Patents by Inventor Akio Ohba

Akio Ohba 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: 9785245
    Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus including a hand shape recognition unit that performs hand shape recognition on an input image to detect a position and a size of a hand with a specific shape in the input image, a determination region setting unit that sets a region in a vicinity of the hand on the input image as a determination region used to recognize a gesture performed using the hand, based on the position and the size of the hand, and a gesture recognition unit that recognizes the gesture by monitoring movement of the hand to the determination region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Kimura, Akio Ohba
  • Patent number: 9785854
    Abstract: An information processor includes: a similarity data generation portion generating, for a position within the search range, similarity data that represents the calculated similarity to the image in the reference block in association with the position within the search range; a similarity correction portion smoothing the similarity data in a direction of space on a basis of similarity data; a result evaluation portion detecting a position with a maximum similarity value in each piece of the smoothed similarity data; a depth image generation portion generating a depth image by associating the position of the subject in the depth direction with an image plane; and an output information generation section performing given information processing on a basis of the subject position in a three-dimensional space using the depth image and outputting the result of information processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Segawa, Akio Ohba, Tetsugo Inada, Hirofumi Okamoto, Atsushi Kimura, Takashi Kohashi, Takashi Itou
  • Patent number: 9736458
    Abstract: A capture device is equipped with a stereo camera, and generates a plurality of demosaiced images of different sizes in which the left and right frame images have been reduced in stepwise fashion. A virtual composite image is generated that includes the plurality of demosaiced images, in which the pixel rows of the rows are pixel rows having undergone one round of connection. A host terminal sends to the capture device a data request signal designating a plurality of areas within the composite image, having a shared range in the longitudinal direction. The capture device clips out the designated areas, and sends to the host terminal a stream of a new composite image comprising only the clipped out areas. The host terminal cuts this into separate images, which are expanded into consecutive addresses in a main memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa, Hideyuki Saito
  • Patent number: 9717987
    Abstract: A frame storage stores an image obtained by imaging a region of at least part of the body of a user. A vital sign signal detector detects a signal sequence of a vital sign that cyclically varies from plural imaged regions of the body of the user by using captured images of a predetermined number of frames stored in the frame storage. A correlation calculator obtains the correlation between the signal sequences of the vital sign detected from the respective imaged regions of the body. An identity determining section determines whether or not the respective imaged regions of the body belong to the same user based on the correlation between the signal sequences of the vital sign detected from the respective imaged regions of the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Akihiko Sugawara, Akio Ohba, Toshiyuki Hiroi
  • Patent number: 9715718
    Abstract: An image processing device includes: an input information obtaining section for obtaining input information for changing a display region in an image as a display object; a display image processing section for generating an image inside the display region determined on a basis of the input information as a display image; and a display section for displaying the generated display image on a display, wherein when the input information obtaining section obtains input information for scaling the display image, the display image processing section scales the display image according to the input information, and performs image manipulation making visibility of a region in a predetermined range including a focus as a center of scaling in an image plane different from visibility of another region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa, Tetsugo Inada
  • Patent number: 9710923
    Abstract: An imaging device 12 includes a first camera 22 and a second camera 24. Each of the cameras captures a subject from left and right positions that are apart by a known width at the same timing and frame rate. Each of the captured frame images is converted into image data with a plurality of predetermined resolutions. An input information acquisition section 26 of an information processor 14 acquires an instruction input from the user. A position information generation section 28 roughly estimates, as a target area, a subject area or an area with motion using low-resolution and wide-range images of pieces of stereo image data and performs stereo matching using high-resolution images only for the area, thus identifying the three-dimensional position of the subject. An output information generation section 32 performs a necessary process based on the position of the subject, thus generating output information. A communication section 30 requests image data to the imaging device 12 and acquires such image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa
  • Patent number: 9706114
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes: an image data production unit configured to produce data of a plurality of kinds of images from an image frame obtained by picking up an image of an object as a moving picture for each of pixel strings which configure a row; and an image sending unit configured to extract a pixel string in a region requested from a host terminal from within the data of each of the plurality of kinds of images and connect the pixel strings to each other for each unit number of pixels for connection determined on the basis of a given rule to produce a stream and then transmit the stream to the host terminal. The image sending unit switchably determines whether the unit number of pixels for connection is to be set to a fixed value or a variable value in response to the kind of each image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa, Hidehiko Ogasawara
  • Patent number: 9699432
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus 12 includes a first camera 22 and a second camera 24. The cameras pick up an image of a target at the same timing and at the same frame rate from left and right positions spaced by a known distance from each other. Picked up frame images are converted into image data of a predetermined plurality of resolutions. An input information acquisition section 26 of an information processing apparatus 14 acquires an instruction input from a user. A position information production section 28 approximately estimates a region of the target or a region which involves some movement on an image of a low resolution and a wide range from within stereo image data as a target region and carries out stereo matching only in regard to the region on an image of a high resolution to specify a three-dimensional position of the target. An output information production section 32 carries out a necessary process based on the position of the target to produce output information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa
  • Patent number: 9693072
    Abstract: A frame sequence of moving picture data is divided into a tile image sequence, and the color space of the tile image sequence is converted to generate a YCbCr image sequence. Each frame is reduced to ½ time in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a compression process is carried out to generate compression data of a reference image. The compression data of the reference image is decoded and decompressed similarly as upon image display to restore a YCbCr image as the reference image, and a difference image sequence is generated from the reference image and the original YCbCr image. Then, compression data of a difference image is generated, and compression data obtained by connecting the compression data of the reference image and the compression data of the difference image is generated for every four frames of a tile image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tetsugo Inada, Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa
  • Patent number: 9684964
    Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus including a stereo matching unit configured to obtain right and left disparity images by using stereo matching, based on a pair of images captured by right and left cameras, respectively, a filter processing unit configured to perform filter processing on the disparity images, and a first merging unit configured to make a comparison, in the disparity images that have undergone the filter processing, between disparity values at mutually corresponding positions in the right and left disparity images and to merge the disparity values of the right and left disparity images based on a comparison result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Ayaka Nakatani, Yoshihiro Myokan, Akio Ohba, Tetsugo Inada, Hiroyuki Segawa
  • Publication number: 20170161547
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image processing apparatus including: a priority degree setting section configured to set a degree of priority for each of surrounding regions of a plurality of people detected from an input image; and a pose estimation section configured to estimate poses of human body models for human body regions extracted from the input image one after another, on the basis of the surrounding regions of one or more of the people selected using the degrees of priority set by the priority degree setting section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Segawa, Tetsugo Inada, Akio Ohba, Hirofumi Okamoto, Atsushi Kimura, Daisuke Tahara
  • Publication number: 20170148172
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image processing device including a background model creation section adapted to create a plurality of background models based on statistical distribution of a plurality of image frame sets, the image frame sets differing in length of time, and each of the image frame sets including a plurality of input frames; and a background image creation section adapted to create a background image by referring to the plurality of background models.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Publication date: May 25, 2017
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Segawa, Tetsugo Inada, Akio Ohba, Hirofumi Okamoto, Atsushi Kimura, Daisuke Tahara
  • Publication number: 20170139487
    Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus including a hand shape recognition unit that performs hand shape recognition on an input image to detect a position and a size of a hand with a specific shape in the input image, a determination region setting unit that sets a region in a vicinity of the hand on the input image as a determination region used to recognize a gesture performed using the hand, based on the position and the size of the hand, and a gesture recognition unit that recognizes the gesture by monitoring movement of the hand to the determination region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Applicants: SONY CORPORATION, SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Jun KIMURA, Akio OHBA
  • Publication number: 20170109864
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus 12 acquires RAW images 202a and 202b by left and right cameras and performs a demosaicing process for and stepwise reduction of the RAW images 202a and 202b to generate and correct colored image groups 204a and 204b which represent picked up images with a plurality of resolutions (S10 and S12). Image process parameters 206 acquired in the course of the demosaicing process and the correction process are transmitted to a host terminal 20 together with part of colored images and data of a partial image 208 of the RAW image 202a. The host terminal 20 utilizes the image process parameters 206 transmitted from the imaging apparatus 12 to perform a demosaicing process for the partial image 208 to generate and correct a colored image 212 (S16). The host terminal 20 utilizes the colored image transmitted from the imaging apparatus 12 and the colored image 212 generated therein to generate an image 214 to be displayed (S18 and S20).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Inventors: Akio OHBA, Hidehiko OGASAWARA, Hiroyuki SEGAWA, Tetsugo INADA
  • Patent number: 9619868
    Abstract: An imaging device includes a first camera and a second camera and shoots the same object under different shooting conditions. A shot-image data acquirer of an image analyzer acquires data of two images simultaneously shot from the imaging device. A correcting section aligns the distributions of the luminance value between the two images by carrying out correction for either one of the two images. A correction table managing section switches and generates a correction table to be used according to the function implemented by the information processing device. A correction table storage stores the correction table showing the correspondence relationship between the luminance values before and after correction. A depth image generator performs stereo matching by using the two images and generates a depth image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa, Tetsugo Inada, Hidehiko Ogasawara, Hirofumi Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20170094163
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image data production unit which produces data of images of a plurality of resolutions, from an image frame obtained by picking up an image of a target object as a moving picture for each pixel string which configures a row, and an image sending unit which extracts, from the data of the images of the plurality of resolutions, pixel strings of a region requested from a host terminal and connect the extracted pixel strings for each number of pixels determined in accordance with a given rule to produce a stream and then transmit the stream to the host terminal. The image sending unit adjusts a connection pixel number of data of an image of a particular resolution such that, where N is an integer, data for 1/(N+1) frame are transmitted with respect to one frame of data of an image of the other resolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2016
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Inventors: Akio OHBA, Hidehiko OGASAWARA
  • Patent number: 9607357
    Abstract: Methods and Apparatus provide for obtaining a data sequence representative of a three-dimensional parameter space; forming a plurality of coding units by dividing, in three dimensions, the data sequence subject; and generating, for each of the plurality of coding units: (i) a palette defined by two representative values, and (ii) a plurality of indices, each index representing a respective original data point as a value, determined by linear interpolation, to be one of, or an intermediate value between, the representative values, and setting the palette and the plurality of indices for each of the coding units as compressed data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tetsugo Inada, Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa
  • Patent number: 9566507
    Abstract: A game controller includes a plurality of LEDs formed on the rear of a case. The plurality of LEDs are arranged two-dimensionally in its layout area. The game controller has a plurality of PWM control units which are provided inside the case and control the lighting of the plurality of LEDs, respectively. The PWM control units control the lighting of the LEDs based on a control signal from a game apparatus. The game apparatus acquires a captured image of the game controller, and acquires the position of the game controller in the captured image based on the positions of the LEDs in the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Teiyu Goto, Katsu Saito, Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa
  • Publication number: 20170011519
    Abstract: A detection area 112 is set in a three-dimensional space in which a subject exists. When an actual hand enters the detection area 112, coordinate points (white and black dots) represented by pixels making up a silhouette 114 of the hand in a depth image enter the detection area 112. In the detection area 112, a reference vector 126 is set that shows the direction which the hand should face relative to the shoulder as a reference point 122. Then, an inner product between two vectors, a vector from the reference point 122 to each of coordinate points and the reference vector 126, is calculated, followed by comparison between the inner products. Positions of coordinate points whose inner products are ranked high are acquired as the position of tips of the hand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Publication date: January 12, 2017
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa, Tetsugo Inada, Hidehiko Ogasawara, Hirofumi Okamoto
  • Patent number: 9542755
    Abstract: An image acquisition section of an information processor acquires stereo images from an imaging device. An input information acquisition section acquires an instruction input from a user. A depth image acquisition portion of a position information generation section generates a depth image representing a position distribution of subjects existing in the field of view of the imaging device in the depth direction using stereo images. A matching portion adjusts the size of a reference template image in accordance with the position of each of the subjects in the depth direction represented by the depth image first, then performs template matching on the depth image, thus identifying the position of a target having a given shape and size in the three-dimensional space. An output information generation section generates output information by performing necessary processes based on the target position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa, Tetsugo Inada, Hirofumi Okamoto