Patents by Inventor Fusao Ishii

Fusao Ishii 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).

  • Micromirror manufacturing method
    Patent number: 7901969
    Abstract: A micro-mirror manufacturing method for dividing a plurality of micro-mirror devices each having at least one mirror, formed on a semiconductor wafer into individual micro-mirror devices can be provided. The manufacturing method comprises a step of depositing an inorganic protection layer on the mirror before separating the micro-mirror devices from the wafer and a step of removing the inorganic protection layer after separating the micro-mirror devices from the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Ichikawa, Fusao Ishii
  • Display control system for micromirror device
    Patent number: 7880736
    Abstract: This invention provides a display control system that includes: a) a micromirror array comprising a plurality of mirrors; b) a first control function for controlling the mirrors in a first state; c) a second control function for controlling the mirrors in a second state; d) and a switchover controller for switching from the first state to second state, or from the second state to first state, wherein the switchover controller switches the state of at least two mirrors simultaneously at a same predetermined point within a frame period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Fusao Ishii, Taro Endo, Yoshihiro Maeda, Kazuma Arai, Hirokazu Nishino
  • Mirror device with an anti-stiction layer
    Patent number: 7880952
    Abstract: A micromirror device includes an elastic hinge for supporting a mirror on a substrate, and an address electrode for deflecting the mirror. The device further includes a protective layer and an oriented monolayer laid to cover a stopper also functioning as an address electrode provided below the mirror and between the mirror and the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Maeda, Fusao Ishii, Kazuhiro Watanabe, Hirotoshi Ichikawa
  • Mirror device having vertical hinge
    Patent number: 7876488
    Abstract: The present invention provides a mirror device, comprising: a substrate; a mirror disposed approximately in parallel to the substrate above the substrate; and a hinge supported on and extended approximately perpendicularly from the substrate for supporting the mirror, wherein the hinge is connected to the mirror with a first edge part of the hinge buried in the mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Maeda, Fusao Ishii, Hirotoshi Ichikawa
  • Spatial light modulator and mirror array device
    Patent number: 7876492
    Abstract: The present invention provides a spatial light modulator, comprising: a plurality of mirror elements; a plurality of address electrodes for controlling the movement of each of the mirror elements; and first and second control circuits for generating a voltage in the address electrode, wherein the second control circuit applies a voltage to the address electrode when the mirror element is in a moving state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Naoya Sugimoto, Kazuma Arai, Yoshihiro Maeda, Fusao Ishii
  • Display apparatus using pulsed light source
    Patent number: 7869115
    Abstract: The present invention provides a display apparatus, comprising: a light source; at least one spatial light modulator for modulating a luminous flux emitted from the light source; and controller for processing video image information, which is input, and controlling the light source and the spatial light modulator, wherein the controller controls the light source and the spatial light modulator so as to perform pulse emission of the light source during a period shorter than a period in which the spatial light modulator is controlled under a modulation state and also controls the light source so as to modulate the pulse emission during a period shorter than a period in which the spatial light modulator is controlled under a modulation state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Taro Endo, Kazuma Arai, Yoshihiro Maeda, Fusao Ishii
  • Spatial light modulator implemented with a mirror array device
    Patent number: 7848005
    Abstract: The present invention provides a spatial light modulator, comprising: a plurality of row lines each connected to a plurality of memory circuits; and a plurality of word lines and a plurality of plate lines connected to the memory circuits for selecting and controlling sets of the memory circuits connected to the selected row lines at pre-designated times for each of the row lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Naoya Sugimoto, Kazuma Arai, Akira Shirai, Fusao Ishii, Yoshihiro Maeda
  • Method for aligning die to substrate
    Patent number: 7848002
    Abstract: A method for aligning a micro-mirror device die having a plurality of micro-mirror devices formed on a semiconductor substrate and fixing the micro-mirror device die on the semiconductor substrate can be provided. The method comprises a first alignment step of aligning a first guide portion of the micro-mirror device die and a second guide portion of the package substrate and a fixing step of fixing the micro-mirror device die on the package substrate in a position aligned by the first alignment step using the first and second guide portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Ichikawa, Fusao Ishii
  • Micromirror device with a single address electrode
    Patent number: 7839561
    Abstract: A micromirror device comprises a plurality of mirrors arranged on a substrate, an elastic hinge for supporting each mirror to be deflectable in a plurality of directions, an address electrode composed of first and second regions that are arranged across the deflection axis of each mirror, and a driving circuit for controlling the mirror to deflect in the directions of the first and the second regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Maeda, Fusao Ishii, Hirokazu Nishino, Kazuma Arai
  • Mircromirror device having a vertical hinge
    Patent number: 7835062
    Abstract: A mirror device comprises: a plurality of electrodes disposed on a substrate; a hinge connected to at least one of the electrodes; a mirror connected to the hinge and corresponding to at least one of the electrodes, wherein a barrier layer is comprised between the hinge and mirror, and/or between the hinge and electrode. Also noted is a mirror device production method for producing such-configured mirror device. Further noted is a projection apparatus comprising such-configured mirror device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Fusao Ishii, Yoshihiro Maeda, Hirotoshi Ichikawa, Naoya Sugimoto
  • Mircromirror device having a vertical hinge
    Publication number: 20100284057
    Abstract: A mirror device comprises: a plurality of electrodes disposed on a substrate; a hinge connected to at least one of the electrodes; a mirror connected to the hinge and corresponding to at least one of the electrodes, wherein a barrier layer is comprised between the hinge and mirror, and/or between the hinge and electrode. Also noted is a mirror device production method for producing such-configured mirror device. Further noted is a projection apparatus comprising such-configured mirror device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Inventors: Fusao Ishii, Yoshihiro Maeda, Hirotoshi Ichikawa
  • Projection display system with varying light source
    Patent number: 7826128
    Abstract: The present invention provides a projection apparatus, comprising: a light source for emitting illumination light; at least one spatial light modulator with a plurality of movable mirrors corresponding to pixels to be displayed, for performing a modulation of the illumination light through operation of the movable mirrors; a light source control unit performing a modulation control of the light source; and a spatial light modulator control unit generating, from an input image signal, a control signal for driving the spatial light modulator, wherein: the light source control unit adjusts a pulse emission frequency of an emission pulse of the illumination light emitted from the light source while corresponding to an oscillation frequency of the movable mirrors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Shirai, Hirokazu Nishino, Yoshiaki Horikawa, Fusao Ishii
  • Gamma correction for adjustable light source
    Patent number: 7826126
    Abstract: The present invention provides a projection apparatus comprising: a light source, a light source control unit for controlling the output of the light source; at least one spatial light modulator for modulating the illumination light from the light source by multiple pixel elements; and an optical system for projecting, onto a screen, the illumination light deflected by the spatial light modulator, wherein: the light source control unit 1) modulates the output of the illumination light from the light source during a modulation period of the spatial light modulator, and 2) non-linearly controls the gray scale of an image projected onto the screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nishino, Yoshiaki Horikawa, Akira Shiral, Fusao Ishii
  • Projection apparatus with adjustable light source
    Patent number: 7817330
    Abstract: A projection apparatus includes a light source for emitting a light including at least two different wavelengths; a light source control circuit for controlling a light source to emit the light as pulse emissions with a pulse modulation control; at least two spatial light modulators each comprises plurality of pixel elements are arranged in an array; a spatial light modulator control circuit for selectively controlling a modulation state of the respective pixel elements in each of the spatial light modulators in accordance with image data corresponding to the respective pixel elements; and the light source control circuit controls the light source so that a starting time of a pulse emission period of the pulse emissions of at least one of the wavelengths emitted from the light source is different from a modulation control timing of the pixel element of the spatial light modulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuma Arai, Yoshihiro Maeda, Fusao Ishii
  • Mirror device
    Patent number: 7796321
    Abstract: A spatial light modulator supported on a device substrate includes a plurality of light modulation elements to modulate a light emitted from a light source. The spatial light modulator and the device substrate further comprises a cyclic structure on a surface of the spatial light modulator and/or the device substrate for preventing a reflection of the incident light from the cyclic structure. In an exemplary embodiment the cyclic structure includes cyclic structural elements having a distance between two cyclic elements shorter than the wavelength of an incident light for preventing a reflection of the incident light from the cyclic structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Ichikawa, Yoshihiro Maeda, Fusao Ishii
  • Gamma correction for adjustable light source
    Patent number: 7787172
    Abstract: The present invention provides a projection apparatus, that includes: a light source; a light source control unit for controlling the output of the light source; at least one spatial light modulator for modulating the illumination light from the light source by a plurality of pixel elements; and an optical system for projecting, onto a screen, the illumination light deflected by the spatial light modulator, wherein: the light source control unit performs a gamma (?) correction on input image data by a modulation control of the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Shirai, Hirokazu Nishino, Yoshiaki Horikawa, Fusao Ishii
  • Spatial light modulator and display apparatus
    Publication number: 20100214646
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image projection system comprising a spatial light modulator (SLM) comprises a plurality of pixel elements, wherein each of the pixel elements further comprises a deflectable mirror, and at least a first electrode and a second electrode for controlling the deflectable mirror to deflect to different tilt angles to reflect and modulate an illumination light for displaying an image; and a controller for applying a voltage to the second electrode wherein the voltage applied in an initial operation period is different from the voltage applied in an image display period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Inventors: Naoya Sugimoto, Yoshihiro Maeda, Fusao Ishii
  • Analog micromirror devices with continuous intermediate states
    Patent number: 7782523
    Abstract: An image display system includes an array of movable micromirrors each controlled by a mirror control system to oscillate between a fully ON and fully OFF positions. The mirror control system further includes at least electrode for applying voltages thereon according to an analog scale for controlling each of the micromirrors to oscillate substantially around a central angle of oscillation varying between the fully-On and fully-OFF angular positions, according to an analog angular scale corresponding to the analog scale of the voltage applied to the electrode(s). The brightness of a reflection from each of these micromirrors are therefore controllable according to an analog scale to generate a corresponding grayscale substantially according to an analog scale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Inventor: Fusao Ishii
  • System configurations and methods for controlling image projection apparatuses
    Patent number: 7782524
    Abstract: The mirror device comprising a plurality of deflectable mirrors for reflecting light, wherein the mirror is controllable to deflect to a first direction during an incident period with the light incident to the deflectable mirror and at an end of the incident period the mirror is controllable to deflect to a second direction opposite to the first direction during a non-incidence period in which the light is not incident to the present mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Shirai, Yoshihiro Maeda, Hirokazu Nishino, Fusao Ishii
  • Micro mirror device
    Patent number: 7760415
    Abstract: The present invention provides a mirror device, comprising: a mirror; an elastic hinge for supporting the mirror and the elastic hinge has a specific electric resistance. The mirror device further includes an electrode for controlling the mirror, wherein a voltage is applied to the elastic hinge for a predetermined period in synchronous with a change of an electric voltage applied to the electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignees: Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha, Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Fusao Ishii, Naoya Sugimoto, Hirotoshi Ichikawa, Yoshihiro Maeda