Patents Examined by Wesley J Chiu
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Patent number: 11394869Abstract: An imaging device includes an imager configured to capture a subject to generate a captured image; a recognizer configured to recognize the subject on the captured image; and a controller configured to control a focusing operation based on a focusing region set on the captured image, wherein the controller, when the subject is recognized to be present in a first determination region in a state where the focusing region is set on a predetermined region fixedly arranged on the captured image, sets the focusing region depending on a recognition result of the recognizer instead of the predetermined region.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2020Date of Patent: July 19, 2022Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kohei Fukugawa, Naoko Takeda, Masahiro Murakami, Kuniyoshi Kobayashi
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Patent number: 11375145Abstract: In a solid-state imaging device 10, a signal retaining part 212 is provided with a first sampling part 2122 and a second sampling part 2123, each of which is formed by one sampling transistor (1T) and one sampling capacitor (1C). The coupling node between the two sampling parts is a retaining node ND23, which is used as a bidirectional port. With such a configuration, the solid-state imaging device 10 is configured as a solid-state imaging element having a global shutter function that achieves substantially the same signal amplitude as in the differential reading scheme with four transistors. Thus, the solid-state imaging device 10 can achieve the reduced increase in number of transistors, prevent the occurrence of signal amplitude loss in the sampling parts, maintain high pixel sensitivity and reduce input conversion noise.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2018Date of Patent: June 28, 2022Assignee: BRILLNICS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.Inventor: Toshinori Otaka
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Patent number: 11363198Abstract: A system and method for measuring and removing jitter from an optical sensor includes a jitter stabilization system and at least one focal plane array. The jitter stabilization system is positioned at a shared focus of the focal plane array, which can be generated by an optical imager. A jitter signal of the jitter stabilization system makes a double pass through the system, contacting every reflective surface along the optical path within the system, before returning to a position sensing detector (PSD).Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2020Date of Patent: June 14, 2022Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventor: Lacy G. Cook
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Patent number: 11363221Abstract: In one example, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises an image sensor configured to generate a first raw output to represent a first intensity of incident light based on a first relationship, and to generate a second raw output to represent a second intensity of incident light based on a second relationship. The apparatus further comprises a post processor configured to: generate a first post-processed output based on the first raw output and based on the first relationship such that the first post-processed output is linearly related to the first intensity based on a third relationship, and to generate a second post-processed output based on the second raw output and based on the second relationship such that the second post-processed output is linearly related to the second intensity based on the third relationship.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2019Date of Patent: June 14, 2022Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventors: Andrew Samuel Berkovich, Wei Gao, Xinqiao Liu, Song Chen
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Patent number: 11356628Abstract: This technology relates to an imaging apparatus and an imaging system for improving the accuracy of distance measurement performed by use of SPADs. The imaging apparatus includes a pixel array section having pixel sections arrayed therein. Each pixel section includes: an SPAD (single photon avalanche photodiode); a resistance component configured to be connected serially with the SPAD; an output section configured to output a light reception signal indicating photon incidence on the SPAD; and a pulse generation section configured to output a pulse signal in synchronism with the output of the light reception signal.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2018Date of Patent: June 7, 2022Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions CorporationInventor: Tatsuki Nishino
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Patent number: 11350028Abstract: An electronic apparatus configured to change into a plurality of states includes an operation member configured to change the electronic apparatus to one of the plurality of states, an acquirer configured to acquire a state change of the electronic apparatus that occurs when the operation member is operated, based on a current state of the electronic apparatus before the operation member is operated, and a notice controller configured to control notice of information corresponding to the state change acquired by the acquirer.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2020Date of Patent: May 31, 2022Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroshi Toriumi
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Patent number: 11343422Abstract: A focusing control device includes: a sensor that has a focus detection area in which a plurality of first signal detection sections which receives one of a pair of luminous fluxes passing through different portions arranged in one direction of a pupil region of an imaging optical system including a focus lens and detects signals and a plurality of second signal detection sections which receives other one of the pair of luminous fluxes and detects signals are formed; and a processor, configured to obtain correlation values, obtain an accumulative value of the correlation values included in each of a plurality of division areas obtained by dividing a graph of the correlation values in which shift amounts are represented on a first axis in a direction of the first axis, and perform focusing control by controlling the focus lens based on the accumulative value obtained.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2020Date of Patent: May 24, 2022Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventor: Hitoshi Sakurabu
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Patent number: 11330153Abstract: In some examples, a method comprises receiving pixel data from an image capture device having a color filter, wherein the pixel data represents a portion of an image. The method further includes performing wavelet decomposition on the pixel data to produce decomposed pixel data and determining a local intensity of the pixel data. The method also includes determining a noise threshold value based on the local intensity and a noise intensity function that is based on the color filter; determining a noise value for the pixel data based on the decomposed pixel data and the noise threshold value; and correcting the pixel data based on the noise value to produce an output image.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2019Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignee: Texas Instmments IncorporatedInventors: Gang Hua, Mihir Narendra Mody, Rajasekhar Reddy Allu, Niraj Nandan, Shashank Dabral
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Patent number: 11323601Abstract: An apparatus body of an image pickup apparatus that ensures reliability of an electric connection between a lens adapter and the apparatus body with a simple configuration even when a spacer is inserted between the lens adapter that has an electrical communication unit and the apparatus body. A lens adapter to which an interchangeable lens is detachably attached is detachably attached to a fixing unit. An electrical connecting portion is formed as a comb-shaped terminal that is electrically connected with a terminal of the electrical communication unit provided in the lens adapter. A contact portion of the comb-shaped terminal contacting with the terminal of the electrical communication unit is slidable with respect to the terminal of the electrical communication unit.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2020Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Futoshi Iinuma
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Patent number: 11303811Abstract: A camera comprises a lens assembly coupled to an event-sensor, the lens assembly being configured to focus a light field onto a surface of the event-sensor, the event-sensor surface comprising a plurality of light sensitive-pixels, each of which cause an event to be generated when there is a change in light intensity greater than a threshold amount incident on the pixel. The camera further includes an actuator which can be triggered to cause a change in the light field incident on the surface of the event-sensor and to generate a set of events from a sub-set of pixels distributed across the surface of the event-sensor.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2019Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignee: FotoNation LimitedInventor: Piotr Stec
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Patent number: 11297238Abstract: Provided are a blur detection device, an imaging device, a lens device, an imaging device main body, a blur detection method, and a blur detection program capable of appropriately detecting blurring of an imaging device. An angular velocity of a digital camera and a posture of the digital camera with respect to an Earth's rotation axis are detected. An Earth's rotation angular velocity component superimposed on a detection result of the angular velocity is calculated. The Earth's rotation angular velocity component is subtracted from the detection result of the angular velocity, and a blur amount of the digital camera is calculated based on the subtracted angular velocity.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2020Date of Patent: April 5, 2022Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventor: Yuki Sugihara
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Patent number: 11284045Abstract: An imaging device includes groupings of photodiodes having four photodiodes. A transfer transistor is between each photodiode and a floating diffusion. Each floating diffusion is coupled to up to two photodiodes per grouping at a time through transfer transistors. A buffer transistor is coupled to each floating diffusion. The buffer transistors may be in a first or second grouping of buffer transistors. A first bit line is coupled to up to two buffer transistors of the first grouping and a second bit line is coupled to up to two buffer transistors of the second grouping of buffer transistors at a time. A color filter array including a plurality of groupings of color filters is disposed over respective photodiodes of the photodiode array, wherein each grouping of color filters includes four color filters having a same color, wherein each grouping of color filters overlaps two groupings of photodiodes.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2020Date of Patent: March 22, 2022Assignee: OmniVision Technologies. Inc.Inventors: Qingfei Chen, Rui Wang, Wei Wei Wang, Zhiyong Zhan, Xin Wang, Qingwei Shan, Kenny Geng
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Patent number: 11284032Abstract: An imaging device includes a pixel circuit configured to generate an analog signal; an amplification circuit including a feedback capacitor and its reset switching element; a sample and hold circuit for the amplified analog signal; an A/D conversion circuit for the analog signal held in the sample and hold circuit; a memory circuit configured to store the digital signal; a reading circuit configured to read the digital signal stored in the memory circuit; and a control circuit configured to perform a rise and a fall of the control signal such that the rise and the fall do not overlap a conversion period of the analog signal by the A/D conversion circuit and do not overlap a reading period of the digital signal by the reading circuit, when the switching element is off during a sampling period of the analog signal.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2019Date of Patent: March 22, 2022Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masahito Shinohara, Tomoya Kumagai, Takanori Yamashita
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Patent number: 11277545Abstract: An image capture device includes a heatsink having a cutout within the heatsink. The image capture device also includes a housing, a mounting structure located on an external side of the housing, and an integrated sensor and lens assembly (ISLA) extending through the cutout in the heatsink and connecting to the mounting structure. The ISLA is free of contact with the heatsink. The heatsink can include mounting flanges to support components including printed circuit boards and battery cages.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2020Date of Patent: March 15, 2022Assignee: GoPro, Inc.Inventors: Kielan C. Crow, Akshay Shinde, Nicholas Vitale, Eduardo Hernandez Pacheco
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Patent number: 11277552Abstract: An image sensor includes a first and a second polarizing pixels in each of which transmission axis direction is different. Each of the first and second polarizing pixels has a same wavelength characteristic in transmittance, and has a sensitivity to a first and a second wavelength bandwidths. In each of the first and second polarizing pixels, a ratio of the transmittance in the transmission axis direction in the first and second wavelength bandwidths to a maximum value of the transmittance in the transmission axis direction in all wavelength bandwidths is 0.5 or more. In one of the first and second wavelength bandwidths, a ratio of the transmittance in a direction orthogonal to the transmission axis direction to the transmittance in the transmission axis direction is 0.5 or less, and in the other, the ratio is 0.5 or more.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2020Date of Patent: March 15, 2022Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Keita Nakamura
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Patent number: 11240450Abstract: Provided is a solid-state imaging element including a plurality of pixels that includes at least two phase difference detection pixels for focus detection. Each pixel has a stacked structure including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements that are stacked on top of each other and absorb light beams different in wavelength from one another to generate electrical charges, and each phase difference detection pixel includes, in the stacked structure, a color filter that partially covers an upper face of one of the photoelectric conversion elements and absorbs a light beam with a specific wavelength.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2018Date of Patent: February 1, 2022Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATIONInventors: Yoshihiro Ando, Hideaki Togashi, Shinpei Fukuoka
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Patent number: 11239272Abstract: A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a semiconductor substrate, a floating diffusion, an amplifying transistor, first and second contact plugs, a wire, and a metal portion. The semiconductor substrate has a first plane and a second plane to be entered by light, and includes a photoelectric conversion element. The amplifying transistor includes a first gate electrode. The first contact plug is connected to the floating diffusion. The second contact plug is connected to the first gate electrode. The wire is configured to electrically connect the first gate electrode and the floating diffusion to each other. The metal portion, which is arranged between the first plane and a third plane, covers at least a part of the photoelectric conversion element in a planar view, and has an opening over which at least a part of the wire is superimposed in a planar view.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2019Date of Patent: February 1, 2022Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yusuke Onuki, Fumihiro Inui
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Patent number: 11227146Abstract: The subject matter described in this disclosure can be embodied in methods and systems for stabilizing video. A computing system determines a stabilized location of a facial feature in a frame of video accounting for its location in a previous frame. The computing system determines a physical camera pose in virtual space and maps the frame into virtual space. The computing system determines an optimized virtual camera pose using an optimization process that determines (1) a difference between the stabilized location of the facial feature and a location of the facial feature when viewed from a potential virtual camera pose, (2) a difference between the potential virtual camera pose and a previous virtual camera pose, and (3) a difference between the potential virtual camera pose and the physical camera pose. The computing system generates the stabilized view of the frame using the optimized virtual camera pose.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2020Date of Patent: January 18, 2022Assignee: Google LLCInventors: Chia-Kai Liang, Fuhao Shi
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Patent number: 11227883Abstract: An image sensing device is disclosed. The image sensing device includes a plurality of unit pixels arranged as an array of unit pixels in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a device isolation structure wherein each of the unit pixels is disposed in a region isolated from adjacent unit pixels and includes a single photoelectric conversion element, a single floating diffusion region, and at least three transistors. The single photoelectric conversion element, the single floating diffusion region, and the at least three transistors are located in a region isolated by the device isolation structure.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2020Date of Patent: January 18, 2022Assignee: SK hynix Inc.Inventors: Se Kyung Oh, Pyong Su Kwag
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Patent number: 11228712Abstract: Visual content is captured by an image capture device during a capture duration. The image capture devices experiences motion during the capture duration. The intentionality of the motion of the image capture device is determined based on angular acceleration of the image capture device during the capture duration. A punchout of the visual content is determined based on the intentionality of the motion of the image capture device. The punchout of the visual content is used to generate stabilized visual content.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2020Date of Patent: January 18, 2022Assignee: GoPro, Inc.Inventors: Cesar Douady, Thomas Derbanne, Maxim Karpushin