Patents Examined by Yogesh Aggarwal
  • Patent number: 9948909
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to COLOR transfer between two images. COLOR transfer is a known technic consisting in modifying the COLORs of a source image by applying the COLOR palette of an example image without changing the source image structure. A lot of COLOR transfer method are known which consist in transferring COLORs between two images, however, those methods do not preserve the quality of the bokeh in areas of an images that are not in focus at a given depth. This results in a navigation in the depth dimension that is not smooth. It is proposed to modify the COLORs of a focal stack of a scene according to a COLOR palette by propagating the COLORs of the pixels in focus in different layers of the reCOLORed focal stack to the layers of the reCOLORed focal stack located behind the layer wherein a considered pixel is in focus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: THOMSON LICENSING
    Inventors: Vincent Demoulin, Neus Sabater
  • Patent number: 9948869
    Abstract: An image fusion method for multiple lenses and device thereof, which includes the following steps: taking parallax images with different focal distances through a plurality of lenses; analyzing feature points of the parallax images; calculating the matching relationships among the feature points of the parallax images; moving each of the parallax images according to the matching relationships to adjust the same image portion of each parallax image to the same image position; fusing the moved result of the parallax images to generate a fusion image; and removing unnecessary images configured in the edge of the fusion image to generate a corrected fusion image. Therefore, the image fusion method for multiple lenses and device thereof can make the result of the image fusion better.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Inventor: Yuan-Ting Fang
  • Patent number: 9942484
    Abstract: A method for displaying an image in an electronic device provided. The method includes displaying an image and if a filter effect list request is input, dividing at least a portion of the image into a plurality of filter areas, and displaying a preview image in which different filter effects are applied to the plurality of filter areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Zhedan Pan, Hyun-Young Kim, Min-Jeong Moon, Beldagli Behram, Sang-Il Lee, Nam-Jin Kim, Min-Kyung Hwang, Geon-Soo Kim, Jeong-Hyun Pang, Jens Gustaf Folke Oknelid, Jonas Ove Arbsjo, Maximilian Christian Olle Larsson, Nils Roger Andersson Reimer
  • Patent number: 9936126
    Abstract: An autofocus method of a camera, having an actuator controlling the position of a lens in an open-loop mode, includes receiving and analyzing an image captured using the lens and generating a face detection signal indicating whether a face is detected based on the analysis result. The size of the face is calculated when the face is detected, and a start position of the lens is determined based on the size of the face. A focus position of the lens is sought based on the start position of the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ho June Leu
  • Patent number: 9924111
    Abstract: A focal difference magnification calculation processor, a distortion correction magnification calculation processor, a magnification correction value calculation processor that calculates a magnification correction value that corrects a magnification of the plurality of images so that image heights of the plurality of images are consistent, and an area determination processor that determines an area used as an image for an image composition from among the plurality of images whose magnification was corrected by the magnification correction value are included, and the area determination processor determines an image that results in a minimum magnification correction value from among the plurality of images, and determines the area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Takuya Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 9921996
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method to obtain an image from the perspective of a pacifier user. The method involves the steps of: providing a digital camera mounted on pacifier apparatus 90 and capturing the image. This can be accomplished in one embodiment by providing an apparatus made of a perpendicular mounting member 30 or linear mounting member 35 that has a plurality of grooved prongs shaped to secure the ring 20 of a pacifier; and a digital camera 40 attached to the perpendicular mounting member 30.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Inventor: Scott Jerald Burton
  • Patent number: 9924081
    Abstract: An array lens module includes a housing, an image sensor with photosensitive area and a lens module installed inside the housing. The lens module is formed by at least two pieces glass lens. The first lens with the first imaging area and the second lens with the second imaging area are molded on the lens module. The image processor is respectively capturing the first image area and the second image area by a certain length-width ratio in the first imaging area and the second imaging area. A parallax between image in the first image area and image in the second image area is accordingly generated. The lens module is all-glass structure with a high transmittance and excellent achromatization performances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: AAC TECHNOLOGIES PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Hui Wei, Yunqiang Xu
  • Patent number: 9924089
    Abstract: In an image capturing apparatus that sequentially photographs a plurality of images by changing a focus position of a lens unit by a predetermined amount, a display area is selected according to a ratio of a vertical line component to a horizontal line component of a main subject for each of the plurality of images photographed by the image capturing apparatus. A display unit displays a plurality of display areas corresponding to the focus detection area selected by the selection unit, by arranging the plurality of display areas side by side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 9906713
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides techniques for translating input camera commands to device-specific commands. Camera commands may be translated by a translation engine located separately from the camera and then transferred to the camera. The translated commands may be less complex than input commands. By translating the commands, older cameras may be capable of supporting newer commands which are not natively supported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Brent D. Chartrand
  • Patent number: 9900479
    Abstract: Provided is an operation apparatus including a main body section including an operation section including a first operation section for performing a record operation of an image pickup device and a display section that displays an image transmitted from the image pickup device, and a fixation section that fixes the main body section to an attachment object. The first operation section and the display section are both located on a first face of the main body section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Rui Morisawa
  • Patent number: 9886642
    Abstract: An image processing system may process an image of indicia positioned behind a reflective surface. The indicia may be a vehicle identification number and the reflective surface may be a windshield of a vehicle. The image processing system may receive an initial image of the indicia positioned behind a reflective surface and process the initial image to produce a resulting image. In processing the initial image, the image processing system may identify an interest region of the initial image, where the interest region identifies a portion of the initial image affected by glare caused by the reflective surface, texturize the interest region to account for the glare, and remove a defocusing effect from the initial image to account for blur, reflection, or both, caused by the reflective surface. Then, the image processing system may extract data, such as the vehicle identification number, from the resulting image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (USAA)
    Inventor: Amanda Shannon Danko
  • Patent number: 9883105
    Abstract: In an image processing apparatus, a first motion detector calculates an angular velocity indicating a motion of an imaging apparatus body. A second motion detector calculates a movement amount of a motion of an object based on successively captured images. In addition, a motion vector calculating unit corrects the movement amount of the motion of the object based on the angular velocity, and calculates a motion vector of a main object based on the corrected movement amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kohta Haruna
  • Patent number: 9883151
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for capturing a light field image. The light field image capture apparatus includes a mirror array or a micro-lens array. An activated mirror selected from among the multiple mirrors of the mirror array provides light to the multiple elements of an image sensor. An activated lens, selected from among the multiple lenses of the micro-lens array, provides light to the multiple elements of the image sensor. Based on timesharing, the mirror, selected as the activated mirror from among the multiple mirrors, is changed, and the lens, selected as the activated lens from among the multiple lenses, is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Do-Hyung Kim, Seong-Jin Park, Il-Kyu Park, Chang-Joon Park, Jin-Sung Choi
  • Patent number: 9883149
    Abstract: An imaging sensor for low light level color imaging includes an array of pixels. Each pixel has a first pixel portion that has a first photosensitive area and is responsive to light in a panchromatic spectral range and a second pixel portion that has a second photosensitive area and is responsive to light in a sub-band spectral range. The first photosensitive area is greater than the second photosensitive area and the sub-band spectral range is narrower than and contained within the panchromatic spectral range. The first and second pixel portions of each pixel are independently addressable. The imaging sensor is beneficial for applications requiring wide dynamic range, low light sensitivity and color discrimination, and enables improved object discrimination and scene interpretation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SRI International
    Inventor: Thomas Lee Vogelsong
  • Patent number: 9883099
    Abstract: A method and device for producing at least one self-portrait image using a mobile device having a display and an image-capturing device following at least one capture trigger of the image-capturing device. A position of the image-capturing device in relation to the orientation of the display is detected. The brightness of the display is increased and a predetermined imaged is displayed on the display. At least one self-portrait image is captured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: DXO LABS
    Inventors: Jean-Marc Alexia, Stephane Laveau
  • Patent number: 9875423
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus capable of calculating a light amount change characteristic of light from an object according to a state of the object. In the image pickup apparatus, the luminance change-based flicker detection for detecting flicker of a light source by calculating the light amount change characteristic of light from a photographing object based on sequential image data obtained by an image pickup device, and the luminance distribution-based flicker detection for detecting flicker by calculating the light amount change characteristic based on luminance distribution data generated from the image data are selectively performed according to the brightness of the photographing environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenji Miwa
  • Patent number: 9876946
    Abstract: An imaging device with low power consumption is provided. A pixel circuit has a configuration of detecting difference data between data of a reference frame and data of a target frame in a pixel, and a peripheral circuit has a configuration of efficiently converting the difference data by A/D conversion so as to obtain high compressibility. Difference data which is encoded by compression is written into a memory element and read sequentially. At this time, the frequency of a clock signal can be lowered in accordance with the amount of data. The read data is expanded and the expanded data is added to the reference frame to constitute an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takayuki Ikeda
  • Patent number: 9868404
    Abstract: A camera for mounting on a vehicle includes a front housing member having a lens, an imaging element and a circuit board, with the circuit board includes a set of front electrical connectors. A rear housing member mates with the front housing member along a first axis. The rear housing member includes a set of rear electrical connectors that, with the rear housing member mated with the front housing member, directly contact the front electrical connectors without use of a jumper. One set of the sets of front and rear electrical connectors is a set of male electrical connectors and the other set of the sets of front and rear electrical connectors is a set of female electrical connectors. Each female electrical connector has jaw structure including first and second jaws.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Matthew C. Sesti, Steven V. Byrne
  • Patent number: 9872006
    Abstract: A camera system includes a first microphone, a second microphone, and a microphone controller. The first microphone and the second microphone are configured to capture audio over a time interval to produce a first captured audio signal and a second captured audio signal, respectively. The second captured audio signal is dampened relative to the first captured audio signal by a dampening factor. The microphone controller is configured to store the first captured audio signal in response to a determination that the first captured audio signal does not clip. In response to a determination that the first captured audio signal clips, the microphone controller is configured to identify a gain between the first captured audio signal and the second captured audio signal representative of the dampening factor, amplify the second captured audio signal based on the identified gain, and store the amplified second captured audio signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Beckmann, Erich Tisch, Zhinian Jing
  • Patent number: 9858651
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electronic device for performing imaging, including a camera for creating image data (ID) from an imaging target (IT), the imaging target (IT) including at least one primary image object (I1) and at least one secondary image object (I2), an image-processing chain arranged in connection with the camera, for processing the image data created from the imaging target, and a focussing unit for focussing the camera on at least the primary image object. In addition, a blurring unit is arranged in the image-processing chain, to blur at least some of the said secondary image objects in the image data, and arranged to use the information produced by the focussing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Petri Ahonen, Simo Rossi