Patents by Inventor Tetsuya NOBUOKA

Tetsuya NOBUOKA 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: 20240317289
    Abstract: A system for registering an item stored in a shopping cart, includes a terminal attachable to the shopping cart and one or more cameras attached to the shopping cart and positioned to face an opening of the shopping cart through which an item is put therein by a customer. The terminal includes an interface circuit connectable to the cameras, and a processor configured to: acquire first images captured by the cameras, execute image recognition on each of the first images to identify an item and one or more feature points each corresponding to a part of a hand of the customer in said each of the first images, select one of the first images in which an item is identified and a smaller number of feature points are identified, and determine the item in the selected first image to be registered for purchase by the customer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2023
    Publication date: September 26, 2024
    Inventor: Tetsuya NOBUOKA
  • Patent number: 11978240
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information processing device includes acquisition means, detection means, and specifying means. The acquisition means acquires image data according to a lost article to which a symbol of a user is attached and identification information according to a group to which the user belongs. The detection means performs analysis set for each item of identification information according to the group with respect to the image data according to the lost article and detects the identification information for identifying the user included in the symbol. The specifying means specifies the user from the identification information detected by the detection means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Yuishi Takeno, Natsuko Fujii
  • Publication number: 20230177574
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information processing device includes a processor that is configured to specify a store based on position information for a user and acquire commodity identification information for identifying a commodity to be purchased at the store. The processor also acquires an image of a discount symbol on the commodity. The discount symbol is related to a discount on the commodity at the store. The discount symbol may be affixed to the commodity as a sticker, seal, or the like in some examples. The processor performs image analysis on the image based on analysis settings specific to the store to acquire information related to the discount for the commodity. The processor then registers the commodity in a sales transaction based on the commodity identification information and the information related to the discount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2022
    Publication date: June 8, 2023
    Inventors: Tetsuya NOBUOKA, Yuishi TAKENO
  • Patent number: 11651663
    Abstract: An article recognition device includes an image interface, a distance information interface, a support unit, and a processor. The support unit supports an article at a height equal to or greater than a minimum discrimination distance of a distance sensor from a reference plane of the distance sensor and includes a member of which a distance cannot be measured by the distance sensor. The processor acquires a captured image capturing the article supported by the support unit through the image interface, acquires distance information measured by the distance sensor toward the reference plane through the distance information interface, extracts an area having a height equal to or greater than the minimum discrimination distance from the reference plane as an article area of the article from the captured image based on the distance information, and recognizes the article from an image of the article area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norimasa Ariga, Masaaki Yasunaga, Tetsuya Nobuoka
  • Patent number: 11587031
    Abstract: A management device includes a distance sensor, a sensor interface, and a processor. The distance sensor is configured to measure a distance between a predetermined position and a backmost side of a commodity line having commodities biased in an arrangement direction and supported from a foremost side of the commodity line. The sensor interface transmits and receives data to and from the distance sensor. The processor calculates a length of the commodity line based on the distance before a change in the distance and the distance after the change in the distance when the distance is changed, and determines whether the length of the commodity line matches a thickness of the commodity indicated by shelf label information. The processor calculates the increased or decreased number of commodities based on the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Yuishi Takeno
  • Patent number: 11386573
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an article recognition apparatus includes a first interface, a second interface, and a processor. The processor determines an article region from an image obtained by the first interface and determines a tilt of the article present in the determined article region on the basis of a distance obtained by the second interface. Further, the processor determines on the basis of the determined tilt of the article that the article is placed in the placement region in a state in which the article leans against another object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Patent number: 11367176
    Abstract: A commodity management device includes a camera interface circuit connectable to a camera to capture an image of one of commodities arranged in a row along a first direction from a back plate to a front of the shelf. The device includes a sensor interface circuit connectable to a sensor measuring a distance to the commodities in the row. A processor is configured to detect a change in the distance measured by the sensor, identify the commodities based on the image, then acquire a thickness of each commodity in the row, and calculate the number of the commodities removed from the shelf based on the distance change and the thickness of the commodities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takayuki Sawada, Tetsuya Nobuoka
  • Publication number: 20220180104
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information processing device includes acquisition means, detection means, and specifying means. The acquisition means acquires image data according to a lost article to which a symbol of a user is attached and identification information according to a group to which the user belongs. The detection means performs analysis set for each item of identification information according to the group with respect to the image data according to the lost article and detects the identification information for identifying the user included in the symbol. The specifying means specifies the user from the identification information detected by the detection means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Yuishi Takeno, Natsuko Fujii
  • Publication number: 20210383312
    Abstract: A management device includes a distance sensor, a sensor interface, and a processor. The distance sensor is configured to measure a distance between a predetermined position and a backmost side of a commodity line having commodities biased in an arrangement direction and supported from a foremost side of the commodity line. The sensor interface transmits and receives data to and from the distance sensor. The processor calculates a length of the commodity line based on the distance before a change in the distance and the distance after the change in the distance when the distance is changed, and determines whether the length of the commodity line matches a thickness of the commodity indicated by shelf label information. The processor calculates the increased or decreased number of commodities based on the determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2020
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya NOBUOKA, Yuishi TAKENO
  • Publication number: 20210295498
    Abstract: A commodity management device includes a camera interface circuit connectable to a camera to capture an image of one of commodities arranged in a row along a first direction from a back plate to a front of the shelf. The device includes a sensor interface circuit connectable to a sensor measuring a distance to the commodities in the row. A processor is configured to detect a change in the distance measured by the sensor, identify the commodities based on the image, then acquire a thickness of each commodity in the row, and calculate the number of the commodities removed from the shelf based on the distance change and the thickness of the commodities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Inventors: Takayuki SAWADA, Tetsuya NOBUOKA
  • Publication number: 20210209409
    Abstract: An article recognition device includes an image interface, a distance information interface, a support unit, and a processor. The support unit supports an article at a height equal to or greater than a minimum discrimination distance of a distance sensor from a reference plane of the distance sensor and includes a member of which a distance cannot be measured by the distance sensor. The processor acquires a captured image capturing the article supported by the support unit through the image interface, acquires distance information measured by the distance sensor toward the reference plane through the distance information interface, extracts an area having a height equal to or greater than the minimum discrimination distance from the reference plane as an article area of the article from the captured image based on the distance information, and recognizes the article from an image of the article area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norimasa ARIGA, Masaaki YASUNAGA, Tetsuya NOBUOKA
  • Patent number: 10977512
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an article recognition device includes a storage unit, an image interface, a distance information interface, and a processor. The storage unit stores outline information indicating an outline of an article. The image interface acquires a captured image. The distance information interface acquires distance information from a distance sensor. The processor recognizes a first article from the captured image, specifies an article area in which the first article appears from the captured image based on the outline information, acquires an article area distance between a surface of the first article and the installation base on which the first article is placed, which appear in the captured image, based on the distance information, and determines whether the first article is disposed overlapping a second article based on the outline information and the article area distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Patent number: 10963726
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an article recognition device includes an image interface, a distance information interface, and a processor. The image interface acquires a captured image of an article placed on an installation base. The distance information interface acquires distance information indicating a distance from the installation base and the article. The processor extracts image information for recognizing the article from the image, generates a list including the image information, deletes image information having the same height as the height of the installation base from the list based on the distance information, and recognizes the article based on the image information of the list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Publication number: 20210090287
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an article recognition apparatus includes a first interface, a second interface, and a processor. The processor determines an article region from an image obtained by the first interface and determines a tilt of the article present in the determined article region on the basis of a distance obtained by the second interface. Further, the processor determines on the basis of the determined tilt of the article that the article is placed in the placement region in a state in which the article leans against another object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventors: Tetsuya NOBUOKA, Masaaki YASUNAGA
  • Patent number: 10896521
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus performs coordinate calibration between a two-dimensional (2D) coordinate system and a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system. The apparatus includes a 2D camera interface, a 3D camera interface, and a processor. The processor is configured to receive, from the 2D camera interface, first 2D image data of a flat plate at a first position and second 2D image data of the flat plate at a second position different from the first position, receive, from the 3D camera interface, first 3D coordinate information of the flat plate at the first position and second 3D coordinate information of the flat plate at the second position, and generate a transformation matrix for transforming a 3D coordinate value to a 2D coordinate value, based on the first and second 2D image data and the first and second 3D coordinate information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki Yasunaga, Tetsuya Nobuoka
  • Publication number: 20200372279
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a commodity recognition device includes a first interface, a second interface, and a processor. The first interface acquires an image captured by a camera for which a region including a mounting surface on which a commodity to be recognized is mounted is set to be an imaging region. The second interface outputs an image for display to a display device that displays an image on the mounting surface. The processor generates a background image to be displayed on the mounting surface on the basis of a first image captured by the camera and acquired by the first interface, acquires a second image captured by the camera using the first interface in a state where the background image to be output as the image for display from the second interface is displayed on the mounting surface by the display device, and specifies a region of a commodity mounted on the mounting surface from the second image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2019
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Norimasa Ariga, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Patent number: 10674054
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image processing apparatus comprises a screen, a camera, a distance sensor, and a processor. The screen has one surface where an object is put. The camera photographs an image from the other surface of the screen. The distance sensor measures a distance from the one surface of the screen and generates distance information indicating the distance. The processor extracts a region of the object from the photographed image, specifies the object from the image of the region of the object, acquires an outer dimension preset to the specified object, calculates a length, from the screen, of the object put on the one surface of the screen based on the distance information, and outputs an alert when the outer dimension does not match the length of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Publication number: 20200050881
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an article recognition device includes a storage unit, an image interface, a distance information interface, and a processor. The storage unit stores outline information indicating an outline of an article. The image interface acquires a captured image. The distance information interface acquires distance information from a distance sensor. The processor recognizes a first article from the captured image, specifies an article area in which the first article appears from the captured image based on the outline information, acquires an article area distance between a surface of the first article and the installation base on which the first article is placed, which appear in the captured image, based on the distance information, and determines whether the first article is disposed overlapping a second article based on the outline information and the article area distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Patent number: 10552703
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an article recognition apparatus includes a first interface, a second interface, and a processor. The first interface acquires an image captured by photographing a photography range including an area where articles that are recognition targets are arranged. The second interface acquires depth information from a predetermined position relative to an area corresponding to the photography range. The processor extracts image areas of all products existing in the image by using the depth information, and determines whether an unidentified area due to overlapping of a plurality of the products exists in the image, based on the image areas of the products extracted from the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nobuoka, Masaaki Yasunaga
  • Publication number: 20190362182
    Abstract: An article recognition device includes an image interface, a distance information interface, a support unit, and a processor. The support unit supports an article at a height equal to or greater than a minimum discrimination distance of a distance sensor from a reference plane of the distance sensor and includes a member of which a distance cannot be measured by the distance sensor. The processor acquires a captured image capturing the article supported by the support unit through the image interface, acquires distance information measured by the distance sensor toward the reference plane through the distance information interface, extracts an area having a height equal to or greater than the minimum discrimination distance from the reference plane as an article area of the article from the captured image based on the distance information, and recognizes the article from an image of the article area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Applicant: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norimasa Ariga, Masaaki Yasunaga, Tetsuya Nobuoka