Patents by Inventor Tomokuni Hirosawa

Tomokuni Hirosawa 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: 11924543
    Abstract: An accessory detachably attached to an electronic apparatus includes an accessory processing unit communicable with an electronic apparatus by a first communication method as communication via a first contact group, and by a second communication method as communication via a second contact group different from the first contact group. The accessory processing unit controls the communication by the second communication method based on information communicated by the first communication method, executes communication via a second contact included in the second contact group in the second communication method, in response to a change in a signal level of a signal via a first contact included in the second contact group from a first signal level to a second signal level, and executes communication by the second communication method based on information on the second signal level included in the information communicated by the first communication method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomokuni Hirosawa
  • Publication number: 20220345614
    Abstract: An accessory detachably attached to an electronic apparatus includes an accessory processing unit communicable with an electronic apparatus by a first communication method as communication via a first contact group, and by a second communication method as communication via a second contact group different from the first contact group. The accessory processing unit controls the communication by the second communication method based on information communicated by the first communication method, executes communication via a second contact included in the second contact group in the second communication method, in response to a change in a signal level of a signal via a first contact included in the second contact group from a first signal level to a second signal level, and executes communication by the second communication method based on information on the second signal level included in the information communicated by the first communication method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventor: Tomokuni Hirosawa
  • Patent number: 11375101
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus capable of focus detection includes a sensor including a plurality of pixels, the sensor being capable of changing an accumulation time of the pixels for each of a plurality of regions including the plurality of pixels, an accumulation control unit that, in accordance with a state or a setting of the image capturing apparatus, changes accumulation control of the pixels for each of the plurality of regions, and a defocus computation unit that calculates a defocus amount using signals from the pixels for which accumulation has been controlled by the accumulation control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryuta Suzuki, Tomokuni Hirosawa
  • Publication number: 20210105413
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus capable of focus detection includes a sensor including a plurality of pixels, the sensor being capable of changing an accumulation time of the pixels for each of a plurality of regions including the plurality of pixels, an accumulation control unit that, in accordance with a state or a setting of the image capturing apparatus, changes accumulation control of the pixels for each of the plurality of regions, and a defocus computation unit that calculates a defocus amount using signals from the pixels for which accumulation has been controlled by the accumulation control unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Ryuta SUZUKI, Tomokuni HIROSAWA
  • Patent number: 10715715
    Abstract: A focus detection apparatus, comprising: an image sensor having a plurality of pixels arranged two-dimensionally; a drive control unit configured to cause exposure for accumulation times that differ in respective pixel rows of the image sensor to be performed; and a focus detection unit configured to detect a defocus amount by using a signal obtained from pixels of a line that includes pixels of a plurality of pixel rows, wherein the focus detection unit detects the defocus amount based on accumulation times of pixel rows corresponding to each pixel included in the line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomokuni Hirosawa
  • Publication number: 20200099842
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes an area sensor in which photoelectric conversion elements are arranged two-dimensionally, the sensor having a plurality of regions; an exposure control unit that causes the area sensor to be exposed at a given exposure time so that accumulation ends at substantially the same time for the plurality of regions, and reads out, in order, image signals accumulated as a result of the exposure, and a focus detection unit that carries out focus detection using a signal read out from the area sensor, wherein the exposure control unit carries out control for prioritizing the readout of signals from the photoelectric conversion elements in a region or regions among the plurality of regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Inventors: Tomokuni Hirosawa, Yosuke Mine
  • Publication number: 20180234619
    Abstract: A focus detection apparatus, comprising: an image sensor having a plurality of pixels arranged two-dimensionally; a drive control unit configured to cause exposure for accumulation times that differ in respective pixel rows of the image sensor to be performed; and a focus detection unit configured to detect a defocus amount by using a signal obtained from pixels of a line that includes pixels of a plurality of pixel rows, wherein the focus detection unit detects the defocus amount based on accumulation times of pixel rows corresponding to each pixel included in the line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventor: Tomokuni Hirosawa
  • Patent number: 9456125
    Abstract: A focus detection apparatus comprises: a sensor unit, having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements for receiving light that passed through an imaging optical system and accumulating charge, configured to generate an image signal to be used for correlation calculation for focus detection based on the accumulated charge; a control unit configured to control the photoelectric conversion elements to stop charge accumulation in a case where a first signal that represents contrast of the image signal reaches a predetermined voltage level; and a voltage level setting unit. The voltage level setting unit sets a larger voltage level in a first case, in which luminance change in a direction of the correlation calculation in the plurality of the photoelectric conversion elements is gentler than a second case, than in the second case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomokuni Hirosawa, Takayuki Shu
  • Patent number: 9167151
    Abstract: A focus detection apparatus comprises: a sensor unit provided with a plurality of sensor pairs, including a first and second sensor pairs, each of which receives a light beam from an object, accumulates charge, and outputs a pair of image signals for focus detection; a control unit configured to detect a level of a predetermined signal based on the accumulated charge in each sensor pair, and controls charge accumulation time in accordance with the level of the predetermined signal; and a setting unit configured to set a priority of each sensor pair in accordance with the object. The priority of the first sensor pair is set higher than that of the second sensor pair, and the control unit detects the level of the predetermined signal of the first sensor pair in prior to that of the second sensor pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takayuki Shu, Tomokuni Hirosawa
  • Publication number: 20150281557
    Abstract: A focus detection apparatus comprises: a sensor unit, having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements for receiving light that passed through an imaging optical system and accumulating charge, configured to generate an image signal to be used for correlation calculation for focus detection based on the accumulated charge; a control unit configured to control the photoelectric conversion elements to stop charge accumulation in a case where a first signal that represents contrast of the image signal reaches a predetermined voltage level; and a voltage level setting unit. The voltage level setting unit sets a larger voltage level in a first case, in which luminance change in a direction of the correlation calculation in the plurality of the photoelectric conversion elements is gentler than a second case, than in the second case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Tomokuni Hirosawa, Takayuki Shu
  • Publication number: 20140253787
    Abstract: A focus detection apparatus comprises: a sensor unit provided with a plurality of sensor pairs, including a first and second sensor pairs, each of which receives a light beam from an object, accumulates charge, and outputs a pair of image signals for focus detection; a control unit configured to detect a level of a predetermined signal based on the accumulated charge in each sensor pair, and controls charge accumulation time in accordance with the level of the predetermined signal; and a setting unit configured to set a priority of each sensor pair in accordance with the object. The priority of the first sensor pair is set higher than that of the second sensor pair, and the control unit detects the level of the predetermined signal of the first sensor pair in prior to that of the second sensor pair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takayuki Shu, Tomokuni Hirosawa