Patents by Inventor Motoi Nakanishi

Motoi Nakanishi 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: 6753805
    Abstract: In an FM-CW radar system, regarding peaks appearing in the frequency spectrum of a beat signal in an FM-CW radar, groups of consecutive peaks in beam bearings within a predetermined frequency difference are regarded as being caused by reflected waves from a single target, and based on a combination of a peak group in an up-modulating interval and a peak group in a down-modulating interval, a relative distance to a target and its relative speed are determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoi Nakanishi, Toru Ishii, Tetsu Nishimura
  • Patent number: 6707416
    Abstract: A radar system is capable of transmitting necessary information through a very small amount of data from a radar device to a host device via a bus with a limited bandwidth. A radar sensor generates a beat signal between a transmission signal and a reflected signal from a target. A signal processor determines a spectrum of the beat signal and compresses the data indicating the spectrum. The resultant compressed data is transmitted to the host device via a bus. The host device decompresses the received data thereby reproducing the spectrum data. The host device then detects the target on the basis of the reproduced spectrum data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toru Ishii, Tetsu Nishimura, Motoi Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 6686870
    Abstract: A radar device precisely detects a target in short time intervals by detecting a true peak frequency with high accuracy via a calculation which does not require a large amount of computation. A discrete frequency spectrum of a beat signal multiplied by a window function is determined, and values of signal strength at two discrete frequencies which are, respectively, higher and lower than a peak frequency of the discrete frequency spectrum of the beat signal and which are adjacent to the peak frequency. The frequency difference between the discrete peak frequency of the beat signal and the peak frequency of the window function is then determined from the ratio between the values of signal strength at those two discrete frequencies adjacent to the peak frequency. Thus, the true peak frequency of the beat signal is determined with a high frequency resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsu Nishimura, Motoi Nakanishi, Toru Ishii
  • Patent number: 6674395
    Abstract: A radar system includes a transmitting/receiving unit, having a voltage controlled oscillator, for repeatedly transmitting a triangular transmission signal including a frequency-gradually-rising up-modulation interval and a frequency-gradually-dropping down-modulation interval and for receiving a reception signal including a reflected signal from a target, a frequency analysis unit, a data storing unit for storing time-varying characteristics of input values to a D/A converter that monotonically change an oscillation frequency of the voltage controlled oscillator with time, in the form of data concerning an expression representing the time-varying characteristics, and a data processing unit for determining the input values to the D/A converter with reference to the data. At least one of the relative distance to the target and the relative speed of the target is detected based on a beat signal during the up-modulation interval and the beat signal during the down-modulation interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoi Nakanishi, Toru Ishii, Tetsu Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20030184470
    Abstract: A radar system achieves adjustment of a time-change characteristic of a frequency-modulating voltage signal to a voltage-controlled oscillator for determining a transmitting signal such that the time-change characteristic of the frequency-modulating voltage signal is changed by a minute amount and the frequency spectrum of a beat signal is determined. The adjustment is performed so that the shape of a bulge in signal intensity included in the frequency spectrum is the sharpest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2003
    Publication date: October 2, 2003
    Applicant: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toru Ishii, Motoi Nakanishi, Tetsu Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20030156054
    Abstract: A radar system is capable of transmitting necessary information through a very small amount of data from a radar device to a host device via a bus with a limited bandwidth. A radar sensor generates a beat signal between a transmission signal and a reflected signal from a target. A signal processor determines a spectrum of the beat signal and compresses the data indicating the spectrum. The resultant compressed data is transmitted to the host device via a bus. The host device decompresses the received data thereby reproducing the spectrum data. The host device then detects the target on the basis of the reproduced spectrum data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Publication date: August 21, 2003
    Applicant: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toru Ishii, Tetsu Nishimura, Motoi Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20030151544
    Abstract: A radar device precisely detects a target in short time intervals by detecting a true peak frequency with high accuracy via a calculation which does not require a large amount of computation. A discrete frequency spectrum of a beat signal multiplied by a window function is determined, and values of signal strength at two discrete frequencies which are, respectively, higher and lower than a peak frequency of the discrete frequency spectrum of the beat signal and which are adjacent to the peak frequency. The frequency difference between the discrete peak frequency of the beat signal and the peak frequency of the window function is then determined from the ratio between the values of signal strength at those two discrete frequencies adjacent to the peak frequency. Thus, the true peak frequency of the beat signal is determined with a high frequency resolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2003
    Publication date: August 14, 2003
    Applicant: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsu Nishimura, Motoi Nakanishi, Toru Ishii
  • Publication number: 20030151543
    Abstract: A radar system includes a transmitting/receiving unit, having a voltage controlled oscillator, for repeatedly transmitting a triangular transmission signal including a frequency-gradually-rising up-modulation interval and a frequency-gradually-dropping down-modulation interval and for receiving a reception signal including a reflected signal from a target, a frequency analysis unit, a data storing unit for storing time-varying characteristics of input values to a D/A converter that monotonically change an oscillation frequency of the voltage controlled oscillator with time, in the form of data concerning an expression representing the time-varying characteristics, and a data processing unit for determining the input values to the D/A converter with reference to the data. At least one of the relative distance to the target and the relative speed of the target is detected based on a beat signal during the up-modulation interval and the beat signal during the down-modulation interval.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2003
    Publication date: August 14, 2003
    Applicant: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoi Nakanishi, Toru Ishii, Tetsu Nishimura
  • Patent number: 6597307
    Abstract: By changing the direction of a detection radio-wave beam within a detection-angle range and by detecting reflected-signal intensities, wherein each of the reflected-signal intensities is detected for each predetermined unit angle, moving averages of the reflected-signal intensities are calculated by using an angular width predetermined for a given distance as an average width. Thus, data of a reflected-signal-intensity distribution is obtained. Accordingly, the direction of a target is detected by finding the direction of the highest reflected-signal intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoi Nakanishi, Toru Ishii, Ikuo Takakuwa, Tetsu Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20030128154
    Abstract: A radar performs accurate and appropriate pairing even if peaks of approximately identical signal intensities or even if a plurality of peak groups having identical representative beam bearings exist in the frequency spectrum. First, the peak frequency of a peak which appears in the frequency spectrum is determined for each of an up-modulating interval and a down-modulating interval in predetermined beam bearings, and signal-intensity profiles in the beam bearings are extracted with regard to a plurality of beam portions which are adjacent to the beam bearings. Next, the correlation level between the signal-intensity profiles at the up-modulating interval and the down-modulating interval is determined, and pairing is performed in sequence starting from the profiles having a higher correlation level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2003
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Applicant: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoi Nakanishi, Toru Ishii, Tetsu Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20030117312
    Abstract: In an FM-CW radar system, regarding peaks appearing in the frequency spectrum of a beat signal in an FM-CW radar, groups of consecutive peaks in beam bearings within a predetermined frequency difference are regarded as being caused by reflected waves from a single target, and based on a combination of a peak group in an up-modulating interval and a peak group in a down-modulating interval, a relative distance to a target and its relative speed are determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2002
    Publication date: June 26, 2003
    Applicant: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoi Nakanishi, Toru Ishii, Tetsu Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20030102998
    Abstract: A radar system and a characteristic adjustment method for the radar system are provided, in which a control voltage waveform of a voltage controlled oscillator for frequency-modulating a sending signal can be set in a short time without increasing the required amount of memory. In adjusting time-varying characteristics of a voltage signal for frequency modulation on a voltage controlled oscillator determining a sending frequency, the time-varying characteristics of the voltage signal for frequency modulation are adjusted to optimize a form of a protrusion in signal intensity included in a frequency spectrum of a beat signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2002
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Inventors: Toru Ishii, Motoi Nakanishi, Tetsu Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20020190895
    Abstract: By changing the direction of a detection radio-wave beam within a detection-angle range and by detecting reflected-signal intensities, wherein each of the reflected-signal intensities is detected for each predetermined unit angle, moving averages of the reflected-signal intensities are calculated by using an angular width predetermined for a given distance as an average width. Thus, data of a reflected-signal-intensity distribution is obtained. Accordingly, the direction of a target is detected by finding the direction of the highest reflected-signal intensity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2002
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Applicant: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoi Nakanishi, Toru Ishii, Ikuo Takakuwa, Tetsu Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20020180633
    Abstract: In a radar, a coupler extracts a part of a transmission signal as a local signal and a mixer mixes a reception signal from a circulator and the local signal so as to output an intermediate frequency signal which is the frequency difference between the transmission signal and the reception signal. An IF-amplifying circuit amplifies the intermediate frequency signal and an AD converter converts the signal to digital data. A DC-removing unit removes a DC component by subtracting the average from the data and an FFT operation unit performs fast Fourier transform so that the distance to a target and the relative velocity of the target are calculated based on a peak included in the frequency spectrum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2002
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Applicant: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoi Nakanishi, Toru Ishii, Tetsu Nishimura
  • Patent number: 6061550
    Abstract: In a radio transmitter, an amplifier, a resonator and an antenna together form an oscillation loop. The oscillating energy of the oscillation loop is efficiently emitted from the antenna as a radio wave. Most of the oscillation power of the oscillation loop is supplied to the radiation resistance of the antenna because the transmitter has no components outside the loop which may consume the oscillation power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Tanaka, Motoi Nakanishi