Patents Examined by Jason A Flohre
  • Patent number: 11563884
    Abstract: A focus detection apparatus includes a selection unit configured to select as the focus detection area a first focus detection area and a second focus detection area including the first focus detection area and its periphery, and an information acquiring unit configured to acquire first information on whether or not the object moving within the imaging screen can be continuously captured in the first focus detection area. The selection unit selects the first focus detection area when the first information indicates that the object can be continuously captured in the first focus detection area, and the selection unit selects the second focus detection area when the first information indicates that the object cannot be continuously captured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Minoru Hirose
  • Patent number: 11546514
    Abstract: This disclosure provides methods, devices, and systems for controlling motion-activated cameras. The present implementations more specifically relate to reducing false triggers in motion-activated camera systems. In some implementations, a motion-activated camera system may include a camera, a first motion sensor having a wide field-of-view (FOV), and a second motion sensor having a narrow FOV. In some aspects, the motion-activated camera system may be configured to operate in a wide-FOV mode or a narrow-FOV mode. In some implementations, the first motion sensor may trigger the camera to capture images of a scene responsive to motion detected in the wide FOV when the system is configured to operate in the wide-FOV mode. In some other implementations, the second motion sensor may trigger the camera to capture images of the scene responsive to motion detected in the narrow FOV when the system is configured to operate in the narrow-FOV mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventor: Michael Charles Brading
  • Patent number: 11546524
    Abstract: Techniques and apparatuses are described for reducing a flicker effect of multiple light sources in an image captured with an imaging device. A lighting frequency associated with each of the multiple light sources is detected and prioritized relative to a flicker effect upon the image to identify at least a first-prioritized lighting frequency and a second-prioritized lighting frequency. A first exposure-time factorization set is determined for the first-prioritized lighting frequency, and a second exposure-time factorization set is determined for the second-prioritized lighting frequency. An exposure time of the imaging device is adjusted to an exposure time identified in the first exposure-time factorization set that matches, or aligns near-to-matching, an exposure time identified in the second exposure-time factorization set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Gang Sun, Jinglun Gao, Ruben Manuel Velarde, Szepo Robert Hung
  • Patent number: 11539866
    Abstract: A vehicular camera module includes a camera housing, an imager printed circuit board and a processor printed circuit board. An imager is disposed at a first side of the imager printed circuit board. A heat transfer element is accommodated in the camera housing and is in thermal conductive contact with an active cooling element and with a second side of the imager printed circuit board or the processor printed circuit board. Circuitry of the camera module is electrically connected to electrical connecting elements that electrically connect to a wire harness of a vehicle when the vehicular camera module is disposed at the vehicle. With the electrical connecting elements electrically connected to the wire harness of the vehicle, heat generated by operation of the vehicular camera module is drawn from the imager printed circuit board to the camera housing via the heat transfer element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jamie A. Mleczko, Steven V. Byrne, Jonathan D. Conger, Rene Dreiocker, Rainer Strey
  • Patent number: 11533439
    Abstract: An electronic camera comprising an image sensor configured to capture an electronic image and a shutter mechanism. The electronic camera further comprises a controller configured to control the shutter mechanism and the image sensor. The controller comprising a processor and a memory having computer-readable code embodied therein which, when executed by the processor, causes the controller to: open the shutter mechanism, allow light to reach the image sensor for an exposure, automatically cause the image sensor to capture a first digital image of a scene using a first capture setting and automatically cause the image sensor to capture a second digital image of the scene using a second capture setting. The first capture setting includes a first value and the second capture setting includes a second value respectively of at least one of an aperture parameter, a shutter speed parameter, an ISO sensor gain parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Inventor: Sanjeev Kumar Singh
  • Patent number: 11523065
    Abstract: To suppress a difference in brightness and darkness in a captured image caused by a difference in an exposure start time by a rolling shutter even if the exposure period is not changed. Provided is an imaging device including a gain setting unit configured to set a gain for each line in which a plurality of pixels is arrayed, the plurality of pixels being two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix in an image sensor, on the basis of diaphragm drive information regarding a diaphragm drive locus representing a time-series change in a diaphragm value. Thereby, the difference in brightness and darkness in a captured image caused by the difference in an exposure start time by a rolling shutter can be suppressed even if the exposure period is not changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoomi Ito, Nobuhiro Doi, Syohei Uchida, Yusuke Mimura
  • Patent number: 11503210
    Abstract: A blur correction device includes: a sensor; a mechanical blur correction device; an electronic blur correction circuit that corrects the blurring by performing image processing on an image obtained through imaging of the imaging apparatus, based on the amount of blurring and operation state information about an operation state of the optical element during exposure in the imaging apparatus; and a supplementary blur correction circuit that, in a case where the mechanical blur correction device and the electronic blur correction circuit are shared and operated at a predetermined ratio during the exposure, corrects the blurring by applying, to the image, a filter determined depending on the operation state information, the predetermined ratio, the amount of blurring, and an exposure period in the imaging apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuya Fujikawa
  • Patent number: 11496702
    Abstract: An imaging device including a photoelectric converter that converts incident light into an electric charge; a transfer transistor; a first node coupled to the photoelectric converter via the transfer transistor; a first signal detection transistor having a gate coupled to the first node; a second signal detection transistor having a gate coupled to the photoelectric converter; a signal line coupled to one of a source and a drain of the first signal detection transistor; a first transistor coupled to the first node; and a second transistor coupled to the photoelectric converter, wherein one of the source and the drain of the first signal detection transistor is coupled to the first transistor, one of a source and a drain of the second signal detection transistor is coupled to the second transistor, and no transistor is coupled between the photoelectric converter and the gate of the second signal detection transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takayoshi Yamada, Yasuo Miyake, Masashi Murakami
  • Patent number: 11479174
    Abstract: A camera for a vehicular vision system includes a circuit board having a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The circuit board has a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). An imager is disposed at the first side of the circuit board, and a lens assembly is optically aligned with the imager. A bend-countering element is disposed at the first side or the second side of the circuit board. The bend-countering element has a second CTE that is different from the first CTE of the circuit board. The bend-countering element counters temperature-induced bending of the circuit board. With the camera disposed at the vehicle, temperature-induced bending of the bend-countering element is in an opposite direction from temperature-induced bending of the circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Yuesheng Lu, Steven V. Byrne
  • Patent number: 11483488
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging apparatus, an inter-exposure zoom imaging method, a program, and a recording medium capable of performing inter-exposure zoom imaging as intended by a user. The inter-exposure zoom imaging method according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a step of setting an imaging mode of inter-exposure zoom imaging by an imaging mode setting unit; a step S14 of setting an end angle of view of the inter-exposure zoom imaging by an end angle of view setting unit; and a step S26 of starting exposure in an imaging element of the inter-exposure zoom imaging (step S18 and step S20) in a case where the imaging mode and the end angle of view of the inter-exposure zoom imaging are set and an imaging instruction is received, and ending the exposure in the imaging element of the inter-exposure zoom imaging at least in a case where an angle of view of a zoom lens zoomed by a manual operation reaches the set end angle of view (step S24), by an exposure controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko Miyata, Yuki Sugihara, Masaru Kobayashi, Kazuki Ishida
  • Patent number: 11470260
    Abstract: After a command to stop recording a video is received, an image capture device may buffer footage in a buffer memory. The buffer memory may be used as a post-capture cache. The footage buffered in the buffer memory may be appended to the end of previously captured footage, appended to the beginning of subsequently captured footage, and/or used to bridge two separately captured footage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan Leland Thorn
  • Patent number: 11451691
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are a driving mechanism, a camera module and an electronic device. The driving mechanism includes: a driving component, a movable assembly, and a fixed assembly, wherein the driving component includes an elastic conductor element, a closed circuit, and a magnetic element; wherein the closed circuit is located in a magnetic field generated by the magnetic element, and is configured to communicate with the elastic conductor element to generate an electromagnetic force for overcoming an elastic force of the elastic conductor element; and wherein the elastic conductor element is fixedly connected with the fixed assembly, and is abutted against the movable assembly; and the elastic conductor element is configured to drive the movable assembly to move relative to the fixed assembly during a focusing function in response to determining that the electromagnetic force is greater than the elastic force of the elastic conductor element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hui Wang, Zhidong Yin, Yan Zheng, Zongbao Yang
  • Patent number: 11445112
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining a location of a wearable electronic device are disclosed. In some aspects, the device includes a position acquisition device and an accelerometer. A hardware processor included in the device may be configured to generally maintain the position acquisition device in a low power state to save power. When a video or image is captured, it may tag the video or image with first location information. Given the inoperative position acquisition device, a current location may not be known. In some aspects, in response to a need for location information, measurements from an accelerometer may be stored. The position acquisition device may also be transitioned to an operative state, and after some time delay, a second location determined. In some aspects, the location of the capture may then be obtained based on the acceleration measurements and the second location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Zhibin Zhang, Russell Douglas Patton, Peter Brook, Dunxu Hu
  • Patent number: 11431914
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for determine exposure parameters of each camera in a multi-view camera. The method may initiate an iteration process including iteration(s). Each current iteration may include: determining a reference exposure brightness; determining whether a first difference between the reference exposure brightness and a predetermined exposure brightness is within a first difference-range; if the first difference is not within the first difference-range, updating a first exposure brightness of each camera by adjusting first exposure parameters of the camera, and re-initiating a current iteration; if the first difference is within the first difference-range, designating the first exposure parameters of each camera as the current exposure parameters of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: ZHEJIANG DAHUA TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jianmiao Wang
  • Patent number: 11431911
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an imaging device and a signal processing device capable of expanding an application range of the imaging device. An imaging device includes an imaging element that includes one or more pixel output units that receive incident light from a subject incident without an intervention of an imaging lens or a pinhole and output one detection signal indicating an output pixel value modulated by an incident angle of the incident light, and outputs a detection signal set including one or more detection signals, and a communication unit that transmits imaging data including the detection signal set and position attitude data indicating at least one of a position or an attitude to a communication device by wireless communication. The present disclosure is applicable to, for example, a monitoring system and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Kita, Yoshitaka Miyatani
  • Patent number: 11425320
    Abstract: The complementary metal oxide (CMOS) image sensor CIS includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional (2D) array and each including a photodiode, a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) configured to perform auto exposure in units of the pixels, and a readout circuit configured to read pixel signals of the pixels, in rows. The plurality of pixels and the plurality of ADCs are the same in number and are connected in a one-to-one correspondence to each other. Each of the plurality of ADCs performs AE on a corresponding one of the pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Myunglae Chu, Minwoong Seo
  • Patent number: 11405521
    Abstract: An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a housing, a wireless communication circuit, a camera configured to generate raw image data, at least one processor, and a memory. The memory stores instructions configured, when executed, to enable the processor to process first image data corresponding to raw image data via a first algorithm and generate second image data, process the first image data or the second image data via a second algorithm and generate third image data, the second algorithm being different from the first algorithm, generate a first file including the second image data and the third image data, receive priority information from an external electronic device via the wireless communication circuit, generate a second file including the second image data and the third image data based on the priority information, and transmit the second file via the wireless communication circuit to the external electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jongbum Choi, Kihuk Lee, Jungeun Lee, Hyungju Chun, Sungoh Kim, Youngjo Kim, Hyunhee Park, Arang Lee, Sungjun Lim, Changsu Han
  • Patent number: 11375132
    Abstract: The imaging apparatus of the present invention determines the cumulative amount of motion amounts of the object between frames of multiple pieces of image data, which are captured by a second imaging device, and starts the exposure for the image data for a first frame by the first imaging device in accordance with a result of comparison between the cumulative amount and a first threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hironori Kaida
  • Patent number: 11363188
    Abstract: One aspect of this disclosure includes a method for operating a head-mounted display system that includes an imaging device. The method includes receiving an indication that an ambient light condition in an environment is below a lighting threshold. Responsive to the low lighting condition, an amount of motion of the head-mounted display relative to the environment is determined based on one or more signals received from an inertial measurement unit included in the head-mounted display system. An exposure time, frame rate, and a pixel-binning mode are automatically selected for the imaging device based on the determined amount of motion. Imagery is captured from the environment using the automatically selected exposure time, frame rate, and pixel-binning mode for the imaging device. The captured imagery is then displayed at the head-mounted display system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Kirk Price, Christopher Douglas Edmonds, Michael Bleyer, Donald John Patrick O'Neil
  • Patent number: 11363211
    Abstract: Provided are an image generation control device, an image generation control method, and an image generation control program that are capable of generating an image of an object to be imaged positioned in a vicinity of an imaging-hindering light source with high precision. In an image generation control device, based on luminance variation within a target area including the imaging-hindering light source and the object to be imaged, a calculation unit calculates an expected light-off period during which the imaging-hindering light source is turned off. An image-capturing control unit, by setting an exposure period of an image-capturing unit within the expected light-off period calculated by the calculation unit, makes the image-capturing unit capture an image including the target area within the expected light-off period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: JVCKENWOOD CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hisashi Koiso