Patents by Inventor Kazuyoshi Akiba

Kazuyoshi Akiba 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: 11968478
    Abstract: To reduce complication of a configuration of a vehicle while suppressing an increase in weight of the vehicle, a camera system mounted on a vehicle includes an imaging unit to capture multiple frame images of an outside of the vehicle per cycle and an image processor to obtain the multiple frame images from the imaging unit and separate the multiple frame images into a first given number of frame images as a recognition target and a second given number of frame images as a storage target to be stored in an image recorder. The image processor separately outputs the first and second given numbers of frame images to be recognized and stored, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshikazu Murao, Kazuyoshi Akiba, Tetsuya Kimata, Kazuhiko Kobayashi, Takayuki Kimura
  • Patent number: 11789354
    Abstract: A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and configured to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes multiple lens units on which an optical image of the external environment is incident, individually, and an imaging system to generate an outside image of the external environment by imaging through each of the lens units, individually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kensuke Chikata, Takeshi Kazama, Yasuki Furutake, Kazuyoshi Akiba, Sho Okuda, Nobuhisa Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11790634
    Abstract: A first tone curve referred to in generating an image recognition processing signal as an image output signal for image recognition processing and a second tone curve referred to in generating a visual recognition signal as an image output signal for visual recognition are separately generated. The second tone curve for visual recognition is generated by connecting a dark control point, which is a control point specified in a luminance-pixel value coordinate system corresponding to the lowest luminance portion in a luminance histogram, a light control point, which is a control point specified in the luminance-pixel value coordinate system corresponding to the highest luminance portion in the luminance histogram, and an intermediate control point, which is a control point specified in the luminance-pixel value coordinate system corresponding to an intermediate luminance portion in the luminance histogram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshikazu Murao, Kazuyoshi Akiba
  • Patent number: 11501540
    Abstract: An imaging system to be mounted in a vehicle is provided. The imaging system includes an optical wide-angle camera acquiring an image, and an object identifying apparatus. This object identifying apparatus executes a distortion correcting process with the acquired image and apply previously-prepared reference patterns to the image which has been subjected to the distortion correcting process such that objects in the acquired image are recognized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Akiba, Toshikazu Murao, Kazuhiko Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20220353476
    Abstract: To reduce complication of a configuration of a vehicle while suppressing an increase in weight of the vehicle, a camera system mounted on a vehicle includes an imaging unit to capture multiple frame images of an outside of the vehicle per cycle and an image processor to obtain the multiple frame images from the imaging unit and separate the multiple frame images into a first given number of frame images as a recognition target and a second given number of frame images as a storage target to be stored in an image recorder. The image processor separately outputs the first and second given numbers of frame images to be recognized and stored, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: Toshikazu MURAO, Kazuyoshi AKIBA, Tetsuya KIMATA, Kazuhiko KOBAYASHI, Takayuki KIMURA
  • Patent number: 11425337
    Abstract: To reduce complication of a configuration of a vehicle while suppressing an increase in weight of the vehicle, a camera system mounted on a vehicle includes an imaging unit to capture multiple frame images of an outside of the vehicle per cycle and an image processor to obtain the multiple frame images from the imaging unit and separate the multiple frame images into a first given number of frame images as a recognition target and a second given number of frame images as a storage target to be stored in an image recorder. The image processor separately outputs the first and second given numbers of frame images to be recognized and stored, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshikazu Murao, Kazuyoshi Akiba, Tetsuya Kimata, Kazuhiko Kobayashi, Takayuki Kimura
  • Patent number: 11418722
    Abstract: An exposure control device includes a feature quantity calculation section, a priority setting section, and a control amount calculation section. The feature quantity calculation section calculates feature quantities of a plurality of pixels in a frame image acquired by the imaging section which are different from luminance values. The priority setting section sets priority in accordance with the feature quantities so that the luminance value(s) of one or more pixels with high feature quantities calculated by the feature quantity calculation section are preferentially used to calculate an exposure control amount. The control amount calculation section calculates the exposure control amount based on the luminance values of the pixels and the priority set by the priority setting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Akiba, Toshikazu Murao
  • Publication number: 20220043332
    Abstract: A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and configured to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes multiple lens units on which an optical image of the external environment is incident, individually, and an imaging system to generate an outside image of the external environment by imaging through each of the lens units, individually.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2021
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventors: Kensuke Chikata, Takeshi Kazama, Yasuki Furutake, Kazuyoshi Akiba, Sho Okuda, Nobuhisa Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20220021799
    Abstract: An exposure control device includes a feature quantity calculation section, a priority setting section, and a control amount calculation section. The feature quantity calculation section calculates feature quantities of a plurality of pixels in a frame image acquired by the imaging section which are different from luminance values. The priority setting section sets priority in accordance with the feature quantities so that the luminance value(s) of one or more pixels with high feature quantities calculated by the feature quantity calculation section are preferentially used to calculate an exposure control amount. The control amount calculation section calculates the exposure control amount based on the luminance values of the pixels and the priority set by the priority setting section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi AKIBA, Toshikazu MURAO
  • Publication number: 20220019839
    Abstract: A first tone curve referred to in generating an image recognition processing signal as an image output signal for image recognition processing and a second tone curve referred to in generating a visual recognition signal as an image output signal for visual recognition are separately generated. The second tone curve for visual recognition is generated by connecting a dark control point, which is a control point specified in a luminance-pixel value coordinate system corresponding to the lowest luminance portion in a luminance histogram, a light control point, which is a control point specified in the luminance-pixel value coordinate system corresponding to the highest luminance portion in the luminance histogram, and an intermediate control point, which is a control point specified in the luminance-pixel value coordinate system corresponding to an intermediate luminance portion in the luminance histogram.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Inventors: Toshikazu MURAO, Kazuyoshi AKIBA
  • Patent number: 11181816
    Abstract: A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and configured to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes multiple lens units on which an optical image of the external environment is incident, individually, and an imaging system to generate an outside image of the external environment by imaging through each of the lens units, individually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kensuke Chikata, Takeshi Kazama, Yasuki Furutake, Kazuyoshi Akiba, Sho Okuda, Nobuhisa Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11112804
    Abstract: In an autonomous driving control apparatus, a drive control unit determines, based on first and second images respectively captured by first and second cameras and an autonomous driving condition, a value of at least one controlled variable for autonomous driving of a vehicle, and outputs, to a vehicle control unit, the value of the at least one controlled variable to thereby cause the vehicle control unit to carry out a task of autonomously driving the vehicle. A camera monitor unit determines whether at least one of the first and second cameras has malfunctioned. The camera monitor unit limits, based on the at least one of the first and second directional regions corresponding to the at least of the first and second cameras, the autonomous driving condition when determining that the at least one of the first and second cameras has malfunctioned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kobayashi, Kazuyoshi Akiba, Toshikazu Murao
  • Patent number: 11044415
    Abstract: An image processing device is provided with an image acquiring unit that acquires the image from an imaging unit mounted on a vehicle, a light determining unit that determines a state of a light mounted on the vehicle, and an adjusting unit that adjusts a relationship between a luminance at an object to be captured by the imaging unit, and a pixel value in the image. The adjusting unit is configured to set, when the light determining unit determines the state of the light is in the low-beam state, the illuminance where the pixel value is at the lower limit, to be lower than that of a case when the light determining unit determines the state of the light is in the high-beam state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuzuru Koshisaka, Kazuyoshi Akiba
  • Patent number: 10882467
    Abstract: A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and configured to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes multiple lens units on which an optical image of the external environment is incident, individually, and an imaging system to generate an outside image of the external environment by imaging through each of the lens units, individually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuki Furutake, Kazuyoshi Akiba
  • Patent number: 10627606
    Abstract: A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and configured to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes multiple lens units on which an optical image of the external environment is incident, individually, and an imaging system to generate an outside image of the external environment by imaging through each of the lens units, individually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kensuke Chikata, Takeshi Kazama, Yasuki Furutake, Kazuyoshi Akiba
  • Patent number: 10630952
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a plurality of optical filters, a plurality of transmissive members, an imaging section, and a signal processing section. The optical filters transmit visible rays having a wavelength enabling visual recognition of a primary color, and the transmissive members transmit infrared rays. A plurality of imaging elements of the imaging section are constituted by a plurality of groups. Each of the imaging elements includes optical filters or transmissive members. The signal processing section determines the luminance of each pixel of a produced image, based on measurement values measured by the imaging elements of a group corresponding to the pixel. At least one imaging element of each group is provided with a transmissive member, and the remaining one or more imaging elements are provided with the optical filters having no color or a primary color allocated to the group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshikazu Murao, Kazuyoshi Akiba
  • Publication number: 20200029052
    Abstract: To reduce complication of a configuration of a vehicle while suppressing an increase in weight of the vehicle, a camera system mounted on a vehicle includes an imaging unit to capture multiple frame images of an outside of the vehicle per cycle and an image processor to obtain the multiple frame images from the imaging unit and separate the multiple frame images into a first given number of frame images as a recognition target and a second given number of frame images as a storage target to be stored in an image recorder. The image processor separately outputs the first and second given numbers of frame images to be recognized and stored, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventors: Toshikazu MURAO, Kazuyoshi AKIBA, Tetsuya KIMATA, Kazuhiko KOBAYASHI, Takayuki KIMURA
  • Publication number: 20190369635
    Abstract: In an autonomous driving control apparatus, a drive control unit determines, based on first and second images respectively captured by first and second cameras and an autonomous driving condition, a value of at least one controlled variable for autonomous driving of a vehicle, and outputs, to a vehicle control unit, the value of the at least one controlled variable to thereby cause the vehicle control unit to carry out a task of autonomously driving the vehicle. A camera monitor unit determines whether at least one of the first and second cameras has malfunctioned. The camera monitor unit limits, based on the at least one of the first and second directional regions corresponding to the at least of the first and second cameras, the autonomous driving condition when determining that the at least one of the first and second cameras has malfunctioned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: Kazuhiko KOBAYASHI, Kazuyoshi AKIBA, Toshikazu MURAO
  • Publication number: 20190351841
    Abstract: A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and configured to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes multiple lens units on which an optical image of the external environment is incident, individually, and an imaging system to generate an outside image of the external environment by imaging through each of the lens units, individually.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Inventors: Yasuki FURUTAKE, Kazuyoshi AKIBA
  • Patent number: 10406995
    Abstract: A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and configured to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes multiple lens units on which an optical image of the external environment is incident, individually, and an imaging system to generate an outside image of the external environment by imaging through each of the lens units, individually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuki Furutake, Kazuyoshi Akiba