Patents Examined by Chiawei Chen
  • Patent number: 11528420
    Abstract: [Problem] To achieve presenting surprising information to the user. [Solution] Provided is an information processing apparatus including a control unit that controls display of visual information performed by a display unit included in a mobile terminal, in which the control unit controls to display, based on a recognized context, one or more images highly related to the context among images captured by a user in past, onto a part of a display area of the display unit. Further provided is an information processing method including controlling, by a processor, display of visual information performed by a display unit included in a mobile terminal, in which the controlling further includes controlling to display, based on a recognized context, one or more images highly related to the context among images captured by a user in past, onto a part of a display area of the display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Risa Takahashi, Takashi Hasegawa, Masahiko Naito, Takayuki Ochi, Ryo Yabe, Mizuho Oda, Kenji Tokutake, Chikako Tateishi
  • Patent number: 11523040
    Abstract: An optical assembly includes an optical element including a reflection surface to reflect light in a first axis direction, a holder to hold the optical element, a case to support the holder, a first swing mechanism to swing the holder around a first swing axis, and a second swing mechanism to swing the holder around a second swing axis perpendicular to the first swing axis. The holder includes first and second protrusions. The case includes first and second recesses. Each of the recesses includes a first side surface located on one side in the axial direction of the second swing axis and a second side surface located on the other side with respect to the corresponding protrusion. At least one of the first and second side surfaces includes an inclined surface inclined with respect to the second swing axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takayuki Iwase, Tomohiro Egawa, Keishi Otsubo, Kazuhiro Sazai, Genki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11523075
    Abstract: The imaging device includes a pixel including a photoelectric converter, an output line, a readout circuit unit connected to the output line, and a control unit. The readout circuit unit includes an amplifier circuit, a first switch for resetting the amplifier circuit, a sample-and-hold circuit, a second switch provided between the amplifier circuit and the sample-and-hold circuit, and a gain switching circuit. The control unit performs a first period of resetting the amplifier circuit by first switch, and a second period of connecting the amplifier circuit and the sample-and-hold circuit by the second switch. The first and second periods at least partially overlap with each other, and a timing at which the second switch transitions from an on state to an off state in the second period is later than a timing at which the first switch transitions from an on state to an off state in the first period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsushi Suzuki, Takanori Yamashita
  • Patent number: 11516373
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: a lens attachment portion to which a lens is attached; an image sensor on which light transmitted through a lens attached to the lens attachment portion is incident; a heat transfer members configured to support the image sensor and to absorb heat of the image sensor; a main frame including a duct in which outside air flows and provided with a through hole through which a part of the heat transfer member passes; a fan arranged in the duct; a front frames configured to support the lens attachment portion and the heat transfer members and to be attached to the main frame; and a seal member configured to block a flow of outside air from inside the duct toward the image sensor through the through hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takuya Amano
  • Patent number: 11509803
    Abstract: A camera assembly for determining depth information for a local area includes a light source assembly, a camera assembly, and a controller. The light source assembly projects pulses of light into the local area. The camera assembly images a portion of the local area illuminated with the pulses. The camera assembly includes augmented pixels, each augmented pixel having a plurality of gates and at least some of the gates have a respective local storage location. An exposure interval of each augmented pixel is divided into intervals associated with the gates, and each local storage location stores image data during a respective interval. The controller reads out, after the exposure interval of each augmented pixel, the image data stored in the respective local storage locations of each augmented pixel to generate image data frames. The controller determines depth information for the local area based in part on the image data frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Fengqiang Li, Michael Hall
  • Patent number: 11503234
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device includes a photoelectric conversion unit that generates signal charge of a first polarity and a charge conversion circuit that converts the signal charge into a signal voltage. The photoelectric conversion unit includes a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type, a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type that are provided in a surface side of a semiconductor substrate, a third semiconductor region of the first conductivity type provided at a first depth, a fourth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type provided at a second depth and overlaps the second semiconductor region in a plan view, and a fifth semiconductor region of the first conductivity type provided at a third depth, and the third semiconductor region and the fifth semiconductor region overlap the first semiconductor region, the second semiconductor region, and the fourth semiconductor region in the plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Mahito Shinohara
  • Patent number: 11503209
    Abstract: A target image captured from a fisheye lens or other lens with known distortion parameters may be transformed to align it to a reference image. Corresponding features may be detected in the target image and the reference image. The features may be transformed to a spherical coordinate space. In the spherical space, images may be re-pointed or rotated in three dimensions to align all or a subset of the features of the target image to the corresponding features of the reference image. For example, in a sequence of images, background features of the target image in the spherical image space may be aligned to background features of the reference image in the spherical image space to compensate for camera motion while preserving foreground motion. An inverse transformation may then be applied to bring the images back into the original image space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Lustig, Balineedu Chowdary Adsumilli
  • Patent number: 11490002
    Abstract: A method of an apparatus includes detecting a focusing state based on an output from a sensor, setting a step width of a focus position, and controlling to perform a plurality of times of image capturing based on a result of focus detection by the detecting and the set step width by the setting. In the setting, a step width from an in-focus position based on the result of focus detection by the detecting toward an infinity side is set to a value different from a step width from the in-focus position based on the result of focus detection by the detecting toward a closest side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiaki Ueguri
  • Patent number: 11487188
    Abstract: An optical apparatus and an image pickup apparatus capable of reducing an impact force transmitted to an inside without increasing a total length is provided. A frame member which moves forward and backward in the optical axis direction integrally with an extension lens barrel has a recess facing a protrusion of a cam barrel in a radial direction. An elastic member urges the extension lens barrel and the frame member to be away from each other in the optical axis direction. A restriction member holds the frame member with a first gap formed between the extension lens barrel and the frame member in the optical axis direction. A second gap formed between the protrusion and the recess in the optical axis direction is smaller than the first gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Izumi, Toshihiro Ogawa
  • Patent number: 11477356
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus which a lens unit is interchangeable, comprises an image capturing unit which captures images using an image sensor, an synthesizing unit which synthesizes a plurality of images, and a controlling unit which controls predetermined synthesis processing for creating a synthetic image by causing the synthesizing unit to synthesize a plurality of images that have been obtained by the image capturing unit performing image capturing a plurality of times, wherein, if it is judged that a lens unit that has been replaced after a first image for the synthesis processing was acquired is a lens unit having an image circle that is different from that of a lens unit that was mounted before the replacement, the controlling unit controls the image capturing unit to not capture a new image for creating the synthetic image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ikeda, Shinya Ishita
  • Patent number: 11470231
    Abstract: One embodiment of a camera module may comprise: a lens barrel provided with at least one lens; a holder to which the lens barrel is coupled; a printed circuit board coupled on the bottom of the holder to face the lens; an adhering portion coupling the holder and the printed circuit board; an opening portion opening a portion of a first space formed through the coupling of the printed circuit board and the holder; and a housing coupled with the holder, wherein a second space separated from the first space may be formed through the coupling of the holder and the housing, and the opening portion may communicate the first space with the second space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Myoung Jin An
  • Patent number: 11442239
    Abstract: An assembly device for an optical assembly comprises: a grasping mechanism (310) configured to grasp a first sub-lens to be assembled, and to move the grasped first sub-lens in multiple degrees of freedom; a first fixing mechanism (320) configured to fix a second sub-lens to be assembled, wherein the grasping mechanism (310) is movable relative to the first fixing mechanism (320), so that the first sub-lens and the second sub-lens form an optical system capable of imaging; a second fixing mechanism (330) configured to fix a photosensitive assembly; a data acquiring assembly (340) configured to be electrically connected to the photosensitive assembly fixed by the fixing mechanism (330) and acquire image data output by the photosensitive assembly; and a material connecting assembly (210) configured to fix the first and second sub-lenses together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: NINGBO SUNNY OPOTECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chunqi Yan, Xiaoming Ding, Yiqi Wang, Hailong Liao
  • Patent number: 11445119
    Abstract: An image capturing control apparatus is provided and detects a first target subject and a second target subject, converts intra-angle-of-view coordinates of each of the first and second target subjects into pan and tilt coordinate values, store the pan coordinate value and the tilt coordinate value of each of the first and the second target subject, determine an angle of view so as to include the first and second target subjects based on the stored pan and tilt coordinate values, and control an angle of view of the image capturing apparatus based on the determined angle of view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuya Toyoda
  • Patent number: 11438540
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging apparatus, a manufacturing method of the same and an electronic device which can make an apparatus size further smaller. A solid-state imaging apparatus includes: a laminate of a first structure in which a pixel array unit in which pixels that perform photoelectric conversion are two-dimensionally arranged is formed and a second structure in which an output circuit unit configured to output pixel signals output from the pixels to an outside of an apparatus is formed. The output circuit unit, a first through hole via which penetrates through a semiconductor substrate constituting part of the second structure, and an external terminal for signal output connected to the outside of the apparatus are disposed below the pixel array unit of the first structure. The present disclosure can be applied, for example, to a solid-state imaging apparatus or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shinji Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 11431883
    Abstract: A camera module includes an imaging lens assembly, an image sensor, a first reflecting member and a first driving apparatus. The imaging lens assembly is for converging an imaging light on an image surface. The image sensor is disposed on the image surface. The first reflecting member is located on an image side of the imaging lens assembly, the first reflecting member is for folding the imaging light, and has a first translational degrees of freedom. The first reflecting member is assembled on the first driving apparatus, and the first driving apparatus is for driving the first reflecting member moving along the first translational degrees of freedom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: LARGAN DIGITAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Lin-An Chang, Ming-Ta Chou
  • Patent number: 11425304
    Abstract: A method to reduce a motion blur and a rolling shutter effect, comprising, receiving a main image frame, a main timing and a main exposure from a main camera, receiving a secondary image frame, a secondary timing and a secondary exposure from a secondary camera, correcting the secondary image frame to the main image frame, determining a delta timing based on the main timing and the secondary timing, determining a delta exposure based on the main exposure and the secondary exposure, determining a discrete motion of offset sequences based on the secondary image frame, determining a row-wise motion blur kernel based on the main image frame and the discrete motion of offset sequences and determining a spatially varying kernel deconvolution based on the main image frame and the row-wise motion blur kernel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Black Sesame Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Chao Wang, Zhaowei Xin, Donghui Wu
  • Patent number: 11425293
    Abstract: An acquisition unit acquires light source information specifying a virtual light source, normal line information indicating a normal line distribution in a shooting range, and normal line error information indicating a normal line error region in which an error has occurred in the normal line distribution. A first generation unit generates first gain information indicating a first gain amount distribution, based on the light source information and the normal line information. A second generation unit generates second gain information indicating a second gain amount distribution, by performing smoothing processing on a gain amount of a region, which corresponds to the normal line error region, in the first gain amount distribution. An addition unit adds an effect of the virtual light source to an image of the shooting range based on the second gain amount distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasushi Hozumi
  • Patent number: 11412114
    Abstract: Provided is an image shooting device and an electronic apparatus, which enable suppression of shaking of a camera unit. The image shooting device (12) includes: a camera unit (26); and a holder (28) configured to movably support the camera unit (26), wherein the holder (28) includes a power transmission-side coil (36), and the camera unit (26) includes a power reception-side coil (38), and wherein the power transmission-side coil (36) and the power reception-side coil (38) are opposed to each other across a space therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: New Shicoh Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kokichi Terajima
  • Patent number: 11402552
    Abstract: Provided are a lens and a lens assembly. The lens includes a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a connection surface connecting the first surface with the second surface. The connection surface includes a first outer edge surface, a second outer edge surface, and a third outer edge surface. The first to third outer edge surfaces are all inclined towards an optical axis, at least one has an inclination angle larger than or equal to 10° and smaller than 60°, and at least another one has an inclination angle larger than 0° and smaller than 10°. Alternatively, at least one of the first to third outer edge surfaces is parallel to the optical axis, the other two are inclined towards the optical axis and include at least one having an inclination angle larger than or equal to 10° and smaller than 60°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: AAC Optics Solutions Pte. Ltd.
    Inventor: Chuandong Wei
  • Patent number: 11398515
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging element configured so that pixels can be more reliably separated, a method for manufacturing the solid-state imaging element, and an electronic apparatus. The solid-state imaging element includes a photoelectric converter, a first separator, and a second separator. The photoelectric converter is configured to perform photoelectric conversion of incident light. The first separator configured to separate the photoelectric converter is formed in a first trench formed from a first surface side. The second separator configured to separate the photoelectric converter is formed in a second trench formed from a second surface side facing a first surface. The present technology is applicable to an individual imaging element mounted on, e.g., a camera and configured to acquire an image of an object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideyuki Honda, Tetsuya Uchida, Toshifumi Wakano, Yusuke Tanaka, Yoshiharu Kudoh, Hirotoshi Nomura, Tomoyuki Hirano, Shinichi Yoshida, Yoichi Ueda, Kosuke Nakanishi