Patents by Inventor Asako Hamada

Asako Hamada 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: 10761201
    Abstract: An object detection device includes: a classifier that receives, from a radar device that transmits a transmission wave and receives a reflected wave that is the transmission wave reflected by an object around a subject vehicle, detection result information indicative of an intensity, an azimuth, and a Doppler velocity obtained from a Doppler frequency shift of the reflected wave, and determines whether the detection result information is first detection result information corresponding to a moving object or second detection result information corresponding to a still object; a calculator that calculates distances from the radar device to reflection points of the moving object on the basis of the first detection result information; and an output that supplies, to a predetermined device, first reflection point information indicating the distances of the reflection points and azimuths of the reflection points based on the radar device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Panasanic Intellectul Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Okazaki, Hirofumi Nishimura, Asako Hamada
  • Patent number: 10605896
    Abstract: A first data group, which indicates reflection wave intensities from reflection points for radar directions indicating directions in which the corresponding reflection points exist relative to a radar apparatus and distances from the radar apparatus to the reflection points, and a second data group, which indicates Doppler velocities of the reflection points for the radar directions and the distances from the radar apparatus to the reflection points, are used to generate a third data group, which indicates the reflection wave intensities of the reflection points. A radar moving direction relative to a moving direction of the vehicle for each frame is generated based on the third data group. The radar moving direction when the moving direction of the vehicle is straight ahead is estimated using the radar moving direction in a predetermined number of frames, and the radar installation angle is calculated using the estimated radar moving direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yunyun Cao, Hirofumi Nishimura, Asako Hamada, Hiroshi Iwamura
  • Patent number: 10481254
    Abstract: A radar device that detects one or more information elements, groups the one or more information elements into one or more first groups in each frame, the one or more first groups including information on one or more first objects of which Doppler speeds fall within a determined range, groups the one or more information elements into one or more second groups in each frame, the one or more second groups including information on one or more second objects of which Doppler speeds fall outside the determined range calculates first positions in m-th frame, of positions of groups to be followed of the first groups and the second groups in n-th frame and extracts the groups to be followed in the m-th frame from the first groups and the second groups in the m-th frame using the first positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Asako Hamada
  • Patent number: 10371810
    Abstract: An object detection device that detects an obstacle in an object by transmitting a signal by a transmission unit, and using reflection signals by a receiving unit, the device including: a sidewall detection circuit that determines whether the vehicle is running on a road having the sidewall, based on an azimuth angle of the object, a distance from the vehicle to the object, Doppler velocities of the reflection signals, and intensities of the reflection signals; a multiple reflection position detection circuit that detects multiple reflection wave components from the reflection signals, based on the Doppler velocities, the azimuth angle, and the reflection intensities when the road is determined to have the sidewall; a detection exclusion range setting circuit that removes the detected multiple reflection wave components from the reflection signals; and an object detection circuit that detects the object using the reflection signals with the multiple reflection wave components removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Iwai, Hirofumi Nishimura, Asako Hamada
  • Patent number: 10267907
    Abstract: A radar apparatus is mountable on a vehicle, transmits a radar signal, and includes a radio receiver that receives reflected wave signals being the radar signal reflected by multiple objects present in the viewing angle of the radar apparatus via a receiving antenna mountable on a side of the vehicle, a signal processing unit that determines the azimuths of the objects, the Doppler speeds between the radar apparatus and the objects, and the intensities of the reflected wave signals by using the reflected wave signals, and a radar state estimation unit that estimates the speed and traveling direction of the radar using the azimuths of the objects, the Doppler speeds, and the intensities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Maiko Shikatani, Hirofumi Nishimura, Asako Hamada, Takaaki Kishigami
  • Patent number: 10222471
    Abstract: A vehicle movement estimation device has a radar that is provided in a vehicle and that performs transmission of a radar wave and reception of a reflected wave that is the radar wave reflected by an object, a radar movement estimator that estimates a radar movement velocity and a radar movement direction of the radar based on the received reflected wave, an angular velocity estimator that estimates a rotational angular velocity of the vehicle, and a vehicle movement estimator that estimates a movement velocity and a movement direction of a prescribed position of the vehicle based on the estimated radar movement velocity and radar movement direction, the estimated rotational angular velocity, and a spatial relationship between the radar and the prescribed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yunyun Cao, Hirofumi Nishimura, Takaaki Kishigami, Asako Hamada
  • Patent number: 10126417
    Abstract: A radar transmitter (Tx) transmits a radio-frequency radar transmission signal from a transmission antenna (Tx_ant1). An antenna branch processor (D1) receives a reflection signal produced by reflection, by an object, of the radar transmission signal by a reception antenna (Rx-ant1) and calculates correlation between the reflection signal and the radar transmission signal. An object detection processor (10) detects presence or absence of an object by using, based on (Tp+1) outputs of the antenna branch processor (D1), where Tp is an integer, amplitude differences between an amplitude of a (Tp+1)-th output of the antenna branch processor (D1) and amplitudes of first to Tp-th outputs of the antenna branch processor (D1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Maiko Shikatani, Asako Hamada, Takaaki Kishigami
  • Patent number: 10101448
    Abstract: An on-board radar apparatus includes a transmitter/receiver that transmits a radar signal to a detection range for every frame and receives one or more reflected signals which are the radar signal reflected by one or more objects; a detector that detects, for every frame in each direction within the detection range, a position of a reflection point closest to the on-board radar apparatus as a boundary candidate position, which serves as a boundary with a region where no object exists within the detection range, among one or more reflection points detected on the basis of the one or more reflected signals; a calculator that calculates movement amount concerning an amount of movement of the on-board radar apparatus; an estimator that generates, for every frame in each direction within the detection range, an estimated boundary position by converting the boundary candidate position detected in a past frame into a boundary position in a current frame on the basis of the movement amount; and a smoother that perfor
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Asako Hamada, Hirofumi Nishimura, Kiyotaka Kobayashi, Maiko Shikatani
  • Publication number: 20180172814
    Abstract: An object detection device includes: a classifier that receives, from a radar device that transmits a transmission wave and receives a reflected wave that is the transmission wave reflected by an object around a subject vehicle, detection result information indicative of an intensity, an azimuth, and a Doppler velocity obtained from a Doppler frequency shift of the reflected wave, and determines whether the detection result information is first detection result information corresponding to a moving object or second detection result information corresponding to a still object; a calculator that calculates distances from the radar device to reflection points of the moving object on the basis of the first detection result information; and an output that supplies, to a predetermined device, first reflection point information indicating the distances of the reflection points and azimuths of the reflection points based on the radar device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: YUKIO OKAZAKI, HIROFUMI NISHIMURA, ASAKO HAMADA
  • Publication number: 20180137760
    Abstract: A monitoring-target-region setting device includes: an object detector that detects one or more objects present around an own vehicle; a discriminator that discriminates, on the basis of position information of the own vehicle accumulated in every determined cycle, whether the own vehicle is located within a determined distance range from an assumed region; a monitoring-target-region setter that sets, when the own vehicle is located within the determined distance range, a monitoring target region including the assumed region and being updated according to the position information of the own vehicle; and an object selector that selects, from the one or more objects detected in the monitoring target region, a target for which alarm is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Inventors: KIYOTAKA KOBAYASHI, ASAKO HAMADA, HIROFUMI NISHIMURA
  • Patent number: 9921305
    Abstract: A radar apparatus includes an antenna that receives echo signals, each of the echo signals being a radar signal reflected by one or more objects; a Doppler-frequency acquirer that acquires Doppler frequencies at each range bin from the received echo signals; a direction correlation power-value calculator that calculates direction correlation power values for respective combinations of the Doppler frequencies and at least one of a distance to the one or more objects and an arrival direction of the echo signals, each direction correlation power value indicating a strength of a corresponding echo signal; and a normalized direction correlation-value calculator that calculates, for the respective combinations, normalized direction correlation values, each normalized direction correlation value indicating a probability of the arrival direction of the corresponding echo signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yunyun Cao, Hirofumi Nishimura, Asako Hamada, Takaaki Kishigami
  • Publication number: 20180045811
    Abstract: A first data group, which indicates reflection wave intensities from reflection points for radar directions indicating directions in which the corresponding reflection points exist relative to a radar apparatus and distances from the radar apparatus to the reflection points, and a second data group, which indicates Doppler velocities of the reflection points for the radar directions and the distances from the radar apparatus to the reflection points, are used to generate a third data group, which indicates the reflection wave intensities of the reflection points. A radar moving direction relative to a moving direction of the vehicle for each frame is generated based on the third data group. The radar moving direction when the moving direction of the vehicle is straight ahead is estimated using the radar moving direction in a predetermined number of frames, and the radar installation angle is calculated using the estimated radar moving direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: YUNYUN CAO, HIROFUMI NISHIMURA, ASAKO HAMADA, HIROSHI IWAMURA
  • Publication number: 20170371033
    Abstract: A radar device that detects one or more information elements, groups the one or more information elements into one or more first groups in each frame, the one or more first groups including information on one or more first objects of which Doppler speeds fall within a determined range, groups the one or more information elements into one or more second groups in each frame, the one or more second groups including information on one or more second objects of which Doppler speeds fall outside the determined range calculates first positions in m-th frame, of positions of groups to be followed of the first groups and the second groups in n-th frame and extracts the groups to be followed in the m-th frame from the first groups and the second groups in the m-th frame using the first positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2017
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventor: ASAKO HAMADA
  • Publication number: 20170212231
    Abstract: An object detection device that detects an obstacle in an object by transmitting a signal by a transmission unit, and using reflection signals by a receiving unit, the device including: a sidewall detection circuit that determines whether the vehicle is running on a road having the sidewall, based on an azimuth angle of the object, a distance from the vehicle to the object, Doppler velocities of the reflection signals, and intensities of the reflection signals; a multiple reflection position detection circuit that detects multiple reflection wave components from the reflection signals, based on the Doppler velocities, the azimuth angle, and the reflection intensities when the road is determined to have the sidewall; a detection exclusion range setting circuit that removes the detected multiple reflection wave components from the reflection signals; and an object detection circuit that detects the object using the reflection signals with the multiple reflection wave components removed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Inventors: HIROSHI IWAI, HIROFUMI NISHIMURA, ASAKO HAMADA
  • Patent number: 9610946
    Abstract: A vehicle travel assistance apparatus includes a transceiver that transmits radio waves and receives reflected waves, a detector that detects a forward vehicle traveling ahead of a vehicle and a pedestrian based on intensities of the reflected waves, and a controller that, in a case the detector detects a stop state of the forward vehicle, a stop state of the vehicle and a presence of the pedestrian during the forward vehicle following, continues a stationary state of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Nishimura, Asako Hamada, Maiko Shikatani, Takaaki Kishigami
  • Publication number: 20160291143
    Abstract: A vehicle movement estimation device has a radar that is provided in a vehicle and that performs transmission of a radar wave and reception of a reflected wave that is the radar wave reflected by an object, a radar movement estimator that estimates a radar movement velocity and a radar movement direction of the radar based on the received reflected wave, an angular velocity estimator that estimates a rotational angular velocity of the vehicle, and a vehicle movement estimator that estimates a movement velocity and a movement direction of a prescribed position of the vehicle based on the estimated radar movement velocity and radar movement direction, the estimated rotational angular velocity, and a spatial relationship between the radar and the prescribed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: YUNYUN CAO, HIROFUMI NISHIMURA, TAKAAKI KISHIGAMI, ASAKO HAMADA
  • Publication number: 20160178742
    Abstract: A radar apparatus is mountable on a vehicle, transmits a radar signal, and includes a radio receiver that receives reflected wave signals being the radar signal reflected by multiple objects present in the viewing angle of the radar apparatus via a receiving antenna mountable on a side of the vehicle, a signal processing unit that determines the azimuths of the objects, the Doppler speeds between the radar apparatus and the objects, and the intensities of the reflected wave signals by using the reflected wave signals, and a radar state estimation unit that estimates the speed and traveling direction of the radar using the azimuths of the objects, the Doppler speeds, and the intensities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: MAIKO SHIKATANI, HIROFUMI NISHIMURA, ASAKO HAMADA, TAKAAKI KISHIGAMI
  • Publication number: 20160170020
    Abstract: An on-board radar apparatus includes a transmitter/receiver that transmits a radar signal to a detection range every frame and receives one or more reflected signals which are the radar signal reflected by one or more objects; a detector that detects, every frame in each direction within the detection range, a position of a reflection point closest to the on-board radar apparatus as a boundary candidate position, which serves as a boundary with a region where no object exists within the detection range, among one or more reflection points detected on the basis of the one or more reflected signals; a calculator that calculates movement amount concerning an amount of movement of the on-board radar apparatus; an estimator that generates, every frame in each direction within the detection range, an estimated boundary position by converting the boundary candidate position detected in a past frame into a boundary position in a current frame on the basis of the movement amount; and a smoother that performs, every fr
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: ASAKO HAMADA, HIROFUMI NISHIMURA, KIYOTAKA KOBAYASHI, MAIKO SHIKATANI
  • Publication number: 20160152235
    Abstract: A vehicle travel assistance apparatus includes a transceiver that transmits radio waves and receives reflected waves, a detector that detects a forward vehicle traveling ahead of a vehicle and a pedestrian based on intensities of the reflected waves, and a controller that, in a case the detector detects a stop state of the forward vehicle, a stop state of the vehicle and a presence of the pedestrian during the forward vehicle following, continues a stationary state of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Publication date: June 2, 2016
    Inventors: HIROFUMI NISHIMURA, ASAKO HAMADA, MAIKO SHIKATANI, TAKAAKI KISHIGAMI
  • Publication number: 20160041260
    Abstract: A radar apparatus includes an antenna that receives echo signals, each of the echo signals being a radar signal reflected by one or more objects; a Doppler-frequency acquirer that acquires Doppler frequencies at each range bin from the received echo signals; a direction correlation power-value calculator that calculates direction correlation power values for respective combinations of the Doppler frequencies and at least one of a distance to the one or more objects and an arrival direction of the echo signals, each direction correlation power value indicating a strength of a corresponding echo signal; and a normalized direction correlation-value calculator that calculates, for the respective combinations, normalized direction correlation values, each normalized direction correlation value indicating a probability of the arrival direction of the corresponding echo signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: YUNYUN CAO, HIROFUMI NISHIMURA, ASAKO HAMADA, TAKAAKI KISHIGAMI