Patents Assigned to Citizen Electronics
  • Patent number: 7926999
    Abstract: A planar light-emitting device includes an elongate first lightguide plate (13) having a light entrance end surface (13a) disposed facing an exit surface (12a) of a light-emitting package (12), a reflecting side surface (13b) extending substantially at right angles to the light entrance end surface to reflect light entering through the light entrance end surface, and a light exit side surface (13c) facing the reflecting side surface, and a flat plate-shaped second lightguide plate (14) having a light entrance side edge surface (14a) facing the light exit side surface (13c). The first lightguide plate is configured to satisfy the condition of t1<t2?t3, where: t1, t2 and t3 are the respective heights of the light exit side surface (13c), the reflecting side surface (13b) and the light entrance end surface (13a). The surfaces of the first lightguide plate other than the light entrance end surface (13a) and the light exit side surface (13c) are reflecting surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junji Miyashita, Takumi Miyashita
  • Patent number: 7896499
    Abstract: An image projection mechanism of a mobile phone has a light source section for image projection, a light modulator and a projection lens. The light source section has an LED device including an LED element having a luminous wavelength in a red color region, an LED element having a luminous wavelength in a green color region, and an LED element having a luminous wavelength in a blue color region, which are provided in one package, and a lens that converts light emitted from the LED device into substantially parallel rays. The three LED elements of the LED device are turned on and off sequentially, and the light modulator is operated synchronously with the sequential turning on-off of the LED elements, thereby projecting an image displayed on the light modulator as a multicolor image through the projection lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koya Noba
  • Patent number: 7893374
    Abstract: A sheet switch module includes a circuit board (20) provided with a fixed contact (22) thereon, a light source (30), a movable contact (26) to face the fixed contact (22), a sheet (28) to hold the movable contact (26) on the circuit board, a key top (46) disposed to face the movable contact and a light guiding plate (32) to guide light emitted from the light source (30) to the key top. The light-guiding plate (32) includes a light-receiving part (34) projecting toward an upper surface of the circuit board (20) and a light-guiding part (39). The light-guiding plate (32) is positioned in a substantially horizontal state supported by the light-receiving part (34) on the upper surface of the circuit board (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenshi Aihara, Isao Miyashita
  • Patent number: 7888178
    Abstract: An LED includes a circuit board (1), a light emitter (3) mounted on the circuit board (1), and a reflector (4) mounted on the circuit board (1), the light emitter (3) including an LED element mounted on the circuit board (1) and a light-transmitting resin (2) to seal the LED element. The reflector (4) is configured to surround the light emitter (3) and includes an opening (5) which passes through an upper surface and a lower surface is provided at a central position to allow insertion of the light emitter (3), and an inclined inner surface in the opening (6) configured to be upwardly broadened. A reflection film (7) is provided on the inclined inner surface (6) of the opening in the reflector. A outer peripheral edge is a non-reflection film constituted area (8) and, simultaneously, a terminal position identification mark (10) adjacent to the non-reflection film constituted area (8) are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Wada, Satoru Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 7884296
    Abstract: The present invention is a side-surface light-emitting unit to illuminate one or more illuminated objects disposed on a flat surface to extend in one direction, from a side surface of the illuminated object and includes a light guiding body which is disposed along the side surface of the illuminated object and emits light toward the side surface of the illuminated object, and an LED disposed at at least one end of light guiding body, an upper surface and a lower surface of the light guiding body except the side surface facing the object being optically shielded. It is possible to brightly illuminate objects such as key switches or the like from one end of the arrangement along a direction of the arrangement by uninterrupted continuous emission light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Watanabe, Kazuya Ishihara, Kosuke Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 7880389
    Abstract: The present invention is an LED lighting lamp which comprises a lamp body including a light emitting part in which a plurality of LED elements are arranged on each of side surfaces of a polygonal supporting member and a connection part which is provided at a different position from that of the light emitting part and is formed with a plurality of terminal electrodes electrically connected to the LED elements, and a socket in which the connection part of the lamp body is fitted and which has a pair of output terminals electrically connected to the terminal electrodes, and which is configured to enhance reliability and long-term stability and reduce a cost involved in exchanging a light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sadato Imai, Masayoshi Kanamori
  • Patent number: 7875892
    Abstract: A light-emitting device used in a linear array of a plurality of them includes a semiconductor light-emitting element, a substrate on which the semiconductor light-emitting element is mounted, and a light-transmitting sealing resin formed on the front surface of the substrate to seal the semiconductor light-emitting element. Of each of the peripheral edge surfaces of the substrate and the sealing resin, at least one side surface that faces in the direction of the array is inclined in the array direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Akira Onikiri, Daisaku Okuwaki, Naoya Kashiwagi
  • Patent number: 7874683
    Abstract: A mobile phone includes an information display device and an image projection device. The information display device has a transmissive liquid crystal panel (13) for information display that has a specific region (13a) in a part thereof. The information display device further has a backlight unit (17) that illuminates the transmissive liquid crystal panel. The image projection device has a light source (14) that illuminates the specific region (13a), and a projection lens (18) that directs light from the light source (14) received through the specific region toward a screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koya Noba
  • Patent number: 7862185
    Abstract: A casing 20 of a mobile phone body is provided with a sub-liquid-crystal display panel 23, a projector lens 26, a light source 35 including an LED. The sub-liquid-crystal display panel 23 and the projector lens 26 are movable between a normal position contained within the casing 20 and a raised position raised from the normal position. The sub-liquid-crystal display panel 23 is fixed at the raised position roughly perpendicularly to the light axis Q between the-sub-liquid-crystal display panel 23 and the light source 35 so that the light axis of the projector lens 26 is substantially aligned with the light axis Q. The illumination light from the light source is set to be parallel rays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koya Noba
  • Patent number: 7859193
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an illumination apparatus comprising an LED light source which includes an LED chip and a sealing member containing a fluorescent material therein and sealing the LED chip and is configured to illuminate an object, and a light-transmitting member provided in front of the LED light source, the LED chip being configured to make standby emission of light by application of a standby current during standby illumination of the object, the LED chip being controlled so that a color of the sealing member containing the fluorescent material is less visible from outside, and a current value of the standby current being controlled according to brightness of external light detected by an external light sensor to reduce power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koichi Fukasawa
  • Patent number: 7858919
    Abstract: A photo reflector (30) includes a circuit board (32) provided with electrode patterns, a light-emitting element (42) and a light-receiving element (44) disposed on the circuit board, a light-transmitting resin sealing the light receiving element (44), and a light shielding member (50) provided on the circuit board to cover peripheral side surfaces of the first light-transmitting resin and the second light-transmitting resin except for upper surfaces thereof. A light-intensity adjuster (60) to adjust the photocurrent is provided on the light-transmitting resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Funakubo, Akira Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7839072
    Abstract: A translucent laminate sheet includes at least one type of organic phosphor to make wavelength conversion of light emitted from a light source, and light-transmitting members to seal the organic phosphor. The light-transmitting members are formed by two plate-like members and the organic phosphor is disposed to be held between the two plate-like members. A frame member is disposed between the two plate-like members, and the organic phosphor is hermetically sealed in a space surrounded by the frame member and the two plate-like members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Megumi Horiuchi, Toshiro Yukinari
  • Patent number: 7816691
    Abstract: A light-emitting diode is provided which includes: a sheet-like substrate; a pair of electrode patterns formed to wrap round and cover substantially entire upper and lower surfaces of the substrate, said pair of electrode patterns comprising an upper electrode portion, a lower electrode portion and a side electrode portion; a light-emitting element mounted on at least one of the electrode patterns; and a translucent sealing resin body that seals the light-emitting element. The pair of electrode patterns are separated by spaces formed therebetween, and substantially the entire surfaces of the substrate, except the spaces, are covered with the electrode patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Junji Miyashita
  • Patent number: 7808732
    Abstract: A conventional light source apparatus that combines incident light from a plurality of light sources by using prism sheets has the problem that the beam aspect ratio of incident light is undesirably changed so that exiting light has an extremely elliptical beam profile. The present invention provides a light source apparatus emitting light of circular beam profile having the same beam aspect ratio as that of incident light. The apparatus includes a plurality of light sources K and a plurality of prism sheets PS1 and PS2 each having a plurality of fine prisms on one surface thereof. The other surface of each prism sheet is a plane surface. The prism sheets are arranged in first and second stages as first and second beam profile transforming units such that their respective prism rows extend perpendicular to each other. The light sources are disposed at the entrance surface side of the first beam profile transforming unit at a predetermined angle thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koya Noba
  • Patent number: 7804102
    Abstract: An illumination device includes a circuit board (11), an LED element (12) mounted on the circuit board, a light-transmitting sealing resin (16) covering the LED element and containing a fluorescent material, a light reflector (14) covering the light-transmitting sealing resin and reflecting light emitted from the LED element, and a light-guiding part (13) comprising a light-transmitting plate connected to the light-transmitting sealing resin, the light-guiding part guiding the light emitted from the LED element and including a light emission surface (13a) configured to emit the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norikazu Kadotani, Koichi Fukasawa, Hirohiko Ishii
  • Patent number: 7791456
    Abstract: A vibrator includes a voice coil and a vibrating member that vibrates along the axial direction of the voice coil when it is excited by application of an alternating current thereto. A suspension supports the vibrating member vibratably in the axial direction. A casing houses the voice coil, the vibrating member, and the suspension. A buffering member is provided so that the vibrating member strikes the buffering member when the vibration amplitude of the vibrating member has exceeded a predetermined value in a resonance region around the resonance point of the vibrating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Naoki Miura
  • Patent number: D623611
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaki Okuwaki
  • Patent number: D625272
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jo Kinoshita
  • Patent number: D626922
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignees: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd., Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takahiro Wada
  • Patent number: D628166
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaki Okuwaki