Patents by Inventor Kiyomi Furukawa
Kiyomi Furukawa 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).
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Patent number: 8964273Abstract: An optical reflection element according to the present invention includes a fixed frame, a pair of first oscillation parts, a movable frame, a pair of second oscillation parts, and a mirror part. One-side ends of the first oscillation parts are connected to the inside of the fixed frame. The movable frame is connected to and held by the other-side ends of the pair of first oscillation parts to be pivotable. One-side ends of the pair of second oscillation parts are connected to the inside of the movable frame and the pair of second oscillation parts are disposed to be substantially perpendicular to the pair of first oscillation parts. The mirror part is connected to and held by the other-side ends of the pair of second oscillation parts to be pivotable. The second oscillation parts have a meandering shape in which a plurality of straight portions and a plurality of folded portions are formed, and a stepped structure portion is provided in part of the folded portion.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2011Date of Patent: February 24, 2015Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.Inventors: Toshiaki Horie, Shinsuke Nakazono, Soichiro Hiraoka, Yuta Yamamoto, Kazuki Komaki, Masaki Tada, Kiyomi Furukawa
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Patent number: 8792151Abstract: An optical reflection element includes a frame, a meandrous vibrating part having an outer end connected with an inside of the frame, and a mirror part supported by an inner end of the meandrous vibrating part. The meandrous vibrating part has a meandrous shape that includes curved portions and vibrating beams alternately connected with the curved portions. A curvature of respective one of the curved portions is smaller than a curvature of at least one of the curved portions which is located closer to the inner end than the respective one of the curved portions. This optical reflection element has a large deflection angle of the mirror part.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2011Date of Patent: July 29, 2014Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Shinsuke Nakazono, Toshiaki Horie, Soichiro Hiraoka, Yuta Yamamoto, Masaki Tada, Kazuki Komaki, Kiyomi Furukawa
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Patent number: 8681407Abstract: An optical reflection element has a frame, a pair of meandering-shaped vibration elements, a mirror having a reflection surface, and a pair of protective beams. The vibration elements have their respective outer ends supported by confronting portions of an inside of the frame. The vibration elements support the mirror with respective inner ends thereof. The protective beams extend from the respective confronting portions of the inside of the frame toward the mirror with a predetermined space from the vibration elements and in parallel with a vibration axis of the vibration elements.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2011Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Soichiro Hiraoka, Kazuki Komaki, Masaki Tada, Shigeo Furukawa, Kiyomi Furukawa, Shinsuke Nakazono, Yuta Yamamoto, Toshiaki Horie
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Patent number: 8508826Abstract: A meandering oscillator includes a plurality of oscillating plates bent and coupled in predetermined directions and piezoelectric actuators each including a lower electrode, a piezoelectric body, and an upper electrode stacked on the oscillating plate in this order, and wherein the piezoelectric actuators are alternately arranged on the oscillating plates. Thus, even when an element is made smaller, electrodes can be easily arranged. As a result, the productivity can be improved.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2009Date of Patent: August 13, 2013Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Jirou Terada, Shinsuke Nakazono, Kazuki Komaki, Kiyomi Furukawa
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Patent number: 8477398Abstract: An optical reflection element has a frame-shaped supporting body, a first oscillator and a second oscillator each having a meander shape, and a mirror portion. A line segment connecting a joining position between the mirror portion and the first oscillator to a joining position between the supporting body and the first oscillator, and a line segment connecting a joining position of the mirror portion and the second oscillator to a joining position of the supporting body and the second oscillator cross a mirror portion central axis. As one illustrative condition to be satisfied, an outer circumference of at least any one of turn portions of the first oscillator and the second oscillator is deviated from a first end portion axis that is parallel to the mirror portion central axis and extends along a first side of the mirror portion.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2010Date of Patent: July 2, 2013Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Jirou Terada, Shinsuke Nakazono, Soichiro Hiraoka, Kiyomi Furukawa
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Patent number: 8462411Abstract: An optical reflection element includes a mirror portion and an oscillator coupled to the mirror portion. The oscillator includes a base, an insulating layer, a drive element, and a monitor element. The insulating layer is formed on the base. The drive element and the monitor element are formed on the insulating layer, and are separated from each other by a separation groove. Each of the drive element and the monitor element includes a lower electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer, and an upper electrode layer formed in that order on the insulating layer. The monitor element has high detection accuracy, allowing the optical reflection element to perform self-excited driving with high accuracy.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 2009Date of Patent: June 11, 2013Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Soichiro Hiraoka, Jirou Terada, Shinsuke Nakazono, Kiyomi Furukawa
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Publication number: 20130107339Abstract: An optical reflection element according to the present invention includes a fixed frame, a pair of first oscillation parts, a movable frame, a pair of second oscillation parts, and a mirror part. One-side ends of the first oscillation parts are connected to the inside of the fixed frame. The movable frame is connected to and held by the other-side ends of the pair of first oscillation parts to be pivotable. One-side ends of the pair of second oscillation parts are connected to the inside of the movable frame and the pair of second oscillation parts are disposed to be substantially perpendicular to the pair of first oscillation parts. The mirror part is connected to and held by the other-side ends of the pair of second oscillation parts to be pivotable. The second oscillation parts have a meandering shape in which a plurality of straight portions and a plurality of folded portions are formed, and a stepped structure portion is provided in part of the folded portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 21, 2011Publication date: May 2, 2013Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Toshiaki Horie, Shinsuke Nakazono, Soichiro Hiraoka, Yuta Yamamoto, Kazuki Komaki, Masaki Tada, Kiyomi Furukawa
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Publication number: 20130050791Abstract: An optical reflection element includes a frame, a meandrous vibrating part having an outer end connected with an inside of the frame, and a mirror part supported by an inner end of the meandrous vibrating part. The meandrous vibrating part has a meandrous shape that includes curved portions and vibrating beams alternately connected with the curved portions. A curvature of respective one of the curved portions is smaller than a curvature of at least one of the curved portions which is located closer to the inner end than the respective one of the curved portions. This optical reflection element has a large deflection angle of the mirror part.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2011Publication date: February 28, 2013Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Shinsuke Nakazono, Toshiaki Horie, Soichiro Hiraoka, Yuta Yamamoto, Masaki Tada, Kazuki Komaki, Kiyomi Furukawa
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Publication number: 20120320439Abstract: An optical reflection element has a frame, a pair of meandering-shaped vibration elements, a mirror having a reflection surface, and a pair of protective beams. The vibration elements have their respective outer ends supported by confronting portions of an inside of the frame. The vibration elements support the mirror with respective inner ends thereof. The protective beams extend from the respective confronting portions of the inside of the frame toward the mirror with a predetermined space from the vibration elements and in parallel with a vibration axis of the vibration elements.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2011Publication date: December 20, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Soichiro Hiraoka, Kazuki Komaki, Masaki Tada, Shigeo Furukawa, Kiyomi Furukawa, Shinsuke Nakazono, Yuta Yamamoto, Toshiaki Horie
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Patent number: 8279508Abstract: An optical reflecting element includes a mirror, and a pair of high-frequency vibrators and a pair of low-frequency vibrators for vibrating the mirror. The high-frequency vibrators include a substrate, a bottom electrode layer formed on the substrate, a piezoelectric layer, and a drive electrode and a first monitor electrode as the top electrode layer. One end of the low-frequency vibrator has the substrate shared with the high-frequency vibrator, a bottom electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer, a drive electrode, and a second monitor electrode as the top electrode layer. The other end of the low-frequency vibrator has the substrate shared with the high-frequency vibrator, a bottom electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer, a drive electrode, a first monitor electrode, and an insulator layer as a dead zone for preventing a piezoelectric effect due to the piezoelectric layer from reaching the first monitor electrode.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2010Date of Patent: October 2, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Shinsuke Nakazono, Soichiro Hiraoka, Jirou Terada, Shigeo Furukawa, Kiyomi Furukawa, legal representative, Toshiaki Horie, Kazuki Komaki, Masaki Tada, Yuta Yamamoto
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Publication number: 20120113492Abstract: An optical reflecting element includes a mirror, and a pair of high-frequency vibrators and a pair of low-frequency vibrators for vibrating the mirror. The high-frequency vibrators include a substrate, a bottom electrode layer formed on the substrate, a piezoelectric layer, and a drive electrode and a first monitor electrode as the top electrode layer. One end of the low-frequency vibrator has the substrate shared with the high-frequency vibrator, a bottom electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer, a drive electrode, and a second monitor electrode as the top electrode layer. The other end of the low-frequency vibrator has the substrate shared with the high-frequency vibrator, a bottom electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer, a drive electrode, a first monitor electrode, and an insulator layer as a dead zone for preventing a piezoelectric effect due to the piezoelectric layer from reaching the first monitor electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 16, 2010Publication date: May 10, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Shinsuke Nakazono, Soichiro Hiraoka, Jirou Terada, Shigeo Furukawa, Kiyomi Furukawa, Toshiaki Horie, Kazuki Komaki, Masaki Tada, Yuta Yamamoto
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Publication number: 20120033279Abstract: An optical reflection element has a frame-shaped supporting body, a first oscillator and a second oscillator each having a meander shape, and a mirror portion. A line segment connecting a joining position between the mirror portion and the first oscillator to a joining position between the supporting body and the first oscillator, and a line segment connecting a joining position of the mirror portion and the second oscillator to a joining position of the supporting body and the second oscillator cross a mirror portion central axis. An outer circumference of at least any one of turn portions of the first oscillator and the second oscillator is deviated from a first end portion axis that is parallel to the mirror portion central axis and extends along a first side of the mirror portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2010Publication date: February 9, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Shigeo Furukawa, Kiyomi Furukawa, Jirou Terada, Shinsuke Nakazono, Soichiro Hiraoka
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Publication number: 20110292479Abstract: An optical reflection element includes a mirror portion and an oscillator coupled to the mirror portion. The oscillator includes a base, an insulating layer, a drive element, and a monitor element. The insulating layer is formed on the base. The drive element and the monitor element are formed on the insulating layer, and are separated from each other by a separation groove. Each of the drive element and the monitor element includes a lower electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer, and an upper electrode layer formed in that order on the insulating layer. The monitor element has high detection accuracy, allowing the optical reflection element to perform self-excited driving with high accuracy.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 18, 2009Publication date: December 1, 2011Applicant: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Soichiro Hiraoka, Jirou Terada, Shinsuke Nakazono, Shigeo Furukawa, Kiyomi Furukawa
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Publication number: 20110032590Abstract: A meandering oscillator includes a plurality of oscillating plates bent and coupled in predetermined directions and piezoelectric actuators each including a lower electrode, a piezoelectric body, and an upper electrode stacked on the oscillating plate in this order, and wherein the piezoelectric actuators are alternately arranged on the oscillating plates. Thus, even when an element is made smaller, electrodes can be easily arranged. As a result, the productivity can be improved.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 23, 2009Publication date: February 10, 2011Applicant: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Jirou Terada, Shinsuke Nakazono, Shigeo Furukawa, Kiyomi Furukawa, Kazuki Komaki