Patents by Inventor Akihiko Nagano
Akihiko Nagano has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 8754976Abstract: In an image sensor having a plurality of pixels which photoelectrically convert a subject image, a plurality of pairs of focus detection pixels including first focus detection pixels (SHA) and second focus detection pixels (SHB) are arranged while being distributed. The layouts of the first focus detection pixel (SHA) and the second focus detection pixel (SHB) are switched in pairs of focus detection pixels adjacent in the focus detection direction. Focus detection is performed using image waveforms obtained from the first focus detection pixel (SHA) and the second focus detection pixel (SHB) whose layouts are switched. This reduces focus detection errors generated when the pixels included in the pairs of focus detection pixels receive light fluxes from different portions of the subject.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2009Date of Patent: June 17, 2014Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Makoto Oikawa, Akihiko Nagano, Yasuo Suda
-
Publication number: 20140139725Abstract: A focus detection apparatus comprises: an image sensor configured to receive a plurality of beams having passed through different exit pupil regions of an imaging optical system and output a pair of image signals corresponding to the different exit pupil regions; a calculation unit configured to obtain, from the pair of image signals, a spatial frequency at which a phase difference between a pair of images is minimized, and obtain an image shift amount between the pair of image signals from the spatial frequency; and a focus control unit configured to perform focus control by a phase difference detection method based on the image shift amount obtained by the calculation unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2013Publication date: May 22, 2014Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Akihiko Nagano
-
Patent number: 8711270Abstract: A focus detection device having imaging pixels and focus-detecting pixels using a phase-difference focus detection method implements high-precision focus detection. In the focus detection device, a plurality of pixels each having a photoelectric conversion unit for converting an incident light flux into signal charges, and a microlens having a focus position near the photoelectric conversion unit are arranged. The plurality of pixels include a plurality of imaging pixels for generating a shot image, and a plurality of focus-detecting pixels for generating an image signal for focus detection by the phase-difference focus detection method. An opening for giving a pupil division function to the focus-detecting pixel is formed using electrodes arranged to read out signal charges from the photoelectric conversion unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2009Date of Patent: April 29, 2014Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Ichiro Onuki, Akihiko Nagano, Makoto Takamiya
-
Patent number: 8698927Abstract: An image-pickup element includes an image-pickup pixel configured to photoelectrically convert light from an image-pickup lens to generate an image of an object, and a first focus detection pixel and a second focus detection pixel configured to receive light having passed through part of an area of an exit pupil of the image-pickup lens, and an electrode part of the first focus detection pixel and an electrode part of the second focus detection pixel are arranged at ends of a photoelectrical conversion part that are opposite to each other in a pupil diving direction of the first focus detection pixel and the second focus detection pixel.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2012Date of Patent: April 15, 2014Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Akihiko Nagano
-
Publication number: 20140098175Abstract: A display apparatus with an image pickup apparatus has a display unit for displaying an image by a plurality of light-transparent display pixels and an image pickup unit arranged at a rear surface of the display unit to pick up object light from an object at a front surface of the display unit. The display unit has a plurality of light-transparent phase adjustment units which are arranged in correspondence to the display pixels and adjust an optical-path length of object light. The plurality of phase adjustment units have different thicknesses in the optical axis direction of the object light which transmits, and the phase adjustment units having the same thickness are arranged at a predetermined period.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 19, 2013Publication date: April 10, 2014Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Akihiko Nagano
-
Patent number: 8654227Abstract: A focus detection apparatus includes: an image sensor that has a first pixel group which receives a luminous flux passing a first pupil area of an imaging optical system, and a second pixel group which receives a luminous flux passing a second pupil area different from the first pupil area; a storage unit that stores first and second distribution functions corresponding to the first and second pupil areas, respectively; a calculation unit that generates a first image signal by performing calculations on a first subject image, obtained from the first pixel group, using the second distribution function, and generates a second image signal by performing calculations on a second subject image, obtained from the second pixel group, using the first distribution function; and a focus state detection unit that detects a focus state of the imaging optical system based on the first and the second image signals.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2009Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshitaka Hashimoto, Akihiko Nagano
-
Patent number: 8614755Abstract: A camera 200 comprises an image pickup element 107 which has imaging pixels performing a photoelectric conversion of an object image formed by a light beam emitted from an image pickup optical system and focus detection pixels performing a photoelectric conversion of two images formed by two divided light beams, a focus detector which obtains first and second pairs of image signals having optical base lengths different from each other from the focus detection pixels, a selector which selects one of the first and second pairs of image signals based on at least one correlation amount of the first and second pairs of image signals, and a calculator which calculates a defocus amount based on the selected pair of image signals.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2010Date of Patent: December 24, 2013Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Makoto Takamiya, Akihiko Nagano
-
Publication number: 20130107086Abstract: An image capture apparatus comprises an image sensor which photo-electrically converts an object image formed by an imaging lens, the image sensor including a first pixel group having a first light-receiving area, and a second pixel group which is discretely arranged in the first pixel group and configured by dividing a light-receiving area substantially equal in area to the first light-receiving area into a second light-receiving area and a third light-receiving area different in area from the second light-receiving area, and control means for integrally controlling the second light-receiving area of the second pixel group and the first light-receiving area of the first pixel group.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2011Publication date: May 2, 2013Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Akihiko Nagano
-
Publication number: 20130044234Abstract: An image capturing apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises an imaging lens, an image sensor, and a plurality of microlenses. The apparatus also comprises an image processing unit configured to generate a reconstruction image at a predetermined refocus plane by performing refocus processing on the image data that was output from the image sensor, and determine whether or not a subject appears in the reconstruction image. The recording unit of the apparatus records the image data that was output from the image sensor and record information regarding the subject that was determined to appear by the image processing unit as auxiliary information in association with the image data.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2012Publication date: February 21, 2013Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Akihiko Nagano, Hidenobu Akiyoshi
-
Publication number: 20120293707Abstract: An image-pickup element includes an image-pickup pixel configured to photoelectrically convert light from an image-pickup lens to generate an image of an object, and a first focus detection pixel and a second focus detection pixel configured to receive light having passed through part of an area of an exit pupil of the image-pickup lens, and an electrode part of the first focus detection pixel and an electrode part of the second focus detection pixel are arranged at ends of a photoelectrical conversion part that are opposite to each other in a pupil diving direction of the first focus detection pixel and the second focus detection pixel.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 15, 2012Publication date: November 22, 2012Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Akihiko Nagano
-
Publication number: 20120133813Abstract: The image pickup apparatus includes an image sensor. A first focus controller performs first focus control with a contrast detection method by using a first signal output from the image sensor. A second focus controller detects a focus state of an image-taking optical system with a phase difference detection method by using a second signal output from a focus detection element (image sensor), and performs second focus control based on the detected focus state. A charge accumulation controller causes the image sensor to alternately and repeatedly perform a first charge accumulation operation for producing the first signal and output of the first signal, and causes the focus detection element to perform a second charge accumulation operation for producing the second signal in a period between two consecutive ones of the first charge accumulation operations.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 14, 2011Publication date: May 31, 2012Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Akihiko Nagano
-
Publication number: 20120033128Abstract: An optical device comprises an image sensor having plural pixels and a detection unit configured to detect a focus state. The pixels include first focus state detection pixel pairs that respectively receive a pair of light fluxes having transmitted different pupil areas of the photographing lens, and second focus state detection pixel pairs that respectively receive a pair of light fluxes having transmitted pupil areas shifted by a predetermined amount from the pupil areas where the pair of light fluxes received by the first focus state detection pixel pairs have transmitted. The detection unit detects the focus state based on signal pairs obtained by adding the signals output from the first and second focus state detection pixel pairs, respectively, if a subject to be photographed is darker than a predetermined brightness, otherwise the detection unit detects the focus state based on signal pairs output from the first and second focus state detection pixel pairs, respectively.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 28, 2010Publication date: February 9, 2012Applicant: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Akihiko Nagano
-
Publication number: 20110273602Abstract: A camera 200 comprises an image pickup element 107 which has imaging pixels performing a photoelectric conversion of an object image formed by a light beam emitted from an image pickup optical system and focus detection pixels performing a photoelectric conversion of two images formed by two divided light beams, a focus detector which obtains first and second pairs of image signals having optical base lengths different from each other from the focus detection pixels, a selector which selects one of the first and second pairs of image signals based on at least one correlation amount of the first and second pairs of image signals, and a calculator which calculates a defocus amount based on the selected pair of image signals.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 23, 2010Publication date: November 10, 2011Applicant: CANNON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Makoto Takamiya, Akihiko Nagano
-
Publication number: 20110169997Abstract: An image sensor that output a signal for detecting a focus state of a photographing lens. The image sensor includes a microlens; a light-receiving pixel; a first focus state detection pixel pair for outputting a focus state detection signal, in which aperture areas of the first focus state detection pixel pair are small in comparison to the light-receiving pixel; and a second focus state detection pixel pair for outputting a focus state detection signal, in which aperture areas of the second focus state detection pixel pair are small in comparison to the light-receiving pixel, wherein the second focus state detection pixel pair is arranged at a position that is shifted by a predetermined amount relative to each aperture position, with respect to the microlens of the first focus state detection pixel pair.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 11, 2009Publication date: July 14, 2011Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Akihiko Nagano, Ichiro Onuki, Makoto Takamiya, Makoto Oikawa, Yoshitaka Hashimoto, Fumihiro Kajimura, Yasuo Suda
-
Publication number: 20110164165Abstract: A focus detection apparatus includes an image sensor that has a first pixel group which receives a luminous flux passing a first pupil area of an imaging optical system, and a second pixel group which receives a luminous flux passing a second pupil area different from the first pupil area; a storage unit that stores first and second distribution functions corresponding to the first and second pupil areas, respectively; a calculation unit that generates a first image signal by performing calculations on a first subject image, obtained from the first pixel group, using the second distribution function, and generates a second image signal by performing calculations on a second subject image, obtained from the second pixel group, using the first distribution function; and a focus state detection unit that detects a focus state of the imaging optical system based on the first and the second image signals.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 4, 2009Publication date: July 7, 2011Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yoshitaka Hashimoto, Akihiko Nagano
-
Publication number: 20110096211Abstract: In an image sensor having a plurality of pixels which photoelectrically convert a subject image, a plurality of pairs of focus detection pixels including first focus detection pixels (SHA) and second focus detection pixels (SHB) are arranged while being distributed. The layouts of the first focus detection pixel (SHA) and the second focus detection pixel (SHB) are switched in pairs of focus detection pixels adjacent in the focus detection direction. Focus detection is performed using image waveforms obtained from the first focus detection pixel (SHA) and the second focus detection pixel (SHB) whose layouts are switched. This reduces focus detection errors generated when the pixels included in the pairs of focus detection pixels receive light fluxes from different portions of the subject.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 8, 2009Publication date: April 28, 2011Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Makoto Oikawa, Akihiko Nagano, Yasuo Suda
-
Publication number: 20110025904Abstract: A focus detection device having imaging pixels and focus-detecting pixels using a phase-difference focus detection method implements high-precision focus detection. In the focus detection device, a plurality of pixels each having a photoelectric conversion unit for converting an incident light flux into signal charges, and a microlens having a focus position near the photoelectric conversion unit are arranged. The plurality of pixels include a plurality of imaging pixels for generating a shot image, and a plurality of focus-detecting pixels for generating an image signal for focus detection by the phase-difference focus detection method. An opening for giving a pupil division function to the focus-detecting pixel is formed using electrodes arranged to read out signal charges from the photoelectric conversion unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2009Publication date: February 3, 2011Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Ichiro Onuki, Akihiko Nagano, Makoto Takamiya
-
Patent number: 7741590Abstract: An image sensor comprises a photoelectric conversion unit; a transfer transistor which has a gate electrode; a multilayer wiring structure which defines an aperture region above the photoelectric conversion unit; and a waveguide which guides light entering the aperture region to the light receiving surface, wherein the multilayer wiring structure includes a first wiring layer which is an uppermost wiring layer and defines two contour sides of the aperture region in a first direction, and a second wiring layer which is arranged between the gate electrode and the first wiring layer in a direction perpendicular to the light receiving surface, and defines two contour sides of the aperture region in a second direction, and wherein the gate electrode is arranged to overlap part of the light receiving surface and have a longitudinal direction along the first direction.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2009Date of Patent: June 22, 2010Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Akihiko Nagano
-
Patent number: 7616879Abstract: There is provided an optical apparatus that provides quick and precise TTL phase difference detection and pupil slicing focus detection. An optical apparatus includes a first optical element for splitting a first polarized light component contained in light that passes an exit pupil of a first optical system and directs to a photoelectric conversion element so that the first polarized light component direct to different light-receiving areas on the photoelectric conversion element. The optical apparatus may further include a second optical element for separating a second polarized light component contained in the light from said first optical element, from the first polarized light component.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2005Date of Patent: November 10, 2009Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Akihiko Nagano, Makoto Takamiya, Koichi Washisu
-
Publication number: 20090266975Abstract: An image sensor comprises a photoelectric conversion unit; a transfer transistor which has a gate electrode; a multilayer wiring structure which defines an aperture region above the photoelectric conversion unit; and a waveguide which guides light entering the aperture region to the light receiving surface, wherein the multilayer wiring structure includes a first wiring layer which is an uppermost wiring layer and defines two contour sides of the aperture region in a first direction, and a second wiring layer which is arranged between the gate electrode and the first wiring layer in a direction perpendicular to the light receiving surface, and defines two contour sides of the aperture region in a second direction, and wherein the gate electrode is arranged to overlap part of the light receiving surface and have a longitudinal direction along the first direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 17, 2009Publication date: October 29, 2009Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Akihiko Nagano