Patents by Inventor Chihiro Wake

Chihiro Wake 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: 12317769
    Abstract: There is provided an industrial machinery system including an industrial machine, an area information acquiring device that acquires information on an operation area where the industrial machine is to be caused to perform an operation, and a control apparatus that determines whether to perform the operation by the industrial machine in the operation area, wherein the control apparatus includes a storage section that stores information on a registered area, the information being acquired in advance, and a determining section that determines whether to perform the operation by the industrial machine in accordance with whether an area corresponding to the operation area is identifiable from the registered area stored in the storage section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2025
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita, Yutaka Murakumo
  • Patent number: 12246835
    Abstract: An agricultural chemical spraying drone with improved safety is provided. The drone includes an altitude measurement sensor and a speed measurement sensor and controls not to exceed an altitude restriction and a speed restriction of an airframe by using a flight controller. The sensors are desirable be combination of multiple types. Particularly, the altitude is desirably measured by a GPS during take-off and by a sonar during chemical spraying. Weight of the airframe is measured from time to time, and the altitude restriction and the speed restriction may be adjusted according to the weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2025
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita
  • Patent number: 12172776
    Abstract: A drone system that includes a drone and a movable body which is movable with loading the drone and where the drone can take off and land, cooperate to operate and that is able to maintain a high level of safety even during autonomous flight, is provided. The drone has a flight controller controlling a flight of the drone, and a drone transmitter transmitting an information possible to distinguish whether the drone is in flight. The movable body has a take-off and landing area where the drone is loaded, takes off and lands, a movement controller loading the drone on the take-off and landing area and moving the movable body with the drone, a movable body receiver receiving an information from the drone, and a display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita
  • Publication number: 20240393795
    Abstract: A highly safe drone is provided. A remote controller and a drone are connected to each other through a network and cooperate to operate. The drone includes a flight control unit, a flight start command reception unit receiving a flight start command from a user, a drone determination unit determining a configuration of the drone itself, an external environment determination unit determining an external environment of the drone. The drone system has a plurality of states including a takeoff diagnosis state and satisfies a condition transitioning to another state. The takeoff diagnosis state includes a drone determination state where the drone determination unit determines the configuration of the drone itself and an external environment determination state where the external environment determination unit determines the external environment. The drone system makes the drone to takeoff after transitioning to the takeoff diagnosis state upon receiving the flight start command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2024
    Publication date: November 28, 2024
    Inventors: Chihiro WAKE, Hiroshi YANAGISHITA
  • Patent number: 12145716
    Abstract: Provided are a controller for controlling a drone that performs autonomous flight under computer control and a control program that runs on a tablet terminal. On a screen of the controller or the program, map information on an agricultural field over which the drone is to fly, route information on a route along which the drone is to fly, and an emergency stop button of the drone are displayed. A button for performing fine adjustment on an altitude may be displayed. It is desirable that the emergency stop button be translucent and be displayed such that the button is superimposed on the map information. It is desirable that emergency stop be performed only when a predetermined operation is performed on the emergency stop button a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Ryo Miyagi, Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita
  • Patent number: 12117297
    Abstract: There is provided a traveling route generating system for generating a traveling route for a movable device in a target area, the traveling route generating system includes: a target area information acquiring section that acquires sets of measurement-point coordinates on edges of the target area; and a movable area generating section that determines appropriateness of the sets of measurement-point coordinates, in a case where any of the plurality of sets of measurement-point coordinates is determined to be inappropriate by the determination, does not generate a movable area where the movable device can move or does not use a set of measurement-point coordinates determined to be inappropriate for generating the movable area, and in a case where the plurality of sets of measurement-point coordinates are determined to be appropriate by the determination, generates the movable area based on the plurality of sets of measurement-point coordinates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita, Yutaka Murakumo
  • Patent number: 12079012
    Abstract: A highly safe drone is provided. A remote controller and a drone are connected to each other through a network and cooperate to operate. The drone includes a flight control unit, a flight start command reception unit receiving a flight start command from a user, a drone determination unit determining a configuration of the drone itself, an external environment determination unit determining an external environment of the drone. The drone system has a plurality of states including a takeoff diagnosis state and satisfies a condition transitioning to another state. The takeoff diagnosis state includes a drone determination state where the drone determination unit determines the configuration of the drone itself and an external environment determination state where the external environment determination unit determines the external environment. The drone system makes the drone to takeoff after transitioning to the takeoff diagnosis state upon receiving the flight start command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2024
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita
  • Patent number: 12066839
    Abstract: Provide is an agricultural chemical spraying drone with improved safety. An acceleration sensor and a contact detection sensor are combined to detect contact of a drone with an obstacle. In a case where the contact is detected, a retreat action such as hovering is taken. In addition, a message may be displayed on a control terminal, a warning sound may be generated, and a warning light may be turned on. Further, a structure capable of minimizing finger insertion accidents and minimizing interference with a rotor even in collision is adopted as a propeller guard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita
  • Patent number: 12030405
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle and a battery, possible to be disabled when a phenomenon to cause a functional disorder, are provided. The battery includes a battery pack having a battery cell, sensors detecting a phenomenon that impairs a function of the battery pack, a memory storing a detection signal of the sensors, and block circuits blocking output of the battery pack by the detection signal. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes the battery and air frame side sensors, and operates the block circuit, which the battery includes, by the detection signal of the airframe side sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita
  • Patent number: 12014641
    Abstract: A drone (an aerial vehicle), able to maintain improved safety for operation by non-specialists, is provided. A farm field data stored in a cloud at take-off is compared to an environment data read by a sensor, and a control to prohibit take-off is performed if any danger is considered. In particular, it is desirable to prohibit if there is a traffic, where people and cars may pass, between the farm field and a current location, and if a direction of the drone, installed, does not point to a direction of an intrusion pathway to the target farm field. Furthermore, it is desirable to prohibit take-off if a predetermined maintenance is not performed by referring to a maintenance history.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita
  • Patent number: 12001225
    Abstract: There is provided a drone system in which a drone and a movable body operate in coordination with each other, the movable body being capable of moving with the drone aboard and allowing the drone to make a takeoff and a landing, the drone system includes a demarcating member that demarcates an operation area and detects an intruder into the operation area, the operation area being an area where at least one of the drone and the movable body performs an operation, the movable body includes a movement control section that stops movement of the movable body based on the detection of the intruder by the demarcating member, and the drone includes a landing position determining section that determines a landing position based on a stop position of the movable body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita
  • Patent number: 11873100
    Abstract: There is provided a drone system in which a drone and a movable body operate in coordination with each other, the movable body being capable of moving with the drone aboard and allowing the drone to make a takeoff and a landing, the movable body including: a takeoff-landing area on which the drone can be placed and that serves as a takeoff-landing point from and on which the drone takes off and lands; a movement control section capable of moving the movable body together with the drone aboard; and a movable body transmission section that sends information on the movable body, the drone including: a flight control section that causes the drone to fly; and a drone reception section that receives information on the movable body, wherein the drone sends, to the movable body, a position of a takeoff-landing point at a time when the drone takes off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita
  • Patent number: 11868144
    Abstract: In a drone system in which a drone and a movable body operate in coordination with each other, the drone performing a predetermined operation in an agricultural field, the movable body being capable of moving with the drone aboard and allowing the drone to make a takeoff and a landing, the plan determining section determines a flight plan for the drone and a movement plan for the movable body in accordance with the flight plan, and the instructing section instructs the drone to execute an operation in accordance with the flight plan and instructs the movable body to move or to be on standby in accordance with the movement plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita
  • Patent number: 11797000
    Abstract: Being unable to restart when it collides with an object or crashes, an unmanned aerial vehicle, control system thereof and control program, for preventing damage caused by uncontrollable restarts and crashes is provided. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes a plurality of rotating bodies, a plurality of motors individually driving and rotating the plurality of rotating bodies, and a flight controller individually controlling the plurality of motors. The flight controller includes a collision/crash detection unit detecting collision or crash on the basis of a signal from a sensor, and a power cut-off command unit cutting off a power supply on the basis of a detection signal from the collision/crash detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: NILEWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Chihiro Wake, Hiroshi Yanagishita, Atsunori Saito
  • Publication number: 20230169640
    Abstract: Provided are a growth assessment system, growth assessment server and growth assessment method with which it is possible to improve the accuracy of a growth assessment model. A difference determination unit of the growth assessment system compares an estimated growth state value, which is growth state value for a crop that is calculated by a growth assessment model, with a detected growth state value, which is a growth state value for the crop that is calculated based on an image of a field or the crop that is acquired by a camera. A model correction unit corrects the growth assessment model depending on the comparison result from the difference determination unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Inventors: Chihiro WAKE, Hiroshi YANAGISHITA, Hiroki KATO
  • Publication number: 20230152094
    Abstract: A survey system for accurately surveying an area includes a coordinate acquisition section that acquires a set of three-dimensional coordinates of a survey point or a base station used for determining sets of coordinates of the area, as a set of measurement coordinates, a comparative coordinate acquisition section that acquires at least a height-direction coordinate value of a set of comparative coordinates indicating a position within a predetermined range from the acquired set of measurement coordinates; and a determining section that calculates a difference between a height-direction coordinate value of the set of measurement coordinates and the height-direction coordinate value of the set of comparative coordinates and determines that at least any one of the set of measurement coordinates and the set of comparative coordinates are incorrect when the difference is larger than a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Yutaka MURAKUMO, Chihiro WAKE, Hiroki KATO
  • Publication number: 20220201922
    Abstract: There is provided an industrial machinery system including an industrial machine, an area information acquiring device that acquires information on an operation area where the industrial machine is to be caused to perform an operation, and a control apparatus that determines whether to perform the operation by the industrial machine in the operation area, wherein the control apparatus includes a storage section that stores information on a registered area, the information being acquired in advance, and a determining section that determines whether to perform the operation by the industrial machine in accordance with whether an area corresponding to the operation area is identifiable from the registered area stored in the storage section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2020
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventors: Chihiro WAKE, Hiroshi YANAGISHITA, Yutaka MURAKUMO
  • Publication number: 20220185456
    Abstract: Provided are a controller for controlling a drone that performs autonomous flight under computer control and a control program that runs on a tablet terminal. On a screen of the controller or the program, map information on an agricultural field over which the drone is to fly, route information on a route along which the drone is to fly, and an emergency stop button of the drone are displayed. A button for performing fine adjustment on an altitude may be displayed. It is desirable that the emergency stop button be translucent and be displayed such that the button is superimposed on the map information. It is desirable that emergency stop be performed only when a predetermined operation is performed on the emergency stop button a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined time period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventors: Ryo MIYAGI, Chihiro WAKE, Hiroshi YANAGISHITA
  • Publication number: 20220137644
    Abstract: A drone system causes a plurality of drones to perform an operation in a predetermined area in a sharing manner, wherein each of the plurality of drones holds at least one decreasing factor that is to be consumed when a corresponding drone is operated, and on condition that replenishment or refreshment with the factor needs return to the takeoff-landing port, when at least one of the drones returns to the takeoff-landing port, the drone system calculates and compares a time tA and a time tB, the time tA being a time taken by the drone to be replenished or refreshed with the decreasing factor and to take off again, the time tB being a time taken to allocate all operations remaining at a time of the return to drones not having returned and cause the drones not having returned to perform all remaining operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Chihiro WAKE, Hiroshi YANAGISHITA
  • Publication number: 20220137642
    Abstract: There is provided a drone system in which a drone and a movable body operate in coordination with each other, the movable body being capable of moving with the drone aboard and allowing the drone to make a takeoff and a landing, the drone system includes a demarcating member that demarcates an operation area and detects an intruder into the operation area, the operation area being an area where at least one of the drone and the movable body performs an operation, the movable body includes a movement control section that stops movement of the movable body based on the detection of the intruder by the demarcating member, and the drone includes a landing position determining section that determines a landing position based on a stop position of the movable body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Chihiro WAKE, Hiroshi YANAGISHITA