Patents by Inventor Kazuaki Obara

Kazuaki Obara 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: 6471420
    Abstract: A game apparatus of the invention includes: a voice input section for inputting at least one voice set including voice uttered by an operator, for converting the voice set into a first electric signal, and for outputting the first electric signal; a voice recognition section for recognizing the voice set on the basis of the first electric signal output from the voice input means; an image input section for optically detecting a movement of the lips of the operator, for converting the detected movement of lips into a second electric signal, and for outputting the second electric signal; a speech period detection section for receiving the second electric signal, and for obtaining a period in which the voice is uttered by the operator on the basis of the received second electric signal; an overall judgment section for extracting the voice uttered by the operator from the input voice set, on the basis of the voice set recognized by the voice recognition means and the period obtained by the speech period detection
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidetsugu Maekawa, Tatsumi Watanabe, Kazuaki Obara, Kazuhiro Kayashima, Kenji Matsui, Yoshihiko Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 6148274
    Abstract: At the start of a process, an information presenting section presents information expressed by a solution vector, while an auxiliary information presenting section presents information for facilitating comparative evaluation of multiple pieces of information being presented simultaneously. Based on these pieces of information, the user evaluates each solution vector. A model estimation executing section generates an evaluation model for an adjustment process from a user evaluation history, and thereafter, a model evaluation calculating section performs evaluation using the evaluation model. A fitness calculating section calculates fitness from the evaluation made by the user or by the model, and in accordance with the thus calculated fitness, a recombination operation section performs an arithmetical recombination operation. The above process is iteratively performed to carry out optimum adjustment of solution vectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsumi Watanabe, Hideyuki Takagi, Kazuaki Obara, Susumu Maruno
  • Patent number: 6004015
    Abstract: At the start of a process, an information presenting section presents information expressed by a solution vector, while an auxiliary information presenting section presents information for facilitating comparative evaluation of multiple pieces of information being presented simultaneously. Based on these pieces of information, the user evaluates each solution vector. A model estimation executing section generates an evaluation model for an adjustment process from a user evaluation history, and thereafter, a model evaluation calculating section performs evaluation using the evaluation model. A fitness calculating section calculates fitness from the evaluation made by the user or by the model, and in accordance with the thus calculated fitness, a recombination operation section performs an arithmetical recombination operation. The above process is iteratively performed to carry out optimum adjustment of solution vectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsumi Watanabe, Hideyuki Takagi, Kazuaki Obara, Susumu Maruno
  • Patent number: 5884257
    Abstract: A voice recognition apparatus is provided which includes a first detection circuit for receiving an electric signal corresponding to voice. The first detection circuit detects a voice termination point representing a time at which the input of the electric signal corresponding to the voice is terminated based on the electric signal. The apparatus further includes a second detection circuit for determining a speech period, the speech period being a period in which the voice is uttered within a whole period in which the voice is input, based on the electric signal. In addition, the apparatus includes a feature amount extracting circuit for producing a feature amount vector, on the basis of a part of the electric signal corresponding to the speech period. A memory is provided for storing feature amount vectors for a plurality of voice candidates which are previously generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidetsugu Maekawa, Tatsumi Watanabe, Kazuaki Obara, Kazuhiro Kayashima, Kenji Matsui, Yoshihiko Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 5867581
    Abstract: According to a hearing aid comprising a voiceless period information detecting means for detecting information about a voiceless period based on sound received by a sound input means, and a control means for changing an amplification factor of an amplifying means or switching on/off output of sound emitted by a sound output means based on the sound received by the sound input means and the information about the voiceless period, output of the hearing aid can be controlled depending on noise included in the sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuaki Obara
  • Patent number: 4969142
    Abstract: In reproduction of signal recorded on an optical disk by irradiation of laser light beam thereon, interference between reflected diffracted light of +1th order or -1th order and reflected diffracted light of 0th order is coersively induced, and by detecting the interference light, a high frequency signal can be reproduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 6, 1990
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Michiyoshi Nagashima, Yoshinari Takemura, Kazuaki Obara
  • Patent number: 4875203
    Abstract: An optical disk reproducing apparatus of the type in which a tracking control is performed by projecting a controlling laser beam to the center of each of a plurality of V grooves formed on an optical disk and using far-field images of light beams reflected from the optical disk and the signals recorded on the adjacent slopes of the V groove are read by respectively projecting two reproducing laser beams to the slopes. To remove the low-frequency components of the signals on the slopes entering a tracking error signal, the low-frequency components are extracted from the two reproduced signals by low-pass filters and the difference therebetween is generated as a correction signal which in turn is subtracted from the tracking error signal, thereby improving the accuracy of the tracking control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1987
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1989
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinari Takamura, Kazuaki Obara, Michiyoshi Nagashima
  • Patent number: 4744070
    Abstract: An optical disk having V-shaped grooves with depths periodically varied at a frequency f for every two grooves, thus realizing a large recording area on each slant of the grooves. A tracking method for the optical disk in which two laser spots irradiate two adjoining slants of a V-shape groove, and pilot signals are made of components of the frequency f which are detected from the reflected beams of the respective two laser spots on the optical disk, and whereby the tracking is performed by controlling so as to make the magnitudes of the two pilot signals become equal to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 10, 1988
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinari Takemura, Kazuaki Obara, Michiyoshi Nagashima
  • Patent number: 4712204
    Abstract: In an optical disk having grooves, pits representing reference signals in header regions of the grooves are disposed to be spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of the groove to suppress undesirable interference or crosstalk of the reference signals in adjacent V-grooves. In the reproduction of such reference signals, two laser beam spots are respectively irradiated on the first and second oblique surface tracks in the V-groove. Two electric signals made by detecting the light reflected from the spots are examined to determine whether they are in coincidence. When coincidence is confirmed, the signals are used as valid reference signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1987
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinari Takemura, Kazuaki Obara, Michiyoshi Nagashima