Patents by Inventor Goro Asai

Goro Asai 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: 11560095
    Abstract: Provided is an input unit to which input signals are inputted, the input signals including signals indicating operating states of switches used for operating the electronic mirror and used for selecting a display mode from among the plurality of display modes to be displayed by the electronic mirror; a storage unit that together with prioritizing and storing each of a plurality of display modes in a hierarchical structure, stores mode setting conditions that are conditions for setting each display mode; a determination unit for determining whether or not the mode setting conditions are satisfied for each of the plurality of display modes based on the input signals; and a setting unit that, of the plurality of display modes, sets a display mode from among the display modes for which the mode setting conditions are satisfied, as a display mode to be displayed on the electronic mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akira Egashira, Yuki Yamagami, Kunihiro Sugihara, Goro Asai, Tomoaki Iida, Taichi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 11485287
    Abstract: An electronic mirror system includes: a camera for capturing images of surroundings of a vehicle; a display unit for displaying an image captured by the camera; a switch unit including an adjustment switch and a multi-function switch; and a control unit for performing a process according to a signal from the switch unit. When the multi-function switch is operated, the control unit executes a process selected from a plurality of set processes according to a state of the vehicle; and in a case where the executed process is a transition to a mode for changing setting information of the system, and when the adjustment switch is operated after the transition, the control unit changes the setting information according to a signal from the adjustment switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Fukuda, Tomoaki Iida, Goro Asai, Kunihiro Sugihara, Taichi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 11433813
    Abstract: A vehicular electronic mirror system includes a rear imaging device configured to capture an image of a rear side of a vehicle, rear lateral imaging devices respectively configured to capture images of right and left rear sides of the vehicle, and an electronic control device configured to perform, according to at least one of a state of the vehicle and a situation around the vehicle, different image processing processes on a rear image captured by the rear imaging device and rear lateral images captured by the rear lateral imaging devices and selected according to at least one of the state of the vehicle and the situation around the vehicle, and to cause a display device to display the rear image and the rear lateral images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yosuke Kubota, Goro Asai
  • Publication number: 20220210344
    Abstract: An image display apparatus has: a synthesizing device (132) for synthesizing a rear image (111B) captured by a rear imaging device (11B) for imaging a rear area of the vehicle (1) and a first rear side image (111BL, 111BR) captured by a first rear side imaging device (11BL, 11BR) for imaging a first rear side area of the vehicle to generate a synthesized image (111C); and a displaying device (14) for displaying the synthesized image. The synthesizing device varies a proportion of an area of each of the rear image and the first rear side image to the synthesized image on the basis of a first information relating to a first turn indicator configured to operate to inform that the vehicle travels rightward or leftward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka SHIDOCHI, Goro ASAI, Kunihiro SUGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20220166924
    Abstract: An image display apparatus has: a synthesizing device (132) for synthesizing a rear image (111B) captured by a rear imaging device (11B) for imaging rear area of a first vehicle (1) and a rear side image (111BL, 111BR) captured by a rear side imaging device (11BL, 11BR) for imaging rear side area of the first vehicle to generate a synthesized image (111C); and a display (14) for displaying the synthesized image. The synthesizing device varies a proportion of each of a rear image area and a rear side image area to the synthesized image based on velocity of the first vehicle and/or a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle existing at the rear of the first vehicle, wherein the rear image area and the rear side image area are areas in which the rear image and the rear side image are displayed, respectively, in the synthesized image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2022
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka SHIDOCHI, Goro Asai, Kunihiro Sugihara
  • Patent number: 11336839
    Abstract: An image display apparatus has: a synthesizing device (132) for synthesizing a rear image (111B) captured by a rear imaging device (11B) for imaging a rear area of the vehicle (1) and a first rear side image (111BL, 111BR) captured by a first rear side imaging device (11BL, 11BR) for imaging a first rear side area of the vehicle to generate a synthesized image (111C); and a displaying device (14) for displaying the synthesized image. The synthesizing device varies a proportion of an area of each of the rear image and the first rear side image to the synthesized image on the basis of a first information relating to a first turn indicator configured to operate to inform that the vehicle travels rightward or leftward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka Shidochi, Goro Asai, Kunihiro Sugihara
  • Patent number: 11283995
    Abstract: An image display apparatus has: a synthesizing device (132) for synthesizing a rear image (111B) captured by a rear imaging device (11B) for imaging rear area of a first vehicle (1) and a rear side image (111BL, 111BR) captured by a rear side imaging device (11BL, 11BR) for imaging rear side area of the first vehicle to generate a synthesized image (111C); and a display (14) for displaying the synthesized image. The synthesizing device varies a proportion of each of a rear image area and a rear side image area to the synthesized image based on velocity of the first vehicle and/or a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle existing at the rear of the first vehicle, wherein the rear image area and the rear side image area are areas in which the rear image and the rear side image are displayed, respectively, in the synthesized image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka Shidochi, Goro Asai, Kunihiro Sugihara
  • Patent number: 11146740
    Abstract: An image display apparatus has: a first imaging device (11B) for imaging an area on the rear of a vehicle (1); a second imaging device (11BL, 11BR) for imaging an area on the rear and side of the vehicle; a synthesizing device (12) for generating a synthesized image in which a first image captured by the first imaging device and a second image captured by the second imaging device are adjacent to each other and a vanishing point of the first image in the synthesized image is different from a vanishing point of the second image in the synthesized image; and a displaying device (13) for displaying the synthesized image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Goro Asai
  • Patent number: 11107192
    Abstract: A display control device for a vehicle is mounted on a host vehicle, and the display control device for a vehicle is configured to generate a non-rectangular image from a rectangular image of an area located rearward of the host vehicle, the rectangular image being captured by a capturing unit mounted on the host vehicle, and display the non-rectangular image in a rectangular display area of a display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Goro Asai, Tomoaki Iida
  • Patent number: 11070737
    Abstract: An exposure control device of a vehicle-mounted camera comprises an illuminance level determination unit, a plurality of timers, a timer operating unit, and an exposure level determination unit. The illuminance level determination unit determines that an illumination level of an external light illuminance corresponds to one of a plurality of illuminance levels. The timers each provided for a corresponding one of a plurality of change modes, the change modes being defined among the plurality of illuminance levels, or among a plurality of exposure levels for an exposure of a vehicular camera. The timer operating unit operates each of the timers in accordance with a state of change of the illuminance level of the external light illuminance. The exposure level determination unit determines one of the exposure levels for the exposure of the vehicular camera based on a count state of each of the timers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kyohei Ozaki, Taichi Hasegawa, Kunihiro Sugihara, Goro Asai, Tomoaki Iida
  • Publication number: 20210188177
    Abstract: Provided is an input unit to which input signals are inputted, the input signals including signals indicating operating states of switches used for operating the electronic mirror and used for selecting a display mode from among the plurality of display modes to be displayed by the electronic mirror; a storage unit that together with prioritizing and storing each of a plurality of display modes in a hierarchical structure, stores mode setting conditions that are conditions for setting each display mode; a determination unit for determining whether or not the mode setting conditions are satisfied for each of the plurality of display modes based on the input signals; and a setting unit that, of the plurality of display modes, sets a display mode from among the display modes for which the mode setting conditions are satisfied, as a display mode to be displayed on the electronic mirror.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: Akira EGASHIRA, Yuki YAMAGAMI, Kunihiro SUGIHARA, Goro ASAI, Tomoaki IIDA, Taichi HASEGAWA
  • Patent number: 11040661
    Abstract: An image display apparatus has: a synthesizing device (132) for synthesizing a rear image (111B) and a rear side image (111BL, 111BR) to generate a synthesized image (111C), wherein the rear image is captured by a rear imaging device (11B) for imaging a rear area of a vehicle (1) and the rear side image is captured by a rear side imaging device (11BL, 11BR) for imaging a rear side area of the vehicle; and a displaying device (14) for displaying the synthesized image, the synthesizing device generates the synthesized image so that the synthesized image generated when the vehicle goes in reverse includes a first scene that is below, viewed from the vehicle, a second scene that is included in the synthesized image generated when the vehicle does not go in reverse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka Shidochi, Goro Asai, Kunihiro Sugihara
  • Patent number: 11014514
    Abstract: A vehicle surroundings display device includes an imaging device, a display device, and a controller is provided. The imaging device images a region toward a rear side of a vehicle and sideways from the vehicle. The display device is capable of displaying an image captured by the imaging device. The controller controls display of the display device, and selectively a normal active mode, a power-off active mode, a standby mode and a shut-down mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Goro Asai, Tomoaki Iida, Kunihiro Sugihara, Yuki Takahashi, Taichi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 10965872
    Abstract: An image display apparatus has: a setting device (132) for setting a synthesizing plane (CS) at a position that is away backward from a first vehicle; a synthesizing device (133) for synthesizing a rear image (111B) captured by a rear imaging device (11B) for imaging a rear area of the first vehicle and a rear side image (111BL, 111BR) captured by a rear side imaging device (11B) for imaging a rear side area of the first vehicle to generate a synthesized image (111C) in which a scene in the rear image and a scene in the rear side image are seamlessly connected at a position of the synthesizing plane, the setting device sets the synthesizing plane at a position that is different from a position at which the synthesizing plane is set when a second vehicle does not exist at the rear of the first vehicle, when the second vehicle exists at the rear of the first vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Goro Asai, Yuka Shidochi
  • Patent number: 10944918
    Abstract: A rear-facing camera of an electronic mirror device acquires a rear image of an area to the rear of a vehicle, and a left rear-side facing camera and a right rear-side facing camera acquire rear side-images of areas to the rearward sides of the vehicle. An electronic mirror ECU then creates a normal synthesized image by synthesizing the rear image acquired by the rear-facing camera with the rear side-images acquired by the rear-side facing cameras, and then displays the normal synthesized image on a display unit. Additionally, the electronic mirror ECU creates a blind spot priority synthesized image in which the rear side-image that contains an image area corresponding to the object is superimposed onto the rear image, and switches the image displayed on the display unit to this blind spot priority synthesized image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Goro Asai, Yousuke Kubota
  • Patent number: 10897572
    Abstract: An imaging and display device for a vehicle includes: a display unit configured to display a captured image which is obtained through image capturing by an imaging unit that images a rear side of the vehicle; and a control unit configured to perform view angle switching control of switching an angle of view of the captured image displayed on the display unit to a wider angle than a current angle of view when a predetermined wide-angle condition is satisfied as a distance between an object on the rear side of the vehicle and the vehicle decreases and switching the angle of view to an original angle of view when a predetermined return condition for returning to the original angle of view is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki Amano, Goro Asai, Tomoaki Okumura
  • Publication number: 20210006703
    Abstract: An exposure control device of a vehicle-mounted camera comprises an illuminance level determination unit, a plurality of timers, a timer operating unit, and an exposure level determination unit. The illuminance level determination unit determines that an illumination level of an external light illuminance corresponds to one of a plurality of illuminance levels. The timers each provided for a corresponding one of a plurality of change modes, the change modes being defined among the plurality of illuminance levels, or among a plurality of exposure levels for an exposure of a vehicular camera. The timer operating unit operates each of the timers in accordance with a state of change of the illuminance level of the external light illuminance. The exposure level determination unit determines one of the exposure levels for the exposure of the vehicular camera based on a count state of each of the timers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Inventors: Kyohei OZAKI, Taichi HASEGAWA, Kunihiro SUGIHARA, Goro ASAI, Tomoaki IIDA
  • Patent number: 10857943
    Abstract: A vehicle surroundings display device is provided. The vehicle surroundings display device includes an imaging device, a display device, and a display controller. The imaging device images a region toward a rear side of a vehicle and sideways from the vehicle. The display device is capable of displaying an image captured by the imaging device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Goro Asai, Kunihiro Sugihara, Tomoaki Iida, Yuki Takahashi, Taichi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 10829043
    Abstract: An image display apparatus has: an imaging device (11L, 11R) that is placed at a door (15L, 15R) of a vehicle (1) and that is configured to image an external circumstance of the vehicle; a displaying device (14) that is configured to display an external image captured by the imaging device; and a controlling device (132, 133) that is configured to control an display aspect of the display when the display displays the external image, the controlling device is configured to control the display aspect such that the display aspect when the door is in an opened state is different from the display aspect when the door is in a closed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shoji Inagaki, Goro Asai, Kunihiro Sugihara, Tomoaki Iida
  • Publication number: 20200215978
    Abstract: An electronic mirror system includes: a camera for capturing images of surroundings of a vehicle; a display unit for displaying an image captured by the camera; a switch unit including an adjustment switch and a multi-function switch; and a control unit for performing a process according to a signal from the switch unit. When the multi-function switch is operated, the control unit executes a process selected from a plurality of set processes according to a state of the vehicle; and in a case where the executed process is a transition to a mode for changing setting information of the system, and when the adjustment switch is operated after the transition, the control unit changes the setting information according to a signal from the adjustment switch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Katsuyuki FUKUDA, Tomoaki IIDA, Goro ASAI, Kunihiro SUGIHARA, Taichi HASEGAWA