Patents by Inventor Mari OHBUCHI

Mari OHBUCHI 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: 10733430
    Abstract: A cat toilet, etc., which specifies precisely one cat who entered a toilet for cat is provided. The present invention relates to a camera for capturing a plurality of images of a cat entering a cat toilet, a cat identifying process for identifying identifiers of one cat appearing in a plurality of images based on a plurality of images captured by the camera section, the cat identification processing section extracts each feature amount from a plurality of images, determines the identifier of one cat as the identification result for each image based on the feature amount, and makes a majority decision of the identification result based on this, identifiers of one cat appearing in a plurality of images are specified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: HACHI TAMA INC.
    Inventors: Koji Hori, Mari Ohbuchi, Teruki Hirahata, Atsushi Hiroyama
  • Publication number: 20200042780
    Abstract: A cat toilet, etc., which specifies precisely one cat who entered a toilet for cat is provided. The present invention relates to a camera for capturing a plurality of images of a cat entering a cat toilet, a cat identifying process for identifying identifiers of one cat appearing in a plurality of images based on a plurality of images captured by the camera section, the cat identification processing section extracts each feature amount from a plurality of images, determines the identifier of one cat as the identification result for each image based on the feature amount, and makes a majority decision of the identification result based on this, identifiers of one cat appearing in a plurality of images are specified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: Hachi Tama INC.
    Inventors: Koji HORI, Mari OHBUCHI, Teruki HIRAHATA, Atsushi HIROYAMA
  • Patent number: 9172863
    Abstract: A video signal processing apparatus, comprises: an image pickup unit, having a focus lens; an evaluation value calculator unit, specifying a region, in which brightness higher than a predetermined value lies, from within a region to be a target, for which a focal point estimation value is calculated to be used for moving the focus lens to a focal point, and to calculate the focal point estimation value by excluding the region, in which the brightness higher than the predetermined value lies, from a focal point estimation value calculation target; and a system controller unit, to be focused upon basis of the focal point estimation value calculated by the evaluation value calculator unit, wherein the system controller unit controls the focus lens to move to a position, which is determined in advance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mari Ohbuchi, Junji Shiokawa
  • Patent number: 8878980
    Abstract: The autofocus function included in general digital cameras and video cameras cannot set the camera to an in-focus state for a scene including a point light source depending on cases. This difficulty is removed by an image signal processing device including an area setting unit to set an area as a target area to calculate a focus evaluation value, a detection unit to judge presence or absence of a point light source in the area set as a target area, and a calculation unit to identify, by use of information obtained from the detection unit, an area in which a point light source exists and to calculate a focus evaluation value by removing the identified area from the target area. Once the detection unit detects a point light source, it conducts the operation only after a predetermined period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mari Ohbuchi, Hirotomo Sai, Junji Shiokawa
  • Patent number: 8836826
    Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus includes an imaging unit having an imaging element to conduct photoelectric conversion on incident light from a subject and output an electric signal, a defective pixel detection unit for detecting a defective pixel in the imaging element, a defective pixel correction unit for correcting the detected defective pixel, an image signal correction unit for conducting image signal correction every arbitrary area on a signal supplied from the defective pixel correction unit, a system control unit for generally controlling those units, and a temperature measurement unit for measuring temperature in the vicinity of the imaging element. The system control unit controls a detection condition to be used when the defective pixel detection unit detects a defective pixel, i.e., one or more of an exposure time, a defective pixel detection threshold, and a gain, by using information of the temperature obtained from the temperature measurement unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mari Ohbuchi, Keisuke Kawamoto, Hirotomo Sai, Shinichi Nonaka
  • Patent number: 8830338
    Abstract: In an imaging device with a wide dynamic range function by combining images, focus is controlled to establish an in-focus state for each image to enlarge the dynamic range with reducing blur, thereby improving visibility. The device includes an imaging unit with a variable focal distance focus lens, an exposure controller for controlling the imaging unit's exposure to implement several shooting operations for a subject with different sensitivity, a processing unit for processing a signal outputted from the imaging unit to generate an image signal and a focus evaluation value indicating focus degree, an image combining unit for combining signals generated by the processing unit and outputting the combined signal, the processing unit generates a focus evaluation value for each outputted signal and the focus controller controls the focus lens for shooting operations of the imaging unit with mutually different sensitivity values, based on focus evaluation values respectively associated therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
    Inventors: Shinichiro Hirooka, Hirotomo Sai, Mari Ohbuchi
  • Patent number: 8681242
    Abstract: An image signal processing system according to the present invention has a function to perform image quality control in photographing a subject having a large difference in brightness in the surrounding environment so that the entire photographed image, in particular a subject which a user desires to view, has an adequate brightness and an adequate gradation. Specifically, this image signal processing system comprises: a video input unit, a video signal processing unit for performing signal processing on a signal output from the video input unit, and generating a video signal; an input-output characteristic control unit for controlling a characteristic of the video signal which the video signal processing unit generates; and a subject recognition unit for performing image processing on the video signal which the video signal processing unit generates, and recognizing and detecting subject information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mari Ohbuchi, Hirotomo Sai, Tsutomu Usui, Shinichiro Hirooka
  • Publication number: 20130120615
    Abstract: In an imaging device with a wide dynamic range function by combining images, focus is controlled to establish an in-focus state for each image to enlarge the dynamic range with reducing blur, thereby improving visibility. The device includes an imaging unit with a variable focal distance focus lens, an exposure controller for controlling the imaging unit's exposure to implement several shooting operations for a subject with different sensitivity, a processing unit for processing a signal outputted from the imaging unit to generate an image signal and a focus evaluation value indicating focus degree, an image combining unit for combining signals generated by the processing unit and outputting the combined signal, the processing unit generates a focus evaluation value for each outputted signal and the focus controller controls the focus lens for shooting operations of the imaging unit with mutually different sensitivity values, based on focus evaluation values respectively associated therewith.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Inventors: Shinichiro HIROOKA, Hirotomo Sai, Mari Ohbuchi
  • Publication number: 20130107107
    Abstract: The autofocus function included in general digital cameras and video cameras cannot set the camera to an in-focus state for a scene including a point light source depending on cases. This difficulty is removed by an image signal processing device including an area setting unit to set an area as a target area to calculate a focus evaluation value, a detection unit to judge presence or absence of a point light source in the area set as a target area, and a calculation unit to identify, by use of information obtained from the detection unit, an area in which a point light source exists and to calculate a focus evaluation value by removing the identified area from the target area. Once the detection unit detects a point light source, it conducts the operation only after a predetermined period of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Inventors: Mari OHBUCHI, Hirotomo Sai, Junji Shiokawa
  • Publication number: 20120154645
    Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus includes an imaging unit having an imaging element to conduct photoelectric conversion on incident light from a subject and output an electric signal, a defective pixel detection unit for detecting a defective pixel in the imaging element, a defective pixel correction unit for correcting the detected defective pixel, an image signal correction unit for conducting image signal correction every arbitrary area on a signal supplied from the defective pixel correction unit, a system control unit for generally controlling those units, and a temperature measurement unit for measuring temperature in the vicinity of the imaging element. The system control unit controls a detection condition to be used when the defective pixel detection unit detects a defective pixel, i.e., one or more of an exposure time, a defective pixel detection threshold, and a gain, by using information of the temperature obtained from the temperature measurement unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Inventors: Mari OHBUCHI, Keisuke Kawamoto, Hirotomo Sai, Shinichi Nonaka
  • Publication number: 20110317030
    Abstract: An image signal processing system according to the present invention has a function to perform image quality control in photographing a subject having a large difference in brightness in the surrounding environment so that the entire photographed image, in particular a subject which a user desires to view, has an adequate brightness and an adequate gradation. Specifically, this image signal processing system comprises: a video input unit, a video signal processing unit for performing signal processing on a signal output from the video input unit, and generating a video signal; an input-output characteristic control unit for controlling a characteristic of the video signal which the video signal processing unit generates; and a subject recognition unit for performing image processing on the video signal which the video signal processing unit generates, and recognizing and detecting subject information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Inventors: Mari OHBUCHI, Hirotomo Sai, Tsutomu Usui, Shinichiro Hirooka