Patents by Inventor Shoji Muramatsu
Shoji Muramatsu 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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Publication number: 20150323785Abstract: A three-dimensional object detection has an image capturing device, an image conversion unit, a three-dimensional object detection unit, a three-dimensional object assessment unit, first and second foreign matter detection units and a controller. The image capturing device captures images rearward of a vehicle. The three-dimensional object detection unit detects three-dimensional objects based on image information. The three-dimensional object assessment unit assesses whether or not a detected three-dimensional object is another vehicle. The foreign matter detection units detect whether or not foreign matter has adhered to a lens based on the change over time in luminance values for each predetermined pixel of the image capturing element and the change over time in the difference between an evaluation value and a reference value. The controller outputs control commands to the other means to suppress the assessment of foreign matter as another vehicle when foreign matter has been detected.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2013Publication date: November 12, 2015Inventors: Osamu FUKATA, Yasuhisa HAYAKAWA, Masayuki TAKEMURA, Akira UTAGAWA, Masahiro KIYOHARA, Shoji MURAMATSU, Kota IRIE
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Publication number: 20150324972Abstract: A three-dimensional object detection device has an image capturing unit, an object detection unit, a nighttime assessment unit, a luminance detection unit, a luminance peak detection unit and a controller. The image capturing unit captures images rearward of a vehicle. The object detection unit detects a presence of an object from the captured images. The nighttime assessment unit assesses if nighttime has fallen. The luminance detection unit detects a luminance of image areas from the captured image. The luminance peak detection unit detects a peak in the luminance having a luminance gradient that is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference value from among the detected peaks in the luminance as a target luminance peak. The controller controls detection of the object in an image area in which the target luminance peak is detected when an assessment has been made that nighttime has fallen by the nighttime assessment unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2013Publication date: November 12, 2015Inventors: Yasuhisa HAYAKAWA, Osamu FUKATA, Masayuki TAKEMURA, Akira UTAGAWA, Shoji MURAMATSU, Kota IRIE
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Publication number: 20150325005Abstract: A water droplet detection device has an image capturing unit and a water droplet detection unit. The image capturing unit has a photographic optical system that an area captures an image of a predetermined area. The water droplet detection unit sets an arbitrary attention point in the captured image, a plurality of first reference points inside an imaginary circle of a predetermined radius having the attention point as a center the imaginary circle, and a plurality of second reference points corresponding to the first reference points outside the imaginary circle. The water droplet detection unit detects edge information between the first reference points and second reference points, and assesses a circularity strength of the edge information to detect a water droplet attached to the photographic optical system. The water droplet detection device can be used with an image conversion unit to form a three-dimensional object detection device.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 24, 2013Publication date: November 12, 2015Inventors: Yasuhisa HAYAKAWA, Osamu FUKATA, Masayuki TAKEMURA, Akira UTAGAWA, Shoji MURAMATSU, Kota IRIE
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Publication number: 20150317526Abstract: A parking frame drawn on a road surface is reliably detected. An imager (10) installed on a vehicle (1) captures an image (I) including at least a road surface around the vehicle (1). A candidate white-line area detector (30) detects, from the captured image (I), a candidate white-line area which is possibly a part of a parking frame. A parking-frame-similitude calculator (40) calculates the brightness distribution of the detected candidate white-line area and the surroundings of boundary points of a road surface. When the brightness distribution satisfies a certain condition, the parking-frame similitude or the degree to which the candidate white-line area forms a parking frame, is determined to be low. When a parking-frame similitude of the candidate white-line area forming a parking frame is detected in the image (I) by a parking-frame detector (60), the credibility (U) for the detected parking frame is set low.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2013Publication date: November 5, 2015Applicants: CLARION CO., LTD., NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Shoji MURAMATSU, Takehito OGATA, Masahiro KIYOHARA, Satoshi SUZUKI, Osamu FUKATA, Yasuhisa HAYAKAWA, Akira MORIMOTO
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Patent number: 9177196Abstract: With a simple configuration, a vehicle periphery monitoring system that easily detects pedestrian that has a possibility to collide with a vehicle to which the monitoring system is installed. Based on a change rate in the size of the image of the observation object captured at a preset time interval by an onboard camera 111 and the presence or absence of the deformation of the observation object image between the captured images, it is determined whether the observation object is a pedestrian relatively approaching the vehicle to which the monitoring system is installed.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2012Date of Patent: November 3, 2015Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masahiro Kiyohara, Shoji Muramatsu, Kota Irie, Yoshitaka Uchida
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Publication number: 20150310285Abstract: Provided is a vehicle-mounted image processing device capable of recognizing the outside of a vehicle based on an image taken by a vehicle-mounted camera more precisely. A vehicle-mounted image processing device of the present invention includes: an image acquisition unit (12) that acquires through-images (21) to (24) taken by cameras (1) to (4) disposed on front, rear and sides of a vehicle (10); a bird's eye view image generation unit (13) that converts the acquired through images (21) to (24) to generate a bird's eye view image (25); a parking line recognition unit (15) that performs parking line recognition processing to recognize a parking line WL based on at least one of the through-images (21) to (24) and the bird's eye view image (25).Type: ApplicationFiled: November 27, 2013Publication date: October 29, 2015Inventors: Takehito OGATA, Masahiro KIYOHARA, Satoshi SUZUKI, Shoji MURAMATSU
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Publication number: 20150302574Abstract: An on-vehicle control device includes: an image acquiring unit that acquires an image from an image-capturing device that captures the image of surroundings of a vehicle; an overhead view image generating unit that generates an overhead view image from the image acquired by the image acquiring unit, the overhead view image being a plan view of the surroundings of the vehicle seen from above the vehicle; a white line recognizing unit that recognizes possible white lines on a road surface in the overhead view image; a white line information saving unit that saves information including positional information of the possible white lines recognized by the white line recognizing unit; a white line position predicting unit that predicts a position of a possible white line to be reached, based on information about a previous possible white line saved by the white line information saving unit and vehicle behavior information; and a white line judging unit that excludes, among the possible white lines recognized by theType: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2013Publication date: October 22, 2015Inventors: Shoji MURAMATSU, Akira UTAGAWA, Takehito OGATA, Satoshi SUZUKI
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Publication number: 20150302261Abstract: An on-vehicle image processing apparatus includes: a photographing device configured to photograph a road surface around a vehicle so as to obtain a photographed image; an image creation section configured to create an overhead view image showing a situation where a circumference of the vehicle is looked down from above the vehicle, based on the obtained photographed image; an extraction section configured to extract a road surface sign around the vehicle by using the created overhead view image; a detection section configured to detect one or more noises among at least a road surface noise, an obstruction noise, and an attached substance noise that are to be observed when the extraction section extracts the road surface sign; and a parking frame recognition section configured to recognize a parking frame based on one of a partial photographing region in the photographed image and a partial overhead view region in the overhead view image, depending on the detected noise.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 27, 2013Publication date: October 22, 2015Applicant: Clarion Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masahiro Kiyohara, Takehito Ogata, Satoshi Suzuki, Shoji Muramatsu
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Publication number: 20150203076Abstract: A turbidity degree calculating unit calculates a degree of the white turbidity U on a surface of the lens based on a brightness gradient g of an image I (x, y), and a lens cleaning control unit sets a lens cleaning mode for spraying at least one of the cleaning fluid and the compressed air, which is performed by the lens cleaning unit, based on the calculated turbidity degree U.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 19, 2013Publication date: July 23, 2015Applicant: Clarion Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kota Irie, Shoji Muramatsu, Masayuki Takemura, Yasuhisa Hayakawa, Osamu Fukata, Akira Utagawa
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Publication number: 20150201120Abstract: An in-vehicle image recognizer effectively detects a moving object from an image even when a lens has grime. In a detection sensitivity adjustor (50) which adjusts detection sensitivity to be increased according to a white turbidity level (U), the detection sensitivity of a vehicle detector (70) (image recognition application execution unit), which detects the other vehicle (6) (moving object) existing in the surrounding area of a vehicle (5) with a predetermined detection sensitivity from the image obtained by an imaging unit (10) disposed in the vehicle (5) to observe the surrounding area of the vehicle (5) through a lens (12) and convert the light signal of the observed surrounding area of the vehicle (5) into an image signal, is corrected based on the attachment level M of the attached matter such as dirt or water drops to the lens (12), which is calculated by an attachment level calculator (26).Type: ApplicationFiled: July 19, 2013Publication date: July 16, 2015Applicants: CLARION CO., LTD., NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Kota Irie, Masayuki Takemura, Shoji Muramatsu, Yasuhisa Hayakawa, Osamu Fukata, Masahiro Kiyohara, Akira Utagawa
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Publication number: 20150195496Abstract: A three-dimensional object detection device has an image capturing unit, an object detection unit, first and second edge intensity calculation units, a day/night assessment unit and a controller. The day/night assessment unit assess whether it is currently daytime or nighttime when detecting a three-dimensional object based on the captured images. Upon assesses it is daytime, edges of a subject are extracted from a first edge extraction area, including a horizon reference area, and a threshold value for detecting the three-dimensional object is set based on the intensity of the edges in the first edge extraction area. Upon assesses it is nighttime, the edges of a subject are extracted from a second edge extraction area, including a road edge reference area, and a threshold value for detecting the three-dimensional object is set based on the intensity of the edges that are extracted from the second edge extraction area.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2013Publication date: July 9, 2015Inventors: Yasuhisa Hayakawa, Osamu Fukata, Masayuki Takemura, Akira Utagawa, Shoji Muramatsu, Kota Irie
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Patent number: 9074906Abstract: A road shape recognition device capable of accurately recognizing the road shape of a road that lies ahead in the travel direction of a vehicle is provided. A road shape recognition device 1 detects a road region of the road based on an image capturing a scene ahead in the travel direction of the vehicle, and estimates the shape of the road based on that road region. Thus, it is possible to accurately recognize road shapes over distances ranging from short to long.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2010Date of Patent: July 7, 2015Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Mirai Higuchi, Morihiko Sakano, Takeshi Shima, Shoji Muramatsu, Tatsuhiko Monji
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Publication number: 20150177512Abstract: A camera device includes image capturing device, a lens cleaning device, an adhesion state assessment unit and a controller. The image capturing device is installed on a vehicle and has a lens for forming an image of the vehicle surroundings. The lens cleaning device cleans the lens by spraying a cleaning fluid on the lens in accordance with a predetermined lens cleaning step, in which at least a supply time for supplying cleaning fluid to the lens surface is predetermined. The adhesion state assessment unit is programmed to assess an adhesion state of contamination from a distribution of pixels corresponding to foreign matter adhered to the lens based on a captured image. The controller is programmed to extend the time until a time to start supplying the cleaning fluid in the lens cleaning step as the number of pixels corresponding to foreign matter adhered to the lens increases.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2013Publication date: June 25, 2015Inventors: Yasuhisa Hayakawa, Osamu Fukata, Masayuki Takemura, Masahiro Kiyohara, Shoji Muramatsu, Kota Irie
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Vehicle-mounted environment recognition apparatus and vehicle-mounted environment recognition system
Patent number: 9064418Abstract: A vehicle-mounted environment recognition apparatus including a simple pattern matching unit which extracts an object candidate from an image acquired from a vehicle-mounted image capturing apparatus by using a pattern shape stored in advance and outputs a position of the object candidate, an area change amount prediction unit which calculates a change amount prediction of the extracted object candidate on the basis of an object change amount prediction calculation method set differently for each area of a plurality of areas obtained by dividing the acquired image, detected vehicle behavior information, and an inputted position of the object candidate, and outputs a predicted position of an object, and a tracking unit which tracks the object on the basis of an inputted predicted position of the object.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2010Date of Patent: June 23, 2015Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Masayuki Takemura, Shoji Muramatsu, Isao Furusawa, Shinya Ohtsuji, Takeshi Shima, Yuji Otsuka, Tatsuhiko Monji -
Publication number: 20150172582Abstract: A vehicle surroundings monitoring device includes: a captured image acquisition unit that acquires an image of surroundings of a vehicle by an image capturing unit mounted on the vehicle; an attachment detection unit that decides a state in which foreign matter adheres to a lens of the image capturing unit; a state decision unit that decides that the lens is in a lens state in which performance of image recognition is reduced in case that the attachment detection unit decides that the foreign matter adheres to the lens; a lens state recording unit that records the lens state in a recording unit upon termination of a system; and a lens state read-out unit that reads out the lens state recorded in the recording unit upon start of the system.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2013Publication date: June 18, 2015Inventors: Masahiro Kiyohara, Shoji Muramatsu, Masayuki Takemura, Kota Irie
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Patent number: 9058746Abstract: Provided are an information processing device and a processing method both of which are capable of executing processing in response to a traveling situation of a vehicle, thereby securing safety at the time of emergency while securing convenience.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2009Date of Patent: June 16, 2015Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Masayuki Takemura, Shoji Muramatsu, Tatsuhiko Monji
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Publication number: 20150161881Abstract: An in-vehicle surrounding environment recognition device includes: a photographic unit that photographs a road surface around a vehicle and acquires a photographic image; an application execution unit that recognizes another vehicle on the basis of the photographic image, and detects a relative speed of the other vehicle with respect to the vehicle; a reflection determination unit that, on the basis of the photographic image, determines upon presence or absence of a reflection of a background object from the road surface; a warning control unit that controls output of a warning signal on the basis of the result of recognition of the other vehicle; and a warning prevention adjustment unit that suppresses output of the warning signal on the basis of the relative speed of the other vehicle, if it has been determined that there is the reflection of the background object from the road surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2013Publication date: June 11, 2015Applicant: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masayuki Takemura, Akira Utagawa, Shoji Muramatsu, Masahiro Kiyohara, Yasuhisa Hayakawa, Osamu Fukata
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Publication number: 20150154744Abstract: Means which enables image conversion in which a plurality of conversion results can be output without once saving all of video-image data, which has been input from image-pickup means, in a storage medium is provided. A single line memory having a plurality of lines is used while switching the role thereof for a reading use by a video-image converting means and a use for inputting image data from the image-pickup means. The image converting means obtains an input image, which is in the line memory, and carries out conversion of the input image based on a conversion specifying means interpreted by an instruction decoder.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 8, 2015Publication date: June 4, 2015Inventors: Hideaki Kido, Shoji Muramatsu, Hiroyuki Hamasaki, Akihiro Yamamoto
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Patent number: 9042604Abstract: An image pickup device that acquires images is controlled by an image pickup device controller that accepts image acquisition requests from multiple application programs, and an application scheduler selects application programs to be executed. Information indicative of the image data volumes and image data acquisition rates required for each of the multiple application programs is stored and used to select multiple concurrently executable application programs on the basis of the image data volumes and image data acquisition rates. An image acquisition scheduler determines the timing and intervals at which the multiple executable application programs repeat receiving image data from the image pickup device, without overlapping in terms of time. In addition, an operations section, which explicitly presents concurrently executable application programs to a user and commands the startup of these programs, is displayed on a navigation screen menu.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2013Date of Patent: May 26, 2015Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Shoji Muramatsu, Yuuji Otsuka, Hiroshi Takenaga, Tatsuhiko Monji, Jiro Takezaki, Isao Furusawa
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Patent number: 8977071Abstract: Means which enables image conversion in which a plurality of conversion results can be output without once saving all of video-image data, which has been input from image-pickup means, in a storage medium is provided. A single line memory having a plurality of lines is used while switching the role thereof for a reading use by a video-image converting means and a use for inputting image data from the image-pickup means. The image converting means obtains an input image, which is in the line memory, and carries out conversion of the input image based on a conversion specifying means interpreted by an instruction decoder.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2011Date of Patent: March 10, 2015Assignee: Renesas Electronics CorporationInventors: Hideaki Kido, Shoji Muramatsu, Hiroyuki Hamasaki, Akihiro Yamamoto