Patents Examined by James C. Jones
  • Patent number: 11543621
    Abstract: There is provided a camera module including a stacked lens structure including a plurality of lens substrates. The plurality of lens substrates includes a first lens substrate including a first lens that is disposed at an inner side of a through-hole formed in the first lens substrate, and a second lens substrate including a second lens that is disposed at an inner side of a through-hole formed in the second lens substrate, wherein the first lens substrate is directly bonded to the second lens substrate. The camera module further includes an electromagnetic drive unit configured to adjust a distance between the stacked lens structure and a light-receiving element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Munekatsu Fukuyama, Hiroyasu Matsugai, Hiroyuki Itou, Suguru Saito, Keiji Ohshima, Masanori Iwasaki, Toshihiko Hayashi, Shuzo Sato, Nobutoshi Fujii, Hiroshi Tazawa, Toshiaki Shiraiwa, Yusuke Moriya, Minoru Ishida
  • Patent number: 11543623
    Abstract: A lens apparatus includes an optical element, first and second fixed barrels coupled to each other, a conversion mechanism from a rotary motion to a linear motion, fitted to the first fixed barrel and configured to be rotated about a first axis as an axis of the first fixed barrel to drive the optical element along the first axis, an operation member fitted to an outer periphery of the second fixed barrel and configured to be operated to be rotated about a second axis as an axis of the second fixed barrel, and a transmission ring, supported by the conversion mechanism to be translatable in a first direction orthogonal to the first axis and by the operation member to be translatable in a second direction and orthogonal to the second axis, configured to transmit rotation from the operation member to the conversion mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Go Shibasaki
  • Patent number: 11543627
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses an optical imaging lens assembly including, sequentially from an object side to an image side along an optical axis, a first lens having a positive refractive power; a second lens having a refractive power; a third lens having a refractive power; a fourth lens having a refractive power, a fifth lens having a refractive power, of which an image-side surface is a concave surface; a sixth lens having a refractive power; and a seventh lens having a negative refractive power. An effective focal length f of the optical imaging lens assembly and half of a maximal field-of-view angle HFOV of the optical imaging lens assembly satisfy: 5.5 mm<tan(HFOV)*f<6.5 mm. The optical imaging lens assembly of the present disclosure has at least one of the advantages of a large imaging plane, a large wide angle, a large aperture and ultra-thinness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Zhejiang Sunny Optical Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Lin Huang, Fujian Dai, Liefeng Zhao
  • Patent number: 11536947
    Abstract: Systems and methods provide technology for a tunable vehicle window system to adjust a view for a window. The technology includes a window assembly comprising a tunable optical metamaterial deployed on a surface of a window, the tunable optical metamaterial including a transparent electroactive substrate having disposed thereon an optically active particle array, the optically active particle array including resonators having elongated members arranged in two or more orientations. The technology includes a controller to receive a signal from a photosensor indicative of a condition of incoming light to the vehicle, determine a change in a view for the window assembly based on the received photosensor signal, and control a voltage applied to the substrate to selectively expand or contract the substrate within a plane substantially parallel to the window surface and in a manner to adjust the view for the window assembly according to the determined view change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Sean P. Rodrigues, Chungchih Chou
  • Patent number: 11525979
    Abstract: A focus-adjustment apparatus which can be applied during manufacture of camera modules includes a rotation mechanism, a drive mechanism, an elevating mechanism, an optoelectronic chip, and a lens module. The rotation mechanism includes a container and movable latch rods therein. The drive mechanism can rotate the rotation mechanism, and the elevating mechanism with optoelectronic chip attached is under the rotation mechanism. The lens module includes a support element adjacent to the optoelectronic chip, an adjustment structure rotatably disposed on the support element, and a lens above the optoelectronic chip in the adjustment structure. When the elevating mechanism raises the lens module and the drive mechanism rotates the rotation mechanism, at least one of the latch rods rotates the adjustment structure, so as to change the distance between the lens and the optoelectronic chip and achieve correct focus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Nanning FuLian FuGui Precision Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chan-Shen Liu, Heng-Peng Liu
  • Patent number: 11525975
    Abstract: A lens positional adjustment device having a lens mounted to a moveable lens body, with the lens body including a bearing member and the lens mounted to the body to enable a laser beam to be projectable at and through the lens. A first voice coil member is mounted to the lens body and is axially offset from the optical axis of the lens. The device also includes a housing having a second voice coil member and a housing bearing with the bearing member of the lens housing being engaged with the housing bearing. The voice coil members are constructed to be one of an electrical coil winding and a magnet that engage to enable movement of the lens body relative to the housing when a current is supplied to the electrical coil winding whereby movement of the lens body relative to the housing adjusts the position of the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Korvis, LLC
    Inventor: Phillip A. Williams
  • Patent number: 11520046
    Abstract: A method for optical distance measurement is provided, which comprises emitting a plurality of measurement pulses, reflecting emitted measurement pulses on at least one object within a measurement range with a length and receiving reflected measurement pulses. N subsets of measurement pulses are emitted, wherein each subset comprises a constant pulse interval. The constant pulse interval of different subsets is different, wherein the least common multiple of the constant pulse intervals of the N subsets corresponds to at least twice the length of the measurement range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: IBEO AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Birnbacher, Jan Rühaak
  • Patent number: 11513311
    Abstract: This invention provides a removably mountable lens assembly for a vision system camera that includes an integral auto-focusing liquid lens unit, in which the lens unit compensates for focus variations by employing a feedback control circuit that is integrated into the body of the lens assembly. The feedback control circuit receives motion information related to the bobbin of the lens from a position sensor (e.g. a Hall sensor) and uses this information internally to correct for motion variations that deviate from the lens setting position at a desired lens focal distance setting. Illustratively, the feedback circuit can be interconnected with one or more temperature sensors that adjust the lens setting position for a particular temperature value. In addition, the feedback circuit can communicate with an accelerometer that reads a direction of gravity and thereby corrects for potential sag in the lens membrane based upon the spatial orientation of the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Cognex Corporation
    Inventors: Laurens Nunnink, Rene Delasauce, William Equitz
  • Patent number: 11506884
    Abstract: An optical circuit switch device and method for using the device are provided. The device may include a fiber array including a set of optical fibers configured for transmitting optical signals. The device may include a collimator array coupled to the fiber array configured for aligning the optical signals received from the fiber array. The device may include a first mirror array for receiving the optical signals from the collimator array. The device may include a second mirror array for receiving the optical signals from the first mirror array. The device may include a lens located at the fiber array, the lens having a focal point at the second mirror array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Molex, LLC
    Inventors: Gongjian Hu, Kelvin Chau, Lifu Gong
  • Patent number: 11506871
    Abstract: An optical imaging system includes five lenses in which a first lens includes a positive refractive power and a concave object-side surface, and a second lens includes a positive refractive power and a concave image-side surface. The first to fifth lenses are sequentially disposed from an object side to an image side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hag Chul Kim
  • Patent number: 11506869
    Abstract: A miniature imaging lens for close-range imaging includes: a first lens group, an aperture, and a second lens group sequentially arranged in a direction from the object side to the image side of an optical axis; the first lens group and the second lens group have positive focal power, an object-side clear aperture of the first lens group is larger than an image-side clear aperture of the first lens group, and an object-side clear aperture of the second lens group is less than an image-side clear aperture of the second lens group, and specific process parameters are provided. A sandwich structure lens configuration composed of a first lens group, an aperture and a second lens group can obtain a high close-range imaging effect under the condition of miniaturization, and can effectively reduce aberrations of close-range imaging, especially distortion and chromatic aberration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignees: CONVERGENCE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., HUAZHONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Shaoqun Zeng, Qinglei Hu, Kai Huang, Ning Li, Mengting Li
  • Patent number: 11498276
    Abstract: Described examples include an optical device, having a light source with a light source output and a light integrator having a light integrator input and a light integrator output, the light integrator input optically coupled to the light source output, and the light integrator configured to provide divergent light at the light integrator output responsive to the light at the light source output. The optical device also has projection optics with an optics input and an optics output, the projection optics configured to project output light at the optics output responsive to modulated light at the optics input, in which a focal point of the optics input matches a divergence of the modulated light and a spatial light modulator optically coupled between the light integrator output and the optics input, the spatial light modulator configured to provide the modulated light responsive to the divergent light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Zhongyan Sheng, Alexander Lyubarsky, Stephen Aldridge Shaw, Michael Terry Davis
  • Patent number: 11487116
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention provide for systems and apparatus directed toward using a contact lens and deflection optics to process display information and non-display information. In one embodiment of the invention, a display panel assembly is provided, comprising: a transparent substrate that permits light to pass through substantially undistorted; a reflector disposed on the transparent substrate; and a display panel aimed toward the reflector and substantially away from a human visual system, wherein the reflector reflects light emitted from the display panel toward the human visual system. The reflector may comprise a narrow band reflector or a polarization reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: INNOVEGA INC.
    Inventor: Randall Sprague
  • Patent number: 11487115
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a head-up display apparatus further reduced in size, the head-up display apparatus having: an image display apparatus including a light source and a display element; and a virtual image optical system in which light emitted from the image display apparatus is reflected by a windshield or a combiner of the vehicle so that a virtual image is displayed in front of the vehicle, wherein the virtual image optical system has a concave mirror and a distortion correcting lens, and the distortion correcting lens is disposed between the image display apparatus and the concave mirror, the concave mirror is disposed in a housing including an outer case along a shape of an effective light path area of the image light from the image display apparatus, and the image display apparatus is attached to part of an outer periphery of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Akio Misawa, Nozomu Shimoda, Kazuomi Kaneko, Koji Hirata, Toshinori Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 11480782
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a reflective eyepiece optical system and a head-mounted near-to-eye display device. The system includes: a first optical element and a second optical element arranged successively along an incident direction of an optical axis of the human eye, and a first lens group located on an optical axis of an miniature image displayer. The first optical element reflects the image light refracted by the first lens group to the second optical element, and then transmits the image light reflected by the second optical element to the human eye. The effective focal lengths of the first sub-lens group, the second sub-lens group and the third sub-lens group are a combination of positive, negative and positive. The optical path is effectively folded, the overall size of the optical system is reduced, aberrations are largely eliminated, and a visual experience effect of high liveness is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Shenzhen NED Optics Co., lTD
    Inventors: Huajun Peng, Hongpeng Cao, Jianfei Guo
  • Patent number: 11474323
    Abstract: Disclosed is a lens driving apparatus. The lens driving apparatus includes a base formed at a center thereof with a first opening; a housing coupled with the base and having a second opening corresponding to the first opening; a yoke installed on the base and including a horizontal plate having a third opening corresponding to the first opening and a vertical plate protruding upward from the horizontal plate; a bobbin movably installed in the yoke and coupled with a lens module; a coil fixedly disposed around the bobbin; a plurality of magnets provided at the vertical plate of the yoke to face the coil; and a spring installed on at least one of upper and lower portions of the yoke to return the bobbin, which has moved up due to interaction between the magnet and the coil, to its initial position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sang Ok Park, Sang Jun Min, Sang Hee Lee
  • Patent number: 11474415
    Abstract: An imaging system having a forward and rearward orientation and comprising: (a) one or more parabolic reflectors having a base, a focus, and a reflector axis, said one or more parabolic reflectors defining a central reflector axis; (b) at least one a light source disposed near or essentially at said focus of each of said one or more parabolic reflectors forward of its base; and (c) an imaging device disposed within said one or more parabolic reflectors, and comprising a zooming lens having an optical axis essentially coincident with said central reflector axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: ENVIROSIGHT LLC
    Inventor: Richard Lindner
  • Patent number: 11474319
    Abstract: The optical system includes a base having a groove and an adjacent slot therein. The system also includes at least one optical cell slidably alignable along the groove, and at least one clamp comprising a lower end and an upper end. The lower end is slidably alignable along the slot and is secured at a set location so that the upper end secures the at least one optical cell along the groove. The slot may extend parallel to the groove. The clamp may include at least one preloaded fastener arrangement securing the lower end of the clamp to the base. The preloaded fastener may include a bolt, a spring biasing the bolt, and a threaded backing plate within the slot and receiving the bolt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: EAGLE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
    Inventors: Richard Spencer, Carrigan L. Braun, Christopher A. Corey, Randall K. Morse, Peter A. Wasilousky
  • Patent number: 11474344
    Abstract: A programmable, deformable incident-energy shaper comprising: a base having top and bottom surfaces with a perforation there-between; a protrusion connected to, and extending outwardly from, a center of the top surface; a deformable layer firmly attached to the base's perimeter and to a tip of the protrusion such that a majority of the deformable layer is suspended in free space between the tip and the perimeter, wherein the deformable layer is configured to flex inwardly or outwardly, and wherein the perforation provides a fluid channel to ambient fluid; and an actuator, operatively coupled to the deformable layer and configured to cause the deformable layer to flex inwardly or outwardly upon command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Robert Alexander Younts, Tian-Bing Xu, Laura Catherine Tolliver
  • Patent number: 11474351
    Abstract: A head-up display device makes it possible to increase the number of common parts between when mounted in a right-hand-drive car and when mounted in a left-hand-drive car. A head-up display device includes: a first unit which generates display light; and a second unit to which the first unit is attached, and which displays a virtual image by guiding the display light generated by the first unit to a windshield. The first unit is provided with a projector which emits the display light, and a first optical relay which guides the display light from the projector to the second unit along a virtual plane. The second unit is provided with a second optical relay which guides the display light to the windshield such that an irradiation position at which the windshield is irradiated with the display light is shifted in a car width direction crossing the virtual plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: NIPPON SEIKI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akinori Koiida, Hiroyuki Furusawa