Patents by Inventor Kakuya Yamamoto

Kakuya Yamamoto 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: 8804247
    Abstract: A transmissive display device includes: a light source which outputs light; a display part which receives the light from the light source and generates display light representing an image; a deflecting element which changes a direction of the display light emitted from the display part; and a transmissive reflector which reflects, towards a user, light of a wavelength included in the display light emitted from the display part, and transmits light of other wavelengths. An angle formed by a straight line, which extends between an upper edge of an incident area of the display light on the transmissive reflector and a lower portion of an eyebox which is defined as a visible range of the reflected light from the transmissive reflector, with respect to a horizontal line is smaller than a difference between an emission angle and an incident angle of the display light at the transmissive reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Keiji Sugiyama, Kenichi Kasazumi, Kakuya Yamamoto, Akira Kurozuka, Tatsuo Itoh, Shinichi Shikii
  • Publication number: 20140198141
    Abstract: An image display apparatus, including: a light source which emits coherent light; a spatial modulation element which diffracts the coherent light by displaying a diffraction grating pattern corresponding to an input image and which displays a virtual image by the diffracted light; and a control unit which calculates a total brightness representing a sum total of brightnesses of all pixels of the input image, and controls at least one of the light source and the spatial modulation element in such a manner that, if the total brightness has decreased, the virtual image is displayed at a lower brightness than a reference virtual image displayed when the input image is used directly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Publication date: July 17, 2014
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Kasazumi, Keiji Sugiyama, Kakuya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8698858
    Abstract: A transmissive display apparatus includes a transparent display panel, a display unit which projects a display light toward a display area of the transparent display panel, a ratio change unit which is provided to the display area, is configured to be capable of changing a light transmittance, and is configured to be capable of changing a ratio of a light quantity of a rear face reflected light reaching a viewpoint relative to a light quantity of a front face reflected light reaching the viewpoint, and a control unit which alternately switches the ratio change unit between a first state and a second state. The ratio change unit lowers, in the first state, the ratio by reducing the light quantity of the rear face reflected light that reaches the viewpoint in comparison to the second state. The light transmittance increases in the second state in comparison to the first state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Kurozuka, Shinichi Kadowaki, Kakuya Yamamoto, Kenichi Kasazumi, Keiji Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 8681143
    Abstract: A display apparatus, includes: a display light emission unit which includes a light source, forms an image, and emits display light corresponding to formed image; a deflection unit which deflects the display light; a narrow band reflection unit which has characteristics of reflecting only light in a reflected wavelength range and transmitting light of wavelengths other than the reflected wavelength range, and reflects the display light incident from the deflection unit towards a viewpoint; and a control unit which changes an incidence angle at which the display light is incident on the narrow band reflection unit, in accordance with change in a wavelength of the light, wherein the narrow band reflection unit is configured such that the reflected wavelength range changes when an incidence angle of light changes, and the control unit changes the incidence angle such that a wavelength of the light is included within the reflected wavelength range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Keiji Sugiyama, Kenichi Kasazumi, Kakuya Yamamoto, Akira Kurozuka, Shinichi Shikii
  • Publication number: 20140049451
    Abstract: A display device includes a light source which outputs laser light, an illumination optical system which emits the laser light as illumination light, a spatial modulation element which diffracts the illumination light by displaying a diffraction pattern, a diffraction pattern acquiring unit which acquires a basic diffraction pattern generated based on an image, and a diffraction pattern process unit which uses the basic diffraction pattern and a correction diffraction pattern for correcting the basic diffraction pattern to generate, as the diffraction pattern to be displayed on the spatial modulation element, a combined diffraction pattern obtained by correcting the basic diffraction pattern by the correction diffraction pattern. The spatial modulation element displays diffracted light, which is diffracted by displaying the combined diffraction pattern, to a user as a fictive image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2012
    Publication date: February 20, 2014
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keiji Sugiyama, Kakuya Yamamoto, Kenichi Kasazumi
  • Patent number: 8547618
    Abstract: A scanning type image display apparatus includes a light source unit for emitting a laser beam, a scanning mirror for scanning the laser beam two-dimensionally in a first direction and a second direction that intersects the first direction, and a control unit for controlling driving of the scanning mirror. The control unit drives the scanning mirror such that a scanning frequency in the first direction is higher than a scanning frequency in the second direction, and varies a scanning amplitude in the first direction by varying the scanning frequency in the first direction in synchronization with a period of the scanning frequency in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Keiji Sugiyama, Kakuya Yamamoto, Tatsuo Itoh, Kenichi Kasazumi, Akira Kurozuka
  • Publication number: 20130182302
    Abstract: The present application discloses a see-through display device a light source configured to emit light, a projection optical system configured to project image light generated from the light; a transmissive hologram including a first surface which the image light enters from the projection optical system; and an interface configured to cause Fresnel reflection of the image light deflected by the hologram. The hologram includes a first interference fringe recorded by object light and reference light which are incident on the first surface by means of two-light flux interference. The image light incident on the first surface is deflected by the first interference fringe toward the interface. The interface reflects the image light toward the first surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Inventors: Shinichi Shikii, Kenichi Kasazumi, Keiji Sugiyama, Kakuya Yamamoto, Akira Kurozuka
  • Patent number: 8446288
    Abstract: A light projection device, includes a movable projector section which illuminates or display information by projecting light while moving a projection position; a position detecting section which detects a position of a lost article instructed by a user; a view field detecting section which detects a view field of the user, and a controller section which controls said movable projection section based on the lost article detected by the position detecting section and the view field of the user detected by the view field detecting section, and either directly illuminates the lost article or projects guide information for guiding the user to the lost article within a view field of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Mizushima, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Akira Kurozuka, Kakuya Yamamoto, Keiji Sugiyama, Kenji Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20130106847
    Abstract: A display device (1) includes: a light source (101) that outputs a laser beam; an illumination optical system (102) that emits illumination light of the laser beam; a diffraction pattern generation unit that generates a diffraction pattern from original image data; a spatial modulation element (103) that diffracts the illumination light by displaying the diffraction pattern; and a display control unit that performs at least one of a change in a display timing of a diffraction pattern the spatial modulation element (103) displays and a change in a size of a diffraction pattern the diffraction pattern generation unit generates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Inventors: Keiji Sugiyama, Kakuya Yamamoto, Kenichi Kasazumi
  • Publication number: 20130100511
    Abstract: A display device (1) includes a light source (101) which outputs laser light, an illumination optical system (102) which emits the laser light as illumination light, a spatial modulation element (103) which diffracts the illumination light by displaying a diffraction pattern, and a wearing section (111) for wearing on a user's head. A positional relationship between the spatial modulation element (103) and an expected eye position (191a), which is expected to be a position of an eye (190) of the user, is fixed in a state where the wearing section (111) is worn on the user's head. The spatial modulation element (103) displays, as the diffraction pattern, a diffraction pattern by which a fictive image is displayed to the user due to diffracted light, which has been diffracted by the diffraction pattern, reaching the expected eye position (191a).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Inventors: Kakuya Yamamoto, Kenichi Kasazumi, Keiji Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 8403490
    Abstract: A beam scanning-type display device used as a head-mounted display (HMD) or a head-up display (HUD) includes a light source which emits a beam, a scanning unit which performs scanning using the beam emitted from the light source, a deflecting unit which deflects the beam used for the scanning by the scanning unit in the direction toward an eye of a user, and a wavefront shape changing unit which changes the wavefront shape of the beam from the light source so that the beam spot size falls within the predetermined allowable range, and emits the beam to the wavefront shape changing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Keiji Sugiyama, Kakuya Yamamoto, Kenichi Kasazumi, Tatsuo Itoh, Akira Kurozuka
  • Patent number: 8398242
    Abstract: A display apparatus that displays an image on a retina of a user, the display apparatus comprising: an image output unit (100) which includes a light source (101, 110), a wavefront shape change unit (102, 109), and a scan unit (103, 108) and is configured to output display light for displaying the image; and a deflection unit (104, 107) configured to deflect, toward an eye of the user, the display light outputted by the image output unit (100). The deflection unit (104, 107) has a deflection characteristic of suppressing image distortion caused by a change in relative position of the deflection unit (104, 107) with respect to a pupil of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kakuya Yamamoto, Kenichi Kasazumi, Tatsuo Itoh, Akira Kurozuka, Keiji Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 8390533
    Abstract: A beam-scan display apparatus (10) displays an image by scanning a beam on a retina of a user, the beam-scan display apparatus (10) includes a case (11) housing (i) a light source (101) emitting a beam for drawing each of pixels constituting the image, and (ii) a scan unit (103) two-dimensionally scanning the beam emitted from the light source (101). Further, the beam-scan apparatus includes a contact lens (12) having a deflection unit (104) deflecting, toward the retina of an eye of the user wearing the case (11), the beam scanned by the scan unit (103), wherein the contact lens (12) is separate from the case (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Kakuya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8327279
    Abstract: An information presentation device includes a status information obtaining unit which obtains status information regarding a status of the user; an observed line of sight predicting unit which predicts, based on the status information, an observed line of sight of the user who observes the outside world; and a presented information obtaining unit which obtains the information to be presented to the user. Additionally, a recognized line of sight predicting unit predicts a recognized line of sight of the user who recognizes the presented information; a presentation method determining unit determines a presentation method of the presented information based on the observed line of sight and the recognized line of sight; and an information presenting unit presents the presented information in the method determined in the presentation method determining unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kakuya Yamamoto, Keiji Sugiyama, Hideaki Nakaoka
  • Publication number: 20120280956
    Abstract: A display apparatus that displays an image on a retina of a user, the display apparatus comprising: an image output unit (100) which includes a light source (101, 110), a wavefront shape change unit (102, 109), and a scan unit (103, 108) and is configured to output display light for displaying the image; and a deflection unit (104, 107) configured to deflect, toward an eye of the user, the display light outputted by the image output unit (100). The deflection unit (104, 107) has a deflection characteristic of suppressing image distortion caused by a change in relative position of the deflection unit (104, 107) with respect to a pupil of the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2012
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Inventors: Kakuya YAMAMOTO, Kenichi Kasazumi, Tatsuo Itoh, Akira Kurozuka, Keiji Sugiyama
  • Publication number: 20120250306
    Abstract: A transmissive display device includes: a light source which outputs light; a display part which receives the light from the light source and generates display light representing an image; a deflecting element which changes a direction of the display light emitted from the display part; and a transmissive reflector which reflects, towards a user, light of a wavelength included in the display light emitted from the display part, and transmits light of other wavelengths. An angle formed by a straight line, which extends between an upper edge of an incident area of the display light on the transmissive reflector and a lower portion of an eyebox which is defined as a visible range of the reflected light from the transmissive reflector, with respect to a horizontal line is smaller than a difference between an emission angle and an incident angle of the display light at the transmissive reflector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2010
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Inventors: Keiji Sugiyama, Kenichi Kasazumi, Kakuya Yamamoto, Akira Kurozuka, Tatsuo Itoh, Shinichi Shikii
  • Publication number: 20120242724
    Abstract: A transmissive display apparatus includes a transparent display panel, a display unit which projects a display light toward a display area of the transparent display panel, a ratio change unit which is provided to the display area, is configured to be capable of changing a light transmittance, and is configured to be capable of changing a ratio of a light quantity of a rear face reflected light reaching a viewpoint relative to a light quantity of a front face reflected light reaching the viewpoint, and a control unit which alternately switches the ratio change unit between a first state and a second state. The ratio change unit lowers, in the first state, the ratio by reducing the light quantity of the rear face reflected light that reaches the viewpoint in comparison to the second state. The light transmittance increases in the second state in comparison to the first state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Inventors: Akira KUROZUKA, Shinichi KADOWAKI, Kakuya YAMAMOTO, Kenichi KASAZUMI, Keiji SUGIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20120236046
    Abstract: A display apparatus, includes: a display light emission unit which includes a light source, forms an image, and emits display light corresponding to formed image; a deflection unit which deflects the display light; a narrow band reflection unit which has characteristics of reflecting only light in a reflected wavelength range and transmitting light of wavelengths other than the reflected wavelength range, and reflects the display light incident from the deflection unit towards a viewpoint; and a control unit which changes an incidence angle at which the display light is incident on the narrow band reflection unit, in accordance with change in a wavelength of the light, wherein the narrow band reflection unit is configured such that the reflected wavelength range changes when an incidence angle of light changes, and the control unit changes the incidence angle such that a wavelength of the light is included within the reflected wavelength range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Inventors: Keiji SUGIYAMA, Kenichi Kasazumi, Kakuya Yamamoto, Akira Kurozuka, Shinichi Shikii
  • Patent number: 8269692
    Abstract: An image display apparatus includes: a left-eye light source (101) that outputs a left-eye image constituting an original image in whole or in part; a left-eye deflection unit (104) that deflects, toward a left eye of the user, the left-eye image outputted by the left-eye light source (101); a right-eye light source (110) that outputs a right-eye image constituting the original image in whole or in part; a right-eye deflection unit (107) that deflects, toward a right eye of the user, the right-eye image outputted by the right-eye light source (110); and a control unit (105, 111) that controls the left-eye light source (101) and the right-eye light source (110) such that the left-eye image and the right-eye image are outputted which are different from each other in at least one of pixel position, image shape, image size, image resolution, and display frame rate so that the user can recognize the original image from the left-eye image and the right-eye image by an image fusion effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Keiji Sugiyama, Kakuya Yamamoto, Akira Kurozuka
  • Patent number: 8251521
    Abstract: A multipurpose projector is provided with a fiber bundle including a plurality of cores fixedly arranged on an input plane and an output plane, laser beam sources for emitting laser beams having directivities, an optical guide unit for modulating the laser beams emitted from the laser beam sources and guiding the modulated laser beams to the input plane of the fiber bundle, a projection lens for enlarging and projecting the laser beams emerging from the output plane of the fiber bundle to a display space, and a projection angle adjusting mechanism disposed on the side of the output plane of the fiber bundle for adjusting projection angles of the laser beams projected from the projection lens. Thus, the projector can have its projection space freely operated and enlarged to extend its application not only to image display, but also to illumination and decoration with colored light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Mizushima, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Akira Kurozuka, Kakuya Yamamoto, Keiji Sugiyama