Patents by Inventor Tadashi Minobe

Tadashi Minobe 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: 10270944
    Abstract: An image capturing device (1) includes: a microlens array (33) including a plurality of micro condenser lenses (34) arranged at a focal position of an imaging optical system for forming a plurality of erect equal-magnification images; and an imaging unit (31) including light-sensitive pixels (32x) provided at positions corresponding to the micro condenser lenses 34. Micro condenser lenses (34) have refractive powers to condense, among light rays incident from the imaging optical system, light rays incident at an incident angle within a predetermined limited angle range, onto positions different from positions on which light rays incident at an incident angle outside the limited angle range are incident. Effective light-sensitive regions of the light-sensitive pixels (32x) receive only light rays incident at an incident angle within the limited angle range among light rays entered micro condenser lenses (32).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kawano, Kosaku Yamagata, Tadashi Minobe, Tatsuya Kunieda, Masatoshi Kodama
  • Publication number: 20190052776
    Abstract: An image capturing device (1) includes: a microlens array (33) including a plurality of micro condenser lenses (34) arranged at a focal position of an imaging optical system for forming a plurality of erect equal-magnification images; and an imaging unit (31) including light-sensitive pixels (32x) provided at positions corresponding to the micro condenser lenses 34. Micro condenser lenses (34) have refractive powers to condense, among light rays incident from the imaging optical system, light rays incident at an incident angle within a predetermined limited angle range, onto positions different from positions on which light rays incident at an incident angle outside the limited angle range are incident. Effective light-sensitive regions of the light-sensitive pixels (32x) receive only light rays incident at an incident angle within the limited angle range among light rays entered micro condenser lenses (32).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki KAWANO, Kosaku YAMAGATA, Tadashi MINOBE, Tatsuya KUNIEDA, Masatoshi KODAMA
  • Patent number: 9936098
    Abstract: Image processors are provided for respective groups formed by grouping of images, the order of which is sequential when images respectively having overlapping portions corresponding to the same portion of an object are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other, and concurrently perform processing to detect combining-position information for combining an image in a group and an image adjacent to the image without any positional displacement by image-matching. The combining-position information between images belonging to different groups is respectively transferred, via combination-information transferring paths, between the image processors and between the image processors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kosaku Yamagata, Tadashi Minobe, Satoshi Yamanaka, Masako Asamura, Yoshitaka Toyoda
  • Publication number: 20180007232
    Abstract: Image processors are provided for respective groups formed by grouping of images, the order of which is sequential when images respectively having overlapping portions corresponding to the same portion of an object are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other, and concurrently perform processing to detect combining-position information for combining an image in a group and an image adjacent to the image without any positional displacement by image-matching. The combining-position information between images belonging to different groups is respectively transferred, via combination-information transferring paths, between the image processors and between the image processors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kosaku YAMAGATA, Tadashi MINOBE, Satoshi YAMANAKA, Masako ASAMURA, Yoshitaka TOYODA
  • Patent number: 9641714
    Abstract: A light guide including a light scattering portion that reflects light guided inside the light guide, and a light emitting surface portion emitting light reflected by the light scattering portion to outside the light guide. A light emitting surface portion includes first and second light emitting surface portions, the first light emitting surface portion has a longer circumferential length than that of the second light emitting surface portion in the transversal cross section, and circumference curvature of the first light emitting surface portion in the transversal cross section increases away from the second light emitting surface portion. A normal line to the light scattering portion, passing through the center of the light scattering portion in the transversal cross section, intersects with the first light emitting surface portion, at a point at a near side to the second light emitting surface portion in the transversal cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Taku Matsuzawa, Kosaku Yamagata, Tadashi Minobe, Yasuhiro Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kawano
  • Patent number: 9407217
    Abstract: When a switch is set to off, and a switch is set to on, the voltage of a SigOut terminal is stabilized with a reference voltage, and a bias voltage is applied to a capacitor. Changing the switch from on to off, with the bias voltage retained in the capacitor, a detection signal which is input via a SigIn terminal is amplified with the reference voltage as a reference, and an amplified signal is output from the SigOut terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Miki Kagano, Kazuya Makabe, Tomokazu Ogomi, Takahito Nakanishi, Tadashi Minobe, Takashi Ito
  • Patent number: 9264572
    Abstract: An image reading device including: concave first lens mirrors that are arranged in an array shape along a main scanning direction and that collimate scattered light reflected by an irradiated object and reflect the scattered light as a substantially parallel bundle of rays that are angled in a sub-scanning direction; planar mirrors that reflect light from the first lens mirrors; apertures that are arranged in an array shape and that allow light from the planar mirrors to pass through by way of openings that are arranged in an array shape and that are light-shielded therearound for selectively allowing light to pass through; concave second lens mirrors that are arranged in an array shape into which light from the apertures is incident and that reflect the light from the apertures as converged light; and light receivers that have light receiving areas on which light from the second lens mirrors is incident and that form images that correspond to light from the openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Minobe, Takahito Nakanishi, Seiichi Matsumura, Tetsuo Funakura, Hiroyuki Kawano, Tatsuki Okamoto, Taku Matsuzawa, Yasunori Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20160014294
    Abstract: A light guide including a light scattering portion that reflects light guided inside the light guide, and a light emitting surface portion emitting light reflected by the light scattering portion to outside the light guide. A light emitting surface portion includes first and second light emitting surface portions, the first light emitting surface portion has a longer circumferential length than that of the second light emitting surface portion in the transversal cross section, and circumference curvature of the first light emitting surface portion in the transversal cross section increases away from the second light emitting surface portion. A normal line to the light scattering portion, passing through the center of the light scattering portion in the transversal cross section, intersects with the first light emitting surface portion, at a point at a near side to the second light emitting surface portion in the transversal cross section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Taku MATSUZAWA, Kosaku YAMAGATA, Tadashi MINOBE, Yasuhiro NAKAMURA, Hiroyuki KAWANO
  • Patent number: 9167121
    Abstract: A lighting unit is provided with: LED arrays in which light-emitting elements are positioned in an array in a main scanning direction; cylindrical parabolic mirrors that project light emitted from the LED arrays on an illumination region of an illuminated item; and a housing that houses or holds the LED arrays and the cylindrical parabolic mirrors. Each cylindrical parabolic mirror forms a shape in which a cylindrical paraboloid having curvature with respect to a sub-scanning direction has been clipped by an axial plane that is perpendicular to the vertex of the cylindrical paraboloid in the main scanning direction. The LED arrays are positioned so as to include the focal position of the cylindrical paraboloid in the light-emitting region, the central axis in the light-emitting direction being perpendicular to the axial plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuki Okamoto, Taku Matsuzawa, Tadashi Minobe, Takahito Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 8982430
    Abstract: A lighting unit includes LED chips positioned in an array form in a main scanning direction on LED substrates. Cylindrical parabolic mirrors each form a shape in which a cylindrical paraboloid having curvature with respect to an sub-scanning direction has been clipped by an axial plane that is perpendicular to the vertex of the cylindrical paraboloid in the main scanning direction, and project light emitted from the light source on an illumination area of an illuminated item. Each cylindrical parabolic mirror includes an anchoring section that is provided at the vertex of the cylindrical paraboloid, and extends from the vertex in an outside direction of the cylindrical paraboloid. Heat-radiating plates each have a contact section that is in contact with the LED substrate, and a non-contact section. Each LED substrate is interposed between the contact section of the heat-radiating plate and the anchoring section of the cylindrical parabolic mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuki Okamoto, Taku Matsuzawa, Tadashi Minobe, Takahito Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20140376065
    Abstract: A lighting unit includes LED chips positioned in an array form in a main scanning direction on LED substrates. Cylindrical parabolic mirrors each form a shape in which a cylindrical paraboloid having curvature with respect to an sub-scanning direction has been clipped by an axial plane that is perpendicular to the vertex of the cylindrical paraboloid in the main scanning direction, and project light emitted from the light source on an illumination area of an illuminated item. Each cylindrical parabolic mirror includes an anchoring section that is provided at the vertex of the cylindrical paraboloid, and extends from the vertex in an outside direction of the cylindrical paraboloid. Heat-radiating plates each have a contact section that is in contact with the LED substrate, and a non-contact section. Each LED substrate is interposed between the contact section of the heat-radiating plate and the anchoring section of the cylindrical parabolic mirror.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuki Okamoto, Taku Matsuzawa, Tadashi Minobe, Takahito Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20140293372
    Abstract: A lighting unit is provided with: LED arrays in which light-emitting elements are positioned in an array in a main scanning direction; cylindrical parabolic mirrors that project light emitted from the LED arrays on an illumination region of an illuminated item; and a housing that houses or holds the LED arrays and the cylindrical parabolic mirrors. Each cylindrical parabolic mirror forms a shape in which a cylindrical paraboloid having curvature with respect to a sub-scanning direction has been clipped by an axial plane that is perpendicular to the vertex of the cylindrical paraboloid in the main scanning direction. The LED arrays are positioned so as to include the focal position of the cylindrical paraboloid in the light-emitting region, the central axis in the light-emitting direction being perpendicular to the axial plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuki Okamoto, Taku Matsuzawa, Tadashi Minobe, Takahito Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20140246570
    Abstract: An image reading device including: concave first lens mirrors that are arranged in an array shape along a main scanning direction and that collimate scattered light reflected by an irradiated object and reflect the scattered light as a substantially parallel bundle of rays that are angled in a sub-scanning direction; planar mirrors that reflect light from the first lens mirrors; apertures that are arranged in an array shape and that allow light from the planar mirrors to pass through by way of openings that are arranged in an array shape and that are light-shielded therearound for selectively allowing light to pass through; concave second lens mirrors that are arranged in an array shape into which light from the apertures is incident and that reflect the light from the apertures as converged light; and light receivers that have light receiving areas on which light from the second lens mirrors is incident and that form images that correspond to light from the openings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Minobe, Takahito Nakanishi, Seiichi Matsumura, Tetsuo Funakura, Hiroyuki Kawano, Tatsuki Okamoto, Taku Matsuzawa, Yasunori Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20140197828
    Abstract: When a switch is set to off, and a switch is set to on, the voltage of a SigOut terminal is stabilized with a reference voltage, and a bias voltage is applied to a capacitor. Changing the switch from on to off, with the bias voltage retained in the capacitor, a detection signal which is input via a SigIn terminal is amplified with the reference voltage as a reference, and an amplified signal is output from the SigOut terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Publication date: July 17, 2014
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Miki Kagano, Kazuya Makabe, Tomokazu Ogomi, Takahito Nakanishi, Tadashi Minobe, Takashi Ito
  • Patent number: 8711442
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus having a large depth of field and being compact in size. The image reading apparatus includes a light source, an imaging optics system, an image pickup device unit, a memory, and a processor. The imaging optics system has a plurality of cells each being an independent optics system arranged in a main scanning direction, and arranged in two rows in a sub-scanning direction. In each of the cells, a first reflective light-gathering optical element, a first plane mirror, an aperture, and a second reflective light-gathering optical element are arranged in this order from a document, and the aperture is arranged at the back focal point position of the first reflective light-gathering optical element to form a telecentric optics system at the side of the document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kawano, Taku Matsuzawa, Tatsuki Okamoto, Tadashi Minobe, Tatsuya Kunieda
  • Publication number: 20130155472
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus having a large depth of field and being compact in size. The image reading apparatus includes a light source, an imaging optics system, an image pickup device unit, a memory, and a processor. The imaging optics system has a plurality of cells each being an independent optics system arranged in a main scanning direction, and arranged in two rows in a sub-scanning direction. In each of the cells, a first reflective light-gathering optical element, a first plane mirror, an aperture, and a second reflective light-gathering optical element are arranged in this order from a document, and the aperture is arranged at the back focal point position of the first reflective light-gathering optical element to form a telecentric optics system at the side of the document.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki KAWANO, Taku MATSUZAWA, Tatsuki OKAMOTO, Tadashi MINOBE, Tatsuya KUNIEDA
  • Patent number: 8228566
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a light source, an imaging optics system, an image pickup device unit, a memory, and a processor. The imaging optics system condenses scattered light reflected on an object to be imaged to form condensed light as an image. The imaging optics system includes plural cells arranged in a main scanning direction and each of which is an independent imaging optics system. Each of the cells includes a telecentric optics system at the document side. Two rows of cells are arranged in a sub-scanning direction. The cells in the rows are arranged zigzag in the main scanning direction to complement a formed image by the cells in the sub-scanning direction. The image pickup device unit is arranged to correspond to each cell. The processor can form a document image by reconstructing and combining image information stored in the memory into an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kawano, Tatsuki Okamoto, Tadashi Minobe, Tatsuya Kunieda, Akiko Fujiuchi
  • Patent number: 8107138
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus having a large depth of focus (DOF) and being compact in size is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Minobe, Hiroyuki Kawano, Izumi Mikami, Takafumi Endo
  • Publication number: 20110096376
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus having a large depth of focus (DOF) and being compact in size is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2011
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tadashi MINOBE, Hiroyuki KAWANO, Izumi MIKAMI, Takafumi ENDO
  • Publication number: 20110038019
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a light source, an imaging optics system, an image pickup device unit, a memory, and a processor. The imaging optics system condenses scattered light reflected on an object to be imaged to form condensed light as an image. The imaging optics system includes plural cells arranged in a main scanning direction and each of which is an independent imaging optics system. Each of the cells includes a telecentric optics system at the document side. Two rows of cells are arranged in a sub-scanning direction. The cells in the rows are arranged zigzag in the main scanning direction to complement a formed image by the cells in the sub-scanning direction. The image pickup device unit is arranged to correspond to each cell. The processor can form a document image by reconstructing and combining image information stored in the memory into an image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI CORPORATION CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kawano, Tatsuki Okamoto, Tadashi Minobe, Tatsuya Kunieda, Akiko Fujiuchi