Patents Examined by Nicholas Giles
  • Patent number: 10021362
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an AWB gain calculation section that calculates a WB gain Gs and a hysteresis gain Gh for every frame, a WB correction section that performs WB correction using Gh, a control section that causes the WB correction section to perform the WB correction using a fixed gain Gf during lock of white balance, and a gain adjustment section that weights and adds a WB gain Gs(n) and a correction hysteresis gain Gh?(n?1) to calculate a correction hysteresis gain Gh?(n) after unlock of the white balance, and the control section causes the WB correction section to perform WB correction for a frame n using Gh?(n).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Takasumi, Tatsuya Kino, Takuya Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 9998636
    Abstract: The present invention is a method of removing the illumination and background spectral components thus isolating spectra from multi-spectral and hyper-spectral data cubes. The invention accomplishes this by first balancing a reference and sample data cubes for each spectra associated with each location, or pixel/voxel, in the spatial image. The set of residual spectra produced in the balancing step is used to obtain and correct a new set of reference spectra that is used to remove the illumination and background components in a sample data cube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Center for Quantitative Cytometry
    Inventors: Abraham Schwartz, Philip Sherman, Peter Ingram
  • Patent number: 9979920
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array, an AD converting unit converting each of a plurality of analog signals read from the pixel array to a plurality of digital signals and outputting the digital signals, a transmission mode selection register, first and second output terminals, a single-end driver which has first and second input terminals coupled to the digital signals and which has third and fourth terminals, and a differential driver which has third and fourth input terminals coupled to the digital signals and which has fifth and sixth terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tatsuya Mizuguchi
  • Patent number: 9967452
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus, comprising a focus detection section that detects an out of focus amount and an out of focus direction by carrying out a focus detection operation using phase difference detection based on a pixel signal of focus detection pixels that has been thinned and read out, a swirl error determination section that determines swirl error arising in accordance with inclination of an optical image with respect to a direction that is orthogonal to a phase difference detection direction, based on the pixel signal of the focus detection pixels that has been thinned and read out, and an AF control section that determines whether or not to carry out AF operation adopting output of the focus detection section, based on output of the swirl error determination section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Satoshi Takinoiri
  • Patent number: 9961278
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image-capturing element and electronic device capable of improving the linearity of illuminance values. The dynamic-range expander 118 expands dynamic range of a pixel value for each pixel based on the pixel value having different exposure times of a plurality of pixels. The integrator 119 integrates pixel values having the dynamic range expanded by the dynamic-range expander 118 and generates an illuminance value. The present disclosure is applicable to complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor or the like used in, for example, an illuminometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke Ikeda, Hideki Shoyama, Yoshimasa Sakamoto, Yuuichi Udou, Oichi Kumagai
  • Patent number: 9941623
    Abstract: Flat Ethernet cables and associated systems, devices, and methods are disclosed, particularly as applied to home security system implementations. For example, disclosed herein is a flat Ethernet cable that includes an interior, female connection end, an exterior, female connection end, opposite the interior end, and including a weather-proofing clamshell enclosing the female connection end, and a flat cable portion that runs between the interior end and the exterior end. The flat Ethernet cable is configured as a PoE cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: ECHOSTAR TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventor: David B Lett
  • Patent number: 9942493
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus including a pixel array including a first pixel that outputs a signal based on a light flux passed through an entire area of an exit pupil, a second pixel that outputs a signal based on a light flux passed through a part of the exit pupil, and a floating diffusion area shared by the plurality of rows adjacent to one another; and a controller that sets a first and a second accumulation periods so as to prevent them from overlapping with each other for a predetermined length of time or longer, when the first pixel read in the first scanning shares the floating diffusion area with the second pixel read in the second scanning, the first and second accumulation periods being periods for the row in which the first and the second pixel are arranged, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hirokazu Ishii
  • Patent number: 9942496
    Abstract: A correlated double sampling (CDS) circuit includes a comparator and a first circuit. The comparator including, a first input terminal, a second input terminal, at least one output terminal, and a plurality of first transistors operably coupled between the at least one output terminal and the first and second input terminals. The first circuit includes at least one second transistor, the at least one second transistor operably coupled to the at least one output terminal and one of the first input terminal and the second input terminal, the at least one second transistor having at least one of (i) a different number of layers than the first transistors, and (ii) a different dimension than the first transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sang Hoon Ha, Ji Yong Park, Kwang Hyun Lee
  • Patent number: 9942483
    Abstract: In an information processing device configured to include an imaging unit, a display unit, and an illumination sensor, to capture image information by the imaging unit, and to perform processing on the captured image information, the display unit and the imaging unit are disposed on the same surface, the capture processing is performed in a normal mode when a detected value of the illumination sensor is a predetermined value or more, and the capture processing is performed in a dark-place mode when the detected value of the illumination sensor is a predetermined value or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuo Masuoka, Masayuki Hirabayashi, Hideo Nishijima, Kazuhiko Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 9936119
    Abstract: An optical device (1) including a fixed focus camera having a predetermined depth of field with an optical axis (55), wherein the optical device (1) comprises a diaphragm (5) positioned in the optical axis (55) of the camera and comprising a light passing aperture (53) for increasing the predetermined depth of field of said camera to provide an increased depth of field, wherein the diaphragm is attached to the camera, wherein the light passing aperture (53) of the diaphragm (5) is circular shaped within an opaque screen and positioned to have its centre point coincide with the optical axis (55) of the camera and wherein the optical device (1) further comprises illumination means evenly positioned around the optical axis (55) for evenly illuminating an object positioned within the increased depth of field of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: bioMérieux
    Inventors: Guido Salvi, Antonio Sanesi
  • Patent number: 9930273
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion unit in each of a plurality of pixels starts accumulation of charges at a first time and is controlled to be turned on after the first time and to be thereafter turned off at a second time to transfer the charges to a holding unit. A second transfer switch in at least one of the pixels is controlled to be turned on at a third time and a fourth time after the second time to transfer the charges held in the holding unit to an amplification unit, and a first transfer switch in the at least one of the pixels is maintained to be in an off state during a period from the third time to a fourth time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Kobayashi, Yusuke Onuki, Masaaki Minowa, Kazunari Kawabata, Hiroshi Sekine
  • Patent number: 9924086
    Abstract: There is provided a display apparatus. A reception unit receives a captured image from an image capturing apparatus. A display unit displays the captured image. A detection unit detects an attitude of the display apparatus. A transmission unit, while the display unit is displaying the captured image, transmits attitude information to the image capturing apparatus in response to an instruction from a user. The attitude information indicates the attitude detected by the detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Muneyoshi Maeda
  • Patent number: 9924118
    Abstract: In an image sensor, the effective capacitance of the storage node NS of the pixel, which stores the charges (the electrons) collected by the photosensitive element of the pixel, is modified with the aid of a feedback loop 100 which influences the supply VREFP of the follower transistor T3 connected to the storage node, in such a way that the apparent capacitance of the storage node depends on the gain GL of the loop. By modifying the gain, the capacitance of the storage node and therefore the charge/voltage conversion factor, which is inversely proportional to this capacitance, is modified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: E2V SEMICONDUCTORS
    Inventor: Stéphane Gesset
  • Patent number: 9894278
    Abstract: A stabilizer applicable for moving shooting, comprising: an X-axis motor, a Y-axis motor and a Z-axis motor which are orthogonally arranged in space, wherein the X-axis motor controls pitching movement, the Y-axis motor controls rolling movement, and the Z-axis motor controls the movement about yaw axis, wherein a rotating shaft of the Z-axis motor is connected with a stator of the Y-axis motor, and a rotor of the Y-axis motor is connected with a stator of the X-axis motor; and a fixing support arranged on a rotating shaft of the X-axis motor and connected with the rotating shaft of the X-axis motor via a pose estimator, and a Bluetooth module connected with a Z-axis control circuit by serial communication are also provided. The stabilizer is easy to install and may be controlled by a remote or via app, allowing sport fans to shoot during motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: GUILIN FEIYU TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION LTD.
    Inventor: Chengyun Wei
  • Patent number: 9885849
    Abstract: A lens moving apparatus including a bobbin, a first coil mounted at an outer circumference of the bobbin, a first magnet moving the bobbin in a first direction parallel to an optical axis by interaction with the first coil, a housing supporting the first magnet, an upper elastic member disposed at a top surface of the bobbin and at a top surface of the housing, a lower elastic member disposed at a bottom surface of bobbin and at a bottom surface of the housing, and first and second winding protrusions disposed with being opposite to each other, the first coil being wound on the first and second winding protrusions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jae Hong Cho, Seung Taek Shin, In Jae Yeo, Jin Suk Han
  • Patent number: 9888193
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus that forms an image of a light beam transmitted through an imaging lens on an imaging element includes a laminated material that is provided on the imaging element, the light beam being transmitted through the laminated material, the laminated material being provided at a position at which an end portion of an upper surface of the laminated material allows an outermost light beam out of light beams to be transmitted therethrough, the light beams entering a pixel in an outer end portion of the imaging element in an effective pixel area, the position having a width Hopt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Iwasaki, Ken Ozawa, Nobuyuki Matsuzawa, Daisuke Hobara, Nozomi Kimura
  • Patent number: 9883123
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes a pixel signal processing unit which has a plurality of pixels disposed in a two-dimensional matrix, outputs each of pixel signals generated by all pixels as a total pixel signal, and outputs each of the pixel signals generated by the pixels with the number of pixels reduced to a prescribed number of pixels as a reduced pixel signal, a bit reduction method determination unit which determines a bit reduction method for reducing the number of pixels of a digital value representing the amount of the total pixel signal based on the reduced pixel signal, and a bit reduction unit which reduces the number of bits of the digital value based on the bit reduction method and outputs the digital value with the reduced number of bits as a digital value corresponding to the total pixel signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Tanaka, Akira Ueno
  • Patent number: 9871985
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup device and an electronic apparatus capable of generating highly-accurate image pickup signals having a large dynamic range. Pixels each include a high-sensitivity pixel and a low-sensitivity pixel having a lower sensitivity than the high-sensitivity pixel. A control gate controls a potential of a photoelectric conversion device of the low-sensitivity pixel. The present disclosure is applicable to, for example, a CMOS image sensor that includes both the high-sensitivity pixel and the low-sensitivity pixel having a lower sensitivity than the high-sensitivity pixel and controls a potential of the photoelectric conversion device of the low-sensitivity pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Kyohei Yoshimura, Atsushi Masagaki, Ikuo Yoshihara, Ryoji Suzuki, Takashi Machida, Shinichiro Izawa
  • Patent number: 9866740
    Abstract: An apparatus is described that includes an image sensor having a first output port and a second output port. The first output port is to transmit a first image stream concurrently with a second image stream transmitted from the second output port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Roman Lewkow, Chung Chun Wan
  • Patent number: 9866766
    Abstract: A method and a multi-camera system for obtaining pictures with improved image quality. At least two cameras are used for each capturing an image, and a fast shooting mode is employed. The fast shooting mode may work in a preprocessing mode, in which the captured image of highest sharpness is acquired as a final picture, or may work in a post processing mode, in which multiple captured images are acquired, and are then post-processed to obtain a final picture of high image quality. In both modes it may be automatically determined, whether to activate the fast shooting mode or not. The determination is based on a relative movement of the multi-camera system to an object of interest, or is based on a shooting behavior of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Onay Urfalioglu, Giovanni Cordara