Patents by Inventor Makoto Aimura
Makoto Aimura 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).
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Publication number: 20220314870Abstract: A light distribution control device including: an acquirer acquiring information representing a running status of an assistance operation performed for driving assistance from a driving assistance device performing driving assistance of a subject vehicle based on a recognition result of objects disposed in front of the subject vehicle recognized based on detection results acquired by a plurality of sensors including an optical sensor; and a light distribution controller performing light distribution control including change of an output level of a headlight of the subject vehicle, in which the light distribution controller gently performs change of the output level of the headlight in accordance with running of the assistance operation in the light distribution control.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 23, 2022Publication date: October 6, 2022Inventors: Makoto Aimura, Takuya Kashiki, Shinya Uno
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Publication number: 20220314997Abstract: A driving support device includes a storage device storing a program and a hardware processor. The hardware processor executes the program stored in the storage device to perform driving support of a vehicle based on a detection result of at least one of a radar device and an imaging device mounted in the vehicle, determine whether the vehicle is traveling in an underpass which is a traffic route along which the vehicle is able to pass under an overlying structure, and suppress an operation of the driving support when the vehicle is determined to be traveling under the underpass.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 23, 2022Publication date: October 6, 2022Inventors: Tomo Masutani, Makoto Aimura, Naoya Iizumi
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Publication number: 20220314973Abstract: A driving support device includes a detector configured to detect an obstacle in front of a host vehicle, and a processor configured to calculate the likelihood of collision between the obstacle and the host vehicle and to perform at least one of alarm control and travel control when the likelihood is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. When the obstacle has been detected between the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, the processor brings forward the timing to start at least one of the alarm control and the travel control as compared to a case where the obstacle has not been detected between the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2022Publication date: October 6, 2022Inventor: Makoto Aimura
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Publication number: 20220319197Abstract: Provided is a driving assistance system including a storage device having a program stored therein and a hardware processor, wherein the hardware processor executes the program stored in the storage device, to thereby recognize an object which is present outside of a vehicle on the basis of a detection result of at least one of a radar device and an imaging device which are mounted in the vehicle, perform driving assistance for the vehicle on the basis of a recognition result, and determine a degree of matching between a portion of a contour line of the object and a road partition line and suppress an operation of the driving assistance in a case where the degree of matching is equal to or greater than a threshold.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 23, 2022Publication date: October 6, 2022Inventors: Makoto Aimura, Tomo Masutani
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Patent number: 10565438Abstract: Provided is a vehicle periphery monitor device for accurately distinguishing between and detecting two side-by-side pedestrians and a vehicle that is lighting lights. With regard to a pedestrian candidate having at least two head candidates, a reference image creation unit creates the peripheral image of one of the head candidates as a reference image and creates an inverted image in which the right and left sides of the reference image are inverted. An object determination unit sets the peripheral image of the other heat candidate as a comparative image, and determines whether the head candidates are the pedestrians or the vehicle on the basis of the consistency of the reference image and the inverted image relative to the comparative image.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2013Date of Patent: February 18, 2020Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Nobuharu Nagaoka, Makoto Aimura
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Publication number: 20180341016Abstract: A surroundings monitoring device (100) includes an object detection unit (110) which is mounted in a structure and detects objects around the structure, a first sensor (120) for determining whether an object has collided with the structure, and a first controller (140) which determines whether the object has collided with the structure on the basis of the detection result of the first sensor and restrains the operation of the object detection unit or causes an information output unit to output predetermined information in a case that it is determined that the object has collided with the structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2018Publication date: November 29, 2018Inventors: Takahiro Ohmoto, Yoshihiro Urai, Makoto Aimura, Hiroyuki Midorikawa, Isao Tomita
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Patent number: 9758098Abstract: A vehicle periphery monitoring device comprises: an in-region object detecting unit which detects an in-region object present in contact determination regions on the basis of a photographic image from a camera per prescribed control cycle; and a warning control unit which performs warning control processing to give warning of a detected in-region object when an in-region object was not detected in the last control cycle, but the in-region object was detected in the present control cycle, and to restrain warning of a new in-region object when an in-region object was detected in the last control cycle and the new in-region object different from the in-region object detected in the last control cycle has been detected in the present control cycle.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2014Date of Patent: September 12, 2017Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Aimura, Kodai Matsuda
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Publication number: 20160176339Abstract: A vehicle periphery monitoring device comprises: an in-region object detecting unit which detects an in-region object present in contact determination regions on the basis of a photographic image from a camera per prescribed control cycle; and a warning control unit which performs warning control processing to give warning of a detected in-region object when an in-region object was not detected in the last control cycle, but the in-region object was detected in the present control cycle, and to restrain warning of a new in-region object when an in-region object was detected in the last control cycle and the new in-region object different from the in-region object detected in the last control cycle has been detected in the present control cycle.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2014Publication date: June 23, 2016Inventors: Makoto AIMURA, Kodai MATSUDA
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Patent number: 9321399Abstract: A surrounding area monitoring apparatus, which is built into a vehicle, images the area surrounding the vehicle and detects physical objects in the area surrounding the vehicle based on the image taken. The apparatus determines whether the detected physical object is a pedestrian or an animal, and a warning is given to the driver of the vehicle if the determined physical object is present within a specified area from the vehicle. If it is determined that the detected physical object is an animal and that the animal is present within the specified area, the warning in continued for a specified period even after the animal has left the specified area. Since animals have habits of behaving in a herd, the risk of lurking animals can be brought to the driver's attention by the continuation of the warning.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2011Date of Patent: April 26, 2016Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Aimura, Nobuharu Nagaoka
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Patent number: 9324235Abstract: A vehicle (1) having a vehicle information acquisition unit (11) which acquires image captured by a vehicle mounted sensor (20) and a camera (21), a vehicle information transmission unit (13) which transmits vehicle information data indicating information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit (11) to a host computer (50), a first arithmetic processing result reception unit (14) which receives first arithmetic processing result data replied from the host computer (50), and a driving assistance unit (17) which executes driving assistance processing based on the first arithmetic processing result data, the host computer (50) has a vehicle information reception unit (52) which receives vehicle information data, a first arithmetic processing unit (53) which executes first arithmetic processing on vehicle information data, and a first arithmetic processing result transmission unit (54) which transmits first arithmetic processing result data indicating the first arithmetic processing result to the vehType: GrantFiled: October 5, 2012Date of Patent: April 26, 2016Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Nobuharu Nagaoka, Makoto Aimura, Yusuke Nakamura
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Patent number: 9292735Abstract: A living body recognizing device is equipped with a captured image acquiring unit which acquires captured images from infrared cameras having a characteristics that a luminance of an image portion of a target object becomes higher as a temperature of the target object becomes higher than a background, and vice versa, according to a temperature difference between the background and the target object, a living body image extracting unit which executes a first living body image extracting processing of extracting the image portion of the target object assumed as a living body, from a region in the captured image where the luminance is equal to or lower than a first threshold value, and a living body recognizing unit which recognizes an existence of the living body, based on the image portion of the target object extracted by the living body image extracting unit.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2012Date of Patent: March 22, 2016Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Nobuharu Nagaoka, Makoto Aimura, Kodai Matsuda
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Patent number: 9235990Abstract: This vehicle periphery monitoring device appropriately determines whether or not an animal detected by an imaging device is a high-risk animal which may possibly contact the vehicle. For example, compared with an animal in a posture with the head facing downwards, an animal in a posture with the head facing upwards is determined to be a high-risk animal which may suddenly bolt, so the latter animal is enclosed in a thick red frame and highlighted as a warning, and an alarm is emitted from speakers.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2012Date of Patent: January 12, 2016Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventor: Makoto Aimura
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Patent number: 9165197Abstract: In an image captured by an infrared camera mounted in a vehicle, a featured image portion group including first and second high luminance image portions lined up side by side vertically or horizontally and a third high luminance image portion located below the first and second high luminance image portions is defined. The featured image portion group has a feature indicating that a similarity of one of a luminance distribution and a shape between the first high luminance image portion and the second high luminance image portion is higher than between the third high luminance image portion and at least one of the first and second high luminance image portions. If the featured image portion group is found in the captured image, it is determined that at least the third high luminance image portion is the image of a component of a traffic signal structure.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 2013Date of Patent: October 20, 2015Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTDInventor: Makoto Aimura
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Patent number: 9160986Abstract: A device for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle mounted in a vehicle, captures an image of surroundings of the vehicle, extracts from the captured image an image area for a predetermined part of a desired type of object, and sets a predetermined area below the extracted image area. The device extracts candidates for the desired type of object present outside the vehicle based on the predetermined area and determines, for each of the extracted object candidates, whether the object candidate is the desired type of object. When no pattern different from the background is captured in the predetermined area, or when a pattern different from the background is captured only in one of a first and a second areas, then the object in the image area is excluded from the candidates for the desired type of object. Thus, a pedestrian, for example, can be distinguished from an artificial structure.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2011Date of Patent: October 13, 2015Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Nobuharu Nagaoka, Makoto Aimura
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Patent number: 9158979Abstract: When a pedestrian candidate and an animal candidate that are detected from an image imaged by an imaging device mounted in a vehicle are in a specified relationship in said image (such as existing nearby), the animal candidate is considered to be an item related to the pedestrian candidate, in other words, a pair object. Attention-arousing output directed at the animal candidate configuring the pair object is not generated. Therefore, a vehicle vicinity monitoring device is provided that reduces the frequency of attention-arousing directed at an animal (for ex-ample, a small animal such as a dog) being walked by a human.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2012Date of Patent: October 13, 2015Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Aimura, Hiroyuki Koike
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Patent number: 9090205Abstract: A light distribution controller includes a pedestrian detection unit, a determination unit, and an illumination controller. The pedestrian detection unit detects a pedestrian in a predetermined area ahead of a vehicle on the basis of an image captured by an infrared camera. The determination unit determines whether a driver notices the pedestrian when the pedestrian detection unit has detected the pedestrian in the predetermined area, on the basis of whether a predetermined condition is satisfied. The illumination controller causes the headlight to be lit with a light distribution pattern without a restriction on illumination of the pedestrian until the determination unit determines that the driver notices the pedestrian, and causes the headlight to be lit with a light distribution pattern having a restriction on illumination of a body member including at least the eyes of the pedestrian after the determination unit determines that the driver notices the pedestrian.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2013Date of Patent: July 28, 2015Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Nobuharu Nagaoka, Hiroyuki Koike, Yusuke Nakamura, Makoto Aimura
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Patent number: 9073484Abstract: A surrounding area of a vehicle is imaged, and target objects in the area are detected based on captured images. A driver is warned of the presence of the detected target objects by displaying a warning indication on the displayed image. If a total number of simultaneously detected target objects is equal to or less than a specified number, the warning indication of a first display mode is applied in which each target object is emphasized individually. If the total number is more than the specified number, the warning indication of a second warning display mode is applied in which one emphasized indication predefined is displayed for the whole displayed image without displaying the warning indication of the first display mode. The warning image becomes easier to understand for a driver, compared to an image where all detected objects are always emphasized individually regardless of the total number of them.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2011Date of Patent: July 7, 2015Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Aimura, Yusuke Nakamura
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Patent number: 9067537Abstract: Provided is a vehicle periphery monitoring device capable of making a driver reliably recognize the shape of an object to which attention should be paid. According to an image processing unit (1) (vehicle periphery monitoring device), for example, when it is highly probable that the shape of the object is difficult to be visually recognized through the output image because of the reason that the object is present far from the vehicle or other reason, an enlarged image (Q?) of the object (Q) is displayed on an HUD (7) so as not to overlap with the object (Q).Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2010Date of Patent: June 30, 2015Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Aimura, Hideki Hashimoto
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Patent number: 9064158Abstract: There is provided a vehicle surroundings monitoring device including: a candidate animal area setting unit configured to set a candidate animal area including a candidate animal image portion and a surrounding area of the candidate animal image portion; an edge extraction unit configured to extract a horizontal edge from the candidate animal area; and an animal determination unit configured to determine whether or not a real space object corresponding to the candidate animal image portion is an animal based on a criterion that first and second horizontal edges in the candidate animal area have a strength greater than or equal to a first predetermined strength.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2013Date of Patent: June 23, 2015Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTDInventor: Makoto Aimura
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Patent number: 9037343Abstract: In a case where a light distribution control apparatus judges that there is a possibility that a driver's own vehicle and an animal will contact each other if it is assumed that the animal remains at the present position, then it controls headlight such that the head of the animal is out of the illuminating range of the headlight. In a case where the light distribution control apparatus judges that there is no possibility that the driver's own vehicle and the animal will contact each other if it is assumed that the animal remains at the present position, then it controls the headlight such that the head of the animal is within the illuminating range of the headlight.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2013Date of Patent: May 19, 2015Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTDInventor: Makoto Aimura