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).

  • Patent number: 9001635
    Abstract: An optical element having compatibility among two or more wavelengths and having an excellent converging performance for light with each wavelength, and an optical head apparatus using the optical element are provided. An optical element according to the present disclosure has a first region including an optical axis and a second region formed around the outer circumference of the first region. The first region and the second region respectively have a first diffraction structure and a second diffraction structure each cyclically formed on an aspheric surface and having a step-like cross section. In the first region, the number of steps included between top portions of the first diffraction structure is different from the number of steps included between the optical axis and a top portion that is closest to the optical axis in the first diffraction structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Minami
  • Patent number: 8953428
    Abstract: Assuming that third-order coma aberration per unit angle generated by tilt of BD (60) in recording or reproducing information on or from BD (60) is CMDbd, third-order coma aberration per unit angle generated by tilt of CD (80) in recording or reproducing information on or from CD (80) is CMDcd, third-order coma aberration per unit angle generated by tilt of a compatible objective lens (8) in recording or reproducing information on or from BD (60) is CMLbd, and third-order coma aberration per unit angle generated by tilt of the compatible objective lens (8) in recording or reproducing information on or from CD (80) is CMLcd, a sine condition deviation amount (SCbd) in recording or reproducing information on or from BD (60) is expressed by CMDbd+CMLbd, a sine condition deviation amount (SCcd) in recording or reproducing information on or from CD (80) is expressed by CMDcd+CMLcd, and the sine condition deviation amount (SCbd) and the sine condition deviation amount (SCcd) satisfy SCbd>0 and SCcd<0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fumitomo Yamasaki, Kazuhiro Minami, Yoshiaki Komma
  • Patent number: 8929189
    Abstract: An objective lens capable of converging light of a used wavelength with a satisfactory aberration on a recording medium is provided. An objective lens for converging light of a predetermined wavelength ? on a recording medium satisfies the following condition: |CML|+|CMF|<0.03?, where CML is an amount of a generated third-order coma aberration per 1 degree of tilt of the objective lens, and CMF is an amount of a generated third-order coma aberration per 1 degree of tilt of off-axis light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Minami, Yasuhiro Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20140293766
    Abstract: An optical element having compatibility among two or more wavelengths and having an excellent converging performance for light with each wavelength, and an optical head apparatus using the optical element are provided. An optical element according to the present disclosure has a first region including an optical axis and a second region formed around the outer circumference of the first region. The first region and the second region respectively have a first diffraction structure and a second diffraction structure each cyclically formed on an aspheric surface and having a step-like cross section. In the first region, the number of steps included between top portions of the first diffraction structure is different from the number of steps included between the optical axis and a top portion that is closest to the optical axis in the first diffraction structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Inventor: Kazuhiro MINAMI
  • Publication number: 20140254345
    Abstract: Assuming that third-order coma aberration per unit angle generated by tilt of BD (60) in recording or reproducing information on or from BD (60) is CMDbd, third-order coma aberration per unit angle generated by tilt of CD (80) in recording or reproducing information on or from CD (80) is CMDcd, third-order coma aberration per unit angle generated by tilt of a compatible objective lens (8) in recording or reproducing information on or from BD (60) is CMLbd, and third-order coma aberration per unit angle generated by tilt of the compatible objective lens (8) in recording or reproducing information on or from CD (80) is CMLcd, a sine condition deviation amount (SCbd) in recording or reproducing information on or from BD (60) is expressed by CMDbd+CMLbd, a sine condition deviation amount (SCcd) in recording or reproducing information on or from CD (80) is expressed by CMDcd+CMLcd, and the sine condition deviation amount (SCbd) and the sine condition deviation amount (SCcd) satisfy SCbd>0 and SCcd<0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2012
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Inventors: Fumitomo Yamasaki, Kazuhiro Minami, Yoshiaki Komma
  • Publication number: 20140146653
    Abstract: An objective lens element having improved diffraction efficiency at at least one of used wavelengths is provided. The objective lens element includes one surface including: a first region including an optical axis; and a second region surrounding the first region. A periodic first diffraction structure is formed on the first region, and a periodic second diffraction structure different from the first diffraction structure is formed on the second region. The objective lens element satisfies the following conditions. |A1?B1|<|A2?B2|??(1) |B1|?|B2|??(2) Here, A1 and B1 are diffraction orders at the first region to converge light of a first wavelength and light of a second wavelength on a recording surface, respectively, and A2 and B2 are diffraction orders at the second region to converge the light of the first wavelength and the light of the second wavelength on a recording surface, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MINAMI, Yoshiaki KOMMA, Fumitomo YAMASAKI, Katsuhiko HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20140098656
    Abstract: An optical element has at least one surface divided into a plurality of regions and includes: a first region configured to converge light with a wavelength ?1 onto a storage surface of a first optical disc and converge light with a wavelength ?2 onto a storage surface of a second optical disc; and a second region formed around the outer circumference of the first region and configured to converge light with the wavelength ?1 onto the storage surface of the first optical disc. The second region has a concave-convex structure concentrically formed on an aspheric surface and having a cross section being a saw teeth shape. The concave-convex structure is formed by a plurality of different saw teeth shapes, and the plurality of different saw teeth shapes respectively give different phase differences corresponding to substantially integer multiples of the wavelength ?1, for light with the wavelength ?1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MINAMI, Yoshiaki KOMMA, Fumitomo YAMASAKI
  • Patent number: 8681592
    Abstract: An objective lens element having improved diffraction efficiency at least one of used wavelengths is provided. The objective lens element includes one surface including: a first region including an optical axis; and a second region surrounding the first region. A periodic first diffraction structure is formed on the first region, and a periodic second diffraction structure different from the first diffraction structure is formed on the second region. The objective lens element satisfies the following conditions. |A1?B1|<|A2?B2|??(1) |B1|?|B2|??(2) Here, A1 and B1 are diffraction orders at the first region to converge light of a first wavelength and light of a second wavelength on a recording surface, respectively, and A2 and B2 are diffraction orders at the second region to converge the light of the first wavelength and the light of the second wavelength on a recording surface, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Minami, Yoshiaki Komma, Fumitomo Yamasaki, Katsuhiko Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8564882
    Abstract: A diffractive optical element includes first and second optical members which are stacked. The first optical member includes a diffraction grating in which a plurality of raised portions each having a vertical surface and a surface inclined to the vertical surface are arranged. The second optical member includes a diffraction grating in which a plurality of recessed portions are arranged, to which the raised portions are fitted. The diffraction grating of the first optical member and the diffraction grating of the second optical member are in close contact with each other. A ridge portion of the raised portion defines a curved surface. A curvature radius R (?m) of the curved surface, a pitch P (mm) of the raised portions, and a refractive index difference ?nd between the first and second optical members satisfy a predetermined relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Minami, Kazuhiro Yamada
  • Patent number: 8531770
    Abstract: A diffractive optical element includes a first optical member having a first diffraction grating with a sawtooth cross section; and a second optical member which has a second diffraction grating having a sawtooth cross section and which has a refractive index different from that of the first optical member. In the diffractive optical element, the first and second optical members are stacked so that the first and second diffraction gratings closely contact each other. Arithmetical mean roughness of a diffraction surface of the first diffraction grating is set so as to fall within a predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Minami, Kazuhiro Yamada
  • Patent number: 8508847
    Abstract: In a diffractive optical element, first and second optical members are stacked, and a diffraction grating is formed at an interface between the first and second optical members. In the diffractive optical element, an absorption coefficient ? (mm?1) of the first optical member and a grating height h (?m) of the diffraction grating satisfy expressions (1) and (2): ??0.04??(1) h?263.18×??0.9454??(2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamada, Kazuhiro Minami, Yasuhiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8456978
    Abstract: The present invention provides an objective lens, an optical head apparatus, an optical information apparatus, and an information processing apparatus that improve focal position detection accuracy. In order to reproduce information from an optical disk (28), an objective lens (25) collects a diffracted ray (15X) having a longer focal length, out of two diffracted rays (15X, 15Y), on an information recording surface (28L) via a base (28S) of the optical disk (28), and a distance (DF3) between the focal positions of the two diffracted rays (15X, 15Y) when the diffracted ray (15X) having a longer focal length is collected on the information recording surface (28S) is longer than double the distance (WD2) between the surface (25A) of the objective lens (25) and the surface (28A) of the base (28S) along the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Komma, Kazuhiro Minami
  • Patent number: 8432782
    Abstract: An objective lens, an optical head, an optical disk apparatus and an information processing apparatus which can suppress deterioration of a focal spot caused by a drop in the diffraction efficiency. Inner and outer circumference areas converge a laser beam, out of laser beams having a wavelength ?1 which are diffracted by the inner and outer circumference areas, on a first information recording medium; the inner circumference area and a mid-circumference area converge a laser beam, out of the laser beams having a wavelength ?2 which are diffracted by the inner circumference area and the mid-circumference area, on a second information recording medium; and the diffraction efficiency of the laser beam having the wavelength ?2 is greater than the diffraction efficiency of the laser beam having the wavelength ?1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Fumitomo Yamasaki, Kazuhiro Minami, Yoshiaki Komma, Junichi Asada, Osamu Kajino, Noriaki Terahara, Toshiyasu Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20130051204
    Abstract: The present invention provides an objective lens, an optical head apparatus, an optical information apparatus, and an information processing apparatus that improve focal position detection accuracy. In order to reproduce information from an optical disk (28), an objective lens (25) collects a diffracted ray (15X) having a longer focal length, out of two diffracted rays (15X, 15Y), on an information recording surface (28L) via a base (28S) of the optical disk (28), and a distance (DF3) between the focal positions of the two diffracted rays (15X, 15Y) when the diffracted ray (15X) having a longer focal length is collected on the information recording surface (28S) is longer than double the distance (WD2) between the surface (25A) of the objective lens (25) and the surface (28A) of the base (28S) along the optical axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Komma, Kazuhiro Minami
  • Publication number: 20120207008
    Abstract: An objective lens element having improved diffraction efficiency at least one of used wavelengths is provided. The objective lens element includes one surface including: a first region including an optical axis; and a second region surrounding the first region. A periodic first diffraction structure is formed on the first region, and a periodic second diffraction structure different from the first diffraction structure is formed on the second region. The objective lens element satisfies the following conditions. |A1?B1|<|A2?B2|??(1) |B1|?|B2|??(2) Here, A1 and B1 are diffraction orders at the first region to converge light of a first wavelength and light of a second wavelength on a recording surface, respectively, and A2 and B2 are diffraction orders at the second region to converge the light of the first wavelength and the light of the second wavelength on a recording surface, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Minami, Yoshiaki Komma, Fumitomo Yamasaki, Katsuhiko Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20120182852
    Abstract: An objective lens, an optical head, an optical disk apparatus and an information processing apparatus which can suppress deterioration of a focal spot caused by a drop in the diffraction efficiency are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Inventors: Fumitomo Yamasaki, Kazuhiro Minami, Yoshiaki Komma, Junichi Asada, Osamu Kajino, Noriaki Terahara, Toshiyasu Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20110261459
    Abstract: A diffractive optical element includes first and second optical members which are stacked. The first optical member includes a diffraction grating in which a plurality of raised portions each having a vertical surface and a surface inclined to the vertical surface are arranged. The second optical member includes a diffraction grating in which a plurality of recessed portions are arranged, to which the raised portions are fitted. The diffraction grating of the first optical member and the diffraction grating of the second optical member are in close contact with each other. A ridge portion of the raised portion defines a curved surface. A curvature radius R (?m) of the curved surface, a pitch P (mm) of the raised portions, and a refractive index difference ?nd between the first and second optical members satisfy a predetermined relationship.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MINAMI, Kazuhiro YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20110235180
    Abstract: A diffractive optical element includes a first optical member having a first diffraction grating with a sawtooth cross section; and a second optical member which has a second diffraction grating having a sawtooth cross section and which has a refractive index different from that of the first optical member. In the diffractive optical element, the first and second optical members are stacked so that the first and second diffraction gratings closely contact each other. Arithmetical mean roughness of a diffraction surface of the first diffraction grating is set so as to fall within a predetermined range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MINAMI, Kazuhiro Yamada
  • Publication number: 20110235178
    Abstract: A diffractive optical element includes first and second optical members which are stacked. A diffraction grating is formed at an interface between the first and second optical members. A plurality of pores are formed in the second optical member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MINAMI, Kazuhiro Yamada
  • Publication number: 20110157702
    Abstract: In a diffractive optical element, first and second optical members are stacked, and a diffraction grating is formed at an interface between the first and second optical members. In the diffractive optical element, an absorption coefficient ? (mm?1) of the first optical member and a grating height h (?m) of the diffraction grating satisfy expressions (1) and (2): ??0.04??(1) h?263.18×??0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Inventors: Kazuhiro YAMADA, Kazuhiro Minami, Yasuhiro Tanaka