Patents by Inventor Atsushi Ikeno
Atsushi Ikeno 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: 20240112678Abstract: A voice dialogue system includes: a voice input unit which acquires a user utterance, a dialogue text creator which creates a text of a system utterance, a voice output unit which outputs the system utterance as voice data, and a setting unit that sets a response deadline for system utterances. When a first system utterance is output by the voice output unit, a second system utterance is output after the first system utterance without having acquired a user utterance, and the second system utterance comprises a connective portion for connecting following sentences and a content portion that is a subject of the second system utterance, the setting unit sets a timing at which output of the connective portion of the second system utterance ends or output of the content portion of the second system utterance starts as the response deadline for the first system utterance.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2023Publication date: April 4, 2024Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Atsushi IKENO, Yusuke JINGUJI, Toshifumi NISHIJIMA, Fuminori KATAOKA, Horomi TONEGAWA, Norihide UMEYAMA
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Patent number: 11900932Abstract: A voice dialogue system includes a voice input unit which acquires a user utterance, an intention understanding unit which interprets an intention of utterance of a voice acquired by the voice input unit, a dialogue text creator which creates a text of a system utterance, and a voice output unit which outputs the system utterance as voice data. When creating a text of a system utterance, the dialogue text creator creates the text by inserting a tag in a position in the system utterance, and the intention understanding unit interprets an utterance intention of a user in accordance with whether a timing at which the user utterance is made is before or after an output of a system utterance at a position corresponding to the tag from the voice output unit.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2021Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Atsushi Ikeno, Yusuke Jinguji, Toshifumi Nishijima, Fuminori Kataoka, Hiromi Tonegawa, Norihide Umeyama
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Publication number: 20210335362Abstract: A voice dialogue system includes: a voice input unit which acquires a user utterance; an intention understanding unit which interprets an intention of utterance of a voice acquired by the voice input unit; a dialogue text creator which creates a text of a system utterance; and a voice output unit which outputs the system utterance as voice data, wherein when creating a text of a system utterance, the dialogue text creator creates the text by inserting a tag in a position in the system utterance, and the intention understanding unit interprets an utterance intention of a user in accordance with whether a timing at which the user utterance is made is before or after an output of a system utterance at a position corresponding to the tag from the voice output unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2021Publication date: October 28, 2021Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Atsushi IKENO, Yusuke JINGUJI, Toshifumi NISHIJIMA, Fuminori KATAOKA, Hiromi TONEGAWA, Norihide UMEYAMA
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Patent number: 11087757Abstract: Described is a voice dialogue system that includes a voice input unit which acquires a user utterance, an intention understanding unit which interprets an intention of utterance of a voice acquired by the voice input unit, a dialogue text creator which creates a text of a system utterance, and a voice output unit which outputs the system utterance as voice data. When creating a text of a system utterance, the dialogue text creator creates the text by inserting a tag in a position in the system utterance, and the intention understanding unit interprets an utterance intention of a user in accordance with whether a timing at which the user utterance is made is before or after an output of a system utterance at a position corresponding to the tag from the voice output unit.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2019Date of Patent: August 10, 2021Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Atsushi Ikeno, Yusuke Jinguji, Toshifumi Nishijima, Fuminori Kataoka, Hiromi Tonegawa, Norihide Umeyama
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Patent number: 11056106Abstract: A system comprises an apparatus having a first voice I/O device; and a voice interface apparatus having a second voice I/O device, and connected to the apparatus by audio connection via short-range wireless communication, wherein the apparatus includes a voice I/O unit that performs voice input and output by using the first voice I/O device or the second voice I/O device; an interaction unit that performs voice interaction with a user; and a process unit that performs a process other than the voice interaction, by using the voice I/O, and the voice I/O unit switches a device used for the voice input and output to the first voice input/output device in a case where the process unit is brought into a first state in which the voice input and output is required when the voice interaction with the user is performed by using the second voice I/O device.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2018Date of Patent: July 6, 2021Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Satoshi Mizuma, Atsushi Ikeno, Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Yuta Yamamoto, Toshifumi Nishijima, Satoru Sasaki, Hiromi Tonegawa, Norihide Umeyama
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Patent number: 10867607Abstract: A voice dialog device includes a sight line detection unit configured to detect a sight line of a user, a voice acquiring unit configured to acquire voice pronounced by the user, and a processor. The processor is configured to perform a step of acquiring a result of recognizing the voice, a step of determining whether or not the user is driving, and a step of determining whether or not the voice dialog device has a dialog with the user. When the detected sight line of the user is in a certain direction, and a start keyword has been detected from the voice, the processor determines that the user has started a dialog. The processor switches the certain direction based on whether the user is driving.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2019Date of Patent: December 15, 2020Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Atsushi Ikeno, Muneaki Shimada, Kota Hatanaka, Toshifumi Nishijima, Fuminori Kataoka, Hiromi Tonegawa, Norihide Umeyama
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Patent number: 10828773Abstract: A voice interactive robot interacting with a user by voice includes a main body, a movable part capable of moving relative to the main body, a following control unit that moves the movable part so that the movable part follows the user, a temporary origin setting unit that sets a temporary origin of the movable part in response to movement of the movable part by the following control unit, an acquisition unit that acquires an operation instruction issued in relation to the movable part, and an operation execution unit that moves the movable part in accordance with the operation instruction using the temporary origin as a reference.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2018Date of Patent: November 10, 2020Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hayato Sakamoto, Atsushi Ikeno, Masaaki Hanada, Takehiko Ishiguro, Masayuki Taniyama, Toshifumi Nishijima, Hiromi Tonegawa, Norihide Umeyama, Satoru Sasaki
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Patent number: 10629202Abstract: A voice interaction system includes: a speaker; a microphone having a microphone gain that is set at a low level while a sound is output from the speaker; a voice recognition unit that implements voice recognition processing on input sound data input from the microphone; a sound output unit that generates output sound data and outputs the generated output sound data through the speaker; and a non-audible sound output unit that, when a plurality of sounds are output with a time interval no greater than a threshold therebetween, outputs a non-audible sound through the speaker at least in the interim between output of the plurality of sounds.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2018Date of Patent: April 21, 2020Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Atsushi Ikeno, Satoshi Mizuma, Hayato Sakamoto, Hiroto Konno, Toshifumi Nishijima, Hiromi Tonegawa, Norihide Umeyama, Satoru Sasaki
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Publication number: 20200118243Abstract: A processor, when a distance indicated by a distance information is greater than or equal to a first reference distance, displays, in a display, a second number of first objects each corresponding to each or a plurality of a first number of apparatuses and indicative of a state of the corresponding apparatus, and when a distance indicated by the distance information is less than the first reference distance, selects a third number of apparatuses from among the first number of apparatuses according to a predetermined condition, the third number being smaller than the first number, to display, in the display, a fourth number of second objects each corresponding to each or a plurality of the third number of apparatuses and indicative of a state of the corresponding apparatus.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 3, 2019Publication date: April 16, 2020Inventors: Yusaku OTA, Kohei TAHARA, Yuji KUNITAKE, Atsushi IKENO, Hiroko SUGIMOTO
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Patent number: 10593323Abstract: A keyword generation apparatus, comprises a vocabulary acquisition unit that acquires a keyword uttered by a first user; a first positional information acquisition unit that acquires first positional information including information representing a location at which the first user has uttered the keyword; a storage unit that stores the first positional information and the keyword in association with each other; a second positional information acquisition unit that acquires second positional information including information representing a current position of a second user; and an extraction unit that extracts a keyword unique to a locality in which the second user is positioned from the storage unit based on the second positional information.Type: GrantFiled: September 15, 2017Date of Patent: March 17, 2020Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takuma Minemura, Sei Kato, Junichi Ito, Youhei Wakisaka, Atsushi Ikeno, Toshifumi Nishijima, Fuminori Kataoka, Hiromi Tonegawa, Norihide Umeyama
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Patent number: 10592997Abstract: A decision making support device including: an opinion acquiring module that acquires an expressed opinion from each of a plurality of participants with respect to each of the plurality of selective elements; and a target person determining module that determines, with respect to a given selective element, from which participant an opinion on the selective element is to be elicited when there are a plurality of unexpressed participants who have not yet expressed opinions on the selective element, wherein the target person determining module respectively calculates, when assuming that each of the unexpressed participants has expressed any of expected opinions, assumed group satisfaction that is determined based on contents of decision making and contents of expression of opinions of the plurality of participants, and determines from which participant an opinion on the selective element is to be elicited in consideration of the assumed group satisfaction.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2016Date of Patent: March 17, 2020Assignee: Toyota Infotechnology Center Co. LTD.Inventors: Junichi Ito, Atsushi Ikeno, Kenro Aihara, Susumu Kono
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Patent number: 10578446Abstract: A route search apparatus configured to search a route from a set place of departure to a set destination comprises network data that includes nodes and links representing a road network, an average cost value indicating an average of travel time of each of the links, and a variance value indicating a degree of variance of the travel time, and a route searcher configured to determine the route from the place of departure to the destination as a recommended route, based on the average cost value, the variance value and a weight coefficient of the variance value.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2015Date of Patent: March 3, 2020Assignees: ZENRIN CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN AW CO., LTD.Inventors: Tomohiko Masutani, Hiroyuki Tashiro, Tomoko Arita, Motohiro Nakamura, Tomoki Kodan, Atsushi Ikeno, Yoshitaka Kato, Sadahiro Koshiba, Kazuteru Maekawa, Koichi Ushida
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Publication number: 20200011685Abstract: Route search devices and programs obtain network data including nodes and links, and link information including (i) travel times for traveling a link included in the network data, the nodes and the links representing a road network, and (ii) for each entry link or each exit link, information that identifies a value representing statistical variation of travel times for the link, the entry link being a link entering a node at one end of the link, and the exit link being a link exiting from a node at another end of the link. The devices and programs search for a recommended route by taking into account (i) a travel time to a destination, based on the network data and the link information, and (ii) cost values identified based on a representative value of travel times for a link and a value representing statistical variation of the travel times.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 28, 2018Publication date: January 9, 2020Applicants: AISIN AW CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sadahiro KOSHIBA, Kazuteru MAEKAWA, Koichi USHIDA, Hiroyuki TASHIRO, Tomohiko MASUTANI, Tomoko ARITA, Motohiro NAKAMURA, Atsushi IKENO, Yoshitaka KATO
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Patent number: 10495473Abstract: A route search apparatus comprises a road information storage part configured to store road information including link information comprised of single link information and composite link information; and a route searcher configured to search a recommended route between two different points using the link information. The single link information includes information regarding an approach link that is a link approaching to a node at one end of a target link, an exit link that is a link exiting from a node at the other end of the target link, and a cost of the target link for entering from the approach link and exiting to the exit link. The composite link information includes information regarding an approach link that is a link approaching to a node at one end of a target link array, an exit link that is a link exiting from a node at the other end of the target link array, and a cost of the target link array for entering from the approach link and exiting to the exit link.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2018Date of Patent: December 3, 2019Assignees: ZENRIN Co., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN AW Co., LTD.Inventors: Hiroyuki Tashiro, Tomohiko Masutani, Yukiko Hiroo, Motohiro Nakamura, Tomoki Kodan, Atsushi Ikeno, Yoshitaka Kato, Sadahiro Koshiba, Kazuteru Maekawa, Koichi Ushida
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Publication number: 20190341046Abstract: A voice dialog device includes a sight line detection unit configured to detect a sight line of a user, a voice acquiring unit configured to acquire voice pronounced by the user, and a processor. The processor is configured to perform a step of acquiring a result of recognizing the voice, a step of determining whether or not the user is driving, and a step of determining whether or not the voice dialog device has a dialog with the user. When the detected sight line of the user is in a certain direction, and a start keyword has been detected from the voice, the processor determines that the user has started a dialog. The processor switches the certain direction based on whether the user is driving.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2019Publication date: November 7, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Atsushi IKENO, Muneaki SHIMADA, Kota HATANAKA, Toshifumi NISHIJIMA, Fuminori KATAOKA, Hiromi TONEGAWA, Norihide UMEYAMA
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Patent number: 10438586Abstract: A voice dialog device, comprises a voice processing unit configured to obtain a voice pronounced by a user and a result of recognizing the voice; a plurality of estimation units configured to estimate emotion of the user by different methods; and a response unit configured to create a response sentence, based on results of estimating the emotion of the user, and provide the response sentence to the user, wherein when a discrepancy exists between the results of estimating the emotion of the user by the plurality of estimation units, the response unit makes an inquiry to the user, and determines which estimation result is to be adopted, based on content of an obtained response.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2017Date of Patent: October 8, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Atsushi Ikeno, Muneaki Shimada, Kota Hatanaka, Toshifumi Nishijima, Fuminori Kataoka, Hiromi Tonegawa, Norihide Umeyama
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Patent number: 10395653Abstract: A voice dialog device, comprises a sight line detection unit configured to detect a sight line of a user; a voice processing unit configured to obtain voice pronounced by the user and a result of recognizing the voice; a dialog determination unit configured to determine whether or not the voice dialog device has a dialog with the user; and an answer generation unit configured to generate an answer, based on a result of recognizing the voice, wherein the dialog determination unit determines whether or not the user has started the dialog, based on both the sight line of the user and the obtained voice.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2017Date of Patent: August 27, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Atsushi Ikeno, Muneaki Shimada, Kota Hatanaka, Toshifumi Nishijima, Fuminori Kataoka, Hiromi Tonegawa, Norihide Umeyama
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Patent number: 10378910Abstract: Facility output systems, methods, and programs specify a purpose for which a user utilizes a facility, based on information input by the user and a facility type that enables the specified purpose to be achieved, based on stored purpose information. The stored purpose information includes facility type and the purpose that is achievable by using the facility type. The systems, methods, and programs specify a common facility type that is common to a facility type specified for a first purpose; and one of a facility type specified for a second purpose that is different from the first purpose and a facility type specified differently from the specified facility type that enables the purpose to be achieved. The systems, methods, and programs specify the facility corresponding to the specified common facility type based on stored facility information including the specified facility type and information for specifying the facility.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2015Date of Patent: August 13, 2019Assignees: AISIN AW CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yuhei Goshi, Kenji Nagase, Motohiro Nakamura, Tomoki Kodan, Yoshitaka Kato, Atsushi Ikeno
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Publication number: 20190244620Abstract: A voice dialogue system includes: a voice input unit which acquires a user utterance; an intention understanding unit which interprets an intention of utterance of a voice acquired by the voice input unit; a dialogue text creator which creates a text of a system utterance; and a voice output unit which outputs the system utterance as voice data, wherein when creating a text of a system utterance, the dialogue text creator creates the text by inserting a tag in a position in the system utterance, and the intention understanding unit interprets an utterance intention of a user in accordance with whether a timing at which the user utterance is made is before or after an output of a system utterance at a position corresponding to the tag from the voice output unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 22, 2019Publication date: August 8, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Atsushi IKENO, Yusuke JINGUJI, Toshifumi NISHIJIMA, Fuminori KATAOKA, Hiromi TONEGAWA, Norihide UMEYAMA
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Patent number: 10319379Abstract: A voice dialog system includes: a voice input unit which acquires a user utterance, an intention understanding unit that interprets an intention of utterance of a voice acquired by the voice input unit, a dialog text creator that creates a text of a system utterance, and a voice output unit that outputs the system utterance as voice data. When creating a text of a system utterance, the dialog text creator creates the text by inserting a tag in a position in the system utterance. The intention understanding unit interprets an utterance intention of a user in accordance with whether a timing at which the user utterance is made is before or after an output of a system utterance at a position corresponding to the tag from the voice output unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2017Date of Patent: June 11, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Atsushi Ikeno, Yusuke Jinguji, Toshifumi Nishijima, Fuminori Kataoka, Hiromi Tonegawa, Norihide Umeyama