Patents by Inventor Kazuhisa Yamamoto

Kazuhisa 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: 7969532
    Abstract: A surface illuminator has a uniform luminance over a large area by using a laser light source, has a wide color reproduction range, and is capable of suppressing a speckle noise. A liquid crystal display uses such a surface illuminator. The surface illuminator includes the laser light source that emits a laser beam; a beam scan section that deflects and scans the laser beam; and a first plate-shaped light guide that causes the laser beam deflected and scanned by the beam scan section to be incident from an end face portion and causes the incident laser beam to emit from a first major surface. Further, the liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal display panel and the surface illuminator, wherein the surface illuminator is used as a backlight illuminator that lights the liquid crystal display panel from the backside in this liquid crystal display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Mizushima, Ken'ichi Kasazumi, Kiminori Mizuuchi, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Shin-ichi Kadowaki, Tatsuo Itoh
  • Patent number: 7967452
    Abstract: A projection type display apparatus is provided that is safe even when a person looks directly into a laser beam. A laser operation control unit sets the output power of at least one laser source so that intensity A (mW/mm2) of the laser beam on at least one spatial light modulation element satisfies relationship of A<686×B2 when numerical aperture B on image side of an illumination optics system is set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuo Itoh, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Kenichi Kasazumi, Kiminori Mizuuchi
  • Publication number: 20110147566
    Abstract: A wavelength conversion laser light source includes: a fundamental light source for outputting fundamental light; a wavelength conversion element with a nonlinear optical effect for converting the fundamental light into harmonic light of a different wavelength; a first optical receiver for receiving light of a specific polarization direction contained in the fundamental light output from the fundamental light source and converting an amount of light thereof into an electrical signal; a second optical receiver for receiving the harmonic light output from the wavelength conversion element and converting an amount of light thereof into an electrical signal; a temperature holding unit for holding a temperature of the wavelength conversion element constant; a fundamental light control unit for performing first control of controlling an amount of light of the fundamental light output from the fundamental light source based on the electrical signal from the second optical receiver, and second control of controlling
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2009
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furuya, Koichi Kusukame, Tetsuro Mizushima, Toshifumi Yokoyama, Kenji Nakayama, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Shinichi Kadowaki, Tomoya Sugita, Nobuyuki Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20110148661
    Abstract: A guiding device includes: a laser light source that emits a laser beam; and a linear guiding portion that propagates the laser beam and is extended in the guiding direction on a road surface on which a mobile body moves. The linear guiding portion is provided with a function of radiating the laser beam in the guiding direction from the surface where linear guiding portion extends, while propagating the laser beam, and guiding the mobile body by light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Inventors: Shinichi Shikii, Shinichi Kodawaki, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Furuya, Tatsuo Itoh
  • Patent number: 7965916
    Abstract: There is a problem that in the connection portion between a rare-earth-doped double clad fiber and a single mode fiber, pumping light leaks in a portion having the coating, and the fiber generates heat partially with this energy and deteriorates. Also, there is another problem that the output is limited as the oscillation wavelength becomes shorter. Accordingly, in a laser light source device formed by combining a fiber laser and a fiber amplifier, by using the residual pumping light in the fiber laser as the pumping light in the fiber amplifier, it is possible to enhance the reliability by preventing the fiber deterioration caused by the residual pumping light. Further, by amplifying the output in the fiber amplifier in the latter stage without any limitation on the pumping light output, it is possible to increase an output of the oscillation light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furuya, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Kiminori Mizuuchi
  • Patent number: 7954962
    Abstract: A laser image display including a laser light source emitting laser light, a beam deflector element for receiving laser light and deflecting its advancing direction, a beam deflecting element control section for controlling the degree of deflection performed by the beam deflector element, an optical integrator for receiving and guiding the deflected laser light to output from its outputting end face, a pseudo surface light source element for scattering the deflected laser light, and a modulation element for receiving and modulating the laser light scattered by the false surface light source element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Mizushima, Ken'ichi Kasazumi, Tatsuo Itoh, Tomoya Sugita, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Shin-ichi Kadowaki
  • Patent number: 7948579
    Abstract: An optical fiber of which one end is optically coupled to a laser light source propagating, from the one end to other end, a laser light emitted from the laser light source. A light-guiding plate includes a light-guiding section in which a plurality of right prisms of the same shape for extracting the laser light by contacting the optical fiber are arranged parallel to each other in the same direction at equal intervals. A planar section diffuses the laser light extracted from the light-guiding section and emits the diffused laser light from one main surface. The optical fiber is bent more than twice to form a plurality of straight line portions arranged parallel to each other at unequal intervals, and the optical fiber and the light-guiding plate are positioned such that the laser light is extracted at equal intervals from each of the plurality of straight line portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuo Itoh, Tetsuro Mizushima, Kenichi Kasazumi, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Shinichi Kadowaki
  • Patent number: 7948469
    Abstract: An image display device and an image display system which can establish visible light communication without interfering with an image displayed at a predetermined frame rate are provided. A controller controls a spatial light modulator in accordance with an image signal to display the image, and also modulates an intensity of a visible light output from a backlight with a frequency higher than the frame rate of the image signal to have the visible light output from the backlight carry additional information. A light receiver receives the visible light and demodulates to extract the additional information. An additional information generator outputs the additional information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuo Kitaoka, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Hiromu Kitaura, Ken ichi Kasazumi
  • Patent number: 7938541
    Abstract: The laser picture formation device includes a two-dimensional modulation element performing video image modulation as well as four or more laser light sources having different center wavelengths. The video images which have no speckle noises at the wavelength region that has high visibility, which are realized by simultaneously emitting the laser lights of green (G) and yellowish green (Y) which have particularly high visibility, and video images which are vivid as cannot be represented by the conventional display, and which can be realized by controlling the laser lights of respective colors independently, can be displayed. Particularly, by modulating the two-dimensional modulation element and the laser light output with synchronized with each other, various video displays are enabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Mizushima, Ken'ichi Kasazumi, Akihiro Morikawa, Hiroyuki Furuya, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Yoshimasa Fushimi
  • Patent number: 7926950
    Abstract: A laser image display device includes: a first laser light source capable of outputting a laser light having a first wavelength; a second laser light source capable of outputting a laser light having a second wavelength; and a color output conversion controller capable of individually controlling power of the first and the second laser light source displaying the pixels constituting an image according to an input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Mizushima, Ken'ichi Kasazumi, Akihiro Morikawa, Kazuhisa Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7922373
    Abstract: An image display apparatus includes a laser source for emitting ultraviolet or blue display-use laser light having a wavelength of 420 nm or less; and a display unit including a fluorescent light generating section for generating fluorescent light when irradiated with the display-use laser light, wherein the display unit displays an image using the fluorescent light generated by the fluorescent light generating section, wherein the display unit further includes an extraneous light shielding section for shielding an extraneous light which is emitted from a back side of the display unit and which has a wavelength in a range where the fluorescent light is generated so as to prevent the extraneous light from entering in the fluorescent light generating section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Tetsuro Mizushima, Shinichi Kadowaki
  • Publication number: 20110080927
    Abstract: The light sources according to the present invention include a laser oscillator including a semiconductor laser, a drive circuit for the semiconductor laser, an ACC circuit, an APC circuit, and a switch, and a starting drive current storage device, and is controlled in such a manner that the driving current at the start of the laser driving be always constant, and after the start of the lighting, it is switched to the APC operation to carry out the power control of the laser light output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Inventors: Akihiro MORIKAWA, Ken'ichi KASAZUMI, Tetsuro MIZUSHIMA, Kazuhisa YAMAMOTO, Shin-ichi KADOWAKI
  • Patent number: 7918600
    Abstract: A thin planar illumination device with a high light utilization efficiency is provided. In a planar illumination device 10, light source sections 15, 16, 17 and 18 each radiates laser light. The light guide members 19 and 20 polarize, by total reflection, light incident from side surfaces 19b and 20b on two opposite sides thereof, so as to be radiated from incident surfaces 19a and 20a, respectively. In a light guide plate 21, the light is incident from side surfaces beside the respective light guide members 19 and 20 so as to radiate irradiation light 24 from main surfaces 21a and 21b. The main surface of the light guide plate 21 is formed by a plurality of inclined surfaces, each being gradually thinned from the edge surfaces on two sides thereof toward a center thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Nagata, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Tatsuo Itoh
  • Patent number: 7907646
    Abstract: According to the present invention, a laser light source comprises plural semiconductor lasers (2), a solid laser (4), a non-linear material (3) as a wavelength conversion element, a reflection coat (5) formed on one facet of the solid laser, and a reflection coat (6) formed on one facet of the non-linear material (3), and the solid laser and the wavelength conversion element are disposed between the both reflection coats to constitute a laser resonator, and plural pump parts (8) in the solid laser (4) which are pumped by the plural semiconductor lasers are separated from each other by 300 ?m or more. Thereby, interference between transverse modes of laser oscillation is avoided, thereby providing a high-power, stable, and compact solid laser light source with which a stable high output power can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kiminori Mizuuchi, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Furuya, Toshifumi Yokoyama
  • Publication number: 20110059254
    Abstract: A curtain coating apparatus including: a pair of edge guides configured to support both side edges of at least one coating liquid so as to form a coating liquid film which falls freely and apply the coating liquid film onto a continuously running support; and an auxiliary water introduction port which allows auxiliary water to be introduced substantially uniformly with respect to a width direction of an edge guide auxiliary water flow-down surface of each edge guide from an upper portion toward a lower portion of the flow-down surface, wherein the flow-down surface has at its upper portion a flat surface portion, and wherein the flow-down surface has at its lower portion an arc-shaped portion which is provided at a center and which protrudes in the shape of an arc, and a flat surface portion which is provided on both sides of the arc-shaped portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2010
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroki SOMADA, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Tetsuya Hara
  • Patent number: 7903325
    Abstract: Since the absorption of a fundamental wave by a fiber increases if it is tried to obtain a wavelength conversion light of watt-class high output, the fiber length needs to be shortened. However, since oscillation efficiency conversely decreases if the fiber length is shortened, it is difficult to obtain a high-output fundamental wave. Thus, by reflecting an excitation light incident on the fiber in the fiber, the excitation light is efficiently absorbed to amplify the fundamental wave with a high gain. Further, by shortening the fiber length, the absorption of the fundamental wave is also reduced to improve a fundamental wave output. Consequently, a wavelength converter capable of ensuring a stable high output up to watt-class is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furuya, Kiminori Mizuuchi, Kazuhisa Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7889422
    Abstract: A two-dimensional image display device using a Yb-doped clad pump fiber which is a rare-earth-doped fiber as a laser activation substance, whereby a peak of a fluorescence spectrum can be significantly increased as compared with a case of using an oxide crystal, and a variation width of an oscillation wavelength can be increased. Further, since the rare-earth-doped fiber is used as a fiber amplifier without providing laser mirrors at both ends thereof, control for a resonator length, which has been required in a conventional device (wherein an oxide crystal is used as a laser medium), is dispensed with, and thereby high-speed wavelength control is achieved, resulting in reduction in speckle noise when it is mounted on a two-dimensional image display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Furuya, Tetsuro Mizushima, Kiminori Mizuuchi, Kazuhisa Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20110032598
    Abstract: A wavelength conversion laser light source includes a fundamental wave laser light source (1) to generate a fundamental wave; a first mirror and a second mirror (4, 5), arranged so as to oppose each other; a wavelength conversion element (3) which is arranged between the first mirror and the second mirror and converts the wavelength of the fundamental wave; and a temperature control portion (8) to control the temperature of the wavelength conversion element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Horikawa, Hiroyuki Furuya, Tetsuro Mizushima, Koichi Kusukama, Tomoya Sugita, Kazuhisa Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20110018911
    Abstract: An image display device and an image display system which can establish visible light communication without interfering with an image displayed at a predetermined frame rate are provided. A controller 12 controls a spatial light modulator in accordance with an image signal to display the image, and also modulates an intensity of a visible light output from a backlight 13 with a frequency higher than the frame rate of the image signal to have the visible light output from the backlight 13 carry additional information. A light receiver 15 receives the visible light and demodulates to extract the additional information. An additional information generator 16 outputs the additional information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2010
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Inventors: Yasuo KITAOKA, Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Hiromu Kitaura, Ken ichi Kasazumi
  • Publication number: 20110012986
    Abstract: Provided is a printing apparatus for printing information on a printing area of an object to be printed by irradiating the object to be printed with a first laser beam. The printing apparatus includes a light source for outputting the first laser beam, a light collecting optical system for collecting the first laser beam to the printing area of the object to be printed, and a scanning unit for performing scanning with the first laser beam. The object to be printed contains moisture at least in the printing area, and a wavelength of the first laser beam is 350 nm or more and 550 nm or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Inventors: Shinichi Shikll, Kiminori Mizuuchi, Shinichi Kadowaki, Hiroyuki Furuya, Kazuhisa Yamamoto