Patents by Inventor Tsutomu Usui

Tsutomu Usui 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: 10979683
    Abstract: A white balance adjustment device includes a statistics acquisition portion and a correction portion. The statistics acquisition portion includes an area setting portion including a luminance area setting portion configured to set a plurality of luminance ranges, and an average value calculation portion configured to calculate an average value of color difference values of the image signal in each of the plurality of luminance ranges set by the luminance area setting portion. The correction portion includes a correction function determination portion configured to determine a correction function of the color difference values of the image signal based on the average value of the color difference values calculated by the average value calculation portion, and a color difference correction portion configured to correct the color difference values of the image signal based on the correction function determined by the correction function determination portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takayuki Negishi, Hitoshi Takagi, Hiromasa Shinsha, Satoshi Ikegaya, Tsutomu Usui, Norihiko Nakano
  • Publication number: 20200374500
    Abstract: A white balance adjustment device includes a statistics acquisition portion and a correction portion. The statistics acquisition portion includes an area setting portion including a luminance area setting portion configured to set a plurality of luminance ranges, and an average value calculation portion configured to calculate an average value of color difference values of the image signal in each of the plurality of luminance ranges set by the luminance area setting portion. The correction portion includes a correction function determination portion configured to determine a correction function of the color difference values of the image signal based on the average value of the color difference values calculated by the average value calculation portion, and a color difference correction portion configured to correct the color difference values of the image signal based on the correction function determined by the correction function determination portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventors: Takayuki NEGISHI, Hitoshi TAKAGI, Hiromasa SHINSHA, Satoshi IKEGAYA, Tsutomu USUI, Norihiko NAKANO
  • Patent number: 10356376
    Abstract: In a vehicle-mounted camera system, an appropriate white balance correction processing according to a situation is executed to a long exposure time image and a short exposure time image shot in variously changing illumination environments. A vehicle-mounted camera system includes a vehicle-mounted camera that performs relatively long exposure time shooting and short exposure time shooting, a signal processing device (signal processing device) that executes a white balance correction processing for each of a long exposure time image and a short exposure time image, composes these images after the white balance correction processing, and generates a high dynamic range image, and a system control part (processing switch device) that obtains an illumination environment in which the vehicle is placed, and switches the white balance correction processing for the long exposure time image and the white balance correction processing for the short exposure time image according to the illumination environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: CLARION CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Usui, Norihiko Nakano, Takahide Kojima
  • Patent number: 9872004
    Abstract: Provided is an on-vehicle imaging device installed onboard a vehicle, and equipped with: an imaging unit for capturing an image of a subject, and having sensitivity to at least to the entire visible light spectrum of the red range (R), the green range (G), and the blue range (B), and to the infrared range (Cir); a signal processing unit for carrying out signal processing on video signals of at least a plurality of different bandwidths from a video image captured by the imaging unit; a pixel signal distribution processing unit for extracting pixel signal distribution information of one or more signals among video signals processed by the signal processing unit; a white balance processing unit for performing signal processing using a predetermined gain, so as to bring a video signal to a desired value; and a system control unit for performing control of the white balance processing unit and control of assessment area information for the purpose of extraction of pixel signal distribution information by the pixel
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Usui, Teruki Takahashi, Daisuke Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20170339385
    Abstract: In a vehicle-mounted camera system, an appropriate white balance correction processing according to a situation is executed to a long exposure time image and a short exposure time image shot in variously changing illumination environments. A vehicle-mounted camera system includes a vehicle-mounted camera that performs relatively long exposure time shooting and short exposure time shooting, a signal processing device (signal processing device) that executes a white balance correction processing for each of a long exposure time image and a short exposure time image, composes these images after the white balance correction processing, and generates a high dynamic range image, and a system control part (processing switch device) that obtains an illumination environment in which the vehicle is placed, and switches the white balance correction processing for the long exposure time image and the white balance correction processing for the short exposure time image according to the illumination environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2015
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Inventors: Tsutomu USUI, Norihiko NAKANO, Takahide KOJIMA
  • Patent number: 9723282
    Abstract: An in-vehicle imaging device is provided with a detection region setting unit for setting a detection region, which corresponds to a predetermined object to be detected within an imaging screen; a color signal determination unit for setting a specific color corresponding to the object to be detected, and for determining whether the color data of pixels contained in the detection region are close to the specific color; and a gain control unit for averaging the color data of pixels (approximate color pixels) that were determined to be close to the specific color within the detection region and for adjusting the color gain of the image signal on the basis of a differential value of the color data of the specific color and the average value of the color data of the approximate color pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Usui, Hirotomo Sai
  • Publication number: 20150326840
    Abstract: Provided is an on-vehicle imaging device installed onboard a vehicle, and equipped with: an imaging unit for capturing an image of a subject, and having sensitivity to at least to the entire visible light spectrum of the red range (R), the green range (G), and the blue range (B), and to the infrared range (Cir); a signal processing unit for carrying out signal processing on video signals of at least a plurality of different bandwidths from a video image captured by the imaging unit; a pixel signal distribution processing unit for extracting pixel signal distribution information of one or more signals among video signals processed by the signal processing unit; a white balance processing unit for performing signal processing using a predetermined gain, so as to bring a video signal to a desired value; and a system control unit for performing control of the white balance processing unit and control of assessment area information for the purpose of extraction of pixel signal distribution information by the pixel
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Inventors: Tsutomu USUI, Teruki TAKAHASHI, Daisuke YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20150312541
    Abstract: An image pickup device includes an image pickup section that picks up an image and is sensitive to at least the red, green, and blue ranges of visible light, and the infrared range; an extraction region processing section that sets regions in an image picked up by the image pickup section; an infrared extraction processing section that extracts infrared range signal information from the regions that were set by the extraction region processing section; a visible light extraction processing section that extracts visible light range signal information from the regions that were set by the extraction range processing section; a white balance processing section that conducts white balance processing on the image using a prescribed color gain; and a system control section that controls the white balance processing section. The system control section performs control so that the color gain of the white balance processing section is a prescribed value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Applicant: Clarion Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu USUI, Teruki TAKAHASHI, Daisuke YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20150195500
    Abstract: An in-vehicle imaging device is provided with a detection region setting unit for setting a detection region, which corresponds to a predetermined object to be detected within an imaging screen; a color signal determination unit for setting a specific color corresponding to the object to be detected, and for determining whether the color data of pixels contained in the detection region are close to the specific color; and a gain control unit for averaging the color data of pixels (approximate color pixels) that were determined to be close to the specific color within the detection region and for adjusting the color gain of the image signal on the basis of a differential value of the color data of the specific color and the average value of the color data of the approximate color pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2013
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Inventors: Tsutomu Usui, Hirotomo Sai
  • Patent number: 8989555
    Abstract: When video data is reproduced by a recording/reproduction unit, an output unit outputs occurrence information on an object, which is not included in the video data being output by the output unit but is included the video data recorded on a recording medium, to a display unit. While the video data is being reproduced from the recording medium by the recording/reproduction unit, an instruction specifying a predetermined object condition including a non-reproduction object is input based on the occurrence information and the reproduction operation is performed by extracting video data satisfying the object condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi Maxell, Ltd.
    Inventors: Haruhiko Higuchi, Hiromi Nishiura, Tsutomu Usui
  • Patent number: 8817727
    Abstract: An on-board wireless communication apparatus using an OFDMA scheme includes: a position information acquisition unit which estimates a position after a predetermined time period based on base station position information, mobile station position information, and speed information of mobile station as estimated mobile station position information; a transmission path information storage unit which determines a transmission rate to be applied based on the estimated position information and a distribution of the transmission rate determined by a distance from the base station; a reception buffer unit which stores received data; a reception buffer amount adjustment unit which determines a data amount to be received based on a data storage amount from the buffer unit and a type of the data therein; and a band allocation unit which determines a band requested to the base station by the transmission rate from the storage unit and the data amount from the adjustment unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Tsutomu Usui
  • Patent number: 8681242
    Abstract: An image signal processing system according to the present invention has a function to perform image quality control in photographing a subject having a large difference in brightness in the surrounding environment so that the entire photographed image, in particular a subject which a user desires to view, has an adequate brightness and an adequate gradation. Specifically, this image signal processing system comprises: a video input unit, a video signal processing unit for performing signal processing on a signal output from the video input unit, and generating a video signal; an input-output characteristic control unit for controlling a characteristic of the video signal which the video signal processing unit generates; and a subject recognition unit for performing image processing on the video signal which the video signal processing unit generates, and recognizing and detecting subject information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mari Ohbuchi, Hirotomo Sai, Tsutomu Usui, Shinichiro Hirooka
  • Patent number: 8319848
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit that receives image data in response to a photographic subject, a face detection unit that detects a human face from the received image data, a photometry unit that performs a photometry of the detected human face, an exposure control unit that calculates a target exposure amount in accordance with a photometry result to calculate an exposure control value, and an exposure correction control unit that determines an exposure in response to the target exposure amount, wherein an exposure correction unit performs an exposure correction by using an exposure target determined by the exposure correction control unit, as an area smaller than a domain of the human face detected by the face detection unit is set to the photometry area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Usui, Haruhiko Higuchi, Haruhiko Miyao
  • Patent number: 8223703
    Abstract: A scheduling method in which a communication apparatus communicates data with a plurality of users by preferentially allocating a data sequence to a default subchannel segment that is different from another-cell allocation subchannel segment. As many data sequences as can be allocated to the default subchannel segment are selected and the selected data sequences allocated to the default subchannel segment. In downlink scheduling, the data sequences are selected in order from a data sequence subjected to a maximum level of interference from an adjacent base station. In uplink scheduling, the data sequences are selected in order from a data sequence that causes a maximum level of interference to the adjacent base station because of data communication. A data sequence not allocated to the default subchannel segment is allocated to the other-cell allocation subchannel segment when allocation of all the data sequences to the default subchannel segment fails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Tsutomu Usui
  • Patent number: 8223599
    Abstract: Provided is a recording/reproduction apparatus capable of securing a backup area for management information on a recording medium without affecting the capacity of a user data area. Before a hard disk drive or a disc medium (recording medium) is finalized, metadata is recorded in a metadata area and when the hard disk drive or the disc medium are finalized, a user data area portion corresponding to the volume of metadata required for the finalizing is set as a metadata mirror area and then the metadata recorded in the metadata area is copied to the metadata mirror area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akinobu Watanabe, Tsutomu Usui, Hiroyuki Marumori, Toshihiro Kato
  • Publication number: 20120127947
    Abstract: An on-board wireless communication apparatus using an OFDMA scheme includes: a position information acquisition unit which estimates a position after a predetermined time period based on base station position information, mobile station position information, and speed information of mobile station as estimated mobile station position information; a transmission path information storage unit which determines a transmission rate to be applied based on the estimated position information and a distribution of the transmission rate determined by a distance from the base station; a reception buffer unit which stores received data; a reception buffer amount adjustment unit which determines a data amount to be received based on a data storage amount from the buffer unit and a type of the data therein; and a band allocation unit which determines a band requested to the base station by the transmission rate from the storage unit and the data amount from the adjustment unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Inventor: Tsutomu Usui
  • Publication number: 20110317030
    Abstract: An image signal processing system according to the present invention has a function to perform image quality control in photographing a subject having a large difference in brightness in the surrounding environment so that the entire photographed image, in particular a subject which a user desires to view, has an adequate brightness and an adequate gradation. Specifically, this image signal processing system comprises: a video input unit, a video signal processing unit for performing signal processing on a signal output from the video input unit, and generating a video signal; an input-output characteristic control unit for controlling a characteristic of the video signal which the video signal processing unit generates; and a subject recognition unit for performing image processing on the video signal which the video signal processing unit generates, and recognizing and detecting subject information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Inventors: Mari OHBUCHI, Hirotomo Sai, Tsutomu Usui, Shinichiro Hirooka
  • Patent number: 8040410
    Abstract: A camera capable of compensating for facial field of a person to a proper brightness, and maintaining the luminance scale of the background, comprising an imaging portion for generating the picture data of the person; a gamma compensator for performing gamma compensation for the picture data; a facial field detecting portion for detecting a facial field from the picture data; a photometric portion for exposure metering value of the facial field detected by the facial field detecting portion; an exposure controlling portion for calculating a target exposure amount in response to the output of the photometric portion and controlling exposure depending on the target exposure amount; and a gamma compensation controlling portion for determining a luminance scale characteristic in accordance with the target exposure amount, wherein the gamma compensating portion is controlled on the basis of the luminance scale characteristic determined by the gamma compensation controlling portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuko Arai, Haruhiko Miyao, Tsutomu Usui, Haruhiko Higuchi
  • Patent number: 8005340
    Abstract: Related arts have failed to realize a data recording/reproducing apparatus having the ability to, while video-audio data is being recorded in a first recording medium, notify a user of the number of second recording media to which the recorded video-audio data is equivalent. For breaking through the situation, a data recording/reproducing apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes a module which monitors an amount of video-audio data recorded in a first recording medium, and a module which displays an equivalent of the amount of recorded video-audio data in terms of the capacity of a second recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nozomu Shimoda, Tsutomu Usui
  • Patent number: 7847816
    Abstract: In an imaging apparatus having two imaging devices, a converter module which synthesizes the two signals of each horizontal line produced from the two imaging devices to thereby convert the two signals into a single composite signal, a line memory which cooperates with the converter module to convert the signals, a line delay module which accumulates the output signals from the converter module, a line memory which cooperates with the line delay module to accumulate the signals, an exposure controller, an auto focus controller, a white balance controller, a color signal processor module, a luminance signal processor module, and an arithmetic processor module for stereo imaging process, the output signals from the plurality of imaging devices are converted to the single composite signal and processed on a one-channel processing basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Usui, Norihiko Nakano, Junji Kamimura