Patents Examined by Mekonnen Dagnew
  • Patent number: 9036059
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus comprising: a sensor unit including a plurality of sensor arrays that output first imaging data formed by an optical system; an array converter that generates second imaging data by converting the first imaging data output by the sensor unit into an order corresponding to a predetermined arrangement; a first signal processor that performs first signal processing on the second imaging data output by the array converter; and a second signal processor that performs second signal processing on the first imaging data output by the sensor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Takano
  • Patent number: 9025076
    Abstract: An exchangeable lens detachably mounted at a camera body includes: an optical characteristics storage unit; an optical characteristics information generation unit; and an optical characteristics transmission unit. Peripheral shading information for only some image heights is stored as the information pertaining to the peripheral shading characteristics of the exchangeable lens into the optical characteristics storage unit, but peripheral shading information for at least one image height position among five image height positions equivalent to integral multiples of y1, which represents an image height equal to ? of an image height measured from a center of a substantially rectangular image capturing range to one of four corners of the image capturing range, obtained by multiplying y1 by integers in a range 2 through 6, is not stored in the optical characteristics storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Taro Makigaki
  • Patent number: 9019390
    Abstract: In one example, an actuator device useful in, e.g., a camera for, e.g., optical image stabilization (OIS), includes a stage resiliently supported for movement within a plane, three or more actuators, each coupled to an outer periphery of the stage and operable to apply a force acting in the plane and tangentially to the stage when actuated, and an outer frame surrounding and supporting the stage and the actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation MEMS
    Inventors: Roman C. Gutierrez, Robert J. Calvet
  • Patent number: 9019395
    Abstract: An image management apparatus for managing an image, to which position information indicative of an image shooting location is appended, comprises a transmission unit configured to transmit map data corresponding to the position information to an information processing apparatus, and an identification unit configured to identify a user of the information processing apparatus, the transmission unit transmits, to the information processing apparatus, map data with a different scale in accordance with the user identified by the identification unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akihiro Masukawa
  • Patent number: 9013614
    Abstract: In a solid-state image pickup apparatus, a first insulating film continuously extends over at least part of a photoelectric conversion element and at least part of a gate electrode and further protrudes into a region above part of a floating diffusion region. A second insulating film is disposed above the first insulating film. The first insulating film has a higher dielectric constant than the second insulating film. An end of a part of the first insulating film protruding beyond an end of the gate electrode into the region above the floating diffusion region is located at a distance of 0.25 ?m or less from an end, on a side of the floating diffusion region, of the gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masayuki Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 9013586
    Abstract: An integrated substrate for an anti-shake apparatus defined with an optical axis includes: a substrate, a lens module, an anti-shake apparatus and an image-sensing module. The substrate includes a frame having a predetermined thickness. The frame includes a first surface, a second surface, a first circuit layout, and a second circuit layout. The lens module is located above the substrate on the optical axis. The anti-shake apparatus is furnished between the lens module and the substrate. The image-sensing module has an active side and an inactive side, and the inactive side is furnished onto the second surface. The active side is located on the optical axis in a manner of facing the lens module. The anti-shake apparatus is coupled to the first circuit layout, while the image-sensing module is coupled to the second circuit layout. The first and second circuit layouts comprise a plurality of first and second metal leads, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: TDK Taiwan Corp.
    Inventors: Chih Chien Hsu, Choa Chang Hu, Wen Chang Lin
  • Patent number: 9001223
    Abstract: A system and method for applying video de-shake to video content includes a classification engine configured to generate a classification of the video content based on at least one source characteristic. The system also includes a de-shake engine configured to selectively apply camera shake compensation to the video content based on the classification. The classification engine may be configured to generate a classification based on, for example, the presence of closed caption data, the presence of copy protection data, current frame rate associated with the video content, or a native frame rate associated with the video content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael L. Schmit, William Herz
  • Patent number: 8988577
    Abstract: A digital image processing apparatus, which displays a setting item designated by a user together with a setting status of a setting value for the setting item to allow the user to efficiently set items necessary for photographing and/or other operations, and a control method for the apparatus. The apparatus includes: a body; and a display unit on the body where setting information is displayed, wherein a display screen displayed on the display unit includes: a selection region where at least one setting item is displayed; and an adjustment region where a currently set current setting value is displayed together with candidate setting values that can be set for at least one of the at least one setting item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Se-hyun Park, Jung-ah Heo, Hyo-sang Bang, Hye-jin Kim
  • Patent number: 8988603
    Abstract: An imaging unit includes an imaging device that transmits an image data to an external display device; and an installation portion that is attachable to and detachable from the display device. The imaging device includes a communication part that transmits an image data to the display device, an outer barrel, and an imaging element. The installation portion includes a slider that is slidable with respect to the outer barrel, a first attached body that is connected to the slider, a second attached body that can change its gap with the first attached body, and a biasing member that biases the first attached body and the second attached body in a direction in which a gap therebetween becomes narrowed, in which the display device is grasped by the first attached body and the second attached body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Okabe, Osamu Mizukami, Yuuji Sasaki
  • Patent number: 8988587
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having negative refractive power, a second lens unit having positive refractive power, a third lens unit having negative refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having positive refractive power. During zooming, a distance between every adjacent lens unit from the first to fourth lens units varies. A focal length fw of the entire zoom lens at a wide-angle end, a focal length f1 of the first lens unit, and a focal length f4 of the fourth lens unit are appropriately set according to predetermined mathematical conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenji Shinohara
  • Patent number: 8982233
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus according to an implementation of the present invention includes: an imaging device unit which converts light coming from an object into an image signal, the light being illuminating light reflected off an object; a light pattern detecting unit which detects a light-dark pattern from the image signal so as to detect information overlaid on the illuminating light, the image signal being converted from the light by the imaging device unit; a comparing unit which compares detection information with predetermined determination information, the detection information being the information detected by the light pattern detecting unit; and a display unit which displays a specific image, depending on a result of the comparison by the comparing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenji Arakawa
  • Patent number: 8982220
    Abstract: User imaging terminals (such as mobile phones with camera or video functionality) may be used to take images that are used to create an image stream of an event. In one example, a device may receive the images and transmit the images to one or more second users. The device may receive indications, from second devices associated with the second users, of whether the images are approved by the second users for incorporation into an image stream; and perform facial detection of the images to detect faces within the images. The device may generate the image stream, based on the images that are approved by the second users and based on results of the facial detection of the images; and transmit the image stream to one or more display devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Paul T. Schultz, Robert A. Sartini
  • Patent number: 8982247
    Abstract: A focus lens is moved to a position within a range of focus lens positions. A video frame is captured with the focus lens at that position. The magnification of the first video frame is altered according to a maximum magnification threshold associated with the range of focus lens positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Shane D. Voss, Jason Yost
  • Patent number: 8982244
    Abstract: A low-frequency region of an output target image is specified. Luminance correction is performed with the target amount decided in advance for a pixel, among pixels included in the target image, which is included in the low-frequency region and has a luminance value equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, and the target image after the correction is output. Then, an effective correction amount is obtained based on the luminance distribution of the target image before the correction and the luminance distribution of the target image after the correction, which has been corrected with the target amount decided in advance. A luminance correction target amount for the next correction target image is decided based on the luminance distribution of the target image and the ratio of the effective correction amount to the target amount decided in advance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Patent number: 8976265
    Abstract: An apparatus for capturing image and sound during interactivity with a computer game in a game environment is provided. The apparatus includes a housing and a base stand for supporting the housing. An image capture device is defined along a front portion of the housing. Also, an array of microphones is defined along the front portion of the housing. The array of microphones is defined by a single microphone positioned on a first lateral side of the image capture device and two or more microphones positioned on a second lateral side of the image capture device opposite the first side. The apparatus also includes a connector for connecting to a computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Richard L. Marks, Xiadong Mao
  • Patent number: 8970728
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus having an obtaining unit for obtaining a pixel signal of a first image and a pixel signal of a second image having a parallax to the first image performs a position adjustment to the first and second images having the parallax, subtracts the pixel signal of the second image from the pixel signal of the first image with respect to a corresponding pixel, and obtains a specular reflection light component, thereby specifying light source color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yohei Horikawa, Takeshi Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8970654
    Abstract: A method for operating a video system is provided. The method includes receiving video data comprising a scene from a video capture device at a video processor, and processing the video data to produce first video data of the scene at a first quality level in the video processor. The method continues by transferring the first video data at a first data rate from the video processor to a remote video processor, receiving a control signal, and processing the video data to produce second video data of the scene at a second quality level in response to the control signal in the video processor, where the second quality level is greater than the first quality level. The method concludes by transferring the second video data at a second data rate from the video processor to the remote video processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Verint Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander Steven Johnson, Marc-Antoine Lamontagne, Mark Whiffen
  • Patent number: 8964077
    Abstract: A CMOS image sensor including a pixel array unit having pixels arranged in even-numbered pixel rows and odd-numbered pixel rows. A reading operation performed such that a first signal of a first pixel group is read in a first accumulation time, and a second signal of a second pixel group is read in a second accumulation time shorter than said first accumulation time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Keiji Mabuchi
  • Patent number: 8964109
    Abstract: A flash detection unit is configured to detect whether or not each frame of image data includes a high luminance portion due to a flash. A holding unit is configured to hold a past frame of the image data. A correction processing unit is configured to, if it is detected by the flash detection unit that frames include high luminance portions, correct the image data so as to consolidate a first image data and a second image data into one frame. The first image data is included in a first portion in a first frame stored in the holding unit. The second image data is included in a second portion in a second frame which is adjacent to the first frame. The first and second portions are high luminance portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: JVC KENWOOD Corporation
    Inventor: Ryuji Shirakawa
  • Patent number: 8958007
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes a first lens unit having negative refractive power, a second lens unit having positive refractive power, a third lens unit having negative refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having positive refractive power, in order from an object side to an image side, each lens unit moving during zooming, and the third lens unit moving toward the object side during focusing from an infinitely-distant object to a nearby object. A focal length f3 of the third lens unit, a composite focal length f12t of the first lens unit and the second lens unit at a telephoto end, a focal length fw of the entire system at a wide-angle end, and a focal length ft of the entire system at the telephoto end are appropriately set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Nishimura