Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Eto

Hiroaki Eto 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: 11776445
    Abstract: It is intended to make it possible to make a favorable display of, for example, images of low frame-rate content, with a high-luminance and high-contrast television set. On the basis of an image stream having a first frame rate, for each frame, an object having luminance exceeding a luminance threshold value and/or a motion amount exceeding a motion-amount threshold value is detected as a target object. An image stream having a second frame rate larger than the first frame rate is acquired by inserting, between every pair of two consecutive frames in the image stream having the first frame rate, a predetermined number of frames of interpolated images obtained by performing motion compensation for causing the target object to sequentially move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Ogura, Hiroaki Eto
  • Patent number: 11523120
    Abstract: The present technology makes it easy to present an image having appropriate image quality at a receiver side that receives high-frame-rate moving image data. A video stream obtained by encoding moving image data having a high frame rate is generated. A container containing the video stream is transmitted. Blur control information for controlling blur is inserted into a layer of the container and/or a layer of the video stream. The blur control information gives, for example, weighting coefficients for individual frames in a blurring process for adding image data of neighboring frames to image data of a current frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: SATURN LICENSING LLC
    Inventors: Hiroaki Eto, Toshiyuki Ogura
  • Publication number: 20220256251
    Abstract: The appearance of a display image of image content is made appropriate without particular user operation irrespective of viewing environment changes. A reception unit receives image content. A processing unit performs image quality adjustment processing on the received image content on the basis of metadata for image quality adjustment depending on viewing environment information. For example, the reception unit transmits the viewing environment information to a server and receives the metadata from the server. Further, for example, a metadata generation unit configured to generate the metadata on the basis of the viewing environment information is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Eto, Toshinori Kizukuri
  • Publication number: 20220254290
    Abstract: It is intended to make it possible to make a favorable display of, for example, images of low frame-rate content, with a high-luminance and high-contrast television set. On the basis of an image stream having a first frame rate, for each frame, an object having luminance exceeding a luminance threshold value and/or a motion amount exceeding a motion-amount threshold value is detected as a target object. An image stream having a second frame rate larger than the first frame rate is acquired by inserting, between every pair of two consecutive frames in the image stream having the first frame rate, a predetermined number of frames of interpolated images obtained by performing motion compensation for causing the target object to sequentially move.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Ogura, Hiroaki Eto
  • Patent number: 10915999
    Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and a method for generating a high quality SDR image without significant reduction in image average luminance by matrix conversion for an HDR image. An image signal processing unit that converts the HDR image into the SDR image converts a pixel value of the HDR image into a pixel value of the SDR image, applying one conversion matrix to low luminance region pixels having luminance that is a prescribed threshold or less among constituent pixels of the HDR image. A high luminance region pixel having higher luminance than the prescribed threshold is set as a highest output pixel of the SDR image after conversion. The conversion matrix to be applied is a matrix having setting in which a change rate of a memory color set in a Macbeth color chart becomes smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroaki Eto
  • Patent number: 10832636
    Abstract: Provided is a device and a method in which an HDR image of which a setting luminance is higher than the highest allowable luminance of a display unit, can be displayed as a bright image in a bright audiovisual environment. An adjusted luminance for output is calculated by multiplying an output luminance calculated according to an input/output transfer function corresponding to an input HDR image, and a predetermined gain, together, and thus, a display image is generated. An image signal processing unit sets a reference point P to be in a position based on the highest allowable luminance of a display unit, and calculates the adjusted luminance for output by applying a gain function of setting a gain, based on the reference point P, to an input/output transfer function according to the input HDR image, and thus, generates the display image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Eto, Toshiyuki Ogura
  • Publication number: 20200322614
    Abstract: The present technology makes it easy to present an image having appropriate image quality at a receiver side that receives high-frame-rate moving image data. A video stream obtained by encoding moving image data having a high frame rate is generated. A container containing the video stream is transmitted. Blur control information for controlling blur is inserted into a layer of the container and/or a layer of the video stream. The blur control information gives, for example, weighting coefficients for individual frames in a blurring process for adding image data of neighboring frames to image data of a current frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Eto, Toshiyuki Ogura
  • Patent number: 10798398
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a decoding device, a decoding method, an encoding device, and an encoding method, which are capable of enabling a decoding side to accurately recognize a color gamut of an encoding target image. The decoding device includes circuitry configured to receive an encoded stream including encoded data of an image and color primary information indicating a coordinate of at least one color primary of the image. The circuitry extracts the encoded data and the color primary information from the received encoded stream. The circuitry decodes the encoded data to generate the image. Further, the circuitry adjusts a color space of the generated image based on the extracted color primary information. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a decoding device of a high efficiency video coding (HEVC) scheme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinobu Hattori, Hiroaki Eto, Takumi Tsuru, Kenichi Kanai, Toshiya Hamada
  • Patent number: 10771755
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method that decrease a banding phenomenon in a subsampled image and achieve high image quality are provided. A subsampled image obtained by copying an adjacent pixel value to a pixel value thinning position is accepted as an input image; a correction target signal global gain is calculated as a ratio between a slope of a correction target signal and a slope of a luminance signal of a global region made up of a plurality of consecutive pixels including a pixel position of the correction target pixel of the input image; a luminance local slope is calculated as a slope of the luminance signal of a local region which is a region within the global region, including the pixel position of the correction target pixel of the input image and smaller than the global region; and a corrected pixel value of the correction target pixel is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Eto
  • Patent number: 10728567
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a decoding device, a decoding method, an encoding device, and an encoding method, which are capable of enabling a decoding side to accurately recognize a color gamut of an encoding target image. The decoding device includes circuitry configured to receive an encoded stream including encoded data of an image and color primary information indicating a coordinate of at least one color primary of the image. The circuitry extracts the encoded data and the color primary information from the received encoded stream. The circuitry decodes the encoded data to generate the image. Further, the circuitry adjusts a color space of the generated image based on the extracted color primary information. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a decoding device of a high efficiency video coding (HEVC) scheme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinobu Hattori, Hiroaki Eto, Takumi Tsuru, Kenichi Kanai, Toshiya Hamada
  • Patent number: 10595034
    Abstract: There is provided a decoding device including circuitry configured to receive coded data and conversion information, the coded data pertaining to an image having luminance in a first dynamic range and the conversion information pertaining to a conversion of dynamic range of the luminance of the image from the first dynamic range into a second dynamic range; and decode the received coded data so as to generate the image, wherein the conversion uses a knee function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinobu Hattori, Kenichi Kanai, Toshiya Hamada, Takumi Tsuru, Hiroaki Eto
  • Patent number: 10565694
    Abstract: There are provided an apparatus and method capable of displaying HDR image on SDR display apparatus without large deterioration in image quality. The apparatus has a display control unit for converting an HDR image signal and generating an output signal into a display unit. The display control unit converts an input HDR image signal in case the HDR image signal is input, and generates and outputs a converted HDR signal according to a ? correction curve with an I/O characteristic reverse to a ? curve corresponding to an I/O characteristic of an SDR display unit to the display unit. In case the ? curve corresponding to the I/O characteristic of the SDR display unit is a 2.2-th power curve, the display control unit converts the input HDR image signal, and generates and outputs a converted HDR signal with I/O characteristic according to a (1/2.2)-th power curve to the display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Eto, Hidetaka Honji
  • Patent number: 10565695
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus and an image processing method to preferably transmit/receive or display high dynamic range images. In an image transmission system implementation, metadata is transmitted, the metadata storing information such as peak luminance, color gamut and optical-electro transfer or other characteristics of high dynamic range (HDR) content. An image receiving apparatus utilizes the metadata to perform dynamic range conversion using the metadata to adapt its display to display the HDR content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Eto, Toshiya Hamada, Shinobu Hattori, Kenichi Kanai, Takumi Tsuru, Tomizo Shiraishi, Takehiro Nakatsue
  • Patent number: 10412356
    Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and a method for generating an image with reduced blown-out highlight regions. The apparatus includes an image processing section that inputs a RAW image corresponding to an output image of an imaging device. The image processing section performs a demosaicing process, that generates RGB images having all pixels set to respective colors of RGB by demosaicing the RAW image and performs a white-balancing process that white-balances the respective RGB images resulting after the demosaicing process. The image processing section performs a pixel value estimation process that performs a G pixel value estimation process in a saturated pixel region of the G image resulting after the white balancing process by using pixel values of the R and B images resulting after the white balancing process at the same pixel position as the G pixel subject to pixel value estimation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroaki Eto
  • Patent number: 10402681
    Abstract: To display images by suitably superimposing a graphics image on a high-dynamic-range image in an easily visible manner. GOEA dynamic range converter (311) converts a SDR graphics image to an HDR graphics image based on metadata. An image combiner (312) combines the graphics image of which the dynamic range has been converted to HDR with HDR content. A dynamic range converter (313) performs display mapping on the HDR content combined with the graphics image based on metadata.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Aiba, Hiroaki Eto
  • Publication number: 20190191138
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method that decrease a banding phenomenon in a subsampled image and achieve high image quality are provided. A subsampled image obtained by copying an adjacent pixel value to a pixel value thinning position is accepted as an input image; a correction target signal global gain is calculated as a ratio between a slope of a correction target signal and a slope of a luminance signal of a global region made up of a plurality of consecutive pixels including a pixel position of the correction target pixel of the input image; a luminance local slope is calculated as a slope of the luminance signal of a local region which is a region within the global region, including the pixel position of the correction target pixel of the input image and smaller than the global region; and a corrected pixel value of the correction target pixel is calculated by multiplying the luminance local slope by the correction target signal global gain and applying a multiplication result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki ETO
  • Publication number: 20190172421
    Abstract: Provided is a device and a method in which an HDR image of which a setting luminance is higher than the highest allowable luminance of a display unit, can be displayed as a bright image in a bright audiovisual environment. An adjusted luminance for output is calculated by multiplying an output luminance calculated according to an input/output transfer function corresponding to an input HDR image, and a predetermined gain, together, and thus, a display image is generated. An image signal processing unit sets a reference point P to be in a position based on the highest allowable luminance of a display unit, and calculates the adjusted luminance for output by applying a gain function of setting a gain, based on the reference point P, to an input/output transfer function according to the input HDR image, and thus, generates the display image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki ETO, Toshiyuki OGURA
  • Publication number: 20190139201
    Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and a method for generating a high quality SDR image without significant reduction in image average luminance by matrix conversion for an HDR image. An image signal processing unit that converts the HDR image into the SDR image converts a pixel value of the HDR image into a pixel value of the SDR image, applying one conversion matrix to low luminance region pixels having luminance that is a prescribed threshold or less among constituent pixels of the HDR image. A high luminance region pixel having higher luminance than the prescribed threshold is set as a highest output pixel of the SDR image after conversion. The conversion matrix to be applied is a matrix having setting in which a change rate of a memory color set in a Macbeth color chart becomes smaller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroaki ETO
  • Publication number: 20190110059
    Abstract: There is provided a decoding device including circuitry configured to receive coded data and conversion information, the coded data pertaining to an image having luminance in a first dynamic range and the conversion information pertaining to a conversion of dynamic range of the luminance of the image from the first dynamic range into a second dynamic range; and decode the received coded data so as to generate the image, wherein the conversion uses a knee function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Publication date: April 11, 2019
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinobu HATTORI, Kenichi KANAI, Toshiya HAMADA, Takumi TSURU, Hiroaki ETO
  • Patent number: 10192294
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus and an image processing method which can transmit/receive or display a high-dynamic-range image suitably are provided. An image transmission apparatus transfers, as metadata of content, luminance conversion information, which is for conversion of HDR content (for example, with maximum luminance 2000 nit) into SDR content (having, for example, 100 nit), or differential information. Based on the metadata, an image reception apparatus generates luminance conversion information, in which received HDR content is adapted to a capability of a display (for example, with maximum luminance 500 nit or 1000 nit) in an output destination, and realizes display mapping which is not against an intention of a producer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takumi Tsuru, Hiroaki Eto, Toshiya Hamada, Kenichi Kanai, Tomizo Shiraishi