Patents by Inventor Francisco Imai

Francisco Imai 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: 8836808
    Abstract: Image capture using an image capture apparatus that includes an imaging assembly. Geographic location of the image capture apparatus is received from a location sensor that obtains geographic location of the image capture apparatus. A capture mask is constructed by calculations which use the geographic location. The constructed capture mask is applied to the imaging assembly, the imaging assembly having a tunable spectral response and being tunable in accordance with the capture mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8823829
    Abstract: Image capture by using an imaging assembly having spectral sensitivities which are tunable in accordance with a capture parameter. First and second capture parameters are applied respectively to first and second regions of a scene, and a preview image is captured and displayed, together with a user interface which permits a user to adjust a transition of the capture parameter at a boundary between the first and second regions. Further preview images may be captured and displayed until the user is satisfied with the appearance of the preview image at the boundary of the first and second regions. A final image is captured using the first and second capture parameters together with any adjustment to the transition of the capture parameters at the boundary between the first and second regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8803994
    Abstract: Image capture using an image capture device which includes an imaging assembly having a spectral response which is tunable in accordance with a capture parameter. A default capture parameter is applied to the imaging assembly, wherein the default capture parameter has high spectral dimensionality. A sample image of a scene is captured. The sample image is analyzed to identify multiple different regions in the scene, wherein each such region shares similar imaging properties that are dissimilar from imaging properties in other regions of the scene. A spectral mask is derived based on the analysis, wherein the spectral mask is derived so as to achieve good image capture tailored to the imaging properties of each different region of the scene. The spectral mask is applied as the capture parameter to the imaging assembly. A final image of the scene is captured and stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8780251
    Abstract: An image capture device includes capture optics for capturing light-field information for a scene. A display screen displays a preview of the scene by using the captured light-field information at a default focal plane. The display displays a user interface for accepting a user selection of a region in the preview together with a user selection of focus for the selected region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8760551
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus, method, and storage medium identifying image metadata based on user interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: John S. Haikin, Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8760638
    Abstract: A material is illuminated with one or more light sources including at least one light source which emits light of controlled coherence properties. Both of a spectral characteristic and a speckle statistic are derived using light reflected from the illuminated material. The spectral characteristic and the speckle statistic are compared against plural entries in a database. Each entry in the database correlates the identity of a material against a corresponding spectral characteristic and a corresponding speckle statistic for the material. At least one candidate for the identity of the illuminated material is determined based at least in part on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Francisco Imai, Siu-Kei Tin
  • Patent number: 8760561
    Abstract: Image data of a scene is captured. Spectral profile information is obtained for the scene. A database of plural spectral profiles is accessed, each of which maps a material to a corresponding spectral profile reflected therefrom. The spectral profile information for the scene is matched against the database, and materials for objects in the scene are identified by using matches between the spectral profile information for the scene against the database. Metadata which identifies materials for objects in the scene is constructed, and the metadata is embedded with the image data for the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: John Haikin, Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8717457
    Abstract: A spectral capture parameter is adjusted for capturing successive frames of motion image data. Spectral content in a first region of a current frame is compared to spectral content in a counterpart region in a previous frame. It is determined whether the spectral content has changed by more than a threshold value, based on the comparison. Responsive to a determination that the spectral content has changed by more than the threshold value, the spectral capture parameter for the first region is adjusted, and the adjusted spectral capture parameter is applied to an imaging system for capture of a successive frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Andy Lai Lin, Francisco Imai, Axel Becker-Lakus
  • Patent number: 8704916
    Abstract: Systems and methods for setting a focal transition for an image capturing device receive data including user selections of focal settings for respective areas of interest in an image, generate a first interface that includes indicators of the focal settings for the respective areas of interest, receive data including user selections of transitional focal settings for respective transitional areas between the areas of interest, and generate a second interface, the second interface including indicators of the transitional focal settings for the respective transitional areas between the areas of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8704929
    Abstract: A method for capturing an image using an image acquisition device, includes determining that at least one area of an image to be captured has been selected, analyzing geometrical and compositional properties of an area surrounding the at least one area, providing a dynamic compositional guideline based on a result of analyzing the geometrical and compositional properties, and indicating when the image to be captured should be captured based on a position of the dynamic compositional guideline relative to the image to be captured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8670609
    Abstract: Systems and methods for evaluating images segment a computational image into sub-images based on spectral information in the computational image, generate respective morphological signatures for the sub-images, generate respective spectral signatures for the sub-images, and generate a resulting image signature based on the morphological signatures and the spectral signatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Francisco Imai, Andy Lai Lin
  • Patent number: 8665355
    Abstract: Image capture with an image capture device including an imaging assembly having a spectral response which is tunable in accordance with a capture parameter. A first capture parameter is applied to the imaging assembly. A preview image of a scene is captured using the imaging assembly whose spectral response is tuned in accordance with the first capture parameter. A user interface is displayed by which first and second regions of the preview image are designated, and by which a target range is set for contrast between the first and second regions. A second capture parameter is derived for the imaging assembly, by implementing the target range for contrast between the first and second regions. The second capture parameter is applied to the imaging assembly. A second image of the scene is captured by using the imaging assembly whose spectral response is tuned in accordance with the second capture parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8666191
    Abstract: Systems and methods for generating an image determine scene information based on a first image of a scene, the first image including an image of a subject at a first position in the scene, and the first image information including a first field of view of the first image and a first capture location where the first image was captured, acquire a second image of the scene from a repository storing a plurality of images based on the scene information, the second image having a second field of view similar to the first field of view and a second capture location similar to the first capture location, adjust light parameters of the image of the subject based on the light parameters of the second image, and generate a combined image based on the second image and the image of the subject, the combined image including at least part of the second image, and the adjusted image of the subject at a position in the scene similar to the first position in the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Publication number: 20140055775
    Abstract: A material is illuminated with one or more light sources including at least one light source which emits light of controlled coherence properties. Both of a spectral characteristic and a speckle statistic are derived using light reflected from the illuminated material. The spectral characteristic and the speckle statistic are compared against plural entries in a database. Each entry in the database correlates the identity of a material against a corresponding spectral characteristic and a corresponding speckle statistic for the material. At least one candidate for the identity of the illuminated material is determined based at least in part on the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Francisco Imai, Siu-Kei Tin
  • Publication number: 20140049779
    Abstract: A property of a material is determined. The material is illuminated with a light beam of controlled spectral and coherence properties. A stack of speckle field images is recorded from speckle fields reflected from the illuminated material in multiple spectral channels. The stack of speckle field images includes multiple speckle field images each being recorded in a respectively different spectral channel. Statistical properties of the speckle field images in the stack of speckle field images are analyzed to determine at least one property of the illuminated material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2012
    Publication date: February 20, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Siu-Kei Tin, Francisco Imai
  • Publication number: 20140049662
    Abstract: A spectral capture parameter is adjusted for capturing successive frames of motion image data. Spectral content in a first region of a current frame is compared to spectral content in a counterpart region in a previous frame. It is determined whether the spectral content has changed by more than a threshold value, based on the comparison. Responsive to a determination that the spectral content has changed by more than the threshold value, the spectral capture parameter for the first region is adjusted, and the adjusted spectral capture parameter is applied to an imaging system for capture of a successive frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2012
    Publication date: February 20, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Andy Lai Lin, Francisco Imai, Axel Becker-Lakus
  • Patent number: 8654210
    Abstract: An image capture device includes an imaging assembly having a spectral sensitivity tunable in accordance with a spectral capture mask. A pre-capture captures a sample image of a scene using the imaging assembly tuned by a first spectral capture mask. A second spectral capture mask is constructed by calculations which use image data of the sample image. The second spectral capture mask is constructed to tune the spectral sensitivity of the imaging assembly so as to adjust respective capture parameters for different objects in the scene. The second spectral capture mask is applied to the imaging assembly. An image of the scene is captured with the second spectral capture mask applied to the imaging assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Francisco Imai, John Haikin
  • Patent number: 8629919
    Abstract: Image capture of a scene in which there is an identification of an imaging property of the scene, such as the illuminant or dynamic range of the scene. An imaging assembly has a spectral response which is tunable in accordance with a capture parameter, and first and second different capture parameters are applied to the image sensor. Respective first and second images of the scene are captured. The first and second images of the scene are compared to identify an imaging property of the scene, such as the illuminant or multiple illuminants in respective ones of multiple regions in the scene. In accordance with the property identified for the scene, a third capture parameter is derived, such as to obtain color correction or white balance in accordance with each identified illuminant. The third capture parameter is applied to the image sensor, and a final image of the scene is captured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Publication number: 20140010443
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for generating signatures for an image obtain an image, estimate a spectral image of the obtained image, calculate one or both of a detection component of the image and a residual component of the image, wherein the detection component of the image is based on the spectral image, a spectral-power distribution for a specific illuminant, and spectral sensitivities of a detector, and wherein calculating the residual component of the image is based on the spectral image, the spectral power distribution for the specific illuminant, and the spectral sensitivities of the detector or, alternatively, based on the spectral image and the calculated detection component, and generate an image signature based on one or both of the detection component and the residual component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2013
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Francisco Imai
  • Patent number: 8625021
    Abstract: Image capture with an image capture device that includes an imaging assembly having a tunable spectral response. A default capture setting is applied to the imaging assembly. Preview image data of a scene is captured using the imaging assembly with the default capture setting. A user interface includes a preview image based on the captured preview image data of the scene. A user designation of a region of interest (ROI) in the preview image is accepted, and a user selection of a targeted imaging property for the ROI is accepted. A revised capture setting for the spectral responsivity of the tunable imaging assembly is computed, by revising the default capture setting based on the targeted imaging property for the ROI as selected by the user. The revised capture setting is applied to the imaging assembly. Image data from the imaging assembly is captured using the revised capture setting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Francisco Imai