Patents by Inventor Kohji Mitani

Kohji Mitani 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: 7292271
    Abstract: A process for taking a slow motion picture is disclosed which comprises: setting a plurality of cameras each having a shutter so that each of them can take an image with a similar view; and continuously taking fields of a subject by said a plurality camera in a timely staggered manner. In this process, timing of opening the shutter of each camera is staggered so that each camera takes a picture timely staggered, and a time for opening the shutter of each cameras is set to be a shorter than one field time of said each camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Nisson Hoso Kyokai
    Inventors: Fumio Okano, Masayuki Sugawara, Kohji Mitani, Takayuki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 7248295
    Abstract: A solid-state imager 20 outputs image signals corresponding to picture elements received from light-receptive areas thereof. A sample-and-hold circuit 24 performs a sample-and-hold operation for the image signals at prescribed times. A driving circuit 22 generates driving pulses and sample-and-hold pulses. A horizontal charge-transfer circuit of each light-receptive area is driven with the driving pulses, and the sample-and-hold circuit 24 is driven with the sample-and-hold pulses in synchronization with the driving pulses. The driving circuit 22 intermittently drives the horizontal charge-transfer circuit and the sample-and-hold circuit after the output of at least one of the first and last image signals. Consequently, noise that would be produced in picture elements located at the junctures between adjoining light-receptive areas can be reduced, and loss of image quality that would be caused by the effects of operations in subsequent processes performed in various circuits can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Nippon Hoso Kyokai
    Inventor: Kohji Mitani
  • Publication number: 20030234881
    Abstract: A solid-state imager 20 outputs image signals corresponding to picture elements received from light-receptive areas thereof. A sample-and-hold circuit 24 performs a sample-and-hold operation for the image signals at prescribed times. A driving circuit 22 generates driving pulses and sample-and-hold pulses. A horizontal charge-transfer circuit of each light-receptive area is driven with the driving pulses, and the sample-and-hold circuit 24 is driven with the sample-and-hold pulses in synchronization with the driving pulses. The driving circuit 22 intermittently drives the horizontal charge-transfer circuit and the sample-and-hold circuit after the output of at least one of the first and last image signals. Consequently, noise that would be produced in picture elements located at the junctures between adjoining light-receptive areas can be reduced, and loss of image quality that would be caused by the effects of operations in subsequent processes performed in various circuits can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2003
    Publication date: December 25, 2003
    Applicant: NIPPON HOSO KYOKAI
    Inventor: Kohji Mitani
  • Publication number: 20030231250
    Abstract: A process for taking a slow motion picture is disclosed which comprises: setting a plurality of cameras each having a shutter so that each of them can take an image with a similar view; and continuously taking fields of a subject by said a plurality camera in a timely staggered manner. In this process, timing of opening the shutter of each camera is staggered so that each camera takes a picture timely staggered, and a time for opening the shutter of each cameras is set to be a shorter than one field time of said each camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2003
    Publication date: December 18, 2003
    Inventors: Fumio Okano, Masayuki Sugawara, Kohji Mitani, Takayuki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 5471323
    Abstract: By applying the offset sampling using four-plane prism provided with four solid state imaging devices at four light output planes, chromatic aberration of lenses is eliminated even to the peripheral part of the imaging plane, and moire suppression effect is much enhanced. Furthermore, by using a plural number of matrix circuits, and by producing the luminance signal by changing the matrix ratios in low frequency range and in high frequency range, moire suppression effect is further enhanced, and luminance error is also eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 28, 1995
    Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd, Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd., Nippon Hoso Kyokai
    Inventors: Keisuke Suetsugi, Hiroshi Kanno, Masayuki Sugawara, Kohji Mitani, Yoshihiro Fujita, Toshinori Saitoh, Yuichi Ninomiya
  • Patent number: 5406330
    Abstract: A video camera having a plurality of solid-state image sensors in an imaging part uses two kinds of vertical drive signals different in the number of vertical transfer operations, to produce a time lag equal to one horizontal period between the output signals of the solid-state image sensors without changing the optical positional relation between the solid-state image sensors, thereby delaying the red and blue signals with respect to the green signal by one horizontal period based on the application of the two kinds of vertical drive signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1995
    Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Nippon Hoso Kyokai, Matsushita Communication Ind. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasushi Fukushima, Kohji Mitani, Masayuki Sugawara, Yoshihiro Fujita, Tomoyuki Tsurube, Hideo Cho