Patents by Inventor Yuji Watarai

Yuji Watarai 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: 9105089
    Abstract: An image processor includes an extracting unit and a synthesizer. The extracting unit extracts partial image data corresponding to a set color from pickup image data of first to (N?1)-th frames of the first to N-th frames output from an image pickup unit within one video recording cycle. The extracting unit estimates a region-to-be-extracted based on a color of a pixel from pixels constituting the first to (N?1)-th frames, stores pixel values of pixels included in the estimated region-to-be-extracted, determines validity of the estimated region-to-be-extracted, and stores, in a storage unit, region information of the region-to-be-extracted that is determined as being validated. The synthesizer synthesizes the pixels of the region-to-be-extracted and the pickup image data of the N-th frame based on the region information to generate and output an output frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: SOCIONEXT INC.
    Inventor: Yuji Watarai
  • Patent number: 8610801
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image pickup circuit that performs photoelectric conversion on an optical image, and a chromatic aberration correcting circuit that calculates an amount of shift by chromatic aberration based on a linear function to perform chromatic aberration correction on captured image data in accordance with the amount of shift. The chromatic aberration correcting circuit performs the chromatic aberration correction on a first pixel in a first area including an optical center of the captured image data with a first linear function using a distance from the optical center, and performs the chromatic aberration correction on a second pixel in a second area that does not include the optical center and that is different from the first area with a second linear function using the distance from the optical center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventor: Yuji Watarai
  • Publication number: 20130038754
    Abstract: An image processor includes an extracting unit and a synthesizer. The extracting unit extracts partial image data corresponding to a set color from pickup image data of first to (N?1)-th frames of the first to N-th frames output from an image pickup unit within one video recording cycle. The extracting unit estimates a region-to-be-extracted based on a color of a pixel from pixels constituting the first to (N?1)-th frames, stores pixel values of pixels included in the estimated region-to-be-extracted, determines validity of the estimated region-to-be-extracted, and stores, in a storage unit, region information of the region-to-be-extracted that is determined as being validated. The synthesizer synthesizes the pixels of the region-to-be-extracted and the pickup image data of the N-th frame based on the region information to generate and output an output frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED
    Inventor: Yuji WATARAI
  • Patent number: 8369613
    Abstract: An image processing circuit includes a memory configured to store an image retrieved from an image pick-up element, wherein the image is written on a plurality of rows of a two dimensional storage area of the memory and a filtering circuit configured to perform a filtering process with respect to each pixel data on a row when the image is written on the plurality of rows of the two-dimensional storage area of the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventor: Yuji Watarai
  • Patent number: 8335391
    Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus and an image processing method capable of exerting a noise reduction effect corresponding to a pixel value of a target pixel. An image processing apparatus that reduces a noise included in a target pixel while reflecting a surrounding pixel located on a surrounding of the target pixel, comprises a selecting section that selects a pixel width tolerable with reference to a true value of the target pixel as a pixel value of the target pixel and correcting section that extracts either one or both pixel values, namely, a pixel value of the surrounding pixel and the pixel value of the target pixel, as a correction value for correcting the pixel value of the target pixel depending on the pixel width selected by the selecting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventor: Yuji Watarai
  • Patent number: 8320697
    Abstract: An image processing filter for correcting a pixel value of an image includes a flatness calculation unit 40 for calculating a flatness of distribution of pixel values of surrounding pixels positioned on the periphery of a target pixel to be filtered, and a pixel value composition unit 50 for blending the pixel value of the target pixel and the pixel value of the surrounding pixels, on the basis of a blend ratio corresponding to the flatness calculated by the flatness calculation unit 40, and generating a composite pixel value by combining the pixel value of the target pixel and the pixel value of the surrounding pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventor: Yuji Watarai
  • Patent number: 8194984
    Abstract: An image processing system is disclosed that includes a buffer unit configured to store a predetermined pixel and peripheral pixels neighboring the predetermined pixel in image data in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a first edge-detecting circuit configured to calculate a maximum value and a minimum value of a set of pixels selected from the peripheral pixels that have the same color as the predetermined pixel to calculate a difference value between the maximum value and the minimum value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Takeshi Seki, Tomohiro Fukuoka, Kiichiro Iga, Yuji Watarai
  • Patent number: 8085322
    Abstract: A defect pixel correction circuit that can easily determine a defect of an image sensor that has the defect that ranges to one direction and replace with the correcting pixel is provided. The defect pixel correction circuit 1 includes: a defect pixel determination unit 10 configured to determine whether a noteworthy pixel oo is a defect pixel referring to a referring pixels ko, mo, qo and so that excludes the noteworthy pixel oo, the referring pixels centering on the noteworthy pixel oo and lining up in one direction; and a defect pixel correcting unit 20 configured to generate a correcting pixel value on the basis of the referring pixels mo and qo, and replace the noteworthy pixel value that is pixel value of the noteworthy pixel oo with the correcting pixel value, when the noteworthy pixel oo is a defect pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Takeshi Seki, Yuji Watarai
  • Patent number: 8049788
    Abstract: An image signal processing device for correcting color difference signals includes a first correcting unit configured to set a correction amount for input color difference signals to “0” and generating output color difference signals when a colorless area containing the original point of a color difference space in which the two color difference signals are set as two intersecting axes, a first boundary line through which the inside and outside of the colorless area are partitioned, a suppression area which is nearer to the original point than the first boundary line and defined by a color difference suppression width, and a second boundary line through which the interior of suppression area and the inside area of the suppression area are partitioned are set in the color difference space and the values of the color difference signals are at the outside of the colorless area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventor: Yuji Watarai
  • Patent number: 8035703
    Abstract: A noise characteristics measurement device that facilitates the measurement of noise characteristics in an imaging sensor. The noise characteristics measurement device has a classification circuit including a plurality of pixel value regions obtained by dividing a numerical range that can be taken by pixel values of the imaging sensor in accordance with the level of a pixel value. The classification circuit classifies pixel values of the imaging sensor into the plurality of pixel value regions. A calculation circuit calculates a value representing a dispersion degree of the pixel values classified into each pixel value region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventor: Yuji Watarai
  • Publication number: 20100214446
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image pickup circuit that performs photoelectric conversion on an optical image, and a chromatic aberration correcting circuit that calculates an amount of shift by chromatic aberration based on a linear function to perform chromatic aberration correction on captured image data in accordance with the amount of shift. The chromatic aberration correcting circuit performs the chromatic aberration correction on a first pixel in a first area including an optical center of the captured image data with a first linear function using a distance from the optical center, and performs the chromatic aberration correction on a second pixel in a second area that does not include the optical center and that is different from the first area with a second linear function using the distance from the optical center.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: FUJITSU MICROELECTRONICS LIMITED
    Inventor: Yuji WATARAI
  • Patent number: 7671872
    Abstract: A method for determining which one of regions in a chrominance space an input point belongs to. The regions are defined by boundary lines. The method includes generating in the chrominance space a first line, extending through the input point and the origin of the chrominance space, and a second line, connecting a point on the Cb axis of the chrominance space and a point on the Cr axis of the chrominance space. The method further includes comparing coordinates of a first intersection point, at which the first line and the second line intersect, and coordinates of second intersection points, at which the second line and the boundary lines intersect, to determine the region to which the input point belongs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited
    Inventor: Yuji Watarai
  • Publication number: 20090207268
    Abstract: An image signal processing device for correcting color difference signals includes a first correcting unit configured to set a correction amount for input color difference signals to “0” and generating output color difference signals when a colorless area containing the original point of a color difference space in which the two color difference signals are set as two intersecting axes, a first boundary line through which the inside and outside of the colorless area are partitioned, a suppression area which is nearer to the original point than the first boundary line and defined by a color difference suppression width, and a second boundary line through which the interior of suppression area and the inside area of the suppression area are partitioned are set in the color difference space and the values of the color difference signals are at the outside of the colorless area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2009
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Applicant: FUJITSU MICROELECTRONICS LIMITED
    Inventor: Yuji WATARAI
  • Publication number: 20090202168
    Abstract: An image processing circuit includes a memory configured to store an image retrieved from an image pick-up element, wherein the image is written on a plurality of rows of a two dimensional storage area of the memory and a filtering circuit configured to perform a filtering process with respect to each pixel data on a row when the image is written on the plurality of rows of the two-dimensional storage area of the memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Applicant: FUJITSU MICROELECTRONIC LIMITED
    Inventor: Yuji WATARAI
  • Publication number: 20090087116
    Abstract: An image processing filter for correcting a pixel value of an image includes a flatness calculation unit 40 for calculating a flatness of distribution of pixel values of surrounding pixels positioned on the periphery of a target pixel to be filtered, and a pixel value composition unit 50 for blending the pixel value of the target pixel and the pixel value of the surrounding pixels, on the basis of a blend ratio corresponding to the flatness calculated by the flatness calculation unit 40, and generating a composite pixel value by combining the pixel value of the target pixel and the pixel value of the surrounding pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: FUJITSU MICROELECTRONICS LIMITED
    Inventor: Yuji WATARAI
  • Publication number: 20090087117
    Abstract: A filtering circuit which filters an image picked up by an image pickup element arranged in a two dimensional array. The filtering circuit includes a plurality of filtering units and a selecting unit. The plurality of filtering units locally filter a plurality of pixels forming the image, and the selecting unit selects one or more pixels to be filtered by one of the filtering units and selects another pixel to be filtered by another one of filtering units. The selected one or more pixels filtered by the one filtering unit and the selected another pixel filtered by another one of the filtering units belong to a same column in the two dimensional array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: FUJITSU MICROELECTRONICS LIMITED
    Inventors: Takeshi SEKI, Yuji WATARAI
  • Publication number: 20080218782
    Abstract: An image processing system is disclosed that includes a buffer unit configured to store a predetermined pixel and peripheral pixels neighboring the predetermined pixel in image data in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a first edge-detecting circuit configured to calculate a maximum value and a minimum value of a set of pixels selected from the peripheral pixels that have the same color as the predetermined pixel to calculate a difference value between the maximum value and the minimum value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2008
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Applicant: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Takeshi SEKI, Tomohiro Fukuoka, Kiichiro Iga, Yuji Watarai
  • Publication number: 20080198244
    Abstract: A noise characteristics measurement device that facilitates the measurement of noise characteristics in an imaging sensor. The noise characteristics measurement device has a classification circuit including a plurality of pixel value regions obtained by dividing a numerical range that can be taken by pixel values of the imaging sensor in accordance with the level of a pixel value. The classification circuit classifies pixel values of the imaging sensor into the plurality of pixel value regions. A calculation circuit calculates a value representing a dispersion degree of the pixel values classified into each pixel value region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventor: Yuji WATARAI
  • Publication number: 20080189511
    Abstract: A table value conversion device for use with a memory in which a default table value is stored, a central processing unit for reading a default table value from the memory and outputting an output value, and a functional macro functioning as hardware for processing data and storing a lookup table. The device enables simple and efficient rewriting of values stored in the memory. The device includes a conversion module arranged on an external bus extending between the memory and the central processing unit. The conversion module receives the output value of the central processing unit, performs a correction computation on the received output value to generate a corrected value, and converts a table value of the lookup table in the functional macro based on the corrected value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2008
    Publication date: August 7, 2008
    Inventors: Yuji Watarai, Kunihiro Ohara
  • Publication number: 20080144960
    Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus and an image processing method capable of exerting a noise reduction effect corresponding to a pixel value of a target pixel. An image processing apparatus that reduces a noise included in a target pixel while reflecting a surrounding pixel located on a surrounding of the target pixel, comprises a selecting section that selects a pixel width tolerable with reference to a true value of the target pixel as a pixel value of the target pixel and correcting section that extracts either one or both pixel values, namely, a pixel value of the surrounding pixel and the pixel value of the target pixel, as a correction value for correcting the pixel value of the target pixel depending on the pixel width selected by the selecting portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2007
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Applicant: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventor: Yuji WATARAI