Patents Examined by Ryan Howard
  • Patent number: 9860496
    Abstract: A projector includes a light source, a digital micro-mirror device (DMD), a first prism, and a second prism. The light source emits incident light. The DMD reflects the incident light as an image light. The first prism is disposed between the light source and the DMD. The second prism is disposed between the first prism and the DMD. The first prism includes a first plane, a second plane, and an intermediate portion including a reflecting portion. The incident light is reflected by the reflecting portion and then passes through the second plane. The second prism includes a fourth plane, a fifth plane, and a sixth plane. When the DMD is operated in an OFF-state, the image light is reflected to the sixth plane, and the sixth plane reflects a leakage light of the image light along a predetermined light path away from the prisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Qisda Corporation
    Inventor: Chih-Shiung Chien
  • Patent number: 9857673
    Abstract: A projector includes a light source unit group having light source units arranged in matrix, a mirror group arranged in a traveling direction of light beams emitted from the unit group, the mirror group including reflective mirrors that reflect, with reflective parts, the beams emitted from the unit group while each of the reflective mirrors narrows interval between the beams in a first direction, the mirrors being arranged stepwise so as to narrow interval between the beams in a second direction, and a cylindrical lens arranged in traveling directions of beams reflected by the mirrors, the lens causing the reflected beams reflected by the mirrors and traveling in the traveling directions different from each other to be parallel, the reflective parts being arranged to be bent in steps in the second direction so that the beams to be reflected in the second direction are close to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akane Fujita
  • Patent number: 9860495
    Abstract: An image projector includes a digital micro device (DMD) spatial light modulator and a rotatable actuator. The rotatable actuator is disposed in a path of light reflected from the spatial light modulator. The rotatable actuator includes a first region and a second region. The first region is tilted at a first non-normal angle with respect to an axis of rotation of the rotatable actuator. The second region is tilted at a second non-normal angle with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotatable actuator. Light reflected by the spatial light modulator and passing through the first region is displaced one pixel relative to light reflected by the spatial light modulator and passing through the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Steven E. Smith
  • Patent number: 9860497
    Abstract: An illumination device includes a diffusion element and a light source device that emits a beam bundle including a first unit beam bundle to be incident on the diffusion element along a first direction and a second unit beam bundle to be incident on the diffusion element along a second direction. An angle formed by the first unit beam bundle with an optical axis of the beam bundle is greater than an angle formed by the second unit beam bundle with the optical axis, and the illumination device satisfies I2<I1 where I1 is a luminous flux of the first unit beam bundle, and I2 is a luminous flux of the second unit beam bundle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiro Kashiwagi
  • Patent number: 9860499
    Abstract: A projector includes a light source, liquid crystal panels that modulate light emitted from the light source, a dichroic prism that combines modulated light fluxes modulated by the liquid crystal panels with one another into video light and outputs the video light, and a pixel shift device that changes the optical path of the video light output from the dichroic prism. The pixel shift device includes a glass plate on which the video light is incident and an electromagnetic actuator that causes the glass plate to swing. The electromagnetic actuator is arranged in a position outside the dichroic prism and different from the positions of the liquid crystal panels when viewed along the optical axis of the video light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yasushi Mizoguchi
  • Patent number: 9860493
    Abstract: An illumination device includes: a light-emitting element that emits light in a first wavelength band; a substrate rotatable about a predetermined axis of rotation; a phosphor layer that is provided on the substrate at a first distance from the axis of rotation and excited by the light in the first wavelength band to emit light in a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band; a scattering layer that is provided on the substrate at a second distance, different from the first distance, from the axis of rotation and on which the light in the first wavelength band emitted from the light-emitting element is incident; a first pickup optical system that is provided on the side of the phosphor layer opposite to the substrate; and a second pickup optical system that is provided on the side of the scattering layer opposite to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kunihiko Takagi, Hidefumi Sakata
  • Patent number: 9851560
    Abstract: An optical device including a first lens array is provided. The first lens array has micro-lens units arranged in an array. An outline of each of the micro-lens units is polygonal-shaped, circular or ellipsoidal. Moreover, a projection apparatus is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Ming-Chieh Chou, Chi-Hung Lee, Yi-Cheng Chen
  • Patent number: 9851630
    Abstract: An optical engine for a projector according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first light source unit; a second light source unit which outputs a light with a color which is different from that of the first light source unit; a third light source unit which outputs a light with a color which is different from those of the first and second light source units; a micro display panel which outputs a predetermined image; a fly-eye lens which equalizes lights and includes a plurality of cells, each of which is configured by a convex lens; and a projection lens which projects a generated projection image to the outside on the basis of an output light of the first to third light source units and an output image, wherein two or more cells among a plurality of cells have shapes different from shapes of other cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Shin Gyu Kang, Eun Jin Kim
  • Patent number: 9851580
    Abstract: A laser beam (L50) generated by a laser light source (50) is reflected by a light beam scanning device (60) and irradiated onto a hologram recording medium (45). On the hologram recording medium (45), an image (35) of a scatter plate is recorded as a hologram by using reference light that converges on a scanning origin (B). The light beam scanning device (60) bends the laser beam (L50) at the scanning origin (B) and irradiates the laser beam onto the hologram recording medium (45). At this time, scanning is carried out by changing a bending mode of the laser beam with time so that an irradiation position of the bent laser beam (L60) on the hologram recording medium (45) changes with time. Regardless of an irradiation position of the beam, diffracted light (L45) from the hologram recording medium (45) produces a reproduction image (35) of the scatter plate on the spatial light modulator (200).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: DAI NIPPON PRINTING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makio Kurashige, Kazutoshi Ishida, Tomoe Takanokura, Yasuyuki Oyagi
  • Patent number: 9851581
    Abstract: An illumination device includes a diffusion member having an anisotropic diffusion surface, a rotary shaft member configured to rotate the anisotropic diffusion surface while a coherent light beam from a light source is illuminated on the anisotropic diffusion surface, and an optical device that further diffuses a coherent light beam diffused on the anisotropic diffusion surface, wherein the coherent light beam diffused on the anisotropic diffusion surface is diffused in a form of line and the diffused coherent light beam in the form of line is configured to move to draw a locus of rotation in one direction in accordance with the rotation of the anisotropic diffusion surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Makio Kurashige
  • Patent number: 9851631
    Abstract: A light source optical system includes a first fly-eye lens including a plurality of first lens cells, and a second fly-eye lens including a plurality of second lens cells that guide a light flux from the first fly-eye lens to a fluorescent member. A light source image is formed between the first fly-eye lens and the fluorescent member. When a short side direction of the second lens cells is defined as a first direction and a long side direction of the second lens cells is defined as a second direction, the width of the light source image in the second direction is wider than the width of the light source image in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Inoko, Takehito Kawasumi
  • Patent number: 9846301
    Abstract: A dust collector includes a casing, a fan, a filtering element, an electric field generator and an electrostatic precipitator. The casing includes an inlet, an outlet and a channel. The channel is arranged between the inlet and the outlet. An ambient airflow is introduced into the channel through the inlet by the fan. Moreover, portions of suspended particles in the airflow are filtered off by the filtering element. The electric field generator generates an electric field. The suspended particles passing through the electric field generator have a first electrical polarity. The electrostatic precipitator has a second electrical polarity, wherein the first electrical polarity and the second electrical polarity are opposite. The suspended particles with the first electrical polarity are adsorbed by the electrostatic precipitator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Delta Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Bo-Song Lin
  • Patent number: 9841178
    Abstract: A projector includes a power receiving terminal, a light source that emits light based on electric power supplied to the power receiving terminal, a light diffuser that adjusts the degree of diffusion of the light from the light source, a specifying section that alternately specifies one of illumination projection and image projection every time electric power supply to the power receiving terminal is started, and a light diffusion controller that controls the light diffuser so that when the specifying section specifies the illumination projection, the light diffuser diffuses the light from the light source, whereas when the specifying section specifies the image projection, the light diffuser transmits the light without substantially diffusing the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Shinha, Koichi Miyasaka, Hirofumi Kasuga, Tadashi Kinebuchi, Shuji Narimatsu, Kaoru Yamaguchi, Hidehito Iisaka
  • Patent number: 9838675
    Abstract: A 3D laser projection systems and methods are disclosed herein. A laser projection system includes a left projector head and a right projector head, wherein a first video projected onto a movie screen by the left projector head has a first polarization and a second video projected onto the movie screen by the right projector head has a second polarization different from the first polarization. The laser projection system can include a laser light generator located a first defined distance away from the left projector head and a second defined distance from the right projector head and coupled to the left projector head and the right projector head with fiber optic cables that transmit light from the laser light generator to the left projector head and the right projector head. The laser light generator includes a laser diode configured to output light and to transmit it to the fiber optic cables.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Barco, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander William Gocke, Goran Stojmenovik
  • Patent number: 9835774
    Abstract: Each of a plurality of optical elements that are arrayed in a lattice pattern in a screen member which diffuses a laser beam incident from a projector to guide the laser beam toward a projection surface has a curved surface on a side thereof, and the curved surface has a common convexly curved shape, and diffuses the laser beam which is emitted from the curved surface toward the projection surface. The respective optical elements include a plurality of reference elements which serve as a reference and a plurality of peripheral elements which are adjacent to the respective reference elements. The respective reference elements and the respective adjacent peripheral elements are formed by offsetting surface vertexes of the curved surfaces in a stepwise manner. Offset amounts generated between the respective reference elements and the respective adjacent peripheral elements are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayuki Yamaguchi, Takayuki Fujikawa, Hiroshi Ando
  • Patent number: 9829671
    Abstract: A projection lens unit includes a plurality of lenses configured to transmit and emit image light generated by an image generating unit using light from a light source; a barrel configured to hold the plurality of projection lenses; and a heat radiator disposed on the barrel and configured to radiate heat of the barrel to an outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Tsuchiya, Tetsuya Fujioka, Hideo Kanai, Yasunari Mikutsu, Akihisa Mikawa, Takahiro Hiramatsu, Yukimi Nishi, Yoshito Saito, Jun Mashimo
  • Patent number: 9823554
    Abstract: A projector includes a base and a cover configured to be attached on the base. The base is equipped with a cooling fan, a light module and a cooling member. An air inlet and an air outlet are located on the two sides of the light module. The cooling member is aligned with the air outlet and close to the cooling fan. The cooling member guides the airflow to flow to the cooling fan. The air inlet, the air outlet, the cooling member, and the cooling fan define an air path, and the airflow is guided out of the projector under an action of the cooling fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignees: HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (WuHan) CO., LTD., HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chin-Wen Yeh, Zhi-Jian Peng
  • Patent number: 9823559
    Abstract: A light source device includes: a light source for emitting excitation light; a first optical system for condensing excitation light emitted from the light source into a rectangular shape; a fluorescent wheel having a plurality of light emitting portions emitting different color light in response to irradiation of the excitation light formed in such a manner in which each of the multiple light emitting portions is irradiated with the excitation light condensed in a rectangular shape by the first optical system; a second optical system for condensing color light emitted from each of the multiple light emitting portions in response to irradiation of the rectangularly condensed excitation light; and a rotating prism that is rotatably arranged on the optical path of the light condensed by the second light source and that shifts the optical axis of the light condensed by the second optical system as the prism turns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS, LTD.
    Inventor: Atsushi Kato
  • Patent number: 9818374
    Abstract: Disclosed is a light source unit which emits fluorescence light to a display element which displays an image by using the fluorescence light including an excitation light source which emits excitation light, a fluorescent plate including a fluorescence emission region on a surface of a circular substrate which emits the fluorescence light by the fluorescence emission region being irradiated with the excitation light from the excitation light source, a drive unit which rotates the fluorescent plate in a circumferential direction and a control unit which controls the excitation light source and the drive unit. And the control unit controls the drive unit so that a display frequency of the display element and a rotation frequency of the fluorescent plate fulfill formula (1) j×display frequency=k×rotation frequency (j, k are integers, j>k)??(1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeo Ishizu, Toshiharu Arai
  • Patent number: 9804485
    Abstract: A light source device includes a light source, a fluorescent layer, a diffusive reflector, a first lens unit, a second lens unit, and a light separating and synthesizing unit. The light separating and synthesizing unit divides light coming from the light source into a first light and a second light. The first light passes through the first lens unit to enter the fluorescent layer. The second light passes through the second lens unit to enter the diffusive reflector. The size of a spot of the second light on the diffusive reflector is greater than the size of a spot, of the first light on the fluorescent body layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koichi Akiyama