Patents by Inventor Rentaro Imai

Rentaro Imai 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: 11877067
    Abstract: A shutter apparatus includes a front blade unit and a rear blade unit configured to open and close an opening for exposure control, a front drive member and a rear drive member configured to drive the front blade unit and the rear blade unit between an open position and a closed position of the opening, respectively, a front cam gear and a rear cam gear configured to charge the front drive member and the rear drive member, respectively, a front driving source and a rear driving source connected to and configured to rotate the front cam gear and the rear cam gear, respectively, and a controller configured to control the front driving source and the rear driving source based on an imaging condition so as to change driving times of the front blade unit and the rear blade unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Rentaro Imai, Jun Kawanami, Keisuke Adachi
  • Publication number: 20230382401
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus is provided that executes instructions to acquire surrounding information or external information about a moving object, determine a riding state of a user with respect to the moving object based on the acquired information, determine, based on the user's riding state with respect to the moving object, information to be notified to the user from among the acquired information, and notify the determined information to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Inventor: RENTARO IMAI
  • Publication number: 20230114340
    Abstract: A camera that picks up an image behind a vehicle in order to display an image behind the vehicle on an electronic rear-view mirror and a monitor installed on the vehicle is provided with an optical system configured to have a high resolution region that has a high image-forming magnification and a peripheral region that is formed around the high resolution region and has a lower image-forming magnification than the high resolution region and to form an optical image on an image sensor; and an image pickup means configured to output an image based on an optical image formed on the image sensor, wherein the camera is arranged on the vehicle such that a ground surface that is behind and near the vehicle and the position 80 cm high from the ground surface is included within a second field range in which an image is formed on the image sensor via the second region of the optical system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2022
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Inventor: Rentaro Imai
  • Publication number: 20230095400
    Abstract: A shutter apparatus includes a front blade unit and a rear blade unit configured to open and close an opening for exposure control, a front drive member and a rear drive member configured to drive the front blade unit and the rear blade unit between an open position and a closed position of the opening, respectively, a front cam gear and a rear cam gear configured to charge the front drive member and the rear drive member, respectively, a front driving source and a rear driving source connected to and configured to rotate the front cam gear and the rear cam gear, respectively, and a controller configured to control the front driving source and the rear driving source based on an imaging condition so as to change driving times of the front blade unit and the rear blade unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Inventors: Rentaro Imai, Jun Kawanami, Keisuke Adachi
  • Patent number: 11528425
    Abstract: A shutter apparatus includes a front blade unit and a rear blade unit configured to open and close an opening for exposure control, a front drive member and a rear drive member configured to drive the front blade unit and the rear blade unit between an open position and a closed position of the opening, respectively, a front cam gear and a rear cam gear configured to charge the front drive member and the rear drive member, respectively, a front driving source and a rear driving source connected to and configured to rotate the front cam gear and the rear cam gear, respectively, and a controller configured to control the front driving source and the rear driving source based on an imaging condition so as to change driving times of the front blade unit and the rear blade unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Rentaro Imai, Jun Kawanami, Keisuke Adachi
  • Publication number: 20210306544
    Abstract: A shutter apparatus includes a front blade unit and a rear blade unit configured to open and close an opening for exposure control, a front drive member and a rear drive member configured to drive the front blade unit and the rear blade unit between an open position and a closed position of the opening, respectively, a front cam gear and a rear cam gear configured to charge the front drive member and the rear drive member, respectively, a front driving source and a rear driving source connected to and configured to rotate the front cam gear and the rear cam gear, respectively, and a controller configured to control the front driving source and the rear driving source based on an imaging condition so as to change driving times of the front blade unit and the rear blade unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Rentaro Imai, Jun Kawanami, Keisuke Adachi
  • Patent number: 10708513
    Abstract: A shutter apparatus includes a blade unit configured to open and close an opening used for exposure, a blade moving member configured to move the blade unit between an open position and a closed position of the opening, an urging member configured to urge at least one of the blade unit and the blade moving member in a direction from the closed position to the open position of the opening; and a blade cam member configured to contact the blade moving member as the blade unit moves from the closed position to the open position of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Rentaro Imai
  • Publication number: 20190199903
    Abstract: A shutter apparatus includes a blade unit configured to open and close an opening used for exposure, a blade moving member configured to move the blade unit between an open position and a closed position of the opening, an urging member configured to urge at least one of the blade unit and the blade moving member in a direction from the closed position to the open position of the opening; and a blade cam member configured to contact the blade moving member as the blade unit moves from the closed position to the open position of the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventor: Rentaro Imai
  • Patent number: 9733548
    Abstract: The focal-plane shutter includes a blade drive member, an acceleration member providing a driving force to the drive member, and a lock member reducing bounce of the drive member after blade movement completion and being movable between a first position where a stopper portion thereof enters a movable area of a contact portion of the drive member and a second position where the stopper portion is located outside the movable area. During the blade movement, the contact portion pushes the lock member to move it from the first to second position. Before the blade movement completion, the contact portion is away from the lock member and thereby the lock member is moved from the second to first position by a biasing force. After the completion, the acceleration member pushes the lock member to move it from the first to second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rentaro Imai, Toru Kawashima
  • Publication number: 20160299407
    Abstract: The focal-plane shutter includes a blade drive member, an acceleration member providing a driving force to the drive member, and a lock member reducing bounce of the drive member after blade movement completion and being movable between a first position where a stopper portion thereof enters a movable area of a contact portion of the drive member and a second position where the stopper portion is located outside the movable area. During the blade movement, the contact portion pushes the lock member to move it from the first to second position. Before the blade movement completion, the contact portion is away from the lock member and thereby the lock member is moved from the second to first position by a biasing force. After the completion, the acceleration member pushes the lock member to move it from the first to second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventors: Rentaro Imai, Toru Kawashima
  • Patent number: 8596893
    Abstract: When a blade drive spring has been overcharged when a second cam gear has caused a drive lever to move to a position beyond a position of attraction of an armature by a yoke, a blade lever does not contact the drive lever even if the blade lever has been driven in a direction of opening an aperture by a first blade and a second blade with an urging force of a blade return spring. When the second cam gear has moved to the attraction position form the overcharged position, the blade lever contacts the drive lever before the yoke starts attracting the armature by the attractive force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nishio, Rentaro Imai
  • Publication number: 20120128345
    Abstract: When a blade drive spring has been overcharged when a second cam gear has caused a drive lever to move to a position beyond a position of attraction of an armature by a yoke, a blade lever does not contact the drive lever even if the blade lever has been driven in a direction of opening an aperture by a first blade and a second blade with an urging force of a blade return spring. When the second cam gear has moved to the attraction position form the overcharged position, the blade lever contacts the drive lever before the yoke starts attracting the armature by the attractive force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Nishio, Rentaro Imai