Patents by Inventor Koji Nageno

Koji Nageno 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).

  • Publication number: 20190052949
    Abstract: Provided is a wearable device that is worn on a human ear and mainly outputs or inputs sound. The outer casing 110 is formed into an elongated shape so as to fit the cymba conchae 306 formed between the antihelix inferior crus 302b and the crus helicis 309. The sound generating unit 120 includes a vibration element 121 and a weight 122. The vibration element 121 has an elongated shape along the longitudinal direction of the outer casing 110, and has one end fixed to the inner wall of the outer casing 110, and the other end to which a weight 122 is attached, the other hand being an open end. By applying an alternating electric field to the vibration element 121, vibration corresponding to audio is generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2016
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: GO IGARASHI, KOHEI ASADA, KOJI NAGENO
  • Publication number: 20190019495
    Abstract: [Object] To allow a listener to hear sound acquired in real time to which desired reverberation is added. [Solution] According to the present disclosure, a sound output device includes: a sound acquisition part configured to acquire a sound signal generated from an ambient sound; a reverb process part configured to perform a reverb process on the sound signal; and a sound output part configured to output a sound generated from the sound signal subjected to the reverb process, to a vicinity of an ear of a listener. This configuration allows a listener to hear sound acquired in real time to which desired reverberation is added.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Inventors: KOHEI ASADA, GO IGARASHI, KOJI NAGENO
  • Patent number: 10182281
    Abstract: Provided is a sound output device worn on an ear of a listener and used, and having listening characteristics of an ambient sound in a wearing state. A sound output device 100 includes a sound generating portion 110 that generates a sound, a sound guiding portion 120 that takes in the sound generated in the sound generating portion 110 from one end 121, and a holding portion 130 that holds the sound guiding portion 120 in the vicinity of the other end 122. The holding portion 130 is engaged with an intertragic notch, and supports the sound guiding portion 120 such that a sound output hole of the other end 122 of the sound guiding portion 120 to face a depth side of an ear canal. Even in a state where the listener wears the sound output device 100, the sound output device 100 does not block an ear cavity of the listener, and the listener can listen to the ambient sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Go Igarashi, Satoshi Suzuki, Kohei Asada, Koji Nageno
  • Publication number: 20180367937
    Abstract: According to the present disclosure, a sound output device includes: a sound acquisition part configured to acquire sound to be output to the other end of a sound guide part, one end of which is arranged near an entrance of an ear canal of a listener, the sound guide part having a hollow structure; and a head-related transfer function adjustment part configured to adjust a head-related transfer function of sound captured by the sound guide part. Since the head-related transfer function adjustment part adjusts the head-related transfer function of sound captured by the sound guide part, it is possible to listen to both ambient sound and sound provided from a sound output device such that the listener does not feel strangeness even in the state in which the listener is wearing the sound output device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kohei Asada, Go Igarashi, Koji Nageno, Haruo Oba, Homare Kon
  • Publication number: 20180324513
    Abstract: Provided is a sound output device worn on an ear of a listener and used, and having listening characteristics of an ambient sound in a wearing state. A sound output device 100 includes a sound generating portion 110 that generates a sound, a sound guiding portion 120 that takes in the sound generated in the sound generating portion 110 from one end 121, and a holding portion 130 that holds the sound guiding portion 120 in the vicinity of the other end 122. The holding portion 130 is engaged with an intertragic notch, and supports the sound guiding portion 120 such that a sound output hole of the other end 122 of the sound guiding portion 120 to face a depth side of an ear canal. Even in a state where the listener wears the sound output device 100, the sound output device 100 does not block an ear cavity of the listener, and the listener can listen to the ambient sound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Inventors: GO IGARASHI, SATOSHI SUZUKI, KOHEI ASADA, KOJI NAGENO
  • Publication number: 20180176681
    Abstract: The present technique relates to an earhole-wearable sound collection device, a signal processing device, and a sound collection method for realizing sound collection at a high S/N ratio, with noise influence being reduced not by a noise reduction process. In the earhole-wearable sound collection device, a microphone that collects emitted speech voice is provided in a space that is substantially sealed off from outside and connects to an ear canal of the wearer (the speaker). With the microphone being located in the space sealed off from outside, emitted speech voice that propagates through the ear canal of the wearer is collected. In a sound collection signal obtained through the ear canal, the emitted speech voice component is dominant over the noise component particularly at low frequencies. Therefore, the S/N ratio of an emitted speech voice collection signal can be improved by extracting the low-frequency component of the sound collection signal with the use of a LPF, for example.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2018
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: KOHEI ASADA, SHINPEI TSUCHIYA, DAIZEN KOBAYASHI, KOJI NAGENO
  • Patent number: 9961428
    Abstract: An earphone device includes a housing having a driver unit, and a sound guide tube mounted on a front surface of the housing to protrude from the front surface, in which the sound guide tube is disposed at a position deviated from a center position of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Matsuo, Takashi Ohta, Koji Nageno, Tomohiro Ito
  • Publication number: 20180109863
    Abstract: An earphone device includes a housing having a driver unit, and a sound guide tube mounted on a front surface of the housing to protrude from the front surface, in which the sound guide tube is disposed at a position deviated from a center position of the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Matsuo, Takashi Ohta, Koji Nageno, Tomohiro Ito
  • Patent number: 9949006
    Abstract: An earphone device includes a housing having a driver unit, and a sound guide tube mounted on a front surface of the housing to protrude from the front surface, in which the sound guide tube is disposed at a position deviated from a center position of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Matsuo, Takashi Ohta, Koji Nageno, Tomohiro Ito
  • Patent number: 9949007
    Abstract: An earphone device includes a housing having a driver unit, and a sound guide tube mounted on a front surface of the housing to protrude from the front surface, in which the sound guide tube is disposed at a position deviated from a center position of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Matsuo, Takashi Ohta, Koji Nageno, Tomohiro Ito
  • Patent number: 9930437
    Abstract: An earphone device includes a housing having a driver unit, and a sound guide tube mounted on a front surface of the housing to protrude from the front surface, in which the sound guide tube is disposed at a position deviated from a center position of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Matsuo, Takashi Ohta, Koji Nageno, Tomohiro Ito
  • Patent number: 9918162
    Abstract: The present technique relates to an earhole-wearable sound collection device, a signal processing device, and a method for realizing sound collection at a high S/N ratio. In the earhole-wearable sound collection device, a microphone that collects emitted speech voice is provided in a space that is substantially sealed off from outside and connects to an ear canal of the wearer (the speaker). With the microphone being located in the space sealed off from outside, emitted speech voice that propagates through the ear canal of the wearer is collected. In a sound collection signal obtained through the ear canal, the emitted speech voice component is dominant over the noise component particularly at low frequencies. Therefore, the S/N ratio of an emitted speech voice collection signal is improved by an equalizing process for reducing muffled sound that is generated when sound is collected through the ear canal on the sound collection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kohei Asada, Shinpei Tsuchiya, Daizen Kobayashi, Koji Nageno
  • Patent number: 9826300
    Abstract: An earphone device includes a housing having a driver unit, and a sound guide tube mounted on a front surface of the housing to protrude from the front surface, in which the sound guide tube is disposed at a position deviated from a center position of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Matsuo, Takashi Ohta, Koji Nageno, Tomohiro Ito
  • Publication number: 20170311070
    Abstract: Provided is a sound output device worn on an ear of a listener and used, and having listening characteristics of an ambient sound in a wearing state. A sound output device 100 includes a sound generating portion 110 that generates a sound, a sound guiding portion 120 that takes in the sound generated in the sound generating portion 110 from one end 121, and a holding portion 130 that holds the sound guiding portion 120 in the vicinity of the other end 122. The holding portion 130 is engaged with an intertragic notch, and supports the sound guiding portion 120 such that a sound output hole of the other end 122 of the sound guiding portion 120 to face a depth side of an ear canal. Even in a state where the listener wears the sound output device 100, the sound output device 100 does not block an ear cavity of the listener, and the listener can listen to the ambient sound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventors: GO IGARASHI, SATOSHI SUZUKI, KOHEI ASADA, KOJI NAGENO
  • Patent number: 9781500
    Abstract: An earphone device includes a housing having a driver unit, and a sound guide tube mounted on a front surface of the housing to protrude from the front surface, in which the sound guide tube is disposed at a position deviated from a center position of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Matsuo, Takashi Ohta, Koji Nageno, Tomohiro Ito
  • Publication number: 20170048603
    Abstract: An earphone device includes a housing having a driver unit, and a sound guide tube mounted on a front surface of the housing to protrude from the front surface, in which the sound guide tube is disposed at a position deviated from a center position of the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Matsuo, Takashi Ohta, Koji Nageno, Tomohiro Ito
  • Patent number: 9491533
    Abstract: An earphone device includes a housing having a driver unit, and a sound guide tube mounted on a front surface of the housing to protrude from the front surface, in which the sound guide tube is disposed at a position deviated from a center position of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Matsuo, Takashi Ohta, Koji Nageno, Tomohiro Ito
  • Patent number: 9491536
    Abstract: Provided is a headphone driver including a yoke that has a bottom surface and an erected surface that is erected in a perpendicular direction with respect to the bottom surface, and that is formed using a magnetic material, and a bonded magnet unit consisting of a bonded magnet that is provided on the bottom surface of the yoke. The magnetic flux of the bonded magnet unit is concentrated on the side surface of the bonded magnet unit facing the erected surface of the yoke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Nageno, Takeshi Hara
  • Patent number: 9361902
    Abstract: The present technique relates to an earhole-wearable sound collection device, a signal processing device, and a sound collection method for realizing sound collection at a high S/N ratio with reduced noise influence, regardless of noise reduction methods such as the SS method. In the earhole-wearable sound collection device, a microphone that collects emitted speech voice is provided in a space that is substantially sealed off from outside and connects to an ear canal of the wearer, so that emitted speech voice propagating through the ear canal of the wearer is collected. A noise cancelling unit that reduces noise propagating in the internal space having the microphone located therein is further provided to improve the S/N ratio of emitted speech voice collection signals. Further, an equalizing process for reducing the muffled sound generated when the emitted speech voice propagating through the ear canal is collected is performed on the sound collection signal from the microphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kohei Asada, Koji Nageno, Shinpei Tsuchiya, Naotaka Tsunoda
  • Publication number: 20160127825
    Abstract: The present technique relates to an earhole-wearable sound collection device, a signal processing device, and a sound collection method for realizing sound collection at a high S/N ratio, with noise influence being reduced not by a noise reduction process. In the earhole-wearable sound collection device, a microphone that collects emitted speech voice is provided in a space that is substantially sealed off from outside and connects to an ear canal of the wearer (the speaker). With the microphone being located in the space sealed off from outside, emitted speech voice that propagates through the ear canal of the wearer is collected. In a sound collection signal obtained through the ear canal, the emitted speech voice component is dominant over the noise component particularly at low frequencies. Therefore, the S/N ratio of an emitted speech voice collection signal can be improved by extracting the low-frequency component of the sound collection signal with the use of a LPF, for example.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2016
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventors: Kohei Asada, Shinpei Tsuchiya, Daizen Kobayashi, Koji Nageno