Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Yamajo

Hiroaki Yamajo 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: 12231791
    Abstract: Solid-state imaging devices, methods of driving solid-state imaging devices, and electronic devices are disclosed. In one example, a solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array unit in which pixels are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix. At least some pixel rows include a first signal line configured to transmit a drive signal for driving a first transfer transistor of a first pixel in units of microlenses having a color filter of a first color, a second signal line configured to transmit a drive signal for driving a second transfer transistor of a second pixel different from the first pixel, and a third signal line configured to transmit a drive signal for driving a third transfer transistor of a third pixel in units of microlenses having a color filter of a second color different from the first color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yamajo, Masayuki Tachi, Kazuhito Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20230140768
    Abstract: Color accuracy in an imaging device is improved. An imaging element includes a plurality of pixels that acquires first information that is information of three primary colors and second information that is information of at least two colors different from the three primary colors and that includes at least one of complementary colors of the three primary colors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2021
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventors: Masashi Nakata, Hiroaki Yamajo, Yosuke Yamamoto, Yuichiro Baba, Junichi Kanai
  • Publication number: 20220272292
    Abstract: Solid-state imaging devices, methods of driving solid-state imaging devices, and electronic devices are disclosed. In one example, a solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array unit in which pixels are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix. At least some pixel rows include a first signal line configured to transmit a drive signal for driving a first transfer transistor of a first pixel in units of microlenses having a color filter of a first color, a second signal line configured to transmit a drive signal for driving a second transfer transistor of a second pixel different from the first pixel, and a third signal line configured to transmit a drive signal for driving a third transfer transistor of a third pixel in units of microlenses having a color filter of a second color different from the first color.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2020
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yamajo, Masayuki Tachi, Kazuhito Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11290619
    Abstract: An imaging control apparatus according to the present disclosure includes an imaging controller that synchronizes an exposure timing of a first imaging device that performs exposure by a rolling shutter system and an exposure timing of a second imaging device that performs exposure by a rolling shutter system with imaging conditions different from imaging conditions of the first imaging device, on a basis of the imaging conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Tachi, Hiroaki Yamajo
  • Patent number: 11275296
    Abstract: A signal processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a positioner and a synthesizer. The positioner generates, on the basis of two pieces of RAW data different in angle of view from each other, positioning data of the two pieces of RAW data. The synthesizer synthesizes the two pieces of RAW data with each other on the basis of the positioning data generated by the positioner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yamajo, Masayuki Tachi
  • Publication number: 20210149283
    Abstract: A signal processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a positioner and a synthesizer. The positioner generates, on the basis of two pieces of RAW data different in angle of view from each other, positioning data of the two pieces of RAW data. The synthesizer synthesizes the two pieces of RAW data with each other on the basis of the positioning data generated by the positioner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yamajo, Masayuki Tachi
  • Patent number: 10877357
    Abstract: A signal processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a positioner and a synthesizer. The positioner generates, on the basis of two pieces of RAW data different in angle of view from each other, positioning data of the two pieces of RAW data. The synthesizer synthesizes the two pieces of RAW data with each other on the basis of the positioning data generated by the positioner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yamajo, Masayuki Tachi
  • Patent number: 10432847
    Abstract: A signal processing apparatus of one embodiment of the disclosure includes a composition unit that generates first composite imaging data, by adding together a low-frequency component of first imaging data, a high-frequency component of the first imaging data, and a high-frequency component of second imaging data. The first imaging data is imaging data of a relatively wide angle of view, out of two pieces of imaging data that differ in angle of view from each other. The second imaging data is imaging data of a relatively narrow angle of view, out of the two pieces of the imaging data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yamajo, Masayuki Tachi
  • Publication number: 20190098180
    Abstract: An imaging control apparatus according to the present disclosure includes an imaging controller that synchronizes an exposure timing of a first imaging device that performs exposure by a rolling shutter system and an exposure timing of a second imaging device that performs exposure by a rolling shutter system with imaging conditions different from imaging conditions of the first imaging device, on a basis of the imaging conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Tachi, Hiroaki Yamajo
  • Publication number: 20190064640
    Abstract: A signal processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a positioner and a synthesizer. The positioner generates, on the basis of two pieces of RAW data different in angle of view from each other, positioning data of the two pieces of RAW data. The synthesizer synthesizes the two pieces of RAW data with each other on the basis of the positioning data generated by the positioner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki YAMAJO, Masayuki TACHI
  • Publication number: 20180302551
    Abstract: A signal processing apparatus of one embodiment of the disclosure includes a composition unit that generates first composite imaging data, by adding together a low-frequency component of first imaging data, a high-frequency component of the first imaging data, and a high-frequency component of second imaging data. The first imaging data is imaging data of a relatively wide angle of view, out of two pieces of imaging data that differ in angle of view from each other. The second imaging data is imaging data of a relatively narrow angle of view, out of the two pieces of the imaging data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Publication date: October 18, 2018
    Applicant: Sony Corportion
    Inventors: Hiroaki YAMAJO, Masayuki TACHI
  • Patent number: 8601042
    Abstract: Provided is a signal processing device performing filter processing operations on an input signal using a plurality of filters to generate an output signal, including a filter processing unit configured to perform a filter processing operation on the input signal using a filter and a generating unit configured to generate the output signal by adding a correction value determined on the basis of each sign and each absolute value of each difference between each of filtered output signals obtained by the filter processing operations performed using a plurality of the above mentioned filter processing units and the input signal, to the input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yamajo, Koji Aoyama
  • Patent number: 8401311
    Abstract: An image processing device includes: a step calculator configured to calculate, as a step, a difference in pixel values of pixels in a neighborhood with respect to each pixel in an image; a classifier configured to classify the pixels into classes for areas of the steps; a boundary ratio calculator configured to calculate, as a boundary ratio, a ratio of the number of pixels at a block boundary for each of the classes; and a block noise strength determinator configured to determine, as a block noise strength of the image, the step that is larger than a predetermined threshold and that is at a class having a largest value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Aoyama, Hideki Watanabe, Hiroaki Yamajo, Masuyoshi Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 8374441
    Abstract: An image processing device includes: a step calculator configured to calculate, as a step, a difference in pixel values of pixels in a neighborhood with respect to each pixel in an image; a classifier configured to classify the pixels into classes for areas of the steps; a boundary ratio calculator configured to calculate, as a boundary ratio, a ratio of the number of pixels at a block boundary for each of the classes; and a block noise strength determinator configured to determine, as a block noise strength of the image, the step that is larger than a predetermined threshold and that is at a class having a largest value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Aoyama, Hideki Watanabe, Hiroaki Yamajo, Masuyoshi Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 8340454
    Abstract: An information processing device includes: a block level information obtaining unit to detect a block level from the difference in pixel values between each pixel of an image and nearby pixels and to obtain distribution information wherein the block levels are accumulated for each position in a predetermined direction; a short cycle measuring unit to measure short cycle information which is the distribution information for each phase in a plurality of predetermined short cycles corresponding to a plurality of block sizes from the distribution information; and a determining unit to determine the block size corresponding to the short cycle information wherein the phase distribution takes a maximum value, of the short cycle information of the plurality of predetermined short cycles corresponding to the plurality of block sizes, as the block size in the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Aoyama, Hideki Watanabe, Hiroaki Yamajo
  • Publication number: 20120230604
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image processing apparatus, including a noise detection section, a scaling section, an adjustment signal production section, and a correction section. The noise detection section is adapted to detect block noise based on an input image signal in a compression coded form and output noise information indicative of the detected block noise. The scaling section is adapted to carry out a scaling process for carrying out enlargement or reduction of an image indicated by the input image signal for the input image signal and output scaling information indicative of an enlargement ratio or a reduction ratio. The adjustment signal production section is adapted to output an adjustment signal indicative a degree of correction based on the noise information and the scaling information. The correction section is adapted to correct the image signal for which the scaling process is carried out based on the adjustment signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yamajo, Koji Aoyama, Tetsuji Inada, Tomonori Tsutsumi, Yosuke Yamamoto, Kazuki Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 8238684
    Abstract: A signal processing apparatus for performing a filtering process on an input image using a plurality of filters to generate an output image includes the following elements. A region variance value calculating unit calculates a region variance value for a region around a predetermined pixel used as a pixel of interest on the input image. A filter processing unit applies a filtering process to a pixel value of the pixel of interest using the filters. A reflection amount determining unit determines a reflection amount based on the region variance value. A combining unit calculates a pixel value of a pixel of the output image corresponding to the pixel of interest on the basis of respective filter output values obtained by filtering processes applied by a plurality of filter processing units, respective reflection amounts determined with respect to the filter output values, and the pixel value of the pixel of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yamajo, Koji Aoyama
  • Patent number: 7657114
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus for processing image data includes a variance information calculator configured to calculate variance information indicating the degree of variance of pixel values for each of a plurality of pixels constituting the image data; a smoothing section configured to smooth the variance information and to output a smoothed value; a determination section configured to determine an area to which the pixel belongs on the basis of the smoothed value and to output area information indicating the area; a parameter determination section configured to determine a parameter for a noise removal process for each of the pixels constituting the image data on the basis of the area information and the smoothed value; and a noise removal section configured to perform the noise removal process on the image data on the basis of the parameter determined for each of the pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hoshin Moon, Hiroaki Yamajo, Kazuhiko Ueda
  • Publication number: 20090247108
    Abstract: Provided is a signal processing device performing filter processing operations on an input signal using a plurality of filters to generate an output signal, including a filter processing unit configured to perform a filter processing operation on the input signal using a filter and a generating unit configured to generate the output signal by adding a correction value determined on the basis of each sign and each absolute value of each difference between each of filtered output signals obtained by the filter processing operations performed using a plurality of the above mentioned filter processing units and the input signal, to the input signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yamajo, Koji Aoyama
  • Publication number: 20090245675
    Abstract: An information processing device includes: a block level information obtaining unit to detect a block level from the difference in pixel values between each pixel of an image and nearby pixels and to obtain distribution information wherein the block levels are accumulated for each position in a predetermined direction; a short cycle measuring unit to measure short cycle information which is the distribution information for each phase in a plurality of predetermined short cycles corresponding to a plurality of block sizes from the distribution information; and a determining unit to determine the block size corresponding to the short cycle information wherein the phase distribution takes a maximum value, of the short cycle information of the plurality of predetermined short cycles corresponding to the plurality of block sizes, as the block size in the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Koji AOYAMA, Hideki Watanabe, Hiroaki Yamajo