Patents by Inventor Kenichi Honjo

Kenichi Honjo 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).

  • Publication number: 20210014427
    Abstract: A control device includes a processor and a storage medium storing instructions that cause the processor to control an imaging device to capture a plurality of images while an imaging direction of the imaging device is changing, determine a target imaging direction of the imaging device that satisfies a predetermined condition based on the plurality of images, and control the imaging device to perform additional image capturing while further changing the imaging direction, including performing image capturing at a first image capture angle rate while the imaging direction is in a first angle range not including the target imaging direction and performing image capturing at a second image capture angle rate while the imaging direction is in a second angle range including the target imaging direction. The second image capture angle rate correspond to more images captured per unit angle than the first image capture angle rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2020
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Inventors: Kenichi HONJO, Ming SHAO
  • Publication number: 20210006709
    Abstract: A control device includes a processor and a storage medium. The storage medium stores a program that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to obtain a plurality of images shot at different lens positions of a focus lens of a photographing device, determine a target lens position of the focus lens that satisfies a preset condition based on blur amounts of the plurality of images, and control the focus lens to move close to the target lens position when a current lens position of the focus lens is within a preset range including the target lens position or control the focus lens based on an operation input when the current lens position is outside the preset range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Inventors: Kenichi HONJO, Ming SHAO
  • Publication number: 20200301096
    Abstract: A lens device includes a first electric motor, a second electric motor, a lens, a cam ring, a first gear, a second gear, and a controller. The cam ring is configured to drive the lens in a direction of an optical axis of the lens. The first gear is configured to transmit power generated by the first electric motor to the cam ring. The second gear is configured to transmit power generated by the second electric motor to the cam ring. The controller is configured to, when controlling the cam ring to stop rotating, first stop a rotation of the first electric motor and then stop a rotation of the second electric motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Kenichi HONJO, Takashi KOYAMA
  • Publication number: 20200132963
    Abstract: A control apparatus for controlling driving of a focus lens of a lens apparatus includes a memory storing a program and a processor. The processor is configured to execute the program to determine, according to a height of the lens apparatus from a reference position, a focus position of the focus lens indicating a position of the focus lens; and control the driving of the focus lens according to the focus position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Kenichi HONJO, Yoshinori NAGAYAMA
  • Publication number: 20200130862
    Abstract: A control apparatus, a camera apparatus, a flying object, a control method and a program are provided. The control apparatus is configured to control a driving of a focus lens included in a camera apparatus. The control apparatus includes a memory, storing a program; and a processor, configured to execute the program to set a drive range of the focus lens based on a height of the camera apparatus away from a reference position, and control the driving of the focus lens in the drive range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Kenichi HONJO, Yoshinori NAGAYAMA
  • Publication number: 20200133097
    Abstract: A control device includes a memory storing a program and a processor configured to execute the program to restrict movement of a movable body in response to detecting that a mounting state of a detachable lens assembly at a photographing device of the movable body does not satisfy a pre-set condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Kenichi HONJO, Tomonaga YASUDA
  • Publication number: 20200137312
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a control device for controlling an imaging device. The control device includes an operation unit configured to be operated by an external force; a detection unit configured to detect an operation state of the operation unit; a processor configured to execute a program to: perform a predetermined operation based on the operation state of the operation unit; and invalidate an execution of the predetermined operation performed by the processor based on the operation state of the operation unit when the imaging device is connected to an object satisfying a condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Takashi KOYAMA, Naoyuki OHNO, Kenichi HONJO
  • Publication number: 20200137310
    Abstract: A control device includes a memory storing a program and a processor configured to execute the program to obtain time information indicating a time at which a vibration generation mechanism of a photographing device will generate a vibration, obtain target control information of a support mechanism supporting the photographing device that corresponds to the vibration generated by the vibration generation mechanism, and operate the support mechanism according to the target control information at the time indicated by the time information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Jiayi ZHANG, Kenichi HONJO
  • Publication number: 20200124822
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a lens device. The lens device includes a first motor and a second motor; a lens; and a cam ring. The cam ring is configured to, in cooperation with the first motor and the second motor, drive the lens move in a direction along an optical axis of the lens. The lens device also includes a gear part, configured to transmit power of the first motor and the second motor to the cam ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Takashi KOYAMA, Kenichi HONJO
  • Publication number: 20200092455
    Abstract: A control device includes a memory storing a program and a processor configured to execute the program to recognize an object from a first image photographed by a photographing device that is in a reference region in a photographing range of the photographing device, predict a reference position of the reference region in a second image to be photographed after the first image is photographed based on driving information for changing a position or an orientation of the photographing device, and control an exposure of the photographing device for photographing the second image based on image data of an image region in the first image corresponding to the reference position in response to the reference position being included in the first image but not on the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Jiayi ZHANG, Kenichi HONJO
  • Publication number: 20200068128
    Abstract: A control device includes a memory storing a program and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the program to detect a driving command supplied to a driving device that changes a position or an orientation of an imaging device, and disable a shake correction function of the imaging device before the driving device starts to change the position or the orientation of the imaging device corresponding to the driving command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Inventor: Kenichi HONJO
  • Publication number: 20190391591
    Abstract: A control device includes control circuitry configured to control a heating device to heat an optical member in response to instruction information fulfilling a predetermined condition. The instruction information causes an increase in altitude of a movable object. The movable object includes an imaging device that includes an image sensor, the optical member, and the heating device. The optical member is arranged in front of the image sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Inventors: Kenichi HONJO, Yongwang XU
  • Patent number: 10348980
    Abstract: An imaging device includes: an imaging sensor; an optical system that changes an image magnification of a object image according to a position of a focus lens; and a controller that causes the imaging sensor to generate the plurality of pieces of image data by causing the imaging sensor to pick up the object image while moving the focus lens to generate still image data based on the plurality of pieces of image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Honjo, Mitsuyoshi Okamoto, Yuuichi Kimura, Masatoshi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10171739
    Abstract: An image pickup device includes an optical system including a plurality of lenses, an imaging element that captures a subject image formed by the optical system, and a peripheral light quantity correction unit that corrects peripheral light quantity of an image captured by the imaging element. The image pickup device also includes a shake detector that detects shake of the image pickup device, and a drive controller that moves at least one of (i) the plurality of lenses and (ii) the imaging element on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis in response to an output signal of the shake detector to correct the shake. The peripheral light quantity correction unit extracts a predetermined frequency component of the shake and changes a correction amount of the peripheral light quantity in response to the predetermined frequency component of the shake.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Honjo, Yasuo Amano, Yasuhiro Shingu
  • Publication number: 20180084203
    Abstract: An imaging device includes: an imaging sensor; an optical system that changes an image magnification of a object image according to a position of a focus lens; and a controller that causes the imaging sensor to generate the plurality of pieces of image data by causing the imaging sensor to pick up the object image while moving the focus lens to generate still image data based on the plurality of pieces of image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Inventors: KENICHI HONJO, MITSUYOSHI OKAMOTO, YUUICHI KIMURA, MASATOSHI NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20170257574
    Abstract: An image pickup device includes an optical system including a plurality of lenses, an imaging element that captures a subject image formed by the optical system, and a peripheral light quantity correction unit that corrects peripheral light quantity of an image captured by the imaging element. The image pickup device also includes a shake detector that detects shake of the image pickup device, and a drive controller that moves at least one of (i) the plurality of lenses and (ii) the imaging element on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis in response to an output signal of the shake detector to correct the shake. The peripheral light quantity correction unit extracts a predetermined frequency component of the shake and changes a correction amount of the peripheral light quantity in response to the predetermined frequency component of the shake.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Inventors: KENICHI HONJO, YASUO AMANO, YASUHIRO SHINGU
  • Patent number: 9736352
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus of the present disclosure includes a body, an imaging unit provided in the body, the imaging unit for capturing an image of an object and generating an image, a focus lens movable in an optical axis direction, the focus lens for adjusting a focus state of the image, an evaluation value detector for detecting a focus evaluation value of the image, a movement detector for detecting a moving direction and an amount of movement of the body in the optical axis direction, and a controller for controlling movement of the focus lens. The controller determines a direction to which the focus lens is to be moved, based on the moving direction of the body in the optical axis direction detected by the movement detector and the focus evaluation value detected by the evaluation value detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi Honjo, Junji Takahata
  • Patent number: 9602727
    Abstract: A digital camera includes an optical system composed of multiple lenses including an OIS lens for correcting image blur; and a CCD imaging an object image formed by the optical system. The digital camera includes an OIS actuator moving OIS lens in a plane vertical to the optical axis to correct image blur; and a CCD actuator moving the CCD in a plane vertical to the optical axis to correct image blur; and a camera controller. The camera controller corrects the image captured by the CCD and changes a correction level of peripheral brightness of the image captured by the CCD when correcting image blur is switched between by the OIS actuator and by the CCD actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi Honjo, Yasuo Amano
  • Patent number: 9519202
    Abstract: An auto-focusing device including: an imaging unit which generates image data of a subject image; an optical system which includes a focus lens; a lens driver which drives the focus lens; a lens position detector which detects a position of the focus lens; a region detector which detects a predetermined region of the subject image; an evaluation value calculating unit which calculates an AF evaluation value; a movement determining unit which determines whether a subject is moving closer or away based on whether the predetermined region has been enlarged or reduced from the region before; and a lens controller which controls the lens driver, wherein the lens controller controls a moving direction and a moving speed of the focus lens in an autofocus operation based on a determination result of the movement determining unit, the AF evaluation value, and a position detection result for the focus lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Honjo, Mitsuyoshi Okamoto, Koji Shibuno
  • Publication number: 20160261806
    Abstract: A digital camera includes an optical system composed of multiple lenses including an OIS lens for correcting image blur; and a CCD imaging an object image formed by the optical system. The digital camera includes an OIS actuator moving OIS lens in a plane vertical to the optical axis to correct image blur; and a CCD actuator moving the CCD in a plane vertical to the optical axis to correct image blur; and a camera controller. The camera controller corrects the image captured by the CCD and changes a correction level of peripheral brightness of the image captured by the CCD when correcting image blur is switched between by the OIS actuator and by the CCD actuator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Inventors: Kenichi HONJO, Yasuo AMANO