Patents by Inventor Hitoaki Higuchi

Hitoaki Higuchi 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: 20240087114
    Abstract: An information processing system according to an embodiment is an information processing system that has a detection unit that has a sensor that is mounted on a toilet where a bowl part that receives excrement is formed where a plurality of elements are linearly arranged to detect dropping feces, a feces image acquisition unit that acquires a feces image that is based on information that is acquired in time series by the detection unit, and a determination unit that determines an amount of feces from the feces image, wherein the determination unit determines an amount of feces based on a length of feces in a dropping direction thereof on the feces image and a property of feces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Takeshi Takaki, Masamichi Tosaki, Satoko Kizuka, Yuta Sakai, Shota Fujino, Hitoaki Higuchi
  • Patent number: 11802830
    Abstract: A toilet seat apparatus according to an embodiment is a toilet seat apparatus to be placed on an upper part of a toilet bowl having a bowl unit that receives excrement, the toilet seat apparatus including: a toilet seat on which a user sits; a light emitting unit including one or more light emitting elements that emit light in a front direction; a light receiving unit including a light receiving element that receives light; and a housing in which the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged, in which the one or more light emitting elements are arranged in parallel with the light receiving unit or in front of the light receiving unit in a side view or a top view of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Oi, Takeshi Takaki, Naoya Takeuchi, Hitoaki Higuchi, Masamichi Tosaki, Masayuki Nagaishi, Yuta Sakai, Satoko Kizuka
  • Publication number: 20230009654
    Abstract: An excrement management system according to an embodiment includes: a closet bowl in which a bowl part for receiving excrement is formed; a light emitting unit configured to emit light toward an inner part of the closet bowl; a light receiving unit comprising an image sensor configured to receive light; a cloud server and an edge server configured to analyze light reception data received by the light receiving unit; a first communication device configured to transmit the light reception data to the cloud server; and a second communication device configured to transmit the light reception data to the edge server. The cloud server analyzes the light reception data to determine a characteristic of excrement, and the edge server analyzes the light reception data to determine whether to transmit the light reception data to the cloud server by the first communication device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Publication date: January 12, 2023
    Inventors: Takeshi Takaki, Satoko Kizuka, Yuta Sakai, Hirotomo Suyama, Hitoaki Higuchi, Haruna Matsui, Tetsuhiro Wasada, Ryo Oi
  • Publication number: 20220357269
    Abstract: A toilet seat apparatus according to an embodiment is a toilet seat apparatus to be placed on an upper part of a toilet bowl having a bowl unit that receives excrement, the toilet seat apparatus including: a toilet seat on which a user sits; a light emitting unit including one or more light emitting elements that emit light in a front direction; a light receiving unit including a light receiving element that receives light; and a housing in which the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged, in which the one or more light emitting elements are arranged in parallel with the light receiving unit or in front of the light receiving unit in a side view or a top view of the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Inventors: Ryo Oi, Takeshi Takaki, Naoya Takeuchi, Hitoaki Higuchi, Masamichi Tosaki, Masayuki Nagaishi, Yuta Sakai, Satoko Kizuka
  • Patent number: 11478114
    Abstract: A toilet seat apparatus according to an embodiment is a toilet seat apparatus to be placed on an upper part of a toilet bowl, the toilet seat apparatus including: a toilet seat on which a user sits; a light emitting unit that emits light; and a light receiving unit that receives light; first memory that stores data received by the light receiving unit; and an arithmetic processing device that executes transfer of data received by the light receiving unit to the first memory, and analysis and deletion of data stored in the first memory, in which the arithmetic processing device transfers the data received by the light receiving unit to the first memory, and deletes the data temporarily stored in the first memory when the data has been analyzed to be data that is not data based on the reflected light from falling feces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Yuta Sakai, Satoko Kizuka, Ryo Oi, Takeshi Takaki, Naoya Takeuchi, Hitoaki Higuchi, Masamichi Tosaki, Masayuki Nagaishi
  • Publication number: 20220178907
    Abstract: A toilet seat apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a toilet seat on which a user sits; a light emitting unit including a light emitting element that emits light; a light receiving unit including a light receiving element that receives light; and a control unit that controls energization of the light emitting element and application of voltage to the light receiving element, in which the control unit performs light reception control including transmitting a control instruction to open an electronic shutter to the light receiving element and energizing the light emitting element so as to permit reception of the reflected light from feces, and performs control of setting an interval from a start of execution of one light reception control to execution of light reception control subsequent to the one light reception control, to 0.2 milliseconds or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Masayuki Nagaishi, Yuta Sakai, Satoko Kizuka, Ryo Oi, Takeshi Takaki, Naoya Takeuchi, Hitoaki Higuchi, Masamichi Tosaki
  • Publication number: 20210345843
    Abstract: A toilet seat apparatus according to an embodiment is a toilet seat apparatus to be placed on an upper part of a toilet bowl, the toilet seat apparatus including: a toilet seat on which a user sits; a light emitting unit that emits light; and a light receiving unit that receives light; first memory that stores data received by the light receiving unit; and an arithmetic processing device that executes transfer of data received by the light receiving unit to the first memory, and analysis and deletion of data stored in the first memory, in which the arithmetic processing device transfers the data received by the light receiving unit to the first memory, and deletes the data temporarily stored in the first memory when the data has been analyzed to be data that is not data based on the reflected light from falling feces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Inventors: Yuta Sakai, Satoko Kizuka, Ryo Oi, Takeshi Takaki, Naoya Takeuchi, Hitoaki Higuchi, Masamichi Tosaki, Masayuki Nagaishi
  • Patent number: 10736474
    Abstract: A toilet seat device includes a main part, a toilet seat, a load sensor, a controller, and a memory. The toilet seat includes a seating part where a user is seated, and a support leg part supporting a load applied to the seating part. The load sensor is provided in the support leg part and detects the load applied to the support leg part. The controller performs at least a body weight measurement of the user based on a detection result of the load sensor. The controller includes a register mode and a normal-use mode in the body weight measurement. The register mode includes determining an estimated value for estimating the total body weight of the user from the seated load. The normal-use mode includes estimating a load value relating to the total body weight of the user based on the estimated value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Takaki, Hiroshi Tsuboi, Hitoaki Higuchi, Koji Sonoda, Keisuke Tashiro, Tomohiro Hara, Yo Morotomi
  • Publication number: 20190290079
    Abstract: A toilet seat device includes a main part, a toilet seat, a load sensor, a controller, and a memory. The toilet seat includes a seating part where a user is seated, and a support leg part supporting a load applied to the seating part. The load sensor is provided in the support leg part and detects the load applied to the support leg part. The controller performs at least a body weight measurement of the user based on a detection result of the load sensor. The controller includes a register mode and a normal-use mode in the body weight measurement. The register mode includes determining an estimated value for estimating the total body weight of the user from the seated load. The normal-use mode includes estimating a load value relating to the total body weight of the user based on the estimated value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Takeshi Takaki, Hiroshi Tsuboi, Hitoaki Higuchi, Koji Sonoda, Keisuke Tashiro, Tomohiro Hara, Yo Morotomi