Patents by Inventor Masahiro TOMONO

Masahiro TOMONO 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: 11802779
    Abstract: Provided are a map generation system and a mobile object configured so that the map accuracy of an occupancy grid map can be ensured while a memory capacity and an arithmetic processing load can be reduced. The map generation system includes a storage (27) configured to store, as detection information, a detection value obtained for each detection unit by a detection device (4) in chronological order, a map producer (23) configured to produce the occupancy grid map based on the detection information stored in the storage (27) and cause the storage (27) to store the occupancy grid map, and an influence ratio calculator (24) configured to calculate an influence ratio for the occupancy grid map for each piece of detection information stored in the storage (27). The map producer (23) sorts the detection information based on the influence ratio calculated by the influence ratio calculator (24) to produce the occupancy grid map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: CHIBA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventor: Masahiro Tomono
  • Publication number: 20230110609
    Abstract: A self-localization device that can reduce the processing time even when estimating the self-location in an environment where the number of pieces of three-dimensional point group data is large wherein the self-localization device includes an estimation unit that includes: a map generation unit that generates a map of surroundings of the mobile robot based on three-dimensional point group data detected by a detection unit; a geometric feature extraction unit that extracts geometric features from a current map and extracts geometric features from a past map; a self-location calculation unit that selects the geometric features extracted by the geometric feature extraction unit as sets of geometric features and calculates self-locations in the past map; and a self-location evaluation unit that evaluates a degree of coincidence between the current map and the past map for each set of geometric features.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Inventor: Masahiro TOMONO
  • Patent number: 11409306
    Abstract: Provided is a movement robot configured so that various types of operation can be executed according to motion of other objects or a movement body and a utilization area can be expanded accordingly. The movement robot includes a robot body 1, a control unit 2, a traveling unit 3, and a detection unit 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: CHIBA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Masahiro Tomono, Kiyoshi Irie, Hideaki Yamato, Masaharu Shimizu, Shunji Yamanaka, Takayuki Furuta
  • Publication number: 20220137638
    Abstract: Provided are an information processing device and a mobile robot capable of ensuring the accuracy of estimation of a self-position even with an environmental change and maintaining the consistency of the self-position on a map. The information processing device of the mobile robot includes a control section and a detection section configured to detect a distance to a peripheral object and the direction thereof as detection information. The control section includes a storage, a map producer configured to produce a peripheral map, an existing map self-position estimator configured to estimate a current self-position based on an existing map, a current map self-position estimator configured to estimate the current self-position based on a current map, a reliability evaluator configured to evaluate the reliability of each of the estimated self-positions, and a self-position updater configured to update either one of the self-positions based on the reliability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventor: Masahiro TOMONO
  • Publication number: 20220100201
    Abstract: An information processing device includes a detection section configured to acquire the presence or absence of an object at the periphery of a mobile robot as the detection information, a control section configured to control the detection section, and a map construction section configured to construct an occupied map. The map construction section includes a storage configured to store the detection information in chronological order, a map producer configured to produce a map based on the detection information, a normal line acquirer configured to acquire a normal line to each determination point based on the presence or absence of the object at the periphery of each determination point on the temporal map produced by the map producer, and a validity determinator configured to determine the validity of the detection information on each determination point based on an angle between each beam and the normal line at each determination point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: Yoshitaka HARA, Masahiro TOMONO
  • Publication number: 20210365040
    Abstract: Provided is a movement robot configured so that various types of operation can be executed according to motion of other objects or a movement body and a utilization area can be expanded accordingly. The movement robot includes a robot body 1, a control unit 2, a traveling unit 3, and a detection unit 4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Masahiro TOMONO, Kiyoshi IRIE, Hideaki YAMATO, Masaharu SHIMIZU, Shunji YAMANAKA, Takayuki FURUTA
  • Publication number: 20210270633
    Abstract: Provided are a map generation system and a mobile object configured so that the map accuracy of an occupancy grid map can be ensured while a memory capacity and an arithmetic processing load can be reduced. The map generation system includes a storage (27) configured to store, as detection information, a detection value obtained for each detection unit by a detection device (4) in chronological order, a map producer (23) configured to produce the occupancy grid map based on the detection information stored in the storage (27) and cause the storage (27) to store the occupancy grid map, and an influence ratio calculator (24) configured to calculate an influence ratio for the occupancy grid map for each piece of detection information stored in the storage (27). The map producer (23) sorts the detection information based on the influence ratio calculated by the influence ratio calculator (24) to produce the occupancy grid map.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventor: Masahiro TOMONO
  • Publication number: 20210137342
    Abstract: Provided is a self-propelled vacuum configured so that obstacle avoidance operation can be efficiently performed and cleaning time can be shortened. A self-propelled vacuum 1 includes a laser range finder (LRF) 20 configured to sense the periphery of a vacuum body 2, and an up-down drive unit 22 configured to move the LRF 20 up and down between a protrusion position above the vacuum body 2 and a housing position in the vacuum body 2. The up-down drive unit 22 is driven to move the LRF 20 up and down.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2017
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Inventors: Takayuki FURUTA, Masahiro TOMONO, Hideaki YAMATO, Tomoaki YOSHIDA, Masaharu SHIMIZU, Yu OKUMURA, Kengo TODA, Takashi KODACHI, Kiyoshi IRIE, Yoshitaka HARA, Kazuki OGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20200405115
    Abstract: An autonomous vacuum cleaner is provided which can promote reductions in size and load by simplifying the structure of a surrounding cleaning means. An autonomous vacuum cleaner (1) includes a vacuum cleaner body (2) having a wheel (121) for travelling autonomously, and a pivoting cleaner (3) that can vacuum and clean around the vacuum cleaner body (2). The pivoting cleaner (3) is configured including: an arm (21) that can pivot outward from the vacuum cleaner body (2); a vacuum inlet (74) that is provided to the arm (21) to suck up dirt and the like on the floor surface; a rotation support (61, 144) configured to rotatably support the arm (21) on the vacuum cleaner body (2); and a vacuum channel (66) that is provided along a rotation axis of the rotation support (61, 144) to cause the inside of the arm (21) and a sub-duct (143) to communicate with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Inventors: Takayuki FURUTA, Masahiro TOMONO, Hideaki YAMATO, Tomoaki YOSHIDA, Masaharu SHIMIZU, Yu OKUMURA, Kengo TODA, Takashi KODACHI, Kiyoshi IRIE, Yoshitaka HARA, Kazuki OGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20200405110
    Abstract: An autonomous vacuum cleaner is provided which can clean efficiently around a vacuum cleaner body. An autonomous vacuum cleaner (1) includes a vacuum cleaner body (2) having a wheel (121) for travelling autonomously, a surroundings sensor (32) for detecting an obstacle around the vacuum cleaner body (2), a pivoting cleaner (3) that can clean around the vacuum cleaner body (2), and a controller (5) that controls the surroundings sensor (32) and the pivoting cleaner (3). The pivoting cleaner (3) includes an arm (21) that protrudes outward from the vacuum cleaner body (2), a motor (22) that drives the arm (21), and a load sensor (23) that detects a load acting on the arm (21) from the outside. The motor (22) is controlled and driven on the basis of the presence or absence of an obstacle detected by the surroundings sensor (32), and travel of the vacuum cleaner body (2) is controlled on the basis of a load detected by the load sensor (23).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Inventors: Takayuki FURUTA, Masahiro TOMONO, Hideaki YAMATO, Tomoaki YOSHIDA, Masaharu SHIMIZU, Yu OKUMURA, Kengo TODA, Takashi KODACHI, Kiyoshi IRIE, Yoshitaka HARA, Kazuki OGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20200345191
    Abstract: An autonomous vacuum cleaner is provided which allows a user to check the operating state of a vacuum cleaner body and a map to be created, and can increase cleaning efficiency. An autonomous vacuum cleaner (1) includes a vacuum cleaner body (2) and a mobile terminal (6). Whenever the vacuum cleaner body 2 acquires surrounding information and location information while travelling autonomously, a map creator (471) creates a map of a cleaning target space including the vacuum cleaner body (2) in real time, and a map display (61) of the mobile terminal (6) displays the map.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Inventors: Takayuki FURUTA, Masahiro TOMONO, Hideaki YAMATO, Tomoaki YOSHIDA, Masaharu SHIMIZU, Yu OKUMURA, Kengo TODA, Takashi KODACHI, Kiyoshi IRIE, Yoshitaka HARA, Kazuki OGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20200275815
    Abstract: An autonomous vacuum cleaner that can reduce the footprint in a standby state is provided. An autonomous vacuum cleaner (1) includes a vacuum cleaner body (2) and a charging station (6). The charging station (6) has a hook (64) that latches a latched member (16) provided to a rear side of the vacuum cleaner body (2), and a lift driver (61) that raises and lowers the hook (64), and is configured to be capable of storing the vacuum cleaner body (2) in a standing state where the vacuum cleaner body (2) is hoisted and the rear side is oriented upward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2017
    Publication date: September 3, 2020
    Inventors: Takayuki FURUTA, Masahiro TOMONO, Hideaki YAMATO, Tomoaki YOSHIDA, Masaharu SHIMIZU, Yu OKUMURA, Kengo TODA, Takashi KODACHI, Kiyoshi IRIE, Yoshitaka HARA, Kazuki OGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20200245837
    Abstract: An autonomous vacuum cleaner is provided which can accurately acquire surrounding information related to target objects in the surroundings. An autonomous vacuum cleaner (1) includes: a vacuum cleaner body (2); a front sensor (31) configured to detect a target object at a far distance from the vacuum cleaner body (2); and a contact sensor (32) configured to detect a target object at a near distance from the vacuum cleaner body (2). A controller (5) is configured including a surrounding information generator (45) configured to generate surrounding information related to target objects around the vacuum cleaner body (2), on the basis of far information detected by the front sensor (31) and near information detected by the contact sensor (32).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2017
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Takayuki FURUTA, Masahiro TOMONO, Hideaki YAMATO, Tomoaki YOSHIDA, Masaharu SHIMIZU, Yu OKUMURA, Kengo TODA, Takashi KODACHI, Kiyoshi IRIE, Yoshitaka HARA, Kazuki OGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20200089249
    Abstract: Provided is a self-propelled vacuum configured so that depending on an obstacle, the self-propelled vacuum can move over the obstacle without performing avoidance operation to shorten cleaning time. A self-propelled vacuum 1 includes a vacuum body 2, a suction unit 5 for sucking dust and the like on a floor surface F, a traveling drive unit 4 configured to drive wheels 21, a front sensor 51 configured to sense an obstacle S in the front in a traveling direction, and a vehicle height adjustment unit 6 configured to move the wheels 21 up and down to adjust the vehicle height of the vacuum body 2. In a case where the traveling drive unit 4 is driven and the front sensor 51 senses the obstacle S during self-propelling, the vehicle height adjustment unit 6 increases the vehicle height to a predetermined height, and thereafter, the self-propelled vacuum 1 moves over the obstacle S while the vehicle height is being adjusted such that a distance to the obstacle S is held within a predetermined range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2017
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Takayuki FURUTA, Masahiro TOMONO, Hideaki YAMATO, Tomoaki YOSHIDA, Masaharu SHIMIZU, Yu OKUMURA, Kengo TODA, Takashi KODACHI, Kiyoshi IRIE, Yoshitaka HARA, Kazuki OGIHARA