Patents by Inventor Katsuhiko Otomo

Katsuhiko Otomo 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: 11281019
    Abstract: A lens driving device includes a base, a lens holder capable of holding a lens body, a movable support, a leaf spring that is disposed on the movable support and supports the lens holder such that the lens holder is movable along an optical axis of the lens body, a suspension wire that rises from the base along the optical axis and supports the movable support such that the movable support is movable in a direction intersecting the optical axis, and a drive mechanism that moves the movable support in the direction intersecting the optical axis. The leaf spring includes a spring body fixed to the movable support, a wire fixing part to which the suspension wire is fixed, and a first beam and a second beam that are disposed between the spring body and the wire fixing part and torsionally deformable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: ALPS ALPINE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Otomo, Masayoshi Nakagawa, Hideaki Sato, Hidemitsu Sato
  • Publication number: 20190353921
    Abstract: A lens driving device includes a base, a lens holder capable of holding a lens body, a movable support, a leaf spring that is disposed on the movable support and supports the lens holder such that the lens holder is movable along an optical axis of the lens body, a suspension wire that rises from the base along the optical axis and supports the movable support such that the movable support is movable in a direction intersecting the optical axis, and a drive mechanism that moves the movable support in the direction intersecting the optical axis. The leaf spring includes a spring body fixed to the movable support, a wire fixing part to which the suspension wire is fixed, and a first beam and a second beam that are disposed between the spring body and the wire fixing part and torsionally deformable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Inventors: Katsuhiko OTOMO, Masayoshi NAKAGAWA, Hideaki SATO, Hidemitsu SATO
  • Patent number: 9638885
    Abstract: A lens driving apparatus includes a lens holding member, a static member including a housing, a biasing member, and a moving mechanism. The biasing member includes upper and lower leaf springs. The upper leaf spring includes an upper first portion, an upper second portion, and an upper elastic arm portion. A through hole is formed in the upper first portion of the upper leaf spring. The lens holding member includes a fastening portion that includes a mount surface on which the upper leaf spring is placed, a recess facing the through hole, and a protrusion inserted into the through hole. An adhesive held in the recess surrounds the protrusion and part of the adhesive spreads to an upper surface of the upper first portion of the upper leaf spring through the through hole. The upper leaf spring is fixed to the lens holding member with the adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasushi Inagaki, Katsuhiko Otomo
  • Publication number: 20150212288
    Abstract: A lens driving apparatus includes a lens holding member, a static member including a housing, a biasing member, and a moving mechanism. The biasing member includes upper and lower leaf springs. The upper leaf spring includes an upper first portion, an upper second portion, and an upper elastic arm portion. A through hole is formed in the upper first portion of the upper leaf spring. The lens holding member includes a fastening portion that includes a mount surface on which the upper leaf spring is placed, a recess facing the through hole, and a protrusion inserted into the through hole. An adhesive held in the recess surrounds the protrusion and part of the adhesive spreads to an upper surface of the upper first portion of the upper leaf spring through the through hole. The upper leaf spring is fixed to the lens holding member with the adhesive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: Yasushi INAGAKI, Katsuhiko OTOMO
  • Patent number: 8064164
    Abstract: In a perpendicular magnetic recording head comprising a main magnetic pole layer and a return yoke layer which have respective front end faces exposed at a surface opposing a recording medium and are laminated with a nonmagnetic material layer interposed therebetween on the medium-opposing surface, an end magnetization control layer for generating an exchange-coupling field is provided on the upper or lower side of both end parts in a track width direction of the return yoke layer. The exchange-coupling field fixes magnetization in the end parts to the track width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Yamashita, Hiroshi Kameda, Katsuhiko Otomo
  • Publication number: 20080297951
    Abstract: In a perpendicular magnetic recording head comprising a main magnetic pole layer and a return yoke layer which have respective front end faces exposed at a surface opposing a recording medium and are laminated with a nonmagnetic material layer interposed therebetween on the medium-opposing surface, an end magnetization control layer for generating an exchange-coupling field is provided on the upper or lower side of both end parts in a track width direction of the return yoke layer. The exchange-coupling field fixes magnetization in the end parts to the track width direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Applicant: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiro YAMASHITA, Hiroshi KAMEDA, Katsuhiko OTOMO
  • Patent number: 7212382
    Abstract: A magnetic head includes a metallic material layer between a lower core layer and an upper shield layer. This metallic material layer extends to the rear of the magnetic head in the height direction to overlap with a first metal layer. The metallic material layer can therefore efficiently dissipate joule heat generated from a write head section to the outside of the magnetic head through the first metal layer. In addition, the metallic material layer can block a fluctuating magnetic field generated from the write head section. Thus, this magnetic head can reduce variations in the magnetic domain structures of upper and lower shield layers to stabilize the read output of a read head section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Inventor: Katsuhiko Otomo
  • Publication number: 20040246630
    Abstract: A magnetic head includes a metallic material layer between a lower core layer and an upper shield layer. This metallic material layer extends to the rear of the magnetic head in the height direction to overlap with a first metal layer. The metallic material layer can therefore efficiently dissipate joule heat generated from a write head section to the outside of the magnetic head through the first metal layer. In addition, the metallic material layer can block a fluctuating magnetic field generated from the write head section. Thus, this magnetic head can reduce variations in the magnetic domain structures of upper and lower shield layers to stabilize the read output of a read head section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2004
    Publication date: December 9, 2004
    Applicant: ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Katsuhiko Otomo