Patents by Inventor Koji Morikawa

Koji Morikawa 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: 20120191000
    Abstract: An exemplary electroencephalogram measurement system includes: a frequency analysis section for, analyzing a frequency power of the electroencephalogram signal of a user with respect to each set of a reference electrode and a measurement electrode; an insufficient electrode determination section for, through comparison of the analyzed frequency power against a first threshold value, distinguishing whether a state of attachment of each electrode is sufficient or not; and an insufficiency cause estimation section for determining the number of insufficient electrodes distinguished as insufficiently worn, determining a position at which each insufficient electrode is in contact with the user, and estimating a cause for the insufficient state of attachment of the insufficient electrode or electrodes that corresponds to the determined number of insufficient electrodes and position of each insufficient electrode by referring to insufficiency pattern data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinobu ADACHI, Jun OZAWA, Yoshihisa TERADA, Koji MORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20120172744
    Abstract: An electroencephalogram measurement apparatus includes: an electroencephalogram measurement section for measuring an electroencephalogram of a user by using a plurality of electrodes; an electro-acoustic transducer for presenting an acoustic signal to the user, the electro-acoustic transducer being in a vicinity of at least one electrode among the plurality of electrodes while the electroencephalogram measurement section is worn by the user; an amplitude envelope extraction section for extracting an amplitude envelope of the acoustic signal presented by the electro-acoustic transducer; a frequency analysis section for applying a frequency analysis to the amplitude envelope extracted by the amplitude envelope extraction section; and a noise estimation section for estimating an electrical noise which is mixed at the at least one electrode by using a previously provided set of transform rules and the extracted amplitude envelope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yumiko KATO, Shinobu ADACHI, Yoshihisa TERADA, Koji MORIKAWA
  • Patent number: 8185193
    Abstract: An electroencephalogram interface system includes a biological signal detection section for detecting an electroencephalogram signal from a user and a control section for distinguishing a component of an event-related potential and causing a device to operate based on the distinguished event-related potential. An activation apparatus activates the control section and an output section for presenting a visual stimulation which flickers with a predetermined frequency based on a signal from the activation apparatus. The activation apparatus includes: a frequency analysis section for analyzing a frequency component of the electroencephalogram signal and detecting an intensity corresponding to the predetermined frequency; and a determination section for comparing the detected intensity of the predetermined frequency and a predetermined threshold, and if the intensity of the predetermined frequency is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, activating the control section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Morikawa, Shinobu Adachi
  • Publication number: 20120072213
    Abstract: The speech sound intelligibility assessment system includes: an output section for presenting a speech sound to a user; a biological signal measurement section for measuring an electroencephalogram signal of the user; a positive component determination section for determining presence/absence of a positive component of an event-related potential in the electroencephalogram signal in a zone from 600 ms to 800 ms from a starting point, which is a point in time at which the output section presents a speech sound; a negative component determination section for determining presence/absence of a negative component of an event-related potential in the electroencephalogram signal in a zone from 100 ms to 300 ms from the same starting point; and an assessment section for evaluating whether the user has clearly aurally comprehended the presented speech sound or not based on the results of determination of presence/absence of the positive and negative components, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinobu ADACHI, Koji MORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20120069247
    Abstract: An electroencephalogram interface system includes: a presentation section for presenting multiple options to a user, the multiple options being manipulable items concerning manipulations of a device; a selection flicker control section for flickering each option; an inference section for inferring one option corresponding to a desired manipulation of the user by utilizing an event-related potential of an electroencephalogram of the user, the event-related potential being based on the flickering of each option as a starting point; a confirmation flicker control section for effecting confirmation flickering of the one option inferred; a determination section for determining whether the inferred option corresponds to the desired manipulation of the user by utilizing an event-related potential of the user's electroencephalogram, the event-related potential being based on the confirmation flickering of the one option as a starting point; and an output section for executing a process which is in accordance with the
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji MORIKAWA, Yoshihisa TERADA
  • Patent number: 8126541
    Abstract: In a system having an interface which utilizes electroencephalogram, it is determined whether the user was looking at a menu or not based on the frequency of the user electroencephalogram, and the electroencephalogram is excluded from the subject of distinction in the case where the user is not looking at the menu. A distinction necessity determination apparatus 10 for determining whether or not to perform a distinction of an electroencephalogram signal in an electroencephalogram interface system 1 includes a frequency analysis section 11 for calculating a representative frequency at which frequency power of the electroencephalogram signal becomes maximal, and a determination section 12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Shinobu Adachi, Koji Morikawa
  • Publication number: 20120029336
    Abstract: An electrode attachment state determination system includes: an electroencephalogram measurement section for measuring an electroencephalogram signal of a user by using at least one set of electrodes including a ground electrode, a reference electrode, and a measurement electrode; a frequency analysis section for performing a frequency analysis of the electroencephalogram signal; an insufficient electrode determination section for extracting at least one parameter of a total frequency power and a noise amount from a result of the frequency analysis, and through a comparison of a value of the parameter against a predetermined threshold value, determining whether the ground electrode, the reference electrode, or the measurement electrode has an insufficient state of attachment; and an output section for, when an insufficient state of attachment is determined, presenting information indicating the insufficient state of electrode attachment to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihisa TERADA, Koji MORIKAWA
  • Patent number: 8078560
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for, when the user makes an input manipulation, estimating a manipulation for which the user is likely to make an error, in accordance with the knowledge of the user, and providing a manipulation support such as, for example, automatically displaying a confirmation request for the manipulation for which the probability of the input being an error is high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazutoyo Takata, Koji Morikawa
  • Publication number: 20110295086
    Abstract: The apparatus includes: a detection section for detecting a time period during which an operator is making preparations prior to beginning a driving operation; an adjustment section for adjusting a determination criterion for determining a state of attention of the operator during a driving operation, which calculates an eye fixation related potential of the electroencephalogram signal of the operator measured at least in the time period by using the measured oculomotor signal of the operator, and which adjusts the determination criterion based on the calculated eye fixation related potential; a determination section for calculating an eye fixation related potential from the electroencephalogram signal and the oculomotor signal of the operator measured after beginning the driving operation, which determines a state of attention of the operator during the driving operation based on the calculated eye fixation related potential and the adjusted determination criterion; and an output section for acting to call a
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru NAKADA, Koji MORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20110279676
    Abstract: A driving attention amount determination apparatus includes: an electroencephalogram measurement section for measuring an electroencephalogram signal of a driver; a central stimulation presentation section for presenting a visual stimulation in a central visual field of the driver; a peripheral stimulation presentation section for presenting a visual stimulation in a peripheral visual field of the driver; a threshold setting section for setting a determination threshold for attention amount determination from a distribution of amplitude of an event-related potential in the electroencephalogram signal based on a point of presenting the stimulation in the central visual field as a starting point; and an attention amount determination section for determining an attention amount through a comparison between the determination threshold and an amplitude of an event-related potential in the electroencephalogram signal based on a point of presenting the stimulation in the peripheral visual field as a starting point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihisa TERADA, Koji MORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20110188664
    Abstract: An adjustment device for a hearing aid includes: an audio extraction section for, through an acoustic process of a collected audio signal, utilizing information of a phoneme or syllable contained in the audio signal to output time information, the time information identifying a point of uttering the phoneme or syllable; an electroencephalogram measurement section for measuring an electroencephalogram signal of a user; a determination section for determining a difficulty of hearing of the phoneme or syllable by relying on an event-related potential in the electroencephalogram signal based on the identified point of uttering the phoneme or syllable as a starting point; a phoneme identification section for, when a plurality of phonemes or syllables are determined as difficult to hear, identifying a chronologically preceding phoneme or syllable among them to be difficult to hear; and a gain adjustment section for, with respect to the phoneme or syllable identified by the phoneme identification section, determinin
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2011
    Publication date: August 4, 2011
    Inventors: Koji MORIKAWA, Shinobu Adachi
  • Publication number: 20110152708
    Abstract: A speech sound intelligibility assessment system includes: a biological signal measurement section for measuring an electroencephalogram signal of a user; a presented-speech sound control section for determining a speech sound to be presented by referring to a speech sound database retaining a plurality of monosyllabic speech sounds; an audio output section for presenting the speech sound determined by the presented-speech sound control section as an audio; a characteristic component detection section for utilizing the electroencephalogram signal of the user measured by the biological signal measurement section to determine presence or absence of a characteristic component of an event-related potential at 800 ms±100 ms from a point of presenting the audio; and a speech sound intelligibility assessment section for, based on a result of determination by the characteristic component detection section, determining whether the user has aurally comprehended the speech sound or not.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2011
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Inventors: Shinobu Adachi, Koji Morikawa
  • Patent number: 7945865
    Abstract: A degree of confidence is objectively evaluated without permitting a user's subjective evaluation, and a content to be output is determined based on this evaluation. An information processing system comprising: an input section for receiving an input from a user; a signal detection section for measuring a signal concerning an event-related potential of electroencephalograms of the user; a determination section for determining a degree of confidence of the user with respect to the input based on an amount of negative shift in the event-related potential during a predetermined period after the input is received; a control section for determining a content to be presented to the user based on the degree of confidence; and an output section for presenting the determined content to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Shinobu Adachi, Koji Morikawa
  • Publication number: 20110071416
    Abstract: An eyeglass-type electroencephalogram interface system is worn on the head of a user. The system includes: an output section for presenting a visual stimulation to the user; an ear electrode portion disposed at a position coming in contact with an ear of the user when the system is worn; a facial electrode portion disposed at a position coming in contact with the face below a straight line connecting an external canthus and an internal canthus of an eye of the user, such that the mass of the system is supported at the position, when the system is worn; and an electroencephalogram measurement and determination section for measuring an event-related potential on the basis of a potential difference between the ear electrode portion and the facial electrode portion based on the visual stimulation being presented by the output section as a starting point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Inventors: Yoshihisa Terada, Koji Morikawa
  • Publication number: 20110071828
    Abstract: A speech discriminability assessment system includes: a biological signal measurement section for measuring an electroencephalogram signal of a user; a presented-speech sound control section for determining a speech sound to be presented to the user by referring to a speech sound database retaining a plurality of monosyllabic sound data; an audio presentation section for presenting an audio associated with the determined speech sound to the user; a character presentation section for presenting a character associated with the determined speech sound to the user, subsequent to the presentation of the audio by the audio presentation section; an unexpectedness detection section for detecting presence or absence of an unexpectedness signal from the measured electroencephalogram signal of the user, the unexpectedness signal representing a positive component at 600 ms±100 ms after a time point when the character was presented to the user; and a speech sound discriminability determination section for determining a sp
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Inventors: Shinobu ADACHI, Koji Morikawa
  • Patent number: 7865841
    Abstract: An input/output device enables a system to adapt its operation to the user's learning the system without interfering with what the user has already learned about operating the system. In an input/output device enabling a system to adapt to how frequently the user uses particular functions, a storage unit 12 accumulates information about the operations the user performs, a user learning evaluation unit 13 determines if the user has learned each function based on the input operation history accumulated by the storage unit 12, and a menu display position adjustment unit 14 leaves the menu display position unchanged for any function the user learning evaluation unit 13 determines the user has learned, and rearranges the menu display positions of only those functions the user learning evaluation unit 13 determines the user has not learned in descending order of the frequency of execution based on the input operation history stored by the storage unit 12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Morikawa
  • Publication number: 20100317988
    Abstract: A brain wave interface (IF) is started up using user's brain wave signals. A brain wave IF system comprises a brain wave measuring portion for measuring brain wave signals, a function controlling portion which analyzes an event-related potential contained in brain signals and outputs a function control signal for controlling the function of the apparatus based on the analysis results, and an output portion for outputting the function control signal. A start-up device comprises a start-up judging portion and a stimulus-attention judging portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2008
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Inventors: Yoshihisa Terada, Shinobu Adachi, Koji Morikawa
  • Publication number: 20100241021
    Abstract: The distraction detection apparatus includes: an electroencephalogram detection section for detecting an electroencephalogram signal of a driver; an arousal level estimation section for retaining a first rule of mapping parameter values of an electroencephalogram signal to arousal levels, and estimating an arousal level based on the detected electroencephalogram signal and the first rule; an attention allocation estimation section for retaining a second rule of mapping parameter values of an electroencephalogram signal to attention allocations, and estimating an attention allocation based on the detected electroencephalogram signal and the second rule; a driver state estimation section for retaining a third rule of deriving an amount of attention from an arousal level and an attention allocation, estimating an amount of attention of the driver paid to driving based on the estimated arousal level and attention allocation and the third rule, and classifying a state of the driver into a normal state, a state of
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Inventors: Koji MORIKAWA, Tour Nakada, Yoshihisa Terada
  • Publication number: 20100191140
    Abstract: The control method for a device includes steps of: presenting a visual stimulation concerning a manipulation menu for a device; measuring event-related potentials after the visual stimulation is presented, where event-related potentials based on a timing of presenting the visual stimulation as a starting point are measured from a potential difference between each of electrodes and at least one reference electrode respectively worn on a face and in an ear periphery of a user; from each of the measured event-related potentials, extracting electroencephalogram data which is at 5 Hz or less and contains a predetermined time section, and combining the extracted electroencephalogram data into electroencephalogram characteristic data; comparing the electroencephalogram characteristic data against reference data prepared in advance for determining a desire to select an item in the manipulation menu; and, based on a comparison result, executing a manipulation of the device corresponding to the item.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Inventors: Yoshihisa TERADA, Koji Morikawa
  • Patent number: 7756574
    Abstract: In a biological signal utilizing appliance, an appliance control section controls the appliance in accordance with user's manipulation. At that time, an operation content is presented to a user through an operation presentation section. A biological signal detection section measures user's biological signal and detects from the biological signal the presence or absence of an event-related potential at the time point when time obtained by adding a predetermined shift time of approximately 150 ms to 600 ms elapses after a timing, as a starting point, when the operation content is presented. Upon detection of the event-related potential, a manipulation cancellation section instructs the appliance control section to cancel the presented operation content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Shoichi Araki, Koji Morikawa, Shinobu Adachi