Patents by Inventor Hideaki Kera

Hideaki Kera 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: 8804014
    Abstract: An imaging device includes an imagine lens, an imaging sensor having a color filter array with color filters of a plurality of colors having a plurality of pixels which are arranged on a light-receiving surface, a computing section obtaining a pixel value of an objective pixel by adding pixel values of a plurality of adjacent pixels which are adjacent to the objective pixel and which have one of the color filters of same color as the objective pixel among pixel values output from the imaging sensor, and a control section making the computing section compute, while shifting the objective pixel one by one in one direction, a pixel row formed of pixel values of the objective pixel in the one direction with respect to each predetermined pixel width in other direction, and generating an image thinned out at the predetermined pixel width in the other direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Hideaki Kera
  • Patent number: 8797438
    Abstract: In an imaging apparatus adding image signals output from a sensor array which receives a light flux through an optical system and performs photoelectric conversion thereon, the sensor array being arranged a plurality of light receiving elements two-dimensionally, the imaging apparatus includes a pixel adding unit that divides the light receiving elements on the sensor array into a plurality of groups with a region including predetermined types of pixels as a group unit, and that adds, for each of the types of pixels, image signals output from the pixels included in four of the groups which are positioned ā€œnā€ groups away from each other on the sensor array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Hideaki Kera
  • Patent number: 7791654
    Abstract: In order to halt smear sweep-out in a case where the effects of smear charge are considered minor, it is determined whether the shutter is a high-speed shutter when a shutter-release button is pressed. If the shutter is not the high-speed shutter, a CCD is exposed and signal charge accumulates in the photodiodes of the CCD. Smear charge is swept out before the signal charge is shifted from the photodiodes to vertical transfer lines. The signal charge is thenceforth transferred to the vertical transfer lines and a video signal is output from the CCD. In the case of the high-speed shutter, smear sweep-out is halted and charge is shifted from the photodiodes to the vertical transfer lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Hideaki Kera
  • Publication number: 20100208124
    Abstract: In an imaging apparatus adding image signals output from a sensor array which receives a light flux through an optical system and performs photoelectric conversion thereon, the sensor array being arranged a plurality of light receiving elements two-dimensionally, the imaging apparatus includes a pixel adding unit that divides the light receiving elements on the sensor array into a plurality of groups with a region including predetermined types of pixels as a group unit, and that adds, for each of the types of pixels, image signals output from the pixels included in four of the groups which are positioned ā€œnā€ groups away from each other on the sensor array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hideaki KERA
  • Publication number: 20100194939
    Abstract: An imaging device includes an imagine lens, an imaging sensor having a color filter array with color filters of a plurality of colors having a plurality of pixels which are arranged on a light-receiving surface, a computing section obtaining a pixel value of an objective pixel by adding pixel values of a plurality of adjacent pixels which are adjacent to the objective pixel and which have one of the color filters of same color as the objective pixel among pixel values output from the imaging sensor, and a control section making the computing section compute, while shifting the objective pixel one by one in one direction, a pixel row formed of pixel values of the objective pixel in the one direction with respect to each predetermined pixel width in other direction, and generating an image thinned out at the predetermined pixel width in the other direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hideaki KERA
  • Publication number: 20070263117
    Abstract: In order to halt smear sweep-out in a case where the effects of smear charge are considered minor, it is determined whether the shutter is a high-speed shutter when a shutter-release button is pressed. If the shutter is not the high-speed shutter, a CCD is exposed and signal charge accumulates in the photodiodes of the CCD. Smear charge is swept out before the signal charge is shifted from the photodiodes to vertical transfer lines. The signal charge is thenceforth transferred to the vertical transfer lines and a video signal is output from the CCD. In the case of the high-speed shutter, smear sweep-out is halted and charge is shifted from the photodiodes to the vertical transfer lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2007
    Publication date: November 15, 2007
    Inventor: Hideaki Kera