Patents by Inventor Morimichi SHIMIZU

Morimichi SHIMIZU 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: 10288876
    Abstract: This optical scanning actuator can improve yield and assembly efficiency. An optical scanning actuator (10) includes a piezoelectric element (14) that is joined to a displaceably supported emission end (11a) of an optical fiber (11) and displaces the emission end (11a) in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis direction of the optical fiber (11) by expanding and contracting in the optical axis direction. The piezoelectric element (14) includes an identifier (16) for identifying a polarization direction, the identifier (16) being formed physically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masato Fujiwara, Morimichi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 9835851
    Abstract: The force of a piezoelectric element is efficiently transferred to an optical fiber without attenuation, so that the vibration of the optical fiber becomes large. Provided is an optical fiber scanner including an optical fiber which has an elongated cylindrical shape in which illumination light emitted from a light source is guided and can emerge from a distal end thereof and whose distal end can be vibrated in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction thereof; and at least one piezoelectric element which have a plate shape polarized in a thickness direction thereof and which are separately bonded to an outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber closer to a base side than to a distal end thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoki Funakubo, Hiroshi Tsuruta, Morimichi Shimizu, Yasuaki Kasai
  • Publication number: 20170248784
    Abstract: This optical scanning actuator can improve yield and assembly efficiency. An optical scanning actuator (10) includes a piezoelectric element (14) that is joined to a displaceably supported emission end (11a) of an optical fiber (11) and displaces the emission end (11a) in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis direction of the optical fiber (11) by expanding and contracting in the optical axis direction. The piezoelectric element (14) includes an identifier (16) for identifying a polarization direction, the identifier (16) being formed physically.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masato FUJIWARA, Morimichi SHIMIZU
  • Publication number: 20150205050
    Abstract: The force of a piezoelectric element is efficiently transferred to an optical fiber without attenuation, so that the vibration of the optical fiber becomes large. Provided is an optical fiber scanner including an optical fiber which has an elongated cylindrical shape in which illumination light emitted from a light source is guided and can emerge from a distal end thereof and whose distal end can be vibrated in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction thereof; and at least one piezoelectric element which have a plate shape polarized in a thickness direction thereof and which are separately bonded to an outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber closer to a base side than to a distal end thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2015
    Publication date: July 23, 2015
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoki FUNAKUBO, Hiroshi TSURUTA, Morimichi SHIMIZU, Yasuaki KASAI
  • Publication number: 20140114131
    Abstract: A scanning endoscope includes an optical fiber that illuminates a living body, a holding member that holds the optical fiber, in which the optical fiber is provided so as to extend from a distal end face by a predetermined length, and a concave portion that communicates with the insertion hole is formed on the distal end face, a drive portion that is provided in the holding member, and causes a free end of the optical fiber that extends from the distal end face of the holding member to scan, and an adhesive portion that is coated on or filled in the concave portion to firmly fix the optical fiber and the holding member to each other, and has a plane which is flush with the distal end face of the holding member formed thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicants: OLYMPUS CORPORATION, OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Yuji SAKAI, Tomoki FUNAKUBO, Morimichi SHIMIZU