Patents by Inventor Yujiro Yanai

Yujiro Yanai 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: 20200326462
    Abstract: An object is to provide an optical element that is thin and can gather and reflect light in a specific wavelength range in a predetermined direction, and a sensor including the above-described optical element. The optical element includes a cholesteric liquid crystal layer, in which the cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction, and in a case where a length over which the direction of the optical axis rotates by 180° in the in-plane direction in which the direction of the optical axis changes while continuously rotating is set as a single period, the cholesteric liquid crystal layer has in-plane regions having different lengths of the single periods in the liquid crystal alignment pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro YANAI, Michio NAGAI, Hiroshi SATO
  • Patent number: 10795254
    Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a plurality of protruding portions that are formed on one surface of the support and have inclined surfaces parallel to each other; a cholesteric liquid crystal layer that is formed on each of the inclined surfaces of the protruding portions; and an overcoat layer that is laminated on the surface of the support on which the protruding portions are formed so as to cover the cholesteric liquid crystal layer, in which a normal line of each of the inclined surfaces of the protruding portions is parallel to a spiral axis of the cholesteric structure of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer, an angle formed between a normal line of a surface of the overcoat layer and the spiral axis of the cholesteric structure is 5° to 42°, a difference in refractive index between the cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the protruding portion and a difference in refractive index between the cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the overcoat layer are 0.2 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Yanai, Akira Yamamoto, Michio Nagai
  • Patent number: 10718888
    Abstract: Provided is a laminate including a first polarizer, a first patterned optical anisotropic layer, a second patterned optical anisotropic layer, and a second polarizer in this order and an optically anisotropic layer disposed between the second polarizer and the second patterned optical anisotropic layer, in which an angle formed between an absorption axis of the first polarizer and an absorption axis of the second polarizer is 90°±5°; each of the first patterned optical anisotropic layer and the second patterned optical anisotropic layer has a plurality of phase difference regions having different slow axis directions in a plane of the first patterned optical anisotropic layer or the second patterned optical anisotropic layer; a white display state and a black display state are switched with each other; none of the slow axis directions of first phase difference regions and the slow axis directions of second phase difference regions are parallel or orthogonal to the absorption axes and transmission axes of the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Yanai, Akira Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20200209619
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a half-mirror film for displaying a projection image having high adhesiveness, a laminated glass in which wrinkle generation of the half-mirror film is suppressed or furthermore has high adhesiveness, and an image display system using the laminated glass. The problem is solved by providing a half-mirror film for displaying a projection image including a transparent support; and a selective reflection layer reflecting light in a wavelength selective manner, in which the transparent support has an absolute value of 10 nm or less of an in-plane phase difference at a wavelength of 550 nm and a heat seal layer disposed on an opposite surface of a surface having the selective reflection layer, the heat seal layer contains a thermoplastic resin, and a mixed layer in which components of the transparent support and the heat seal layer are mixed is formed between the transparent support and the heat seal layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Rikio INOUE, Shusuke ARITA, Wataru MAJIMA, Takao TAGUCHI, Yujiro YANAI, Taketo OTANI
  • Publication number: 20200200961
    Abstract: Display performance can be improved by reducing light leak in an oblique direction at the time of black display while increasing front brightness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2020
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya WATANABE, Megumi SEKIGUCHI, Yujiro YANAI, Naoyoshi YAMADA, Yukito SAITOH
  • Patent number: 10670921
    Abstract: A viewing angle control film includes, in order, a first polarizer in which an absorption axis is in a direction perpendicular to a film surface; a first phase difference plate which is a ?/4 plate and has a patterned optical anisotropic layer; and a second phase difference plate which is a ?/4 plate and has a patterned optical anisotropic layer, in which the patterned optical anisotropic layers have a constant phase difference and are divided into a plurality of belt-like regions in the same plane, directions of slow axes in one belt-like region match each other and directions of slow axes of belt-like regions adjacent to each other are different from each other in the patterned optical anisotropic layer, and the belt-like region of the first phase difference plate and the belt-like region of the second phase difference plate are disposed so as to intersect with each other in a plane direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yujiro Yanai
  • Patent number: 10663827
    Abstract: An object is to provide: a transparent screen having high transparency in which a hot spot caused by transmitted light can be reduced; and an image display system in which visibility of a screen is excellent and a hot spot is reduced by using the transparent screen. The object is achieved by the transparent screen including: a dot array in which dots obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase are two-dimensionally arranged; and a layer that is obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Yanai, Akira Yamamoto, Michio Nagai
  • Publication number: 20200142117
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an optical device used in motion capture and the like that detects the motion of a person and the like and can detect a person and the like while observing the background, and a laminated film used in the optical device. The object is achieved by an optical device including an infrared light source, an infrared sensor, and a reflection member, in which infrared radiated from the light source is reflected from the reflection member, the reflected infrared is detected by the infrared sensor, and the reflection member is obtained by fixing cholesteric liquid crystalline phases reflecting infrared and has a plurality of regions in which helical axes incline in different directions, and a laminated film including a layer, in which bright portions and dark portions resulting from cholesteric liquid crystalline phases have a lenticular structure, and an array obtained by two-dimensionally arranging dots obtained by fixing cholesteric liquid crystalline phases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yujiro YANAI
  • Patent number: 10642085
    Abstract: Provided is a laminate including first and second patterned polarizers, a patterned optical anisotropic layer disposed between the first and second patterned polarizers, and an optically anisotropic layer disposed between the first patterned polarizer and the patterned optical anisotropic layer; in which an angle formed between an absorption axis of each of polarization regions of the second patterned polarizer and a slow axis of each of phase difference regions of the patterned optical anisotropic layer that is superposed on each of the polarization regions of the second patterned polarizer is 0°±5° or 90°±5°; an absolute value of Rth of the optically anisotropic layer is 50 to 150 nm; at least one of the first or second patterned polarizers is movable; and a white display state and a black display state are switched with each other. Also provided is a window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Yanai, Akira Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10642145
    Abstract: Provided are a transparent screen having high transparency in which a hot spot caused by transmitted light can be reduced; and an image display system in which visibility of a screen is excellent and a hot spot is reduced by using the transparent screen. The transparent screen includes, in this order: a first ?/4 plate; a reflecting layer that has a structure obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase and reflects a part of incidence light; and a polarizing film that has an absorption axis in a thickness direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Yanai, Michio Nagai, Akira Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10585222
    Abstract: A patterned phase difference film has an optically anisotropic layer alternately having a first phase difference region and a second phase difference region, in which the first phase difference region and the second phase difference region contain rod-like liquid crystals or discotic liquid crystals in the form of a hybrid alignment with mutually opposite rising directions of tilt angles, and has a hybrid alignment in which directions of in-plane slow axes and absolute values of in-plane phase differences of the first phase difference region and the second phase difference region are equal in a range of 54 to 74 nm, and in each of the first phase difference region and the second phase difference region, one of an absolute value of a phase difference at a polar angle of 40° and an absolute value of a phase difference at a polar angle of ?40° is 135 to 353 nm and the other is 8 to 28 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukito Saito, Yujiro Yanai
  • Patent number: 10585223
    Abstract: Provided is a depolarizing film including a depolarizing layer composed of a first region and a second region having differing optical characteristics, wherein in the depolarizing layer, the ratio between the area of the first region and the area of the second region is 0.45:0.55 to 0.55:0.45, the first region is an optically anisotropic region causing 90° optical rotation of light that is incident on one surface of the depolarizing layer before the light is emitted from the other surface, and the second region is an optically isotropic region having optical isotropy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yukito Saitoh, Daisuke Kashiwagi, Ayako Muramatsu, Yujiro Yanai, Hideki Kaneiwa
  • Publication number: 20200012181
    Abstract: The present invention provides a transparent screen which is excellent in transparency and in which a reflection part contour at the time of not displaying an image is unlikely to be recognized. An optical sheet of the present invention includes a substrate; and a cholesteric liquid crystal layer on the substrate, in which the entire cholesteric liquid crystal layer is surrounded by an imaginary contour line, the cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a uniform region and a modulation region that is located between the uniform region and at least a part of the imaginary contour line, a shortest distance between the imaginary contour line and the uniform region is 10 mm or longer, and a reflectance of the modulation region monotonously decreases from the uniform region side toward the imaginary contour line side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Yamamoto, Hideki Kaneiwa, Yujiro Yanai, Michio Nagai
  • Patent number: 10514490
    Abstract: Provided is a backlight unit capable of causing light that has exited from a light guide plate to be incident to a liquid crystal panel with high efficiency. The object is achieved by providing the backlight unit including a light source; a light guide plate that causes light to be incident to through an edge face and to exit through one of principal surfaces; and an optical film disposed on a surface of the light guide plate, the surface being on the opposite side of the light exiting surface, in which the optical film has a plurality of reflective polarizing elements each having a curved surface, and/or a plurality of reflective polarizing elements each having an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the direction of light propagation of the light guide plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Yanai, Yukito Saitoh, Shuntaro Ibuki, Jun Takeda
  • Publication number: 20190377117
    Abstract: Provided is a depolarizing film including a depolarizing layer composed of a first region and a second region having differing optical characteristics, wherein in the depolarizing layer, the ratio between the area of the first region and the area of the second region is 0.45:0.55 to 0.55:0.45, the first region is an optically anisotropic region causing 90° optical rotation of light that is incident on one surface of the depolarizing layer before the light is emitted from the other surface, and the second region is an optically isotropic region having optical isotropy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yukito SAITOH, Daisuke KASHIWAGI, Ayako MURAMATSU, Yujiro YANAI, Hideki KANEIWA
  • Publication number: 20190353956
    Abstract: Provided is an organic EL display device in which blue brightness is improved, and an antireflection function in an oblique direction is enhanced. The problem is solved by ensuring that a polarizer, a phase difference layer, a circularly polarized light separating layer, and a light emitting element are provided from a viewing side, an in-plane retardation Re(550) of the phase difference layer is set to 100 to 160 nm, the circularly polarized light separating layer is a cholesteric liquid crystal layer having a selective reflection center wavelength in a range of 425 to 475 nm, and a sum of retardations Rth(550) in a thickness direction of members arranged between the polarizer and the light emitting element is set to ?50 to 50 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro YANAI, Hideki KANEIWA, Nobuyuki AKUTAGAWA, Daisuke KASHIWAGI
  • Patent number: 10481311
    Abstract: Provided are a transparent film that allows scenery to be observed without color unevenness in a state where light is not irradiated, a transparent screen and an image display system including the transparent film, and a transparent poster. The transparent film includes: a support; a dot array that is formed on one surface of the support and in which dots obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase are two-dimensionally arranged; and an overcoat layer that covers the dots and is laminated on the support, in which areas of the dots and distances between the dots are made to be irregular. As a result, the object is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Yanai, Michio Nagai, Akira Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20190302603
    Abstract: Provided is an optical film having high contrast and excellent visibility. The optical film includes: a transparent screen; and a transparent reflecting layer that is disposed on one main surface of the transparent screen, in which in the transparent screen, a ratio T15/T30 of a light amount T15 of transmitted light at an angle of 15 degrees with respect to a normal direction of the main surface to a light amount T30 of transmitted light at an angle of 30 degrees with respect to the normal direction of the main surface is 2.0 or higher, and the ratio R15/R30 of the light amount R15 of reflected light at an angle of 15 degrees with respect to the normal direction of the main surface to the light amount R30 of reflected light at an angle of 30 degrees with respect to the normal direction of the main surface is 2.0 or lower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Yanai, Michio Nagai, Akira Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10386569
    Abstract: Provided is an optical member having a high brightness, a low haze, and a small color change, an optical element, a liquid crystal display device, and a near-to-eye optical member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Yanai, Yukito Saitoh, Akira Yamamoto, Nobuhiko Ichihara, Daisuke Kashiwagi, Michio Nagai
  • Patent number: 10365419
    Abstract: The polarizing plate of the present invention includes a polarizer and an optical element that rotates a polarization plane of polarized light emitted from the polarizer, an orientation direction on a surface of the optical element on a polarizer side is parallel to an absorption axis of the polarizer, an orientation direction on a surface of the optical element opposite to the polarizer is perpendicular to the absorption axis of the polarizer, and ?nd and a birefringence parameter RH of the optical element fall in a range of a predetermined region in an orthogonal coordinate in which ?nd is indicated along a vertical axis and the birefringence parameter RH is indicated along a lateral axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Junichi Hirakata, Yujiro Yanai, Yoshiaki Hisakado, Kunihiro Atsumi, Yukito Saitoh