Patents Examined by Christopher Lamb
  • Patent number: 10165238
    Abstract: A projector system including a projector unit and a control device. The projector unit includes: a projector; a change mechanism that changes a projection direction; a plurality of optical systems having different optical properties; and a switch mechanism that selects one of the optical systems. The control device includes: a change unit that controls the change mechanism; and a switch unit that causes the switch mechanism to place one of the optical systems to be used for the projector in conjunction with the changing of the projection direction of the projector which is caused by the change unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Tanaka, Yoshiyuki Hisatomi, Kazuhiro Minami, Kyoichi Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 10151932
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a stereoscopic 3d projection system that is based on elliptical polarization, and more specifically a time-multiplexed stereoscopic 3d projection system that enables the viewer to observe stereoscopic 3d images on the surface of a polarization-preserving projection-screen via utilization of passive elliptically-polarized viewing-glasses. The disclosed invention provides a stereoscopic 3d projection system that is capable of operating at higher frame-rates and/or with higher optical light efficiency as compared to other prior-art technologies that are instead based on circular polarization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Volfoni R&D
    Inventor: Stephen Palmer
  • Patent number: 10139718
    Abstract: An image projection apparatus includes an illumination device, an optical-path forming section, an image forming element, a projection optical section, and an optical component. The illumination device includes a fluorescence generator; a wavelength selector having a first area and a second area; and a polarization converter; and an optical-path switcher. The wavelength selector alternately sets the first area and the second area in an optical path of the first light in a temporal manner. The illumination device switches a first optical path and a second optical path based on a setting of the wavelength selector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takahiro Kado
  • Patent number: 10114275
    Abstract: A laser light source module includes a plurality of unit laser light source modules, each of which emits laser light of one specific color, and when the laser light source module includes unit laser light source modules of at least two colors, and each unit laser light source module has a median of a temperature range in which a practical luminance is obtained, the unit laser light source modules are thermally connected to an evaporator and arrayed in descending sequence of their values of the median from an upstream side in a direction in which a refrigerant flows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Ito, Tatsuro Hirose
  • Patent number: 10104352
    Abstract: A projector includes: first and second display panels and a projection unit that superposes images formed by the first and second display panels and that projects the superposed images on a projection surface. The first and second display panels are arranged such that the image formed by one display panel is projected to a position shifted by a predetermined distance in at least one of the row direction and column direction of the picture element array with respect to the position where the image formed by the other display panel is projected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS, LTD.
    Inventor: Atsushi Kato
  • Patent number: 10091472
    Abstract: An image generating unit includes a fixed member on which one of a driving magnet and a coil is provided; a heat radiating part on which the other of the driving magnet and the coil is provided; and an image generating part, to which the heat radiating part is attached, configured to receive illumination light to generate an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Akihisa Mikawa
  • Patent number: 10080004
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for calibrating a projector. The method includes projecting a test pattern onto a scene or an object within the scene and capturing the test pattern using a camera. Once the test pattern image has been captured by the camera, the method further includes estimating by a processing element a perspective projection matrix, warping the estimated projection matrix based on a non-linear distortion function, and modifying the projector to project light based on the distortion function. The present disclosure also relates to a presentation or projection system including two types of projectors for projecting an output presentation having a second image overlaid on a first image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Anselm Grundhofer
  • Patent number: 10063821
    Abstract: A projector includes a projection optical system adapted to project an image modulated by a light modulation device on a projection surface, a guide display section adapted to dispose a plurality of guides used for setting a black level area, which is an adjustment target area of a black level, on the projection image, and then displays the guides in the case in which projection is performed on the projection surface so that the projection images from a plurality of projectors including the present projector partially overlap each other, an input operation section adapted to receive a position adjustment operation of each of the guides, and a black level area setting section adapted to set the black level area, which is the adjustment target area of the black level, based on an arrangement of the guides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jun Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 10054850
    Abstract: A light source device includes a light source that emits light including light having a wavelength in the ultraviolet region, a first filter that removes light of a particular wavelength region of the ultraviolet region among light from the light source and that transmits light of another wavelength region, a second filter that is arranged on a side of the first filter opposite to that on which the light source is arranged, and that removes light of a wavelength region that is different from the particular wavelength region of the ultraviolet region among the light transmitted by the first filter, wherein the second filter has a half-value wavelength that is shorter than a half-value wavelength of the first filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Yano
  • Patent number: 10051247
    Abstract: An image projection apparatus includes laser light sources that each emit laser light; a beam combiner combining the laser lights; a beam deflector periodically changing a traveling direction of the combined laser lights and directing the laser lights to a screen; and a controller controlling a drive current supplied to the laser light sources based on a relationship between the drive current and a total light intensity outputted from the laser light sources, in which the total light intensity comprises three ranges, the controller supplies the drive current to the laser light sources when the laser lights are emitted in the total light intensity included in either the first or the third range, and the controller supplies the drive current to at least one or some of the laser light sources when the combined laser lights are emitted in the total light intensity included in the second range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Nagashima, Toyoshi Nogami, Tatsuya Ito
  • Patent number: 10031407
    Abstract: A light source unit including: a plurality of elemental light sources each including a light emitting element and a drive circuit; a control circuit configured to control the drive circuit; and a luminous flux characteristic measurement section configured to measure received output luminous fluxes to generate luminous flux chromaticity-intensity correlation data. The control circuit generates a single-color color-phase indicating value, based on the luminous flux chromaticity-intensity correlation data. The control circuit determines a ratio of intensity of additional light to intensity of main component light to allow the single-color color-phase indicating value to become equal to a target value thereof, and generates an integrated color-phase indicating value, based on the luminous flux chromaticity-intensity correlation data. The control circuit performs feedback control on the drive circuits to allow a difference between the integrated color-phase indicating value and a target value thereof to be small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: USHIO DENKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masashi Okamoto, Takanori Samejima, Yuichi Miura
  • Patent number: 10031403
    Abstract: Device (1) for projecting an image into a display area (2), with an imager (31) generating the picture, a first projection device (30) for generating a real intermediate image (R), a screen (5) onto which the first projection device (32) projects the intermediate image (R) and to a second projection device (9) projecting the intermediate image (R) into the display area (2). In order to project the image with the least possible loss of brightness, the invention provides that main beam directions (H, H?, H?) of the screen (5) point into an entrance pupil (20) of the second projection device (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Jabil Optics Germany GmbH
    Inventor: Eberhard Piehler
  • Patent number: 9995995
    Abstract: A head-up display device with dust cover, which includes a base, a display module, a reflective module, an anti-dust cover and an electric drive module, wherein the anti-dust cover at least includes a first cover body and a second cover body, the electric drive module is provided to flip the second cover body, so that the first cover body and the second cover body may be driven to cover an opening of the base, to thereby prevent dust from falling inside the base when a user wipes dust off, to achieve anti-dust purpose and ensure smooth operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: E-LEAD ELECTRONIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Stephen Chen
  • Patent number: 9979937
    Abstract: A display system for displaying an image is disclosed. The system comprises a projector comprising at least one collimated light source and a controller for receiving image data and controlling the light source, configured such that, in use, an array of columns of image data representing an image are projected sequentially onto a reflector. Due to persistence of vision they appear superimposed on one another when reflected into the eye of an observer and such that, when the observer's eye moves in a direction perpendicular to the direction of orientation of the projected columns the observer can view the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: LIGHTVERT, LTD.
    Inventors: Daniel Siden, Christophe Levine
  • Patent number: 9958697
    Abstract: A stereoscopic image apparatus that is capable of minimizing loss of optical energy and improving quality of a stereoscopic image is disclosed. The stereoscopic image apparatus includes a polarizing beam splitter to reflect or transmit incident light based on polarization components of the light to split the light in at least three different directions, a reflective member to reflect the light reflected by the polarizing beam splitter to a screen, at least one modulator to modulate the light reflected by the reflective member and the light transmitted through the polarizing beam splitter, and a refractive member disposed in an advancing direction of light to be incident upon the polarizing beam splitter to refract the light to be incident upon the polarizing beam splitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventors: Chul Woo Lee, Sung Ho Cho, Byung Gul Lim
  • Patent number: 9952488
    Abstract: A projector includes a base, a light module secured on the base, and a cover secured on the light module. The light module includes a bracket, and the cover includes two securing members. The bracket and the securing members define a plurality of through holes to reduce the weight of the bracket and the through holes. The securing member is equipped with a hook, and the hook is elastically deformed to be engaged with the bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Chin-Wen Yeh
  • Patent number: 9939718
    Abstract: A light source apparatus includes a polarization conversion element, a fluorescent substance and a light source element. The polarization conversion element has a p/s-polarizing beam splitter film to separate polarization components of incident light into p-polarization component and s-polarization component. The fluorescent substance emits visible light as the incident light that is incident on the p/s-polarizing beam splitter film, which visible light is generated by that the fluorescent substance is excited by excitation light, and has a wavelength of longer wavelength region than a wavelength of the excitation light. The light source element emits a laser beam having a predetermined wavelength as the excitation light to irradiate the fluorescent substance with the excitation light so that a laser beam having a polarization plane between the polarization plane of p-polarized light and the polarization plane of s-polarized light exiting from the fluorescent substance is emitted as the incident light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazuya Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9936179
    Abstract: An image projection apparatus (1) is an image projection apparatus in which an optical axis of a projection lens (19) for projecting an image and a center position of an image formation area on a light modulation element (32) may be displaced relative to each other, and the image projection apparatus includes electronic zoom means (13) for magnifying or reducing a size of the image formation area on the light modulation element by electronic zooming centered at a predetermined position, and control means (14) for controlling the electronic zoom unit to perform the electronic zooming with the predetermined position as the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Matsuno
  • Patent number: 9927689
    Abstract: An illumination device includes an image element configured to convert light incident thereon to image light and to output the image light, a first light path extending to pass through the image element, and a second light path extending without passing through the image element. The first light path and the second light path are configured to project lights passing therethrough, respectively, on an object existing outside the illumination device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kentaro Yamauchi, Atsushi Motoya, Ryo Kawamura
  • Patent number: 9927686
    Abstract: A projection apparatus includes a spoke setting unit configured to set each change timing of changing the plurality of colors, and set spoke periods generated at the each change timing, a light source drive unit configured to drive the light source unit, based on the change timings and the spoke periods set by the spoke setting unit, a detection unit configured to obtain information indicating each light amount of the light for each of the plurality of colors, which are emitted from the projection unit during the spoke periods, and a light source controller configured to control the light source unit so as to adjust a color balance of color mixtures in the spoke periods to a predetermined balance based on the information obtained in the detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuro Narikawa