Patents by Inventor Hirofumi Mita
Hirofumi Mita 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).
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Patent number: 7983475Abstract: A vehicular actuation system installed in a vehicle includes an actuation device that includes an operation member manipulated by a vehicle occupant. The system also includes a detecting unit for detecting a three-dimensional image in an operational area of a predetermined range about the operation member. The system also includes a control unit that determines based on the detected three-dimensional image whether or not a palm or back of a hand of the vehicle occupant is present in the operational area. The control unit operates the actuation device when the palm or back of the hand of the vehicle occupant is present in the operational area. The system includes a first operation mode in which the operation member is directly manipulated by the hand of the vehicle occupant to operate the actuation device and a second operation mode in which the actuation device is operated by the control unit.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2007Date of Patent: July 19, 2011Assignee: Takata CorporationInventors: Hiroshi Aoki, Hirofumi Mita, Masato Yokoo, Yuu Hakomori
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Patent number: 7978881Abstract: An occupant information detection system for detecting information related to a vehicle occupant on a vehicle seat includes an image detecting section facing a vehicle seat area taking a three-dimensional image, an information extraction processing section extracting information related to a three-dimensional surface profile of a detected object on a vehicle seat based on the three-dimensional image, a conversion processing section converting the extracted information into numerical coordinates of a predetermined coordinate system, and a computation processing section deriving a computed value by subtracting an average of first and second coordinate components from a third coordinate component. The system also includes a determination processing section determining the concave-convex shape of a line segment formed by the arbitrary points and the middle point based on the computed value.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2008Date of Patent: July 12, 2011Assignee: Takata CorporationInventors: Hiroshi Aoki, Hirofumi Mita, Masato Yokoo, Yuu Hakomori
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Patent number: 7920722Abstract: An occupant detection apparatus can include a photographing device disposed to face to a vehicle rear seat for taking three-dimensional images; an information extracting section which extracts image information corresponding to an upper area of a seat of the rear seat from three-dimensional images taken by the photographing device; a division processing section which divides information extracted by the information extracting section into areas relating to respective sitting areas for occupants sitting in the rear seat; and a derivation processing section which derives, with regard to histogram showing frequency distribution of picture elements relative to distances from the photographing device, a first histogram corresponding to image information divided by the division processing section and also derives a difference histogram by deriving a second histogram from the derived first histogram, and thus derives information about each rear-seat occupant in each sitting area of said vehicle rear seat based on thType: GrantFiled: November 19, 2007Date of Patent: April 5, 2011Assignee: Takata CorporationInventors: Hirofumi Mita, Hiroshi Aoki, Masato Yokoo, Yuu Hakomori
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Publication number: 20080267460Abstract: An occupant information detection system for detecting information related to a vehicle occupant on a vehicle seat includes an image detecting section facing a vehicle seat area taking a three-dimensional image, an information extraction processing section extracting information related to a three-dimensional surface profile of a detected object on a vehicle seat based on the three-dimensional image, a conversion processing section converting the extracted information into numerical coordinates of a predetermined coordinate system, and a computation processing section deriving a computed value by subtracting an average of first and second coordinate components from a third coordinate component. The system also includes a determination processing section determining the concave-convex shape of a line segment formed by the arbitrary points and the middle point based on the computed value.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 21, 2008Publication date: October 30, 2008Inventors: Hiroshi Aoki, Hirofumi Mita, Masato Yokoo, Yuu Hakomori
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Publication number: 20080255731Abstract: An occupant detection apparatus including a photographing section that is disposed to face to a vehicle rear seat for taking three-dimensional images of the vehicle rear seat area. The apparatus includes an information extraction processing section that extracts only first image information about an upper area of a seat back of the vehicle rear seat area from the three-dimensional images including the first image information and second image information about areas other than the upper area of the seat back. The apparatus also includes a segmentation processing section that segments the first image information extracted by the information extraction processing section into areas relating to respective sitting areas of a plurality of rear-seat occupants. The apparatus further includes a derivation processing section that derives, with regard to each image information segmented by the segmentation processing section, information about the rear-seat occupant sitting in the vehicle rear seat.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2008Publication date: October 16, 2008Inventors: Hirofumi Mita, Hiroshi Aoki, Masato Yokoo, Yuu Hakomori
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Publication number: 20080181456Abstract: A vehicular actuation system installed in a vehicle includes an actuation device that includes an operation member manipulated by a vehicle occupant. The system also includes a detecting unit for detecting a three-dimensional image in an operational area of a predetermined range about the operation member. The system also includes a control unit that determines based on the detected three-dimensional image whether or not a palm or back of a hand of the vehicle occupant is present in the operational area. The control unit operates the actuation device when the palm or back of the hand of the vehicle occupant is present in the operational area. The system includes a first operation mode in which the operation member is directly manipulated by the hand of the vehicle occupant to operate the actuation device and a second operation mode in which the actuation device is operated by the control unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 18, 2007Publication date: July 31, 2008Inventors: Hiroshi Aoki, Hirofumi Mita, Masato Yokoo, Yuu Hakomori
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Publication number: 20080116680Abstract: An occupant detection apparatus can include a photographing device disposed to face to a vehicle rear seat for taking three-dimensional images; an information extracting section which extracts image information corresponding to an upper area of a seat of the rear seat from three-dimensional images taken by the photographing device; a division processing section which divides information extracted by the information extracting section into areas relating to respective sitting areas for occupants sitting in the rear seat; and a derivation processing section which derives, with regard to histogram showing frequency distribution of picture elements relative to distances from the photographing device, a first histogram corresponding to image information divided by the division processing section and also derives a difference histogram by deriving a second histogram from the derived first histogram, and thus derives information about each rear-seat occupant in each sitting area of said vehicle rear seat based on thType: ApplicationFiled: November 19, 2007Publication date: May 22, 2008Inventors: Hirofumi Mita, Hiroshi Aoki, Masato Yokoo, Yuu Hakomori
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Publication number: 20080080741Abstract: The disclosed occupant detection system may include a photographing device, an information extracting device, a detection processing device, an integration processing device, and a determination processing device. The photographing device takes 3D images of a vehicle's driver. The information extracting device extracts information about at least one of a position or movement of the driver's head or hand. The detection processing device detects whether or not the at least one of the position or movement of the driver's head or hand is in a preset specified state. The integration processing device adds up the time in which the at least one of the position or movement of the driver's head or hand is not in the specified state. The determination processing device determines that the driver's attention is diminished when the time added up exceeds a preset reference value.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 24, 2007Publication date: April 3, 2008Inventors: Masato Yokoo, Hiroshi Aoki, Hirofumi Mita, Yuu Hakomori
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Patent number: 7120526Abstract: A method of discriminating the state of an object on a vehicle seat. The method includes taking samples of a signal indicative of seat load. It is provisionally determined that the object is in a second state if the seat load exceeds a first threshold, and it is provisionally determined that the object is in a first state if the seat load is less than a second threshold. It is determined that the object is in the first state if it is provisionally determined that the object is in the first state and if it is not provisionally determined that the object is in the second state. It is determined that the object is in the second state if it is provisionally determined that the object is in the second state and if it is not provisionally determined that the object is in the first state.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2004Date of Patent: October 10, 2006Assignee: Takata CorporationInventors: Masato Takao, Hirofumi Mita, Junji Azuma
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Publication number: 20050071062Abstract: A method of discriminating the state of an object on a vehicle seat. The method includes taking samples of a signal indicative of seat load. It is provisionally determined that the object is in a second state if the seat load exceeds a first threshold, and it is provisionally determined that the object is in a first state if the seat load is less than a second threshold. It is determined that the object is in the first state if it is provisionally determined that the object is in the first state and if it is not provisionally determined that the object is in the second state. It is determined that the object is in the second state if it is provisionally determined that the object is in the second state and if it is not provisionally determined that the object is in the first state.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 21, 2004Publication date: March 31, 2005Inventors: Masato Takao, Hirofumi Mita, Junji Azuma