Patents by Inventor Fujio Watanabe

Fujio Watanabe 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: 10896456
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for proximity service discovery are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: NTT DOCOMO, INC.
    Inventors: Ulas C. Kozat, Fujio Watanabe, Danh Le, Erdi Olmezogullari
  • Patent number: 10332180
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for proximity service discovery are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: NTT DOCOMO, INC.
    Inventors: Ulas C. Kozat, Fujio Watanabe, Danh Le, Erdi Olmezogullari
  • Publication number: 20180315109
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for proximity service discovery are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Inventors: Ulas C. Kozat, Fujio Watanabe, Danh Le, Erdi Olmezogullari
  • Publication number: 20160217519
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for proximity service discovery are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Publication date: July 28, 2016
    Inventors: Ulas C. Kozat, Fujio Watanabe, Danh Le, Erdi Olmezogullari
  • Patent number: 8880126
    Abstract: A method and a system discover a wireless LAN network for a multi-mode handset in a power-efficient way. The method extends stand-by time for the cellular and wireless LAN multi-mode handset, taking advantage of that fact that the cellular interface demands less energy from the battery than the wireless LAN (WLAN)-based interface in such a handset. The method therefore uses the cellular interface as an always-on proxy for the wireless LAN interface to receive the initial packets of a communication session, and uses the initial packet or packets to activate the handset's interface with the wireless LAN.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Guangrui Fu, Fujio Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8843157
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for estimating travel behavior in a mobile network. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving event data indicative of user equipment location, pre-processing received event data to produce pre-processed data, performing straight line interpolation on pre-processed data of one or more individuals in the population to estimate intermediate positions of a trajectory of each of the one or more individuals from a first position to a second position, and counting a number of individuals in population at a given time and at a given area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Motoharu Miyake, Fujio Watanabe, Daichi Funato
  • Patent number: 8559976
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are disclosed herein for population tracking, counting and/or movement estimation. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving mobile phone operational data indicative of user equipment location, where the event data includes location area update messages and periodic registration messages; and performing travel estimation based on the mobile phone operation data, including performing interpolation on data associated with one or more individuals in a population to estimate intermediate positions of a trajectory of each of the one or more individuals for a specified time period based on a shortest path mesh sequence estimation algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Motoharu Miyake, Fujio Watanabe, Daichi Funato, Hyung Sik Shin, Ismail Guvenc
  • Patent number: 8527213
    Abstract: A method for detecting a subject's stress level associated with an activity includes (a) connecting the subject to a sensor that senses a value of a biometric; (b) during the activity, (i) repeatedly sensing the value of the biometric over each of a plurality of time windows; and (ii) computing, for each time window, a deviation in the sensed values of the biometric; and (c) detecting the stress level based on the computed deviations. In one implementation, the value of the biometric is a skin temperature measurement. The method may be implemented as an application in a wireless handheld device, such as a cellular telephone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Aravind Kailas, Chia-Chin Chong, Fujio Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8510442
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are disclosed herein for implementing dormant mode with paging in a WLAN. Power savings in the computing device and reduction in traffic across the network are achieved by requiring a computing device to inform the WLAN of its location only when it crosses a paging area boundary or is to receive IP traffic. Dormant mode with paging is implemented in a protocol that supports dormant functionality and paging functionality but does not itself provide methods or standards for implementing such functionality, such as the IEEE 802.11. The methods and apparatuses disclosed herein provide the methods needed to implement dormant mode with paging in such a protocol. Generally, the methods and apparatuses for implementing dormant mode with paging basically include (1) establishing paging areas; (2) communicating access group information to a computing device; and (3) locating a computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Daichi Funato, Fujio Watanabe, Toshio Miki
  • Patent number: 8504034
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are disclosed herein for population tracking, counting and/or movement estimation. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving mobile phone operational data indicative of user equipment location, where the event data includes location area update messages and periodic registration messages; and performing travel estimation based on the mobile phone operation data, including performing interpolation on data associated with one or more individuals in a population to estimate intermediate positions of a trajectory of each of the one or more individuals for a specified time period based on a shortest path mesh sequence estimation algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Motoharu Miyake, Fujio Watanabe, Daichi Funato
  • Patent number: 8504035
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are disclosed herein for population tracking, counting and/or movement estimation. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving mobile phone operational data indicative of user equipment location, where the event data includes location area update messages and periodic registration messages; and performing travel estimation based on the mobile phone operation data, including performing interpolation on data associated with one or more individuals in a population to estimate intermediate positions of a trajectory of each of the one or more individuals for a specified time period based on a shortest path mesh sequence estimation algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Hyung Sik Shin, Motoharu Miyake, Fujio Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8452293
    Abstract: In a system including one or more femtocells within a service area of a macrocell, a method includes: (a) receiving from a base station information regarding available resources at each femtocell; (b) measuring a signal-interference-to-noise ratio (SINR) at a mobile station relative to the macrocell and each femtocell; and (c) selecting for the mobile station one of the femtocells for a hand-off, wherein the femtostation is selected based on the combined capacity of the macrocell and the femtocells after the hand-off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Ismail Guvenc, Fujio Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8442541
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a distributed inter-cell interference avoidance (ICIA) technique for avoiding co-channel interference between femtocell networks and macrocell networks. At the macrocell, user equipments sense the downlink (DL) spectrum and detects whether there are any nearby interfering femtocells. If there is any interference, a macrocell base station appropriately re-schedules the DL resources and also uses a mapping function to re-schedule uplink (UL) resources based on the re-scheduled DL resources. At the femtocell, a femtocell base station senses the UL spectrum to detect for interference from nearby macrocell users. If there is interference, femtocell gives priority for use of the resources to the macrocell by releasing UL resources. Femtocell may also use the same mapping function to obtain the DL resources used by the macrocell and to re-schedule DL and UL resources of the femtocell to avoid using the DL and UL resources of the macrocell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Ismail Guvenc, Moo Ryong Jeong, Fujio Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8428602
    Abstract: In a system including one or more femtocells within a service area of a macrocell, a method includes: (a) receiving from a base station of each femtocell information regarding available resources at the femtocell; (b) measuring an signal-interference-to-noise ratio (SINR) at a mobile station relative to the macrocell and each femtocell; and (c) selecting for the mobile station one of the femtocells for a hand-off, wherein the femtostation is selected based on the combined capacity of the macrocell and the femtocells after the hand-off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Ismail Guvenc, Fujio Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20130051365
    Abstract: A method and a communication system including femtocells within a macrocell efficiently manage interference between the different femtocells, and between each femtocell and a macrocell. An efficient frequency assignment scheme for the femtocells minimizes interference between a femtocell and a macrocell and among different femtocells using a spectrum-sensing technique carried out by the femtocells. The frequency assignment scheme selects a suitable channel from a set of candidate channels and ensures that the femtocell has an acceptable coverage area even when it is close to the macrocell base station (BS). The frequency assignment scheme favors a co-channel implementation to take advantage of the hand-off and cell search characteristics of the co-channel implementation. In one embodiment, a joint power control and frequency band assignment technique is used, which partitions the coverage area of the macrocell into an inner region, a power control region, and an outer region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: NTT DOCOMO Inc.
    Inventors: Ismail Guvenc, Moo Ryong Jeong, Fujio Watanabe, Hiroshi Inamura
  • Publication number: 20130029676
    Abstract: In a system including one or more femtocells within a service area of a macrocell, a method includes: (a) receiving from a base station information regarding available resources at each femtocell; (b) measuring a signal-interference-to-noise ratio (SINR) at a mobile station relative to the macrocell and each femtocell; and (c) selecting for the mobile station one of the femtocells for a hand-off, wherein the femtostation is selected based on the combined capacity of the macrocell and the femtocells after the hand-off.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: NTT DOCOMO INC.
    Inventors: Ismail Guvenc, Fujio Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8345629
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for transmitting data in a network (e.g., a relay network). In one embodiment, the method comprises performing pre-transmission of a packet to hops to enable the base station and the plurality of hops to transmit the packet synchronously to one or more mobile stations in the wireless communication system; and performing one or more re-transmissions of the packet at a first set of one or more hops in the system during a delay due to pre-transmissions at a second set of one or more hops in the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Ismail Guvenc, Moo Ryong Jeong, Fujio Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8280387
    Abstract: A method and a communication system including femtocells within a macrocell efficiently manage interference between the different femtocells, and between each femtocell and a macrocell. An efficient frequency assignment scheme for the femtocells minimizes interference between a femtocell and a macrocell and among different femtocells using a spectrum-sensing technique carried out by the femtocells. The frequency assignment scheme selects a suitable channel from a set of candidate channels and ensures that the femtocell has an acceptable coverage area even when it is close to the macrocell base station (BS). The frequency assignment scheme favors a co-channel implementation to take advantage of the hand-off and cell search characteristics of the co-channel implementation. In one embodiment, a joint power control and frequency band assignment technique is used, which partitions the coverage area of the macrocell into an inner region, a power control region, and an outer region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Ismail Guvenc, Moo Ryong Jeong, Fujio Watanabe, Hiroshi Inamura
  • Patent number: 8265203
    Abstract: A method and a receiver are provided for demodulating a received multi-carrier modulated signal. The demodulation procedure includes (a) multiplying the received multi-carrier modulated signal with its complex conjugate to obtain a squared signal; (b) multiplying the squared signal with a carrier demodulating signal to obtain a product signal, and integrating the product signal over the duration T. A bit decision may then be performed on the integration result using analog components without the need for high-speed analog-to-digital conversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Huilin Xu, Chia-Chin Chong, Fujio Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8219111
    Abstract: A linear least squares (LLS) estimator provides a low complexity estimation of the location of a mobile terminal (MT), using one of the fixed terminals (FTs) as a reference FT to derive a linear model. A method for selecting a reference FT is disclosed, which improves the location accuracy relative to an arbitrary approach to selecting the reference FT. In addition, a covariance-matrix based LLS estimator is proposed in line-of-sight (LOS) and non-LOS (NLOS) environments to further provide accuracy, taking advantage of the correlation of the observations. Different techniques for selecting the reference FT under non-LOS (NLOS) conditions are disclosed. A map-based two-stage LLS estimator assists in selecting the reference FT under NLOS conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo
    Inventors: Ismail Guvenc, Fujio Watanabe, Hiroshi Inamura