Patents Examined by Twyler Haskins
  • Patent number: 10044941
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to the field of communication between electronic devices used for photography. In particular, the invention relates to a method, transmission unit, system and computer program for wireless communication between a camera and at least one remote flash device, such as photoflash units and related equipment. More in particular, the invention provides a way of controlling a plurality of flash devices from an intermediate radio transmission unit mountable on the camera, and utilized a delay a sequence flash control sequence so as to synchronize the function of the camera and the remote flash devices during image acquisition. Further the invention provides a way of controlling in the photoflash units settings for the main flash, wherein the setting are the last settings determined by the camera when the intermediate radio transmission unit was in a TTL-mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: PROFOTO AB
    Inventor: Anton Falk
  • Patent number: 10038856
    Abstract: An imaging device includes an imaging optical system that includes a first optical system and a second optical system having a common optical axis and having different focal lengths, an imaging element that includes a first sensor group selectively receiving light passing the first optical system and a second sensor group selectively receiving light passing the second optical system, and an image compositing unit that generates a first generated image by performing registration on a plurality of first captured images captured in different states of an optical axis L of the first optical system and by compositing the registrated plurality of first captured images and that generates a second generated image by performing registration on a plurality of second captured images captured in different states of the optical axis L of the second optical system and by compositing the registrated plurality of second captured images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Shuji Ono
  • Patent number: 10038847
    Abstract: A generation unit generates N distortion corrected images (N?2) by performing coordinate conversion on each of N partial areas of a first captured image, using a conversion parameter that depends on a position of the partial area, and generates N distortion corrected images by performing coordinate conversion on each of corresponding N partial areas of a second captured image, using a conversion parameter that depends on a position of the partial area. A detection unit detects N motion vectors by comparing each of the N distortion corrected images generated from the first captured image with the corresponding distortion corrected image generated from the second captured image. A conversion unit generates N converted motion vectors by performing inverse coordinate conversion on each of the N motion vectors using a conversion parameter that depends on a position of the corresponding partial area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaaki Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 10033929
    Abstract: A image storing apparatus and method is provided for storing live view image in a camera device with the indication of the progress of storing the image. The method includes displaying a live view image in a preview mode; capturing the image in response to a capture request; processing a preconfigured image to generate an animation image, the animation image indicating progress of storing the captured image; and displaying, when the captured image is completely stored, a thumbnail image of the captured image instead of the animation image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Jaemyoung Lee, Sungsik Lee, Hoyoung Lee
  • Patent number: 10033926
    Abstract: A processing device collects depth data for frames in a sequence of images of a video stream being provided by a source device to a target device as part of a communication session. The depth data is created by a depth aware camera of the source device. The processing device maps, using the depth data, feature locations of the features of an object in a frame to feature locations of the features of the object in other frames, determines overlapping frame sections between the frames using the mapped feature locations, modifies, in the sequence of images, a set of images corresponding to the frames based on the overlapping frame sections to create a stabilized stream of images for the video stream, and provides the stabilized stream of images in the video stream as part of the communication session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Gregory M Burgess, Thor Carpenter
  • Patent number: 10033947
    Abstract: An imaging system may include multi-port pixels. A multi-port pixel may include a photodiode that generates electrical charge in response to received light and a plurality of access ports that couple the electrical charge onto one of a corresponding plurality of pixel output lines. The photodiode may generate electrical charge for one or more different integration times while a frame is being captured. Charge generated during the different integration times may be coupled onto different respective pixel output lines through different respective access ports. Multiple pixels in a given column of the pixel array may simultaneously couple charge generated during different integration times onto different pixel output lines through different access ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Raminda Madurawe
  • Patent number: 10033959
    Abstract: A subject (10), such as a billboard, has a filtering film (15) to absorb electromagnetic radiation specifically in a first wavelength band. A detector (60) provides a first detector signal (61a) relating to the first wavelength band and a second detector signal (61b) relating to another, different, second wavelength band, respectively. Suitably, the subject (10) appears with high intensity in one band and with low intensity in the other. A content replacement unit (40) produces a mask signal (43) by identifying regions of contrast between the first and second detector signals (61a, 61b) as target areas (75). A content substitution unit (47) selectively replaces the target areas (75) with alternate image content (42) to generate modified video images (72). The system is useful, for example, to generate multiple live television broadcasts each having differing billboard advertisements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Supponor Oy
    Inventor: Erkki Rantalainen
  • Patent number: 10032253
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an optical imaging system that converges light from an object; an imaging device that includes a plurality of pixels, receives the converged light, and converts the received light to an electric signal; a filter unit that is disposed between the optical imaging system and the imaging device and includes a plurality of color filters having different light transmission rate characteristics; and a transmission data compressing circuit that codes the electric signal. An overall light transmission rate characteristic of the filter unit differs randomly in different pixels of the imaging device, and the transmission data compressing circuit weights and codes the electric signal of each of the pixels by using a reciprocal of a proportion of the overall light transmission rate characteristic of the filter unit corresponding to each of the plurality of pixels of the imaging device relative to a wavelength characteristic common among the pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi Sato, Kunio Nobori, Takeo Azuma, Ayako Maruyama, Nobuhiko Wakai
  • Patent number: 10033952
    Abstract: An imaging device whose dynamic range can be wide with a simple structure is provided. In a circuit configuration and an operation method of the imaging device, whether a charge detection portion provided in a pixel is saturated with electrons is determined and an operation mode is changed depending on the determination result. First imaging data is captured first, and is read out in the case where the charge detection portion is not saturated with electrons. In the case where the charge detection portion is saturated with electrons, the saturation of the charge detection portion is eliminated and second imaging data is captured and read out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takuro Ohmaru
  • Patent number: 10027857
    Abstract: A method for detecting electronic lighting flickering includes: taking a video of an electronic light with a duration of a predetermined period and a scanning frequency; extracting a predetermined number of frames of pictures from the video; determining a flickering frequency of the electronic light; determining at least one fixed reference point at each frame; and reconstructing a brightness waveform of the electronic light from the reference point in all frames of the video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Gean Technology Co. Limited
    Inventors: Shan Mei Wan, Po Shu Bruce Lam, Chi Keung Yeung
  • Patent number: 10027877
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus having a continuous shooting mode in which images are captured for recording in response to an image capture instruction, wherein respective development process for each image is performed before capturing a subsequent image for recording in the continuous shooting mode, includes a focus control unit and a control unit. The focus control unit detects a focal point of a focus lens. The control unit controls movement of the focus lens and controls the capturing of an image. After the control unit controls the movement of the focus lens using the focus control unit and captures an image for recording in the continuous shooting mode, the control unit moves the focus lens to a predetermined position and then moves the focus lens across a predetermined range from the predetermined position to perform the scanning using the focus control unit during the development process of the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoshi Kimoto
  • Patent number: 10027918
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an imaging device including a multi-lens including a central optical system (wide-angle lens) and an annular optical system (telescopic lens) which have a common optical axis, an image sensor, and an array lens provided on the incidence surface side of the image sensor and including microlenses (pupil imaging lens). In a preferred aspect of the present invention, two images having different characteristics are generated based on a pupil image of each unit block including 3×3 light reception cells assigned to each of the microlenses of the array lens. The unit block has eight surrounding light reception cells that correspond to one of the two images, and the eight surrounding light reception cells in the unit block are configured to output RGB pixel signals in all wavelength regions necessary for generating this one image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Shuji Ono
  • Patent number: 10025162
    Abstract: A focus adjustment device obtains a correction value for correcting a result of autofocus, from aberration information regarding at least one of an astigmatism, a chromatic aberration, and a spherical aberration of an imaging optical system, and focus detection information regarding the autofocus. The focus adjustment device then controls a position of a focusing lens that the imaging optical system has, based on a result of the autofocus corrected using the correction value. By correcting the result of the autofocus while considering at least a focus condition of a photographic image, a focus detection error caused by an aberration of the optical system can be accurately corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yumi Watanabe, Hideyuki Hamano
  • Patent number: 10025350
    Abstract: A wearable information device is configured to store device identifying information used for identifying the information device registered in advance, to confirm whether or not a taken image, in which an object in a direction of line of vision of a user is taken, shows the information, by image analysis based on the stored device identifying information, and to notify the information device of a result of the confirmation. The information device is configured to execute a predetermined function on the basis of the result of the confirmation of the information device notified from the wearable information device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kimiyasu Mizuno, Tsuyoshi Minami, Hideo Suzuki, Takashi Suenaga, Keiichi Nomura, Shuhei Uchida, Munetaka Seo, Itsuki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 10027899
    Abstract: An optical module that achieves an adjustable aperture with a multilayer liquid crystal diaphragm, and an electronic apparatus using the optical module are described. The optical module includes at least one diaphragm layer having a light-transmission area that is fully transmissive and a variable light-transmission area filled with material having variable transmittance; and an electrode unit for applying an adjustment voltage to the at least one diaphragm layer. Transmittance of the variable light-transmission area varies in accordance with the adjustment voltage applied by the electrode unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: LENOVO (BEIJING) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ke He, Jiefeng Chen
  • Patent number: 10026764
    Abstract: A solid-state image pickup device has an image pickup pixel including a first photoelectric conversion portion and a first transistor and a focus detection pixel including a second photoelectric conversion portion, a second transistor, and a light shielding portion, in which a reflection preventing portion is provided on the underface side of the light shielding portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kouhei Hashimoto, Takahiro Hachisu
  • Patent number: 10021340
    Abstract: There are several types of plenoptic devices and camera arrays available on the market, and all these light field acquisition devices have their proprietary file format. However, there is no standard supporting the acquisition and transmission of multi-dimensional information. It is interesting to obtain information related to a correspondence between pixels of a sensor of said optical acquisition system and an object space of said optical acquisition system. Indeed, knowing which portion of the object space of an optical acquisition system a pixel belonging to the sensor of said optical acquisition system is sensing enables the improvement of signal processing operations. The notion of pixel beam, which represents a volume occupied by a set of rays of light in an object space of an optical system of a camera along with a compact format for storing such information is thus introduce.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: THOMSON LICENSING
    Inventors: Valter Drazic, Laurent Blonde, Arno Schubert
  • Patent number: 10021280
    Abstract: A camera module includes a lens carrier that houses a lens, electrical components of optical path modifiers positioned on the lens carrier, an image sensor, and a controller that is to generate commands for operating the optical path modifiers. A printed circuit assembly positioned on the lens carrier is electrically coupled to suspension wires. The printed circuit assembly includes a printed circuit that has installed thereon a serial bus communications interface circuit that is to receive the commands from the controller through one of the suspension wires, and a translation circuit that is to translate the commands into control signals that are to operate or drive the optical path modifiers via the electrical components and according to the commands, respectively. Other embodiments are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Shashank Sharma, Douglas S. Brodie
  • Patent number: 10021304
    Abstract: A method for temporal filtering based on motion detection between non-adjacent pictures is disclosed. Step (A) of the method may compute a plurality of motion scores by motion detection between a target picture in a sequence of pictures and a non-adjacent reference picture in the sequence of pictures. Step (B) may temporal filter the target picture with an adjacent reference picture in the sequence of pictures based on the motion scores to generate a filtered picture. At least one of (i) the motion scores and (ii) the generation of the filtered picture is controlled by one or more gain settings in a circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventor: Elliot N. Linzer
  • Patent number: 10021318
    Abstract: A method for delivering motion video, which is captured by a first motion video camera, to a client device from said first motion video camera. The method comprises receiving, at the first motion video camera from the client, a request of a motion video and an indication of a requested format, matching, in a transcoding format list of the first motion video camera, the selected format to an address of a second motion video camera, sending, to said address of the second motion video camera, a motion video which have been identified in a request, the motion video having a format different from the selected format, receiving at the first motion video camera from the second motion video camera said requested motion video in the selected format, and sending said requested motion video in the selected format to the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Axis AB
    Inventors: Fredrik Hugosson, Ted Hartzell, Bjarne Rosengren