Patents Examined by Mark Monk
  • Patent number: 8558917
    Abstract: A method of transferring images from a first device to a second device and computer program code for performing this method is described. A connection characteristic for a connection between the first & second devices is determined and at least one image is selected from a plurality of images on the first device for transfer dependent upon both the connection characteristic and image selection criteria. The selected image(s) are then transferred over the connection from the first device to the second device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth Wood, Stephen Hodges, Lyndsay Williams, Mitch Goldberg, Carsten Rother, Antonio Criminisi, James Srinivasan
  • Patent number: 8553106
    Abstract: A camera with a pair of lens/sensor combinations, the two lenses having different focal lengths, so that the image from one of the combinations has a field of view approximately two to three times greater than the image from the other combination. As a user of the camera requests a given amount of zoom, the zoomed image provided will come from the lens/sensor combination having the field of view that is next larger than the requested field of view. Thus, if the requested field of view is less than the smaller field of view combination, the zoomed image will be created from the image captured by that combination, using cropping and interpolation if necessary. Similarly, if the requested field of view is greater than the smaller field of view combination, the zoomed image will be created from the image captured by the other combination, using cropping and interpolation if necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation
    Inventor: Lawrence Scarff
  • Patent number: 8542283
    Abstract: Provision is made for obtaining a high-quality image with noise, such as ringing, reduced. An image processing device includes an image correction means for applying image-shake correction processing to an input image; a correction-image characteristic detection means for detecting a characteristic of a correction image obtained through the image-shake correction processing; a first characteristic-determination means for outputting selection information, based on a characteristic-detected correction image obtained through detection of the characteristic of the correction image; and an image outputting means for outputting the input image or the correction image, based on the selection information. As a result, it is made possible to obtain a high-quality image with noise reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tomonori Fukuta, Junko Shinohara, Naoyuki Fujiyama, Yoshiko Hatano, Tetsuya Kuno
  • Patent number: 8542311
    Abstract: Image sensors may contain arrays of image sensor pixels, each of which includes a microlens and a photosensitive element. A multisection light guide that is made up of multiple light guide layers may be interposed between the microlens and the photosensitive element. The light guide layers may have alternating indicies of refraction to form a spectral filter. The lateral dimensions of the light guide layers may also be configured so that the light guide layers perform spectral filtering. Light guide shapes and sizes may be altered as a function of the lateral position of each image sensor pixel within the image sensor array. The uppermost light guide may be aligned with the microlens and the lowermost light guide may be aligned with the photosensitive element. The lateral positions of each light guide may be laterally shifted with respect to the next to form a staggered stack of light guides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Aptina Imaging Corporation
    Inventor: Victor Lenchenkov
  • Patent number: 8525899
    Abstract: There is provided a user interface on a display unit of an image-capturing device for selective color balance adjustment of an image. The user interface allows for an image to be divided into a plurality of regions. A user may select one or more regions on the user interface. The user interface also includes a control unit for adjusting a color balance value for each of the selected regions on the user interface based on user input. The user interface allows for adjustment of the color balance value for different regions of an image prior to the image being written onto a recording medium by the image-capturing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8514291
    Abstract: A digital photo frame includes a display module, a frame body and a stereo camera module. The frame body is includes a plurality of sides connected end to end. The sides are mounted around the display module. The stereo camera module includes two cameras and an image combination chip. The two cameras are configured for capturing two respective images of an object from two different viewing angles. The image combination chip is configured for combining the images captured by the two cameras to form a three-dimensional image. The two cameras are slidable along one of the sides of the frame body. The display module is capable of displaying the three-dimensional image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jen-Tsorng Chang
  • Patent number: 8502915
    Abstract: An imaging device according to the present invention comprises a lens unit having a frame to which a lens is attached, an image sensor which ray of light that has passed the lens should enter, and a board member fixed to the frame of the lens unit, the board member being provided with an aperture for accommodating the image sensor, and the image sensor being adhered and fixed to the board member. Here, a protrusion which extends along an edge of the aperture is formed on a lens-side surface or a rear surface of the board member in at least a part of an area surrounding the aperture, and an adhesive is filled between the protrusion and the image sensor to fix the image sensor to the board member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takahiro Okuie
  • Patent number: 8493468
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an image pickup element to acquire a short-exposure-image data and a long-exposure-image data; a white balance evaluation value acquiring device to acquire white balance evaluation value for each of short-exposure-image data and long-exposure-image data; a white extraction range setting device to set a white extraction range for each of short-exposure-image data and long-exposure-image data; a white extraction device to extract white extraction result on the basis of the white balance evaluation value and the white extraction range for each of short-exposure-image data and long-exposure-image data; a correction factor calculating device to calculate corrected white extraction results from the white extraction result on the basis of the white extraction range and calculate correction factor for each of short-exposure-image data and long-exposure-image data; a white balance correcting device to correct the short-exposure-image data and the long-exposure-image data to form white bal
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenichiroh Nomura
  • Patent number: 8482659
    Abstract: An image processor inputs image data from an image capturing device, and acquires blur-correction coefficients corresponding to the state of an imaging optical system which forms an image represented by light coming from an object on the image capturing device. Then, the image processor generates a target component and non-target components of blur correction from the image data, applies blur correction to the target component based on the blur-correction coefficients, and generates image data by synthesizing the target component after the blur correction and the non-target components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuhiko Tamura
  • Patent number: 8477237
    Abstract: A portable electronic device includes a main body, a camera electrically connected to the main body, and a holder assembly. The holder assembly includes a first connecting beam, a second connecting beam, and a third connecting beam. The second connecting beam is rotatably connected to an end of the first connecting beam and an end of the third connecting beam. The camera is rotatably assembled on the other end of the first connecting beam, and the other end of the third connecting beam rotatably is connected to the main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignees: Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industry Co., Ltd., FIH (Hong Kong) Limited
    Inventor: Jian-Hui Li
  • Patent number: 8471952
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes: an imaging lens; an image pickup element including pixels of a first and second group, the pixels of the second group including pixels for phase difference detection, the image pickup element configured to be capable of independently reading out first and second image signals from the pixels of the first and second group, respectively; a defocus amount calculation device configured to calculate an amount of defocus of the imaging lens based on image signals read out from the pixels for phase difference detection; a focus control device configured to perform a focus adjustment to make the amount of defocus “0”; an image processing device configured to read out the first and second image signals after the focus adjustment and generate an image for recording based on the first and second image signals; and a recording device configured to record the generated image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Kouhei Awazu
  • Patent number: 8471941
    Abstract: An active pixel sensor (APS) comprises a regular repeating pattern of geometrically similar pixel regions, active pixels of which have photodiodes formed therein. A remainder of the geometrically similar regions has electrical components shared amongst neighboring photodiodes, such as for collecting and amplifying signals from the photodiodes. A 4-way sharing arrangement is shown, with four active pixel regions aligned in a column and the shared electrical components in a pixel region, the pixel region being shaped and sized similarly to the active pixel regions, in an adjacent column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey A. McKee
  • Patent number: 8462234
    Abstract: Disclosed are an image pickup apparatus and a dark current correction method that make it possible to correct the dark current at high precision without using a driving pattern of a peripheral circuit or a layout on an image pickup device chip. The image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup device provided with an effective pixel area, an OB part and a drive circuit of the image pickup device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Noriko Kawamura, Yoshinori Furuta
  • Patent number: 8462249
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device is provided, which includes a pixel region in which pixels including a photoelectric conversion section and a plurality of pixel transistors are arranged. In the solid-state imaging device, a transfer transistor of the pixel transistors includes: a transfer gate electrode extended in a surface of the substrate formed on the surface of a semiconductor substrate; and a transfer gate electrode buried in the substrate which is electrically insulated from the transfer gate electrode extended in a surface of the substrate and is embedded in the inside of the semiconductor substrate in the vertical direction through the transfer gate electrode extended in a surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Takekazu Shinohara
  • Patent number: 8456556
    Abstract: A sensing pixel array is provided and includes a plurality of pixels disposed in an array. Each pixel operates during an exposure period and a readout period and generates a readout signal. Each pixel includes a sensing unit and a sampling unit. The sensing unit senses light to generate a sensing signal during the exposure period. The sampling unit samples the sensing signal to generate a sensing output signal which serves as the readout signal during the readout period. During the exposure period, the sampling unit acts as a memory unit for storing an input signal and outputting an accessed output signal which serves as the readout signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Himax Imaging, Inc.
    Inventors: Ping-Hung Yin, Shuenn-Ren Hsiao
  • Patent number: 8411167
    Abstract: An apparatus for giving a title to a captured image includes a unit for storing a captured image group including a plurality of captured images, a unit for storing an image capturing time when each of the stored images is captured, a unit for judging an image capturing period and an image capturing season including the stored image capturing time, a unit for storing terms respectively related to a plurality of periods with different time widths each of which includes a period and a season, the term corresponding to the period and the season, and a unit for giving a title to the stored captured image group by using a term related to a period of a wider time width out of the stored terms as a difference between the image capturing time and either the image capturing season or the acquired output time, whichever is longer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Shuji Ono, Akira Yoda
  • Patent number: 8405754
    Abstract: An image analysis unit analysis information appended to an image and calculates the image capture time for each of the images. A time difference calculating unit calculates the image capture time difference between images arranged by an image managing unit by referring to the image capture time for each of the images calculated by the image analysis unit. A user instruction information managing unit sets a threshold that is used in the selection of images to be displayed in one screen and that serves as a determination reference for time differences based on input information of the user. The display determination unit compares an image capture time difference calculated by the time difference calculating unit and a threshold set by the user instruction information managing unit, and selects the images that satisfy this threshold as images to be display in the screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eito Sakakima, Tetsu Fukuda, Yuji Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8384819
    Abstract: An electromagnetic shielding coating covers a lens coated with an optical coating. A light shielding coating covers the optical coating. The electromagnetic shielding coating covers the light shielding coating. The electromagnetic shielding coating includes a first metal layer containing stainless steel and covering the light shielding coating directly, a second copper layer formed on the first metal layer, and a third metal layer formed on the second copper layer. The third metal layer includes stainless steel and copper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hsin-Chin Hung
  • Patent number: 8379141
    Abstract: A method of dynamically changing a parameter of a frame is disclosed. An input frame is determined as a special scene or a general scene. A subsequent frame is predicted by changing the parameter of the subsequent frame according to a special-scene operation when the input frame is the special scene, and by changing the parameter of the subsequent frame according to a general-scene operation when the input frame is not the special scene. The predicted frame is determined whether to be a special scene. Accordingly, the parameter of the input frame is changed according to the special-scene operation when both the input frame and the predicted frame are the special scenes; the parameter of the input frame is changed according to the general-scene operation when both the input frame and the predicted frame are not the special scenes; and the parameter of the input frame is maintained without change when only one of the input frame and the predicted frame is the special scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Ability Enterprise Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chi-De Chen
  • Patent number: 8373786
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device has: an imaging region in which a plurality of pixels each having a photoelectric conversion element are arranged, and a color filter. The color filter includes: filter components of a first color (2G), filter components of a second color (2R) formed by self-alignment and each being surrounded by the filter components of the first color (2G), and filter components of a third color (2B) formed by self-alignment and each being surrounded by the filter components of the first color (2G).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Otsuka, Yoshiyuki Enomoto, Kazunori Nagahata, Tadayuki Kimura, Toshihiko Hayashi, Kenichi Aoyagi, Kiyotaka Tabuchi, Iwao Sugiura, Kensaku Maeda