Patents Represented by Attorney Sidley Austin LLP

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  • Image sensing apparatus
    Patent number: 7667764
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus is constructed in such a manner that a calculation priority setter 5111 (5111a) sets a priority between exposure amount control by an exposure amount control parameter calculator 511 (511a) serving as exposure amount controller, and dynamic range control by a dynamic range control parameter calculator 512 (512a) serving as dynamic range controller. Exposure control is executed by performing the exposure amount control and the dynamic range control based on a photoelectric conversion characteristic, by using exposure evaluation values detected by an evaluation value detector 405, based on the priority set by the calculation priority setter 5111 (5111a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Koichi Kamon, Kazuchika Sato, Jun Minakuti
  • Drive unit and information recording device
    Patent number: 7663291
    Abstract: The present invention may provide a accurate drive unit 1 which comprises an electromechanical transducer 10, a drive element 12 fixed on the one end of the electromechanical transducer 10, a movable element 11 engaging with the drive element 12 frictionally and a drive circuit 3 applying a cyclic drive voltage to the electromechanical transducer 10, in which the oscillation of the drive element 12 as the result of the expansion and contraction of the electromechanical transducer 10 due to the drive voltage causes relative displacement of the movable element 11 to the drive element 12. The waveform of drive voltage is varied according to the relative position of the movable element 11 to the drive element 12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Takayuki Hoshino
  • Driving mechanism, driving device, and lens driving device
    Patent number: 7663811
    Abstract: A driving mechanism, a driving device, and a lens driving device includes a lever member. The lever member includes an arm portion for surrounding a part of a driven member in a side direction. The arm portion has a plurality of displacement output portions to be engaged with the driven member. The lever member is constructed in such a manner that a displacement amount of the displacement output portions in a predetermined first axis direction is set larger than a displacement amount of a displacement input portion to be generated by input of a moving force to be applied by a shape memory alloy actuator. The driving mechanism, the driving device, and the lens driving device enable to obtain a large displacement amount with a reduced size and a reduced weight, and stably move the driven member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Atsuhiro Noda, Takashi Matsuo
  • Solid state image sensing device which performs a linear conversion operation and a logarithmic conversion operation
    Patent number: 7663683
    Abstract: A solid state image sensing device includes an MOS transistor T2 that has a source thereof connected to a drain of an MOS transistor T1 being provided with a transfer gate which is connected to an embedded photodiode PD; an MOS transistor T5 that has a gate thereof connected to the drain of the MOS transistor T1; and a condenser that has a source thereof connected to the MOS transistor T5. When a linear conversion operation is performed in an entire range of luminance, the MOS transistor T2 works, serving as a switch for resetting, and at least when a logarithmic conversion operation is performed in a part of the range of luminance, the MOS transistor T2 works in a sub-threshold region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Shigehiro Miyatake
  • Actuator using piezoelectric device
    Patent number: 7656072
    Abstract: In order to provide an actuator having great driving force and high impact resistance, an actuator of the present invention has a driving shaft 5 that can be vibrated in the shaft direction by a piezoelectric device 4 provided at its one end and a moving member 6 that is friction-engaged with the driving shaft 5 and moves on the driving shaft 5 due to the vibration of the driving shaft 5. The driving shaft 5 has two parallel shaft sliding faces 5a on its surface. The moving member 6 has two moving member sliding faces 7e, 8e that are in slide-contact with the shaft sliding faces 5a. The moving member 6 is friction-engaged with the driving shaft 5 such that the moving member sliding faces 7e, 8e clamp the shaft sliding faces 5a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Hata, Tadatomi Sougawa
  • Drive apparatus, drive system, and drive method
    Patent number: 7650752
    Abstract: An actuator has two shape memory alloys (SMAs) connected in a push-pull arrangement to a movable part. By passing current to each of the SMAs from a drive circuit part, the movable part can be driven. When a target position signal of the movable part is input to the drive circuit part, a current is passed to an SMA of the contraction side on the basis of a drive waveform obtained by adding a voltage according to the target position signal to a bias voltage, and a current is passed to the SMA on the expansion side on the basis of a signal waveform obtained by subtracting the voltage according to the target position signal from the bias voltage. Consequently, the SMA of the expansion side maintains a pre-heat state and is not cooled excessively, so that response delay at the time of the next heating can be prevented. As a result, the response of the actuator can be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Masamichi Oohara
  • Developing apparatus and image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 7653335
    Abstract: A compact development apparatus using a two-component developer and an image forming apparatus wherein carrier deterioration is prevented to ensure formation of a high-quality image for a long time. The development apparatus uses the developer made up of a mixture of toner, carrier, and opposite polarity particles to be charged oppositely to the toner wherein the opposite polarity particles contain the particles having a relative dielectric constant of 6.7 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Junya Hirayama, Toshiya Natsuhara, Masahiko Matsuura, Takeshi Maeyama, Shigeo Uetake
  • Drive
    Patent number: 7647806
    Abstract: A drive for operating a movable part with respect to a fixed part includes: a driving member having a linear shape and being made of a shape-memory alloy; and a crimp terminal for holding one end of the driving member at the fixed part or the movable part. At least a part to which the driving member is crimped in the crimp terminal is made of stainless steel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Akira Kosaka, Yoshie Shimizu
  • Image sensing apparatus and image sensing method using image sensor having two or more different photoelectric conversion characteristics
    Patent number: 7645978
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus and an image sensing method of the invention are configured in such a manner that an image sensor having two or more different photoelectric conversion characteristics is used, a gain of image signals having the respective photoelectric conversion characteristics acquired by the image sensor is calculated based on the image signals having the respective photoelectric conversion characteristics, and gain control is performed with respect to each of the photoelectric conversion characteristics, using the calculated gain. This arrangement enables to control the imaging sensitivity without changing the dynamic range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Koichi Kamon
  • Imaging optical system
    Patent number: 7646553
    Abstract: An imaging optical system, which is designed in a small size with low manufacturing costs, aberrations such as chromatic aberration of the imaging optical system being appropriately corrected, is provided. The imaging optical system comprises a first lens having positive power, a second lens having positive power and a third lens having negative power with an aspherical surface in the image side, the aspherical surface being shaped in a concave shape facing toward an image side in a vicinity of the optical axis and shaped in a convex shape facing toward the image side in a surrounding of the optical axis. The imaging optical system is designed to satisfy a formula, ?3??2>10, where ?3 denotes an Abbe number of the third lens and ?2 denotes an Abbe number of the second lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventor: Masashi Isono
  • Three-dimensional shape measuring system, and three-dimensional shape measuring method
    Patent number: 7643159
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shape measuring system includes: a light projecting/receiving apparatus which causes a light receiver to receive light reflected on a surface of a measurement object onto a light receiving surface thereof at a predetermined cycle multiple times, while changing a projecting direction of the light; and a measuring apparatus for measuring a three-dimensional shape of the measurement object, utilizing light receiving data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Sensing, Inc.
    Inventors: Shinji Yamamoto, Yoshihisa Abe
  • Driving apparatus
    Patent number: 7640741
    Abstract: In an auto image stabilization system, a driving member formed as a wire of shape memory alloy (SMA) is retained by a projection of an image capturing unit. A distance Lb from the rotation center of an elastic deforming part to center of gravity (point of application) of the image capturing unit is longer than a distance La from the rotation center of the elastic deforming part to the projection (power point). In the configuration, equivalent mass (apparent mass) of the image capturing unit becomes (Lb/La) times, and it causes deterioration in response. Consequently, the driving member having an ellipse-shaped section in which a value obtained by dividing the width in the longer direction of the section by the width in the shorter direction is 1.3 or larger is employed. As a result, heat dissipation of the driving member increases, so that response in the SMA actuator can be properly improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Hara
  • Motor driving inverter circuit module, motor driving apparatus having the motor driving inverter circuit module, and inverter integrated circuit package
    Patent number: 7635962
    Abstract: The motor driving inverter circuit module includes first-phase, second-phase, and third-phase high voltage drivers generating first-phase, second-phase, and third-phase upper arm and lower arm driving signals in response to input signals for driving the first-phase, second-phase, and third-phase upper and lower arms and a first-phase, second-phase, and third-phase upper arm and lower arm transistors, generating first-phase, second-phase, and third-phase motor driving output signals in response to the first-phase, second-phase, and third-phase upper arm and lower arm driving signals of the first-phase, second-phase, and third-phase high voltage drivers. The first-phase, second-phase, and third-phase high voltage drivers and the first-phase, second-phase, and third-phase upper arm and lower arm transistors are respectively integrated into separate chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2009
    Assignee: Fairchild Korea Semiconductor, Ltd.
    Inventor: Bum-seok Suh
  • Zoom optical system, image sensing device, and digital apparatus
    Patent number: 7633686
    Abstract: A zoom optical system includes first through fourth lens groups having negative-positive-negative-positive optical powers. Assuming that a curvature radius of an object-side lens surface of a negative lens element in the first lens group is r1, a curvature radius of an image-side lens surface of the negative lens element in the first lens group is r2, a focal length of the third lens group is f3, a focal length of the entirety of the optical system at the wide angle end is fw, a focal length of the entirety of the optical system at the telephoto end is ft, and an average refractive index of positive lens elements in the second lens group is nd2p, the zoom optical system satisfies the conditional expressions: 0<(r1+r2)/(r1?r2)<1.0 ?0.9<f3/?{square root over ( )}(fw×ft)<?0.4 1.6<ndp2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshihito Souma
  • Diffraction grating device and optical apparatus
    Patent number: 7633680
    Abstract: A diffraction grating device for splitting or coupling light beams permits the divergence of the light beams to be minimized easily. A first light beam is incident on a diffraction grating from the side thereof facing the inside of the device, and a second light beam is incident on the diffraction grating from the side thereof facing air. The diffraction grating transmits the first light beam by diffraction of the minus first order so that it travels in the reverse direction along the optical path of the second light beam before incidence, and transmits the second light beam by diffraction of the zero order. The second light beam, transmitted by diffraction of the zero order, spreads over a certain width of wavelengths, but does not diverge even after diffraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Shigeto Ohmori
  • Zoom lens, image pickup apparatus and digital equipment
    Patent number: 7630139
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side thereof: a first lens group having a negative optical power and comprising a reflection optical element; a second lens group having a positive optical power; a third lens group having a negative optical power; a fourth lens group having a positive optical power; and, a fifth lens group. The first lens group and the fourth lens group are positioned at a fixed distance and at least the second lens group, the third lens group and the fifth lens group move along an optical axis, for varying a power of the zoom lens from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end. The zoom lens satisfies a predetermined expression relating to a focal length of the first lens group, and a focal length of the zoom lens at the wide-angle end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshihito Souma
  • Image display apparatus
    Patent number: 7630112
    Abstract: An image display apparatus includes first and second actuators that cause a mirror (movable part) to oscillate about first and second axes intersecting with each other. The first actuator is driven based on a drive signal having a frequency component around a resonant frequency relevant to oscillatory motion of the mirror, to cause the mirror to oscillate about the first axis, thereby scanning a light beam reflected off the mirror in a horizontal direction of the raster scanning. The drive signal is generated by regulating a reference drive signal based on a correction signal for use in correcting distortion of a displayed image, the distortion occurring when the first actuator is driven based on the reference drive signal for use as the drive signal to cause oscillatory motion of the mirror. This consequently simplifies distortion correction in the horizontal direction (the main scanning direction).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenji Mizumoto
  • Optical deflector and light beam scanning apparatus having a control mechanism utilizing electromechanical transducers for adjusting resonant frequency for stable scanning
    Patent number: 7619798
    Abstract: An optical deflector and a light beam scanning apparatus characterized by stable amplitude and speed wherein the fluctuation of the resonant frequency resulting from various factors such as a temperature change is corrected to a predetermined level, and the amplitude of the resonant scanner is kept to a predetermined level. An electromechanical transducer is used as a control element to control the potential difference resulting from the electric charge occurring in the control element caused by rotational vibration of the optical deflector, whereby the fluctuation of the resonant frequency resulting from various factors such as a temperature change is corrected to a predetermined level and the amplitude of the resonant scanner is kept at a predetermined level. This arrangement provides an optical deflector and a light beam scanning apparatus characterized by stable amplitude and speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Shinya Matsuda
  • Multifunctional optical device
    Patent number: 7616391
    Abstract: There is provided optical devices capable of performing aberration corrections with high accuracy for light rays having plural wavelengths with a simple structure without involving a cost increase. An optical device 1 includes an actuator 8 for driving an optical member 40 in the direction of an optical axis and a guide member 46 for guiding the optical member 40 being driven. The optical member 40 includes plural functional portions 42 and 44 having different functions, and the optical axes of the respective functional portions 42 and 44 of the optical member 40 are brought into coincidence with a light ray through the guiding of the guide member 46.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi Shinke, Hiroji Katsuragi
  • Current mode control with feed-forward for power devices
    Patent number: 7615978
    Abstract: A power device controller includes a voltage mode control loop to generate an error voltage and to control a power device and a current mode control loop to generate a current control voltage and to control the power device. The current mode control loop includes a current feed-forward to reduce a load dependence of a loop gain by reducing a load current dependence of a low frequency component of a gain of the error voltage to the output voltage with a current loop closed. A multi-phase power device controller for controlling several power devices includes a shared voltage mode control loop to generate an error voltage and a shared current mode control loop to generate a current control voltage, the shared current mode control loop including a current feed-forward to reduce a load current dependence of a low frequency component of a loop gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Yigang Guo