Patents by Inventor Kenji Muto

Kenji Muto 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: 11587372
    Abstract: In an abnormality detection method for detecting an abnormality in vehicle behaviors based on an abnormality degree indicating a degree of difference between first driving information representing a vehicle behavior undergoing abnormality detection and second driving information obtained when no abnormality is found in a travel environment, an abnormality threshold is estimated using an abnormality degree distribution generated from a set of preaccumulated abnormality degrees. The abnormality threshold is an abnormality degree allowing a probability of erroneous determination as to presence or absence of an abnormality to be a predefined probability. Further, in the abnormality detection method, it is detected whether an abnormality is found in the vehicle behavior by comparing the abnormality degree for the first driving information and the estimated abnormality threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masataka Mori, Kenji Muto
  • Patent number: 11361555
    Abstract: A server device includes: a data collection unit that collects vehicle behavior data; a scene extraction unit that extracts, from the collected vehicle behavior data, driving scenes corresponding to the behavior of the vehicle and a scene feature amount of each of the driving scenes; an abnormality detection unit that calculates a degree of abnormality which represents an extent of deviation of the scene feature amount of each of the extracted driving scenes relative to a driving model, and detects a driving scene including a location of an abnormality using the calculated degree of abnormality; a section determination unit that extracts driving scenes satisfying a predetermined condition from among the detected driving scene and a plurality of driving scenes continuous to the driving scene, and determines, as an abnormal behavior section, a time range defined by the total continuation time of the extracted driving scenes; an image request unit that requests, from the vehicle, one or more captured images acco
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideaki Misawa, Kenji Muto
  • Publication number: 20210284197
    Abstract: In an accident pattern determination apparatus including a storage storing attributes assigned to respective ones of a plurality of predefined traffic situations, an acquirer acquires, for each of vehicle-related accident cases, an accident pattern that is a combination of traffic situations in the accident case, from the plurality of predefined traffic situations. A determiner determines, for each accident pattern acquired by the acquirer, whether the accident pattern is an accident pattern of high accident risk or an accident pattern of low accident risk for specific vehicles, based on the accident patterns acquired for the respective accident cases and the attributes assigned to respective ones of the plurality of predefined traffic situations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Inventors: Masataka MORI, Kenji MUTO, Kazuhito TAKENAKA, Daisuke HIRANO, Suguru YAMAZAKI, Yoshinori TAKEUCHI, Shun SHIMIZU
  • Publication number: 20210004612
    Abstract: A server device includes: a data collection unit that collects vehicle behavior data; a scene extraction unit that extracts, from the collected vehicle behavior data, driving scenes corresponding to the behavior of the vehicle and a scene feature amount of each of the driving scenes; an abnormality detection unit that calculates a degree of abnormality which represents an extent of deviation of the scene feature amount of each of the extracted driving scenes relative to a driving model, and detects a driving scene including a location of an abnormality using the calculated degree of abnormality; a section determination unit that extracts driving scenes satisfying a predetermined condition from among the detected driving scene and a plurality of driving scenes continuous to the driving scene, and determines, as an abnormal behavior section, a time range defined by the total continuation time of the extracted driving scenes; an image request unit that requests, from the vehicle, one or more captured images acco
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Inventors: Hideaki MISAWA, Kenji MUTO
  • Publication number: 20200380802
    Abstract: In an abnormality detection method for detecting an abnormality in vehicle behaviors based on an abnormality degree indicating a degree of difference between first driving information representing a vehicle behavior undergoing abnormality detection and second driving information obtained when no abnormality is found in a travel environment, an abnormality threshold is estimated using an abnormality degree distribution generated from a set of preaccumulated abnormality degrees. The abnormality threshold is an abnormality degree allowing a probability of erroneous determination as to presence or absence of an abnormality to be a predefined probability. Further, in the abnormality detection method, it is detected whether an abnormality is found in the vehicle behavior by comparing the abnormality degree for the first driving information and the estimated abnormality threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventors: Masataka MORI, Kenji MUTO
  • Patent number: 10687701
    Abstract: A tomographic-image pickup unit is controlled so as to capture a tomographic image in response to a signal input from a signal input unit. Then, a display unit is controlled so as to display the captured tomographic image. An eyeground-image pickup unit is controlled so as to capture a two-dimensional image in response to a signal input from the signal input unit while the tomographic image is displayed on the display unit. Therewith, the user can more easily perform imaging, and the time load on the subject is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji Muto, Yasuyuki Numajiri, Nobuhito Suehira, Makoto Sato, Yukio Sakagawa, Akihiro Katayama
  • Patent number: 10540838
    Abstract: An article dispensing apparatus includes: an article discharging apparatus including a lower pedal and an upper pedal; an out-of-stock detection switch configured to: be turned to a first state when the lower pedal is turned to a second standby attitude; and be turned to a second state when the lower pedal is turned to any attitude other than the second standby attitude; and a controller configured to determine that an article has been dispensed from an article storage passage by the fact that the out-of-stock detection switch is turned to the first state when the article discharging apparatus is driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji Tachi, Kenji Muto, Shirou Takeuchi, Tatsurou Sugaya
  • Patent number: 10524654
    Abstract: The present invention provides an ophthalmologic apparatus that includes an acquiring unit that acquires a tomographic image of a fundus of an eye to be inspected, and a display control unit that controls a display unit to display, in a state of corresponding to the acquired image, a comparison area corresponding to another tomographic image to be compared with the acquired tomographic image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenji Muto
  • Patent number: 10522032
    Abstract: In a driving-state data storage apparatus, a collector collects, from each of vehicles on a target travelling road, a value of data indicative of a driving state of the corresponding vehicle to correspondingly obtain driving-state data values for the target road. A data allocator divides, based on similarity among the driving-state data values, the target traveling road into a plurality of traveling segments, and extracts, from the driving-state data values, data values for each of the divided travelling segments. The data values extracted for each of the travelling segments are similar to each other. The data allocator allocates a distribution of the extracted data values for each of the divided travelling segments to the corresponding one of the divided travelling segments as a feature distribution. A storage unit stores the feature distribution allocated for each of the travelling segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masataka Mori, Hideaki Misawa, Kazuhito Takenaka, Yuki Shinohara, Kentaro Hitomi, Utsushi Sakai, Masumi Egawa, Kenji Muto
  • Patent number: 10401503
    Abstract: In a location estimation device, a change detection unit detects a point of change in the width of a roadside structure as a width change point. A width correction unit calculates a width deviation between a first relative location of the roadside structure on a map data segment and a second relative location of the roadside structure obtained based on shape information of the roadside structure in the width direction of a vehicle. The width correction unit corrects, as a function of the width deviation and a positional accuracy of the vehicle in the travelling direction, an estimated location of the vehicle in the width direction when it is determined that there is the point of change in the width of the roadside structure in the travelling direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kojiro Tateishi, Naoki Kawasaki, Shunsuke Suzuki, Hiroshi Mizuno, Kenji Muto, Mikio Shimizu, Yusuke Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10347122
    Abstract: In an anomaly detection apparatus mounted in a vehicle, a model storage stores a driving model which is set corresponding to a travel location of the vehicle traveling on a roadway and represents a normal driving state as the vehicle is traveling at the travel location. A data acquirer acquires driving performance data representing the driving state of the vehicle. A degree-of-anomaly calculator calculates a degree of anomaly in the driving state based on the driving model stored in the model storage and the driving performance data acquired by the data acquirer. A vehicle-mounted transmitter, if the degree of anomaly calculated by the degree-of-anomaly calculator exceeds an anomaly determination value for determining the presence of an anomaly in the driving state, transmits at least the degree of anomaly and the travel location corresponding to the degree of anomaly to a monitoring center located external to the vehicle and detects an anomaly in the road condition based on the degree of anomaly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: DENSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhito Takenaka, Kenji Muto, Masumi Egawa, Seiichi Furuta
  • Publication number: 20180158323
    Abstract: In an anomaly detection apparatus mounted in a vehicle, a model storage stores a driving model which is set corresponding to a travel location of the vehicle traveling on a roadway and represents a normal driving state as the vehicle is traveling at the travel location. A data acquirer acquires driving performance data representing the driving state of the vehicle. A degree-of-anomaly calculator calculates a degree of anomaly in the driving state based on the driving model stored in the model storage and the driving performance data acquired by the data acquirer. A vehicle-mounted transmitter, if the degree of anomaly calculated by the degree-of-anomaly calculator exceeds an anomaly determination value for determining the presence of an anomaly in the driving state, transmits at least the degree of anomaly and the travel location corresponding to the degree of anomaly to a monitoring center located external to the vehicle and detects an anomaly in the road condition based on the degree of anomaly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Inventors: Kazuhito TAKENAKA, Kenji MUTO, Masumi EGAWA, Seiichi FURUTA
  • Patent number: 9955866
    Abstract: An optical tomographic imaging apparatus includes a first lens having a first focal length, a second lens having a second focal length longer that the first focal length, a scanning unit disposed at a focal position of the second lens, and an optical path branching unit disposed between the first and second lenses. An observation optical path located on a transmission optical path of the optical path branching unit, and an optical path of measurement light located on a reflection optical path of the optical path branching unit. The second lens is disposed on the optical path of the measurement light between the first lens and the scanning unit, such that an angle at which the measurement light scanned by the scanning unit is incident on the optical path branching unit is maintained substantially unchanged during scanning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Muto, Hirofumi Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20180066960
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for driving assisting provided with an ECU which includes an extraction unit extracting a shape and a distribution of a landmark on a plurality of routes leading to a destination on a map, an accuracy calculation unit calculating an estimated accuracy of a vehicle position at each sampling point positioned at predetermined intervals on each route, on the basis of the shape and distribution of each landmark, an operating ratio calculation unit calculating an operating ratio of a driving assistance control on each of the routes, on the basis of the calculated accuracy at each sampling point, and a route selection unit which enables a driver of the vehicle to select a route among the plurality of routes, after the calculated operating ratio is presented to the driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Kojiro Tateishi, Naoki Kawasaki, Shunsuke Suzuki, Hiroshi Mizuno, Kenji Muto, Yusuke Tanaka, Masataka Konishi
  • Patent number: 9901249
    Abstract: An ophthalmologic examination apparatus capable of accurately discriminating a boundary between layers indicated by an operator (user) among boundaries of an object to be inspected, when the operator manually changes a position of information designating boundary of layers includes: an acquiring unit configured to acquire a tomographic image of an object to be inspected; a display control unit configured to cause a display unit to display the tomographic image and information designating boundary of layers in the tomographic image; and an adjustment unit configured to adjust, in a case where a boundary of layers is indicated in the displayed information, contrast of the tomographic image such that a brightness difference between layers corresponding to the indicated boundary in the tomographic image becomes large.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenji Muto
  • Publication number: 20180017683
    Abstract: In a location estimation device, a change detection unit detects a point of change in the width of a roadside structure as a width change point. A width correction unit calculates a width deviation between a first relative location of the roadside structure on a map data segment and a second relative location of the roadside structure obtained based on shape information of the roadside structure in the width direction of a vehicle. The width correction unit corrects, as a function of the width deviation and a positional accuracy of the vehicle in the travelling direction, an estimated location of the vehicle in the width direction when it is determined that there is the point of change in the width of the roadside structure in the travelling direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Inventors: Kojiro TATEISHI, Naoki KAWASAKI, Shunsuke SUZUKI, Hiroshi MIZUNO, Kenji MUTO, Mikio SHIMIZU, Yusuke TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20170337812
    Abstract: In a driving-state data storage apparatus, a collector collects, from each of vehicles on a target travelling road, a value of data indicative of a driving state of the corresponding vehicle to correspondingly obtain driving-state data values for the target road. A data allocator divides, based on similarity among the driving-state data values, the target traveling road into a plurality of traveling segments, and extracts, from the driving-state data values, data values for each of the divided travelling segments. The data values extracted for each of the travelling segments are similar to each other. The data allocator allocates a distribution of the extracted data values for each of the divided travelling segments to the corresponding one of the divided travelling segments as a feature distribution. A storage unit stores the feature distribution allocated for each of the travelling segments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Inventors: Masataka MORI, Hideaki MISAWA, Kazuhito TAKENAKA, Yuki SHINOHARA, Kentaro HITOMI, Utsushi SAKAI, Masumi EGAWA, Kenji MUTO
  • Patent number: 9783037
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a body, a first battery set, a first accessory device, a second battery set, a second accessory device, a load device, and connecting wires. The first battery set is installed in the body and includes at least one first series unit including a predetermined number of battery cells connected in series. The first accessory device is installed in the body and connected to the first battery set. The second battery set is installed in the body and includes at least one second series unit including a predetermined number of battery cells connected in series. The second accessory device is installed in the body and connected to the second battery set. The load device is installed in the body and connected to the first battery set via the first accessory device and to the second battery set via the second accessory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji Muto, Akira Nakai, Hideaki Sakai
  • Publication number: 20170256118
    Abstract: An article dispensing apparatus includes: an article discharging apparatus including a lower pedal and an upper pedal; an out-of-stock detection switch configured to: be turned to a first state when the lower pedal is turned to a second standby attitude; and be turned to a second state when the lower pedal is turned to any attitude other than the second standby attitude; and a controller configured to determine that an article has been dispensed from an article storage passage by the fact that the out-of-stock detection switch is turned to the first state when the article discharging apparatus is driven.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Inventors: Yuji TACHI, Kenji MUTO, Shirou TAKEUCHI, Tatsurou SUGAYA
  • Patent number: 9688342
    Abstract: In a mobile vehicle 1 having a vehicle body 2, a front wheel 3f, and a rear wheel 3r, the steering control wheel 3f can be steered by a steering actuator 8 about a steering axis Csf which is tilted backward. The steering actuator 8 is controlled by a control device 15. The height a, from a ground surface 110, of the intersection point Ef of the steering axis Csf of the steering control wheel 3f and a virtual straight line connecting the ground contact point of the steering control wheel 3f and the center of axle of the steering control wheel 3f in a basic posture state of the mobile vehicle 1 is set to satisfy a prescribed condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Takenaka, Hiroshi Gomi, Kazushi Akimoto, Hiroyuki Makino, Yoichi Nishimura, Taihei Setoguchi, Naoyuki Saito, Kenji Muto, Keisuke Koitabashi, Shunichi Nakabayashi