Patents by Inventor Tetsujiro Kondo

Tetsujiro Kondo 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: 7710461
    Abstract: A motion-vector-setting section (31) sets a first motion vector in units of pixel in a target image. An exposure-time-ratio-setting section (32) sets in units of image an exposure time ratio that is a ratio between a time interval of the target image and a period of exposure time. A motion-blur-amount-setting section (33) sets a motion blur amount in units of pixel based on the exposure time ratio and the first motion vector. Based on the motion amount, a processing-region-setting section (36) sets processing regions as well as a processing-coefficient-setting section (37) sets processing coefficients. A pixel-value-generating section (38) generates pixel values that correspond to the target pixel from pixel values in the processing region and the processing coefficients. A motion-blur-adding section (41) adds a motion blur to an image containing the pixel value generated based on an input second motion vector and the first motion vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Nagano, Tetsujiro Kondo, Tsutomu Watanabe, Junichi Ishibashi, Hisakazu Shiraki, Naoki Fujiwara, Masanori Kanemaru, Shinichiro Kaneko, Yasuhiro Suto
  • Patent number: 7710498
    Abstract: A motion vector detection section detects a motion vector by using an image that is made up of multiple pixels and acquired by an image sensor having time integration effects. A time resolution creation section generates an image that has a higher time resolution by using the detected motion vector and the image made up of the multiple pixels. A motion-blurring-mitigated image generation section generates a motion-blurring-mitigated image in which motion blurring of a moving object is mitigated by using the detected motion vector on the assumption that a pixel value of pixel of the moving object in the image is a value obtained by integrating, in a time direction, a pixel value of each pixel in which no motion blurring that corresponds to the moving object occur as it is moved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Masanori Kanemaru
  • Patent number: 7706446
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus detecting a noise area in image data generated by decoding encoded data encoded by a frequency transform method and a lossy compression method. The image processing apparatus includes a motion detection unit for detecting motion in an area having at least one pixel in the image data, a deviation detection unit for detecting the deviation of the image motion in the area having at least one pixel, and a noise detection unit for detecting the noise area in accordance with the deviation of the image motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiko Hamamatsu, Tetsujiro Kondo, Hideo Nakaya
  • Publication number: 20100097466
    Abstract: A feature extracting unit obtains sensor data from a plurality of sensors to calculate each feature. When an event determining unit determines the occurrence of an event based on each feature, a display data constructor generates remote-controller display data for displaying the event, and controls a remote-controller display device to display the remote-controller display data. When a user decision is input from a user input IF based on this display, a control unit controls the sensors to be turned ON or OFF. When an infrared sensor detects an abnormality, a microwave sensor whose power consumption is small after the infrared sensor is turned ON. When the microwave sensor detects an abnormality, a video camera and a microphone are turned ON, and the microwave sensor is turned OFF. A communication unit wirelessly transmits an image signal captured by the video camera and an audio signal processed by the microphone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro KONDO, Naoki KOBAYASHI, Yasuhiro FUJIMORI, Yasuaki TAKAHASHI, Koji OHTA, Naoki TAKEDA
  • Publication number: 20100098344
    Abstract: A group of input image data is determined based on the distance between images of a number of representative faces, prepared from plural templates, and the input image data (correlative values C1 to C5). The number of representative faces is smaller than the number of the templates. An angle of the input image is calculated based on the so-determined group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Junichi Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 7697605
    Abstract: A signal transmitting/receiving system and method, signal transmitting apparatus and method, signal processing apparatus and method, recording medium, and program are provided. A signal transmitting/receiving system includes a transmitter configured to transmit signals; and a receiver configured to receive the signals transmitted from the transmitter. The transmitter transmits signals using a first signal having an edge at a position that is 1/n from the beginning of a unit segment and a second signal having an edge at a position of (n?1)/n from the beginning of a unit segment, where n is an integer greater than or equal to three, one of the first signal and the second signal representing logic “0” and the other representing logic “1”. The receiver determines a signal type based on a length of an edge interval of either rising edges or falling edges of the signals received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Machimura, Masaaki Hattori, Hiroto Kimura, Ryosuke Araki, Tetsujiro Kondo, Takashi Tago, Seiji Wada, Takashi Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 7697732
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for generating a plurality of facial image templates for a plurality of face classes is provided. An input facial image and a plurality of facial image templates are received, where each facial image template of the facial image templates is previously generated for each face class of the face classes. A correlation between the input facial image and each facial image template is determined such that the input facial image is classified into one of the face classes based on the determined correlation between the input facial image and each facial image template. A plurality of facial image templates representing orientations of the input facial images is then generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Junichi Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 7697775
    Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus and method perform appropriate correction of image blurring in accordance with an image characteristic. In the apparatus, a user interface designates a blurring parameter, and a control signal generating unit generates a control signal corresponding to the designated parameter. An image characteristic detecting unit determines directions in which pixels in an input image have flat levels and directions in which pixels in the input image have levels corresponding to edges. Based on the determination, an address calculating unit reads coefficients from a coefficient ROM and supplies the coefficients to a product-sum calculating unit. The product-sum calculating unit generates a blurring-eliminated image by performing product-sum calculation using the coefficients. A post-processing unit produces an output image based on the input image and the result of product-sum calculation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hisakazu Shiraki, Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 7694326
    Abstract: When an algorithm bay is connected to a signal processing apparatus according to a first connection mode, a selector of the algorithm bay selects and sets a first function provided by a first function provider as the signal processing function of the signal processing apparatus. According to a second connection mode, the selector selects and sets a second function provided by a second function provider as the signal processing function Also, a first information provider of an algorithm bay may supply a signal indicating first information to a signal processor of a signal processing apparatus via a wired interface of the algorithm bay, a wired connection, and a wired interface of the signal processing apparatus. Similarly, a second information provider of the algorithm bay supplies a signal indicating second information for changing the signal processing function of the signal processor to the signal processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Akira Tange
  • Publication number: 20100080299
    Abstract: A frame-frequency conversion apparatus includes: a motion estimation section inputting a first and a second frames of a low-frequency image signal and estimating a plurality of candidate vectors indicating motions between the frames; a first pixel generation section generating a predicted pixel of a predicted frame corresponding to the second frame for each vector; a motion allocation section obtaining a correlation between the predicted pixel of the predicted frame and a second-frame pixel, selecting a candidate vector of a high-correlation predicted pixel, and allocating the selected candidate vector to a pixel of an interpolated frame interpolating the first and the second frames to determine the vector to be an allocated vector; a motion compensation section allocating a neighboring allocated vector to a vector-not-allocated pixel of the interpolated frame; and a second pixel generation section generating a pixel of the interpolated frame and outputting a high-frequency image signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2009
    Publication date: April 1, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki TAKEDA, Tetsujiro KONDO
  • Publication number: 20100080451
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a storage unit in which regression coefficient data is stored for each class on the basis of a tap in which a linear feature amount corresponding to a pixel of interest of first image data and a non-linear feature amount determined from the image data are used as elements; a classification unit configured to classify each of linear feature amounts of a plurality of items of input data of the input first image into a predetermined class; a reading unit configured to read the regression coefficient data; and a data generation unit configured to generate data of a second image obtained by making the first image have higher quality by performing a product-sum computation process by using the regression coefficient data read from the reading unit and elements of the tap of each of the plurality of items of input data of the input first image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Publication date: April 1, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Nagano, Yasuhiro Suto, Noriaki Takahashi, Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Publication number: 20100080452
    Abstract: A coefficient learning apparatus includes a regression coefficient calculation unit configured to obtain a tap from an image of a first signal; a regression prediction value calculation unit configured to perform a regression prediction computation; a discrimination information assigning unit configured to assign discrimination information to the pixel of interest; a discrimination coefficient calculation unit configured to obtain a tap from the image of the first signal; a discrimination prediction value calculation unit configured to perform a discrimination prediction computation; and a classification unit configured to classify each of the pixels of the image of the first signal into one of the first discrimination class and the second discrimination class.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2009
    Publication date: April 1, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro NAGANO, Yasuhiro Suto, Noriaki Takahashi, Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 7688922
    Abstract: A transmitting apparatus, a transmitting method, a receiving apparatus, a receiving method, a transceiver, a communication apparatus and method, a recording medium, and a program in which high quality voice can be decoded. A cellular telephone outputs coded voice data and also supplies uncoded voice sample data to a switching center while a telephone call is not made. Based on voice data used for the previous calculation processing and newly input voice data, the switching center performs calculation processing for quality-improving data for improving the quality of voice to be output from a cellular telephone that receives the coded voice data. The switching center stores the optimal quality-improving data as a user information database in association with the cellular telephone. The cellular telephone decodes the coded voice data based on the optimal quality-improving data supplied from the switching center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Hiroto Kimura, Tsutomu Watanabe, Masaaki Hattori, Gakuho Fukushi
  • Patent number: 7689105
    Abstract: A system and method in which read information is calculated with additional information as a coefficient and has superior in quality to basic information. The read information contains a larger amount of information than the basic information. So, even if an attempt is made to record the read information as it is to any other recording medium, the recording medium having a sufficiently large capacity for storage of the read information. Thus, copy of recorded data in the recording medium to any other recording medium is difficult.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 7688383
    Abstract: An information signal processor that is well suitable for use in conversion of an SD signal into an HD signal. The pixel data set corresponding to an objective position in the HD signal is extracted selectively from the SD signal. Class CL to which pixel data set of the objective position belongs is then obtained using the pixel data set. A coefficient production circuit produces coefficient data sets Wi for each class based on coefficient seed data sets and values of picture quality adjusting parameters h and v. A tap selection circuit selectively extracts the data sets xi from the SD signal and then, a calculation circuit produces the pixel data sets of the objective position in the HD signal using the data sets xi and the coefficient data sets Wi. It is thus possible to save on the storage capacity of the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Yasushi Tatehira, Kei Hiraizumi, Nobuyuki Asakura, Takuo Morimura, Wataru Niitsuma, Takahide Ayata
  • Patent number: 7688921
    Abstract: A transmitting apparatus, a transmitting method, a receiving apparatus, a receiving method, a transceiver, a communication apparatus and method, a recording medium, and a program in which high quality voice can be decoded. A cellular telephone outputs coded voice data and also supplies uncoded voice sample data to a switching center while a telephone call is not made. Based on voice data used for the previous calculation processing and newly input voice data, the switching center performs calculation processing for quality-improving data for improving the quality of voice to be output from a cellular telephone that receives the coded voice data. The switching center stores the optimal quality-improving data as a user information database in association with the cellular telephone. The cellular telephone decodes the coded voice data based on the optimal quality-improving data supplied from the switching center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Hiroto Kimura, Tsutomu Watanabe, Masaaki Hattori, Gakuho Fukushi
  • Patent number: 7688376
    Abstract: An image-capturing apparatus and method, displaying apparatus and method that provides full-parallax images having high spatial resolution in real time. An image-capturing optical unit includes a plurality of prismatic mirrors which rotate at a predetermined period. The side surface of each of the prismatic mirrors reflects a light beam from an object. A camera receives the light beam from the object reflected by the prismatic mirrors in order to capture an image of the object. A display optical unit includes a plurality of prismatic mirrors which rotate in phase with the image-capturing optical unit's prismatic mirrors at the same period. A projector emits a light beam corresponding to the image of the object captured by the camera, and such a light beam is reflected by the display optical unit's prismatic mirrors. A user may view an image corresponding to the light beam reflected by the display optical unit's prismatic mirrors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Kenji Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20100073505
    Abstract: The present invention makes it possible to process at high speed the foreground component image and the background component image of picked up images on a network platform. A client computer 27 outputs information specifying image data desired to separate to a separation server 11. The separation server 11 obtains the specified image data from a storage server 18 and outputs it to a motion detecting server 12 to perform motion detection processing. Thereafter, the image data, motion vector and positional information are output to an area specifying server 13. The area specifying server 13 generates area information of the image data and outputs the area information to a mixture ratio calculating server 14 in addition to the image data, the motion vector and the positional information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Takashi Sawao, Junichi Ishibashi, Takahiro Nagano, Naoki Fujiwara, Toru Miyake, Seiji Wada
  • Patent number: 7684635
    Abstract: A signal processing device and signal processing method, and program and recording medium, whereby images and the like closer approximating real world signals can be obtained. An object which is moving at a movement amount v in the horizontal direction is photographed, and an image wherein the object is blurred is input into a signal processing device. A continuity setting unit supplies the movement amount v of the object to an actual world estimating unit as continuity information. The actual world estimating unit estimates a pixel value for an image without blurring, by computing a normal equation comprising a model equation which models the relation of the pixel values in the input image and the pixel values in an image without blurring according to the movement amount v, and a constraint condition expression which constrains between the pixels in an image without blurring, and supplies this to an image generating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Tetsushi Kokubo, Kazushi Yoshikawa, Hisakazu Shiraki, Michimasa Obana, Hideo Kasama, Masanori Kanemaru
  • Patent number: RE41200
    Abstract: In digital data conversion apparatus and method, class data are generated in association with reference interpolated data for each of a plurality of classes on the basis of a reference high definition digital video signal which includes a reference standard definition digital video signal in addition to the reference interpolated data. The class data is stored at respective addresses in a memory. A standard definition digital video signal representing pixel values is received and then clustered so as to produce a class corresponding to the pixel values of the standard definition digital video signal. The class data is retrieved from the memory address which corresponds to the class of the standard definition digital video signal, and interpolated data is generated in accordance with the standard definition digital video signal and the retrieved class data with such interpolated data constituting a high definition digital video signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsujiro Kondo