Patents by Inventor Koji Aoto

Koji Aoto 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: 11648845
    Abstract: The user can readily determine a battery station where a battery exchange can be performed without fail. A management server searches a battery station that suits a battery configuration of an electric vehicle operated by each user according to management information on the battery configuration thereof, and to transmit a guidance screen for guiding the user to the searched battery station to the terminal device carried by the user. In particular, the user is guided to a station where the number of fully charged battery devices in a battery exchanger is equal to or greater than the number of battery devices used by the electric vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Ebisu, Toshiya Zaitsu, Hiroki Shinohara, Masashi Takemura, Kenichiro Shibasaki, Koji Aoto
  • Publication number: 20220219564
    Abstract: To identify a battery device that may have an abnormality in the future and promptly recall such a battery device, a battery management system includes a management server connected to a plurality of battery exchangers via a network and configured to manage exchanging states of battery packs at the battery exchangers, and a user terminal carried by each user and connected to the management server via the network, wherein the management server is configured to identify a user using a battery pack to be recalled, and to transmit an exchange reminder to the user terminal of the identified user, and the user terminal is configured to perform a notification operation that prompts the identified user to exchange the battery pack upon receiving the exchange reminder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji AOTO, Toshiya ZAITSU, Hiromitsu EBISU, Hiroki SHINOHARA, Masashi TAKEMURA, Kenichiro SHIBASAKI
  • Publication number: 20220185143
    Abstract: To enable a user to easily grasp an operation state of a battery station in an area desired by the user regardless of the current position of the user, a user terminal is configured to display a guidance screen for guiding a location of the battery station to the user based on information transmitted from a management server, and the guidance screen displays a guide map showing an icon 92 indicating a location of the battery station and superimposed on a map 91 of a designated area designated by the user such that whether an opening period of the battery station is new or old can be identified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masashi TAKEMURA, Toshiya ZAITSU, Hiroki SHINOHARA, Kenichiro SHIBASAKI, Koji AOTO, Ryota SAITO
  • Publication number: 20220187093
    Abstract: To enable a user to easily grasp an operation state of a battery station in an area desired by the user regardless of the current position of the user, a user terminal is configured to display a guidance screen for guiding a location of the battery station to the user based on information transmitted from a management server, and the guidance screen displays a guide map showing an icon 92 indicating a location of the battery station and superimposed on a map 91 of a designated area designated by the user such that closing and maintenance suspension of the battery station can be identified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masashi TAKEMURA, Toshiya ZAITSU, Hiroki SHINOHARA, Kenichiro SHIBASAKI, Koji AOTO, Ryota SAITO
  • Patent number: 11203266
    Abstract: The present application allows all battery stations located in different locations to be efficiently monitored, and management and maintenance operations to be performed in a timely fashion to keep the state of the battery stations in proper order. A server device collects state information on a state of a battery exchange device in each battery station, and on a state of each battery device received in the corresponding battery exchange device, and to generate a monitoring screen showing the state information of each battery station on an area map displayed on a management or maintenance terminal. In particular, a plurality of display sections displayed on the monitoring screen are arranged so as to correspond to the urgency or detail level of the state information. The state information is displayed in different colors according to different emergency levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignees: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kuniaki Ikui, Toshiya Zaitsu, Hiromitsu Ebisu, Hiroki Shinohara, Masashi Takemura, Kenichiro Shibasaki, Koji Aoto, Yoshihiko Ishida
  • Publication number: 20210382971
    Abstract: The time and effort of the user when exchanging batteries can be minimized, and security can be sufficiently ensured in user authentication. A battery exchanger (3) is provided with a camera (11) for capturing an image of a visitor, and a management server (4) performs face verification to determine if the visitor is an authentic user according to face image information of the visitor acquired from the image captured by the camera. Based on the face verification result, the management server determines if battery exchange is permitted, and notifies the determination result to the battery exchanger. Further, based on identification information of the battery pack brought in by the visitor, the management server performs battery verification to determine if the battery pack brought in by the visitor is permitted to be exchanged, and based on the result of the battery verification, determines if the battery exchange should be permitted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Managment Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu EBISU, Toshiya ZAITSU, Hiroki SHINOHARA, Masashi TAKEMURA, Kenichiro SHIBASAKI, Koji AOTO
  • Publication number: 20200402075
    Abstract: The administrator is enabled to grasp the abundance or shortage of battery stations, and assisted in the construction of an optimized battery station network. Exchange information on an exchange state of battery devices at each battery station is accumulated, and statistical information on a utilization state of each battery station is generated by compiling the exchange information over a prescribed time period. Exchange information on a state of battery pack exchange at each battery station is accumulated, and recommendation information on the utilization of each battery station is generated by compiling the exchange information to be displayed. Recommendation information on creation of a battery station and an addition of a battery exchanger in a battery station is generated, and displayed. Recommendation information on closure of a battery station and an elimination of a battery exchanger in a battery station is generated, and displayed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu EBISU, Toshiya ZAITSU, Hiroki SHINOHARA, Masashi TAKEMURA, Kenichiro SHIBASAKI, Koji AOTO
  • Publication number: 20200391602
    Abstract: The present application allows all battery stations located in different locations to be efficiently monitored, and management and maintenance operations to be performed in a timely fashion to keep the state of the battery stations in proper order. A server device collects state information on a state of a battery exchange device in each battery station, and on a state of each battery device received in the corresponding battery exchange device, and to generate a monitoring screen showing the state information of each battery station on an area map displayed on a management or maintenance terminal. In particular, a plurality of display sections displayed on the monitoring screen are arranged so as to correspond to the urgency or detail level of the state information. The state information is displayed in different colors according to different emergency levels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Applicants: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kuniaki IKUI, Toshiya ZAITSU, Hiromitsu EBISU, Hiroki SHINOHARA, Masashi TAKEMURA, Kenichiro SHIBASAKI, Koji AOTO, Yoshihiko ISHIDA
  • Publication number: 20200384879
    Abstract: The user can readily determine a battery station where a battery exchange can be performed without fail. A management server searches a battery station that suits a battery configuration of an electric vehicle operated by each user according to management information on the battery configuration thereof, and to transmit a guidance screen for guiding the user to the searched battery station to the terminal device carried by the user. In particular, the user is guided to a station where the number of fully charged battery devices in a battery exchanger is equal to or greater than the number of battery devices used by the electric vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu EBISU, Toshiya ZAITSU, Hiroki SHINOHARA, Masashi TAKEMURA, Kenichiro SHIBASAKI, Koji AOTO
  • Patent number: 10838281
    Abstract: There is provided a display device having an electrochromic element placed in the display device. The electrochromic element has: a light transmittance of 70% or more and a light reflectance of 20% or less at a central wavelength of a visible spectrum when in a transparent state; and a light reflectance of 65% or more at the central wavelength of the visible spectrum when in a mirror state. By this, the display device is not only highly effective in terms of light-shielding, heat blocking, screening, etc., but is also switchable between a transmissive type and a reflective type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shotaro Ogawa, Koji Aoto, Akira Shiokawa, Makoto Morita, Takashi Ishikawa, Takashi Suzuki, Yasutaka Tsutsui
  • Patent number: 10354599
    Abstract: A display method is provided that includes displaying an image included in a video signal on a per frame basis, and representing a tone level of luminance of the image by controlling a light emission period in a frame. The method also includes specifying a light emission period in which light emission is performed for greater than or equal to a time required for transmitting a visible light communication signal, and transmitting the visible light communication signal by superimposing the visible light communication signal onto a portion of the video signal corresponding to the specified light emission period. The method further includes in a case where the specified light emission period is greater than or equal to a time required for transmitting the visible light communication signal, the visible light communication signal is transmitted by luminance changing of the light source in the specified light emission period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Hideki Aoyama, Koji Aoto, Akira Shiokawa, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akihiro Ueki, Takashi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10225014
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided that includes a display, an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines, a processor, and a memory storing a computer program, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations. The operations include displaying a first assist image on the display, and executing a visible light communication mode. In the visible light communication mode, the operations include (i) setting a second exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a plurality of bright lines corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appear according to a change in luminance of the subject, (ii) obtaining a bright line image including the plurality of bright lines, and (iii) obtaining information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Hideki Aoyama, Ikuo Fuchigami, Tsutomu Mukai, Hidehiko Shin, Yosuke Matsushita, Shigehiro Iida, Kazunori Yamada, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akihiro Ueki, Takashi Suzuki, Akira Shiokawa, Koji Aoto
  • Patent number: 10181296
    Abstract: A display device of the present disclosure is a display device capable of outputting, by a Carousel method, a visible light communication signal including a plurality of signal units. The display device includes a display panel that displays a video signal, a visible light communication processor that encodes the signal units, divides the encoded signal units into a plurality of blocks, generates a plurality of transmission frames by using the plurality of blocks, and uses the generated transmission frames as a backlight control signal, and a backlight that illuminates the display panel from the back surface of the display panel based on the backlight control signal. With regard to the plurality of transmission frames corresponding to one of the signal units generated by the visible light communication processor, an order of the plurality of blocks is different between at least two of the transmission frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Ueki, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akira Shiokawa, Koji Aoto, Koji Nakanishi, Hideki Aoyama, Kengo Miyoshi, Mitsuaki Oshima
  • Patent number: 10152946
    Abstract: A display method for appropriately transmitting a visible light communication signal includes: a step of coding a visible light communication signal to generate an image having a striped pattern for visible light communication as a first visible light communication image; a step of displaying the image included in the video signal, in a predetermined frame; and a step of displaying a low-luminance image in the predetermined frame, and sequentially displaying the first visible light communication image, the low-luminance image being an identification image and having uniform luminance lower than average luminance of the image which is to be displayed, wherein in the step, after the image included in the video signal is displayed in the predetermined frame, each of the first identification image and the first visible light communication image is displayed in a same frame as the predetermined frame, for a period shorter than the predetermined frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Maeda, Akihiro Ueki, Takashi Suzuki, Akira Shiokawa, Koji Aoto, Koji Nakanishi, Hideki Aoyama, Mitsuaki Oshima
  • Publication number: 20180336848
    Abstract: A display device includes: a display panel including a display screen; a backlight having a light emission surface that illuminates the display screen of the display panel from behind; a second processor that superimposes the visible light communication signals on backlight control signals generated based on the image signal; and a second controller that divides the light emission surface of the backlight into regions and establishes a period during which control of light emission in each of the regions and control for turning off the backlight in each of the regions a different time are performed based on the backlight control signals outputted by the second processor. When superimposing the visible light communication signals on the backlight control signals, the second processor does not superimpose a visible light communication signal in a period indicating an OFF state of the backlight in the backlight control signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Inventors: Takashi SUZUKI, Toshiyuki MAEDA, Akihiro UEKI, Akira SHIOKAWA, Koji AOTO, Koji NAKANISHI, Hideki AOYAMA, Mitsuaki OSHIMA
  • Patent number: 10068532
    Abstract: A display device includes: a display panel including a display screen; a backlight having a light emission surface that illuminates the display screen of the display panel from behind; a second processor that superimposes the visible light communication signals on backlight control signals generated based on the image signal; and a second controller that divides the light emission surface of the backlight into regions and establishes a period during which control of light emission in each of the regions and control for turning off the backlight in each of the regions a different time are performed based on the backlight control signals outputted by the second processor. When superimposing the visible light communication signals on the backlight control signals, the second processor does not superimpose a visible light communication signal in a period indicating an OFF state of the backlight in the backlight control signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akihiro Ueki, Akira Shiokawa, Koji Aoto, Koji Nakanishi, Hideki Aoyama, Mitsuaki Oshima
  • Publication number: 20170206844
    Abstract: A display method is provided that includes displaying an image included in a video signal on a per frame basis, and representing a tone level of luminance of the image by controlling a light emission period in a frame. The method also includes specifying a light emission period in which light emission is performed for greater than or equal to a time required for transmitting a visible light communication signal, and transmitting the visible light communication signal by superimposing the visible light communication signal onto a portion of the video signal corresponding to the specified light emission period. The method further includes in a case where the specified light emission period is greater than or equal to a time required for transmitting the visible light communication signal, the visible light communication signal is transmitted by luminance changing of the light source in the specified light emission period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki OSHIMA, Koji NAKANISHI, Hideki AOYAMA, Koji AOTO, Akira SHIOKAWA, Toshiyuki MAEDA, Akihiro UEKI, Takashi SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 9646568
    Abstract: A display method is provided that reduces the probability of communication error without causing significant deterioration of picture quality. The method includes specifying, as a specified light emission period, a light emission period in which light emission is performed for greater than or equal to a time required for transmitting a block included in a visible light communication signal, out of one or more light emission periods in which light emission is performed for displaying an image included in a video signal. The method also includes transmitting the block of the visible light communication signal by luminance changing in the specified light emission period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Hideki Aoyama, Koji Aoto, Akira Shiokawa, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akihiro Ueki, Takashi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20170104533
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided that includes a display, an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines, a processor, and a memory storing a computer program, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations. The operations include displaying a first assist image on the display, and executing a visible light communication mode. In the visible light communication mode, the operations include (i) setting a second exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a plurality of bright lines corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appear according to a change in luminance of the subject, (ii) obtaining a bright line image including the plurality of bright lines, and (iii) obtaining information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Publication date: April 13, 2017
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki OSHIMA, Koji NAKANISHI, Hideki AOYAMA, Ikuo FUCHIGAMI, Tsutomu MUKAI, Hidehiko SHIN, Yosuke MATSUSHITA, Shigehiro IIDA, Kazunori YAMADA, Toshiyuki MAEDA, Akihiro UEKI, Takashi SUZUKI, Akira SHIOKAWA, Koji AOTO
  • Patent number: 9613596
    Abstract: A video display method is provided that displays, on a per frame basis, an image included in a video signal. The method includes generating a first visible light communication image by encoding a visible light communication signal, the first visible light communication image being an image having a stripe pattern for visible light communication, and displaying, in a predetermined frame, the image included in the video signal. The method also includes switching a pitch of the first visible light communication image to a different pitch, and generating a second visible light communication image. The method further includes displaying the second visible light communication image that has a stripe pattern configured with a different minimum pitch, which is different in resolution from the stripe pattern of the first visible light communication image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Oshima, Hideki Aoyama, Koji Nakanishi, Koji Aoto, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akira Shiokawa, AKihiro Ueki, Takashi Suzuki