Patents by Inventor Yuji Murase

Yuji Murase 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: 11571122
    Abstract: An image processor performs a histogram acquisition step of acquiring a histogram representing a distribution of gradation values of pixels in a fundus color image captured by irradiating a fundus with a plurality of beams of single-color light having different wavelengths, the histogram being acquired for each channel corresponding to each beam of single-color light, a histogram correction step of acquiring a corrected histogram by correcting the histogram of each channel acquired in the histogram acquisition step, of which a target pattern is set for each channel in advance, so as to fit to the corresponding target pattern, and a color tone corrected image generation step of generating a color tone corrected image, in which a distribution of gradation values for each channel is represented by the corrected histogram, based on the corrected histogram of each channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji Murase, Naoto Honda
  • Patent number: 11508062
    Abstract: An ophthalmological image processing apparatus acquires a plurality of images of a subject eye photographed in a scanning-type imaging optical system, sets any one of the plurality of images as a template, sets corresponding points or corresponding regions between an image of the subject eye and the template at a plurality of positions of each of the image of the subject eye and the template, calculates a movement amount of each of the corresponding points or each of the corresponding regions, and corrects a distortion of the image of the subject eye with respect to the template based on the movement amount of each of the corresponding points or each of the corresponding regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryosuke Shiba, Yoshiki Kumagai, Naoto Honda, Kenshiro Fujiu, Yuji Murase, Shohei Ito
  • Patent number: 11071452
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an optical coherence tomography (OCT) including: an OCT device, an OCT calculation method, and an OCT calculation program, enabling correlation between images to be easily performed; more specifically it relates to a case where a functional OCT image such as a motion contrast is acquired by using the OCT; acquiring the functional OCT image through a calculation process of an OCT signal is a time-consuming process, for this reason, a long time elapses until the point that a functional OCT image can be observed after OCT imaging is completed, and thus this causes stress to a subject and an examiner; the present disclosure provides an OCT device, an OCT calculation method, and an OCT calculation program, enabling a functional OCT image to be rapidly acquired and enables an examiner to easily perform diagnosis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Norimasa Satake, Yukihiro Higuchi, Yuji Murase, Yasuhiro Furuuchi, Hajime Namiki, Naoki Isogai, Masaaki Hanebuchi, Naoki Takeno
  • Publication number: 20200311925
    Abstract: An ophthalmological image processing apparatus acquires a plurality of images of a subject eye photographed in a scanning-type imaging optical system, sets any one of the plurality of images as a template, sets corresponding points or corresponding regions between an image of the subject eye and the template at a plurality of positions of each of the image of the subject eye and the template, calculates a movement amount of each of the corresponding points or each of the corresponding regions, and corrects a distortion of the image of the subject eye with respect to the template based on the movement amount of each of the corresponding points or each of the corresponding regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Applicant: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryosuke SHIBA, Yoshiki KUMAGAI, Naoto HONDA, Kenshiro FUJIU, Yuji MURASE, Shohei ITO
  • Publication number: 20200100672
    Abstract: An image processor performs a histogram acquisition step of acquiring a histogram representing a distribution of gradation values of pixels in a fundus color image captured by irradiating a fundus with a plurality of beams of single-color light having different wavelengths, the histogram being acquired for each channel corresponding to each beam of single-color light, a histogram correction step of acquiring a corrected histogram by correcting the histogram of each channel acquired in the histogram acquisition step, of which a target pattern is set for each channel in advance, so as to fit to the corresponding target pattern, and a color tone corrected image generation step of generating a color tone corrected image, in which a distribution of gradation values for each channel is represented by the corrected histogram, based on the corrected histogram of each channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Applicant: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji MURASE, Naoto HONDA
  • Patent number: 10238281
    Abstract: An optical coherence tomography device includes an OCT optical system that irradiates a tissue of the subject's eye with measurement light from a light source, and detects interference between reference light and the measurement light reflected from the tissue by using a detector, and a processor, in which the processor performs a generation process of acquiring A-scan data based on a signal output from the detector in a cycle of 300 kilohertz or more and generating three-dimensional OCT data at any time based on the acquired A-scan data, and performs an analysis process on each piece of the three-dimensional OCT data generated at any time through the generation process, so as to output a real-time analysis result of the three-dimensional OCT data which is generated at any time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Isogai, Hideki Aono, Yukihiro Higuchi, Yuji Murase, Norimasa Satake, Keiji Murata
  • Patent number: 10070780
    Abstract: An ophthalmologic photographing apparatus includes: a photographing optical system that includes a scanning unit for scanning an examinee's eye with measurement light to obtain a tomographic image of the examinee's eye; an observing optical system that includes a light-receiving device for receiving reflected light from the examinee's eye to obtain a moving image of a front image of the examinee's eye based on a light-receiving signal from the light-receiving device; a display controller for displaying the front image acquired by the observing optical system in a still state on a monitor as well as enabling setting of a capturing position of the tomographic image, the setting using the front image; and a drive controller for controlling the scanning unit to acquire the tomographic image in accordance with the capturing position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji Murase, Yukihiro Higuchi, Norimasa Satake
  • Patent number: 9795292
    Abstract: A method for capturing a tomographic image of an eye includes: obtaining a plurality of tomographic images of an examinee's eye by an optical scanning; obtaining a displacement distribution that is a distribution of a displacement for each A-scan among the plurality of tomographic images; and correcting a displacement among the tomographic images based on the displacement distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Murase
  • Publication number: 20170238798
    Abstract: An optical coherence tomography device includes an OCT optical system that irradiates a tissue of the subject's eye with measurement light from a light source, and detects interference between reference light and the measurement light reflected from the tissue by using a detector, and a processor, in which the processor performs a generation process of acquiring A-scan data based on a signal output from the detector in a cycle of 300 kilohertz or more and generating three-dimensional OCT data at any time based on the acquired A-scan data, and performs an analysis process on each piece of the three-dimensional OCT data generated at any time through the generation process, so as to output a real-time analysis result of the three-dimensional OCT data which is generated at any time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2017
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Applicant: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki ISOGAI, Hideki AONO, Yukihiro HIGUCHI, Yuji MURASE, Norimasa SATAKE, Keiji MURATA
  • Publication number: 20160287068
    Abstract: An ophthalmologic photographing apparatus includes: a photographing optical system that includes a scanning unit for scanning an examinee's eye with measurement light to obtain a tomographic image of the examinee's eye; an observing optical system that includes a light-receiving device for receiving reflected light from the examinee's eye to obtain a moving image of a front image of the examinee's eye based on a light-receiving signal from the light-receiving device; a display controller for displaying the front image acquired by the observing optical system in a still state on a monitor as well as enabling setting of a capturing position of the tomographic image, the setting using the front image; and a drive controller for controlling the scanning unit to acquire the tomographic image in accordance with the capturing position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Applicant: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji MURASE, Yukihiro HIGUCHI, Norimasa SATAKE
  • Patent number: 9259151
    Abstract: There is provided an ophthalmic imaging apparatus including an optical coherence tomography (OCT) optical system for acquiring a tomographic image of a subject eye, an observation optical system configured to acquire a front image of the subject eye. The apparatus functions as an image generation unit which repeatedly generates the tomographic image based on an output signal from the OCT optical system, and repeatedly generates the front image based on an output signal from the observation optical system, a determination unit which detects a positional deviation between a reference front image and each of front images generated by the image generation unit, and determines consecutiveness of the front images whose positional deviation satisfies a permissible range, and a selection process unit which selects one of multiple tomographic images generated by the image generation unit, based on a determination result by the determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Murase
  • Publication number: 20150374228
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an optical coherence tomography (OCT) including: an OCT device, an OCT calculation method, and an OCT calculation program, enabling correlation between images to be easily performed; more specifically it relates to a case where a functional OCT image such as a motion contrast is acquired by using the OCT; acquiring the functional OCT image through a calculation process of an OCT signal is a time-consuming process, for this reason, a long time elapses until the point that a functional OCT image can be observed after OCT imaging is completed, and thus this causes stress to a subject and an examiner; the present disclosure provides an OCT device, an OCT calculation method, and an OCT calculation program, enabling a functional OCT image to be rapidly acquired and enables an examiner to easily perform diagnosis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Applicant: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Norimasa SATAKE, Yukihiro HIGUCHI, Yuji MURASE, Yasuhiro FURUUCHI, Hajime NAMIKI, Naoki ISOGAI, Masaaki HANEBUCHI, Naoki TAKENO
  • Patent number: 9220406
    Abstract: An ophthalmic photographing apparatus includes: an interference optical system configured to acquire a tomographic image of an eye; a processor; and memory storing computer readable instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the ophthalmic photographing apparatus to: control the interference optical system to acquire multiple tomographic images, and store the multiple tomographic images in a storage unit; acquire a composite image based on the multiple tomographic images stored in the storage unit; start a photographing operation for acquiring the multiple tomographic images based on the photographing position; acquire the composite image from the multiple tomographic images which are acquired by the interference optical system and stored in the storage unit until a first operation signal is received during the photographing operation; and transfer a process to a subsequent photographing operation when a second operation signal is received from the operation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji Murase, Mitsuo Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9186058
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus configured to process a tomographic image of an object to be examined, includes: a processor; and memory storing computer readable instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the image processing apparatus to: set a reference line, which is used as a reference for setting a cross sectional position, on a front image of the object, the cross sectional position being one of a position where a two-dimensional tomographic image is acquired from three-dimensional data of the object, and a position where measurement light for generating a tomographic image is scanned; and set the cross sectional position having a predetermined angle as an angle relative to the set reference line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yukihiro Higuchi, Yuji Murase
  • Patent number: 9072458
    Abstract: An ophthalmologic photographing apparatus includes: a photographing optical system, including a scanning unit for scanning an examinee's eye with measurement light, for obtaining a tomographic image of the examinee's eye; an observing optical system, including a light-receiving device for receiving reflected light from the examinee's eye, for obtaining a front image of the examinee's eye based on a light receiving signal from the light-receiving device; a condition setting unit for setting conditions for capturing a tomographic image; and a tracking controller for performing tracking that controls the scanning unit in a manner of scanning a predetermined photographing portion of the examinee's eye based on a front image acquired by the observing optical system as well as performing tracking related to substantially the same photographing portion even in a case where the photographing condition is changed by the condition setting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Murase
  • Patent number: 8985772
    Abstract: An ophthalmologic photographing apparatus includes: an optical coherence system for obtaining a tomographic image of an examinee's eye, having an optical scanner for scanning the eye with measurement light and a detector for detecting an interference signal of the light and reference light; an observing optical system for acquiring a front image of the eye; a scan controller for controlling the optical scanner to scan with the light different transverse positions set on the image, and acquire first interference signals at the positions; a display controller for displaying on a monitor an image created in response to the first interference signal; and an image recapture setting unit for setting a rephotographing transverse position in response to an operation signal from an operating unit for the image on the monitor. The scan controller scans the eye with the light at the rephotographing transverse position, and acquires a second interference signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Nidek Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuji Murase
  • Publication number: 20140204342
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus configured to process a tomographic image of an object to be examined, includes: a processor; and memory storing computer readable instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the image processing apparatus to: set a reference line, which is used as a reference for setting a cross sectional position, on a front image of the object, the cross sectional position being one of a position where a two-dimensional tomographic image is acquired from three-dimensional data of the object, and a position where measurement light for generating a tomographic image is scanned; and set the cross sectional position having a predetermined angle as an angle relative to the set reference line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yukihiro HIGUCHI, Yuji MURASE
  • Publication number: 20140204338
    Abstract: An ophthalmic photographing apparatus includes: an interference optical system configured to acquire a tomographic image of an eye; a processor; and memory storing computer readable instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the ophthalmic photographing apparatus to: control the interference optical system to acquire multiple tomographic images, and store the multiple tomographic images in a storage unit; acquire a composite image based on the multiple tomographic images stored in the storage unit; start a photographing operation for acquiring the multiple tomographic images based on the photographing position; acquire the composite image from the multiple tomographic images which are acquired by the interference optical system and stored in the storage unit until a first operation signal is received during the photographing operation; and transfer a process to a subsequent photographing operation when a second operation signal is received from the operation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji MURASE, Mitsuo YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20140204341
    Abstract: There is provided an ophthalmic imaging apparatus including an optical coherence tomography (OCT) optical system for acquiring a tomographic image of a subject eye, an observation optical system configured to acquire a front image of the subject eye. The apparatus functions as an image generation unit which repeatedly generates the tomographic image based on an output signal from the OCT optical system, and repeatedly generates the front image based on an output signal from the observation optical system, a determination unit which detects a positional deviation between a reference front image and each of front images generated by the image generation unit, and determines consecutiveness of the front images whose positional deviation satisfies a permissible range, and a selection process unit which selects one of multiple tomographic images generated by the image generation unit, based on a determination result by the determination unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: Nidek Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuji MURASE
  • Publication number: 20140111767
    Abstract: An ophthalmologic photographing apparatus includes: an optical coherence system for obtaining a tomographic image of an examinee's eye, having an optical scanner for scanning the eye with measurement light and a detector for detecting an interference signal of the light and reference light; an observing optical system for acquiring a front image of the eye; a scan controller for controlling the optical scanner to scan with the light different transverse positions set on the image, and acquire first interference signals at the positions; a display controller for displaying on a monitor an image created in response to the first interference signal; and an image recapture setting unit for setting a rephotographing transverse position in response to an operation signal from an operating unit for the image on the monitor. The scan controller scans the eye with the light at the rephotographing transverse position, and acquires a second interference signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Murase