Patents Examined by Tuan Ho
  • Patent number: 9897776
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program wherein the apparatus includes an image sensor, an optical arrangement including at least one adjustable focusing element; wherein the adjustable focusing element is configured to alternate between a first focus distance and a second focus distance as an image is captured by the image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventor: Hannu Kakkori
  • Patent number: 9900495
    Abstract: The present invention includes a fixed unit having a perforated hole formed therein, a movable unit including at least one lens, the movable unit configured to linearly move in the perforated hole of the fixed unit, a movable coil disposed on a surface of the movable unit, and a fixed coil disposed on a surface of the fixed unit, the fixed coil configured to receive from the movable coil an induced current or voltage according to a distance from the movable coil, wherein the movable coil receives a current or a voltage via a first wiring and a second wiring for moving the movable unit, and wherein the fixed coil outputs a current or a voltage via a third wiring and a fourth wiring based on the received induced current or voltage from the movable coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Hyungjoo Kang, Sungdu Kwon, Youngman Kwon, Jayong Lee
  • Patent number: 9900523
    Abstract: First, the position and the size of a target photographic subject such as the face of a person in an original image acquired by image capturing is acquired, and then mask information indicating a relation between a position to be subjected to predetermined image processing in the original image and the strength of the predetermined image processing is generated based on the acquired position and size. Subsequently, a new image is generated by predetermined image processing of a different strength being performed on each position in the original image by use of the generated mask information. In the generation of the new image, for example, one of the original image and a processed image acquired by the predetermined image processing being performed on the original image is combined with the other image by use of transmissivity indicated by the mask information for each pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takeshi Sato
  • Patent number: 9900480
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus has a connection assembly and an electronic module. The connection assembly has a first connection portion. The first connection portion has a first connecting surface, a first buckle assembly, and a first magnetic attraction element. The first buckle assembly is disposed on the first connecting surface. The first magnetic attraction element is mounted in the first housing. The electronic module is detachably connected with the connection assembly and has a second connection portion. The second connection portion has a second connecting surface, a second buckle assembly, and a second magnetic attraction element. The second connecting surface selectively abuts the first connecting surface. The second buckle assembly is disposed on the second connecting surface and is detachably engaged with the first buckle assembly. The second magnetic attraction element is mounted in the second housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Inventor: Chao-Chih Hsu
  • Patent number: 9894305
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a first photoelectric conversion unit that converts light incident through a first opening to an electric charge, a second photoelectric conversion unit that converts light incident through a second opening which is smaller than the first opening to an electric charge, and a signal output wiring that outputs a first signal generated by the electric charge converted by the first photoelectric conversion unit and a second signal generated by the electric charge converted by the second photoelectric conversion unit. The second photoelectric conversion unit is disposed between the second opening and the signal output wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hironobu Murata
  • Patent number: 9894253
    Abstract: A portable device includes: a first communication unit configured to communicatively connect with an external communication device by using one of communication channels; a communication state determination unit configured to determine a communication state for each communication channel; a mode switching unit configured to switch a communication mode of the portable device between: a stable communication mode for establishing communication connection with the communication device by using a communication channel in a preferable communication state in the communication channels in accordance with a determination result obtained by the communication state determination unit; and a connection priority communication mode for establishing communication connection with the communication device by using a predetermined communication channel in the communication channels without determination by the communication state determination unit; and a communication controller configured to start communication connection wi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihisa Ogata, Keito Fukushima
  • Patent number: 9894237
    Abstract: In an image pickup device internally including a memory unit and a computing processing unit, image signals of a moving image are resized and are generated from image signals of still images, and the image signals of the still images are stored in the memory unit, and, after the image signals of the moving image are all transferred externally from the image pickup device, the image signals of the still images are transferred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Norio Negishi
  • Patent number: 9888200
    Abstract: There is provided an operating method of an image sensor including: storing a first charge from an optoelectronic circuit to a pixel buffer circuit within a first exposure period; storing a second charge from the optoelectronic circuit to the pixel buffer circuit within a second exposure period; transferring the first charge from the pixel buffer circuit to a first storage circuit outside of pixel circuits; transferring the second charge from the pixel buffer circuit to a second storage circuit outside of pixel circuits; and comparing the first charge with the second charge to output an analog image signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INC.
    Inventor: En-Feng Hsu
  • Patent number: 9883159
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising a plurality of lenses and a frame. The plurality of lenses may be arranged to provide coverage for a spherical field of view of a scene surrounding the apparatus and each have an optical axis directed to provide coverage for a respective area of the spherical field of view. The frame may be configured to hold a first subset of the plurality of lenses and a second subset of the plurality of lenses. At least one of the lenses in the first subset and at least one of the lenses in the second subset are neighboring lenses. An orientation of at least two of the neighboring lenses is configured to reduce parallax effects when the spherical field of view is recorded using the plurality of lenses. The parallax effects are reduced by configuring the optical axes of the neighboring lenses to not intersect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: VIDEOSTITCH INC.
    Inventors: Alexander Fink, Nicolas Burtey, George Haber, Stéphane Valente
  • Patent number: 9883129
    Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor device which enables data compression with a small amount of data. The present invention is a semiconductor device which includes a pixel portion, a memory, a first circuit, and a second circuit. The pixel portion has a function of obtaining imaging data. The first circuit has a function of performing discrete cosine transform on the imaging data, and generating first data. The first data is analog data, and the memory has a function of retaining the first data. The second circuit has a function of performing discrete cosine transform on the first data, and generating second data. The memory includes a first transistor, which includes an oxide semiconductor in a channel formation region, and a second transistor, in which a channel formation region is provided in a Si wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 9883113
    Abstract: There is provided an imaging processing apparatus comprising: an imaging period controller configured, when driving an imager with an exposure time less than a standard imaging period, to generate a frame of the standard imaging period every certain frames and to control an imaging period so that one of a preceding frame and succeeding frame of the frame of the standard imaging period has an imaging period shorter than the standard imaging period and the other has an imaging period longer than the standard imaging period; a shutter controller configured to control reset timing of electric charges accumulated in the imager in accordance with the imaging period of the imager; a storage configured to store therein taken images by the imager with the reset timing controlled; and a reading controller configured to read and output the taken images stored in the storage with a reproduction speed corresponding to the standard imaging period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
    Inventors: Akihito Shimoozono, Etsuya Takami
  • Patent number: 9883152
    Abstract: A plurality of adjacent pixels is provided adjacently in a plurality of directions to a first pixel. A direction with a highest correlation is derived from signals of the plurality of pixels, and the direction with the highest correlation is reflected to interpolation processing to be performed on the signal of first pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomoya Onishi, Noriyuki Kaifu, Fujio Kawano, Hisashi Takado
  • Patent number: 9876952
    Abstract: A multi-aperture imaging system comprising a first camera with a first sensor that captures a first image and a second camera with a second sensor that captures a second image, the two cameras having either identical or different FOVs. The first sensor may have a standard color filter array (CFA) covering one sensor section and a non-standard color CFA covering another. The second sensor may have either Clear or standard CFA covered sections. Either image may be chosen to be a primary or an auxiliary image, based on a zoom factor. An output image with a point of view determined by the primary image is obtained by registering the auxiliary image to the primary image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Corephotonics Ltd.
    Inventors: Gal Shabtay, Noy Cohen, Oded Gigushinski, Ephraim Goldenberg
  • Patent number: 9866780
    Abstract: An exemplary electronic light processing cell uses a photo sensor unit to provide an analog electrical output proportional to an amount of light impinging on the photo sensor. A noise source provides a noise output that is compared by a comparator, during a plurality of times during a frame of an image, with the analog electrical output to generate a binary digital output representative of each comparison. A digital counter counts the binary digital outputs during the frame and stores a count at the end of a frame where the value of the stored count is proportional the light impinging the photo sensor. The value of the stored count is adapted for use by an image processing unit to render an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Denpol Kultran
  • Patent number: 9860970
    Abstract: A camera having a substantially cubic form factor comprises, among other components, an image sensor, a lens assembly, a printed circuit board, and a heat sink. A heat sink operates to provide a thermally conductive path to an external surface of the camera. The heat sink comprises an external portion structured around a perimeter of the lens window and at least one arm extending perpendicular from the external portion to the interior of the camera. The at least one arm is thermally coupled to the at least one electronic component on the printed circuit board so as to conduct heat away from the electronics to the exterior of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventors: William H. Tolbert, Evan L. Coons
  • Patent number: 9860450
    Abstract: The effect of camera shake in digital video is corrected using signal processing techniques. The digital video is a sequence of digital images. When the sequence of digital images are being captured, movement of the imaging device causes the images to shift on the image sensor of the imaging device and affects the quality of the eventual video. Movement of the imaging device is detected while the video is being captured, and a motion information representing the motion is recorded. A processor determines a correcting filter based on the motion information and user input. The processor modifies the sequence of images captured according to the correcting filter and obtains a final corrected video. Corrected video is displayed in a viewfinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Clear Imaging Research, LLC
    Inventor: Fatih M. Ozluturk
  • Patent number: 9860431
    Abstract: A portable electronic device and an image capturing module thereof are disclosed. The image capturing module includes a circuit substrate, a structure reinforcing frame, a plurality of image sensing chips, an adhesive body, and a plurality of lens modules. The circuit substrate has a plurality of first passing openings. The structure reinforcing frame is disposed on the circuit substrate, and the structure reinforcing frame has a plurality of second passing openings respectively communicated with the first passing openings. The image sensing chips are disposed on the circuit substrate and electrically connected with the circuit substrate, and the image sensing chips are coplanarly disposed on a datum plane. The adhesive body is connected between each image sensing chip and the structure reinforcing frame. The lens modules are disposed on the circuit substrate, and the lens modules respectively correspond to the image sensing chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Inventor: Chi-Hsing Hsu
  • Patent number: 9854161
    Abstract: A photographing device may include two or more lenses having different view angles, and a processor configured to detect a first subject using images acquired from the lenses and to generate a notification signal based on whether or not a second subject approaches the view angle of a first image including the first subject among the acquired images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jin-gu Jeong, Hee-chul Han, Tae-hee Lee
  • Patent number: 9854157
    Abstract: A camera comprises a camera body, an image sensor internal to the camera body for capturing images, a lens assembly, a display screen on an external face of the camera body, and a touch controller. The lens assembly comprises one or more lens elements to direct light to the image sensor. The one or more lens elements includes a lens window on the external face of the camera body that comprises a transparent integrated touch sensor to detect a position of a touch on the lens window and to generate a touch signal indicating the position of the touch. The touch controller processes the touch signal and updates a display on the display screen in response to the touch signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventor: Bryan Asuncion
  • Patent number: 9854158
    Abstract: A display control unit 110 that displays an image adjustment window in which saturation of a specified hue is set by a two-dimensional coordinate in which a hue is made to correspond to an angular direction and levels of saturation of respective hues are made to correspond to distances in a radial direction and a CPU 140 that specifies the hue through first manipulation input, and sets saturation of the specified hue through second manipulation input are included, and the display control unit displays a polygon representing a relative relationship between levels of saturation of respective hues set by the CPU in the image adjustment window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Keiji Okada, Sachie Yamamoto, Satoshi Miyazaki, Takeshi Kawawa, Naoki Fujii