Patents by Inventor Maki Yamada

Maki Yamada 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: 20130000950
    Abstract: The present invention provides an extruded flexible flat cable, which has a superior formability, flexibility, adhesiveness, and fire-retardancy, with a low manufacturing cost. The flexible flat cable of the present invention is adapted for sliding door of a motor vehicle and also other parts. The extruded flexible flat cable has a conductor covered with an insulation layer extrude-formed with an extrusion molding method. The insulation layer is formed from a fire-retardant resin composition containing a modified polybutylene terephthalate and a fire-retardant additive. The fire-retardant resin composition has a melting point of 170-215 degrees C. measured in reference to JIS K7121 with a differential thermal analysis at a rate of temperature increase of 10 degrees C. per minute.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Maki Yamada, Kazuya Goshima
  • Publication number: 20120283598
    Abstract: A physiological sound examination device which supports estimation of a state of a living body includes: a first physiological sound measurement unit; a second physiological sound measurement unit; a power ratio calculation unit which calculates a power ratio which is a ratio of first physiological sound signal power to second physiological sound signal power; an illness-related gain calculation unit which calculates a transfer-characteristic of the physiological sound in the living body by computing the power ratio; a power calculation unit which calculates first power which is the second physiological sound signal power in a first frequency band; and an illness-related high frequency power ratio calculation unit which calculates a sound-source-characteristic of the physiological sound by computing the first power. The computing is performed to reduce an influence of the respiratory flow velocity and/or the size of the living body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2011
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Noriaki Horii, Maki Yamada, Chizu Habukawa, Katsumi Murakami, Yukio Nagasaka
  • Patent number: 8298622
    Abstract: Methods for producing a silica aerogel coating by: producing a wet gel formed by the hydrolysis and polymerization of an alkoxysilane having an ultraviolet-polymerizable unsaturated group; organically modifying the wet gel with an organic-modifying agent to obtain an organically modified silica having a modification ratio of 10-30% based on a total amount of Si—OH in the wet gel; coating a dispersion of the organically modified silica on a substrate to form a layer; and subjecting the layer of the organically modified silica to ultraviolet irradiation and baking, wherein the silica aerogel coating includes the organically modified silica and wherein the silica aerogel coating has a refractive index in the range of 1.05-1.2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Nakayama, Kazuhiro Yamada, Yasuhiro Sakai, Maki Yamada
  • Publication number: 20120189147
    Abstract: By using output signals from a plurality of omnidirectional microphones, respectively, the sound processing apparatus outputs a first directivity signal in which the main axis of directivity is formed in the direction of the utterer and outputs a second directivity signal in which the dead zone of directivity is formed in the direction of the utterer. The sound processing apparatus calculates the level of the first directivity signal and the level of the second directivity signal, and determines the distance to the utterer based on the level of the first directivity signal and the level of the second directivity signal. The sound processing apparatus derives a gain to be given to the first directivity signal according to the result of the determination and controls the level of the first directivity signal by using the gain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Terada, Maki Yamada
  • Publication number: 20120128187
    Abstract: Provided are a hearing aid, signal processing method, and program that enable TV sound to be made easier for a hearing aid user to hear when wishing to watch TV, and a person's voice to be made easier to hear when wishing to converse with that person. A hearing aid (100) is provided with an other-person's speech detection section (150) that detects speech of a speaker other than the wearer using detected sound source direction information, an own-speech detection result, and a TV sound detection result, and a per-sound-source frequency calculation section (160) that calculates the frequency of each sound source using an own-speech detection result, TV sound detection result, other-speaker's speech detection result, and sound source direction information. A scene determination section (170) determines a scene to be a “conversation scene,” “TV viewing scene,” and “‘TV viewing while . . .
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Maki Yamada, Mitsuru Endo, Koichiro Mizushima
  • Publication number: 20120128186
    Abstract: A conversation detection apparatus uses a head-mounted microphone array to accurately determine whether a speaker in front is a conversing person or not.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuru Endo, Maki Yamada, Koichiro Mizushima
  • Publication number: 20120063620
    Abstract: A call other than a conversion partner call and various sounds are detected by input audio signals from plural microphones without deteriorating a voice recognition precision. A hearing aid apparatus according to the present invention corrects a frequency characteristic of the call voice other than the conversation partner voice based on an arrival direction of the call voice other than the conversation partner voice, which is estimated based on the audio signal converted by the plural microphones, checks a call word standard pattern representing features of a phoneme and a syllabic sound based on other voice data picked up by using the microphones having one characteristic against a call voice other than the conversation partner voice in which the frequency characteristic is corrected by the frequency characteristic correction processing unit to determine whether the call voice is a call word, and forms a directivity in the direction other than the arrival direction of the voice of the conversation partner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2010
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Inventors: Kazuya Nomura, Tomohiro Konuma, Maki Yamada, Mitsuru Endo
  • Publication number: 20120020505
    Abstract: A signal processing apparatus and signal processing method capable of correctly detecting that a conversation is established even in a daily environment are provided. In signal processing apparatus (100), excitation separation section (130) separates a mixed sound signal in which a plurality of excitations are mixed into the respective excitations. Speech detection section (140) performs speech detection on the plurality of separated excitation signals, judges whether or not the plurality of excitation signals are speech and generates speech section information indicating speech/non-speech information for each excitation signal. Identification parameter extraction section (150) extracts an identification parameter indicating a feature value of a daily conversation based on a plurality of excitation signals or speech section information. Conversation establishment degree calculation section (160) calculates and outputs a degree of establishment of a conversation based on the extracted identification parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2011
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Maki Yamada, Mitsuru Endo, Koichiro Mizushima
  • Patent number: 8029871
    Abstract: A silica aerogel coating is produced by reacting a wet gel obtained by the hydrolysis and polymerization of alkoxysilane with an organic-modifying agent to form organically modified silica, dispersing the organically modified silica by an ultrasonic treatment to form an organically modified silica dispersion, adding an ultraviolet-curable resin and a photo-polymerization initiator to the dispersion to prepare a coating liquid, applying the coating liquid to a substrate, and then irradiating ultraviolet rays to the coated layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Nakayama, Kazuhiro Yamada, Yasuhiro Sakai, Maki Yamada
  • Publication number: 20110203519
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming an optical film on an optical substrate is provided. The apparatus may include a rotatable jig for fixedly holding the optical substrate, an apparatus for rotating the jig, and a nozzle for dispensing a coating solution containing an optical-film-forming component onto the optical substrate. A rotation speed of the jig may be 8,000 rpm or more, and a deviation of rotation axis of the jig may be 50 ?m or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2011
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Applicant: HOYA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro YAMADA, Yasuhiro SAKAI, Hiroyuki NAKAYAMA, Maki YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20110209066
    Abstract: Provided is a viewing terminal apparatus that can present an appropriate result of statistics on viewing of a content for diversified viewing modes. The viewing terminal apparatus includes: a category determining unit that determines, as a viewer category, a relationship between viewers who are viewing a content displayed on a display; a transmitting unit that transmits, to the viewing statistics-gathering apparatus, first viewing status information indicating the content that is being viewed by the viewers and the viewer category determined by the category determining unit, the content being associated with the viewer category; and a viewing statistics presenting unit that obtains viewing statistics information from the viewing statistics-gathering apparatus, and presents a result of statistics that is (i) indicated by the obtained viewing statistics information and (ii) a result of statistics on viewing of a content only by viewers who belong to a predetermined viewer category.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Inventors: Kotaro SAKATA, Kazuya Nomura, Tomohiro Konuma, Maki Yamada, Shigenori Maeda
  • Publication number: 20110208790
    Abstract: Provided is a lifestyle collecting apparatus that collects information for determining a lifestyle of a user, and includes: an object information detecting unit configured to detect object information representing an object around the user; a relevance degree calculating unit configured to calculate a relevance degree of the user to the object, using the object information; an appearance information extracting unit configured to extract appearance information from the object information, and add the relevance degree to the extracted appearance information, the appearance information representing an appearance of the object; and a lifestyle database which stores the appearance information to which the relevance degree has been added, as the information for determining the lifestyle of the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Inventors: Kotaro Sakata, Kazuya Nomura, Tomohiro Konuma, Maki Yamada, Shigenori Maeda
  • Patent number: 7763340
    Abstract: A dust-proof, light-transmitting member disposed on a light-receiving surface of an imaging device, comprising a light-transmitting substrate, at least a light-entering surface of which is provided with a dust-proof coating having fine roughness on the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Sakai, Kazuhiro Yamada, Hiroyuki Nakayama, Maki Yamada
  • Patent number: 7711560
    Abstract: A speech recognition apparatus equipped with the garbage acoustic model storage unit storing the garbage acoustic model which learned the collection of unnecessary words. A feature value calculation unit calculates the feature parameter necessary for recognition by acoustically analyzing the unidentified input speech including the non-language speech per frame which is a unit for speech analysis. A garbage acoustic score calculation unit calculates the garbage acoustic score by comparing the feature parameter and the garbage acoustic model, and a garbage acoustic score correction unit corrects the garbage acoustic score calculated by the garbage acoustic score calculation unit so as to raise it in the frame where the non-language speech is inputted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Maki Yamada, Makoto Nishizaki, Yoshihisa Nakatoh, Shinichi Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 7678447
    Abstract: A protective cover for a display panel, comprising a transparent substrate, and an anti-reflection, transparent medium layer comprising hollow, transparent, fine particles dispersed in a transparent resin matrix and sealed without gap between the a transparent substrate and an image-displaying area of the display panel, the refractive index N1 of the anti-reflection, transparent medium layer and the refractive index Ns of the transparent substrate meeting the following relation (1): No<N1<Ns2??(1), wherein No is the refractive index of air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamada, Yasuhiro Sakai, Hiroyuki Nakayama, Maki Yamada
  • Patent number: 7619821
    Abstract: An optical element comprising a lens having a portion with a surface inclination angle of 50° or more within an effective-diameter region, the portion being 10% or more of the effective-diameter region in a projected area, and an anti-reflection coating formed on the lens, the anti-reflection coating having fine roughness with three-dimensional average surface roughness of 5-100 nm on the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamada, Yasuhiro Sakai, Hiroyuki Nakayama, Maki Yamada
  • Publication number: 20090150155
    Abstract: The present invention aims at extracting a keyword of conversation without preparations by advanced anticipation of keywords of conversation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Publication date: June 11, 2009
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuru Endo, Maki Yamada, Keiko Morii, Tomohiro Konuma, Kazuya Nomura
  • Publication number: 20080192350
    Abstract: An optical element comprising a lens having a portion with a surface inclination angle of 50° or more within an effective-diameter region, the portion being 10% or more of the effective-diameter region in a projected area, and an anti-reflection coating formed on the lens, the anti-reflection coating having fine roughness with three-dimensional average surface roughness of 5-100 nm on the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2007
    Publication date: August 14, 2008
    Applicant: PENTAX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro YAMADA, Yasuhiro SAKAI, Hiroyuki NAKAYAMA, Maki YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20080081108
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming an optical film on a curved-surface, optically effective portion of a pickup lens having the optically effective portion and a circumferential flange, comprising a rotatable jig for fixedly holding the pickup lens, an apparatus for rotating the jig, a case rotatably supporting the jig, and a nozzle for spraying or dropping a coating solution containing an optical-film-forming component onto the pickup lens; the jig comprising a columnar table and a hollow cylindrical cover, the hollow cylindrical cover comprising tabs extending inward from an upper end of a cylindrical portion for fixedly holding the flange, and the coating solution being sprayed or dropped onto the optically effective portion, while rotating the jig at a rotation speed of 8,000 rpm or more with the deviation of rotation axis of 50 ?m or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: PENTAX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro YAMADA, Yasuhiro SAKAI, Hiroyuki NAKAYAMA, Maki YAMADA
  • Patent number: 7310601
    Abstract: The present invention provides a speech recognition apparatus which appropriately performs speech recognition by generating, in real time, language models adapted to a new topic even in the case where topics are changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Nishizaki, Yoshihisa Nakatoh, Maki Yamada, Shinichi Yoshizawa