Patents by Inventor Yoshiaki Iwai

Yoshiaki Iwai 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: 8972054
    Abstract: A robot apparatus, method and computer program storage device use a memory that stores cueing point information and user information to assist a user in an external environment. The cueing points are distributed within an environmental map held by the robot apparatus, and when the user is detected by the robot apparatus as approaching a predetermined region within the external environment classified as a cueing point, the robot apparatus reacts by providing a cue to the user. The cue may user-specific, or optionally provided based on a level of care required by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hirokazu Shirado, Masakuni Nagano, Wataru Kokubo, Yoshiaki Iwai, Satoru Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20150012386
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus may include a control unit to control display of parts information of a plurality of items, to generate search information according to feedback from a user for the parts information, and to control display of a search result according to the search information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2014
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunichi Homma, Yoshiaki Iwai, Jianing Wu
  • Publication number: 20140362084
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing device including an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an input image of a real space captured with an imaging device, a user interface unit configured to display the input image on a screen of a display device and detect a designated position designated by a user on the screen, a computation unit configured to compute a three-dimensional position of a virtual object in an augmented reality space from the designated position detected by the user interface unit, and an authoring unit configured to associate the three-dimensional position of the virtual object computed by the computation unit with the virtual object to store the three-dimensional position in a storage medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventors: Kenichirou Ooi, Shunichi Homma, Yoshiaki Iwai, Akihiko Kaino, Jianing Wu
  • Patent number: 8898581
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus may include a control unit to control display of parts information of a plurality of items, to generate search information according to feedback from a user for the parts information, and to control display of a search result according to the search information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shunichi Homma, Yoshiaki Iwai, Jianing Wu
  • Patent number: 8856133
    Abstract: An information providing apparatus, including a storage configured to store registration information as related with a category; recognition means configured to recognize the category corresponding to acquisition information acquired from a terminal apparatus; and communication means configured to transmit the registration information corresponding to the category of the acquisition information to the terminal apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Iwai, Shunichi Homma, Akira Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8850337
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing device including an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an input image of a real space captured with an imaging device, a user interface unit configured to display the input image on a screen of a display device and detect a designated position designated by a user on the screen, a computation unit configured to compute a three-dimensional position of a virtual object in an augmented reality space from the designated position detected by the user interface unit, and an authoring unit configured to associate the three-dimensional position of the virtual object computed by the computation unit with the virtual object to store the three-dimensional position in a storage medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichirou Ooi, Shunichi Homma, Yoshiaki Iwai, Akihiko Kaino, Jianing Wu
  • Publication number: 20140214208
    Abstract: Provided is a robot device including an image input unit for inputting an image of surroundings, a target object detection unit for detecting an object from the input image, an object position detection unit for detecting a position of the object, an environment information acquisition unit for acquiring surrounding environment information of the position of the object, an optimum posture acquisition unit for acquiring an optimum posture corresponding to the surrounding environment information for the object, an object posture detection unit for detecting a current posture of the object from the input image, an object posture comparison unit for comparing the current posture of the object to the optimum posture of the object, and an object posture correction unit for correcting the posture of the object when the object posture comparison unit determines that there is a predetermined difference or more between the current posture and the optimum posture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2014
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru SHIMIZU, Kenta Kawamoto, Yoshiaki Iwai
  • Publication number: 20140200714
    Abstract: A control system, a control method and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium cooperate to assist control for an autonomous robot. An interface receives recognition information from an autonomous robot (22), said recognition information including candidate target objects to interact with the autonomous robot (22). A display control unit (42) causes a display image to be displayed on a display of candidate target objects, wherein at least two of the candidate target objects are displayed with an associated indication of a target object score.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Publication date: July 17, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kenta Kawamoto, Yoshiaki Iwai, Satoru Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8751048
    Abstract: Provided is a robot device including an image input unit for inputting an image of surroundings, a target object detection unit for detecting an object from the input image, an object position detection unit for detecting a position of the object, an environment information acquisition unit for acquiring surrounding environment information of the position of the object, an optimum posture acquisition unit for acquiring an optimum posture corresponding to the surrounding environment information for the object, an object posture detection unit for detecting a current posture of the object from the input image, an object posture comparison unit for comparing the current posture of the object to the optimum posture of the object, and an object posture correction unit for correcting the posture of the object when the object posture comparison unit determines that there is a predetermined difference or more between the current posture and the optimum posture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru Shimizu, Kenta Kawamoto, Yoshiaki Iwai
  • Publication number: 20140157156
    Abstract: A control system, method and computer program product cooperate to assist control for an autonomous robot. The system includes a communications interface that exchanges information with the autonomous robot (22). A user interface displays a scene of location in which the autonomous robot (22) is positioned, and also receives an indication of a user selection of a user selected area within the scene. The communications interface transmits an indication of said user selected area to the autonomous robot (22) for further processing of the area by said autonomous robot (22).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: Sonny Corporation
    Inventors: Kenta Kawamoto, Yoshiaki Iwai
  • Publication number: 20140032281
    Abstract: A service through remote control of a robot operated in an everyday living space is suitably provided. A server of a service provider matches up a user and an operator on the basis of subjective evaluations on services received from the user and operational skill parameters received from the robot. The server selects operators to be assigned to the user for subsequent remote control services and performs scheduling of the operators to realize team building among the operators. The service provider also pays remuneration or reward to the operators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirokazu Shirado, Akichika Tanaka, Toshimitsu Tsuboi, Yoshiaki Iwai
  • Publication number: 20130293586
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising a memory storing instructions is provided. The apparatus includes a control unit for executing the instructions to send signals to display, for a user, a first virtual image superimposed onto a representation of real space. The control unit further executes instructions to send signals to identify a potential source of interest for the user, the potential source of interest being outside of a user focus area in the representation of real space. The control unit further executes instructions to send signals to notify the user of the potential source of interest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Publication date: November 7, 2013
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiko Kaino, Yoshiaki Iwai, Kenichiro Oi, Shunichi Homma, Jianing Wu
  • Patent number: 8401308
    Abstract: Disclosed herein an information processing device that compares an input image with a model image, the device including: a storage; an object feature point extractor; and a feature comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Nakamura, Takayuki Yoshigahara, Yoshiaki Iwai
  • Patent number: 8374437
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a model image obtaining unit configured to obtain a plurality of model images; a model image feature quantity extracting unit configured to extract feature quantities of the model images obtained by the model image obtaining unit; a matching unit configured to perform matching on the feature quantities of the model images extracted by the model image feature quantity extracting unit; and an identifying feature point extracting unit configured to extract, as a result of the matching performed by the matching unit, feature points having a low correlation with a predetermined model image in similar model images that are the model images having a predetermined number or more of the feature quantities that match feature quantities of the predetermined model image, the extracted feature points being regarded as identifying feature points used for identification of the respective similar model images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Nakamura, Yoshiaki Iwai, Takayuki Yoshigahara
  • Publication number: 20130030570
    Abstract: Provided is a robot device including an image input unit for inputting an image of surroundings, a target object detection unit for detecting an object from the input image, an object position detection unit for detecting a position of the object, an environment information acquisition unit for acquiring surrounding environment information of the position of the object, an optimum posture acquisition unit for acquiring an optimum posture corresponding to the surrounding environment information for the object, an object posture detection unit for detecting a current posture of the object from the input image, an object posture comparison unit for comparing the current posture of the object to the optimum posture of the object, and an object posture correction unit for correcting the posture of the object when the object posture comparison unit determines that there is a predetermined difference or more between the current posture and the optimum posture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru SHIMIZU, Kenta Kawamoto, Yoshiaki Iwai
  • Patent number: 8340403
    Abstract: A learning device includes: a feature point extracting unit for extracting a feature point from each of multiple generated images; a feature point feature amount extracting unit for extracting feature point feature amount representing the feature of the feature point from the generated image; a whole feature amount calculating unit for calculating the whole feature amount representing the feature of the whole generated image from the feature point feature amount of the generated image based on a shared code book including generated feature amount to be commonly used for generation of an identifier for identifying each of different identified objects; and an identifier generating unit for generating the identifier based on the whole feature amount of the generated image, and a correct answer label representing whether the generated image is the positive image or the negative image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Iwai, Shunichi Homma, Takayuki Yoshigahara
  • Publication number: 20120310411
    Abstract: Provided is a robot apparatus including actuators for driving joint shafts and measuring at least one of a joint angle and a joint angle speed of each of the joint shafts, and a central control part for controlling each of the actuators, wherein the central control part performs a periodic communication at predetermined control periods and the periodic communication includes transmitting a desired control value from the central control part to each of the actuators and transmitting a measured value from each of the actuators to the central control part, the central control part stops the periodic communication in response to an occurrence of an actuator that has failed to receive the measured value during a given period of time, and each of the actuators performs a safety stop in response to an event where the actuator has not received the desired control value during a given period of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toshimitsu TSUBOI, Akichika Tanaka, Hirokazu Shirado, Yoshiaki Iwai, Atsushi Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 8275206
    Abstract: A learning device includes: a feature point extracting unit for extracting a feature point from each of multiple generated images made up of a positive image including an identified object, and a negative image excluding the identified object; a feature point feature amount extracting unit for extracting feature point feature amount representing the feature of the feature point from the generated image; a whole feature amount calculating unit for calculating the whole feature amount representing the feature of the whole generated image based on the feature point feature amount of a feature point existing on a feature point selection range determined based on the multiple generated images, of the generated image range; and an identifier generating unit for generating an identifier based on the whole feature amount of the generated image, and a correct answer label representing whether the generated image is the positive image or the negative image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Iwai, Shunichi Homma, Takayuki Yoshigahara
  • Patent number: 8270707
    Abstract: A learning device includes a feature-point extracting section extracting feature points from a generation image, a feature-point feature-quantity extracting section extracting feature-point feature-quantities representing features of the feature points, a total-feature-quantity generating section generating a total feature quantity represented by a multi-dimensional vector, and an identifier generating section generating an identifier using the total feature quantity and a true label indicating whether or not the generation image is a positive image or a negative image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Iwai, Akira Nakamura, Takayuki Yoshigahara
  • Patent number: 8270723
    Abstract: A recognition device includes storage unit that stores information of a cluster to which a model feature point belongs; extracting unit that extracts a feature amount of a query feature point; generating unit that determines a first set of the query feature point including a reference point and a dependent point, and generates geometric information; clustering unit that clusters the query feature point; correcting unit that sets up the model feature point as a nearest candidate of the reference point, sets up the model feature point as a nearest candidate of the dependent point, determines whether or not the nearest candidate of the reference point is present, and corrects the model feature point; and similarity degree calculating unit that calculates a similarity degree of the first set and a second set and determines the second set nearest to the first set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Jianing Wu, Yoshiaki Iwai, Shunichi Homma