Patents Examined by Justin P. Misleh
  • Patent number: 8704934
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: a light-receiving element making a photoelectric conversion and being disposed in each of a plurality of pixels, wherein a honeycomb structure in which a predetermined pixel is surrounded with six pixels neighboring the predetermined pixel out of the plurality of pixels or a structure in which one to three pixels out of the six neighboring pixels are omitted from the honeycomb structure is used as a basic unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Sozo Yokogawa
  • Patent number: 8704896
    Abstract: Embodiments of camera-based scanning are described. In various embodiments, one or more quadrangular objects are automatically selected from a captured image for scanning. The automatic selection is determined to be successful based on the selected quadrangular objects having an associated score that exceeds a predefined threshold. One or more scanned documents are created from portions of the captured image corresponding to the selected quadrangular objects, and the created scanned documents include corrections for perspective distortions of the selected quadrangular objects in the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Djordje Nijemcevic, Magdalena Vukosavljevic, Milan Vugdelija, Ana Mitrovic, Georg F. Petschnigg, Bodin Dresevic
  • Patent number: 8704914
    Abstract: An apparatus to automatically tag an image and a method thereof conveniently classifies images by acquiring information of a tag image when an image is photographed and stored, automatically adding tag information to the photographed image based on the information of a tag image, generating an image file, and storing the image file. The apparatus and method acquire an image and record a photographed image based on classification information of an image which is automatically tagged when the image is acquired and stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Wan-je Park, Dae-hong Ki, Hyun-kook Jang
  • Patent number: 8698950
    Abstract: A camera control device and a method for operating a mobile terminal having a single camera module in selected modes to reduce the power consumption of the mobile terminal is disclosed. The camera control device for a mobile terminal includes a camera module, a memory, and a control unit. The camera module has a sensor for photographing an image. The memory stores tables which are provided for respective modes of the camera module and which include camera register values set for each mode and stores initial values of the sensor for the respective modes to initialize the sensor of the camera module. The control unit determines a mode of operating the camera module, extracts camera register values for the mode from a corresponding table stored in the memory, and operates the camera module according to the extracted camera register values to implement the corresponding mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin-Man Kim, Jun-Hui Lee, Yun-Mi Heo
  • Patent number: 8692893
    Abstract: Systems and methods for transmitting and receiving image data captured by an imager array including a plurality of focal planes are described. One embodiment of the invention includes capturing image data using a plurality of active focal planes in a camera module, where an image is formed on each active focal plane by a separate lens stack, generating lines of image data by interleaving the image data captured by the plurality of active focal planes, and transmitting the lines of image data and the additional data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Pelican Imaging Corporation
    Inventor: Andrew Kenneth John McMahon
  • Patent number: 8692899
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: an imaging unit taking a subject image focused by an imaging optical system; a digital signal processing unit generating image data of the subject image taken by the imaging unit and luminance data thereof; an input/output unit inputting and outputting data; a focus evaluation value generating unit generating a focus evaluation value of the subject image based on the luminance data outputted from the digital signal processing unit and outputting the focus evaluation value from the input/output unit; and an imaging drive unit starting an imaging operation by the imaging unit when an imaging instruction signal is inputted from the input/output unit, and outputting an imaging-end timing signal from the input/output unit when the imaging operation is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Haruta, Eiji Makino, Takeshi Yamaguchi, Shinsuke Shimomoto
  • Patent number: 8681234
    Abstract: Still images can be captured during capture of video frames at different resolutions. Still image data and video data at different resolutions and in different data formats can be combined into a single file and stored in a memory. Storing the video data and still image data in a single file simplifies the process of displaying video in conjunction with display of representative still images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC
    Inventor: Adam Harris
  • Patent number: 8665355
    Abstract: Image capture with an image capture device including an imaging assembly having a spectral response which is tunable in accordance with a capture parameter. A first capture parameter is applied to the imaging assembly. A preview image of a scene is captured using the imaging assembly whose spectral response is tuned in accordance with the first capture parameter. A user interface is displayed by which first and second regions of the preview image are designated, and by which a target range is set for contrast between the first and second regions. A second capture parameter is derived for the imaging assembly, by implementing the target range for contrast between the first and second regions. The second capture parameter is applied to the imaging assembly. A second image of the scene is captured by using the imaging assembly whose spectral response is tuned in accordance with the second capture parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8648945
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a clock signal generator configured to generate and output at least first and second clock signals, a plurality of pixels configured to generate associated distance signals based on corresponding clock signals from among the at least first and second clock signals and light reflected by an object, and a distance information deciding unit configured to determine distance information with respect to the object by using the associated distance signals. At least one first pixel from among the plurality of pixels is configured to generate the associated distance signal based on at least the first clock signal, and at least one second pixel from among the plurality of pixels, which is adjacent to the at least one first pixel, is configured to generate the associated distance signal based on at least the second clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ilia Ovsiannikov, Yoon-dong Park, Dong-ki Min, Young-gu Jin
  • Patent number: 8648916
    Abstract: There is provided a method, a system and a device for displaying an image corresponding to a first field of view to an operator of an image capturing device. The method comprises receiving input data relating to a change in at least one of a position, an orientation, or a scaling of the first field of view and determining, based on the input data, at least one of a position, an orientation or a scaling of the first field of view with respect to a second field of view which is larger than the first field of view. Further, the method comprises receiving an image captured by the image capturing device and determining an overlapping portion of the first field of view and the received image. An image to be displayed is then determined by using image data of the received image in the overlapping portion, and using image data of the second field of view in the non-overlapping portion. The invention is advantageous in that it provides an improved operation of the image capturing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Axis AB
    Inventors: Per Zander, Mats Thulin
  • Patent number: 8643764
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a zoom lens having a first positive lens unit, and a first negative lens unit disposed on an object side of the first positive lens unit. A distance between the first positive lens unit and the first negative lens unit is narrowed at the time of zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end. The zoom lens includes an aperture stop disposed between a lens nearest to an image side in the first negative lens unit and a lens nearest to the image side in the first positive lens unit, and a light-amount reducing filter made of a resin material which is disposed on the image side of the lens nearest to the image side in the first positive lens unit, and which can be inserted in an optical path and withdrawn from the optical path. The zoom lens satisfies predetermined conditional expressions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Masato Miyata, Naoki Fujii
  • Patent number: 8643737
    Abstract: A mobile terminal and a method of controlling a mobile terminal are provided. The method includes displaying a camera preview image; detecting a face area from the camera preview image; if a button for capturing an image is manipulated, correcting an image captured by a camera using the detected face area and displaying the corrected captured image; and storing the corrected captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Min Young Eom, Jeong Han Kim, Nam Su Lee, Yeong Kyu Lim
  • Patent number: 8605158
    Abstract: An image pickup control apparatus, includes: a trigger acceptance section adapted to accept a predetermined trigger input as a changeover input from an automatic image pickup mode to a request responding image pickup mode; and a request responding image pickup control section adapted to establish, when the trigger input is accepted by the trigger acceptance section while an image pickup apparatus is carrying out still picture image pickup operation with an image pickup visual field of the image pickup apparatus changed in the automatic image pickup mode, the request responding image pickup mode and control the image pickup apparatus to execute a process for determining an image pickup visual field in accordance with an image pickup request and then execute still picture image pickup operation after the determination of the image pickup visual field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shingo Yoshizumi
  • Patent number: 8599278
    Abstract: 3D data of pixels arranged in a square lattice is converted to a houndstooth arrangement, a largest value among respective magnitudes of cross products of all pairings of the normal vector of a small triangle of interest and the normal vectors of three adjacent small triangles is derived, and a large triangle composed of the small triangle of interest and the adjacent small triangles is determined to be a plane candidate if the largest value is less than or equal to a first threshold, after which similar processing is repeated with this large triangle taken as a small triangle, and this repetition is recursively performed while enlarging the small triangle of interest, and when the area of a new large triangle is greater than or equal to a predetermined area, the region thereof is determined to be a plane and separated from a range image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Optex Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasutaka Kawahata
  • Patent number: 8593561
    Abstract: A method and system for facilitating focusing of a camera module are disclosed. The camera module includes an image sensor, a lens cube, a barrel and an adjustable member. An adjustable member can be configured to fine-tune the focal length with respect to an image sensor, so that a lens cube with a shorter or longer focal length can be corrected and integrated into the camera module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignees: Omnivision Technologies, Inc., Visera Technologies Company Limited
    Inventors: Li-Kai Lee, Yu-Kun Hsiao
  • Patent number: 8593566
    Abstract: Provided is a method and apparatus for controlling light emission of a flash. The method includes: during a pre-emission flash, exposing an image sensor by opening a global shutter; measuring light reflected from a subject by using the image sensor, and calculating a flash emission time of the flash based on the measured light; and controlling the flash to fire a main-emission flash for the calculated flash emission time. Accordingly, a partial exposure during a pre-emission flash, even in an image sensor that operates by using a rolling shutter, can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin-pyo Gwak, Won-kyu Jang
  • Patent number: 8564692
    Abstract: An electronic device includes: a data transfer unit that transfers data between a first recording medium and a second recording medium; an indication unit that indicates a communication protocol and a data transfer rate to be used in data transfer to the transfer unit; a judgment unit that judges whether or not the data transfer is successful; a control unit that controls the indication unit to indicate a communication protocol and a data transfer rate to be used in data transfer, after the judgment whether or not the data transfer is successful, based on the communication protocol used in the data transfer, the data transfer rate used in the data transfer, and the judgment whether or not the data transfer is successful.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Yamagata, Masaki Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8558935
    Abstract: In exemplary scene information displaying apparatus and methods, scene information is detected from an input image, a scene for the input image is determined by using the scene information, probabilities that the determined scene corresponds to respective scene modes are calculated, and a scene information identifier including the probabilities for the scene modes is generated and displayed. Thus, users may be informed of all applicable scene modes for a current image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyun-ock Yim, Ung-sik Kim, Jong-sun Kim
  • Patent number: 8558941
    Abstract: A camera for recording an image captured using image-capturing element in a recording medium is provided with a focal point detection device for detecting a focal point adjustment state of a photographic lens in each focal point detection region of a plurality of focal point detection regions set inside an photographic field. When electronic zoom shooting is carried out, part of an imaged picture is trimmed and an image for recording in the recording medium is created. For a plurality of focal point detection regions the focal point detection regions are changed according to the trimming range of the imaged picture. Focal point adjustment of the photographic lens is carried out based on focal point detection results for focal point detection regions that have been changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Hirotake Nozaki
  • Patent number: 8558903
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a control system for video processes that selectively control the operation of motion stabilization processes. According to the present invention, motion sensor data indicative of motion of a mobile device may be received and processed. A determination may be made by comparing processed motion sensor data to a threshold. Based on the determination, motion stabilization may be suspended on select portions of a captured video sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yuxin Liu, Xiaojin Shi, James Oliver Normile, Hsi-Jung Wu