Patents by Inventor Kaoru Kotouda

Kaoru Kotouda 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: 8303491
    Abstract: An image pick-up unit inserted in the body picks up an image of the body, and transmits by radio the image to an extra-corporeal unit which is arranged outside the body. The image pick-up unit includes an image pick-up portion capturing an image, a data transmitting portion for transmitting the image obtained by the image pick-up portion to the extra-corporeal unit at a plurality of transmitting ratios, a characteristic amount detecting portion for detecting a predetermined amount of characteristics based on the image, and a determining portion for determining a valid image based on an output from the characteristic amount detecting portion. The data transmitting portion controls the data transmitting ratio in accordance with the determining result of the determining portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi Homan, Kaoru Kotouda, Motoo Azuma
  • Patent number: 8182420
    Abstract: An image pick-up unit inserted in the body picks up an image of the body, and transmits by radio the image to an extra-corporeal unit which is arranged outside the body. The image pick-up unit includes an image pick-up portion capturing an image, a data transmitting portion for transmitting the image obtained by the image pick-up portion to the extra-corporeal unit at a plurality of transmitting ratios, a characteristic amount detecting portion for detecting a predetermined amount of characteristics based on the image, and a determining portion for determining a valid image based on an output from the characteristic amount detecting portion. The data transmitting portion controls the data transmitting ratio in accordance with the determining result of the determining portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi Homan, Kaoru Kotouda, Motoo Azuma
  • Publication number: 20110184237
    Abstract: An image pick-up unit inserted in the body picks up an image of the body, and transmits by radio the image to an extra-corporeal unit which is arranged outside the body. The image pick-up unit includes an image pick-up portion capturing an image, a data transmitting portion for transmitting the image obtained by the image pick-up portion to the extra-corporeal unit at a plurality of transmitting ratios, a characteristic amount detecting portion for detecting a predetermined amount of characteristics based on the image, and a determining portion for determining a valid image based on an output from the characteristic amount detecting portion. The data transmitting portion controls the data transmitting ratio in accordance with the determining result of the determining portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masatoshi Homan, Kaoru Kotouda, Motoo Azuma
  • Patent number: 7938771
    Abstract: An image pick-up unit inserted in the body picks up an image of the body, and transmits by radio the image to an extra-corporeal unit which is arranged outside the body. The image pick-up unit includes an image pick-up portion capturing an image, a data transmitting portion for transmitting the image obtained by the image pick-up portion to the extra-corporeal unit at a plurality of transmitting ratios, a characteristic amount detecting portion for detecting a predetermined amount of characteristics based on the image, and a determining portion for determining a valid image based on an output from the characteristic amount detecting portion. The data transmitting portion controls the data transmitting ratio in accordance with the determining result of the determining portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi Homan, Kaoru Kotouda, Motoo Azuma
  • Publication number: 20080143827
    Abstract: An endoscope apparatus to which an endoscope is detachably connected has an endoscope interface, an image processor and a parameter transfer control section. Here, the endoscope multiplexes a video signal obtained by an image pickup section with an endoscope ID as endoscope identification information, and transmits the signal to the endoscope apparatus. The endoscope interface separates the endoscope ID from the signal from the endoscope. The image processor has a parameter register in which a parameter related to an image process of the video signal is set, and a functional module for performing a predetermined image process with respect to the video signal based on the parameter. The parameter transfer control section reads the parameter corresponding to the endoscope ID separated in the endoscope interface, from a table memory for storing the parameter for each endoscope ID, and transfers the parameter to the parameter register.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoyuki YOSHIZUMI, Kaoru KOTOUDA
  • Publication number: 20080132756
    Abstract: When a capsule is manufactured, a unique number such as a serial number is stored in non-volatile memory in the capsule. If the capsule is used with an external apparatus, the unique number is sent from the capsule to the external apparatus. The external apparatus relates each unique number with a capsule ID comprising a small number of bits in a management table formed in non-volatile memory and sends the capsule ID to the capsule, and the capsule ID with the small number of bits is set as an identifier in the capsule. In this manner, it is made unnecessary to provide a switch in the capsule for setting the identifier and it becomes possible to reduce and send the quantity of information sent as the identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Manabu Fujita, Masatoshi Homan, Motoo Azuma, Kaoru Kotouda
  • Patent number: 7354397
    Abstract: When a capsule is manufactured, a unique number such as a serial number is stored in non-volatile memory in the capsule. If the capsule is used with an external apparatus, the unique number is sent from the capsule to the external apparatus. The external apparatus relates each unique number with a capsule ID comprising a small number of bits in a management table formed in non-volatile memory and sends the capsule ID to the capsule, and the capsule ID with the small number of bits is set as an identifier in the capsule. In this manner, it is made unnecessary to provide a switch in the capsule for setting the identifier and it becomes possible to reduce and send the quantity of information sent as the identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Manabu Fujita, Masatoshi Homan, Motoo Azuma, Kaoru Kotouda
  • Publication number: 20070173692
    Abstract: An image pick-up unit inserted in the body picks up an image of the body, and transmits by radio the image to an extra-corporeal unit which is arranged outside the body. The image pick-up unit includes an image pick-up portion capturing an image, a data transmitting portion for transmitting the image obtained by the image pick-up portion to the extra-corporeal unit at a plurality of transmitting ratios, a characteristic amount detecting portion for detecting a predetermined amount of characteristics based on the image, and a determining portion for determining a valid image based on an output from the characteristic amount detecting portion. The data transmitting portion controls the data transmitting ratio in accordance with the determining result of the determining portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Inventors: Masatoshi Homan, Kaoru Kotouda, Motoo Azuma
  • Publication number: 20070161858
    Abstract: An image pick-up unit inserted in the body picks up an image of the body, and transmits by radio the image to an extra-corporeal unit which is arranged outside the body. The image pick-up unit includes an image pick-up portion capturing an image, a data transmitting portion for transmitting the image obtained by the image pick-up portion to the extra-corporeal unit at a plurality of transmitting ratios, a characteristic amount detecting portion for detecting a predetermined amount of characteristics based on the image, and a determining portion for determining a valid image based on an output from the characteristic amount detecting portion. The data transmitting portion controls the data transmitting ratio in accordance with the determining result of the determining portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Publication date: July 12, 2007
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi Homan, Kaoru Kotouda, Motoo Azuma
  • Patent number: 7195588
    Abstract: An image pick-up unit inserted in the body picks up an image of the body, and transmits by radio the image to an extra-corporeal unit which is arranged outside the body. The image pick-up unit includes an image pick-up portion capturing an image, a data transmitting portion for transmitting the image obtained by the image pick-up portion to the extra-corporeal unit at a plurality of transmitting ratios, a characteristic amount detecting portion for detecting a predetermined amount of characteristics based on the image, and a determining portion for determining a valid image based on an output from the characteristic amount detecting portion. The data transmitting portion controls the data transmitting ratio in accordance with the determining result of the determining portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi Homan, Kaoru Kotouda, Motoo Azuma
  • Publication number: 20060038888
    Abstract: An image transmission apparatus for picking-up images of a subject and transmitting the image data of the subject at a first frame-rate and a second frame-rate lower than the first frame-rate, includes an image pickup unit that outputs the image data of the subject, an image compressing unit that switches compressing rates such that the amount of image data after compression per unit time of the second frame-rate is not more than the amount of image data after compression per unit time of the first frame-rate and that compresses the image data outputted from the image pickup unit and outputs the compressed data, a storage unit that temporarily stores the compressed data, and a sending unit that sends, at a fixed baud rate, the compressed data stored in the storage unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2005
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kaoru Kotouda
  • Publication number: 20050192476
    Abstract: An image pick-up unit inserted in the body picks up an image of the body, and transmits by radio the image to an extra-corporeal unit which is arranged outside the body. The image pick-up unit includes an image pick-up portion capturing an image, a data transmitting portion for transmitting the image obtained by the image pick-up portion to the extra-corporeal unit at a plurality of transmitting ratios, a characteristic amount detecting portion for detecting a predetermined amount of characteristics based on the image, and a determining portion for determining a valid image based on an output from the characteristic amount detecting portion. The data transmitting portion controls the data transmitting ratio in accordance with the determining result of the determining portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2004
    Publication date: September 1, 2005
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masatoshi Homan, Kaoru Kotouda, Motoo Azuma
  • Publication number: 20030213495
    Abstract: When a capsule is manufactured, a unique number such as a serial number is stored in non-volatile memory in the capsule. If the capsule is used with an external apparatus, the unique number is sent from the capsule to the external apparatus. The external apparatus relates each unique number with a capsule ID comprising a small number of bits in a management table formed in non-volatile memory and sends the capsule ID to the capsule, and the capsule ID with the small number of bits is set as an identifier in the capsule. In this manner, it is made unnecessary to provide a switch in the capsule for setting the identifier and it becomes possible to reduce and send the quantity of information sent as the identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Publication date: November 20, 2003
    Applicant: OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Manabu Fujita, Masatoshi Homan, Motoo Azuma, Kaoru Kotouda