Patents Examined by Euncha P. Cherry
  • Patent number: 11340446
    Abstract: An actuator according to the present invention includes a support 20 that supports a driven unit 10, and outer axis driver units DSa, DSb that are separate and independent from the support 20 and configured to rotate the support 20. This configuration allows providing a sufficient rotational driving force around the outer, second axis AX2 by reducing size and weight of the related rotatable components and thus by reducing rotational moments thereof, and also allows increasing the resonance frequency of the support 20. As such, the actuator according to this embodiment provides a high-performance drive operation such as a raster scanning operation, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: THE NIPPON SIGNAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Tosa
  • Patent number: 11333882
    Abstract: An optical unit includes: a base which includes a main surface; a mirror device which includes a movable mirror portion and is disposed on the base; a frame member that is provided on the main surface so as to surround the mirror device; and a window member that is bonded to the frame member and has a flat plate shape. The frame member includes a first wall portion which is provided on the main surface and includes a first top surface on the side opposite to the main surface, a second wall portion which is provided on the main surface so as to face the first wall portion and includes a second top surface on the side opposite to the main surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Yuki Morinaga, Anna Yoshida, Yoshihisa Warashina
  • Patent number: 11327295
    Abstract: A MEMS device is formed in a die of semiconductor material having a cavity defined therein and having an anchorage portion. A tiltable structure is elastically suspended over the cavity and has a main extension in a horizontal plane. First and second supporting arms extend between the anchorage portion and opposite sides of the tiltable structure. First and second resonant piezoelectric actuation structures are intended to be biased to thereby cause rotation of the tiltable structure about a rotation axis. The first supporting arm is formed by first and second torsion springs, which are rigid to movements out of the horizontal plane and compliant to torsion about the rotation axis and are coupled together at a constraint region. The first and second resonant piezoelectric actuation structures extend between the anchorage portion and the constraint structure, on first and second sides of the first supporting arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Roberto Carminati, Nicolo' Boni, Massimiliano Merli
  • Patent number: 11327297
    Abstract: Provided is a generation method for a programmable analog fringe pattern with an extended depth of field. A laser emits a laser beam. After focusing and collimation thereof with a collimating lens, a collimated Gaussian laser beam meeting requirements is obtained. The laser beam is reflected by a mirror once, passes through a round diaphragm and is incident on a MEMS scanning mirror. The beam is reflected by the MEMS scanning mirror to the surface of a tested object. The laser is controlled by a sinusoidal current signal generated by a drive board so as to sinusoidally modulate the brightness of the laser beam. The MEMS scanning mirror is stimulated by a drive signal generated by the drive board to turn two-dimensionally, so as to drive the laser beam to perform scanning, thus generating a fringe pattern image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Xi 'an Chishine Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xiang Zhou, Tao Yang, Rui Jin, Quan Li, Tao Liu, Li Ma, Junqi Huang, Huanhuan Li
  • Patent number: 11322628
    Abstract: An optical member driving mechanism is provided, including a movable portion, a fixed portion, and a driving assembly. The movable portion is connected to an optical member. The movable portion is movable relative to the fixed portion. The driving assembly is configured to drive the movable portion to move relative to the fixed portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: TDK TAIWAN CORP.
    Inventors: Fu-Yuan Wu, Sheng-Zong Chen
  • Patent number: 11318820
    Abstract: A mirror unit mounted on a sun visor main body of a vehicle sun visor includes a slide mechanism configured by a pair of guide rails that guides both edges of a slide lid. Ends of the pair of guide rails have curved surfaces that allow the slide lid to be obliquely inserted into the pair of guide rails in such a manner that the knob of the slide lid runs over the frame when the slide lid is attached to the pair of guide rails of the frame such that both edges of the slide lid are respectively guided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: KYOWA SANGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kunihiko Ishikura
  • Patent number: 11312092
    Abstract: Methods of making tiled articles and molds used to make retroreflective articles. The methods include forming a prism array on a master substrate and forming a replica of the master. A reference edge is formed on the replica, thereby reducing the size of the prism array, yet maintaining a lateral dimension of the replica to maintain ease of handling of the replica. The replica is copied and the reference edge on the copied tiles are exposed, such that the reference edge can be mated and secured face-to-face with a reference edge on other tiles in order to form a tiled article. The tiled article is used as a mold to produce retroreflective articles or can be further duplicated and mated to form larger tiled articles to be used as molds. Tiled articles used as molds and retroreflective articles produced from the molds are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
    Inventors: Steven R. Chapman, Ethelbert Galicia, Feng Wu
  • Patent number: 11307404
    Abstract: A micromechanical micromirror array including a frame including a cutout, a micromirror device suspended on the frame in the area of the cutout in a first plane, a first pivoting vane device suspended on the frame protruding into the area of the cutout, coupled to the micromirror device via a first spring device, a second pivoting vane device suspended on the frame protruding into the area of the cutout, coupled to the micromirror device via a second spring device, a first drive device for deflecting the first pivoting vane device along a first axis, perpendicular to the first plane, and a second drive device for the antiphase deflection of the second pivoting vane device along the first axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Grutzeck, Timo Schary, Joerg Muchow, Philip Kaupmann
  • Patent number: 11307406
    Abstract: A Cascaded Mirror Array optical scanning system applies an array of reflectors, with each reflector (called array reflector for convenience) movable between discretized angular positions and independently switched by digitized electrical signals, to process a light beam by cascaded reflections to generate desired deflection angle of the beam. The precision of the discretized angular positions of each array reflector is maintained by a support structure, which supports the reflector while allowing it to rotate or tilt, and a set of positioning limiting structure, which limits the allowable angular position of the array reflector between a finite number of angular positions corresponding to the discretized angular positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: NATIONAL TSING HUA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Che-Chih Tsao, Chih-Hsiang Chen
  • Patent number: 11300760
    Abstract: The technical solution of the disclosure discloses a teleprompter, which includes a teleprompter reflector mechanism and a display support mechanism. The display support mechanism is located on the front side of the teleprompter reflector mechanism. The teleprompter further includes a clamping mechanism, which is configured to be removably connected with different positions on the back side of the teleprompter reflector mechanism. When using, a smart terminal can be clamped in the clamping mechanism so as to align the smart terminal with the shoot hole for shooting. The technology realizes to combine the smart terminal shoot with the teleprompter, so that users are convenient to use, and does not need to take additional cameras, thereby making it easy to take and reducing labor intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Inventor: Qinyuan Chen
  • Patent number: 11300761
    Abstract: A driving mechanism is provided, including a fixed part, a movable part for holding an optical element, and a driving assembly. The movable part is movable relative to the fixed part, and the driving assembly is configured to drive the movable part to move relative to the fixed part. Light reaches the optical element along an incident direction and leaves the optical element along an exit direction, wherein the exit direction is not parallel to the incident direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: TDK TAIWAN CORP.
    Inventors: Chao-Chang Hu, Mao-Kuo Hsu, Shu-Shan Chen, Kai-Jing Fu
  • Patent number: 11294169
    Abstract: A scanning device includes an MEMS mirror mechanism that swings a mirror with respect to a first axial line as a central line and swings the mirror with respect to a second axial line as a central line, and a control unit that generates a first drive signal for swinging the mirror with respect to the first axial line, and a second drive signal for swinging the mirror with respect to the second axial line. The control unit generates the first drive signal and the second drive signal so that m times of reciprocation of an irradiation region in a first direction and one time of reciprocation of the irradiation region in a second direction correspond to each other by repeating generation of a second signal element constituting the second drive signal to correspond to a first signal element in a period equal to or less than one cycle in the first drive signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventor: Naoto Sakurai
  • Patent number: 11287643
    Abstract: A displacement enlarging mechanism includes a substrate, a fixing portion provided at the substrate, an actuator coupled to the fixing portion, a beam extending in a direction substantially parallel to an upper surface of the substrate and having a base end side has been coupled to the actuator and coupled to the fixing portion and having folded back in a direction crossing the upper surface of the substrate, and a coupling portion and a mirror coupled to a folded-back portion formed by folding back of the beam. The actuator drives the beam to push or pull the beam from the base end side in the direction of the folded-back portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: SUMITOMO PRECISION PRODUCTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Mario Kiuchi
  • Patent number: 11279613
    Abstract: An actuator element of a MEMS device is provided, which is fabricated using surface micromachining on a substrate. An insulating layer having a first portion contacts the substrate while a second portion is separated from the substrate by a gap. A metallic layer contacts the insulating layer having a first portion contacting the first portion of the insulating layer and a second portion contacting the second portion of the insulating layer. The second portion of the metallic layer is prestressed. Alternately, the actuator element includes a first insulating layer separated from the substrate by a gap. A metallic layer has a first portion contacting the substrate and a second portion contacting the insulating layer. A second insulating layer contacts a portion of the second portion of the metallic layer opposite the first insulating layer, where the second insulating layer is prestressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Inventors: LaVern A. Starman, John P K Walton, Harris J Hall
  • Patent number: 11280997
    Abstract: A beam scanner of a near-eye display includes a pair of tiltable reflectors and a beam-folding pupil relay coupling the tiltable reflectors optically together. The beam-folding pupil relay includes a beamsplitter for receiving the light beam reflected by the first tiltable reflector, and a first curved reflector for receiving the light beam from the beamsplitter, and for reflecting the light beam back towards the beamsplitter. The beam-folded pupil relay is configured to couple the light beam reflected by the first curved reflector to the second tiltable reflector. A second curved reflector may be provided for coupling the light beam scanned by the tiltable reflectors to a pupil-replicating waveguide. A controller may be provided for scanning the light beam in coordination with operating the light source at varying levels of brightness or color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: Weichuan Gao
  • Patent number: 11269178
    Abstract: Provided are a polygon mirror assembly and a scan device. A polygon mirror assembly includes: a polygon mirror including a plurality of reflection surfaces spaced apart from a rotation axis by a predetermined distance; a first motor for rotating the polygon mirror around the rotation axis; a second motor for moving the polygon mirror in a first axial direction such that the rotation axis is tilted while the first motor rotates the polygon mirror; and a clock signal extraction surface for extracting a clock signal for detecting a change in a rotational speed of the first motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Eui Su Lee, Kyung Hyun Park, Il Min Lee, Kiwon Moon, Dong Woo Park, Hyun Soo Kim, Ho Jin Lee, Jeong Woo Park, Jun Hwan Shin, Kyeong Sun Choi, Dahye Choi
  • Patent number: 11262574
    Abstract: A light path shifting device is provided with a glass plate which incident light enters, a first frame for holding the glass plate, a second frame for supporting the first frame in the state of being swingable around a first oscillation axis, a base member for supporting the second frame in the state of being swingable around a second oscillation axis crossing the first oscillation axis, a first actuator for oscillating the first frame, and a second actuator for oscillating the second frame, and is capable of shifting the light path of the incident light in a first direction and a second direction crossing the first direction by oscillating the first frame and the second frame to thereby change an incident angle of the incident light to the glass plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Wakabayashi, Masatoshi Ito
  • Patent number: 11262576
    Abstract: A reflective optical element includes a reflector configured to reflect light, a first connection part connected with the reflector, first and second transmission parts connected with of the first connection part, first and second vibrator parts connected with respective base ends of the first and second transmission parts, first and second driver parts connected with respective head ends of the first and second vibrator parts, a base, and a second connection part connecting the first and second vibrator parts vibratably with the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takami Ishida, Kazuki Komaki
  • Patent number: 11256082
    Abstract: A lens module includes a voice coil motor, a lens received in the voice coil motor, a light emitting element adapted for emitting lights, a prism, and a DLP sensor. The prism faces and inclines towards the light emitting element. The prism is configured to reflect the lights from the light emitting element to the DLP sensor. The voice coil motor is configured to automatically adjust a distance between the lens and the DLP sensor according to a sharpness of the pattern and send electronic signals to the DLP sensor. When the DLP sensor receives the electronic signals, the DLP sensor rotates to change states of the DLP sensor according to the electronic signals and control an amount of the lights reflected into the lens according to the electronic signals thereby forming a pattern with a higher degree of sharpness than the pattern previously captured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: TRIPLE WIN TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Chun-Yao Huang, Cheng-An Lin
  • Patent number: 11249302
    Abstract: An opto-electro-mechanical system for manipulating optical radiation comprising a rotationally or translationally movable element, wherein the element is itself an optical element or comprises an optical element. Furthermore the system comprises a stator for the movable element having a recess enabling a deflection range, a flexible connection between the stator and the movable element providing a corresponding kinematically defined mobility, and an actuator for deflecting the movable element, wherein the stator is connected as one piece to the movable element, and the one-piece connection consists of silicate glass- and the recess is arranged around the movable element in such a way that the movable element is deflectable in accordance with the kinematically defined mobility with elastic deformation of the connection by means of the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventor: Tim Mayer