Patents Examined by Quan Pham
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Patent number: 11120529Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a first acquisition unit configured to acquire noise information about a noise characteristic of an input image generated by image capturing using an optical system, a second acquisition unit configured to acquire a sharpening filter in a real space, the sharpening filter being based on an optical characteristic of the optical system, and a third acquisition unit configured to acquire gain information about gain of the sharpening filter using components of the sharpening filter. The image processing apparatus performs sharpening processing on the input image based on the noise information and the gain information.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2018Date of Patent: September 14, 2021Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshiaki Ida, Koshi Hatakeyama
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Patent number: 11115566Abstract: This invention provides a vision system with an exchangeable illumination assembly that allows for increased versatility in the type and configuration of illumination supplied to the system without altering the underlying optics, sensor, vision processor, or the associated housing. The vision system housing includes a front plate that optionally includes a plurality of mounting bases for accepting different types of lenses, and a connector that allows removable interconnection with the illustrative illumination assembly. The illumination assembly includes a cover that is light transmissive. The cover encloses an illumination component that can include a plurality of lighting elements that surround an aperture through which received light rays from the imaged scene pass through to the lens. The arrangement of lighting elements is highly variable and the user can be supplied with an illumination assembly that best suits its needs without need to change the vision system processor, sensor or housing.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2019Date of Patent: September 7, 2021Assignee: Cognex CorporationInventors: Laurens Nunnink, Richard Reuter
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Patent number: 11108949Abstract: An approach is provided for managing a usage of a camera. Based on a second location of the camera being determined to match a first location associated incidents of camera usage that caused harm, the camera is determined to be at a location of concern. The user is notified about the location of concern by a rule-specified, highlighted boundary in a pre-captured first image on the camera display. A person in a pre-captured second image is determined to be within the boundary. The usage of the camera by the user is determined to likely cause a danger to the person. Based on the person being within the boundary and the usage of the camera being likely to cause the danger, a functionality of the camera is disabled so that the camera is not able to capture an image.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2019Date of Patent: August 31, 2021Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Sarbajit K. Rakshit, Shilpa S. Shetty
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Patent number: 11076091Abstract: Features are disclosed for interacting with a user to take a photo when the user is actually ready. The features combine computer vision and voice recognition to determine when the user is ready. Additional features to interact with the user to compose the image are also described. For example, the system may play audio requesting a response (e.g., “move a bit to the left” or “say cheese”). The response may include a user utterance or physical movement detected by the system. Based on the response, the image may be taken.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2019Date of Patent: July 27, 2021Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Nathaniel Westheimer, Samir Raj Hegde
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Patent number: 11069670Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for packaging a camera assembly. The method includes: providing a photosensitive chip; mounting an optical filter on the photosensitive chip; temporarily bonding the photosensitive chip and functional components on a carrier substrate, where the photosensitive chip has soldering pads facing away from the carrier substrate and the functional components have soldering pads facing toward the carrier substrate; forming an encapsulation layer covering the carrier substrate, the photosensitive chip, and the functional components, and exposing the optical filter; after the encapsulation layer is formed, removing the carrier substrate; and after the carrier substrate is removed, forming a redistribution layer structure on a side of the encapsulation layer facing away from the optical filter to electrically connect the soldering pads of the photosensitive chip with the soldering pads of the functional components.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2018Date of Patent: July 20, 2021Assignee: Ningbo Semiconductor International CorporationInventors: Da Chen, Mengbin Liu
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Patent number: 11070717Abstract: In some embodiments, an image processing application executing on a processing device detects an object in an image that is in a field of view of a camera associated with the processing device. The image processing application further determines, based on the object detected in the image, a recommended filter for the image from a list of filters available for filtering the image. The image processing application causes a display device to display a user interface that includes a contextual user interface control. The contextual user interface control indicates that a context-aware image filtering mode is available for the image. Responsive to receiving a selection of the contextual user interface control, the image processing application enables the context-aware image filtering mode by automatically applying the recommended filter to the image to generate a filtered image and causes the display device to display the filtered image.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2019Date of Patent: July 20, 2021Assignee: Adobe Inc.Inventors: Michael Cragg, Yue Shen
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Patent number: 11044405Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with control circuitry, wireless transceiver circuitry, and a display. The electronic device may be used to provide information to a user in response to being pointed at a particular object. The control circuitry may determine when the electronic device is pointed at a particular object using wireless control circuitry and/or motion sensor circuitry. In response to determining that the electronic device is pointed at a particular object, the control circuitry may take suitable action. This may include, for example, displaying information about an object when the electronic device is pointed at the object, displaying control icons for electronic equipment when the electronic device is pointed at the electronic equipment, and/or displaying a virtual object when the electronic device is pointed at real world object.Type: GrantFiled: September 6, 2017Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Adam S. Meyer, Peter C. Tsoi, Duncan Robert Kerr, Martha Evans Hankey, John B. Morrell, James H. Foster
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Patent number: 11032501Abstract: An image sensing system and methods for operating the same are disclosed. An image sensing system includes a plurality of pixel circuits, a multiplexer configured to select one of the pixel circuit and provide analog pixel data without sampling, and a successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert the analog pixel data into digital data. The SAR ADC includes a capacitive digital-to-analog converter (CDAC) configured to convert contents of the SAR into a corresponding analog signal for comparison, by a comparator, with the analog pixel data. The CDAC includes a two-dimensional array of circuit elements. A control circuit in the image sensing system is configured to cause random ones of the circuit elements of the CDAC to be selected for generation of the corresponding analog signal and add a dithering signal so a CDAC output and shuffle a multiplexer switch sequence to improve fixed pattern noise.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2019Date of Patent: June 8, 2021Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Dusan Stepanovic, Sedigheh Hashemi, Mansour Keramat, Hyunsik Park
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Patent number: 11019240Abstract: A fixing ring of a certain design for a lens module substantially reduces stray light. The fixing ring defines a central axis, and comprises a base surface and a processing surface, formed from an edge of the base surface. A first angle ?1 exists between a first side cut surface and a surface perpendicular to the central axis, a distance L1 and the first angle ?1 satisfy formulas 0.015 mm<L1<0.025 mm and 20°<?1<40°. The disclosure further provides a lens module and an electronic device comprising the fixing ring. An anti-dazzle film, matching with the fixing ring to completely absorb stray light, is included in the lens module.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2019Date of Patent: May 25, 2021Assignee: HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.Inventors: Ya-Lan Feng, Chun-Cheng Ko
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Patent number: 11019271Abstract: An image sensor for an electronic device is provided. The image sensor includes a pixel array and a control circuit. The pixel array includes a light sensing area and an imaging area. The control circuit is coupled to the light sensing area and configured to receive a first instruction to control the light sensing area to detect an illumination intensity, and to receive a second instruction to control the light sensing area and the imaging area to sense light together, so as to acquire an image. A camera module and an electronic device are also provided.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2018Date of Patent: May 25, 2021Assignee: GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.Inventors: Yibao Zhou, Jiao Cheng, Haiping Zhang
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Patent number: 11012627Abstract: A lens apparatus including a focus lens is attachable to and detachable from an image capturing apparatus. An image sensor photoelectrically converts an optical image formed through the lens apparatus. An image generation unit generates an image based on an image signal output from the image capturing apparatus. An image magnification variation correction control unit receives information about a variation in focal length from the lens apparatus by a lens communication control unit configured to control communication with the lens apparatus, and the image magnification variation correction control unit corrects a magnification of the image based on the received information.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2019Date of Patent: May 18, 2021Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Kuniaki Sugitani
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Patent number: 10999522Abstract: A control apparatus includes a processor is configured to function as an information acquisition unit configured to acquire object size information from image data by a first method and a second method in continuous imaging, and an imaging control unit configured to perform an exposure while performing follow-up drive of an optical system so as to reduce a difference between the object size information and target size information.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2019Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Yusuke Kazami
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Patent number: 10979660Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a) an image sensor having a pixel unit with a plurality of pixels, a first memory unit, and a first rearrangement circuit; b) an information processing unit having a second memory unit, a second rearrangement circuit, and a control unit for simultaneously reading out a plurality of rows of image signals from the pixel unit, making the first rearrangement circuit rearrange image signals and then making the second rearrangement circuit rearrange image signals rearranged by the first rearrangement circuit to restore an order of the two-dimensional arrangement of the pixels in the pixel unit.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2019Date of Patent: April 13, 2021Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Go Tajimi
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Patent number: 10979628Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes processing circuitry to: detect a region of a face of a person included in a moving image signal input at a certain frame rate as a specific region; set a region other than the specific region as a processing region; apply processing to the processing region to output an output image signal having information volume less than information volume of the input moving image signal; and encode the output image signal. The processing applied to the processing region includes at least one of low-pass filtering to selectively filter a spatial frequency of the processing region, contrast reduction processing to selectively reduce contrast of the processing region, and frame rate reduction processing to selectively reduce the frame rate of the processing region.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2019Date of Patent: April 13, 2021Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventor: Masaki Nose
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Patent number: 10965880Abstract: An information processing apparatus 14 includes a reception unit 22 that receives information based on a captured image obtained by an imaging device, an extraction unit 28 that extract a plurality of image data of which a degree of similarity with a subject specified by the information received by the reception unit 22 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value from a first image data group obtained by the bracket imaging and/or a second image data group obtained by non-bracket imaging which are accumulated in advance, a generation unit 30 that generates the imaging condition of the bracket imaging by using the plurality of image data extracted by the extraction unit 28, and a transmission unit 32 that transmits the imaging condition of the bracket imaging generated by the generation unit 30 to the imaging device.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2020Date of Patent: March 30, 2021Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Takeshi Kamiya, Masahiko Sugimoto, Yoshiaki Ishii
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Patent number: 10958848Abstract: A digital camera includes an image sensor that can receive a light beam from a subject in a first region (one block) and a second region (another block) and capture images in the first region and second region on different conditions and a control unit that controls image capture by applying multiple image capture conditions to a first process at least in the first region.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2014Date of Patent: March 23, 2021Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akira Kinoshita
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Patent number: 10951795Abstract: An image pickup apparatus that is capable of positioning and holding a movable part at both a housing position and a projecting position without adding a lock releasing member. The movable part has a latching pin and a slide part. A fixed part holds the movable part slidably between the housing and projecting positions and is fixed to an apparatus body. A first energizing member energizes the movable part in a projecting direction. A lever has an engagement part and a contact part, is energized by a second energizing member, and is held by the fixed part. The movable part is held in the housing position when the latching pin engages with the engagement part. The contact part abuts on the slide part and energizes the movable part in the projecting direction when the movable part is in the projecting position.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2019Date of Patent: March 16, 2021Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Hidetoshi Kei
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Patent number: 10944910Abstract: A display apparatus configured to display an input image and a graphics image on a display unit, wherein the graphics image is displayed together with the input image, the display apparatus includes: at least one processor that operates as: obtaining unit configured to receive a setting value relating to display luminance of the display apparatus; detection unit configured to detect a characteristic value of the input image; and control unit configured to display the graphics image on the display unit with a luminance gradation based on the setting value and the characteristic value.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2019Date of Patent: March 9, 2021Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Ryo Nakagawa, Hirofumi Urabe
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Patent number: 10944931Abstract: A solid state imaging device as an embodiment includes: a plurality of pixels each including at least one photoelectric conversion unit and an amplification transistor having a first input node electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion unit, a first primary node, and a second primary node; a transistor having a second input node, a third primary node, and a fourth primary node and having the same polarity as the amplification transistor; at least one signal line to which the first primary node of each of the plurality of pixels is electrically connected; and a current source electrically connected to the signal line, and a power source voltage is applied to the third primary node, the fourth primary node and the second primary node are electrically connected to each other, and the first primary node and the second input node are electrically connected to each other.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2018Date of Patent: March 9, 2021Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Mahito Shinohara
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Patent number: 10931869Abstract: A digital camera includes a rear display unit, an imaging optical system, an operation button, a touch panel, a shutter unit, an imaging element, a main control unit, a digital signal processing unit, and a setting information storage unit. After setting information is set in a first setting item and a second setting item of an imaging condition, in a case where the setting information of the first setting item is changed through the touch panel, the main control unit changes the setting information of the second setting item to setting information according to the setting information of the first setting item after the change. When determination is made that a specific setting operation is performed, the main control unit reads the setting information of the first setting item and the second setting item from the setting information storage unit and restores the setting information to the setting information before the change.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2019Date of Patent: February 23, 2021Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Yukinori Nishiyama, Yuji Hasegawa, Satoru Wakabayashi, Tomoyuki Mizuta, Shunta Ego, Atsushi Misawa