Patents by Inventor Markus Kamm

Markus Kamm 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: 20240111129
    Abstract: A lens system for an imaging device is provided, the lens system comprising: a first lens group, having a fixed position along an optical axis Z of the lens system, the first lens group comprising a pair of lenses, each of the pair of lenses having at least one lens surface that is a free-form surface,; and a second lens group, arranged along the optical axis Z of the lens system, comprising a plurality of rotationally symmetrical lenses; wherein a first lens of the pair of lenses of the first lens group is configured to be moveable along a Y-axis of the lens system perpendicular to the optical axis Z of the lens system, and a second lens of the pair of lenses of the first lens group is configured to be moveable in an opposite direction to the first lens of the pair of lenses along the Y-axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Christin WEICHELT, Markus KAMM, Motoyuki OTAKE, Takumi MATSUI, Manabu ISHIOKA
  • Publication number: 20240015402
    Abstract: A tracking camera is disclosed, including a mirror assembly and event camera each communicatively coupled to a control unit. The control unit receives event data from the event camera and adjusts the mirror assembly based on the event data. A lens assembly includes at least one lens between the mirror assembly and the event camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2021
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Dario BRESCIANINI, Peter DÜRR, Markus KAMM
  • Patent number: 11627259
    Abstract: A device comprising a circuitry configured to obtain a sequence of digital images from an image sensor; select a region of interest within a digital image of the sequence of digital images; perform motion compensation on the region of interest to obtain a motion compensated region of interest based on motion information obtained from the sequence of digital images and a predefined accumulated time interval; define a mask pattern based on the compensated region of interest; apply the mask pattern to an electronic light valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Markus Kamm
  • Publication number: 20230034139
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally pertains to a polarization imaging system having: an imaging portion having a color channel element of a first color type and a color channel element of a second color type; and a light polarization portion configured to: provide a first light polarization of a first polarization type for the first color type and a second light polarization of the first polarization type for the second color type; and convert a second polarization type into the first polarization type, whereby the second polarization type is detectable in the imaging portion
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Piergiorgio SARTOR, Alexander GATTO, Zoltan FACIUS, Matthias SCHINZEL, Markus KAMM
  • Publication number: 20220146799
    Abstract: A first lens unit and a third lens unit are constituted by a lens which is rotationally symmetrical with respect to an optical axis and are disposed on the same optical axis, a first freeform-curved surface lens and a second freeform-curved surface lens have the same shape and are disposed to be rotated at 180 degrees with respect to the optical axis, the first freeform-curved surface lens and the second freeform-curved surface lens are movable in a Y-axis direction when the optical axes of the first lens unit and the third lens unit are set to be a Z-axis, an axis perpendicular to the Z-axis on an image surface is set to be a Y-axis, and an axis perpendicular to the Y-axis and the Z-axis on the image surface is set to be an X-axis, a refractive power of the second lens unit is variable due to the first freeform-curved surface lens and the second freeform-curved surface lens moving in opposite directions, and the first freeform-curved surface lens and the second freeform-curved surface lens are moved in the Y
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 25, 2019
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Inventors: MOTOYUKI OTAKE, TAKUMI MATSUI, MANABU ISHIOKA, CHRISTIN WEICHELT, HIROSHI USHIDA, MARKUS KAMM
  • Publication number: 20210349193
    Abstract: A time-of-flight apparatus has: a telecentric lens; a wavelength filter; and a light detection portion, wherein the wavelength filter is adapted to the telecentric lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Applicant: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Luca Cutrignelli, Markus Kamm, Victor Belokonskiy, Luc Bossuyt, Alexis Vander Biest
  • Publication number: 20210127046
    Abstract: A device comprising a circuitry configured to obtain a sequence of digital images from an image sensor; select a region of interest within a digital image of the sequence of digital images; perform motion compensation on the region of interest to obtain a motion compensated region of interest based on motion information obtained from the sequence of digital images and a predefined accumulated time interval; define a mask pattern based on the compensated region of interest; apply the mask pattern to an electronic light valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Markus KAMM
  • Patent number: 10721384
    Abstract: A camera includes an optical system configured to record images based on light entering the optical system from an optical field of view, a radar system configured to obtain radar information of targets within a radar field of view that is overlapping with the optical field of view, the radar information including one or more of a distance information indicating the distance of targets with respect to the camera, a speed information indicating the speed of targets with respect to the camera and dimension information indicating a dimension of targets, and a control unit configured to control at least one parameter of the optical system based on the obtained radar information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Andreas Schwager, Markus Kamm, Dietmar Schill, Daniel Schneider
  • Patent number: 10684402
    Abstract: A birefringent device, which is configured to be mounted in an optical path of an optical system, has an effective area in a pupil plane. The birefringent device affects different polarization states differently and position-dependently. The birefringent device realizes a first pupil function assigned to a first polarization state and a second different pupil function assigned to a second polarization state. The pupil functions may be optimized to achieve various specific optical properties like extended depth of field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daniel Buehler, Markus Kamm, Marco Hering
  • Patent number: 10539763
    Abstract: An electronic device including an optical system that combines a first lens and a second lens by means of a beam splitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Markus Kamm, Fabian Schaschek, Norihiro Tanabe, Yoshikuni Nomura
  • Patent number: 10334216
    Abstract: An imaging system includes an optical unit that captures, from a scene, first images indifferent wavelength ranges when the scene is illuminated with not-structured light and second images of different wavelength ranges when the scene is illuminated with structured light. Thereby an imaging lens unit with longitudinal chromatic aberration is arranged between the scene and an imaging sensor unit. A depth processing unit may generate depth information on the basis of the second images by using optical triangulation. A sharpness processing unit uses the depth information to generate an output image by combining the first images. The optical unit of the imaging, system may be implemented in an endoscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Markus Kamm, Paul Springer, Thimo Emmerich, Zoltan Facius
  • Patent number: 10306158
    Abstract: A lens unit (120) shows longitudinal chromatic aberration and focuses an imaged scene into a first image for the infrared range in a first focal plane and into a second image for the visible range in a second focal plane. An optical element (150) manipulates the modulation transfer function assigned to the first and second images to extend the depth of field. An image processing unit (200) may amplify a modulation transfer function contrast in the first and second images. A focal shift between the focal planes may be compensated for. While in conventional approaches for RGBIR sensors contemporaneously providing both a conventional and an infrared image of the same scene the infrared image is severely out of focus, the present approach provides extended depth of field imaging to rectify the problem of out-of-focus blur for infrared radiation. An imaging system can be realized without any apochromatic lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Muhammad Atif, Muhammad Siddiqui, Christian Unruh, Markus Kamm
  • Patent number: 10158832
    Abstract: A lens and color filter assembly contains lens units, and each lens unit is assigned to a single-color color filter unit. The lens and color filter assembly may be combined with pixel units such that a plurality of monochromatic, low-resolution images can be obtained, and the monochromatic images refer to shifted versions of the same image object. By a super-resolution technique comprising shift-compensation a mosaicked image is obtained which is then demosaiced. In the resultant image only few artifacts appear. Simple color filter arrays allow a simplified fabrication process and provide less chromatic aberrations at less computational effort.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Waqas Malik, Muhammad Siddiqui, Markus Kamm, Manfred Manz
  • Patent number: 9979941
    Abstract: A lens unit of an imaging unit features longitudinal chromatic aberration. From an imaged scene, an imaging sensor unit captures non-color-corrected first images of different spectral content. An intensity processing unit computes broadband luminance sharpness information from the first images on the basis of information descriptive for imaging properties of the lens unit. A chrominance processing unit computes chrominance information on the basis of the first images. A synthesizing unit combines the computed chrominance and luminance information to provide an output image having, for example, extended depth-of-field. The imaging unit may be provided in a camera system, a digital microscope, as examples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Muhammad Atif, Muhammad Siddiqui, Christian Unruh, Markus Kamm
  • Patent number: 9939572
    Abstract: An optical system (110) includes a lens unit (112) with a plurality of lenses. An out-of-focus point spread function of the lens unit (112) includes an annular intensity distribution with at least one ring-shaped side peak at a radial distance to a center point. A birefringent device (115) in an optical path of the optical system (110) is adapted to selectively attenuate the ring-shaped side peak in the out-of-focus point spread function of the lens unit (112).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Christin Weichelt, Markus Kamm
  • Patent number: 9883169
    Abstract: An optical system includes an illumination unit and an imaging unit configured to image a scene including at least one object into a first image and a second image by using Helmholtz reciprocity. The illumination unit is configured to emit light into at least one light emitting solid angle and the imaging unit is configured to receive light from a light receiving solid angle. The light receiving solid angle is at least as large as each of the light emitting solid angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Roderick Koehle, Markus Kamm
  • Publication number: 20180013987
    Abstract: A lens and colour filter assembly contains lens units, and each lens unit is assigned to a single-colour colour filter unit. The lens and colour filter assembly may be combined with pixel units such that a plurality of monochromatic, low-resolution images can be obtained, and the monochromatic images refer to shifted versions of the same image object. By a super-resolution technique comprising shift-compensation a mosaicked image is obtained which is then demosaiced. In the resultant image only few artefacts appear. Simple colour filter arrays allow a simplified fabrication process and provide less chromatic aberrations at less computational effort.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Waqas MALIK, Muhammad SIDDIQUI, Markus KAMM, Manfred MANZ
  • Publication number: 20180013965
    Abstract: A lens unit (120) shows longitudinal chromatic aberration and focuses an imaged scene into a first image for the infrared range in a first focal plane and into a second image for the visible range in a second focal plane. An optical element (150) manipulates the modulation transfer function assigned to the first and second images to extend the depth of field. An image processing unit (200) may amplify a modulation transfer function contrast in the first and second images. A focal shift between the focal planes may be compensated for. While in conventional approaches for RGBIR sensors contemporaneously providing both a conventional and an infrared image of the same scene the infrared image is severely out of focus, the present approach provides extended depth of field imaging to rectify the problem of out-of-focus blur for infrared radiation. An imaging system can be realized without any apochromatic lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Muhammad ATIF, Muhammad SIDDIQUI, Christian UNRUH, Markus KAMM
  • Patent number: 9813680
    Abstract: A lens and color filter assembly contains lens units, and each lens unit is assigned to a single-color color filter unit. The lens and color filter assembly may be combined with pixel units such that a plurality of monochromatic, low-resolution images can be obtained, and the monochromatic images refer to shifted versions of the same image object. By a super-resolution technique comprising shift-compensation a mosaicked image is obtained which is then demosaiced. In the resultant image only few artifacts appear. Simple color filter arrays allow a simplified fabrication process and provide less chromatic aberrations at less computational effort.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Waqas Malik, Muhammad Siddiqui, Markus Kamm, Manfred Manz
  • Patent number: 9800804
    Abstract: A lens unit (120) shows longitudinal chromatic aberration and focuses an imaged scene into a first image for the infrared range in a first focal plane and into a second image for the visible range in a second focal plane. An optical element (150) manipulates the modulation transfer function assigned to the first and second images to extend the depth of field. An image processing unit (200) may amplify a modulation transfer function contrast in the first and second images. A focal shift between the focal planes may be compensated for. While in conventional approaches for RGBIR sensors contemporaneously providing both a conventional and an infrared image of the same scene the infrared image is severely out of focus, the present approach provides extended depth of field imaging to rectify the problem of out-of-focus blur for infrared radiation. An imaging system can be realized without any apochromatic lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Muhammad Atif, Muhammad Siddiqui, Christian Unruh, Markus Kamm