Patents Examined by Mark Monk
  • Patent number: 8339478
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus is able to record a moving image in a first image capturing mode or a second image capturing mode. In the first image capturing mode, the apparatus starts recording of a moving image signal in response to an instruction to start recording and stops recording of the moving image signal in response to an instruction to stop recording. In the second image capturing mode, the apparatus starts recording of a moving image signal in response to the instruction to start recording, and automatically stops recording of the moving image signal when a predetermined period elapses after recording of the moving image signal starts. The apparatus controls so as to extract a moving image signal of the predetermined period from a moving image signal recorded in the first image capturing mode on a recording medium, and to record the extracted moving image signal on a recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Ishii, Yousuke Kamada
  • Patent number: 8325244
    Abstract: A mobile terminal device configured to have a built in battery and connect to a network, includes a wireless communication interface configured to connect to the network through wireless communication, and a wired communication interface configured to connect to the network directly or indirectly through wired communication. The device further includes a wired connection detection unit configured to detect whether or not a wired line, which is connected directly or indirectly to the network, is connected to the wired communication interface, and a control unit configured to make the wireless communication interface available when the wired connection detection unit has detected the connection of the wired line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Takahisa Endo, Kiyoshi Toyoda
  • Patent number: 8319837
    Abstract: A method for sharing a file between a control point and a media server in a DLNA system, and a system thereof are provided, in which the control point captures a photo, determines a similarity between a facial image included in the captured photo and a facial image file corresponding to at least one media server, compares the similarity with a pre-stored value, and if the similarity is greater than or equal to the pre-stored value, transmits a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) representing a position at which the photo is stored to the media server, and the media server accesses the URI received from the control point and receives the photo using the URI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Ho-Chul Shin, Won-Shik Yoon, Chul-Seung Kim
  • Patent number: 8319867
    Abstract: In a case when a structure of forming a p+ layer on a substrate rear surface side is employed in order to prevent dark current generation from the silicon boundary surface, various problems occur. According to this invention, an insulation film 39 is provided on a rear surface on a silicon substrate 31 and a transparent electrode 40 is further provided thereon, and by applying a negative voltage with respect to the potential of the silicon substrate 31 from a voltage supply source 41 to the insulation film 39 through the transparent electrode 40, positive holes are accumulated on a silicon boundary surface of the substrate rear surface side and a structure equivalent to a state in which a positive hole accumulation layer exists on aforesaid silicon boundary surface is to be created. Thus, various problems in the related art can be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Keiji Mabuchi, Nobuhiro Karasawa
  • Patent number: 8319878
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device of the type having photoelectric conversion elements formed in a matrix pattern on a semiconductor substrate, vertical transfer elements each of which reads signal charges from the photoelectric conversion elements arranged in the column direction and transfers the signal charges in the vertical direction, and a horizontal transfer element which transfers in the horizontal direction the signal charges sent from each of the vertical transfer elements, the horizontal transfer element includes: a charge transfer channel; a first transfer electrode; a second transfer electrode; and an interelectrode insulating film; with the first transfer electrode and the second transfer electrode being at the same potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Terada, Keisuke Hatano
  • Patent number: 8319840
    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: April 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tomonori Fukuta, Junko Shinohara, Naoyuki Fujiyama, Yoshiko Hatano, Tetsuya Kuno
  • Patent number: 8319865
    Abstract: A camera adjusting system includes a first camera, a second camera, and a control apparatus. The first camera is movably arranged on a sliding rail to monitor a locale. The second camera captures a three dimensional (3D) image of a head of a subject. The control apparatus receives the captured 3D image of the head of the subject and simulates a corresponding 3D model according to the captured 3D image, and compares the actual 3D model with a reference 3D model, to compute a compared result, and outputs a control signal to the first camera to adjust parameters of the first camera according to the compared result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hou-Hsien Lee, Chang-Jung Lee, Chih-Ping Lo
  • Patent number: 8314861
    Abstract: Multiple capture assist marks (markers for capture assistance) to be synthesized with video captured by a camera unit 10 is generated by an OSD unit 20 through the control of a control unit 100. These capture assist marks are synthesized with the video from the camera unit 10 by synthesis means and displayed. In this case, an operation unit 110 is used to accept input of an instruction about the capture assist mark from a user. Based on this instruction input, the control unit 100 controls the OSD unit 20 and a baseband processing unit 30 to synthesize the capture assist mark corresponding to the instruction with a video signal from the camera unit 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hisashi Ohashi, Kuniaki Sakai, Isao Sasaki
  • Patent number: 8310586
    Abstract: The present invention provides a photographing apparatus, in which an object image is formed on an image pickup element through a photographing lens, and a desired frequency component is extracted from an image signal obtained by the image pickup element through a filter so that the extracted frequency component is integrated to calculate a focus evaluation value and, based on the calculated focus evaluation value, an in-focus position of the photographing lens is searched, the apparatus comprising: a scene discrimination section which discriminates a photographing scene of an object image; and a control section which changes either of a searching range of the in-focus position of the photographing lens or the frequency component to be extracted by the filter based on the photographing scene discriminated by the scene discrimination section, and thereafter moves the photographing lens to search an in-focus position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiko Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 8305463
    Abstract: A video data transmitting device 30 manages storage areas 31a, 31b of a memory card 31 by equally segmenting these storage areas into partitions whose capacities are equal to each other. Image data forming video data is stored piece by piece in each partition in the sequence from a head partition toward a tail partition. Then, the image data is overwritten sequentially from the oldest, whereby the storage areas 31a, 31b are always temporarily stored with N-pieces of image data starting from a point of the time when recording the image data and ending to a point of time tracing back for a predetermined period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Yasushi Umezaki, Tsuyoshi Miura
  • Patent number: 8300115
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a generation unit for generating a plurality of different values for one parameter of a processing applied on an image, a presentation unit for presenting a plurality of processing images obtained by performing a processing on the image with the plurality of different values for the parameter, and a selection unit for selecting an optimal one of the plurality of presented processing images, in which a final value for the parameter is decided by repeatedly performing such a procedure that the generation unit further generates different values for the parameter on the basis of a value for the parameter corresponding to the selected processing image, the presentation unit presents processing images obtained by performing a processing on the image with the generated different values for the parameter, and the selection unit selects an optimal one of the presented processing images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masato Akao, Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 8269874
    Abstract: An image display system includes: an image input apparatus and an image display apparatus connected thereto that displays an image obtained. The image input apparatus includes an image pickup unit, a movable holding unit selectively brought into an imaging state or a non-imaging state and a state detection unit. A control unit brings the image input apparatus and the image display apparatus into a disconnected state where a transmission path for transferring data between the image input apparatus and the image display apparatus is logically disconnected when in the non-imaging state, and brings the image input apparatus and the image display apparatus into a connected state when in the imaging state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Ichieda
  • Patent number: 8253840
    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 stainless steel layer and a second copper layer. The first stainless steel layer contains stainless steel, and is formed on the light shielding coating directly. The second copper layer is formed on the first metal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hsin-Chin Hung
  • Patent number: 8253848
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a focus control unit that sets an image area including eyes, which is included in an input image inputted in the imaging apparatus, as a range finding area for calculation of a subject distance and acquires an evaluation value based on contrast of the range finding area to detect a focus position and a blink detecting unit that detects presence or absence of a blink on the basis of image analysis in the range finding area. The focus control unit inputs blink detection information in the blink detection unit, identifies evaluation value data in a blink period and a non-blink period, and executes processing for detecting a focus position on the basis of only an evaluation value in a period judged as the non-blink period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshito Terashima
  • Patent number: 8237843
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an imaging device, including: an imaging lens having an aperture stop; an imaging element adapted to obtain image data based on received light; and a microlens array provided in the focal plane of the imaging lens between the imaging lens and imaging element, the microlens array including a plurality of microlenses arranged in such a manner that each microlens is associated with a plurality of imaging pixels of the imaging element, wherein the arrangement of the microlenses of the microlens array is corrected from an equidistant arrangement to a non-linear arrangement according to the height of the image from the imaging lens on the imaging element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Yamamoto, Isao Ichimura, Kengo Hayasaka, Koichiro Kishima
  • Patent number: 8233062
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image adding unit to perform noise reduction processing in the spatial direction by adding multiple images while performing motion compensation, an intra-screen noise reducing unit to perform noise reduction processing in the spatial direction within one image for each of the multiple images before adding with the image adding unit, and a control unit to vary the noise reduction strength in the spatial direction by the intra-screen noise reduction unit as to the multiple images to be added with the image adding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Mitsuya, Tohru Kurata, Nobuyuki Matsushita
  • Patent number: 8212890
    Abstract: An imaging device is configured to include a dividing unit which divides a generated image into blocks, a white balance evaluation value acquiring unit which acquires color information and a white balance evaluation value of each block, a classifying unit which combines the blocks into areas based on the color information, a correction coefficient calculating unit which calculates a white balance correction coefficient for each of the areas, a white balance setting unit which sets the calculated white balance correction coefficient for each of the areas, and a green area determining unit which determines whether or not each of the blocks is a green area based on the color information. The white balance setting unit sets a different white balance correction coefficient for a block determined as a green area from the one set for the area including the block in question.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenichiroh Nomura
  • Patent number: 8212915
    Abstract: A relay lens assembly (100) for use with a microscope (1400), telescope or binocular (1500), comprises a lens element (300) that is responsive to commands, conveyed from a control unit (400), via a conduit (410) between the control unit and the lens element. A computing device (810) controls operation of the lens assembly and a digital camera (805) that has an image sensor (125). The control unit causes the lens assembly to assume any of a plurality of predetermined focal lengths so that different depths of an object being imaged can be rendered in-focus on the sensor. A series of images can be taken at predetermined, computer-controlled focal depths. These images can be processed in order to create a photomontage that is in focus at a plurality of predetermined depths in a process commonly called focus-stacking. The addition of a plurality of data input and analysis units (1105) and a combiner (1115) makes rapid processing of individual images possible for photomontage at video rates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Inventors: Lloyd Douglas Clark, Brian A. Brown, William T. Davids
  • Patent number: 8208038
    Abstract: A dynamic range is widened by effectively using an output range that is originally possessed by a solid-state image-capturing device, and an image having less color hue rotation is obtained. By using the fact that the margin until the amount of saturation electric charge is reached becomes large as a result of the amount of exposure being set to be low in a high sensitivity mode, an RGB signal having a wide dynamic range containing signal components of a subject on the high-luminance side is obtained. First, ? correction close to a power ? is performed and thereafter, the signal is color-space-converted into a luminance signal and color-difference signals. A non-linear compression process is performed on the luminance signal so as to be fit into predetermined gradations, and for the color-difference signals, color rotation is reduced using a power gamma and color-difference matrix clipping is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Wakagi, Tatsuya Deguchi, Makiko Baba
  • Patent number: 8199238
    Abstract: An image sensor includes an electronic shutter layer that is used to drain charge away from the photosensitive regions during an electronic shutter operation. A current reference component is electrically connected to a contact to the electronic shutter layer. The current reference component produces a signal having a level that is constant as a load current varies from zero to a threshold current level. A scaler component is electrically connected between the current reference component and an electronic shutter pulse driver component. The scaler component transmits the signal to the electronic shutter pulse driver component when the load current does not exceed the threshold current level. When the load current exceeds the threshold current level, the scaler component scales the level of the signal to a different level and transmits the scaled signal to the electronic shutter pulse driver component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Truesense Imaging, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Parks, Gregory O. Moberg