Patents by Inventor Kazuhiro Minami

Kazuhiro Minami 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).

  • Publication number: 20240103223
    Abstract: An optical system includes a light guide for guiding an image light ray which is output from a display element and forms an image, to a field of view region of a user as a virtual image. The light guide includes a body having a plate shape, and an in-coupling region and an exit region which are formed in the body. The in-coupling region allows the image light ray incident from the display element to propagate within the body. The exit region allows the image light ray propagating within the body to emerge from the body toward the field of view region. The in-coupling region includes a periodic structure constituted by recessed or protruded parts in relation to a thickness direction of the body which are arranged to have periodicity in three predetermined directions intersecting each other within a predetermined plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Inventors: Satoshi Kuzuhara, Kazuhiro Minami
  • Publication number: 20240027762
    Abstract: A light guide plate includes a first hologram element including a plurality of diffraction cells. At least one of edge lines of one diffraction cell among the plurality of diffraction cells included in the first hologram element is located at a position other than on extensions of all edge lines of an adjacent diffraction cell adjacent to the one diffraction cell, the adjacent diffraction cell being included in the plurality of diffraction cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2023
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ken'ichi KASAZUMI, Keiji SUGIYAMA, Yukihiro CHOKYU, Masafumi SUEYOSHI, Kazuhiro MINAMI
  • Publication number: 20240019621
    Abstract: A light guide plate includes a hologram element that is a first hologram element including two or more diffraction cells, and a hologram element that is a second hologram element including a single diffraction cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keiji SUGIYAMA, Ken'ichi KASAZUMI, Yukihiro CHOKYU, Satoshi KUZUHARA, Kazuhiro MINAMI
  • Publication number: 20230408746
    Abstract: An optical system includes: a projection optical system for projecting an image light ray output from a display element and forming an image; and a light guide including an in-coupling region for guiding the ray to an inside of the guide and allowing it to travel in a first axis direction within the guide, and a propagation region for allowing the ray from the in-coupling region to propagate in the direction of the first axis, and allowing part of the ray to travel in a predetermined direction including a directional component of a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. In an optical path of the ray, a distance from the projection optical system to an entrance pupil of the projection optical system relative to the element in a plane perpendicular to the first axis is longer than a distance from the projection optical system to the in-coupling region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Inventors: Satoshi KUZUHARA, Kazuhiro MINAMI, Hiroaki OKAYAMA
  • Publication number: 20230393395
    Abstract: A head-up display system includes a display that emits a light flux visually recognized by an observer as the virtual image, and a light guide body that guides the light flux to the light-transmitting member. The light guide body includes an incident surface on which the light flux from the display is incident and an emission surface from which the light flux is emitted from the light guide body. The light flux incident on the incident surface of the light guide body is changed in a traveling direction in the light guide body, the light flux is replicated into a plurality of light fluxes in a direction perpendicular to a horizontal direction of the virtual image visually recognized by the observer to be emitted from the emission surface so as to expand a visual recognition region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2023
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MINAMI, Satoshi KUZUHARA
  • Publication number: 20230393392
    Abstract: A head-up display system includes a display that emits a light flux and a light guide body that guides the light flux to the light-transmitting member. A light beam at a center of the light flux emitted from the display is incident while being inclined with respect to a normal direction of the incident surface of the light guide body. The light flux incident on the incident surface of the light guide body is changed in a traveling direction in the light guide body, the light flux is replicated into a plurality of light fluxes in a horizontal direction of the virtual image, and then the replicated light fluxes are further replicated in a vertical direction of the virtual image to be emitted from the emission surface so as to expand the visual recognition region. A light beam at a center of the light fluxes emitted from the light guide body is emitted toward the light-transmitting member while being inclined with respect to a normal direction of the emission surface of the light guide body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2023
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MINAMI, Satoshi KUZUHARA
  • Publication number: 20230073556
    Abstract: A head-up display system displays a virtual image superimposed on a real view that can be visually recognized through a window part. The head-up display system includes a display part, an optical system, a light source part, an operation part, and a controller. The controller controls a display area of the display part in accordance with an operation of the operation part by the observer. The light flux emitted from the display part is reflected by the window part and reaches a visually recognizable area where the observer can visually recognize the virtual image. The light emitted from the light source part is reflected inside an area where the light flux is reflected by the window part and reaches the visually recognizable area. The virtual image and the light from the light source part are superimposed, and can be visually recognized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MINAMI, Hiroaki OKAYAMA
  • Publication number: 20230019596
    Abstract: Imaging and display system includes: a display; an optical system including a first mirror and a second mirror; a housing; a light-transmissive cover transparent to light and disposed to cover at least part of an opening of the housing; and a driver monitoring camera supported by a supporting body connected outside of the housing. First light emitted from the display passes through the light-transmissive cover via the optical system, and is reflected by a windshield toward a direction of the user. The driver monitoring camera captures an image of a driver shown on the light-transmissive cover by second light from a direction of the driver reflected by the windshield toward a direction of the light-transmissive cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiteru MINO, Hideki TAKAHASHI, Masaki TADA, Toshiya MORI, Hiroaki OKAYAMA, Kazuhiro MINAMI
  • Patent number: 11475917
    Abstract: Provided is an objective lens which is used so that more information can be accumulated in a large-capacity optical disk and which has a further enhanced numerical aperture NA. The objective lens is a single lens having the numerical aperture NA and a refractive index n, and is configured so as to satisfy: NA?0.91 and 1.61?n<1.72.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Komma, Yasushi Kobayashi, Kazuhiro Minami
  • Patent number: 11430479
    Abstract: Provided is an objective lens which is used so that more information can be accumulated in a large-capacity optical disk and which has a further enhanced numerical aperture NA. The objective lens is a single lens having the numerical aperture NA and a refractive index n, and is configured so as to satisfy: NA?0.91 and 1.61?n<1.72.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Komma, Yasushi Kobayashi, Kazuhiro Minami
  • Patent number: 11394939
    Abstract: A projection system includes an invisible light projector, an imaging unit, an image generator, and a visible light projector. The invisible light projector projects a predetermined invisible light image onto the object via invisible light. The imaging unit captures an image of the invisible light projected from the invisible light projector. The image generator measures a shape of the object based on the image captured by the imaging unit to generate image data showing image content for projection onto the object in accordance with the measured shape. The visible light projector projects the image content shown by the image data onto the object via visible light. The invisible light projector emits pulsed invisible light to project the measurement pattern. The image generator generates the image data based on an image captured in accordance with a timing for the pulsed light emission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Minami
  • Publication number: 20220150454
    Abstract: A projector includes a first projection unit that projects a first image, a first imager that captures a second image projected by another projector, and a first calculation unit. The first calculation unit calculates, from captured image data of the second image captured by the first imager and interval information indicating an interval between the other projector and the projector, a first distance between a surface on which the second image is projected and the other projector, or a second distance between an area in which the second image is projected and the projector. The first projection unit controls projection of the first image based on the first distance or the second distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Inventor: Kazuhiro MINAMI
  • Patent number: 11272147
    Abstract: A projector includes a first projection unit that projects a first image, a first imager that captures a second image projected by another projector, and a first calculation unit. The first calculation unit calculates, from captured image data of the second image captured by the first imager and interval information indicating an interval between the other projector and the projector, a first distance between a surface on which the second image is projected and the other projector, or a second distance between an area in which the second image is projected and the projector. The first projection unit controls projection of the first image based on the first distance or the second distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Minami
  • Patent number: 11218677
    Abstract: A projection system for projecting an image comprises: a visible light projector that projects the image with visible light; an invisible light projector that projects an invisible light image onto the object with invisible light; an imaging device that captures the invisible light image projected from the invisible light projector; and a controller that obtains information regarding reflected light from the object while obtaining three-dimensional measurements of the object to control the image, based on a capture image. The invisible light image includes a bright region and a dark region having a light amount less than the light amount of the bright region. The invisible light projector emits the invisible light to cause the light amount of the dark region in the invisible light image to be more than or equal to an offset value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chiharu Tsubota, Ryuji Fuchikami, Kazuhiro Minami
  • Publication number: 20210304793
    Abstract: Provided is an objective lens which is used so that more information can be accumulated in a large-capacity optical disk and which has a further enhanced numerical aperture NA. The objective lens is a single lens having the numerical aperture NA and a refractive index n, and is configured so as to satisfy: NA?0.91 and 1.61?n<1.72.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Yoshiaki KOMMA, Yasushi KOBAYASHI, Kazuhiro MINAMI
  • Patent number: 11126700
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a processor that functions as a login section, an accepting section, a notifying section and a removing section. The login section performs a login process based on a predetermined account assigned to a first user. The accepting section accepts a use request of a predetermined function from the first user when the login process has been performed by the login section. The notifying section notifies a second user about the use request accepted by the accepting section. The removing section removes prohibition on execution of a process relevant to the predetermined function based on removal instruction information from the second user notified by the notifying section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Minami
  • Publication number: 20210218942
    Abstract: A projection system includes an invisible light projector, an imaging unit, an image generator, and a visible light projector. The invisible light projector projects a predetermined invisible light image onto the object via invisible light. The imaging unit captures an image of the invisible light projected from the invisible light projector. The image generator measures a shape of the object based on the image captured by the imaging unit to generate image data showing image content for projection onto the object in accordance with the measured shape. The visible light projector projects the image content shown by the image data onto the object via visible light. The invisible light projector emits pulsed invisible light to project the measurement pattern. The image generator generates the image data based on an image captured in accordance with a timing for the pulsed light emission.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Publication date: July 15, 2021
    Inventor: Kazuhiro MINAMI
  • Patent number: 11041602
    Abstract: An optical system includes a plurality of lenses and a lens holding member. Each of the plurality of lenses has a cut-off face to have a shape of a partial circle formed by cutting off part of a periphery of a first circle. Cut-off faces of adjacent lenses face each other. The adjacent lenses have an interval between centers of the lenses is smaller than a diameter of the first circle. The lens holding member has an outer surface including a plurality of lens arrangement holes in which the plurality of lenses are respectively disposed. Adjacent lens arrangement holes are linked together to form a linked hole. The linked hole has a shape that represents part of a shape formed by disposing a plurality of second circles, the second circles being partially overlapped, each of the second circles having a diameter larger than a diameter of the first circle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Minami
  • Patent number: 10999564
    Abstract: A projection system includes an invisible light projector, an imaging unit, an image generator, and a visible light projector. The invisible light projector projects a predetermined invisible light image onto the object via invisible light. The imaging unit captures an image of the invisible light projected from the invisible light projector. The image generator measures a shape of the object based on the image captured by the imaging unit to generate image data showing image content for projection onto the object in accordance with the measured shape. The visible light projector projects the image content shown by the image data onto the object via visible light. The invisible light projector emits pulsed invisible light to project the measurement pattern. The image generator generates the image data based on an image captured in accordance with a timing for the pulsed light emission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Minami
  • Patent number: 10941916
    Abstract: A light source unit according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a phosphor; a condenser lens; a first light source part; and a second light source part. The phosphor emits fluorescent light based on first excitation light and second excitation light. The condenser lens condenses the first excitation light and the second excitation light on the phosphor. The first light source part emits the first excitation light such that the first excitation light forms a first light intensity distribution on the phosphor. The second light source part emits the second excitation light such that the second excitation light forms a second light intensity distribution different from the first light intensity distribution, on the phosphor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Minami