US Patent Issued to NIKON on May 13 for "Imaging device that performs focus detection based on signals output from first pixels or second pixels of an image sensor" (Japanese Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 12 -- United States Patent no. 12,301,987, issued on May 13, was assigned to NIKON Corp. (Tokyo).

"Imaging device that performs focus detection based on signals output from first pixels or second pixels of an image sensor" was invented by Sinsuke Sambongi (Wako, Japan), Akira Kinoshita (Yokohama, Japan) and Yuki Kita (Kawasaki, Japan).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A focus detection device includes: an imaging unit having a first and second pixel each of which receives light transmitted through an optical system and outputs signal used for focus detection, and a third pixel which receives light transmitted through the optical system and outputs signal used for image gener...