Patents by Inventor Hiroyasu Kunimi
Hiroyasu Kunimi 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).
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Patent number: 9197828Abstract: An imaging sensor comprises a pixel array having an active imaging portion and a shielded portion. The active imaging portion provides an image signal corresponding to light incident on the pixel array. The shielded portion is shielded from the light incident on the pixel array and therefore provides a dark current signal. The imaging sensor includes a black-level adjustment circuit which adjusts the imaging signal to compensate for variations in the imaging signal black-level values. The black-level adjustment circuit includes an average value calculator to calculate an average signal value for each of a plurality of shielded regions in the shielded portion of the pixel array. A region selector is configured to select average signal values that are within a predetermined range. A black-level adjustment value calculator uses the selected values to calculate an adjustment value for the black-level of the image signal.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2014Date of Patent: November 24, 2015Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Hiroyasu Kunimi, Kazuhide Sugiura
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Publication number: 20150002705Abstract: An imaging sensor comprises a pixel array having an active imaging portion and a shielded portion. The active imaging portion provides an image signal corresponding to light incident on the pixel array. The shielded portion is shielded from the light incident on the pixel array and therefore provides a dark current signal. The imaging sensor includes a black-level adjustment circuit which adjusts the imaging signal to compensate for variations in the imaging signal black-level values. The black-level adjustment circuit includes an average value calculator to calculate an average signal value for each of a plurality of shielded regions in the shielded portion of the pixel array. A region selector is configured to select average signal values that are within a predetermined range. A black-level adjustment value calculator uses the selected values to calculate an adjustment value for the black-level of the image signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2014Publication date: January 1, 2015Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBAInventors: Hiroyasu KUNIMI, Kazuhide SUGIURA
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Patent number: 8872948Abstract: According to one embodiment, a solid-state imaging device includes an effective pixel portion in which effective pixels are provided, a light-shielded pixel portion in which light-shielded pixels are provided, an ADC circuit that performs an AD conversion operation for signal components read from the effective pixel and the light-shielded pixel, on the basis of a result of a comparison with a reference voltage on which a clamping voltage is superimposed, and an AD clamping circuit that calculates a clamping voltage for a target value of a black level read from the light-shielded pixel by extrapolating a relation between the clamping voltage and an AD-converted value of the black level read from the light-shielded pixel at the time when the clamping voltage is applied.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2012Date of Patent: October 28, 2014Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Kazuhide Sugiura, Hiroyasu Kunimi
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Publication number: 20130027592Abstract: According to one embodiment, a solid-state imaging device includes an effective pixel portion in which effective pixels are provided, a light-shielded pixel portion in which light-shielded pixels are provided, an ADC circuit that performs an AD conversion operation for signal components read from the effective pixel and the light-shielded pixel, on the basis of a result of a comparison with a reference voltage on which a clamping voltage is superimposed, and an AD clamping circuit that calculates a clamping voltage for a target value of a black level read from the light-shielded pixel by extrapolating a relation between the clamping voltage and an AD-converted value of the black level read from the light-shielded pixel at the time when the clamping voltage is applied.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2012Publication date: January 31, 2013Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Kazuhide SUGIURA, Hiroyasu Kunimi
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Publication number: 20100328514Abstract: An imaging apparatus generates display data and index data. The display data includes compressed image data and thumbnail image data. The index data indicates the locations of the thumbnail image data in the display data. The imaging apparatus outputs the display data that is appended with the index data.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 15, 2010Publication date: December 30, 2010Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBAInventors: Takashi HOSOE, Atsushi Takeda, Hiroyasu Kunimi, Naoto Watanabe, Akifumi Matsushita
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Patent number: 7432958Abstract: A video camera which is provided with an inter-line type CCD and also which enjoys a function as a digital still camera. The video camera includes an irising mechanism for adjusting a quantity of light incident upon the CCD, an iris driving circuit for driving the irising mechanism, and a camera microcomputer for controlling operations of adjusting an incident-light quantity by the irising mechanism by controlling the iris driving circuit. The camera microcomputer controls the iris driving circuit to drive the irising mechanism, whereby the incident light upon the CCD is blocked to perform only a read-out operation while data of all the pixels is read out from the CCD.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2005Date of Patent: October 7, 2008Assignee: Victor Company of Japan, LimitedInventors: Naoki Hanada, Hiroyasu Kunimi, Norio Kurashige, Tetsuya Oura, Hiroshi Nishiyama
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Patent number: 7218351Abstract: An image-sensing apparatus for compensating video signal of a plurality of channels, adds an electric charge of a pilot signal on a signal vertically transferred in an image-sensing device 11. A pixel area of the image-sensing device 11 is divided into a plurality of pixel areas to obtain an output signal of a plurality of channels. The pilot signal is add to an output signal of each pixel area corresponding to each channel for twice a field period, and for different electric potential. The control circuit 15 obtains a difference between the two pilot signals in one filed period, and controls the gain compensation 17 to make the pilot signal level in each channel equal. Additionally, the pilot signal is not used for compensation but the previous signal is used when a smear element is detected from the output signal of each channel.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2003Date of Patent: May 15, 2007Assignee: Victor Company of Japan, LimitedInventors: Hiroyuki Miyahara, Hiroyasu Kunimi, Hiroshi Nishiyama, Tetsuya Oura, Takeshi Ibaraki
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Publication number: 20060038914Abstract: A video camera which is provided with an inter-line type CCD and also which enjoys a function as a digital still camera. The video camera includes an irising mechanism for adjusting a quantity of light incident upon the CCD, an iris driving circuit for driving the irising mechanism, and a camera microcomputer for controlling operations of adjusting an incident-light quantity by the irising mechanism by controlling the iris driving circuit. The camera microcomputer controls the iris driving circuit to drive the irising mechanism, whereby the incident light upon the CCD is blocked to perform only a read-out operation while data of all the pixels is read out from the CCD.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 23, 2005Publication date: February 23, 2006Inventors: Naoki Hanada, Hiroyasu Kunimi, Norio Kurashige, Tetsuya Oura, Hiroshi Nishiyama
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Patent number: 6982705Abstract: An imaging apparatus has a solid-state image sensing device having an imaging area divided into left and right sub-imaging areas, a first optical-black (OB) area and a second OB area being provided at both edges of the imaging area in the horizontal direction. First video signals are extracted from monitoring areas in the sub-imaging areas close to the border between the sub-imaging areas. Optical-black clamping is applied to second video signals output from the sub-imaging areas by subtracting a first OB signal indicating an OB level in the first OB area from the second video signal output from one of the sub-imaging area and subtracting a second OB signal indicating an OB level in the second OB area from the second video signal output from the other of the sub-imaging areas. Detected first in the optical-black clamping is a level difference between the extracted first video signals.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2003Date of Patent: January 3, 2006Assignee: Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.Inventors: Hiroyasu Kunimi, Hiroshi Nishiyama, Tetsuya Oura, Hiroyuki Miyahara, Takeshi Ibaraki
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Publication number: 20040169750Abstract: An image-sensing apparatus for compensating video signal of a plurality of channels, adds an electric charge of a pilot signal on a signal vertically transferred in an image-sensing device 11. A pixel area of the image-sensing device 11 is divided into a plurality of pixel areas to obtain an output signal of a plurality of channels. The pilot signal is add to an output signal of each pixel area corresponding to each channel for twice a field period, and for different electric potential. The control circuit 15 obtains a difference between the two pilot signals in one filed period, and controls the gain compensation 17 to make the pilot signal level in each channel equal. Additionally, the pilot signal is not used for compensation but the previous signal is used when a smear element is detected from the output signal of each channel.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 3, 2003Publication date: September 2, 2004Applicant: VICTOR COMPANY OF JAPAN, LTD.Inventors: Hiroyuki Miyahara, Hiroyasu Kunimi, Hiroshi Nishiyama, Tetsuya Oura, Takeshi Ibaraki
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Publication number: 20030160772Abstract: An imaging apparatus has a solid-state image sensing device having an imaging area divided into left and right sub-imaging areas, a first optical-black (OB) area and a second OB area being provided at both edges of the imaging area in the horizontal direction. First video signals are extracted from monitoring areas in the sub-imaging areas close to the border between the sub-imaging areas. Optical-black clamping is applied to second video signals output from the sub-imaging areas by subtracting a first OB signal indicating an OB level in the first OB area from the second video signal output from one of the sub-imaging area and subtracting a second OB signal indicating an OB level in the second OB area from the second video signal output from the other of the sub-imaging areas. Detected first in the optical-black clamping is a level difference between the extracted first video signals.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 27, 2003Publication date: August 28, 2003Inventors: Hiroyasu Kunimi, Hiroshi Nishiyama, Tetsuya Oura, Hiroyuki Miyahara, Takeshi Ibaraki