Patents by Inventor Shun Kaizu

Shun Kaizu 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: 12372346
    Abstract: The range-finding apparatus includes a light source, an optical receiver, a setting unit, a detector, and a calculation unit. The light source projects light with a first irradiation pattern in a first period and projects light with a second irradiation pattern in a second period. The optical receiver receives light to output a pixel signal. The setting unit sets a reference signal based on the pixel signal in the first period. The detector detects whether or not the pixel signal varies from the reference signal by a first value or more in the second period and outputs a first detection signal indicative of a result obtained by the detection. The calculation unit calculates a distance to a to-be-measured object using the first detection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2025
    Assignees: SONY GROUP CORPORATION, SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Akahane, Shun Kaizu, Yusuke Ikeda, Yasutaka Kimura, Shinichirou Etou, Takeshi Oyakawa, Naoto Nagaki, Eiji Hirata, Hiroshi Yuasa
  • Publication number: 20250240546
    Abstract: There is provided a solid-state imaging device, a method for driving the solid-state imaging device, and an electronic device that enable a solid-state imaging device capable of outputting a spatial difference to be realized at low cost. The solid-state imaging device includes: a pixel including a photoelectric conversion element, a first capacitive element, and a second capacitive element; a reading circuit shared by a plurality of the pixels including a first pixel and a second pixel; and a vertical scanning circuit configured to control the pixel and the reading circuit, in which the vertical scanning circuit performs first control of simultaneously reading signal levels of different capacitive elements of the first and second capacitive elements in the first pixel and the second pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2022
    Publication date: July 24, 2025
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Eiji HIRATA, Shun KAIZU
  • Publication number: 20250016464
    Abstract: In one example, a solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array with pixels arrayed in a matrix. The pixels include first pixels that respectively include a photoelectric conversion section that performs photoelectric conversion of incident light; a transfer transistor that controls transfer of a charge generated in the photoelectric conversion section; a floating diffusion region that accumulates the charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion section via the transfer transistor; and an amplification transistor that causes a voltage signal corresponding to the charge accumulated in the floating diffusion region to emerge in a signal line. The first pixels are arrayed in a first diagonal direction in the pixel array, and at least two of the first pixels arrayed in the first diagonal direction share one region defined as the floating diffusion region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Publication date: January 9, 2025
    Inventors: Shun Kaizu, Eiji Hirata
  • Patent number: 12192647
    Abstract: There is provided a signal processing device, a signal processing method, and a detection sensor that enable detection of flicker information from an output indicating a luminance change. The signal processing device includes: a count unit that counts a first count number, which is a count number of pixels in which a first luminance change in a positive direction is detected, and a second count number, which is a count number of pixels in which a second luminance change in a negative direction is detected, in an image output from alight receiving unit at a predetermined frame rate and indicating a luminance change; a coefficient generation unit that generates a coefficient corresponding to a time at which the luminance change is detected; and an integrating unit that integrates a multiplication result of the count number of the pixels and the coefficient. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an event detection sensor or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shun Kaizu, Takahiro Miyazaki
  • Publication number: 20240406577
    Abstract: A high-frequency image can be acquired at low computational cost at high speed. A polarization optical unit 20 separates incident light into first polarized light and second polarized light to perform optical low-pass filter processing on the first polarized light and combines the first polarized light subjected to the optical low-pass filter processing and the second polarized light not subjected to the optical low-pass filter processing to generate combined light. A polarization image acquisition unit 30 includes a first polarizing pixel that generates pixel information on the first polarization image and a second polarizing pixel that generates pixel information on the second polarization image on the basis of the combined light. An image processing unit 40 performs a difference computation between the first polarization image and the second polarization image acquired by the polarization image acquisition unit 30 to generates the high-frequency image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2022
    Publication date: December 5, 2024
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Yuhi KONDO, Shun KAIZU, Eiji HIRATA, Teppei KURITA, Taishi ONO, Legong SUN
  • Patent number: 12101583
    Abstract: An information generation unit 30 acquires, from a polarization imaging unit 20, observation values in which polarization directions are at least three or more directions (m?3). A noise amount calculation unit 35-1 calculates an amount of noise on the basis of an observation value in a first polarization direction. Similarly, noise amount calculation units 35-2 to 35-m calculate amounts of noise on the basis of observation values in second to m-th polarization directions. A polarization model estimation unit 36 estimates a polarization model by using the observation values for the respective polarization directions and the amounts of noise calculated by the noise amount calculation units 35-1 to 35-m. Thus, it is possible to calculate a polarization model that is robust against noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hajime Mihara, Shun Kaizu, Teppei Kurita, Yasutaka Hirasawa
  • Patent number: 12096137
    Abstract: There is provided a signal processing device, a signal processing method, and a detection sensor that makes it possible to detect flicker information from an output indicating a luminance change. The signal processing device includes: a change detection unit that detects a first luminance change in a positive direction and a second luminance change in a negative direction among luminance changes detected by a light receiving unit; a coefficient generation unit that generates a coefficient depending on a time at which the luminance change is detected; and an integration unit that integrates a result of multiplication of the first luminance change and the coefficient and integrates a result of multiplication of the second luminance change and the coefficient. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an event detection sensor and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shun Kaizu
  • Patent number: 12088956
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a first generator and a second generator. The first generator generates projection images correspondingly to respective monochromatic projectors of a plurality of monochromatic projectors using respective correction parameters, each projection image including a first pixel region that includes a content image, and a second pixel region that is a region other than the first pixel region, the second pixel region including a feature-point image in at least a portion of the second pixel region. The second generator detects the feature-point image in a captured image obtained by capturing the projection image projected by each of the plurality of monochromatic projectors, and generates the correction parameter on the basis of a result of the detection of the feature-point image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eiji Hirata, Shun Kaizu
  • Publication number: 20240114255
    Abstract: There is provided a signal processing device, a signal processing method, and a detection sensor that makes it possible to detect flicker information from an output indicating a luminance change. The signal processing device includes: a change detection unit that detects a first luminance change in a positive direction and a second luminance change in a negative direction among luminance changes detected by a light receiving unit; a coefficient generation unit that generates a coefficient depending on a time at which the luminance change is detected; and an integration unit that integrates a result of multiplication of the first luminance change and the coefficient and integrates a result of multiplication of the second luminance change and the coefficient. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an event detection sensor and the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicant: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shun KAIZU
  • Patent number: 11847762
    Abstract: A polarization imaging unit generates, as polarization information, a polarization image including pixels in a plurality of polarization directions. An interpolation processing unit of an information processor performs interpolation processing using the polarization image obtained from the polarization imaging unit, and generates a polarization image for each polarization method. A polarization degree calculation unit calculates, for example, a polarization degree for each pixel as object surface information on the basis of the polarization image for each polarization method. A noise amount calculation unit calculates a noise amount for each pixel on the basis of the polarization image for each polarization method and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Teppei Kurita, Shun Kaizu, Yasutaka Hirasawa, Yuhi Kondo
  • Patent number: 11818475
    Abstract: The present technology relates to image data processing devices, image data processing methods, and programs. A frame data generation unit generates first frame data based on event data indicating a variation in an electrical signal of a pixel generating the electrical signal by performing photoelectric conversion during a first accumulation time from a first frame generation start time to a first frame generation end time, and second frame data based on event data occurring during a second accumulation time from a second frame generation start time to a second frame generation end time. A first frame period from the first frame generation start time to the second frame generation start time is set and supplied to the frame data generation unit. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a case where a frame data is generated from an event data output from a dynamic vision sensor (DVS).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Motonari Honda, Shun Kaizu
  • Publication number: 20230262193
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a first generator and a second generator. The first generator generates projection images correspondingly to respective monochromatic projectors of a plurality of monochromatic projectors using respective correction parameters, each projection image including a first pixel region that includes a content image, and a second pixel region that is a region other than the first pixel region, the second pixel region including a feature-point image in at least a portion of the second pixel region. The second generator detects the feature-point image in a captured image obtained by capturing the projection image projected by each of the plurality of monochromatic projectors, and generates the correction parameter on the basis of a result of the detection of the feature-point image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Eiji HIRATA, Shun KAIZU
  • Publication number: 20230217117
    Abstract: There is provided a signal processing device, a signal processing method, and a detection sensor that enable detection of flicker information from an output indicating a luminance change. The signal processing device includes: a count unit that counts a first count number, which is a count number of pixels in which a first luminance change in a positive direction is detected, and a second count number, which is a count number of pixels in which a second luminance change in a negative direction is detected, in an image output from alight receiving unit at a predetermined frame rate and indicating a luminance change; a coefficient generation unit that generates a coefficient corresponding to a time at which the luminance change is detected; and an integrating unit that integrates a multiplication result of the count number of the pixels and the coefficient. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an event detection sensor or the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Applicant: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shun KAIZU, Takahiro MIYAZAKI
  • Patent number: 11663831
    Abstract: A polarized image acquisition section 11a acquires a polarized image of a target object having one or more polarization directions. A polarization parameter acquisition section 12-1 calculates the average brightness ? of a polarization model on the basis of a non-polarized image subjected to sensitivity correction. Further, the polarization parameter acquisition section 12-1 calculates the amplitude ? of the polarization model on the basis of the calculated average brightness ?, pre-stored information regarding the zenith angle ? of the normal line of the target object, a refractive index r, and reflectance property information indicative of whether a subject is diffuse reflection or specular reflection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hajime Mihara, Shun Kaizu, Teppei Kurita, Yuhi Kondo, Yasutaka Hirasawa
  • Patent number: 11642431
    Abstract: Provided is an information processing apparatus that is worn on a user's body for use. The information processing apparatus includes a sensor, a communication section, a control section, a power supply section, a housing section, a sticking section, and a sticking sensor. The control section controls the sensor and the communication section. The housing section accommodates the sensor, the communication section, the control section, and the power supply section. The sticking section fastens the housing section to the user. The sticking sensor detects a state of sticking between the user and the housing on the sticking section. The control section wirelessly sends a given signal to external equipment via the communication section in response to detection, by the sticking sensor, of the fact that the sticking section has peeled off from the user or is just about to peel off from the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Go Igarashi, Junya Suzuki, Shun Kaizu, Yusuke Otani, Yuto Ishizu
  • Publication number: 20230104085
    Abstract: The range-finding apparatus (1) includes a light source (200), an optical receiver (1103), a setting unit (100), a detector (1100), and a calculation unit (300). The light source (200) projects light with a first irradiation pattern in a first period and projects light with a second irradiation pattern in a second period. The optical receiver (1103) receives light to output a pixel signal. The setting unit (100) sets a reference signal on the basis of the pixel signal in the first period. The detector (1100) detects whether or not the pixel signal varies from the reference signal by a first value or more in the second period and outputs a first detection signal indicative of a result obtained by the detection. The calculation unit (300) calculates a distance to a to-be-measured object using the first detection signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventors: TAKAHIRO AKAHANE, SHUN KAIZU, YUSUKE IKEDA, YASUTAKA KIMURA, SHINICHIROU ETOU, TAKESHI OYAKAWA, NAOTO NAGAKI, EIJI HIRATA, HIROSHI YUASA
  • Publication number: 20230074464
    Abstract: The range-finding apparatus (1) includes an optical receiver (110), a light source unit (200), a converter (134), and a calculation unit (300). The optical receiver (110) receives light to output a pixel signal. The light source unit (200) projects light with a first irradiation pattern in a first period and projects light with a second irradiation pattern in a second period. The converter (134) sequentially converts the pixel signal bit by bit using binary search to output a first digital signal and a second digital signal, the first digital signal being output by performing the conversion with a first bit width in the first period, the second digital signal being output by performing the conversion with a second bit width in the second period, the second bit width being less than the first bit width. The calculation unit (300) calculates a distance on the basis of the first digital signal and the second digital signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Inventors: TAKAHIRO AKAHANE, YUSUKE IKEDA, SHUN KAIZU, EIJI HIRATA, HIROSHI YUASA, SHINICHIROU ETOU, YASUTAKA KIMURA, TAKESHI OYAKAWA, NAOKI YOSHIMOCHI
  • Publication number: 20220413144
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a signal processing device, a signal processing method, and a distance measurement device capable of preventing erroneous detection of the number of cycles N in a method of resolving ambiguity of the number of cycles N on the basis of a result of distance measurement using two frequencies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Applicant: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hajime MIHARA, Shun KAIZU
  • Publication number: 20220317269
    Abstract: There is provided a signal processing device, a signal processing method, and a ranging module that enable appropriate exposure control. A parameter determination unit of the ranging module determines an exposure control parameter on the basis of an evaluation index using distance information and luminance information calculated from a detection signal of a light reception unit. The present technology may be applied to, for example, a ranging module that performs ranging by an indirect ToF method and the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hajime MIHARA, Shun KAIZU
  • Publication number: 20220268942
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a light receiving device capable of expanding a measurement range, and a method of driving the light receiving device. The light receiving device includes a pixel having a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light to generate charges, a first charge accumulation unit that accumulates first charges generated in the photoelectric conversion unit for a first charge accumulation time, and a second charge accumulation unit that accumulates second charges generated in the photoelectric conversion unit for a second accumulation time different from the first accumulation time. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a ranging module that performs ranging using the indirect ToF method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: SHUN KAIZU, HAJIME MIHARA