Patents by Inventor Makoto Shohara

Makoto Shohara 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: 20160006907
    Abstract: An imaging system includes an imaging body having an optical system and an imaging element, a power supplier configured to supply power to the imaging element, and a housing configured to hold the imaging body and the power supplier, wherein the optical system includes at least one optical element projecting from the housing, and a distance AP between a gravity center A of a portion including the optical system and a gravity center P of the entire imaging system and a distance BP between a gravity center B of the power supplier and the gravity center P of the entire imaging system satisfy the following condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Inventors: Kensuke MASUDA, Noriyuki Terao, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Toru Harada, Hirokazu Takenaka, Hideaki Yamamoto, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Hiroyuki Satoh, Makoto Shohara
  • Patent number: 9185279
    Abstract: An imaging system includes an imaging body having an optical system and an imaging element, a power supplier configured to supply power to the imaging element, and a housing configured to hold the imaging body and the power supplier, wherein the optical system includes at least one optical element projecting from the housing, and a distance AP between a gravity center A of a portion including the optical system and a gravity center P of the entire imaging system and a distance BP between a gravity center B of the power supplier and the gravity center P of the entire imaging system satisfy the following condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kensuke Masuda, Noriyuki Terao, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Toru Harada, Hirokazu Takenaka, Hideaki Yamamoto, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Hiroyuki Satoh, Makoto Shohara
  • Publication number: 20150301316
    Abstract: An imaging device includes two imaging optical systems each of the imaging optical systems including a wide-angle lens having an angle of view wider than 180 degrees, and an imaging sensor configured to image an image by the wide-angle lens, so as to obtain an image in a solid angle of 4? radian by synthesizing the images by the respective imaging optical systems, wherein the wide-angle lens of each of the imaging optical systems includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a front group having a negative power, a reflection surface and a back group having a positive power, and is configured to bend an optical axis of the front group by the reflection surface at 90 degrees toward the back group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Inventors: Kensuke MASUDA, Noriyuki TERAO, Yoshiaki IRINO, Tomonori TANAKA, Nozomi IMAE, Toru HARADA, Hirokazu TAKENAKA, Hideaki YAMAMOTO, Satoshi SAWAGUCHI, Daisuke BESSHO, Hiroyuki SATOH, Makoto SHOHARA
  • Patent number: 9110273
    Abstract: An imaging device includes two imaging optical systems each of the imaging optical systems including a wide-angle lens having an angle of view wider than 180 degrees, and an imaging sensor configured to image an image by the wide-angle lens, so as to obtain an image in a solid angle of 4? radian by synthesizing the images by the respective imaging optical systems, wherein the wide-angle lens of each of the imaging optical systems includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a front group having a negative power, a reflection surface and a back group having a positive power, and is configured to bend an optical axis of the front group by the reflection surface at 90 degrees toward the back group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kensuke Masuda, Noriyuki Terao, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Toru Harada, Hirokazu Takenaka, Hideaki Yamamoto, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Hiroyuki Satoh, Makoto Shohara
  • Publication number: 20150222816
    Abstract: An imaging controller includes an index calculator to calculate an index value for each of divided areas of images captured by a plurality of imaging units, the index value for evaluating a photographic state of each of the divided areas, an evaluation value calculator to evaluate the images and an overlapping area between the images on the basis of the index value of each divided area calculated by the index calculator and calculate an overall evaluation value, and a condition determiner to determine an imaging condition for each of the imaging units on the basis of the overall evaluation value calculated by the evaluation value calculator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Publication date: August 6, 2015
    Inventors: Makoto Shohara, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Hirokazu Takenaka, Hideaki Yamamoto, Kensuke Masuda, Yoichi Ito, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Hiroyuki Satoh
  • Patent number: 9013544
    Abstract: An optical system includes a first lens to focus incident light, a first prism including a reflection surface by which light having transmitted through the first lens is reflected, a second lens to focus incident light from a different direction from a direction of the incident light on the first lens, and a second prism including a reflection surface by which light having transmitted through the second lens is reflected, in which the reflection surface of the first prism and the reflection surface of the second prism oppose each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Satoh, Noriyuki Terao, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Toru Harada, Hirokazu Takenaka, Hideaki Yamamoto, Kensuke Masuda, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Makoto Shohara, Yoichi Ito, Shusaku Takasu
  • Publication number: 20150062363
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes a tilt detection unit that detects a tilt in the vertical direction, conversion data used for transforming plane coordinates into spherical coordinates, a correction unit that corrects the conversion data according to the tilt, a plurality of image capturing units, a coordinate transformation unit that transforms plane coordinates of a plurality of pixels included in images captured by the image capturing units into spherical coordinates according to the conversion data corrected by the correction unit, and a combining unit that combines the images including the pixels transformed into spherical coordinates by the coordinate transformation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Hirokazu Takenaka, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Hideaki Yamamoto, Kensuke Masuda, Yoichi Ito, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Hiroyuki Satoh, Makoto Shohara, Noriyuki Terao, Toru Harada
  • Publication number: 20150042647
    Abstract: An image-processing system includes a receiver which receives an input value defining an output range, a generator which generates a three-dimensional model having a target image attached to a three-dimensional conformation, a decision part which decides a position of a viewing point and a viewing angle in accordance with the input value, and a projector which projects the three-dimensional model from the viewing point, wherein the decision part changes a range of a target image inside a viewing field by changing the viewing angle preferentially when the input value is in a first range, and changes the range of the target image inside the viewing field by changing the viewing point preferentially when the input value is in a second range which is a wider-angle side than that of the first range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventors: Makoto SHOHARA, Nozomi Imae, Toru Harada, Hideaki Yamamoto, Yasuo Ueda, Yoichi Ito, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Hirokazu Takenaka, Kensuke Masuda, Hiroyuki Satoh
  • Publication number: 20150015766
    Abstract: An optical system includes a first lens to focus incident light, a first prism including a reflection surface by which light having transmitted through the first lens is reflected, a second lens to focus incident light from a different direction from a direction of the incident light on the first lens, and a second prism including a reflection surface by which light having transmitted through the second lens is reflected, in which the reflection surface of the first prism and the reflection surface of the second prism oppose each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventors: Hiroyuki SATOH, Noriyuki TERAO, Yoshiaki IRINO, Tomonori TANAKA, Nozomi IMAE, Toru HARADA, Hirokazu TAKENAKA, Hideaki YAMAMOTO, Kensuke MASUDA, Satoshi SAWAGUCHI, Daisuke BESSHO, Makoto SHOHARA, Yoichi ITO, Shusaku TAKASU
  • Publication number: 20140176542
    Abstract: An image-processing system includes a receiver which receives an input value defining an output range, a generator which generates a three-dimensional model having a target image attached to a three-dimensional conformation, a decision part which decides a position of a viewing point and a viewing angle in accordance with the input value, and a projector which projects the three-dimensional model from the viewing point, wherein the decision part changes a range of a target image inside a viewing field by changing the viewing angle preferentially when the input value is in a first range, and changes the range of the target image inside the viewing field by changing the viewing point preferentially when the input value is in a second range which is a wider-angle side than that of the first range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Inventors: Makoto Shohara, Nozomi Imae, Toru Harada, Hideaki Yamamoto, Yasuo Ueda, Yoichi Ito, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Hirokazu Takenaka, Kensuke Masuda, Hiroyuki Satoh
  • Patent number: 8755622
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus for tone conversion of a color image having s bit (s is an integer which is equal to or larger than 3) to a color image having d bit (d is an integer which is equal to or smaller than (s?2)) comprises: a conversion table generation unit configured to generate a conversion table, which varies in dependence on a tone value of the s bit, and has dispersion of which level varies in accordance with chroma and luminance of the color image; and a tone conversion unit configured to convert, before image compression or image file storage is performed and after color space conversion is performed, the color image having s bit to the color image having d bit using the conversion table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Shohara
  • Publication number: 20140152852
    Abstract: A predetermined-area management system is configured to communicate with a communication terminal. The predetermined-area management system includes: a storage unit that stores image identification information for identifying image data and predetermined-area information for identifying a predetermined area in the image data in association with each other; a receiving unit that receives image identification information that is transmitted from the communication terminal; an extraction unit that searches the storage unit by using the image identification information received by the receiving unit so as to extract associated predetermined-area information; and a transmitting unit that transmits, to the communication terminal, the predetermined-area information extracted by the extraction unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Inventors: Yoichi ITO, Toshiyuki Terashita, Noriyuki Terao, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Toru Harada, Hirokazu Takenaka, Hideaki Yamamoto, Kensuke Masuda, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Hiroyuki Satoh, Makoto Shohara
  • Publication number: 20140078247
    Abstract: An image adjuster includes an area evaluator to calculate an area evaluation value for each color in each of divided areas of each of images captured by a plurality of imaging units, a brightness adjuster to calculate a brightness adjustment value for overlapping divided areas between photographic areas of the images on the basis of the area evaluation value for each color, and an adjustment value calculator to calculate a balance adjustment value for each of the overlapping divided areas from the area evaluation value for each color on the basis of the brightness adjustment value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Inventors: Makoto SHOHARA, Toru Harada, Hirokazu Takenaka, Yoichi Ito, Kensuke Masuda, Hiroyuki Satoh, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Hideaki Yamamoto, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Shusaku Takasu
  • Publication number: 20140071226
    Abstract: An image capture system including two imaging systems of the same structure each having a wide-angle lens, which includes a front group, a reflection surface, and a rear group arranged in order from an object side, has a field angle larger than 180 degrees, and bends an optical axis of the front group toward the rear group by the reflection surface, and an imaging sensor, obtains an image in a solid angle of 4? radian by combining images imaged by the imaging systems. Each of the two wide-angle lenses includes the reflection surface between the front group and the rear group, the reflection surfaces are made to be common to the two imaging systems. This reduces an interval between lenses nearest to the object side in the front groups of the two wide-angle lenses, thereby reducing a distance between maximum field angles of the two wide-angle lenses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Inventors: Hiroyuki SATOH, Noriyuki Terao, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Toru Harada, Hirokazu Takenaka, Hideaki Yamamoto, Kensuke Masuda, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Makoto Shohara, Yoichi Ito, Shusaku Takasu
  • Publication number: 20140071227
    Abstract: An image processor includes a first converter to convert input images into images in a different coordinate system from that of the input images according to first conversion data based on a projection model, a position detector to detect a connecting position of the images converted by the converter, a corrector to correct the first conversion data on the basis of a result of the detection by the position detector, and a data generator to generate second conversion data for image synthesis from the conversion data corrected by the corrector on the basis of coordinate conversion, the second conversion data defining the conversion of the input images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Inventors: Hirokazu TAKENAKA, Noriyuki Terao, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Toru Harada, Hideaki Yamamoto, Kensuke Masuda, Yoichi Ito, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Hiroyuki Satoh, Makoto Shohara, Shusaku Takasu
  • Publication number: 20140036031
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes image capturing devices; page memories for the image capturing devices, respectively, each page memory storing a piece of image data output from the corresponding image capturing device; a page-memory read unit configured to read pieces of image data stored in the page memories line by line in a time division manner; an image processing unit configured to perform predetermined image processing on the pieces of image data read from the page memories for the image capturing devices line by line in the time division manner; and a write monitoring unit configured to monitor write states of the pieces of image data that are output from the image capturing devices and written into the page memories, and control the page-memory read unit to start reading the pieces of image data from the page memories.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomonori TANAKA, Noriyuki TERAO, Yoshiaki IRINO, Toru HARADA, Hideaki YAMAMOTO, Hirokazu TAKENAKA, Satoshi SAWAGUCHI, Nozomi IMAE, Daisuke BESSHO, Kensuke MASUDA, Hiroyuki SATOH, Makoto SHOHARA, Shusaku TAKASU
  • Publication number: 20130242040
    Abstract: An imaging system includes an imaging body having an optical system and an imaging element, a power supplier configured to supply power to the imaging element, and a housing configured to hold the imaging body and the power supplier, wherein the optical system includes at least one optical element projecting from the housing, and a distance AP between a gravity center A of a portion including the optical system and a gravity center P of the entire imaging system and a distance BP between a gravity center B of the power supplier and the gravity center P of the entire imaging system satisfy the following condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Inventors: Kensuke MASUDA, Noriyuki Terao, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Toru Harada, Hirokazu Takenaka, Hideaki Yamamoto, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Hiroyuki Satoh, Makoto Shohara
  • Publication number: 20130235149
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus for capturing an image of a subject using a plurality of imaging devices and a plurality of lenses for the imaging devices, respectively, includes a plurality of buffer memories for the imaging devices, respectively, each buffer memory being configured to store image data output from the corresponding imaging device; and a single image processor configured to read the image data stored in the buffer memories in a time division manner and perform predetermined image processing on the image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Tomonori TANAKA, Noriyuki TERAO, Yoshiaki IRINO, Toru HARADA, Hideaki YAMAMOTO, Hirokazu TAKENAKA, Satoshi SAWAGUCHI, Nozomi IMAE, Daisuke BESSHO, Kensuke MASUDA, Hiroyuki SATOH, Makoto SHOHARA
  • Publication number: 20130050408
    Abstract: An imaging device includes two imaging optical systems each of the imaging optical systems including a wide-angle lens having an angle of view wider than 180 degrees, and an imaging sensor configured to image an image by the wide-angle lens, so as to obtain an image in a solid angle of 4? radian by synthesizing the images by the respective imaging optical systems, wherein the wide-angle lens of each of the imaging optical systems includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a front group having a negative power, a reflection surface and a back group having a positive power, and is configured to bend an optical axis of the front group by the reflection surface at 90 degrees toward the back group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Inventors: Kensuke MASUDA, Noriyuki Terao, Yoshiaki Irino, Tomonori Tanaka, Nozomi Imae, Toru Harada, Hirokazu Takenaka, Hideaki Yamamoto, Satoshi Sawaguchi, Daisuke Bessho, Hiroyuki Satoh, Makoto Shohara
  • Patent number: 8345127
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus calculates a smoothed value obtained by smoothing signal levels of a plurality of pixels including a processing target pixel in a local area of an input image and a feature amount representing an edge degree of the processing target pixel using a pre-noise reduction image obtained by reducing an impulse noise of the input image. The image processing apparatus weighted-adds a signal level of the processing target pixel and the smoothed value at a ratio corresponding to the feature amount and outputs the weighted-addition result as a signal level after noise reduction processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Shohara