Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Ando

Hiroshi Ando 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: 11747541
    Abstract: Systems and methods for improving the brightness of a transparent display are disclosed herein. One embodiment collects ambient light using an array of diffraction gratings disposed on an external surface of a vehicle to produce filtered ambient light; collects internal light from the vehicle's headlights; filters the internal light to produce filtered internal light; generates primary-source light using a light-emitting-diode (LED) light source; and injects, into a transparent edge-lit liquid crystal waveguide display deployed in at least a portion of a window of the vehicle, the primary-source light, the filtered ambient light, and the filtered internal light in a color-synchronized manner. The filtered ambient light and the filtered internal light improve the brightness of the transparent edge-lit liquid crystal waveguide display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean P. Rodrigues, Ercan Mehmet Dede, Masaaki Kawauchi, Kojiro Tachi, Hiroshi Ando
  • Publication number: 20230128607
    Abstract: A blind spot display device displays an image of blind spot blocked by an obstacle, and includes an incidence surface, a light guide member, a first reflecting surface closed to a display region, a second reflecting surface close to the blind spot, and multiple prism portions protruding toward the display region. An external environment light beam enters the incidence surface, reflects alternately on the first and second reflecting surface while passing through the light guide member, and emits toward the display region through the prism portions. Apexes of the prism portions are arranged in a three dimensional manner not along a plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2022
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Inventors: KAZUYUKI ISHIHARA, HIROSHI ANDO
  • Publication number: 20230118387
    Abstract: An optical device includes a light guide and a light shielding portion. The light guide has: an incident surface on which an external scene light coming from a blind area is incident; a first surface including flat portions and prism portions; and a second surface opposite to the flat portions. The light shielding portion is provided on a surface of the light guide or at a position away from the light guide so as to block an outside light entering the light guide. The light shielding portion has a first light shielding portion for blocking light incident on an inclined surface and a second light shielding portion for blocking light incident on the flat portion in a predetermined direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventors: MASATOSHI TSUJI, HIROSHI ANDO, KAZUYUKI ISHIHARA
  • Publication number: 20230058463
    Abstract: An optical member includes a light guide body. The light guide body has an incident surface on which an outside light is incident, a first surface having flat portions and prism portions, an incident light incident on the incident surface reaching the first surface for the first time, and a second surface arranged opposite to the flat portions. The flat portions totally reflect the incident light toward the second surface. The second surface totally reflects a reflected light reflected by the flat portion toward the first surface. The prism portion has an ejection surface to emit the incident light to outside.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Publication date: February 23, 2023
    Inventors: Hiroshi ANDO, Kazuyuki ISHIHARA, Masatoshi TSUJI
  • Patent number: 11586041
    Abstract: A diffractive optical element exerts a diffractive action on a display light that is emitted from a display unit. A folding mirror is provided on the opposite side of the diffractive optical element from the display unit to reflect the display light. The diffractive optical element includes a transmissive action part and a diffractive and reflective action part. The transmissive action part exerts a transmissive action to transmit therethrough the display light, which is incident from the display unit and is in a first polarization state, toward the folding mirror. The diffractive and reflective action part exerts a diffractive and reflective action to diffract and reflect the display light, which is reflected by the folding mirror and is in a second polarization state opposite to the first polarization state, toward the projection portion on an optical path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ando, Kazuhisa Onda
  • Publication number: 20230022565
    Abstract: A light guide member includes an incident portion, an emission portion, a reflection portion, and an inclined portion. An internal reflection angle inside the reflection portion and the emission portion is larger than an incident angle of an external light with respect to a first normal line that is a normal line of the emission portion. A first inclination angle that is an inclination angle of the incident portion with respect to the first normal line is smaller than the internal reflection angle. A height from the emission portion to a second side of the incident portion is larger than a distance between the emission portion and the reflection portion. A second inclination angle that is an inclination angle of the inclined portion with respect to the first normal line is smaller than the internal reflection angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2022
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Inventors: Hiroshi ANDO, Kodai TAKEDA
  • Publication number: 20220402506
    Abstract: A blind spot assist device includes a first optical element and a second optical element. The first optical element reflects a part of incident light having a first angle of incidence at different second angles such that light is incident at the first angle on the first optical element from an outdoor view and reflected at the second angles on the first optical element. The second optical element is positioned to face the first optical element and reflects incident lights having different angles of incidence at a third angle such that lights reflected by the first optical element are incident at the second angles on the second optical element and reflected at the third angle on the second optical element toward a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2022
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Inventors: YUJIRO MIZOBUCHI, HIROSHI ANDO, KODAI TAKEDA
  • Publication number: 20220404598
    Abstract: An optical device introduces light from an outdoor view in a blind spot area hidden by an obstacle. The optical device includes a first reflector that reflects a part of light and transmits another part of the light, and a second reflector placed between a back surface of the first reflector and the obstacle and apart from the first reflector. The second reflector has a reflective surface that reflects light incident from the first reflector toward the first reflector. A light shield is placed at a front surface of the first reflector to block external light incident on and reflected from the front surface of the first reflector. The light shield includes light-shielding plates arranged at an interval in a vertical direction such that each light-shielding plate is horizontal. The first reflector is parallel to the reflective surface of the second reflector and tilted from a vertical axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2022
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Inventors: MASATOSHI TSUJI, KODAI TAKEDA, HIROSHI ANDO
  • Publication number: 20220337707
    Abstract: A device monitoring apparatus includes a sensor and a stopping unit. The sensor is configured to detect at least either smoke generation or ignition in a module included in an electronic device, based on at least one of a relative intensity of light generated in the module and a temperature of each module. The stopping unit is installed in the module and configured to stop an operation of the module in response to the at least one of the smoke generation and the ignition being detected by the sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Inventor: Hiroshi ANDO
  • Patent number: 11448880
    Abstract: A light guide unit forms an optical path to guide a display light emitted from a display unit toward a projection portion. The light guide unit includes a negative optical element and a positive optical element. The negative optical element is placed on the optical path and has a negative optical power. The positive optical element is placed on the optical path and is closer to the projection portion than the negative optical element. The positive optical element has a positive optical power. The positive optical element is a diffractive optical element having a diffractive structure configured to diffract the display light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Onda, Hiroshi Ando
  • Patent number: 11435582
    Abstract: First and second diffractive reflective elements form an optical path that guides a display light from a display unit toward a projection portion. The first diffractive reflective element is placed on the optical path to reflect the display light toward the projection portion by causing diffraction such that an incident angle and an emission angle of the display light are different from each other. The second diffractive reflective element is placed between the display unit and the first diffractive reflective element on the optical path to reflect the display light from the display unit toward the first diffractive reflective element by causing diffraction such that an incident angle and an emission angle of the display light are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Onda, Hiroshi Ando
  • Patent number: 11333885
    Abstract: A light diffusion member constituting a head-up display device includes multiple micro-lenses and has a curved base surface. The edge angle is larger than the base surface angle change amount. The edge angle is an angle formed by one of tangent lines of two micro-lenses and the other of the tangent lines passing through a boundary between two adjacent micro-lenses on a cross section orthogonal to the base surface. A reference line has a constant direction on the cross section, and a normal line passes at an arbitrary position on the base surface. The maximum value is ?max and the minimum value is ?min among angles between the normal line and the reference line. The base surface angle change amount is the absolute value of the difference between ?max and ?min.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Onda, Hiroshi Ando
  • Patent number: 11215976
    Abstract: A component mounting system includes a component mounting line, a storage device, and a display device. The component mounting line is formed by connecting a plurality of mounting board manufacturing machines. The storage device is connected to the component mounting line via a network to acquire information from each of the plurality of mounting board manufacturing machines. The display device is connected to the storage device via the network and displays a progress status of set-up work executed when changing a type of a mounting board manufactured by the component mounting line based on information stored in the storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Harada, Takuya Yamazaki, Atsushi Nakazono, Hiroshi Ando
  • Publication number: 20210205182
    Abstract: A dental molded article has a predetermined shape so as to be used in an oral cavity, and contains polycaprolactone, acrylic resin, powdery silica, ascorbic acid, titanium oxide, a pigment, and zinc stearate. The acrylic resin is set to have a weight ratio of 5 to 30%, the powdery silica is set to have a weight ratio of 5 to 25%, the ascorbic acid is set to have a weight ratio of 0.3 to 1.8%, the titanium oxide is set to have a weight ratio of 0.001 to 0.02%, the pigment is set to have a weight ratio of 0.001 to 0.1%, and the zinc stearate is set to have a weight ratio of 0.001 to 0.1%, with respect to the polycaprolactone. Thus, a dental molded article and a dental resin material that can easily fit a mucosal surface in an oral cavity of a patient, are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Inventor: Hiroshi ANDO
  • Patent number: 11034297
    Abstract: An image synthesizer apparatus for vehicle includes an image generator and an error detector. From multiple cameras arranged to a vehicle so that an imaging region of each camera partially overlaps with an imaging region of an adjacent camera, the image generator acquires images of areas allocated to the respective cameras, and synthesizes the acquired images to generate a synthetic image around the vehicle viewed from a viewpoint above the vehicle. The error detector detects errors in the cameras. When the error detector detects a faulty camera in the cameras, the image generator acquires, from the image captured by the camera adjacent to the faulty camera, an overlap portion overlapping with the image captured by the faulty camera, uses the overlap portion to generate the synthetic image, and applies image reinforcement to the overlap portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Takazawa, Makoto Sakai, Hiroshi Ando
  • Patent number: 10893641
    Abstract: A group determination method includes a step of calculating an external set-up work time for an external set-up work by which a component supplier used in a group that is a next production target of a group under production in a component mounting line, including a plurality of the component mounters capable of attaching and detaching a component supply carriage which can arrange a plurality of the component suppliers (tape feeders), is removed from the component mounting line and arranged in the component supply carriage; and a step of calculating a production completion time at which the production of all the mounting boards that are the production targets is completed in consideration of the external set-up work time. A plurality of groups which are common in an arrangement of component suppliers for the mounting boards that are the production targets are determined so that production completion time is shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takuya Yamazaki, Atsushi Nakazono, Hiroshi Ando, Kazuyoshi Harada
  • Patent number: 10863657
    Abstract: An electronic component mounting method is performed by an electronic component mounting system including a component mounting line formed by interconnecting component mounting units which concurrently performs component mounting work on two kinds of boards different in mounting workload. The component mounting units includes: first and second board conveyance mechanisms; a component mounting unit; a board distribution unit which receives the board from the upstream-side apparatus and distributes the received board to either the first board conveyance mechanism or the second board conveyance mechanism; and a distribution control unit which controls the first board conveyance mechanism, the second board conveyance mechanism and the board distribution unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masayuki Higashi, Taisuke Mori, Ryouji Kouchi, Takuya Yamazaki, Hisashi Maezono, Hiroshi Ando
  • Patent number: 10800328
    Abstract: An image synthesizer apparatus for vehicle includes an image generator and an error detector. From multiple cameras arranged to a vehicle so that an imaging region of each camera partially overlaps with an imaging region of an adjacent camera, the image generator acquires images of areas allocated to the respective cameras, and synthesizes the acquired images to generate a synthetic image around the vehicle viewed from a viewpoint above the vehicle. The error detector detects errors in the cameras. When the error detector detects a faulty camera in the cameras, the image generator acquires, from the image captured by the camera adjacent to the faulty camera, an overlap portion overlapping with the image captured by the faulty camera, uses the overlap portion to generate the synthetic image, and applies image reinforcement to the overlap portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Takazawa, Makoto Sakai, Hiroshi Ando
  • Patent number: 10732410
    Abstract: An image projection device includes an emitting unit, a shaping unit, an adjusting unit, a scanning unit, and a projection optical system. The projection optical system is disposed such that a position of a front side principal plane of the projection optical system is at a position which is separated from the scanning unit by a focal length of the projection optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Ishihara, Hiroshi Ando
  • Publication number: 20200174279
    Abstract: A three-dimensional display device includes an image display, one or more color-generating refractors, and a viewpoint refractor. The image display is configured to use color generators arranged in a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction to display parallax images, two or more of the color generators acting as a pixel element for a single pixel. The color-generating refractor is configured to, while transmitting light emitted via the color generators, diverge or converge the light at a preset angle for each of the color generators. The viewpoint refractor is configured to refract the light toward respective viewpoints while transmitting the light transmitted through the color-generating refractor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Kazuyuki ISHIHARA, Hiroshi ANDO