Patents by Inventor Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka
Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka 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: 11422241Abstract: A photodetector includes plural detectors. Each of the plural detectors has a single photon avalanche diode (hereinafter referred to as SPAD) which responds to incidence of a photon. The plural detectors include at least a first detector and a second detector. The SPAD has a recovery time period until the SPAD reaches a next photon-responsive state, in response to the SPAD responding to the incidence of the photon. The recovery time period of the SPAD in the first detector is different from the recovery time period of the SPAD in the second detector.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2019Date of Patent: August 23, 2022Assignee: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Kenta Azuma, Noriyuki Ozaki, Shinji Kashiwada, Teiyu Kimura, Isamu Takai, Hiroyuki Matsubara, Mitsuhiko Ohta, Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka
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Patent number: 11411130Abstract: A photodetector includes: a photoreceptor provided with a SPAD that is configured to respond to incidence of a photon, and as the response of the SPAD, configured to output a pulse signal; and a pulse rate control circuit configured to control sensitivity of the photoreceptor to have a pulse rate as the number of pulse signals outputted per unit time from the photoreceptor to be a set value set in advance, (i) in a set range including the set value, (ii) in a set range of the set value or more, or (iii) in a set range of the set value or less.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2019Date of Patent: August 9, 2022Assignee: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Kenta Azuma, Noriyuki Ozaki, Shinji Kashiwada, Teiyu Kimura, Isamu Takai, Hiroyuki Matsubara, Mitsuhiko Ohta, Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka
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Publication number: 20200044109Abstract: A photodetector includes: a photoreceptor provided with a SPAD that is configured to respond to incidence of a photon, and as the response of the SPAD, configured to output a pulse signal; and a pulse rate control circuit configured to control sensitivity of the photoreceptor to have a pulse rate as the number of pulse signals outputted per unit time from the photoreceptor to be a set value set in advance, (i) in a set range including the set value, (ii) in a set range of the set value or more, or (iii) in a set range of the set value or less.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2019Publication date: February 6, 2020Inventors: Kenta AZUMA, Noriyuki OZAKI, Shinji KASHIWADA, Teiyu KIMURA, Isamu TAKAI, Hiroyuki MATSUBARA, Mitsuhiko OHTA, Shigeyoshi HIRATSUKA
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Publication number: 20200018832Abstract: A photodetector includes plural detectors. Each of the plural detectors has a single photon avalanche diode (hereinafter referred to as SPAD) which responds to incidence of a photon. The plural detectors include at least a first detector and a second detector. The SPAD has a recovery time period until the SPAD reaches a next photon-responsive state, in response to the SPAD responding to the incidence of the photon. The recovery time period of the SPAD in the first detector is different from the recovery time period of the SPAD in the second detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2019Publication date: January 16, 2020Inventors: Kenta Azuma, Noriyuki Ozaki, Shinji Kashiwada, Teiyu Kimura, Isamu Takai, Hiroyuki Matsubara, Mitsuhiko Ohta, Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka
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Patent number: 10131270Abstract: A vehicle headlamp device includes headlamps, which are structured so as to be able to project or irradiate given patterns and given shapes without distortion on a given virtual surface in front of a vehicle from a left headlight and a right headlight, respectively, a camera that captures an image of the area in front of the vehicle, and a state detecting portion configured to detect distortion of the given patterns, which are projected or irradiated on an irradiated surface in front of the vehicle, relative to the given patterns projected or irradiated on the given virtual surface in front of the vehicle, based on the captured image, and also detect a state of the irradiated surface based on the distortion, and a correcting portion configured to correct a relative optical axis deviation between the left headlight and the right headlight.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2015Date of Patent: November 20, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kazuya Asaoka, Nobuyuki Shiraki, Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka, Shin-ichi Kojima, Toshihiko Tsukada, Keiichi Shimaoka, Kazunori Higuchi
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Patent number: 9732926Abstract: An illumination system includes: a light irradiation unit that projects light toward a predetermined illumination area; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the illumination area; an object detecting unit that detects a shading object based on image information of the illumination area, acquired by the image acquisition unit; an information generating unit that generates the control information for setting each of the plurality of reflecting mirrors to an on state or an off state such that a plurality of irradiation patterns are alternately irradiated, each of the plurality of irradiation patterns having different arrangement of the dark pixels and the light pixels from each other; and an irradiation control unit that controls the light irradiation unit based on the generated control information.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2015Date of Patent: August 15, 2017Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka, Toshihiko Tsukada, Shin-ichi Kojima, Nobuyuki Shiraki, Keiichi Shimaoka, Kazuya Asaoka, Sho Masuda
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Patent number: 9701237Abstract: An irradiation system includes: a light position detection unit that detects a light position of an oncoming vehicle from a captured image; a driver position calculation unit that calculates a position upward and shifted in a first direction by a first distance from the light position detected by the light position detection unit, as a driver position; a shaded area generation unit that generates a first area having vertices respectively set at the light position, the driver position and a position shifted in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, by a distance between a pair of lights in the predetermined vehicle from the driver position, as a shaded area; and an irradiation unit that irradiates an area ahead of the host vehicle while shading the shaded area generated by the shaded area generation unit.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2015Date of Patent: July 11, 2017Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka, Nobuyuki Shiraki, Keiichi Shimaoka, Kazunori Higuchi, Kazuya Asaoka, Sho Masuda
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Publication number: 20170129389Abstract: A vehicle headlamp device includes headlamps, which are structured so as to be able to project or irradiate given patterns and given shapes without distortion on a given virtual surface in front of a vehicle from a left headlight and a right headlight, respectively, a camera that captures an image of the area in front of the vehicle, and a state detecting portion configured to detect distortion of the given patterns, which are projected or irradiated on an irradiated surface in front of the vehicle, relative to the given patterns projected or irradiated on the given virtual surface in front of the vehicle, based on the captured image, and also detect a state of the irradiated surface based on the distortion, and a correcting portion configured to correct a relative optical axis deviation between the left headlight and the right headlight.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2015Publication date: May 11, 2017Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kazuya ASAOKA, Nobuyuki SHIRAKI, Shigeyoshi HIRATSUKA, Shin-ichi KOJIMA, Toshihiko TSUKADA, Keiichi SHIMAOKA, Kazunori HIGUCHI
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Patent number: 9580007Abstract: A projection system includes: a position detecting section that detects the position of a target object located in front of a host vehicle; and a control section which, on the basis of the position of the target object detected by the position detecting section, controls a headlamp so as to project onto the position of the target object a projection pattern that moves in a direction corresponding to the direction of motion of a background at the position of the target object or a direction corresponding to the opposite direction of the direction of motion of the background.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2016Date of Patent: February 28, 2017Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Nobuyuki Shiraki, Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka, Shinichi Kojima, Kazuya Asaoka, Kazuhiko Nakashima
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Publication number: 20160229333Abstract: A projection system includes: a position detecting section that detects the position of a target object located in front of a host vehicle; and a control section which, on the basis of the position of the target object detected by the position detecting section, controls a headlamp so as to project onto the position of the target object a projection pattern that moves in a direction corresponding to the direction of motion of a background at the position of the target object or a direction corresponding to the opposite direction of the direction of motion of the background.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 28, 2016Publication date: August 11, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Nobuyuki SHIRAKI, Shigeyoshi HIRATSUKA, Shinichi KOJIMA, Kazuya ASAOKA, Kazuhiko NAKASHIMA
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Publication number: 20160039331Abstract: An irradiation system includes: a light position detection unit that detects a light position of an oncoming vehicle from a captured image; a driver position calculation unit that calculates a position upward and shifted in a first direction by a first distance from the light position detected by the light position detection unit, as a driver position; a shaded area generation unit that generates a first area having vertices respectively set at the light position, the driver position and a position shifted in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, by a distance between a pair of lights in the predetermined vehicle from the driver position, as a shaded area; and an irradiation unit that irradiates an area ahead of the host vehicle while shading the shaded area generated by the shaded area generation unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 10, 2015Publication date: February 11, 2016Inventors: Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka, Nobuyuki Shiraki, Keiichi Shimaoka, Kazunori Higuchi, Kazuya Asaoka, Sho Masuda
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Publication number: 20160033102Abstract: An illumination system includes: a light irradiation unit that projects light toward a predetermined illumination area; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the illumination area; an object detecting unit that detects a shading object based on image information of the illumination area, acquired by the image acquisition unit; an information generating unit that generates the control information for setting each of the plurality of reflecting mirrors to an on state or an off state such that a plurality of irradiation patterns are alternately irradiated, each of the plurality of irradiation patterns having different arrangement of the dark pixels and the light pixels from each other; and an irradiation control unit that controls the light irradiation unit based on the generated control information.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 30, 2015Publication date: February 4, 2016Inventors: Shigeyoshi HIRATSUKA, Toshihiko TSUKADA, Shin-ichi KOJIMA, Nobuyuki SHIRAKI, Keiichi SHIMAOKA, Kazuya ASAOKA, Sho MASUDA
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Patent number: 8994823Abstract: In an object detection apparatus, a captured image of a scene around a host vehicle, information indicating a travel state of the host vehicle, and information indicating a surrounding situation around the host vehicle are obtained; risk areas in each of which an object is likely to exist, and area risk degrees of the risk areas are estimated based on the obtained information; posture risk degrees of respective postures are estimated based on a relation between each of the risk areas and the postures of the object assumed to exist in the risk area; a window image is extracted from a search range in the captured image, which corresponds to each of the risk areas, according to descending order of overall risk degrees; and it is identified whether the window image is an image showing the object, by comparing an identification model with the window image.Type: GrantFiled: July 5, 2011Date of Patent: March 31, 2015Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kunihiro Goto, Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka, Mitsuhiko Ota, Arata Takahashi, Masayuki Usami, Daisuke Konaka
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Publication number: 20130010112Abstract: In an object detection apparatus, a captured image of a scene around a host vehicle, information indicating a travel state of the host vehicle, and information indicating a surrounding situation around the host vehicle are obtained; risk areas in each of which an object is likely to exist, and area risk degrees of the risk areas are estimated based on the obtained information; posture risk degrees of respective postures are estimated based on a relation between each of the risk areas and the postures of the object assumed to exist in the risk area; a window image is extracted from a search range in the captured image, which corresponds to each of the risk areas, according to descending order of overall risk degrees; and it is identified whether the window image is an image showing the object, by comparing an identification model with the window image.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 5, 2011Publication date: January 10, 2013Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kunihiro Goto, Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka, Mitsuhiko Ota, Arata Takahashi, Masayuki Usami, Daisuke Konaka