Patents by Inventor Eiji Oba

Eiji Oba 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).

  • Publication number: 20240153382
    Abstract: A system for an autonomous vehicle that receives driving environment information corresponding to a driving environment provided by another autonomous vehicle, and determines a navigation route based on a degree of reliability of the driving environment information provided by the another autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2024
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji OBA
  • Patent number: 11958358
    Abstract: Configuration, in which images output to a display unit are switched and displayed in accordance with the behavior of a driver, such as movements of the head of the driver, is achieved. Driver information indicating the behavior of the driver of a moving apparatus and images captured by a plurality of cameras that images a situation around the moving apparatus from different viewpoints are input. The images output to the display unit are switched in accordance with the driver information. The plurality of cameras is, for example, a plurality of rear cameras installed in the rear of the moving apparatus. For example, a direction of the face or line-of-sight of the driver is detected. An image in a direction corresponding to the detected direction of the face or line-of-sight of the driver is selected as an output image, and displayed on the display unit. Alternatively, an image in a direction indicated by a gesture of the driver is selected, and displayed on the display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Eiji Oba, Mitsuharu Ohki, Shigeyuki Baba, Yoshikuni Nomura
  • Publication number: 20240051585
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus including an event vision sensor (400) that images an inside of a mobile body and a sensor control unit (330) that controls the event vision sensor. The event vision sensor includes a pixel array unit (500) including a plurality of pixels arrayed in a matrix and an event detection unit (508) that detects that a luminance change amount due to incident light has exceeded a predetermined threshold in the pixels. The sensor control unit changes a value of the predetermined threshold when grasping, with the event vision sensor, an eyeball behavior of a driver seated on a driver's seat of the mobile body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventor: Eiji Oba
  • Patent number: 11900805
    Abstract: A system for an autonomous vehicle that receives driving environment information corresponding to a driving environment provided by another autonomous vehicle, and determines a navigation route based on a degree of reliability of the driving environment information provided by the another autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji Oba
  • Publication number: 20240034362
    Abstract: Information processing is disclosed. In one example, an information processing device includes automated driving control notifies a vehicle driver of a condition enabling automated driving of the vehicle based on an operation design domain that is set for the vehicle. In another example, an information processing method notifies a vehicle driver of a condition enabling automated driving of the vehicle based on the set operation design domain for the vehicle. In another example, an information processing program is configured to cause a computer to execute an automated driving control step of making a notification to a driver of a vehicle regarding a condition enabling automated driving of the vehicle based on an operation design domain that is set for the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventor: Eiji Oba
  • Patent number: 11866073
    Abstract: Provided is a mobile device that acquires the section information of an automatic driving section and a manual driving section on a traveling route, and estimates the time to reach each section and transmits the estimated time to an information terminal. The information terminal receives the transmission data from the mobile device, and outputs the section information of the automatic driving section and the manual driving section and the display data by which a time to reach each section is confirmable. Moreover, the mobile device determines notification timing of a manual driving recovery request notification on the basis of an arousal level, a position, or the like of a driver and transmits the determined notification timing to the information terminal, and the information terminal executes the manual driving recovery request notification at appropriate notification timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Eiji Oba
  • Patent number: 11853074
    Abstract: There is provided a control device including: a control unit that performs driving control of a vehicle. The control unit temporarily continues automated traveling of the vehicle on a basis of a surrounding environment estimated by a remaining function of a compound eye camera, in a case where a malfunction of the compound eye camera used in recognition of the surrounding environment is detected during execution of automated driving control for the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji Oba
  • Publication number: 20230339476
    Abstract: An alertness level that is the consciousness level of the driver of a vehicle is determined, and the timing of a manual driving return request notification is controlled in accordance with the alertness level. A data processing unit determines the alertness level of the driver of the vehicle, and records evaluation data. The data processing unit acquires observation information about the driver, determines the alertness level of the driver, and evaluates and records the return rate at each time. The vehicle is a vehicle capable of switching between automatic driving and manual driving, and the data processing unit controls the timing of a manual driving return request notification for the driver's return from automatic driving to manual driving, in accordance with the alertness level of the driver. The observation information to be acquired by the data processing unit includes observation information about the driver both before and after the driver gets in the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2023
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji Oba
  • Publication number: 20230331261
    Abstract: A method for switching modes for operating a vehicle, a non-transitory computer-readable medium for performing the method, and information processing apparatuses. The method includes determining, by circuitry of an information processing apparatus, whether a mode for operating the vehicle is to be switched from one of autonomous and manual driving modes to the other of the autonomous and manual driving modes. A state of a driver of the vehicle is obtained when the mode for operating the vehicle is determined to be switched. The method further includes switching, by the circuitry, the mode for operating the vehicle from the one of the autonomous and manual driving modes to the other of the autonomous manual driving modes based on the obtained state of the driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji OBA
  • Publication number: 20230311953
    Abstract: A configuration is achieved in which driver information and environmental information are input and a safety index value indicating whether or not a driver who is performing automatic driving is in a state of being able to perform safe manual driving or a manual driving recovery available time is estimated. The configuration includes: a driver information acquisition unit that acquires driver information of a movement device such as an automobile; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information of the movement device; and a safety determination unit that receives, as an input, the driver information and the environmental information, and learns and calculates a safety index value indicating whether or not a driver in the movement device during automatic driving is in a state of being able to perform safe manual driving.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: YUKI YAMAMOTO, EIJI OBA
  • Patent number: 11738757
    Abstract: An alertness level that is the consciousness level of the driver of a vehicle is determined, and the timing of a manual driving return request notification is controlled in accordance with the alertness level. A data processing unit determines the alertness level of the driver of the vehicle, and records evaluation data. The data processing unit acquires observation information about the driver, determines the alertness level of the driver, and evaluates and records the return rate at each time. The vehicle is a vehicle capable of switching between automatic driving and manual driving, and the data processing unit controls the timing of a manual driving return request notification for the driver's return from automatic driving to manual driving, in accordance with the alertness level of the driver. The observation information to be acquired by the data processing unit includes observation information about the driver both before and after the driver gets in the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji Oba
  • Patent number: 11718329
    Abstract: A method for switching modes for operating a vehicle, a non-transitory computer-readable medium for performing the method, and information processing apparatuses. The method includes determining, by circuitry of an information processing apparatus, whether a mode for operating the vehicle is to be switched from one of autonomous and manual driving modes to the other of the autonomous and manual driving modes. A state of a driver of the vehicle is obtained when the mode for operating the vehicle is determined to be switched. The method further includes switching, by the circuitry, the mode for operating the vehicle from the one of the autonomous and manual driving modes to the other of the autonomous manual driving modes based on the obtained state of the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventor: Eiji Oba
  • Publication number: 20230211810
    Abstract: To implement a configuration to calculate a manual driving recoverable time required for a driver who is executing automatic driving in order to achieve a requested recovery ratio (RRR) for each road section, and issue a manual driving recovery request notification on the basis of the calculated time. A data processing unit is included, which calculates a manual driving recoverable time required for a driver who is executing automatic driving in order to achieve a predefined requested recovery ratio (RRR) from automatic driving to manual driving and determines notification timing of a manual driving recovery request notification on the basis of the calculated time. The data processing unit acquires the requested recovery ratio (RRR) for each road section set as ancillary information of a local dynamic map (LDM), and calculates the manual driving recoverable time for each road section scheduled to travel, using learning data for each driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Inventor: EIJI OBA
  • Publication number: 20230182747
    Abstract: Provided is an information processing apparatus including: a metadata generation unit (210) that generates metadata from information indicating a state of an occupant riding in a mobile body, the information being obtained from a sensor provided in the mobile body; a first encryption unit (214) that encrypts the generated metadata; and a first recording unit (218) that stores the encrypted metadata.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventors: Atsuro Kobayashi, Eiji Oba
  • Patent number: 11654936
    Abstract: A configuration for controlling safe switching of automatic driving and manual driving includes a driver information acquisition unit that acquires driver information of a movement device such as an automobile, an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information of the movement device, and a safety determination unit that receives, as an input, the driver information and the environmental information, and learns and calculates a safety index value indicating whether or not a driver in the movement device during automatic driving is in a state of being able to perform safe manual driving. The safety determination unit further estimates a manual driving recovery available time including a time required until the driver in the movement device during the automatic driving becomes able to start the safe manual driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki Yamamoto, Eiji Oba
  • Patent number: 11628882
    Abstract: A cruise-assist image generation device includes: a steering-angle information acquisition unit acquiring steering angle information of a steering wheel; an additional line generation unit generating a cruise assist additional line corresponding to the acquired steering angle information and formed by combination of a given number of segments; and an additional line superimposing unit superimposing the generated cruise assist additional line on a taken image of the vehicle periphery to obtain a composite image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji Oba
  • Publication number: 20230092167
    Abstract: Section information of a traveling route is provided appropriately to a driver. Traveling route information and traffic information relating to the traveling route are acquired, and on the basis of the information, a driver intervention requiring section and an automatic driving available section of the traveling route are displayed on a reach prediction time axis from a current point on an instrument panel, a tablet, or the like. For example, the driver intervention requiring section includes a manual driving section, a takeover section from automatic driving to manual driving, and a cautious traveling section from the automatic driving.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji Oba
  • Publication number: 20230054024
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus including an eyeball behavior analysis unit (300) that analyzes an eyeball behavior of a driver who drives a moving object, in which the eyeball behavior analysis unit dynamically switches an analysis mode according to a driving mode of the moving object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Publication date: February 23, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Eiji Oba, Kohei Kadoshita
  • Patent number: 11572085
    Abstract: To implement a configuration to calculate a manual driving recoverable time required for a driver who is executing automatic driving in order to achieve a requested recovery ratio (RRR) for each road section, and issue a manual driving recovery request notification on the basis of the calculated time. A data processing unit is included, which calculates a manual driving recoverable time required for a driver who is executing automatic driving in order to achieve a predefined requested recovery ratio (RRR) from automatic driving to manual driving and determines notification timing of a manual driving recovery request notification on the basis of the calculated time. The data processing unit acquires the requested recovery ratio (RRR) for each road section set as ancillary information of a local dynamic map (LDM), and calculates the manual driving recoverable time for each road section scheduled to travel, using learning data for each driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Eiji Oba
  • Publication number: 20230017970
    Abstract: Display data which has information set on a traveling route of a vehicle and indicating offerability of a remote driving assistance service of a control center is generated and displayed. A data processing unit is provided as a unit that generates traveling section display data that has section information indicating an autonomous driving section and a manual driving section on a traveling route of a vehicle and further generates display data that has information set to indicate offerability of a remote driving assistance service of a control center as additional information associated with a traveling position included in the traveling section display data. The data processing unit generates display data that has an icon which indicates offerability of the remote driving assistance service and which is set in association with a traveling position according to the traveling section display data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2020
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji Oba