Patents by Inventor Misa Kasahara

Misa Kasahara 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: 6757014
    Abstract: A pixel data outputting circuit outputs center and peripheral pixel data from a video signal. A difference calculation circuit calculates differences of the peripheral pixel data from the center pixel data. A correlation pixel data detecting circuit detects a portion of the peripheral data showing high correlation according to the differences and a threshold value. A counter counts the portion of the peripheral data showing high correlation. A selecting circuit responsive to the correlation pixel data detecting circuit selectively outputs a portion of the differences of the portion of the peripheral data. A summing circuit obtains a sum of the portion of the differences in accordance with the counting result. A dividing coefficient generating circuit generates a dividing coefficient of 2n according to the counting result. A dividing circuit divides the sum with the dividing coefficient. An adding circuit adds the dividing result to the center pixel data to generate an output video signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Misa Kasahara
  • Patent number: 6710818
    Abstract: A video signal including illumination flicker component is integrated at each of unit areas (horizontal lines) in a frame (field) of the video signal. The integrated level at each of the unit areas at the frame and the integrated level at the corresponding unit area of an adjacent frame are averaged. Dividing is effected between results of the averaging and integrating every unit area. It is judged whether flicker exists in the video signal by frequency-analyzing results of the dividing result at the unit areas. The unit area may be plural adjacent lines where flickering are negligible. The averaging circuit may be circulation type of or FIR filter. Threshold level for judging the flicker is changed according to a shutter speed control signal. Flicker compensation may be executed by controlling shutter speed or the AGC according to flicker judging result. A still condition at a block in a frame may be detected from the integration result at plural frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Misa Kasahara, Kenji Tabei, Makoto Sube
  • Patent number: 6687300
    Abstract: In a motion detection circuit, a difference signal between the video and one-frame delayed video signals is generated Edge signals are generated from the video and delayed video signals. Motion in a target pixel is judged from the interframe difference signal according to the edge signals. A motion judging circuit further includes an LPF and a selector for supplying an output of the LPF or the difference signal. The motion judging circuit includes a polarity deviation detecting circuit for judging the motion as moving in the presence of agreement of the polarities of all pixels at any of peripheral areas around the target pixel. The size of the peripheral areas are controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electic Industrial Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Yukio Fujita, Noriyoshi Kato, Misa Kasahara
  • Patent number: 6567468
    Abstract: In a motion detection circuit, a difference signal between the video and one-frame delayed video signals is generated. An Edge signal is generated from the video and delayed video signals. Motion in a target pixel is judged from the interframe difference signal according to the edge signal. A motion judging circuit further includes an LPF and a selector for supplying an output of the LPF or the difference signal. The motion judging circuit may further includes: a peripheral pixel comparing circuit (may be bypassed) for detecting motion at the pixel by checking polarities of the difference signal at an area around the target pixel; a majority detection circuit (may be bypassed) for detecting a majority of the results of the polarity deviation detection circuit to judge the motion with deviation to a side of stopping; and a polarity deviation detecting circuit for judging the motion as moving in the presence of agreement of the polarities of all pixels at any of peripheral areas around the target pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriyoshi Kato, Yukio Fujita, Misa Kasahara
  • Publication number: 20020172285
    Abstract: A counter counts the frame counts n of a video signal. A delay for generating a delayed video signal delayed by one frame. A motion detector detects a motion from the video and delayed video signals. A circular coefficient generator generates coefficients k and 1−k according to the detected motion. A first circuit generates a first circulation signal from the video signal according to n, k, and a pre-determined value N. A second circuit generates a second circulation signal from the delayed video signal according to k and n. A adder adds the first circulation signal to the second circulation signal. 0≦k≦1. In the first circuit, a first multiplier multiplies (1−k) by N which is a natural number more than one, a second multiplier multiplies an output of the first multiplier by the video signal, and a first switch outputs the video signal when n≦N and outputs an output of the second multiplier when n<N, to generate the first circulation signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 1999
    Publication date: November 21, 2002
    Inventors: MISA KASAHARA, YOSHIHIRO ISHIDA, YUKIO FUJITA, NORIYOSHI KATO
  • Patent number: 6459734
    Abstract: An interframe difference signal is generated from the video signal and its one-frame delayed video signal. A filter removes a carrier color signal from the interframe difference signal to output the interframe difference luminance signal. A first motion judging circuit judges a motion in the video signal at a target pixel from the interframe difference luminance signal to output a first motion judging result in accordance with a first edge detection signal. A second motion judging circuit judges a motion in the video signal at the target pixel from a luminance signal and the carrier signal in the interframe difference signal to output a second motion judging result in accordance with a second edge detection circuit. The first and second motion judging results are combined. A majority determining circuit determines majority of the combined result from adjacent Q pixels in accordance with a third edge detection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriyoshi Kato, Keiji Toyoda, Yukio Fujita, Toshiyuki Sano, Misa Kasahara
  • Patent number: 5926577
    Abstract: A video signal processing circuit for processing a video signal including a noise is disclosed which comprises: an edge enhancement signal generation circuit for generating an edge enhancement signal from the video signal; a noise reduction circuit for reducing a level of the noise to generate a noise reduced video signal; and an adder for adding the edge enhancement signal to the noise reduction video signal to output a processed video signal. The apparatus may further comprise an input terminal for receiving the video signal, wherein the edge enhancement signal generation circuit and the noise reduction circuit coupled to the input terminal are in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Misa Kasahara, Makoto Sube, Jun Ebisawa
  • Patent number: 5432563
    Abstract: An image contour enhancing apparatus capable of minimizing excessive enhancement of the image contour in an image area where both a horizontal contour enhancing signal and a vertical contour enhancing signal are generated in overlapping relation. In the image contour enhancing apparatus, an image contour enhancing signal produced by deriving a horizontal contour enhancing signal from a video input signal by a high-pass filter, deriving a vertical contour enhancing signal from the video input signal by another high-pass filter and by adding these contour enhancing signals is added by an adder to the video input signal to improve the sharpness of the image contour, and circuits are provided for making variable the signal level of the image contour enhancing signal in the image area where both the horizontal and vertical contour enhancing signals are generated in overlapping relation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Misa Kasahara