Patents by Inventor Mikio Watanabe
Mikio Watanabe 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: 11971721Abstract: To effectively enhance the operation efficiency of an autonomous mobile robot, an autonomous mobile robot control system includes a processor and a plurality of environmental cameras. The processor estimates a moving route of each of a plurality of moving bodies on the basis of characteristics of each of the plurality of moving bodies and sets a subset of the plurality of moving bodies whose moving routes overlap among the detected moving bodies as avoidance processing target moving bodies. The processor generates an avoidance procedure for the avoidance processing target moving bodies so the motion of the avoidance processing target moving bodies does not interfere with the motion of other avoidance target moving bodies.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 2021Date of Patent: April 30, 2024Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohisa Takai, Yuhei Yamaguchi, Satoshi Toyoshima, Yuta Watanabe, Tetsuya Taira, Mikio Honda, Shiro Oda, Nobuhisa Otsuki
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Publication number: 20240083535Abstract: A ride-practicing bicycle includes: a pedal unit; a bicycle frame having a receiving portion for detachably receiving the pedal; a rear wheel having a sprocket; a chain, wherein the pedal unit includes a rotatably mounted pedal crank to which a chain wheel is attached and has a connecting portion that is connected to the receiving portion of the bicycle frame, and the chain bridges and engages the chain wheel and the sprocket of the rear wheel, whereby the pedal unit and the chain are removably installed in the bicycle frame, and wherein the bicycle frame has a seat stay on a side of the chain wheel, and an entirety or a portion of the seat stay is configured to be removable from the bicycle frame so as to facilitate attachment and removal of the pedal unit and the chain to and from the bicycle frame.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 7, 2023Publication date: March 14, 2024Applicant: Vitamin i Factory Co., Ltd.Inventor: Mikio WATANABE
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Publication number: 20230271666Abstract: A pedal unit attachable/detachable training bicycle that easily attach/detach a chain and a pedal unit to/from a training bicycle that has a seat stay. The pedal unit attachable/detachable training bicycle includes a bicycle frame having a receiving member provided at bottom of a seat tube to connect a pedal unit. The pedal unit, which is configured to detachably attach to the receiving member. A chain threaded between the pedal unit and a rear wheel. The bicycle frame is configured to enable a seat stay on side of the chain wheel to be freely attached to and detached from the bicycle frame.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 10, 2020Publication date: August 31, 2023Inventor: MIKIO WATANABE
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Publication number: 20220411013Abstract: A training bicycle with a removably attachable pedal unit enabling adjustment of chain slack by a simple method is provided. The detachable pedal unit is configured to enable attachable/detachable connection of a pedal crank to a bicycle body. The pedal unit includes a unit body having a unit connector for rotatably retaining and fastening to a bicycle body a pedal crank axially supporting a chain wheel. A unit receiving member fixedly installed on the bicycle body to interconnect with the unit connector. A sliding adjustment mechanism provided on the unit receiving member and the unit connector to vary and fix mutual fore-aft connection position of the unit receiving member and the unit connector in order to adjust fore-aft connection position of the bicycle detachable pedal unit relative to the bicycle body and thereby adjusting the chain tension.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2020Publication date: December 29, 2022Inventor: MIKIO WATANABE
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Patent number: 10757322Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, when reset of a camera is received, a pan motor and a tilt motor of a pan and tilt mechanism are rotated in a first preset rotation direction, and the pan and tilt mechanism is first moved to a pan reference position and a tilt reference position. Thereafter, the pan motor and the tilt motor are rotated in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction, and the pan and tilt mechanism is moved to an initial pan position and an initial tilt position. Using a movement of the pan and tilt mechanism to initial pan and tilt positions, detection of a subject for automatic tracking is performed, and if the subject is detected, then transition to an automatic tracking state is caused to occur.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 2019Date of Patent: August 25, 2020Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Hiroyuki Oshima, Mikio Watanabe, Takeshi Misawa, Masaya Tamaru, Daisuke Hayashi, Fuminori Irie
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Patent number: 10638034Abstract: An imaging control device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a rotation instruction input unit that receives an input of an instruction of rotation of a pan and tilt mechanism of a camera, a rotation instruction output unit that outputs the rotation instruction to the camera, an image input unit that receives a live view image according to the rotation instruction from the camera, and a display control unit that causes the display unit to perform a display for superimposing the live view image input from the camera on a limit display image of a two-dimensionally displayed spherical surface indicating an imagable region and a non-imagable region respectively corresponding to within a rotation limit and out of the rotation limit of the imaging unit of the camera, and rotating the limit display image along the two-dimensionally displayed spherical surface according to the input of the rotation instruction.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2017Date of Patent: April 28, 2020Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Daisuke Hayashi, Mikio Watanabe, Takeshi Misawa, Masaya Tamaru, Fuminori Irie, Hiroyuki Oshima
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Patent number: 10564392Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: a distance measurement unit that measures distance values of a plurality of points in a first area which has a focus point as a reference point; a statistical unit that calculates statistics indicating a variation in the measured distance values of the plurality of points in the first area; a size determination unit that determines the size of a second area which has the focus point as a reference point, on the basis of the calculated statistics; a contrast evaluation value calculation unit that calculates a contrast evaluation value on the basis of an image of the second area; and a focusing unit that moves a focus lens to a lens position determined on the basis of the calculated contrast evaluation value.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2018Date of Patent: February 18, 2020Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventor: Mikio Watanabe
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Patent number: 10560624Abstract: An imaging control device according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a motion vector calculation unit that calculates a motion vector of a tracking target on the basis of a moving image obtained by an imaging unit, a tracking direction instruction input unit that receives an input of a tracking direction instruction indicating a specific tracking direction for tracking the tracking target, a tracking direction motion component extraction unit that extracts a motion component in the specific tracking direction from the motion vector of the tracking target on the basis of the tracking direction instruction; and a drive information generation unit that generates drive information of only the specific tracking direction of a pan and tilt mechanism on the basis of the extracted motion component in the specific tracking direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2017Date of Patent: February 11, 2020Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Hiroyuki Oshima, Mikio Watanabe, Takeshi Misawa, Masaya Tamaru, Daisuke Hayashi, Fuminori Irie
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Publication number: 20190306410Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, when reset of a camera is received, a pan motor and a tilt motor of a pan and tilt mechanism are rotated in a first preset rotation direction, and the pan and tilt mechanism is first moved to a pan reference position and a tilt reference position. Thereafter, the pan motor and the tilt motor are rotated in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction, and the pan and tilt mechanism is moved to an initial pan position and an initial tilt position. Using a movement of the pan and tilt mechanism to initial pan and tilt positions, detection of a subject for automatic tracking is performed, and if the subject is detected, then transition to an automatic tracking state is caused to occur.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 9, 2019Publication date: October 3, 2019Applicant: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Hiroyuki OSHIMA, Mikio WATANABE, Takeshi MISAWA, Masaya TAMARU, Daisuke HAYASHI, Fuminori IRIE
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Patent number: 10365090Abstract: In an aspect of the invention, first and second images having parallax are acquired by an imaging unit (202) including a first imaging part (202A) and a second imaging part (202B), and an angle between an imaging direction of the imaging unit (202) and a normal direction of a flat surface of an object to be inspected having the flat surface is calculated on the basis of the acquired first and second images. The pan/tilt of the imaging unit (202) are controlled by a pan/tilt control unit (210), but images for inspection showing the object to be inspected are taken and acquired by the imaging unit in a case in which the calculated angle is controlled to an angle within an allowable angle range.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2017Date of Patent: July 30, 2019Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Mikio Watanabe, Fuminori Irie
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Patent number: 10368003Abstract: The present invention provides an imaging device and a time-lapse imaging method capable of simply realizing time-lapse imaging using a pan and tilt mechanism. In a preferred aspect of the present invention, an imaging device includes a pan and tilt mechanism that rotates an imaging unit in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction relative to a device body, transmits a live view image to a smartphone, displays the live view image on a display and input unit, and receives an instruction input for specifying camerawork in time-lapse imaging using the display and input unit. Accordingly, the instruction input for specifying camerawork for performing time-lapse imaging using the pan and tilt mechanism can be simply input. The imaging device controls at least the pan and tilt mechanism based on the instruction input for specifying camerawork and controls the imaging unit to perform time-lapse imaging.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2016Date of Patent: July 30, 2019Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Daisuke Hayashi, Mikio Watanabe, Tatsuya Fujinami
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Patent number: 10348973Abstract: An imaging device (pan/tilt camera) includes an imaging unit including an imaging lens and an imaging element, a pan/tilt mechanism that rotates the imaging unit in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with respect to a camera body, an object detection unit that detects an object, which is a tracking target, from a moving image captured by the imaging unit, a pan/tilt control unit that controls the pan/tilt mechanism such that the object detected by the object detection unit is tracked, a motion sensor that detects a physical amount related to the movement of the camera body, and an operation control unit that stops the pan/tilt mechanism in a case in which the physical amount detected by the motion sensor is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2017Date of Patent: July 9, 2019Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Fuminori Irie, Masaya Tamaru, Mikio Watanabe, Takeshi Misawa, Daisuke Hayashi, Hiroyuki Oshima
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Patent number: 10334157Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, when reset of a camera is received, a pan motor and a tilt motor of a pan and tilt mechanism are rotated in a first preset rotation direction, and the pan and tilt mechanism is first moved to a pan reference position and a tilt reference position. Thereafter, the pan motor and the tilt motor are rotated in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction, and the pan and tilt mechanism is moved to an initial pan position and an initial tilt position. Using a movement of the pan and tilt mechanism to initial pan and tilt positions, detection of a subject for automatic tracking is performed, and if the subject is detected, then transition to an automatic tracking state is caused to occur.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2017Date of Patent: June 25, 2019Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Hiroyuki Oshima, Mikio Watanabe, Takeshi Misawa, Masaya Tamaru, Daisuke Hayashi, Fuminori Irie
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Patent number: 10298828Abstract: A multi-imaging apparatus includes: a display unit; an internal imaging device that acquires a first live view image or a first image captured by a main imaging operation thereof; a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with an external imaging device that acquires a second live view image or a second image captured by a main imaging operation thereof; and a controller. Here, the controller receives an input of the first live view image from the internal imaging device, receives the second live view image from the external imaging device through the wireless communication unit, and causes the display unit to display the input first live view image and the received second live view image as a multi-live view.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2017Date of Patent: May 21, 2019Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Daisuke Hayashi, Hiroyuki Oshima, Takeshi Misawa, Masaya Tamaru, Fuminori Irie, Mikio Watanabe
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Publication number: 20190063346Abstract: An engine control device includes processing circuitry configured to perform a base injection amount calculation process, a feedback process for correcting a base injection amount based on an output value of an integral element obtained using a difference of detection and target values of an air-fuel ratio as an input value, an injection valve operation process for operating a fuel injection valve based on the corrected base injection amount, a purge control process for operating an adjustment device to control a fluid flow rate from a canister to an intake passage, and a correction limiting process for limiting the output value of the integral element so that a decreasing correction rate of the base injection amount has a decreasing tendency when a charged air amount is decreased if the fluid flow rate is larger than zero.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2018Publication date: February 28, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Mikio WATANABE
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Patent number: 10212354Abstract: A movable imaging device includes a camera, a moving body, a definition calculation unit that calculates definition of an image for inspection, a determination unit that determines whether the definition is equal to or higher than required definition required for inspection accuracy of an object to be inspected, a pan/tilt control unit that operates a pan/tilt mechanism in a case in which the determination unit determines that the calculated definition is equal to or higher than the required definition, a moving body control unit that moves a moving body in a case in which the pan/tilt mechanism is operated and it is determined that the definition is lower than the required definition, and an imaging control unit that images the object to be inspected by the camera in a case in which it is determined that the definition is equal to or higher than the required definition.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2017Date of Patent: February 19, 2019Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Fuminori Irie, Mikio Watanabe
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Patent number: 10205868Abstract: A live view control device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a display control unit that displays each of a plurality of live view images received from a plurality of imaging devices in each of a plurality of areas of a display screen, a priority setting unit that sets a priority of the plurality of live view images, a transfer condition setting unit that sets transfer conditions including at least one of a frame rate of transfer and an image size of the transfer of the plurality of live view images on the basis of the priority of the plurality of live view images, and a communication control unit that transmits a transfer instruction for a live view image according to the set transfer conditions to the plurality of imaging devices via the wireless communication unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2017Date of Patent: February 12, 2019Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Daisuke Hayashi, Mikio Watanabe, Takeshi Misawa, Masaya Tamaru, Hiroyuki Oshima, Fuminori Irie
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Publication number: 20190025544Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: a distance measurement unit that measures distance values of a plurality of points in a first area which has a focus point as a reference point; a statistical unit that calculates statistics indicating a variation in the measured distance values of the plurality of points in the first area; a size determination unit that determines the size of a second area which has the focus point as a reference point, on the basis of the calculated statistics; a contrast evaluation value calculation unit that calculates a contrast evaluation value on the basis of an image of the second area; and a focusing unit that moves a focus lens to a lens position determined on the basis of the calculated contrast evaluation value.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 21, 2018Publication date: January 24, 2019Applicant: FUJIFILM CorporationInventor: Mikio WATANABE
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Patent number: 10104281Abstract: A smartphone which functions as a moving editing device includes: a wireless communication unit that is connected to plural cameras capable of performing moving image capturing in a wireless manner and acquires one or plural live view images from the plural cameras; a display panel that displays the acquired one or plural live view images; an operation panel that performs switching between live view images displayed on the display panel by a manual operation; a storage unit that stores operation history information indicating an operation history in the operation panel; and a main controller which functions as a moving image editing unit that performs moving image editing for automatically creating, after the moving image capturing in the plural cameras is terminated, one moving image based on plural moving images respectively captured by the plural cameras and the operation history information stored in the storage unit.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2017Date of Patent: October 16, 2018Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Hiroyuki Oshima, Mikio Watanabe, Takeshi Misawa, Masaya Tamaru, Daisuke Hayashi, Fuminori Irie
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Patent number: D949057Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2020Date of Patent: April 19, 2022Assignee: VITAMIN-I FACTORY CO., LTD.Inventor: Mikio Watanabe