Patents by Inventor Tetsuya Takafuji

Tetsuya Takafuji 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: 20220413486
    Abstract: An evacuation running assistance system includes a road shoulder evacuation possibility determiner to determine if an own vehicle can be evacuated to a road shoulder; an own vehicle situation determiner to determine a current situation of an own vehicle in accordance with a time limit and the road shoulder evacuation possibility, a controller to control an own vehicle in accordance with the situation of the own vehicle; and a road shoulder evacuation possibility road determiner to acquire evacuation space information from a past running history of the own vehicle. The own vehicle situation determiner determines that the own vehicle is in the situation to be controlled to perform the on-lane stopping when the road shoulder evacuation possibility road determiner does not determine within the provisional time that the evacuation of the own vehicle to the road shoulder is possible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Inventors: Syoya ISHIDA, Shunya KUMANO, Tetsuya TAKAFUJI, Masaya OKADA, Naoya INOUE
  • Publication number: 20220410877
    Abstract: An evacuation running assistance system includes a peripheral environment recognizer to recognize at least a space of a road shoulder and a free space as a non-traffic portion, a time limit setter to set a time limit on the own vehicle for continuing evacuation running, and an evacuation place setter to determine at least one of the road shoulder space and the free space recognized by the peripheral environment recognizer as an evacuation place where the own vehicle is evacuated. A situation determiner determines a situation of an own vehicle as being in one of situations in which evacuation running is to be continued, running of an own vehicle is to be stopped on a lane, and road shoulder evacuation is to be performed based on the time limit. A controller controls the own vehicle based on the situation of the own vehicle determined by the situation determiner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Inventors: Syoya ISHIDA, Shunya KUMANO, Tetsuya TAKAFUJI, Ukyo TANIKAWA, Naoya INOUE
  • Patent number: 10891738
    Abstract: In a boundary line recognition apparatus, based on luminance levels of an image captured by a camera, candidate edge points of a boundary line sectioning a travel road are extracted, and a candidate line of the boundary line is extracted. An apparent width of the candidate line on an image is calculated, from a width of the candidate line in a horizontal direction of the image and an angle of the candidate line relative to a vertical direction of the image. A probability of a candidate line being a boundary line is calculated to be higher, as a degree of the candidate line having characteristics as a boundary line is higher. The calculated probabilities are integrated in respect of a plurality of characteristics to recognize a boundary line. The characteristics include a ratio of the calculated apparent width to an image blur degree is larger than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignees: NIPPON SOKEN, INC., DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Syunya Kumano, Naoki Kawasaki, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji, Kazuma Hashimoto
  • Publication number: 20180253853
    Abstract: In a boundary line recognition apparatus, based on luminance levels of an image captured by a camera, candidate edge points of a boundary line sectioning a travel road are extracted, and a candidate line of the boundary line is extracted. An apparent width of the candidate line on an image is calculated, from a width of the candidate line in a horizontal direction of the image and an angle of the candidate line relative to a vertical direction of the image. A probability of a candidate line being a boundary line is calculated to be higher, as a degree of the candidate line having characteristics as a boundary line is higher. The calculated probabilities are integrated in respect of a plurality of characteristics to recognize a boundary line. The characteristics include a ratio of the calculated apparent width to an image blur degree is larger than a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Publication date: September 6, 2018
    Inventors: Syunya KUMANO, Naoki KAWASAKI, Shunsuke SUZUKI, Tetsuya TAKAFUJI, Kazuma HASHIMOTO
  • Patent number: 10002433
    Abstract: In a boundary line recognition apparatus, based on luminance levels of an image captured by a camera, candidate edge points of a boundary line sectioning a travel road are extracted, and a candidate line of the boundary line is extracted. An apparent width of the candidate line on an image is calculated, from a width of the candidate line in a horizontal direction of the image and an angle of the candidate line relative to a vertical direction of the image. A probability of a candidate line being a boundary line is calculated to be higher, as a degree of the candidate line having characteristics as a boundary line is higher. The calculated probabilities are integrated in respect of a plurality of characteristics to recognize a boundary line. The characteristics include a ratio of the calculated apparent width to an image blur degree is larger than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignees: NIPPON SOKEN, INC., DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Syunya Kumano, Naoki Kawasaki, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji, Kazuma Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 9672429
    Abstract: This invention is provided with: a camera for capturing the image of a travel path; an edge point extraction unit for extracting edge points on the basis of the brightness of an image captured by the camera; a candidate line extraction unit for extracting, on the basis of the succession of the extracted edge points, a candidate line for a boundary line demarcating the travel path; a frequency calculation unit for calculating, on the basis of edge points belonging to the candidate line extracted by the candidate line extraction unit, the frequency distribution of the edge points for a parameter that specifies the width of the boundary line; a probability generation unit for calculating, on the basis of the frequency distribution calculated by the frequency calculation unit, the distribution for the probability that the candidate line at the parameter is the boundary line; and a boundary line recognition unit for recognizing the boundary line on the basis of the probability distribution calculated by the probab
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Ishimaru, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji
  • Patent number: 9665780
    Abstract: In a travel division line recognition apparatus, an extracting unit extracts a travel division line candidate from an image of a surrounding environment including a road, captured by an on-board camera. A calculating unit calculates a degree of reliability that the extracted travel division line candidate will be the travel division line. A recognizing unit selects the travel division line candidate based on the calculated degree of reliability, and recognizes the travel division line using the selected travel division line candidate. In the calculating unit, a solid object processing unit recognizes solid objects including vehicles, sets a suppression area including a frontal-face suppression area covering a frontal face of the other vehicle and a side-face suppression area covering a side face of the other vehicle, based on the recognized solid objects, and reduces the degree of reliability of the travel division line candidate present within the suppression area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Syunya Kumano, Naoki Kawasaki, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji
  • Patent number: 9646214
    Abstract: An in-vehicle camera obtains image frames of a scene surrounding an own vehicle on a roadway. An extracting section in a lane boundary line recognition device extracts white line candidates from the image frames. The white line candidates indicate a degree of probability of white lines on an own vehicle lane on the roadway and a white line of a branch road which branches from the roadway. A branch judgment section calculates a likelihood of the white line as the white line of the branch road, and judges whether or not the white line candidate is the white line of the branch road based on the calculated likelihood. The branch judgment section decreases the calculated likelihood when a recognizable distance of the lane boundary line candidate monotonically decreases in a predetermined number of the image frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuu Maeda, Naoki Kawasaki, Syunya Kumano, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji
  • Patent number: 9626572
    Abstract: In vehicle-lane boundary line detection, low-luminance values are acquired from areas corresponding to below a tire and directly below a vehicle center based on a road surface image. A snow rut degree is calculated based on a luminance ration between the areas. A probability is calculated from a map based on the calculated snow rut degree. A parameter indicating the degree of snow rut likeness is calculated by a low-pass filtering process. A snow rut determination is made by the calculation result being compared with a predetermined threshold. A final determination of whether or not a snow rut is present is made, with reference to an outside temperature. When determined that a snow rut is present, a determination is made not to perform the detection. When determined that a snow rut is not present, a determination is made to perform the detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, NIPPON SOKEN, INC.
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Ishimaru, Naoki Kawasaki, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji
  • Patent number: 9619717
    Abstract: An apparatus for recognizing lane lines including a broken line. An image capture unit is configured to acquire an image of the surroundings including a roadway ahead of a subject vehicle. An edge-point extractor is configured to extract edge points in the image. An first-edge-point detector is configured to detect first edge points facing at least one missing section of a broken line in the edge points extracted by the edge-point extractor. A lane-line recognizes is configured to recognize a lane line using the edge points extracted by the edge-point extractor other than all or some of the first edge points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Syunya Kumano, Naoki Kawasaki, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji
  • Patent number: 9589213
    Abstract: An apparatus for determining the presence or absence of a turnoff from a roadway. In the apparatus, a white-line candidate extractor applies image processing to an image of surroundings of a subject vehicle acquired by a vehicle-mounted camera to extract white-line candidates in the roadway. A white-line likelihood calculator calculates, for each of the white-line candidates extracted by the white-line candidate extractor, a likelihood of the white-line candidate. A white-line likelihood calculator calculates, for each of the white-line candidates extracted by the white-line candidate extractor, a likelihood of the white-line candidate. A turnoff determiner calculates a likelihood for one of a plurality of features of the white line selected by the white-line selector, and determines the presence or absence of a turnoff from the roadway based on the likelihood calculated by the turnoff determiner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Kawasaki, Syunya Kumano, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji
  • Patent number: 9542606
    Abstract: In a lane line recognition apparatus, an abnormality determiner is configured to determine whether or not a width of a travel lane defined by left-side and right-side lane lines is abnormal, and a lane-line recognizer is configured to, when the width of the travel lane is not abnormal, recognize both of the left-side and right-side lane lines in a both-side line recognition mode, and when the width of the travel lane is abnormal, recognize one of the lane lines in a one-side line recognition mode. In the one-side line recognition mode, the lane-line recognizer is configured to, for each of the left-side and right-side lane lines, calculate two or more parameters of the lane line, and then integrate recognition results for the respective two or more parameters, and based on the integrated recognition results of the left-side and right-side lane lines, select one of the lane lines to be recognized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirotake Ishigami, Naoki Kawasaki, Syunya Kumano, Shunsuke Suzuki, Satoshi Osanai, Tetsuya Takafuji
  • Patent number: 9530063
    Abstract: An apparatus for recognizing a lane line. In the apparatus, when a three-dimensional object lies in the same lane as a subject vehicle and a distance between the three-dimensional object and the subject vehicle is small in an image acquired by an image capture unit, a masking area setter sets a masking area that is partially truncated at or near a lower end of the three-dimensional object in the image. A degree-of-belief calculator is configured to, for each of the edge points extracted by the edge-point extractor, calculate a degree of belief that the edge point is on the lane line. The degree of belief when the edge point is in the masking area is set less than the degree of belief when the edge point is outside the masking area. A lane-line recognizer is configured to recognize the lane line based on the degrees of belief calculated for the edge points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Syunya Kumano, Naoki Kawasaki, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji
  • Publication number: 20160107645
    Abstract: A departure prevention support apparatus includes a lane boundary sign recognizing part configured to recognize a lane boundary sign; a departure detecting part configured to detect a departure of the host vehicle from the lane boundary sign; and a target travel line generating part configured to generate a target travel line if the departure detecting part detects the departure, wherein the target travel line includes a first target travel line for reducing the departure, and a second target travel line for modifying a direction of the host vehicle whose departure has been reduced after having traveled along the first target travel line; wherein the target travel line generating part sets one of the first target travel line and the second target travel line such that it is substantially straight, depending on a direction of the departure and a direction of a curvature of the lane boundary sign.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Publication date: April 21, 2016
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuji OKUDA, Yoichi IWATA, Takahito NAKANO, Takashi KAWAI, Junpei TATSUKAWA, Tetsuya TAKAFUJI
  • Patent number: 9317940
    Abstract: A cruising zone division line recognition apparatus has an image acquisition device that acquires an image including a road surface ahead of a vehicle, and an image recognition device. The image recognition device adds blurring to an area including the road surface in the acquired image and recognizes a cruising zone division line from the image to which blurring has been added. When blurring is added, a cruising zone division line that is an intermittent double line included in a captured image can be made unclear. Therefore, the recognized cruising zone division line can be prevented from becoming a discontinuous, disjointed line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Kawasaki, Masayuki Imanishi, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji
  • Patent number: 9280712
    Abstract: An apparatus for recognizing a lane is provided. The apparatus performs a near-field white line recognition process and calculates road parameters (lane position, lane inclination, lane curvature and lane width) near the vehicle. The road parameters are calculated using the extended Kalman filter. In the calculation, the calculated lane curvature is used as a lane curvature to be included in predicted values. The apparatus outputs the calculated road parameters to a warning/vehicle-control apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignees: NIPPON SOKEN, INC., DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Kawasaki, Junichi Hasegawa, Tetsuya Takafuji, Shunsuke Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20160042236
    Abstract: This invention is provided with: a camera for capturing the image of a travel path; an edge point extraction unit for extracting edge points on the basis of the brightness of an image captured by the camera; a candidate line extraction unit for extracting, on the basis of the succession of the extracted edge points, a candidate line for a boundary line demarcating the travel path; a frequency calculation unit for calculating, on the basis of edge points belonging to the candidate line extracted by the candidate line extraction unit, the frequency distribution of the edge points for a parameter that specifies the width of the boundary line; a probability generation unit for calculating, on the basis of the frequency distribution calculated by the frequency calculation unit, the distribution for the probability that the candidate line at the parameter is the boundary line; and a boundary line recognition unit for recognizing the boundary line on the basis of the probability distribution calculated by the probab
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2014
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Ishimaru, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji
  • Publication number: 20160012298
    Abstract: An in-vehicle camera obtains image frames of a scene surrounding an own vehicle on a roadway. An extracting section in a lane boundary line recognition device extracts white line candidates from the image frames. The white line candidates indicate a degree of probability of white lines on an own vehicle lane on the roadway and a white line of a branch road which branches from the roadway. A branch judgment section calculates a likelihood of the white line as the white line of the branch road, and judges whether or not the white line candidate is the white line of the branch road based on the calculated likelihood. The branch judgment section decreases the calculated likelihood when a recognizable distance of the lane boundary line candidate monotonically decreases in a predetermined number of the image frames.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Yuu Maeda, Naoki Kawasaki, Syunya Kumano, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji
  • Publication number: 20150348275
    Abstract: In a boundary line recognition apparatus, based on luminance levels of an image captured by a camera, candidate edge points of a boundary line sectioning a travel road are extracted, and a candidate line of the boundary line is extracted. An apparent width of the candidate line on an image is calculated, from a width of the candidate line in a horizontal direction of the image and an angle of the candidate line relative to a vertical direction of the image. A probability of a candidate line being a boundary line is calculated to be higher, as a degree of the candidate line having characteristics as a boundary line is higher. The calculated probabilities are integrated in respect of a plurality of characteristics to recognize a boundary line. The characteristics include a ratio of the calculated apparent width to an image blur degree is larger than a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2013
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventors: Syunya Kumano, Naoki Kawasaki, Shunsuke Suzuki, Tetsuya Takafuji, Kazuma Hashimoto
  • Publication number: 20150285614
    Abstract: In a travel path estimation apparatus, a calculating unit calculates coordinates of edge points configuring a division line on a travel path, from an image captured by an on-board camera. An estimating unit estimates a travel path parameter of a state of the travel path and a shape of the travel path using a predetermined filter, based on the calculated coordinates of edge points. A setting unit sets a filter parameter of the predetermined filter of responsiveness of estimation of the travel path parameter. A detecting unit detects a sharp curve based on information giving advance notice of a sharp curve before the vehicle enters the sharp curve. The setting unit sets the filter parameter so that the responsiveness increases from that before detection of the sharp curve, during a period from detection of the sharp curve until the vehicle enters the sharp curve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Inventors: MASAYA OKADA, NAOKI KAWASAKI, SYUNYA KUMANO, SHUNSUKE SUZUKI, TETSUYA TAKAFUJI