Patents Examined by Linda B Smith
  • Patent number: 10031352
    Abstract: System and apparatus including: a plurality of lens elements; and an aperture module coupled to the plurality of lens elements and including an array of pixels, wherein the aperture module is configured to be variable in pattern and transparency. Key words include variable aperture and pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventor: Kazunori Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10025166
    Abstract: A camera mount for coupling a camera to a user's wrist is described. The camera mount includes a swivel component that rotates relative to a wrist component when an above-threshold amount of force is applied on the swivel component. A rippled spring component is coupled between the swivel component and the wrist component, and exerts an outward force upon the swivel component in response to a compressive force exerted on the rippled spring component by the swivel component. A strap couples to each of two sides of the wrist mount component, and is configured to secure the camera mount to the user's wrist. The camera mount can additionally include a base component and a padding component, and a screw to couple each camera mount component together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Aaron Clearman
  • Patent number: 10018952
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes a first roller arranged on a conveyance path of a sheet and a second roller arranged downstream of the first roller in the conveyance path. A control section calculates a deflection amount of the sheet nipped by the first roller and the second roller based on a conveyance speed of the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path. When the calculated deflection amount is smaller than a predetermined lower limit value, the control section increases the rotation speed of the first roller and decreases the rotation speed of the second roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Eizo Kurita
  • Patent number: 10012342
    Abstract: The utility model relates to an integrated selfie stick. The selfie stick comprises a long-cylinder handle shell, an extendable stick fixed on the handle shell, a clamping device which can be folded relative to the extendable stick and a folding device for connecting an active end of the extendable stick and the clamping device, wherein a cavity for accommodating the clamping device is left between an inner wall of the handle shell and an outer wall of the extendable stick; and when the selfie stick is in a pack-up state, the clamping device is folded on the extendable stick, the active end of the extendable stick is retracted back to the handle shell, and the clamping device is placed in the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Inventor: Yongbin Chen
  • Patent number: 10000163
    Abstract: Various examples of an apparatus for mounting a camera on a vehicle are disclosed. The apparatus includes a first bracket having a first end configured for attaching to a camera and a second end configured for mounting to a vehicle and a second bracket separate from the first bracket configured for holding the camera in a calibrated position. The second bracket is capable of deforming upon an impact to the apparatus and returning the camera to a calibrated position upon replacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC
    Inventor: Andreas U. Kuehnle
  • Patent number: 10001697
    Abstract: An image capture apparatus that makes it possible to properly update a second accessory that is attached to a first accessory attached to the image capture apparatus, and a method for controlling the image capture apparatus, are disclosed. An update target accessory, out of the attached first accessory and the second accessory attached to the first accessory, is set based on the operation status of the first accessory and the operation status of the second accessory. If it is determined that the operation status of the first accessory is abnormal, the first accessory is set as the update target accessory, regardless of the operation status of the second accessory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hironori Seki
  • Patent number: 9998647
    Abstract: To enable satisfactory simultaneous and widely varied pictures to be obtained, for example, by allowing a common user to obtain an overall picture while the common user performing desired image capturing, or the like. A first image capturing device image-captures a subject to record this image, and also transmits a trigger signal to a second image capturing device. The second image capturing device image-captures an image to record this image in accordance with the trigger signal. Thus, the first and second image capturing devices enable both of an overall image and a zoomed image to be obtained with simultaneous timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kotaro Kashiwa, Kazuyuki Marukawa, Yukihiro Ozheki
  • Patent number: 9989190
    Abstract: A tripod (1) for supporting a video camera includes a head element (4) and a plurality of supporting legs (2), whereby each leg (2) is attached at one end to the head element (4). The tripod includes an illumination means (6) which is arranged to illuminate a space beneath said head element (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: The Vitec Group PLC
    Inventor: Jolyon Francis Torbitt
  • Patent number: 9989835
    Abstract: A camera mounting assembly includes a first bezel configured to be positioned on a first side of a panel of a work vehicle and to support a camera. The camera mounting assembly also includes a second bezel configured to be positioned on a second side of the panel and to couple to the first bezel to support the camera between the first bezel and the second bezel, and to couple the camera mounting assembly to the panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Lorenzo Anthony Gomez, Mark Steven Draeger, Daniel Alan Morey, Douglas L. Waco, William L. Schroeder
  • Patent number: 9971231
    Abstract: A diaphragm device of the present invention includes: a base plate having an aperture portion; a first blade being placed on a plane of the base plate and supported by the base plate to be able to open and close the aperture portion; a second blade being placed on the same plane of the base plate as the first blade, and supported by the base plate to be able to open and close the aperture portion; and a drive ring being formed so as to surround the perimeter of the aperture portion, the driving ring being configured to drive the first blade and the second blade to open and close, wherein the first blade and the second blade perform mutually different actions based on an operation of the drive ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Takashi Nakano, Penjan Worapong
  • Patent number: 9948864
    Abstract: A photography illumination compensation method comprises: obtaining a surface shape characteristic of a photographed side of an object in a photographing field of view; obtaining first relative direction information of the object relative to a photography position related to the photographing field of view, obtaining second relative direction information of the object relative to an illumination array comprising multiple illumination units, and adjusting, according to the surface reflection characteristic, the first relative direction information, the second relative direction information, and a set illumination compensation criterion, an illumination parameter of an illumination unit in the illumination array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: BEIJING ZHIGU RUI TUO TECH CO., LTD
    Inventors: Lin Du, Zhengxiang Wang
  • Patent number: 9930231
    Abstract: A camera housing includes a frame having sides configured to secure a camera along an outer perimeter of the camera, one of the sides of the frame including a split within the frame. The camera housing also includes a latch mechanism extending along the frame from a first side of the split to a second side of the split, the latch mechanism operable in a closed configuration and an open configuration. A first distance between the first side of the split and the second side of the split when the latch mechanism is in the closed configuration is less than a second distance between the first side of the split and the second side of the split when the latch mechanism is in the open configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Aaron Clearman, Rudy Lucas Samuels, Richard Gioscia
  • Patent number: 9918009
    Abstract: There is provided a luminaire that includes a plurality of cameras supported by a member. One camera has a field of view overlapping the field of view of another camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: GE LIGHTING SOLUTIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Vinh-Loc Nguyen, Gleb Geguine, Tai-Peng Tian
  • Patent number: 9906699
    Abstract: To provide a blade drive device that may prevent malfunction of blades. A blade drive device includes a base plate having an opening to be opened and closed by a blade on an optical axis, and a flexible substrate having joint portions to which conductor wires of a first actuator and a second actuator that drive the blades are joined, the flexible substrate being provided between the base plate and the blades on one side of the base plate in an axis direction of the optical axis. The base plate is provided with a substrate housing part in which at least a part of the flexible substrate is housed and to which a covering material for covering the joint portions is applied. The substrate housing part is provided with wall surface extending from the other side toward the one side in the axis direction of the optical axis. The wall surface is provided with corner portions extending along a direction crossing the axis direction of the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Koichi Masuzawa, Kenichi Kudo
  • Patent number: 9900514
    Abstract: A lens apparatus (101) includes an image capturing optical system including a correction unit (103) configured to move in image stabilization, and a driver (113) configured to rotationally drive the correction unit based on a rotational center position that varies depending on an object distance, and a predetermined conditional expression is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shuichi Mogi
  • Patent number: 9891515
    Abstract: A projection screen including a substrate, Fresnel structures and a protective layer is provided. The Fresnel structures are located on a surface of the substrate facing an image-source side and arranged along a first direction. Each Fresnel structure extends along a second direction. The protective layer has a first surface facing the image-source side. The first surface has optical microstructures. The optical microstructures are orthographically projected on a reference plane to form orthographic projection patterns. Each of the orthographic projection patterns has a first axis and a second axis substantially perpendicular to each other. The first axis passes through two end points having a maximum distance in the first direction. The second axis passes through two end points having a maximum distance in the second direction. Each of the orthographic projection patterns is symmetry to at least one of the first axis and the second axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
    Inventors: Hung-Ta Chien, Fang-Hsuan Su, Fu-Chiang Hsu
  • Patent number: 9891506
    Abstract: A camera stabilizer, comprising a mounting assembly and a gravity center adjusting assembly arranged below the mounting assembly, wherein the mounting assembly comprises a mounting mechanism for mounting camera, a longitudinal adjusting mechanism relative to which the mounting mechanism is longitudinally slidable, and a transverse adjusting mechanism relative to which the longitudinal adjusting mechanism is transversely slidable, wherein the gravity center adjusting assembly comprises an adjusting rod mechanism and a counterweight balancing mechanism, wherein the length of the adjusting rod mechanism is adjustable, and the adjusting rod mechanism has an upper end connected to the transverse adjusting mechanism and a lower end fixedly connected to the counterweight balancing mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: GUILIN FEIYU TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION LTD.
    Inventor: Chengyun Wei
  • Patent number: 9891505
    Abstract: The invention relates to photographic equipment field and provides a panoramic camera stabilizer suitable for panoramic camera to shoot steadily from any angle, which comprises a fixing assembly, a rotating component and a handle. The fixing assembly is connected with and arranged above the rotating component for mounting a panoramic camera, the rotating component is connected to handle end and comprises a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting pitching angle of the fixing assembly, a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting rolling angle of the fixing assembly, and a third adjustment mechanism for adjusting yawing angle of the fixing assembly. The fixing assembly is arranged at upper part of the stabilizer, thereby avoiding blocking camera lens. Due to multi-direction adjustable rotating component, the panoramic camera may capture images at any angle. By adjusting gravity center through the counterweight and fixing assembly, cameras in different sizes and weights may be mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Inventor: Chengyun Wei
  • Patent number: 9885940
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure include a camera carrying and mounting system. The system may include a camera plate configured to mount onto a camera and a coupling mechanism. The camera plate may include a first end, a second end, and a mounting hole configured to receive a fastening element to mount the camera plate to the camera, and the mounting hole may be positioned between the first end and the second end of the camera plate. The coupling mechanism may be coupled to the first end of the camera plate and configured to releasably engage a carrying structure to the camera plate, and the coupling mechanism may include a loop through which the carrying structure extends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: ASFERIK, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Walter Jackson, Andrew Douglas Johnson
  • Patent number: 9863789
    Abstract: Example rotating camera systems and methods are described. In one implementation, an apparatus includes a motor having a camera mounting mechanism and configured to rotate a camera attached to the mounting mechanism. A communication module receives vehicle data from a vehicle. A rotation control module determines a current rotational orientation of the motor and determines a speed and direction to rotate the motor based on the received vehicle data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jamel Seagraves, Sudipto Aich