with these primary neighboring values, wherein a weight of each neighboring value, referred to as primary neighboring value, of the same colorimetric component as that of the missing or incorrect value to be estimated, is determined according to differences between neighboring values disposed on an axis and neighboring values disposed parallel with this axis and positioned in relation to this axis on the same side as the primary neighboring value for which the weight is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA
    Inventors: Valentin Rebiere, Antoine Drouot
  • Patent number: 11815394
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device including a pixel configured to output a signal in response to incidence of a photon includes a first measurement unit configured to measure the signal output from the pixel, a second measurement unit configured to measure time until the signal measured by the first measurement unit reaches a first threshold, a first storage unit configured to store, as a first time, a result of the measurement by the second measurement unit at a first time point, a comparison unit configured to compare the first time stored in the first storage unit and a second time measured by the second measurement unit at a second time point later than the first time point, and an output unit configured to output a signal corresponding to a result of the comparison by the comparison unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Aihiko Numata
  • Patent number: 11812147
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a sensor, a movable portion configured to hold the sensor and move in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis, a holding unit configured to gradually change a holding force for holding the movable portion by moving back and forth in the direction of the optical axis, and a control unit configured to control the holding force of the holding unit for holding the movable portion depending on a state of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Momoe Katsumata, Takashi Sugie
  • Patent number: 11805308
    Abstract: There are provided an imaging apparatus and an imaging method that enable operation in which a display unit is brought into a turn-off state when a predetermined time elapses after start of capturing a moving image, a command from a remote commander is accepted and executed, and the captured moving image is output to an external apparatus. In a case where a manipulation unit that outputs a command depending on content of a user manipulation is manipulated and a command causing a moving image to be recorded on a recording medium is output, recording of the moving image is started and the display unit is controlled to a turn-off state in which an image is not displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shutaro Yorozu
  • Patent number: 11800256
    Abstract: In a solid-state image sensor that transfers electric charges to a floating diffusion layer, exposure is started before transferring the electric charges to the floating diffusion layer. A photodiode generates electric charges by photoelectric conversion. An electric charge accumulation unit accumulates electric charges. The floating diffusion layer converts electric charges into a signal level corresponding to the amount of the electric charges. An exposure end transfer transistor transfers the electric charges from the photodiode to the electric charge accumulation unit when a predetermined exposure period ends. A reset transistor initializes a voltage of the floating diffusion layer to a predetermined reset level when the exposure period ends. When a new exposure period is started after the electric charges are transferred to the electric charge accumulation unit, a discharge transistor discharges electric charges newly generated in the photodiode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Shin Kitano
  • Patent number: 11798963
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a substrate including an active pixel region and an inactive pixel region, having a smaller area than the active pixel region; a plurality of active pixels in the active pixel region, each of the plurality of active pixels including a first transfer transistor, a first reset transistor, a first driving transistor, and a first selection transistor; and a plurality of inactive pixels in the inactive pixel region, each of the plurality of inactive pixels including a second transfer transistor, a second reset transistor, a second driving transistor, a second selection transistor, and a switch transistor connected to a node between the second driving transistor and the second select transistor. The plurality of switch transistors, included in the plurality of inactive pixels, are connected to each other by a connection wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yunhong Kim, Yunhwan Jung, Heesung Chae
  • Patent number: 11789354
    Abstract: A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and configured to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes multiple lens units on which an optical image of the external environment is incident, individually, and an imaging system to generate an outside image of the external environment by imaging through each of the lens units, individually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kensuke Chikata, Takeshi Kazama, Yasuki Furutake, Kazuyoshi Akiba, Sho Okuda, Nobuhisa Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11778346
    Abstract: An image processing device includes an imaging element. The imaging element includes a pixel unit including a photoelectric conversion unit configured to convert light to electric charge and a charge accumulating unit configured to accumulate the electric charge and a column AMP configured to amplify a signal output from the pixel unit with different gains, and outputs a plurality of image signals with different gains applied thereto through one exposure. The image processing device further includes an image synthesizing unit configured to generate a synthetic image signal by synthesizing the plurality of image signals. An image synthesis control unit configured to control the image synthesizing unit determines synthesis proportions of the plurality of image signals in the synthetic image signal according to a common capacity of the charge accumulating unit when the capacity of the charge accumulating unit is shared by the plurality of image signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuichi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11770642
    Abstract: An image sensor integrated with a convolutional neural network computation circuit is provided. The image sensor includes: a pixel array including pixels divided into pixel groups, wherein each pixel converts a light signal into a PWM signal; a convolution computation circuit controlling a turn-on time of a corresponding weighted current according to the first PWM signal of each pixel, and accumulating the weighted currents into an integrated current; a comparison circuit converting the integrated current into a second PWM signal and comparing it with that of an adjacent pixel group to output a larger one; and a classification circuit quantizing the second PWM signal to a quantization value according to a weight of a node in a fully-connected layer corresponding to each pixel group, accumulating the quantization values of all pixel groups into a feature value, and comparing the feature value with a feature threshold to obtain a classification result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: National Tsing Hua University
    Inventors: Chih-Cheng Hsieh, Tzu-Hsiang Hsu
  • Patent number: 11770627
    Abstract: Sensor systems and methods that provide an output in the form of a rate at which light is received by unit pixels within a sensor array are provided. Each unit pixel includes a photodetector that generates an electrical charge in response to receiving light, a charge accumulation area, and a comparator. Once the amount of charge in the accumulation area has reached some threshold amount, a counter is incremented. After the counter has been incremented a selected number of times, an output signal is generated, and the time at which the output signal is generated is marked or recorded. Different unit pixels receiving light at different rates therefore generate output signals at different times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Mark Myers, Ronald P. Earhart
  • Patent number: 11758281
    Abstract: A video camera system includes a video capture device and a camera controller. The video capture device includes a sensor that receives light, a shutter that selectively permits the light to be received at the sensor based on a shutter speed, and a frame processor that generates a plurality of video frames based on the light. The camera controller includes a frame parameter calculator that calculates a luminance parameter of the plurality of frames, a frequency domain analyzer that executes a frequency domain analysis based on the luminance parameter to generate a plurality of luminance amplitude values mapped to a plurality of frequencies, and a control signal generator that generates a target shutter speed based on the plurality of luminance amplitude values mapped to the plurality of frequencies, and transmits a control signal based on the target shutter speed to cause the shutter to operate at the target shutter speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
    Inventors: Walter A. Martin, Terry Neill
  • Patent number: 11758252
    Abstract: An image pickup module includes a first base body, a pixel portion, a first conductive pattern, a second base body, a second conductive pattern, and a conductor portion. The pixel portion is provided in the first base body and includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a first direction and a second direction. The first conductive pattern is provided in the first base body. The first base body is provided on the second base body. The second conductive pattern is provided in the second base body and electrically connected to the first conductive pattern via a first connection conductor portion and a second connection conductor portion. A loop structure including the first conductive pattern, the second conductive pattern, the first connection conductor portion, and the second connection conductor portion is formed as viewed in the first direction. The conductor portion is connected in parallel to the first conductive pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Kawase, Yasuhiko Sano
  • Patent number: 11743613
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device includes a plurality of pixels, a data line, and a receiving circuit. Each of plurality of pixels includes a photoelectric conversion unit, a processing circuit, and a pixel output circuit. The photoelectric conversion unit includes an avalanche photodiode that multiplies charge generated by an incident of photon by avalanche multiplication, and outputs a signal in accordance with the incident of photon. The processing circuit processes a signal output from the photoelectric conversion unit. The pixel output circuit controls an output of the signal processed by the processing circuit. The data line is connected to the plurality of pixels. The receiving circuit receives a pixel signal output from the plurality of pixels via the data line. An off-state leakage current of the transistor included in the receiving circuit is smaller than an off-state leakage current of the transistor included in the pixel output circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yu Maehashi
  • Patent number: 11729465
    Abstract: Providing object-oriented-zoom by identifying, in a transmitter, a region-of-interest in a captured video part, communicating to a receiver the video stream, and an identification of the region-of-interest, marking, on a display of the receiver, the region-of-interest over the captured video stream on a screen display, receiving from a selection of the displayed region-of-interest forming a selected object, communicating the selection to the transmitter, dividing the video stream, in the transmitter, into a first part including the selected object, and a second part including at least a part of the captured video stream less the first part, communicating the first and second parts to the receiver, displaying the first and second parts simultaneously, where the first part is displayed in a substantially constant location of a screen display of the receiver, and where the second part is displayed around the first part to fill the screen display of the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: GLIDE TALK LTD.
    Inventors: Roi Ginat, Liron Hertz
  • Patent number: 11716527
    Abstract: Processing for judging whether a face is included in a frame is performed, in a predetermined interval, on each of frames included in a moving image of a subject, displayed on a monitor, until the judgment becomes positive. If it is judged that a face is included in a frame, the facial position is detected in the frame, and stored. Then, judgment is made as to whether a face is included in the next frame after predetermined time. If the judgment is positive, the facial position is detected. The previously stored facial position is replaced by the newly detected facial position, and the newly detected facial position is stored. These processes are repeated until photographing operation is performed by operating a release unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Wataru Ito
  • Patent number: 11711628
    Abstract: A system for obtaining color imagery using SPADs includes a SPAD array that has a plurality of SPAD pixels. Each of the plurality of SPAD pixels includes a respective color filter positioned thereover. The system is configurable to capture an image frame using the SPAD array and generate a filtered image by performing a temporal filtering operation using the image frame and at least one preceding image frame. The at least one preceding image frame is captured by the SPAD array at a timepoint that temporally precedes a timepoint associated with the image frame. The system is also configurable to, after performing the temporal filtering operation, generate a color image by demosaicing the filtered image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Kirk Price, Michael Bleyer, Christopher Douglas Edmonds
  • Patent number: 11704904
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes: an imaging unit having a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels is arranged; a readout controller that controls readout of pixel signals from pixels included in the pixel region; a first unit-of-readout setting unit that sets a unit of readout as a part of the pixel region, for which the readout controller performs readout of the pixel signal; an image output unit that outputs a first image based on the pixel signal read out from the unit of readout to a subsequent stage; a second unit-of-readout controller that controls the unit of readout in which the readout controller performs readout of the pixel signal; and a recognition unit that learns training data for each of the units of readout, performs a recognition process on the pixel signal for each of the units of readout, and outputs a recognition result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keitaro Yamamoto, Suguru Aoki, Ryuta Satoh, Ryoji Eki
  • Patent number: 11683580
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus including a display control unit that causes an image captured by any of one or a plurality of imaging devices to be displayed in a captured image display region that is a part of a display unit, causes second information related to the one or plurality of imaging devices to be displayed in a captured image hiding region that is a part of the display unit and different from the captured image display region, and causes first information related to the one or plurality of corresponding imaging devices to be displayed in the captured image display region in accordance with the second information being displayed and the one or plurality of imaging devices being in a predetermined state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsutaka Ito
  • Patent number: 11683602
    Abstract: An imaging device includes a pixel array of 1×3 pixel circuits that include 3 photodiodes in a column. Bitlines are coupled to the 1×3 pixel circuits. The bitlines are divided into groupings of 3 bitlines per column of the 1×3 pixel circuits. Each column of the 1×3 pixel circuits includes a plurality of first banks coupled to a first bitline, a plurality of second banks coupled to a second bitline, and a plurality of third banks coupled to a third bitline of a respective grouping of the 3 bitlines. The 1×3 pixel circuits are arranged into groupings of 3 1×3 pixel circuits per nine cell pixel structures that form a plurality of 3×3 pixel structures of the pixel array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sangjoo Lee, Rui Wang, Xuelian Liu, Min Qu, Liang Zuo, Selcuk Sen, Hiroaki Ebihara, Lihang Fan
  • Patent number: 11676405
    Abstract: Embodiments are generally directed to identification of objects for three-dimensional depth imaging. An embodiment of an apparatus includes one or more processors to process image data and control operation of the apparatus; an image sensor to collect image data; and a receiver and transmitter for communication of data, wherein the apparatus is to receive a notification of a first device entering a physical space, transmit a request to the device for a light signal to identify the device, detect the light signal from the device, determine a location of the device, and store an identification for the first device and the determined location of the first device in a database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Edward R. Harrison