Patents Examined by Aung S. Moe
  • Patent number: 9407814
    Abstract: An approach is provided for performing back-end operations for camera control. In one example, a method includes the following: receiving a user edit via a user interface device that displays an interpretation of a scene at which a camera lens of the camera is pointing, wherein the user edit is based on user input that is associated with a selection region on the user interface device; generating an edits mask based on one or more matching image patches, which are based on the user edit and a high dynamic range (HDR) image generated by the camera; performing one or more tone mapping operations based on the edits mask and the HDR image in order to generate a tone mapped HDR image; and performing one or more metering operations based on the edits mask and the tone mapped HDR image in order to generate metering parameters for frame capturing operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Dawid Stanislaw Pajak, Jongmin Baek, Kari Pulli
  • Patent number: 9402029
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image processing apparatus including: an obtaining unit which obtains an image; a first display control unit which displays the image on a display region of a display unit, the image being obtained by the obtaining unit; a rendering unit which performs rendering in the image based on an operation for an operation unit by a user, the image being displayed on the display region by the first display control unit; a specifying unit which specifies a first region closed by a boundary line rendered by the rendering unit; and a second display control unit which displays, on the display region, at least either one of an image of the first region specified by the specifying unit and an image of a second region other than the first region in the obtained image in a display mode capable of discriminating the at least either one image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masanori Ishihara
  • Patent number: 9402042
    Abstract: A method for operating a focal plane array in a Time Delay Integration (TDI) mode, the method including: shifting a number of rows during TDI integration, wherein the number of rows shifted is less than a total number of rows of the focal plane array; and reading out a number of rows equal to the total number of rows of the focal plane array minus the number of rows shifted, leaving behind the partially-integrated rows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: Thorlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Parker, Jason Mills, Ash Prabala, Frank Armstrong, Jeffrey Erickson, Gregory Havenga, Charles Taylor, William Ratdke
  • Patent number: 9398203
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method to reduce PTZ latency are provided. The system can include an input port and a motor driver unit, and the input port can receive a PTZ request. The input port can transmit the PTZ request to the motor driver unit, and the motor driver unit can extract a PTZ command from the PTZ request. In some embodiments, the PTZ request can obviate transmission through a parser and a processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Hanwei Zhuang, Jie Chen, Hanjin Zhou, Zhenghong Huang
  • Patent number: 9398237
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a pixel circuit that includes a light sensing element and a charge storage node formed in a substrate, an output element having a control electrode formed in an electrode layer above the substrate, the output element generating an output signal corresponding to charge generated by the light sensing element and held by the charge storage node, and a local metal interconnect that electrically connects the charge storage node to the control electrode. Control wirings that control operations of the pixel circuit are formed in wiring layers that are located above the electrode layer. The metal interconnect is formed in a layer that is located above the electrode layer and below a lowest one of the wiring layers such that a given one of the control wirings overlaps the metal interconnect so as to form a parallel plate capacitor in a region of overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Frederick Brady, Sungin Hwang, Thomas R. Ayers
  • Patent number: 9392238
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes a color filter unit disposed on a pixel array unit including pixels two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix and a conversion processing unit disposed on a substrate having the pixel array unit thereon. The color filter unit has a color arrangement in which a color serving as a primary component of a luminance signal is arranged in a checkerboard pattern and a plurality of colors serving as color information components are arranged in the other area of the checkerboard pattern. The conversion processing unit converts signals that are output from the pixels of the pixel array unit and that correspond to the color arrangement of the color filter unit into signals that correspond to a Bayer arrangement and outputs the converted signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Isao Hirota
  • Patent number: 9392174
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can capture media content including an original set of frames. A selection of a time-lapse amount can be received. A subset of frames from the original set of frames can be identified based on the time-lapse amount. An orientation-based image stabilization process can be applied to the subset of frames to produce a stabilized subset of frames. A stabilized time-lapse media content item can be provided based on the stabilized subset of frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Dimson, Alexandre Karpenko
  • Patent number: 9392155
    Abstract: A rectangular image sensor can be present within an optical capture device. Two lenses that capture and direct light from a real world environment upon the image sensor. The image sensor can be a device which converts the light from the real world environment into electronic signals. A non-reflective separator can be positioned between the optical pathways of light from the two lenses. The separator can absorb light from a region surrounding the image circle to prevent optical distortions from the image circles which are in close proximity to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Inventors: Dmitry Kozko, Ivan Onuchin
  • Patent number: 9386197
    Abstract: An object is to provide a lens device that can share a cable and can prevent the unnecessary exposure of the cable, and an imaging apparatus that includes the lens device. A lens device according to an embodiment of the invention, includes a lens barrel, a control unit that is provided on the lens barrel so as to protrude, a cable of which one end is mounted on the control unit and the other end is connected to the imaging apparatus main body, a plurality of length regulating members that are provided, in a longitudinal direction of the cable, and a housing portion in which the cable is housed and which is provided with an opening through which the cable is led out. Any one of the plurality of length regulating members is fitted to the opening, so that a lead-out length of the cable is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Daigo Aiba, Atsushi Misawa, Hiroshi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9386251
    Abstract: Provided are an image pickup device, a method of driving the image pickup device, and an image pickup system, in which timings of starting operations in a plurality of comparison units to which power supply voltage is applied through a common line are controlled to be different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomoya Onishi, Takeru Ohya, Daisuke Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9386230
    Abstract: A method, executed at a camera with a Night mode and a Day mode, determines when to switch from Night mode to Day mode using one or more of: illuminant detection (detecting the type of illuminant providing ambient light based on R/G and B/G component ratios of the ambient light), lux detection (detecting the ambient light level), and tiling (performing illuminant detection and/or lux detection for sub-regions of an image sensor array so as to detect localized/narrow beam/point light sources that only illuminate a portion of a scene or are directed at the camera lens). Based on identification of the illuminant type, switching from Night mode to Day mode is done at different lux levels for different types of illuminants. E,g. when the light is due to sunlight or incandescent light switching to Day mode is done at higher lux than when the light is from other sources of visible light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Bill Duran, Adrian Mircea Proca
  • Patent number: 9386289
    Abstract: An apparatus and methods for estimating a chromaticity of illumination from raw image data. In an embodiment, one or more image chromaticity weight is determined based on a distance between the raw image data in a sensor chromaticity space and a nearest point within a locus of sensor illumination chromaticities. In a further embodiment, one or more image chromaticity weight is determined based on a disparity among normalized color channel values. In certain embodiments, image chromaticity estimates are utilized to determine a white point estimate for the raw image data. In embodiments, an electronic device including a camera estimates the chromaticity value of raw image data captured by the camera as part of an AWB pipeline. The electronic device may further determine, for example as part of the AWB pipeline, a white point estimate based, at least in part, on the raw image data chromaticity value estimate(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Uygar Tuna, Jarno Nikkanen, Vladislav Uzunov
  • Patent number: 9380240
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a solid-state imaging device is configured as follows. A pixel array portion is configured such that pixels storing photoelectrically converted charge are arranged in an m (m is a positive integer) by n (n is a positive integer) matrix. A column ADC circuit calculates, for each column, an AD-converted value of a pixel signal read from the pixel based on a comparison result between the pixel signal and a reference voltage. The redundant column ADC circuit can relieve each column of the column ADC circuit. The column selection circuit can make a selection for each column so that the pixel signal input to the column ADC circuit is also input to the redundant column ADC circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 9380218
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable media for the use of a metric whose value is especially sensitive to the information lost when an image's pixels are clipped are disclosed. The metric may be used as an image's score, where higher values are indicative of lost highlight information (more clipped pixels). One use of the disclosed metric would be to determine when the use of high dynamic range (HDR) techniques are appropriate. The disclosed metric may also be used to bias a scene's exposure value (EV) such as to a lower or underexposed value (EV?) so that the scene may be captured with no more than an acceptable number of clipped pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Juanqing Chen, Xuemei Zhang, Yingjun Bai
  • Patent number: 9380239
    Abstract: An imaging system includes a plurality of pixel circuits each having a photodiode, a biasing circuit and a charge-to-voltage converter. The photodiode is configured to generate charges in response to light or radiation. The biasing circuit is configured to provide a constant bias voltage across the photodiode so as to drain the charges generated by the photodiode. The charge-to-voltage converter is configured to accumulate the charges drained by the biasing circuit and convert the accumulated charges into a corresponding output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: VARIAN MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Arundhuti Ganguly, Pieter Gerhard Roos
  • Patent number: 9374543
    Abstract: A system for acquiring digital images for a device having an integrated camera includes an Application Program Interface (API). The API is adapted to receive preprocessing and other instructions from a discrete application operating on the device. The API is also adapted to process multiple image capture requests using a pipeline configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Eino-Ville Talvala
  • Patent number: 9374539
    Abstract: An image pickup circuit including a plurality of circuit blocks. Each of the plurality of circuit blocks includes a plurality of comparing elements, a single counter, and a plurality of storage units. Each of the comparing elements compares a pixel signal supplied through a vertical signal line connected to vertically aligned pixels in a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, and a slope signal whose voltage is changed from an initial voltage at a constant slope. The counter counts an elapsed time since a voltage of the slope signal starts to change from the initial voltage. Each of the storage units stores a count value obtained by the counter in accordance with a comparison result of the comparator, the count value corresponding to an elapsed time until the voltage of the slope signal is changed from the initial voltage to a voltage coinciding with the pixel signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shigetaka Kudo
  • Patent number: 9366573
    Abstract: A spectral camera having an objective lens, an array of lenses for producing optical copies of segments of the image, an array of filters for the different optical channels and having an interleaved spatial pattern, and a sensor array to detect the copies of the image segments is disclosed. Further, detected segment copies of spatially adjacent optical channels have different passbands and represent overlapping segments of the image, and detected segment copies of the same passband on spatially non-adjacent optical channels represent adjacent segments of the image which fit together. Having segments of the image copied can help enable better optical quality for a given cost. Having an interleaved pattern of the filter bands with overlapping segments enables each point of the image to be sensed at different bands to obtain the spectral output for many bands simultaneously to provide better temporal resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: IMEC Leuven
    Inventors: Bert Geelen, Andy Lambrechts, Klaas Tack
  • Patent number: 9363425
    Abstract: Electronic devices may include camera modules. A camera module may include an array camera having an array of lenses and a corresponding array of image sensors. The array of image sensors may include a monochromatic image sensor such as a green image sensor and a polychromatic image sensor such as a red and blue image sensor. The red and blue image sensor may include a color filter array of red and blue color filter elements formed over an array of image pixels. The red and blue color filter elements in the polychromatic image sensor may be arranged in a checkerboard pattern, a zigzag pattern that extends vertically from the top of the pixel array to the bottom of the pixel array, or a diagonal strip pattern. The electronic device may include processing circuitry for combining monochromatic images from the monochromatic image sensor with polychromatic images from the polychromatic image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Robert A. Black
  • Patent number: 9350907
    Abstract: There are provided a drive device that is detachably mounted on a lens barrel making time, which is required until the position of a zoom ring is detected, uniform, a method of controlling initial processing for storing a result of initial processing in a memory, and a method of adjusting an angular position. A series of pulses are output from an encoder 45 according to the rotation of a zoom ring. A reference signal is output from a photo interrupter 40 at an intermediate position of a movable range of the zoom ring. The present position of the zoom ring is calculated from the pulses of the encoder that are generated after the rising or falling of the reference signal. Time, which is required until the position of the zoom ring is detected, is made uniform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yuuji Matsuura, Atsushi Misawa, Kentaro Imagawa