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: 8218077
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus for processing first image data into second image data having a higher quality includes the following elements. A determination unit determines whether broadcast image data is up-converted image data generated by up-converting different image data by increasing the number of pixels forming the different image data. A down-converter down-converts the broadcast image data into down-converted image data by decreasing the number of pixels forming the broadcast image data. A first image converter converts, if the broadcast image data is not the up-converted image data, the first image data into the second image data by using the down-converted image data and the broadcast image data as the first image data. A second image converter converts, if the broadcast image data is the up-converted image data, the first image data into the second image data by using the down-converted image data as the first image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Tsutomu Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8213496
    Abstract: A motion-vector-setting section (31) sets a motion vector in units of pixel in a target image. Based on the motion vector, a target-pixel-setting section (35) sets a target pixel for each image in plural images to be processed. A motion-blur-amount-setting section (33) sets a motion blur amount in units of pixel based on the motion vector and the exposure-time ratio set in units of image in the exposure-time-ratio-setting section (32). A processing-region-setting section (36) sets processing regions corresponding to the target pixel for each of the plural images based on the motion blur amount. A processing-coefficient-setting section (37) sets processing coefficients based on the motion blur amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Nagano, Tetsujiro Kondo, Tsutomu Watanabe, Junichi Ishibashi, Hisakazu Shiraki, Naoki Fujiwara, Masanori Kanemaru, Shinichiro Kaneko, Yasuhiro Suto
  • Patent number: 8212707
    Abstract: A remote control system is provided. The remote control system includes at least one first remote control apparatus and at least one second remote control apparatus. The at least one first remote control apparatus includes a command input unit, a first control unit, and a first output unit. The at least one second remote control apparatus includes a first user interface unit, a first input unit, a second control unit, and a second output unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tsugihiko Haga, Hiroto Kimura, Masanori Machimura, Koichiro Tsuji, Toshiyuki Hino, Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 8208735
    Abstract: An image processing device, to convert a first image data into a second image data having a higher image quality, includes: a predicted tap extracting unit to extract multiple pixels as a predicted tap for prediction computing; a level limit class tap extracting unit to extract multiple pixels as a level limit class tap for level limit classifying processing; a waveform class tap extracting unit to extract multiple pixels as a waveform class tap; a level limit classifying unit to classify the pixel of interest, based on a ratio between a level width and a dynamic range of the pixels making up the level limit class tap; a waveform pattern classifying unit to classify the pixel of interest; a prediction coefficient output unit to output a prediction coefficient corresponding to a combination of a level limit class and a waveform pattern class; and a prediction computing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kentaro Fukazawa, Takuo Morimura, Shinobu Yamada, Hirosuke Nagano, Hideki Mori, Yuya Aoki, Yasuhiko Suga, Shunsuke Harasaki, Seiichi Inomata, Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 8191672
    Abstract: A storage system is provided. The storage system includes a storage unit that stores items; and a panel-shaped display that displays an image of a storage state of the items stored in the storage unit. The storage unit is provided on the backside of the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Akihiko Arimitsu
  • Patent number: 8189960
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an imaging information calculation unit acquiring a first image and higher-resolution second images, and calculating coordinate positions of the second images to the first image and differences in imaging direction between second cameras and a first camera; an eyepoint conversion unit generating eyepoint conversion images obtained by converting the second images based on the differences in imaging direction so that eyepoints of the second cameras coincide with an eyepoint of the first camera and matching the first image with the eyepoint conversion images to calculate phase deviations of the eyepoint conversion images from the first image; and an image synthesizing unit extracting high-frequency images, having frequency components higher than or equal to a predetermined frequency band, from the second images, and pasting the high-frequency images at the coordinate positions in correspondence with the first image to eliminate the phase deviations to generate a synthesize
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Tetsushi Kokubo, Kenji Tanaka, Hitoshi Mukai, Hirofumi Hibi, Kazumasa Tanaka, Hiroyuki Morisaki
  • Patent number: 8190184
    Abstract: In a content reproduction system including a plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, at least one of the plurality of content reproduction apparatuses may include a reproducing unit configured to reproduce content by reading out content data recorded in a recording medium, and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the content data representing the content being reproduced by the reproducing unit by way of wireless communication, and each of the other apparatuses of the plurality of content reproduction apparatuses may include a receiving unit configured to receive the transmitted content data, and a reproducing unit configured to decode the content data received by the receiving unit and reproduce the content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Machimura, Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 8181216
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus that appropriately adjusts the image quality of an image. At a plurality of user terminals, image data transmitted from a broadcasting station is processed based on parameters input by users, and user information including the image data and the parameters is provided to a management server. The management server calculates noise amounts of the respective sets of image data included in the user information provided from the plurality of user terminals, calculates an average value of parameters input by users for each noise amount, and associates the average value with the noise amount. Furthermore, the management server provides a user terminal with server information including a parameter associated with a noise amount of image data from a user terminal. The user terminal processes the image data based on the parameter included in the server information from the management server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Kazutaka Ando
  • Patent number: 8172680
    Abstract: An information processing system includes an input section that inputs movement information of an object on which a user performed an operation in an operation environment, and an output section that holds another object in a remote site remote from the operation environment and reproduces a movement of the object on which the user performed the operation on the basis of the movement information received from the input section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Yasuoka, Tetsujiro Kondo, Ryuhei Sakanoue
  • Patent number: 8169446
    Abstract: A display device includes: a reflection property control layer which is disposed in the front face of a display screen, whereby reflection properties are switched for each predetermined region; and a control unit configured to switch the reflection properties of the reflection property control layer depending on an input image, with the control means detecting a gloss region from the input image, and switching the reflection properties of a predetermined region according to the relevant detection result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takao Inoue, Masashi Uchida, Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 8170243
    Abstract: An audio output apparatus is provided. The audio output apparatus includes: a vibration member, a vibrator, a vibrator positioning unit, and a vibrator-depth positioning unit. The vibration member vibrates to output a sound. The vibrator is in contact with the vibration member and detachably attached thereto to allow the vibration member to vibrate in response to an input audio signal. The vibrator positioning unit controls a contact position between the vibrator and the vibration member. The vibrator-depth positioning unit adjusts a position of the vibrator in the direction of being pressed against the vibration member and brought into contact with the vibration member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Akihiko Arimitsu, Junichi Shima, Takuro Ema
  • Patent number: 8169510
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a data processing device, a data processing method, and a recording medium that enable a user to have a bodily sensation of collection of a material such as image data or the like, and editing. A processing section 31 generates first object image data as image data having a wider angle than image data obtained by image pickup by an image pickup device, and a manipulating section 35 extracts image data for one frame (extraction image data) from the first object image data according to an image pickup parameter set according to an operation of a user. Further, the manipulating section 35 superimposes the image data of a telop as second object image data on the extraction image data according to an editing parameter set according to an operation of the user. The present invention is applicable to television receivers receiving programs, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 8164638
    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: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Takashi Sawao, Junichi Ishibashi, Takahiro Nagano, Naoki Fujiwara, Toru Miyake, Seiji Wada
  • Patent number: 8159572
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus, an apparatus and a method for processing information, a program, and a program recording medium that can provide a user with an image optimum for the user are provided. A recording medium 4 records a large-size image and a playback parameter thereon. The large-size image has an angle of view wider than that of a normal image that a user intends to be captured and a resolution higher than that of the normal image, where the entirety of an area of a scene captured in the normal image is captured in the large-size image. The playback parameter includes information indicative of a region of the large-size image in which the area of the scene captured in the normal image is captured. An image extracting unit 22 extracts a partial image from the large-size image on the basis of the playback parameter and outputs the extracted image to a display unit 3 as an extraction image. The display unit 3 displays the extraction image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 8159527
    Abstract: At least one picture is shown on a plurality of displays according to the distance from a user to an object. Picture signals are classified based on depth values of pictures, a plurality of displays are chosen based on the classification, and the pictures are shown on the chosen displays in the form of moving pictures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Tsuyoshi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8152312
    Abstract: An apparatus that presents a projection image has a screen and plural projectors, each of which projects a section of the projection image onto the screen. The apparatus has a projected-section-determining unit that determines as a projected section the section of the projection image, based on an input image signal, corresponding to a part of the screen onto which each of the projectors projects the section of the projection image. The apparatus has an image-signal-generating unit that generates an image signal corresponding to the section of the projection image which each of the projector projects onto the part of the screen, based on the input image signal and the projected section determined by the projected-section-determining unit, and a projectors-controlling unit that controls the projectors to adjust centers and/or ranges of the projections by the projectors based on the projected section determined by the projected-section-determining unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Kenji Tanaka, Hitoshi Mukai, Tetsushi Kokubo, Hirofumi Hibi, Kazumasa Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8144779
    Abstract: A motion vector detecting apparatus includes a first generation unit that generates a first evaluation value table from an image signal of a first level, a second generation unit that generates a second evaluation value table from an image signal of a second level higher than the first level, a correction unit that corrects the first evaluation value table on the basis of the second evaluation value table, a first extraction unit that extracts first candidate vectors using the first evaluation value table, a second extraction unit that extracts second candidate vectors using the corrected first evaluation value table, and a detection unit that detects a motion vector from the first and second candidate vectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Tsutomu Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8139152
    Abstract: An apparatus for processing an image includes a motion vector detector, a motion-blurring-mitigated image generator, and a spatial resolution creation unit. The motion vector detector is configured to detect a motion vector by using an image that is made up of multiple pixels and acquired by an image sensor having time integration effects. The motion-blurring-mitigated image generator is configured to generate a motion-blurring-mitigated image in which motion blurring of a moving object is mitigated by using the motion vector detected by the motion vector detector 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: March 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Masanori Kanemaru
  • Patent number: 8134613
    Abstract: The present invention particularly relates to an image processing apparatus in which motion blur contained in a blurred image can be eliminated. An area specifying unit 103 specifies a non-mixed area formed of a foreground area consisting of foreground object components which form a foreground object and a background area consisting of background object components which form a background object, or a mixed area in which the foreground object components and the background object components are mixed. A separating/blur-eliminating unit 1503 simultaneously performs processing for separating the foreground object components and the background object components from the pixel data of the mixed area and processing for eliminating motion blur from the separated foreground object components based on a result obtained by specifying the area. The present invention is applicable to an image processing apparatus in which a difference between a signal detected by an image-capturing device and the real world is considered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Takashi Sawao, Junichi Ishibashii, Takahiro Nagano, Naoki Fujiwara, Toru Miyake, Seiji Wada
  • Publication number: 20120057793
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus may include a feature quantity extraction unit configured to extract a feature quantity from an image, a setting unit configured to set setting information including a plurality of setting items used to perform processing upon the image so that a designated setting item can be changed among the setting items; and a recording unit configured to associate the setting information with a feature quantity of the image and record them.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2011
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masanori Machimura, Tetsujiro Kondo, Kazutaka Ando, Yasunobu Node, Michimasa Obana, Kei Hiraizumi, Masato Akao