Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Yukawa

Hiroaki Yukawa 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: 8848092
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: a light-receiving element; and a multilayer film which is disposed on a side of a light-receiving surface of the light-receiving element and is formed by laminating a plurality of layers made of materials having different refractive indices, in which a defect layer is included in at least one of the laminated layers, wherein in the defect layer, a plurality of kinds of materials having different refractive indices coexist in a surface parallel to the light-receiving surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Patent number: 8587082
    Abstract: An imaging device includes: an optical sensor including a light receiving unit capable of forming an object image; a seal material for protecting the light receiving unit of the optical sensor; an intermediate layer formed at least between the light receiving unit and an opposite surface of the seal material facing the light receiving unit; and a control film arranged between the intermediate layer and the opposite surface of the seal material, wherein, in the control film, a cutoff wavelength is shifted to a shortwave side in accordance with an incident angle of light which is obliquely incident on the film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yukawa, Kensaku Maeda, Taizo Takachi, Yasushi Maruyama
  • Patent number: 8319167
    Abstract: A solid state imaging device includes: a sensor unit that has a semiconductor substrate in which pixels including photoelectric conversion parts are disposed in an array on a light receiving surface; a lens module which has a plurality of optical members including a lens and which is disposed such that light including information on an image to be imaged is incident on the light receiving surface of the sensor unit; and a phase shift mask in which regions for dividing all light beams into a plurality of groups are set and which makes a different phase shift occur in each of the regions for the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Publication number: 20120256285
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: a light-receiving element; and a multilayer film which is disposed on a side of a light-receiving surface of the light-receiving element and is formed by laminating a plurality of layers made of materials having different refractive indices, in which a defect layer is included in at least one of the laminated layers, wherein in the defect layer, a plurality of kinds of materials having different refractive indices coexist in a surface parallel to the light-receiving surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Publication number: 20120256284
    Abstract: An imaging device includes: an optical sensor including a light receiving unit capable of forming an object image; a seal material for protecting the light receiving unit of the optical sensor; an intermediate layer formed at least between the light receiving unit and an opposite surface of the seal material facing the light receiving unit; and a control film arranged between the intermediate layer and the opposite surface of the seal material, wherein, in the control film, a cutoff wavelength is shifted to a shortwave side in accordance with an incident angle of light which is obliquely incident on the film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki YUKAWA, Kensaku Maeda, Taizo Takachi, Yasushi Maruyama
  • Patent number: 7990832
    Abstract: The present invention provides an optical pickup in which the transmission diffraction efficiency of plural recording and/or reproducing light beams of different wavelengths, radiated from plural light sources, may be prevented from being lowered, and in which the transmission diffraction efficiency and the angle of diffraction are both optimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Publication number: 20100265375
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: a light-receiving element; and a multilayer film which is disposed on a side of a light-receiving surface of the light-receiving element and is formed by laminating a plurality of layers made of materials having different refractive indices, in which a defect layer is included in at least one of the laminated layers, wherein in the defect layer, a plurality of kinds of materials having different refractive indices coexist in a surface parallel to the light-receiving surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Publication number: 20100200730
    Abstract: A solid state imaging device includes: a sensor unit that has a semiconductor substrate in which pixels including photoelectric conversion parts are disposed in an array on a light receiving surface; a lens module which has a plurality of optical members including a lens and which is disposed such that light including information on an image to be imaged is incident on the light receiving surface of the sensor unit; and a phase shift mask in which regions for dividing all light beams into a plurality of groups are set and which makes a different phase shift occur in each of the regions for the light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Patent number: 7583570
    Abstract: An optical pickup includes a diffracting element having a plurality of regions for dividing the laser light emitted from the light-emitting element into a main beam and pairs of first, second, third, and fourth sub-beams. When the first to fourth sub-beams form first to fourth sub-spots, respectively, in that order along a radial direction on a recording surface of an arbitrary kind of disc-shaped recording medium which does not have the largest track pitch, n is a natural number, and the track pitch is Pa, the distance Da12 between the first and second sub-spots is approximately (2n12?1)×Pa/2, the distance Da34 between the third and fourth sub-spots is approximately (2n34?1)×Pa/2, the distance Da13 between the first and third sub-spots is approximately (2n13?1)×Pa, and the distance Da24 between the second and fourth sub-spots is approximately (2n24?1)×Pa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yukawa, Midori Kanaya
  • Patent number: 7443780
    Abstract: An optical pickup device is adapted to read information signals from optical recording media of two different types such as a “DVD” and a “CD” for which two light beams with different wavelengths are used and comprises a photodetector having a single light receiving section that can be shared by optical recording media of two different types. Both the light beam reflected from the signal recording surface of the “DVD” 106a and the light beam reflected from the signal recording surface of the “CD” 106b are diffracted by the diffraction element 6 and focused to a same spot on the light receiving surface of the photodiode of a photodetector 7.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Publication number: 20070008858
    Abstract: There is provided an optical pickup for recording or reproducing an information signal on/from a plurality of optical discs, each including a protective substrate having a different thickness for protecting a signal recording surface. The optical pickup includes: a light source section emitting a light beam having a predetermined wavelength; a first and second objective lens collecting light on the signal recording surface while reducing a spherical aberration due to a protective substrate having a first and second thickness, respectively; a polarization switching section adapted to switch a polarized state of the light beam emitted from the light source section; and a polarization beam splitter adapted to guide the light beam to either the first objective lens or the second objective lens depending on the polarized state of the light beam switched by the polarization switching section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Publication date: January 11, 2007
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Patent number: 7072271
    Abstract: An optical head includes a light emitter/detector to emit a laser light towards an optical disc and to detect a return light from the optical disc, a diffraction grating to split the laser light into three beams, and a light converging optical system to focus the laser light on a recording surface of the optical disc. The diffraction grating has formed therein a plurality of slits formed whose depth is selected so that the efficiency of diffraction of first-order light when a first light beam is incident upon the diffraction grating is higher than that when a second light beam having a longer wavelength than the first light beam is incident upon the diffraction grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Publication number: 20060087951
    Abstract: An optical pickup device is adapted to read information signals from optical recording media of two different types such as a “DVD” and a “CD” for which two light beams with different wavelengths are used and comprises a photodetector having a single light receiving section that can be shared by optical recording media of two different types. Both the light beam reflected from the signal recording surface of the “DVD” 106a and the light beam reflected from the signal recording surface of the “CD” 106b are diffracted by the diffraction element 6 and focussed to a same spot on the light receiving surface of the photodiode of a photodetector 7.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2005
    Publication date: April 27, 2006
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Publication number: 20060007811
    Abstract: An optical pickup includes a diffracting element having a plurality of regions for dividing the laser light emitted from the light-emitting element into a main beam and pairs of first, second, third, and fourth sub-beams. When the first to fourth sub-beams form first to fourth sub-spots, respectively, in that order along a radial direction on a recording surface of an arbitrary kind of disc-shaped recording medium which does not have the largest track pitch, n is a natural number, and the track pitch is Pa, the distance Da12 between the first and second sub-spots is approximately (2n12?1)×Pa/2, the distance Da34 between the third and fourth sub-spots is approximately (2n34?1)×Pa/2, the distance Da13 between the first and third sub-spots is approximately (2n13?1)×Pa, and the distance Da24 between the second and fourth sub-spots is approximately (2n24?1)×Pa.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2005
    Publication date: January 12, 2006
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Yukawa, Midori Kanaya
  • Patent number: 6980504
    Abstract: An optical pickup device is adapted to read information signals from optical recording media of two different types such as a “DVD” and a “CD” for which two light beams with different wavelengths are used and comprises a photodetector having a single light receiving section that can be shared by optical recording media of two different types. Both the light beam reflected from the signal recording surface of the “DVD” 106a and the light beam reflected from the signal recording surface of the “CD” 106b are diffracted by the diffraction element 6 and focussed to a same spot on the light receiving surface of the photodiode of a photodetector 7.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Publication number: 20050270912
    Abstract: The present invention provides an optical pickup in which light beams of different wavelengths, radiated from plural light sources and reflected back from a recording surface, are condensed in the same area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2005
    Publication date: December 8, 2005
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsutoshi Sato, Hiroaki Yukawa, Kenji Yamamoto, Noriaki Nishi, Midori Kanaya
  • Patent number: 6967907
    Abstract: An optical pickup device is adapted to read information signals from optical recording media of two different types such as a “DVD” and a “CD” for which two light beams with different wavelengths are used and comprises a photodetector having a single light receiving section that can be shared by optical recording media of two different types. Both the light beam reflected from the signal recording surface of the “DVD” 106a and the light beam reflected from the signal recording surface of the “CD” 106b are diffracted by the diffraction element 6 and focussed to a same spot on the light receiving surface of the photodiode of a photodetector 7.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Publication number: 20050243686
    Abstract: The present invention provides an optical pickup in which the transmission diffraction efficiency of plural recording and/or reproducing light beams of different wavelengths, radiated from plural light sources, may be prevented from being lowered, and in which the transmission diffraction efficiency and the angle of diffraction are both optimized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Publication date: November 3, 2005
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Publication number: 20050163018
    Abstract: An optical head includes a light emitter/detector to emit a laser light towards an optical disc and to detect a return light from the optical disc, a diffraction grating to split the laser light into three beams, and a light converging optical system to focus the laser light on a recording surface of the optical disc. The diffraction grating has formed therein a plurality of slits formed whose depth is selected so that the efficiency of diffraction of first-order light when a first light beam is incident upon the diffraction grating is higher than that when a second light beam having a longer wavelength than the first light beam is incident upon the diffraction grating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2005
    Publication date: July 28, 2005
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa
  • Patent number: 6906991
    Abstract: An optical head includes a light emitter/detector to emit a laser light towards an optical disc and to detect a return light from the optical disc, a diffraction grating to split the laser light into three beams, and a light converging optical system to focus the laser light on a recording surface of the optical disc. The diffraction grating has formed therein a plurality of slits formed whose depth is selected so that the efficiency of diffraction of first-order light when a first light beam is incident upon the diffraction grating is higher than that when a second light beam having a longer wavelength than the first light beam is incident upon the diffraction grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yukawa