Patents by Inventor Toshiaki MIKAMI

Toshiaki MIKAMI 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: 11974040
    Abstract: An endoscope processor includes a processor that can be connected to an endoscope including a moving mechanism of a focusing lens included in an objective optical system and an image pickup apparatus. The processor is configured to determine whether or not a transition has been made from a screening state to a proximity state based on positional information of the focusing lens and an image in a proximity determination mode when a variation in an image height in an effective image range with control of the moving mechanism is 1% or less, and when it is determined that a transition has been made to the proximity state, the processor is configured to end the proximity determination mode and control the moving mechanism in an autofocus mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Akihiro Miyata, Toshiaki Mikami, Koichiro Yoshino
  • Publication number: 20230084274
    Abstract: An endoscope processor includes a processor that can be connected to an endoscope including a moving mechanism of a focusing lens included in an objective optical system and an image pickup apparatus. The processor is configured to determine whether or not a transition has been made from a screening state to a proximity state based on positional information of the focusing lens and an image in a proximity determination mode when a variation in an image height in an effective image range with control of the moving mechanism is 1% or less, and when it is determined that a transition has been made to the proximity state, the processor is configured to end the proximity determination mode and control the moving mechanism in an autofocus mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Akihiro MIYATA, Toshiaki MIKAMI, Koichiro YOSHINO
  • Patent number: 11172174
    Abstract: In an imaging apparatus, two pupils of a pupil division optical system transmits light of a first wavelength band and light of a second wavelength band. An amount of components of the first wavelength band in first transmittance characteristics and second transmittance characteristics is more than an amount of components of the second wavelength band in the first transmittance characteristics and the second transmittance characteristics. An amount of components of the second wavelength band in third transmittance characteristics is more than an amount of components of the first wavelength band in the third transmittance characteristics. A processor is configured to generate a color image including a first signal that is based on the first transmittance characteristics as a first channel and a second signal that is based on the second transmittance characteristics as a second channel and a third channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiaki Mikami, Kiyotomi Ogawa, Hideaki Takahashi, Munenori Fukunishi
  • Patent number: 11045071
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus for an endoscope includes an image acquisition circuit configured to acquire an image captured by using the endoscope, an interference area setting circuit configured to set, on the image, an interference area having a different characteristic from an observation target in the image, and an interference area corrector configured to perform correction on the image, the correction including a reduction in luminance of the interference area. The interference area setting circuit includes an interference candidate area extractor configured to extract at least one interference candidate area based on the different characteristic from the observation target, and an interference area selector configured to select the interference area from the at least one interference candidate area based on luminance distribution in the at least one interference candidate area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiaki Mikami
  • Patent number: 11030745
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus for an endoscope includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry acquires a left image and right image. The processing circuitry generates a three-dimensional display image based on the left image and right image. The processing circuitry sets a first region in a part of the left image or right image. The first region is a region having a blur. The processing circuitry sets a second region in the left image or right image. The second region is a region where the user is performing treatment. The processing circuitry computes an overlapping region between the first region and the second region. The processing circuitry determines whether or not to notify the user based on the overlapping region. The processing circuitry generates information for notifying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiaki Mikami
  • Publication number: 20200314391
    Abstract: In an imaging apparatus, two pupils of a pupil division optical system transmits light of a first wavelength band and light of a second wavelength band. An amount of components of the first wavelength band in first transmittance characteristics and second transmittance characteristics is more than an amount of components of the second wavelength band in the first transmittance characteristics and the second transmittance characteristics. An amount of components of the second wavelength band in third transmittance characteristics is more than an amount of components of the first wavelength band in the third transmittance characteristics. A processor is configured to generate a color image including a first signal that is based on the first transmittance characteristics as a first channel and a second signal that is based on the second transmittance characteristics as a second channel and a third channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiaki MIKAMI, Kiyotomi OGAWA, Hideaki TAKAHASHI, Munenori FUKUNISHI
  • Publication number: 20200082529
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus for an endoscope includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry acquires a left image and right image. The processing circuitry generates a three-dimensional display image based on the left image and right image. The processing circuitry sets a first region in a part of the left image or right image. The first region is a region having a blur. The processing circuitry sets a second region in the left image or right image. The second region is a region where the user is performing treatment. The processing circuitry computes an overlapping region between the first region and the second region. The processing circuitry determines whether or not to notify the user based on the overlapping region. The processing circuitry generates information for notifying.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Publication date: March 12, 2020
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiaki MIKAMI
  • Patent number: 10517467
    Abstract: A focus control device includes a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to implement: an area setting process that sets a plurality of areas to a captured image that has been captured by an imaging section, each of the plurality of areas including a plurality of pixels; a direction determination process that determines whether a target in-focus position lies in a NEAR direction or a FAR direction with respect to a reference position with respect to some or all of the plurality of areas set to the captured image to calculate a direction determination result with respect to each of the plurality of areas, the target in-focus position being a target of an in-focus object plane position; and a focus control process that preferentially brings an area among the plurality of areas that is situated away from the imaging section into focus based on the direction determination result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiaki Mikami, Manabu Ichikawa, Koichiro Yoshino
  • Publication number: 20190374087
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus for an endoscope includes an image acquisition circuit configured to acquire an image captured by using the endoscope, an interference area setting circuit configured to set, on the image, an interference area having a different characteristic from an observation target in the image, and an interference area corrector configured to perform correction on the image, the correction including a reduction in luminance of the interference area. The interference area setting circuit includes an interference candidate area extractor configured to extract at least one interference candidate area based on the different characteristic from the observation target, and an interference area selector configured to select the interference area from the at least one interference candidate area based on luminance distribution in the at least one interference candidate area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiaki MIKAMI
  • Patent number: 10456021
    Abstract: An endoscope apparatus includes an optical system including a focus lens, a connector to which an interchangeable optical system is connected, an image sensor configured to output a captured image based on the optical system and the interchangeable optical system, and a processor including hardware. The processor performs a determination process of determining whether the interchangeable optical system is a known or unknown optical system, implements a first step amount determination process when the interchangeable optical system is determined to be a known optical system, and implements a second step amount determination process when the interchangeable optical system is determined to be an unknown optical system and controls the focus lens based on step amount information determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi Shiga, Toshiaki Mikami, Koichiro Yoshino, Satoshi Takekoshi
  • Patent number: 10213093
    Abstract: A focus control device includes: a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to implement: an area setting process that sets a plurality of areas to a captured image that has been captured by an imaging section, each of the plurality of areas including a plurality of pixels; an object distance information calculation process that calculates distance information about a distance to an object that is captured within each of the plurality of areas; and a focus control process based on the distance information, wherein the processor implements the focus control process that performs a classification process that classifies the plurality of areas into a plurality of groups, and performs the focus control process based on area information about each of the plurality of groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Manabu Ichikawa, Toshiaki Mikami, Koichiro Yoshino
  • Publication number: 20180242828
    Abstract: An endoscope apparatus includes an optical system including a focus lens, a connector to which an interchangeable optical system is connected, an image sensor configured to output a captured image based on the optical system and the interchangeable optical system, and a processor including hardware. The processor performs a determination process of determining whether the interchangeable optical system is a known or unknown optical system, implements a first step amount determination process when the interchangeable optical system is determined to be a known optical system, and implements a second step amount determination process when the interchangeable optical system is determined to be an unknown optical system and controls the focus lens based on step amount information determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi SHIGA, Toshiaki MIKAMI, Koichiro YOSHINO, Satoshi TAKEKOSHI
  • Publication number: 20170265725
    Abstract: A focus control device includes: a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to implement: an area setting process that sets a plurality of areas to a captured image that has been captured by an imaging section, each of the plurality of areas including a plurality of pixels; an object distance information calculation process that calculates distance information about a distance to an object that is captured within each of the plurality of areas; and a focus control process based on the distance information, wherein the processor implements the focus control process that performs a classification process that classifies the plurality of areas into a plurality of groups, and performs the focus control process based on area information about each of the plurality of groups.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Manabu ICHIKAWA, Toshiaki MIKAMI, Koichiro YOSHINO
  • Publication number: 20170265726
    Abstract: A focus control device includes a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to implement: an area setting process that sets a plurality of areas to a captured image that has been captured by an imaging section, each of the plurality of areas including a plurality of pixels; a direction determination process that determines whether a target in-focus position lies in a NEAR direction or a FAR direction with respect to a reference position with respect to some or all of the plurality of areas set to the captured image to calculate a direction determination result with respect to each of the plurality of areas, the target in-focus position being a target of an in-focus object plane position; and a focus control process that preferentially brings an area among the plurality of areas that is situated away from the imaging section into focus based on the direction determination result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiaki MIKAMI, Manabu ICHIKAWA, Koichiro YOSHINO