Patents by Inventor Akira Kubota

Akira Kubota 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: 8463119
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus that is capable of reducing variation in the color temperature of a subject in a taken image and capable of shooting a more suitable image. The image pickup apparatus can shoot with emitting a light emitting unit. A color temperature acquisition unit acquires information about a color temperature of a light illuminating a subject. An emission control unit controls emission of the light emitting unit. The emission control unit determines emission light amount of the light emitting unit based on a color temperature difference between a color temperature of an illumination light of the light emitting unit and a color temperature based on the information acquired by the color temperature information acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Publication number: 20130063628
    Abstract: A low-frequency region of an output target image is specified. Luminance correction is performed with the target amount decided in advance for a pixel, among pixels included in the target image, which is included in the low-frequency region and has a luminance value equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, and the target image after the correction is output. Then, an effective correction amount is obtained based on the luminance distribution of the target image before the correction and the luminance distribution of the target image after the correction, which has been corrected with the target amount decided in advance. A luminance correction target amount for the next correction target image is decided based on the luminance distribution of the target image and the ratio of the effective correction amount to the target amount decided in advance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Patent number: 8389686
    Abstract: The present invention provides a collagen crosslinking agent superior in biocompatibility that is free from the damage by UV irradiation and also from the problems of toxicity caused by residual monomer or unreacted functional groups. Provided is a noncovalent collagen crosslinking agent (for fibrous protein collagen), comprising a spacer of a polyvalent alcohol having two or more OH groups at the terminals and arms of collagen peptides formed of repetitions of three amino acids, the arms being bound via the OH groups to the spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignees: Osaka University, Tohoku University
    Inventors: Mitsuru Akashi, Kohji Nishida, Michiya Matsusaki, Akira Kubota, Tomonori Waku
  • Publication number: 20120281116
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an imaging unit to capture an image of an object, a selection unit to select one of a plurality of shooting modes of the imaging unit, a recording unit to record the captured image onto a recording medium, a switching unit to switch between a reproduction mode in which recorded image data is read out and displayed on a display device, and a shooting processing mode in which shooting processing is performed in the selected shooting mode and a reproduction control unit to cause the display device to display the read out image data. When the switching unit switches the mode to the reproduction mode, the reproduction control unit changes an operation that can be instructed in the reproduction mode according to the selected shooting mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigeo Ogawa, Yuichi Nakase, Akira Kubota
  • Publication number: 20120284359
    Abstract: An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention has a plurality of data transfer units and includes a data transfer monitoring unit to monitor whether or not a data transfer is executable by a first data transfer unit in the plurality of data transfer units and a data transfer inhibiting unit to inhibit, based on monitoring of the data transfer monitoring unit, the data transfer of a second data transfer unit different from the first data transfer unit in the plurality of data transfer units while the data transfer is executable by the first data transfer unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Akira Kubota, Yuuichi Komuro
  • Patent number: 8279321
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an imaging unit to capture an image of an object, a selection unit to select one of a plurality of shooting modes of the imaging unit, a recording unit to record the captured image onto a recording medium, a switching unit to switch between a reproduction mode in which recorded image data is readout and displayed on a display device, and a shooting processing mode in which shooting processing is performed in the selected shooting mode and a reproduction control unit to cause the display device to display the read out image data. When the switching unit switches the mode to the reproduction mode, the reproduction control unit changes an operation that can be instructed in the reproduction mode according to the selected shooting mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeo Ogawa, Yuichi Nakase, Akira Kubota
  • Publication number: 20120207354
    Abstract: Receiving an instruction from a user to start sensing a still image, an image sensing apparatus performs scene determination based on an evaluation value of scene determination from an image sensed immediately after the luminance of the image converges to a predetermined range of a target luminance. The image sensing apparatus can accurately determine a scene of the image even the image sensor with a narrow dynamic range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Publication number: 20120188432
    Abstract: An image capture apparatus that carries out exposure control by driving an aperture includes: an image sensor, including multiple pixels, that accumulates and transfers charges per predetermined pixel group; a determination unit that determines an image region in the image sensor that serves as a region from which to output image data for recording or image data for display; and a control unit that drives the aperture within a period in which charge accumulation for the image data for recording or the image data for display is not being carried out for the pixels included in the image region determined by the determination unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Patent number: 8200081
    Abstract: The present invention further improves operability related to setting the position and size of a focus detection region. An image capturing apparatus of the invention is provided with an image sensor that photo-electrically converts an object image formed by an optical lens, a focus detection unit that detects the focus state of the object image using an image signal from a focus detection region that is a region that is a portion within a frame of the image sensor, a setting unit that sets one focus detection mode from among a plurality of focus detection modes in which the size and position of the focus detection region within the frame differ, and a storage unit that stores a focus detection region size and position for each of the plurality of focus detection modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Kubota, Yasutaka Naka, Hiroyuki Ogino, Nobukazu Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8189060
    Abstract: Receiving an instruction from a user to start sensing a still image, an image sensing apparatus performs scene determination based on an evaluation value of scene determination from an image sensed immediately after the luminance of the image converges to a predetermined range of a target luminance. The image sensing apparatus can accurately determine a scene of the image even the image sensor with a narrow dynamic range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Patent number: 8159526
    Abstract: A stereoscopic image display system includes: an image display unit that displays a parallax image composed of a right eye image and a left eye image; glasses having a transmission portion for a right eye transmitting only the right eye image of the parallax image and a transmission portion for a left eye transmitting only the left eye image of the parallax image; an inclination detection unit that detects an inclination of the glasses; a parallax image generation unit that generates the parallax image in accordance with a detection result from the inclination detection unit; and a display unit that displays the parallax image generated by the parallax image generation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shigemi Sato, Akira Kubota, Tomio Sonehara
  • Publication number: 20120079573
    Abstract: A user terminal includes a diagnosing unit 23 conducting a password diagnosis based on a password trial; a recording unit 24 recording time related to the password diagnosis; an information acquiring unit 21 acquiring the time related to the password diagnosis of the last time, which is recorded by the recording unit 24, as the time of last diagnosis and acquiring reference time for determining whether the password diagnosis is required or not; and a determining unit 22 determining whether or not the time of last diagnosis conforms with a predetermined condition with the reference time serving as a benchmark, wherein the diagnosing 23, if the determining unit 22 determines that the time of last diagnosis conforms with the predetermined condition with the reference time serving as the benchmark, performs the password diagnosis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Akihiro Sagawa, Yasuhiko Kometani, Akira Kubota, Kenichi Higashide
  • Publication number: 20120045094
    Abstract: The present invention provides a tracking apparatus for tracking a target designated on an image which is captured by an image sensing element, including a calculation unit configured to calculate, for each of feature candidate colors, a first area of a pixel group which includes a pixel of a feature candidate color of interest and in which pixels of colors similar to the feature candidate color of interest continuously appear, a second area of pixels of colors similar to the feature candidate color of interest in the plurality of pixels, and a ratio of the first area to the second area, and an extraction unit configured to extract a feature candidate color having the smallest first area as a feature color of the target from feature candidate colors for each of which the ratio of the first area to the second area is higher than a predetermined reference ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2011
    Publication date: February 23, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Patent number: 7983549
    Abstract: Subjects are detected in a captured image and a main subject is selected from the detected subjects. Focusing areas are set up that correspond to the detected subjects and focus detection is performed in the focusing areas that have been set up. When providing in-focus indication representing focus detection results, focus detection results associated with the particular focusing area among the focusing areas that corresponds to the main subject are displayed in a manner different from focus detection results associated with those focusing areas within the depth of field that correspond to subjects other than the main subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobukazu Yoshida, Akira Kubota
  • Publication number: 20110150451
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus that is capable of reducing variation in the color temperature of a subject in a taken image and capable of shooting a more suitable image. The image pickup apparatus can shoot with emitting a light emitting unit. A color temperature acquisition unit acquires information about a color temperature of a light illuminating a subject. An emission control unit controls emission of the light emitting unit. The emission control unit determines emission light amount of the light emitting unit based on a color temperature difference between a color temperature of an illumination light of the light emitting unit and a color temperature based on the information acquired by the color temperature information acquisition unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Publication number: 20110141316
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus and an image processing method that enable suitable contrast adjustment are provided. The image processing apparatus includes a region detection unit configured to detect predetermined first luminance level detection region and second luminance level detection region in a human face as a target to be photographed, a luminance amount calculation unit configured to calculate an absolute value of a difference between a luminance level of the first luminance level detection region and a certain reference luminance level as a high luminance amount and calculate an absolute value of a difference between a luminance level of the second luminance level detection region and the reference luminance level as a low luminance amount, and a determination unit configured to determine whether a difference or a ratio between the high luminance amount and the low luminance amount falls within a certain range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Patent number: 7925153
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an image sensor, a diaphragm control unit configured to control an aperture value of a diaphragm, and an electronic shutter control unit configured to control an operation of an electronic shutter for adjusting a charge accumulation time of the image sensor by adjusting a driving timing of the image sensor, wherein, if driving of the diaphragm overlaps a charge accumulation time when the aperture value is changed from a first aperture value to a second aperture value, the electronic shutter control unit controls a time of charge accumulation corresponding to the second aperture value in the charge accumulation time such that a brightness of an image signal output from the imaging unit when the first aperture value is set and a brightness of an image signal output from the imaging unit when the second aperture value is set become approximately equal to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Publication number: 20110060129
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a collagen crosslinking agent superior in biocompatibility that is free from the damage by UV irradiation and also from the problems of toxicity caused by residual monomer or unreacted functional groups. [Means to Solve] Provided is a noncovalent collagen crosslinking agent (for fibrous protein collagen), comprising a spacer of a polyvalent alcohol having two or more OH groups at the terminals and arms of collagen peptides formed of repetitions of three amino acids, the arms being bound via the OH groups to the spacer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Applicants: OSAKA UNIVERSITY, TOHOKU UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Mitsuru Akashi, Kohji Nishida, Michiya Matsusaki, Akira Kubota, Tomonori Waku
  • Publication number: 20110033085
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store an attribute of each pixel existing inside a tracking target area set on an image and an attribute of a pixel existing adjacent to the pixel, an allocation unit configured to allocate an evaluation value to a pixel to be evaluated according to a result of comparison between an attribute of the pixel to be evaluated and an attribute of a pixel existing inside the tracking target area and a result of comparison between an attribute of a pixel existing adjacent to the pixel to be evaluated and an attribute of a pixel existing adjacent to the pixel existing inside the tracking target area, and a changing unit configured to change the tracking target area based on the allocated evaluation value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Publication number: 20110033086
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a storage unit configured to classify pixels existing inside a tracking target area set on an image and pixels existing outside the tracking target area according to an attribute and to store a result of classification of the pixels on a storage medium, a first derivation unit configured to derive a first ratio of the pixels existing inside the tracking target area and having the attribute to the pixels existing outside the tracking target area and having the attribute, a second derivation unit configured to derive a second ratio of pixels, whose the first ratio is higher than a first predetermined value, to all pixels existing inside the tracking target area, and a determination unit configured, if the second ratio is higher than a second predetermined value, to determine that the tracking target area can be tracked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akira Kubota