Patents by Inventor Masaru MIZUNAKA

Masaru MIZUNAKA 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: 20230372727
    Abstract: An endoscope cap includes: a light-transmissive portion having a tubular shape made of a light-transmissive material, the light-transmissive portion including a coating layer on a periphery of the tubular shape; and a tubular portion configured to connect the light-transmissive portion to a distal end of an insertion portion of an endoscope, the coating layer being configured to reflect light in a wavelength band for light treatment of a body portion and transmit light in a wavelength band for white light image capturing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masaru MIZUNAKA
  • Publication number: 20230371817
    Abstract: An endoscope system according to the present invention includes: an illumination light source that emits illumination light for illuminating an object; a therapeutic light source that emits therapeutic light for causing a photoreactive reagent accumulated in a treatment target site to react; a guide light source that emits guide light having a wavelength shorter than a wavelength band of the therapeutic light source; an imager that captures an optical image, the imager including an optical filter that cuts light in the wavelength band of the therapeutic light and transmits a part of white light, the guide light, and fluorescence emitted by the reagent; a controller that controls emission timings of the illumination light source, the therapeutic light source, and the guide light source; and an image processor that generates an image on the basis of an optical image obtained by light emitted from the illumination light source, the therapeutic light source, and the guide light source, in which the controller cau
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2022
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaru MIZUNAKA, Yasunobu IGA, Takeshi SUGA, Chikashi OTA
  • Patent number: 11573171
    Abstract: An observation system includes an observation apparatus including a housing having an arrangement surface for placement of a sample, the sample including a culture medium, and an external illumination unit which is disposed outside the housing and includes at least one light source configured to emit illumination light. At least a part of the arrangement surface is formed of a transparent member having an optically transparent property. The observation apparatus includes an imaging unit which is provided in the housing and includes an image sensor configured to image, via the transparent member, the sample illuminated by the illumination light from the external illumination unit to acquire images of at least three colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ikutoshi Fukushima, Shogo Usui, Tsuyoshi Mochizuki, Masaru Mizunaka, Shintaro Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11443415
    Abstract: An inspection method for inspecting a counting function of an imaging system that captures an image of a phase object includes: capturing an image of a reference standard plate that includes a base region and a plurality of counting target regions having a phase amount in a thickness direction different from a phase amount of the base region, under a condition where the number of counting target regions positioned within a field of view of the imaging system is specified among the plurality of counting target regions; counting the counting target regions included in the captured image of the reference standard plate; and outputting at least a counted result of the counting target regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masaru Mizunaka
  • Patent number: 11226476
    Abstract: An observation apparatus including: a top plate on which a container in which a specimen is accommodated can be placed, and through which illumination light can pass; a light source that emits the illumination light upward from below the specimen; an objective lens that focuses, below the specimen and the top plate, transmitted light which is the illumination light that has passed through the specimen from thereabove and that has passed through the top plate; and a camera that captures the transmitted light, wherein the light source emits the illumination light toward an area above the specimen from outside the objective lens in a radial direction, and the top plate is provided with a mark that specifies a viewing-field area of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Mochizuki, Shintaro Takahashi, Akira Matsushita, Yohei Tanikawa, Masaru Mizunaka, Shinichi Takimoto
  • Patent number: 11137588
    Abstract: An observation apparatus including: a light-source that emits illumination light and excitation light upward from below a specimen; and an image-capturing optical system having an objective lens that focuses, below the specimen, transmitted light, which is the illumination light that is emitted from the light-source, that is reflected above the specimen, and that has passed through the specimen, and fluorescence that is generated in the specimen that has been irradiated with the excitation light emitted from the light-source, wherein the light-source is disposed radially outside the objective lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaru Mizunaka, Shintaro Takahashi, Akira Matsushita, Yohei Tanikawa, Tsuyoshi Mochizuki, Shinichi Takimoto
  • Publication number: 20210209743
    Abstract: An inspection method for inspecting a counting function of an imaging system that captures an image of a phase object includes: capturing an image of a reference standard plate that includes a base region and a plurality of counting target regions having a phase amount in a thickness direction different from a phase amount of the base region, under a condition where the number of counting target regions positioned within a field of view of the imaging system is specified among the plurality of counting target regions; counting the counting target regions included in the captured image of the reference standard plate; and outputting at least a counted result of the counting target regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masaru MIZUNAKA
  • Publication number: 20200318058
    Abstract: An observation system includes an illumination unit including a light source from which emits an illumination light including light of a plurality of colors, and light receiving unit including an optical sensor which acquires a light intensity. The illumination unit emits the illumination light for a culture vessel so that the illumination light travels from a first side to a second side of the culture vessel, the first side and the second side being defined by interposing a culture medium. The light receiving unit receives, on the first side, light emitted from the illumination unit, entering the culture vessel from the first side, reflected at the second side, and transmitted through the culture medium, and acquires a light intensity for each color in the received light for calculation of a pH value of the culture medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2020
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Mochizuki, Koh Mohri, Yoshihito Iguchi, Shogo Usui, Shintaro Takahashi, Asuka Nakamura, Shoichi Kaneko, Ikutoshi Fukushima, Masaru Mizunaka
  • Publication number: 20200217782
    Abstract: An observation system includes an observation apparatus including a housing having an arrangement surface for placement of a sample, the sample including a culture medium, and an external illumination unit which is disposed outside the housing and includes at least one light source configured to emit illumination light. At least a part of the arrangement surface is formed of a transparent member having an optically transparent property. The observation apparatus includes an imaging unit which is provided in the housing and includes an image sensor configured to image, via the transparent member, the sample illuminated by the illumination light from the external illumination unit to acquire images of at least three colors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ikutoshi Fukushima, Shogo Usui, Tsuyoshi Mochizuki, Masaru Mizunaka, Shintaro Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20200110923
    Abstract: A quantitative evaluation apparatus of the present invention includes: a counter that counts the numbers of cells or densities of cells contained in individual images of a plurality of image-capturing regions in a culturing vessel for culturing the cells; an evaluation-value calculating portion that calculates an evaluation value related to variation in the distribution of the cells in the culturing vessel on the basis of the numbers of the cells or the densities of cells counted by means of the counter in each of the images; a determining portion that determines whether or not the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation-value calculating portion is in a range of a prescribed threshold; and a display that displays determination result determined by the determining portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yohei TANIKAWA, Shinichi TAKIMOTO, Shintaro TAKAHASHI, Masaru MIZUNAKA, Akira MATSUSHITA, Tsuyoshi MOCHIZUKI, Koh MOHRI
  • Publication number: 20190390151
    Abstract: A medium changing device includes a lid disposed at a position where two or more regions in which a medium may be stored are covered therewith, the regions being disposed adjacent to each other and being open upward; one or more flow-path members each disposed so as to penetrate the lid, and each disposed at a position where one of the regions is bridged to another therewith when the lid is disposed at the position where the regions are covered; and a pump disposed on the other side of the lid and acting on the intermediate sections of the flow-path members, exposed on the other side, so as to cause the medium to flow from the opening at one end toward the opening at the other end of each of the flow-path members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shintaro TAKAHASHI, Koh MOHRI, Tsuyoshi MOCHIZUKI, Asuka NAKAMURA, Shoichi KANEKO, Shogo USUI, Ikutoshi FUKUSHIMA, Masaru MIZUNAKA
  • Patent number: 10501718
    Abstract: Provided is an observation apparatus including: a housing that has, in a top face thereof, a transmission window on which a container accommodating cells can be placed and through which light can pass; a camera portion that is accommodated in the housing and that captures observation light coming from the cells irradiated with illumination light emitted from an illumination portion and entering the housing by passing through a bottom face of the container and the transmission window of the housing; and a housing-interior heating portion that is accommodated in the housing and that heats the cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira Matsushita, Shintaro Takahashi, Masaru Mizunaka, Shinichi Takimoto, Tadashi Hirata, Yohei Tanikawa
  • Publication number: 20190219809
    Abstract: An observation apparatus including: a top plate on which a container in which a specimen is accommodated can be placed, and through which illumination light can pass; a light source that emits the illumination light upward from below the specimen; an objective lens that focuses, below the specimen and the top plate, transmitted light which is the illumination light that has passed through the specimen from thereabove and that has passed through the top plate; and a camera that captures the transmitted light, wherein the light source emits the illumination light toward an area above the specimen from outside the objective lens in a radial direction, and the top plate is provided with a mark that specifies a viewing-field area of the camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi MOCHIZUKI, Shintaro TAKAHASHI, Akira MATSUSHITA, Yohei TANIKAWA, Masaru MIZUNAKA, Shinichi TAKIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20190219808
    Abstract: An observation device includes: a housing having, in a top surface, a glass window on which a vessel accommodating samples is placed and through which illumination light is transmitted; and an image acquisition unit accommodated in the housing and configured to capture transmitted light obtained after illumination light is transmitted through the samples from above, is transmitted through the glass window, and enters the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shintaro TAKAHASHI, Shinichi TAKIMOTO, Yohei TANIKAWA, Akira MATSUSHITA, Masaru MIZUNAKA, Tsuyoshi MOCHIZUKI
  • Publication number: 20190219810
    Abstract: An observation apparatus including: a light-source that emits illumination light and excitation light upward from below a specimen; and an image-capturing optical system having an objective lens that focuses, below the specimen, transmitted light, which is the illumination light that is emitted from the light-source, that is reflected above the specimen, and that has passed through the specimen, and fluorescence that is generated in the specimen that has been irradiated with the excitation light emitted from the light-source, wherein the light-source is disposed radially outside the objective lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaru MIZUNAKA, Shintaro TAKAHASHI, Akira MATSUSHITA, Yohei TANIKAWA, Tsuyoshi MOCHIZUKI, Shinichi TAKIMOTO
  • Patent number: 10317658
    Abstract: A microscope includes: an objective lens having an optical system; a correction collar provided on the objective lens and configured to move the optical system in a direction of an optical axis of the optical system by rotating around the objective lens to correct aberration; a switching unit to which the objective lens is attachable and which switches a position of the objective lens; a supporting unit for supporting the switching unit; and a focusing unit that holds the supporting unit such that the supporting unit is movable along the optical axis of the objective lens. A correction collar operating device is detachably attached to the supporting unit and includes: an input unit for inputting rotary force to rotate the correction collar; and a correction collar driving unit for rotating the correction collar according to the rotary force while the correction collar driving unit has contact with the correction collar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyasu Hebiishi, Masaru Mizunaka, Shintaro Kobayashi, Akihiro Kitahara
  • Publication number: 20180179487
    Abstract: Provided is an observation apparatus including: a housing that has, in a top face thereof, a transmission window on which a container accommodating cells can be placed and through which light can pass; a camera portion that is accommodated in the housing and that captures observation light coming from the cells irradiated with illumination light emitted from an illumination portion and entering the housing by passing through a bottom face of the container and the transmission window of the housing; and a housing-interior heating portion that is accommodated in the housing and that heats the cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira MATSUSHITA, Shintaro Takahashi, Masaru Mizunaka, Shinichi Takimoto, Tadashi Hirata, Yohei Tanikawa
  • Publication number: 20160363752
    Abstract: A sheet illumination microscope includes an observation optical system and an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a sample from a direction perpendicular to an observation optical axis of the observation optical system. The illumination optical system includes a first optical system configured to emit a flux that has a prescribed sectional shape and that does not have a light intensity distribution within a prescribed range from the center of gravity position of the sectional shape, and also includes a second optical system. The second optical system includes a deflector configured to deflect, toward the observation optical axis, light entering from a direction parallel to the observation optical axis. The second optical system is configured to form, from the flux, a plurality of light sheets that are parallel to a plane perpendicular to the observation optical axis and that have different traveling directions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaru MIZUNAKA, Yoshihiro SHIMADA
  • Publication number: 20160004061
    Abstract: A microscope includes: an objective lens having an optical system; a correction collar provided on the objective lens and configured to move the optical system in a direction of an optical axis of the optical system by rotating around the objective lens to correct aberration; a switching unit to which the objective lens is attachable and which switches a position of the objective lens; a supporting unit for supporting the switching unit; and a focusing unit that holds the supporting unit such that the supporting unit is movable along the optical axis of the objective lens. A correction collar operating device is detachably attached to the supporting unit and includes: an input unit for inputting rotary force to rotate the correction collar; and a correction collar driving unit for rotating the correction collar according to the rotary force while the correction collar driving unit has contact with the correction collar.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2015
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyasu HEBIISHI, Masaru MIZUNAKA, Shintaro KOBAYASHI, Akihiro KITAHARA
  • Publication number: 20130018270
    Abstract: Provided is an optical observation system that is provided with a portable device, which is secured to an examination subject A and is moved together with the movement of the examination subject, and an external device disposed away from the examination subject, wherein the portable device is provided with a light source; an illumination optical system radiates light coming from the light source onto an observation target site in the examination subject; a detection optical system optically guides light coming from the observation target site; a photodetector detects the light optically guided thereto by the detection optical system and converts the light to an electrical signal; and a transmitter wirelessly transmits the electrical signal output from the photodetector; and the external device is provided with a receiver receives the electrical signal transmitted from the portable device and a signal processor processes the electrical signal received by the receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Applicants: RIKEN, OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaru MIZUNAKA, Masanori MURAYAMA, Atsushi MIYAWAKI