Patents Assigned to Alpine Electronics
  • Patent number: 10928673
    Abstract: A front member having a hue with higher reflectivity is disposed in a support recess of a front support body having a hue with lower reflectivity. A bottom portion of the support recess has rib-shaped boundary portions that separate openings that light emitting elements face. The front member includes front facing portions that cover the front sides of the boundary portions and front openings that face the front sides of the light emitting elements. Light emitted from the light emitting elements is reflected by an inner surface of the front member and surfaces of the front facing portions, which have a hue with higher reflectivity, and is provided to a transmissive display portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Kosuke Kimura, Hideto Katsunuma, Yukio Hasu
  • Publication number: 20210039554
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes side cameras attached to a side portion of a vehicle and configured to provide an image obtained by capturing the rear of the side portion including a vehicle body region; a fisheye camera attached to a rear portion of the vehicle and configured to provide an image including the rear of the vehicle captured at a wide angle of view; a narrow-angle camera attached to the rear portion of the vehicle and configured to provide an image including the rear of the vehicle captured at a narrow angle of view; and a synthesizing unit configured to synthesize the image of the fisheye camera and the image of the narrow-angle camera corresponding to the vehicle body region of the image of the side camera in the vehicle body region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Publication date: February 11, 2021
    Applicant: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Ryohei Suda, Keisuke Honda, Chie Matsuzaki
  • Patent number: 10915565
    Abstract: A retrieval result providing device includes a retrieval unit which acquires an individual retrieval result having item values of a plurality of items by a retrieval based on a keyword, an unprocessed sentence generation unit which generates an unprocessed sentence where retrieval result corresponding sentences with the item values arranged are arranged, an output sentence generation unit which performs at least one of a first process of erasing some of the sentences on the basis of a commonality between a word and the keyword contained in the retrieval result corresponding sentences, a second process of erasing some of the sentences on the basis of a commonality of the item values of specific items in the different sentences, and a third process of erasing some of the sentences on the basis of a commonality of the item values of a plurality of different items in one sentence so as to generate an output sentence, and an output sentence output unit which outputs a voice based on the output sentence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Masaaki Ohira, Yuki Nakahara
  • Patent number: 10916136
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing geo-tagged vehicle-to-vehicle communication to a follower vehicle during off-road caravanning. In some embodiments, verbal instructions spoken by a leader driver are captured by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, tagged with geospatial location information, and broadcast to follower vehicles. Follower vehicles can receive the broadcast verbal instructions, and the system can cause the verbal instructions to be reproduced when the follower vehicle is determined to be within a threshold distance of the geospatial location where the leader driver gave the verbal instructions. The verbal instructions can be accompanied by visual data, such as images and videos. The system can add navigation and landmark markers in the visual data to enhance a leader driver's geo-tagged instructions. A message path can formed from several verbal instructions spoken by the leader driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Maung Wynn Aung Han, Atsushi Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20210011576
    Abstract: An input detection device performs a transition to a special mode in a case where application of a pressing force to a pressing detectable area is detected before a contact on a contact detectable area is detected, monitors whether or not a predetermined condition set in the special mode is satisfied in a case where a contact is detected after the transition to the special mode, and validates the detected contact when the predetermined condition is satisfied. Therefore, the input detection device does not validate the contact unless an intentional operation in which the contact is continuously made until the predetermined condition is satisfied is performed in a case where the contact is detected in a state in which application of a pressing force is detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Applicant: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Shunichi Suto, Ken Ono
  • Patent number: 10887556
    Abstract: A rear-view camera and light system for a vehicle having a rear-view camera, a back light, and a brake light and an attachment structure that attaches the system to a center hub of a spare tire at the back of the vehicle. The rear-view camera and light system includes a mounting base having a plate like shape and configured to attach to a mounting bracket provided on about a center of a back of a vehicle for mounting a spare tire, a mounting post having a cylindrical shape with a hollow therethrough and configured to attach to the mounting base at one end, and a camera/light unit having circular shape and configured to attach to another end of the mounting post.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Melvin Diaz, Milan Rabrenovic, Akitoshi Kitazawa
  • Patent number: 10866111
    Abstract: A position in a left-right direction of a display position of a facility figure representing a facility is set to a position overlapping with a virtual line parallel to a traveling lane as viewed from a driver (c). A position in an up-down direction of the display position is determined to be a position overlapping with a road surface on the front side, the position separated upward by H1 from a lower end of a display area of a heads-up display when a distance L from a current position CP to a position TP of a facility is a distance ThL (b1), to be a position separated by H4 (H4<h1) when the distance L is zero, and such that distances H2 and H3 separated upward from the lower end of the display area gradually change from the distance H1 to the distance H4 as the distance L decreases from the distance ThL to zero (b2 and b3). The distance H1 is set such that the facility figure is displayed below a point facing the facility on the road surface on the front side when the distance L is the distance ThL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Kimura
  • Patent number: 10866677
    Abstract: A touch panel device includes a touch panel which is equipped with a plurality of electrostatic capacitive sensors of which the electrostatic capacitances vary as an object comes close to, or comes into contact with, the touch panel. A measurement unit measures the electrostatic capacitance of the electrostatic capacitive sensor, and a touch detection unit detects an object coming close to, or coming into contact with, the touch panel on the basis of a difference between a measured raw value and a base line value. A base line value update unit updates the base line value to follow the raw value of the electrostatic capacitance of the electrostatic capacitive sensor to correct a variance in electrostatic capacitance of the electrostatic capacitive sensor. A proximity detection unit detects an object approaching the touch panel, and an update control unit controls the update speed on the basis of a detection result of the proximity detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventor: Yuki Haraikawa
  • Publication number: 20200387252
    Abstract: The present invention includes a touch time detection unit detecting a touch time on an operation unit and a determination controller changing content of a determination process to be performed by a pressing operation determination unit based on the touch time. Content of the determination process to be performed by the pressing operation determination unit based on a pressing amount is changed such that the ease of detection of a pressing operation when a pressing amount is instantaneously changed in a short period of time is changed based on a touch time so that false detection of a pressing operation caused by an instantaneous change of a pressing amount due to noise in a pressing operation of gradually increasing pressure is avoided and a case where a pressing operation of performing a strong press in a short period of time is not detected is avoided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventor: Shunichi Suto
  • Publication number: 20200387255
    Abstract: A pressing operation detection device includes a pressing operation determination unit determining whether a pressing operation has been performed based on a touch on an operation unit and a pressing amount, an increase-and-decrease frequency detection unit detecting occurrence frequency of increase and decrease of a pressing amount every predetermined period of time, and a determination controller changing content of the determination process of the pressing operation determination unit based on the occurrence frequency detected while a touch on the operation unit is not detected. When a pressing amount is detected although the operation unit is not touched, assuming that increase and decrease of the pressing amount is caused by vibration, content of the determination process is changed such that influence of the vibration is reduced so that detection of a pressing operation which brings a feeling of strangeness to the user which is caused by the vibration may be avoided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventor: Shunichi Suto
  • Patent number: 10854187
    Abstract: Audio (noise source) is output as a cancellation sound through a variable filter and a first filter, and transmitted to the second filter. A subtractor subtracts an output of a second filter from an output of a microphone, and an adaptive algorithm execution unit updates a transfer function of the variable filter so that the subtracted result becomes zero (0). A transfer function A for the first filter is a transfer function which can cancel noise at a position of a user's ear by setting, as the cancellation sound, a sound obtained by applying the transfer function A to audio at the time of learning, and a transfer function B for the second filter is a transfer function which can eliminate, for the cancellation sound, a difference between a sound obtained by applying the transfer function B to audio and the output of the microphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Ryosuke Tachi, Yoshinobu Kajikawa
  • Patent number: 10854202
    Abstract: Devices, systems and processes for a dynamic microphone system that enhances the passenger experience in autonomous vehicles are described. One example method for enhancing a passenger experiences includes generating, using an artificial intelligence algorithm, a plurality of filters based on a plurality of stored waveforms previously recorded by each of one or more passengers and a plurality of recordings of one or more noise sources, capturing voice commands from at least one of the one or more passengers inside the autonomous vehicle, generating voice commands with reduced distortion based on processing the voice commands using the plurality of filters, and instructing, based on the voice commands with reduced distortion, the autonomous vehicle to perform one or more actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics of Silicon Valley, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Yamasaki, Rocky Chau-Hsiung Lin, Koichiro Kanda
  • Publication number: 20200372893
    Abstract: A first cancellation signal output from a first speaker cancels noise at a first cancellation point, which is a typical position of the right ear of a user, together with a second cancellation signal output from a second speaker. In addition, the second cancellation signal output from the second speaker cancels noise at a second cancellation point, which is a typical position of the left ear of the user, together with the first cancellation signal output from the first speaker. The first speaker and the second speaker are arranged side by side on a second line segment, which passes through the midpoint of a first line segment connecting the first cancellation point and the second cancellation point to each other and is perpendicular to the first line segment, and a range where the relationship between noise and the first cancellation signal and the second cancellation signal is the same as that at the cancellation point is extended.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Applicant: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventor: Ryosuke Tachi
  • Publication number: 20200372892
    Abstract: Adaptive filters output a cancellation sound from a speaker, a selector selects outputs of a plurality of auxiliary filters each corresponding to different positions, a subtractor subtracts the selected output from the output of the microphone and outputs the subtracted output to the adaptive filter as an error signal, and a position detection device detects a position of a head of a user. A transfer function estimated so that the error signal becomes 0 when noise is canceled at the corresponding position is preset in the auxiliary filter. When the auxiliary filter corresponding to the position close to the head of the user changes, the switching control unit stepwise increases the frequency with which the output of the auxiliary filter is selected by the selector to 100%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Applicant: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Ryosuke Tachi, Yoshinobu Kajikawa
  • Publication number: 20200364848
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle includes an imaging camera configured to capture the image of an object to be inspected, an object detecting unit configured to detect a relative position of the object to be inspected, a camera angle adjusting unit configured to control the angle of an image capturing direction of the imaging camera on the basis of the relative position detected by the object detecting unit, a determination unit configured to determine whether the image of the object to be inspected is moved out of a video frame of the imaging camera during an image capture operation performed by the imaging camera, and a storage unit configured to store image capture failure information including the result of determination if the determination unit determines that the image of the object is moved out of the video frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Applicant: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Kenichiro Fujita, Yosuke Tate
  • Publication number: 20200341325
    Abstract: A frame-shaped reinforcement member is bonded and fixed to a rear surface of a cover panel, such as a glass plate. The reinforcement member has a rigidity higher than that of the cover panel. Since the reinforcement member is provided, the flatness of flat portions of the cover panel can be maintained at a high level. The reinforcement member is bonded and fixed to a rear support member after display cell elements are bonded to the flat portions and backlights are fixed to the reinforcement member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Applicant: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Mochiji, Satoshi Hara
  • Patent number: 10803334
    Abstract: Devices, systems and processes for the detection of unsafe cabin conditions that provides a safer passenger experience in autonomous vehicles are described. One example method for enhancing passenger safety includes capturing at least a set of images of one or more passengers in the vehicle, determining, based on the set of images, the occurrence of an unsafe activity in an interior of the vehicle, performing, using a neural network, a classification of the unsafe activity, and performing, based on the classification, one or more responsive actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics of Silicon Valley, Inc.
    Inventors: Rocky Chau-Hsiung Lin, Thomas Yamasaki, Koichiro Kanda
  • Patent number: D904353
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Milan Rabrenovic
  • Patent number: D904354
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Milan Rabrenovic
  • Patent number: D911193
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventor: Hideki Endo