Patents by Inventor Masataka Ide
Masataka Ide 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).
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Patent number: 7864240Abstract: There is disclosed an imaging apparatus for displaying a live view image, in which an enlargement ratio of the live view image dynamically changes according to changes in in-focus state of a subject.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2007Date of Patent: January 4, 2011Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.Inventors: Masataka Ide, Hisayuki Matsumoto
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Patent number: 7825978Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of preventing the degradation of image quality associated with a temperature rise in an image pickup device despite that an electronic viewfinder is usable. An imaging apparatus including an image pickup device for capturing a subject image to acquire it as image data and capable of viewing a subject by selecting either of a first finder mode for optical viewing of the subject image and a second finder mode for displaying the image data on a display unit to allow viewing of the image data, the imaging apparatus comprises: a temperature detection circuit for measuring the temperature of the image pickup device; a finder mode switching instruction part for switching between the first finder mode and the second finder mode; and a controller for inhibiting switching from the first finder mode to the second finder mode performed by the finder mode switching instruction part when the temperature exceeds a first threshold.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2008Date of Patent: November 2, 2010Assignee: Olympus Imaging CorporationInventors: Junichi Ito, Masataka Ide, Takeru Hokkezu
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Patent number: 7750970Abstract: The present invention provides a distance-measuring device has an AF area sensor that includes an image pick up element formed on a semiconductor substrate for receiving two images having a parallax therebetween, and a photo reception signal processing circuit formed on the semiconductor substrate for processing signals corresponding to light received by the image pick up element. On the basis of sensor data (outline data) obtained by integration executed in the AF area sensor in an outline detection mode, the distance-measuring device detects a main subject in a photography screen, sets a distance-measuring area including the main subject, and measures a distance to the main subject.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2007Date of Patent: July 6, 2010Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Masataka Ide, Osamu Nonaka
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Patent number: 7711260Abstract: There is disclosed a digital camera which detects a focus of a lens unit by a method selected from a plurality of focus detection methods based on information on the lens unit taken from the lens unit attached to the digital camera. As an example of a focus detection method, there is a method by a phase difference system or a contrast system, but the method is not limited to this example.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 2007Date of Patent: May 4, 2010Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.Inventors: Masataka Ide, Hisayuki Matsumoto
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Patent number: 7697830Abstract: A digital camera includes a phase difference AF sensor unit, phase difference AF detection unit, contrast AF detection unit, lens driving unit which focuses a taking lens, shading determination unit which determines based on lens information of the taking lens whether focus detection by the phase difference AF sensor unit is possible, and an AF control unit. The AF control unit cause the lens driving unit to focus the taking lens based on a focus detection result of the phase difference AF detection unit when the shading determination unit determines that the focus detection by the phase difference AF sensor unit is possible, and causes the lens driving unit to focus the taking lens based on a focus detection result of the contrast AF detection unit when the shading determination unit determines that the focus detection by the phase difference AF sensor unit is not possible.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2007Date of Patent: April 13, 2010Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.Inventors: Masataka Ide, Koichi Nakata
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Patent number: 7593631Abstract: In a camera having a focusing device, the direction of moving a focus lens included in a photographing lens is varied depending on the defocus state with reference to a specific position (e.g., reverse point) of the focus lens. For example, a camera having a defocus-amount detection part for detecting the defocus amount of the photographing lens, a focus-lens position detecting part for detecting the position of the focus lens, and a memory element for storing a specific position of the focus lens, comprises a focus-lens moving mechanism for moving the focus lens by inverting the correspondence between the defocus direction output from the defocus-amount detection part and the focus-lens moving direction according to the output of the focus-lens position detecting part and the output of the memory element.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2006Date of Patent: September 22, 2009Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.Inventor: Masataka Ide
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Patent number: 7580628Abstract: The present invention realizes efficient dust removal in an optical apparatus in such a manner that a single circuit drives a plurality of dust reduction optical elements to vibrate. When the optical elements have different resonance frequencies, it can be configured such that the vibration exciting frequency can be changed in a range including the resonance frequencies of all the optical elements. In this case, the optical element driven can also be switched according to the change in frequency so that only the optical element having a resonance frequency close to the driving frequency will be driven. Alternatively, it can be configured such that the driving time or applied voltage can be changed according to the characteristics of the optical element driven.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2006Date of Patent: August 25, 2009Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.Inventors: Masataka Ide, Junichi Ito
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Patent number: 7486326Abstract: An optical apparatus having dust-off function comprises a dust-off filter located in the vicinity of an optical electronic device such as an image-pickup element, an image display element, or the like. An optical apparatus includes a mechanism that controls vibrating operation so that the frequency of vibration waves generated in the filter changes with the passage of time. An optical apparatus includes first vibrator for successive vibration with frequencies, a circuit monitoring the state of vibration of the optical element during vibrating operation of the first vibrator, thereby detecting the resonance frequency of the element, and second vibrator for vibration with the detected resonance frequency or a frequency approximate to it. An optical apparatus includes monitor for monitoring the state of vibration of the filter and a circuit for detecting abnormal states in accordance with output signals from the electrode.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2004Date of Patent: February 3, 2009Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Junichi Ito, Hiroyuki Takizawa, Masataka Ide, Sumio Kawai
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Publication number: 20090009617Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of preventing the degradation of image quality associated with a temperature rise in an image pickup device despite that an electronic viewfinder is usable. An imaging apparatus including an image pickup device for capturing a subject image to acquire it as image data and capable of viewing a subject by selecting either of a first finder mode for optical viewing of the subject image and a second finder mode for displaying the image data on a display unit to allow viewing of the image data, the imaging apparatus comprises: a temperature detection circuit for measuring the temperature of the image pickup device; a finder mode switching instruction part for switching between the first finder mode and the second finder mode; and a controller for inhibiting switching from the first finder mode to the second finder mode performed by the finder mode switching instruction part when the temperature exceeds a first threshold.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2008Publication date: January 8, 2009Applicant: Olympus Imaging Corp.Inventors: Junichi Ito, Masataka Ide, Takeru Hokkezu
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Patent number: 7450171Abstract: The present invention provides a distance-measuring device has an AF area sensor that includes an image pick up element formed on a semiconductor substrate for receiving two images having a parallax therebetween, and a photo reception signal processing circuit formed on the semiconductor substrate for processing signals corresponding to light received by the image pick up element. On the basis of sensor data (outline data) obtained by integration executed in the AF area sensor in an outline detection mode, the distance-measuring device detects a main subject in a photography screen, sets a distance-measuring area including the main subject, and measures a distance to the main subject.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2003Date of Patent: November 11, 2008Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Masataka Ide, Osamu Nonaka
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Patent number: 7440690Abstract: An output from an auto focus sensor is converted into a digital signal by an A/D converting section, and an output from the A/C converting section is stored in a memory section. Further, a second AF arithmetic section is used to concurrently execute a plurality of focus detection arithmetic operations based on data in the memory section.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2005Date of Patent: October 21, 2008Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventor: Masataka Ide
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Publication number: 20080074531Abstract: There is disclosed an imaging apparatus for displaying a live view image, in which an enlargement ratio of the live view image dynamically changes according to changes in in-focus state of a subject.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2007Publication date: March 27, 2008Inventors: Masataka Ide, Hisayuki Matsumoto
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Publication number: 20070269197Abstract: There is disclosed a digital camera which detects a focus of a lens unit by a method selected from a plurality of focus detection methods based on information on the lens unit taken from the lens unit attached to the digital camera. As an example of a focus detection method, there is a method by a phase difference system or a contrast system, but the method is not limited to this example.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 9, 2007Publication date: November 22, 2007Inventors: Masataka Ide, Hisayuki Matsumoto
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Publication number: 20070258708Abstract: A camera system according to this invention comprises an interchangeable lens unit, an intermediate adapter, and a camera body unit. An AF sensor detects the defocus amount of the interchangeable lens unit. The interchangeable lens unit incorporates a data storage section. The data storage section stores first AF correction data and second AF correction data. The first AF correction data is determined by the optical characteristic of the interchangeable lens and associated with the type of the light source illuminating the object of photography. The second AF correction data is determined by the optical characteristic of a system composed of the interchangeable lens and the intermediate adapter and associated with the type of the light source illuminating the object of photography.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2007Publication date: November 8, 2007Inventor: Masataka Ide
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Publication number: 20070230937Abstract: A digital camera includes a phase difference AF sensor unit, phase difference AF detection unit, contrast AF detection unit, lens driving unit which focuses a taking lens, shading determination unit which determines based on lens information of the taking lens whether focus detection by the phase difference AF sensor unit is possible, and an AF control unit. The AF control unit causes the lens driving unit to focus the taking lens based on a focus detection result of the phase difference AF detection unit when the shading determination unit determines that the focus detection by the phase difference AF sensor unit is possible, and causes the lens driving unit to focus the taking lens based on a focus detection result of the contrast AF detection unit when the shading determination unit determines that the focus detection by the phase difference AF sensor unit is not possible.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2007Publication date: October 4, 2007Applicant: Olympus Imaging Corp.Inventors: Masataka Ide, Koichi Nakata
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Publication number: 20070195191Abstract: The present invention provides a distance-measuring device has an AF area sensor that includes an image pick up element formed on a semiconductor substrate for receiving two images having a parallax therebetween, and a photo reception signal processing circuit formed on the semiconductor substrate for processing signals corresponding to light received by the image pick up element. On the basis of sensor data (outline data) obtained by integration executed in the AF area sensor in an outline detection mode, the distance-measuring device detects a main subject in a photography screen, sets a distance-measuring area including the main subject, and measures a distance to the main subject.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 13, 2007Publication date: August 23, 2007Inventors: Masataka Ide, Osamu Nonaka
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Patent number: 7260322Abstract: A camera system according to this invention comprises an interchangeable lens unit, an intermediate adapter, and a camera body unit. An AF sensor detects the defocus amount of the interchangeable lens unit. The interchangeable lens unit incorporates a data storage section. The data storage section stores first AF correction data and second AF correction data. The first AF correction data is determined by the optical characteristic of the interchangeable lens and associated with the type of the light source illuminating the object of photography. The second AF correction data is determined by the optical characteristic of a system composed of the interchangeable lens and the intermediate adapter and associated with the type of the light source illuminating the object of photography.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2005Date of Patent: August 21, 2007Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Masataka Ide, Hideyasu Takato
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Patent number: 7215372Abstract: An optical apparatus (camera) having dust-off function comprises a dust-off glass (optical element) located between an image-pickup element and optical system (lens) for forming an image on the light receiving surface of the element. A camera includes a mechanism (piezoelectric element and drive circuit) that controls vibrating operation so that the frequency of vibration waves generated in the glass changes with the passage of time. A camera includes first vibrator (piezoelectric element) for successive vibration with frequencies, a circuit monitoring the state of vibration of the optical element during vibrating operation of the first vibrator, thereby detecting the resonance frequency of the element, and second vibrator (piezoelectric element) for vibration with the detected resonance frequency or a frequency approximate to it.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2002Date of Patent: May 8, 2007Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Junichi Ito, Hiroyuki Takizawa, Masataka Ide, Sumio Kawai
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Patent number: 7164445Abstract: An operating condition judging circuit judges a supply voltage level of a power supply source. A controller controls a frequency of sweep-out of unnecessary charge in the imaging element based on an output level of the power supply source for reducing peak consumed current and power consumption and thereby extending battery life.Type: GrantFiled: February 5, 2002Date of Patent: January 16, 2007Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Takayuki Kijima, Masataka Ide
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Publication number: 20060285842Abstract: In a camera having a focusing device, the direction of moving a focus lens included in a photographing lens is varied depending on the defocus state with reference to a specific position (e.g., reverse point) of the focus lens. For example, a camera having a defocus-amount detection part for detecting the defocus amount of the photographing lens, a focus-lens position detecting part for detecting the position of the focus lens, and a memory element for storing a specific position of the focus lens, comprises a focus-lens moving mechanism for moving the focus lens by inverting the correspondence between the defocus direction output from the defocus-amount detection part and the focus-lens moving direction according to the output of the focus-lens position detecting part and the output of the memory element.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 7, 2006Publication date: December 21, 2006Inventor: Masataka Ide