Patents by Inventor Kimio MINAMI

Kimio MINAMI 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: 11441910
    Abstract: When a self-driving vehicle that transfers an object to a predetermined location is left at the predetermined location without the object in the vehicle, a vehicle control apparatus determines a moving destination among a plurality of standby places, based on the current location of the vehicle, the locations of the plurality of standby places, and vehicle-demand prediction information, and instructs the vehicle to move to the determined moving destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Kotaro Sakata, Kimio Minami, Tetsuji Fuchikami
  • Patent number: 11282019
    Abstract: A risk information processing method is used in a risk information processing system that manages a degree of risk at a target spot at which a moving object is located. The method includes: receiving sensor data collected at each of two spots different from the target spot; determining a degree of risk of an event at each of the two spots from the sensor data collected at each of the two spots; storing, as risk information the determined degree of risk associated with each of the two spots; estimating first risk information associated with the target spot without sensor data of first event at the target spot, by using the stored risk information, the first risk information being a degree of risk of the first event at the target spot; and outputting information for the target spot based on the estimated first risk information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Amano, Kimio Minami, Toshihisa Nakano, Tohru Wakabayashi, Takako Hirose
  • Patent number: 10977373
    Abstract: An evaluation device for evaluating security of an electronic control system in which a plurality of electronic control units are connected to a bus used for communication includes a recording medium that holds attack procedure information indicative of contents and a transmission order of a plurality of frames, a transmitter that transmits the plurality of frames to the bus in the transmission order indicated by the attack procedure information, a monitor that monitors an actuator unit controlled by any of the plurality of electronic control units, and an evaluator that makes the evaluation on basis of a monitoring result obtained by the monitor when the transmitter transmits the plurality of frames to the bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nakano, Jun Anzai, Tohru Wakabayashi, Kimio Minami
  • Publication number: 20210033408
    Abstract: When a self-driving vehicle that transfers an object to a predetermined location is left at the predetermined location without the object in the vehicle, a vehicle control apparatus determines a moving destination among a plurality of standby places, based on the current location of the vehicle, the locations of the plurality of standby places, and vehicle-demand prediction information, and instructs the vehicle to move to the determined moving destination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Publication date: February 4, 2021
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Kotaro SAKATA, Kimio MINAMI, Tetsuji FUCHIKAMI
  • Patent number: 10845201
    Abstract: When a vehicle that can travel autonomously is dropped off, a vehicle control apparatus causes the vehicle to move to a standby place by traveling autonomously. Specifically, when the vehicle is dropped off, the vehicle control apparatus determines a moving destination among standby places, based on the current location of the vehicle, and the locations of the standby places, and vehicle-demand prediction information, and instructs the vehicle to move to the determined moving destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Kotaro Sakata, Kimio Minami, Tetsuji Fuchikami
  • Publication number: 20200356923
    Abstract: A risk information processing method is used in a risk information processing system that manages a degree of risk at a target spot at which a moving object is located. The method includes: receiving sensor data collected at each of two spots different from the target spot; determining a degree of risk of an event at each of the two spots from the sensor data collected at each of the two spots; storing, as risk information the determined degree of risk associated with each of the two spots; estimating first risk information associated with the target spot without sensor data of first event at the target spot, by using the stored risk information, the first risk information being a degree of risk of the first event at the target spot; and outputting information for the target spot based on the estimated first risk information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hiroshi AMANO, Kimio MINAMI, Toshihisa NAKANO, Tohru WAKABAYASHI, Takako HIROSE
  • Patent number: 10776735
    Abstract: A risk information processing method is used in a risk information processing system that manages a degree of risk at a target spot at which a moving object is located. The method includes: receiving sensor data collected at each of two spots different from the target spot; determining a degree of risk of an event at each of the two spots from the sensor data collected at each of the two spots; storing, as risk information the determined degree of risk associated with each of the two spots; estimating first risk information associated with the target spot without sensor data of first event at the target spot, by using the stored risk information, the first risk information being a degree of risk of the first event at the target spot; and outputting information for the target spot based on the estimated first risk information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Amano, Kimio Minami, Toshihisa Nakano, Tohru Wakabayashi, Takako Hirose
  • Patent number: 10685124
    Abstract: An evaluation apparatus that is connected to a bus used by a plurality of electronic control units that constitute an electronic control system for communication and that evaluates security of the electronic control system. The evaluation apparatus includes a transmitter that sends, to the bus, at least one attack frame including an invalidation frame for invalidating a frame on the bus, a monitor that monitors at least one of the plurality of electronic control units, and an evaluator that evaluates the electronic control system in terms of security on the basis of the result of monitoring performed by the monitor when the attack frame is sent from the transmitter to the bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Amano, Toshihisa Nakano, Kimio Minami, Takako Hirose
  • Publication number: 20200082311
    Abstract: A risk information processing method is used in a risk information processing system that manages a degree of risk at a target spot at which a moving object is located. The method includes: receiving sensor data collected at each of two spots different from the target spot; determining a degree of risk of an event at each of the two spots from the sensor data collected at each of the two spots; storing, as risk information the determined degree of risk associated with each of the two spots; estimating first risk information associated with the target spot without sensor data of first event at the target spot, by using the stored risk information, the first risk information being a degree of risk of the first event at the target spot; and outputting information for the target spot based on the estimated first risk information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Publication date: March 12, 2020
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hiroshi AMANO, Kimio MINAMI, Toshihisa NAKANO, Tohru WAKABAYASHI, Takako HIROSE
  • Patent number: 10521749
    Abstract: A risk information processing method used in a risk information processing system that manages a degree of risk at a spot where a moving object is located includes: storing, as risk information in a storage, a degree of risk for a combination of spot and situation; and estimating first risk information for a first combination for which a degree of risk has not been input by using three or more pieces of risk information including degrees of risk for a second combination whose spot is the same as the first combination and whose situation is different from the first combination, for a third combination whose situation is the same as the first combination and whose spot is different from the first combination, and for a fourth combination whose situation is the same as the second combination and whose spot is the same as the third combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Amano, Kimio Minami, Toshihisa Nakano, Tohru Wakabayashi, Takako Hirose
  • Patent number: 10192248
    Abstract: Provided is a server device whereby more customers are gathered at a store, and the spending per customer is increased. In a server device (50): a storage unit (54) stores charging parameters corresponding to purchase costs; a wired communication unit (53) receives information of the purchase cost which is inputted into a cash register; and a generating unit (55a) retrieves, from the charging parameters which are stored in the storage unit (54), the charging parameter corresponding to the purchase cost which is received by the wired communication unit (53), and, on the basis of the charging parameter, generates charging information which indicates either the charging time or the charging quantity at which a power outlet carries out charging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Kotaro Sakata, Yasushi Sugiyama, Kimio Minami
  • Publication number: 20180216947
    Abstract: When a vehicle that can travel autonomously is dropped off, a vehicle control apparatus causes the vehicle to move to a standby place by traveling autonomously. Specifically, when the vehicle is dropped off, the vehicle control apparatus determines a moving destination among standby places, based on the current location of the vehicle, and the locations of the standby places, and vehicle-demand prediction information, and instructs the vehicle to move to the determined moving destination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: KOTARO SAKATA, KIMIO MINAMI, TETSUJI FUCHIKAMI
  • Publication number: 20180218158
    Abstract: An evaluation apparatus that is connected to a bus used by a plurality of electronic control units that constitute an electronic control system for communication and that evaluates security of the electronic control system. The evaluation apparatus includes a transmitter that sends, to the bus, at least one attack frame including an invalidation frame for invalidating a frame on the bus, a monitor that monitors at least one of the plurality of electronic control units, and an evaluator that evaluates the electronic control system in terms of security on the basis of the result of monitoring performed by the monitor when the attack frame is sent from the transmitter to the bus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: HIROSHI AMANO, TOSHIHISA NAKANO, KIMIO MINAMI, TAKAKO HIROSE
  • Publication number: 20180204011
    Abstract: An evaluation device for evaluating security of an electronic control system in which a plurality of electronic control units are connected to a bus used for communication includes a recording medium that holds attack procedure information indicative of contents and a transmission order of a plurality of frames, a transmitter that transmits the plurality of frames to the bus in the transmission order indicated by the attack procedure information, a monitor that monitors an actuator unit controlled by any of the plurality of electronic control units, and an evaluator that makes the evaluation on basis of a monitoring result obtained by the monitor when the transmitter transmits the plurality of frames to the bus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Inventors: TOSHIHISA NAKANO, JUN ANZAI, TOHRU WAKABAYASHI, KIMIO MINAMI
  • Patent number: 9741190
    Abstract: There is a need to effectively determine which users should be given priority for using a public service. A way of improving the public service can be to acquire information on congestion degree in use of the public service, to determine whether the congestion degree is higher than a specified level or not, and to transmit information that urges cease of the use of the public service being used to users who have higher utilization of the public service than other users among a plurality of users if the congestion degree is higher than the specified level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kotaro Sakata, Yasushi Sugiyama, Kimio Minami
  • Patent number: 9719794
    Abstract: A route display method for display on a terminal apparatus comprises: acquiring starting point information indicating a starting point and destination information indicating a destination; generating route information indicating a route from the starting point to the destination, wherein the route information includes a plurality of passing points; extracting captured images corresponding to the plurality of the passing points from a database which stores the captured images in relation to corresponding image capturing locations respectively, wherein each of the image capturing locations is within a range from the each of the plurality of the passing points; and displaying the extracted captured images in association with a map image sequentially in an order from a first captured image corresponding to a first passing point closest to the starting point to a second captured image corresponding to a second passing point closest to the destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nakano, Tohru Wakabayashi, Yuko Yamamoto, Masahiro Ito, Kimio Minami, Kazuo Okamura
  • Publication number: 20160189068
    Abstract: A risk information processing method used in a risk information processing system that manages a degree of risk at a spot where a moving object is located includes: storing, as risk information in a storage, a degree of risk for a combination of spot and situation; and estimating first risk information for a first combination for which a degree of risk has not been input by using three or more pieces of risk information including degrees of risk for a second combination whose spot is the same as the first combination and whose situation is different from the first combination, for a third combination whose situation is the same as the first combination and whose spot is different from the first combination, and for a fourth combination whose situation is the same as the second combination and whose spot is the same as the third combination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventors: HIROSHI AMANO, KIMIO MINAMI, TOSHIHISA NAKANO, TOHRU WAKABAYASHI, TAKAKO HIROSE
  • Publication number: 20160189323
    Abstract: In a risk determination method: moving body information, in which accompanying information that indicates the current position of a moving body and a current-position image that indicates a situation around the moving body at the current position are included in correspondence to each other, is obtained; and, if risk occurrence information corresponding to the current position indicated in the accompanying information included in the moving body information is not stored in a risk occurrence information manager and risk occurrence information corresponding to a position other than the current position is stored in the risk occurrence information manager, a degree of risk at the current position is determined on the basis of a similarity between the current-position image included in the moving body information and a risky-position image included in at least one piece of risk occurrence information stored in the risk occurrence information manager.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventors: TOHRU WAKABAYASHI, TOSHIHISA NAKANO, KIMIO MINAMI, HIROSHI AMANO, TAKAKO HIROSE
  • Publication number: 20160133076
    Abstract: There is a need to effectively determine which users should be given priority for using a public service. A way of improving the public service can be to acquire information on congestion degree in use of the public service, to determine whether the congestion degree is higher than a specified level or not, and to transmit information that urges cease of the use of the public service being used to users who have higher utilization of the public service than other users among a plurality of users if the congestion degree is higher than the specified level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2015
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Inventors: KOTARO SAKATA, YASUSHI SUGIYAMA, KIMIO MINAMI
  • Publication number: 20160132837
    Abstract: It is necessary to effectively encourage the user to take an action without making the user feel inconvenience, regardless of the charge state of the device held by the user. A way of improved the inducement of user's conduct can be to retrieve information indicating a schedule or task of the user, to retrieve charge state information indicating a device held by the user, to determine a facility to which the user is to be guided, on the basis of the information indicating the schedule or task of the user and the charge state information, and to output information indicating the determined facility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Inventors: KOTARO SAKATA, KIMIO MINAMI, YASUSHI SUGIYAMA