Patents by Inventor Toshiya Fujii

Toshiya Fujii 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).

  • Publication number: 20190162596
    Abstract: An optical filter including filter regions arrayed two-dimensionally, in which the filter regions include a first region and a second region; a wavelength distribution of an optical transmittance of the first region has a first local maximum in a first wavelength band and a second local maximum in a second wavelength band that differs from the first wavelength band, and a wavelength distribution of an optical transmittance of the second region has a third local maximum in a third wavelength band that differs from each of the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band and a fourth local maximum in a fourth wavelength band that differs from the third wavelength band.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Toshiya FUJII, Takamasa ANDO
  • Publication number: 20190072673
    Abstract: A distance measurement system includes: a signal generator which generates a light emission signal that instructs light emission and an exposure signal that instructs exposure of reflected light; a first illumination and distance measurement light source which receives the light emission signal and, according to the signal received, performs the light emission for illumination without a purpose of distance measurement and the light emission with the purpose of distance measurement using the reflected light; an imaging device which receives the exposure signal, performs the exposure according to the signal received, and obtains an amount of light exposure of the reflected light; and a calculator which calculates distance information using the amount of light exposure and outputs the distance information, wherein the distance measurement system has operation modes including an illumination mode and a first distance measurement mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Publication date: March 7, 2019
    Inventors: Junji ITO, Tohru YAMADA, Toshiya FUJII
  • Patent number: 10215636
    Abstract: An imaging device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is provided with: a light source that, in operation, emits pulsed light including components of different wavelengths; an encoding element that has regions each having different light transmittance, through which incident light from a target onto which the pulsed light has been irradiated is transmitted; a spectroscopic element that, in operation, causes the incident light transmitted through the regions to be dispersed into light rays in accordance with the wavelengths; and an image sensor that, in operation, receives the light rays dispersed by the spectroscopic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiya Fujii, Takamasa Ando
  • Patent number: 10200637
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes: a first light source which, in operation, emits first pulsed light to project a first image of a first pattern at a first position in a predetermined region of a subject, and emits second pulsed light to project a second image of a second pattern at a second position, different from the first position, in the predetermined region of the subject; an image sensor including multiple pixels each including a photodetector that, in operation, converts received light into a signal charge, and a first accumulator and a second accumulator each of which, in operation, accumulates the signal charge; and a control circuit which, in operation, controls the first light source and the image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiya Fujii, Takamasa Ando, Tatsuya Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10194099
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a light source that, in operation, emits first pulsed light and second pulsed light, an image sensor that includes at least one pixel including a photodiode, a first charge accumulator and a second charge accumulator, the first charge accumulator and the second charge accumulator, in operation, accumulating signal charge from the photodiode, and a control circuit that, in operation, controls the image sensor. The control circuit, in operation, causes the first charge accumulator to begin to accumulate the signal charge a period of time after the light source begins to emit the first pulsed light. The control circuit, in operation, causes the second charge accumulator to begin to accumulate the signal charge the period of time after the light source begins to emit the second pulsed light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takamasa Ando, Tsuguhiro Korenaga, Toshiya Fujii
  • Publication number: 20190028660
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus including a light source that, in operation, emits pulsed light to a measurement target; a diffusion member that is disposed between the light source and the measurement target, and diffuses the pulsed light; an image sensor that includes at least one pixel, the at least one pixel including a photodiode and a charge accumulator that, in operation, accumulates signal charge from the photodiode; and a control circuit that, in operation, controls the image sensor. The control circuit causes the image sensor to start to accumulate the signal charge with the charge accumulator in a falling period of a returned pulsed light which is returned from the measurement target to the image sensor due to the emission of the pulsed light, the falling period being a period from start to end of a decrease of an intensity of the returned pulsed light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Takamasa ANDO, Tsuguhiro KORENAGA, Toshiya FUJII
  • Patent number: 10151835
    Abstract: A distance measurement system includes: a signal generator which generates a light emission signal that instructs light emission and an exposure signal that instructs exposure of reflected light; a first illumination and distance measurement light source which receives the light emission signal and, according to the signal received, performs the light emission for illumination without a purpose of distance measurement and the light emission with the purpose of distance measurement using the reflected light; an imaging device which receives the exposure signal, performs the exposure according to the signal received, and obtains an amount of light exposure of the reflected light; and a calculator which calculates distance information using the amount of light exposure and outputs the distance information, wherein the distance measurement system has operation modes including an illumination mode and a first distance measurement mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junji Ito, Tohru Yamada, Toshiya Fujii
  • Patent number: 10104315
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a light source that, in operation, emits pulsed light to a living body, an image sensor that includes at least one pixel including a photodiode and charge accumulators that, in operation, accumulate signal charge from the photodiode, and a control circuit that, in operation, controls the image sensor. The charge accumulators, in operation, accumulate the signal charge corresponding to a component of the pulsed light scattered inside the living body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takamasa Ando, Tsuguhiro Korenaga, Toshiya Fujii
  • Patent number: 10073164
    Abstract: A distance-measuring/imaging apparatus having a high S/N and a high distance measurement accuracy is provided. The distance-measuring/imaging apparatus includes: a signal generation unit for generating an emission signal and exposure signal; a light source unit for performing light irradiation by receiving the emission signal; an imaging unit for performing exposure by receiving the exposure signal and for acquiring the exposure amount of the reflected light; and a calculation unit for calculating and outputting the distance information on the basis of the exposure amount. The imaging unit acquires a first exposure amount corresponding to the exposure in a first emission/exposure period, in which the exposure is performed by receiving the exposure signal simultaneously with a receiving timing of the emission signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiko Otani, Toshiya Fujii, Junji Tokumoto, Haruka Takano
  • Patent number: 10048380
    Abstract: A distance-measuring imaging device includes: a drive control unit; a light source unit; an image processing unit including light receiving units and charge reading units arranged one-to-one; and an image processing unit. The charge reading units are arranged partly at the left side of corresponding ones of the light receiving units and partly at the right side of corresponding ones of the same. In each of a period in which the exposure is performed when the exposure control signal is received after a first delay time since when the light emission control signal is received and a period in which the exposure is performed when the exposure control signal is received after a second delay time longer than the first delay time, since when the light emission control signal is received, the left-side charge reading units read charge leftward, and the right-side charge reading units read charge rightward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Yarino, Toshiya Fujii, Mitsuhiko Otani, Haruka Takano
  • Publication number: 20170353672
    Abstract: An imaging device includes a light source, an image sensor, and a controller. Each pixel of the image sensor includes first and second accumulators and a discharger. The controller, while a component of light from the light source reflected by the surface of a target is incident on the image sensor, causes the accumulators to accumulate signal charge not discharged to the discharger, by setting the image sensor so that signal charge is discharged to the discharger, while a component having scattered inside the target is incident on the image sensor, causes the first accumulator to accumulate signal charge by setting the image sensor so that signal charge is not discharged to the discharger and signal charge is accumulated in the first accumulator, and causes the image sensor to generate first and second signals that are respectively based on signal charge accumulated in the first and second accumulators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2017
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: TATSUYA NAKAMURA, TOSHIYA FUJII, MASAAKI YANAGIDA, TAKAMASA ANDO
  • Patent number: 9787912
    Abstract: Read electrodes are provided to drain signal charge of pixels from photoelectric conversion units provided in the pixels separately to a vertical transfer unit. During a first exposure period during which an object is illuminated with infrared light, signal charge obtained from a first pixel, and signal charge obtained from a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel, are added together in the vertical transfer unit to produce first signal charge. During a second exposure period during which the object is not illuminated with infrared light, signal charge obtained from the first pixel, and signal charge obtained from the second pixel adjacent to the first pixel, are transferred without being added to the first signal charge in the vertical transfer unit, and are added together in another packet to produce second signal charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Asano, Tohru Yamada, Junichi Matsuo, Toshiya Fujii, Nobukazu Teranishi
  • Publication number: 20170289468
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes: a first light source which, in operation, emits first pulsed light to project a first image of a first pattern at a first position in a predetermined region of a subject, and emits second pulsed light to project a second image of a second pattern at a second position, different from the first position, in the predetermined region of the subject; an image sensor including multiple pixels each including a photodetector that, in operation, converts received light into a signal charge, and a first accumulator and a second accumulator each of which, in operation, accumulates the signal charge; and a control circuit which, in operation, controls the first light source and the image sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: TOSHIYA FUJII, TAKAMASA ANDO, TATSUYA NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20170251198
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging device, a first imaging optical system and a second imaging optical system that form respective input images from mutually different viewpoints onto the imaging device, and a first modulation mask and a second modulation mask that modulate the input images formed by the first imaging optical system and the second imaging optical system. The imaging device captures a superposed image composed of the two input images that have been formed by the first imaging optical system and the second imaging optical system, modulated by the first modulation mask and the second modulation mask, and optically superposed on each other, and the first modulation mask and the second modulation mask have mutually different optical transmittance distribution characteristics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Inventors: KUNIO NOBORI, SATOSHI SATO, TAKEO AZUMA, TAKAMASA ANDO, TSUGUHIRO KORENAGA, TOSHIYA FUJII
  • Publication number: 20170231544
    Abstract: A biological information detection device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a light source that, in operation, emits irradiation light for irradiating a test portion of a subject; a light detector that, in operation, detects light reached from the test portion and that outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the light; and a calculation circuit that, in operation, generates a signal of biological information related to a blood flow in a target area in the test portion based on the electrical signal. The light detector is an image sensor. The electrical signal includes an image signal obtained by the image sensor. The calculation circuit, in operation, detects a magnitude of an inclination of an orientation of the test portion with respect to a reference orientation by image recognition based on the image signal, and determines the target area according to the magnitude of the inclination of the orientation of the test portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Inventors: NAOMI SATOI, TERUHIRO SHIONO, TOSHIYA FUJII
  • Publication number: 20170003168
    Abstract: An imaging device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is provided with: a light source that, in operation, emits pulsed light including components of different wavelengths; an encoding element that has regions each having different light transmittance, through which incident light from a target onto which the pulsed light has been irradiated is transmitted; a spectroscopic element that, in operation, causes the incident light transmitted through the regions to be dispersed into light rays in accordance with the wavelengths; and an image sensor that, in operation, receives the light rays dispersed by the spectroscopic element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventors: TOSHIYA FUJII, TAKAMASA ANDO
  • Publication number: 20160373652
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a light source that, in operation, emits first pulsed light and second pulsed light, an image sensor that includes at least one pixel including a photodiode, a first charge accumulator and a second charge accumulator, the first charge accumulator and the second charge accumulator, in operation, accumulating signal charge from the photodiode, and a control circuit that, in operation, controls the image sensor. The control circuit, in operation, causes the first charge accumulator to begin to accumulate the signal charge a period of time after the light source begins to emit the first pulsed light. The control circuit, in operation, causes the second charge accumulator to begin to accumulate the signal charge the period of time after the light source begins to emit the second pulsed light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Publication date: December 22, 2016
    Inventors: TAKAMASA ANDO, TSUGUHIRO KORENAGA, TOSHIYA FUJII
  • Publication number: 20160373669
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a light source that, in operation, emits pulsed light to a living body, an image sensor that includes at least one pixel including a photodiode and charge accumulators that, in operation, accumulate signal charge from the photodiode, and a control circuit that, in operation, controls the image sensor. The charge accumulators, in operation, accumulate the signal charge corresponding to a component of the pulsed light scattered inside the living body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Publication date: December 22, 2016
    Inventors: TAKAMASA ANDO, TSUGUHIRO KORENAGA, TOSHIYA FUJII
  • Patent number: 9425229
    Abstract: This solid-state image sensor includes a photosensitive cell array including first through fourth photosensitive cells 2a to 2d, a dispersing element array including first and second dispersing elements 1a and 1b arranged to face the first and third photosensitive cells 2a and 2c, respectively, and a microlens array including first and second microlenses 4a and 4b. The first dispersing element 1a makes parts of incoming light that have come through the first microlens 4a and that have first and second color components incident on the first and second photosensitive cells 2a and 2b, respectively. The second dispersing element 1b makes parts of incoming light that have come through the second microlens 4b and that have third and fourth color components incident on the third and fourth photosensitive cells 2c and 2d, respectively. In addition, light that has not passed through the first and second microlenses 4a and 4b is also incident on the second and fourth photosensitive cells 2b and 2d.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America
    Inventors: Masao Hiramoto, Seiji Nishiwaki, Toshiya Fujii, Tatsuya Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20160161611
    Abstract: A distance measurement system includes: a signal generator which generates a light emission signal that instructs light emission and an exposure signal that instructs exposure of reflected light; a first illumination and distance measurement light source which receives the light emission signal and, according to the signal received, performs the light emission for illumination without a purpose of distance measurement and the light emission with the purpose of distance measurement using the reflected light; an imaging device which receives the exposure signal, performs the exposure according to the signal received, and obtains an amount of light exposure of the reflected light; and a calculator which calculates distance information using the amount of light exposure and outputs the distance information, wherein the distance measurement system has operation modes including an illumination mode and a first distance measurement mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Junji ITO, Tohru YAMADA, Toshiya FUJII