Patents Examined by Christopher Lamb
  • Patent number: 10921593
    Abstract: Embodiments herein describe AR systems that provide occluded AR content to a user while maintaining the perspective of the user. In one embodiment, the AR system includes an optical cloak that contains a mask display device and an AR display device and one or more focusing elements and a prism for focusing light captured from the user's environment. As the light enters the optical cloak, the mask display device occludes a portion of the user's view to generate a black silhouette. The AR system then combines AR content displayed by the AR display device with the image of the environment such that the location of the AR content overlaps with the location of the black silhouette. Furthermore, the spacing and characteristics of the focusing elements and the prism are set to maintain the perspective of the user as the light passes through the optical cloak.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Quinn Yorklun Jen Smithwick, Isela D. Howlett
  • Patent number: 10921693
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a method and a projection device for focal length calibration. The projection device includes a distance sensor, a projection lens, and a controller. The method includes: defining, by the distance sensor, a detection area on a projection surface; dividing, by the controller, the detection area into a plurality of reference areas; detecting, by the distance sensor, a reference distance between the projection device and each reference area; finding, by the controller, at least one first area and at least one second area in the reference areas; and performing, by the controller, a focusing operation of the projection lens only based on the reference distance of each second area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
    Inventors: Jui-Ta Liu, Chih-Hsiang Li, Yu-Chun Chen, I-Ming Liu
  • Patent number: 10914453
    Abstract: A wavelength conversion device in which a wavelength conversion element less easily comes off a substrate. A wavelength conversion device includes a substrate capable of rotating around a rotation axis, a wavelength conversion element provided around the rotation axis on one surface side of the substrate, and a fixing member that fixes the wavelength conversion element to the substrate. The wavelength conversion element includes a first surface opposed to the one surface of the substrate, a second surface on the opposite side of the first surface, and a first side surface section that connects the first surface to the second surface. The fixing member is in contact with the first side surface section in at least a part of the first side surface section when viewed from a direction parallel to the rotation axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akira Egawa
  • Patent number: 10914965
    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: April 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventors: Chui Woo Lee, Sung Ho Cho, Byung Gul Lim
  • Patent number: 10914928
    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: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Navitar, Inc.
    Inventor: Chad Byler
  • Patent number: 10915011
    Abstract: Disclosed is a lighting assembly including a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for providing a projection of a substantially uniform light at a working distance from the lighting assembly by oscillating the included plurality of LEDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Designs for Vision, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard E. Feinbloom, Kenneth N. Braganca, Kenneth Koscheka, Saida Mohbi
  • Patent number: 10877275
    Abstract: An image guide comprising glass or plastic planar substrate, a first hologram area, a second hologram area, and a third hologram area which are formed on the substrate as surface relief grating, period and direction of diffraction structure of the first, second, and third hologram areas have a relationship which is a sum of grating vectors of the first, second, and third hologram areas becomes zero, depth of diffraction structure on the first hologram area is a uniform in the own hologram area, and depth of diffraction structure on the second or third hologram area is chirped in the own hologram area increases luminance and uniformity of virtual image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignees: HITACHI, LTD., Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University Of Arizona
    Inventors: Toshiteru Nakamura, Yuzuru Takashima
  • Patent number: 10859891
    Abstract: An imaging module includes a display element, a prism and an image displacement device. The display element includes an active display surface. The prism includes an optical surface. The image displacement device is disposed between the display element and the prism. The image displacement device includes an optical element, a carrier, a base and at least one actuator. The optical element is disposed on the carrier. The at least one actuator drives the optical element on the carrier to swing relative to the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
    Inventors: Chung-Ting Wei, Chuan-Te Cheng
  • Patent number: 10859899
    Abstract: A wavelength conversion element includes a wavelength conversion layer which has a first face on which an excitation light is incident and a second face facing the first face, a first layer which is provided facing the second face and contains a first inorganic oxide, a second layer which is provided facing the first layer and contains a first metal or a second inorganic oxide that is different from the first inorganic oxide, and a third layer which is provided facing the second layer, contains either silver or aluminum, and reflects the excitation light or a light obtained by wavelength conversion of the excitation light by the wavelength conversion layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kunihiko Takagi, Kunihiko Yano, Tomohiro Yokoo, Wataru Yasumatsu, Tetsuo Shimizu, Shinichi Yotsuya, Koya Shiratori
  • Patent number: 10859844
    Abstract: An optical system comprises a first optical module and a second optical module. A tensioned element includes an upper segment attached to the first optical module and a lower segment attached to the second optical module. Movement of the tensioned element thus generates opposing movement of the first and second optical modules, the first optical module moving in a direction parallel to a direction of movement of the upper segment, and the second optical module moving in a direction parallel to a direction of movement of the lower segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Errol Mark Tazbaz, Philip Andrew Frank
  • Patent number: 10852628
    Abstract: A projector includes a first circulation channel formed in a sealed space and where a first fluid for cooling a cooling target arranged within the sealed space circulates, a second circulation channel where a second fluid to which heat is conducted from the first fluid circulates, and a third circulation channel where a third fluid to which heat is conducted from the second fluid circulates and where the heat conducted to the third fluid is radiated in a process of circulation of the third fluid. The first fluid is gas. The second fluid and the third fluid are liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kentaro Nakamura, Kaname Nagatani
  • Patent number: 10845682
    Abstract: Embodiments provide grade annunciator systems that allow a lumber workpiece traveling in a workflow path to be labeled with a projected image that conveys information about the grade, a cut line, and/or the location of a defect in the workpiece. In some embodiments, the system includes a conveyor configured to convey lumber workpieces in a workflow path, and a projector or series of projectors configured to project an image or symbol onto a surface of the workpiece, wherein the image or symbol indicates grade, a cut line, and/or the location of a defect in the workpiece. Other embodiments are methods of labeling a lumber workpiece in a workflow path, the methods includes conveying the lumber workpiece along the workflow path, and projecting an image or symbol onto a surface of the workpiece as it is conveyed along the workflow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: USNR, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher W. Blomquist, Carl Flatman, Carl Wahlstrom, Mike O'Heron, Nick Sunder
  • Patent number: 10841548
    Abstract: An oscillating mirror element includes a mirror portion, a drive portion that drives the mirror portion, a strain sensor capable of detecting an amount of displacement of the mirror portion, and a base including a mirror beam portion provided with the mirror portion, a sensor beam portion provided with the strain sensor, and a body portion that supports the mirror beam portion and the sensor beam portion and is provided with the drive portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignees: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD., NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Fuminori Tanaka, Takeshi Inoda, Ken Nishioka, Jun Akedo
  • Patent number: 10838288
    Abstract: An imaging module includes a display element and an image displacement device. The display element includes an active display surface adapted to receive an illumination beam, convert the illumination beam into an image beam, and transmit the image beam. The image displacement device includes an optical element located on a transmission path of the image beam and adapted to allow the image beam to pass therethrough, a carrier, a base and at least one actuator, wherein the optical element is disposed on the carrier, the at least one actuator is disposed on the base, one end of the at least one actuator is connected to the carrier to drive the optical element on the carrier to swing relative to the base, and an orthographic projection area of the at least one actuator on a reference plane does not overlap with an orthographic projection area of the active display surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
    Inventors: Wei-Hao Chen, Shu-Yu Lin
  • Patent number: 10816880
    Abstract: A projection device, includes a housing including an opening, a projection lens disposed in the housing, a lens cover module including a lens cover, and a Hall switch including a Hall sensor and a magnet. The lens cover shields the opening when the lens cover is in the closed position, and the housing exposes the opening and exposes the projection lens when the lens cover is in the open position. The Hall sensor is disposed on one of the housing and the lens cover, and the magnet is disposed on the other one of the lens cover and the housing corresponding to the Hall sensor. The Hall switch generates a first control signal when the lens cover is moved from the closed position to the open position. The Hall switch generates a second control signal when the lens cover is moved from the open position to the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
    Inventor: Chia-Tien Chen
  • Patent number: 10802388
    Abstract: A projection apparatus includes a light source unit which time-divisionally emits light in colors by light emission from light emitting devices; a display element using light emitted from the light source unit, displaying images respectively corresponding to the colors of the emitted light, and forming optical images by reflection or transmission light thereof; a projection unit emitting the optical images formed by the display element toward a projection target; a timing setting unit setting a change timing associated with changing each of the colors, and setting spoke periods generated at each change timing; a light source drive unit driving the light source unit, based on the change timings and spoke periods; a detection unit detecting information indicating a light amount of the light for each of the colors emitted from the projection unit during the spoke periods; and a light source controller setting a delay time for light emission timings at the light source unit in the spoke periods by the light sourc
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuro Narikawa
  • Patent number: 10802607
    Abstract: A light emitting device uses optical elements each formed of a plurality of small lenses. On that basis, the array pitch of the plurality of small lenses is set within a predetermined numerical range determined based on a proportional relationship between two values with respect to the focal distance of a collimator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Makoto Otani
  • Patent number: 10795250
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes a laser source configured to emit a laser beam, a homogenizer optical element that includes a light flux dividing section disposed to face the laser source, configured to divide the laser beam into a plurality of separate laser beams in a plane and make advancing directions of the plurality of separate laser beams different from each other, and a light flux superimposing section formed integrally with the light flux dividing section and superimposing the plurality of separate laser beams on each other in a common radiation region, and a fluorescent material disposed to face the homogenizer optical element, excited by the plurality of separate laser beams superimposed in the radiation region using the light flux superimposing section so as to emit fluorescence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: STANLEY ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Yokobayashi, Masaru Kuramoto
  • Patent number: 10783606
    Abstract: An image display apparatus includes an image forming unit and a vehicle provided with the image display apparatus. The image forming unit includes a light source unit configured to emit light, an optical scanner configured to scan the light emitted from the light source unit two-dimensionally in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction, and an intermediate image forming unit configured to form an intermediate image by the light scanned by the optical scanner. The image forming unit satisfies 0.3<Rm/L<3, where Rm denotes a radius of curvature of the intermediate image forming unit in the main scanning direction, and L denotes distance between a reference point when the optical scanner deflects and scans the light and a center of the intermediate image formed on the intermediate image forming unit. In the vehicle, the image display apparatus indicates the intermediate image to a driver as a virtual image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiromichi Atsuumi, Yuki Hayashi, Daisuke Ichii, Naoki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10782599
    Abstract: Disclosed is a lighting assembly including a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for providing a projection of a substantially uniform light at a working distance from the lighting assembly by oscillating the included plurality of LEDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: DESIGNS FOR VISION, INC.
    Inventors: Richard E. Feinbloom, Ken Braganca, Kenneth Koscheka