Patents by Inventor Youji Ono

Youji Ono 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: 9343605
    Abstract: A photovoltaic unit can minimally reduce a displacement of focus positions from solar cells and prevent a decrease in power generation efficiency even if elastic behaviors of a Fresnel lens sheet and a base plate on which solar cells are arranged due to changes in temperature and humidity are different. The photovoltaic unit includes an integrated multiple Fresnel lens sheet and a base plate on which solar cells are arranged adjacent to the focus positions of individual Fresnel lenses. The multiple Fresnel lens sheet is fixed to the base plate by a lens sheet fixing element at a lens sheet fixing portion adjacent to the center of gravity of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: KURARAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Toyohara, Youji Ono
  • Patent number: 9158042
    Abstract: A design method for an optical sheet for solar concentration and an optical sheet for solar concentration obtained by means of the design method are disclosed. The design method is characterized in that, for a resin optical sheet for solar concentration containing an ultraviolet absorber in a base material thereof, an amount of the ultraviolet absorber to be contained in the base material is determined such that: in an accelerated degradation test by means of a metal-halide-lamp weathering test (device specification: JTM G 01:2000, Japan Testing Machinery Association), decrease in average transmittance in a wavelength range of 400 nm to 1850 nm after testing for an irradiation time T1 satisfies the following equation (1) ?uv(0)+?uv(T1)>?0(0)+?0(T1)??(1) and that decrease in transmittance at each of wavelengths in the wavelength range from a corresponding initial value after testing for the irradiation time T1 is not greater than 10%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: KURARAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Toyohara, Youji Ono, Ichiro Matsuzaki
  • Patent number: 8746949
    Abstract: Provided is a surface light emitter that supplies light using a light guide method, and ensures transparency by lowering a haze value in a thickness direction at the time when a light source is turned off, and enables highly efficient light emission by using plate-surface transversal radiant emitted light at the time when the light source is on. A surface light emitter (2) including light diffusing particles guides light in a length direction of the light guide while scattering the light in the thickness direction of the light guide while scattering the light in the thickness direction of the light guide, and a calculated value (m?1/%) obtained by dividing a luminance attenuation coefficient E (m?1) by a haze value (%) per 5 (mm) thickness of the light guide is greater than or equal to 0.55 (m?1/%) and less than or equal to 10.0 (m?1/%).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: KURARAY Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Youji Ono, Tatsuya Ueda
  • Publication number: 20130291928
    Abstract: A photovoltaic unit can minimally reduce a displacement of focus positions from solar cells and prevent a decrease in power generation efficiency even if elastic behaviors of a Fresnel lens sheet and a base plate on which solar cells are arranged due to changes in temperature and humidity are different. The photovoltaic unit includes an integrated multiple Fresnel lens sheet and a base plate on which solar cells are arranged adjacent to the focus positions of individual Fresnel lenses. The multiple Fresnel lens sheet is fixed to the base plate by a lens sheet fixing element at a lens sheet fixing portion adjacent to the center of gravity of the sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2011
    Publication date: November 7, 2013
    Applicant: KURARAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Toyohara, Youji Ono
  • Publication number: 20120132871
    Abstract: A design method for an optical sheet for solar concentration and an optical sheet for solar concentration obtained by means of the design method are disclosed. The design method is characterized in that, for a resin optical sheet for solar concentration containing an ultraviolet absorber in a base material thereof, an amount of the ultraviolet absorber to be contained in the base material is determined such that: in an accelerated degradation test by means of a metal-halide-lamp weathering test (device specification: JTM G 01:2000, Japan Testing Machinery Association), decrease in average transmittance in a wavelength range of 400 nm to 1850 nm after testing for an irradiation time T1 satisfies the following equation (1) ?uv(0)+?uv(T1)>?0(0)+?0(T1) ??(1) and that decrease in transmittance at each of wavelengths in the wavelength range from a corresponding initial value after testing for the irradiation time T1 is not greater than 10%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Applicant: Kuraray Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Toyohara, Youji Ono, Ichiro Matsuzaki
  • Publication number: 20120008338
    Abstract: Provided is a surface light emitter that supplies light using a light guide method, and ensures transparency by lowering a haze value in a thickness direction at the time when a light source is turned off, and enables highly efficient light emission by using plate-surface transversal radiant emitted light at the time when the light source is on. A surface light emitter (2) including light diffusing particles guides light in a length direction of the light guide while scattering the light in the thickness direction of the light guide while scattering the light in the thickness direction of the light guide, and a calculated value (m?1/%) obtained by dividing a luminance attenuation coefficient E (m?1) by a haze value (%) per 5 (mm) thickness of the light guide is greater than or equal to 0.55 (m?1/%) and less than or equal to 10.0 (m?1/%).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2010
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: KURARAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Youji Ono, Tatsuya Ueda
  • Patent number: 7815822
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for producing a pattern forming sheet efficiently. The method and apparatus for producing a sheet having a first pattern formed on at least one side by a first roll forming die and a second pattern formed by a second roll forming die is characterized in that the rotational angular speeds of the first and second roll forming dies are substantially equalized and relative positional variation of the first and second patterns is substantially minimized by synchronizing the phases of the periodic positional variation caused by the rotation of the rolls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Kuraray Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhisa Komatubara, Fumikazu Endo, Yutaka Aoyama, Toshiei Kiriu, Youji Ono
  • Publication number: 20100220391
    Abstract: A lenticular lens sheet including: rows of cylindrical lenses on an incident surface side; protrusions on sections of the lens rows where light is not condensed; and light absorption layers on the protrusions. The pitch of the lens rows is smaller than 0.5 mm, the angle between the lowermost section of the protrusion and a sheet main surface is equal to or greater than 45° and is greater than the angle formed between the vertex of the protrusion and the sheet main surface, and the width of the protrusion measured at a position 10 ?m away in the sheet thickness direction from the vertex of the protrusion is equal to or smaller than 150 ?m. A light shielding layer thick enough formed on the protrusion of a lenticular lens can be easily and uniformly formed even if the pitch of the lenticular lens rows is small, and thereby contrast of external light can be enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Applicant: Kuraray Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Abe, Youji Ono
  • Publication number: 20090057934
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for producing a pattern forming sheet efficiently. The method and apparatus for producing a sheet having a first pattern formed on at least one side by a first roll forming die and a second pattern formed by a second roll forming die is characterized in that the rotational angular speeds of the first and second roll forming dies are substantially equalized and relative positional variation of the first and second patterns is substantially minimized by synchronizing the phases of the periodic positional variation caused by the rotation of the rolls.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: Kuraray Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhisa Komatubara, Fumikazu Endo, Yutaka Aoyama, Toshiei Kiriu, Youji Ono
  • Publication number: 20090002818
    Abstract: There are provided a rear projection screen and a rear projection display apparatus capable of achieving a large lenticular pitch Lp and a high pitch ratio Gp/Lp and suppressing moire. The rear projection screen includes a plurality of pixels with an outer edge having a rhombus shape inclined with respect to a horizontal direction and a vertical direction of a screen of the rear projection screen, and a lenticular lens sheet diffusing light emitted from a rear projection projector within a certain angle range. The plurality of pixels are arranged in such a way that their outer edges are adjacent to each other, a lens pitch Lp (mm) of the lenticular lens sheet satisfies Lp?0.15, and a pitch ratio Gp/Lp of a pitch Gp (mm) of the pixels and the lens pitch Lp satisfies Gp/Lp?1.0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Applicant: KURARAY CO., LTD
    Inventors: Hiroki Iwabu, Yoshihiro Kumagai, Youji Ono
  • Publication number: 20080013171
    Abstract: [PROBLEMS] A method of producing a precision, low-cost resin molded article capable of improving a light utilizing efficiency and reducing a stray light caused by a light that enters a rise surface and is reflected off a reflection surface in an abnormal direction or refracted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2005
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Applicant: KURARAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kumagai, Youji Ono, Masanori Ogino
  • Publication number: 20070177263
    Abstract: A rear projection-type screen and a rear projection-type projection device, in which contrast is enhanced, unevenness of an external light absorption layer is reduced, moiré trouble is suppressed, damage due to contact between sheets is suppressed, and the entire projection device can be reduced in size and weight. The rear projection-type screen is the so-called oblique projection system where the optical center of a Fresnel lens sheet 7 is located at a position outside a display screen area, above or below the screen. The lens array 12 of a lenticular lens sheet 1 is arranged substantially in the vertical direction. Moiré can be reduced by setting the pitch of Fresnel lens and the lens pitch of the lenticular lens sheet within a predetermined range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2005
    Publication date: August 2, 2007
    Applicant: KURARAY CO. LTD
    Inventor: Youji Ono
  • Publication number: 20060126186
    Abstract: The rear projection screen of the present invention has a lenticular lens sheet 1. In the input surface of the lenticular lens sheet 1, a first lens array 12 is formed on a first lens layer 14. In the boundary between the first lens layer 14 and a second lens layer 15, a second lens array 13 substantially orthogonal to the first lens array 12 is formed. The second lens layer 15 has a different refractive index from the first lens layer 14. A lattice-shaped or stripe-shaped self-aligned ambient light absorbing layer 17 is formed in a light non-passing position on the second lens layer 15.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2004
    Publication date: June 15, 2006
    Applicant: Kuraray Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Kanda, Toyohide Sonoda, Youji Ono
  • Publication number: 20040207104
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for efficiently producing a lenticular lens providing an excellent contrast.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: Youji Ono, Yoshio Abe, Mitsunori Saitou
  • Patent number: 6649328
    Abstract: A method for the manufacture of a Fresnel lens sheet is disclosed. The Fresnel lens sheet have arranged thereon a multiplicity of sawtooth-like Fresnel lenses composed of a Fresnel lens surface demonstrating a convex lens function and a rise surface located between the adjacent Fresnel lens surfaces. This sheet has a layer containing a light-diffusing material or a light-absorbing material on the rise surfaces. The method comprises the steps of, coating a photoresist on the Fresnel lens surfaces and rise surfaces, and forming the layer containing a light-diffusing material or a light-absorbing material on the rise surfaces by exposing the photoresist at mutually different light exposure doses per unit surface area on the Fresnel lens surfaces and rise surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Kuraray Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Youji Ono, Katsuhiko Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20020094495
    Abstract: A method for the manufacture of a Fresnel lens sheet is disclosed. The Fresnel lens sheet have arranged thereon a multiplicity of sawtooth-like Fresnel lenses composed of a Fresnel lens surface demonstrating a convex lens function and a rise surface located between the adjacent Fresnel lens surfaces. This sheet has a layer containing a light-diffusing material or a light-absorbing material on the rise surfaces. The method comprises the steps of, coating a photoresist on the Fresnel lens surfaces and rise surfaces, and forming the layer containing a light-diffusing material or a light-absorbing material on the rise surfaces by exposing the photoresist at mutually different light exposure doses per unit surface area on the Fresnel lens surfaces and rise surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2002
    Publication date: July 18, 2002
    Applicant: Kuraray Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Youji Ono, Katsuhiko Hayashi
  • Patent number: 4857225
    Abstract: The present invention offers a cleaning agent for aluminium surface which is an aqueous acidic liquid containing peroxo acid and/or peroxide in 0.05-10 g/l and further one or more kinds out of sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid and nitric acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1989
    Assignee: Nihon Parkerizing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Haruyoshi Terada, Youji Ono, Yokichi Satoh, Hideaki Kaneko
  • Patent number: 4784731
    Abstract: A chromate treatment of metal coated steel sheets comprising subjecting the sheets to a cathodic electrolytic treatment to form a chromate film thereon and subjecting the sheet to an anodic electrolytic treatment to form an anodic electrolytic film on the chromate film and to convert the chromate film. The treatment is applicable to various metal coated steel sheets, such as those coated with zinc, zinc alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, lead and lead alloy, and is effective to improve the corrosion resistance of the sheets, the quality of paint coating applied on the sheets and the adaptability of the sheets to a cation electro-deposition paint coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1988
    Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Seijun Higuchi, Akinori Maruta, Kenichi Asakawa, Akimitsu Fukuda, Haruyoshi Terada, Youji Ono