With Exposure Objective Focusing Means, Focusing Aid, Or Rangefinding Means Patents (Class 396/89)
  • Patent number: 11930269
    Abstract: A lens apparatus attachable to an image pickup apparatus includes an imaging optical system, and a communicator configured to communicate with the image pickup apparatus. The communicator transmits to the image pickup apparatus first information used to calculate a depth of field and second information used to normalize the depth of field into a display format of a display unit of the image pickup apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Fuya Mizuochi
  • Patent number: 11908100
    Abstract: Artefacts in a sequence of image frames may be reduced or eliminated through modification of an input image frame to match another image frame in the sequence, such as by geometrically warping to generate a corrected image frame with a field of view matched to another frame in sequence of frames with the image frame. The warping may be performed based on a model generated from data regarding the multi-sensor device. The disparity between image frames may be modeled based on image captures from the first and second image sensor for scenes at varying depths. The model may be used to predict disparity values for captured images, and those predicted disparity values used to reduce artefacts resulting from image sensor switching. The predicted disparity values may be used in image conditions resulting in erroneous actual disparity values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Shizhong Liu, Jincheng Huang, Weiliang Liu, Jianfeng Ren, Sahul Madanayakanahalli Phaniraj Venkatesh
  • Patent number: 11892704
    Abstract: A lens device including a lens barrel, a lens, a linear reciprocating motion mechanism, and a power machine is provided. The lens is disposed in the lens barrel. The linear reciprocating motion mechanism includes a first movable part and a second movable part. The first movable part is coupled to the lens barrel. The second movable part is coupled to the first movable part. The power machine is coupled to the second movable part to drive the second movable part to rotate, thereby driving the first movable part, and the first movable part drives the lens barrel to perform a linear reciprocating motion, wherein when the second movable part is rotated by N turns, the first movable part is rotated by one turn, and N is greater than or equal to 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Young Optics Inc.
    Inventors: Yi-Feng Yen, Chia-Chang Lee
  • Patent number: 11863903
    Abstract: A flexure assembly operable to control variation of the displacement between a detector and a lensing arrangement along the optical axis of a camera so as to vary camera focus, and a camera incorporating such a flexure assembly. In some embodiments, the flexure assembly provides for precise control of linear displacement along the optical axis and minimal displacement along other axes or modes. A flexure assembly can additionally be relatively lightweight in construction. In some embodiments, the flexure assembly comprises one or more flexure elements adapted to permit movement along a movement axis and resist movement along axes other than the movement axis. In some embodiments, the movement axis of the or each flexure element is aligned with the optical axis of a corresponding lensing assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Thermoteknix Systems Ltd.
    Inventors: Richard S. Salisbury, Alex Buckingham
  • Patent number: 11852893
    Abstract: A prism apparatus, and a camera and an image display apparatus including the same are disclosed. The prism apparatus includes: a first prism configured to reflect input light toward a first reflected direction, a first actuator configured to change an angle of the first prism about a first rotation axis to change the first reflected direction based on a first control signal, a second prism configured to reflect the light reflected from the first prism toward a second reflected direction, and a second actuator configured to change an angle of the second prism about a second rotation axis to change the second reflected direction based on a second control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Hyungjoo Kang, Kwanhyung Kim, Dongryeol Lee, Jayong Lee, Jongwoo Jeong
  • Patent number: 11825181
    Abstract: Provided is a system with image sensors combination, including: a plurality of image sensors located in a same semiconductor chip package; and a controller for controlling the plurality of image sensors to operate in coordination, wherein each image sensor includes: a plurality of photosensitive pixel cells to be simultaneously exposed to generate analog photosensitive signals; an analog-to-digital converters for converting the analog photosensitive signals generated by the plurality of photosensitive pixel cells into image sensor signals; and a timing circuit for controlling the generation, readout, and transmission of electrical signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: RAYZ TECHNOLOGIES CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Ruxin Chen, Detao Du
  • Patent number: 11803978
    Abstract: A method of generating a composite image from multiple images captured for a subject is disclosed. In some embodiments, the method may include receiving, via an image capturing device, a plurality of sets of images of at least a portion of a subject. The images within a set of images may be captured at a plurality of vertical positions with respect to an associated fixed section of a horizontal plane. The method may further include generating a plurality of focus-stacked images corresponding to the plurality of sets of images, for example, by combining the images in the associated set of images. The method may further include aligning the plurality of focus-stacked images in the horizontal plane based on a horizontal coordinate transformation model to generate a composite image representing the subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: L&T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES LIMITED
    Inventors: Sunil Kv, Kasthuri Thiyagarajan, Arangarajan P, Gineesh Sukumaran, Karthigeyan S
  • Patent number: 11785197
    Abstract: A stereoscopic video playback device is provided that processes original stereoscopic image pairs taken using parallel-axis cameras and provided for viewing under original viewing conditions by scaling and cropping to provide new viewing condition stereoscopic video on a single screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Inventor: Nicholas Routhier
  • Patent number: 11769383
    Abstract: A video collection system collects and sends metadata related to video data such that recording may be triggered and tagged. The video collection system utilizes a mobile broadband network (such as a cellular network) to send metadata, receive triggers, and perform other functions while the video collection system is in the field. The video collection system broadly comprises a plurality of video cameras and a video collection manager. The video cameras each include a mobile broadband modem or other wireless communication element for sending metadata messages. In some embodiments the mobile broadband modem may also send still images, audio data, and video data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Digital Ally, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven L. Phillips, James W. Farnham, IV
  • Patent number: 11770620
    Abstract: Provided are a method and an apparatus for adjusting an exposure time of a camera and a device, where the method includes: controlling the camera to collect an imaging light spot of an imaging component with a first exposure time; obtaining an energy value received when the camera collecting the imaging light spot; if the energy value is not within a set energy range, adjusting a duration of the first exposure time according to a relationship between the energy value and the energy range to update the first exposure time. The technical solution provided in the present disclosure can adjust the exposure time of the camera to a reasonable value so as to improve the accuracy and reliability of light spot analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: GOER OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xinxin Han, Nanjing Dong, Debo Sun
  • Patent number: 11756221
    Abstract: Image processing performed on images captured with image capture devices may be used to improve upon some of the problems with images captured from devices, including images captured from devices with larger aperture lenses, and, in some particular examples, mobile devices with larger aperture lenses. Multiple images may be captured by the capture device and processing applied to generate a single image through fusing of the multiple images. One potential benefit obtained with fusion of multiple images is a single image with an effective depth of focus (DOF) larger than that available in a single image obtained from the capture device. The DOF of the fused image may be larger than a single image and/or may include multiple distinct in-focus focal distances, whereas a single image from a single capture device has only a single in-focus focal distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Wen-Chun Feng, Hsuan-Ming Liu, Yu-Ren Lai
  • Patent number: 11754850
    Abstract: A prism apparatus, and a camera and an image display apparatus including the same are disclosed. The prism apparatus includes: a first prism configured to reflect input light toward a first reflected direction, a first actuator configured to change an angle of the first prism about a first rotation axis to change the first reflected direction based on a first control signal, a second prism configured to reflect the light reflected from the first prism toward a second reflected direction, and a second actuator configured to change an angle of the second prism about a second rotation axis to change the second reflected direction based on a second control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jayong Lee, Hyungjoo Kang, Kwanhyung Kim, Dongryeol Lee
  • Patent number: 11711629
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup device and an electronic apparatus by which a phase-difference detection pixel that avoids defects such as lowering of sensitivity to incident light and lowering of phase-difference detection accuracy can be realized. A solid-state image pickup device as a first aspect of the present disclosure is a solid-state image pickup device in which a normal pixel that generates a pixel signal of an image and a phase-difference detection pixel that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of a phase-difference signal for controlling an image-surface phase difference AF function are arranged in a mixed manner, in which, in the phase-difference detection pixel, a shared on-chip lens for condensing incident light to a photoelectric converter that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of the phase-difference signal is formed for every plurality of adjacent phase-difference detection pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Sozo Yokogawa, Isao Hirota
  • Patent number: 11637504
    Abstract: A power electronics converter includes a carrier substrate, and a converter commutation cell including a power circuit. The power circuit includes a power semiconductor switching element. The power semiconductor switching element is comprised in a power semiconductor prepackage. The power semiconductor prepackage includes a power semiconductor switching element embedded in a solid insulating material, and an electrical connection extending from a terminal of the power semiconductor switching element through the solid insulating material to an electrical connection side of the power semiconductor prepackage. The power electronics converter includes a heat sink arranged to remove heat from the power semiconductor prepackage. The power electronics converter includes a thermal interface layer arranged between the heat removal side of the power semiconductor prepackage and the heat sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventors: Uwe Waltrich, Stanley Buchert, Marco Bohlländer, Claus Müller
  • Patent number: 11630247
    Abstract: A focus tunable optical system includes a lens assembly. The lens assembly includes: focus tunable lenses (FTLs) coaxially disposed along an optical axis, each FTL contributing to an optical power of the lens assembly; and a controller configured to control the optical power of the lens assembly by applying to each FTL a respective control signal, thereby generating a periodic optical response of the respective FTL. The optical response of each FTL is substantially different from the optical response of any other FTL of the plurality of FTLs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hector Navarro Fructuoso, Panji Setiawan
  • Patent number: 11622062
    Abstract: A ruggedized miniaturized infrared camera system for harsh environments has an infrared camera module that is connected to a ruggedized camera mount. The camera mount has a body and a lens clamp that clamps the camera lens to the body. The camera mount and military-spec fasteners cooperate to mechanically secure the camera module from vibrations. An interface bracket is attached to the camera mount and has a central opening. A signal connector is attached to the exterior side of the bracket and configured to carry USB2 signals. Conductive pins of the signal connector extend through the central opening and are electrically coupled to a circuit board that is adjacent to the interior side of the bracket. An electrically non-conductive spacer is within the central opening and interposed between the signal connector and circuit board. Heat-conductive epoxy secures the circuit board from vibrations and creates thermal bonds that passively remove heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA
    Inventors: Jonathan Eugene Pryor, Jeremy Dwight Myers, Jarret Carl Bone, Brent L. Beabout
  • Patent number: 11543567
    Abstract: An embodiment of a camera module includes a holder configured such that the upper and lower portions of the holder are open and such that a first hole and a second hole, opposite to the first hole, are formed in the side surface of the holder, a first lens unit coupled to the upper portion of the holder, a second lens unit coupled to the lower portion of the holder, and a liquid lens disposed in the first hole and the second hole of the holder between the first lens unit and the second lens unit, the liquid lens protruding outward from the side surface of the holder, wherein at least a portion of the liquid lens may be spaced apart from the inner surface of the holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seung Ryong Park, Jung Shik Baik
  • Patent number: 11533437
    Abstract: An imaging element includes: a memory that stores captured image data obtained by imaging a subject at a first frame rate; an image processing circuit that performs processing on the captured image data; and an output circuit that outputs output image data obtained by performing the processing on the captured image data to an exterior of the imaging element at a second frame rate, wherein the image processing circuit performs cut-out processing with respect to one frame of the captured image data, the cut-out processing including cutting out partial image data indicating an image of a part of the subject in the captured image data from a designated address in the memory, the output image data includes image data based on the partial image data that is cut out from the captured image data, and the first frame rate is a frame rate higher than the second frame rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi Sakurabu, Ryo Hasegawa, Tomoyuki Kawai
  • Patent number: 11480760
    Abstract: A lens assembly includes a lens body, a first lens, a second lens, a third lens and a fourth lens, wherein the lens body includes a lens barrel, and the first lens, the second lens, the third lens and the fourth lens are fixed in the lens body in order from an object side to an image side along an optical axis. The first lens is closest to the object side and includes an object side surface, the object side surface is protruded along the optical axis, the first lens further includes a first portion close to the object side and a second portion close to the image side, and a diameter of the first portion is smaller than a diameter of the second portion so that a step is formed between the first portion and the second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignees: SINTAI OPTICAL (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD., ASIA OPTICAL CO., INC.
    Inventors: Guo-Quan Lin, Hsi-Ling Chang, Bo-Yan Chen, Ming-Huang Tseng, Guo-Yang Wu
  • Patent number: 11461390
    Abstract: Example systems and methods for automated cover song identification are disclosed. An example apparatus includes memory, and one or more processors to execute instructions to identify query audio from a content source based on a search query using rights metadata associated with the query audio, execute a constant Q transform on query time slices of the query audio, binarize the constant Q transformed query time slices, execute a two-dimensional Fourier transform on query time windows within the binarized and constant Q transformed query time slices to generate two-dimensional Fourier transforms of the query time windows, generate a query data structure based on a sequential order of the two-dimensional Fourier transforms, select a subset including reference audio of a reference database based on the rights metadata, and identify the query audio as a cover rendition of the reference audio based on a comparison between the query and reference data structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Markus K. Cremer, Zafar Rafii, Robert Coover, Prem Seetharaman
  • Patent number: 11431955
    Abstract: A method for providing imagery to a user on a display includes receiving head tracking data and using the head tracking data to determine a change in an orientation of a user's head. The method also includes blending pixels of a previous frame with corresponding pixels of a current frame. The corresponding pixels of the current frame are identified using the change in the orientation of the user's head. The method also includes providing foveated imagery to the user on the display using the blended pixels and multiple tiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Tianxin Ning, Haomiao Jiang, Behnam Bastani
  • Patent number: 11372194
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of the present invention a rotor including a lens and formed with a first driving unit, a stator formed with a second driving unit driving the rotor in response to electromagnetic interaction with the first driving unit, and a base on which the stator is fixed, wherein the rotor is brought into contact with the base, in a case the lens is in a UP posture, and the rotor is distanced from the base, in a case the lens is in a DOWN posture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sang Ok Park, Hyun Rae Cho, Seong Min Lee, Jun Taek Lee
  • Patent number: 11336811
    Abstract: Provided is an operation apparatus configured to perform an operation of driving an optical member in a lens apparatus, the operation apparatus including: an operation member for the operation; a detector configured to detect an amount of operation of the operation member; a communication device configured to receive a first information from the lens apparatus, the first information being an information on a state of the optical member; and a processor configured to: select, as a preset information for the operation, one of the first information and a second information based on a setting, the second information being an information on the amount of operation; and generate a command for the operation based on the selected one of the first information and the second information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kei Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 11302017
    Abstract: A method of generating a composite image from multiple images captured for a subject is disclosed. In some embodiments, the method may include receiving, via an image capturing device, a plurality of sets of images of at least a portion of a subject. The images within a set of images may be captured at a plurality of vertical positions with respect to an associated fixed section of a horizontal plane. The method may further include generating a plurality of focus-stacked images corresponding to the plurality of sets of images, for example, by combining the images in the associated set of images. The method may further include aligning the plurality of focus-stacked images in the horizontal plane based on a horizontal coordinate transformation model to generate a composite image representing the subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: L&T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES LIMITED
    Inventors: Sunil Kv, Kasthuri Thiyagarajan, Arangarajan P, Gineesh Sukumaran, Karthigeyan S
  • Patent number: 11297220
    Abstract: A control apparatus includes a controlling unit configured to control tilt driving for tilting at least one of an image sensor and an imaging optical system relative to a plane orthogonal to an optical axis and focus driving for moving a focus lens in an optical axis direction, an acquiring unit configured to acquire focus levels in a first area and a second area in an image captured by an image pickup apparatus, a first determining unit configured to determine whether to perform the tilt driving or the focus driving, based on an in-focus level, and a second determining unit configured to determine a driving direction of the tilt driving or the focus driving based on the in-focus level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shunsuke Chino, Ryo Kawasaki, Natsuko Sato
  • Patent number: 11265486
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a focus tracking system and method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Research Institute of Tsinghua University
    Inventors: Yuxing Han, Jiangtao Wen, Jisheng Li
  • Patent number: 10992845
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to techniques for synthesizing out of focus blurring effects in digital images. Cameras having wide aperture lenses typically capture images with a shallow depth of field (SDOF). SDOF cameras are often used in portrait photography, since they emphasize subjects, while deemphasizing the background via blurring. Simulating this kind of blurring using a large depth of field (LDOF) camera may require a large amount of computational resources, i.e., to simulate the physical effects of using a wide aperture lens, while constructing a synthetic SDOF image. Moreover, cameras having smaller lens apertures, such as those in mobile phones, may not have the ability to accurately estimate or recreate the true color of clipped background light sources. Described herein are techniques to synthesize out of focus background blurring effects that attempt to reproduce accurate light intensity and color values for clipped background light sources in images captured by LDOF cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Richard D. Seely, Shuang Gao, Alexandre Naaman, Patrick Shehane
  • Patent number: 10970821
    Abstract: Image blurring methods and apparatuses, storage media, and electronic devices can include: obtaining a main image and a secondary image obtained by photographing the same object with a dual-lens camera; obtaining depth data and depth confidence degree data according to the main image and the secondary image, the depth data indicating depth values of corresponding pixel points in the main image and the secondary image, and the depth confidence degree data indicating confidence degrees of the depth values in the depth data; correcting at least one depth value in the depth data according to the depth confidence degree data; and blurring the main image according to corrected depth data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: SHENZHEN SENSETIME TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
    Inventors: Qiong Yan, Wenxiu Sun
  • Patent number: 10958821
    Abstract: An image capturing device including: a lens; a lens driver configured to change a focus position by moving the lens; an image sensor configured to acquire an image signal from light having passed through the lens; a calculator configured to output a focus value determined by passing the image signal from the image sensor through a frequency filter; and a focus controller configured to control the lens driver to move the lens, based on focus values corresponding to focus positions of the lens. The focus controller may receive one or more focus values from the calculator when the lens is positioned at one or more focus positions among the focus positions, and estimate a focus value of another focus position among the focus positions based on the one or more focus positions and the one or more focus values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Inventors: Jaewoon Byun, Youngsang Kwon, Daebong Kim, Dongjin Park
  • Patent number: 10917591
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging device and a method of controlling a solid-state imaging device, and an electronic device for enabling appropriate expansion of a dynamic range with respect to an object moving at a high speed or an object having a large luminance difference between bright and dark to reduce motion distortion (motion artifact). Exposure of a plurality of pixels is individually controlled in units of pixels. The present disclosure can be applied to a solid-state imaging device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoko Iida, Masaki Sakakibara, Yorito Sakano, Naosuke Asari, Masaaki Takizawa, Tomohiko Asatsuma, Shogo Furuya
  • Patent number: 10911694
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for using camera metadata from multiple cameras in a live environment to improve video production workflow. Each camera of the system is provided to media content of a live scene and store camera metadata that includes camera lens, position and gyro setting. This metadata can then be provided to other cameras in the system and/or a control that can generate a 3D metadata feed using the camera metadata. Moreover, based on the metadata feed, control instructions can be generated and transmitted to one or more of the cameras to control camera operations for capturing the media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: GVBB HOLDINGS S.A.R.L.
    Inventors: Nicolaas Johannes Damstra, Stelian Florin Persa, John Hommel
  • Patent number: 10885327
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to a computing device retrieving an augmented map comprising a base map, an augmentation to a first map element, and a flag for the augmentation indicating a scope of the augmentation. The computing device receives an updated base map comprising the base map and an update to a second map element. The computing device performs a difference comparison between the augmented map and the updated base map based on the scope indicated by the flag. The computing device determines whether the augmentation and the update conflict based on the difference comparison. The computing device assembles a set of conflicts based on determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sashikanth Chandrasekaran, Chi Su
  • Patent number: 10830574
    Abstract: A coordinate measuring apparatus, comprising a rotatably driveable receptacle for a gear workpiece and a measuring assembly, and configured to perform feed movements and measuring movements of the measuring assembly relative to the gear workpiece on a plurality of axes, the measuring assembly including an optical switch sensor which operates in a contactless manner, which is designed as a focus trigger sensor and is arranged on the measuring assembly in such a way that it is able to emit a light beam along an optical axis in the direction of the gear workpiece, wherein a scanning movement relative to the gear workpiece can be carried out with the focus trigger sensor by using one or more of the axes, and wherein a switching signal can be provided by the focus trigger sensor whenever the gear workpiece has reached a nominal distance relative to the focus trigger sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: KLINGELNBERG AG
    Inventor: Georg Mies
  • Patent number: 10728723
    Abstract: An electronic device configured to perform wireless communication in accordance with vehicle-to-X (V2X) communication, the V2X communication including at least vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, each of the V2V, V2I and V2P communications having an intermittent communication function; receive a signal associated with a location of the electronic device; determine whether to activate or deactivate a communication parameter corresponding to the V2P communication based on the signal associated with the location of the electronic device; activate or deactivate the communication parameter corresponding to the V2P communication based on the determining; and activate the intermittent communication function for the V2P communication in a case that that the parameter corresponding to the V2P communication is activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiromasa Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 10687001
    Abstract: A system includes an optical element configured to separate light into a first light beam and a second light beam, a first lens module configured to focus the first light beam, a second lens module configured to focus the second light beam, a first sensor configured to capture a first image from the first light beam focused by the first lens module onto the first sensor, a second sensor configured to capture a second image from the second light beam focused by the second lens module onto the second sensor, and one or more processors configured to generate a combined image based on the first image and the second image. The first image has a first field of view and the second image has a second field of view different from the first field of view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zisheng Cao, Mingyu Wang, Linchao Bao
  • Patent number: 10643044
    Abstract: Various embodiments herein each include at least one of systems, methods, devices, barcode scanners, and software for variable depth of field scanning devices and methods. One such embodiment includes determining a distance from a known point to an item presented for scanning by a barcode scanner. This embodiment further includes adjusting a variable lens of a camera of the barcode scanner to a depth of field based on the determined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Eugene Semblante Ynclino, V, Janry Corpuz Amada, Rene Catacutan Borromeo, Jr., Steven Joel Hammer, Jerome Mojados Puza
  • Patent number: 10638114
    Abstract: An electronic device can include a first image sensor configured to capture a first image of a field of view and a second image sensor configured to capture a second image of the field of view. The electronic device can include a color filter adjacent to the second image sensor such that the field of view is viewable by the second image sensor through the color filter. The first image can have a first pixel resolution. The second image can have a second pixel resolution. The electronic device can include a controller configured to determine a third image based on luminance content of the first image and color content of the second image. The third image can have a third pixel resolution indicative of a spatial resolution of the first image and a spectral resolution of the second image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Sam D'Amico, Xiaoyu Miao, Babak Parviz
  • Patent number: 10397493
    Abstract: A system includes an optical element configured to separate light into a first light beam and a second light beam, a first lens module configured to focus the first light beam, a second lens module configured to focus the second light beam, a first sensor having a first sensor size and configured to capture a first image from the first light beam focused by the first lens module onto the first sensor, a second sensor having a second sensor size different from the first sensor size and configured to capture a second image from the second light beam focused by the second lens module onto the second sensor, and one or more processors configured to modify the first image or the second image based on the first sensor size and the second sensor size to generate a modified image and generate a combined image based on the modified image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zisheng Cao, Mingyu Wang, Linchao Bao
  • Patent number: 10389904
    Abstract: An image forming device includes: a photoreceptor; a longitudinal light emitting member constituted from light emitting element rows that are arranged in a lateral direction and are each constituted from light emitting elements arranged in a longitudinal direction; an optical member that is longitudinal and is disposed to condense light emitted from the light emitting elements onto the photoreceptor; and a hardware processor that: selects and causes one or more light emitting elements for each light emitting element row to emit light; acquires an exposure amount for each light emitting element row; calculates a distribution of the exposure amounts acquired for the light emitting element rows, and calculates a position in the lateral direction corresponding to a predetermined exposure amount in the distribution; and judges whether a difference between the calculated position and a reference position in the lateral direction at a reference time is less than a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Makoto Obayashi, Takaki Uemura, Masayuki Iijima
  • Patent number: 10368000
    Abstract: A distance measurement device includes an imaging optical system, an imaging unit, an emission unit, a derivation unit which performs a distance measurement to derive a distance to a subject based on a timing at which directional light is emitted by the emission unit and a timing at which reflected light is received by a light receiving unit, a shake correction unit which performs shake correction as correction of shake of the subject image caused by variation of an optical axis of the imaging optical system, and a control unit which performs control such that the shake correction unit does not perform shake correction or performs shake correction with a correction amount smaller than a normal correction amount determined in advance in a case of performing the distance measurement and performs shake correction with the normal correction amount in a case of not performing the distance measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomonori Masuda, Hiroshi Tamayama
  • Patent number: 10291842
    Abstract: A digital photographing apparatus includes: a first camera configured to acquire a wide-angle image including a main subject, a second camera configured to capture a telephoto image having the main subject zoomed in with respect to the wide-angle image; and a processor configured to acquire motion information of the main subject based on the wide-angle image and the telephoto image and configured to determine one of the wide-angle image and the telephoto image as a main image based on the motion information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jae-gon Kim, Sang-hyeon Lim, Seung-ryong Jeon
  • Patent number: 10284799
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup device and an electronic apparatus by which a phase-difference detection pixel that avoids defects such as lowering of sensitivity to incident light and lowering of phase-difference detection accuracy can be realized. A solid-state image pickup device as a first aspect of the present disclosure is a solid-state image pickup device in which a normal pixel that generates a pixel signal of an image and a phase-difference detection pixel that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of a phase-difference signal for controlling an image-surface phase difference AF function are arranged in a mixed manner, in which, in the phase-difference detection pixel, a shared on-chip lens for condensing incident light to a photoelectric converter that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of the phase-difference signal is formed for every plurality of adjacent phase-difference detection pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Sozo Yokogawa, Isao Hirota
  • Patent number: 10284800
    Abstract: A solid-state image pickup element, including: a pixel array including a plurality of pixels; a first calculator that calculates a phase difference evaluation value for focus detection by a phase difference detection method based on signal from the pixel; and a second calculator that calculates a contrast evaluation value for focus detection by a contrast detection method based on signal from the pixel, wherein, when the first calculator completes calculation of the phase difference evaluation value, the phase difference evaluation value is output regardless of whether or not output of an image signal acquired by the pixel array is completed, and wherein, when the second calculator completes calculation of the contrast evaluation value, the contrast evaluation value is output regardless of whether or not output of the image signal acquired by the pixel array is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Ise, Tatsuya Arai
  • Patent number: 10277889
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for determining a depth of an object within a scene are provided. Image data of a scene can be captured using a lens configured to project an image of the scene onto an image sensor. The lens has a known focal length and is movable between at least a first lens position and a second lens position. A first image of the scene is captured with the lens at a first lens position, and a second image of the scene is captured with the lens at a second, different position. By measuring a first dimension of the object using the first image and a second dimension of the object using the second image, a depth of the object may be determined based upon a ratio of the first and second dimensions, the focal length of the lens, and a distance between the first and second lens positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: James Wilson Nash, Venkata Ravi Kiran Dayana, Kalin Mitkov Atanassov
  • Patent number: 10275860
    Abstract: An image processing device including a blurring processing unit that performs blurring processing for input image information that is input, includes: a saturation determination unit that calculates saturation of a saturated pixel of the input image information; a first gradation conversion unit that converts gradation of the input image information on a basis of the saturation calculated by the saturation determination unit; and, in which the blurring processing unit performs blurring processing for image information that has been subjected to gradation conversion by the first gradation conversion unit, a second gradation conversion unit that converts gradation of image information that has been subjected to the blurring processing, on a basis that gradation of a saturated region of the blurring-processed image information serves as a gradation of a saturated pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kei Tokui, Keisuke Omori
  • Patent number: 10255687
    Abstract: There is provided an operating method of a distance measurement system including the steps of: successively capturing image frames with an image sensor; controlling a sampling parameter to converge an average brightness value of an object image in the image frames to be within a predetermined range; calculating a plurality of first object sizes of a converged object image in a converged image frame and calculating a first average value of the first object sizes; calculating a second average value of the first average values corresponding to a plurality of converged image frames; and comparing the second average value with a lookup table to determine an object depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INC.
    Inventors: Guo-Zhen Wang, Chia-Yi Liu
  • Patent number: 10244157
    Abstract: The interchangeable lens apparatus provided with an image capturing optical system and being detachably attachable to an image capturing apparatus, the image capturing apparatus being configured to detect a defocus amount of the image capturing optical system by using a signal acquired by photoelectric conversion of an optical image formed by the image capturing optical system. The interchangeable lens apparatus includes a focus lens included in the image capturing optical system, and a memory to store information on a focus sensitivity indicating a relation between a unit movement amount of the focus lens and a displacement amount of the optical image. The information on the focus sensitivity is information for enabling acquiring the focus sensitivity different depending on an image height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigenobu Sugita, Yuichi Kosaka, Takahito Nakamichi
  • Patent number: 10136050
    Abstract: A reference image of one or more objects is displayed on the display of a mobile device in a manner that allows a user of the mobile device to simultaneously view the reference image and a preview image of the one or more objects currently in a field of view of a camera of the mobile device. An indication is provided to the user of the mobile device whether the camera of the mobile device is currently located within a specified amount of a distance at which the reference image was acquired. In response to a user request, the camera acquires a second image of the one or more objects and optionally a distance between the camera and the one or more objects at the time the second image was acquired is recorded. An image management application provides various functionalities for accessing and managing image sequences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kurt Knodt, Tomohito Shimizu
  • Patent number: 10031401
    Abstract: A camera module that does not make a rasping noise even when being subjected to a vibration by a source of vibration is provided. A hall element that detects a displacement of an imaging lens (1) is disposed therein. In the case where the hall element detects a displacement of the imaging lens (1) that is not based on drive by a lens-driving device (5), the lens-driving device (5) drives the imaging lens (1) so as to reduce the displacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Sekimoto
  • Patent number: 10015374
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus and a photo composition method thereof are proposed. The method is adapted to an image capturing apparatus having a first lens and a depth sensor and includes the following steps. First, a preview frame of a scene is obtained by using the first lens, and depth information of the scene is obtained by using the depth sensor. Next, scene analysis is performed on the preview frame according to the depth information so as to generate a scene analysis result. Next, whether the preview frame satisfies a photo composition requirement is determined according to the scene analysis result and a corresponding photo composition rule. If yes, the first lens is controlled to capture the preview frame; if no, a photo composition suggestion corresponding to the scene is provided according to the photo composition rule corresponding to the scene analysis result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: Altek Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventors: Yu-Chih Wang, Shou-Te Wei