Camera Image Stabilization Patents (Class 348/208.99)
  • Patent number: 10298281
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to methods, apparatuses and systems involving establishing communication with wireless devices. According to an example embodiment, a system comprises orientation circuitry configured and arranged to obtain orientation data indicative of a physical orientation of the user, a communication circuit configured and arranged to wirelessly communicate data with a plurality of wireless devices, and processor circuitry. The processor circuitry is configured and arranged to: determine a direction of interest using the orientation data, select a wireless device from the plurality wireless devices based on the direction of interest, the selection being based on information indicating a location of the user relative to the plurality of wireless devices, and establish communication between the system and the selected wireless device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B. V.
    Inventor: Kai Neumann
  • Patent number: 10284781
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an image sensor configured to perform photoelectric conversion on a subject image formed by an optical system, a first driving actuator configured to cause translation and a rotational movement of the image sensor, a first angular velocity detector configured to detect a first rotation angular velocity, a second angular velocity detector configured to detect a second rotation angular velocity, a third angular velocity detector configured to detect a third rotation angular velocity, and an image blur correction control unit configured to control the first driving actuator so that the first driving actuator causes both the translation and the rotational movement, on the basis of a first rotation angular velocity, a second rotation angular velocity, a third rotation angular velocity, an optical center position of the optical system and a rotation center position of the image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Tanaka, Hitoshi Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 10268048
    Abstract: A projector that projects image light on a projection surface and including a light modulator that modulates light emitted from a light source to form the image light, an optical path deflecting section that changes the projection direction of the image light modulated with the light modulator, a projection system that projects the image light outputted from the optical path deflecting section on the projection surface, a vibration detecting section that detects vibration acting on the projector, and an optical path deflection controlling section that controls the amount of change in the projection direction deflected by the optical path deflecting section based on the vibration detected by the vibration detection section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Nonaka, Hirofumi Kasuga
  • Patent number: 10261335
    Abstract: The present invention provides a lens driving device with a shaking correction function, which does not need magnets for position detection and also cannot reduce driving force during swinging. The lens driving device is configured as follows: a square frame shaped magnet support, each magnet is a cylinder in an isosceles trapezoid shape and is mounted in a corresponding corner in a manner that its long base faces the center of the magnet support, one or two X-direction magnetic force detection mechanisms have detection sensitivity for X-axis direction components of magnetic induction intensity and are mounted on the outer side of the corresponding magnets in a Y-axis direction, and one or two Y-direction magnetic force detection mechanisms have detection sensitivity for Y-axis direction components of magnetic induction intensity and are mounted on the outer side of the corresponding magnets in an X-axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignees: HUIZHOU DAYAWAN EVER BRIGHT ELECTRONIC INDUSTRY CO, JSS OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., HUIZHOU DAYA BAY JSS OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kokichi Terajima
  • Patent number: 10257399
    Abstract: An integrated substrate for an anti-shake apparatus defined with an optical axis includes: a substrate, a lens module, an anti-shake apparatus and an image-sensing module. The substrate includes a frame having a predetermined thickness. The frame includes a first surface, a second surface, a first circuit layout, and a second circuit layout. The lens module is located above the substrate on the optical axis. The anti-shake apparatus is furnished between the lens module and the substrate. The image-sensing module has an active side and an inactive side, and the inactive side is furnished onto the second surface. The active side is located on the optical axis in a manner of facing the lens module. The anti-shake apparatus is coupled to the first circuit layout, while the image-sensing module is coupled to the second circuit layout. The first and second circuit layouts comprise a plurality of first and second metal leads, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: TDK Taiwan Corp.
    Inventors: Chih Chien Hsu, Choa Chang Hu, Wen Chang Lin
  • Patent number: 10242460
    Abstract: Information is acquired to contribute to determining the existence of at least one of an attachment anomaly in attachment of an imaging unit to a car and an attachment anomaly in attachment of a predetermined fixed object to the car. An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit and an image processor. The imaging unit captures an image of the surroundings of the car. The image processor detects continuous variation of a predetermined subject appearing in at least one predetermined region that is a portion of the entire region of the image captured by the imaging unit. The image processor makes a determination of whether an attachment anomaly exists based on the continuous variation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventor: Yasushi Koshiba
  • Patent number: 10218909
    Abstract: A method includes acquiring an angular velocity signal, calculating an angular displacement according to the angular velocity signal, generating a compensation value according to a frequency corresponding to the angular velocity signal and the angular displacement, and controlling an optical image stabilization (OIS) system to align an optical axis of a camera of the camera device according to the compensation value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: HTC Corporation
    Inventor: Wen-Hsiang Yu
  • Patent number: 10200630
    Abstract: Image capturing apparatuses having an exposure control unit configured to execute exposure control by changing at least one of parameters of an aperture value, an accumulation period of a charge in an image sensor, and an amplification amount of a signal output by the image sensor; and a generation unit configured to generate aperture control information related to a change in the aperture value in the exposure control are included. In a case where an aperture value is changed in accordance with a luminance change of an object, the generation unit generates the aperture control information with which, with respect to a specific aperture value which is settable, an actual aperture value discretely changes. In the case where an aperture value is changed in accordance with the luminance change of the object, on the basis of the aperture control information, the exposure control unit discretely changes the aperture value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takamichi Nakata
  • Patent number: 10194072
    Abstract: A communication system provides for automated detection, and resolution, of focus hunt. A server determines whether a predetermined number of blur metric transition (BMT) cycles, associated with a video stream, have occurred within a predetermined period of time or number of frames. In response to determining that the predetermined number of BMT cycles have occurred, the server determines that focus hunt has occurred. A BMT occurs when first and second blur metrics, determined for first and second video frames, transition from being greater than a blur metric threshold to being less than the threshold, or vice versa. In turn, a BMT cycle occurs when a BMT, of a first BMT and a second BMT, comprises a transition of blur metrics from less than the threshold to greater than the threshold and the other BMT comprises a transition of blur metrics from greater than the threshold to less than the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Inventors: Irina Kleyman, Tyrone D. Bekiares, Hinrich A. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 10180584
    Abstract: An anti-shake mechanism for a lens includes a movable mechanism that is disposed between a base and a cover and that can move relative to the base and the cover, where a sensor for sensing a displacement of the movable mechanism is disposed on the cover, a drive coil is disposed on the base opposite to a front side of the movable mechanism, a drive magnet set opposite to the drive coil is disposed on the movable mechanism, a ball that enables the movable mechanism to move relative to the base in a manner of keeping a distance from the base is disposed between the base and the movable mechanism, and a floating magnet capable of mutually attracting the drive magnet is disposed on a back side of the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: UNION OPTECH CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Junqiang Gong
  • Patent number: 10168545
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a lens driving device which includes a lens holder defining an optical axis and being for holding a lens; a first AF coil disposed with respect to the lens holder; an OIS coil structure having two coils respectively disposed by two sides of the lens holder on a first plane having a normal direction parallel to the optical axis; two magnets respectively disposed with respect to the respective coils and having a first surface facing the first AF coil and a second surface facing the OIS coil structure; and a circuit structure connected electrically to the OIS coil structure and taking control thereof. At least one of the two magnets and the first AF coil cooperate to drive the lens holder along the optical axis, and each of the two magnets and the OIS coil structure cooperate to drive the lens holder along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: TDK TAIWAN CORP.
    Inventors: Chao-Chang Hu, Shu-Shan Chen, Cheng-Kai Yu, Yu-Hao Kuan
  • Patent number: 10171739
    Abstract: An image pickup device includes an optical system including a plurality of lenses, an imaging element that captures a subject image formed by the optical system, and a peripheral light quantity correction unit that corrects peripheral light quantity of an image captured by the imaging element. The image pickup device also includes a shake detector that detects shake of the image pickup device, and a drive controller that moves at least one of (i) the plurality of lenses and (ii) the imaging element on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis in response to an output signal of the shake detector to correct the shake. The peripheral light quantity correction unit extracts a predetermined frequency component of the shake and changes a correction amount of the peripheral light quantity in response to the predetermined frequency component of the shake.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Honjo, Yasuo Amano, Yasuhiro Shingu
  • Patent number: 10154200
    Abstract: An imager module for a vehicle is disclosed. The imager module comprises an imager configured to capture image data over a plurality of image frames based on incoming light in a field of view and an optic device configured to control a transmission of the incoming light. The module comprises a controller configured to identify an exposure time for the imager based on environmental lighting conditions and adjust the exposure time by a flicker mitigation period. The adjustment of the exposure time mitigates an appearance of a periodic light source in the image data. The controller is further configured to control the transmission of the optic device to control the transmission of the incoming light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: GENTEX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brock R. Rycenga, Benjamin B. Hilldore, Barry K. Nelson
  • Patent number: 10142546
    Abstract: A shake-correction device for a photographing apparatus, which photographs an object image projected onto an imaging surface, includes a mover provided with a movable member, the mover configured to rotate at least one of the object image and the imaging surface relative to a plane orthogonal to the optical axis, and to translate parallel to the plane that is orthogonal to the optical axis and translate in a translation direction parallel to the optical axis; a shake detector configured to detect an angular shake of the photographing apparatus in the rotational direction and detect a shift shake of the photographing apparatus in the translation directions; and a movement controller configured to control movement of the mover so that the object image does not relatively move with respect to the imaging surface when the shake detector detects at least one of the angular shake and the shift shake.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Eiichi Ito
  • Patent number: 10126633
    Abstract: Folded camera modules in which the camera module height is determined by a folded lens module diameter and by the lens module movement in a direction perpendicular to the lens optical axis, and dual-aperture cameras including such folded camera modules. A folded camera module includes OIS and AF actuators having dimensions smaller than the camera module height and therefore not adding to the camera module height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Corephotonics Ltd.
    Inventors: Gal Avivi, Gal Shabtay, Ephraim Goldenberg
  • Patent number: 10114454
    Abstract: In various embodiments, methods and systems for reprojecting images based on a velocity depth late stage reprojection process are provided. A reprojection engine supports reprojecting images based on an optimized late stage reprojection process that is performed based on both depth data and velocity data. Image data and corresponding depth and velocity data of the image data is received. A determination of an adjustment to be made to the image is made. The determination is made based on motion data, the depth data and the velocity data. The motion data corresponds to a device associated with displaying the image data. The velocity data supports determining calculated correction distances for portions of the image data. The image data is adjusted based on the determined adjustment. Adjusting the image data is based on integrating depth-data-based translation and velocity-data-based motion correction, into a single pass implementation, to adjust the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Michael George Boulton, Ashraf Ayman Michail, Gerhard Albert Schneider, Yang You
  • Patent number: 10084962
    Abstract: A method includes identifying a frame of a spherical video as a key frame, storing a compensation component based on position data of a camera in association with the key frame, and compensating for a movement of the camera in a subsequent frame of the spherical video based on the key frame and the compensation component associated with the key frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Anil Christopher Kokaram, Husain Bengali, Neil Aylon Charles Birkbeck, Sasi Inguva
  • Patent number: 10083509
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for calibrating an image from a camera mounted on a vehicle using camera pose parameter determined from information relating to suspension level from a suspension system of the vehicle. The difference in the suspension level compared with a suspension level datum can be determined and an adjustment to the camera pose parameter values can be obtained from the difference in the suspension level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Application Solutions (Electronics and Vision) Ltd.
    Inventors: Wolfgang Fey, Eric Hantsch, Vaclav Mocek, Gideon Reade, Ian Saward, Ravikanth Uppara, Dave Weller
  • Patent number: 10075633
    Abstract: A camera module having an image sensor and an optical system having at least one lens includes a memory storing information regarding aberration characteristics of the camera module affecting a resolution of the camera module, and the information regarding aberration characteristics comprises information estimated in advance by comparing an image generated by the camera module with a reference image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hyun Kim
  • Patent number: 10070067
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and media for extracting information and a display image from two captured images are provided, in some embodiments, systems for extracting information and a display image from two captured images are provided, the systems comprising: a rolling shutter sensor; and a hardware processor coupled to the rolling shutter sensor that is configured to: cause the rolling shutter sensor to capture two captured images; receive the two captured images; and extract the information, and the display image from the two captured images, wherein the information is represented in the captured images as a flicker pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kensei Jo, Mohit Gupta, Shree K. Nayar
  • Patent number: 10063735
    Abstract: An image file management method is applied to an image storage device. A plurality of image files is stored in the image storage device. The image file management method includes setting a first score of each image file according to a file size of each image file, setting a second score of each image file according to a storage time of each image file, and performing selective deletion of each image file according to the first score and the second score of each image file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: VIVOTEK INC.
    Inventors: Chea-Ping Chen, Shih-Wu FanJiang
  • Patent number: 10054759
    Abstract: An apparatus for auto focus with a three-location supporting structure includes a first frame having a magnet; a second frame having an AF coil, configured to move the first frame in an optic-axial direction; and a plurality of balls located between the first frame and the second frame to maintain a spaced state of the first frame and the second frame, wherein among the plurality of balls, three balls have a greater size than the other balls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: JAHWA ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Il Kyu Kang, Hee Seung Kim, In Soo Kim
  • Patent number: 10054800
    Abstract: A lens drive apparatus includes a damper compound that is disposed between at least one protrusion and a fixed member and that suppresses undesired resonance of an auto-focusing lens driving section in a direction of an optical axis. The at least one protrusion protrudes from a magnet holder in the direction of the optical axis toward the fixed member and is inserted into at least one hole of a leaf spring provided to the auto-focusing lens driving section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUMI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Keiichi Sato, Makoto Ariji, Masayoshi Sugawara, Akihiro Moriya
  • Patent number: 10038849
    Abstract: An imaging device includes an optical system including a plurality of lenses, an imaging element that images a subject image formed by the optical system, a shake detector that detects a shake of the imaging device, a lens driving controller that moves one of the plurality of lenses on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis based on an output signal from the shake detector to correct the shake, an imaging element driver that moves the imaging element on the plane perpendicular to the optical axis, an imaging controller that causes the imaging element to perform an imaging operation to obtain image data, and an image processor that performs a plural number of the imaging operations while moving the imaging element by a predetermined amount and synthesizes a plurality of obtained images to generate a synthesis image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Mangement Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mikio Sakurai
  • Patent number: 10036897
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include a camera lens optical image stabilization suspension assembly having a support member, a moving member movably coupled to the support member, and smart metal alloy wires coupled between the support and moving members. The moving member includes flexure arms that have integrated conductive traces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
    Inventors: Peter F. Ladwig, Mark A. Miller
  • Patent number: 10033926
    Abstract: A processing device collects depth data for frames in a sequence of images of a video stream being provided by a source device to a target device as part of a communication session. The depth data is created by a depth aware camera of the source device. The processing device maps, using the depth data, feature locations of the features of an object in a frame to feature locations of the features of the object in other frames, determines overlapping frame sections between the frames using the mapped feature locations, modifies, in the sequence of images, a set of images corresponding to the frames based on the overlapping frame sections to create a stabilized stream of images for the video stream, and provides the stabilized stream of images in the video stream as part of the communication session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Gregory M Burgess, Thor Carpenter
  • Patent number: 9996907
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes: an IS unit that corrects blurring during exposure by driving a lens or an image pickup device based on a blur amount detected by a blur detecting unit; an alignment processing section that calculates a correlation value for arbitrary two images among image data of a plural images obtained by consecutive photographing; a combination processing section that aligns and combines image data of the two images based on the correlation value; and a microcomputer that is capable of setting a consecutive photographing combination mode. In a case where the consecutive photographing combination mode is set, the IS unit restricts an image stabilization range during live view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Tatsuya Kino
  • Patent number: 9973698
    Abstract: A method of determining stability of a camera comprises capturing an image with the camera and then (A) determining a magnitude of motion for each region of a current sub-division of the image. A step (B) then determines a number of the magnitudes of motion not larger than a magnitude threshold associated with the current sub-division, and where the determined number is greater than or equal to a region threshold associated with the number of regions in the current sub-division, (i) determining the camera to be stable, or otherwise (ii) dividing the current sub-division of the image into a further sub-division and repeating steps (A) and (B) upon the further sub-division.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kashia
    Inventors: Quang Tuan Pham, Amit Kumar Gupta
  • Patent number: 9973688
    Abstract: A method for using a telescoping monopod apparatus to capture an image including synchronizing a photographic instrument with the telescoping monopod apparatus, attaching the photographic instrument to the telescoping monopod apparatus, determining that the photographic instrument is in an image-capturing mode, extracting, by the image-capturing mode, a humanoid feature, detecting that the humanoid feature comprises a cutoff, adjusting a position of the photographic instrument using the telescoping monopod apparatus, and capturing an adjusted image using the photographic instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Intellectual Fortress, LLC
    Inventors: Kevin Hwading Chu, Xiran Wang, Yangyang Chen
  • Patent number: 9930259
    Abstract: A camera system including an interchangeable lens and a camera body, in which the camera body includes: a Roll blur correction range setting unit that sets a blur correction range in Roll directions of the camera body to be ?1 when the interchangeable lens mounted on the camera body cannot perform blur correction (in the Pitch directions and the Yaw directions) or that sets the range to be ?2 (??1) when the interchangeable lens can perform blur correction; a Pitch-Yaw blur correction range setting unit that sets blur correction ranges in the Pitch and Yaw directions of the camera on the basis of the set blur correction range in the Roll direction; and a blur correction ratio calculation unit that calculates a blur correction ratio of each of the interchangeable lens and the camera body when both of them perform blur correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kento Koyano
  • Patent number: 9930223
    Abstract: Disclosed are an apparatus and method for controlling auto focus of a camera module. The present invention includes a lens unit, a moving coil, a fixed coil, and a controller configured to provide a signal comprising first frequency signal and second frequency signal to the moving coil, the fixed coil receiving a variable current or a variable voltage through the second frequency signal, calculate a focus location value based on the received variable current or variable voltage and an image signal, and control the lens unit to move by applying the first frequency signal to the moving coil according to the calculated focus location value, the second frequency signal is higher than the first frequency signal and is comprised of the signal during a prescribed time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Haejin Park, Sungdu Kwon, Youngman Kwon, Jayong Lee, Taegil Cho, Salkmann Ji, Samnyol Hong
  • Patent number: 9910241
    Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein relates to an imaging module comprising an electromagnetic actuator to provide focus-related and image stabilization-related functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Hong Kong Applied Science & Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kowk Sing Cheng, Kin Ming Fan, Chuen Kuen Yeung
  • Patent number: 9883098
    Abstract: Disclosed are an apparatus and method for controlling auto focus of a camera module. The present invention includes a lens unit, a moving coil, a fixed coil, and a controller configured to provide a signal comprising first frequency signal and second frequency signal to the moving coil, the fixed coil receiving the variable current or the variable voltage through the second frequency signal, calculate a focus position value based on the received variable current or the variable voltage and an image signal, and control the lens unit to move by applying the first frequency signal to the moving coil according to the calculated focus position value, wherein the controller is further configured to detect a temperature change of the fixed coil and to correct a focus position of the lens unit corresponding to the detected temperature change of the fixed coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Haejin Park, Sungdu Kwon, Youngman Kwon, Jayong Lee, Taegil Cho, Salkmann Ji, Samnyol Hong
  • Patent number: 9874932
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a method to display video such as computer-rendered animation or other video. The method includes assembling a sequence of video frames featuring a moving object, each video frame including a plurality of subframes sequenced for display according to a schedule. The method also includes determining a vector-valued differential velocity of the moving object relative to a head of an observer of the video. At a time scheduled for display of a first subframe of a given frame, first-subframe image content transformed by a first transform is displayed. At a time scheduled for display of the second subframe of the given frame, second-subframe image content transformed by a second transform is displayed. The first and second transforms are computed based on the vector-valued differential velocity to mitigate artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Matthew Calbraith Crisler, Robert Thomas Held, Stephen Latta, Ashraf Ayman Michail, Martin Shetter, Arthur Tomlin
  • Patent number: 9865064
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a division unit configured to divide each of a plurality of frame images into a plurality of regions on a screen; a motion vector detection unit configured to detect a motion vector for each of the divided regions; a separation unit configured to separate a subject vector that indicates motion of a subject from a background vector that indicates motion of a background, based on a panning speed of the apparatus that was detected by a panning detection unit and the motion vector detected by the motion vector detection unit; and an identification unit configured to identify a subject region by weighting the subject vector based on information regarding a distance of the subject that was detected by a distance detection unit for each of the divided regions of the plurality of frame images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroaki Kuchiki
  • Patent number: 9864162
    Abstract: A lens barrel according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes the lens frame which holds the lens, and the holding frame which holds the lens frame in a state where the lens frame is movable in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis. A biasing means which generates a force in the direction that the lens frame is lifted up against the gravity is provided to at least the holding frame out of the holding frame and the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyasu Fujinaka, Tetsuya Uno, Atsushi Hasegawa, Manabu Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9860450
    Abstract: The effect of camera shake in digital video is corrected using signal processing techniques. The digital video is a sequence of digital images. When the sequence of digital images are being captured, movement of the imaging device causes the images to shift on the image sensor of the imaging device and affects the quality of the eventual video. Movement of the imaging device is detected while the video is being captured, and a motion information representing the motion is recorded. A processor determines a correcting filter based on the motion information and user input. The processor modifies the sequence of images captured according to the correcting filter and obtains a final corrected video. Corrected video is displayed in a viewfinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Clear Imaging Research, LLC
    Inventor: Fatih M. Ozluturk
  • Patent number: 9851527
    Abstract: In various embodiments light redirection device positions of one or more optical chains are moved between image capture times while the position of the camera device including the multiple optical chains remains fixed. The sequentially captured images are combined to form a larger image than is captured during a single time period. Multiple optical chains are used in parallel, each with its own image sensor and light redirection device, in some embodiments. Depth information may and in some embodiments is generated and used to combine the images in a manner intended to minimize or avoid parallax distortions in the composite image which is produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Light Labs Inc.
    Inventor: Rajiv Laroia
  • Patent number: 9854170
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to adjusting an image frame based on motion sensor data. An image frame including image data for a plurality of rows of the image frame is captured sequentially row-by-row. Motion sensor data corresponding to the image frame is also captured. Motion vectors describing motion between each row of the image frame are determined based on the motion sensor data. An image data translation is calculated for each row of image frame based on the motion vector for the row. The image frame is adjusted based on the image data translation for each row of the image frame to generate an adjusted image frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Oculus VR, LLC
    Inventors: Dov Katz, Simon Hallam
  • Patent number: 9838605
    Abstract: In a camera system that includes a lens unit and a camera body, the camera body includes a blur correcting unit that performs blur correction in a plurality of directions, and a determining unit that determines whether the lens unit mounted onto the camera body is a lens unit that performs the blur correction in the plurality of directions. When the determining unit determines that the mounted lens unit is the lens unit that performs the blur correction in the plurality of directions, the camera body performs the blur correction in the plurality of directions at a camera body side blur correction ratio, and the lens unit performs the blur correction in the plurality of directions at a lens unit side blur correction ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hitoshi Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 9826185
    Abstract: Provided is a solid-state imaging device including: a pixel array section that pixels which detect a physical quantities are arranged in two dimensions of matrix; an AD converting section that performs AD (Analog-Digital) conversion for a plurality of channels of analog pixel signals which are read-out from the pixel array section; and a control section that sets quantized units AD-converted by the AD conversion section according to a gain setting of the unit pixel signal, wherein the control section determines the grayscale number of digital outputs AD-converted for at least one channel of the unit pixel signals according to the gain setting of the pixel signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Keiji Mabuchi
  • Patent number: 9819866
    Abstract: In a case where an image capturing device is in a first state and, in a state where the image capturing device is attached to a communication apparatus, it is judged that a first operation is performed, wireless communication with the communication apparatus is maintained and an operation state of the image capturing device is caused to make a transition to a second state; in a case where, in the first state and in a state where the image capturing device is not attached to the communication apparatus, it is judged that the first operation is performed, the wireless communication with the communication apparatus is not maintained; and in the first state, image capturing by the image capturing device and communication of data by the wireless communication are possible, and in the second state, power consumption is less than that of the first state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenta Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9813642
    Abstract: A system according to various exemplary embodiments includes a processor and an activity sensor, communication module, digital camera and memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the system to: generate an image via the digital camera; retrieve activity data associated with a user of the system from the activity sensor; modify the image to represent the activity data within the image; and transmit the modified image, using the communication module, to a server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: SNAP INC.
    Inventors: Sirong Chen, Xiaobin He, Youming Li, Zhimin Wang
  • Patent number: 9810971
    Abstract: There is disclosed a compact motorized dolly including an elongated casing incorporating a power source and at least one drive motor, a first circular wheel rotably affixed to the distal end of the elongated casing and the at least one drive motor such that actuation of the at least one drive motor causes the first circular wheel to turn, and a device mount secured to the compact motorized dolly such that a device mounted to the device mount moves along with the compact motorized dolly when the drive motor is activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Inventor: Chi Hoang
  • Patent number: 9794478
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a display section, a capturing section which captures an image at a first viewing angle, a capturing control section which performs a plurality of capturing operations by the capturing section, a generation section which generates a composite image reproducing an image captured at a second viewing angle that is wider than the first viewing angle by combining a plurality of images acquired by the plurality of capturing operations by the capturing control section, and a display control section which displays the composite image generated by the generation section on the display section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kosuke Matsumoto, Naotomo Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 9791661
    Abstract: A lens driving apparatus includes: a movable section including a lens holder, a lens holder moving section, and a driving magnets; a camera-shake correction second coil configured to move the movable section in a second direction and a third direction in cooperation with the driving magnet; wherein the lens holder moving section comprises: a magnet holder; a lower leaf spring; an upper leaf spring; and a damper compound, the damper compound is disposed in the vicinity of the upper leaf spring so as to enclose at least one suspension wire, and the lens holder moves in the first direction in a space having an octagonal shape as viewed in a plane orthogonal to a first direction along an optical axis, the space being defined by the lens holder moving section and the driving magnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUMI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ichiro Hayashi, Yohei Enta
  • Patent number: 9787925
    Abstract: An imaging device including an image sensor; an image data generation portion that generates image data on the basis of output data from the image sensor; a display portion that displays the image data within a display scanning period in a display cycle that is N times the sensor cycle (N>=2); and a display control portion that, when a partial image constituting the image and corresponding to a predetermined one of the lines forming the image has become ready for display on the basis of partial image data constituting the image data and representing the partial image, performs control of causing the display portion to start display of partial images constituting the image and corresponding to one frame, at a rate of once every N iterations of the imaging operation by the image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Ryuichi Shiohara
  • Patent number: 9779777
    Abstract: A frame rate is synchronized to a detected cadence in order to generate an output image sequence that is substantially stabilized. In an in-camera process, a camera receives motion data of the camera while the camera captures the sequence of image frames. A dominant frequency of motion is determined and the capture frame rate is dynamically adjusted to match the frequency of detected motion so that each image frame is captured when the camera is at approximately the same position along the axis of motion. Alternatively, in a post-processing process, frames of a captured image sequence are selectively sampled at a sampling rate corresponding to the dominant frequency of motion so that each sampled frame corresponds to an image capture that occurred when the camera is at approximately the same position along the axis of motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Weckel, Vishwanatha Bhat
  • Patent number: 9778481
    Abstract: A lens drive apparatus includes an image stabilizer portion moves an auto-focusing lens driving portion in first and second directions orthogonal to an optical axis and perpendicular to each other, and the image stabilizer portion includes a fixed member disposed apart from the auto-focusing lens driving portion in a direction of the optical axis, a plurality of suspension wires each comprising an end fixed to the fixed member at an outer region thereof, a narrowing portion that is disposed between the fixed member and the auto-focusing lens driving portion and that narrows part of a gap between the fixed member and the auto-focusing lens driving portion, and a damper compound that is disposed at the narrowed part of the gap between the fixed member and the auto-focusing lens driving portion and that suppress undesired resonance in the direction of the optical axis of the auto-focusing lens driving portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUMI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Keiichi Sato, Makoto Ariji, Masayoshi Sugawara, Akihiro Moriya
  • Patent number: 9756255
    Abstract: A method is provided for obtaining information from a transmission device using an image sensor that includes a plurality of exposure lines. The method includes obtaining image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines each at a different time, starting exposure of a next exposure line before exposure of one exposure line ends, and imaging for a predetermined exposure time. The method also includes obtaining the information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of bright lines that appear in the image data, the bright lines corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines. The method further includes setting the predetermined exposure time so that a relation of tE>tHT is satisfied, where the predetermined exposure time is tE ?s, and a period of high frequency noise of a light source included in the transmission device is tHT ?s.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Hideki Aoyama, Ikuo Fuchigami, Hidehiko Shin, Tsutomu Mukai, Yosuke Matsushita, Shigehiro Iida, Kazunori Yamada