Patents Examined by Michael Osinski
  • Patent number: 9621789
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging plane phase-difference type first focus detecting unit and a contrast type second focus detecting unit. A saturation detecting unit detects saturation of focus detecting pixels or imaging pixels provided in an imaging element. A brightness detecting unit detects the brightness of an object. If the number of pixels detected by the saturation detecting unit exceeds a predetermined value or the brightness of an object detected by the brightness detecting unit is less than a predetermined value, a CPU controls a focus adjustment operation only using a first detection amount. Alternatively, the CPU controls a focus adjustment operation based on the result obtained by weighting processing of a first detection amount and a second detection amount in response to an increase in the number of pixels of which saturation of the outputs has been detected or a decrease in the brightness of an object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junichi Saito, Hideaki Takamiya, Yoshihito Tamaki, Yuki Yoshimura, Koichi Fukuda
  • Patent number: 9615044
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus and a method of driving the same that can generate a digital data of a high resolution pixel signal are provided. The imaging apparatus includes: a pixel (10-1) for generating a signal by photoelectric conversion; a comparing circuit (30-1) for comparing a signal based on the pixel with a time-dependent reference signal; a counter circuit (40-1) performing a counting operating until an inversion of a magnitude relation between the signal based on the pixel and the time-dependent reference signal; and a selecting circuit (30-2) for setting a time-dependent change rate of the reference signal, according to a signal level of the signal based on the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Seiji Hashimoto, Yasushi Matsuno
  • Patent number: 9609199
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network includes, a combining unit configured to combine a plurality of images captured under different exposure conditions, an exposure setting unit configured to acquire an image under a set exposure condition, a reception unit configured to receive a command for specifying an operation of the combining unit and the exposure setting unit from the external apparatus, and a first control unit configured to control a timing of the operation of the exposure setting unit, specified by the command received by the reception unit, based on an operation state of at least one of the combining unit and the exposure setting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takamichi Nakata
  • Patent number: 9609234
    Abstract: A completely self-contained camera module and operating method are provided. The camera module includes a housing member for mounting to a desired surface, an internal support structure positioned within the housing, and at least two cameras secured to the support structure. Each camera has a field of view to an exterior of the housing. The support structure being operably configured to be readily securable to and removable from the housing so that the support structure and cameras can easily be installed during manufacturing to at least reduce manufacturing variability and so that, if a module is not working in the field, an operator can at least readily replace the support structure and cameras as desired with a different support and cameras in the field without requiring tools and without needing to locate and replace a specific malfunctioning camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: VECNA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Neal Checka
  • Patent number: 9599838
    Abstract: Embodiments provide a lens moving apparatus including a bobbin in which a lens is mounted, a first coil and a magnet configured to electromagnetically interact with each other so as to move the bobbin, a housing configured to accommodate the bobbin therein, an elastic member including an inner frame coupled to the bobbin, an outer frame coupled to the housing, and a frame connection portion configured to connect the inner frame and the outer frame to each other, and a support member connected to the elastic member and configured to support the housing, and the outer frame includes a first coupling portion coupled to the housing, a second coupling portion coupled to the support member, the second coupling portion being spaced apart from the first coupling portion, and a single connection portion configured to connect the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sang Ok Park, Sang Jun Min
  • Patent number: 9594970
    Abstract: In one aspect, a device includes a first panel at least bearing a keyboard, a second panel at least bearing a display and which is coupled to the first panel at least at a junction, and at least one camera disposed on the device at or near the junction of the first panel and the second panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Christopher Miles Osborne, Michael William Stuart Ripp, Daniel Jordan Schantz, Wesley Abram Luttrell
  • Patent number: 9596389
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an imager module, includes: applying a flexible, in particular elastic, receiving area to a carrier device, for example, a metal plate, and applying an image sensor to the flexible receiving area, the image sensor being tiltable and/or pivotable with the flexible receiving area, attaching a lens, in particular including a guide device, on the image sensor so that the lens aligns the image sensor so that an axis, in particular an optical axis of the lens, extends essentially in parallel to a normal of the image sensor, and fixing the lens on the image sensor and/or the carrier device. The guide device may be formed by three guide pins here, whose lower pin ends define a support plane, which is placed on a sensor surface. In addition, an imager module manufactured in this way is created.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Martin Reiche
  • Patent number: 9596412
    Abstract: A method of photographing an image is provided. The method includes displaying a preview image in a photographing mode; receiving a plurality of setting values for an option; receiving a request for photographing; and performing a continuous photographing by sequentially changing the plurality of the setting values in response to the request for photographing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sungwook Lee, Jangwon Lee
  • Patent number: 9591199
    Abstract: Provided is a lens apparatus which is communicable with a drive unit including: a movable optical member; and a first communication unit which is communicable with the drive unit, wherein the first communication unit receives an electric power supply different from an electric power supply which supplies an electric power to the drive unit, and wherein the first communication unit is configured to send/receive signals to/from the drive unit in an electrically noncontact manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masayuki Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 9584719
    Abstract: An image processing system is described herein in which a multi-line processing block has multiple inputs and multiple outputs. In order to provide the multiple outputs the multi-line processing block has multiple processing units operating in parallel on the multiple inputs. The multiple outputs of the multi-line processing block are coupled to corresponding multiple inputs of a subsequent multi-line processing block in the image processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Michael Bishop, Morgyn Taylor
  • Patent number: 9577006
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes a layout in which one sharing unit includes an array of photodiodes of 2 pixels by 4×n pixels (where, n is a positive integer), respectively, in horizontal and vertical directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuichiro Itonaga, Shizunori Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9578232
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes: an image sensor; a focus adjusting unit configured to adjust a focus state of the subject image; an acquisition unit configured to acquire luminance signals of colors from signals obtained from a plurality of unit focus detection areas; a normalization unit configured to normalize the acquired luminance signals of the colors of the unit focus detection areas; a calculation unit configured to calculate normalized focus evaluation values of the colors that indicate a focus state of the subject image; and a determination unit configured to determine a driving direction of the focus adjusting unit based on magnitude relations of a first normalized focus evaluation value that corresponds to a first color and a second normalized focus evaluation value that corresponds to a second color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideyuki Hamano
  • Patent number: 9575630
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an operation receiving unit; and a control unit configured to perform a normal mode display process of displaying icon images of kinds corresponding to an operation status of the apparatus in a display unit and an icon description display process of displaying an icon selection image for selecting an icon image that is being displayed in the display unit upon reception of an operation input to activate an icon description mode by the operation receiving unit during the normal mode display process in the display unit and displaying a description image for an icon image selected upon reception of an operation input by the operation receiving unit while the icon selection image is being displayed in the display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michitomo Kouda, Tatsunobu Koike, Yuu Sonoda
  • Patent number: 9578250
    Abstract: A display control apparatus includes: a stability brightness calculation unit for calculating a stability brightness obtained by modifying a temporal change in a brightness of a subject to a slower temporal change on the basis of a change in the brightness of the subject detected by a brightness detection unit; and a display brightness control unit for controlling a following speed of the change in the brightness of a display image with respect to a change in the brightness of the subject on the basis of the calculated stability brightness so that an amount of a change in the brightness related to the display image can become longer than the amount of the change in the brightness of the subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yasunori Kudo
  • Patent number: 9571720
    Abstract: An image processing device includes: a determining unit configured to determine, in accordance with two images corresponding to temporally adjacent image data input from an external device, whether or not a field area at a time of imaging has been changed; and a suppressing unit configured to generate and output suppressed image data with an amount of visually recognizable information included in the images being suppressed by performing image processing of reducing at least one of a contrast and a chroma of the images at a time the determining unit determines that the field area at the time of imaging has been changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Yasunori Kudo, Ryo Karasawa, Kyoko Iijima, Osamu Nonaka
  • Patent number: 9568805
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes an actuator moving a mover including at least one lens receiving an optical image of an object; and an actuator driving unit controlling the actuator to drive the mover to a forward direction or to a reverse direction, wherein a separate direction bit is to drive a first search section and a second search section, in a case a search section driving the mover to the forward direction is defined as the first search section, and a search section driving the mover to the reverse direction is defined as the second search section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sang Ok Park, Hyun Rae Cho, Seong Min Lee
  • Patent number: 9571736
    Abstract: A method for displaying images is provided, including displaying, by an electronic device, a first image obtained from an image sensor; displaying, by the electronic device, a plurality of second images together with the first image, wherein each second image is generated based on the first image and a respective image filter; and responsive to a selection of at least one second image, generating a third image based on the first image and the selected second image's respective image filter and displaying the third image in place of the first image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Woo-Yong Lee, Jae-Yun Song, Kang-Hwan O, Hyun-Jung Kim
  • Patent number: 9565350
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of tools and techniques for using storyboards in controlling a camera for capturing images, photographs, or video. According to one exemplary technique, at least two storyboards are stored. In addition, at least one storyboard identifier from a camera application is received. Also, using the storyboard identifier, a storyboard of the stored at least two storyboards is retrieved. The retrieved storyboard includes a sequence of control frames for controlling a camera. Additionally, a sequence of image frames is captured at least by controlling a camera using the retrieved storyboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Charbel Khawand, Robert Milausnic, Junghwan Moon, Denis Demandolx, Steve Glenner
  • Patent number: 9560272
    Abstract: An electronic device for processing image data including a camera module configured to obtain the image data. The electronic device also including a control module configured to set at least one pointing object in the image data and configured to control the image data on an object corresponding to a position of the set pointing object according to at least one of a position and movement of the at least one pointing object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung Eun Lee, Jeong Min Park, Seung Young Jeon, Eun Jung Hyun
  • Patent number: 9560265
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus, which processes a plurality of image data obtained by picking up images of an object in different photographing conditions, combines the plurality of image data and generate combined image data, and switches between execution of determination processing for determining the object included in the image on at least one of the plurality of image data and execution of the determination processing on the combined image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masato Sanno