Patents Examined by Tuan H. Le
  • Patent number: 10728474
    Abstract: Image signal processing including generating image signal processing based encoding hints for motion estimation may include an image signal processor obtaining an input image portion of an input image from the input image signal, generating motion information for the input image portion, processing the input image portion based on the motion information, outputting processed image data, and outputting the motion information as encoding hints, such that the motion information is accessible by an encoder for generating an encoded output bitstream by obtaining the processed image data as source image data, obtaining the motion information, generating prediction data for encoding the source image data based on the motion information, generating encoded image data based on the prediction data, and including the encoded image data in an encoded output bitstream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruno César Douady, Sandeep Doshi
  • Patent number: 10728462
    Abstract: An image sensor, comprising: a first sensing region having a first size, configured to sense first kind of light having a first range of wavelengths; and a second sensing region having a second size, configured to sense second kind of light having a second range of wavelengths, wherein the first size and the second size are different, wherein at least portion of the first range of wavelengths and at least portion of the second range of wavelengths are different. The image sensor has a first light sensitivity level for sensing the first kind of light and has a second light sensitivity level for sensing the second kind of light, and a relation between the first size and the second size corresponds to a relation between the first light sensitivity level and the second light sensitivity level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: PixArt Imaging Inc.
    Inventor: Guo-Zhen Wang
  • Patent number: 10715771
    Abstract: Apparatus for capturing a wide-color-gamut image includes a broadband electronic image sensor; optics gathering light from a scene and focusing an image formed by the gathered light along a light path onto the electronic image sensor; a filter interposed in the light path, constructed and arranged so as to allow individual wavelengths of the wide-gamut-color to pass through it in narrow bands of wavelengths having bandwidths narrower than a few tens of nanometers at each point in time; and a processor connected to the image sensor to capture a sequence of images synchronous with each narrow-band wavelength passed by the filter at each point in time, the processor combining the sequence of images into the wide-gamut-color image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Gerlach Consulting Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Gerlach
  • Patent number: 10714517
    Abstract: An image sensor including: a first photodiode; a first circuit including an overflow transistor and a first transfer transistor connected to the first photodiode, a switch element connected to the first transfer transistor and a capacitor disposed between the first transfer transistor and the switch element, wherein the capacitor is a physical capacitor; a second photodiode; and a second circuit including a second transfer transistor connected to the second photodiode, a reset transistor connected to an output of the first circuit and a driving transistor connected to the second transfer transistor and the output of the first circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kang Sun Lee, Seung Ho Shin, Hyung Jin Bae, Jin Ho Seo, Ji Hun Shin, Moo Sup Lim, Young Tae Jang, Young Kyun Jeong
  • Patent number: 10708522
    Abstract: According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, an image processing system includes a cross-point synapse array that includes multiple row wires, multiple column wires, and multiple cross-point devices, a cross-point device at each intersection of the row wires and the column wires. The image processing system further includes an image sensor array that includes multiple pixel unit circuits, each pixel unit circuit is connected to a corresponding row wire of the cross-point synapse array, wherein the pixel unit circuit generates a voltage output based on an input light. The image processing system further includes a pixel unit controller that adjusts an exposure time of the pixel unit circuits based on voltage outputs from the pixel unit circuits respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Xin Zhang, Jin Ping Han, Dennis M. Newns, Xiaodong Cui
  • Patent number: 10704730
    Abstract: A camera gimbal is disclosed. The disclosed camera gimbal comprises: a pitching housing, in which a lens part is disposed, rotating around a first axis; a yawing housing rotating around a second axis vertical to the first axis, and to which the pitching housing is coupled so as to be rotatable around the second axis; and a rolling housing rotating around a third axis vertical to the first and second axes, and to which the yawing housing is coupled so as to be rotatable around the third axis, wherein the first and second axes can cross at a right angle, the second and third axes can cross at a right angle, the first and third axes can be spaced from each other in a state in which the first and third axes can cross at a right angle, and the first and third axes can be arranged on the same plane. In the present invention, various examples are possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoon-Seok Kang, Chanyoung Moon
  • Patent number: 10692922
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device includes photoelectric converter arranged in semiconductor substrate made of silicon and is and transistor arranged on surface of the substrate. The photoelectric converter includes first region of a first conductivity type, configured to accumulate charges, and second region of second conductivity type. The first region is arranged between the surface and the second region. The substrate includes third region as source and/or drain of the transistor. The substrate includes, in position which is below the third region and is apart from the third region, impurity region containing group 14 element other than silicon. Depth from the surface of peak position in density distribution of the group 14 element in the impurity region is smaller than depth from the surface of peak position in density distribution of majority carrier in the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tasuku Kaneda, Toshihiro Shoyama
  • Patent number: 10686993
    Abstract: A correction method for an optical mechanism having an optical member and a fixed portion is provided, including: an external apparatus measures the angle between the optical axis of the optical member and a reference surface of the fixed portion; the result of measuring the angle between the optical axis and the reference surface is compiled into data; the data is input into a control module; the control module transmits a signal to a driving module according to the data; and the driving module drives the optical member to rotate or move relative to the fixed portion upon receiving the signal. The optical mechanism does not include a sensor to detect the angle between the optical axis and the reference surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: TDK TAIWAN CORP.
    Inventors: Chao-Chang Hu, Shun-Chieh Tang, Shu-Shan Chen, Chih-Wei Weng, Shao-Kuang Huang
  • Patent number: 10674072
    Abstract: Media user interfaces are described, including user interfaces for capturing media (e.g., capturing a photo, recording a video), displaying media (e.g., displaying a photo, playing a video), editing media (e.g., modifying a photo, modifying a video), accessing media controls or settings (e.g., accessing controls or settings to capture photos or videos to capture videos), and automatically adjusting media (e.g., automatically modifying a photo, automatically modifying a video).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Behkish J. Manzari, Lukas Robert Tom Girling, Grant Paul, William A. Sorrentino, III, Andre Souza Dos Santos
  • Patent number: 10644045
    Abstract: The present application provides a pixel sensing module comprising a pixel light-sensing unit, receiving light at a light receiving side and outputting a pixel value, the pixel light-sensing unit comprising a plurality of sub-pixel light-sensing components configured to output a plurality of sub-pixel values; and an integrating unit, coupled to the pixel light-sensing unit configured to output the pixel value according to the plurality of sub-pixel values; and a collimating unit having a plurality of openings, wherein the plurality of openings are aligned with an area of the pixel light-sensing unit, and projections of the plurality of openings onto the light receiving side lie within the area of the pixel light-sensing unit at the light receiving side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Shenzhen Goodix Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wei-Min Chao, Chien-Jian Tseng
  • Patent number: 10638072
    Abstract: A control apparatus (106) includes an acquirer (106a) which acquires a first imaging signal that is read in a first mode from a first pixel area of an image sensor and a second imaging signal that is read in a second mode from a second pixel area of the image sensor, the image sensor including a plurality of photoelectric converters corresponding to a single microlens, and an image processor (106b) which performs noise reduction processing on the first and second imaging signals, the first mode is a mode in which pixel signals of photoelectric converters are added to each other to be read from the image sensor, and the second mode is a mode in which a pixel signal of at least one of the photoelectric converters is read independently as a predetermined signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mie Ishii, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Koji Oshima
  • Patent number: 10623690
    Abstract: Each of multiple cameras encodes and transmits a video signal captured, the encoding being performed with one of multiple variable bit rate encoding schemes each of which has a different average bit rate. A receiving device periodically measures the total bandwidth of the video signals received from the multiple cameras, and when the total bandwidth exceeds a first threshold value the receiving device switches the encoding scheme used by the cameras to a scheme having a lower average bit rate. In addition, when the total bandwidth falls below a second threshold value that is equal to or less than the first threshold value, the receiving device switches the encoding scheme used by the cameras to a scheme having a higher average bit rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takumi Okazaki
  • Patent number: 10620507
    Abstract: The invention comprises a small, easily transportable, specially programmed, wirelessly controlled camera mounting device. The camera mounting device is equipped with a ¼-20 stud, the standard type of stud used by tripods, so the user can easily mount a Go-Pro camera or any other kind of presently available small camera on the camera mounting device. Embodiments of the device can rotate the camera up to 360 degrees, left or right, at any of multiple speeds, and can pause, and rotate the camera up or down. Embodiments of the device can attach themselves to other surfaces, by several methods, and can be charged wirelessly. The invention also includes a method that eliminates the need to use multiple cameras, while making a video, and splice the video together after the fact. This invention also comprises security systems using the camera mount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Inventor: William Conn Lefever
  • Patent number: 10598966
    Abstract: A light control device 10 includes a pair of electrodes 611 and 612 and a stacked structure body 613? of a plurality of light control layers 613 sandwiched by the pair of electrodes 611 and 612; and each light control layer 613 has a stacked structure of a first insulating layer 614, a first nanocarbon film 615 doped with an n-type impurity or not doped with an impurity, a second insulating layer 617, and a second nanocarbon film 616 doped with a p-type impurity or not doped with an impurity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kouichi Harada, Kyoko Izuha, Koji Kadono
  • Patent number: 10600195
    Abstract: Provided is a depth detection apparatus for detecting depth information from a first and a second image based on a light flux passing through different pupil regions, the apparatus including an image generator that generates a third and a fourth image by subjecting the first and the second image to a filter, a depth detector that detects depth information from a relative positional shift amount between the third and the fourth image, a representative value acquirer that acquires a representative value of spatial frequencies of the third or the fourth image from a frequency characteristic of the filter, and a confidence determiner that determines confidence for the depth information from the representative value. The confidence is determined as a value representing higher confidence as the representative value is greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kiyokatsu Ikemoto
  • Patent number: 10540080
    Abstract: Methods for the capture, messaging and graphical user interface display of visual social media use electronic devices, especially small form factor electronic devices, each in operable communication with social media servers. The electronic devices comprise media capture controllers for the capture of visual media using image sensors and messaging controllers for sending notifications of such at least one further electronic devices. The further electronic device may similarly use the media capture controller to capture further visual media which is then uploaded to a social media server. The social media server links the first visual media and the further visual media in a linked image post object. The linked image post object may display the first visual media and the display controller may generate a user interface animation to substitute the first visual media with the further visual media substantially in place within the same display region of the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Inventor: Melissa Sully
  • Patent number: 10503053
    Abstract: The electronic device can be used with various modules attached to a device main body and electrical connection is established therebetween by the respective connector portions. The device main body includes a connection terminal portion with a concave shape. The module includes a power source terminal group in a first surface, and includes a ground terminal group and a communication terminal group for communication with the device main body in a second surface on the opposite side to the first surface, in connection surfaces of the connection terminal portion. The module includes a connection terminal, to which an enable signal generated when the module is connected to the camera module is input, in the first surface, and NC terminals that are not used for communication with the module connected thereto are arranged between the connection terminal and the power source terminal group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroki Ota
  • Patent number: 10484634
    Abstract: The present technology relates to an image pickup element, a control method, and an image pickup device which realize easier and more diversified data output. In one aspect of the present technology, a plurality of signal lines for transmitting a pixel signal read from a pixel is allocated to each column, and different reading modes of the pixel signals are respectively allocated to the signal lines of each column. Regarding each column of the pixel array connected to the pixel corresponding to the mode, the pixel signal is read from the pixel connected to the signal line corresponding to the reading mode of the pixel signal in the mode, and the read pixel signal is transmitted via the signal line. The present technology is applied to, for example, an image pickup element and an image pickup device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Kawazu, Atsushi Suzuki, Takashi Shoji, Masashi Akamatsu, Nobutaka Shimamura, Hayato Wakabayashi, Yuuki Yamagata, Norihiro Nikai, Tohru Kikawada, Takumi Oka, Toshiki Kainuma
  • Patent number: 10482591
    Abstract: This invention comprises a system and a method for inspecting the inside of delayed petroleum coking vessels to identify deformations, detect and determine the severity of other defects, and visually observe the inside of the inspected vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Custom Industrial Automation Inc.
    Inventors: Richard D. Clark, Daryl K. Rutt, John David Stratton
  • Patent number: 10469724
    Abstract: An imaging and displaying device according to the present disclosure includes an imaging device that takes an image of a subject including a user; a display; and an image processor that receives data of an image of the subject taken by the imaging device and causes the image to be displayed on the display. The imaging device includes an imaging element that is disposed so that a normal to an imaging surface is horizontal; an optical system that has a lens for forming the image of the subject on the imaging surface; and an optical axis shift device. The optical axis shift device supports at least one of the imaging element and the lens in such a manner that the at least one is movable in a direction parallel with the imaging surface and that shifts the movably supported imaging element or lens in the direction parallel with the imaging surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshinori Kumamoto