Patents by Inventor Akio MISAWA

Akio MISAWA has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 12158579
    Abstract: A head-up display apparatus configured to project an image on a windshield to display a virtual image to a driver includes an image display unit including a light source and a display element and configured to form the image. A display device is configured to project and reflect image light onto the windshield to display the virtual image in front of the windshield. A driver's viewpoint detector is configured to detect a viewpoint of the driver; and a movement mechanism is configured to move a position of the virtual image based on information of the viewpoint of the driver detected by the driver's viewpoint detector. The driver's viewpoint detector detects the viewpoint of the driver by irradiating the face of the driver with the interior light or light of the light source of the image display unit as illumination light at night.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Akio Misawa, Yuji Fujita
  • Patent number: 12112724
    Abstract: An information display apparatus capable of reducing the viewpoint movement of a driver and achieving safer driving in consideration of the relationship between the traveling speed and the stopping distance of a vehicle is provided. The information display apparatus is configured to display image information in a transportation and comprises a HUD apparatus disposed between a windshield of the transportation and an instrument panel of the transportation. The HUD apparatus detects a viewpoint position of a driver; and displays a virtual image of the image information in front of the transportation by reflecting light emitted from the HUD apparatus to display the image information by the windshield. The HUD apparatus is configured to set a display position of the virtual image in accordance with movement of the viewpoint position of the driver who is driving the transportation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Hirata, Akio Misawa, Takumi Nakada
  • Publication number: 20240201492
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a windshield, a display panel, a virtual image optical system forming an optical path of an image light emitted from the display panel onto the windshield, an outer housing, and a control circuit to control the display panel. The outer housing includes an outer case accommodating the virtual image optical system and having the image display panel attached thereto, an upper cover from which the image light is emitted, and a bottom cover covering a bottom portion of the outer case and having fins on an outer surface thereof. The bottom cover accommodates the display panel and the bottom surface of the outer case when fixed to the outer case and the display panel to isolate them from an external space of the outer housing. A heat conductive portion having a thermal conductivity higher than that of air is between the control circuit and the bottom cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2024
    Publication date: June 20, 2024
    Applicant: Maxell, Ltd.
    Inventors: Go HORIUCHI, Akio MISAWA
  • Patent number: 11953681
    Abstract: A HUD 1 comprises an image display device 30 including an LCD panel 31c, a virtual image optical system 40 forming an optical path L of an image light emitted from the LCD panel, and an outer housing 50 wherein: the outer housing includes an outer case 51 accommodating the virtual image optical system and having the image display device attached thereto, an upper cover 52 covering an upper portion from which the image light is emitted in the outer case, and a bottom cover 60 covering a bottom portion of the outer case; the bottom cover accommodates the image display device and the bottom surface of the outer case when fixed to the outer case such that the image display device to isolate them form an external space of the outer housing; and fins 63 is formed on an outer surface thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Go Horiuchi, Akio Misawa
  • Publication number: 20240085733
    Abstract: A display device includes a backlight, a display element, a plate for holding at least a portion of an emission surface, from which an image light is emitted, provided on the display element, and a heat dissipation portion that dissipates heat generated from the display element. The display element is connected to the heat dissipation portion via the plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Applicant: Maxell, Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji KAWAWA, Toshinori SUGIYAMA, Tomoki YAMAMOTO, Tatsuya NAKAZAWA, Keisuke SAWADA, Akio MISAWA, Nozomu SHIMODA
  • Publication number: 20240069341
    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: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Akio MISAWA, Nozomu SHIMODA, Kazuomi KANEKO, Koji HIRATA, Toshinori SUGIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20240054964
    Abstract: Provided is a head-up display apparatus capable of preventing damage due to sunlight and ensuring user convenience. A reflection mirror M1 reflects an image created by a display panel and projects it onto a display region. A solar radiation sensor detects a sunlight intensity when a position of sun exists within a predetermined detection range. A blocking mechanism forms a projected light path of an image between the display region and the display panel when being turned off, and blocks the projected light path of the image and an incident light path of the sunlight which is direction opposite thereto when being turned on. A protection processor controls ON/OFF of the blocking mechanism based on an estimated temperature of the display panel, which is estimated by using a sunlight intensity from the solar radiation sensor, luminance of a light source, and an ambient temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventors: Tomoki YAMAMOTO, Toshinori SUGIYAMA, Akio MISAWA, Nobutaka AMADA, Nagayasu TSUTSUMI, Yuji FUJITA, Souta SATO
  • Patent number: 11860463
    Abstract: A HUD includes a plate that connects an emission-surface of the LCD and a heat sink, is formed of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than air, and is provided with an emission-surface exhaust heat path that is formed to: include a holding region fixed to a periphery of the emission-surface directly or via a material having a higher thermal conductivity than air, and an intermediate region connecting the holding region and the heat sink; connect an end portion, which is opposite to the holding region, of the intermediate region with the heat sink directly or via a material having a higher thermal conductivity than air; extend from the emission-surface to the heat sink via the plate; and have a thermal gradient greater than that of a heat transfer path for transferring heat from the emission-surface to the heat sink by using air as a medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Eiji Kawawa, Toshinori Sugiyama, Tomoki Yamamoto, Tatsuya Nakazawa, Keisuke Sawada, Akio Misawa, Nozomu Shimoda
  • Patent number: 11847980
    Abstract: Provided is a head-up display apparatus capable of preventing damage due to sunlight and ensuring user convenience. A reflection mirror M1 reflects an image created by a display panel and projects it onto a display region. A solar radiation sensor detects a sunlight intensity when a position of sun exists within a predetermined detection range. A blocking mechanism forms a projected light path of an image between the display region and the display panel when being turned off, and blocks the projected light path of the image and an incident light path of the sunlight which is direction opposite thereto when being turned on. A protection processor controls ON/OFF of the blocking mechanism based on an estimated temperature of the display panel, which is estimated by using a sunlight intensity from the solar radiation sensor, luminance of a light source, and an ambient temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoki Yamamoto, Toshinori Sugiyama, Akio Misawa, Nobutaka Amada, Nagayasu Tsutsumi, Yuji Fujita, Souta Sato
  • Patent number: 11846776
    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: July 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Akio Misawa, Nozomu Shimoda, Kazuomi Kaneko, Koji Hirata, Toshinori Sugiyama
  • Publication number: 20230386430
    Abstract: An information display apparatus capable of reducing the viewpoint movement of a driver and achieving safer driving in consideration of the relationship between the traveling speed and the stopping distance of a vehicle is provided. The information display apparatus is configured to display image information in a transportation and comprises a HUD apparatus disposed between a windshield of the transportation and an instrument panel of the transportation. The HUD apparatus detects a viewpoint position of a driver; and displays a virtual image of the image information in front of the transportation by reflecting light emitted from the HUD apparatus to display the image information by the windshield. The HUD apparatus is configured to set a display position of the virtual image in accordance with movement of the viewpoint position of the driver who is driving the transportation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: Maxell, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji HIRATA, Akio MISAWA, Takumi NAKADA
  • Patent number: 11763781
    Abstract: An information display apparatus capable of reducing the viewpoint movement of a driver and achieving safer driving in consideration of the relationship between the traveling speed and the stopping distance of a vehicle is provided. The information display apparatus is configured to display image information in a transportation and comprises a HUD apparatus disposed between a windshield of the transportation and an instrument panel of the transportation. The HUD apparatus detects a viewpoint position of a driver; and displays a virtual image of the image information in front of the transportation by reflecting light emitted from the HUD apparatus to display the image information by the windshield. The HUD apparatus is configured to set a display position of the virtual image in accordance with movement of the viewpoint position of the driver who is driving the transportation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Hirata, Akio Misawa, Takumi Nakada
  • Patent number: 11709369
    Abstract: A head up display apparatus includes: an image display apparatus having a light source and a display element and forming an image; an image-light projecting means displaying a virtual image onto a forward part of a vehicle by projecting the image light emitted from the image display apparatus to be reflected on a windshield 3; and a point-of-view detecting system 6 sensing a point of view of the driver. In the head up display apparatus, the image-light projecting means includes a means generating illumination light entirely made of single-color visible light emitted to a face of the driver in a predetermined state of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Akio Misawa, Yuji Fujita, Eiji Takatsuka
  • Publication number: 20230120609
    Abstract: The head-up display device includes a display element that emits image light and a virtual image optical system. The virtual image optical system includes a lens unit and a free curved surface mirror disposed along the emission direction of the image light in this order from a position close to the display element. The display element is disposed with a tilting attitude with respect to the optical axis of the lens unit with an end on the housing aperture side in an emission surface being close to an incidence surface in the lens unit and with an end on the opposite side of the housing aperture in an emission surface being apart from an incidence surface in the lens unit. The lens unit has an optical characteristic of optically enlarging an optical path length difference according to a virtual image distance difference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventors: Akio MISAWA, Nozomu SHIMODA, Yuji FUJITA, Shigeki HOSHINO
  • Publication number: 20230103912
    Abstract: Provided is a head-up display apparatus capable of preventing damage due to sunlight and ensuring user convenience. A reflection mirror M1 reflects an image created by a display panel and projects it onto a display region. A solar radiation sensor detects a sunlight intensity when a position of sun exists within a predetermined detection range. A blocking mechanism forms a projected light path of an image between the display region and the display panel when being turned off, and blocks the projected light path of the image and an incident light path of the sunlight which is direction opposite thereto when being turned on. A protection processor controls ON/OFF of the blocking mechanism based on an estimated temperature of the display panel, which is estimated by using a sunlight intensity from the solar radiation sensor, luminance of a light source, and an ambient temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2021
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventors: Tomoki YAMAMOTO, Toshinori SUGIYAMA, Akio MISAWA, Nobutaka AMADA, Nagayasu TSUTSUMI, Yuji FUJITA, Souta SATO
  • Patent number: 11561395
    Abstract: The head-up display device includes a display element that emits image light and a virtual image optical system. The virtual image optical system includes a lens unit and a free curved surface mirror disposed along the emission direction of the image light in this order from a position close to the display element. The display element is disposed with a tilting attitude with respect to the optical axis of the lens unit with an end on the housing aperture side in an emission surface being close to an incidence surface in the lens unit and with an end on the opposite side of the housing aperture in an emission surface being apart from an incidence surface in the lens unit. The lens unit has an optical characteristic of optically enlarging an optical path length difference according to a virtual image distance difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Akio Misawa, Nozomu Shimoda, Yuji Fujita, Shigeki Hoshino
  • Publication number: 20220365347
    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: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2022
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: Akio MISAWA, Nozomu SHIMODA, Kazuomi KANEKO, Koji HIRATA, Toshinori SUGIYAMA
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20220319471
    Abstract: An information display apparatus capable of reducing the viewpoint movement of a driver and achieving safer driving in consideration of the relationship between the traveling speed and the stopping distance of a vehicle is provided. The information display apparatus is configured to display image information in a transportation and comprises a HUD apparatus disposed between a windshield of the transportation and an instrument panel of the transportation. The HUD apparatus detects a viewpoint position of a driver; and displays a virtual image of the image information in front of the transportation by reflecting light emitted from the HUD apparatus to display the image information by the windshield. The HUD apparatus is configured to set a display position of the virtual image in accordance with movement of the viewpoint position of the driver who is driving the transportation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: Maxell, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji HIRATA, Akio MISAWA, Takumi NAKADA
  • Patent number: 11398208
    Abstract: An information display apparatus capable of reducing the viewpoint movement of a driver and achieving safer driving in consideration of the relationship between the traveling speed and the stopping distance of a vehicle is provided. The information display apparatus is configured to display image information in a transportation and comprises a HUD apparatus disposed between a windshield of the transportation and an instrument panel of the transportation. The HUD apparatus detects a viewpoint position of a driver; and displays a virtual image of the image information in front of the transportation by reflecting light emitted from the HUD apparatus to display the image information by the windshield. The HUD apparatus is configured to set a display position of the virtual image in accordance with movement of the viewpoint position of the driver who is driving the transportation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Hirata, Akio Misawa, Takumi Nakada