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).
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Patent number: 10733430Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 29, 2018Date of Patent: August 4, 2020Assignee: HACHI TAMA INC.Inventors: Koji Hori, Mari Ohbuchi, Teruki Hirahata, Atsushi Hiroyama
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Publication number: 20200042780Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2018Publication date: February 6, 2020Applicant: Hachi Tama INC.Inventors: Koji HORI, Mari OHBUCHI, Teruki HIRAHATA, Atsushi HIROYAMA
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Patent number: 9172863Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 2, 2013Date of Patent: October 27, 2015Assignee: Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions, Ltd.Inventors: Mari Ohbuchi, Junji Shiokawa
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Patent number: 8878980Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 9, 2012Date of Patent: November 4, 2014Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Mari Ohbuchi, Hirotomo Sai, Junji Shiokawa
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Patent number: 8836826Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 19, 2011Date of Patent: September 16, 2014Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Mari Ohbuchi, Keisuke Kawamoto, Hirotomo Sai, Shinichi Nonaka
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Patent number: 8830338Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 9, 2012Date of Patent: September 9, 2014Assignee: Hitachi LtdInventors: Shinichiro Hirooka, Hirotomo Sai, Mari Ohbuchi
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Patent number: 8681242Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: June 3, 2011Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Mari Ohbuchi, Hirotomo Sai, Tsutomu Usui, Shinichiro Hirooka
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Publication number: 20130120615Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2012Publication date: May 16, 2013Inventors: Shinichiro HIROOKA, Hirotomo Sai, Mari Ohbuchi
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Publication number: 20130107107Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2012Publication date: May 2, 2013Inventors: Mari OHBUCHI, Hirotomo Sai, Junji Shiokawa
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Publication number: 20120154645Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2011Publication date: June 21, 2012Inventors: Mari OHBUCHI, Keisuke Kawamoto, Hirotomo Sai, Shinichi Nonaka
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Publication number: 20110317030Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: June 3, 2011Publication date: December 29, 2011Inventors: Mari OHBUCHI, Hirotomo Sai, Tsutomu Usui, Shinichiro Hirooka