Patents Examined by Christopher Lamb
  • Patent number: 11796812
    Abstract: A head-up display that projects a virtual image onto a display medium includes: a display that emits display light that forms an image to be displayed; and a first mirror that forms a virtual image on a side opposite an observer across the display medium by guiding an image displayed by the display to the display medium. The first mirror includes: a base having a first surface and a second surface on opposite sides of the base; and a reflection surface provided on the first surface. The base includes an end portion including a rough surface and provided between the reflection surface on the first surface and a perimeter of the base. A rib is provided on a rear side of the end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoaki Miyamoto, Yasutaka Iwamizu, Tsubasa Okuyama
  • Patent number: 11796808
    Abstract: A directional backlit display device includes a light source module, a reflective narrow-angle diffuser, a backlit display device panel, an eye tracking device, and a controller. The diffuser includes a shaft and is utilized to reflect and uniformly diffuse the light to provide a uniform directional light beam. The backlit display device panel is included on the projecting optical path of the uniform directional light beam. The uniform directional light beam illuminates an image displayed on the backlit display device panel and projects to a projection area. The controller receives an eye position information from the eye tracking device and determines a coordinate. The controller determines a corrective projection area when the coordinate deviates from the projection area, and the drive module rotates the reflective narrow-angle diffuser around an axis of the shaft according to the corrective projection area, so the image projection area moves with the eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: E-LEAD ELECTRONIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Stephen Chen
  • Patent number: 11789263
    Abstract: A display device for a vehicle includes a liquid crystal display device including a display surface for displaying an image; and an optical system including a reflecting surface, and forming an optical path of display light from the display surface toward an eye point of a vehicle. The optical system includes a first reflecting surface placed closest to the display surface in the optical path of the display light, and a magnifying reflecting surface that magnifies and reflects the display light. When viewed from an image horizontal direction, the display surface is inclined toward an optical axis of the display light extending from the display surface toward the first reflecting surface. The optical system is configured so that a width of the optical path of the display light in an image vertical direction is reduced, gradually from the display surface toward the first reflecting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junichi Ichikawa, Tetsuya Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 11789264
    Abstract: A display for providing an image to an eye of a user has a compound light-guide arrangement formed from juxtaposed first and second slab waveguides (10, 20). Image illumination from a projector (100) is introduced, part into each waveguide, so as to propagate by internal reflection within the waveguide. A coupling-out configuration of the first waveguide (10) includes a first set of obliquely-angled internal partially-reflecting surfaces (11) in a first region of the compound light-guide arrangement for coupling-out a first part of the field of view, and a coupling-out configuration of the second waveguide (20) includes a second set of obliquely-angled internal partially-reflecting surfaces (21) in a second region of the compound light-guide arrangement, at least partially non-overlapping with the first region, for coupling-out a second part of the field of view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: LUMUS LTD.
    Inventors: Eitan Ronen, Ronen Chriki, Yochay Danziger
  • Patent number: 11789282
    Abstract: A projection apparatus including an illumination system and a projection imaging system is provided. The illumination system is adapted to emit an illumination beam, and the illumination system includes a light source module and a light shaping module. The light source module is adapted to emit at least one beam. The light shaping module is disposed on the transmission path of the at least one beam. The at least one beam forms an illumination beam after passing through the light shaping module, and the illumination beam has a light imaging matching angle. The light shaping module includes at least one first lens element. The at least one first lens element is disposed on the transmission path of the at least one beam. The projection imaging system is disposed on a transmission path of the illumination beam. The projection apparatus is suitable for eliminating stray light and crosstalk of images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
    Inventor: Yi-Chien Lo
  • Patent number: 11768384
    Abstract: A cycloidal diffractive waveplate based star simulator generates a star field with very high precision star locations and accurate brightness. The present disclosure provides a star simulator that allows for a large FOV, modular, multi-star simulator capable of very high precision dynamic star locations for testing of high accuracy, large FOV star trackers. The system is composed of a light source, a polarization grating-based image [1], and an opto-mechanical system for steering the light. The light is projected onto a diffuse screen where the light is scattered, creating a functional point source at the screen. A star tracker or other device under test views the screen which has a multitude of projected spots (each with its own light source and beam steering device) positioned in a star field distribution appropriate for the simulated viewing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Joshua Lentz
  • Patent number: 11765327
    Abstract: A method for controlling projectors includes identifying a first projector and a second projector by using a database, acquiring a first control code of the first projector and a second control code of the second projector after the first projector and the second projector are identified, and generating at least one control signal to the first projector and the second projector for controlling operational actions of the first projector and the second projector according to the first control code and the second control code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignees: BenQ Intelligent Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, BENQ CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chih-Pen Huang, Chang-Sheng Lee, Tung-Chia Chou
  • Patent number: 11762265
    Abstract: An imaging lens and a projection device including the imaging lens are provided. The imaging lens includes a central lens portion and a peripheral lens portion arranged around the central lens portion. The peripheral lens portion has opposite first outer and inner surfaces, at least one of the first outer and inner surfaces has a plurality of first convex regions. The central lens portion has opposite second outer and inner surfaces, and at least one of the second outer and inner surfaces of the central lens portion protrudes beyond the corresponding first outer or inner surface of the peripheral lens portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Inventors: Haiquan Pang, Biao Xia, Minghua Yang
  • Patent number: 11762195
    Abstract: A holographic display system for a motor vehicle includes a coherent light source for generating a beam of coherent light and a spatial light modulator (SLM) having a two-dimensional pixel array, which is encoded with a hologram for modulating a phase of the coherent light. The SLM generates a first diffracted beam associated with a main image and a second diffracted beam associated with a conjugate image, where the first and second diffracted beams are angularly spaced from one another by a first angle. The system further includes an optical component for angularly spacing the first and second diffracted beams from one another by a second angle that is larger than the first angle. The system further includes a display surface receiving the first diffracted beam from the optical component to display the main image, with the display surface being free of the second diffracted beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Kai-Han Chang, Thomas A. Seder
  • Patent number: 11762267
    Abstract: A light source apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an excitation light source that outputs excitation light, a ceramic phosphor that has a first surface and a second surface, converts in terms of wavelength part of the excitation light outputted from the excitation light source and incident via the first surface to generate fluorescence, and causes the fluorescence to exit via the second surface, and a substrate that supports the first surface of the ceramic phosphor. The excitation light outputted from the excitation light source is incident on an exposed portion of the first surface of the ceramic phosphor that is the portion exposed via the substrate. The distance in the exposed portion from an irradiated region irradiated with the excitation light to the substrate is 0.34 mm or greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satoshi Kito
  • Patent number: 11754817
    Abstract: A rear adapter module for a finite conjugate optical assembly and camera is configured to couple with a core zoom module. A lens assembly of the rear adapter module includes three or more lens elements and has a positive focal length. The lens assembly exhibits a pupil size of between 16 and 25 mm and a pupil depth greater than 50 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Navitar, Inc.
    Inventor: Chad Byler
  • Patent number: 11745586
    Abstract: A vehicle display device includes: an optical system that makes display light emitted from an emission unit cross along an intersecting direction intersecting with an optical axis direction of the display light, and then reflects the display light on a display surface provided to a vehicle toward an eye point that is assumed in advance; a light-blocking wall provided to face an optical path of the display light and including a narrowing part that narrows the optical path toward a cross point of the display light along the intersecting direction; and a partial cutoff adjustment structure that partially cuts off a display image by the display light at a portion other than the narrowing part when the eye point moves along the intersecting direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Junichi Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 11714279
    Abstract: A vehicle display device includes a display that emits a display image to be projected onto a windshield provided to a vehicle, as display light, at least one reflecting mirror that is disposed on an optical path of the display light from the display to the windshield and reflects the display light, an optical sensor that detects external light (SL) incident from an opening through which an outside and an internal space are communicated with each other, a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the display, a dimming member that is disposed on the optical path of the display light, and a controller that causes the dimming member to be switched between a state with a first transmissivity and a state with a second transmissivity smaller than the first transmissivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naohisa Murata, Haruyoshi Ono, Yuta Miyake
  • Patent number: 11703683
    Abstract: A head-up display includes a display device and a projection optical system; the projection optical system includes first and second optical elements arranged in order of an optical path from the image; and when optical paths corresponding to an upper end and a lower end of the virtual image are defined as an upper ray and a lower ray, respectively, and a diverging effect and a converging effect are defined as being negative and positive, respectively, the first and the second optical elements satisfy conditional expressions P_u1?P_l1<0 and P_u2?P_l2>0 (where P_u1 denotes a local power of the first optical element acting on the upper ray, P_l1 denotes a local power of the first optical element acting on the lower ray, P_u2 denotes a local power of the second optical element acting on the upper ray, P_l2 denotes a local power of the second optical element acting on the lower ray).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi Kuzuhara, Hiroaki Okayama
  • Patent number: 11669000
    Abstract: A method for controlling an optical device including a movable section including an optical section that refracts incident video image light in accordance with the angle of incidence of the video image light and outputs the refracted video image light and a holding section that supports the optical section, and an actuator that causes the movable section to swing, the method including applying a drive signal to the actuator to cause the movable section to swing. The drive signal is a trapezoidal wave having a trapezoidal waveform. Each leg section of the trapezoidal wave is formed of a first leg section and a second leg section connected to the first leg section. The inclination of the second leg section respect to the flat section of the trapezoidal wave is smaller than the inclination of the first leg section with respect to the flat section of the trapezoidal wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corportation
    Inventor: Takao Hirakura
  • Patent number: 11644738
    Abstract: A wavelength conversion device includes a rotating device, a substrate rotated by the rotating device, a wavelength conversion element, and a first cooling device including, on an inside, a space in which working fluid is encapsulated, the first cooling device cooling the wavelength conversion element. The first cooling device is disposed in a position corresponding to the wavelength conversion element. The space extends from an outer edge side of the substrate to a rotation axis side. The first cooling device includes an evaporator and a condenser which are provided in the space. The evaporator includes a liquid retaining part configured to retain the working fluid in a liquid phase. The liquid retaining part is provided at the outer edge side in the space and disposed in the position corresponding to the wavelength conversion element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Norikazu Kadotani, Takahiro Miyata
  • Patent number: 11635614
    Abstract: A beam steering apparatus including a first actuatable micromirror array (AMA) having a pitch, p, adapted to impart a modulation to a wavefront incident on the first AMA by a transition between a first state and a second state, wherein the first AMA has a transition time (T) between the first state and the second state, and at least one light source adapted to provide the incident wavefront having a duration, t, to the first AMA, where t?T. The AMA may be a MEMS device such as a digital micromirror array. The beam steering apparatus may constitute a portion of LIDAR system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
    Inventors: Yuzuru Takashima, Braden Smith, Brandon Hellman
  • Patent number: 11630300
    Abstract: Provided is a near-eye display device including: a base substrate including first and second surfaces opposite to each other, an optical element array on the first surface, and a pixel island array and a sensor array that are on the second surface and are coupled to each other. The pixel island array emits first pixel light to the optical element array, such that the first pixel light passes through the optical element array and then reaches a human eye. The sensor array receives light of the first pixel light reflected by the human eye, determines a position of a pupil center of the human eye according to an intensity distribution of the reflected light, determines pixels corresponding to the position of the pupil center in the pixel island array, and controls the pixels to emit second pixel light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Qiuyu Ling, Wei Wang, Xiandong Meng, Pengxia Liang, Xianqin Meng, Gaolei Xue, Fangzhou Wang, Meng Yan, Peilin Liu, Yujiao Guo, Yishan Tian, Xiaochuan Chen
  • Patent number: 11630379
    Abstract: A scanning laser projection system includes a virtual protective housing circuit to automatically reduce accessible emissions of visible laser light by decimating areas of a projected image to reduce optical power exposure levels for safety, comfort, aesthetic, or system classification purposes. IR laser light pulses are scanned in a field of view, and a percentage of visible laser light pulses are blanked based on attributes of reflections of the IR laser light pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Microvision, Inc.
    Inventor: Henry J. Baron
  • Patent number: 11624972
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a projection display, wherein the projection display comprises a support on which a projector lens array with a plurality of projector lenses is arranged, wherein on a side of the support facing away from the projector lens array, an object structure array with a plurality of object structures is arranged, wherein at least one projector lens is associated with one object structure, such that the projections of the object structures superpose through the projector lenses to form a full image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: DOCTER OPTICS SE
    Inventors: Sven Fröhlich, Sven B. Kiriczi