Patents Assigned to Sony
  • Patent number: 8417265
    Abstract: A navigation device includes a measuring unit to measure the current position; a geomagnetism sensor that is provided on a predetermined main unit, and is to detect geomagnetism; an orientation calculation unit to calculate the orientation of the main unit, upon setting correction values for correction detection values of the geomagnetism, based on the detection values and the correction values; a presenting unit to present measurement results by the measuring unit and the calculation results of the orientation to a user; an operating state switchover unit to switch between a normal operating state that executes the presenting processing and a suspended state that maintains a portion of processing state while stopping at least the calculation processing of the orientation; and an initialization processing unit to initialize the correction values, in the case of having switched from the suspended state to the normal operating state by the operating state switchover unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Masato Kimishima
  • Patent number: 8416332
    Abstract: The information processing apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a moving picture analysis unit for analyzing moving picture data including a plurality of images and audios associated with time information and for generating moving picture metadata relating to a plurality of feature quantities characterizing the moving picture, a comic display conversion unit for extracting a plurality of images from the moving picture data based on the moving picture metadata and for dividing a predetermined display region into frames and for converting an arrangement of the plurality of extracted images into a comic-like arrangement and for generating frame information including information about the images arranged in each of the frames, and a comic display data generation unit for generating comic display data including at least the frame information, data of the extracted images, and the audio data of the moving picture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Sato, Yasutaka Fukumoto, Takashi Ogata
  • Patent number: 8417957
    Abstract: The user of any one portable terminal sends a content information request including a user ID to a distribution server. In response, the distribution server distributes a stream data of content that can be used on the user's terminal. If the user of a first portable terminal intends to let a second portable terminal try out a certain content, the user sends to the distribution server the trial permission information including the user's own user ID, a content ID of the content of interest, and a digital signature. The distribution server authenticates the received information before distributing a streaming data of a trial-oriented content with the content ID and user ID attached to it as search keys. This allows the content that can be used on a given user terminal to be tried out on another user terminal without the latter user having recourse to the steps of searching for the content in question.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Ryosuke Nomura
  • Patent number: 8416337
    Abstract: Provided is an image process apparatus for processing a color image signal, including: an integration unit integrating at least one of each of color signals of the color image signal or a brightness signal obtained from the color image signal over at least one horizontal period; a normalization unit normalizing an integration value obtained by the integration unit and a difference between the integration values of adjacent fields or frames obtained by the integration unit; a frequency analysis unit extracting spectrum of output values of the normalization unit; a flicker component estimating unit estimating a flicker component from the spectrum extracted by the frequency analysis unit; an index generating unit calculating an index representing a degree that a photographing light source is estimated to a fluorescent lamp, based on an estimated result of the flicker component estimating unit; and a color balance control unit calculating a color balance control value of the color image signal according to the in
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Koichiro Ishigami, Hirofumi Nomura, Masaya Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 8416222
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a driving apparatus for driving a pixel, including a first pMOS type transistor connected to a first potential a first nMOS type transistor connected in series to the first pMOS type transistor and connected to a second potential; and a control section configured to control the first pMOS type transistor and the first nMOS type transistor individually using a first on-signal for controlling the timing of turning on of one of the first pMOS type transistor and the first nMOS type transistor; a signal of a potential at a node between the first pMOS type transistor and the first nMOS type transistor being inputted as a driving signal for driving the pixel to the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Youji Sakioka, Eiji Makino
  • Patent number: 8417064
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing device and method, program and recording medium for achieving grayscale compression capable of suppressing image quality degradation using a simple configuration. A detection section 63 performs a detection process of a signal Y? that has been subjected to the processes of a luminance signal generating section 61 and perception equalization section 62, thus finding average intensities of lighting in bright and dark areas of an input image. A control MPU 64 finds adaptation gains kAr and kBr based on the average intensities. Processing the signal Y? with an edge-preserving LPF 65 provides a lighting component signal Y?lp. A detail extraction section 66 computes the difference between the signal Y? and lighting component signal Y?lp, thus extracting a detail component signal Y?de of the image of the signal Y?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masafumi Wakazono, Naoya Katoh, Nobuyuki Matsushita
  • Patent number: 8416654
    Abstract: An optical disc drive apparatus includes: a first optical pickup and a second optical pickup which record data on an optical disc and reproduce data recorded on the optical disc; a slide mechanism which has the first and second optical pickups mounted thereon to slide the first and second optical pickups in a radial direction of the optical disc; a seek command receiver which receives a seek command; a first optical pickup controller which causes the first optical pickup to perform a search on the basis of the seek command received by the seek command receiver; a slide mechanism controller which controls the slide mechanism on the basis of the seek command received by the seek command receiver; and a second optical pickup controller which turns off a tracking servo of the second optical pickup when the first and second optical pickups are slid by the slide mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hideki Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 8416212
    Abstract: An electro-optical device, which has a display area and a plurality of sensing areas for detecting capacitance in the display area, includes a black matrix that is provided in the vicinities of display pixels in the display area, pixel electrodes that individually form the display pixels, a common electrode, a liquid crystal layer that is interposed between the pixel electrodes and the common electrode, a plurality of pixel circuits that individually drive the pixel electrodes, a capacitance detection element that is provided in a corresponding one of the sensing areas to convert a change in thickness of the liquid crystal layer caused by external pressure into a change in capacitance, and a sensing circuit that outputs a sensing signal on the basis of the change in capacitance obtained by the capacitance detection element. The capacitance detection element overlaps the black matrix in planar view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tsukasa Eguchi, Eiji Kanda
  • Patent number: 8416999
    Abstract: An image-capturing apparatus for capturing an image by using a solid-state image-capturing device may include a face detector configured to detect a face of a human being on the basis of an image signal in a period until an image signal obtained by image capturing is recorded on a recording medium; an expression evaluation section configured to evaluate the expression of the detected face and to compute an expression evaluation value indicating the degree to which the detected face is close to a specific expression in relation to expressions other than the specific expression; and a notification section configured to notify notification information corresponding to the computed expression evaluation value to an image-captured person.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Kaname Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8416183
    Abstract: There is provided a surface light source device capable of making appearance of a boundary between partial lighting areas more natural than related art. In each of unit light-source sections 10 capable of mutually independent lighting, uneven light-emission intensity distributions that are mutually independent are to be formed within a light emission surface. Thus, in the light emission surface of each of the unit light-source sections 10, an arbitrary light-emission intensity distribution is able to be formed. Therefore, by adjusting a light-emission intensity distribution of each of the unit light-source sections 10, the appearance in the boundary between the partial lighting areas becomes more natural than related art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiromasa Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8416264
    Abstract: A method and electronic device is provided for optimizing an image displayed on a screen on the electronic device. The size of the image is maximized in relation to the size of the screen and readability of the text in the image is determined by using graphic parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications AB
    Inventors: Ulf P. Alexandersson, Karl O. Thorn
  • Patent number: 8416652
    Abstract: An operation device includes a rotational operation element, an angular velocity detection portion detecting an angular velocity of a rotational operation on the rotational operation element, and a playback speed information computation portion calculating, when the angular velocity detected by the angular velocity detection portion is in a first velocity range including an angular velocity of 0, playback speed information according to the detected angular velocity through a first functional computation and when the angular velocity detected by the angular velocity detection portion is in a second velocity range, which is a range higher than the first velocity range, playback speed information according to the detected angular velocity through a second functional computation, and outputting the calculated playback speed information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Nomoto
  • Patent number: 8415045
    Abstract: A secondary battery for electronic appliance to be installed in an electronic appliance, thereby feeding an electric power to the electronic appliance is disclosed, which includes a battery cell in which a positive electrode, a negative electrode and an electrolyte are accommodated in a pack, and a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal from the positive electrode and the negative electrode, respectively are lead out from one side face of the pack; a metallic battery can in which an opening is formed in the both end sides in an insertion direction of the battery cell and which accommodates the battery cell therein such that one side face from which the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are lead out is faced towards the side of one of the openings; and a pair of lids made of a synthetic resin, each plugging the opening of the battery can, at least one of the lids plugging one of the openings towards which one side face from which the positive electrode termi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Miyajima, Toshio Takeshita, Hiroaki Sato, Atsushi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8417107
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image pickup apparatus including, a lens driving control section configured to execute driving control of a lens, and a main control section configured to produce lens driving control information as setting information of a lens driving mode of the lens driving control section, the main control section produces lens driving control information which includes a final setting position for the lens and a returning amount as a distance over which the lens is returned after the lens passes the setting position, the lens driving control section being operable to execute a process of moving the lens to pass the setting position once in response to the setting position and the returning amount and then execute a returning process by the returning amount to position the lens to the setting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Riichi Ono, Shuji Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8416326
    Abstract: An NchMOS transistor Q71 on the input side of a current mirror 70 is made function as a voltage operating-point setting portion so that a pixel signal line potential (voltage of a horizontal signal line 20) would be constantly stable nearly at the GND. Then, an amplification factor and linearity become good in an amplification transistor in the solid imaging device 3. A current copier 90 is made function as a current sampling portion so as to receive a signal current IIN of the solid imaging device 3 through the current mirror 70 to carry out sampling of a pixel signal in a resetting period in the shape of current component as the pixel signal is. Calculating differential between a current component in a detecting period and an offset current, which is the current component in a resetting period in sampling, allows an offset component included in the pixel signal to be removed and only pure signal Isig to be picked up at an output terminal Iout, so that the FPN restraining function can be fulfilled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Ken Koseki, Tsutomu Haruta, Yukihiro Yasui, Yasuaki Hisamatsu
  • Patent number: 8415658
    Abstract: An organic electroluminescence device includes a first electrode, an organic layer formed on the first electrode and including a light-emitting layer, an intermediate layer formed on the organic layer; and a second electrode formed on the intermediate layer and having a thickness of 6 nm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Kashiwabara
  • Patent number: 8413355
    Abstract: P type semiconductor well regions 8 and 9 for device separation are provided in an upper and lower two layer structure in conformity with the position of a high sensitivity type photodiode PD, and the first P type semiconductor well region 8 at the upper layer is provided in the state of being closer to the pixel side than an end portion of a LOCOS layer 1A, for limiting a dark current generated at the end portion of the LOCOS layer 1A. In addition, the second P type semiconductor well region 9 at the lower layer is formed in a narrow region receding from the photodiode PD, so that the depletion layer of the photodiode PD is prevented from being obstructed, and the depletion is secured in a sufficiently broad region, whereby enhancement of the sensitivity of the photodiode PD can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Fujita, Ryoji Suzuki, Nobuo Nakamura, Yasushi Maruyama
  • Patent number: 8415558
    Abstract: A dye-sensitized photoelectric converter with enhanced light absorptance and photoelectric conversion efficiency is provided. The dye-sensitized photoelectric converter includes a transparent substrate (e.g., glass), a (negative) electrode composed of a transparent conductive layer such as FTO (fluorine-doped tin(IV) oxide SnO2), a semiconductor layer holding multiple types of photosensitizing dyes, an electrolyte layer, a counter (positive) electrode, a counter substrate, and a sealing medium (not illustrated). In some embodiments, the multiple types of photosensitizing dyes have minimum excitation energies that are different from one another. In some embodiments, the multiple types of dyes have steric configurations that are different relative to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Reiko Yoneya, Yusuke Suzuki, Masahiro Morooka
  • Patent number: 8416343
    Abstract: A signal processing device and method, a program, and a recording medium configured so as to be able to detect 2-3 pulldown sequences, from various types of input, in a precise manner. A state estimation unit determines whether or not still positions between 10 fields to be handled fit the still positions of a 2-3 pulldown pattern configured of 12 fields including one sequence, using a difference evaluation value, a threshold value, and feature quantity, calculated by an evaluation value feature quantity calculating unit from the field of an 60I signal from an input terminal, and a field positioned temporally two fields earlier in the field memory, determination is made regarding whether or not a pattern regarding which determination has been made to fit has repeated transition in a transition order which the 2-3 pulldown pattern has for a predetermined number of times or more, and processing of an inverse 2-3 pd conversion unit is controlled according to the results of determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Yasuoka, Takafumi Morifuji, Kunio Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: D679610
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Feng Kang