Patents by Inventor Nozomu HIROKUBO

Nozomu HIROKUBO 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: 20160182765
    Abstract: A color measurement apparatus includes a color measurement portion, a carriage, and a movement mechanism the color measurement portion starts color measurement after a predetermined initialization process, a moving section between patches from a point P1 to a point P3 overlaps an initialization section where the spot moves at the time of performing the initialization process, and the moving section between the patches is a section between a forward point having a distance as a radius of the spot with respect to the X direction and a backward point having a distance as a radius of the spot with respect to the X direction, based on a boundary of the patches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventor: Nozomu HIROKUBO
  • Publication number: 20160182766
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a color measurement portion which applies a spot of light to a color chart in which a plurality of patches are arranged in the X direction and in the Y direction, and measures a color of each of the plurality of patches using reflected light from the spot, a carriage that includes the color measurement portion mounted thereon, and a moving mechanism which relatively moves the carriage with respect to the color chart in the X direction, and a width of each of the plurality of patches in the X direction is obtained using a predetermined expression.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventor: Nozomu HIROKUBO
  • Patent number: 9372293
    Abstract: A variable wavelength interference filter includes a first substrate having a stationary mirror, a second substrate bonded to the first substrate and provided with a movable section and a movable mirror fixed to the movable section, and a third substrate bonded to the second substrate on an opposite side to the first substrate, and is provided with a first inner space sandwiched by the first substrate and the second substrate, a first gap, through which the first inner space communicates with the outside, a second inner space sandwiched by the second substrate and the third substrate, and a second gap, through which the second inner space communicates with the outside, and the first gap and the second gap are each sealed by a sealing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Espon Corporation
    Inventor: Nozomu Hirokubo
  • Patent number: 9347887
    Abstract: A wavelength variable interference filter includes a fixed substrate, a movable substrate, a fixed reflective film provided on the fixed substrate, a movable reflection film provided on the movable substrate and opposed to the fixed reflective film via an inter-reflective film gap, a fixed electrode provided on the fixed substrate, a movable electrode provided on the movable substrate and opposed to the fixed electrode via an inter-electrode gap, a fixed charging preventing electrode provided along the outer circumferential edge of the fixed electrode and in non-contact with the fixed electrode and grounded, and a movable charging preventing electrode provided along the outer circumferential edge of the movable electrode and in non-contact with the movable electrode and grounded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Nozomu Hirokubo, Akira Sano
  • Publication number: 20160091644
    Abstract: An optical filter device includes a wavelength variable interference filter that includes a pair of reflective films which face each other, and a fixed substrate in which one of the pair of reflective films is provided; a base to which the fixed substrate is fixed; and a fixing member which fixes one place on the fixed substrate to the base, a surface which is on other place of the oneplace of the substrate and the base are disposed with a gap therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Publication date: March 31, 2016
    Inventors: Daisuke SAITO, Satoshi FUJISAWA, Yasushi MATSUNO, Nozomu HIROKUBO
  • Publication number: 20160085065
    Abstract: An etalon is provided with a fixed substrate and a movable substrate opposed to the fixed substrate. The fixed substrate is provided with a first bonding surface to be bonded to the movable substrate via a bonding film and a first electrode surface on which a part of the first electrode is formed. The movable substrate is provided with a second bonding surface to be bonded to the first bonding surface via the bonding film and a second electrode surface on which a part of the second electrode is formed. In the state in which the fixed substrate and the movable substrate are bonded to each other with the bonding film, the first electrode formed on the first electrode surface and the second electrode formed on the second electrode surface have contact with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Publication date: March 24, 2016
    Inventors: Akira SANO, Nozomu HIROKUBO
  • Patent number: 9229220
    Abstract: An etalon is provided with a fixed substrate and a movable substrate opposed to the fixed substrate. The fixed substrate is provided with a first bonding surface to be bonded to the movable substrate via a bonding film and a first electrode surface on which a part of the first electrode is formed. The movable substrate is provided with a second bonding surface to be bonded to the first bonding surface via the bonding film and a second electrode surface on which a part of the second electrode is formed. In the state in which the fixed substrate and the movable substrate are bonded to each other with the bonding film, the first electrode formed on the first electrode surface and the second electrode formed on the second electrode surface have contact with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Sano, Nozomu Hirokubo
  • Publication number: 20150377706
    Abstract: A spectroscopic camera is provided with a pair of reflecting films, and a wavelength variable interference filter including an electrostatic actuator which can change a size of the gap between the pair of reflecting films, an imaging unit which includes a plurality of pixels which is disposed in a two-dimensional array structure, and receives the light transmitted to the wavelength variable interference filter, and a received-light wavelength acquiring unit which acquires a central wavelength of the light which is incident on the pixel with respect to each of the pixels in the imaging unit, in which the received-light wavelength acquiring unit acquires the central wavelength based on an incidence angle in a position where the light which is received in each of the pixels is incident to the pair of reflecting films.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: Akira SANO, Nozomu HIROKUBO
  • Publication number: 20150346479
    Abstract: A spectroscopic measurement apparatus includes a fixed substrate, a movable substrate, and a wavelength variable interference filter which includes an electrostatic actuator for changing the gap dimension between the substrates, a vibration disturbance detection unit which detects vibration added to the wavelength variable interference filter, and a bias driving unit which applies a feed-forward voltage based on a detected value of the vibration disturbance detection unit to the electrostatic actuator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventor: Nozomu HIROKUBO
  • Publication number: 20150318799
    Abstract: An actuator apparatus includes a pair of substrates facing each other; a plurality of bias actuators that each vary a gap dimension of a gap between the pair of substrates; a gap detection portion that detects the gap dimension; and a voltage control unit that controls driving of each of the bias actuators on the basis of the detected gap dimension. The bias actuators are located asymmetric relative to a driving central axis and are mutually independently driven; and the voltage control unit derives driving parameters for use in driving the bias actuators, on the basis of voltages and gap dimensions obtained by sequentially switching and driving the bias actuators on by one.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2015
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Inventor: Nozomu HIROKUBO
  • Patent number: 9170157
    Abstract: A tunable interference filter comprising a first substrate, a second substrate facing the first substrate, a first reflection film formed on the first substrate, a second reflection film formed on the second substrate, the second reflection film facing the first reflection film by interposing a gap, and a gap adjustable-part that adjusts the gap, wherein the second substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposed to the first surface, wherein the second substrate includes a first groove on the first surface, and wherein the second substrate includes a second groove on the second surface, the second groove facing the first groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Nozomu Hirokubo, Akira Sano
  • Patent number: 9170418
    Abstract: A variable wavelength interference filter includes a first substrate having a fixed mirror, a second substrate bonded to the first substrate and having a movable portion and a movable mirror fixed to the movable portion, a third substrate bonded to the second substrate on the side opposite to the first substrate, and an electrostatic actuator which displaces the movable portion in a substrate thickness direction, wherein a penetration hole connecting a light exiting-side space between the first substrate and the second substrate and a light incident-side space between the second substrate and the third substrate to a space outside the filter is formed, and the penetration hole is sealed with a sealant which tightly closes each space in a reduced-pressure state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuji Arakawa, Nozomu Hirokubo, Hiroshi Komatsu
  • Publication number: 20150212313
    Abstract: A spectroscopic measurement apparatus includes an electrostatic actuator that is driven by applying a drive voltage, a gap detector that detects a dimension of a gap, a closed loop system that controls the drive voltage applied to the electrostatic actuator depending on a detection signal from the gap detector, and a gain setting unit that sets a gain in the closed loop system depending on drive characteristics of electrostatic actuator based on the detection signal of the gap detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2015
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventor: Nozomu HIROKUBO
  • Publication number: 20150185081
    Abstract: A spectrometry system includes an imaging apparatus that includes an imaging element which captures an image, and a spectroscopic module that includes a wavelength variable interference filter and an attachment unit which holds the wavelength variable interference filter, is provided to be attachable to and detachable from the imaging apparatus, and can dispose the wavelength variable interference filter on an optical path of incident light to the imaging element during attachment to the imaging apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Publication date: July 2, 2015
    Inventors: Akira SANO, Takashi NAGATE, Kazunori SAKURAI, Nozomu HIROKUBO
  • Patent number: 9069160
    Abstract: An optical filter includes: a first substrate and a second substrate that are disposed to face each other; a first mirror and a first electrode that are disposed on the second substrate side of the first substrate; and a second mirror and a second electrode that are disposed on the first substrate side of the second substrate, wherein the first mirror and the second mirror are connected via a wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Nozomu Hirokubo, Tsukasa Funasaka
  • Patent number: 9046679
    Abstract: A wavelength variable interference filter includes: a first substrate which has a light transmissive property; a second substrate which has a light transmissive property and is disposed to face one surface of the first substrate and is bonded thereto; a first reflection film which is provided on the first substrate; a second reflection film which is provided on the second substrate; and a variable section which varies the gap; wherein the second substrate includes: a first layer which has a movable section; and a second layer which is laminated to a surface of the first layer facing the first substrate, is formed in a plate shape with a uniform thickness, and has a support section configured to displaceably support the movable section; and the first layer is not laminated to at least a region overlapping with the support section in the planar view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Nozomu Hirokubo, Seiji Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20150124324
    Abstract: A wavelength variable interference filter includes: a first movable mirror disposed on a first substrate; a second movable mirror disposed so as to be opposed to the first movable mirror with a predetermined gap interposed therebetween; and an electrostatic actuator which varies the length of the gap between the mirrors. The first substrate has a first movable portion on which the first movable mirror is disposed, and a first linkage portion which holds the first movable portion in such a manner that the first movable portion can shift in the thickness direction of the substrate. The second substrate has a second movable portion on which the second movable mirror is disposed, and a second linkage portion which holds the second movable portion in such a manner that the second movable portion can shift in the thickness direction of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2015
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: Nozomu HIROKUBO, Koji KITAHARA
  • Publication number: 20150092275
    Abstract: An actuator drive system includes electrostatic actuators and a voltage controller that applies drive voltages to the electrostatic actuators, and the voltage controller includes a digital control device that splits an 8-bit drive variable corresponding to an overall displacement amount provided by the electrostatic actuators into 4-bit individual drive variables, a first DAC that produces a first drive voltage signal based on a first individual drive variable, and a second DAC that produces a second drive voltage signal based on a second individual drive variable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Nozomu HIROKUBO, Akira SANO
  • Patent number: 8947782
    Abstract: A wavelength variable interference filter includes: a first movable mirror disposed on a first substrate; a second movable mirror disposed so as to be opposed to the first movable mirror with a predetermined gap interposed therebetween; and an electrostatic actuator which varies the length of the gap between the mirrors. The first substrate has a first movable portion on which the first movable mirror is disposed, and a first linkage portion which holds the first movable portion in such a manner that the first movable portion can shift in the thickness direction of the substrate. The second substrate has a second movable portion on which the second movable mirror is disposed, and a second linkage portion which holds the second movable portion in such a manner that the second movable portion can shift in the thickness direction of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Company
    Inventors: Nozomu Hirokubo, Koji Kitahara
  • Publication number: 20150029590
    Abstract: An optical filter device includes a wavelength variable interference filter that has a fixed substrate provided with a fixed reflective film and a movable substrate provided with a movable reflective film, a casing that has an inner space for storing the wavelength variable interference filter therein, and a fixation portion that fixes the wavelength variable interference filter to the casing. In addition, the fixation portion is provided between a side surface of the fixed substrate and an inner surface of the casing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventor: Nozomu HIROKUBO