Patents by Inventor Kozo Ezawa
Kozo Ezawa 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).
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Publication number: 20120182472Abstract: A camera driving apparatus according to the present invention includes a camera section 100; a fixed unit including a protrusion section 202 which is formed of a magnetic member at least partially and has a shape of at least a part of a spherical face; a movable unit for supporting the camera section, the movable unit including an attracting magnet 404 for generating a magnetic attracting force for the magnetic member, and a conical contact face with which the protrusion section of the fixed unit is loosely engageable and contactable by the magnetic attracting force, the movable unit being freely pivotable with respect to a sphere center of the spherical face of the protrusion section; a panning driving section; a tilting driving section; a rolling driving section for rotating the camera section in a rolling direction centered around an optical axis of a lens; a detector for detecting an inclining angle of the camera section with respect to the fixed unit in panning and tilting directions and a rotating angleType: ApplicationFiled: July 6, 2011Publication date: July 19, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Masahiro Inata, Teruyuki Takizawa, Kozo Ezawa, Yoshiaki Sugitani, Masayuki Misaki
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Patent number: 8209712Abstract: A disk cartridge according to the present invention includes first and second disk storage portions, each of which has a space to partially store a disk with at least one data storage side. When closed up, the first and second disk storage portions enclose the disk entirely. The disk cartridge further includes a supporting base member with a disk storage portion rotation supporting portion that supports rotatably the first and second disk storage portions so as to make or cover an opening with respect to the disk. The opening is used to get the disk chucked externally and to allow a head to access the data storage side of the disk and read and/or write data from/on that side. At least a portion of the supporting base member overlaps with the first and second disk storage portions so as to prevent the first and second disk storage portions from moving perpendicularly to the disk.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2007Date of Patent: June 26, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Teruyuki Takizawa, Masahiro Inata, Kozo Ezawa
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Patent number: 8181192Abstract: A disk apparatus includes: an apparatus body including a disk drive portion for housing a disk medium having an information recording surface and for recording and/or reproducing information; and a lid body including a display for displaying information, and closed and opened with respect to the apparatus body in such a way that the display is postured face down and up. The apparatus body further includes: a drive-portion cover which is movable in a bottom direction of the apparatus body and inserts and ejects the disk medium into and from the disk drive portion; and a lock hook and a cover hook locking the disk medium housed in the apparatus body. A locking state of the lock hook and the cover hook is kept when the lid body is in the open state with respect to the apparatus body.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2008Date of Patent: May 15, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Kozo Ezawa, Masahiro Inata, Teruyuki Takizawa, Hironori Tomita
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Patent number: 8108885Abstract: A disk cartridge includes: a pair of disk housing portions, housing a disk entirely when put together; a supporting base member with a disk housing rotating and supporting portion for rotating and supporting the housing portions to open or shut a window to the disk such that the disk gets chucked externally, and a head can access the disk and read and write information from/on the storage layer thereof, though the window; and a locking unit including a pair of locking lever portions to keep the housing portions closed from rotating and a locking lever supporting portion supporting the lever portions rotatably and attached to the base member, wherein the pair of disk housing portions open the window wide enough to remove the disk while the lock unit is not inserted into the supporting base member, and contact with the lock unit and have their angle of rotation limited while the lock unit is inserted into the supporting base member, thereby controlling the size of the window such that the disk is unremovable.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 2007Date of Patent: January 31, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Kozo Ezawa, Masahiro Inata, Teruyuki Takizawa, Hironori Tomita
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Patent number: 8099744Abstract: A low-cost disk device with which the same spindle motor and clamper can be used for different types of disk device, such as a DVD drive. A clamper includes a clamper main body and a plurality of positioning components. The clamper main body clamps a disk between itself and a spindle motor that holds and rotates the disk. The plurality of positioning components are formed on the clamper main body for the relative positioning of the clamper main body and each of the plurality of spindle motors in the radial direction.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2011Date of Patent: January 17, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Yoshito Saji, Kozo Ezawa, Takeo Santo
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Patent number: 8099741Abstract: A disk drive includes: a pair of guide walls, which is arranged in the vicinity of the holder opening of a cartridge holder to define a direction in which a disk cartridge is supposed to be inserted; a first opening/closing lever, which has a first engaging portion that engages with a portion of the disk cartridge and which rotates while the disk cartridge is being inserted or ejected; and a second opening/closing lever, which has a second engaging portion that engages with another portion of the disk cartridge and which rotates while the disk cartridge is being inserted or ejected. The first and second opening/closing levers rotate so as to leave a broader gap between the first and second engaging portions than between the guide walls when the drive gets loaded with the disk cartridge, thereby opening a window in the disk cartridge.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2007Date of Patent: January 17, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Masahiro Inata, Teruyuki Takizawa, Kozo Ezawa
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Patent number: 8077562Abstract: An optical disc apparatus according to the present invention includes a disc rotation mechanism 2 for allowing an optical disc 1 having an information recording face to be placed thereon and rotating the optical disc 1; an optical pickup 3 including an engaging section and irradiating the information recording face with a light beam to perform at least one of information recording and information reproduction; a base main body 13 for rotatably supporting the optical pickup and having the disc rotation mechanism; a driving source 5, supported by the base main body, for generating a force for rotating the optical pickup; and a driving force transmission mechanism 610 supported by the base main body, including a worm, and engaged with the engaging section to transmit a driving force of the driving source to the optical pickup, thereby rotating the optical pickup.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2008Date of Patent: December 13, 2011Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Kozo Ezawa, Masahiro Inata, Teruyuki Takizawa, Hironori Tomita
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Patent number: 8051439Abstract: A disk drive includes: a pair of guide walls, which is arranged in the vicinity of the holder opening of a cartridge holder to define a direction in which a disk cartridge is supposed to be inserted; a first opening/closing lever, which has a first engaging portion that engages with a portion of the disk cartridge and which rotates while the disk cartridge is being inserted or ejected; and a second opening/closing lever, which has a second engaging portion that engages with another portion of the disk cartridge and which rotates while the disk cartridge is being inserted or ejected. The pivots of the first and second opening/closing levers are arranged opposite to the holder opening. The first and second opening/closing levers rotate so as to leave a broader gap between the first and second engaging portions than between the guide walls when the drive gets loaded with the disk cartridge, thereby opening a window in the disk cartridge.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2007Date of Patent: November 1, 2011Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Masahiro Inata, Teruyuki Takizawa, Kozo Ezawa
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Patent number: 8037487Abstract: A disk drive according to the present invention includes: a cartridge holder; two guide walls arranged near the holder opening of the cartridge holder; a pair of opening/closing levers that have engaging portions to engage with portions of the cartridge and that turn; lever biasing springs for biasing the opening/closing levers; and an interlocking mechanism that makes the opening/closing levers rotate in synchronization with a clamp holder. The opening/closing levers turn such that when the cartridge starts to be inserted or finishes being ejected, the engaging portions get engaged with the cartridge with a narrower gap left between them than the gap between the guide walls and that when the cartridge gets loaded, the gap between the engaging portions becomes wider than the gap between the guide walls.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2008Date of Patent: October 11, 2011Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Masahiro Inata, Kozo Ezawa, Teruyuki Takizawa, Hironori Tomita
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Publication number: 20110234826Abstract: An image capturing apparatus (1) includes: an imaging device (12) which receives incident light through an optical system (11), and converts the received light into image data (12D) of an image (12P); a memory (13) which stores the image data converted; a motion detecting unit (15) which detects a motion (1My) of the image capturing apparatus during an exposure period (1y); an image generating unit (16) which generates an image (16a) indicating the detected motion; and a display control unit (17) which causes the display unit to display the generated image.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 22, 2010Publication date: September 29, 2011Inventors: Khang Nguyen, Yusuke Monobe, Kozo Ezawa, Masahiro Inata, Toshio Inaji
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Patent number: 8027579Abstract: A camera driving apparatus capable of inclining a camera section including a lens barrel and an imaging element in a panning direction (yawing) and a tilting direction (pitching) and also capable of rotating the camera section around an optical axis thereof (rolling).Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2009Date of Patent: September 27, 2011Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Teruyuki Takizawa, Kozo Ezawa, Masahiro Inata, Yoshiaki Sugitani, Masayuki Misaki
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Patent number: 7984460Abstract: A disk drive according to the present invention includes: a mechanical chassis; a pickup for reading and/or writing information from/on a disk storage medium; a rotation drive section with a turntable to mount and rotate the storage medium thereon; a pickup supporting member having a bottom portion for supporting the pickup and the rotation drive section and a standup wall that stands upright from the bottom portion toward the turntable, the pickup supporting member being supported on the mechanical chassis so as to turn around an axis of rotation that is defined through the standup wall; and a pickup raising/lowering portion, which is provided for the mechanical chassis in order to drive the pickup supporting member to either a first position in which the pickup is ready to perform a read or write operation on the storage medium that is mounted on the turntable or a second position in which the turntable has been retracted so as to avoid contact with the storage medium being inserted or ejected.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2006Date of Patent: July 19, 2011Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Yoshito Saji, Teruyuki Takizawa, Kozo Ezawa
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Publication number: 20110138407Abstract: A low-cost disk device with which the same spindle motor and clamper can be used for different types of disk device, such as a DVD drive. A clamper includes a clamper main body and a plurality of positioning components. The clamper main body clamps a disk between itself and a spindle motor that holds and rotates the disk. The plurality of positioning components are formed on the clamper main body for the relative positioning of the clamper main body and each of the plurality of spindle motors in the radial direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 28, 2011Publication date: June 9, 2011Inventors: Yoshito SAJI, Kozo Ezawa, Takeo Santo
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Publication number: 20110069198Abstract: A lens unit according to the present invention includes: a barrel, which has first and second openings and an inner space defined along a center axis between the first and second openings; and lenses held in the inner space. In each pair of adjacent lenses, when projected parallel to their optical axis, one lens located closer to the second opening has a greater projection than the other lens located closer to the first opening. The barrel has inner side surface portions, which are arranged parallel to the center axis to define cross sections corresponding to the respective projections of the lenses. In each pair of adjacent inner side surface portions, one portion located closer to the second opening has a greater cross section than the other portion located closer to the first opening. The barrel has main grooves cut on the inner side surface portions to run from the first opening toward the second opening.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 30, 2010Publication date: March 24, 2011Inventors: Kozo Ezawa, Teruyuki Takizawa
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Patent number: 7904918Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a low-cost disk device with which the same spindle motor and clamper can be used for different types of disk device, such as a DVD drive. A clamper comprises a clamper main body and a plurality of positioning components. The clamper main body clamps a disk between itself and a spindle motor that holds and rotates the disk. The plurality of positioning components are formed on the clamper main body for the relative positioning of the clamper main body and each of the plurality of spindle motors in the radial direction.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2004Date of Patent: March 8, 2011Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Yoshito Saji, Kozo Ezawa, Takeo Santo
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Patent number: 7853965Abstract: A disk drive includes: a cartridge holder that holds a disk cartridge including a disk, and has a holder opening, through which the cartridge is inserted and ejected; two guide walls arranged near the holder opening to define a direction in which the cartridge is inserted; a disk motor for rotating the disk mounted; a head for reading and/or writing information from/on the disk; a base for supporting the head and motor; first and second guide grooves cut through the holder; and first and second guide members movable along the first and second grooves, respectively, and engaging with respective portions of the cartridge.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2008Date of Patent: December 14, 2010Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Masahiro Inata, Teruyuki Takizawa, Kozo Ezawa
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Patent number: 7844983Abstract: A power transmission member is provided with which it is possible to lessen the impact force produced when the head of a disk device hits part of a base member or the like. The power transmission member is a power transmission member of a mechanism for moving a head, used for recording on or reproducing from a disk, relative to a base member in a disk device, comprising a fixed component for attaching to a head, a power transmission component for receiving drive from a motor serving as a drive source, a linking component for linking the fixed component and the power transmission component, and a contacting component. The contacting component is fixed to the power transmission component, and comes into contact with part of the base member, or part of a member fixed to the base member, at least one end of the movement range of the head.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2006Date of Patent: November 30, 2010Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Kozo Ezawa, Kisaburo Kurobe, Tomohiro Sasao
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Patent number: 7826172Abstract: A disk apparatus compatible with a disk cartridge having a large head window even with a small external size. A disk apparatus includes a cartridge holder, a pair of guide walls, a disk motor, a head, a base, first and second slider guides, first and second open/close sliders respectively having first and second engageable portions. The slider guides are provided in the cartridge holder for supporting the disk cartridge, and the sliders are slidably engaged with the slider guides. The sliders slide to allow the engageable portions to be engaged with the disk cartridge such that a distance between the engageable portions is smaller than a distance between the guide walls while the disk cartridge is inserted, and such that the distance between the engageable portions is larger than the distance between the guide walls when the disk cartridge is mounted, and thus form a window in the disk cartridge so as to allow the head to access the disk and allow the disk to be mounted on the disk motor.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2007Date of Patent: November 2, 2010Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Masahiro Inata, Teruyuki Takizawa, Kozo Ezawa
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Publication number: 20100202766Abstract: A camera driving apparatus according to the present invention includes a camera section including an imaging element, a lens for forming a subject image on an imaging plane of the imaging element, and a lens barrel for holding the lens; a fixed unit at least partially formed of a magnetic member and having a protrusion section having a shape of at least a part of a spherical face; a movable unit including a first movable section having an attracting magnet for generating a magnetic attracting force in the magnetic member and a conical contact face with which the protrusion section is loosely engageable by the magnetic attracting force and is contactable, the first movable section being freely pivotable around a sphere center of the spherical face of the protrusion section; and a second movable section having the camera section mounted thereon and fixed to the first movable section, the second movable section having a fall preventive regulation face in a state where a prescribed gap, along which the second movType: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2009Publication date: August 12, 2010Inventors: Teruyuki Takizawa, Kozo Ezawa, Masahiro Inata, Yoshiaki Sugitani, Masayuki Misaki
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Publication number: 20100050195Abstract: A disk drive according to the present invention includes: a cartridge holder; two guide walls arranged near the holder opening of the cartridge holder; a pair of opening/closing levers that have engaging portions to engage with portions of the cartridge and that turn; lever biasing springs for biasing the opening/closing levers; and an interlocking mechanism that makes the opening/closing levers rotate in synchronization with a clamp holder. The opening/closing levers turn such that when the cartridge starts to be inserted or finishes being ejected, the engaging portions get engaged with the cartridge with a narrower gap left between them than the gap between the guide walls and that when the cartridge gets loaded, the gap between the engaging portions becomes wider than the gap between the guide walls.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2008Publication date: February 25, 2010Inventors: Masahiro Inata, Kozo Ezawa, Teruyuki Takizawa, Hironori Tomita