Patents Examined by Sinh Tran
  • Patent number: 10812725
    Abstract: Included are a display control unit configured to display a live view image being imaged by an imaging unit, and to display a display item indicating a degree of in-focus, superimposed on the live view image; an acquiring unit configured to acquire information relating to a degree of in-focus in a focus detecting region; and a changing unit configured to change display positions and display forms of a first indicator and second indicator that indicate a degree of in-focus by a positional display relationship with each other, and a third indicator that indicates a focus position, based on information acquired by the acquiring unit, the first indicator and the second indicator and the third indicator are included in the display item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiro Ota, Soushi Takita, Koichi Okada, Masaaki Kano, Hidetaka Uemura, Satoshi Ishimaru
  • Patent number: 10805522
    Abstract: Provided are a method of controlling a camera of a device capable of minimizing a vision difference between a front camera and a user by displaying a reduced size preview image within a partial region of a display proximate to a lens of the front camera. When a photo is taken while the user views the reduced size preview image, a more natural image is captured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dongil Son, Heekyeong Kwon
  • Patent number: 10788317
    Abstract: The various embodiments described herein include methods and/or systems for depth mapping. In one aspect, a method of depth mapping is performed at an apparatus including a projector, a camera, one or more processors, and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors. The method includes identifying one or more areas of interest in a scene in accordance with variation of depth in the scene as detected at a first resolution. The method also includes, for each area of interest: (1) applying, via the projector, a respective structured-light pattern to the area of interest; (2) capturing, via the camera, an image of the area of interest with the respective structured-light pattern applied to it; and (3) creating a respective depth map of the area of interest using the captured image, the respective depth map having a higher resolution than the first resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: Shizhe Shen, Francislav P. Penov, Aidymar Bigio
  • Patent number: 10791288
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a pixel value group creation unit configured to create, for a plurality of pieces of image data generated by an image sensor including: a plurality of pixels arranged two-dimensionally to receive light from outside and generate a signal corresponding to an amount of the received light; and a plurality of read-out circuits shared by a predetermined number of pixels and configured to read out the signal as pixel values, a plurality of pixel value groups by classifying the pixel values for each of the plurality of read-out circuits; and a noise determination unit configured to determine whether blinking defect noise occurs in each of the plurality of pixel value groups, based on distribution of the pixel values of each of the plurality of pixel value groups created by the pixel value group creation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Manabu Ichikawa, Hiroki Maruyama
  • Patent number: 10785393
    Abstract: The various embodiments described herein include methods and/or devices for directing flash illumination. In one aspect, a method is performed at a device including a camera, one or more processors, and memory storing one or more programs configured for execution by the one or more processors. The method includes directing flash illumination to an identified area of interest in a scene by adjusting power supplied to respective elements of a flash array. The method further includes capturing, via the camera, an image of the scene as illuminated by the flash illumination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventor: Shizhe Shen
  • Patent number: 10775585
    Abstract: An interchangeable lens assembly includes a plurality of lens-side claw portions configured to enable engagement with a plurality of camera-side claw portions, and a lock pin concave portion in which a lock pin is inserted. Furthermore, ?1 is an angle formed by a line passing through a fifth lens-side end and an optical axis, and a line passing through a center of a lock pin concave portion and the optical axis, and ?2 is an angle formed by a line passing through a fourth lens-side end and the optical axis, and a line that passes through the center of the lock pin concave portion and the optical axis. In the above, ?1 and ?2 satisfy a predetermined conditional expression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunihiko Sasaki, Toshinori Yamazaki, Masahisa Tamura, Masayasu Shigematsu
  • Patent number: 10778920
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion apparatus having a first substrate and a second substrate overlaid on each other and including electrically conductive portions is provided. The first substrate includes a photoelectric conversion element, a first portion configured to form part of a first surface, a second portion which is included in an electrically conductive pattern closest to the first portion, and a third portion which is included in an electrically conductive pattern second closest to the first portion. The second substrate includes a fourth portion configured to form part of a second surface, and a circuit. In a planar view with respect to the first surface, an area of the first portion is smaller than an area of the second portion and larger than an area of a portion of the third portion overlaying the second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takanori Yamashita, Kazuhiro Saito, Tatsuya Ryoki, Yoshikazu Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 10764486
    Abstract: A method synchronizes autofocus in a system having a master camera and a slave camera. The method comprises: focusing the slave camera based on a map and a result of an autofocus operation by the master camera, while capturing each of a plurality of images. The map relates a plurality of master camera lens positions of the master camera to corresponding slave camera lens positions of the slave camera. An autofocus operation is periodically performed in the slave camera to determine an additional slave camera lens position for an additional image. The map is adaptively updated, based at least partially on the additional slave camera lens position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Jisoo Lee, Lee-Kang Liu, Micha Galor Gluskin
  • Patent number: 10757344
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus is provided that includes: a video input unit configured to take an image of an object to generate an image signal of the object; a video signal processor configured to generate a taken image of the object on a basis of the image signal; and a controller configured to: detect motion information of the object on the basis of the image signal; cause the video input unit to take an image of the object on a basis of the motion information multiple times so as to differentiate an exposure amount thereof; and cause the video signal processor to generate an HDR synthetic image of the object on the basis of a plurality of image signals whose exposure amounts are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Shimizu, Akira Ishiyama, Kazuhiko Yoshizawa, Yasunobu Hashimoto, Motoyuki Suzuki, Mitsunobu Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10747015
    Abstract: One embodiment comprises: a housing; a bobbin arranged in the housing so as to mount a lens therein; a magnet arranged in the housing; a first coil, which is arranged in the bobbin and moves in the optical axial direction according to an interaction with the magnet; an elastic member coupled with the bobbin and the housing; a second coil to which a first drive signal is applied, and moving the housing in a direction perpendicular to the optical axial direction according to the interaction with the magnet; a location sensor for sensing the strength of the magnetic field of the magnet according to the movement of the housing; and a third coil to which a second drive signal is applied, and is arranged in correspondence with the location sensor, wherein a first magnetic field, of the second coil, which is generated by the first drive signal, and a second magnetic field, of the third coil, which is generated by the second drive signal, are generated in directions offsetting each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: LG Innotek Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tae Bong Park, Jun Taek Lee, Kyoung Ho Yoo, Seung Taek Shin, Jin Suk Han
  • Patent number: 10750105
    Abstract: Provided are an imaging apparatus capable of preventing deterioration in quality of a captured image to be captured in a case where imaging is performed by using the driving according to the global shutter method and the driving according to the rolling shutter method in combination, an operation method thereof, and an operation program thereof. The digital camera includes an imaging element 5 that has a plurality of pixels 61 each including a photoelectric conversion element 61A and a charge holding section 61B, and a driving controller 11A that performs driving control of the imaging element 5 according to a global shutter method while continuously performing driving control of the imaging element 5 according to a rolling shutter method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10742899
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media to enhance an image on a mobile computing device. In some aspects, a user interface on the mobile computing device provides a plurality of image filters, each of the image filters associated with a different replacement sky type. Upon application of one of the plurality of image filters to an image, the mobile computing device is configured to identify a sky portion of the image, modify a color mapping of a non-sky portion of the image, and replace the sky portion of the image with replacement sky data corresponding to the applied image filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Chongyang Ma, Kun Duan, Xing Mei, Nan Hu
  • Patent number: 10742917
    Abstract: A pixel sensor element (200) including a photodetector (201) and a storage assembly having N storage arrays (205), each having an input shift register (207) and an output shift register (215) each with a number M of storage cells arranged in a column, and a storage shift register (211) with a number M of rows of storage cells, each row comprising a number P of storage cells, for signal transfer from the input shift register (207) to the output shift register (215). A number N of independently driveable signal transfer regions (203) transfer the signal from the photodetector (201) to a first cell (210) of one of a respective one of the input shift registers (207). A number N of signal read-out regions (219) read the signal from a last cell (217) of a respective one of the output shift registers (215). N is 2 or more. M is 1 or more. P is 1 or more. Image sensors, imaging devices, storage assemblies, and methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: SPECIALISED IMAGING LIMITED
    Inventors: Keith Roger Taylor, Renato Turchetta
  • Patent number: 10734431
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a pixel array including pixel blocks, each comprising a light receiving section including unit pixels sharing a floating diffusion; and a driving section including a reset transistor and a driver transistor, wherein the pixel blocks include a first pixel block and a second pixel block which are adjacent to each other in a first direction, and a third pixel block and a fourth pixel block which are adjacent to the first pixel block and the second pixel block, respectively, in a second direction, and wherein the reset transistor of the first pixel block and the reset transistor of the second pixel block share a drain between the reset transistors, and the driver transistor of the third pixel block and the driver transistor of the fourth pixel block share a drain between the driver transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Woong-Hee Lee
  • Patent number: 10720457
    Abstract: An imaging device includes a pixel comprising a photoelectric conversion layer having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a pixel electrode on the first surface; an auxiliary electrode on the first surface, the auxiliary electrode being spaced from the pixel electrode; an upper electrode on the second surface, the upper electrode facing the pixel electrode and the auxiliary electrode; and an amplification transistor having a gate coupled to the pixel electrode. The imaging device also includes voltage application circuitry that generates a first voltage and a second voltage different from the first voltage, the voltage application circuitry being coupled to the auxiliary electrode. The voltage application circuitry selectively supplies either the first voltage or the second voltage to the auxiliary electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masayuki Takase, Takayoshi Yamada, Tokuhiko Tamaki
  • Patent number: 10721427
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an image sensor circuit and a ramp signal generator thereof. The image sensor circuit includes: an active pixel sensor (APS) array which includes plural pixel circuits arranged in an array of columns and rows; plural slope analog-to-digital converter (ADC), wherein each of the slope ADC is coupled to the corresponding column, and generates a digital sampling signal according to a ramp signal together with a pixel signal including a reset signal and a image signal which are generated by the pixel circuit located in the selected row and in the column corresponding to the slope ADC; and the ramp signal generator, which generates the ramp signal, wherein the ramp signal generator includes an active integrator, and the active integrator generates the ramp signal by charging an integration capacitor with a gain current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: PRIMESENSOR TECHNOLOGY INC.
    Inventor: Shiue-Shin Liu
  • Patent number: 10721403
    Abstract: A rifle scope including a display, at least one optical sensor to capture video of a view area, and image processing circuitry coupled to the display and the at least one optical sensor. The image processing circuitry is configured to select visual elements within a sequence of frames of the video and to align the visual elements within adjacent frames of the sequence of frames to produce a video output corresponding to the view area that is stabilized relative to a target. The image processing circuit is configured to provide the video output to the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Talon Precision Optics, LLC
    Inventors: John Hancock Lupher, John Francis McHale, Douglas Ainsworth Scott
  • Patent number: 10708529
    Abstract: An image sensor may include an array of pixels, and analog and digital circuitry. The pixels in the array may generate image signals in response to incident light. The image sensor may also include power supply circuitry and corresponding voltage rail structures that provide voltage levels to operate the pixel array, the analog circuitry, and the digital circuitry. The power supply circuitry may provide a low voltage, a high voltage, and an intermediate voltage power rail. The analog circuitry may operate in a voltage level domain defined by voltages between an intermediate voltage level and a high voltage level. The digital circuitry may operate in a voltage level domain defined by voltages between a low voltage level and the intermediate voltage level. In such a configured, analog and digital circuitry may both be provided with low-voltage transistors that are more area and power efficient and that are more scalable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Raminda Madurawe
  • Patent number: 10708523
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging device configured to sequentially perform AD conversion for A signals of pixels of the first row, A signals of pixels of the second row, A+B signals of the pixels of the first row, and A+B signals of the pixels of the second row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kei Ochiai, Katsuhito Sakurai, Atsushi Furubayashi
  • Patent number: 10687003
    Abstract: A pixel array for use in a high dynamic range image sensor includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and columns in the pixel array. Each one of the pixels includes a linear subpixel and a log subpixel disposed in a semiconductor material. The linear subpixel is coupled to generate a linear output signal having a linear response, and the log subpixel is coupled to generate a log output signal having a logarithmic response in response to the incident light. A bitline is coupled to the linear subpixel and to the log subpixel to receive the linear output signal and the log output signal. The bitline is one of a plurality of bitlines coupled to the plurality of pixels. Each one of the plurality of bitlines is coupled to a corresponding grouping of the plurality of pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Keiji Mabuchi, Dyson H. Tai, Oray Orkun Cellek, Duli Mao, Sohei Manabe