Patents Assigned to Angstrom Inc.
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Patent number: 9736346Abstract: The present invention provides an imaging system generating a high resolution image using low resolution images taken by a low resolution image sensor. Also, the imaging system generates a wide angle of view image. Enhancement of resolution and enlargement of angle of view are accomplished by optical axis change, utilizing one or more micromirror array lenses without macroscopic mechanical movements of lenses. The imaging system also provides zoom and auto focusing functions using micromirror array lenses.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 2006Date of Patent: August 15, 2017Assignees: Stereo Display, Inc, Angstrom, IncInventors: Sang Hyune Baek, Gyoung Il Cho, Cheong Soo Seo
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Patent number: 9565340Abstract: Automatic focusing system is provided which comprises a mirror or a plurality of mirrors with a translation device. Automatic focusing can be made by the translation of mirror because focal plane can be changed by the translation of mirror. The translation device makes its motion by the electrostatic, electromagnetic and/or electrothermal forces. The mirror is controlled by the electrical signal from the image processor to get an in-focus image. Also the mirror can be controlled discretely. The image shift by translation is compensated by tilt of mirror and/or image processing.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2005Date of Patent: February 7, 2017Assignees: Angstrom, Inc., Stereo Display, Inc.Inventors: Cheong Soo Seo, Gyoung Il Cho
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Patent number: 9505606Abstract: A MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) actuator with discretely controlled multiple motions comprises bottom layer, stepper plate, support, and motion plate. The multiple motion of the motion plate is generated by the electrostatically actuated stepper plates and geometrically predetermined supports. By introducing the MEMS actuator with discretely controlled multiple motions, simple motion control can be achieved by digital controlling and only single voltage is needed for motion control of the motion plate.Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2007Date of Patent: November 29, 2016Assignees: Angstrom, Inc., Stereo Display, Inc.Inventors: Jin Young Sohn, Gyoung II Cho, Cheong Soo Seo
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Patent number: 8810908Abstract: The binoculars of the present invention comprise two optical units; one optical unit for each eye. Each optical unit comprises a first reflector element and a second reflector element, wherein at least one of the reflector elements is a micromirror array reflector. The binoculars of the present invention provide focusing and/or zoom functions without or with minimal macroscopic mechanical lens movement.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2008Date of Patent: August 19, 2014Assignees: Stereo Display, Inc., Angstrom, Inc.Inventors: Hye Young Kim, Jin Young Sohn, Gyoung Il Cho, Cheong Soo Seo
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Patent number: 8687276Abstract: An optical system with optical image stabilization of the present invention compensates the movement of the optical system occurring during imaging process using a Micro-Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) unit having an MEMS mirror to stabilize an image of an object formed on an image plane. A micro-actuator with the in-plane translation makes the MEMS mirror have a required rotation to change optical paths of light from the object to the image plane for optical image stabilization. The optical system with optical image stabilization or the present invention provides fast speed, light weight, simple operation, and high image quality image stabilization for the optical system.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2010Date of Patent: April 1, 2014Assignees: Stereo Display, Inc, Angstrom, IncInventors: Gyoung Il Cho, Hye Young Kim, Cheong Soo Seo
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Patent number: 8622557Abstract: A Micromirror Array Lens with self-tilted micromirrors comprising a plurality of self-tilted micromirrors and configured to form a designed optical surface profile by self-tilted micromirrors. Each self-tilted micromirror comprises a substrate, at least one stiction plate configured to be attracted to the substrate by adhesion force, a micromirror plate having a reflective surface, coupled to the stiction plate elastically and configured to have a required motion when the stiction plate is attracted to the substrate, and at least one pivot structure disposed between the substrate and the micromirror plate and configured to provide a tilting point or area for the motion of the micromirror plate. The designed optical surface profile determines the required motion of the micromirror plate and a surface profile shape memory is built in the structure of the micro-mechanical elements of the self-tilted micromirrors so that each micromirror plate has the required motion.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2008Date of Patent: January 7, 2014Assignees: Stereo Display, Inc., Angstrom Inc.Inventors: Gyoung Il Cho, Jin Young Sohn, Hye Young Kim, Cheong Soo Seo
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Patent number: 8345146Abstract: The present invention provides an automatic focus imaging system comprising a lens unit, an image sensor, and a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) unit fabricated by microfabrication technology to improve the portability and focusing speed of the automatic focus imaging system. The MEMS unit for automatic focusing comprises a substrate having a control circuitry, at least one reflective surface movably connected to the substrate, and at least one actuation unit comprising a micro-actuator having a large in-plane translation and at least one micro-converter configured to convert the large in-plane translation of the micro-actuator to the large out-of-plane translation of the reflective surface. The MEMS unit changes a distance between lens unit and the image sensor by controlling the out-of-plane translation of the reflective surface in order to form an in-focus image on the image sensor.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2009Date of Patent: January 1, 2013Assignees: Angstrom, Inc., Stereo Display, Inc.Inventors: Gyoung Il Cho, Hye Young Kim, Cheong Soo Seo
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Publication number: 20120133761Abstract: An uneven area inspection system of the present invention comprises a patterned panel comprising a panel, wherein the panel have a surface on which a pattern is formed, an object with at least one surface reflecting light from the patterned panel, an imaging unit optically coupled to the patterned panel and the object and configured to capture the image of the patterned panel reflected by the surface of the object, and an image processing unit configured to process the captured image to compare the pattern in the patterned panel and the pattern in the captured image. The object can have uneven area and the uneven area of the object is inspected by comparing the pattern in the patterned panel and the pattern in the captured image.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2010Publication date: May 31, 2012Applicants: ANGSTROM, INC., STEREO DISPLAY, INC.Inventors: Gyoung Il Cho, Hye Young Kim, Cheong Soo Seo
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Patent number: 8049776Abstract: The present invention provides a three-dimensional camcorder comprising a three-dimensional imaging system acquiring the three-dimensional image information of an object and a three-dimensional viewfinder displaying three-dimensional image using at least one variable focal length micromirror array lens.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2006Date of Patent: November 1, 2011Assignees: Angstrom, Inc., Stereo Display, Inc.Inventors: Gyoung Il Cho, Cheong Soo Seo
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Publication number: 20110181955Abstract: An optical system with optical image stabilization of the present invention comprises at least one movement determination unit determining a movement of the optical system, a control circuitry generating a movement compensation signal using the movement information of the optical system from the movement determination unit, and a Micro-Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) unit made by microfabrication technology and controlled by the control circuitry with the movement compensation signal 32C to stabilize an image of an object formed on the image plane. The MEMS unit comprises a substrate, an MEMS mirror movably connected to the substrate and configured to have a motion comprising a rotation, and at least one actuation unit configured to actuating the MEMS mirror.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2010Publication date: July 28, 2011Applicants: STEREO DISPLAY, INC., ANGSTROM, INC.Inventors: Gyoung ll Cho, Hye Young Kim, Cheong Soo Seo
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Publication number: 20110075015Abstract: The present invention provides an automatic focus imaging system comprising a lens unit, an image sensor, and a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) unit fabricated by microfabrication technology to improve the portability and focusing speed of the automatic focus imaging system. The MEMS unit for automatic focusing comprises a substrate having a control circuitry, at least one reflective surface movably connected to the substrate, and at least one actuation unit comprising a micro-actuator having a large in-plane translation and at least one micro-converter configured to convert the large in-plane translation of the micro-actuator to the large out-of-plane translation of the reflective surface. The MEMS unit changes a distance between lens unit and the image sensor by controlling the out-plane translation of the reflective surface in order to form in-focus mage on the image sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2009Publication date: March 31, 2011Applicants: STEREO DISPLAY, INC., ANGSTROM, INC.Inventors: Gyoung Il Cho, Hye Young Kim, Cheong Soo Seo
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Patent number: 7898144Abstract: A multi-step microactuator is provided with the multiple supports in a stepper plate to give multi-step displacement to a controlled object. The microactuator has advantages such that multiple motion can be applied to the controlled object and that the object can be controlled in a low driving voltage and that simple motion control is applied by digital controlling and that the degrees of freedom in motion of the object can be chosen by the number of the stepper plate and that only single voltage is needed for driving the micromirror motion. With many advantages, the multi-step microactuator provides a solution to overcome the difficulties in controlling multi-step motion.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 2006Date of Patent: March 1, 2011Assignees: Angstrom, Inc., Stereo Display, Inc.Inventors: Cheong Soo Seo, Gyoung Il Cho, Sang Hyune Baek
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Patent number: 7777959Abstract: The present invention provides a Micromirror Array Lens (MMAL) with fixed focal length to reproduce a designed surface having optical focusing power. The micro mechanical structures with surface profile shape memory are fabricated and released after fabrication. Each micromirror in the MMAL has its own motion by stiction force and/or electrostatic force while and/or after the releasing process. Once the designed surface is formed, the MMAL has an optical power as a lens.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2006Date of Patent: August 17, 2010Assignees: Angstrom, Inc., Stereo Display. Inc.Inventors: Jin Young Sohn, Cheong Soo Seo, Gyoung Il Cho
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Patent number: 7768571Abstract: An optical tracking system using a variable focal length lens includes at least one camera system, and the at least one camera system includes an objective lens system, configured to receive an object image, and at least one micromirror array lens, optically coupled to the objective lens system, configured to focus the object image received by the objective lens system onto an image sensor. The image sensor is optically coupled to the micromirror array lens, configured to receive the focused object image from the micromirror array lens and to sense the focused object image. The advantages of the present invention include ability to rapidly change the focal length and optical axis of a camera system, allowing for high-resolution, wide-angle imaging.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2004Date of Patent: August 3, 2010Assignees: Angstrom, Inc., Stereo Display, Inc.Inventors: Tae Hyeon Kim, Gyoung Il Cho, Cheong Soo Seo
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Patent number: 7751694Abstract: The present invention provides a three-dimensional endoscope system comprising a three-dimensional imaging device and a three-dimensional display device using a variable focal length micromirror array lens. The micromirror array lens has enough focusing speed and focusing depth range for three-dimensional imaging and realistic three-dimensional display.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2005Date of Patent: July 6, 2010Assignees: Angstrom, Inc., Stereo Display, Inc.Inventors: Gyoung Il Cho, Sang Hyune Baek, Cheong Soo Seo
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Patent number: 7742232Abstract: A new three-dimensional imaging system has been needed to overcome the problems of the prior arts using conventional variable focal length lenses, which have slow response time, small focal length variation, and low focusing efficiency, and require a complex mechanism to control it. The three-dimensional imaging system of the present invention uses the variable focal length micromirror array lens. Since the micromirror array lens has many advantages such as very fast response time, large focal length variation, high optical focusing efficiency, large size aperture, low cost, simple mechanism, and so on, the three-dimensional imaging system can get a real-time three-dimensional image with large depth range and high depth resolution.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2006Date of Patent: June 22, 2010Assignees: Angstrom, Inc., Stereo Display, Inc.Inventors: Gyoung Il Cho, Hye Young Kim, Jin Young Sohn, Cheong Soo Seo
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Patent number: 7667896Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide a high-speed, miniaturized, low-cost DVD recording and reproducing system. The present invention is particularly directed to a motorless optical pick-up device for recording and/or reading information on or from an optical disc (CD or DVD), which provides focusing, tracking, seamless layer jumping, tilt compensation, and CD/DVD compatibility.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2006Date of Patent: February 23, 2010Assignees: Angstrom, Inc., Stereo Display, Inc.Inventors: Cheong Soo Seo, Gyoung Il Cho, Sang Hyune Baek
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Publication number: 20090303569Abstract: A self-tilted micromirror device of the present invention comprises a plurality of micro-structures including a substrate, at least one stiction plate configured to be attracted to the substrate by adhesion force, a top plate coupled to the stiction plate elastically and configured to have at least one motion when the stiction plate is attracted to the substrate, and at least one pivot structure disposed between the substrate and the top plate and configured to provide a tilting point or area for the motion of the top plate. The motion of the top plate is determined by the geometry of the micro-structures of the self-tilted micromirror device.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 20, 2008Publication date: December 10, 2009Applicants: Stereo Didplay, Inc., Angstrom, Inc.Inventors: Gyoung Il Cho, Jin Young Sohn, Hye Young Kim, Cheong Soo Seo
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Publication number: 20090290244Abstract: A Micromirror Array Lens with self-tilted micromirrors comprising a plurality of self-tilted micromirrors and configured to form a designed optical surface profile by self-tilted micromirrors. Each self-tilted micromirror comprises a substrate, at least one stiction plate configured to be attracted to the substrate by adhesion force, a micromirror plate having a reflective surface, coupled to the stiction plate elastically and configured to have a required motion when the stiction plate is attracted to the substrate, and at least one pivot structure disposed between the substrate and the micromirror plate and configured to provide a tilting point or area for the motion of the micromirror plate. The designed optical surface profile determines the required motion of the micromirror plate and a surface profile shape memory is built in the structure of the micro-mechanical elements of the self-tilted micromirrors so that each micromirror plate has the required motion.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 20, 2008Publication date: November 26, 2009Applicants: STEREO DISPLAY, INC., ANGSTROM, INC.Inventors: Gyoung Il Cho, Jin Young Sohn, Hye Young Kim, Cheong Soo Seo
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Patent number: 7619614Abstract: A three-dimensional optical mouse device with a Micromirror Array Lens (MMAL) is provided. To have the three-dimensional optical mouse system, a three-dimensional imaging device is used for detecting the motion of optical pointer or fingers of the user and gives a location of the pointer to computer working as a pointing device in three-dimension. This three-dimensional pointing system uses three-dimensional imaging device using MMAL with variable focal length.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2006Date of Patent: November 17, 2009Assignees: Angstrom, Inc., Stereo Display, Inc.Inventors: Sang Hyune Baek, Gyoung Il Cho, Cheong Soo Seo