Patents by Inventor Shinji Obana

Shinji Obana 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: 11831970
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus is capable of decreasing a space capacity occupied by component elements and being downsized compared to a case where an actuator is arranged independently of a supporting unit. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup unit driven by the actuator, a base unit, and the supporting unit provided in a standing manner from the base unit and rotatably supports the image pickup unit. The actuator has a piezoelectric element and an oscillator including a transmission unit which transmits driving force caused by vibration excited by the piezoelectric element. The transmission unit is arranged in the supporting unit so that it is in pressure contact with the image pickup unit. The image pickup unit has a transmitted plane with which the transmission unit is brought into pressure contact, and the vibration excited by the oscillator causes the transmitted plane to move relatively to the oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinji Obana, Ayumu Nemoto
  • Patent number: 11829054
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes an interface unit including a connection unit, a heat transfer unit, a heat dissipation unit, and a fixation member. The connection unit is attachable to an interface terminal of an external apparatus. The fixation member is couplable to a fixation unit of the external apparatus. When the electronic apparatus is attached to the external apparatus, the heat dissipation unit, the heat transfer unit, and the interface unit are arranged in a layered manner in this order and are thermally coupled, and, along therewith, the fixation member is thermally coupled to the heat dissipation unit and the fixation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideaki Momose, Shinji Obana, Kanae Nakamori
  • Patent number: 11815793
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a chassis unit, a movable section rotatably held by the chassis unit, and a circuit board assembly on which circuit components including a tall electronic component are mounted. The chassis unit includes a pan driving unit that drives the movable section, and a pan position detection unit that detects an amount of rotation of the movable section. The chassis unit and the circuit board assembly are arranged such that they are opposed to each other in a first direction perpendicular to an installation surface of the electronic apparatus. The tall electronic component is mounted on a mounting surface, opposed to the chassis unit, of the circuit board assembly, and mounted at a location where in a projection view in the first direction, the tall electronic component does not overlap the pan driving unit and the panning detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinji Obana, Koichi Odagaki
  • Publication number: 20220338379
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes an interface unit including a connection unit, a heat transfer unit, a heat dissipation unit, and a fixation member. The connection unit is attachable to an interface terminal of an external apparatus. The fixation member is couplable to a fixation unit of the external apparatus. When the electronic apparatus is attached to the external apparatus, the heat dissipation unit, the heat transfer unit, and the interface unit are arranged in a layered manner in this order and are thermally coupled, and, along therewith, the fixation member is thermally coupled to the heat dissipation unit and the fixation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2022
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Inventors: Hideaki Momose, Shinji Obana, Kanae Nakamori
  • Publication number: 20220247899
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus is capable of decreasing a space capacity occupied by component elements and being downsized compared to a case where an actuator is arranged independently of a supporting unit. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup unit driven by the actuator, a base unit, and the supporting unit provided in a standing manner from the base unit and rotatably supports the image pickup unit. The actuator has a piezoelectric element and an oscillator including a transmission unit which transmits driving force caused by vibration excited by the piezoelectric element. The transmission unit is arranged in the supporting unit so that it is in pressure contact with the image pickup unit. The image pickup unit has a transmitted plane with which the transmission unit is brought into pressure contact, and the vibration excited by the oscillator causes the transmitted plane to move relatively to the oscillator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Inventors: Shinji Obana, Ayumu Nemoto
  • Patent number: 11330157
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus is capable of decreasing a space capacity occupied by component elements and being downsized compared to a case where an actuator is arranged independently of a supporting unit. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup unit driven by the actuator, a base unit, and the supporting unit provided in a standing manner from the base unit and rotatably supports the image pickup unit. The actuator has a piezoelectric element and an oscillator including a transmission unit which transmits driving force caused by vibration excited by the piezoelectric element. The transmission unit is arranged in the supporting unit so that it is in pressure contact with the image pickup unit. The image pickup unit has a transmitted plane with which the transmission unit is brought into pressure contact, and the vibration excited by the oscillator causes the transmitted plane to move relatively to the oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinji Obana, Ayumu Nemoto
  • Publication number: 20220100060
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a chassis unit, a movable section rotatably held by the chassis unit, and a circuit board assembly on which circuit components including a tall electronic component are mounted. The chassis unit includes a pan driving unit that drives the movable section, and a pan position detection unit that detects an amount of rotation of the movable section. The chassis unit and the circuit board assembly are arranged such that they are opposed to each other in a first direction perpendicular to an installation surface of the electronic apparatus. The tall electronic component is mounted on a mounting surface, opposed to the chassis unit, of the circuit board assembly, and mounted at a location where in a projection view in the first direction, the tall electronic component does not overlap the pan driving unit and the panning detection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: Shinji Obana, Koichi Odagaki
  • Publication number: 20220030150
    Abstract: An electronic device includes an interface unit including a connection portion attachable to an external device by being connected with an interface terminal disposed in the external device, a heat transfer unit, and a heat dissipation unit, wherein the heat transfer unit and the heat dissipation unit are connected with the interface unit, and are in a direction opposite the external device when the interface unit is connected with the external device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Inventors: Shinji Obana, Hideaki Momose, Kanae Nakamori
  • Patent number: 10627703
    Abstract: A downsizable electronic apparatus is provided. A supporting unit supports a driven body and has a shaft portion, and a rotation plate which is arranged coaxially with and perpendicular to the shaft portion and has a sliding surface with the shaft portion at its center and a scale arranged coaxially with the slicing surface and at an outer peripheral side in the rotation plate. A base unit, on which the supporting unit is provided in a standing manner, has a control substrate, an actuator drives the supporting unit and is arranged so as to be brought into pressure contact with the sliding surface, and a position detecting unit detects a rotational position of the supporting unit and reads the scale, and rotatably supports the supporting unit. Wiring drawn from the driven body is inserted into a wiring region and connected to the control substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinji Obana, Ayumu Nemoto
  • Publication number: 20180348595
    Abstract: A downsizable electronic apparatus is provided. A supporting unit supports a driven body and has a shaft portion, and a rotation plate which is arranged coaxially with and perpendicular to the shaft portion and has a sliding surface with the shaft portion at its center and a scale arranged coaxially with the slicing surface and at an outer peripheral side in the rotation plate. A base unit, on which the supporting unit is provided in a standing manner, has a control substrate, an actuator drives the supporting unit and is arranged so as to be brought into pressure contact with the sliding surface, and a position detecting unit detects a rotational position of the supporting unit and reads the scale, and rotatably supports the supporting unit. Wiring drawn from the driven body is inserted into a wiring region and connected to the control substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Shinji Obana, Ayumu Nemoto
  • Publication number: 20180352124
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus is capable of decreasing a space capacity occupied by component elements and being downsized compared to a case where an actuator is arranged independently of a supporting unit. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup unit driven by the actuator, a base unit, and the supporting unit provided in a standing manner from the base unit and rotatably supports the image pickup unit. The actuator has a piezoelectric element and an oscillator including a transmission unit which transmits driving force caused by vibration excited by the piezoelectric element. The transmission unit is arranged in the supporting unit so that it is in pressure contact with the image pickup unit. The image pickup unit has a transmitted plane with which the transmission unit is brought into pressure contact, and the vibration excited by the oscillator causes the transmitted plane to move relatively to the oscillator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Shinji Obana, Ayumu Nemoto
  • Patent number: 9743004
    Abstract: A technique which improves the workability of wrapping an FPC around a shaft, and prevents breakage of the FPC from being caused during wrapping operation. A shaft is supported by an apparatus main unit and is disposed in a center of rotation of a structure. The FPC is wrapped around and held by the shaft using a joining member. The FPC has a wrapping start portion from which wrapping is started, and a wrapping body portion including a wiring portion. The width of the wrapping body portion in a thrust direction of the shaft is larger than the width of the wrapping start portion. An expansion portion is arranged between the wrapping start portion and the wrapping body portion. The width of the expansion portion in the thrust direction continuously expands from the width of the wrapping start portion to that of the wrapping body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinji Obana
  • Patent number: 9591779
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus that prevents a cable included in a coupler accommodated in an accommodating part from being caught between a battery lid and an apparatus body, with a simple construction. The electronic apparatus includes an accommodating part for accommodating a coupler, a battery lid which opens and closes an opening of the accommodating part, and a lock member including a pawl portion which restricts the coupler from being discharged from the accommodating part when the coupler has been accommodated therein. A portion defining the opening of the battery accommodating part is formed with a cutout for routing out the cable. When the coupler is accommodated and the cable has been arranged in the cutout, the pawl portion covers at least part of the cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinji Obana
  • Publication number: 20160073032
    Abstract: A technique which improves the workability of wrapping an FPC around a shaft, and prevents breakage of the FPC from being caused during wrapping operation. A shaft is supported by an apparatus main unit and is disposed in a center of rotation of a structure. The FPC is wrapped around and held by the shaft using a joining member. The FPC has a wrapping start portion from which wrapping is started, and a wrapping body portion including a wiring portion. The width of the wrapping body portion in a thrust direction of the shaft is larger than the width of the wrapping start portion. An expansion portion is arranged between the wrapping start portion and the wrapping body portion. The width of the expansion portion in the thrust direction continuously expands from the width of the wrapping start portion to that of the wrapping body portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventor: Shinji Obana