Patents by Inventor Yohei IWASHITA

Yohei IWASHITA 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: 20240101122
    Abstract: A driver pre-abnormal detection apparatus includes: sensors to acquire travel environment information of a vehicle; an in-vehicle camera that detects the driver's sightline; and a controller configured to detect a driver's pre-abnormal state based on the travel environment information and the driver's sightline. The controller identifies a visual recognition required point to be visually recognized by the driver based on the travel environment information, determines whether the driver has visually recognized the visual recognition required point based on the driver's sightline, and detects the driver's pre-abnormal state based on a fact that the driver has not visually recognized the visual recognition required point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Akiko FUKUI, Koji IWASE, Yohei IWASHITA
  • Publication number: 20240101124
    Abstract: A controller acquires a driving load score based on the travel environment information, acquires a distracted state occurrence score based on the driving load score and an elapsed time with the driving load score, acquires a search behavior score based on the travel environment information and the driver's sightline when the distracted state occurrence score is equal to or higher than a specified value, acquires a distracted state level of the driver based on the search behavior score and an elapsed time with the search behavior score, and determines that the driver is in the distracted state when the distracted state level is equal to or higher than a threshold and the search behavior score is increased in response to an increase in the driving load score.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Koji IWASE, Yohei IWASHITA
  • Publication number: 20240104945
    Abstract: A driver state determination apparatus includes: an in-vehicle camera detecting a driver's sightline and head behavior; and a controller configured to determine the driver's state based on the driver's sightline and head behavior. When the driver is in an abnormal state based on the driver's sightline movement, the controller determines whether or not the driver's abnormal state a visual field impairment based on a change in each of a yaw angle and a pitch angle of the driver's head. When the abnormal state is the visual field impairment, the controller determines that the driver is aware of the visual field impairment when there is a direction in which the driver's sightline is not directed in the driver's field of view, and unaware of the visual field impairment when there is no direction in which the driver's sightline is not directed in the driver's field of view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Akiko FUKUI, Yohei IWASHITA, Koji IWASE, Satoru TAKENAKA, Daiki IZUMOTO
  • Patent number: 11603104
    Abstract: [Solution] A driver abnormality determination system includes circuitry configured to detect a driving operation of a driver, detect behavior of the driver's head and motion of eyeballs and/or movement of a sightline of the driver, recognize a driving scene in which the vehicle is driven; a memory that stores a sensor table of a relationship between the driving scene and detected values to be used to determine a driver abnormality; and determine the driver abnormality based on the sensor table, the driving scene, the driving operation and the behavior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Iwase, Makoto Yoshida, Junichiro Kuwahara, Yohei Iwashita
  • Publication number: 20220371625
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus operates in various modes, e.g., a normal mode in which plural travel functions of a vehicle are controlled by plural driving functions of a driver; an automatic mode in which all driving functions are performed by the vehicle; an optimization mode in which, when a temporary reduction of driving performance of any of the plural driving functions of the driver is detected, physical stimulation and/or information that makes the driver recognize the temporary reduction of the driving performance is provided to the driver; and an assistance mode in which, when a chronic reduction of the driving performance of any of the plural driving functions of the driver is detected, information on assistance with execution of the driving performance is provided to the driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2022
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro TOCHIOKA, Yasunori YAMAMOTO, Yohei IWASHITA, Yoshitaka FUJIHARA, Takashi SUGANO
  • Patent number: 11427208
    Abstract: A driver state determination apparatus includes circuitry configured to recognize whether a driver's voluntary function works normally and to recognize whether an involuntary function works normally. On condition that the driver's voluntary function does not work normally, the circuitry is configured to reduce a specified time required to recognize whether the involuntary function works normally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yohei Iwashita
  • Patent number: 11318948
    Abstract: A driver condition estimating device includes circuitry configured to measure movement of the head of a driver output from a driver camera that photographs the driver and detect a sign of abnormality of the driver from the movement of the head. The circuitry determines existence of the sign of abnormality of the driver by calculating a periodic feature amount from time series data showing movement of the head of the driver, calculating coherence between the movement of the head of the driver and lateral acceleration acting on the head of the driver, calculating time series variation patterns from the obtained periodic feature amount and the obtained coherence, and comparing the obtained time series variation patterns with a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Yoshida, Taro Iwamoto, Ken Ikuhisa, Yohei Iwashita
  • Patent number: 11208109
    Abstract: A driver condition estimating device includes circuitry configured to measure movement of the head of a driver from output of a driver camera and detect a sign of abnormality of the driver from the movement of the head. On condition that lateral acceleration acting on the head of the driver is a predetermined value or less, the circuitry is configured to calculate a periodic feature amount from time series data showing the movement of the head of the driver, calculate a time series variation pattern from the obtained periodic feature amount, and compare of the obtained time series variation pattern with a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Yoshida, Taro Iwamoto, Ken Ikuhisa, Yohei Iwashita
  • Publication number: 20210316738
    Abstract: [Solution] A driver abnormality determination system includes circuitry configured to detect a driving operation of a driver, detect behavior of the driver's head and motion of eyeballs and/or movement of a sightline of the driver, recognize a driving scene in which the vehicle is driven; a memory that stores a sensor table of a relationship between the driving scene and detected values to be used to determine a driver abnormality; and determine the driver abnormality based on the sensor table, the driving scene, the driving operation and the behavior.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2021
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Koji IWASE, Makoto YOSHIDA, Junichiro KUWAHARA, Yohei IWASHITA
  • Publication number: 20210316737
    Abstract: A driver abnormality determination apparatus includes circuitry configured to detect a driver state of a driver of a vehicle, detect a driving operation of the driver, detect an exertion level of an involuntary function of the driver based on the driver state, detect an exertion level of a driving function of the driver based on the driving operation; and determine driver abnormality based on the execution level of the involuntary function and the execution level of the driving function. On condition that a function level of one of the execution level of the involuntary function and the execution level of the driving function is equal to or lower than a specified determination criterion, the circuitry is configured to relax a determination criterion for the other function level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2021
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Koji IWASE, Makoto YOSHIDA, Junichiro KUWAHARA, Yohei IWASHITA
  • Publication number: 20210316736
    Abstract: The driver abnormality determination apparatus includes circuitry configured to detect a driver state of a driver of a vehicle, recognize a driving scene of the vehicle based on external environment information, and detect a state of an involuntary function of the driver, detect a state of a base function that serves as the basis of a driving operation by the driver, detect a state of a predictive driving function of the driver, and detect an abnormality of the driver based on the states each of the involuntary function, the base function, the predictive function, and a determination function based on a detection target item.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2021
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Koji IWASE, Makoto YOSHIDA, Junichiro KUWAHARA, Yohei IWASHITA
  • Publication number: 20210276569
    Abstract: A driver condition estimating device includes circuitry configured to measure movement of the head of a driver output from a driver camera that photographs the driver and detect a sign of abnormality of the driver from the movement of the head. The circuitry determines existence of the sign of abnormality of the driver by calculating a periodic feature amount from time series data showing movement of the head of the driver, calculating coherence between the movement of the head of the driver and lateral acceleration acting on the head of the driver, calculating time series variation patterns from the obtained periodic feature amount and the obtained coherence, and comparing the obtained time series variation patterns with a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto YOSHIDA, Taro IWAMOTO, Ken IKUHISA, Yohei IWASHITA
  • Publication number: 20210201059
    Abstract: A driver condition estimating device includes circuitry configured to measure movement of the head of a driver from output of a driver camera and detect a sign of abnormality of the driver from the movement of the head. The circuitry is configured to calculate a periodic feature amount from time series data showing the movement of the head of the driver, calculate a time series variation pattern from the obtained periodic feature amount, and compare the obtained time series variation pattern with a predetermined threshold to determine existence of the sign of abnormality of the driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Taro IWAMOTO, Yohei IWASHITA, Makoto YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20210197833
    Abstract: A driver condition estimating device includes circuitry configured to measure movement of the head of a driver from output of a driver camera and detect a sign of abnormality of the driver from the movement of the head. On condition that lateral acceleration acting on the head of the driver is a predetermined value or less, the circuitry is configured to calculate a periodic feature amount from time series data showing the movement of the head of the driver, calculate a time series variation pattern from the obtained periodic feature amount, and compare of the obtained time series variation pattern with a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto YOSHIDA, Taro IWAMOTO, Ken IKUHISA, Yohei IWASHITA
  • Publication number: 20210107493
    Abstract: A driver state determination apparatus includes circuitry configured to recognize whether a driver's voluntary function works normally and to recognize whether an involuntary function works normally. On condition that the driver's voluntary function does not work normally, the circuitry is configured to reduce a specified time required to recognize whether the involuntary function works normally.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Yohei IWASHITA
  • Patent number: 10919535
    Abstract: An operator state determining device is provided, which includes an image pick-up device disposed inside a vehicle cabin, and configured to image an operator from the side, a torso angle detector configured to detect an operator's torso angle, a posture measuring module configured to measure a head-pitch angle change that is a difference between a head-pitch angle of the operator before the operator becomes unconscious and a head-pitch angle of the operator after the operator becomes unconscious, based on the image, a memory configured to store a given turnout angle and a given head-pitch angle change, and an abnormality determining module configured to determine an operator's abnormality. The abnormality determining module determines that the operator is in an abnormal state when an initial torso angle before becoming unconscious is inclined rearward more than the turnout angle, and the head-pitch angle change is greater than the given head-pitch angle change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Youichiro Nakahata, Yohei Iwashita
  • Patent number: 10588549
    Abstract: A driver's physical condition detection device for detecting a physical condition of a driver driving a vehicle includes a vehicle detector configured to detect a change in motion of the vehicle during driving, a driver detector configured to detect a change in motion of a head of the driver, and a physical condition determination portion configured to perform a determination process of determining whether or not the physical condition of the driver is deteriorated, based on the change in motion of the head of the driver with respect to the change in motion of the vehicle during driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Youichiro Nakahata, Yohei Iwashita, Junichiro Kuwahara, Ryohei Hisamitsu
  • Patent number: 10561356
    Abstract: A driver's physical condition detection device for detecting a physical condition of a driver driving a vehicle, includes: a vehicle detector configured to detect a change in motion of the vehicle during driving; a driver detector configured to detect a change in motion of the driver; a calculator configured to calculate a follow-up degree of the change in motion of the driver with respect to the change in motion of the vehicle during driving; and a physical condition determination portion configured to perform a determination process of determining whether or not the physical condition of the driver is deteriorated, based on the follow-up degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Youichiro Nakahata, Yohei Iwashita, Junichiro Kuwahara, Ryohei Hisamitsu
  • Publication number: 20190300000
    Abstract: An operator state determining device is provided, which includes an image pick-up device disposed inside a vehicle cabin, and configured to image an operator from the side, a torso angle detector configured to detect an operator's torso angle, a posture measuring module configured to measure a head-pitch angle change that is a difference between a head-pitch angle of the operator before the operator becomes unconscious and a head-pitch angle of the operator after the operator becomes unconscious, based on the image, a memory configured to store a given turnout angle and a given head-pitch angle change, and an abnormality determining module configured to determine an operator's abnormality. The abnormality determining module determines that the operator is in an abnormal state when an initial torso angle before becoming unconscious is inclined rearward more than the turnout angle, and the head-pitch angle change is greater than the given head-pitch angle change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Youichiro Nakahata, Yohei Iwashita
  • Patent number: 10338583
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a technique for providing driving assistance for a driver in such a way as to increase the driver's degree of internal focus on driving if his or her degree of internal focus on driving is estimated to be low when deactivation of autonomous driving is predicted. Examples of such driving assistance include boosting the moving vehicle noise to be heard inside the vehicle's cabin, increasing sensitivity to a change in the vehicle's state responsive to driving operations, providing navigation to a road with features that would entertain the driver through driving, and giving guidance in exemplary driving operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junichiro Kuwahara, Yohei Iwashita, Yoko Hoshino, Ryohei Hisamitsu, Hitomi Nakazato