Patents by Inventor Toshifumi Osawa

Toshifumi Osawa 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: 11418726
    Abstract: An image pickup system in which a plurality of image pickup apparatuses capable of performing continuous image pickup cooperate. At least one image pickup apparatus is set as a measurement apparatus for periodically detecting changes in brightness, caused by a light source, with respect to a subject of which an image is to be picked up, to generate light source flicker information during continuous image pickup. At least one image pickup apparatus is set as a reception apparatus for receiving the light source flicker information periodically transmitted from the measurement apparatus and executes each image pickup operation during continuous image pickup at a timing determined based on the light source flicker information received from the measurement apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Patent number: 11394890
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus which is capable of selecting whether to carry out a subject detecting process while achieving a balance, thus preventing execution thereof from increasing shutter release time lag and excessively decreasing continuous shooting speed. Based on conditions as to shooting, whether or not to carry out a detecting process for detecting an area of a subject from an image generated by a sensor is selected for each of a first image generated based on a signal from the sensor when no flash is fired, and a second image generated based on a signal from the sensor when a pre-flash is fired. The amount of main flash output is computed based on luminance information on the area of the subject from at least one of the first and second images for which it has been determined that the detecting process is to be carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Patent number: 11300092
    Abstract: An ignition coil control device includes: an energization control unit that controls to energize an ignition coil by first energization control and second energization control shorter in energization time than the first energization control; a cruise area determination unit that determines that a driving area of a vehicle is located in a cruise area on the basis of a throttle opening and an engine speed; and an integration counter that is incremented every predetermined time when the first energization control is being executed in the cruise area and is decremented every predetermined time in other cases. When a counter value of the integration counter reaches an upper limit value, a cooling process of switching from the first energization control to the second energization control is executed. Such ignition coil control device can appropriately switch energization time while preventing excessive heating of an ignition coil without using a current sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshifumi Osawa, Ryohei Kitamura, Nobuyuki Takenaka, Takahiro Kashima
  • Patent number: 11247741
    Abstract: The authentication device for saddled vehicle applied to a saddled vehicle including a FOB key that transmits an authentication signal, a control unit that receives and authenticates the authentication signal, a kick starter that starts an engine, and a generator that rotates in conjunction with an operation on the kick starter is configured such that, due to operating the kick starter, the engine is started, and electric power generated by the generator is supplied to the control unit, wherein the control unit stops the engine when the authentication signal is not authenticated before a lapse of a first predetermined time after the control unit is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Erina Aoki, Toshifumi Osawa, Seiji Kido, Wataru Ogawa
  • Publication number: 20210284264
    Abstract: The authentication device for saddled vehicle applied to a saddled vehicle including a FOB key that transmits an authentication signal, a control unit that receives and authenticates the authentication signal, a kick starter that starts an engine, and a generator that rotates in conjunction with an operation on the kick starter is configured such that, due to operating the kick starter , the engine is started, and electric power generated by the generator is supplied to the control unit , wherein the control unit stops the engine when the authentication signal is not authenticated before a lapse of a first predetermined time after the control unit is started.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Inventors: Erina AOKI, Toshifumi OSAWA, Seiji KIDO, Wataru OGAWA
  • Patent number: 10999523
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a sensor including a plurality of arranged pixels, having a first sensitivity for a first area of the plurality of arranged pixels and a second sensitivity lower than the first sensitivity for a second area of the plurality of arranged pixels during preliminary light emission of a flash, and a processing circuit configured to generate an image of a subject area to be imaged based on a signal obtained by performing correction corresponding to a difference between the first sensitivity and the second sensitivity on a signal acquired from the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Publication number: 20210123408
    Abstract: An ignition coil control device includes: an energization control unit that controls to energize an ignition coil by first energization control and second energization control shorter in energization time than the first energization control; a cruise area determination unit that determines that a driving area of a vehicle is located in a cruise area on the basis of a throttle opening and an engine speed; and an integration counter that is incremented every predetermined time when the first energization control is being executed in the cruise area and is decremented every predetermined time in other cases. When a counter value of the integration counter reaches an upper limit value, a cooling process of switching from the first energization control to the second energization control is executed. Such ignition coil control device can appropriately switch energization time while preventing excessive heating of an ignition coil without using a current sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventors: Toshifumi OSAWA, Ryohei KITAMURA, Nobuyuki TAKENAKA, Takahiro KASHIMA
  • Patent number: 10873707
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus capable of ensuring the accuracy of a proper main light emission amount. A flash device can change an emission color temperature by changing a ratio of light emission between light sources different in emission color temperature. A photometry unit measures a luminance of light reflected from an object by preliminary light emission of the flash device. It is selected whether to perform second preliminary light emission at a color temperature changed according to at least one of spectral characteristics information of the light source, shooting condition information, and photometric value information obtained by first preliminary light emission, and determine a main light emission amount based on a photometric result obtained by second preliminary light emission, or to determine the main light emission amount based on a photometric result obtained by first preliminary light emission without performing second preliminary light emission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Publication number: 20200275007
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus which is capable of selecting whether to carry out a subject detecting process while achieving a balance, thus preventing execution thereof from increasing shutter release time lag and excessively decreasing continuous shooting speed. Based on conditions as to shooting, whether or not to carry out a detecting process for detecting an area of a subject from an image generated by a sensor is selected for each of a first image generated based on a signal from the sensor when no flash is fired, and a second image generated based on a signal from the sensor when a pre-flash is fired. The amount of main flash output is computed based on luminance information on the area of the subject from at least one of the first and second images for which it has been determined that the detecting process is to be carried out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Publication number: 20190394385
    Abstract: An image pickup system in which a plurality of image pickup apparatuses capable of performing continuous image pickup cooperate. At least one image pickup apparatus is set as a measurement apparatus for periodically detecting changes in brightness, caused by a light source, with respect to a subject of which an image is to be picked up, to generate light source flicker information during continuous image pickup. At least one image pickup apparatus is set as a reception apparatus for receiving the light source flicker information periodically transmitted from the measurement apparatus and executes each image pickup operation during continuous image pickup at a timing determined based on the light source flicker information received from the measurement apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Publication number: 20190246028
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a sensor including a plurality of arranged pixels, having a first sensitivity for a first area of the plurality of arranged pixels and a second sensitivity lower than the first sensitivity for a second area of the plurality of arranged pixels during preliminary light emission of a flash, and a processing circuit configured to generate an image of a subject area to be imaged based on a signal obtained by performing correction corresponding to a difference between the first sensitivity and the second sensitivity on a signal acquired from the sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Patent number: 10212344
    Abstract: Included are a photometric unit configured to obtain respective photometric values of a plurality of photometry areas in an image capturing area, an operation unit configured to perform setting regarding continuous shooting and/or focus adjustment, a calculation unit configured to calculate a light quantity change characteristic of a photometric target based on the photometric values of the plurality of photometry areas, an adjustment unit configured to adjust exposure timing based on the light quantity change characteristic, and a control unit configured to change a method of calculating the light quantity change characteristic according to the setting regarding continuous shooting and/or focus adjustment, and to determine whether the exposure timing is adjusted based on the light quantity change characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Publication number: 20190045103
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus capable of ensuring the accuracy of a proper main light emission amount. A flash device can change an emission color temperature by changing a ratio of light emission between light sources different in emission color temperature. A photometry unit measures a luminance of light reflected from an object by preliminary light emission of the flash device. It is selected whether to perform second preliminary light emission at a color temperature changed according to at least one of spectral characteristics information of the light source, shooting condition information, and photometric value information obtained by first preliminary light emission, and determine a main light emission amount based on a photometric result obtained by second preliminary light emission, or to determine the main light emission amount based on a photometric result obtained by first preliminary light emission without performing second preliminary light emission.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Publication number: 20170353660
    Abstract: Included are a photometric unit configured to obtain respective photometric values of a plurality of photometry areas in an image capturing area, an operation unit configured to perform setting regarding continuous shooting and/or focus adjustment, a calculation unit configured to calculate a light quantity change characteristic of a photometric target based on the photometric values of the plurality of photometry areas, an adjustment unit configured to adjust exposure timing based on the light quantity change characteristic, and a control unit configured to change a method of calculating the light quantity change characteristic according to the setting regarding continuous shooting and/or focus adjustment, and to determine whether the exposure timing is adjusted based on the light quantity change characteristic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Patent number: 9268196
    Abstract: When information associated with an object distance cannot be acquired, an image capture apparatus sets a condition required to determine a reference area used to determine weighting coefficients for respective photometry areas from a plurality of photometry areas, based on photometric values of the plurality of photometry areas obtained by making preliminary light emission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Patent number: 9137450
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus obtains the weighted average luminance of an image sensing target that puts weight on a main subject in an obtained luminance distribution of the image sensing target. The image sensing apparatus decides exposure control values based on the average luminance of a region that is lower than the weighted average luminance, out of regions each of a predetermined size contained in the image sensing target, and the weighted average luminance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Patent number: 9114797
    Abstract: An engine control apparatus includes a first operation member and a second operation member for braking a front wheel and a rear wheel of a saddle-type vehicle, and an engine controller that automatically stops and restarts an engine mounted in the saddle-type vehicle in response to the operational state of the first operation member and the second operation member. When a prescribed amount of time has passed while the first operation member and the second operation member are both in an operated state, the engine controller automatically stops the engine; when the first operation member and the second operation member are both released, the engine controller restarts the engine; and when either one of the first operation member and the second operation member is operated after the engine has automatically been stopped, the engine controller allows the engine to continue in the automatically stopped state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshifumi Osawa, Yusuke Takaishi, Koji Inose, Naoki Ikeda, Junichi Sakamoto, Junya Niwa
  • Patent number: 9019389
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus that reduces a camera shake and a motion blur during close-up shooting performed by increasing shooting magnification and depth of field. A control unit determines an aperture value and a shutter speed based on information on shooting magnification and a photometry result. In a situation where luminance information based on photometry result is the same, the aperture value is set larger when the shooting magnification is larger than a first value than when not larger than the same, and in a situation where the shooting magnification is larger than the first value and the luminance information is the same, the aperture value is set larger and the shutter speed is set lower when neither a camera shake nor a motion of an object within an imaging screen has occurred than when either has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Patent number: 8994835
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus receives shake information detected by, for example, a sensor which detects a shake, and determines whether the hold status of the image capturing apparatus is handheld or fixed, based on the shake information (first shake determination). Also, the image capturing apparatus sequentially acquires images output upon photoelectric conversion by charge-accumulation type photoelectric conversion elements, and determines whether the hold status is handheld or fixed, based on an image displacement between the images (second shake determination). The exposure settings at the time of image capturing are changed between the case wherein it is determined by first shake determination that the hold status is fixed, and that wherein it is determined by second shake determination that the hold status is fixed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa
  • Patent number: 8831414
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus including a light emitting device includes a determination unit configured to determine a weighting coefficient of each of a plurality of light metering regions, a calculation unit configured to calculate an amount of main flash light of the light emitting device after performing weighting of the light metering value of each of the plurality of light metering regions according to the weighting coefficient determined by the determination unit, and a selection unit configured to select, from the plurality of light metering regions, a reference region which is used when the weighting coefficient of each of the plurality of light metering regions is determined by the determination unit, and the selection unit selects the reference region in such a manner that a light metering region different from a light metering region whose color information acquired by the color information acquisition unit satisfies a particular condition, is preferentially selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshifumi Osawa