Patents by Inventor Masashi Kitabayashi

Masashi Kitabayashi 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: 20180259833
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes: an optical element; a holding member which holds the optical element; and a housing to which the holding member is attached, in which the holding member includes an operating section which receives an operation for adjusting a position of the holding member, and a fixed portion fixed to the housing, and in which the operating section and the fixed portion are respectively positioned on one end side and on the other end side in a direction which intersects with an optical axis of the optical element held by the holding member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Publication date: September 13, 2018
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro TAKIZAWA, Masashi KITABAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20130100422
    Abstract: A reflective screen apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention, which is advantageous in that a reflection surface is readily formed, projection light outputted from a projector is efficiently reflected, and the convenience of a user is improved, includes a reflective screen having a reflection surface (reflection area) that reflects projection light off reflection films as reflectors selectively formed on a screen substrate in accordance with the angle of incidence of the projection light and a pair of winders that support respective ends (upper and lower ends) of the reflective screen and rotate in forward and backward directions to wind and release the reflective screen, and the winders drive each other and operate in opposite ways to move the reflection surface between the winders.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masashi Kitabayashi, Mamoru Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20120154908
    Abstract: The invention relates to a reflection type screen capable of reducing contact resistance between a reflection surface and a rear surface of a screen base, and to a method of manufacturing this reflection type screen. A reflection type screen includes a sheet-shaped base (screen base) which is flexible and has a first surface (base front surface) reflecting projection light and a second surface (base rear surface) as the surface opposite to the first surface (base front surface). The second surface (base rear surface) has an uneven shape (uneven surface). The uneven shape (uneven surface) is uniformly formed. The uneven shape (uneven surface) has crimps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi
  • Patent number: 8115996
    Abstract: A screen fabric includes a stack of a plurality of layers. The plurality of layers include: a first layer that forms a surface layer on which a three-dimensional portion is to be formed; and a second layer that is different from the first layer. The first layer is made of a vinyl chloride resin, and the second layer has a lower hardness than the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi
  • Publication number: 20110176209
    Abstract: A screen fabric includes a stack of a plurality of layers. The plurality of layers include: a first layer that forms a surface layer on which a three-dimensional portion is to be formed; and a second layer that is different from the first layer. The first layer is made of a vinyl chloride resin, and the second layer has a lower hardness than the first layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi
  • Patent number: 7972019
    Abstract: An optical device includes a plurality of light modulating devices for forming optical images and a color combining optical device. The optical device includes a first fixed member and a second fixed member for mounting the light modulating devices so as to face light flux incoming end surfaces of the color combining optical device. The first fixed member includes a plate-shaped first base portion mounted to oppose the light flux incoming end surface and having an opening for transmitting the light flux. The second fixed member includes a plate-shaped second base portion having an opening for transmitting the light flux. The first fixed member and the second fixed member are assembled in such a manner that the first base portion and the second base portion are opposed to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Kitabayashi, Kazuyuki Iinuma, Nobuo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7564505
    Abstract: An optical device includes a plurality of light modulators that modulate a plurality of color light components according to image information about each color light component and a combining optical unit that combines modulated color light components involving corresponding images for color light components irradiated out of the light modulators and irradiates combined-modulated light components outside through the irradiating surface. The light modulators face each other through incident surfaces which the modulated color light components pass through, other than the irradiating surface of the combining optical unit having an upside and bottom and a plurality of sides, and parts of the light modulators are supported by supporting substrates of a plate that are mounted at the upside and bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi
  • Patent number: 7520621
    Abstract: A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a projection optical system has a plurality of optical modulators, a color-combining optical device and a projection optical device. The manufacturing apparatus positions each of the optical modulators relative to the color-combining optical device and at a back-focus position of the projection optical device. The back-focus position is determined by calculating a deviation amount of the optical path length of a light beam from the optical modulator to the projection optical device based on the external dimensions of the color-combining optical device when the color-combining optical device is interposed between the optical modulator and the projection optical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi
  • Patent number: 7303644
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of an optical device includes an optical component housing operation S1 for housing a plurality of optical components in a casing body, an optical component positioning operation S2 for adjusting the positions of the optical components by shifting the optical components to position by positioning members at predetermined positions on an illumination optical axis of a light beam irradiated by a light source, and an optical component position fixing operation S3 for fixing the positions of the optical components on the casing body after the optical component positioning operation S2. The optical component housing operation further includes a positioning member inserting process for inserting the positioning members to holes on the casing body, an optical component housing process for housing the optical components in the casing body, and a positioning member abutting process by which the positioning members abut on the optical components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Kitabayashi, Hideo Yamaguchi, Hidetoshi Hashizume, Shohei Fujisawa, Kazuyuki Iinuma
  • Publication number: 20070258051
    Abstract: An optical device includes a plurality of light modulators that modulate a plurality of color light components according to image information about each color light component and a combining optical unit that combines modulated color light components involving corresponding images for color light components irradiated out of the light modulators and irradiates combined-modulated light components outside through the irradiating surface. The light modulators face each other through incident surfaces which the modulated color light components pass through, other than the irradiating surface of the combining optical unit having an upside and bottom and a plurality of sides, and parts of the light modulators are supported by supporting substrates of a plate that are mounted at the upside and bottom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2007
    Publication date: November 8, 2007
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi
  • Patent number: 7289655
    Abstract: The invention provides a device to inspect an illumination optical device and a method to inspect an illumination optical device that make it possible to efficiently inspect illumination optical devices and to control manufacturing cost. A lens array inspecting device is provided with a light source device to emit a parallel luminous flux, lens array holders to retain lens arrays, which are test objects that split the parallel luminous flux into a plurality of partial luminous fluxes, and a ground glass on which the optical images of the luminous fluxes emitted through the lens arrays are projected. On the ground glass, a parting frame appropriate to a design illumination region is formed. Therefore, whether the lens arrays are defective or non-defective can be determined by checking whether the optical images projected onto the ground glass include the area of the parting frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi
  • Patent number: 7273287
    Abstract: An optical device body (440A) includes an electro-optic device (440B), a projection lens (445), and a supporting structure (446). The supporting structure (446) includes a supporting structure body (4461) attached on a base end of the projection lens (445), an upper mount (4462) and a lower mount (4463) respectively fixed on an upper surface and a lower surface of a cross dichroic prism (444), and spacers (4464) interposed between: the supporting structure (4461); and the upper mount (4462) and the lower mount (4463). The spacers (4464) are respectively disposed near four corners of a planar rectangular light irradiation surface of the cross dichroic prism (444).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi
  • Publication number: 20070121079
    Abstract: An optical device includes: a plurality of light modulating devices for forming optical images by modulating a plurality of color lights into image information for each color light and a color combining optical device having a plurality of light flux incoming end surfaces opposing the respective light modulating devices for combining optical images formed by the respective light modulating devices, wherein the optical device includes a first fixed member and a second fixed member for mounting the light modulating devices so as to face the light flux incoming end surfaces of the color combining optical device, wherein the first fixed member includes a plate-shaped first base portion mounted to oppose the light flux incoming end surface and having an opening for transmitting the light flux and a pair of first upright strips extending upright from an outer peripheral edge of the first base portion toward the light flux incoming side and oppose to each other, wherein the second fixed member includes a plate-shape
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2006
    Publication date: May 31, 2007
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Kitabayashi, Kazuyuki Iinuma, Nobuo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7222976
    Abstract: An optical device is disposed with: a swollen portion that is attached to the underside of a reflective surface of a reflective mirror, swells in an outward direction of the reflective mirror and is configured as part of a spherical surface. A mirror orientation adjustment lever that is attached to the underside of the reflective surface of the reflective mirror, extends along the underside of the reflective mirror, and protrudes from an end edge of the reflective mirror when seen planarly. The reflective mirror is disposed along a side wall of an optical parts-use casing. The side wall includes, at the position where the reflective mirror is disposed, a spherical concave portion corresponding to a spherical surface of the swollen portion, and when the reflective mirror is disposed at the disposition position, the swollen portion is supported by the spherical concave portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Kitabayashi, Kazuyuki Iinuma, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Hidetoshi Hashizume
  • Patent number: 7216988
    Abstract: An optical device capable of efficiently cooling a light modulation element and preventing deterioration in an image formed on the optical modulation element having a light modulation device. The light modulation device includes a light modulation element to modulate a luminous flux and to form an optical image; and a support frame to hold the light modulation element, the support frame having an aperture for an image-forming region of the light modulation element. The light modulation device, is formed with an aperture, and provided with a container-like coolant enclosure sealed with a coolant for cooling the light modulation element. The coolant enclosure has a first cooling chamber hermetically sealed with the coolant in a space including the aperture, and a second cooling chamber formed in a position avoiding the aperture and partitioned from the first cooling chamber to thereby allow another coolant from an exterior chamber to flow therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi
  • Patent number: 7175283
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide an optical device, optical device manufacturing method, and projector that can easily position an optical modulation element in a predetermined position. The optical device includes an optical modulation element holder to hold an optical modulation element thereon so as to be able to transfer heat to cooling fluid within cooling chambers, a plurality of fluid circulation members connected in communication to the cooling chambers, and a cooling fluid relay section that, disposed at a predetermined position relative to the optical axis of a luminous flux emitted from a light source, relays cooling fluid transferred via the plurality of fluid circulation members. Out of the plurality of fluid circulation members, fluid circulation members whose one-side end are connected in communication to the cooling chambers of the optical modulation element holder are formed so that the another-side end thereof protrudes toward a luminous flux emergent side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Kitabayashi, Hidetoshi Hashizume
  • Patent number: 7172291
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus including a first tube system (641) that guides the cooling medium from the cooling medium storage section (62) to the components to be cooled; a second tube system (642) that sends back the cooling medium having been used for cooling the components to be cooled to the cooling medium storage section (62); and a medium circulator (63) that is disposed on the first tube system (641) or second (642) in order to circulate the cooling medium through the cooling medium storage section (62), first tube system (641), and second tube system (642). Tube joints (6412) (6422) that is exposed to the outside of the casing (2), to which a cooling medium replacement cartridge (7) used for replacing the cooling medium in the cooling medium storage section with a new cooling medium is connected are provided in the first tube system (641) and/or second tube system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi
  • Patent number: 7152982
    Abstract: An optical component casing (25) having a plurality of holes penetrating toward the inside thereof includes a casing body which is constituted of a container (25A), in which a plurality of optical components are housed and arranged therein, and a lid (25B), and a plurality of positioning members (253) for positioning the plurality of optical components at predetermined positions in the casing body. The plurality of positioning members (253) abut on the optical components by being inserted through the plurality of holes to position the optical components at the predetermined positions on an illumination optical axis of light beam irradiated by a light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Kitabayashi, Hideo Yamaguchi, Hidetoshi Hashizume, Shohei Fujisawa, Kazuyuki Iinuma
  • Patent number: 7137705
    Abstract: A cross dichroic prism as a color-combining optical device and optical modulators constituting an optical device body are fixed with insulating pins being interposed. The optical device body includes a base and reinforcing members, supporting surfaces for supporting and fixing the reinforcing members are formed at a heat conductive member constituting the base. The reinforcing members are supported by the supporting surfaces of the heat conductive member, and also support and fix the optical modulators so as to enhance fixing state of the optical modulators relative to the cross dichroic prism. With this arrangement, an optical device as well as a projector, in which the connecting state of the optical modulators relative to the color-combining optical device can be strengthened so as to form a fine optical image without pixel deviation, can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi
  • Patent number: 7118222
    Abstract: An optical device (24) includes: three optical modulators (24A) for modulating respective color lights in accordance with image information; a cross dichroic prism (244) for combining the respective color lights modulated by the optical modulators (24A); a base (247) made of heat-conductive material and fixed to upper and lower faces of the cross dichroic prism (244); an irradiation-side polarization plate (243) having polarization films (243A2 and 243B2) as optical conversion films for converting an optical property of a light beam irradiated by the optical modulators (24A) and substrates (243A1 and 243B1) made of heat-conductive material and provided with the polarization films (243A2 and 243B2) attached thereto; and an irradiation-side retaining plate (246) made of heat-conductive material for supporting and fixing the irradiation-side polarization plate (243). The irradiation-side retaining plate (246) is fixed to a lateral face of the base (247).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masashi Kitabayashi