Patents by Inventor Nobuhiro Kihara

Nobuhiro Kihara 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: 7576899
    Abstract: A hologram recording device for recording interference fringes between reference light and signal light modulated by data displayed in a spatial modulator in a hologram recording material, the hologram recording device including a phase mask for diffusing light, the phase mask being disposed in an optical system that the signal light passes, wherein a minimum unit of a light diffusing pattern formed in the phase mask is a natural number of times a minimum unit of display data of the spatial modulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoki Kanesaka, Nobuhiro Kihara, Shigeyuki Baba, Hisayuki Yamatsu, Megumi Ezura
  • Publication number: 20090196946
    Abstract: A stereolithography apparatus that is configured to fabricate a three-dimensional model by forming a cured layer by irradiating an interface of a photocurable resin with light corresponding to sectional data of the three-dimensional model and stacking the cured layers includes a container holding the photocurable resin and having a constraining window configured to constrain the interface of the photocurable resin; a vertical movement table movable in a vertical direction orthogonal to the interface of the photocurable resin; an optical system configured to form the cured layer between the vertical movement table and the constraining window by irradiating the interface of the photocurable resin with light through the constraining window; and a position constraining mechanism configured to substantially flatten the constraining window by applying a force to the constraining window from the outside of the container when the cured layer is formed by the optical system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kihara, Junichi Kuzusako, Katsuhisa Honda
  • Publication number: 20090184444
    Abstract: An optical molding apparatus molds a three-dimensional model by stacking cured layers. Each cured layer is formed by emitting light according to cross-sectional-shape data of the three-dimensional model onto a surface of photo-curable resin. The optical molding apparatus includes a container that contains the photo-curable resin, a movable stage that is movable in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the photo-curable resin, an optical system that emits the light onto the surface of the photo-curable resin contained in the container so as to form each cured layer on the movable stage, and a discharging mechanism that performs a discharging operation for discharging new photo-curable resin onto a surface of each cured layer formed on the movable stage before stacking a subsequent cured layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuhisa Honda, Nobuhiro Kihara, Junichi Kuzusako
  • Publication number: 20090175977
    Abstract: An optical molding apparatus molds an optically molded product by stacking cured layers. Each cured layer is formed by emitting light according to cross-sectional-shape data of the optically molded product onto a surface of photo-curable resin. The optical molding apparatus includes an exposing unit and an exposure control unit. The exposing unit performs exposure on the photo-curable resin for each of small work areas that are defined by dividing an overall work area, which is where an optical molding operation is performed, into a plurality of areas. The exposure control unit controls an exposure condition of the exposing unit for each of the small work areas and allows the exposure to be performed collectively on multiple layers' worth of the photo-curable resin in a predetermined one of the small work areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2009
    Publication date: July 9, 2009
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junichi Kuzusako, Nobuhiro Kihara, Katsuhisa Honda
  • Publication number: 20090140172
    Abstract: An optical shaping apparatus includes a light source configured to irradiate light on the surface of a light hardening resin, and a spatial light modulating unit configured to subject light irradiated from the light source to spatial modulation, and irradiate the light on an irradiation area which is an area where a hardening layer is formed. Subsequently, the spatial light modulating unit divides the irradiation area into multiple sections in a zigzag form or tree-ring form, and subjects the light from the light source to spatial modulation to irradiate the light on the irradiation area for each of the sections by multiple number of times. The present invention can be applied to, for example, an optical shaping apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kihara, Junichi Kuzusako, Katsuhisa Honda
  • Publication number: 20090140466
    Abstract: The cross-sectional shape data of a three-dimensional model is divided according to work small areas obtained by dividing a work entire area where optical shaping work is performed into a plurality of areas, and work small area data which is cross-sectional shape data corresponding to said work small areas is generated. Also, the work small area data is enlarged with offset width based on the contracting ratio of a light hardening resin, and areas, which are wider than the work small areas on the surface of the light hardening resin by the offset width, are subjected to one-shot exposure based on the enlarged work small area data to form a hardening layer for each of the work small areas. The present invention can be applied to, for example, an optical shaping apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junichi Kuzusako, Nobuhiro Kihara, Katsuhisa Honda
  • Publication number: 20090142436
    Abstract: An optical shaping apparatus includes: an exposing unit for turning on/off irradiation of light to a hardening resin surface for each predetermined unit area to irradiate light collectively on multiple the unit areas with irradiation of light being on; and a scanning unit for irradiating an optical beam with a predetermined diameter to scan the optical beam on the hardening resin surface; with the exposing unit irradiating the light in an area offset by a predetermined number of unit areas toward the inner side than the unit areas overlapped with the profile line of the cross-sectional-shaped data on the hardening resin surface; and with the scanning unit scanning an optical beam having a first diameter along a center line offset from the profile line of the cross-sectional-shaped data, and scanning an optical beam having a second diameter shorter than the first diameter along the inner side of the profile line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junichi Kuzusako, Nobuhiro Kihara, Katsuhisa Honda
  • Publication number: 20090134728
    Abstract: A magneto generator can reduce the man-hours of processing and an amount of use (i.e., an amount of material) of permanent magnets used per generator. The magneto generator includes a bowl-shaped flywheel that rotates about an axis of rotation, a plurality of permanent magnets that are fixedly secured to an inner peripheral wall surface of the flywheel, a stator core that is arranged at an inner side of the permanent magnets and has a plurality of teeth protruding to a radially outer side, and magneto coils that are formed of conductors wound around the teeth, respectively. Each of the permanent magnets is composed of a plurality of magnet pieces that are formed by dividing a hexahedral magnet main body with a division surface extending in a radial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Publication date: May 28, 2009
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Nobuhiro KIHARA
  • Patent number: 7531931
    Abstract: A permanent-magnet generator is provided that has a bowl-shaped fly wheel integrally formed with a boss part by casting or hot forging, that reduces rotational imbalance and the quantity of balance correction processing such as drilling. The permanent-magnet generator has a bowl-shaped fly wheel produced by casting or hot forging, having a circumferential wall part and a bottom wall part, and having a boss part for supporting a rotating shaft, the boss part being integrally formed at the center of the bottom wall part. The plural vents are arranged substantially circularly in the bottom wall part of the fly wheel, and a key groove for coupling with the rotating shaft is provided at a part of the boss part. The arrangement of at least one of the plural vents is made unequal in order to reduce rotational imbalance including that caused by the key groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuharu Hashiba, Nobuhiro Kihara
  • Publication number: 20090116087
    Abstract: An image recording method of recording a holographic stereogram is disclosed. An optical deflecting device is disposed in proximity to a hologram record medium when it is exposed with a stripe-shaped elemental hologram. Either object beam or reference beam is deflected in a long side direction thereof through the optical deflecting device to expose the hologram record medium. The hologram record medium is multiply exposed at least two times with different deflection angles of the optical deflecting device to cause the elemental hologram to have a plurality of parallaxes in a long side direction of the elemental hologram.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Shirakura, Juji Nakagawa, Nobuhiro Kihara
  • Patent number: 7508560
    Abstract: A holographic recording device for multiple recording a plurality of interference fringes of a reference light and intensity-modulated signal lights in a same area or in areas slightly shifted each other of a holographic recording medium is disclosed. The holographic recording device modulates the intensity of a signal light and modulates a phase of the signal light before or after the intensity modulation. A phase distribution of each signal light is changed every time when multiple recording is performed and after each phase modulation, the recording device determines if an assigned multiplicity has been achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuhiro Kihara
  • Patent number: 7496024
    Abstract: The present invention provides a hologram apparatus for recording an interference fringe of a signal beam and a reference beam having a speckle pattern in a recording area of a hologram recording material. The hologram apparatus includes a speckle pattern generating unit for generating the speckle pattern so that the speckle pattern is different in form in the track direction and the cross-track direction of the recording area. With this configuration, it is possible to perform recording under an increased tolerance in the cross-track direction while securing the shift selectivity necessary in the track direction, and, hence, to easily and stably perform the tracking servo at the time of reproduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kihara, Hisayuki Yamatsu, Megumi Ezura
  • Patent number: 7489427
    Abstract: In recording of an interference fringe of a reference beam and a signal beam in a hologram recording medium, at the time of multiple recording of holograms in the same recording region by varying the angle of incidence of the reference beam on the hologram recording medium, the angular pitch of the incidence angle of the reference beam is varied according to the incidence angle of the reference beam in the manner of ??1, ??2, . . . , ??m?1, and is thereby set to a minimum in such a range as not to worsen crosstalk. This makes it possible to increase the degree of multiplexing when the movable angle of the reference beam is the same, and to narrow the movable angle of the reference beam when the degree of multiplexing is the same, as compared with the related art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Megumi Ezura, Tomoki Kanesaka, Nobuhiro Kihara
  • Publication number: 20090009835
    Abstract: When a hologram recording material is changed in volume and refractive index during hologram recording, if one sheet of non-defective reconstructed images cannot be obtained even if conditions are changed so as to conform with Bragg's law most closely by changing the angle or position of a reference beam, a hologram reconstructing apparatus and a hologram reconstructing method are provided, in that a plurality of sheets of partially non-defective and favorable reconstructed images (51, 52, and 53) are obtained and favorable parts of these reconstructed images are connected together so as to have one sheet of non-defective and favorable reconstructed images (54).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2005
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kihara, Shigeyuki Baba, Hisayuki Yamatsu
  • Patent number: 7471431
    Abstract: A hologram device records information of an interference fringe of signal light and reference light onto a hologram recording medium and reproduces the recorded information by emitting the reference light onto a recording area of the hologram recording medium. The hologram device includes a recording/reproducing controller performing a recording operation of the information concurrently with a reproducing operation of previously-recorded information, and an error detector detecting an error in the previously-recorded information reproduced concurrently with the recording operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Hayashi, Nobuhiro Kihara, Muneyasu Maeda
  • Patent number: 7443064
    Abstract: A permanent-magnet generator includes a flywheel having a ringlike portion and a bottom portion which closes off one end of the ringlike portion and a plurality of protrusions bulging inward from the bottom portion of the flywheel. An irregular surface portion is formed in each of the protrusions for producing turbulence when the flywheel rotates, the irregular surface portion being irregularly shaped in section along a circumferential direction of the flywheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kihara, Kaoru Imaizumi
  • Patent number: 7417776
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed which can reproduce multi-value data with high reproducibility from a hologram recording medium having data recorded in multi-values therein and can reduce the error rate of reproduction data. A reference gradation pattern is recorded in a medium, and luminance unevenness of a gradation pattern obtained by reproducing the gradation pattern is corrected. A gamma characteristic of the medium is determined based on the reproduction gradation pattern, and a modulation pattern produced using easily separable luminance values determined based on the gamma characteristic is displayed on a spatial light modulator to record data in multi-values into the medium. Thereupon, the data are oversampled and recorded, and a block of the reproduced data is decoded depending upon a sequence of relative luminance levels of pixels in the block to decode the entire reproduced multi-value data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Baba, Nobuhiro Kihara
  • Publication number: 20080191573
    Abstract: A magneto generator can increase a suppression force to suppress permanent magnets from being moved to an opening side of a flywheel with easy construction and at low cost. In this magnet generator, the flywheel has a groove formed on its inner peripheral wall surface at an opening side thereof, and a magnet positioning member has a magnet coming-off preventing member formed at the opening side of the flywheel so as to cover end faces of the permanent magnets, with a protrusion being formed on the magnet coming-off preventing member so as to engage the groove in the flywheel. The protrusion is in engagement with the groove whereby the movement in an axial direction of the permanent magnets can be suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Publication date: August 14, 2008
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuhiro KIHARA, Kaoru IMAIZUMI
  • Patent number: 7402930
    Abstract: A magnetoelectric generator according to the present invention includes: a bowl-shaped flywheel that rotates around an axis of rotation; a permanent magnet unit that is fixed to an inner circumferential wall surface of the flywheel and in which adjacent permanent magnets are linked by means of a linking member; a stator core that is disposed inside the permanent magnet unit and that has a plurality of teeth that project radially outward; and a generating coil that is configured by winding conducting wire onto each of the teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
    Inventor: Nobuhiro Kihara
  • Publication number: 20080169587
    Abstract: There is provided an optical modeling apparatus that forms a model of a desired shape by sequentially forming hardened layers by irradiating a light-curable resin with light. The apparatus includes a first light source that emits a light beam for plotting on the resin, a scanning device that scans the light beam from the first light source over the resin, a second light source that emits light that irradiates one fixed region of the resin at a time, and a spatial light modulator that spatially modulates the light from the second light source to blanket-expose a specified region of the resin. The light beam from the scanning device and the light from the spatial light modulator form each hardened layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Publication date: July 17, 2008
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuhiro KIHARA, Masanobu Yamamoto, Kimhiro Saito, Yuichi Aki, Takeshi Yamasaki