Patents Examined by Ngoc-Yen Vu
  • Patent number: 9313396
    Abstract: An imaging device includes an imaging unit configured to generate a moving-image signal by capturing an image of a subject formed by an imaging optical system, a focus adjustment information acquisition unit configured to acquire focus adjustment information related to human subjective focus adjustment, and a focus adjustment determination unit configured to determine behavior of the focus adjustment of the imaging unit using the focus adjustment information obtained by the focus adjustment information acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Natsumi Koishi
  • Patent number: 9307167
    Abstract: An image pickup device includes: an image pickup section including a plurality of pixels, the pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element; a drive section performing a readout operation and a reset operation of a signal electric charge, the signal electric charge being accumulated in the pixel; and a correction section correcting a timing of performing the reset operation to allow an afterimage in an image output from the image pickup section to be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Yamada
  • Patent number: 9294671
    Abstract: A camera system captures an image in a source aspect ratio and applies a transformation to the input image to scale and warp the image to generate an output image having a target aspect ratio different than the source aspect ratio. The output image has the same field of view as the input image, maintains image resolution, and limits distortion to levels that do not substantially affect the viewing experience. In one embodiment, the output image is non-linearly warped relative to the input image such that a distortion in the output image relative to the input image is greater in a corner region of the output image than a center region of the output image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas D. Woodman, Sumit Chawla, Loic Segapelli, Scott Patrick Campbell
  • Patent number: 9294663
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit and a transmission unit. The imaging unit is configured to capture two images that are different from each other by a predetermined amount of an optical distance (focus) between an objective lens and an imaging device having a first resolution. The transmission unit is configured to transmit the captured images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Arai
  • Patent number: 9291802
    Abstract: A compact microplate imaging system, including: a tunable light source; a lens ensemble to collimate the light source onto the microplate and to transmit light that is reflected from the microplate; a beam splitter to divert a portion of the reflected light; an imaging lens to collect diverted light and to produce an optical image of the at least one sensor of the microplate; and an image sensor for receiving the optical image of the at least one sensor of the microplate. A method for interrogating a sensor using the compact microplate imaging system, as further defined herein, is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventor: Qi Wu
  • Patent number: 9277114
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus where a lens unit including an image pickup optical system including a focus lens is attachable, includes an image pickup element, a control unit that controls drive of the focus lens based on a focus signal, and an acquisition unit that acquires type information of the lens unit, and the control unit performs a first scanning operation of driving the focus lens in a first direction and perform a second scanning operation of driving the focus lens at a lower speed than a predetermined speed in a second direction after the first scanning operation, and determines whether to perform the second scanning operation based on the type information in a case where a drive speed of the focus lens when an in-focus position is detected based on the focus signal acquired during the first scanning operation is higher than the predetermined speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keisuke Kudo
  • Patent number: 9277117
    Abstract: Control is made in such that in a case where an attitude detected by an attitude detection unit is a first attitude, if a trace of a detected touched position satisfies a specific condition, a function corresponding to the detected trace is executed, and in a case where the detected attitude is a second attitude opposite to the first attitude, even if the trace of the detected touched position is a trace which satisfies the specific condition, the corresponding function is not executed. Thus, when an electronic apparatus is upside-down, a specific gesture operation by a touch operation is invalidated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ryo Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9270961
    Abstract: An imaging system includes a color correction circuit configured to perform color shading correction of an image independent of lens shading correction of the image. A method for anti-shading correction of an image includes correcting, by a color correction circuit, for color shading of the image independent of lens shading correction of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Dmitriy Rudoy
  • Patent number: 9250796
    Abstract: A video editing system includes dragging and dropping video segments within a graphical user interface. These actions are used to create a compiled video from the video segments, and are optionally performed using a touch sensitive display. Some embodiments include a filter that can be dragged across a video during presentation of the video. As the filter is dragged, a first part of the displayed video is seen with the filter applied while a second part of the displayed video is seen without application of the filter. The boundary between the first part and the second part is optionally responsive to a pointing device, such as a touch sensitive display. The video editing system may be included in a mobile device that is also configured to record the video using a camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: IDEO LLC
    Inventor: Dominique Yahyavi
  • Patent number: 9253404
    Abstract: Disclosed is a portable device adapted to enable its user to manually adjust the focus and photometry locations during photography and a method for taking images with the device. A GUI for indicating the focus or photometry location is provided on the screen so that the user can manually move the GUI on the screen with a keypad or a touch panel. In this manner, a desired object is taken at the focus or photometry location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Jong Pil Shin, Do Hwan Choi, Jong Hyun An, Chang Woo Park, Ha Ran Jung
  • Patent number: 9253391
    Abstract: Provided is an image capture apparatus that can perform focus detection based on a focus evaluation value indicating contrast of a subject image included in a focus detection area using an image signal output from an image sensor. In accordance with the extent of a blur amount of the subject image, the image capture apparatus determines how to use a method for performing focus detection through a reciprocating motion of a focus lens and a method for performing focus detection by moving the focus lens in a direction toward which the focus evaluation value increases. Focus detection is performed based on the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoshi Kimoto
  • Patent number: 9247137
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus including: an image pickup section acquiring a bright-time image and acquiring a dark-time image with a same exposure time period as the bright-time image; a shake detection section detecting a shake; an image cut-out section cutting out a cut-out bright-time image for which the shake is corrected, from the bright-time image, on the basis of the shake detected by the shake detection section and cutting out a cut-out dark-time image at a same cut-out position as the cut-out bright-time image, from the dark-time image; and an image processing section generating a corrected image for which dark current is corrected, by subtracting the cut-out dark-time image from the cut-out bright-time image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshinao Shimada
  • Patent number: 9232141
    Abstract: The invention disclosed herein provides a small-format image-shake correction apparatus and an imaging apparatus incorporating the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Rintaro Nishihara, Takashi Ishikawa, Masanori Shimoyama
  • Patent number: 9225855
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing an imaging apparatus that can determine an imaging scene of an input image with high accuracy. The imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to image an object image and output image data, a determination unit configured to, based on the image data, perform determination processing for determining an imaging scene of the image data output from the imaging unit, an acquisition unit configured to acquire imaging information related to a condition for imaging the image data including location information about the imaging apparatus, and a communication unit configured to transmit the imaging information to an external device and receives auxiliary information for supporting determination of the imaging scene of the image data corresponding to the imaging information. The determination unit performs the determination processing based on the auxiliary information received via the communication unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tetsuya Hata
  • Patent number: 9219896
    Abstract: A method of color processing includes providing a color and white filter array placed over an image sensor, thereby generating converted color and white signals; interpolating the converted white signals to generate interpolated white signals; interpolating white-chroma differences between the converted color signals and the converted white signals to generate interpolated white-chroma difference signals; and transforming the interpolated white signal and the interpolated white-chroma difference signals into a color space, thereby generating transformed color signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: HIMAX IMAGING LIMITED
    Inventor: MiaoHong Shi
  • Patent number: 9213177
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for computing focus information during scanning digital microscope slide data with a line scan camera. The systems and methods include a dynamically interleaved procedure that works by moving the specimen relative to the objective lens while the height of the objective lens is adjusted relative to the stage. Imagery data is acquired at a plurality of objective lens heights the image data from the objective lens height having maximum contrast is stored and combined into a composite digital image of at least a portion of the specimen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: LEICA BIOSYSTEMS IMAGING, INC.
    Inventors: Allen Olson, Greg Crandall, Dirk G. Soenksen
  • Patent number: 9210333
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus comprising an image capturing unit is provided. A zoom control unit controls a zoom ratio during shooting. An image capture control unit controls the image capturing unit such that a plurality of images with different exposure conditions are captured in a predetermined period. A generation output unit generates a composite image from the plurality of images and outputs the generated composite image. A determination determines whether or not the zoom ratio is being changed during the predetermined period. In a case where it is determined that the zoom ratio is being changed, the generation output unit outputs one of the images captured by the image capturing unit during the predetermined period, instead of the composite image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Makoto Ise
  • Patent number: 9201289
    Abstract: Disclosed are an image capture apparatus in which an arrangement relationship between an image sensor and a microlens array that is arranged in front of the image sensor can be varied, and a method for controlling the same. In a state in which a photographic lens including the microlens array is attached, information on the photographic lens and information on the image sensor are used to control a distance between the microlens array and the image sensor, and an aperture value. The microlens array or the image sensor is shifted so that they are arranged at this distance, and the aperture value is set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Eiichi Tanaka, Takayuki Komatsu, Keiichi Saito
  • Patent number: 9197807
    Abstract: An imaging device including phase difference detection pixels and, more particularly, an imaging device that comprises a plurality of pixels that are two-dimensionally arranged to capture an image and to detect phase difference, a first photoelectric conversion pixel row; and a second photoelectric conversion pixel row, wherein the first photoelectric conversion pixel row and the second photoelectric conversion pixel row are each disposed such that circuits formed in every pixel for phase difference detection are arranged opposite to each other with respect to an opening of a photoelectric conversion pixel. In the imaging device, phase difference detection may be performed with respect to entire photographed screen areas. In addition, the imaging device including phase difference detection pixels may have no defect pixels and thus improved image quality is obtained. Photographing and AF of a subject may be performed in low luminance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masataka Hamada
  • Patent number: 9191596
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: a pixel array unit with pixels, each of the pixels including a photoelectric conversion element that generates a charge and a memory that holds the charge; and an AD conversion unit that converts a pixel signal corresponding to the charge output from the pixel into a count value. The pixel transfers the charge held in the memory in the nth frame and sequentially outputs, in the nth+1 frame, a first pixel signal corresponding to the charge held in the memory and a second pixel signal corresponding to a charge generated by the photoelectric conversion element after the previous charge has been transferred to the memory. In the nth+1 frame, the AD conversion unit changes its up/down count direction between the first and second pixel signals to obtain their count values so as to successively perform AD conversion on the first and second pixel signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shuuji Sonoda