Patents Examined by Diane I. Lee
  • Patent number: 7972047
    Abstract: A headlight unit having a virtual pivot center provided at a position different from a supported position to a vehicle body. Two, upper and lower headlight supporting portions spaced apart from each other are provided at a rear portion of a headlight unit The upper headlight supporting portion on each side includes a guide shaft formed on a support member of a radiator cover and a groove formed on an upper base portion of the headlight unit. The lower headlight supporting portion on each side includes an elongated hole formed through the support member of the radiator cover and a bolt threadedly engaged with a lower base portion of the headlight unit. The guide shaft and the bolt slide in the groove and the elongated hole, respectively, for performing the swing motion of the headlight unit about the virtual pivot center C to perform an adjustment of an optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Shiokawa, Koji Aoki
  • Patent number: 7972053
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus provided in the form of a bulb for use in a solar lantern or other electrical device. The lighting apparatus includes a hollow light guide with a light reflective layer on the inside. A first and second light source such as an array of LEDs, LECs, etc. is positioned at opposite ends of the hollow light guide such the light emitted by the light sources is directed through the light guide between the inner and outer sidewalls thereof. The first and second light source are connected to a power source such as a battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Inventors: Kiran Hatti, Srinivasa Jammalamadaka
  • Patent number: 7954970
    Abstract: A bottle for alcoholic or non alcoholic beverages has a hollow body part defining an inner space for filling an alcoholic or non alcoholic beverage, at least one electrical/electronic device integrated in the hollow body part without interfering with a content of the bottle and having a light generating unit and a sensing unit selected from the group consisting of a contact sensor, a movement sensor, and both operative for activating the light generating unit for producing light in response to an action selected from the group consisting of a contact, a movement, and both in a vicinity of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Inventor: Tim Goldburt
  • Patent number: 7954968
    Abstract: In a backlight module, when relay connectors exposed to a back side of a chassis are engaged with the connector portions of a lighting jig, the power from the power supply source of the lighting jig is supplied to discharge tubes via the connector portions and the relay connectors. Thereby, the discharge tubes can be lighted, even if a power board is not connected to the relay connectors. At the time, the lighting jig is arranged to face the back surface of the chassis, and therefore optical sheets can be mounted to the chassis from the front side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited
    Inventors: Yoshiki Takata, Kenichi Iwamoto, Takaaki Kudo, Naofumi Ikenaga
  • Patent number: 7942556
    Abstract: A solid state illumination device includes a semiconductor light emitter mounted on a base and surrounded by sidewalls, e.g., in a circular, elliptical, triangular, rectangular or other appropriate arrangement, to define a chamber. A top element, which may be reflective, may be coupled to the sidewalls to further define the chamber. The light produced by the semiconductor light emitter is emitted through the sidewalls of the chamber. The sidewalls and/or top element may include wavelength converting material, for example, as a plurality of dots on the surfaces. An adjustable wavelength converting element may be used within the chamber, with the adjustable wavelength converting element being configured to adjust the surface area that is exposed to the light emitted by the semiconductor light emitter in the chamber to alter an optical property of the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Xicato, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerard Harbers, Mark A. Pugh
  • Patent number: 7926987
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus installed outdoors includes a cabinet body having an opening that houses components constituting the electronic apparatus, a lid body that closes the opening, a printed circuit board unit on which electronic components are mounted, and a block made from an opaque material that has a plurality of holes and is disposed between the printed circuit board unit and the lid body. The printed circuit board unit has a plurality of LED's that indicate operating states of the electronic apparatus. The lid body has a window portion covered with a transparent material having a larger area than a region where the LED's are arranged, so that the window faces the region. The block is disposed so that light emission from the plurality of LED's can be observed from the outside of the electronic apparatus through the respective plurality of holes and the window portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Yasuhisa Kanemaru, Takahisa Yoshizumi, Haruki Hirata, Mitsuru Etou, Makoto Kawakami
  • Patent number: 7670007
    Abstract: A projection display is capable of suppressing both the trapezoidal distortion of an enlarged image projected on a screen by oblique projection and aberrations resulting from oblique projection and includes a projection optical system provided with lenses that can be easily manufactured and assembled. The projection optical system for obliquely projecting an image formed by a display device on the screen includes a free curved lens having a rotationally asymmetric free curved surface. The free curved lens has fringing parts having outlines of a shape coinciding with an arc of a circle having the center on the optical axis of the free curved lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takanori Hisada, Hiroki Yoshikawa, Tetsu Ohishi, Koji Hirata, Naoyuki Ogura
  • Patent number: 7665850
    Abstract: Prism elements having TIR surfaces placed in close proximity to the active area of a SLM device to separate unwanted off-state and/or flat-state light from the projection ON-light bundle. The TIR critical angle of these prisms is selected to affect either the off-state light or additionally, any portion of flat-state light reflected from the SLM. These TIR surfaces are placed to immediately reflect the unwanted light as it comes off the SLM, thereby preventing the contamination of light along the projection path, which tends to degrade the system contrast. To further improve the optical performance of the system, these TIR prisms can be attached directly to the SLM package, completely eliminating the package window. Also, these TIR prism can be coupled to DMDs having asymmetric mirrors, which tilt through a larger angle for the ON-light to provide high etendue and lumen output, but through near-zero degrees for the OFF-light, thereby improving the separation of any unwanted light from the off/flat states.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Steven M. Penn
  • Patent number: 7663734
    Abstract: In a pattern writing method for writing a pattern on a substrate by the use of projection patterns output from a mirror device including two-dimensionally arranged micromirrors, exposure is implemented by ON/OFF controlling each micromirror and partly overlapping the projection patterns from the mirror device at least in a one-dimensional direction, thereby accurately controlling the exposure of intermediate amounts of light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Inventors: Tadahiro Ohmi, Shigetoshi Sugawa, Kimio Yanagida, Kiwamu Takehisa
  • Patent number: 7658497
    Abstract: A guide convex portion is formed on a base plate in parallel to an illumination optical axis. Further, a fixed-side supporting member is provided in the base plate. A first opening is formed in an upright portion of the fixed-side supporting member. A slide supporting member can be provided on the base plate. A second opening is formed in the upright portion of the slide supporting member. By inserting a tapered rod into the second opening at its light incidence side and by moving the slide supporting member along the aforementioned guide convex portion, the slide supporting member is stopped at a predetermined position and, at this position, the slide supporting member is fixed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Takashi Miwa, Nobuyuki Kondou, Yoshihiro Yokote
  • Patent number: 7656502
    Abstract: An immersion lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which a liquid removal system surrounds a liquid supply system which provides liquid to a space between a projection system and a substrate. The liquid removal system is moveable relative to the liquid supply system and is controlled to have substantially zero velocity relative to the moving substrate table. The gap between the liquid supply system and the liquid removal system may be covered and the atmosphere between the liquid supply system and the liquid removal system above the substrate table may be maintained such that the vapor pressure of liquid is relatively high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Harmen Klaus Van Der Schoot, Noud Jan Gilissen, Peter Paul Steijaert, Erik Roelof Loopstra, Nicolaas Rudolf Kemper, Nicolaas Ten Kate, Johannes Catharinus Hubertus Mulkens, Martinus Hendrikus Antonius Leenders, Hans Jansen, Marco Koert Stavenga, Jan Cornelis Van Der Hoeven, Bob Streefkerk, Hernes Jacobs, Marcus Martinus Petrus Adrianus Vermeulen
  • Patent number: 7651225
    Abstract: A three dimensional display apparatus includes a three dimensional shape reconstruction apparatus, a reflecting device, a controller and a projecting device. The three dimensional shape reconstruction apparatus reconstructs a target three dimensional shape. The reflecting device reflects projection light from above the three dimensional shape reconstruction apparatus, to side faces of the three dimensional shape reconstruction apparatus. The controller controls the three dimensional shape reconstruction apparatus based on three dimensional shape information. The projecting device projects a surface image of the top face of the target three dimensional shape onto the top face of the three dimensional shape reconstruction apparatus. The projecting device projects surface images of the side faces of the target three dimensional shape onto the side faces of the three dimensional shape reconstruction apparatus through the reflecting devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Osamu Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 7652747
    Abstract: This invention discloses an immersion exposure method which executes immersion exposure for an exposure target film by transferring an image of a pattern formed on a mask onto the exposure target film through an immersion medium. A first vapor pressure as the target value in an immersion exposure atmosphere which surrounds the immersion medium is set. A second vapor pressure in the immersion exposure atmosphere is measured. The first vapor pressure is compared with the second vapor pressure. Whether to adjust the vapor pressure in the immersion exposure atmosphere is selected in accordance with the comparison result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takuya Kono, Kazuya Fukuhara, Daisuke Kawamura
  • Patent number: 7648246
    Abstract: A projector includes: an imaging structure that photographs an image projected on a projection object to take a photographed image; an imaging control module that performs exposure adjustment in the imaging structure to attain a preset target exposure; a control module that sets the target exposure in the imaging ctrl module; an angle information acquisition module that obtains angle information representing an inclination of the projector to the projection object; and a storage unit that stores a map representing a variation in target exposure against the angle information. The control module controls the angle information acquisition module to obtain the angle information, refers to the map stored in the storage unit to specify a target exposure corresponding to the obtained angle information, and sets the specified target exposure in the imaging control module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Noriaki Miyasaka
  • Patent number: 7649613
    Abstract: A method of controlling a component within a lithographic apparatus is presented. The component is moved relative to a reference within the lithographic apparatus by a first actuator. A second actuator that exerts a force between the component and a reaction mass is used to adjust at least one of a position, velocity and acceleration of the component relative to the reference within the lithographic apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventor: Hans Butler
  • Patent number: 7643126
    Abstract: In the present invention, in the photolithography process in which a certain focus condition has been already set, a film on a substrate is exposed to only zero-order light of a light source transmitted, and then developed to reduce a first portion of the film on the substrate. Further, the film on the substrate is exposed to zero-order light and higher order light of the light source transmitted, and then developed to reduce a second portion of the film on the substrate. Thereafter, the film thicknesses of the first portion and the second portion are measured, and the measured film thicknesses of the first portion and the second portion are converted into line widths of a resist pattern by previously obtained correlations between the film thicknesses and the line widths. The converted line width of the second portion is then subtracted from the converted line width of the first portion, whereby the line width depending only on the focus component is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Michio Tanaka, Masahide Tadokoro
  • Patent number: 7641346
    Abstract: A transmissive LCD is placed in optical series with pixels of an image. The transmissive LCD is set to full transmissivity when bright pixels of the image pass through the transmissive LCD. Transmissivity is decreased where pixels darker than a darkening threshold pass through the transmissive LCD. A darkening curve representative of an amount of darkening performed by the transmissive LCD provides an amount of darkening to be performed on each pixel. Preferably, the darkening curve gradually darkens pixels more as the pixels themselves are darker. The darkening curve may be implemented as a formula or a look-up table in software or drive electronics that energize the transmissive LCD. Both the darkening threshold and the darkening curve may be user selectable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: LightMaster Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Arthur Berman
  • Patent number: 7641345
    Abstract: A projection apparatus for generating a moving star field and a cloud-like effect comprises a means for generating a cloud-like effect using at least one non-coherent light source, a means for generating a moving star field using at least one coherent light source and a means for regulating and supplying electric power. The means for generating cloud-like effect using at least one non-coherent light source comprises at least one pair of condenser lenses and an interferential filter wheel rotated by a motor, disposed between at least one pair of condenser lenses. The means for generating the moving star field using a coherent light source comprises a grating wheel rotated by a motor and a diffractive optical element disposed between the at least one coherent light source and the grating wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Bliss Holdings, LLC
    Inventor: Randy E. Johnson
  • Patent number: 7637620
    Abstract: A lid structure, apparatus and method for displaying graphical information uses beams of coherent light that are emitted in a scanning manner to project the beams of coherent light onto a display surface to form the graphical information on the display surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Marvell International Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Mark D. Montierth, James A. Hall, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7635189
    Abstract: A method and system for synchronizing rotating machinery or other electromechanical actuator devices to a series of sync pulses derived from a video stream comprising point optimized control laws.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Casimer M. DeCusatis, Timothy M. Trifilo