Patents by Inventor Masao Sambongi

Masao Sambongi 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: 12259400
    Abstract: An information processing device includes at least one processor, in which the at least one processor acquires first information related to a first movement state of at least one of an arm and a leg of a user performing a movement, the first movement state on which a movement state of a torso of the user is superimposed, acquires second information related to a second movement state of the torso of the user performing the movement, and generates third information related to a third movement state of the at least one of the arm and the leg of the user based on the first information and the second information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masao Sambongi
  • Publication number: 20240297191
    Abstract: In an embodiment, an image sensor comprises a pixel array having a minimal repeating unit, where the minimal repeating unit consists of 4×4 pixels including 12 green pixels, 2 blue pixels, and 2 red pixels, where a minimal repeating unit is immediately next to another minimal repeating unit in row and column directions. In another embodiment, an image sensor comprises a pixel array having a minimal repeating unit, where the minimal repeating unit consists of 8×8 pixels including 48 green pixels, 8 blue pixels, and 8 red pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2023
    Publication date: September 5, 2024
    Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaodong Yang, Masao Sambongi, Chengming Liu, Chen Zhang
  • Publication number: 20240275906
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a pixel array including at least one light-shielded area where no light enters and an imaging area where light enters, wherein each pixel includes a photoelectric conversion element, a black level processing unit that corrects an output of each pixel in the imaging area, and a memory that stores a predetermined black level reference for each pixel in the imaging area. The processing unit calculates a Slope, which is determined by an average output value at imaging of pixels in the at least one light-shielded area taken during imaging and a reference average output value of pixels in the at least one light-shielded area under certain conditions taken prior to imaging, and correct an output of each pixel in the imaging area using the predetermined black level reference and the Slope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2023
    Publication date: August 15, 2024
    Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Masao Sambongi, Nobuhiro Yanagisawa
  • Publication number: 20230010822
    Abstract: An information processing device includes at least one processor, in which the at least one processor acquires first information related to a first movement state of at least one of an arm and a leg of a user performing a movement, the first movement state on which a movement state of a torso of the user is superimposed, acquires second information related to a second movement state of the torso of the user performing the movement, and generates third information related to a third movement state of the at least one of the arm and the leg of the user based on the first information and the second information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2022
    Publication date: January 12, 2023
    Applicant: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masao SAMBONGI
  • Patent number: 11317014
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus has a first/second optical system transmitting light through a first/second optical path, the second optical system having parallax with the first optical path; a switcher switching between the first and second optical paths in time series; an image sensor forming a first image and a second image by capturing subject images according to the light transmitted through the first optical path and the second optical path respectively; and a processor processing a signal output from the image sensor, wherein the processor calculates a motion vector in each divided region of a first base image from the first base image and a first reference image captured, interpolates an interpolation motion vector for each pixel of the first base image from the motion vector, and corrects the first base image or the first reference image to form a prediction image of the first image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masao Sambongi, Munenori Fukunishi
  • Publication number: 20210150744
    Abstract: An image acquisition device includes a first image sensor configured to acquire one or more first images, a second image sensor configured to acquire a set of polarized images, and an image processor. The image processor is configured to perform operations including receiving the one or more first images from the first image sensor, determining, based on the one or more first images, a first depth estimate of a feature appearing in the one or more first images, determining a reliability of the first depth estimate, receiving the set of polarized images from the second image sensor, determining, based on the set of polarized images, a second depth estimate of the feature, and determining a hybrid depth estimate corresponding to the first depth estimate or the second depth estimate. The hybrid depth estimate is selected based on the reliability of the first depth estimate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masao SAMBONGI, Kosei TAMIYA
  • Publication number: 20210127053
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus has a first/second optical system transmitting light through a first/second optical path, the second optical system having parallax with the first optical path; a switcher switching between the first and second optical paths in time series; an image sensor forming a first image and a second image by capturing subject images according to the light transmitted through the first optical path and the second optical path respectively; and a processor processing a signal output from the image sensor, wherein the processor calculates a motion vector in each divided region of a first base image from the first base image and a first reference image captured, interpolates an interpolation motion vector for each pixel of the first base image from the motion vector, and corrects the first base image or the first reference image to form a prediction image of the first image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masao SAMBONGI, Munenori FUKUNISHI
  • Patent number: 10641609
    Abstract: A route extraction apparatus includes a processor, a position measurement unit that measures a position, and a storage unit. The processor executes storage processing of storing, in the storage unit, a moving history, from a starting position to a current position, measured by the position measurement unit, and route extraction processing of extracting, based on the moving history stored in the storage unit, an actually passed shortest route among a plurality of routes from the current position to the starting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masao Sambongi
  • Patent number: 10533861
    Abstract: In a map matching apparatus, a processor executes, by the program stored in a storage unit, position measurement processing of measuring a current position, matching processing of performing, based on the current position measured in the position measurement processing, matching with a corresponding road position in the road map data stored in the map storage unit, determination processing of determining whether a candidate of a road position to be matched in the matching processing is correct or not, and matching control processing of setting, based on a determination result of the determination processing, the candidate of the road position to be matched in the matching processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masao Sambongi
  • Publication number: 20180172456
    Abstract: In a map matching apparatus, a processor executes, by the program stored in a storage unit, position measurement processing of measuring a current position, matching processing of performing, based on the current position measured in the position measurement processing, matching with a corresponding road position in the road map data stored in the map storage unit, determination processing of determining whether a candidate of a road position to be matched in the matching processing is correct or not, and matching control processing of setting, based on a determination result of the determination processing, the candidate of the road position to be matched in the matching processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masao SAMBONGI
  • Publication number: 20180172448
    Abstract: A route extraction apparatus includes a processor, a position measurement unit that measures a position, and a storage unit. The processor executes storage processing of storing, in the storage unit, a moving history, from a starting position to a current position, measured by the position measurement unit, and route extraction processing of extracting, based on the moving history stored in the storage unit, an actually passed shortest route among a plurality of routes from the current position to the starting position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masao SAMBONGI
  • Patent number: 9965834
    Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus including a transformation unit that is configured to deform images so that corresponding points in a plurality of images obtained from several viewpoints with respect to the same subject are matched; a separating unit that is configured to separate specular-reflection components from the plurality of images transformed by the transformation unit and create an image from which the specular-reflection component is removed; and an image reconstructing unit that is configured to combine at least one of the specular-reflection components of the plurality of images, separated by the separating unit, and the image from which the specular-reflection component is removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignees: OLYMPUS CORPORATION, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION CHIBA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Masao Sambongi, Norimichi Tsumura, Mayu Yokoya
  • Patent number: 9955418
    Abstract: A central transmits, to a peripheral connected with the central, re-connection information indicating a timing of a re-connection after a disconnection. Subsequently, the central executes a connection discontinuing process based on the re-connection information. In addition, the central controls power supply for wireless communication at a timing determined based on the re-connection information. Thereafter, the central executes a re-connection process with the peripheral based on the re-connection information shared therewith prior to the disconnection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Taisuke Koroku, Masao Sambongi, Satoru Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9948865
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus is intended to find, even when shooting a subject having a depth, respective reflection characteristics of portions of the subject with high accuracy, and includes a high-luminance region extraction unit which extracts high-luminance regions having a higher luminance than a predetermined threshold value in a plurality of image signals obtained by irradiating the subject with light emitted from a known light source and shooting reflected light from the subject at a plurality of viewpoints, a local region extraction unit which extracts local regions respectively most focused on in the portions of the subject using the plurality of high-luminance regions, and a reflection characteristic estimation unit which estimates a reflection characteristic of the subject using respective light source characteristics of the high-luminance regions in the local regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignees: OLYMPUS CORPORATION, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION CHIBA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Masao Sambongi, Norimichi Tsumura, Kaori Baba
  • Patent number: 9823356
    Abstract: A GPS receiving apparatus according to the present invention includes: a GPS radio wave receiving unit that receives GPS radio waves; a walking state determination unit that determines a walking state of a wearer continuously for a predetermined interval; a storage unit that stores walking information determined by way of the walking state determination unit; a determination unit that determines whether being a state in which GPS radio waves can be received, based on a series of the walking states stored in the storage unit; and a control unit that causes reception of GPS radio waves to be carried out by way of the GPS radio wave receiving unit, in a case of being determined by way of the determination unit as being a state in which GPS radio waves can be received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masao Sambongi
  • Patent number: 9756463
    Abstract: A timer unit to counts a current date and time, a current position acquisition unit to acquire a current position, a determination unit to determine a time zone in which the acquired current position is included, and a local time acquisition unit to calculate local time corresponding to a time difference of the time zone determined by the determination unit are included. When a boundary line of the time zone is along a coastline, the determination unit changes the boundary line from the coastline to a side of a sea in a predetermined distance range and determines a time zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masao Sambongi, Masatoshi Watanuki
  • Patent number: 9756304
    Abstract: Provided is an image-acquisition apparatus including an image-acquisition lens that collects light coming from a subject A; an image-acquisition device that acquires images with the light collected by the image-acquisition lens; a microlens array that is disposed between the image-acquisition device and the image-acquisition lens; and a distance calculating portion that calculates a distance to the subject by using information obtained by the image-acquisition device. The microlens array has multiple types of microlenses, for different polarization states, that focus light incident thereon to form individual images on an image-acquisition surface of the image-acquisition device and that are arranged in an array in directions orthogonal to an optical axis thereof, and the distance calculating portion calculates the distance by performing matching processing in which each polarization state is weighted according to frequency components of the information obtained by the image-acquisition device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masao Sambongi
  • Publication number: 20170195540
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus is intended to find, even when shooting a subject having a depth, respective reflection characteristics of portions of the subject with high accuracy, and includes a high-luminance region extraction unit which extracts high-luminance regions having a higher luminance than a predetermined threshold value in a plurality of image signals obtained by irradiating the subject with light emitted from a known light source and shooting reflected light from the subject at a plurality of viewpoints, a local region extraction unit which extracts local regions respectively most focused on in the portions of the subject using the plurality of high-luminance regions, and a reflection characteristic estimation unit which estimates a reflection characteristic of the subject using respective light source characteristics of the high-luminance regions in the local regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Applicants: OLYMPUS CORPORATION, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION CHIBA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Masao SAMBONGI, Norimichi TSUMURA, Kaori BABA
  • Patent number: 9691802
    Abstract: Provided is an image-acquisition device including a first image-acquisition surface including a photoelectric conversion film capable of subjecting incident light to photoelectric conversion while transmitting some of the incident light; a second image-acquisition surface including a photoelectric conversion layer that subjects the incident light transmitted by the first image-acquisition surface to photoelectric conversion; and a polarizing filter that is disposed between the two image-acquisition surfaces and that extracts polarization information from the incident light transmitted by the first image-acquisition surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masao Sambongi, Kosei Tamiya
  • Patent number: 9658367
    Abstract: An image acquisition apparatus includes: an image acquisition lens that focuses light from a subject; an imaging device that detects an image signal by capturing the light focused by the image acquisition lens; and a microlens array that is provided between the imaging device and the image acquisition lens so that there is a space, in the direction of the optical axis, between the microlens array and a focal plane of the image acquisition lens, in which the microlens array is formed by setting, in an array in a direction intersecting the optical axis, a plurality of microlenses that each focus incident light to form an image in an imaging plane of the imaging device and that are of two or more types having an identical focal distance and different effective diameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masao Sambongi