Patents by Inventor Kunihito Sawai

Kunihito Sawai 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: 11537288
    Abstract: A display device, method, computer-readable storage medium and user interface, each of which detects contact to or proximity of an object with respect to a generated image, and responsive to detection of contact to or proximity of the object to the generated image, disables any operational functions associated with a first portion of the generated image. Additionally, operation associated with a second portion of the generated image is allowed responsive to the detection of contact to or proximity of the object to the generated image, where the second portion of the generated image is different from the first portion of the generated image. An indication corresponding to the second portion of the generated image for which operation is enabled may be displayed on the generated image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo Okumura, Hazime Matsuda, Shoji Imamura, Katsuji Miyazawa, Motoki Higashide, Kunihito Sawai
  • Publication number: 20220366909
    Abstract: An acoustic feature detection unit (31) detects acoustic features of voice discretely input separately from a command instructing movement of an operation target. A movement control unit (32) controls the movement of the operation target instructed by the command on the basis of the acoustic features detected by the acoustic feature detection unit (31).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Hiro IWASE, Yuhei TAKI, Kunihito SAWAI
  • Publication number: 20220357915
    Abstract: A detection unit (30) detects an input start timing of a command by a gesture on an operation target with a temporal change. A command processing unit (31) performs processing of a command recognized from the gesture based on the state of the operation target at the input start timing detected by the detection unit (30).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Hiro IWASE, Yuhei TAKI, Kunihito SAWAI
  • Publication number: 20220350605
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus that easily performs collective execution of a plurality of habitual operations of a user. A habitual operation cluster formed with a plurality of operations having a habituation score higher than a predetermined threshold is registered, the registered habitual operation cluster is presented, and the habitual operation cluster is collectively executed on the basis of a user operation or a user utterance, the habituation score indicating the degree of habituation of the user operation. The present disclosure can be applied to ac information processing apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Hiro IWASE, Yuhei TAKI, Kunihito SAWAI, Masaki TAKASE, Akira MIYASHITA
  • Publication number: 20220236788
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a display control unit that causes a display device to display a mark for a virtual object at an instruction position that is a position determined on the basis of a plurality of directions indicated by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Inventors: MIWA ICHIKAWA, JUN KIMURA, AI NAKADA, SOICHIRO INATANI, TAKURO NODA, KUNIHITO SAWAI, SHINGO UTSUKI, KENJI SUGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20220238108
    Abstract: An information processing device (1) includes an input unit (101), an extracting unit (104, 104a), an output unit (107, 108), and a specifying unit (104, 104a). The input unit (101) receives a voice operation. The extracting unit (104, 104a) extracts a processing detail corresponding to the voice operation received by the input unit (101). When the processing detail corresponding to the voice operation received by the input unit (101) cannot be specified, the output unit (107, 108) outputs response information for making selection of at least one processing detail from a plurality of the processing details extracted by the extracting unit (104, 104a). The specifying unit (104, 104a) specifies the processing detail selected from the plurality of processing details contained in the response information as the processing detail corresponding to the voice operation received by the input unit (101).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Yuhei TAKI, Hiro IWASE, Kunihito SAWAI, Masaki TAKASE, Akira MIYASHITA
  • Patent number: 11373635
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are capable of controlling the output of the system utterance upon the occurrence of barge-in utterance and enabling a smooth interactive between a user and the system. Fade processing is applied to lower at least one of volume, a speech rate, or a pitch (voice pitch) of system utterance from a starting time of the barge-in utterance acting as the user interruption utterance during executing the system utterance. Even after the completion of the fade processing, the output state upon completing the fade processing is maintained. In a case where the system utterance level is equal to or less than the predefined threshold during the fade processing, the system utterance is displayed on a display unit. One of stop, continuation, and rephrasing is executed based on an intention of the barge-in utterance and whether an important word is included in in the system utterance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiro Iwase, Shinichi Kawano, Yuhei Taki, Kunihito Sawai, Masaki Takase, Akira Miyashita
  • Publication number: 20220199096
    Abstract: Provided is an information processing apparatus that includes an authentication dialogue control unit that controls a dialogue with a user and performs a voice authentication process based on a speech that is made by the user in the dialogue. The authentication dialogue control unit generates a challenge speech string including a hash seed word, outputs the challenge speech string as a challenge speech, and performs the voice authentication process on the basis of determination on whether a response speech string that is recognized based on a response speech that is given from the user in response to the output challenge speech includes a hash value word. The hash value word has a predetermined relationship with the hash seed word, where the predetermined relationship is defined by a word relation rule.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2019
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: HIRO IWASE, YUHEI TAKI, KUNIHITO SAWAI, MARI SAITO, SHINICHI KAWANO
  • Publication number: 20220157295
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus is provided that includes an output control unit that controls display of a table in which subjective evaluations that are made by a user on contents are collected, on the basis of an extracted intention of a speech of the user. The output control unit generates a comparison table in which the subjective evaluations are compared for each of contents related to a plurality of comparison targets, and displays the comparison table. Further, an information processing method is provided that includes controlling, by a processor, display of a table in which subjective evaluations that are made by a user on contents are collected, on the basis of an extracted intention of a speech of the user. The controlling includes generating a comparison table in which the subjective evaluations are compared for each of contents related to a plurality of comparison targets, and displaying the comparison table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Inventors: HIRO IWASE, YUHEI TAKI, KUNIHITO SAWAI
  • Publication number: 20220157303
    Abstract: An information processing device according to the application concerned includes an obtaining unit that obtains utterance information containing a request uttered by a user regarding changing the state related to the user, and obtains device condition information indicating the condition of a plurality of devices associated to the request; and includes a deciding unit that, based on the utterance information and the device condition information obtained by the obtaining unit, decides on a target device that, from among a plurality of devices, is to be subjected to the operations corresponding to the request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Yuhei TAKI, Hiro IWASE, Kunihito SAWAI
  • Patent number: 11335334
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing device and an information processing method that enable the intention of a speech of a user to be estimated more accurately. The information processing device includes: a detection unit configured to detect a breakpoint of a speech of a user on the basis of a result of recognition that is to be obtained during the speech of the user; and an estimation unit configured to estimate an intention of the speech of the user on the basis of a result of semantic analysis of a divided speech sentence obtained by dividing a speech sentence at the detected breakpoint of the speech. The present technology can be applied, for example, to a speech dialogue system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiro Iwase, Shinichi Kawano, Yuhei Taki, Kunihito Sawai
  • Publication number: 20220096943
    Abstract: A wearing member (2) includes a support member (31) extending in a first direction, a belt (34) extending from a site in the first direction of the support member (31), a sliding member (33) which is connected to one end of the belt (34) and which slides in the first direction along the support member (31), and a locking section which is provided in a direction opposite to the first direction in relation to the support member (31) and which locks a site on the other end side of the belt (34). In a state in which the belt (34) is locked by the locking section, a space (SP) surrounded by the support member (31) and the belt (34) is formed, and a part of the sliding member (33) is disposed inside the space (SP).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: Yuuichi MACHIDA, Kunihito SAWAI
  • Patent number: 11270074
    Abstract: Implemented are an apparatus and a method that enable highly accurate intent estimation of a user utterance. An utterance learning adaptive processing unit analyzes a plurality of user utterances input from a user, generates learning data in which entity information included in a user utterance with an unclear intent is associated with a correct intent, and stores the generated learning data is a storage unit. The utterance learning adaptive processing unit generates learning data in which an intent, acquired from a response utterance from the user to an apparatus utterance after input of a first user utterance with an unclear intent, is recorded in association with entity information included in the first user utterance. The learning data is recorded to include superordinate semantic concept information of the entity information. At the time of estimating an intent for a new user utterance, learning data with similar superordinate semantic concept information is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiro Iwase, Shinichi Kawano, Yuhei Taki, Kunihito Sawai
  • Publication number: 20220062757
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a housing having a holding portion for gripping by a hand of a user; a manipulation block having a first side that includes at least one of: (i) one or more pressable buttons, and (ii) a stick button, and having a second side that includes a trigger button; and at least one of: (i) a thumb sensor block, located proximate to the first side of the manipulation block, and operable to detect the presence of the thumb of the hand of the user when the holding portion is gripped by the user, (ii) a first finger sensor, located on the trigger button, and operable to detect the presence of the at least one finger of the hand of the user when the holding portion is gripped by the user, and (iii) a second finger sensor, located proximate to both the second side of the manipulation block and the holding portion of the housing, and operable to detect the presence of at least one of a middle finger, a ring finger, and a pinky finger of the hand of the user when the holding portion is gripped by the us
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Yuichi Machida, Kunihito Sawai, Shinichi Hirata, Yoshihisa Takahashi, Yoichi Nishimaki, Yasushi Okumura, Norihiro Nagai
  • Publication number: 20220043569
    Abstract: A display device, method, computer-readable storage medium and user interface, each of which detects contact to or proximity of an object with respect to a generated image, and responsive to detection of contact to or proximity of the object to the generated image, disables any operational functions associated with a first portion of the generated image. Additionally, operation associated with a second portion of the generated image is allowed responsive to the detection of contact to or proximity of the object to the generated image, where the second portion of the generated image is different from the first portion of the generated image. An indication corresponding to the second portion of the generated image for which operation is enabled may be displayed on the generated image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuo OKUMURA, Hazime MATSUDA, Shoji IMAMURA, Katsuji MIYAZAWA, Motoki HIGASHIDE, Kunihito SAWAI
  • Patent number: 11217230
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing device and an information processing method that enable speeding up of a responsivity of a system response to a speech of a user. The information processing device includes a processing unit configured to determine, on the basis of a result of semantic analysis that is to be obtained from an interim result of speech recognition of a speech of a user, presence or absence of a response to the speech of the user. It thereby becomes possible to speed up a responsivity of a system response to the speech of the user. The present technology can be applied to a speech dialogue system, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiro Iwase, Shinichi Kawano, Yuhei Taki, Kunihito Sawai
  • Patent number: 11198060
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide for causing a device to present a sense of force against depressing of a button in response to receiving an input initiated by the user of a sense-of-force presentation start position in said predetermined movable range, and to store the sense-of-force presentation start position in a memory in response to the input initiated by the user; acquiring a depress amount of said button; receiving the sense-of-force presentation start position from the memory; and instructing the presentation of the sense of force against depressing of said button when said depress amount reaches said sense-of-force presentation start position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Yuichi Machida, Kunihito Sawai, Shinichi Hirata, Yoshihisa Takahashi, Yoichi Nishimaki, Yasushi Okumura, Norihiro Nagai
  • Patent number: 11188226
    Abstract: A display device, method, computer-readable storage medium and user interface, each of which detects contact to or proximity of an object with respect to a generated image, and responsive to detection of contact to or proximity of the object the generated image, disables any operational functions associated with a first portion of the generated image. Additionally, operation associated with a second portion of the generated image is allowed responsive to the detection of contact to or proximity of the object to the generated image, where the second portion of the generated image is different from the first portion of the generated image. An indication corresponding to the second portion of the generated image for which operation is enabled may be displayed on the generated image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo Okumura, Hazime Matsuda, Shoji Imamura, Katsuji Miyazawa, Motoki Higashide, Kunihito Sawai
  • Patent number: 11183189
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus including an output control unit that controls display of a user interface related to a recognition application. The output control unit causes a visual effect to be output to an input field to which a recognition result is input, the visual effect indicating a state related to recognition. Also provided is an information processing method including controlling, by a processor, display of a user interface related to a recognition application. Controlling of the display further includes causing a visual effect to be output to an input field to which a recognition result is input, the visual effect indicating a state related to recognition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuhei Taki, Kunihito Sawai, Shinichi Kawano
  • Publication number: 20210319792
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an extracting unit (133) that extracts a changing message related to a change in macro data (M), the changing message including at least one piece of first information indicating a function to be executed, and second information linked to the first information, from a user speech; a presuming unit (134) that presumes an element to be changed in the macro data (M) based on the changing message extracted by the extracting unit (133); and a changing unit (135) that changes the element to be changed in the macro data (M) presumed by the presuming unit (134), based on the changing message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yuhei Taki, Hiro Iwase, Kunihito Sawai, Masaki Takase, Akira Miyashita