Patents Examined by Marly S Camargo
  • Patent number: 11968465
    Abstract: A technique capable of improving linearity at a low illuminance is provided. A solid-state sensing image device includes: a pixel array including a plurality pixels arranged in a matrix form and a plurality of pixel signal lines connected to the plurality of pixels and receiving pixel signals supplied from the plurality pixels; a column-parallel A/D converting circuit connected to the plurality of pixel signal lines; and a reference-voltage generating circuit generating ramp-wave reference voltage that linearly changes in accordance with time passage. The column-parallel A/D converting circuit includes a first A/D converter, the first A/D converter includes: a first input terminal connected to the pixel signal line; a second input terminal receiving the reference voltage; and an offset generating circuit connected to the first input terminal and generating an offset voltage for the first input terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Norihito Katou, Fukashi Morishita
  • Patent number: 11967299
    Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure include actions of receiving image data of an image capturing a scene, receiving data describing one or more entities determined from the scene, the one or more entities being determined from the scene, determining one or more actions based on the one or more entities, each action being provided at least partly based on search results from searching the one or more entities, and providing instructions to display an action interface comprising one or more action elements, each action element being to induce execution of a respective action, the action interface being displayed in a viewfinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Teresa Ko, Hartwig Adam, Mikkel Crone Koser, Alexei Masterov, Andrews-Junior Kimbembe, Matthew J. Bridges, Paul Chang, David Petrou, Adam Berenzweig
  • Patent number: 11956558
    Abstract: A photographing method, an electronic device, and a storage medium are disclosed. The photographing method includes: upon reception of a camera startup instruction, executing alternated steps of displaying an image on a display screen and acquiring an image with a camera, the alternated steps including setting the display screen into a transparent state after the display screen displays a frame of image; controlling the under-panel camera to acquire a frame of image, and sending the acquired image to the display screen for display; and returning to execute the alternated steps until an end instruction indicating completion of photographing is received. When the display screen is in the transparent state, light is allowed to enter the under-panel camera through the display screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: ZTE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Xiaoliang Zhang
  • Patent number: 11956521
    Abstract: An array imaging apparatus having discrete camera modules is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a substrate; and heterogeneous camera modules attached to the substrate and in a geometric relationship with each other, the heterogeneous camera modules having a substantially similar photometric response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Tahoe Research, Ltd.
    Inventor: Ramkumar Narayanswamy
  • Patent number: 11953376
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging apparatus including: a splitter that splits incident light into pieces of light of two or more wavelength bands; and two or more detectors that detect the pieces of light of two or more wavelength bands respectively and output signals from which wavelengths can be extracted tunably by post-processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventor: Masatoshi Takashima
  • Patent number: 11950011
    Abstract: In an image sensor including a pixel array having a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels includes: a first photodiode; a second photodiode having a larger light-receiving area than the first photodiode; a first floating diffusion node where charge generated in the first photodiode is accumulated; a second floating diffusion node where charge generated in the second photodiode is accumulated; a first capacitor accumulating charge overflowing from the first photodiode; a first driving transistor configured to generate an output signal corresponding to a voltage of the second floating diffusion node; and a second capacitor storing an amount of overflow charges according to an overflow operation for accumulating the overflowing charge and storing an amount of reset charges according to a reset operation for resetting the first floating diffusion node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jungwook Lim
  • Patent number: 11950030
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus enables a user to suitably select sound to be collected in connection with moving image capturing. The electronic apparatus is communicable with a plurality of sound collection devices, and includes a display control unit that displays, for each of the plurality of sound collection devices, a display item corresponding to the each sound collection device, based on positional information for the respective each sound collection device, acquired by a position acquisition unit, and displays, with the plurality of displayed display items, an image acquired by an image acquisition unit, wherein the display control unit displays, for the each sound collection device, the corresponding display item, even if the display item corresponds to a sound collection device not located within a range of image capturing of the acquired image, and a control unit associates and records the acquired image and sound information in a recording device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akio Yoshikawa, Takashi Seki
  • Patent number: 11943550
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a dual-modality neuromorphic vision sensor. A first-type current-mode active pixel sensor (APS) circuit can mimic excitatory rod cells, to perceive light intensity gradient information in a target light signal, thereby improving a dynamic arrange of an image sensed by a neuromorphic, vision sensor and its shooting speed. In addition, a first-type control switch is introduced for each of non-target first-type photosensitive devices, to control the obtained light intensity gradient information, and adjust the dynamic arrange of the image sensed by the neuromorphic vision sensor, thereby adjusting the shooting speed, and realizing a reconfigurable effect A voltage-mode APS can mimic cone cells, to output a target voltage signal representing light intensity information in the target light signal, and perceive the light intensity information in the target light signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Luping Shi, Zheyu Yang, Rong Zhao, Jing Pei, Haizheng Xu
  • Patent number: 11943549
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus and electronic equipment configured for reduced power consumption are disclosed. In one example, an imaging apparatus includes a pixel array unit including a first pixel portion and a second pixel portion different from the first pixel portion. Each of the first pixel portion and the second pixel portion includes a first photoelectric conversion unit and a second photoelectric conversion unit adjacent to the first photoelectric conversion unit. The pixel array unit includes a first drive line connected to the first photoelectric conversion unit of the first pixel portion and the second pixel portion, a second drive line connected to the second photoelectric conversion unit of the first pixel portion, and a third drive line connected to the second photoelectric conversion unit of the second pixel portion. The t technology can, for example, be applied in a CMOS image sensor having pixels for phase difference detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Keiichiro Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11943554
    Abstract: An imaging device capable of executing image processing is provided. Analog data (image data) acquired through an imaging operation is retained in a pixel, and data obtained by multiplying the analog data by a given weight coefficient in the pixel can be extracted. The data is taken into a neural network or the like, whereby processing such as image recognition can be performed. Since an enormous amount of image data can be retained in pixels in an analog data state, processing can be performed efficiently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiichi Yoneda, Yusuke Negoro, Hidetomo Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11936996
    Abstract: Miniaturization of pixels is facilitated in a solid-state imaging element that detects presence or absence of an address event. The solid-state imaging element includes a plurality of detection pixels and a detection circuit. In the solid-state imaging element including the plurality of detection pixels and the detection circuit, each of the plurality of detection pixels generates a voltage signal according to a logarithmic value of a photocurrent. Furthermore, in the solid-state imaging element including the plurality of detection pixels and the detection circuit, the detection circuit detects whether or not a change amount of a voltage signal of a detection pixel indicated by an input selection signal among the plurality of detection pixels exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Atsumi Niwa
  • Patent number: 11937000
    Abstract: The effect of ambient light on a measurement taken by an imaging pixel may be reduced by employing two optical filters. The two filters may have narrow passbands that are close to each other but do not overlap. The first filter may allow ambient and active light to pass. The second filter may allow ambient light to pass but may block active light. The ambient and active light that passes through the first filter may cause electrical charge to be generated in a photodiode of the pixel. The ambient light that passes through the second filter and strikes another pixel element may control the amperage of an electrical current that depletes charge from the photodiode. For instance, the other element may be a photoresistor, the light-dependent resistance of which controls the amperage, or may be a second photodiode that generates charge that controls a transistor that controls the amperage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Photoneo s.r.o.
    Inventors: Jan Zizka, Tomas Kovacovsky, Michal Maly
  • Patent number: 11930285
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image sensing device including a plurality of selectors suitable for generating a plurality of selected pixel signals corresponding to one of a plurality of pixel signals; a plurality of signal converters suitable for: setting a plurality of initial voltages which are different from one another, on the basis of a plurality of initialization signals during an initialization period, and generating a plurality of converted pixel signals to which the plurality of initial voltages are respectively reflected, on the basis of the plurality of selected pixel signals and a ramp signal during a readout period; and a calculation circuit suitable for averaging the plurality of converted pixel signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Hajime Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11924566
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging device and an electronic device that can be provided with phase difference pixels with a lower degree of difficulty in manufacturing. Provided is a solid-state imaging device including a pixel array unit in which a plurality of pixels is two-dimensionally arrayed, in which the pixel array unit has an array pattern in which a plurality of pixel groups each including neighboring pixels of an identical color is regularly arrayed, and among the plurality of pixel groups arrayed in the array pattern, pixels configuring a light-shielded pixel group are shielded in an identical direction side from light, the light-shielded pixel group being a pixel group including pixels each being shielded in a part of a light incident side from the light. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a CMOS image sensor including pixels for phase difference detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Keiichiro Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11924589
    Abstract: Color filters are used for color images obtained using imaging devices such as conventional image sensors. Imaging elements with color filters are sold, and an appropriate combination of the imaging element and a lens or the like is incorporated in an electronic device. Only providing a color filter to overlap a light-receiving region of an image sensor reduces the amount of light reaching the light-receiving region. An imaging system of the present invention includes a solid-state imaging element without a color filter, a storage device, and a learning device. As a selection standard for reducing the amount of learning data, in an HSV color space, saturation is used, and selection is performed so that the saturation has optimal distribution. When colorization disclosed in this specification is performed, the colorization and object highlight processing can be performed at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kengo Akimoto, Seiko Inoue, Daichi Mishima
  • Patent number: 11910081
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to image a subject, an eyepiece portion configured to visually recognize an image of the subject, a display unit configured to enable visual recognition via the eyepiece portion, a detection unit configured to detect a gaze point by a line-of-sight of a user looking at the display unit, and a control unit configured to, in a state where selected position specification based on the gaze point is performed, perform control, upon performance of a move operation for movement while in contact with an operation surface of an operation unit, to move a selected position displayed on the display unit from a position based on the gaze point to a position corresponding to a direction and an amount of movement of the move operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Shiozaki
  • Patent number: 11902679
    Abstract: An imaging element according to an embodiment includes: a unit pixel including a first pixel having a first photoelectric conversion element and including a second pixel having a second photoelectric conversion element, the second pixel being arranged adjacent to the first pixel; and an accumulation portion that accumulates a charge generated by the second photoelectric conversion element and converts the accumulated charge into a voltage. The accumulation portion is disposed at a boundary between the unit pixel and another unit pixel adjacent to the unit pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiko Asatsuma, Ryosuke Nakamura, Satoko Iida, Koshi Okita
  • Patent number: 11895411
    Abstract: It is an object to extend event signal detection periods. An imaging device according to the present technology includes a solid-state imaging device including a plurality of pixels each including a light-receiving portion that photoelectrically converts incident light to generate an electrical signal and a detection circuit that executes event signal detection by comparing the amount of change in the electrical signal generated by the light-receiving portion with a predetermined threshold value to obtain a detection result, and a control unit that performs control so that different pixels have different timing for an event detection period to cause the detection circuit to execute the event signal detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsumi Niwa, Yusuke Oike
  • Patent number: 11889210
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a first array of image pixels having inputs coupled to first selection tracks and outputs coupled to first output tracks, a second array of test pixels having inputs coupled to second selection tracks and outputs coupled to the first output tracks, and a third array of test pixels having inputs coupled to the first selection tracks and outputs coupled to second output tracks. A processor is coupled to receive output signals on the first and second output tracks. The output signals from the test pixels of the second and third arrays are fixed at one or the other of only two values in the absence of a defect. The output signals received by the processor over the first and second output tracks are processed to determine presence or absence of a defect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Grenoble 2) SAS
    Inventors: Jerome Chossat, Mathieu Thivin
  • Patent number: 11889241
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image sensing device and an operating method thereof. The image sensing device may include an analyzer suitable for analyzing a state of each of multiple kernels based on system information and a plurality of pixel values, a detector suitable for detecting color noise of a target pixel value among pixel values included in a target kernel among the multiple kernels, according to the analysis result of the analyzer, and a corrector suitable for correcting the target pixel value according to the detection result of the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Ji Hee Han