Patents by Inventor Shuichi Watanabe

Shuichi 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).

  • Patent number: 9832534
    Abstract: A content transmission unit (22) is provided that performs chunk transfer of a segment to a client (2) in subsegment unit, the subsegment being formed by dividing the segment into a plurality of pieces after receiving a request requiring transmission of the segment from the client (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuaki Tokumo, Takuya Iwanami, Shuichi Watanabe, Hideki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9826211
    Abstract: A recorder receives designation of a video which is desired to be reproduced from a user. If designation of one or more designated locations where sound is emphasized on a screen of a display which displays the video is received by the recorder from the user via an operation unit during reproduction or temporary stopping of the video, a signal processing unit performs an emphasis process on audio data, that is, the signal processing unit emphasizes audio data in directions directed toward positions corresponding to the designated locations from a microphone array by using audio data recorded in the recorder. A reproducing device reproduces the emphasis-processed audio data and video data in synchronization with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Sawa, Shinichi Shigenaga, Toshimichi Tokuda, Shintaro Yoshikuni, Shuichi Watanabe, Tadashi Maki, Hirokazu Tasaka, Susumu Ono, Keisuke Fujimoto, Shojiro Matsuo, Teppei Fukuda, Hiroyuki Matsumoto, Akitoshi Izumi, Hisashi Tsuji, Kazunori Hayashi, Ryoichi Yuge
  • Patent number: 9813350
    Abstract: There is provided a transmitter by which a reception side easily detects packet loss of a transport packet. The transmitter (1) includes a content dividing unit (13) that divides a set composed of a plurality of units into a plurality of subsets, a transport sequence assigning unit (15) that assigns, to the packet, the transport sequence of the unit within a component and the transport sequence of the unit within the subset, and a header generating unit (14) that generates a packet including the transport sequences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuaki Tokumo, Shuichi Watanabe, Takuya Iwanami
  • Publication number: 20170264999
    Abstract: When a microphone array apparatus sound-picks up voice in a prescribed sound volume or higher, which is output from a sound source, and sends voice data on the voice to voice processing apparatus, a sound source direction detection unit causes sound source marks, each of which indicates a directivity direction, to be displayed on a display, and urges a user to make a selection among the sound source marks and to input camera information. A voice processing apparatus transmits the camera information that is input, and the directivity direction, to the microphone array apparatus. The microphone array apparatus stores the camera information and the directivity direction, as a preset information table, in a storage unit. Accordingly, where a positional relationship between the camera and the microphone array is unclear, directionality is formed in a determined image capture position, and voice in the predetermined image capture position is output clearly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT C., LTD.
    Inventors: Teppei FUKUDA, Shuichi WATANABE, Hiroyuki MATSUMOTO, Hisashi TSUJI
  • Publication number: 20170208366
    Abstract: A content transmission unit (22) is provided that performs chunk transfer of a segment to a client (2) in subsegment unit, the subsegment being formed by dividing the segment into a plurality of pieces after receiving a request requiring transmission of the segment from the client (2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2017
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Inventors: Yasuaki TOKUMO, Takuya IWANAMI, Shuichi WATANABE, Hideki SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 9641906
    Abstract: A content transmission unit (22) is provided that performs chunk transfer of a segment to a client (2) in subsegment unit, the subsegment being formed by dividing the segment into a plurality of pieces after receiving a request requiring transmission of the segment from the client (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuaki Tokumo, Takuya Iwanami, Shuichi Watanabe, Hideki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9635481
    Abstract: A failure detection system includes an omnidirectional microphone array device having a plurality of microphone elements and a directivity control device that calculates a delay time of a voice propagated from a sound source to each microphone element and forms a directivity of the voice using the delay time and the voice collected by the omnidirectional microphone array device, and detects a failure of the microphone element. A smoothing unit calculates an average power of one microphone element. An average calculator calculates a total average power of a plurality of usable microphone elements included in the omnidirectional microphone array device. A comparison unit compares whether or not a difference between the average power and the total average power exceeds a range of ±6 dB, and determines whether the microphone element is in failure based on the comparison result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Matsumoto, Shuichi Watanabe, Toshimichi Tokuda, Hisashi Tsuji, Akitoshi Izumi, Shintaro Yoshikuni
  • Patent number: 9622004
    Abstract: Provided a sound velocity correction device including an environmental parameter obtainer that acquires a measured value of a surrounding environmental parameter of a sound collector that collects a sound emitted from a sound source; and a sound velocity corrector that corrects a sound velocity of the sound which is used to form directivity in a directing direction toward the sound source from the sound collector, using the measured value of the surrounding environmental parameter of the sound collector which is acquired by the environmental parameter obtainer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Matsumoto, Shuichi Watanabe, Hisashi Tsuji, Akitoshi Izumi, Hirotaka Sawa
  • Patent number: 9578413
    Abstract: An audio processing system, includes: an audio collector that collects audio in a non-directivity state using audio collection elements; an operator receives an input of one or more designation directions for audio emphasis for switching from the non-directivity state to a directivity state; an emphasis processor that generates audio data in the directivity state obtained by performing an emphasis process on the audio data in the designation direction from the audio collector using audio data collected by the audio collector according to the input of the designation direction; a volume adjustor that adjusts volume of the audio data in a directivity state; and an audio output that outputs the audio in a non-directivity state collected by the audio collector or the audio in a directivity state after the volume has been adjusted by the volume adjustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Sawa, Toshimichi Tokuda, Shuichi Watanabe, Hiroyuki Matsumoto, Hisashi Tsuji, Shintaro Yoshikuni
  • Patent number: 9549244
    Abstract: A directivity control system includes: a sound collection unit, configured to collect a sound; a display unit, configured to display a designation screen used to designate a directivity direction oriented from the sound collection unit to a first sound position; a directivity direction calculation unit, configured to calculate a horizontal angle and a vertical angle from the sound collection unit to the first sound position corresponding to the designated directivity direction in accordance with a designation of the directivity direction on the designation screen displayed by the display unit; and a control unit, configured to form directivity of the sound collected by the sound collection unit based on the horizontal angle and the vertical angle calculated by the directivity direction calculation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Shigenaga, Kazunori Hayashi, Toshimichi Tokuda, Hirotaka Sawa, Kosuke Shinozaki, Shuichi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20170006274
    Abstract: A client (1) is provisioned with a content selection unit (13) for referencing description information (26), selecting content to be played in a certain period, and at the same time, and selecting content to be played at the next period from an id of a subset that is the same as the subset selected at the period, a request execution unit (14) for requesting the transmission of the selected content, and a content playback unit (15) for continuously playing the content transmitted in response to the request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2016
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventors: Shuichi WATANABE, Yasuaki TOKUMO, Maki TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 9516412
    Abstract: A directivity control apparatus controls a directivity of a sound collected by a sound collecting unit including a plurality of microphones. A beam forming unit forms a beam in a direction from the sound collecting unit toward a sound source corresponding to a position designated in an image on a display unit. A magnification setting unit sets a magnification for magnifying or demagnifying the image in the display according to an input. The beam forming unit also changes a size of the formed beam in accordance with the magnification set by the magnification setting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinichi Shigenaga, Shuichi Watanabe, Tadashi Maki, Akitoshi Izumi, Kazunori Hayashi, Toshimichi Tokuda, Shojiro Matsuo, Hirotaka Sawa
  • Patent number: 9485486
    Abstract: A client (1) is provisioned with a content selection unit (13) for referencing description information (26), selecting content to be played in a certain period, and at the same time, and selecting content to be played at the next period from an id of a subset that is the same as the subset selected at the period, a request execution unit (14) for requesting the transmission of the selected content, and a content playback unit (15) for continuously playing the content transmitted in response to the request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuichi Watanabe, Yasuaki Tokumo, Maki Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20160234593
    Abstract: A microphone array system includes a camera that images a picture for a target place, a microphone array that picks up sound using a plurality of microphones, a sound source analyzer that calculates a sound source position based on picked up sound data, an image displaying processor that displays image data, which includes sound source position display indicative of an imaged target place picture and the sound source position on the display, a user-input apparatus that receives an instruction of a specified spot in the target place picture displayed on the display, a directivity calculator that forms sound directivity in a direction which faces the specified spot from the microphone array based on the picked up sound data, and generates the sound data acquired by emphasizing sound in a direction having the directivity, and a sound outputter that outputs the sound data to the speaker and reproduces the sound data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki MATSUMOTO, Shuichi WATANABE, Hisashi TSUJI
  • Publication number: 20160142620
    Abstract: Sound collection directionality is formed toward a location corresponding to a position designated in a video of a predetermined region which is imaged by a camera apparatus with a microphone array apparatus as a reference, and audio data is collected with high accuracy. In a directionality control system (10), a signal processing unit (33) derives a sound collection direction (?MAh,?MAv) which is directed from an installation position of a microphone array apparatus (2) toward a sound position corresponding to a position designated in video data on a screen of the display device (36) in response to a user's designation of any position in the video data displayed on the screen. The signal processing unit (33) forms sound collection directionality of audio data in the derived sound collection direction (?MAh,?MAv).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka SAWA, Toshimichi TOKUDA, Shinichi SHIGENAGA, Shuichi WATANABE, Shojiro MATSUO, Takashi HIRABARA, Tadashi MAKI, Hisashi TSUJI, Teppei FUKUDA, Akitoshi IZUMI, Shintaro YOSHIKUNI, Hiroyuki MATSUMOTO, Kazunori HAYASHI, Kosuke SHINOZAKI
  • Patent number: 9319654
    Abstract: To provide a video data reproducing apparatus or the like, which includes: a flag reader 101 for reading out a flag that designates a playback style during special playback, from video data; decoders 102 and 103 for decoding two sets of video data; a synthesizer 106 for combining the decoded videos to output the result; and a manager 109 for controlling the operations of decoders 102, 103 and synthesizer 106 in accordance with the flag value, and which manages the playback style in the special playback during picture-in-picture playing in accordance with the flag value, to thereby realize the playback style of the picture-in-picture video during the special playback that reflects the distributor's intention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shuichi Watanabe, Jiro Kiyama
  • Publication number: 20160043699
    Abstract: An audio processing system, includes: an audio collector that collects audio in a non-directivity state using audio collection elements; an operator receives an input of one or more designation directions for audio emphasis for switching from the non-directivity state to a directivity state; an emphasis processor that generates audio data in the directivity state obtained by performing an emphasis process on the audio data in the designation direction from the audio collector using audio data collected by the audio collector according to the input of the designation direction; a volume adjustor that adjusts volume of the audio data in a directivity state; and an audio output that outputs the audio in a non-directivity state collected by the audio collector or the audio in a directivity state after the volume has been adjusted by the volume adjustor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka SAWA, Toshimichi TOKUDA, Shuichi WATANABE, Hiroyuki MATSUMOTO, Hisashi TSUJI, Shintaro YOSHIKUNI
  • Publication number: 20160037277
    Abstract: A failure detection system includes an omnidirectional microphone array device having a plurality of microphone elements and a directivity control device that calculates a delay time of a voice propagated from a sound source to each microphone element and forms a directivity of the voice using the delay time and the voice collected by the omnidirectional microphone array device, and detects a failure of the microphone element. A smoothing unit calculates an average power of one microphone element. An average calculator calculates a total average power of a plurality of usable microphone elements included in the omnidirectional microphone array device. A comparison unit compares whether or not a difference between the average power and the total average power exceeds a range of ±6 dB, and determines whether the microphone element is in failure based on the comparison result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2015
    Publication date: February 4, 2016
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki MATSUMOTO, Shuichi WATANABE, Toshimichi TOKUDA, Hisashi TSUJI, Akitoshi IZUMI, Shintaro YOSHIKUNI
  • Publication number: 20160021474
    Abstract: Provided a sound velocity correction device including an environmental parameter obtainer that acquires a measured value of a surrounding environmental parameter of a sound collector that collects a sound emitted from a sound source; and a sound velocity corrector that corrects a sound velocity of the sound which is used to form directivity in a directing direction toward the sound source from the sound collector, using the measured value of the surrounding environmental parameter of the sound collector which is acquired by the environmental parameter obtainer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2015
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki MATSUMOTO, Shuichi WATANABE, Hisashi TSUJI, Akitoshi IZUMI, Hirotaka SAWA
  • Publication number: 20150350621
    Abstract: A recorder receives designation of a video which is desired to be reproduced from a user. If designation of one or more designated locations where sound is emphasized on a screen of a display which displays the video is received by the recorder from the user via an operation unit during reproduction or temporary stopping of the video, a signal processing unit performs an emphasis process on audio data, that is, the signal processing unit emphasizes audio data in directions directed toward positions corresponding to the designated locations from a microphone array by using audio data recorded in the recorder. A reproducing device reproduces the emphasis-processed audio data and video data in synchronization with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka SAWA, Shinichi SHIGENAGA, Toshimichi TOKUDA, Shintaro YOSHIKUNI, Shuichi WATANABE, Tadashi MAKI, Hirokazu TASAKA, Susumu ONO, Keisuke FUJIMOTO, Shojiro MATSUO, Teppei FUKUDA, Hiroyuki MATSUMOTO, Akitoshi IZUMI, Hisashi TSUJI, Kazunori HAYASHI, Ryoichi YUGE