Patents by Inventor Makoto Akabane
Makoto Akabane 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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Patent number: 8712773Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for modeling a common-language speech recognition, by a computer, under the influence of multiple dialects and concerns a technical field of speech recognition by a computer. In this method, a triphone standard common-language model is first generated based on training data of standard common language, and first and second monophone dialectal-accented common-language models are based on development data of dialectal-accented common languages of first kind and second kind, respectively. Then a temporary merged model is obtained in a manner that the first dialectal-accented common-language model is merged into the standard common-language model according to a first confusion matrix obtained by recognizing the development data of first dialectal-accented common language using the standard common-language model.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2009Date of Patent: April 29, 2014Assignees: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Tsinghua UniversityInventors: Fang Zheng, Xi Xiao, Linquan Liu, Zhan You, Wenxiao Cao, Makoto Akabane, Ruxin Chen, Yoshikazu Takahashi
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Patent number: 8315968Abstract: In a music information processing apparatus, a characteristic quantity acquiring unit reads out a music file from a music tune file storage unit and acquires a characteristic quantity of a music tune. A class value providing unit provides a class value for each music tune based on the characteristic quantity. The distribution acquiring unit forms a music tune assembly based on bibliography information read from the music tune file by a bibliography information acquiring unit, and acquires the distribution information of class values for each music tune assembly. The distribution information is stored into an analysis result storage unit, and an evaluation unit reads out distribution information based on user input, and evaluates the similarity between music tune assemblies or between a tune and a music tune assembly. An output unit recommends or reproduces a music tune assembly or a music tune according to the preference of a user.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2009Date of Patent: November 20, 2012Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Akira Sassa, Katsu Saito, Makoto Akabane
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Patent number: 8009371Abstract: A lens driving apparatus is disclosed. The lends driving apparatus may include a movable body holding lenses, a fixed body in which the movable body is mounted and movably along the lens optical axis direction, and a drive mechanism that moves the movable body in the lens optical axis direction. The drive mechanism may be equipped with a coil that is held by the movable body or the fixed body, a magnet that is held by the other body of the movable body and the fixed boy, and a regulatory means that regulates the movement of the movable body which is induced by an electromagnetic force generated when current is passed through the coil. The coil may be opposed to the magnet in the lens optical direction.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2006Date of Patent: August 30, 2011Assignee: Nidec Sankyo CorporationInventors: Takeshi Sue, Noboru Otsuki, Daisuke Higuchi, Makoto Akabane
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Patent number: 7995289Abstract: A lens drive device may include a fixed body, a movable body having a lens, a magnetic drive mechanism for magnetically driving the movable body in a lens optical axis direction, and a spring member which connects the movable body with the fixed body. The fixed body may include a base disposed on an imaging element side, a shield member which is formed in a cover shape and which is provided with a side plate part whose imaging element side end part is abutted with an object side face of the base, and a ground terminal which is a different member from the shield member and connected with the shield member. An imaging element side face of the ground terminal is supported by a ground terminal support part formed on the object side face of the base and a gap space is formed between the object side face of the ground terminal and an end part of the side plate part of the shield member.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2009Date of Patent: August 9, 2011Assignee: Nidec Sankyo CorporationInventors: Makoto Akabane, Akira Mori
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Patent number: 7984076Abstract: The text format of input data is checked, and is converted into a system-manipulated format. It is further determined if the input data is in an HTML or e-mail format using tags, heading information, and the like. The converted data is divided into blocks in a simple manner such that elements in the blocks can be checked based on repetition of predetermined character patterns. Each block section is tagged with a tag indicating a block. The data divided into blocks is parsed based on tags, character patterns, etc., and is structured. A table in text is also parsed, and is segmented into cells. Finally, tree-structured data having a hierarchical structure is generated based on the sentence-structured data. A sentence-extraction template paired with the tree-structured data is used to extract sentences.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2007Date of Patent: July 19, 2011Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Kenichiro Kobayashi, Makoto Akabane, Tomoaki Nitta, Nobuhide Yamazaki, Erika Kobayashi
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Patent number: 7871207Abstract: A lens drive device may include a thrust direction stopper mechanism which includes a thrust movement preventing abutting part of the movable body and a thrust movement preventing abutted part of the fixed body for restricting a moving range toward an object side of the movable body, and a radial direction stopper mechanism which includes a radial movement preventing abutting part of the movable body and a radial movement preventing abutted part of the fixed body for restricting a moving range in a radial direction of the movable body. The moving range in the radial direction under an inclined posture of the movable body with respect to an optic axis is restricted over all directions by the radial direction stopper mechanism and the thrust direction stopper mechanism.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 2009Date of Patent: January 18, 2011Assignee: Nidec Sankyo CorporationInventors: Makoto Akabane, Akira Mori
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Publication number: 20100121640Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for modeling a common-language speech recognition, by a computer, under the influence of multiple dialects and concerns a technical field of speech recognition by a computer. In this method, a triphone standard common-language model is first generated based on training data of standard common language, and first and second monophone dialectal-accented common-language models are based on development data of dialectal-accented common languages of first kind and second kind, respectively. Then a temporary merged model is obtained in a manner that the first dialectal-accented common-language model is merged into the standard common-language model according to a first confusion matrix obtained by recognizing the development data of first dialectal-accented common language using the standard common-language model.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 29, 2009Publication date: May 13, 2010Applicants: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC., TSINGHUA UNIVERSITYInventors: Fang Zheng, Xi Xiao, Linquan Liu, Zhan You, Wenxiao Cao, Makoto Akabane, Ruxin Chen, Yoshikazu Takahashi
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Publication number: 20100063952Abstract: In a music information processing apparatus, a characteristic quantity acquiring unit reads out a music file from a music tune file storage unit and acquires a characteristic quantity of a music tune. A class value providing unit provides a class value for each music tune based on the characteristic quantity. The distribution acquiring unit forms a music tune assembly based on bibliography information read from the music tune file by a bibliography information acquiring unit, and acquires the distribution information of class values for each music tune assembly. The distribution information is stored into an analysis result storage unit, and an evaluation unit reads out distribution information based on user input, and evaluates the similarity between music tune assemblies or between a tune and a music tune assembly. An output unit recommends or reproduces a music tune assembly or a music tune according to the preference of a user.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2009Publication date: March 11, 2010Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Akira Sassa, Katsu Saito, Makoto Akabane
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Publication number: 20100061712Abstract: A lens drive device may include a thrust direction stopper mechanism which includes a thrust movement preventing abutting part of the movable body and a thrust movement preventing abutted part of the fixed body for restricting a moving range toward an object side of the movable body, and a radial direction stopper mechanism which includes a radial movement preventing abutting part of the movable body and a radial movement preventing abutted part of the fixed body for restricting a moving range in a radial direction of the movable body. The moving range in the radial direction under an inclined posture of the movable body with respect to an optic axis is restricted over all directions by the radial direction stopper mechanism and the thrust direction stopper mechanism.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 4, 2009Publication date: March 11, 2010Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATIONInventors: Makoto AKABANE, Akira MORI
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Publication number: 20100060994Abstract: A lens drive device may include a fixed body, a movable body having a lens, a magnetic drive mechanism for magnetically driving the movable body in a lens optical axis direction, and a spring member which connects the movable body with the fixed body. The fixed body may include a base disposed on an imaging element side, a shield member which is formed in a cover shape and which is provided with a side plate part whose imaging element side end part is abutted with an object side face of the base, and a ground terminal which is a different member from the shield member and connected with the shield member. An imaging element side face of the ground terminal is supported by a ground terminal support part formed on the object side face of the base and a gap space is formed between the object side face of the ground terminal and an end part of the side plate part of the shield member.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 8, 2009Publication date: March 11, 2010Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATIONInventors: Makoto AKABANE, Akira MORI
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Publication number: 20090303621Abstract: A lens driving apparatus is disclosed. The lends driving apparatus may include a movable body holding lenses, a fixed body in which the movable body is mounted and movably along the lens optical axis direction, and a drive mechanism that moves the movable body in the lens optical axis direction. The drive mechanism may be equipped with a coil that is held by the movable body or the fixed body, a magnet that is held by the other body of the movable body and the fixed body, and a regulatory means that regulates the movement of the movable body which is induced by an electromagnetic force generated when current is passed through the coil. The coil may be opposed to the magnet in the lens optical direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2006Publication date: December 10, 2009Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATIONInventors: Takeshi Sue, Noboru Otsuki, Daisuke Higuchi, Makoto Akabane
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Patent number: 7523036Abstract: The present invention is intended to provide a text-to-speech synthesis apparatus, including a storage for storing phoneme data of a plurality of speakers; a selector for selecting one of the plurality of speakers in accordance with an operation performed by a user; a searcher for searching the storage for phoneme data of the speaker selected by the selector; a text-to-speech synthesis processor for linking the phoneme data of the speaker retrieved by the searcher to convert input data into a synthetic speech; and a fee-charge controller for controlling a fee-charge operation for the user in accordance with the phoneme data selected by the selector. Consequently, the user can perform text-to-speech synthesis on the desired input data such as drama data by use of the obtained phoneme data.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2006Date of Patent: April 21, 2009Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Makoto Akabane, Hajime Yano, Keiichi Yamada, Goro Shiraishi, Junichi Kudo, Akira Tange
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Publication number: 20080256120Abstract: The text format of input data is checked, and is converted into a system-manipulated format. It is further determined if the input data is in an HTML or e-mail format using tags, heading information, and the like. The converted data is divided into blocks in a simple manner such that elements in the blocks can be checked based on repetition of predetermined character patterns. Each block section is tagged with a tag indicating a block. The data divided into blocks is parsed based on tags, character patterns, etc., and is structured. A table in text is also parsed, and is segmented into cells. Finally, tree-structured data having a hierarchical structure is generated based on the sentence-structured data. A sentence-extraction template paired with the tree-structured data is used to extract sentences.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2007Publication date: October 16, 2008Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Kenichiro Kobayashi, Makoto Akabane, Tomoaki Nitta, Nobuhide Yamazaki, Erika Kobayashi
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Patent number: 7412390Abstract: The emotion is to be added to the synthesized speech as the prosodic feature of the language is maintained. In a speech synthesis device 200, a language processor 201 generates a string of pronunciation marks from the text, and a prosodic data generating unit 202 creates prosodic data, expressing the time duration, pitch, sound volume or the like parameters of phonemes, based on the string of pronunciation marks. A constraint information generating unit 203 is fed with the prosodic data and with the string of pronunciation marks to generate the constraint information which limits the changes in the parameters to add the so generated constraint information to the prosodic data. A emotion filter 204, fed with the prosodic data, to which has been added the constraint information, changes the parameters of the prosodic data, within the constraint, responsive to the feeling state information, imparted to it.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2003Date of Patent: August 12, 2008Assignees: Sony France S.A., Sony CorporationInventors: Erika Kobayashi, Toshiyuki Kumakura, Makoto Akabane, Kenichiro Kobayashi, Nobuhide Yamazaki, Tomoaki Nitta, Pierre Yves Oudeyer
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Patent number: 7379871Abstract: Various sensors detect conditions outside a robot and an operation applied to the robot, and output the results of detection to a robot-motion-system control section. The robot-motion-system control section determines a behavior state according to a behavior model. A robot-thinking-system control section determines an emotion state according to an emotion model. A speech-synthesizing-control-information selection section determines a field on a speech-synthesizing-control-information table according to the behavior state and the emotion state. A language processing section analyzes in grammar a text for speech synthesizing sent from the robot-thinking-system control section, converts a predetermined portion according to a speech-synthesizing control information, and outputs to a rule-based speech synthesizing section. The rule-based speech synthesizing section synthesizes a speech signal corresponding to the text for speech synthesizing.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2000Date of Patent: May 27, 2008Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Masato Shimakawa, Nobuhide Yamazaki, Erika Kobayashi, Makoto Akabane, Kenichiro Kobayashi, Keiichi Yamada, Tomoaki Nitta
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Patent number: 7349848Abstract: A communication apparatus includes a storage unit, a receiving unit and a searching unit, all acting on speaker voice data. A communication system includes an accumulating unit, a requesting unit, a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, all acting on synthetic speech data.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2006Date of Patent: March 25, 2008Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Makoto Akabane, Hajime Yano, Keiichi Yamada, Goro Shiraishi, Junichi Kudo, Akira Tange
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Publication number: 20080012446Abstract: A motor with a brush having a rotor, a commutator, a brush and a stationary side member is provided. The commuator is rotatable with the rotator and the stationary side member retains a base end side of the brush in such a manner that a top end side of the brush elastically contacts an outer circumference surface of the commutator, and retains a permanent magnet in such a manner that the permanent magnet faces the rotor. The brush is equipped with a bent part on a way from the base end side toward the top end side, as well as a damper member fixed to both the bent part of the brush and the stationary side member.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2007Publication date: January 17, 2008Inventor: Makoto Akabane
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Patent number: 7315867Abstract: The text format of input data is checked, and is converted into a system-manipulated format. It is further determined if the input data is in an HTML or e-mail format using tags, heading information, and the like. The converted data is divided into blocks in a simple manner such that elements in the blocks can be checked based on repetition of predetermined character patterns. Each block section is tagged with a tag indicating a block. The data divided into blocks is parsed based on tags, character patterns, etc., and is structured. A table in text is also parsed, and is segmented into cells. Finally, tree-structured data having a hierarchical structure is generated based on the sentence-structured data. A sentence-extraction template paired with the tree-structured data is used to extract sentences.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2005Date of Patent: January 1, 2008Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Kenichiro Kobayashi, Makoto Akabane, Tomoaki Nitta, Nobuhide Yamazaki, Erika Kobayashi
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Patent number: 7222076Abstract: The present invention relates to a voice output apparatus capable of, in response to a particular stimulus, stopping outputting a voice and outputting a reaction. The voice output apparatus is capable of outputting a voice in a natural manner. A rule-based synthesizer 24 produces a synthesized voice and outputs it. For example, when a synthesized voice “Where is an exit” was produced and outputting of the synthesized voice data has proceeded until “Where is an e” has been output, if a user taps a robot, then a reaction generator 30 determines, by referring to a reaction database 31, that a reaction voice “Ouch!” should be output in response to being tapped. The reaction generator 30 then controls an output controller 27 so as to stop outputting the synthesized voice “Where is an exit?” and output the reaction voice “Ouch!”.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2002Date of Patent: May 22, 2007Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Erika Kobayashi, Makoto Akabane, Tomoaki Nitta, Hideki Kishi, Rika Horinaka, Masashi Takeda
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Patent number: 7211917Abstract: A motor includes a circumferential wall part of a case provided with an opening part on one end side in an axial direction and at least a magnet fixed to the inner peripheral face of the circumferential wall part. At least a part of the outer peripheral face of the magnet is fixed to the inner peripheral face of the circumferential wall part with a first adhesive, and further, the outer peripheral edge part of a first end face of the magnet that is located on a side of the opening part is fixed to the inner peripheral face of the circumferential wall part with a second adhesive.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2005Date of Patent: May 1, 2007Assignee: NIDEC Sankyo CorporationInventor: Makoto Akabane