Patents by Inventor Tomoaki Kawai

Tomoaki Kawai 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: 11830251
    Abstract: According to the present invention, switching of the monitoring images matching the intention of the observer can be automatically performed for images from a plurality of image capturing apparatus, and the load about the job of the observer can be reduced. The image monitoring apparatus includes an estimating unit configured to estimate attention degrees of a user for a plurality of images acquired from the plurality of image capturing apparatuses, a designating unit configured to designate one of the acquired images as an image to be displayed in accordance with an instruction from the user, a learning unit configured to cause the estimating unit to learn so as to increase an attention degree of the designated image, and a selecting unit configured to select one of the plurality of images based on an attention degree of each estimated image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Publication number: 20210271896
    Abstract: According to the present invention, switching of the monitoring images matching the intention of the observer can be automatically performed for images from a plurality of image capturing apparatus, and the load about the job of the observer can be reduced. The image monitoring apparatus includes an estimating unit configured to estimate attention degrees of a user for a plurality of images acquired from the plurality of image capturing apparatuses, a designating unit configured to designate one of the acquired images as an image to be displayed in accordance with an instruction from the user, a learning unit configured to cause the estimating unit to learn so as to increase an attention degree of the designated image, and a selecting unit configured to select one of the plurality of images based on an attention degree of each estimated image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 11048947
    Abstract: According to the present invention, switching of the monitoring images matching the intention of the observer can be automatically performed for images from a plurality of image capturing apparatus, and the load about the job of the observer can be reduced. The image monitoring apparatus includes an estimating unit configured to estimate attention degrees of a user for a plurality of images acquired from the plurality of image capturing apparatuses, a designating unit configured to designate one of the acquired images as an image to be displayed in accordance with an instruction from the user, a learning unit configured to cause the estimating unit to learn so as to increase an attention degree of the designated image, and a selecting unit configured to select one of the plurality of images based on an attention degree of each estimated image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 10455144
    Abstract: A first control amount of an image capturing device is estimated based on a region of an object detected from a captured image by the image capturing device. A second control amount of the image capturing device instructed in accordance with a user operation is acquired. A parameter required for the estimating is updated based on a difference between the first control amount and the second control amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Publication number: 20180204069
    Abstract: According to the present invention, switching of the monitoring images matching the intention of the observer can be automatically performed for images from a plurality of image capturing apparatus, and the load about the job of the observer can be reduced. The image monitoring apparatus includes an estimating unit configured to estimate attention degrees of a user for a plurality of images acquired from the plurality of image capturing apparatuses, a designating unit configured to designate one of the acquired images as an image to be displayed in accordance with an instruction from the user, a learning unit configured to cause the estimating unit to learn so as to increase an attention degree of the designated image, and a selecting unit configured to select one of the plurality of images based on an attention degree of each estimated image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Publication number: 20180205877
    Abstract: A first control amount of an image capturing device is estimated based on a region of an object detected from a captured image by the image capturing device. A second control amount of the image capturing device instructed in accordance with a user operation is acquired. A parameter required for the estimating is updated based on a difference between the first control amount and the second control amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Inventors: Kotaro Yano, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 9743014
    Abstract: A relative direction relationship is acquired between first and second input area images of a particular person taken from different directions. The particular person is identified by comparing a feature of the first input area image with a feature of a first one of registered area images of the particular person or another person taken from at least three directions, comparing a feature of the second input area image with a feature of a second registered area image of the same person as the person of the first registered area image, and determining whether the person in the first and second input area images is the same person in the first and second registered area images. The first and second registered area images are selected such that the relation between the first and second registered area images is similar to the relation between the first and second input area images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunta Tate, Tsuyoshi Kuroki, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Publication number: 20150363636
    Abstract: A relative direction relationship is acquired between first and second input area images of a particular person taken from different directions. The particular person is identified by comparing a feature of the first input area image with a feature of a first one of registered area images of the particular person or another person taken from at least three directions, comparing a feature of the second input area image with a feature of a second registered area image of the same person as the person of the first registered area image, and determining whether the person in the first and second input area images is the same person in the first and second registered area images. The first and second registered area images are selected such that the relation between the first and second registered area images is similar to the relation between the first and second input area images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2015
    Publication date: December 17, 2015
    Inventors: Shunta Tate, Tsuyoshi Kuroki, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 8692897
    Abstract: A moving picture file is generated from moving picture data received from a camera. Control sequence information from the camera corresponding to the generated moving picture file, and information relating to an address of the camera, are incorporated into the moving picture file. The moving picture file is generated by dividing the received moving picture data, based on camera control information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Kurosawa, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 8606570
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a sound collecting unit configured to collect speech in a monitored environment, a shooting unit configured to shoot video in the monitored environment, a detection unit configured to detect a change in a state of the monitored environment based upon a change in data acquired by the sound collecting unit, the shooting unit and a sensor for measuring the state of the monitored environment, a recognition unit configured to recognize the change in state with regard to speech data acquired by the sound collecting unit and video data acquired by the shooting unit, and a control unit configured to start up the recognition unit and select a recognition database, which is used by the recognition unit, based upon result of detection by the detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoaki Kawai, Yasuo Nakamura, Shinji Shiraga
  • Publication number: 20120086820
    Abstract: A moving picture file is generated from moving picture data received from a camera. Control sequence information from the camera corresponding to the generated moving picture file, and information relating to an address of the camera, are incorporated into the moving picture file. The moving picture file is generated by dividing the received moving picture data, based on camera control information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Publication date: April 12, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro Kurosawa, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 8064080
    Abstract: Upon distributing data from a first terminal apparatus to a second terminal apparatus, whether the data is to be distributed is determined in accordance with an access situation of a client to the first terminal apparatus, and, on the basis of a determined result, the data is distributed to the second terminal apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 7974482
    Abstract: An image distribution apparatus divides image data of a single frame into a plurality of blocks, orthogonally transforms the blocks and calculates transformation coefficients, quantizes the calculated transformation coefficients, codes the quantized transformation coefficients, and distributes the coded image data. The image distribution apparatus acquires the quantized transformation coefficients, stores the acquired transformation coefficients in a storage unit, calculates differences between the transformation coefficients of a first frame and the transformation coefficients of a second frame stored in the storage unit in a unit of block, counts blocks whose difference values calculated above are equal to or greater than a predetermined value as changing blocks of the first frame, and determines that the first frame has changed when the counted number of blocks is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshio Iizuka, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 7844121
    Abstract: An image distribution apparatus divides image data of a single frame into a plurality of blocks, orthogonally transforms the blocks and calculates transformation coefficients, quantizes the calculated transformation coefficients, codes the quantized transformation coefficients, and distributes the coded image data. The image distribution apparatus acquires the quantized transformation coefficients, stores the acquired transformation coefficients in a storage unit, calculates differences between the transformation coefficients of a first frame and the transformation coefficients of a second frame stored in the storage unit in a unit of block, counts blocks whose difference values calculated above are equal to or greater than a predetermined value as changing blocks of the first frame, and determines that the first frame has changed when the counted number of blocks is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshio Iizuka, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 7738720
    Abstract: An image distribution apparatus divides image data of a single frame into a plurality of blocks, orthogonally transforms the blocks and calculates transformation coefficients, quantizes the calculated transformation coefficients, codes the quantized transformation coefficients, and distributes the coded image data. The image distribution apparatus acquires the quantized transformation coefficients, stores the acquired transformation coefficients in a storage unit, calculates differences between the transformation coefficients of a first frame and the transformation coefficients of a second frame stored in the storage unit in a unit of block, counts blocks whose difference values calculated above are equal to or greater than a predetermined value as changing blocks of the first frame, and determines that the first frame has changed when the counted number of blocks is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshio Iizuka, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 7738715
    Abstract: An image distribution apparatus divides image data of a single frame into a plurality of blocks, orthogonally transforms the blocks and calculates transformation coefficients, quantizes the calculated transformation coefficients, codes the quantized transformation coefficients, and distributes the coded image data. The image distribution apparatus acquires the quantized transformation coefficients, stores the acquired transformation coefficients in a storage unit, calculates differences between the transformation coefficients of a first frame and the transformation coefficients of a second frame stored in the storage unit in a unit of block, counts blocks whose difference values calculated above are equal to or greater than a predetermined value as changing blocks of the first frame, and determines that the first frame has changed when the counted number of blocks is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshio Iizuka, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 7698725
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus arranged to refer to image capture limitation information to judge whether an image capture range after control includes a limitation area, the image capture limitation information defining the limitation area corresponding to an attribute of a user of a terminal, and effect control so that if it is judged that the image capture range includes the limitation area, the terminal is controlled so as to perform secure communications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Kurosawa, Tomoaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 7663666
    Abstract: A mobile terminal, which is capable of communicating with a camera server via a network, has a display unit and a plurality of operating units. Operations for acquiring video and for controlling a camera are assigned to respective ones of the plurality of operating units. Depending upon the operation of the plurality of operating units, processing is executed for acquiring video from the camera server or for instructing the camera server to control the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoaki Kawai, Motoo Ohnishi
  • Publication number: 20090326954
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a sound collecting unit configured to collect speech in a monitored environment, a shooting unit configured to shoot video in the monitored environment, a detection unit configured to detect a change in a state of the monitored environment based upon a change in data acquired by the sound collecting unit, the shooting unit and a sensor for measuring the state of the monitored environment, a recognition unit configured to recognize the change in state with regard to speech data acquired by the sound collecting unit and video data acquired by the shooting unit, and a control unit configured to start up the recognition unit and select a recognition database, which is used by the recognition unit, based upon result of detection by the detection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2009
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomoaki Kawai, Yasuo Nakamura, Shinji Shiraga
  • Patent number: 7595834
    Abstract: A conversion apparatus is connected to a camera server delivering image information obtained by image sensing to a display operation terminal. When image information is received from the camera server, the conversion apparatus converts the received image information to a format for a portable display terminal, and delivers it to the portable display terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoaki Kawai, Yoshio Iizuka, Takashi Oya