Patents by Inventor Kotaro Yano

Kotaro Yano 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: 20160379078
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image data acquisition unit configured to acquire image data, a distance information acquisition unit configured to acquire distance information corresponding to the image data, a detection unit configured to detect one or more object regions, each representing an object, from the image data based on the distance information, an extraction unit configured to extract an object region representing an object which does not overlap a specific three-dimensional region, from among detected object regions, based on the distance information, and an image processing unit configured to perform image processing for the image data based on the extracted object region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventor: Kotaro Yano
  • Publication number: 20160350615
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a setting unit that sets a detection area for detecting an object within an image captured by an image capturing apparatus and a correction unit that corrects a position of at least one of a plurality of detection areas to reduce a difference between angles corresponding to each detection area set by the setting unit and an image capturing direction of the image capturing apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Ichiro Umeda, Muling Guo
  • Patent number: 9489566
    Abstract: There are provided an image recognition apparatus and an image recognition method according to which, when registering a face model for a face image, face images are sequentially acquired from frames of a moving image, feature amounts are extracted from the sequentially acquired face images, and a hypersphere defined by Support Vector Data Description (SVDD) is obtained from the group of training samples. Then, training samples in a boundary region of the hypersphere are registered as boundary samples. When performing matching of a face image of a recognition target, the reliability is calculated using the boundary samples, and a person with the highest reliability is output as a recognition result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Ichiro Umeda, Hiroshi Sato
  • Publication number: 20160292533
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a holding unit configured to hold a positional relationship of a plurality of image capturing units, an acquisition unit configured to detect objects from respective images captured by the plurality of image capturing units and acquire positions of the objects on the captured images and geometric attributes of the objects, an associating unit configured to associate the detected objects, based on the positional relationship, the positions and the geometric attributes, and an estimation unit configured to estimate a three-dimensional position of the objects based on the positional relationship and the positions of the detected objects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Uchiyama, Muling Guo, Kotaro Yano, Ichiro Umeda
  • Publication number: 20160260226
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an obtaining unit configured to obtain a moving image, a detection unit configured to detect a detection target object from an interest image frame in the moving image, a tracking unit configured to obtain a tracked object in a neighborhood region of a detection position of the detection target object in an image frame preceding the interest image frame in the moving image, and a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the tracked object corresponds to the detection target object by integrating a position where the detection target object is detected by the detection unit and a position where the tracked object is obtained by the tracking unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Ichiro Umeda, Muling Guo, Lifeng Xu
  • Publication number: 20160247272
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises: a detecting unit to detect, respectively from plural images obtained by imaging with plural imaging units a space in which plural persons exist, positions of the persons on the images; an associating unit to perform association of a same person in the plural images; a person position estimating unit to estimate positions of the persons in the space, based on the positions of the persons on the images detected from the plural images and a result of the association by the associating unit; a direction estimating unit to estimate eye directions of the persons, based on the plural images; and a distribution estimating unit to estimate a spatial distribution of positions gazed by the plural persons, based on the estimated positions of the plural persons in the space and the estimated eye directions of the plural persons.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Inventors: Daisuke Nishino, Kotaro Yano, Yuji Kaneda, Hiroyuki Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 9418440
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus has: a segmenting unit for segmenting an input image into a plurality of areas on the basis of a similarity of pixels; an acquiring unit for acquiring sizes of the segmented areas; a selecting unit for selecting one of a plurality of discriminating methods of discriminating, with respect to adjacent areas among the plurality of areas, on the basis of an acquired size of each of the adjacent areas, whether or not the adjacent areas are connecting targets by using different kinds of features; an extracting unit for extracting, from the adjacent areas, the feature of the kind which is used in the selected discriminating method; a connecting unit for connecting the adjacent areas determined as the connecting targets by the selected discriminating method; and a classifying unit for classifying a kind of connected area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naotsugu Sagawa, Kotaro Yano
  • Publication number: 20160140399
    Abstract: An object detection apparatus includes an extraction unit configured to extract a plurality of partial areas from an acquired image, a distance acquisition unit configured to acquire a distance from a viewpoint for each pixel in the extracted partial area, an identification unit configured to identify whether the partial area includes a predetermined object, a determination unit configured to determine, among the partial areas identified to include the predetermined object by the identification unit, whether to integrate identification results of a plurality of partial areas that overlap each other based on the distances of the pixels in the overlapping partial area, and an integration unit configured to integrate the identification results of the plurality of partial areas determined to be integrated to detect a detection target object from the integrated identification result of the plurality of partial areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Ichiro Umeda
  • Patent number: 9317784
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an object detection unit configured to detect a position of an object based on an input image, and a segmentation unit configured to segment, according to a result of detection by the object detection unit, the image into a plurality of regions, each of which includes adjacent similar pixels and has a size determined for each position in the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Naotsugu Sagawa
  • Patent number: 9245206
    Abstract: The image processing apparatus detects a region of a subject from an input image, and extracts an image feature amount from the region. Also, the apparatus classifies the subject into any one of plural attributes based on the image feature amount, and estimates, based on the image feature amount and an attribute into which it is classified, an attribute value of the subject belonging to the attribute into which it is classified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsuo Nomoto, Kotaro Yano, Yuji Kaneda
  • Publication number: 20160004935
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a plurality of dictionaries configured to store a feature of an object and information on an imaging direction in a scene for each kind of imaged scene, a detecting unit configured to detect an object with reference to at least one of the plurality of dictionaries in the scene in which the object has been imaged and which is to be learned, an estimating unit configured to estimate the imaging direction the detected object, a selecting unit configured to select one dictionary from the plurality of dictionaries based on the imaging direction estimated by the estimating unit and the information on the imaging direction in each of the plurality of dictionaries, and a learning unit configured to learn the dictionary selected by the selecting unit, based on a detection result produced by the detecting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Uchiyama, Ichiro Umeda, Muling Guo, Kotaro Yano
  • Publication number: 20150339516
    Abstract: A collation apparatus that collates an input image with registered images includes: a feature extracting unit extracting feature quantities from a region of an object in the input image; a calculating unit calculating, per each of the feature quantities, similarity degrees between the feature quantities extracted from the input image and corresponding feature quantities of the registered image, for each of the registered images; an integrating unit integrating, using a parameter, the similarity degrees for the feature quantities; an estimation unit estimating as to whether or not the object in the input image is identical with an object in each of the registered images; and a parameter learning unit learning the parameters to be used by the integrating unit, based on an estimation result of the estimation unit and the similarity degree integrated by the integrating unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Hiroshi Sato
  • Patent number: 9154682
    Abstract: In an object detecting method, an imaging condition of an image pickup unit is determined, a detecting method is selected based on the determined imaging condition, and at least one predetermined object is detected from an image picked up through the image pickup unit according to the selected detecting method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kotaro Yano
  • Publication number: 20150279054
    Abstract: Each of a plurality of cameras is sequentially selected. An image that does not include a retrieval target object is acquired, as a background image, from an image group captured by a selected camera. An image including the retrieval target object is acquired as a query image. A discriminator being used for identifying the retrieval target object from the image captured by the selected camera is learned using the background image and the query image. The retrieval target object is retrieved from the image group captured by the selected camera using the learned discriminator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Hiroshi Tojo
  • Publication number: 20150279049
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises a video input unit, a region division unit configured to divide an image acquired by the video input unit into a plurality of regions each including pixels of similar attributes, a feature extraction unit configured to extract a feature from each divided region, a background model storage unit configured to store a background model generated from a feature of a background in advance, and a feature comparison unit configured to compare the extracted feature with a feature in the background model and determine for each of the regions whether the region is the background.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tojo, Kotaro Yano, Tuan quang Pham
  • Patent number: 9147105
    Abstract: An image recognizing apparatus is equipped with: a detecting unit configured to detect, from an input image, a candidate area for a target of recognition, based on a likelihood of a partial area in the input image; an extracting unit configured to extract, from a plurality of candidate areas detected by the detecting unit, a set of the candidate areas which are in an overlapping relation; a classifying unit configured to classify an overlapping state of the set of the candidate areas; and a discriminating unit configured to discriminate whether or not the respective candidate areas are the target of recognition, based on the overlapping state of the set of the candidate areas and the respective likelihoods of the candidate areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naotsugu Sagawa, Kotaro Yano
  • Patent number: 9135524
    Abstract: A recognition apparatus includes a calculation unit configured to calculate likelihood of each feature quantity based on the weighted distribution of the feature quantity extracted from a plurality of learning images, a correction unit configured, if a ratio of a learning image to a specific feature quantity is equal to or smaller than a predetermined ratio and a weight for the specific feature quantity is greater than a predetermined value, to correct the value of likelihood of the specific feature quantity to lower the value based on the distribution, a setting unit configured to set the likelihood corrected by the correction unit in association with a feature quantity, and a discrimination unit to extract a feature quantity from an input image and discriminate whether the input image includes a predetermined object based on the likelihood associated with the feature quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naotsugu Sagawa, Kotaro Yano, Satoshi Yashiro
  • Patent number: 9098748
    Abstract: An object detection apparatus comprising: an extraction unit adapted to extract a feature amount for each of partial regions that constitute image data; a storage unit adapted to store, as a background feature amount for each of the partial regions, a feature amount extracted in advance from background image data and does not include the target object; a first determination unit adapted to determine whether or not the partial region is an object region including the target object by comparing a current feature amount extracted from the partial region with the background feature amount; a deciding unit adapted to decide a parameter for each of the partial regions based on a plurality of results of determination; and a second determination unit adapted to determine whether or not the partial region is the object region based on the parameter and the results of determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kotaro Yano
  • Patent number: 9092868
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus stores a background model in which a feature amount is associated with time information for each state at each position of an image to be a background, extracts a feature amount for each position of an input video image, compares the feature amount in the input video image with that of each state in the background model, to determine the state similar to the input video image, and updates the time information of the state similar to the input video image, determines a foreground area in the input video image based on the time information of the state similar to the input video image, detects a predetermined subject from the foreground area, and updates the time information of the state in the background model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tojo, Kotaro Yano
  • Publication number: 20150154472
    Abstract: A search apparatus comprises a determining unit configured to determine a plurality of attributes of an object designated in a first image, and determine a plurality of attributes of an object that is different from the designated object; and a search unit configured to search a second image for the designated object in accordance with a search condition based on the plurality of attributes of the designated object and the plurality of attributes of the object that is different from the designated object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2014
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Satoshi Yashiro