Patents by Inventor Henrik Schäfer

Henrik Schäfer 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: 20230222928
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a collision avoidance concept comprising emitting a modulated light beacon from an object, wherein a luminance of the light beacon is modulated based on a useful signal carrying information on a position of the object, detecting, by an event-based vision sensor of a vehicle, the modulated light beacon of the object and outputting an event signal in response to a detected change in luminance of the modulated light beacon, and estimating a distance between the object and the vehicle based on the event signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2021
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Henrik SCHÄFER, Kirk SCHEPER
  • Patent number: 11697499
    Abstract: A method for transporting a rescue device from an aerial vehicle to a person to be rescued includes launching an unmanned aerial vehicle from the aerial vehicle having an end portion releasable attached to the unmanned aerial vehicle via a first connection and a second connection. The method further includes enabling the person to be rescued to reach the end portion of the rescue device. and determining whether the end portion of the rescue device is released from the first connection. If the rescue device is released determining at the unmanned aerial vehicle whether the person to be rescued is safely attached to the rescue device. If so, the method comprises either releasing the rescue device from the second connection, or deactivating the unmanned aerial vehicle such that the unmanned aerial vehicle remains attached to the rescue device via the second connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Peter Dürr, Henrik Schäfer, Bi Wang
  • Publication number: 20230078012
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an aerial vehicle for carrying a load. The aerial vehicle comprises an environmental monitoring system configured to monitor the environment of the aerial vehicle and a data processing circuitry. The data processing circuitry is configured to determine, based on the monitored environment, a risk to the environment posed by at least one of the aerial vehicle and the load of the aerial vehicle in case of a crash of the aerial vehicle. The data processing circuitry is further configured to cause, based on the determined risk, the aerial vehicle to carry out an action in order to reduce a damage to the environment in case of the crash.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Florian BECKER, Peter DÜRR, Matthias FREY, Henrik SCHÄFER
  • Publication number: 20220289375
    Abstract: A method for autonomous in-flight transfer of a load from a first Aerial Vehicle, AV, to a second AV is provided. Each of the first AV and the second AV includes a frame with a vertical opening for receiving the load. A plurality of rotors are attached to the frame. The method comprising autonomously performing the following in-flight: fastening means of the first AV hold the load in the vertical opening of the first AV such that a bottom end of the load is accessible by the second AV; the second AV approaches the first AV from below in order to couple a fastening means of the second AV to the bottom end of the load; the fastening means of the first AV releases the load after the fastening means of the second AV couples to the bottom end of the load; and the fastening means of the second AV lower the load with respect to the frame of the second AV in order to move the load into a flight position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Henrik SCHÄFER, Florian BECKER
  • Publication number: 20220163673
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally pertains to time-of-flight simulation data training circuitry, configured to: obtain time-of-flight camera model data based on a time-of-flight camera model modelling a real time-of-flight camera of a real time-of-flight camera type; obtain real time-of-flight data from at least one real time-of-flight camera of the real time-of-flight camera type; determine a difference between the real time-of-flight data and the time-of-flight camera model data; and update, based on the determined difference, the time-of-flight camera model for generating simulated time-of-flight data representing the real time-of-flight camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Gianluca Agresti, Henrik Schäfer, Yalcin Incesu, Piergiorgio Sartor, Pietro Zanuttigh
  • Patent number: 11260831
    Abstract: A wiper device for a small and curved surface such as a spherical surface of an optical element includes at least one elongate wiper element with two ends, two drive units to which the ends of the wiper element are attached so that the wiper element can be moved on the surface of the optical element using the two drive units, and at least one contacting means for bringing the wiper element into contact with a surface of the optical element, the contacting means shapes the wiper element around at least that part of the surface which is exposed to the environment due to an opening provided by the housing and is to be cleaned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventor: Henrik Schäfer
  • Publication number: 20210166124
    Abstract: The present disclosure proposes a concept of training a machine learning network for use with a ToF camera. Based on a predefined synthetic scene, it is simulated a ground truth time resolved illumination return signal for a light pulse emitted from the ToF camera to the synthetic scene and scattered back from the synthetic scene to the ToF camera. The synthetic scene comprises a plurality of scene points with known distances between each of the scene points and the ToF camera. Based on the ground truth time resolved illumination return signal and a simulation model of the ToF camera, it is then simulated an output signal of at least one ToF pixel capturing the synthetic scene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Applicant: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Henrik SCHÄFER, Enrico BURATTO, Gianluca AGRESTI, Pietro ZANUTTIGH
  • Publication number: 20210053684
    Abstract: A method for transporting a rescue device from an aerial vehicle to a person to be rescued is provided. The rescue device is attached to the aerial vehicle. The method includes launching an unmanned aerial vehicle from the aerial vehicle. An end portion of the rescue device is attached to the unmanned aerial vehicle via a first connection and a second connection. The end portion of the rescue device is releasable by the person to be rescued from the first connection for handover. The method further includes approaching the person to be rescued by the unmanned aerial vehicle in order to enable the person to be rescued to reach the end portion of the rescue device. Additionally, the method includes determining at the unmanned aerial vehicle whether the end portion of the rescue device is released from the first connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Peter DÜRR, Henrik SCHÄFER, Bi WANG
  • Patent number: 10650257
    Abstract: A method for identifying a signaling state of at least one signaling device including a traffic light includes obtaining at least one image which includes an image of the at least one signaling device, extracting a region of the at least one image which includes the image of the at least one signaling device, detecting the at least one signaling device within the extracted region of the at least one image, and detecting a signaling state of the signaling device after detecting the at least one signaling device within the extracted region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Nikhil Satyakumar, Harish S. Bharadwaj, Krishna Reddy Konda, Ganeshan Narayanan, Henrik Schäfer
  • Patent number: 10628689
    Abstract: A method for identifying a signaling state of at least one signaling device from a plurality of signaling devices includes obtaining at least one image which comprises each of the plurality of signaling devices, representing at least one first group of the plurality of signaling devices detected by the image using a display device, receiving a user input regarding the display device or regarding a representation provided by the display device, evaluating the user input and selecting a second group from the first group of the plurality of signaling devices, and detecting a signaling state of the signaling devices of the second group and outputting a signal as a function of at least one detected signaling state of a signaling device of the second group in response to a change in the signaling state. A device for carrying out such a method is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l
    Inventor: Henrik Schäfer
  • Patent number: 10576940
    Abstract: A wiping device for wiping an optical element clean of water or of particles includes a housing and a wiping element able to undergo a movement with respect to the housing, where the wiping device is configured to move in such a manner that such movement is caused by coupling a first unit in or on the wiping element with a second unit in the housing via a time-variable electromagnetic field. The wiping device may be used for wiping the surface of a lens or of a window, which lens or window is transmissive to visible light, ultraviolet radiation, and/or infrared radiation, and is preferably placed in front or as part of a camera. In addition, a rear view device or driver assistant device for use in or on a vehicle including such a wiping device, and a method for wiping an optical element are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventor: Henrik Schäfer
  • Publication number: 20200062220
    Abstract: A wiper device for a small and curved surface such as a spherical surface of an optical element includes at least one elongate wiper element with two ends, two drive units to which the ends of the wiper element are attached so that the wiper element can be moved on the surface of the optical element using the two drive units, and at least one contacting means for bringing the wiper element into contact with a surface of the optical element, the contacting means shapes the wiper element around at least that part of the surface which is exposed to the environment due to an opening provided by the housing and is to be cleaned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Inventor: Henrik SCHÄFER
  • Publication number: 20180232586
    Abstract: A method for identifying a signaling state of at least one signaling device from a plurality of signaling devices includes obtaining at least one image which comprises each of the plurality of signaling devices, representing at least one first group of the plurality of signaling devices detected by the image using a display device, receiving a user input regarding the display device or regarding a representation provided by the display device, evaluating the user input and selecting a second group from the first group of the plurality of signaling devices, and detecting a signaling state of the signaling devices of the second group and outputting a signal as a function of at least one detected signaling state of a signaling device of the second group in response to a change in the signaling state. A device for carrying out such a method is also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventor: Henrik Schäfer
  • Publication number: 20180201230
    Abstract: A wiping device for wiping an optical element clean of water or of particles includes a housing and a wiping element able to undergo a movement with respect to the housing, where the wiping device is configured to move in such a manner that such movement is caused by coupling a first unit in or on the wiping element with a second unit in the housing via a time-variable electromagnetic field. The wiping device may be used for wiping the surface of a lens or of a window, which lens or window is transmissive to visible light, ultraviolet radiation, and/or infrared radiation, and is preferably placed in front or as part of a camera. In addition, a rear view device or driver assistant device for use in or on a vehicle including such a wiping device, and a method for wiping an optical element are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2018
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Inventor: Henrik Schäfer