Patents by Inventor Naoki Ohkouchi
Naoki Ohkouchi 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: 10939060Abstract: An image sensor that captures an image of light from a predetermined depth of a subject, includes: a photoelectric converter that photoelectrically converts light including interference light of light from the subject and reference light; a discrimination unit that locks in and detects a signal component having an interference frequency in an interference light component corresponding to the predetermined depth from a signal output from the photoelectric converter; and a floating diffusion unit that temporarily accumulates an electric charge resulting from the photoelectric conversion by the photoelectric converter; wherein: the discrimination unit includes: a transfer unit that transfers the signal to the floating diffusion unit; and a sampling unit that samples the electric charge accumulated in the floating diffusion unit at a sampling frequency determined based on the interference frequency.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2018Date of Patent: March 2, 2021Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Naoki Ohkouchi
-
Publication number: 20200106969Abstract: Provided is an imaging device including a light receiving portion including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a two-dimensional manner, and a spectral filter including a storage portion that stores a substance composed of a fluid or a gas, an inflow portion through which the substance flows into the storage portion, and an outflow portion through which the substance flows out from the storage portion, the spectral filter having a spectral characteristic corresponding to a refractive index of the substance, the spectral filter being each provided for one or more of the photoelectric conversion elements.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 3, 2019Publication date: April 2, 2020Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Madoka NISHIYAMA, Yoshiyuki WATANABE, Naoki OHKOUCHI, Hiroyuki TSUKAMOTO
-
Publication number: 20200098961Abstract: An imaging device having a multiband is provided. The imaging device includes a first photoelectric conversion element; a second photoelectric conversion element; a fixed mirror and a first moving mirror provided in correspondence to the first photoelectric conversion element and having reflective surfaces respectively facing each other with a first interval; a fixed mirror and a second moving mirror provided in correspondence to the second photoelectric conversion element and having reflective surfaces respectively facing each other with a second interval, the second moving mirror being coupled to the first moving mirror; and a driving member configured to move the first moving mirror and the second moving mirror relative to the fixed mirror.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 29, 2019Publication date: March 26, 2020Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Madoka NISHIYAMA, Naoki OHKOUCHI, Yoshiyuki WATANABE, Kiyoshige SHIBAZAKI, Yasuhiro SAKATA
-
Patent number: 10291831Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus including as image acquiring section that acquires a plurality of images obtained by imaging, at different times, a subject irradiated with lights intensity-modulated with a plurality of modulation frequencies or modulation frequency bands; and a demodulating section that demodulates pixel values of the plurality of images with a plurality of demodulation frequencies or demodulation frequency bands based on the plurality of modulation frequencies or modulation frequency bands, for each pixel, thereby generating a plurality of pieces of pixel information indicating subject light amounts from the subject caused by each of the lights intensity-modulated with the plurality of modulation frequencies or modulation frequency bands, for each pixel.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2017Date of Patent: May 14, 2019Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Wataru Funamizu, Hiroshi Ohki, Shigeru Aoki, Naoki Ohkouchi, Toru Takagi, Yojiro Tezuka, Sota Nakanishi
-
Publication number: 20180262702Abstract: An image sensor that captures an image of light from a predetermined depth of a subject, includes: a photoelectric converter that photoelectrically converts light including interference light of light from the subject and reference light; a discrimination unit that locks in and detects a signal component having an interference frequency in an interference light component corresponding to the predetermined depth from a signal output from the photoelectric converter; and a floating diffusion unit that temporarily accumulates an electric charge resulting from the photoelectric conversion by the photoelectric converter; wherein: the discrimination unit includes: a transfer unit that transfers the signal to the floating diffusion unit; and a sampling unit that samples the electric charge accumulated in the floating diffusion unit at a sampling frequency determined based on the interference frequency.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2018Publication date: September 13, 2018Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Naoki OHKOUCHI
-
Publication number: 20180020143Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus including as image acquiring section that acquires a plurality of images obtained by imaging, at different times, a subject irradiated with lights intensity-modulated with a plurality of modulation frequencies or modulation frequency bands; and a demodulating section that demodulates pixel values of the plurality of images with a plurality of demodulation frequencies or demodulation frequency bands based on the plurality of modulation frequencies or modulation frequency bands, for each pixel, thereby generating a plurality of pieces of pixel information indicating subject light amounts from the subject caused by each of the lights intensity-modulated with the plurality of modulation frequencies or modulation frequency bands, for each pixel.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2017Publication date: January 18, 2018Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Wataru FUNAMIZU, Hiroshi OHKI, Shigeru AOKI, Naoki OHKOUCHI, Toru TAKAGI, Yojiro TEZUKA, Sota NAKANISHI
-
Patent number: 8159580Abstract: Providing a solid-state imaging device having a degree of freedom capable of changing which of the pixels functions as a pixel having a photoelectric converter portion bisected in which direction. When a gate electrode 67 is high and a gate electrode 68 is high, photodiodes 31 through 34 are electrically connected each other. When the gate electrode 67 is high and the gate electrode 68 is low, photodiodes 31 and 32, and photodiodes 33 and 34 are electrically connected each other. On the other hand, photodiodes 31 and 33, and photodiodes 32 and 34 are electrically separated. When the gate electrode 67 is low and the gate electrode 68 is high, photodiodes 31 and 32, and photodiodes 33 and 34 are electrically separated. On the other hand, photodiodes 31 and 33, and photodiodes 32 and 34 are electrically connected with each other.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2008Date of Patent: April 17, 2012Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Satoshi Suzuki, Yojiro Tezuka, Naoki Ohkouchi
-
Publication number: 20090086063Abstract: Providing a solid-state imaging device having a degree of freedom capable of changing which of the pixels functions as a pixel having a photoelectric converter portion bisected in which direction. When a gate electrode 67 is high and a gate electrode 68 is high, photodiodes 31 through 34 are electrically connected each other. When the gate electrode 67 is high and the gate electrode 68 is low, photodiodes 31 and 32, and photodiodes 33 and 34 are electrically connected each other. On the other hand, photodiodes 31 and 33, and photodiodes 32 and 34 are electrically separated. When the gate electrode 67 is low and the gate electrode 68 is high, photodiodes 31 and 32, and photodiodes 33 and 34 are electrically separated. On the other hand, photodiodes 31 and 33, and photodiodes 32 and 34 are electrically connected with each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 2, 2008Publication date: April 2, 2009Inventors: Satoshi SUZUKI, Yojiro TEZUKA, Naoki OHKOUCHI
-
Patent number: 6690049Abstract: The present invention provides a solid-state image sensor wherein the color shading is decreased, and/or a solid-state image sensor wherein the shading effect is outstanding. Moreover, the invention provides a digital camera having the solid-state image sensor. The solid-state image sensor of the present invention has color filters and/or apertures of a light blocking layer, and the center of the color filters and/or the center of the apertures of the light blocking layer is offset with respect to the center of a light-receiving part, in the direction to the center of a valid cell area. In each photodetecting cell of a preferred solid-state image sensor, micro-lenses are further placed on the light-receiving side of the solid-state image sensor, and preferably, the center of the micro-lens is similarly offset with respect to the center of the light-receiving part. Also, the digital camera is mounted with an above-described solid-state image sensor.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2002Date of Patent: February 10, 2004Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Satoshi Suzuki, Naoki Ohkouchi
-
Publication number: 20030071271Abstract: The present invention provides a solid-state image sensor wherein the color shading is decreased, and/or a solid-state image sensor wherein the shading effect is outstanding. Moreover, the invention provides a digital camera having the solid-state image sensor. The solid-state image sensor of the present invention has color filters and/or apertures of a light blocking layer, and the center of the color filters and/or the center of the apertures of the light blocking layer is offset with respect to the center of a light-receiving part, in the direction to the center of a valid cell area. In each photodetecting cell of a preferred solid-state image sensor, micro-lenses are further placed on the light-receiving side of the solid-state image sensor, and preferably, the center of the micro-lens is similarly offset with respect to the center of the light-receiving part. Also, the digital camera is mounted with an above-described solid-state image sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2002Publication date: April 17, 2003Inventors: Satoshi Suzuki, Naoki Ohkouchi
-
Patent number: 6518640Abstract: The present invention provides a solid-state image sensor wherein the color shading is decreased, and/or a solid-state image sensor wherein the shading effect is outstanding. Moreover, the invention provides a digital camera having the solid-state image sensor. The solid-state image sensor of the present invention has color filters and/or apertures of a light blocking layer, and the center of the color filters and/or the center of the apertures of the light blocking layer is offset with respect to the center of a light-receiving part, in the direction to the center of a valid cell area. In each photodetecting cell of a preferred solid-state image sensor, micro-lenses are further placed on the light-receiving side of the solid-state image sensor, and preferably, the center of the micro-lens is similarly offset with respect to the center of the light-receiving part. Also, the digital camera is mounted with an above-described solid-state image sensor.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2000Date of Patent: February 11, 2003Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Satoshi Suzuki, Naoki Ohkouchi
-
Publication number: 20010039061Abstract: The present invention provides a solid-state image sensor wherein the color shading is decreased, and/or a solid-state image sensor wherein the shading effect is outstanding. Moreover, the invention provides a digital camera having the solid-state image sensor. The solid-state image sensor of the present invention has color filters and/or apertures of a light blocking layer, and the center of the color filters and/or the center of the apertures of the light blocking layer is offset with respect to the center of a light-receiving part, in the direction to the center of a valid cell area. In each photodetecting cell of a preferred solid-state image sensor, micro-lenses are further placed on the light-receiving side of the solid-state image sensor, and preferably, the center of the micro-lens is similarly offset with respect to the center of the light-receiving part. Also, the digital camera is mounted with an above-described solid-state image sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2000Publication date: November 8, 2001Inventors: Satoshi Suzuki, Naoki Ohkouchi
-
Patent number: 6046466Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device suitable for use as an element of a photodetector array includes a photodiode for generating a first signal charge in response to incident light, an output unit including a JFET, and at least one transistor having an electrode that generates a second signal charge in response to incident light. The first and second signal charges may be output separately or combined. The second signal charge, or the first and second signal charges combined, may be monitored during an exposure time to determine the desired end of the exposure. An image sensor array may have one or more pixels with such light monitoring capability. The output signal for monitoring the light may be output over a reset drain interconnection, directly from the monitoring pixel or through other pixels via inter-pixel MOSFETS. Exposure time may be controlled, by timing a shutter or a strobe or the like, based on the monitored accumulation of signal charge during exposure.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 1998Date of Patent: April 4, 2000Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Tomohisa Ishida, Naoki Ohkouchi, Satoshi Suzuki, Masahiro Juen, Tadao Isogai