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).

  • Publication number: 20190346676
    Abstract: Provided is an information display apparatus that significantly improves light resistance with respect to sunlight. The information display apparatus, which displays video-image information on a projection surface by a virtual image, includes in a housing partly having an opening: a video-image-light generator that generates video-image light for displaying the video-image information; a video-image-light processor that performs a predetermined optical processing to a video image generated by the video-image-light generator; and a projector that projects, onto the projection surface through the opening of the housing, the video-image light optically processed by the video-image-light processor so that a viewer is capable of virtually recognizing the video-image information as a virtual image in front of the projection surface, wherein a light path in the housing is provided with a suppressor selectively suppressing a P-polarizing component of light in a visible light region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventors: Koji HIRATA, Masahiko YATSU, Toshinori SUGIYAMA, Akio MISAWA, Shigeki HOSHINO, Kazuomi KANEKO, Tatsuya NAKAZAWA, Takumi NAKADA, Yuki NAGANO, Tomoki YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 10339843
    Abstract: A display device configured to project a display image including at least any one of a first image or a second image is provided. A horizontal direction of the first image is longer than a vertical direction thereof. A vertical direction of the second image is longer than a horizontal direction thereof. The display device includes: a controller configured to generate a display image obtained by changing a width of at least any one of the first image or the second image in accordance with a deviation amount between the display image and a ghost image, the ghost image being visually recognized so as to deviate in a deviation direction with respect to the display image; and an image display configured to emit display light for projecting the display image generated by the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akio Misawa, Yuki Nagano, Yuji Fujita
  • Patent number: 10310257
    Abstract: A head-up display device that displays information including a video in a part of a field of view of an operator (407) includes a video display device (420) that is arranged at a position deviated from the field of view of the operator and generates and projects video light for projecting the information and a transparent screen (410) that is arranged in a part of the field of view of the operator, and transmit light from the field of view and reflects projection light from the video display device in a direction of the operator. A solid-state light source device (421) that reflects and mixes light emitted from a plurality of light-emitting cells (40) and emits the light obtained by the mixing in a predetermined direction is used as a light source constituting the video display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Hirata, Masahiko Yatsu, Akio Misawa
  • Publication number: 20190139286
    Abstract: A head up display superimposes a virtual image on an actual view in accordance with a traveling status of a vehicle. Vehicle information containing a lean of the vehicle in a pitch direction is detected by a first posture sensor, and a lean in a roll direction is detected by a second posture sensor. A controller controls display of video on the basis of the vehicle information. A mirror reflects the video to project the video to a windshield or combiner. A mirror driver changes an angle and/or a position of the mirror. At least one of a display state of the virtual image in a display area for the video or the angle and/or the position of the mirror via the mirror driver is adjusted by the controller on the basis of the lean in the pitch direction and/or the lean in the roll direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Inventors: Nozomu SHIMODA, Yuji FUJITA, Takeshi ARAKAWA, Akio MISAWA
  • Publication number: 20190129172
    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: April 24, 2017
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: Akio MISAWA, Nozomu SHIMODA, Kazuomi KANEKO, Koji HIRATA, Toshinori SUGIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20190086661
    Abstract: The head-up display device projects a virtual image and includes: an image processor that processes an image to be displayed as a virtual image; an image display that projects the processed image; and a display controller that controls the displaying of the image display. The image display includes: a projector that projects an image; a diffusion plate that forms the image projected by the projector; and a lens that guides the image formed by the diffusion plate. The diffusion plate is constituted by a plurality of functional liquid crystal films that are located at different distances from the lens. The display controller is configured such that, by controlling a transmissive state and a white state of each functional liquid crystal film, the position and distance for displaying the virtual image can be changed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Publication date: March 21, 2019
    Applicant: Maxell, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akio MISAWA, Maki HANADA, Yuji FUJITA
  • Publication number: 20190025580
    Abstract: A head-up display apparatus displays a virtual image suitably overlapped with actual scenery in accordance with a running condition of a vehicle. The head-up display apparatus acquires various kinds of vehicle information which can be detected by a vehicle and the display of the video image is based on the vehicle information. A mirror is configured to reflect the video image formed by the video image display to project onto the windshield. A mirror driver is configured to change an angle of the mirror and a display distance adjusting mechanism is configured to adjust a display distance of the virtual image with respect to the driver. The angle of the mirror is adjusted via the mirror driver based on the vehicle information such that the virtual image can be displayed with respect to the driver to be overlapped with the scenery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Yuki NAGANO, Takumi NAKADA, Maki HANADA, Akio MISAWA, Souta SATO
  • Publication number: 20180277027
    Abstract: A display device configured to project a display image including at least any one of a first image or a second image is provided. A horizontal direction of the first image is longer than a vertical direction thereof. A vertical direction of the second image is longer than a horizontal direction thereof. The display device includes: a controller configured to generate a display image obtained by changing a width of at least any one of the first image or the second image in accordance with a deviation amount between the display image and a ghost image, the ghost image being visually recognized so as to deviate in a deviation direction with respect to the display image; and an image display configured to emit display light for projecting the display image generated by the controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Akio MISAWA, Yuki NAGANO, Yuji FUJITA
  • Publication number: 20180081174
    Abstract: A head-up display apparatus is provided which enables a wide viewing angle in spite of being a type that reflects image light on a windshield. Accordingly, a head-up display apparatus (110) includes an image formation unit (10) that displays image information, and a projection optical system that includes an eyepiece optical system 5 reflecting light emitted from the image formation unit (10) for display of a virtual image. The eyepiece optical system (5) includes a first optical element (51) having a negative refractive power, a second optical element (52) having a positive refractive power, and a concave reflecting mirror (54), and is configured to arrange the first optical element (51), the second optical element (52) and the reflecting mirror (53) in this order from the image formation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2015
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Inventors: Masahiko YATSU, Akio MISAWA, Yuki NAGANO
  • Publication number: 20170045740
    Abstract: A head-up display device that displays information including a video in a part of a field of view of an operator (407) includes a video display device (420) that is arranged at a position deviated from the field of view of the operator and generates and projects video light for projecting the information and a transparent screen (410) that is arranged in a part of the field of view of the operator, and transmit light from the field of view and reflects projection light from the video display device in a direction of the operator. A solid-state light source device (421) that reflects and mixes light emitted from a plurality of light-emitting cells (40) and emits the light obtained by the mixing in a predetermined direction is used as a light source constituting the video display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Inventors: Koji HIRATA, Masahiko YATSU, Akio MISAWA