Patents by Inventor Hiroyuki Furumochi

Hiroyuki Furumochi 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: 11895410
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises a first processor that processes an image signal output from an image sensor; a second processor, connected in downstream of the first processor, that processes an image signal transferred from the first processor; and a controller that selects any of the first processor and the second processor to be used to perform a predetermined process on the image signal output from the image sensor based on a predetermined condition. The controller controls to stop an operation of the second processor in a case where the controller selects the first processor, the predetermined condition includes an instruction for live view display, and the controller selects the first processor in a case where the live view display is instructed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Patent number: 11843859
    Abstract: An image sensor outputs captured image data by discriminating whether to add a result of an imaging plane phase difference AF calculation to a top of the captured image data or whether to add the result to an end of the captured image data, thus reducing a time lag between exposure and focus position movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Publication number: 20220256093
    Abstract: An image sensor outputs captured image data by discriminating whether to add a result of an imaging plane phase difference AF calculation to a top of the captured image data or whether to add the result to an end of the captured image data, thus reducing a time lag between exposure and focus position movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Patent number: 11356595
    Abstract: An image sensor outputs captured image data by discriminating whether to add a result of an imaging plane phase difference AF calculation to a top of the captured image data or whether to add the result to an end of the captured image data, thus reducing a time lag between exposure and focus position movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Publication number: 20220094849
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises a first processor that processes an image signal output from an image sensor; a second processor, connected in downstream of the first processor, that processes an image signal transferred from the first processor; and a controller that selects any of the first processor and the second processor to be used to perform a predetermined process on the image signal output from the image sensor based on a predetermined condition. The controller controls to stop an operation of the second processor in a case where the controller selects the first processor, the predetermined condition includes an instruction for live view display, and the controller selects the first processor in a case where the live view display is instructed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Patent number: 10986262
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, as imaging apparatus includes a first control unit configured to control exposure parameters of an imaging element, and a second control unit configured to perform processing of switching between and outputting a first image corresponding to pixel portions of a number of first pixels and a second image corresponding to pixel portions of a number of second pixels smaller than the number of first pixels among pixel portions of the imaging element. The second control unit performs focusing determination on the basis of at least one of the first image and the second image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furumochi, Yoshihito Tamaki, Hideyuki Hamano
  • Patent number: 10863088
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus comprises an image sensor, a readout circuit capable of performing a first readout operation of reading out a first image signal and a second readout operation of reading out a second image signal for which the number of pixels is larger than the number of pixels for the first image signal, a compression circuit that generates a first compressed image signal by compressing the first image signal, and generates a second compressed image signal by compressing the second image signal, a decoding unit configured to decode the first compressed image signal and second compressed image signal, and a control unit configured to perform control so as to transfer the second compressed image signal to the decoding unit during a period during which the decoding unit is not decoding the first compressed image signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Publication number: 20200154034
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, as imaging apparatus includes a first control unit configured to control exposure parameters of an imaging element, and a second control unit configured to perform processing of switching between and outputting a first image corresponding to pixel portions of a number of first pixels and a second image corresponding to pixel portions of a number of second pixels smaller than the number of first pixels among pixel portions of the imaging element. The second control unit performs focusing determination on the basis of at least one of the first image and the second image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furumochi, Yoshihito Tamaki, Hideyuki Hamano
  • Patent number: 10602051
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, an imaging apparatus includes a first control unit configured to control exposure parameters of an imaging element, and a second control unit configured to perform processing of switching between and outputting a first image corresponding to pixel portions of a number of first pixels and a second image corresponding to pixel portions of a number of second pixels smaller than the number of first pixels among pixel portions of the imaging element. The second control unit performs focusing determination on the basis of at least one of the first image and the second image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furumochi, Yoshihito Tamaki, Hideyuki Hamano
  • Publication number: 20200014840
    Abstract: An image sensor outputs captured image data by discriminating whether to add a result of an imaging plane phase difference AF calculation to a top of the captured image data or whether to add the result to an end of the captured image data, thus reducing a time lag between exposure and focus position movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Publication number: 20190394397
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus comprises an image sensor, a readout circuit capable of performing a first readout operation of reading out a first image signal and a second readout operation of reading out a second image signal for which the number of pixels is larger than the number of pixels for the first image signal, a compression circuit that generates a first compressed image signal by compressing the first image signal, and generates a second compressed image signal by compressing the second image signal, a decoding unit configured to decode the first compressed image signal and second compressed image signal, and a control unit configured to perform control so as to transfer the second compressed image signal to the decoding unit during a period during which the decoding unit is not decoding the first compressed image signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Publication number: 20190379826
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus comprises an image sensor including a plurality of pixels that photoelectrically convert a subject image, and a compression circuit that compresses signals from the plurality of pixels; a readout unit that reads out the signals of the plurality of pixels from the image sensor; and a control unit that, in accordance with an image capturing condition, controls a compression operation performed on the signals of the plurality of pixels by the compression circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Patent number: 10447915
    Abstract: An image sensor outputs captured image data by discriminating whether to add a result of an imaging plane phase difference AF calculation to a top of the captured image data or whether to add the result to an end of the captured image data, thus reducing a time lag between exposure and focus position movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Patent number: 10349028
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus that makes it unnecessary to temporarily stop image pickup performed by an image pickup device to thereby improve operability of the image pickup apparatus, and achieves power saving. In an image pickup apparatus having an electronic viewfinder function, first image signals for live view are acquired by thinning read lines of an image pickup device, and second image signals for AF evaluation value calculation are acquired from the other read lines at a higher speed than the first image signals, for simultaneous output with the first image signals. Reading of the second image signals is started when the state of the object of image data changed or when one photographing mode is changed to another by a user's operation, and is terminated when a reading termination condition set in advance in association with the reading start condition is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furumochi, Taro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10277853
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus comprises an image sensor, a controller, and a signal processor. The image sensor includes pixels each having a photoelectric conversion element and a signal storing unit. When in a simple reproduction mode in which the image signals read out from the image sensor undergo simple reproduction, the controller stores, in the signal storing unit, image signals from all pixels output from the image sensor, converts the size of the image signals stored in the signal storing unit into a size for simple reproduction to transfer the image signals to the signal processor, and upon the simple reproduction starting, the image signals from all pixels stored in the signal storing unit are transferred to the signal processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Publication number: 20180288308
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, an imaging apparatus includes a first control unit configured to control exposure parameters of an imaging element, and a second control unit configured to perform processing of switching between and outputting a first image corresponding to pixel portions of a number of first pixels and a second image corresponding to pixel portions of a number of second pixels smaller than the number of first pixels among pixel portions of the imaging element. The second control unit performs focusing determination on the basis of at least one of the first image and the second image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furumochi, Yoshihito Tamaki, Hideyuki Hamano
  • Publication number: 20180091726
    Abstract: An image sensor outputs captured image data by discriminating whether to add a result of an imaging plane phase difference AF calculation to a top of the captured image data or whether to add the result to an end of the captured image data, thus reducing a time lag between exposure and focus position movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi
  • Publication number: 20180077398
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus that makes it unnecessary to temporarily stop image pickup performed by an image pickup device to thereby improve operability of the image pickup apparatus, and achieves power saving. In an image pickup apparatus having an electronic viewfinder function, first image signals for live view are acquired by thinning read lines of an image pickup device, and second image signals for AF evaluation value calculation are acquired from the other read lines at a higher speed than the first image signals, for simultaneous output with the first image signals. Reading of the second image signals is started when the state of the object of image data changed or when one photographing mode is changed to another by a user's operation, and is terminated when a reading termination condition set in advance in association with the reading start condition is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furumochi, Taro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9854216
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus that makes it unnecessary to temporarily stop image pickup performed by an image pickup device to thereby improve operability of the image pickup apparatus, and achieves power saving. In an image pickup apparatus having an electronic viewfinder function, first image signals for live view are acquired by thinning read lines of an image pickup device, and second image signals for AF evaluation value calculation are acquired from the other read lines at a higher speed than the first image signals, for simultaneous output with the first image signals. Reading of the second image signals is started when the state of the object of image data changed or when one photographing mode is changed to another by a user's operation, and is terminated when a reading termination condition set in advance in association with the reading start condition is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furumochi, Taro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9838632
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus that correctly acquires evaluation values when movie recording is performed at a fixed frame rate. A first readout unit reduces readout rows of an image pickup device, and acquires and outputs image data for movie recording from the reduced readout rows. A second readout unit acquires image data from readout rows that do not overlap with that by the first readout unit at higher rate than the first readout unit, and outputs the acquired image data simultaneously with the first readout unit. Whether a subject's state changes for both the image data acquired by the first and second readout units is determined. If it is determined that the subject's state in the image data acquired by the second readout unit is changed, a speed at which the second readout unit acquires image data is changed while the first readout unit maintains a fixed speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Furumochi