Patents by Inventor Akira Iwase

Akira Iwase has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11631713
    Abstract: In an information compression unit 311, in an image capturing unit 121 (221), among a plurality of pixel output units that receives object light that enters without passing through any of an image capturing lens and a pinhole, pixel outputs of at least two of the pixel output units have incident angle directivity modulated into different incident angle directivity according to an incident angle of the object light. The information compression unit 311 performs compression processing to reduce an amount of data of pixel output information generated by the image capturing unit 121 (221).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira Iwase, Yoshitaka Miyatani, Kouji Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11503177
    Abstract: There is provided an imaging device including: a signal processing unit configured to cause a series of picture data being continuously acquired to be temporarily stored in a buffer memory area in a signal processing process, read out the series of picture data from the buffer memory area, and perform a subsequent signal processing; and a control unit configured to perform control for deleting at least a part of the picture data stored in the buffer memory area, on a basis of detecting a predetermined operation while the signal processing is being performed on the series of picture data by the signal processing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Yuki Kawaguchi, Koji Ozaki, Masaya Kinoshita, Akira Iwase
  • Patent number: 11470263
    Abstract: A control section sets an exposure timing and an exposure period for imaging pixels for acquiring an imaging picture and light intensity detection pixels for detecting intensity of illumination light individually by an imaging section. A correction gain calculation section calculates a flicker correction gain for each of the imaging pixels on the basis of pixel signals generated by the imaging pixels and pixel signals generated by the light intensity detection pixels. A flicker correction section uses the flicker correction gain for each imaging pixel calculated by the correction gain calculation section to perform flicker correction of the imaging pixel. Accordingly, an imaging picture can be obtained on which the influence of fluctuation of the intensity of emission light is reduced irrespective of the positional relationship between an illumination apparatus and an imaging object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira Iwase, Takahiro Mori, Daisuke Nakayama, Yasuhiro Kodama, Masaya Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 11336799
    Abstract: The present technology relates to an imaging device and method, and an image processing device and method that can more easily suppress unauthorized use and tampering of an image. An object is imaged by an imaging element including a plurality of pixel output units that receives incident light entering without passing through either an imaging lens or a pinhole, and that each outputs one detection signal indicating an output pixel value modulated by an incident angle of the incident light, and a detection image obtained by the imaging and formed by a detection signal obtained in the pixel output units of the imaging element is output without associating with a restoration matrix including coefficients used when a restored image is restored from the detection image. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, an imaging device, an image processing device, an information processing device, an electronic device, a computer, a program, a storage medium, a system, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira Iwase, Masafumi Wakazono, Yoshitaka Miyatani
  • Patent number: 11190702
    Abstract: An image-capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a camera, a lighting section, a sensor section, and an image-shooting controller. The lighting section includes a light entrance that at least a portion of external light enters, and an object for calibration that is irradiated with the external light entering the light entrance. The sensor section detects a state of the object for calibration irradiated with the external light. The image-shooting controller controls the camera according to a result of the detection performed by the sensor section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Kodama, Makoto Omata, Akira Iwase
  • Publication number: 20210281737
    Abstract: A control section 45 sets an exposure timing and an exposure period for imaging pixels for acquiring an imaging picture and light intensity detection pixels for detecting intensity of illumination light individually by an imaging section 21. A correction gain calculation section 32 calculates a flicker correction gain for each of the imaging pixels on the basis of pixel signals generated by the imaging pixels and pixel signals generated by the light intensity detection pixels. A flicker correction section 33 uses the flicker correction gain for each imaging pixel calculated by the correction gain calculation section 32 to perform flicker correction of the imaging pixel. Accordingly, an imaging picture can be obtained on which the influence of fluctuation of the intensity of emission light is reduced irrespective of the positional relationship between an illumination apparatus and an imaging object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: AKIRA IWASE, TAKAHIRO MORI, DAISUKE NAKAYAMA, YASUHIRO KODAMA, MASAYA KINOSHITA
  • Publication number: 20210037162
    Abstract: There is provided an imaging device including: a signal processing unit configured to cause a series of picture data being continuously acquired to be temporarily stored in a buffer memory area in a signal processing process, read out the series of picture data from the buffer memory area, and perform a subsequent signal processing; and a control unit configured to perform control for deleting at least a part of the picture data stored in the buffer memory area, on a basis of detecting a predetermined operation while the signal processing is being performed on the series of picture data by the signal processing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Publication date: February 4, 2021
    Inventors: Yuki Kawaguchi, Koji Ozaki, Masaya Kinoshita, Akira Iwase
  • Publication number: 20200389580
    Abstract: An image-capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a camera, a lighting section, a sensor section, and an image-shooting controller. The lighting section includes a light entrance that at least a portion of external light enters, and an object for calibration that is irradiated with the external light entering the light entrance. The sensor section detects a state of the object for calibration irradiated with the external light. The image-shooting controller controls the camera according to a result of the detection performed by the sensor section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro KODAMA, Makoto OMATA, Akira IWASE
  • Publication number: 20200358926
    Abstract: The present technology relates to an imaging device and method, and an image processing device and method that can more easily suppress unauthorized use and tampering of an image. An object is imaged by an imaging element including a plurality of pixel output units that receives incident light entering without passing through either an imaging lens or a pinhole, and that each outputs one detection signal indicating an output pixel value modulated by an incident angle of the incident light, and a detection image obtained by the imaging and formed by a detection signal obtained in the pixel output units of the imaging element is output without associating with a restoration matrix including coefficients used when a restored image is restored from the detection image. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, an imaging device, an image processing device, an information processing device, an electronic device, a computer, a program, a storage medium, a system, and the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira IWASE, Masafumi WAKAZONO, Yoshitaka MIYATANI
  • Publication number: 20200295073
    Abstract: In an information compression unit 311, in an image capturing unit 121 (221), among a plurality of pixel output units that receives object light that enters without passing through any of an image capturing lens and a pinhole, pixel outputs of at least two of the pixel output units have incident angle directivity modulated into different incident angle directivity according to an incident angle of the object light. The information compression unit 311 performs compression processing to reduce an amount of data of pixel output information generated by the image capturing unit 121 (221).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira IWASE, Yoshitaka MIYATANI, Kouji YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 10178299
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes circuitry that outputs a first image for display with a first indicator that identifies an initial focus position within a scene of the first image and a second indicator that identifies at least one focus position that is in front of or behind the initial focus position within the scene. The first indicator display is updated in response to an adjustment of the initial focus position to an updated focus position. Another information processing apparatus includes circuitry that generates a virtual image of at least one object included in a first image of a scene from a different point of view. The generated virtual image is output for display with an indicator corresponding to an initial focus position within the scene of the first image. The indicator display is updated in response to an adjustment of the initial focus position to an updated focus position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kouji Yamamoto, Akira Iwase
  • Publication number: 20170201674
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes circuitry that outputs a first image for display with a first indicator that identifies an initial focus position within a scene of the first image and a second indicator that identifies at least one focus position that is in front of or behind the initial focus position within the scene. The first indicator display is updated in response to an adjustment of the initial focus position to an updated focus position. Another information processing apparatus includes circuitry that generates a virtual image of at least one object included in a first image of a scene from a different point of view. The generated virtual image is output for display with an indicator corresponding to an initial focus position within the scene of the first image. The indicator display is updated in response to an adjustment of the initial focus position to an updated focus position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Publication date: July 13, 2017
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: KOUJI YAMAMOTO, AKIRA IWASE
  • Patent number: 8818046
    Abstract: An image processing device, includes: a first motion vector calculation unit calculating a motion vector of a target block regarding the target block made with a plurality of pixels set up in a target image by detecting a block position maximally correlated with the target block in a search range set up in a reference image; a second motion vector calculation unit calculating a motion vector between the target image and the reference image from the motion vector for each of a plurality of target blocks set up in the target image; and a predictive motion vector setup unit setting up a predictive motion vector using a motion vector calculated between images in further past than the target image. The first motion vector calculation unit sets up the search range on the reference image based on a position of the target block and the predictive motion vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tohru Kurata, Atsushi Kimura, Naoki Hayashi, Akira Iwase
  • Publication number: 20120189167
    Abstract: An image processing device, includes: a first motion vector calculation unit calculating a motion vector of a target block regarding the target block made with a plurality of pixels set up in a target image by detecting a block position maximally correlated with the target block in a search range set up in a reference image; a second motion vector calculation unit calculating a motion vector between the target image and the reference image from the motion vector for each of a plurality of target blocks set up in the target image; and a predictive motion vector setup unit setting up a predictive motion vector using a motion vector calculated between images in further past than the target image. The first motion vector calculation unit sets up the search range on the reference image based on a position of the target block and the predictive motion vector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tohru Kurata, Atsushi Kimura, Naoki Hayashi, Akira Iwase
  • Patent number: 8183432
    Abstract: By inhibiting the function of a transcription factor that promotes transcription of a gene associated with the amounts of lignin and cellulose, a plant in which the amounts of lignin and cellulose are reduced without reducing the amount of glucan is produced. In this plant, glucan in the obtained cell wall components is in the state of highly easily undergoing saccharification. In this plant, moreover, natural dehiscence of pods is suppressed. A method of inhibiting the transcription factor includes a method in which a chimeric gene between a transcription factor gene and a polynucleotide that encodes a functional peptide capable of converting the transcription factor into a transcription repressor is introduced into a plant cell so that a chimeric protein in which the transcription factor is fused with the functional peptide is produced in a plant cell, and a method of inhibiting the expression of the transcription factor, such as knockout method or RNAi method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignees: Japan Science and Technology Agency, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Masaru Takagi, Nobutaka Mitsuda, Akira Iwase, Keiichiro Hiratsu
  • Publication number: 20090019605
    Abstract: By inhibiting the function of a transcription factor that promotes transcription of a gene associated with the amounts of lignin and cellulose, a plant in which the amounts of lignin and cellulose are reduced without reducing the amount of glucan is produced. In this plant, glucan in the obtained cell wall components is in the state of highly easily undergoing saccharification. In this plant, moreover, natural dehiscence of pods is suppressed. A method of inhibiting the transcription factor includes a method in which a chimeric gene between a transcription factor gene and a polynucleotide that encodes a functional peptide capable of converting the transcription factor into a transcription repressor is introduced into a plant cell so that a chimeric protein in which the transcription factor is fused with the functional peptide is produced in a plant cell, and a method of inhibiting the expression of the transcription factor, such as knockout method or RNAi method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Inventors: Masaru Takagi, Nobutaka Mitsuda, Akira Iwase, Keiichiro Hiratsu
  • Patent number: 6333124
    Abstract: A battery has elements for electromotive-force accommodated in a metal outer can which has a bottom having a cylindrical, prismatic or similar shape. The ratio of the bottom thickness (TA) the side thickness (TB) is 1.5-7.0. The metal outer can contains primarily iron and a layer of nickel is provided on at least the inner face of the battery. Shallow grooves are formed on the nickel layer perpendicular to the bottom face. An iron-based metallic sheet formed with a nickel layer on at least one face is subjected to drawing forming into a tubular shape having a bottom, continuous ironing processing being performed such that the side of the can formed in the tubular shape has an ironing ratio in the range of 20% to 90% and a metal outer can is thereby manufactured having a ratio of a bottom thickness to its side thickness from 1.5 to 7.0, having a cylindrical shape, prismatic shape or shape similar thereto, and with shallow longitudinal grooves formed in a nickel layer provided on the battery inside face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Moriwaki, Akira Iwase, Susumu Kitaoka, Isao Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 6258480
    Abstract: A battery accommodates elements for electromotive-force within a metal case. This metal case is a metal case having a bottom wherein the bottom thickness/side thickness ratio has a value of 1.2-4.0 and has a cylindrical, prismatic or similar shape. The metal case is constructed of a metal material whose chief constituent is aluminum. Furthermore, it is desirable that a multiplicity of shallow grooves perpendicular to a bottom face are formed in at least a battery inside face of the metal case and moreover that a nickel layer is provided on the battery inside face. The metal case is made by DI processing involving drawing and ironing, to have a value of bottom thickness/side thickness ratio which was hitherto unavailable,i.e., 1.2-4.0 can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Moriwaki, Akira Iwase, Susumu Kitaoka, Mamoru Iida, Isao Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 6007936
    Abstract: A battery having a stable internal resistance with a small deviation of internal resistance, and capable of suppressing a change or elevation of internal resistance due to external impact is provided. The battery comprises a battery can having a conductivity, serving also as a negative terminal, and including an opening, a spiral electrode group disposed in the battery can, a positive plate and a negative plate wound around a separator, an electrolyte member disposed in the battery can, and a sealing member serving also as a positive terminal, disposed in the opening of the battery can through an electric insulating member. In the inner wall of the battery can, contacting with the negative electrode positioned on the outermost circumference of the plate group, plural linear bumps vertical to the bottom of the battery can are formed. The height of each linear bump of the plural linear bumps ranges from 0.05 mm to 0.25 mm, and the pitch of the linear bumps ranges from 0.5 mm to 10 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Iwase, Tadahiro Tokumoto, Kenichi Aoki, Gota Asano, Norio Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5787752
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method to manufacture cell-cans by DI can method, by manufacturing a bottomed cylindrical cup-shaped intermediate product from a sheet material of which both surfaces are nickel plated and annealed in an atmosphere of inert gas making the metal nickel layer thickness and the hardness at predetermined values, then ironing the intermediate product at a predetermined ironing rate, securing a thickness of the metal nickel layer of more than 1.0 .mu.m and a Vickers hardness of more than HV 200 on the side wall of finished cell-cans. By this, conventional defect problems due to the cracks generated on the intermediate product can be solved completely and the problem of hair-lines formed on the surface of finished cell-can can be eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Iwase, Katsuhiko Mori, Yoshio Gohda, Susumu Kitaoka, Tokiya Fujimoto, Tadahiro Tokumoto, Hisashi Komeno