Patents by Inventor Yuko Akagi

Yuko Akagi 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: 10247558
    Abstract: A travel direction determination apparatus is provided, including: a sensor signal acquisition unit that acquires sensor signals from sensors mounted in a mobile device; a first travel direction calculation unit that calculates a travel direction of the user without relying on a walking state of the user; a second travel direction calculation unit that calculates the travel direction of the user based on the sensor signals when the user who holds the mobile device is in a walking state; and a determination unit that determines the travel direction of the user first to the travel direction calculated by the first travel direction calculation unit, and then to the travel direction calculated by the second travel direction calculation unit, responding to changes in the state of the user from non-walking state to walking state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shiro Kobayashi, Masahiro Konda, Yuko Akagi
  • Patent number: 10197402
    Abstract: To estimate an accurate travel direction of a user based on sensor signals from a mobile device being held by the user even if the user moves ahead while moving the mobile device right and left, a travel direction information output apparatus, a travel direction information output method, and a computer readable medium are provided, the travel direction information output apparatus including a travel direction estimation unit that calculates a travel direction of the user, a rotation amount calculation unit that calculates rotation amounts about a gravity axis of the mobile device being held by the user, and a selection unit that selects, based on an integrated value of the rotation amounts, from either to output travel direction information according to the travel direction calculated by the travel direction estimation unit or to output travel direction information that keeps previous travel direction information output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shiro Kobayashi, Masahiro Konda, Yuko Akagi
  • Patent number: 10126460
    Abstract: In order to accurately identify a hold state of a mobile device held by a user while the user is moving, provided is a hold state change detection apparatus including an acquiring section that acquires an output signal of a sensor mounted in the mobile device held by the user; a change detecting section that detects a change in a hold state of the mobile device based on the output signal of the sensor; and a hold state judging section that judges the hold state based on the output signal of the sensor. During a prescribed time from the time when the change detecting section detects the change in the hold state, information indicating the hold state prior to the detection of the change in the hold state is output. Also provided is a hold state change detection method and program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shiro Kobayashi, Yuko Akagi, Masahiro Konda, Tsuyoshi Masuda
  • Patent number: 9534923
    Abstract: The sensor device includes a counter for counting the number of count commands used to perform measurements while maintaining among multiple sensor devices the ratio of measurement intervals; a ratio-holding-unit for setting the ratio to a desired ratio and holding respective values of the ratio for each of the multiple sensor devices; a sampling-timing-generating-unit for receiving a count value of the counter and the setting value of the ratio held by the ratio-holding-unit, and for generating a sampling timing signal based on the comparison result between the count value and the setting value; and a sampling-unit for sampling a detection signal detected by the detecting unit, by using the sampling timing signal generated by the sampling-timing-generating-unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation
    Inventors: Masaya Yamashita, Shiro Kobayashi, Osamu Koizumi, Yuko Akagi
  • Publication number: 20160313128
    Abstract: A travel direction determination apparatus is provided, including: a sensor signal acquisition unit that acquires sensor signals from sensors mounted in a mobile device; a first travel direction calculation unit that calculates a travel direction of the user without relying on a walking state of the user; a second travel direction calculation unit that calculates the travel direction of the user based on the sensor signals when the user who holds the mobile device is in a walking state; and a determination unit that determines the travel direction of the user first to the travel direction calculated by the first travel direction calculation unit, and then to the travel direction calculated by the second travel direction calculation unit, responding to changes in the state of the user from non-walking state to walking state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2016
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Applicant: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shiro KOBAYASHI, Masahiro KONDA, Yuko AKAGI
  • Publication number: 20160298972
    Abstract: To estimate an accurate travel direction of a user based on sensor signals from a mobile device being held by the user even if the user moves ahead while moving the mobile device right and left, a travel direction information output apparatus, a travel direction information output method, and a computer readable medium are provided, the travel direction information output apparatus including a travel direction estimation unit that calculates a travel direction of the user, a rotation amount calculation unit that calculates rotation amounts about a gravity axis of the mobile device being held by the user, and a selection unit that selects, based on an integrated value of the rotation amounts, from either to output travel direction information according to the travel direction calculated by the travel direction estimation unit or to output travel direction information that keeps previous travel direction information output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Applicant: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shiro KOBAYASHI, Masahiro KONDA, Yuko AKAGI
  • Patent number: 9462419
    Abstract: In order to accurately determines the hold state of a mobile device possessed by a user while moving, provided is a hold state judging apparatus including an acquiring section that acquires output signals of sensors mounted in a mobile device held by a user; a pattern storage section that stores, in association with each other, information indicating a plurality of hold states of the mobile device and reference characteristic amounts of the output signals of the sensors obtained in advance respectively for the plurality of hold states; a hold state judging section that judges the hold state of the mobile device based on which of the reference characteristic amounts stored in the pattern storage section characteristic amounts of the output signals of the sensors acquired by the acquiring section correspond to. Also provided is a program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shiro Kobayashi, Yuko Akagi
  • Publication number: 20150355370
    Abstract: In order to accurately identify a hold state of a mobile device held by a user while the user is moving, provided is a hold state change detection apparatus including an acquiring section that acquires an output signal of a sensor mounted in the mobile device held by the user; a change detecting section that detects a change in a hold state of the mobile device based on the output signal of the sensor; and a hold state judging section that judges the hold state based on the output signal of the sensor. During a prescribed time from the time when the change detecting section detects the change in the hold state, information indicating the hold state prior to the detection of the change in the hold state is output. Also provided is a hold state change detection method and program.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shiro KOBAYASHI, Yuko AKAGI, Masahiro KONDA, Tsuyoshi MASUDA
  • Publication number: 20150358783
    Abstract: In order to accurately determines the hold state of a mobile device possessed by a user while moving, provided is a hold state judging apparatus including an acquiring section that acquires output signals of sensors mounted in a mobile device held by a user; a pattern storage section that stores, in association with each other, information indicating a plurality of hold states of the mobile device and reference characteristic amounts of the output signals of the sensors obtained in advance respectively for the plurality of hold states; a hold state judging section that judges the hold state of the mobile device based on which of the reference characteristic amounts stored in the pattern storage section characteristic amounts of the output signals of the sensors acquired by the acquiring section correspond to. Also provided is a program.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: ASAHI KASEI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shiro KOBAYASHI, Yuko AKAGI
  • Publication number: 20140350894
    Abstract: The sensor device includes a counter for counting the number of count commands used to perform measurements while maintaining among multiple sensor devices the ratio of measurement intervals; a ratio-holding-unit for setting the ratio to a desired ratio and holding respective values of the ratio for each of the multiple sensor devices; a sampling-timing-generating-unit for receiving a count value of the counter and the setting value of the ratio held by the ratio-holding-unit, and for generating a sampling timing signal based on the comparison result between the count value and the setting value; and a sampling-unit for sampling a detection signal detected by the detecting unit, by using the sampling timing signal generated by the sampling-timing-generating-unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Inventors: Masaya Yamashita, Shiro Kobayashi, Osamu Koizumi, Yuko Akagi