Patents by Inventor Tsutomu Arai

Tsutomu Arai 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: 11927826
    Abstract: An optical unit according to one embodiment including: a reflection portion which reflects an incident light flux, which is made incident from outside, in a reflection direction toward an imaging element from an incident direction; a movable body provided with the reflection portion; a fixed body; a movable mechanism which allows the movable body to move relative to the fixed body; a gimbal mechanism provided with a first support portion which supports the movable body swingably about a first axis; and a bearing mechanism which supports the gimbal mechanism swingably relative to the fixed body about a second axis intersecting the first axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu Arai, Takeshi Sue
  • Publication number: 20230384612
    Abstract: In an optical unit with a shake correction function, a cylindrical holder having an inner peripheral side on which a camera module is fixed is composed of metal. In the optical unit with a shake correction function, a case-side protrusion projecting toward the inner peripheral side of a cylindrical case surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the holder is formed on the inner peripheral side of the case. When a movable body moves relative to a fixed body while the optical axis of a camera module tilts the most, portions of the holder farther inside in the optical axis direction than edges formed on the outer peripheral surface of the holder before the edges come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: NIDEC INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu ARAI, Takeshi SUE, Shinji MINAMISAWA
  • Publication number: 20230384567
    Abstract: An optical unit includes a prism that is formed to have a triangular pole shape and a prism holder to which the prism is fixed by an adhesive. An incident surface on which the light from an outside enters, a reflection surface that reflects light that enters through the incident surface, and an emitting surface through which light reflected on the reflection surface is emitted are formed on the prism. A contact surface to which the reflection surface of the prism contacts, and an adhesive hole in which an adhesive that adheres to the reflection surface of the prism to fix the prism to the prism holder is disposed are formed in the prism holder. The adhesive hole passes through the prism holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: NIDEC INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu ARAI, Takeshi Sue
  • Publication number: 20230224589
    Abstract: In an optical unit with a shake correction function, a frame-shaped holder to which a camera module is fixed to an inner periphery being structured of a metal portion formed of a metal material, and a resin portion formed of a resin material and integrated with the metal portion by insert molding. The metal portion includes magnet fixing portions formed of a magnetic material and to which a driving magnet is fixed, and spherical body contact portions in contact with a spherical body made of metal and serving as a fulcrum for pivotal movement of the holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2023
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji MINAMISAWA, Tsutomu Arai, Takeshi Sue
  • Patent number: 11656477
    Abstract: An optical unit with a shake correction function includes a movable body having an optical element, a swing support mechanism swingably supporting the movable body, a fixed body supporting the movable body through the swing support mechanism, and a magnetic drive mechanism structured to swing the movable body. The magnetic drive mechanism includes a coil fixed to one of the movable body and the fixed body, and a magnet fixed to the other of the movable body and the fixed body. The swing support mechanism includes a first plate spring connecting an end part of the movable body on one side in an optical axis direction with the fixed body, and a second plate spring connecting the other end part of the movable body in the optical axis direction with the fixed body. The magnet and the coil are disposed between the first plate spring and the second plate spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi Sue, Shinji Minamisawa, Tsutomu Arai
  • Patent number: 11640041
    Abstract: An optical unit includes: a reflection portion that reflects an incident light flux incident from outside on a reflection surface in a reflection direction from an incident direction toward an imaging element; a movable body having the reflection portion and a holder supporting the reflection portion; a fixed body; a rotation support mechanism that causes the movable body to rotate with respect to the fixed body with an axial direction as a rotation axis; and a drive mechanism having a magnet and a coil and causing the movable body to rotate with respect to the fixed body. The magnet is provided at a position not contacting the reflection portion in the holder and on a back side of the reflection surface, and has a parallel surface parallel to the reflection surface. The coil is provided at a position opposing the magnet in the fixed body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu Arai, Shogo Kasahara, Takeshi Sue
  • Patent number: 11630320
    Abstract: An optical assembly includes a movable body that includes an optical module, a frame body radially outward of the movable body, and support portions that swingably support the movable body with respect to the frame body. Each of the support portions includes a guide portion between the movable body and the frame body to support the movable body, and a preload portion that pushes the guide portion toward the movable body. A radially inner end portion of the preload portion is connected to a radially outer end portion of the guide portion. A radially outer end portion of the preload portion is supported by the frame body. One of the movable body and the guide portion includes a first convex surface, and the other includes a first concave surface in contact with the first convex surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Sazai, Tomohiro Egawa, Takayuki Iwase, Genki Tanaka, Tsutomu Arai, Shinji Minamisawa, Takeshi Sue
  • Patent number: 11627663
    Abstract: An optical unit includes a movable body including an optical module, a fixed body, a support mechanism, a flexible printed circuit board, and a fixing part. The fixing part is superposed on a bent part formed by bending the flexible printed circuit board. At least a part of the fixing part is fixed to the bent part of the flexible printed circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soichiro Kimura, Tomohiro Egawa, Genki Tanaka, Shinri Ono, Tsungting Hsieh, Kwun-Yao Ho, Tsutomu Arai, Shogo Kasahara, Shinji Hatano
  • Patent number: 11567339
    Abstract: A shake correction optical unit with a shake correction function may cause a movable body including an optical module to swing around an X axis and a Y axis that are perpendicular to an optical axis L. A flexible printed board may include a second folded portion drawn from the movable body in a +Y direction, and bent in a direction of the optical axis L and folded once; and a first folded portion bent to extend from the second folded portion in the +Y direction and folded once. At least one of the second folded portion or the first folded portion may be thus easily bendable when the movable body swings in either direction around the X axis or around the Y axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu Arai, Shinji Minamisawa, Takeshi Sue
  • Publication number: 20230004066
    Abstract: A case includes a movable body to which an optical module having a first flexible wiring board is to be attached, a fixed body, and a second flexible wiring board with which the first flexible wiring board is to be connected. The movable body is swingably held by the fixed body, and the second flexible wiring board is structured to be resiliently bent easier than the first flexible wiring board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2022
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Inventors: Tsutomu ARAI, Takeshi SUE
  • Patent number: 11543674
    Abstract: An optical unit with an image stabilization function includes a movable body having an annular holder for holding a camera module, a swing support mechanism for swingably supporting the movable body, and a fixing body for supporting the movable body with the swing support mechanism interposed between them. The holder includes three or more of a plurality of protrusions that project radially. The fixing body includes a plurality of arc surfaces that come into contact with each of the plurality of protrusions from the outer peripheral side. The swing support mechanism includes the plurality of protrusions and the plurality of arc surfaces. The arc surface is a concave curved surface obtained by transferring part of a virtual spherical surface centered on a preset swing center point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Sazai, Tsutomu Arai, Tomohiro Egawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Takayuki Iwase, Takeshi Sue, Genki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11506910
    Abstract: An optical unit may include a movable body, a turning support mechanism turnably supporting the movable body around an optical axis, a gimbal mechanism turnably supporting the turning support mechanism, and a fixed body. The turning support mechanism includes a plate roll fixed to the movable body, a plate holder having a facing part facing the plate roll in the optical axis direction and is turnably supported by the gimbal mechanism, spherical bodies disposed between the plate roll and the facing part, and a magnetic attraction mechanism for generating an attraction force so that the plate roll and the facing part approach each other in the optical axis direction. The magnetic attraction mechanism includes an attraction part provided in one of the plate roll and the plate holder and an attracted part provided in the other, and the attraction part includes a magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shogo Kasahara, Shinji Hatano, Tsutomu Arai
  • Patent number: 11493780
    Abstract: An optical unit with a shake correction function has a shake correction function for correcting a shake of an optical module. The optical unit with a shake correction function includes: a movable body including the optical module; a fixed body disposed outward of the movable body in a radial direction with respect to an optical axis of the optical module; and a support part disposed between the movable body and the fixed body in the radial direction and structured to support the movable body such that the movable body is swingable relative to the fixed body. The movable body and the support part or the support part and the fixed body have, in a pair, a swing mechanism structured to allow the movable body to swing relative to the fixed body. The swing mechanism includes a protruded spherical portion and a recessed spherical portion that is larger in radius of curvature than the protruded spherical portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Genki Tanaka, Tomohiro Egawa, Takayuki Iwase, Kazuhiro Sazai, Tsutomu Arai, Shinji Minamisawa, Takeshi Sue
  • Publication number: 20220163759
    Abstract: An optical unit includes: a reflective portion that reflects, on a reflective surface, an incident light flux incident from the outside in a reflection direction toward an imaging element from an incident direction; a movable body to which the reflective portion is fixed; and a fixed body. In the movable body, emboss processing is applied to at least one of a reflective surface contact surface in contact with the reflective surface, and a side surface contact surface in contact with a side surface of the reflective portion on a side of an intersecting direction intersecting with the incident direction and the reflection direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi SUE, Tsutomu ARAI
  • Publication number: 20220113488
    Abstract: A case to hold a movable unit, which is provided with an optical module and a flexible circuit board having one end connected to the optical module, in a swingable manner that the optical module is swingable, is provided. The case includes: a holder, swingable together with the optical module to house the optical module; a fixing portion, provided at the holder to fix the flexible circuit board; and a pedestal, provided at the holder and having a placing face along which the flexible circuit board is disposed at a side opposite to a side of the one end with respect to an area fixed to the fixing portion in the flexible circuit board, and the pedestal is provided in a configuration in which a swing center of the optical module is positioned on an extended line of the placing face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2021
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji MINAMISAWA, Tsutomu ARAI, Takeshi SUE
  • Publication number: 20220099921
    Abstract: An optical unit includes: a reflection portion that reflects an incident light flux incident from outside on a reflection surface in a reflection direction from an incident direction toward an imaging element; a movable body having the reflection portion and a holder supporting the reflection portion; a fixed body; a rotation support mechanism that causes the movable body to rotate with respect to the fixed body with an axial direction as a rotation axis; and a drive mechanism having a magnet and a coil and causing the movable body to rotate with respect to the fixed body. The magnet is provided at a position not contacting the reflection portion in the holder and on a back side of the reflection surface, and has a parallel surface parallel to the reflection surface. The coil is provided at a position opposing the magnet in the fixed body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2021
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu ARAI, Shogo KASAHARA, Takeshi SUE
  • Publication number: 20220099922
    Abstract: An optical unit including a reflection portion, a movable body, a fixed body; and a rotation support mechanism that rotates the movable body with respect to the fixed body in an axial direction as a rotation axis, in which the rotation support mechanism has a U-shaped spring member disposed between the fixed body and the movable body in the axial direction and applies a force in a direction that widens the space between the fixed body and the movable body, the spring member has a rotation-axis first forming member, the movable body has a rotation-axis second forming member, and the rotation-axis first forming member and the rotation-axis second forming member are arranged at positions where a rotation axis passes through a center of gravity position of the movable body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2021
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu ARAI, Shinji MINAMISAWA, Takeshi SUE
  • Publication number: 20220099908
    Abstract: The disclosure provides an optical unit including a movable body including an optical module, a fixed body, and correction mechanisms for correcting the optical axis direction by changing the arrangement of the movable body with respect to the fixed body. An optical unit includes a movable body including an optical module, a fixed body surrounding the movable body in peripheral directions intersecting the optical axis direction of the optical module, and correction mechanisms that correct the arrangement of the movable body with respect to the fixed body. The correction mechanisms include a tilt mechanism that swingably supports the movable body with respect to the fixed body in directions intersecting the optical axis direction as rotation axes, and shift mechanism that movably supports the movable body with respect to the fixed body with the directions intersecting the optical axis direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi SUE, Shinji MINAMISAWA, Tsutomu ARAI
  • Patent number: 11215900
    Abstract: A shake correction device may include a housing unit; a movable body; a fixed body; a swing support mechanism; a shake correction drive mechanism; and a posture return mechanism. The shake correction drive mechanism may include a magnet and a coil, the coil being configured to apply an electromagnetic force to the movable body. The posture return mechanism may include the magnet and a magnetic member, the magnetic member configured to urge the movable body toward the reference posture. The magnetic member may include a convex surface protruding, and the other body may include a radial positioning unit to press the convex surface of the magnetic member against the radial positioning unit by the attraction force to position the magnetic member in a direction orthogonal to the axial line. The radial positioning unit may include a concave surface with which the convex surface is contacted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tsutomu Arai
  • Publication number: 20210397019
    Abstract: An optical unit with a shake correction function includes a movable body having an optical element, a swing support mechanism swingably supporting the movable body, a fixed body supporting the movable body through the swing support mechanism, and a magnetic drive mechanism structured to swing the movable body. The magnetic drive mechanism includes a coil fixed to one of the movable body and the fixed body, and a magnet fixed to the other of the movable body and the fixed body. The swing support mechanism includes a first plate spring connecting an end part of the movable body on one side in an optical axis direction with the fixed body, and a second plate spring connecting the other end part of the movable body in the optical axis direction with the fixed body. The magnet and the coil are disposed between the first plate spring and the second plate spring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2021
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi SUE, Shinji MINAMISAWA, Tsutomu ARAI