Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8169521 | Image sampling method and image processing method thereof An image sampling method for an image sensor is provided herein. The image sensor includes a plurality of pixel elements in the intersections of a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns. During either one of the odd field period or the even field period, the p... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8130299 | Method of performing interlaced preview for a CMOS sensor Combo lines having one odd line and one even line are utilized for generating an interlaced preview from an image sensor. Odd combo lines are read out to generate an odd field. Even combo lines are read out to generate an even field. Interpolation is performed on a ... | 03/06/2012 |
| 7948543 | Imaging apparatus provided with image scaling function and image data thinning-out readout function An imaging apparatus includes an imaging element which photoelectrically converts an image formed by an optical system, the imaging element being equipped with a color filter array (CFA) with different spectral transmittances. The apparatus includes a full color dat... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7830438 | Frame shuttering scheme for increased frame rate A frame shutter apparatus comprising a controller for controlling multiple groups of pixels and for reading out values corresponding to the charge collected by different groups of pixels at different times. A method of reading out multiple groups of pixels is provid... | 11/09/2010 |
| 7701498 | Solid-state image pickup device, drive method therefor and camera The solid-state image pickup device of the invention includes: a plurality of optoelectronic transducers arranged in an array; a plurality of vertical transfer sections each for reading charges from optoelectronic transducers and vertically transferring the read cha... | 04/20/2010 |
| 7697049 | Better SNR ratio for downsized images using interlaced mode Various embodiments of the invention comprise imaging systems and methods for an interlaced scan of an image sensor array. An exemplary method is described in which an image sensor array is exposed to light for a period of time to generate voltage levels representat... | 04/13/2010 |
| 7679665 | Amplification-type CMOS image sensor Pixels are two-dimensionally arranged into rows and columns in an image sensing region of a solid-state image sensing device, and divided into a plurality of vertical blocks. A vertical signal line is connected to each pixel column. A voltage read out from a pixel i... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7671913 | Method for converting image data, converting circuit for image, and electronic camera A circuit for converting the format of image data, the motion of the image data being smooth, includes a memory (16) to which moving image data in the NTSC format is written; a memory controller (14) retrieving respective signals, from the memory (1... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7456883 | Method for displaying image in portable digital apparatus and portable digital apparatus using the method The present invention provides a method for displaying a digital image on a portable digital apparatus having a recording medium, a display panel, a zoom button, and a location move button. The method includes displaying an original image stored in the recording med... | 11/25/2008 |
| 7436449 | Electronic imaging system The invention relates to an electronic imaging system such a video camera or digital camera, whose thickness or size is reduced while performance degradation is reduced as much as possible. The system comprises a zoom lens system comprising a first G1, a seco... | 10/14/2008 |
| 7420604 | Image-processing device with image-pickup validity indication and processing method thereof An image-processing device and a processing method thereof are provided. The device includes a solid-state image-pick up device, a signal-processing unit that processes an output from the solid-state image-pick up device into an image signal, and an output circuit i... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7382407 | High intrascene dynamic range NTSC and PAL imager The invention provides a new method and apparatus for NTSC and PAL image sensors which employs fusion of adjacent row pixel charge samples to generate image data for a row. A variety of fusion schemes are possible for fusing the pixel signals from the adjacent rows.... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7372494 | Solid-state image pickup apparatus driven at a frequency adaptive to photographic sensitivity A digital camera feeds information input on an operation panel to a system controller. The system controller generates a control signal in accordance with optical sensitivity selected and feeds it to a timing signal generator. The timing signal generator includes a ... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7365779 | Image processing apparatus for selectively storing specific regions of an image The invention provides an image processing apparatus that can reduce the memory capacity of a memory forming part of the image processing apparatus and can correct the optical axis misalignment of a video camera in a simple manner. The image processing apparatus ... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7352399 | Solid-state imaging device driving method Photosensitive cells each includes a photodiode (1), a transfer gate (2), a floating diffusion layer portion (3), an amplifying transistor (4), and a reset transistor (5). Drains of the amplifying transistors (4) of the phot... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7324146 | Image processing device, image processing method and solid-state image-pickup device An image processing device and method are provided. In a method of reading an image signal from a solid-state image-pickup element where a plurality of unit pixels including a transistor for detecting a light signal and a photo diode are arranged in a matrix, shift ... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7304675 | Digital timing rate buffering for thermal stability of uncooled detectors A system (100) and method for outputting data from a detector (104). The novel system (100) includes a first controller (118) that samples the detector (104) at a first rate, a memory (112) for storing the sampled data, and ... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7247892 | Imaging array utilizing thyristor-based pixel elements An improved imaging array (and corresponding method of operation) includes a plurality of heterojunction thyristor-based pixel elements disposed within resonant cavities formed on a substrate. Each thyristor-based pixel element includes complementary n-type and p-ty... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7233350 | Image sensor with interleaved image output An image sensor with a light reader circuit coupled to a pixel array. The light reader circuit retrieves a first image and a second image generated by the pixel array. The image sensor may also include a memory controller and/or data interface that transfers the fir... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7221397 | Photoelectric conversion apparatus which avoids certain shading effects In order to solve the problem in which voltages Vsig1 read in units of rows have differences to cause vertical shading, thereby degrading image quality, and the problem in which the dynamic ranges of source follower circuits are different in units of rows because fi... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7202900 | Method of producing frame pair signals from an image sensor and method for displaying same A method is disclosed for producing progressive scan signals representative of an image of a scene, including the following steps: providing an image sensor onto which the image is projected, the image sensor having a diagonal pixel pattern; producing frame pairs as... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7151259 | Method for operating an optoelectronic sensor device A method for operating a spatial-resolution opto-electronic sensor device is provided. In order to produce a computed image of the surroundings, the sensor surface is activated as a sequence of n-tuples of pairs from activation intervals and assigned subsets of sens... | 12/19/2006 |
| 7139025 | Active pixel sensor with mixed analog and digital signal integration An active pixel sensor includes mixed analog and digital signal integration on the same substrate. The analog part of the array forms the active pixel sensor, and the digital part of the array does digital integration of the signal. ... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7113212 | Solid state imaging device, signal processing method and driving method therefor and camera A solid state imaging device and a signal processing method therefor as well as a camera by which a reference signal for cancellation of vertical string-like fixed pattern noises can be obtained readily. In an initial stage after a power supply to the device is made... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7092021 | Frame shuttering scheme for increased frame rate A frame shutter apparatus comprising a controller for controlling multiple groups of pixels and for reading out values corresponding to the charge collected by different groups of pixels at different times. A method of reading out multiple groups of pixels is provid... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7034868 | Image processing circuit A pixel clock is switched to a high speed for reading culled pixel data from a CCD or switched to a low speed for reading all pixels from the CCD when picking up an image of an object, so that a main memory stores a first field initially read from the CCD and an RPU... | 04/25/2006 |
| 6980244 | Solid state image pickup device, driving method thereof and camera There are provided a solid state image pickup device in which the accumulation time of each pixel when an electronic shutter operation is performed is constant, and a high shutter speed can be set, a driving method therefor, and a camera. A solid state image ... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6950138 | Gray code counter Conventionally, it is difficult to design the logic of a Gray code counter that can be used in interlaced counting. Even though interlaced counting is possible with a Gray code counter, the number of simultaneously changing bits increases greatly depending on the nu... | 09/27/2005 |
| 6876388 | Interlaced alternating pixel design for high sensitivity CMOS Image sensors A structure of an image sensor for sensing the light of an image impinging thereupon and for translating the image into a standard television format is disclosed. The structure comprises a plurality of first and second light detecting elements (22, 23) arrang... | 04/05/2005 |
| 6856349 | Method and apparatus for controlling exposure of a CMOS sensor array A method for controlling the CMOS sensor array containing the first CMOS sensor cell, including the steps of receiving the clock signal and generating the first address; generating the reset signal to the first CMOS sensor cell based on the first address; calculatin... | 02/15/2005 |
| 6795119 | Solid-state image pickup apparatus for producing image signals with pixel signals mixed in a horizontal direction and a signal reading method for the same A solid-state image pickup apparatus includes a timing signal feeding section for outputting signals assigned to a preliminary pickup mode as well as signals assigned to an actual pickup mode that follows the preliminary pickup mode. In the preliminary pickup mode, ... | 09/21/2004 |
| 6707495 | Solid-state imaging device and a method of reading a signal charge in a solid-state imaging device which can reduce smear and can provide an excellent image characteristic A solid-state imaging device includes a plurality of sensor portions, and a vertical shift register corresponding to each of a series of sensor portions. A transfer electrode of the vertical shift register is formed of a first electrode and a second electrode which ... | 03/16/2004 |
| 6597399 | Image pickup sensor capable of selectively photographing an image pickup area in an interlacing operation In order to select an image pickup area and execute an image pickup operation, or to perform an interlace operation, or to vary an image pickup frequency for one image pickup sensor, there is provided an image pickup apparatus constructed by a 2-dimension... | 07/22/2003 |
| 6538694 | IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS EQUIPPED WITH COMPATIBLE-WITH-ZOOMING TYPE CONTOUR COMPENSATION CIRCUIT, COMPATIBLE-WITH-IMAGE-PICKUP-CONDITIONS TYPE IMAGE OUTPUT CIRCUIT, AND COMPATIBLE-WITH-ALL-PIXEL-READOUT-SYSTEM-SOLID-IMAGE-PICKUP-ELEMENT TYPE ELECTRONIC ZOOM CIRCUIT A frame/field converter circuit addition-processes image data constituting respective fields in a ratio corresponding to an image pickup mode or the like and outputs the resulting image data. As a result of this, it is possible to perform addition process... | 03/25/2003 |
| 6061093 | Solid-state imager having capacitors connected to vertical signal lines and a charge detection circuit A signal charge in an amplifying type solid-state imaging device of a capacitor load charge system can be detected efficiently. The amplifying type solid-state imaging device is composed of a plurality of pixel transistors, a load capacitor for accumulati... | 05/09/2000 |
| 5986623 | System and method for interlaced display device data transmission A system and method for optically, serially transmitting data to a remote device using an interlaced display device. The data bits to be transmitted are ordered so that the bits are received in proper temporal order by the remote device. At least one of t... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5909247 | Solid-state image pickup apparatus An XY-address solid-state image pickup apparatus comprises a pixel array made up a plurality of pixels two-dimensionally arranged and horizontal and vertical scanning circuits for reading the signal from the pixel array. Each scanning circuit comprises a ... | 06/01/1999 |
| 5894143 | Solid-state image pick-up device for the charge-coupled device type synchronizing drive signals for a full-frame read-out A solid-state CCD image pick-up device includes optoelectric transducing elements corresponding to pixels vertically and horizontally arrayed in a matrix forming column linear arrays defining a column direction and at least one vertical charge transfer pa... | 04/13/1999 |
| 5818526 | Solid state image pickup device having a number of vertical scanning circuit units which is half the number of pixels in the vertical direction A solid-state image pickup device includes an array of rows and columns of pixels, a vertical scanning circuit having vertical scanning circuit units disposed to correspond to alternate pixel rows in the vertical direction, a horizontal scanning circuit f... | 10/06/1998 |
| 5717458 | Solid-state imager having capacitors connected to vertical signal lines and a charge detection circuit A signal charge in an amplifying type solid-state imaging device of a capacitor load charge system can be detected efficiently. The amplifying type solid-state imaging device is composed of a plurality of pixel transistors, a load capacitor for accumulati... | 02/10/1998 |
