Patents by Inventor Akihiro Noda

Akihiro Noda 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: 11348225
    Abstract: An information presentation method according to the present disclosure includes: acquiring two or more monochrome images obtained by image-capturing a structure using a monochrome camera and one or more first color images obtained by image-capturing the structure using a color camera, the one or more first color images having a less amount of information than an amount of information of the two or more monochrome images; detecting a displacement that indicates a movement of the structure based on the two or more monochrome images; generating presentation information that includes one or more second color images that present information that indicates the displacement based on the two or more monochrome images and the one or more first color images; and outputting the presentation information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Taro Imagawa, Akihiro Noda, Yuki Maruyama, Hiroya Kusaka
  • Publication number: 20220140358
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a fuel cell separator 1 Included in a fuel cell, and the fuel cell separator 1 includes: a substrate 11 made of stainless steel; a middle portion 30 including a power generating portion; and an outer peripheral portion 20 including a non-power generating portion. The middle portion 30 includes a dissimilar metal layer 12 different from the stainless steel included in the substrate on the substrate, and a carbon layer 13 provided on the dissimilar metal layer 12, and the outer peripheral portion 20 Includes a portion including the dissimilar metal layer 12, the carbon layer 13, and a resin layer 14 on the carbon layer, and a portion not including the dissimilar metal layer 12 or the carbon layer 13, and including the resin layer 14 on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2021
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Akihiro NODA, Katsunori SAIKI
  • Publication number: 20220128433
    Abstract: An imaging parameter output method is a method of outputting an imaging parameter of an imaging device that captures an image for measuring a displacement representing a movement of an object. The imaging parameter output method includes: obtaining object information identifying the object, and a geometric imaging condition for imaging the object; calculating the imaging parameter including a candidate imaging area for placing the imaging device and the accuracy in measuring the displacement in the candidate imaging area, based on the object information and the geometric imaging condition, without imaging the object using the imaging device; and outputting the imaging parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2022
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Inventors: Taro IMAGAWA, Akihiro NODA, Yuki MARUYAMA, Hiroya KUSAKA
  • Patent number: 11238608
    Abstract: A lift-up determining device includes a detector and a determination unit. The detector acquires a captured image including a tire on an axle of a vehicle and detects the tire from the captured image. The determination unit determines, based on a detection result by the detector, whether the axle is lifted up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Noda, Taro Imagawa, Hiroya Kusaka
  • Patent number: 11199469
    Abstract: A monitoring system includes an axle weight measurer and a state estimator. The axle weight measurer detects a surface displacement of a road from a first captured image obtained by imaging the road when a vehicle passes at a predetermined spot of a structure having the road that the vehicle passes, and calculates an axle weight of the vehicle from the surface displacement and a displacement coefficient of the road. The state estimator generates an axle weight distribution from the axle weight calculated by the axle weight measurer, and estimates a deterioration degree of the structure, using the axle weight distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroya Kusaka, Taro Imagawa, Akihiro Noda
  • Patent number: 11175175
    Abstract: A double tire determination device includes an image input unit and a determination unit. The image input unit receives input of a captured image including a tire mounted on a vehicle. The determination unit determines whether the tire is a double tire, based on a ratio between a first area and a second area. The first area is an area of a first wheel region that is a part of a region of a wheel holding the tire and that is located on a side in a first direction with respect to a position of a rotation center of the tire. The second area is an area of a second wheel region that is a part of the region of the wheel holding the tire and that is located on a side in a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction, with respect to the position of the rotation center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Noda, Taro Imagawa, Hiroya Kusaka
  • Publication number: 20210304417
    Abstract: An observation method includes: displaying video of a subject; receiving designation of at least one point in the video; determining an area or edge in the video based on the point; setting, in the video, observation point candidates in the area or on the edge; evaluating an image of each observation block candidate having a center point that is a corresponding observation point candidate, eliminating any observation point candidates not satisfying conditions, and setting remaining observation point candidates to a plurality of observation points; and observing a movement of the subject itself applied with an certain external load at each observation point. The conditions are that (i) the subject is in a corresponding observation block candidate, (ii) image quality of the observation block candidate is good without temporal deformation or blur, (iii) a displacement of the observation block candidate is not greater than that of any other observation block candidates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Hiroya KUSAKA, Akihiro NODA, Yuki MARUYAMA, Taro IMAGAWA
  • Patent number: 11008929
    Abstract: Provided is an engine cooling apparatus capable of preventing deterioration in reliability of a cylinder head of an engine during cold engine operation. The engine cooling apparatus comprises an engine cooling water path, a heater core cooling path, and a radiator cooling water path, and further comprises a switching valve for switching among these cooling water paths. The switching valve is operable, when the temperature of an area around an exhaust valve is raised to a value greater than, e.g., 150° C., even in a situation where the temperature of cooling water for cooling the engine is equal to or less than, e.g., 50° C., to switch from the in-engine cooling water path to the heater core cooling water path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Takayoshi Fujita, Takafumi Nishio, Kouichi Miyamoto, Tatsuya Takahata, Yasushi Nakahara, Akihiro Noda
  • Patent number: 11009436
    Abstract: A rigidity measurement apparatus is a rigidity measurement apparatus that measures rigidity of an object to be measured and includes a load estimator, a displacement calculator, and a rigidity calculator. The load estimator estimates a load applied to a measurement point set on the object to be measured by using a captured image of the object to be measured. The displacement calculator calculates a displacement of the measurement point by using the captured image. The rigidity calculator calculates the rigidity of the object to be measured by using the load and the displacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Taro Imagawa, Akihiro Noda, Hiroya Kusaka
  • Publication number: 20210116388
    Abstract: A prediction device for predicting the growth direction of a crack that occurs in a subject includes: an obtainer that obtains video of the subject; a derivation unit that derives displacement of each of a plurality of regions in the obtained video; a selector that selects, from among the plurality of regions, two or more regions each having displacement similar to displacement of a reference region included in the plurality of regions; and an identification unit that identifies, as the growth direction, the longitudinal direction of a collective region made up of the two or more selected regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Yuki MARUYAMA, Hiroya KUSAKA, Taro IMAGAWA, Akihiro NODA
  • Publication number: 20210118116
    Abstract: A detection device includes an acquirer that acquires a video of each of a plurality of bearings of a structure including the plurality of bearings, an extractor that extracts a dynamic feature corresponding to a plurality of degrees of freedom of each of the plurality of bearings based on the video, and an identifier that identifies, among the plurality of bearings, a bearing whose dynamic feature fails to match a dynamic feature of one or more other bearings of the plurality of bearings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Taro IMAGAWA, Akihiro NODA, Yuki MARUYAMA, Hiroya KUSAKA
  • Patent number: 10982951
    Abstract: An axle-load measuring apparatus measures an axle load of a vehicle by using a captured image where a road and the vehicle on the road are imaged, and the axle-load measuring apparatus includes a displacement calculator, a correction information obtaining unit, and an axle-load calculator. The displacement calculator detects a displacement of the road by using the captured image. The displacement is caused by receiving the axle load. The correction information obtaining unit obtains correction information. An axle-load calculator calculates the axle load by using the displacement and the correction information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Noda, Hiroya Kusaka, Taro Imagawa
  • Publication number: 20210110515
    Abstract: A displacement measurement device includes: an obtainer that obtains a first image which contains a subject and a second image which contains the subject; a generator that generates M template images which contain the subject and which have noise from the first image and generates M target images which contain the subject and which have noise from the second image, M being an integer of 2 or higher; a hypothetical displacement calculator that calculates M hypothetical displacements of the subject from the M template images and the M target images; and a displacement calculator that calculates a displacement of the subject by performing statistical processing on the M hypothetical displacements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Inventors: Akihiro NODA, Taro IMAGAWA, Yuki MARUYAMA, Hiroya KUSAKA
  • Publication number: 20210104032
    Abstract: A displacement measurement device includes: a first machine learning model trained to generate, from one image which contains a subject and has noise, at least one image which contains the subject and which has noise or has had noise removed; a first obtainer that obtains a first image which contains the subject and has noise and a second image which contains the subject and has noise; a first generator that, using the first machine learning model, generates M template images containing the subject from the first image and generates M target images containing the subject from the second image, M being an integer of 2 or higher; a hypothetical displacement calculator that calculates M hypothetical displacements of the subject from the M template images and the M target images; and a displacement calculator that calculates a displacement of the subject by performing statistical processing on the M hypothetical displacements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Akihiro NODA, Taro IMAGAWA, Hiroya KUSAKA, Yuki MARUYAMA
  • Publication number: 20210104035
    Abstract: An inspection device includes: an obtainer that obtains at least one captured image of a plurality of sound insulation plates; a deriver that derives a displacement of each of the plurality of sound insulation plates in the image; and an extractor that, based on the displacements of the plurality of sound insulation plates, extracts, from the plurality of sound insulation plates, a sound insulation plate of interest that moves differently from another sound insulation plate included in the plurality of sound insulation plates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Yuki MARUYAMA, Hiroya KUSAKA, Taro IMAGAWA, Akihiro NODA
  • Publication number: 20210104033
    Abstract: An inspection device inspects fastening members that fasten a structure. The inspection device includes an obtainer that obtains images including a first image and a second image of the fastening members at times different from each other; a detector that detects first displacements that are respective displacements of the fastening members based on the first image and the second image; and an identifier that identifies, out of the fastening members based on the first displacements, a target fastening member behaving differently from other fastening members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Taro IMAGAWA, Akihiro NODA, Yuki MARUYAMA, Hiroya KUSAKA
  • Publication number: 20210104031
    Abstract: An information presentation method according to the present disclosure includes: acquiring two or more monochrome images obtained by image-capturing a structure using a monochrome camera and one or more first color images obtained by image-capturing the structure using a color camera, the one or more first color images having a less amount of information than an amount of information of the two or more monochrome images; detecting a displacement that indicates a movement of the structure based on the two or more monochrome images; generating presentation information that includes one or more second color images that present information that indicates the displacement based on the two or more monochrome images and the one or more first color images; and outputting the presentation information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Taro IMAGAWA, Akihiro NODA, Yuki MARUYAMA, Hiroya KUSAKA
  • Publication number: 20210099718
    Abstract: An encoding device that compression-encodes a plurality of images to measure local displacement of the structure includes: a determiner that determines, as a first region in the plurality of images to be used to measure local displacement of the structure; and an encoder that encodes the first region using a first parameter and encodes a second region different from the first region using a second parameter. The first parameter is a coding parameter yielding less loss of image information due to lossy compression than the second parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Yuki MARUYAMA, Hiroya KUSAKA, Taro IMAGAWA, Akihiro NODA
  • Patent number: 10947627
    Abstract: A hydrogen communication hole of a water electrolysis apparatus is formed to penetrate in a stacking direction through an anode separator, an electrolyte membrane, and a cathode separator. A communication hole body, which is disposed between an anode current collector and the hydrogen communication hole, includes an inside member facing toward the hydrogen communication hole, and an outside member facing toward the anode current collector. On the outside member, there are provided accommodating chambers in which seal members are accommodated, and an opposing surface that faces toward the inside member without the seal members being interposed therebetween. The accommodating chambers and the hydrogen communication hole communicate via through holes, which are formed in the inside member in a manner so that openings on one end thereof face toward the opposing surface, and openings on another end thereof face toward the hydrogen communication hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tadashi Nishiyama, Hiroshi Shinkai, Akihiro Noda
  • Patent number: 10914572
    Abstract: A displacement measuring apparatus measures a displacement of a measurement object by using a captured image where the measurement object and a load object are imaged. The displacement is caused by the load object in contact with the measurement object at a contact position. The displacement measuring apparatus includes a position detector, an area setting unit and a displacement calculator. The position detector detects a position, of the load object, in the captured image. The area setting unit sets a position and a size of a detection area in the captured image by using distance information and the position of the load object detected by the position detector, the distance information spatially indicating a distance between the measurement object when the load object is not on the measurement object and an imaging device that generates the captured image. The displacement calculator calculates the displacement by using only an image in the detection area in the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Noda, Hiroya Kusaka, Taro Imagawa