Patents Represented by Attorney Cowan Liebowitz & Latman, P.C.
  • Patent number: 7705906
    Abstract: From image data for foreign substance detection obtained by an image sensing device that converts an optical image of an object into image data, correction data is created for correcting photographed image data in a case that normal image sensing is performed, and by correcting the photographed image data using the correction data, image data is obtained in which effects due to a foreign substance have been removed. In a case where a foreign substance removal operation, which removes a foreign substance affixed to an optical member, has been executed, the correction data is updated, so that correction of subsequent photographed image data using old correction data is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hajime Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7705902
    Abstract: A video signal processing apparatus includes two image display memory areas 22 and 24 which alternately repeat input and output operations by receiving a signal obtained by performing predetermined processing for an output image signal from an image sensor 12, an image display unit 28 for displaying an object image represented by image frames sequentially output from the two memory areas, a system controller 40 which, when an image frame is to be input to one of the two memory areas, causes the other one of the two memory areas to output a held image frame, and causes the two memory areas to alternately repeat the input and output operations, thereby switching inputting and outputting of the two memory areas, and a mode determination circuit 272 for determining whether the frame rate of the output image signal from the image sensor 12 is higher or lower than the image display rate of the image display unit 28.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaaki Matsuoka, Yoshihiro Honma
  • Patent number: 7707458
    Abstract: An electronic system comprising a system to be monitored (2) and a plurality of fault-monitoring systems (4, 6) each of which is adapted to output a fault signal when an input indicates that the electronic system is in a fault condition associated with the fault-monitoring system. The fault-monitoring systems are arranged in a cascade fashion such that a fault signal output from one fault-monitoring system (4) is provided as an input to a subsequent fault-monitoring system (6) in the cascade of fault-monitoring systems to simulate a fault condition associated with the subsequent fault-monitoring system. The output of the final fault-monitoring system in the cascade gives an indication of whether there is a fault with any of the fault-monitoring systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Ricardo UK Limited
    Inventors: Peter John Miller, Andrew Charles Osborne Smith, Michael John Lindsey
  • Patent number: 7706505
    Abstract: A wireless X-ray fluoroscopic imaging system is provided. The system includes an X-ray generation unit configured to perform X-ray exposure for each frame of imaging; a sensor unit configured to output image data; and an image processing unit configured to designate the exposure, wherein the sensor unit includes a first counter configured to be reset and resume counting in response to a beacon signal, and a unit configured to save a readout trigger offset for readout, and starts the readout when a counter value of the first counter matches the readout trigger offset, and the image processing unit includes a second counter configured to be reset and resume counting in response to the beacon signal, and a unit configured to save an exposure trigger offset for the exposure, and starts the exposure when a counter value of the second counter matches the exposure trigger offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirohide Tachikawa
  • Patent number: 7706013
    Abstract: In an image forming system which has a client unit, a management unit, and a printer unit, when the client unit issues a replacement print request to the management unit, the management unit notifies the client unit of the contents of the print queue in response to the replacement print request. The client unit displays the notified contents of the print queue, and prompts the user to designate a print job to be replaced and an inserting position of a new print job into the print queue. After that, the client unit outputs, to the management unit, replacement information which includes information indicating the designated print job to be replaced, information indicating the designated inserting position, and the new print job. The management unit updates the print queue in accordance with this replacement information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Sonoko Maeda
  • Patent number: 7705964
    Abstract: An exposure system for exposing a substrate to radiation is disclosed. The system comprises an exposure unit configured to expose the substrate to radiation, an exposure chamber configured to accommodate the exposure unit, an alignment measurement unit arranged outside the exposure chamber and configured to measure a position of an alignment mark on the substrate, and a load-lock chamber arranged between the exposure chamber and the alignment measurement unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kinya Yamaguchi, Yuichi Takamura
  • Patent number: 7701483
    Abstract: This invention has as its object to provide an image input system which is easy to use. To achieve this object, an image input system has an image input device (camera) having a plurality of operation modes, and a computer having a plurality of software programs corresponding to the plurality of operation modes, and when the image input device is connected to the computer, when a power supply of the image input device is turned on after the image input device is connected to the computer, or when the image input device is switched to another operation mode while the image input device is connected to the computer, the software program corresponding to the operation mode of the image input device is automatically started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideo Takiguchi, Atsushi Kumagai
  • Patent number: 7701504
    Abstract: In order to make it possible to perform the starting or the changing of photographing, recording and reproducing modes easily and to eliminate walls between the modes, an image pickup apparatus includes a first mode for recording a photographed image on a record medium as an image file, a second mode for reproducing the image file, and an operation member which can switch to each mode by different operation methods, wherein the operation member returns to its original state after the performance of an operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Chiyumi Niwa
  • Patent number: 7698094
    Abstract: An index detection unit (2030) detects indices allocated or set on an object from a sensed image. An evaluation amount calculation unit (2060) calculates evaluation amounts of the indices using two-dimensional geometric features of the indices on the image and/or three-dimensional geometric features that represent relationships between an image sensing device (2010) and the indices on a three-dimensional space. A reliability calculation unit (2070) calculates reliabilities of the indices according to the calculated evaluation amounts of the indices. A position and orientation calculation unit (2080) calculates the position and orientation of the object or the image sensing device (2010) using at least the calculated reliabilities of the indices and information associated with the image coordinates of the detected indices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichi Aratani, Shinji Uchiyama, Kiyohide Satoh, Takaaki Endo
  • Patent number: 7697838
    Abstract: An illumination apparatus which can efficiently condense light from a light source such as an LED. The illumination apparatus has a light source and an optical member disposed on the side of light irradiation of the light source. The optical member has an incident surface, an emergent surface having a positive optical power, and a reflecting surface reflecting part of light from the incident surface and leading it to the emergent surface. The reflecting surface is formed further away from an irradiation optical axis than a normal to the emergent surface at a position of the emergent surface closest to the reflecting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiharu Tenmyo
  • Patent number: 7697059
    Abstract: An apparatus has an image sensing device, and a signal processing device for performing a first image sensing operation for making the image sensing device perform an image sensing operation in an exposure state to obtain a sensed image signal, and a second image sensing operation for making the image sensing device perform an image sensing operation in a non-exposure state to obtain a sensed image signal, and processing the sensed image signal obtained by the first image sensing operation by the sensed image signal obtained by the second image sensing operation. The signal processing device determines in accordance with the image sensing time of the first image sensing operation whether or not the second image sensing operation is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoichi Yamagishi, Makoto Hiramatsu, Keihiro Kurakata
  • Patent number: 7697038
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus comprises an image sensing unit in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are arranged on an image sensing plane, and a control unit. The control unit has a first mode in which image signals are read out from a first photoelectric conversion element group arranged in a first region of the image sensing plane, and a second mode in which image signals are read out from a second photoelectric conversion element group arranged in a second region that is smaller than the first region of the image sensing plane In addition, the control unit performs control such that a readout period of a line arranged on the image sensing plane in the first mode is substantially equal to that of a line arranged on the image sensing plane in the second mode when switching between the two modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasushi Ohwa
  • Patent number: 7697112
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to light via a reticle includes a first plurality of optical elements configured to direct the light; a first vacuum chamber configured to accommodate said first plurality of optical elements; a first support configured to support said first vacuum chamber; and a second support configured to support at least one of said first plurality of optical elements substantially independently of said first support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuki Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 7697837
    Abstract: In an image pickup apparatus capable of setting the flash exposure amount of an external flash both in the camera and the standalone external flash, if a flash exposure compensation amount locally set in the external flash itself and that set in the camera exist, one of them is enabled. Display is changed depending upon the location of the enabled setting in order to give the user notice of the enabled flash exposure compensation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Kosaka
  • Patent number: 7698725
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus arranged to refer to image capture limitation information to judge whether an image capture range after control includes a limitation area, the image capture limitation information defining the limitation area corresponding to an attribute of a user of a terminal, and effect control so that if it is judged that the image capture range includes the limitation area, the terminal is controlled so as to perform secure communications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Kurosawa, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 7697379
    Abstract: When a disk unloading operation is made by mistake or when recording is suddenly required after the unloading operation in a conventional disk recording/playback apparatus which has no cancel function of the disk unloading operation, an important recording chance is often missed. This invention allows the user to cancel the disk unloading operation, and can quickly restore the state before the disk unloading operation, thus solving the above problem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroaki Furuyama
  • Patent number: 7692166
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus which draws a pattern on a substrate with a charged particle beam is disclosed. The exposure apparatus includes a detector which detects a charged particle beam, a deflector which deflects the charged particle beam to scan the substrate or the detector with the charged particle beam, and a controller which controls the deflector to scan each of a plurality of scanning ranges on the detector with the charged particle beam, and calculates, on the basis of the charged particle beam amount detected by the detector upon scanning the plurality of scanning ranges, the intensity distribution of the charged particle beam which strikes the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masato Muraki, Haruo Yoda
  • Patent number: 7692761
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus which includes a projection optical system configured to project a pattern of a reticle onto a substrate and exposes the substrate to light via the reticle and the projection optical system with a gap between the projection optical system and the substrate filled with liquid, comprises a liquid immersion system configured to supply the liquid to the gap and to recover the liquid from the gap; and a generator configured to generate at least one of an electric field and magnetic field in a path of the liquid of the liquid immersion system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohiro Harayama
  • Patent number: 7692711
    Abstract: In the case of a camera system capable of exchanging lenses, a camera can realize a preferable automatic focus adjustment performance even if an exchangeable lens, its lens state, different combination between lens and camera or image pickup state is changed by changing a frequency to be extracted by focus detection means in accordance with the identification information on the exchangeable lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Seiya Ohta
  • Patent number: 7693416
    Abstract: In a case that a cleaning mode is designated, it is determined whether or not a lens unit is attached to a camera main body. If it is determined that the lens unit is not attached to the camera main body, a quick return mirror is moved upward and a shutter is opened, and a photoelectric conversion device, or a cover glass or an optical filter of the photoelectric conversion device is vibrated, thereby foreign substances attached to the photoelectric conversion device and the like are removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroshi Matsushima