Patents by Inventor Haruo Yamashita

Haruo Yamashita 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: 8222613
    Abstract: An inexpensive scanning irradiation device of a particle beam is obtained without using a rotating gantry. A first scanning electromagnet and a second scanning electromagnet, whose deflection surfaces of the particle beam are the same, and which bend the particle beam having an incident beam axis angle of approximately 45 degrees relative to a horizontal direction in reverse directions to each other; an electromagnet rotation driving mechanism which integrates the first and the second scanning electromagnets and rotates these scanning electromagnets around the incident beam axis; and a treatment bed are provided. The particle beam deflected by the first and the second scanning electromagnets can be obtained at a range of ?45 degrees to +45 degrees in deflection angle from an incident beam axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Tajiri, Yuichi Yamamoto, Yuehu Pu, Haruo Yamashita
  • Publication number: 20120169792
    Abstract: Disclosed is a display device capable of compensating unevenness in brightness caused by physical restrictions of a display device or degradation in image quality caused by a partial reduction in contrast occurring in the local dimming technology using human visual characteristics. A liquid crystal panel (101) modulates illuminating light in accordance with the transmittance, and displays images on a screen. A backlight (102) emits the illuminating light to the liquid crystal panel (101) such that amounts of the illuminating light differ for each light emitting area of the screen. A backlight control unit (106) controls emission brightness of the backlight (102) for each light emitting area. A local gradation converting unit (104) performs gradation conversion on an image signal, and acquires a brightness value for each pixel after the conversion. A backlight driving unit (107) controls the transmittance for each pixel on the basis of the acquired brightness values after the conversion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2010
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Haruo Yamashita, Takeshi Ito
  • Publication number: 20120105509
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image display device having improved image qualities, while reducing power consumption. A backlight unit (20) includes a plurality of light sources disposed so as to form a plurality of light emission regions. A liquid crystal panel (10) displays an image by modulating light emitted from the backlight unit (20) in accordance with light emission transmissivity. A control unit (40) controls the light emission luminance value of the backlight unit (20) for each light emission region, and controls a liquid crystal display device (1). The control unit (40) calculates the light emission transmissivity, on the basis of the distances between the pixels of the liquid crystal panel (10) and the reference position(s) in one or more light emission regions, the luminance value of light that arrives the pixels, said luminance value being determined on the basis of the controlled light emission luminance value, and the image signals inputted to the pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi Ito, Haruo Yamashita
  • Patent number: 8169500
    Abstract: A dynamic range (D-range) compression apparatus that uses a look-up table (LUT) is capable of dynamic compression that compresses the peak input value to the full output range, even when image signals with variable D-ranges are inputted. According to this D-range compression apparatus, D-range compression processing that places the D-range of the image signal within a predetermined output D-range is performed by the visual processing unit converting the tone of the image signal in accordance with the surrounding average luminance signal. Furthermore, with this D-range compression apparatus, the image signal is amplified in accordance with amplification input/output conversion characteristics determined based on the peak value in the image detected by the peak detection unit, and therefore it is possible to perform a dynamic amplification processing in accordance with the peak value so that the D-range of the image signal outputted from the visual processing unit becomes a predetermined output D-range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Sato, Haruo Yamashita, Takeshi Ito
  • Patent number: 8165417
    Abstract: The invention provides a visual processing device that has a hardware configuration that does not depend on the visual processing to be achieved. A visual processing device 1 is provided with a spatial processing portion 2 and a visual processing portion 3. The spatial processing portion 2 performs predetermined processing with respect to an input signal IS that has been received as input, and outputs the result as an unsharp signal US. The visual processing portion 3 outputs an output signal OS, which is the input signal IS after visual processing, based on a two-dimensional LUT 4 that lists the relationship between the input signal IS that has been received as input and the unsharp signal US, and the output signal OS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Haruo Yamashita, Akio Kojima, Toshiharu Kurosawa, Yasuhiro Kuwahara, Tatsumi Watanabe, Yusuke Monobe, Takeshi Ito
  • Patent number: 8144214
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus captures a large dynamic range image of a scene including a backlit person with a blue sky background in a manner that the person's face has an appropriate luminance level without saturating the background sky. An imaging unit obtains analogue image signals through exposure control that prevents a highlight from being saturated, an A/D converter converts the analogue image signals to digital image signals, and a signal processing unit linearly increases the dynamic range of the digital image signals. The image signals with the increased dynamic range are nonlinearly compressed to have a dynamic range of 100% or less through nonlinear dynamic range compression that intensively compresses a highlight portion. The imaging apparatus with this structure first increases the dynamic range of an image and efficiently compresses the increased large dynamic range of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Haruo Yamashita, Takeshi Ito, Daisuke Sato
  • Patent number: 8106954
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus estimates a distance based on a reflectance value of a subject estimated with improved precision. An illumination unit illuminates a subject with illumination light. An imaging unit captures a plurality of images each under a different condition of the illumination unit. An illumination light element obtaining unit obtains an image formed with an element of the illumination light from the plurality of images. A reflectance estimation unit eliminates illumination variations from one of the plurality of images or from the image formed with the illumination light element, and estimates a reflectance of the subject corresponding to each pixel. A distance information estimation unit estimates a distance to the subject corresponding to each pixel based on the image formed with the illumination light element and the reflectance of the subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Sato, Haruo Yamashita, Takeshi Ito
  • Publication number: 20120008009
    Abstract: A natural white balance is achieved in images that are captured while emitting a flash. The white balance of an image is adjusted using a WB adjustment portion and a mixture ratio calculation portion estimating a mixture ratio of an external light component and a flashed light component that are present in an image captured with emitting a flash, from the image obtained that is captured while emitting a flash and an image signal that is obtained without emitting a flash. Further, an external light WB coefficient determination portion determines an WB coefficient for the external light, a flashed light WB coefficient setting portion sets a WB coefficient for the flashed light, and a WB processing portion that continuously performs WB processing on the image captured while emitting a flash by using the mixture ratio as an interpolation ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Inventors: TAKESHI ITO, Haruo Yamashita, Daisuke Sato
  • Publication number: 20110317032
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus captures a large dynamic range image of a scene including a backlit person with a blue sky background in a manner that the person's face has an appropriate luminance level without saturating the background sky. An imaging unit obtains analogue image signals through exposure control that prevents a highlight from being saturated, an A/D converter converts the analogue image signals to digital image signals, and a signal processing unit linearly increases the dynamic range of the digital image signals. The image signals with the increased dynamic range are nonlinearly compressed to have a dynamic range of 100% or less through nonlinear dynamic range compression that intensively compresses a highlight portion. The imaging apparatus with this structure first increases the dynamic range of an image and efficiently compresses the increased large dynamic range of the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Inventors: Haruo Yamashita, Takeshi Ito, Daisuke Sato
  • Publication number: 20110310271
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus captures a large dynamic range image of a scene including a backlit person with a blue sky background in a manner that the person's face has an appropriate luminance level without saturating the background sky. An imaging unit obtains analogue image signals through exposure control that prevents a highlight from being saturated, an A/D converter converts the analogue image signals to digital image signals, and a signal processing unit linearly increases the dynamic range of the digital image signals. The image signals with the increased dynamic range are nonlinearly compressed to have a dynamic range of 100% or less through nonlinear dynamic range compression that intensively compresses a highlight portion. The imaging apparatus with this structure first increases the dynamic range of an image and efficiently compresses the increased large dynamic range of the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Inventors: HARUO YAMASHITA, Takeshi Ito, Daisuke Sato
  • Publication number: 20110299773
    Abstract: The grayscale of an input signal is converted without amplifying noise components thereof. A grayscale conversion portion performs grayscale conversion on an input signal IS to create a converted signal TS, a noise reduction degree determining portion determines a noise reduction degree NR that expresses a strength of noise reduction processing to be applied to the converted signal based on the input signal IS and the converted signal TS, and a noise reducing portion executes noise reduction processing on the converted signal TS based on the noise reduction degree NR. By doing this, it is possible to convert the grayscale of the input signal without enhancing the noise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Inventors: Yusuke MONOBE, Haruo Yamashita, Takeshi Ito
  • Patent number: 8040391
    Abstract: A natural white balance is achieved in images that are captured while emitting a flash. The white balance of an image is adjusted using a WB adjustment portion and a mixture ratio calculation portion estimating a mixture ratio of an external light component and a flashed light component that are present in an image captured with emitting a flash, from the image obtained that is captured while emitting a flash and an image signal that is obtained without emitting a flash. Further, an external light WB coefficient determination portion determines an WB coefficient for the external light, a flashed light WB coefficient setting portion sets a WB coefficient for the flashed light, and a WB processing portion continuously performs WB processing on the image captured while emitting a flash by using the mixture ratio as an interpolation ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Ito, Haruo Yamashita, Daisuke Sato
  • Publication number: 20110242366
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus for capturing a moving image performs backlight correction of an image and outputs a natural image. The imaging apparatus electronically captures an image of a subject. An optical system has a light amount adjustment function. An imaging unit reads an optical image of the subject that is formed by the optical system. An A/D converter subjects an output of the imaging unit to A/D conversion. A backlight correction unit converts the tones of an image read by the A/D converter using a conversion characteristic selected differently according to a spatial position and at least increases the luminance level of a dark region of the image. An instruction unit instructs to start backlight correction. A control unit operates the backlight correction unit based on an instruction signal output from the instruction unit, and decreases an exposure light amount of the optical system by a predetermined amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Inventors: Haruo YAMASHITA, Takeshi Ito, Daisuke Sato
  • Patent number: 8023733
    Abstract: The grayscale of an input signal is converted without amplifying noise components thereof. A grayscale conversion portion performs grayscale conversion on an input signal IS to create a converted signal TS, a noise reduction degree determining portion determines a noise reduction degree NR that expresses a strength of noise reduction processing to be applied to the converted signal based on the input signal IS and the converted signal TS, and a noise reducing portion executes noise reduction processing on the converted signal TS based on the noise reduction degree NR. By doing this, it is possible to convert the grayscale of the input signal without enhancing the noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke Monobe, Haruo Yamashita, Takeshi Ito
  • Patent number: 8000525
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an image processing device with which color processing can be adjusted with ease. An image processing device (10) is provided with a processing degree setting portion (18), a profile creation portion (15), and a color processing execution portion (16). The processing degree setting portion (18) sets a target degree of color processing with regard to at least two properties of a plurality of properties of an image signal (d2), as a single target processing degree (d8). The profile creation portion (15) creates a color transformation profile for performing color processing at the target processing degree (d8), based on the target processing degree (d8) that has been set by the processing degree setting portion (18) and a plurality of base color transformation profiles for performing the color processing to differing degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Kuwahara, Akio Kojima, Haruo Yamashita, Takeshi Ito
  • Patent number: 7990465
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus for capturing a moving image performs backlight correction of an image and outputs a natural image. The imaging apparatus electronically captures an image of a subject. An optical system has a light amount adjustment function. An imaging unit reads an optical image of the subject that is formed by the optical system. An A/D converter subjects an output of the imaging unit to A/D conversion. A backlight correction unit converts the tones of an image read by the A/D converter using a conversion characteristic selected differently according to a spatial position and at least increases the luminance level of a dark region of the image. An instruction unit instructs to start backlight correction. A control unit operates the backlight correction unit based on an instruction signal output from the instruction unit, and decreases an exposure light amount of the optical system by a predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Haruo Yamashita, Takeshi Ito, Daisuke Sato
  • Patent number: 7957590
    Abstract: An aim of the invention is to achieve an image processing method that performs color information correction of an image more naturally with a simple configuration. The image processing method of the invention is an image processing method that performs color information correction of image data that have been input, and includes an information calculation step (S11), a characteristic calculation step (S12), a color information correction step (S13), and an output step (S14). The information calculation step (S11) calculates the color information of the image data. The characteristic calculation step (S12) calculates the visual characteristic information in accordance with the color information. The color information correction step (S13) corrects the color information based on the visual characteristic information that is calculated in the characteristic calculation step (S12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsumi Watanabe, Yasuhiro Kuwahara, Akio Kojima, Haruo Yamashita, Toshiharu Kurosawa
  • Publication number: 20110128438
    Abstract: The first color gamut conversion unit 102 limits, in a visually natural manner, an output signal to a signal within a range of the DCI color gamut through well-known color gamut conversion processing when there is a color region exceeding the DCI color gamut, the output signal being obtained through the imaging by the imaging unit 101 and represented by the primaries (R, G, and B) determined by a color filter of an image sensor of the camera. It is to be noted that a color gamut conversion technique may be any technique which can limit a color gamut such as gamut conversion processing (Non Patent Literature: “Fundamentals of Color Reproduction Engineering”, Corona Publishing Co., Ltd., pp. 178-180).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Publication date: June 2, 2011
    Inventors: Haruo Yamashita, Yasuhiro Kuwahara, Takeshi Ito
  • Publication number: 20110122148
    Abstract: It is possible to inhibit side effects even when an image that has sharp edge regions has been input, using a spatial processing portion (10) outputting surrounding image information US from an input image signal, a control signal generation portion (40) outputting an effect adjustment signal MOD according to a degree of flatness of an edge proximal region, and an effect adjustment portion (20) outputting a synthesized signal MUS that is synthesized by changing a ratio of the image signal IS and the surrounding image information US according to the effect adjustment signal MOD. Further, the side effects are inhibited using a visual processing portion (30) visually processing the image signal IS based on the synthesized signal MUS and the image signal IS.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Inventors: Takeshi Ito, Haruo Yamashita, Yusuke Monobe
  • Publication number: 20110115829
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an image display apparatus that can display high-quality images, and its controlling apparatus. A backlight section (20) has a plurality of light sources which are disposed such that a plurality of light emitting areas are formed, and in which a light emission brightness value is controlled per light emitting area. A liquid crystal panel (10) displays an image by modulating light from the backlight section (20) according to an input image signal. A brightness estimating section (42) acquires an arriving light brightness signal indicating a brightness value of light arriving at a pixel of interest in the liquid crystal panel (10). An image correcting section (44) corrects the modulation factor corresponding to the brightness value of the input image signal for the pixel of interest, based on the acquired arriving light brightness signal and input image signals for the pixel of interest and surrounding pixels of the pixel of interest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi ITO, Haruo YAMASHITA