Patents by Inventor Hitoshi Kitano

Hitoshi Kitano 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: 11972317
    Abstract: An image processing device includes: a first scan of first area of an image acquired on the basis of reflective light of light emitted to the outside of a mobile body in first direction; a first determination of whether or not a first condition is satisfied on the basis of result by the first scan; a second scan of second area of the image in second direction different from the first direction in a case in which the first determination determines that the first condition is satisfied; a second determination of whether or not a second condition is satisfied on the basis of result by the second scan; a third scan of third area of the image after the second determination determines that the second condition is satisfied; and a third determination of whether or not predetermined information is included in the third area scanned by the third scan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kitano, Tsubasa Usui
  • Publication number: 20240069559
    Abstract: This autonomous moving robot is an autonomous moving robot for reading a sign disposed along a movement path using an imaging unit mounted therein and being guided and moving in accordance with the sign. The autonomous moving robot includes a calculation unit having a limited-range search mode. In the limited-range search mode, a first scanning range is set in a part of a captured image captured by the imaging unit on the basis of a registration position of the sign and the sign is searched for in the first scanning range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kitano, Tsubasa Usui
  • Publication number: 20230418295
    Abstract: A mobile robot includes: a drive unit that changes a moving speed and a travel direction; a detection unit that detects a plurality of detection target objects 11; and a control unit 27 that acquires a distance Z and a direction ? to the detection target object unit, calculates a travel direction in which the distance and the direction to the detection target object satisfy a predetermined relationship, and drives and controls the drive unit on the basis of the calculated travel direction. The control unit calculates a distance x in a direction orthogonal to the movement route between the detection target object and a current position of the mobile robot and the direction to the detection target object, calculates a difference ?x between the distance x and a certain distance Xref, and executes drive control for the drive unit to cause the difference ?x to be 0 (zero).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2023
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kitano, Takashi Naito
  • Patent number: 11797012
    Abstract: A mobile robot includes: a drive unit that changes a moving speed and a travel direction; a detection unit that detects a plurality of detection target objects 11; and a control unit 27 that acquires a distance Z and a direction ? to the detection target object unit, calculates a travel direction in which the distance and the direction to the detection target object satisfy a predetermined relationship, and drives and controls the drive unit on the basis of the calculated travel direction. The control unit calculates a distance x in a direction orthogonal to the movement route between the detection target object and a current position of the mobile robot and the direction to the detection target object, calculates a difference ?x between the distance x and a certain distance Xref, and executes drive control for the drive unit to cause the difference ?x to be 0 (zero).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kitano, Takashi Naito
  • Publication number: 20230288939
    Abstract: An autonomous mobile robot linkage system (1) includes a plurality of sign posts (SP0 to SP2) disposed along a travel path (10); an autonomous mobile robot (20) which moves along the travel path (10) while reading the plurality of sign posts (SP0 to SP2) in order using a camera and performs predetermined operations in order of pre-set operation numbers based on identification numbers read from the sign posts (SP0 to SP2); and a host device (30) which receives information on the operation number being executed from the autonomous mobile robot (20) and generates an event on the travel path (10) based on the operation number.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeo Karaushi, Kosei Mochizuki, Hitoshi Kitano
  • Publication number: 20220358303
    Abstract: An image processing device includes: a first scan of first area of an image acquired on the basis of reflective light of light emitted to the outside of a mobile body in first direction; a first determination of whether or not a first condition is satisfied on the basis of result by the first scan; a second scan of second area of the image in second direction different from the first direction in a case in which the first determination determines that the first condition is satisfied; a second determination of whether or not a second condition is satisfied on the basis of result by the second scan; a third scan of third area of the image after the second determination determines that the second condition is satisfied; and a third determination of whether or not predetermined information is included in the third area scanned by the third scan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kitano, Tsubasa Usui
  • Publication number: 20220171393
    Abstract: A mobile robot includes: a drive unit that changes a moving speed and a travel direction; a detection unit that detects a plurality of detection target objects 11; and a control unit 27 that acquires a distance Z and a direction ? to the detection target object unit, calculates a travel direction in which the distance and the direction to the detection target object satisfy a predetermined relationship, and drives and controls the drive unit on the basis of the calculated travel direction. The control unit calculates a distance x in a direction orthogonal to the movement route between the detection target object and a current position of the mobile robot and the direction to the detection target object, calculates a difference ?x between the distance x and a certain distance Xref, and executes drive control for the drive unit to cause the difference ?x to be 0 (zero).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kitano, Takashi Naito
  • Patent number: 11112803
    Abstract: A mobile robot includes a driving unit which changes a moving velocity and a traveling direction, a detection unit which detects a plurality of detection objects disposed along a traveling path to a target point, and a control unit which acquires a distance and a direction to the detection object detected by the detection unit, calculates a traveling direction in which the distance to the detection object and the direction of the detection object satisfy a predetermined relationship, and controls the driving unit based on the calculated traveling direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kitano, Takashi Naito
  • Publication number: 20210089045
    Abstract: A mobile robot includes a driving unit which changes a moving velocity and a traveling direction, a detection unit which detects a plurality of detection objects disposed along a traveling path to a target point, and a control unit which acquires a distance and a direction to the detection object detected by the detection unit, calculates a traveling direction in which the distance to the detection object and the direction of the detection object satisfy a predetermined relationship, and controls the driving unit based on the calculated traveling direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kitano, Takashi Naito
  • Publication number: 20200401158
    Abstract: This image processing device includes: a detection object including cells having first cells capable of reflecting emitted light and second cells incapable of reflecting the emitted light, the cells being squares or rectangles, the first cells and the second cells being arranged in an a×a or a×b (where a, b=3, 4, 5, 6, . . . ) matrix on a two-dimensional plane; and a detector including: an illuminator emitting light; imagers imaging, by a camera, light reflected from the first cells after the first cells and the second cells constituting the detection object are illuminated with the light emitted from the illuminator; and a calculator obtaining information set on the detection object 11, based on imaged data items taken by the imagers. Such a configuration can accurately identify a compact marker and measure the distance, and achieve a system inexpensively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kitano, Tsubasa Usui
  • Patent number: 7684894
    Abstract: An autonomously moving robot that drives while evading an obstacle by an environment information acquisitioner. The information acquisitioner includes an imager that takes an image of a circumference on a driving route, an image recognition processor that extracts an area having a property relating to a region of a human body, a ranger that measures a range and an orientation to an object existing in the circumference on the driving route, a range information analyzer that obtains a shape of the object, and an environment recognizer that recognizes the environment information on the driving route. The environment recognizer compares the area extracted in the image recognition processor with the object recognized in the range information analyzer, and recognizes the object as a person when both of them agree with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuo Sakai, Tomoharu Nakahara, Hitoshi Kitano, Yukihiko Kitano, Tsuyoshi Yamane, Hiroyuki Fujii
  • Publication number: 20060184274
    Abstract: An autonomously moving robot drives while evading an obstacle by recognizing the obstacle and self-location by an environment information acquisitioner. The information acquisitioner comprises an imager that takes an image of a circumference on a driving route, an image recognition processor that extracts an area having a property relating to a region of a human body by arithmetically processing the photographed image, a ranger that measures a range and an orientation to an object existing in the circumference on the driving route, a range information analyzer that obtains a shape of the object by arithmetically processing the obtained range information and recognizing that the object is a candidate of a person, and an environment recognizer that recognizes the environment information on the driving route.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2004
    Publication date: August 17, 2006
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuo Sakai, Tomoharu Nakahara, Hitoshi Kitano, Yukihiko Kitano, Tsuyoshi Yamane, Hiroyuki Fujii
  • Patent number: 6710483
    Abstract: A revolution type actuator having a movable member performing a revolution motion includes a movable member capable of revolving with respect to a fixed member, a plurality of conducting paths which are provided on a face parallel to a trajectory face of the above-mentioned revolution motion and through which currents flow in mutually intersecting directions, power supply which flows currents having different phases through the above-mentioned plurality of conducting paths, and a magnetic field generator which forms a magnetic field perpendicular to the above-mentioned conducting path, in which the above-mentioned movable member revolves due to an electromagnetic force generated by an interaction between a current flowing through said conducting path and a magnetic field generated by the above-mentioned magnetic field generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Ota, Katsuhiro Hirata, Hitoshi Kitano, Yoshikazu Shikata
  • Publication number: 20020081220
    Abstract: A revolution type actuator having a movable member performing a revolution motion includes a movable member capable of revolving with respect to a fixed member, a plurality of conducting paths which are provided on a face parallel to a trajectory face of the above-mentioned revolution motion and through which currents flow in mutually intersecting directions, power supply which flows currents having different phases through the above-mentioned plurality of conducting paths, and a magnetic field generator which forms a magnetic field perpendicular to the above-mentioned conducting path, in which the above-mentioned movable member revolves due to an electromagnetic force generated by an interaction between a current flowing through said conducting path and a magnetic field generated by the above-mentioned magnetic field generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2001
    Publication date: June 27, 2002
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Ota, Katsuhiro Hirata, Hitoshi Kitano, Yoshikazu Shikata
  • Patent number: D924955
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takanobu Hoshino, Hitoshi Kitano, Akihiro Iimura