Patents by Inventor Fuminobu Higashino

Fuminobu Higashino 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: 7781710
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus, a control method and a program are provided. The image pickup apparatus includes an imaging module which takes an image; a display module which displays the image taken by the imaging module; a touch panel configured integrally with the display module and manipulatable by a user; a focus frame control module which controls a focus frame in accordance with a manipulation of the touch panel by the user, the focus frame being set at a given position on the image displayed on the display module and being used for focus control; and a focus control module which controls focus based on an image inside the focus frame on the image displayed on the display module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Fuminobu Higashino
  • Publication number: 20080018777
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus in which contrast signals obtained by moving a focus lens and detecting image data corresponding to an image of a subject captured in a first exposure time are used to achieve focus includes a storage unit storing the contrast signals in correspondence to respective focus lens positions to which the focus lens has been moved; an accumulator accumulating, for each of the focus lens positions, the contrast signals stored in correspondence to the respective focus lens positions; and a controller causing the focus lens to move to a focus lens position at which the maximum value of accumulated contrast signals has been obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Fuminobu Higashino
  • Publication number: 20070018069
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus, a control method and a program are provided. The image pickup apparatus includes an imaging module which takes an image; a display module which displays the image taken by the imaging module; a touch panel configured integrally with the display module and manipulatable by a user; a focus frame control module which controls a focus frame in accordance with a manipulation of the touch panel by the user, the focus frame being set at a given position on the image displayed on the display module and being used for focus control; and a focus control module which controls focus based on an image inside the focus frame on the image displayed on the display module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2006
    Publication date: January 25, 2007
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Fuminobu Higashino
  • Patent number: 6522393
    Abstract: A distance measuring device includes a light emitting system that emits light toward an object that is subject to a distance measurement. A light receiving system is provided to receive optical images which are formed by an optical system. The light receiving system outputs data corresponding to the received images. The light receiving system is capable of receiving the object images when the light emitting system emits the light, and when the light emitting system does not emit the light. Further, the distance measuring device includes a control system that receives the data output by the light receiving system twice at the greatest, and performs distance measuring operations, which include a passive distance measurement and an active distance measurement, based on the data output by the light receiving system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: Pentax Corporation
    Inventor: Fuminobu Higashino
  • Publication number: 20020135747
    Abstract: A distance measuring device includes a light emitting system that emits light toward an object that is subject to a distance measurement. A light receiving system is provided to receive optical images which are formed by an optical system. The light receiving system outputs data corresponding to the received images. The light receiving system is capable of receiving the object images when the light emitting system emits the light, and when the light emitting system does not emit the light. Further, the distance measuring device includes a control system that receives the data output by the light receiving system twice at the greatest, and performs distance measuring operations, which include a passive distance measurement and an active distance measurement, based on the data output by the light receiving system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2001
    Publication date: September 26, 2002
    Applicant: ASAHI KOGAKU KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Fuminobu Higashino
  • Patent number: 6350976
    Abstract: Disclosed is a distance measuring apparatus for measuring the distance to an object. The apparatus has a line of charge couple device (CCD) elements which are operated as two sensors (PSA, PSB) for passive sensing and one sensor (AS) in combination with a light emitting element (40) for active sensing. An infrared light cut-off filter (33) is provided on the light receiving surface of all the elements while a visible light cut-off filter (34) is overlaid the light receiving surface of the elements corresponding to the active sensor. An optical system (20) is located to form an image of the object on the sensors. A control circuit (50) initially operates the passive sensors during passive sensing and then operates the active sensor during active sensing. The provision of both passive and active sensing in one apparatus enables miniaturization, a decrease in weight, and cost-savings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2002
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Fuminobu Higashino
  • Patent number: 6330055
    Abstract: A distance measuring apparatus for measuring the distance to an object has a line of charge coupled device (CCD) elements which serve as two sensors for passive sensing and one sensor, in combination with a light emitting element, for active sensing. An infrared light cut-off filter is provided on the light receiving surface of all the elements while a visible light cut-off filter is provided on the light receiving surface of the elements corresponding to the active sensor. The light emitting element is provided with a pattern mask so that the object is irradiated with a pattern of light intensity. The active sensor detects the pattern and from this the position of the spectral center of the image can be determined to enable a distance value to be ascertained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Fuminobu Higashino
  • Patent number: 6243537
    Abstract: Disclosed is a distance measuring apparatus for measuring the distance to an object. The apparatus has a line of charge couple device (CCD) elements operated in combination with a light emitting element emitting visible light for active sensing. First data (DATA1) is obtained from the sensor while the light emitting element is emitting light and second data (DATA2) is obtained from the sensor while the light emitting element is not emitting light. Corresponding CCD elements of each data are compared and used to provide to corrected the second data (DATA2′). The difference between the corrected second data and the first data (DATA0) enables the detection of the spectral center of a received image of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Fuminobu Higashino