Patents Examined by Jason Whipkey
  • Patent number: 7978248
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes: an image capture mode storing section that stores image capture modes each associated with a feature value related to a subject as a selection condition for selecting an image capture mode candidate according to the subject; a feature value extracting section that extracts a feature value included in captured data that is captured by converting incident light from the subject; an image capture mode candidate selecting section that selects image capture mode candidates from among the image capture modes stored in the image capture mode storing section, on the basis of the feature value extracted from the feature value extracting section; and a display control section that displays on a display section the image capture mode candidates selected by the image capture mode candidate selecting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshito Terashima
  • Patent number: 7978256
    Abstract: An imaging device, comprising a photographing lens having a manual focus mechanism, an imaging unit for receiving subject light flux, that has been made incident by the photographing lens, on an imaging surface, a display unit for carrying out a live view display operation using image data acquired by the imaging unit, a contrast AF unit for obtaining contrast information of the subject information from image data acquired by the imaging unit and guiding the photographing lens into a specified focus permissible range based on the contrast information, and a control unit for, when a manual focus operation is carried out after executing a focus adjustment operation using the contrast AF unit during the live view display, carrying out control so that there is a transition to a shooting operation without again executing the focus adjustment operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Keiji Kunishige, Satoshi Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 7969492
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a plurality of pixels and increasing portions increasing charges stored in the pixels, wherein the frequency of increasing the charges is controlled every group of at least one pixel in response to luminance of light incident upon the pixels by the increasing portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsushi Ohyama, Toshikazu Ohno
  • Patent number: 7961250
    Abstract: A photographing apparatus comprises an imaging sensor, a controller, and an exposure-mode-selecting device. The controller performs a photometric operation on a photographing subject and obtains a luminance value of the photographing subject based on the photometric operation. The exposure-mode-selecting device is used for selecting an exposure mode of the photographing apparatus that has a sensitivity priority AE mode. The photographing operation is performed with a sensitivity of the imaging sensor that is set by a user and a shutter speed and an aperture value that are calculated based on the luminance value and the sensitivity, while the photographing apparatus is in the sensitivity priority AE mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Isamu Hirai, Tadahisa Ohkura, Toshihiro Hamamura
  • Patent number: 7961244
    Abstract: Light emitted from a taking lens 20 enters a first birefringent plate 1a to be spatially divided along a first direction extending perpendicular to the direction in which the light advances to achieve two separate rays L10 and L20. The vibrational planes of the two light fluxes L10 and L20 emitted from the first birefringent plate 1a are converted to a circularly polarized light by a phase plate 1c. The two light fluxes L10? and L20? emitted from the phase plate 1c are each spatially divided into two by a second birefringent plate 1d along a second direction extending perpendicular to the first direction to achieve four separate rays L11, L12, L21 and L22, to be guided to an imaging plane 15a of an imaging device 15. At least either the first birefringent plate or the second birefringent plate is constituted of lithium niobate, rutile, Chilean nitrate, or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Kiyoshige Shibazaki
  • Patent number: 7956912
    Abstract: An active pixel sensor includes mixed analog and digital signal integration on the same substrate. The analog part of the array forms the active pixel sensor, and the digital part of the array does digital integration of the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Vladimir Berezin
  • Patent number: 7956916
    Abstract: Provided is a solid-state imaging device having pixel units that are two-dimensionally arranged, and including: a photodiode that generates an optical signal charge corresponding to an intensity and an exposure time of light; a MOS transistor that transfers the optical signal charge; an accumulating unit that generates a voltage corresponding to the signal charge through the MOS transistor; a storing unit that stores a voltage corresponding to an optical signal charge in the accumulating unit; and a voltage setting unit that sets a value of a voltage in the accumulating unit to a value corresponding to the voltage in the storing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiko Murata, Yoshihisa Kato, Shigetaka Kasuga, Takayoshi Yamada
  • Patent number: 7948555
    Abstract: A camera module includes an image sensor chip, a lens structure, a transparent substrate, an adhesive portion, and a light blocking layer. The image sensor chip includes a light receiving area and a circuit area. The lens structure is positioned on the image sensor chip and configured to allow light to enter the image sensor chip. The transparent substrate is positioned between the image sensor chip and the lens structure, the transparent substrate allowing light from the lens structure to enter the light receiving area. The adhesive portion attaches the image sensor chip and the transparent substrate, and covers the circuit area. The light blocking layer is attached to the transparent substrate to block light from entering the circuit area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yong-Hwan Kwon, Un-Byoung Kang, Chung-Sun Lee, Woon-Seong Kwon, Hyung-Sun Jang
  • Patent number: 7944491
    Abstract: Since the great number of elements constituting a unit pixel having an amplification function would hinder reduction of pixel size, unit pixel n,m arranged in a matrix form is comprised of a photodiode, a transfer switch for transferring charges stored in the photodiode, a floating diffusion for storing charges transferred by the transfer switch, a reset switch for resetting the floating diffusion, and an amplifying transistor for outputting a signal in accordance with the potential of the floating diffusion to a vertical signal line, and by affording vertical selection pulse ?Vn to the drain of the reset switch to control a reset potential thereof, pixels are selected in units of rows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takahisa Ueno, Kazuya Yonemoto, Ryoji Suzuki, Koichi Shiono
  • Patent number: 7940316
    Abstract: A digital motion picture camera for the taking of motion pictures includes an optoelectronic sensor device having a plurality of sensor elements for the generation of received signals in dependence on the exposure time, a digitizing device for the digitizing of the received signals and an electronic control device for the control of the exposure time and the reading out of the received signals and for the evaluation of these received signals. A plurality of images taken with different exposure times are combined with one another by means of the control device, with the time centers of the images to be combined with one another between a respective start of recording and a respective end of recording coinciding at least substantially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co. Betriebs KG
    Inventor: Michael Cieslinski
  • Patent number: 7932939
    Abstract: In an image processing apparatus that performs image processing on an image supplied from an imaging apparatus that captured an original image and that performed gamma processing on the original image to generate the image to be supplied to the image processing apparatus, inverse gamma processing means performs inverse gamma processing on the image supplied from the imaging apparatus so that the image has characteristics the same as characteristics of the original image, which corresponds to the image before the image was subjected to the gamma processing in the imaging apparatus, and correction processing means performs correction processing on the image subjected to the inverse gamma processing using the inverse gamma processing means so that blur in the image is corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Nishi, Kazuhiko Ueda, Mitsuyasu Asano, Takeshi Hiramatsu
  • Patent number: 7929029
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of a subject, a recording unit configured to record one of still image data and video image data captured by the image capturing unit on a storage medium in the form of an image file, a generating unit configured to generate a management file used for managing the image file recorded on the storage medium, and a registering unit configured to register an identifier of the image file recorded on the storage medium in the management file on a capture date basis in the order of capture time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Morimoto, Katsuhiko Watanabe, Kenichiro Imai, Kou Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 7924312
    Abstract: Methods and thermal imaging cameras are provided for registering visible-light and infrared images within a thermal imaging camera to reduce a parallax error in the images. Registration generally includes detecting a first feature set in the visible-light image data, detecting a second feature set in the infrared image data and generating a plurality of overlapping alignments of the infrared image data and the visible-light image data. A similarity figure is calculated as a function of the relative alignment of the first feature set and the second feature set for each alignment and the alignment with the desired similarity figure is selected. The images are aligned and the camera displays at least a portion of the visible-light image data and/or at least a portion of the infrared image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Fluke Corporation
    Inventor: Corey D. Packard
  • Patent number: 7924326
    Abstract: An image processing device capable of executing adjustment of image quality of image data includes a feature amount obtainment unit which obtains an amount of feature indicative of a feature of image quality of the image data, a correction amount obtainment unit which obtains an amount of correction for adjusting the feature amount of the image data to a predetermined target value, and an image quality evaluation unit which evaluates an image quality based on the correction amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takayoshi Kojima
  • Patent number: 7924313
    Abstract: A camera device includes an image sensor for capturing an image. A printer includes an ink ejection printhead and is configured to print the captured image. A replaceable print roll includes an ink reservoir section configured to supply ink to the printer for printing. A validation apparatus is configured to validate the replaceable print roll and enable the printer to print the captured image only subsequent to validation of the print roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Kia Silverbrook, Paul Lapstun, Simon Robert Walmsley
  • Patent number: 7920195
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus provided with a plurality of image sensing elements each including a plurality of photoelectric conversion sections and an adding circuit adapted to add signals from the plurality of photoelectric conversion sections to obtain a one-pixel signal, wherein the adding circuit adds the signals such that the one-pixel signals obtained by the addition are arranged at equal intervals in an area extending over the plurality of image sensing elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Yuki, Noriyuki Kaifu, Kazuaki Tashiro, Tetsunobu Kochi
  • Patent number: 7920161
    Abstract: A method for acquiring at least two digital images by means of a digital camera, wherein the digital images are to be stitched into a panoramic image, comprises capturing a first digital image, wherein a first scenery is imaged, determining a relation between the first scenery and a second scenery being viewed by the digital camera, while said second scenery being viewed by the digital camera is changed, analysing the relation between the first scenery and the second scenery being viewed by the digital camera in order to identify an appropriate view to be captured by the digital camera in a second digital image, and indicating to a user that the camera is directed towards an appropriate view for capturing a second digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Scalado AB
    Inventors: Sami Niemi, Johan Windmark, Zhengrong Yao
  • Patent number: 7920183
    Abstract: A visual processing section 120 is provided which performs visual processing on a pixel-by-pixel basis according to a predetermined function defining a relation between a pixel value of a target pixel which is a pixel under visual processing and a pixel value of the target pixel after subjected to the visual processing. An input signal processing section 150 is further provided which performs, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, at least one of signal processing to restore resolution of an image data input to the visual processing section 120 and signal processing to correct signal deterioration due to the visual processing. In the input signal processing section 150, the at least one signal processing is performed according to a gain determined by using the function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Mayu Ogawa, Yasutoshi Yamamoto, Yukihiro Tanizoe
  • Patent number: 7916212
    Abstract: An image sensor package includes an image sensor chip, a sidewall, an encapsulation glass, conductive material, and a plurality of solder balls. The image sensor chip comprises a photosensitive area, a non-photosensitive area surrounding the photosensitive area, and a plurality of bonding pads formed on the non-photosensitive area. The sidewall is located on the non-photosensitive are and defines a plurality of first through holes aligned with and corresponding to the bonding pads. The encapsulation glass is located on the sidewall. A plurality of solder balls are formed on the encapsulation glass aligned with the bonding pads, respectively. The encapsulation glass defines a plurality of second through holes each corresponding to a bonding pad and a corresponding solder ball. The image sensor package further comprises a conductive material through which the first and second through holes penetrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ying-Cheng Wu, Te-Chun Chou
  • Patent number: 7911527
    Abstract: A focusing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention comprises: an image pickup device which obtains an image signal of a subject that is captured by an image capturing device, wherein the image capturing device incorporates a focus optical system therein; a search interval calculating device which acquires contrast characteristics that are obtained for a subject of a predetermined spatial frequency at a predetermined focal length and calculates a search interval in capturing of an image based on the contrast characteristics; a focus evaluation value acquiring device which moves a focus lens to a detecting point for each search interval in a predetermined searching range and acquires a focus evaluation value at each detecting point from the image signal; and a focus detecting device which detects a focus position by using the focus evaluation value at each detecting point that is acquired by the focus evaluation value acquiring device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yi Pan