Patents by Inventor Taro Kato

Taro Kato 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: 20150285955
    Abstract: A convex lens has surfaces including a flat surface and a projecting surface, and an anti-reflection structure configured to cover the projecting surface are included. The anti-reflection structure includes a first anti-reflection structure on the first end side, which is one of two end points of the line segment located nearer to the orthogonal projection of the apex than to the center point thereof, and a second anti-reflection structure on a second end side, which is one of the two end points of the line segment located nearer to the center point than to the orthogonal projection of the apex. A light transmittance of the second anti-reflection structure is greater than a light transmittance of the first anti-reflection structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2015
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Inventors: Yasushi Iwakura, Taro Kato, Mayu Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 9140603
    Abstract: A member for light path to a photoelectric conversion portion includes a middle portion, and a peripheral portion having a refractive index different from the refractive index of the middle portion, and within some plane in parallel with the light receiving surface of a photoelectric conversion portion, and within other plane closer to the light receiving surface than the some plane in parallel with the light receiving surface, the peripheral portion is continuous with the middle portion and surrounds the middle portion, and also the refractive index of the peripheral portion is higher than the refractive index of an insulator film, and the thickness of the peripheral portion within the other plane is smaller than the thickness of the peripheral portion within the some plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Taro Kato, Tadashi Sawayama, Hiroshi Ikakura
  • Patent number: 9093345
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising a semiconductor layer, a first region on a side of a first surface of the semiconductor layer, and a second region on a side of a second surface of the semiconductor layer, wherein photoelectric conversion portions are arrayed in the semiconductor layer, lens portions are arrayed in the first region, and an interconnection pattern and reflection portions are arrayed in the second region, in one of pixels of the apparatus, the apparatus has a structure in which sectional areas, on the second surface and on a reflection surface of the reflection portion, of the light beam traveling from the photoelectric conversion portion, are larger than a sectional area, in a portion between the photoelectric conversion portion and the reflection portion, of the light beam traveling from the photoelectric conversion portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Taro Kato, Hiroaki Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20150179700
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a solid-state image pickup device is provided. The image pickup apparatus includes a photoelectric conversion portion disposed on the semiconductor substrate, a first insulating film over the photoelectric conversion portion, functioning as an antireflection film, a second insulating film on the first insulating film, disposed corresponding to the photoelectric conversion portion, and a waveguide having a clad and a core whose bottom is disposed on the second insulating film. The method includes forming an opening by anisotropically etching part of a member disposed over the photoelectric conversion portion, thereby forming the clad, and forming the core in the opening. In the method, the etching is performed under conditions where the etching rate of the second insulating film is lower than the etching rate of the member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Publication date: June 25, 2015
    Inventors: Takehito Okabe, Kentarou Suzuki, Takashi Usui, Taro Kato, Mineo Shimotsusa, Shunsuke Takimoto
  • Patent number: 9011121
    Abstract: A device that enhances compressor efficiency by reducing pressure losses in a discharge muffler space into which is discharged a refrigerant compressed by a compression unit. A low-stage discharge muffler space is formed in the shape of a ring around a drive shaft. In the low-stage discharge muffler space, a communication port flow guide is provided so as to cover a predetermined area of an opening of a communication port from a side of a flow path in a reverse direction out of two flow paths in different directions around the drive shaft from a discharge port through which is discharged the refrigerant compressed by a low-stage compression unit to the communication port through which the refrigerant flows out. The communication port flow guide transforms a direction of a flow into a direction of a connecting flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuhide Yokoyama, Raito Kawamura, Kei Sasaki, Shin Sekiya, Taro Kato, Masao Tani, Atsuyoshi Fukaya, Takeshi Fushiki
  • Patent number: 8987852
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a solid-state image pickup device is provided. The image pickup apparatus includes a photoelectric conversion portion disposed on the semiconductor substrate, a first insulating film over the photoelectric conversion portion, functioning as an antireflection film, a second insulating film on the first insulating film, disposed corresponding to the photoelectric conversion portion, and a waveguide having a clad and a core whose bottom is disposed on the second insulating film. The method includes forming an opening by anisotropically etching part of a member disposed over the photoelectric conversion portion, thereby forming the clad, and forming the core in the opening. In the method, the etching is performed under conditions where the etching rate of the second insulating film is lower than the etching rate of the member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takehito Okabe, Kentarou Suzuki, Taskashi Usui, Taro Kato, Mineo Shimotsusa, Shunsuke Takimoto
  • Publication number: 20150052936
    Abstract: A sealed compressor includes a centrifugal impeller above a rotor to synchronously rotate. A refrigerant rises through a rotor air hole, flows in an upper space, and flows out from a discharge pipe. The centrifugal impeller includes an oil separation plate on the rotor, and plural vanes standing on the oil separation plate, and forms inter-vane flow passages between adjacent vanes, and a vane inner flow passage that guides refrigerant from the rotor air hole to inner entrances of the inter-vane flow passages. Outer exits of the inter-vane flow passages are disposed along an entire circumference, and refrigerant increased in pressure while passing through the inter-vane flow passages flows out from the outer exits to the upper space. The oil separation plate closes a short-circuit passage through which the refrigerant directly flows from the vane inner flow passages to the discharge pipe without passing through the inter-vane flow passages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2013
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuhide Yokoyama, Shogo Moroe, Yoshinori Shirafuji, Teruhiko Nishiki, Taro Kato, Hideaki Maeyama, Hiroki Nagasawa, Keisuke Shingu
  • Patent number: 8885082
    Abstract: A solid-state image sensor has a plurality of pixel units, each pixel unit including a plurality of pixels, and a charge-voltage converter shared by the plurality of pixels. The sensor includes a structural portion including a plurality of wiring layers, an interlayer insulating film, and light waveguides configured by embedding, in portions of the interlayer insulating film located above the photoelectric converters, a material having a refractive index higher than that of the interlayer insulating film. A dummy pattern is formed in the structural portion to reduce a difference between a sensitivity of a first pixel and that of a second pixel, which is produced by a difference between a structure in a periphery of the light waveguide arranged above the photoelectric converter of the first pixel and that of the second pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Noda, Koichiro Iwata, Takeshi Akiyama, Taro Kato, Yoichi Wada
  • Patent number: 8878115
    Abstract: A light condensing member focuses light, which is incident upon a first area of the light condensing member corresponding to an opening portion of an insulation film, in an upper portion region of a light path member arranged within the opening portion, the insulation film having an upper face extending from the opening portion, and the light path member having a lower face in a region corresponding to a light receiving face of an photoelectric conversion portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mineo Shimotsusa, Taro Kato, Yasuhiro Sekine, Mahito Shinohara, Takeshi Ichikawa, Genzo Momma
  • Publication number: 20140306309
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a semiconductor substrate having a photoelectric conversion portion. An insulator is provided on the semiconductor substrate. The insulator has a hole corresponding to the photoelectric conversion portion. A waveguide member is provided in the hole. An in-layer lens is provided on a side of the waveguide member farther from the semiconductor substrate. A first intermediate member is provided between the waveguide member and the in-layer lens. The first intermediate member has a lower refractive index than the in-layer lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Inventors: Taro Kato, Mineo Shimotsusa, Hiroaki Sano, Takeshi Ichikawa, Yasuhiro Sekine, Mahito Shinohara, Genzo Momma
  • Publication number: 20140246569
    Abstract: A member for light path to a photoelectric conversion portion includes a middle portion, and a peripheral portion having a refractive index different from the refractive index of the middle portion, and within some plane in parallel with the light receiving surface of a photoelectric conversion portion, and within other plane closer to the light receiving surface than the some plane in parallel with the light receiving surface, the peripheral portion is continuous with the middle portion and surrounds the middle portion, and also the refractive index of the peripheral portion is higher than the refractive index of an insulator film, and the thickness of the peripheral portion within the other plane is smaller than the thickness of the peripheral portion within the some plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Taro Kato, Tadashi Sawayama, Hiroshi Ikakura
  • Patent number: 8817144
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a semiconductor substrate having a photoelectric conversion portion. An insulator is provided on the semiconductor substrate. The insulator has a hole corresponding to the photoelectric conversion portion. A waveguide member is provided in the hole. An in-layer lens is provided on a side of the waveguide member farther from the semiconductor substrate. A first intermediate member is provided between the waveguide member and the in-layer lens. The first intermediate member has a lower refractive index than the in-layer lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Taro Kato, Mineo Shimotsusa, Hiroaki Sano, Takeshi Ichikawa, Yasuhiro Sekine, Mahito Shinohara, Genzo Momma
  • Patent number: 8790097
    Abstract: A refrigerant compressor that enhances compressor efficiency by both reducing an amplitude of pressure pulsations and reducing pressure losses in a discharge muffler space into which is discharged a refrigerant compressed at a compression unit. A low-stage discharge muffler space is formed in the shape of a ring around a drive shaft. In the low-stage discharge muffler space, a discharge port rear guide is provided in the proximity of a discharge port through which is discharged the refrigerant compressed by a low-stage compression unit. The discharge port rear guide is provided at a flow path in one direction out of two flow paths from the discharge port to a communication port in different directions around the drive shaft, and prevents the refrigerant from flowing in that direction, thereby causing the refrigerant to circulate in a forward direction in the ring-shaped discharge muffler space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuhide Yokoyama, Toshihide Koda, Shin Sekiya, Kei Sasaki, Raito Kawamura, Taro Kato, Atsuyoshi Fukaya, Takeshi Fushiki, Hideaki Maeyama, Masao Tani
  • Patent number: 8773558
    Abstract: A member for light path to a photoelectric conversion portion includes a middle portion, and a peripheral portion having a refractive index different from the refractive index of the middle portion, and within some plane in parallel with the light receiving surface of a photoelectric conversion portion, and within other plane closer to the light receiving surface than the some plane in parallel with the light receiving surface, the peripheral portion is continuous with the middle portion and surrounds the middle portion, and also the refractive index of the peripheral portion is higher than the refractive index of an insulator film, and the thickness of the peripheral portion within the other plane is smaller than the thickness of the peripheral portion within the some plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Taro Kato, Tadashi Sawayama, Hiroshi Ikakura
  • Patent number: 8753098
    Abstract: A refrigerant compressor includes: an electric motor including a stator and rotor inside a sealed vessel; a compressing mechanism driven by a crank shaft in the rotor; a lower portion oil pool storing in the sealed vessel lubricating oil that lubricates the compressing mechanism; an upper counterweight on an upper end of the rotor. Refrigerant gas compressed by the compressing mechanism is discharged inside the sealed vessel, passes through a gas channel formed on the electric motor, moves from a lower space to an upper space with respect to the electric motor, and is discharged outside the sealed vessel. An oil return flow channel is formed on the upper end of the rotor toward a lower end from a vicinity of a leading end portion of the upper counterweight in a direction of rotation, and oil expressed in a vicinity of the rotor is directed to the oil return flow channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuhide Yokoyama, Toshihide Koda, Teruhiko Nishiki, Hideaki Maeyama, Taro Kato, Keisuke Shingu, Takuho Hirahara, Shin Sekiya
  • Publication number: 20140154116
    Abstract: A scroll compressor has an electric motor portion, a compression mechanism portion connected to the electric motor portion, and an oil sump for lubricating oil in a sealed container and compresses a refrigerant in the compression mechanism portion. A used refrigerant is a halogenated hydrocarbon or a hydrocarbon having a carbon double bond in the composition or is a mixture containing one of the same. A sliding surface of at least one of two components constituting a sliding portion having a relation of sliding to each other in a sealed container is structured in such a way that an iron metal or an aluminum metal is not directly exposed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fumihiko ISHIZONO, Hideaki MAEYAMA, Takeshi FUSHIKI, Taro KATO
  • Publication number: 20140145287
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a first pixel having a first color filter, a first reflection region which reflects light from the first color filter, and a first photoelectric conversion portion arranged in a semiconductor layer and located between the first color filter and the first reflection region, and a second pixel including a second color filter, a second reflection region which reflects light from the second color filter, and a second photoelectric conversion portion arranged in the semiconductor layer and located between the second color filter and the second reflection region. Wavelength corresponding to a maximum transmittance of the first color filter is shorter than wavelength corresponding to a maximum transmittance of the second color filter. An area of the first reflection region is smaller than area of the second reflection region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2012
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Taro Kato
  • Publication number: 20140117481
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising a semiconductor layer, a first region on a side of a first surface of the semiconductor layer, and a second region on a side of a second surface of the semiconductor layer, wherein photoelectric conversion portions are arrayed in the semiconductor layer, lens portions are arrayed in the first region, and an interconnection pattern and reflection portions are arrayed in the second region, in one of pixels of the apparatus, the apparatus has a structure in which sectional areas, on the second surface and on a reflection surface of the reflection portion, of the light beam traveling from the photoelectric conversion portion, are larger than a sectional area, in a portion between the photoelectric conversion portion and the reflection portion, of the light beam traveling from the photoelectric conversion portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Taro Kato, Hiroaki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 8672646
    Abstract: A scroll compressor has an electric motor portion, a compression mechanism portion connected to the electric motor portion, and an oil sump for lubricating oil in a sealed container and compresses a refrigerant in the compression mechanism portion. A used refrigerant is a halogenated hydrocarbon or a hydrocarbon having a carbon double bond in the composition or is a mixture containing one of the same. A sliding surface of at least one of two components constituting a sliding portion having a relation of sliding to each other in a sealed container is structured in such a way that an iron metal or an aluminum metal is not directly exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Fumihiko Ishizono, Hideaki Maeyama, Takeshi Fushiki, Taro Kato
  • Patent number: 8670051
    Abstract: A solid-state image sensor includes first-color pixels and second-color pixels, each of the first-color pixels including a first antireflection film and a first color filter, and each of the second-color pixels including a second antireflection film and a second color filter, wherein the solid-state image sensor satisfies T1(?12)?0.95·Tmax1, and T2(?12)?0.95·Tmax2 where ?1 represents a wavelength at which a transmittance of the first color filter is maximized, ?2 represents a wavelength at which a transmittance of the second color filter is maximized, and ?12 represents a central wavelength between wavelengths ?1 and ?2, T1(?) and T2(?) respectively represent transmittances of the first antireflection film and the second antireflection film when a wavelength is represented by ?, and Tmax1 and Tmax2 represent maximum values of the transmittances T1(?) and T2(?), respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taro Kato