Patents by Inventor Masaaki Yasunaga

Masaaki Yasunaga 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: 11868146
    Abstract: A flying drone for shelf label checking includes a flying mechanism, a camera, and a camera interface configured to transmit and receive data to and from the camera. A flight control interface is configured to transmit and receive data to and from the flying mechanism. A processor is configured to acquire a first image of an object from a first distance with the camera, then extract an object region for the object from the first image. The processor then sets a flight path based on the object region and controls the flying mechanism to fly the camera along the flight path to a second distance that is closer to the object than the first distance. A second image of the object is then acquired from the second distance with the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaaki Yasunaga, Keita Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20230221729
    Abstract: A control device includes a traveling control unit and an image capture control unit. The traveling control unit controls traveling of a wheeled platform traveling along an image capture plane where a plurality of image capture target objects are arranged, spaced apart from each other in vertical and horizontal directions. The image capture control unit controls an image capture operation of a plurality of cameras installed in a direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the wheeled platform, according to an image capture timing list set on a per camera basis, of the plurality of cameras.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2022
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Norimasa Ariga, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Patent number: 11659264
    Abstract: A photographing apparatus includes a carriage, a light source, and a camera. The carriage moves in a travel direction. The light source is mounted on the carriage. The camera is attached to the carriage and configured to perform photography. A normal direction is defined orthogonal to the travel direction and a vertical axis. The camera faces a camera direction that is rotated about the vertical axis with respect to the normal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norimasa Ariga, Masaaki Yasunaga, Keita Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 11651663
    Abstract: An article recognition device includes an image interface, a distance information interface, a support unit, and a processor. The support unit supports an article at a height equal to or greater than a minimum discrimination distance of a distance sensor from a reference plane of the distance sensor and includes a member of which a distance cannot be measured by the distance sensor. The processor acquires a captured image capturing the article supported by the support unit through the image interface, acquires distance information measured by the distance sensor toward the reference plane through the distance information interface, extracts an area having a height equal to or greater than the minimum discrimination distance from the reference plane as an article area of the article from the captured image based on the distance information, and recognizes the article from an image of the article area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norimasa Ariga, Masaaki Yasunaga, Tetsuya Nobuoka
  • Publication number: 20230066510
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a movement instruction device and a method capable of avoiding a risk when a movable object moves are provided. The movement instruction device includes: a storage device that stores map information for determining a movement path of an indoor movable object to a destination; and a processor that sets a movement prohibition area of the movable object in the map information based on information on an obstacle obtained from outside, and reviews the movement path of the movable object based on a current position, the destination, and the set movement prohibition area of the movable object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: Masaaki Yasunaga, Norimasa Ariga
  • Patent number: 11503200
    Abstract: According to at least one embodiment, a photographing device includes a camera interface and a processor. The camera interface supplies a control signal to a camera and acquires a photographed image photographed by the camera. The processor causes the camera to photograph a wide area image in a detection region of target objects set as a photographing range, detects the target objects present in the wide area image photographed by the camera, determines a photographing order of the target objects detected from the wide area image, and causes the camera to photograph a narrow area image of one target object selected according to the photographing order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki Yasunaga, Keita Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 11386573
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an article recognition apparatus includes a first interface, a second interface, and a processor. The processor determines an article region from an image obtained by the first interface and determines a tilt of the article present in the determined article region on the basis of a distance obtained by the second interface. Further, the processor determines on the basis of the determined tilt of the article that the article is placed in the placement region in a state in which the article leans against another object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Patent number: 11328438
    Abstract: An image processing system includes a camera interface and a processor. The camera interface acquires a captured image from at least one camera that images an article. The processor acquires a basic shape of the article and acquires an image captured with imaging parameters corresponding to the basic shape from the at least one camera through the camera interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki Yasunaga, Norimasa Ariga
  • Publication number: 20220060615
    Abstract: According to at least one embodiment, a photographing device includes a camera interface and a processor. The camera interface supplies a control signal to a camera and acquires a photographed image photographed by the camera. The processor causes the camera to photograph a wide area image in a detection region of target objects set as a photographing range, detects the target objects present in the wide area image photographed by the camera, determines a photographing order of the target objects detected from the wide area image, and causes the camera to photograph a narrow area image of one target object selected according to the photographing order.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki YASUNAGA, Keita YAMAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20210365053
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a photographing device includes a camera interface configured to transmit and receive data to and from a camera and a flight control interface configured to transmit and receive data to and from a flying mechanism attached to the camera. A processor is configured to acquire a first image of an object from a first distance with the camera, then extract an object region for the object from the first image. The processor then sets a flight path based on the object region and controls the flying mechanism to fly the camera along the flight path to a second distance that is closer to the object than the first distance. A second image of the object is then acquired from the second distance with the camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2021
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Masaaki YASUNAGA, Keita Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20210303858
    Abstract: A photographing apparatus includes a carriage, a light source, and a camera. The carriage moves in a travel direction. The light source is mounted on the carriage. The camera is attached to the carriage and configured to perform photography. A normal direction is defined orthogonal to the travel direction and a vertical axis. The camera faces a camera direction that is rotated about the vertical axis with respect to the normal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norimasa ARIGA, Masaaki YASUNAGA, Keita YAMAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20210272050
    Abstract: A photographing mechanism control apparatus includes an interface, and a processor. The interface communicates with a photographing mechanism that is moved to a position according to an instruction to photograph a shelf for storing commodities, and the processor detects presence of a moving object in a vicinity of a shelf, if the presence of the moving object is detected, gives an instruction to the photographing mechanism to photograph the shelf through the interface, acquires image data from the photographing mechanism through the interface, and confirms whether or not a commodity is stored on the shelf based on the image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2021
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita YAMAZAKI, Masaaki YASUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20210209409
    Abstract: An article recognition device includes an image interface, a distance information interface, a support unit, and a processor. The support unit supports an article at a height equal to or greater than a minimum discrimination distance of a distance sensor from a reference plane of the distance sensor and includes a member of which a distance cannot be measured by the distance sensor. The processor acquires a captured image capturing the article supported by the support unit through the image interface, acquires distance information measured by the distance sensor toward the reference plane through the distance information interface, extracts an area having a height equal to or greater than the minimum discrimination distance from the reference plane as an article area of the article from the captured image based on the distance information, and recognizes the article from an image of the article area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norimasa ARIGA, Masaaki YASUNAGA, Tetsuya NOBUOKA
  • Patent number: 10977512
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an article recognition device includes a storage unit, an image interface, a distance information interface, and a processor. The storage unit stores outline information indicating an outline of an article. The image interface acquires a captured image. The distance information interface acquires distance information from a distance sensor. The processor recognizes a first article from the captured image, specifies an article area in which the first article appears from the captured image based on the outline information, acquires an article area distance between a surface of the first article and the installation base on which the first article is placed, which appear in the captured image, based on the distance information, and determines whether the first article is disposed overlapping a second article based on the outline information and the article area distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Patent number: 10970521
    Abstract: An autonomous inventory tracking apparatus includes an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image, and a processor configured to detect a calibration plate in the image acquired from the image acquisition unit, calculate a color correction value for the image according to a color block of the calibration plate, the color block matching a reference value, correct color in the image using the calculated color correction value to provide a color-corrected image, and perform commodity recognition processing on the color-corrected image so as to identify the commodity in the image acquired from the image acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norimasa Ariga, Kazuki Taira, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Patent number: 10963726
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an article recognition device includes an image interface, a distance information interface, and a processor. The image interface acquires a captured image of an article placed on an installation base. The distance information interface acquires distance information indicating a distance from the installation base and the article. The processor extracts image information for recognizing the article from the image, generates a list including the image information, deletes image information having the same height as the height of the installation base from the list based on the distance information, and recognizes the article based on the image information of the list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Publication number: 20210090287
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an article recognition apparatus includes a first interface, a second interface, and a processor. The processor determines an article region from an image obtained by the first interface and determines a tilt of the article present in the determined article region on the basis of a distance obtained by the second interface. Further, the processor determines on the basis of the determined tilt of the article that the article is placed in the placement region in a state in which the article leans against another object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventors: Tetsuya NOBUOKA, Masaaki YASUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20210081678
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, an image processing apparatus includes an input interface, a memory, and a processor. The input interface obtains a captured image obtained by imaging an imaging area including the shelf on which the article is arranged. The memory stores an article list showing the article arranged on the shelf. The processor detects the article for which the person in charge has done the checking work from the captured image obtained by the input interface. The processor outputs information indicating the article for which the person in charge has not done the checking work on the basis of the article list and a checked-article list showing the article for which the person in charge has done the checking work.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Keita YAMAZAKI, Masaaki YASUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20210063850
    Abstract: An imaging device includes an imaging unit, a moving mechanism configured to move the imaging device along a floor, and a processor configured to acquire a location of a fixture on the floor and a size of horizontal shelves of the fixture. The processor also acquires an acceptable working range of the imaging unit and determines a traveling route for the imaging device to capture an image of tags attached to the horizontal shelves so that the each tag is in the acceptable working range when imaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Inventors: Norimasa ARIGA, Masaaki YASUNAGA, Keita YAMAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20210042953
    Abstract: An image processing system includes a camera interface and a processor. The camera interface acquires a captured image from at least one camera that images an article. The processor acquires a basic shape of the article and acquires an image captured with imaging parameters corresponding to the basic shape from the at least one camera through the camera interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Publication date: February 11, 2021
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki YASUNAGA, Norimasa ARIGA