Patents by Inventor Kazuhiro SAZAI

Kazuhiro SAZAI 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: 20220082851
    Abstract: An optical unit includes a movable body, a support, and a swing mechanism. The movable body includes an optical element that changes a traveling direction of light. The support supports the movable body in a manner that the movable body is swingable about a swing axis. One of the movable body and the support has at least three protrusions. The other of the movable body and the support has an axial center recess. The at least three protrusions are disposed on the same circumference about the swing axis. The recess constitutes at least a part of a circle around the swing axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Takayuki IWASE, Tomohiro EGAWA, Keishi OTSUBO, Kazuhiro SAZAI, Genki TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20210368078
    Abstract: An optical assembly includes an optical element including a reflection surface to reflect light in a first axis direction, a holder to hold the optical element, a case to support the holder, a first swing mechanism to swing the holder around a first swing axis, and a second swing mechanism to swing the holder around a second swing axis perpendicular to the first swing axis. The holder includes first and second protrusions. The case includes first and second recesses. Each of the recesses includes a first side surface located on one side in the axial direction of the second swing axis and a second side surface located on the other side with respect to the corresponding protrusion. At least one of the first and second side surfaces includes an inclined surface inclined with respect to the second swing axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2021
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Takayuki IWASE, Tomohiro EGAWA, Keishi OTSUBO, Kazuhiro SAZAI, Genki TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20210294111
    Abstract: In an optical unit, a first swing mechanism swings a holder with reference to the y-axis direction, and a second swing mechanism swings the holder with reference to the z-axis direction. A case has a first recess that accommodates at least a part of a first protrusion of the holder and a second recess that accommodates at least a part of a second protrusion of the holder. The first recess has a first side surface located on one side in the y-axis direction of the first protrusion, a second side surface located on the other side in the y-axis direction of the first protrusion, and a bottom surface. The second recess has a first side surface located on one side in the y-axis direction of the second protrusion, a second side surface located on the other side in the y-axis direction of the second protrusion, and a bottom surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2021
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Inventors: Tomohiro EGAWA, Keishi OTSUBO, Kazuhiro SAZAI, Genki TANAKA, Takayuki IWASE
  • Publication number: 20210240003
    Abstract: An optical assembly includes a movable body that includes an optical module, a frame body radially outward of the movable body, and support portions that swingably support the movable body with respect to the frame body. Each of the support portions includes a guide portion between the movable body and the frame body to support the movable body, and a preload portion that pushes the guide portion toward the movable body. A radially inner end portion of the preload portion is connected to a radially outer end portion of the guide portion. A radially outer end portion of the preload portion is supported by the frame body. One of the movable body and the guide portion includes a first convex surface, and the other includes a first concave surface in contact with the first convex surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Kazuhiro SAZAI, Tomohiro EGAWA, Takayuki IWASE, Genki TANAKA, Tsutomu ARAI, Shinji MINAMISAWA, Takeshi SUE
  • Publication number: 20210240001
    Abstract: An optical unit with a shake correction function has a shake correction function for correcting a shake of an optical module. The optical unit with a shake correction function includes: a movable body including the optical module; a fixed body disposed outward of the movable body in a radial direction with respect to an optical axis of the optical module; and a support part disposed between the movable body and the fixed body in the radial direction and structured to support the movable body such that the movable body is swingable relative to the fixed body. The movable body and the support part or the support part and the fixed body have, in a pair, a swing mechanism structured to allow the movable body to swing relative to the fixed body. The swing mechanism includes a protruded spherical portion and a recessed spherical portion that is larger in radius of curvature than the protruded spherical portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Genki TANAKA, Tomohiro EGAWA, Takayuki IWASE, Kazuhiro SAZAI, Tsutomu ARAI, Shinji MINAMISAWA, Takeshi SUE
  • Publication number: 20210240002
    Abstract: An optical unit with an image stabilization function includes a movable body having an annular holder for holding a camera module, a swing support mechanism for swingably supporting the movable body, and a fixing body for supporting the movable body with the swing support mechanism interposed between them. The holder includes three or more of a plurality of protrusions that project radially. The fixing body includes a plurality of arc surfaces that come into contact with each of the plurality of protrusions from the outer peripheral side. The swing support mechanism includes the plurality of protrusions and the plurality of arc surfaces. The arc surface is a concave curved surface obtained by transferring part of a virtual spherical surface centered on a preset swing center point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Kazuhiro SAZAI, Tsutomu ARAI, Tomohiro EGAWA, Shinji MINAMISAWA, Takayuki IWASE, Takeshi SUE, Genki TANAKA