Patents Examined by Shahbaz Nazrul
  • Patent number: 11974060
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for varied depth determination using, stereo vision and phase detection auto focus (PDAF). Computer stereo vision (stereo vision) is used to extract three-dimensional information from digital images. To utilize stereo vison, two optical sensors are displaced horizontally from one another and used to capture images depicting two differing views of a real-world environment from two different vantage points. The relative depth of the objects captured in the images is determined using triangulation by comparing the relative positions of the objects in the two images. For example, the relative positions of matching objects (e.g., features) identified in the captured images are used along with the known orientation of the optical sensors (e.g., distance between the optical sensors, vantage points the optical sensors) to estimate the depth of the objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Sagi Katz, Daniel Wagner, Weston Welge
  • Patent number: 11973097
    Abstract: A light shielding member formed of an annular metal base material includes a front surface, a rear surface facing away from the front surface, and an outer peripheral surface connecting the front and rear surfaces in an outer periphery of the light shielding member. The outer peripheral surface includes a ridge that is protruded outward furthest therein in a radial direction of the light shielding member, in a cross section that is parallel to a plane perpendicular to the front surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: TOPPAN INC.
    Inventors: Kiyoaki Nishitsuji, Shinichi Shimamura, Hiroyasu Aizawa
  • Patent number: 11974047
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a light source module with one or more light emitters and one or more light sensors that share an aperture via which light passes. One of the light sensors may measure illuminance received through the aperture (not illuminance from the light emitters) and send a signal indicating a measurement of the illuminance. The light source module may be integrated into a portable computing device having a controller. The controller may include logic to perform one or more device operations based on the measurement of illuminance, such as, but not limited to, controlling a device display brightness and/or controlling an auto exposure feature of the device camera. Calibration parameters for interpreting the signal may be determined via a calibration process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Angelo M Alaimo, Shahrooz Shahparnia, Paul V. Johnson
  • Patent number: 11968446
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising a sensor capable of generating a signal pair used in focus detection. The apparatus obtains, based on a defocus amount obtained using the signal pair, a focus distance of a lens unit that is mounted to the apparatus and adjusts a focus distance of the lens unit based on the obtained focus distance. When the lens unit is a multi-scopic lens unit having a plurality of optical systems having different axes, the apparatus obtains the focus distance using an adjustment value obtained based on an axis position that is a position on the sensor through which an axis of the multi-scopic lens unit passes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yumi Takao, Nobutaka Mizuno, Junichi Imamiya
  • Patent number: 11962901
    Abstract: Systems comprising a Wide/Ultra-Wide camera, a folded Tele camera comprising an optical path folding element and a Tele lens module, a lens actuator for moving the Tele lens module for focusing to object-lens distances between 3.0 cm and 35 cm with an object-to-image magnification between 1:5 and 25:1, and an application processor (AP), wherein the AP is configured to analyze image data from the UW camera to define a Tele capture strategy for a sequence of Macro images with a focus plane slightly shifted from one captured Macro image to another and to generate a new Macro image from this sequence, and wherein the focus plane and a depth of field of the new Macro image can be controlled continuously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Corephotonics Ltd.
    Inventors: Noy Cohen, Gal Shabtay, Ephraim Goldenberg, Nadav Geva, Udi Yakir, Sagi Habani, Dolev Danino
  • Patent number: 11955498
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup member including an image pickup device, a stacked device in which a plurality of semiconductor devices are stacked, a wiring board having a first principal surface and a second principal surface, the wiring board including a central section having a substrate thicker than the image pickup device, an intermediate section that is extended from the central section and is bent, and a terminal section that is extended from the intermediate section, the image pickup member being bonded to the first principal surface of the central section, the stacked device being bonded to the second principal surface of the central section, and a plurality of signal cables bonded to the terminal section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuru Hagihara, Takuro Suyama
  • Patent number: 11956551
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a light source, a communication device, a processor in data communication with the light source and the communication device, and a hardware storage device in data communication with the processor. The hardware storage device has instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to receive a timing signal from a camera, where the timing signal includes an exposure timing of a camera exposure; provide an exposure light pulse from the light source simultaneously with the camera exposure; and after providing the exposure light pulse, provide a dummy light pulse that does not overlap with a camera exposure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Vladimir Levkov, Vladimir Carapic, Teo {hacek over (S)}arkić, Jelena Mojasevic Katanic, Predrag Rodoljub Jovanovic
  • Patent number: 11943534
    Abstract: An imaging device includes an image sensor, a controller, and an annunciator. The image sensor is configured to capture an object image entering via an optical system. The controller is configured to control focusing operation to focus the object image by the optical system. The annunciator is configured to output focusing sound that has a predetermined frequency characteristic according to the focusing operation. The frequency characteristic of the focusing sound includes a first sound component based on first frequency, and a second sound component based on second frequency that is higher than the first frequency and lower than twice frequency of the first frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroki Kasugai
  • Patent number: 11924548
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising a sensor capable of generating a signal pair used in focus detection. The apparatus obtains, based on a defocus amount obtained using the signal pair, a focus distance of a lens unit that is mounted to the apparatus and adjusts a focus distance of the lens unit based on the obtained focus distance. When the lens unit is a multi-scopic lens unit having a plurality of optical systems having different axes, the apparatus obtains the focus distance using an adjustment value obtained based on an axis position that is a position on the sensor through which an axis of the multi-scopic lens unit passes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yumi Takao, Nobutaka Mizuno, Junichi Imamiya
  • Patent number: 11924549
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imager, and a controller. The imager is configured to capture a subject image formed via an optical system including a focus lens, to generate image data. The controller is configured to control a focusing operation for adjusting a position of the focus lens along an optical axis in the optical system according to an evaluation value for a focus state. In response to an instruction to reduce or increase a distance to a subject to be focused, the controller is operable to shift a start position to a direction according to the instruction in directions along the optical axis, the start position being a position of the focus lens for starting the focusing operation. The controller is operable to start the focusing operation from the start position after the shift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koji Shibuno
  • Patent number: 11917297
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging support device including an acquisition portion that acquires reversal information indicating that a revolution direction of an imaging apparatus that is caused to revolve about one axis out of a first axis and a second axis intersecting with the first axis as a central axis by a revolution mechanism enabling the imaging apparatus to revolve about each of the first axis and the second axis as the central axis is reversed, and a control portion that, in a case where the reversal information is acquired by the acquisition portion, performs a control of operating an adjustment portion capable of adjusting a position of a captured image obtained by imaging performed by the imaging apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichiro Fujiki, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Junichi Tanaka, Atsushi Kawanago
  • Patent number: 11910100
    Abstract: A detection circuit, a method for detecting light source flicker, a device for detecting light source flicker, and a photoelectric detection device are provided by the examples of the present disclosure, and the detection circuit includes a power supply; a photodiode configured to output a current based on a light source; a driving circuit connected in series with the photodiode and configured to generate an output voltage based on the current output by the photodiode, a current output by the power supply, and a resistive component, the driving circuit includes a plurality of circuits with different illumination correlation coefficients; and a control unit connected with the driving circuit and configured to select a circuit with a matched illumination correlation coefficient from the driving circuit to control the output voltage within a designate voltage range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: OPPLE LIGHTING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zhixian Zhou, Yalong Liu, Jun Wu
  • Patent number: 11908187
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are set forth for generating and/or utilizing image shortcuts that cause one or more corresponding computer actions to be performed in response to determining that one or more features are present in image(s) from a camera of a computing device of a user (e.g., present in a real-time image feed from the camera). An image shortcut can be generated in response to user interface input, such as a spoken command. For example, the user interface input can direct the automated assistant to perform one or more actions in response to object(s) having certain feature(s) being present in a field of view of the camera. Subsequently, when the user directs their camera at object(s) having such feature(s), the assistant application can cause the action(s) to be automatically performed. For example, the assistant application can cause data to be presented and/or can control a remote device in accordance with the image shortcut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Marcin Nowak-Przygodzki, Gökhan Bakir
  • Patent number: 11902672
    Abstract: A flicker measurement device includes a first processing unit that performs a first process of calculating respective flicker values of a plurality of measurement regions set on a measurement object based on a photometric quantity of the measurement object obtained from the measurement object under a measurement condition of a flicker for each of the plurality of measurement conditions stored in advance in a measurement condition storage unit, a second processing unit that performs a second process of generating linked data in which data composed of the respective flicker values of the plurality of measurement regions calculated by the first processing unit and the measurement conditions are linked for each of the plurality of measurement conditions, and a third processing unit that performs a third process of storing the linked data generated by the second processing unit in a linked data storage unit for each of the plurality of measurement conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuki Imai
  • Patent number: 11895388
    Abstract: A shutter unit includes a base plate having an opening, a first blade member movable between a closed state and a retracted state, a first driving member biased by a first biasing member, a second driving member biased by a second biasing member, a first charging member configured to cause the first driving member to move in the second direction against a biasing force, a second charging member configured to cause the second driving member to move in the first direction against a biasing force, and a motor configured to supply a driving force to the first and second charging members. In a case where the first charging member causes the first driving member to move, the motor rotates in a direction opposite to a rotation direction in a case where the second charging member causes the second driving member to move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keisuke Adachi, Yuji Ueda, Jun Kawanami, Yoshiyuki Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 11895415
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device including a photoelectric conversion film provided over a plurality of pixels, a first electrode electrically coupled to the photoelectric conversion film and provided to each pixel, a second electrode opposed to the first electrode, the photoelectric conversion film being interposed between the second electrode and the first electrode, a first electric charge accumulation section, a reset transistor that is provided to each pixel, and an electric potential generator that applies, during a period in which the signal electric charges are accumulated in the first electric charge accumulation section, an electric potential VPD to the first electrode of each of at least one or more pixels, an electric potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode when the electric potential VPD is applied to the first electrode being smaller than an electric potential difference when a reset electric potential is applied to the first electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Shunsuke Maruyama, Yoshiaki Inada
  • Patent number: 11886261
    Abstract: Systems and methods for managing temperatures of wearable device components are disclosed. In one aspects, a method includes determining a temperature of an electronic component of the wearable device, determining a rate of temperature change of the electronic component, and determining whether to increase or decrease a transmission rate limit of the electronic component based on the temperature and the rate, adjusting the transmission rate limit based on the determination, and limiting a rate of transmission of the electronic component based on the adjusted transmission rate limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Andrea Ashwood, Michael Wollman, Nicholas Larson, Patrick Timothy Mcsweeney Simons
  • Patent number: 11889216
    Abstract: A method and a system are disclosed for pixel-embedded signal amplification of a CMOS image sensor using multi-step voltage-gain enhancement. It involves activating a row of the CMOS image sensor by resetting switches SRST 202, SH1 201 and SH2 209 to charge nodes PD1, PD2, SD1, and SD2 to a pre-set voltage potential and VRST 203. The CMOS sensor switches OFF SRST 202, SH1 201 and SH2 209 for integration of the charges at PD1 for producing a corresponding photo-generated signal. This signal is sampled by transferring to a gate of source follower SF1, to produce an amplified signal. It further involves double-sampling the amplified signal for removing any pixel-offset variation to produce a resultant signal. The said method is repeated for second row of CMOS image sensor for implementing additional gain on the resultant voltage signal, and the same is finally converted to digital bits to obtain an output signal of with enhanced gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: DV2JS Innovation, LLP
    Inventors: Mukul Sarkar, Neha Priyadarshini
  • Patent number: 11889215
    Abstract: A light detector is configured such that a light receiving portion having APDs and a peripheral circuit portion are provided on a first principal surface of a p-type semiconductor substrate, and further includes a back electrode provided on a second principal surface of the semiconductor substrate and a p-type first separation portion provided between the light receiving portion and the peripheral circuit portion. The APD has, on a first principal surface side, an n-type region and a p-epitaxial layer contacting the n-type region in a Z-direction. The peripheral circuit portion has an n-type MISFET provided at a p-well and an n-well provided to surround side and bottom portions of the p-well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Kabe, Hideyuki Arai, Hisashi Aikawa, Yuki Sugiura, Akito Inoue, Mitsuyoshi Mori, Kentaro Nakanishi, Yusuke Sakata
  • Patent number: 11882372
    Abstract: A camera device includes an image sensor including a pixel array and a logic circuit, with the camera device further comprising an optical module that includes a plurality of lenses arranged in a path of travel of light incident on the image sensor. The pixel array includes a plurality of pixels having a general pixel, a first autofocus pixel and a second autofocus pixel, and at least one of the plurality of lenses has an edge that extends in a first direction. A height of an upper surface of the microlens, included in the first autofocus pixel, is different from a height of an upper surface of the microlens included in the second autofocus pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Inventors: Heesu Lee, Daekwan Kim, Taeshick Wang