Patents by Inventor Nobuhiko Yasui

Nobuhiko Yasui 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).

  • Publication number: 20030021490
    Abstract: For supporting a complicated driving operation, a synthesized image by using which a driver can drive with a sense of security is presented to the driver. Camera images of cameras installed on a vehicle are used so that an image with a lateral visual field of 180 degrees in the rear of the vehicle can be displayed in the form of a mirror image. Also, (a) tire loci (41) of the vehicle obtained by assuming a reverse operation are overlapped with the image to be displayed. Furthermore, (b) a far area (43) is enlarged to be displayed in a sub-window (44), or (c) auxiliary lines (45, 46 and 47) indicating distances from the vehicle are overlapped with the image to be displayed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Shusaku Okamoto, Masamichi Nakagawa, Kunio Nobori, Atsushi Morimura, Nobuhiko Yasui, Akira Ishida, Atsushi Iisaka, Takashi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 6493458
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for correctly determining the position of a vehicle in a traffic lane by obtaining correct information about the position of the traffic lane without being affected by variations in the road surface, weather, time of day, or such imaging conditions as fixed or moving lighting, are provided. An edge signal of a high spatial frequency component and a luminance signal of a low spatial frequency component of a digital image signal representing the view of the local area to the front of a vehicle are extracted. A road contour signal is then extracted from the edge signal, and a road region signal is extracted from the luminance signal. The position of the lane Sre is then detected with high precision by evaluating the lane contour Sre based on the road region signal Srr and lane contour data Sre.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Yasui, Atsushi Iisaka, Mamoru Kaneko
  • Patent number: 6483429
    Abstract: A parking assistance system is mounted in a vehicle, and has an image pick-up with a single camera, an image processing device, a display, a steering angle sensor, a wheel speed sensor, and a pulse counter. An A/D converter subjects two analog images picked up by the image pick-up at different locations to A/D conversion, and sends the results to frame memories. A CPU uses the digital image data and the transition data of the vehicle to calculate object data and a distance from the vehicle to the 3D object. An image thus obtained is then converted into a view from the above. The view from the above is stored in a frame memory, and outputted to the display under the control of a controller for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Yasui, Atsushi Iisaka
  • Publication number: 20020097170
    Abstract: In a rendering device Urnd1, a processor 1 derives an estimated path to be traced by a left- and right-rear wheels of a vehicle based on a rudder angle &thgr; provided by a rudder angle sensor 5. The processor 1 then determines positions for overlaying indicators on the derived estimated path. The processor 1 then renders the indicators on thus determined points in a captured image provided by an image capture device, and generates a display image. Here, in the display image, the indicators move along the estimated path in the heading direction of the vehicle. In this manner, the estimated path in the display image generated by the rendering device Urnd1 becomes noticeable for a driver of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2001
    Publication date: July 25, 2002
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Yasui, Takashi Yoshida, Atsushi IIsaka, Akira Ishida
  • Patent number: 6369701
    Abstract: In a rendering device Urnd, a CPU generates a lower viewpoint image based on captured images captured by image capture devices both securely mounted to a vehicle. Here, the lower viewpoint image shows a region rear of the vehicle viewed from those image capture devices. Then, the CPU executes viewpoint conversion processing onto the captured images, and generates an upper viewpoint image. Here, the upper viewpoint image shows also the region rear of the vehicle but viewed from a camera virtually placed above the vehicle. The CPU then stitches the upper and lower viewpoint images together to generate a drive assistant image. In such manner, the drive assistant image generated by the rendering device Urnd becomes informative enough for a driver of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Yoshida, Nobuhiko Yasui, Atsushi Iisaka, Akira Ishida
  • Patent number: 6366221
    Abstract: In a rendering device 10, ROM 4 stores a vehicle model. A rudder angle sensor 3 detects a rudder angle of the vehicle, and based thereon, CPU 6 calculates an estimated path for the vehicle. The CPU 6 receives captured images from cameras 21 to 2N. The CPU 6 generates a display image based on those captured images, the estimated path, and the vehicle model. This display image includes the vehicle model arranged on the estimated path, and displayed on a display device 8 placed in the vehicle. In this manner, the display image generated by the rendering device 10 is indicative and helpful for a driver of the vehicle to exactly figure out a parking space available for the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Iisaka, Nobuhiko Yasui, Akira Ishida, Takashi Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20020031242
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for correctly determining the position of a vehicle in a traffic lane by obtaining correct information about the position of the traffic lane without being affected by variations in the road surface, weather, time of day, or such imaging conditions as fixed or moving lighting, are provided. An edge signal or a high spatial frequency component and a luminance signal of a low spatial frequency component of a digital image signal representing the view of the local area to the front of a vehicle are extracted. A road contour signal is then extracted from the edge signal, and a road region signal is extracted from the luminance signal. The position of the lane Sre is then detected with high precision by evaluating the lane contour Sre based on the road region signal Srr and lane contour data Sre.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 1998
    Publication date: March 14, 2002
    Inventors: NOBUHIKO YASUI, ATSUSHI IISAKA, MAMORU KANEKO
  • Patent number: 6344805
    Abstract: A vehicle position calculation unit (1) calculates a position of a vehicle on a plan view, and an estimate locus calculation unit (2) calculates an estimate movement locus of a vehicle body when the vehicle is moved at a maximum steering angle with respect to the vehicle position, and a display unit (3) displays the vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit (1) together with the estimate locus of the vehicle body calculated by the estimate locus calculation unit (2). Thus, even a beginner driver of the vehicle can easily and quickly park the vehicle with accuracy and safety while monitoring the estimate movement locus of the vehicle on the display screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Yasui, Atsushi Iisaka, Yoshiki Ueyama
  • Publication number: 20020001399
    Abstract: In a rendering device Urnd1, a CPU 7 receives a captured image each from two image capture devices 1 and 2. The CPU 7 then receives a rudder angle of a steering wheel of a vehicle from a rudder angle sensor 3. Based on the rudder angle, the CPU 7 derives an estimated trajectory for the vehicle to take in the course of time. Then, with reference to the estimated trajectory, the CPU 7 selects several pixels each from the captured images, and then generates a drive assistant image based on those pixels. In this manner, the drive assistant image generated by the rendering device Urnd1 hardly causes the driver to feel strange.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Publication date: January 3, 2002
    Inventors: Takashi Yoshida, Nobuhiko Yasui, Atsushi Iisaka, Akira Ishida
  • Patent number: 6163022
    Abstract: The imaging apparatus of this invention includes: a lens, a half mirror, and a first CCD arranged along a same optical axis; and a second CCD arranged on an axis of light reflected from the half mirror, wherein one of the first and second CCDs outputs a normal image of an input image input via the lens while the other CCD outputs an Inverted image of the input image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Yasui, Noboru Nomura, Atsushi Iisaka
  • Patent number: 6091833
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for correctly determining the position of a vehicle in a traffic lane by obtaining correct information about the position of the traffic lane without being affected by variations in the road surface, weather, time of day, or such imaging conditions as fixed or moving lighting, are provided. An edge signal of a high spatial frequency component and a luminance signal of a low spatial frequency component of a digital image signal representing the view of the local area to the front of a vehicle are extracted. A road contour signal is then extracted from the edge signal, and a road region signal is extracted from the luminance signal. The position of the lane Sre is then detected with high precision by evaluating the lane contour Sre based on the road region signal Srr and lane contour data Sre.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Yasui, Atsushi Iisaka, Mamoru Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5922036
    Abstract: A lane detection sensor for detecting opposite lane markers of a road, comprising: an image shooting member for shooting an image of the road ahead of a running motor vehicle; an image data memory for storing data on the image of the road from the image shooting member; a contour point extracting member for extracting, by using the data on the image of the road stored in the image data memory, contour points corresponding to the lane markers of the road; a curve detecting member for calculating polynomial curves by using the contour points corresponding to the lane markers of the road from the contour point extracting member; a Hough transformation limiting member for bounding a region of Hough transformation by using coefficients of the polynomial curves calculated by the curve detecting member; a Hough transformation member for performing Hough transformation by using the polynomial curves from the curve detecting member and the region of Hough transformation bounded by the Hough transformation limiting mem
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Yasui, Atsushi Iisaka, Mamoru Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5904725
    Abstract: A local positioning device detects a local position of an automobile advancing along a lane formed on a road in a direction. A digital image data indicative of an advancing direction view observed from the automobile in the advancing direction is applied to the local position device. An edge extractor, a threshold generator, and a contour extractor are operable for extracting a contour data indicative of the lane from the image signal. A coordinate convertor converts the contour data into a plane view data indicating the dimensions of extracted contours correctly. A matching operator matches a line or an arc with each of extracted contour. A lane mark contour extractor selectively extracts a pair of extracted contours corresponding to the lane on which the automobile is located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Iisaka, Nobuhiko Yasui, Mamoru Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5487116
    Abstract: An apparatus for recognizing contours of a preceding vehicle from road images input by the use of vehicle-mounted cameras is described. The cameras view an object in front of the vehicle having the apparatus thereon and measure a distance to the recognized preceding vehicle. The apparatus includes image input video cameras, A/D converters, image memories, an image processing MPU, a display, an output interface, and a display controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 23, 1996
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Nakano, Nobuhiko Yasui
  • Patent number: 5060162
    Abstract: The apparatus includes a running distance sensor, a heading direction sensor based on terrestrial magnetism, and a map data base for identifying the road on which the vehicle is running. In implementing map matching for collating running data with map data, the difference between the heading direction and the road direction on the map is calculated so that it is underestimated on the basis of the angle with respect to magnetic north for specific sections memorized as map data or for all sections. The probability of erroneous matching is lowered and the vehicle is located accurately even in such places as bridges, elevated roadways, tunnels and slopes where the terrestrial magnetic azimuth deviates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1991
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiki Ueyama, Nobuhiko Yasui
  • Patent number: 4590713
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus includes a driving source, a polishing member driven by the driving source, and a pair of guide members. The polishing member is composed of a pair of rigid support plates and an elastic body sandwiched therebetween. The lower-positioned support plate is formed with a polishing face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1986
    Inventor: Nobuhiko Yasui