Patents Examined by James Phan
  • Patent number: 9212047
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electromagnetically actuated microshutter comprising: a moveable plate that can rotate about an axis, connected to a stationary frame by two arms aligned on both sides of the plate to said axis, and comprising on its periphery a conductive loop and below the assembly formed by the stationary frame and the moveable plate, a group of magnets having distinct magnetic orientations, arranged in such a manner so as to create, with respect to the moveable plate, a lateral magnetic field, in the plane of the frame, oblique in relation to the axis of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Orphee Cugat, Nicolas Abele
  • Patent number: 9207452
    Abstract: A light scanning apparatus, including: a light source configured to emit a light beam; a light deflector configured to deflect the light beam emitted from the light source so that the light beam scans a photosensitive member; a housing which contains the light source and the light deflector, and which is provided with an opening portion through which the light beam deflected by the light deflector passes; a transparent member mounted on the housing to close the opening portion and configured to transmit the light beam deflected by the light deflector; and a fixing member having an elastic portion configured to cover an outer circumferential portion of the transparent member, the fixing member being configured to fix the transparent member to the housing by pressing the elastic portion to the transparent member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kota Aoki, Yasuaki Otoguro
  • Patent number: 9207448
    Abstract: Provided is an aperture adjusting apparatus for adjusting an aperture through which light transmits. The aperture adjusting apparatus includes: a chamber configured to have space in which fluid flows, the chamber including a lower channel, an upper channel, and a plurality of reservoir regions connecting the lower channel and the upper channel and each having a non-uniform width crossing a flow direction of a fluid to form a space in which fluid flows; a photo-interceptive first fluid and a photo-transmissive second fluid having a property that the photo-transmissive second fluid does not mix with the first fluid and that are prepared in the chamber; and a first electrode unit in which one or more electrodes to which a voltage is applied are arrayed to form an electric field in the chamber, wherein an aperture through which light transmits is adjusted by a location change of an interface between the first fluid and the second fluid according to the electric field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyu-dong Jung, Jong-hyeon Chang, Seung-wan Lee, Eun-sung Lee, Min-seog Choi
  • Patent number: 9207446
    Abstract: An optical system has a rotary scanning mirror, an optical instrument and an optical image rotation device. The rotary scanning mirror receives an incident beam of rays and returns an input beam along a first axis. The optical instrument receives the input beam from the scanning mirror and returns an output beam parallel to the input beam along a second axis in a direction opposite to the input beam towards the optical rotation device. The optical image rotation device is positioned on the second axis and receives the output beam. The scanning mirror has an axis of rotation aligned on the first axis. The optical image rotation device has an axis of rotation aligned on the second axis. The optical system comprises a common driving device for rotationally driving the optical image rotation device and the scanning mirror about their respective rotation axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAS
    Inventor: Frederick Pasternak
  • Patent number: 9201237
    Abstract: Scanning apparatus includes a transmitter, which is configured to emit a beam comprising pulses of light, and a scanning mirror, which is configured to scan the beam over a scene. A receiver is configured to receive the light reflected from the scene and to generate an output indicative of the pulses returned from the scene. A grating is formed on an optical surface in the apparatus and is configured to diffract a portion of the beam at a predetermined angle, so as to cause the diffracted portion to be returned from the scanning mirror to the receiver. A controller is coupled to process the output of the receiver so as to detect the diffracted portion and to monitor a scan of the mirror responsively thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Naftali Chayat, Raviv Ehrlich, Alexander Shpunt
  • Patent number: 9195068
    Abstract: An optical scanner manufacturing method includes overlapping a first substrate including a base portion region that becomes a base portion, a shaft portion region that becomes a shaft portion, and a support portion region that becomes a support portion, and a second substrate in which a frame-like concave portion, a first portion that is positioned inside the concave portion, and a frame-like second portion that is positioned outside the concave portion and has a light reflectance reduction function are formed on one surface, to bond the base portion region to the first portion and to bond the support portion region to the second portion, patterning the first substrate to form the base portion, the shaft portion, and the support portion, and cutting the second substrate from the other surface side to separate the first portion and the second portion from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yasushi Mizoguchi, Hisako Kojima
  • Patent number: 9195058
    Abstract: The present invention provides an optical system comprising a lens element, a display unit displaced transversely from the lens element, at least one actuator coupled to at least one of the lens element or the display unit and capable of changing position of the lens element relative to the display unit in a lateral direction, and an electronic control system capable of driving the at least one actuator to move in a programmed manner to control positioning of the lens element relative to the display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Parker-Hannifin Corporation
    Inventor: Dirk Schapeler
  • Patent number: 9188716
    Abstract: A security element for manufacturing value documents, such as bank notes, checks or the like, has an upper side on which there is formed a microcavity structure that has a multiplicity of adjacent microcavities configured as retroreflectors, wherein on the microcavities there is formed a structure causing a color effect. The microcavities are respectively configured such that they have a first region in which radiation incident on the upper side is singly reflected, and a second region in which radiation incident on the upper side is multiply reflected. The structure causing the color effect has a dispersion dependent on the angle of incidence, so that radiation singly reflected at the first region shows a different color effect, when viewed from the upper side, than radiation multiply reflected at the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH
    Inventor: Hans Lochbihler
  • Patent number: 9188774
    Abstract: A microelectrofluidic device includes: a chamber; a first fluid and a second fluid which are contained in the chamber and are not mixable with each other; and a first electrode group including a plurality of electrodes that are disposed on an inner side of the chamber, and to which a voltage is applied to change an interface between the first fluid and the second fluid, wherein the plurality of electrodes are connected to form a first electrode unit, a second electrode unit, and a third electrode unit that are independently turned on or off, and the plurality of electrodes are annular and coated with an insulating material, and adjacent electrodes are connected to different electrode units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyu-dong Jung, Jong-hyeon Chang, Min-seog Choi
  • Patent number: 9182594
    Abstract: A head-mounted image display apparatus includes: a light source that emits laser light; a splitter that splits the laser light into first laser light and second laser light having a different optical intensity than the first laser light; an image drawing section that causes the first laser light to be reflected off a mirror and causes the mirror to make pivotal motion to perform image drawing; a controller that controls the pivotal motion of the mirror; and a notification section that notifies other persons by diffusing the second laser light that the image drawing section is performing image drawing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Makiko Hino, Yasushi Mizoguchi
  • Patent number: 9182588
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electrowetting display device including a plurality pixels. Each pixel includes a pixel electrode, a hydrophobic layer, a hydrophobic fluid, and a bank adapted to limit the range of movement of the hydrophobic fluid. The bank has a hydrophobic bank surface and a hydrophilic bank surface, which face each other. The hydrophobic fluid is moved from the hydrophilic bank surface towards the hydrophobic bank surface by the application of a voltage to the pixel electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sang-Min Shin, Woo-Song Kim, Chang-Ku Hua, Soo-Jin Park, Mun-Soo Park
  • Patent number: 9176315
    Abstract: According to the method for controlling optical transmissions according to the present invention, in a state where particles formed of a light-blocking material, a first solvent with electro-wetting properties in which the particles are dispersed, and a second solvent which is not mixed with the first solvent are present in a space covered by an optical incident surface, the particles are mixed with the first solvent but not mixed with the second solvent, and an electric field applied to the first solvent is controlled so as to control the blocking area of the first solvent with respect to the optical incident surface and control optical transmittance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: NANOBRICK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jae Hyun Joo
  • Patent number: 9176320
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus includes first and second light sources configured to emit first and second light fluxes respectively, a deflector having a reflecting surface which reflects the first and second light fluxes, and configured to deflect the first and second light fluxes in a main scanning direction, and an imaging lens configured to let the first and second light fluxes through and form an image of the first and second light fluxes on the reflecting surface of the deflector. The imaging lens has a first incident surface into which the first light flux enters at a right angle, a second incident surface into which the second light flux enters at a right angle, a first outgoing surface from which the first light flux exits, and a second outgoing surface which makes an angle with the first outgoing surface and from which the second light flux exits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yosuke Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 9174385
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for modifying in a spatially periodic manner at least in some regions a surface of a substrate (24), said surface being disposed on a sample plane (P) for which end different regions (211, 221, 231, 232) of the substrate surface are acted upon successively with a spatially periodic illumination pattern of an energy density above a processing threshold of the substrate surface, where the illumination pattern is generated by diffraction of an input beam (10) and superimposition of resulting, diffracted sub-beams (12, 14) by means of a grid interferometer (100), and where, in order to select the substrate surface region to be illuminated in each case (211, 221, 231, 232), the input beam (10) is deviated by means of a beam-deviating unit (16) arranged upstream of the grid interferometer (100).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Laser-Laboratorium Goettingen E.V.
    Inventors: Peter Simon, Jan-Hendrik Klein-Wiele
  • Patent number: 9170435
    Abstract: A method of projecting into space, from a first object, a plurality of modulated lines to form a grid defining a first relative reference frame, the method includes projecting polarized light having a first orientation to form a horizontal grid line projecting from the first object and projecting polarized light having a second orientation different than the first orientation to from a vertical grid line projecting from the first object and modulating the horizontal grid line and the vertical grid line to carry first and second grid words, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC
    Inventors: James Gerard Lopez, Jerry Lynne Page
  • Patent number: 9148075
    Abstract: A Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) device includes a rotor having first rotor teeth and second rotor teeth formed in at least two layers of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. Each rotor tooth belonging to the first rotor teeth is formed in a first layer and each rotor tooth belonging of the second rotor teeth is formed in a second layer. A stator includes first stator teeth and second stator teeth formed in at least two layers of SOI substrate. Each stator tooth belonging to the first stator teeth is formed in a first layer and each stator tooth belonging to the second stator teeth is formed in a second layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Sason Sourani, Moshe Medina
  • Patent number: 9140833
    Abstract: Retroreflective articles and constructions are disclosed. One exemplary retroreflective article or construction includes a retroreflective layer and a low refractive index layer. In one exemplary embodiment, the low refractive index layer is adjacent to at least a portion of a retroreflective structured major surface of the retroreflective layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Suman K. Patel, William D. Coggio, Mikhail L. Pekurovsky, Kenneth L. Smith, Michael Benton Free, William B. Kolb
  • Patent number: 9128286
    Abstract: A metal layer is formed on a highly light-transmissive substrate; a resist mask having an opening pattern is formed on the metal layer; exposed portions of the metal layer is etched away in this state to form openings; then the resist mask is removed; and a surface of the metal layer and an inner side wall of each of the openings are oxidized to form a metal oxide layer. Thus, a front surface and a rear surface of the aperture plate are caused to have different reflectances. The oxide layer is formed at the same time as when the resist mask is ashed to remove resist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Pixtronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Kouhei Takahashi, Takeshi Kuriyagawa, Daisuke Sonoda, Takuo Kaitoh, Katsumi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9128289
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for enabling a display to have a faster switching rate and an increased aperture ratio by using looped electrical interconnects with a reduced footprint. In one aspect, a display apparatus includes an array of display elements and a high-aspect ratio electrical interconnect connected to at least one display element in the array of display elements, wherein the high-aspect ratio electrical interconnect forms a loop that defines a closed boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Pixtronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Gianni Taraschi, Mark B. Andersson, Jasper Lodewyk Steyn
  • Patent number: 9130146
    Abstract: An actuator includes a drive beam; a lower electrode formed on the drive beam; a piezoelectric element provided on the lower electrode; an upper electrode provided on the piezoelectric element; an upper wiring connecting the upper electrode and a wiring for supplying a voltage to the upper electrode; and an insulating part providing electrical insulation between the upper electrode and the lower electrode and formed under the upper wiring such that it covers an end of the lower electrode. The insulating part includes insulating extension parts extended on opposite sides of the upper wiring in a width direction of the upper wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: MITSUMI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hisamichi Sekine, Hisanori Aga, Yuki Maruyama