Patents by Inventor Junya UENO

Junya UENO 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: 20200319636
    Abstract: A method for controlling a driving condition component of an autonomous vehicle is presented. The method includes determining whether current conditions would limit a driver's visibility. The method also includes predicting whether the driver will enable a manual mode during the current conditions. The method further includes controlling the driving condition component to mitigate the current conditions prior to the driver enabling the manual mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2019
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Junya UENO
  • Patent number: 10766460
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and storage media for controlling wiper devices of a vehicle are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may: remove, by one or more wiper devices, fluid or debris from viewing portals; generate output signals conveying passenger sensor information related to passenger actions; generate output signals conveying vehicle sensor information related to vehicle operations; determine, based on the output signal, the passenger sensor information; determine, based on the output signal, the vehicle sensor information; assess, based on the passenger sensor information or the vehicle sensor information, readiness of a passenger to depart the vehicle via an exit; and control, based on the readiness of the passenger to depart the vehicle via the exit, the one or more wiper devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Publication number: 20200269663
    Abstract: A method for controlling a sunshade of an autonomous vehicle is presented. The method includes determining that current conditions satisfy an activation condition. The method also includes predicting whether a driver will enable a manual mode during the current conditions. The method further includes activating a first sunshade in response to the satisfied activation condition regardless of whether the driver will enable the manual mode. The method still further includes activating a second sunshade in response to the satisfied activation condition when the driver will not enable the manual mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Junya UENO
  • Publication number: 20200272832
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for collecting lane data is disclosed. The method includes collecting lane data for a lane of a plurality of lanes of a road from one or more sensors of a vehicle traveling in the lane. The method includes receiving an identifier of a lane of the plurality of lanes. The identified lane is a lane-of-interest and is different than the lane that the vehicle is traveling in. The method includes determining that the vehicle is not occupied. The method includes, in response to determining that the vehicle is not occupied, causing the vehicle to travel in the lane-of-interest. The method includes collecting lane data for the lane-of-interest from the one or more sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Publication number: 20200273341
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for collecting lane data is disclosed. The method includes collecting lane data for a first lane of a plurality of lanes of a road from one or more sensors of a vehicle traveling in the first lane. The method includes receiving an identifier of a lane-of-interest from the plurality of lanes. The method includes determining a probability that the vehicle will receive a ride request while traveling in the first lane. The method includes determining that the probability satisfies a threshold. The method includes, in response to determining that the probability satisfies the threshold, causing the vehicle to travel in the lane-of-interest. The method includes collecting lane data for the lane-of-interest from the one or more sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Publication number: 20200189420
    Abstract: A method for adjusting a seat in a vehicle is presented. The method includes receiving a user input from a passenger to adjust the seat from a default position to a passenger adjusted position. The method also includes predicting, in response to the passenger exiting the vehicle, a likelihood of the passenger returning to the vehicle. The method still further includes maintaining the passenger adjusted position when the likelihood of the passenger returning to the vehicle is greater than a threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Junya UENO
  • Publication number: 20200189350
    Abstract: A method for selecting an autonomous mobility-as-a-service (MAAS) vehicle is presented. The method includes transmitting, to a customer, location information of an autonomous MAAS vehicle within the customer's vicinity. The method also includes transmitting, to the customer, a compartment climate value corresponding to the autonomous MAAS vehicle. The method further includes selecting the autonomous MAAS vehicle based on the compartment climate value, such that the selected autonomous MAAS vehicle navigates to a location of the customer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Junya UENO
  • Publication number: 20200191582
    Abstract: A method for route planning for an autonomous vehicle includes determining whether a route to a destination includes a stall factor and determining whether the autonomous vehicle will be occupied during the route. The method also includes determining an alternate route based on the determined stall factor when the autonomous vehicle will be unoccupied. The method still further includes controlling the autonomous vehicle to drive on the alternate route when the alternate route does not include a stall factor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Junya UENO
  • Publication number: 20200166939
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining routes to destinations for a vehicle may: generate output signals; obtain road information for a set of roads; determine presence information that indicates whether one or more passengers are present in the vehicle; determine the location information of the vehicle; obtain a target destination that represents a location the vehicle is intended to reach; determine a first route including a first subset of the set of roads; determine a second route including a second subset of the set of roads; and control the vehicle autonomously to traverse the vehicle along either the first route or the second route in accordance with whether one or more passengers are present in the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Publication number: 20200164877
    Abstract: Systems and methods for selecting among different driving modes for autonomous driving of a vehicle may: generate output signals; determine the vehicle proximity information that indicates whether one or more vehicles are within the particular proximity of the vehicle; determine the internal passenger presence information that indicates whether one or more passengers are present in the vehicle; select a first driving mode or a second driving mode based on one or more determinations; and control the vehicle autonomously in accordance with the selection of either the first driving mode or the second driving mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Publication number: 20200156436
    Abstract: A method for controlling a comfort component of a vehicle is presented. The method includes determining that the vehicle has arrived at a destination. The method also includes determining that the comfort component is activated. The method further includes deactivating the comfort component in response to determining that the comfort component is activated and the vehicle has arrived at the destination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Junya UENO
  • Publication number: 20200148170
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and storage media for controlling wiper devices of a vehicle are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may: remove, by one or more wiper devices, fluid or debris from viewing portals; generate output signals conveying passenger sensor information related to passenger actions; generate output signals conveying vehicle sensor information related to vehicle operations; determine, based on the output signal, the passenger sensor information; determine, based on the output signal, the vehicle sensor information; assess, based on the passenger sensor information or the vehicle sensor information, readiness of a passenger to depart the vehicle via an exit; and control, based on the readiness of the passenger to depart the vehicle via the exit, the one or more wiper devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Publication number: 20190355140
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to a method of determining stereo depth of an object. One method includes obtaining an image captured with a stereo camera arrangement. The stereo camera arrangement can be installed in one of a vehicle and a robotic apparatus, for example. The image captures a portion of the environment associated with the stereo camera arrangement. The method can further include identifying an object in the image, determining an object class for the object, determining a size parameter of the object, determining a size parameter of the object class, determining a maximum disparity for the object with the size parameter of the object and the size parameter of the object class, and determining a stereo depth of the object based on the maximum disparity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Inventor: Junya Ueno
  • Publication number: 20190354780
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to processing an image having a distortion and an object. The method according to some embodiments includes acquiring an image having a distortion and performing a first object detection analysis on a first portion of the image. Next, the method includes performing an undistortion process on the image, and after, performing a second object detection analysis on a second portion of the image. The second portion of the image is different than the first portion of the image. The method can then combine a first result of the first object detection analysis with a second result of the second object detection analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Inventor: Junya Ueno
  • Patent number: 10430971
    Abstract: A parallax calculating apparatus is provided with: a processor configured to perform, on each of a plurality of types of block shapes that are different from each other, (i) a parallax calculation process, (ii) a block group setting process, and (iii) a cost calculation process, by using a pair of images photographed by a stereo camera; and a selector configured to perform, on each of a plurality of pixels that constitute the image, a parallax selection process of setting a parallax value of a block in which a cost associated by the cost calculation process is minimum, as a parallax of a target pixel in which the parallax is to be obtained, from among a plurality of blocks, each of which includes the target pixel and which respectively correspond to the plurality of types of block shapes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Junya Ueno, Keiji Saneyoshi, Hiroaki Iwata
  • Publication number: 20180232908
    Abstract: A parallax calculating apparatus is provided with: a processor configured to perform, on each of a plurality of types of block shapes that are different from each other, (i) a parallax calculation process, (ii) a block group setting process, and (iii) a cost calculation process, by using a pair of images photographed by a stereo camera; and a selector configured to perform, on each of a plurality of pixels that constitute the image, a parallax selection process of setting a parallax value of a block in which a cost associated by the cost calculation process is minimum, as a parallax of a target pixel in which the parallax is to be obtained, from among a plurality of blocks, each of which includes the target pixel and which respectively correspond to the plurality of types of block shapes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Junya UENO, Keiji SANEYOSHI, Hiroaki IWATA