Patents by Inventor Shinroku Asakawa

Shinroku Asakawa 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: 20230152551
    Abstract: An optical element driving device includes: a fixed portion; an optical element in which liquid is encapsulated between a first end surface and a second end surface opposite to each other and the first end surface is fixed to the fixed portion; a first movable portion supported by the fixed portion and rotatable around an axis of a first rotation shaft; and a second movable portion supported by the first movable portion, rotatable around an axis of a second rotation shaft orthogonal to the first rotation shaft, and fixing the second end surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2022
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventor: Shinroku ASAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20230090603
    Abstract: An image sensor driving device including: a fixed portion; a movable portion that supports an image sensor receiving incident light passing through a lens and is rotatable relative to the fixed portion around a rotation axis passing through a light receiving surface of the image sensor and being orthogonal to the light receiving surface; a fulcrum member arranged on the rotation axis; three support balls arranged to surround a periphery of the fulcrum member; a first urging portion urging the movable portion in a direction of pressing against the fixed portion via the three support balls; a second urging portion pressing by sandwiching the fulcrum member between the fixed portion and the movable portion; and a driving portion rotatively driving the movable portion with respect to the fixed portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventor: Shinroku ASAKAWA
  • Patent number: 10110816
    Abstract: An optical unit with a shake correction function may include a unit with a swing mechanism having an optical module and a swing drive mechanism structured to swing the optical module, a rolling drive mechanism including a magnetic drive mechanism structured to turn the unit with the swing mechanism in a direction different from a swing direction by the swing drive mechanism, a connection member which connects the unit with the swing mechanism with a turning shaft of the rolling drive mechanism, and a support member which supports the rolling drive mechanism. The connection member includes an abutting part integrally turned with the unit with the swing mechanism and the support member includes a position restriction part which restricts a movable range of the abutting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shinroku Asakawa
  • Patent number: 9989832
    Abstract: An optical unit may include a movable module holding an optical element having an optical axis; a fixed body comprising; a support mechanism swingably supporting the movable module; a drive mechanism structured to swing the movable module; and a flexible circuit board connected with the movable module and fixed body. The flexible circuit board may include a leading-out part extending from the movable module on a first side of the optical axis; a first extended part extending from the leading-out part to a second side of the optical axis; a first curved part which is curved from a tip end side of the first extended part toward a rear side; a second extended part extending from the first curved part toward the first side; and a fixed part of the second extended part connected with the fixed body on the first side of optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji Minamisawa, Toshiyuki Karasawa, Shinroku Asakawa, Yoshihiro Hamada, Takeshi Sue
  • Patent number: 9891443
    Abstract: An optical device may include a movable part including a lens; a holding part to hold the movable part; and a drive mechanism to drive the movable part. The holding part may include a case body. The drive mechanism may include a plurality of drive magnets; a plurality of sheet-shaped coils including a coil part; and a flexible printed circuit board including a coil attaching part. A plurality of the sheet-shaped coils may be attached to one face of the coil attaching part. A thickness of the coil attaching part is thinner than the sheet-shaped coil. A width of the coil attaching part may be narrower than a width of the sheet-shaped coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Hamada, Shinroku Asakawa, Tatsuki Wade, Shinji Minamisawa
  • Publication number: 20170353663
    Abstract: An optical unit with a shake correction function may include a unit with a swing mechanism having an optical module and a swing drive mechanism structured to swing the optical module, a rolling drive mechanism including a magnetic drive mechanism structured to turn the unit with the swing mechanism in a direction different from a swing direction by the swing drive mechanism, a connection member which connects the unit with the swing mechanism with a turning shaft of the rolling drive mechanism, and a support member which supports the rolling drive mechanism. The connection member includes an abutting part integrally turned with the unit with the swing mechanism and the support member includes a position restriction part which restricts a movable range of the abutting part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventor: Shinroku ASAKAWA
  • Patent number: 9720252
    Abstract: An optical unit with a shake correction function may include an optical module having a movable body holding an optical element, a support body swingably supporting the movable body around two axial lines perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical element, and a swing drive mechanism structured to be capable of reciprocatedly swinging the movable body with respect to the support body around the two axial lines, and a rolling correction drive mechanism structured to be capable of reciprocatedly turning the optical module around the optical axis. The rolling correction drive mechanism includes a single phase motor in which the number of salient poles of a stator core around which a stator coil is wound is two times of the number of magnetic poles of a rotor magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinroku Asakawa, Mitsuo Yokozawa
  • Patent number: 9664921
    Abstract: An optical unit with a shake correcting function may include a fixed body, a movable body holding an optical element, a swing support point supporting the movable body at a position between a rear end portion of the movable body and the fixed body so that the movable body is swingable, a plate-shaped spring member connected with the fixed body and the movable body on a front side for urging the movable body toward the swing support point, a shake correction drive mechanism for swinging the movable body on the front side, and a stopper mechanism in which a protruded part protruded from one of the fixed body and the movable body is capable of abutting with the other between the shake correction drive mechanism and the swing support point for determining a movable range when the movable body is displaced in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinroku Asakawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Tatsuki Wade
  • Publication number: 20170094174
    Abstract: An imaging device may include a movable body having an optical unit, a support body structured to turnably support the movable body around an axial line of an optical axis of the optical unit or around an axial line parallel to the optical axis, and a turning drive mechanism structured to turn the movable body around the axial line. The support body includes a fixing face for fixing the support body to a moving body in a direction perpendicular the axial line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Inventors: Shinroku ASAKAWA, Mitsuo YOKOZAWA
  • Publication number: 20160231641
    Abstract: An optical unit may include a movable module holding an optical element having an optical axis; a fixed body comprising; a support mechanism swingably supporting the movable module; a drive mechanism structured to swing the movable module; and a flexible circuit board connected with the movable module and fixed body. The flexible circuit board may include a leading-out part extending from the movable module on a first side of the optical axis; a first extended part extending from the leading-out part to a second side of the optical axis; a first curved part which is curved from a tip end side of the first extended part toward a rear side; a second extended part extending from the first curved part toward the first side; and a fixed part of the second extended part connected with the fixed body on the first side of optical axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Inventors: Shinji MINAMISAWA, Toshiyuki KARASAWA, Shinroku ASAKAWA, Yoshihiro HAMADA, Takeshi SUE
  • Publication number: 20160216528
    Abstract: An optical unit with a shake correction function may include an optical module having a movable body holding an optical element, a support body swingably supporting the movable body around two axial lines perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical element, and a swing drive mechanism structured to be capable of reciprocatedly swinging the movable body with respect to the support body around the two axial lines, and a rolling correction drive mechanism structured to be capable of reciprocatedly turning the optical module around the optical axis. The rolling correction drive mechanism includes a single phase motor in which the number of salient poles of a stator core around which a stator coil is wound is two times of the number of magnetic poles of a rotor magnet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Publication date: July 28, 2016
    Inventors: Shinroku ASAKAWA, Mitsuo YOKOZAWA
  • Patent number: 9332188
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an optical unit with camera-shake correction function capable of minimizing the load applied to a movable element from a flexible wiring substrate even when the movable element is oscillated, in order to correct camera shake. In an optical unit provided with a camera-shake correction function, a movable element can be oscillated about an oscillation support point by actuating a drive mechanism for camera-shake correction, and camera shake can therefore be corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi Takei, Shinji Minamisawa, Tatsuki Wade, Shinroku Asakawa
  • Patent number: 9291832
    Abstract: Provided is an optical unit with shake correction function wherein it is possible to accurately swing the movable module even when a flexible wiring substrate is connected to the fixing element and movable module. In an optical unit with shake correction function, folding portions, the extending direction of which is reversed towards the vicinity of the swinging support point of a movable module, are provided at the midway portion of a flexible wiring substrate that is connected to the movable module and to a fixing element. In the folding portions, the overlapping portions of the flexible wiring substrate are fixed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji Minamisawa, Hisahiro Ishihara, Tatsuki Wade, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Shinroku Asakawa, Yoshihiro Hamada, Toshiyuki Karasawa
  • Publication number: 20150370086
    Abstract: An optical device may include a movable part including a lens; a holding part to hold the movable part; and a drive mechanism to drive the movable part. The holding part may include a case body. The drive mechanism may include a plurality of drive magnets; a plurality of sheet-shaped coils including a coil part; and a flexible printed circuit board including a coil attaching part. A plurality of the sheet-shaped coils may be attached to one face of the coil attaching part. A thickness of the coil attaching part is thinner than the sheet-shaped coil. A width of the coil attaching part may be narrower than a width of the sheet-shaped coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2013
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Inventors: Yoshihiro HAMADA, Shinroku ASAKAWA, Tatsuki WADE, Shinji MINAMISAWA
  • Patent number: 9185296
    Abstract: Provided is an optical unit with a blur correction function, wherein even when a photoreflector and a drive mechanism for blur correction are provided in a movable module provided with an optical element, sizes in an optical axis direction and a direction crossing the optical axis direction can be prevented from increasing. In an optical unit (100) with a blur correction function, a drive mechanism (500) for blur correction is provided between the outer peripheral surface of an image capturing unit (1) and a fixed body (200) (upper cover (250)), and a first photoreflector (580) and a second photoreflector (590) are provided between a bottom portion (substrate (15)) of the image capturing unit (1) and the fixed body (200) (lower cover (700)), between which a swing support (180) is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuki Wade, Shinroku Asakawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Toshiyuki Karasawa, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Yoshihiro Hamada, Hayato Naito, Ryoji Komatsu, Hisahiro Ishihara
  • Patent number: 9116361
    Abstract: An optical unit may include a fixed body, a movable module which holds an optical element, a swing support point which swingably supports the movable module, and a shake correction drive mechanism structured to swing the movable module with the swing support point as a swing center. The swing support point may be structured of an abutted portion of two members in an optical axis direction between a bottom part of the movable module and a bottom part of the fixed body. At least one of the two members may be made of elastic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji Minamisawa, Shinroku Asakawa, Tatsuki Wade, Toshiyuki Karasawa, Hisahiro Ishihara
  • Patent number: 9049375
    Abstract: An optical unit may include a fixed body; a movable module which holds an optical element; a swing support point which swingably supports the movable module; a shake correction drive mechanism which swings the movable module with the swing support point as a swing center around two axial lines intersecting an optical axis direction of the optical element between an outer peripheral face of the movable module and the fixed body; a first photo reflector provided between a bottom part of the movable module and the fixed body at a position superposing on one of the two axial lines and that detects displacement of the movable module; and a second photo reflector provided between the bottom part of the movable module and the fixed body at a position superposing on the other of the two axial lines and that detects displacement of the movable module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuki Wade, Shinroku Asakawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Toshiyuki Karasawa, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Yoshihiro Hamada, Hayato Naito, Ryoji Komatsu, Hisahiro Ishihara
  • Publication number: 20150124108
    Abstract: Provided is an optical unit with a blur correction function, wherein even when a photoreflector and a drive mechanism for blur correction are provided in a movable module provided with an optical element, sizes in an optical axis direction and a direction crossing the optical axis direction can be prevented from increasing. In an optical unit (100) with a blur correction function, a drive mechanism (500) for blur correction is provided between the outer peripheral surface of an image capturing unit (1) and a fixed body (200) (upper cover (250)), and a first photoreflector (580) and a second photoreflector (590) are provided between a bottom portion (substrate (15)) of the image capturing unit (1) and the fixed body (200) (lower cover (700)), between which a swing support (180) is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: Tatsuki WADE, Shinroku ASAKAWA, Shinji MINAMISAWA, Toshiyuki KARASAWA, Katsushige YANAGISAWA, Yoshihiro HAMADA, Hayato NAITO, Ryoji KOMATSU, Hisahiro ISHIHARA
  • Patent number: 8860828
    Abstract: An optical unit may include a fixed body; a movable module which holds an optical element; and a shake correction drive mechanism which is structured to generate a drive force for swinging the movable module with respect to the fixed body. The shake correction drive mechanism may include a plurality of permanent magnets which are provided on an outer peripheral face of the movable module at positions separated in a circumferential direction around an optical axis of the optical element; and a sheet-shaped coil which is extended in a circumferential direction in the fixed body and is integrally provided with a plurality of coil parts facing the permanent magnets and a terminal part electrically connected with the coil parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Nidec Sankyo Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuki Wade, Shinroku Asakawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Yoshihiro Hamada
  • Patent number: D833502
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shinroku Asakawa