Patents by Inventor Mitsuaki Oshima

Mitsuaki Oshima 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: 10068532
    Abstract: A display device includes: a display panel including a display screen; a backlight having a light emission surface that illuminates the display screen of the display panel from behind; a second processor that superimposes the visible light communication signals on backlight control signals generated based on the image signal; and a second controller that divides the light emission surface of the backlight into regions and establishes a period during which control of light emission in each of the regions and control for turning off the backlight in each of the regions a different time are performed based on the backlight control signals outputted by the second processor. When superimposing the visible light communication signals on the backlight control signals, the second processor does not superimpose a visible light communication signal in a period indicating an OFF state of the backlight in the backlight control signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akihiro Ueki, Akira Shiokawa, Koji Aoto, Koji Nakanishi, Hideki Aoyama, Mitsuaki Oshima
  • Patent number: 10051194
    Abstract: An information communication method is provided for obtaining information from a subject using a terminal device that includes an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines. The method includes setting an exposure time of the image sensor so that a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines by capturing the subject that changes in luminance, and obtaining identification information of the subject by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image. The method further includes sending the identification information to a server, obtaining place information indicating a location of the subject from the server, and displaying a location of the terminal device on a map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Hideki Aoyama, Ikuo Fuchigami, Hidehiko Shin, Tsutomu Mukai, Yosuke Matsushita, Shigehiro Iida, Kazunori Yamada
  • Publication number: 20180212684
    Abstract: A transmitting method for enabling transmission of a visible light signal in short time includes: determining a pattern of change in luminance of the light emitter by modulating a signal; and transmitting the visible light signal by changing luminance of a red color represented by a light source according to the determined pattern. The visible light signal includes data, a preamble, and a payload. In the data, a first luminance value and a second luminance value appear along a time axis. In the payload, the first luminance value and the second luminance value appear alternately along the time axis, each of a time length in which the first luminance value is maintained and a time length in which the second luminance value is maintained is greater than a first predetermined value and is determined in accordance with the signal and a predetermined method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hideki AOYAMA, Mitsuaki OSHIMA
  • Patent number: 9998220
    Abstract: A visible light signal transmitting method includes: determining a luminance change pattern to transmit the visible light signal; switching a common switch according to the luminance change pattern, the common switch being for turning ON a plurality of light sources in common; and turning ON a first pixel switch, to cause the first light source to be ON for a period in which the common switch is ON and the first pixel switch is ON, to transmit the visible light signal, the first light source being one of the plurality of light sources. In the turning ON of a first pixel switch, when the image is displayed on the display, the first pixel switch is switched to increase a lighting period that corresponds to the first light source, to compensate a period in which the first light source is OFF for transmission of the visible light signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hideki Aoyama, Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akihiro Ueki, Kengo Miyoshi, Tsutomu Mukai
  • Publication number: 20180160022
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided that includes a display, a processor, and a recording medium having a program that causes the processor to execute operations, including obtaining a first image by image capture with a first exposure time by starting exposure for a plurality of exposure lines in an image sensor. The operations also include obtaining a second image, including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing a subject changing in luminance by the image sensor with a second exposure time by starting exposure for the plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor. The operations further include obtaining information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained second image, and displaying a first image on the display during a period of obtaining of the second image using the image sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2018
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki OSHIMA, Koji NAKANISHI, Hideki AOYAMA, Ikuo FUCHIGAMI, Hidehiko SHIN, Tsutomu MUKAI, Yosuke MATSUSHITA, Shigehiro IIDA, Kazunori YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20180138977
    Abstract: A visible light signal generating method is a method for generating a visible light signal transmitted in response to a change in a luminance of a light source of a transmitter, and includes: generating a header (SHR), where the header is data in which first and second luminance values, which are different luminance values, alternately appear along a time axis; generating a PHY payload A and a PHY payload B by determining a time length according to a first mode, where the time length is a time length during which each of the first and second luminance values continues in the data in which the first and second luminance values alternately appear along the time axis, and the first mode matches a transmission target signal; and generating the visible light signal by joining the header (SHR), the PHY payload A and the PHY payload B.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Inventors: HIDEKI AOYAMA, MITSUAKI OSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20180114566
    Abstract: A display method capable of displaying an image valuable to a user is provided. The display method for a display device to display an image includes: obtaining a captured display image and an image for decoding by an image sensor capturing a subject (SL11); decoding the image for decoding to obtain light identification information (light ID) (SL12); transmitting the light ID to a server (SL13); obtaining an augmented reality (AR) image and recognition information corresponding to the light ID from the server (SL14); out of the captured display image, recognizing a region corresponding to the recognition information as a target region (SL15); and displaying the captured display image with the AR image superimposed on the target region (SL16).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Inventors: HIDEKI AOYAMA, MITSUAKI OSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20180102846
    Abstract: A display method capable of displaying an image valuable to a user is disclosed. The display method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: Step S41 of capturing, by an imaging sensor, a still image lit up by a transmitter that transmits a signal by luminance change of light as a subject to obtain a captured image; Step S42 of decoding the signal from the captured image; and Step S43 of reading video corresponding to the decoded signal from a memory and superimposing the video on a target region corresponding to the subject in the captured image for display on a display. In Step S43, out of a plurality of images included in the video, the plurality of images is sequentially displayed from a leading image identical to the still image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Publication date: April 12, 2018
    Inventors: HIDEKI AOYAMA, MITSUAKI OSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20180076893
    Abstract: A receiving method includes: setting a first exposure time for at least one exposure line of exposure lines in an image sensor, setting a second exposure time for a remainder of the exposure lines in the image sensor, and causing the image sensor to capture an image of a light transmitter, to obtain a normal image from the at least one exposure line with the first exposure time, and to obtain a bright line image from the remainder of the exposure lines with the second exposure time. The second exposure time is shorter than the first exposure time. The bright line image includes a plurality of bright lines, each of which corresponds to a different one of the remainder of the exposure lines in the image sensor. Information is obtained by decoding a pattern of the plurality of the bright lines included in the obtained bright line image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hideki AOYAMA, Mitsuaki OSHIMA, Koji NAKANISHI, Toshiyuki MAEDA, Akihiro UEKI, Kengo MIYOSHI, Tsutomu MUKAI
  • Patent number: 9918016
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a processor and a recording medium having a program, the program causing the processor to execute operations. The operations include providing a normal mode and a visible light communication mode, wherein the normal mode and the visible light communication mode are switchable. In the normal mode, first image data is obtained by image capture with a first exposure time by sequentially starting exposure for a plurality of exposure lines in an image sensor each at a different time and each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps in exposure time an adjacent exposure line. In the visible light communication mode, (i) a second exposure time of the image sensor is set, (ii) a bright line image is obtained, and (iii) information is obtained by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Hideki Aoyama, Ikuo Fuchigami, Hidehiko Shin, Tsutomu Mukai, Yosuke Matsushita, Shigehiro Iida, Kazunori Yamada
  • Patent number: 9871587
    Abstract: An information processing program causes a computer to execute: encoding information to be transmitted, to determine a luminance change frequency; and outputting a signal of the determined luminance change frequency to cause a light emitter to change in luminance according to the determined luminance change frequency to transmit the information. In the encoding, each of a first frequency and a second frequency different from the first frequency is determined as the luminance change frequency. In the outputting, each of a signal of the first frequency and a signal of the second frequency is output as the signal of the determined luminance change frequency, to cause the light emitter to change in luminance according to the first frequency during a first time and change in luminance according to the second frequency during a second time different from the first time after the first time elapses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hideki Aoyama, Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akihiro Ueki, Kengo Miyoshi, Tsutomu Mukai
  • Patent number: 9859980
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided, in which a plurality of luminance change frequencies of a light emitter is determined by coding one of a plurality of transmission information sources. The light emitter transmits a transmission information source by a change in luminance according to each of the plurality of luminance change frequencies. A signal, which controls the change in luminance of the light emitter according to each of the plurality of luminance change frequencies, is output to the light emitter. The plurality of luminance change frequencies include a first frequency and a second frequency. A signal of the first frequency and a signal of the second frequency respectively cause the light emitter to change in luminance according to the first frequency during a first time period and to change in luminance according to the second frequency during a second time period after the first time period has elapsed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hideki Aoyama, Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akihiro Ueki, Kengo Miyoshi, Tsutomu Mukai
  • Publication number: 20170363895
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided that includes a light source, a memory storing a visible light signal, a control circuit configured to control change in luminance of the light source in accordance with the visible light signal, and a receiver configured to receive another visible light signal, which rewrites over the visible light signal, by a communication method that is different from a visible light communication. The control circuit determines whether the visible light signal is rewritten by the another visible light signal or not when the receiver receives the another visible light signal, and the visible light signal is rewritten by the another visible light signal when the control circuit determines the visible light signal is rewritten by the another visible light signal. The control circuit controls the change in luminance of the light source to transmit the another visible light signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hideki AOYAMA, Mitsuaki OSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20170318212
    Abstract: A method is provided that includes setting an exposure time of an image sensor of a customer terminal so that, in an image obtained by capturing the subject, a bright line corresponding to each of a plurality of exposure lines appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject and obtaining identification information of the subject, by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image. The method further includes sending the identification information to a server, obtaining a menu listing a product of the store from the server, displaying the menu on a display of the terminal, and sending product information of the product that is selected by the customer and payment information of the customer to the server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki OSHIMA, Koji NAKANISHI, Hideki AOYAMA, Ikuo FUCHIGAMI, Tsutomu MUKAI, Hidehiko SHIN, Yosuke MATSUSHITA, Shigehiro IIDA, Kazunori YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20170317749
    Abstract: A visible light communication method is provided that includes obtaining a first information, by a receiver, through visible light communication with a light source. The method also includes sending the first information and a second information, by the receiver, to a first server, the second information related to a membership information of a specified organization which is stored in the receiver. The method further includes obtaining, by the receiver, information from the first server using the first information and the second information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki OSHIMA, Koji NAKANISHI, Hideki AOYAMA, Shigehiro IIDA
  • Publication number: 20170318213
    Abstract: An information communication method is provided for obtaining information from a subject using a terminal device that includes an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines. The method includes setting an exposure time of the image sensor so that a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines by capturing the subject that changes in luminance, and obtaining identification information of the subject by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image. The method further includes sending the identification information to a server, obtaining place information indicating a location of the subject from the server, and displaying a location of the terminal device on a map.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AME RICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki OSHIMA, Koji NAKANISHI, Hideki AOYAMA, Ikuo FUCHIGAMI, Hidehiko SHIN, Tsutomu MUKAI, Yosuke MATSUSHITA, Shigehiro IIDA, Kazunori YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20170310743
    Abstract: One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a signal generating method for generating a visible light signal. A signal generating method includes: a step SD11 of determining, as a method for transmitting a visible light signal from a transmitter, one of a single-frame transmitting method for transmitting data as one frame and a multiple-frame transmitting method for transmitting the data while dividing the data into a plurality of frames; a step SD12 of, when the multiple-frame transmitting method is determined, generating partition type information indicating a type of data to be transmitted, and generating combination data by adding the partition type information to the data to be transmitted; a step SD13 of generating the plurality of frames each of which includes each of a plurality of data parts by dividing the combination data into the plurality of data parts; and a step SD14 of generating the visible light signal by adding a preamble to a head of each of the plurality of frames.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventors: HIDEKI AOYAMA, MITSUAKI OSHIMA
  • Patent number: 9791727
    Abstract: A transmitter includes a controller, configured to generate a control voltage corresponding to a pattern of the change in an amount of light emitted wherein the pattern in which one of a plurality of amounts of light emitted occurs indicates a signal to be transmitted, and a reflector that reflects sunlight. The transmitter also includes a liquid crystal board that receives reflected light that is sunlight reflected by the reflector and transmits the signal to a receiver by changing the amount of light emitted toward the receiver according to the control voltage. The liquid crystal board changes the reflected light passing through rate to a high passing through rate when one of the plurality of the amounts of light emitted occurs, and changes the reflected light passing through rate to a low passing through rate when another one of the plurality of amounts of light emitted occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hideki Aoyama, Mitsuaki Oshima
  • Patent number: 9794489
    Abstract: An information communication method is provided for obtaining information from a subject using a terminal device that includes an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines. The method includes setting an exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing the subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines, and obtaining identification information of the subject by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines. The method further includes sending (i) the identification information and (ii) language identification information to a server, obtaining a content identified by the identification information from the server, and displaying the translated content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Hideki Aoyama, Ikuo Fuchigami, Tsutomu Mukai, Hidehiko Shin, Yosuke Matsushita, Shigehiro Iida, Kazunori Yamada
  • Patent number: RE46775
    Abstract: A portable terminal includes a receiver, a barcode former configured to form barcodes and a display. The barcode former forms a barcode from the data received by the receiver and the display displays the formed barcode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Oshima, Kenichiro Hayashi, Sadashi Kageyama, Seiji Sakashita, Takao Isogawa, Hisashi Takayama