Patents Examined by Amy Hsu
  • Patent number: 9667871
    Abstract: A system and method of remote imaging allows a camera module in a modular portable electronic device environment to be removed from a base module without halting an image capture session being displayed on a display of the base module. In an embodiment, image data may be captured by both the camera module and the base module. A hardwired connection connects the devices when the camera module is docked on the base module, while a wireless connection maintains the connection between the devices when the camera module is undocked from the base module during an image capture session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC
    Inventors: Michael J Lombardi, Joseph L Allore, Nathan M Connell, Paul Fordham
  • Patent number: 9667857
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging apparatus that performs sound processing suitable for each type of AF operation according to a lens f-number so that recorded sound is clear and contains little noise. The imaging apparatus includes a lens, a microphone for recording sound, and a filter configured to reduce noise contained in an output signal of the microphone. The noise reduction level of the filter is controlled according to the lens f-number so that the noise reduction level of the filter is increased when the lens f-number is large than when the lens f-number is small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masayuki Aihara
  • Patent number: 9667856
    Abstract: An auto focus (AF) adjusting method, an AF adjusting apparatus, and a digital photographing apparatus including the same, the AF adjusting apparatus including: an AF calculator for calculating focus detection evaluation values; a peak detector for detecting a peak position of the focus detection evaluation values; and a speed calculator for calculating a moving speed of a subject by using the peak position. When continuous photographing of still images is performed, the peak detector detects the peak position in an image pickup interval before a light exposure preparation interval for image capturing, and the focus lens driver performs moving body compensation driving for compensating for a focal position by using a moving speed calculated in the light exposure preparation interval before capturing starts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masataka Hamada
  • Patent number: 9661252
    Abstract: An image capturing device includes: an image capturing section having a plurality of pixels disposed in a matrix and configured to output a pixel signal via a first signal line connected to pixels arranged in a first direction among the plurality of pixels; a plurality of calculators including: a comparator configured to compare a magnitude of a first analog signal with a threshold value to generate a digital value according to a comparison result; an amplification section configured to amplify the first analog signal by multiplying the first analog signal by an amplification degree ? (1<?<2) and output a second analog signal by executing computation according to the digital value; and a switching section configured to output one of the pixel signal and a ? estimation signal as the first analog signal when a most significant bit of a first digital value sequence is computed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshio Hagihara
  • Patent number: 9661235
    Abstract: A camera including an image capture module, and at least one other module. The image capture module is a sealed module and includes: a housing; at least one image sensor to convert light into electrical signals; an optical system associated with the image sensor and arranged to transmit light through the housing to the at least one image sensor; the image capture module and the at least one other module being directly or indirectly mounted to each other, and interoperable with each other to capture images. An image capture module and method of construction of a camera are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Blackmagic Design Pty Ltd.
    Inventors: Grant Petty, Simon Kidd, Michael Cornish, Stuart Elford, David Lunn, John Vanzella, Carsten Buettner, Patrick Tolcher
  • Patent number: 9659982
    Abstract: An image sensor includes at least a first row and a second row of photodiodes, each photodiode being coupled with an associated transistor, each associated transistor including a gate, the first and second row of photodiodes forming a series of 2×2 Bayer-pattern units. In each Bayer-pattern unit, a first photodiode and a second photodiode in the first row are designated respectively as a first green pixel and a blue pixel, and a third photodiode and a fourth photodiode in the second row are designated respectively as a red pixel and a second green pixel, wherein a position of the gate of the transistor associated with the first photodiode relative to the first photodiode and a position of the gate of the transistor associated with the fourth photodiode relative to the fourth photodiode are the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: CISTA SYSTEM CORP.
    Inventor: Guangbin Zhang
  • Patent number: 9659700
    Abstract: A device is disclosed, comprising a camera comprising an optical image stabilization module, at least one magnetic component, at least one ferromagnetic component, wherein the at least one ferromagnetic component is disposed at a position so as to develop a magnetic force between the optical image stabilization module of the camera and the ferromagnetic component which acts in a direction opposite to a magnetic force exerted on the optical image stabilization module by the at least one magnetic component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Juha Suomela, Mika Viitikko
  • Patent number: 9654712
    Abstract: An imaging pixel may be provided with a photodiode and a floating diffusion region. The pixel may include at least one storage capacitor that can store charge from the floating diffusion region. The at least one storage capacitor may provide global shutter functionality for the pixel. Multiple storage capacitors may be provided for correlated double sampling (CDS) techniques and high dynamic range (HDR) images. The imaging pixel may have an upper substrate layer and a lower substrate layer. The photodiode may be formed in the upper substrate layer, and the storage capacitors may be formed in the lower substrate layer. A interconnect layer may couple pixel circuitry in the upper substrate layer to pixel circuitry in the lower substrate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Sungkwon C. Hong
  • Patent number: 9641783
    Abstract: A solid-state image pickup device includes an optoelectronic conversion unit, a first optical signal accumulation unit, a second optical signal accumulation unit, and a combining unit, in which the first optical signal accumulation unit accumulates a first optical signal obtained by the optoelectronic conversion by the optoelectronic conversion unit in a first period, the second optical signal accumulation unit accumulates a second optical signal obtained by the optoelectronic conversion by the optoelectronic conversion unit in a second period, the second period being shorter than the first period, and the combining unit combines the second optical signal with the first optical signal when a noise in the first optical signal is equal to or larger than a noise in the second optical signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: JVC KENWOOD CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masaki Funaki
  • Patent number: 9641746
    Abstract: A mobile phone includes a display, a capturing module configured to obtain a photographed image, a touch detection module configured to receive a touch operation, a main storage module and an auxiliary storage module, and a control module. The control module temporarily stores in the main storage module successively photographed images photographed at a predetermined time interval by the capturing module, and displays a postview screen for allowing a user to select a predetermined photographed image from a successively photographed image group stored in the main storage module when the touch detection module receives a touch operation with respect to a shutter icon. The control module stores a selected photographed image in the auxiliary storage module when the touch detection module receives a touch operation with respect to a photographed image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Tsunoda
  • Patent number: 9641773
    Abstract: The present invention relates to improved imaging devices having high dynamic range and to monitoring and automatic control systems incorporating the improved imaging devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: GENTEX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jon H. Bechtel, Jeremy C. Andrus
  • Patent number: 9635245
    Abstract: A focus position detection device calculates, for each of shift amount calculation areas in a measurement area set on an image sensor of an imaging unit, a local shift amount of a second sub-image with respect to a first sub-image when a subject on the first sub-image and a subject on the second sub-image are most coincident with each other and a feature quantity of a probability distribution representing accuracy of the local shift amount, estimates the probability distribution based on the local shift amount and the feature quantity for each shift amount calculation area, combines the probability distributions of the shift amount calculation areas to obtain a distribution of accuracy of the local shift amount for the measurement area, and calculates a representative value representing the distance between a focus position produced by an optical system of the imaging unit and the image sensor based on the distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Shohei Nakagata, Megumi Chikano
  • Patent number: 9635260
    Abstract: An imaging sensor unit captures a subject through an optical system. A compression unit compresses image data continuously acquired from the image sensor unit to output to a recording unit. A feature amount extraction unit extracts a feature amount for each pixel of the image data and a coordinate selection unit selects a plurality of coordinates having a relatively high feature amount. A movement detection unit detects a movement vector of coordinate points according to the plurality of coordinates selected by the coordinate selection unit. A geometric deformation parameter generation unit generates a geometric deformation parameter based on the movement vector and lens information for the optical system. The recording unit records the geometric deformation parameter in association with the image data compressed by the compression unit (each frame of the image data).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takayuki Hara
  • Patent number: 9635242
    Abstract: The imaging apparatus of the present disclosure comprises the following structural elements: an optical system including at least one lens; an imaging element configured to form an object image with light collected by the optical system, and produce first image data; and an image processing section configured to calculate a distance to an object for the image, and produce second image data by providing the first image data with image processing. The image processing section sets a depth of field based on the calculated distance to the object, and carries out the image processing by applying the depth of field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji Arakawa, Motonori Ogura
  • Patent number: 9625792
    Abstract: This application discloses a camera including a holding element and a base assembly. The holding element further includes a camera portion for holding a camera sensor, an extended portion that extends from the camera portion, and a fastener structure coupled to an end of the extended portion. The base assembly further includes a base shaped to rest against a supporting surface, and a joint structure configured to mate with the fastener structure. The fastener structure and the joint structure are configured to provide a first degree of freedom of motion and a second degree of freedom of motion of the holding element with respect to the base. The movement of the receiving element at the first degree of freedom is unlimited in a first direction of travel, and the movement of the receiving element at the second degree of freedom is limited in a second direction of travel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Adam Scott Kilgore, Adam Duckworth Mittleman
  • Patent number: 9621791
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus and a control method thereof includes an image unit adapted to perform imaging, a drive unit adapted to move a location of a lens in the imaging unit to adjust a focus, a touch screen adapted to display a live view generated by the imaging unit and receive a touch gesture for the live view, and a controller adapted to set an auto focus mode corresponding to the touch gesture among a plurality of auto focus modes when the touch gesture is input, and to control the drive unit to move the location of the lens so that the focus can be adjusted based on the set auto focus mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jin-su Myung
  • Patent number: 9615027
    Abstract: Problem: To simplify an operation for causing an apparatus to perform desired control. Solution to Problem: In an image capturing apparatus 1, an image capturing unit 16 continuously captures an image of a subject and sequentially outputs image data. An image analysis unit 53 determines whether or not there is an instruction regarding storage of the image data outputted by the image capturing unit 16. A storage control unit 56 carries out control to store the image data outputted from the image capturing unit 16 in a storage unit 19 upon it being determined that there is an instruction regarding storage. An output control unit 51 carries out control to display, in an output unit 18, a live view image corresponding to the image data sequentially outputted by the image capturing unit 16 along with a first indicator image for processing the stored image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Nishizaka, Yoshinori Tomidokoro
  • Patent number: 9615009
    Abstract: A light source within a real world scene can be identified. The light source can be associated with a one or more attributes. The light source can emit light to illuminate the real world scene. The attributes can include intensity, wavelength, and/or orientation. A live view of the real world scene can be presented within an interface of a computing device. The attributes associated with the light source can be determined. A light map for the light source within the real world scene can be computed. The light map can be a graphical visualization of an approximation of a propagation of light emanating from the light source within the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Inventors: Brian K. Buchheit, Satesh Ramcharitar
  • Patent number: 9602727
    Abstract: A digital camera includes an optical system composed of multiple lenses including an OIS lens for correcting image blur; and a CCD imaging an object image formed by the optical system. The digital camera includes an OIS actuator moving OIS lens in a plane vertical to the optical axis to correct image blur; and a CCD actuator moving the CCD in a plane vertical to the optical axis to correct image blur; and a camera controller. The camera controller corrects the image captured by the CCD and changes a correction level of peripheral brightness of the image captured by the CCD when correcting image blur is switched between by the OIS actuator and by the CCD actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi Honjo, Yasuo Amano
  • Patent number: 9596568
    Abstract: Approaches are described for controlling and filtering the display of content by computing devices. In particular, a mobile computing device can adjust the playing of media content (e.g., audio, video, images, games, ringtones) according to situational appropriateness and other environmental factors occurring around the device. For example, a mobile computing device such as a smart phone could use image and audio information captured by its sensors to determine that minors are present within the vicinity of the mobile phone, and filter certain portions of media content that would be deemed inappropriate for those minors. The environmental information can be determined based on data gathered by various sensors of the mobile device, including but not limited to cameras, microphones, global positioning system (GPS) devices, light sensors and others.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Kevin E. Keller