Patents by Inventor Kenichi Hagio
Kenichi Hagio 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).
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Patent number: 7948524Abstract: An image processor is provided, which has the capability of detecting an object such as a human face from an image taken against the sun with high accuracy. An image signal provided from an image pickup unit is adjusted at an analog gain by an image adjuster. An out of the image adjuster is converted into a digital, and store in a memory. A feature of the object is extracted from this digital image data to detect an object area in the image. When the object area is not detected, an analog-gain controller sends that the image signal provided from the image pickup unit is adjusted at a different analog gain. Thus, the treatment of detecting the object area is repeated at different analog gains.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2005Date of Patent: May 24, 2011Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.Inventors: Junpei Endo, Motoo Ikari, Satoshi Furukawa, Kenichi Hagio
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Patent number: 7852378Abstract: An image processor is provided, which has the capability of detecting an object such as a human face from an image taken against the sun with high accuracy. An image signal provided from an image pickup unit is adjusted at an analog gain by an image adjuster. An out of the image adjuster is converted into a digital, and store in a memory. A feature of the object is extracted from this digital image data to detect an object area in the image. When the object area is not detected, an analog-gain controller sends that the image signal provided from the image pickup unit is adjusted at a different analog gain. Thus, the treatment of detecting the object area is repeated at different analog gains.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2005Date of Patent: December 14, 2010Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.Inventors: Junpei Endo, Motoo Ikari, Satoshi Furukawa, Kenichi Hagio
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Patent number: 7834305Abstract: An image processing device for generating both of a distance image and a gray image from an electrical output of a light receiving element on the precondition that a light intensity-modulated at a modulation frequency is irradiated into a target space. This device has an image generator for generating the distance image having pixel values, each of which provides a distance value between an object in the target space and the device, in accordance with a phase difference between the irradiated light and the received light, and the gray image having pixel values, each of which provides a gray value of the object, in accordance with an intensity of the received light. By use of an output of the image generator, an outline of the object can be extracted.Type: GrantFiled: July 28, 2005Date of Patent: November 16, 2010Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kenichi Hagio, Motoo Ikari, Yuji Takada, Yusuke Hashimoto, Fumi Tsunesada
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Patent number: 7645975Abstract: A spatial information detecting device for accurately detecting information of a target space is provided. This device has photoelectric converters for receiving a reflection light from the space, in which a flashing light is being irradiated, a charge storage portion formed in each of the photoelectric converters by applying a control voltage to electrodes on each of the photoelectric converters, a controller for controlling the number of electrodes, to which the control voltage is applied, such that an area of the charge storage portion changes based on a flash cycle of the flashing light, and an amplitude-image generator for generating an amplitude image having pixel values, each of which is provided by a difference between electric charges collected in a lighting period of the flashing light by a charge storage portion and the electric charges collected in a non-lighting period of the flashing light by another charge storage portion.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2005Date of Patent: January 12, 2010Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hideki Kawahara, Motoo Ikari, Kenichi Hagio, Eiji Nakamoto
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Patent number: 7403641Abstract: An object recognition system utilizes a mask locator for extracting a mask area (M) from within a subject image in order to recognize the mask area (M) with a subject image. The mask locator (40) refers to density gradient directional images respectively converted from an image size template and the subject image, and analyzes these density gradient directional images particularly with respect to the density gradient directional values (?T, ?S) assigned to each pixel in each directional images to obtain parameters linking the image size template to the mask area (M) to be registered with the image size template. The mask locator has a vote module (60) which gives candidates for the center of the mask by varying the parameters and votes on the candidates.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2005Date of Patent: July 22, 2008Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Eiji Nakamoto, Kenichi Hagio, Atsuyuki Hirono, Satoshi Furukawa
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Patent number: 7372994Abstract: An image processing device is provided, which has the capability of accurately recognizing the outline of a moving target from at least four still images taken in times series without using a background image not including the moving target. This device comprises a first operation unit for outputting a processed outline image by use of a reference image taken at a reference time, a pair of images taken at first and second times other than the reference time, a second operation unit for outputting a processed outline image by use of the reference image and an image taken at a third time different from the reference time, the first time and the second time, and an outline extracting unit for extracting the outline of the moving target from these processed outline images.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2003Date of Patent: May 13, 2008Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventor: Kenichi Hagio
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Patent number: 7349027Abstract: The scan converter comprises first and second memories 3, 7, a frame memory 5; having a write period and a read period, a video data input circuit 2 for writing data at a first transfer rate into the memory 3, a video data output circuit 8 for outputting the data from the memory 7 at a third transfer rate. The transfer rate between the memories 3, 7 and the memory 5 is twice as fast as the first or third transfer rate, whichever is faster, and the memories 3 has data storage capacities greater than an amount of the data to be written into the memory 5 in each write period, and the memories 7 has data storage capacities greater than an amount of the data to be read from the memory 5 in each read period.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2005Date of Patent: March 25, 2008Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Junpei Endo, Satoshi Furukawa, Kenichi Hagio
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Publication number: 20070237363Abstract: An image processing device for generating both of a distance image and a gray image from an electrical output of a light receiving element on the precondition that a light intensity-modulated at a modulation frequency is irradiated into a target space. This device has an image generator for generating the distance image having pixel values, each of which provides a distance value between an object in the target space and the device, in accordance with a phase difference between the irradiated light and the received light, and the gray image having pixel values, each of which provides a gray value of the object, in accordance with an intensity of the received light. By use of an output of the image generator, an outline of the object can be extracted.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 28, 2005Publication date: October 11, 2007Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.Inventors: Kenichi Hagio, Motoo Ikari, Yuji Takada, Yusuke Hashimoto, Fumi Tsunesada
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Publication number: 20070146539Abstract: A spatial information detecting device for accurately detecting information of a target space is provided. This device has photoelectric converters for receiving a reflection light from the space, in which a flashing light is being irradiated, a charge storage portion formed in each of the photoelectric converters by applying a control voltage to electrodes on each of the photoelectric converters, a controller for controlling the number of electrodes, to which the control voltage is applied, such that an area of the charge storage portion changes based on a flash cycle of the flashing light, and an amplitude-image generator for generating an amplitude image having pixel values, each of which is provided by a difference between electric charges collected in a lighting period of the flashing light by a charge storage portion and the electric charges collected in a non-lighting period of the flashing light by another charge storage portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2005Publication date: June 28, 2007Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.Inventors: Hideki Kawahara, Motoo Ikari, Kenichi Hagio, Eiji Nakamoto
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Publication number: 20050265605Abstract: An object recognition system utilizes a mask locator for extracting a mask area (M) from within a subject image in order to recognize the mask area (M) with a subject image. The mask locator (40) refers to density gradient directional images respectively converted from an image size template and the subject image, and analyzes these density gradient directional images particularly with respect to the density gradient directional values (?T, ?S) assigned to each pixel in each directional images to obtain parameters linking the image size template to the mask area (M) to be registered with the image size template. The mask locator has a vote module (60) which gives candidates for the center of the mask by varying the parameters and votes on the candidates.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2005Publication date: December 1, 2005Inventors: Eiji Nakamoto, Kenichi Hagio, Atsuyuki Hirono, Satoshi Furukawa
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Publication number: 20050265626Abstract: An image processor is provided, which has the capability of detecting an object such as a human face from an image taken against the sun with high accuracy. An image signal provided from an image pickup unit is adjusted at an analog gain by an image adjuster. An output of the image adjuster is converted into a digital image data, and stored in a memory. A feature of the object is extracted from this digital image data to detect an object area in the image. When the object area is not detected, an analog-gain controller sends an analog-gain control signal to the image adjuster in a feedback manner-such that the image signal provided from the image pickup unit is adjusted at a different analog gain. Thus, the treatment of detecting the object area is repeated at different analog gains.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 4, 2005Publication date: December 1, 2005Applicant: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Junpei Endo, Motoo Ikari, Satoshi Furukawa, Kenichi Hagio
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Publication number: 20050264691Abstract: The scan converter comprises first and second memories 3, 7, a frame. memory 5 having a write period and a read period, a video data input circuit 2 for writing data at a first transfer rate into the memory 3, a video data output circuit 8 for outputting the data from the memory 7 at a third transfer rate. The transfer rate between the memories 3, 7 and the memory 5 is twice as fast as the first or third transfer rate, whichever is faster, and the memories 3 has data storage capacities greater than an amount of the data to be written into the memory 5 in each write period, and the memories 7 has data storage capacities greater than an amount of the data to be read from the memory 5 in each read period.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2005Publication date: December 1, 2005Inventors: Junpei Endo, Satoshi Furukawa, Kenichi Hagio
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Publication number: 20040175044Abstract: An image processing device is provided, which has the capability of accurately recognizing the outline of a moving target from at least four still images taken in times series without using a background image not including the moving target. This device comprises a first operation unit for outputting a processed outline image by use of a reference image taken at a reference time, a pair of images taken at first and second times other than the reference time, a second operation unit for outputting a processed outline image by use of the reference image and an image taken at a third time different from the reference time, the first time and the second time, and an outline extracting unit for extracting the outline of the moving target from these processed outline images.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 28, 2003Publication date: September 9, 2004Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.Inventor: Kenichi Hagio
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Patent number: 6079862Abstract: Automatic tracking lighting equipment for automatically tracking a target to be illuminated. A spotlight is supported for pivoting in horizontal and vertical directions on a ceiling surface. A horizontal drive mechanism changes the horizontal angle of the spotlight and a vertical drive mechanism changes the vertical angle of the spotlight. A CCD camera picks up the image of a target area to be illuminated. An image recognition unit processes the image from the CCD camera to recognize the target to be illuminated and to specify its coordinates. A coordinate calculation unit calculates how far to move the spotlight based on a distance of the target to be illuminated. A movable control unit converts the output of the coordinate calculation unit into drive signals for the horizontal drive mechanism and for the vertical drive mechanism and outputs drive signals to pivot the spotlight in a desired direction.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 1997Date of Patent: June 27, 2000Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Toshikazu Kawashima, Minoru Yoshida, Satoshi Furukawa, Kenichi Hagio
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Patent number: 5815199Abstract: An interphone with television includes a terminal device having a wide-angle image input camera, an image output circuit, and a master device for receiving an image signal from the image output circuit. The master device converts the image to a digital format and stores the image signal in an image memory. The image may be panned, magnified, and corrected using digital processing techniques. The contents of the image memory are converted to an analogue signal for reproduction on a monitor.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 1996Date of Patent: September 29, 1998Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Stephen Ray Palm, Satoshi Furukawa, Kenichi Hagio