Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080259181 | IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING METHOD, INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, AND STORAGE MEDIUM - An imaging apparatus appropriately captures a large dynamic range image of even a scene including a backlit person with a blue sky background in a manner that the person's face has an appropriate luminance level without saturating the background sky. In the imaging apparatus, an imaging unit obtains analogue image signals through exposure control that prevents a highlight from being saturated, an A/D converter converts the analogue image signals to digital image signals, and a signal processing unit linearly increases the dynamic range of the digital image signals. The image signals with the increased dynamic range are nonlinearly compressed to have a dynamic range of 100% or less through nonlinear dynamic range compression that intensively compresses a highlight portion. The imaging apparatus with this structure first increases the dynamic range of an image and efficiently compresses the increased large dynamic range of the image. | 10-23-2008 |
20080292353 | Image forming apparatus - When discontinuing image forming, the image forming is discontinued after conducting image forming up to the separation of the set in the course of image forming, and then, the jobs in which image forming is not finished including a job in execution are stored in a nonvolatile storing medium before the power shut down and after the discontinuation. When the power is turned on again, image forming is restarted based on the job stored in the nonvolatile storing medium. | 11-27-2008 |
20080298797 | IMAGING APPARATUS - An imaging apparatus includes: a viewfinder optical system configured to observe a subject image input from a photography optical system; a transmissive member upon which is provided a line image indicating detection positions of photography supporting information relating to photography conditions, within a photography region; an imaging device configured to acquire a photographed image relating to the subject image upon which the line image has been superimposed; and a line image correcting unit for correcting a part of the line image extracted from the line image shown in the photographed image, the part of the line image having been extracted corresponding to the photography conditions that have been set. | 12-04-2008 |
20090033753 | IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - An imaging apparatus estimates a distance based on a reflectance value of a subject estimated with improved precision. An illumination unit illuminates a subject with illumination light. An imaging unit captures a plurality of images each under a different condition of the illumination unit. An illumination light element obtaining unit obtains an image formed with an element of the illumination light from the plurality of images. A reflectance estimation unit eliminates illumination variations from one of the plurality of images or from the image formed with the illumination light element, and estimates a reflectance of the subject corresponding to each pixel. A distance information estimation unit estimates a distance to the subject corresponding to each pixel based on the image formed with the illumination light element and the reflectance of the subject. | 02-05-2009 |
20090040335 | WHITE BALANCE ADJUSTMENT DEVICE, IMAGE CAPTURE DEVICE, WHITE BALANCE ADJUSTMENT METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - A natural white balance is achieved in images that are captured while emitting a flash. A WB adjustment portion is provided with a mixture ratio calculation portion that estimates a mixture ratio of an external light component and a flashed light component that are present in an image that is captured with emitting a flash, from the image obtained that is captured while emitting a flash and an image signal that is obtained without emitting a flash, an external light WB coefficient determination portion that determines an WB coefficient for the external light, a flashed light WB coefficient setting portion that sets a WB coefficient for the flashed light, and a WB processing portion that continuously performs WB processing on the image captured while emitting a flash by using the mixture ratio as an interpolation ratio. | 02-12-2009 |
20090116043 | Image processing method, image processing device, and image processing program - An image processing method includes the steps of: obtaining image data formed by signals of a plurality of pixels expressing a color image; discriminating a photographic scene of an image from the image data; determining a gradation correction method based on a result of discriminating a photographic scene; determining a first gradation correction amount based on a result of discriminating a photographic scene; detecting a face area in an image of the image data and calculating a face detection reliability; determining a second gradation correction amount based on an average luminance of the face area; determining a third gradation correction amount by weighted averaging the first gradation correction amount and the second gradation correction amount based on the face detection reliability; and applying a gradation correction process to the image data by using the third gradation correction amount and the gradation method. | 05-07-2009 |
20090184894 | IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS, IMAGE DISPLAYING METHOD, PLASMA DISPLAY PANEL APPARATUS, PROGRAM, INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, AND RECORDING MEDIUM - An image display apparatus using phosphors each having a different persistence time has a problem of reducing a motion blur caused by persistence of the phosphors in an image and improving color shift caused by the motion blur. The image display apparatus ( | 07-23-2009 |
20090231467 | IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - An imaging apparatus for capturing a moving image performs backlight correction of an image and outputs a natural image. The imaging apparatus electronically captures an image of a subject. An optical system has a light amount adjustment function. An imaging unit reads an optical image of the subject that is formed by the optical system. An A/D converter subjects an output of the imaging unit to A/D conversion. A backlight correction unit converts the tones of an image read by the A/D converter using a conversion characteristic selected differently according to a spatial position and at least increases the luminance level of a dark region of the image. An instruction unit instructs to start backlight correction. A control unit operates the backlight correction unit based on an instruction signal output from the instruction unit, and decreases an exposure light amount of the optical system by a predetermined amount. | 09-17-2009 |
20090292223 | ELECTRO-OCULOGRAPHY MEASURING APPARATUS, IMAGING APPARATUS, ELECTRO-OCULOGRAPHY MEASURING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - An electro-oculography apparatus | 11-26-2009 |
20090295937 | DYNAMIC RANGE COMPRESSION APPARATUS, DYNAMIC RANGE COMPRESSION METHOD, COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM, INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, AND IMAGING APPARATUS - A dynamic range (D-range) compression apparatus that uses a look-up table (LUT) is capable of dynamic compression that compresses the peak input value to the full output range, even when image signals with variable D-ranges are inputted. | 12-03-2009 |
20100046802 | DISTANCE ESTIMATION APPARATUS, DISTANCE ESTIMATION METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM, INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, AND CAMERA - Attempts to achieve a higher resolution and a higher frame rate of a distance image when a distance to an object within a target space is estimated using the TOF method would cause CCD saturation due to shot noise or environment light, and lower distance precision. A distance estimation apparatus illuminates an object with illumination light for distance estimation emitted from a light source that can emit light (electromagnetic wave) having a predetermined illumination frequency, receives reflected light of the illumination light, obtains information about the distance from the apparatus to the object, generates distance image data based on the distance information, extracts edge information of a color image formed using a visible light component obtained in synchronization with the reflected light, and corrects distance information of a target part of the distance image using distance information of a neighboring part of the target part based on the edge information. | 02-25-2010 |
20100165093 | EYE-GAZE DETECTING DEVICE AND EYE-GAZE DETECTING METHOD - Accurately and quickly calculated is a calibrating parameter for detecting an eye-gaze coordinate, of an operator, in an input image from a capturing unit worn on a user. | 07-01-2010 |
20100204608 | EYE GAZE TRACKING APPARATUS, IMAGING APPARATUS, EYE GAZE TRACKING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - An eye gaze tracking apparatus ( | 08-12-2010 |
20100265356 | Image processing method, image processing apparatus, image capturing appartus and image processing program - There is described an image processing method, which makes it possible to continuously and appropriately corrects excessiveness or shortage of light amount in the flesh-color area. The image processing method includes: a light source condition index calculating process for calculating an index representing a light source condition of the captured image data; a correction value calculating process for calculating a correction value of the reproduction target value, corresponding to the index representing the light source condition; a first gradation conversion condition calculating process for calculating a gradation conversion condition for the captured image data, based on the correction value of the reproduction target value; an exposure condition index calculating process for calculating an index representing an exposure condition of the captured image data; and a second gradation conversion condition calculating process for calculating a gradation conversion condition for the captured image data, corresponding to the index representing the exposure condition. | 10-21-2010 |
20110051118 | DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICE, DISTANCE MEASURING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - A distance measuring device using a multiple wave enables measurement of long distances with a high resolution and with a high precision by significantly reducing the circuit scale required for demultiplexing circuitry. A distance measuring device ( | 03-03-2011 |
20110063437 | DISTANCE ESTIMATING DEVICE, DISTANCE ESTIMATING METHOD, PROGRAM, INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, AND CAMERA - Conventionally, there has been a danger that CCD saturation may occur because of the influence of the shot noise and the environment light if a higher resolution of a distance image showing the distance to an object present in a target space and a higher frame rate are achieved when the distance image is estimated by the TOF method, and the distance accuracy may degrade. An emission frequency selecting unit ( | 03-17-2011 |
20110170065 | ELECTRO-OCULOGRAPHY MEASURING DEVICE, OPHTHALMOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS DEVICE, EYE-GAZE TRACKING DEVICE, WEARABLE CAMERA, HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY, ELECTRONIC EYEGLASSES, ELECTRO-OCULOGRAPHY MEASURING METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM - An electro-oculography measuring device includes: an electro-oculography measuring unit configured to measure an electro-oculography original signal; a view capturing unit configured to capture a view picture; a drift estimation processing unit configured to estimate a drift signal; and a subtractor which subtracts the drift signal from the electro-oculography original signal to output an electro-oculography signal, and the drift estimation processing unit includes: an electro-oculography change amount calculating unit configured to calculate an electro-oculography change amount; a motion vector estimating unit configured to estimate a motion vector of a moving object included in the view picture; a drift change amount estimating unit configured to estimate a drift change amount assuming that a change in a gaze direction follows a motion of the moving object; and a drift estimating unit configured to estimate the drift signal by adding the drift change amount to a past drift signal. | 07-14-2011 |
20110170066 | NOISE REDUCTION DEVICE, ELECTRO-OCULOGRAPHY MEASURING DEVICE, OPHTHALMOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS DEVICE, EYE-GAZE TRACKING DEVICE, WEARABLE CAMERA, HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY, ELECTRONIC EYEGLASSES, NOISE REDUCTION METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM - A noise reduction device includes: a saccade information obtaining unit that obtains saccade information from an electro-oculography original signal that indicates an electro-oculogram resulting from an eye movement of a user, the saccade information relating to a saccadic movement which is a rapid eyeball movement; a control unit that determines a filter property for reducing noise included in the electro-oculography original signal, on the basis of the saccade information obtained by the saccade information obtaining unit; and a filtering unit that reduces the noise included in the electro-oculography original signal using the filter property determined by the control unit, to output an electro-oculography signal. | 07-14-2011 |
20110170067 | EYE-GAZE TRACKING DEVICE, EYE-GAZE TRACKING METHOD, ELECTRO-OCULOGRAPHY MEASURING DEVICE, WEARABLE CAMERA, HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY, ELECTRONIC EYEGLASSES, AND OPHTHALMOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS DEVICE - An eye-gaze tracking device, which detects a gaze direction of a user based on an electro-oculogram, includes: a drift estimating unit which estimates drift noise included in a set of observation voltages among observation voltages that are electro-oculograms generated in a living body and observed at the plurality of electrodes, based on a component outside an electro-oculography subspace that is an assembly of sets of electro-oculograms theoretically observed at a plurality of electrodes; and an eye-gaze tracking unit which detects la the gaze direction of the user, based on a signal generated by removing, from the observation voltages, the drift noise estimated by the drift estimating unit. | 07-14-2011 |
20110178784 | ELECTRO-OCULOGRAPHY ESTIMATING DEVICE, ELECTRO-OCULOGRAPHY CALCULATING METHOD, EYE-GAZE TRACKING DEVICE, WEARABLE CAMERA, HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY, AND ELECTRONIC EYEGLASSES - An electro-oculography estimating device includes: a distance obtaining unit which obtains a right-eye corneal distance, a right-eye retinal distance, a left-eye corneal distance, and a left-eye retinal distance; and an electro-oculography theoretical value calculating unit which calculates an electro-oculography theoretical value generated at the given three-dimensional positions, based on the right-eye corneal distance, the right-eye retinal distance, the left-eye corneal distance, and the left-eye retinal distance that are obtained by the distance obtaining unit, as an input into an electro-oculography model that is a function for calculating the electro-oculography theoretical value generated in the given three-dimensional spatial position, based on the right-eye corneal distance, the right-eye retinal distance, the left-eye corneal distance, and the left-eye retinal distance. | 07-21-2011 |
20110242366 | IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - An imaging apparatus for capturing a moving image performs backlight correction of an image and outputs a natural image. The imaging apparatus electronically captures an image of a subject. An optical system has a light amount adjustment function. An imaging unit reads an optical image of the subject that is formed by the optical system. An A/D converter subjects an output of the imaging unit to A/D conversion. A backlight correction unit converts the tones of an image read by the A/D converter using a conversion characteristic selected differently according to a spatial position and at least increases the luminance level of a dark region of the image. An instruction unit instructs to start backlight correction. A control unit operates the backlight correction unit based on an instruction signal output from the instruction unit, and decreases an exposure light amount of the optical system by a predetermined amount. | 10-06-2011 |
20110310271 | IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING METHOD, INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, AND STORAGE MEDIUM - An imaging apparatus captures a large dynamic range image of a scene including a backlit person with a blue sky background in a manner that the person's face has an appropriate luminance level without saturating the background sky. An imaging unit obtains analogue image signals through exposure control that prevents a highlight from being saturated, an A/D converter converts the analogue image signals to digital image signals, and a signal processing unit linearly increases the dynamic range of the digital image signals. The image signals with the increased dynamic range are nonlinearly compressed to have a dynamic range of 100% or less through nonlinear dynamic range compression that intensively compresses a highlight portion. The imaging apparatus with this structure first increases the dynamic range of an image and efficiently compresses the increased large dynamic range of the image. | 12-22-2011 |
20110317032 | IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING METHOD, INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, AND STORAGE MEDIUM - An imaging apparatus captures a large dynamic range image of a scene including a backlit person with a blue sky background in a manner that the person's face has an appropriate luminance level without saturating the background sky. An imaging unit obtains analogue image signals through exposure control that prevents a highlight from being saturated, an A/D converter converts the analogue image signals to digital image signals, and a signal processing unit linearly increases the dynamic range of the digital image signals. The image signals with the increased dynamic range are nonlinearly compressed to have a dynamic range of 100% or less through nonlinear dynamic range compression that intensively compresses a highlight portion. The imaging apparatus with this structure first increases the dynamic range of an image and efficiently compresses the increased large dynamic range of the image. | 12-29-2011 |
20120008009 | WHITE BALANCE ADJUSTMENT DEVICE, IMAGE CAPTURE DEVICE, WHITE BALANCE ADJUSTMENT METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - A natural white balance is achieved in images that are captured while emitting a flash. The white balance of an image is adjusted using a WB adjustment portion and a mixture ratio calculation portion estimating a mixture ratio of an external light component and a flashed light component that are present in an image captured with emitting a flash, from the image obtained that is captured while emitting a flash and an image signal that is obtained without emitting a flash. Further, an external light WB coefficient determination portion determines an WB coefficient for the external light, a flashed light WB coefficient setting portion sets a WB coefficient for the flashed light, and a WB processing portion that continuously performs WB processing on the image captured while emitting a flash by using the mixture ratio as an interpolation ratio. | 01-12-2012 |
20130038257 | MOTOR DRIVE DEVICE, BRUSHLESS MOTOR, AND MOTOR DRIVE METHOD - The disclosed device comprises a duty calculator for calculating a duty command value (Dty), a duty limiter for limiting the duty command value (Dty) to a value according to a limit value (L), a current flow monitor for determining that there is an overcurrent if a current value (Idet) flowing through a winding exceeds a predetermined threshold value (Ithr), and a limit value generator for generating the limit value (L). The limit value generator updates the limit value (L) at predetermined time intervals and for a value corresponding to a difference between the threshold value (Ithr) and the current value (Idet) at a time in order to decrease the current value (Idet) during a period in which the overcurrent is determined. | 02-14-2013 |
20130113400 | PHASE-SHIFT DETECTION DEVICE, MOTOR DRIVE DEVICE, BRUSHLESS MOTOR, AND PHASE-SHIFT DETECTION METHOD - A phase-shift detection circuit detects a phase shift in motor driving, using pulse-shaped position detection signal Rd and measurement signal Ms. The position detection signal is based on sensor signal Hs from a position sensor disposed in a motor. The measurement signal is based on the induced voltage from windings. The phase-shift detection circuit includes a level difference calculator and a phase-shift calculator. The level difference calculator calculates a level difference between the level of measurement signal Ms at a rising timing of position detection signal Rd and the level of measurement signal Ms at a falling timing thereof. The phase-shift calculator calculates the amount of phase shifts based on the level difference. | 05-09-2013 |
20130170951 | LEAD ANGLE VALUE SETTING METHOD, MOTOR DRIVING CONTROL CIRCUIT, AND BRUSHLESS MOTOR - A method for setting a lead-angle value of a motor drive control circuit is disclosed. The motor drive control circuit energizes and drives the windings of a motor with an energizing timing based on a stored lead-angle value. The method includes the steps of: rotating a rotor at a given rpm (step S | 07-04-2013 |
20130328510 | MOTOR DRIVE METHOD, MOTOR DRIVE DEVICE, AND BRUSHLESS MOTOR - A method for driving a motor including a stator wound with a coil and a rotor rotatably disposed and confronting the stator, whereby the coil is energized and driven at energizing timing of which phase is determined based on an advance angle amount to rotate the rotor. At this time, it is determined whether or not a power supply voltage supplied to the motor exceeds a predetermined voltage, and when it is determined that the power supply voltage exceeds the predetermined voltage, the advance angle amount is changed to increase a current amount flowing through the coil, for energizing and driving the coil. | 12-12-2013 |
20140001999 | MOTOR DRIVING APPARATUS AND BRUSHLESS MOTOR | 01-02-2014 |
20140084832 | MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEM, MOTOR CONTROL DEVICE, AND BRUSHLESS MOTOR - A motor control system includes a host ECU and a motor control device. The host ECU controls a wheel driving unit. A power supply to the ECU is halted when an IG switch is turned OFF. The motor control device receives a PWM command signal from the host ECU and controls a motor of a cooling blower. The host ECU modulates a duty ratio of pulses of the PWM command signal by a target rotating speed of the motor, modulates a period of the pulses of the PWM command signal by a continuous operation time of the motor, and transmits the result to the motor control device. The motor control device reconstructs both the target rotating speed and the continuous operation time, and controls rotating speed of the motor from the received PWM command signal. Moreover, the motor control device halts rotation of the motor when a signal-unreceiving time period of the PWM command signal becomes larger than the continuous operation time. | 03-27-2014 |
20140200732 | MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEM, MOTOR CONTROL METHOD, AND MOTOR CONTROL DEVICE - A host controller is incorporated with a plurality of different pieces of control software which are applicable to a plurality of destinations for a cooling blower to cool a main battery incorporated in a vehicle. The host controller transmits a destination-signal request pattern for requesting a destination signal pattern to specify the determinations for the cooling blower, to a motor control device by means of a PWM signal. Upon receiving the destination-signal request pattern, the motor control device transmits the destination signal pattern to the host controller. The host controller specifies one of the destinations for the cooling blower from the received destination signal pattern, and then changes over the control software to the control software applicable to the specified destination for the cooling blower. | 07-17-2014 |
20140257574 | MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEM, MOTOR CONTROL DEVICE, BRUSHLESS MOTOR, AND MOTOR CONTROL METHOD - A motor control system comprises a host controller for transmitting a command signal and receiving an information signal, a motor control device for receiving the command signal and transmitting the information signal, a signal transmission line for transmitting the command signal and the information signal, and a motor of which rotation is controlled by the motor control device. The host controller generates and transmits PWM command signal Si having a duty factor modulated by the command signal. The motor control device generates PWM information signal Fp having a duty factor modulated by the information signal, and transmits PWM information signal Fp in synchronization with PWM command signal Si. PWM command signal Si transmitted by the host controller includes a plurality of pulse periods having different pulse-period durations from one another. | 09-11-2014 |
20150015103 | BLOWER APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING BLOWER APPARATUS IN VEHICLE - The blower apparatus includes a motor; a fan; a motor drive circuit for electrically driving the coil; a microprocessor for controlling the motor drive circuit; and a motor case integrally incorporating the motor, the motor drive circuit, and the microprocessor. The blower apparatus further includes an internal power line for supplying power supply voltage Vig supplied to power supply input terminal Tv | 01-15-2015 |
20150028783 | MOTOR CONTROL DEVICE, BRUSHLESS MOTOR, AND MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEM - A motor controller comprises a PWM demodulation processor for re storing speed command value Vr from PWM command signal Si, a rotatio n control section for generating drive value Dd of a motor according to the speed command value Vr, a power drive section for generating driving vol tages Uo, Vo and Wo to energize and drive a motor winding according to the drive value Dd, a rotation speed calculating section for generating dete cted speed value Vd as an information signal to be transmitted to outside, and a PWM modulation processor for generating PWM information signal Fp pulse-width modulated by detected speed value Vd. The PWM modul ation processor outputs the PWM information signal Fp generated in sync hronization with the PWM command signal. | 01-29-2015 |