Patents by Inventor Satoru Niimura

Satoru Niimura 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: 7206080
    Abstract: A surface shape measuring apparatus, comprising: a stereo-photographing part 3 for photographing an object 1 in stereo; a relative position changing part 4 for changing the positional relation between the stereo-photographing part 3 and the object 1; means 5 for storing stereo-photographing parameters in a plurality of directions from which the stereo-photographing part 3 photographs the object 1; a stereo-image generating means 6 for controlling the stereo-photographing part 3 to photograph the object 1 from the plurality of directions with the stored stereo-photographing parameters and generating stereo images of the object 1; and a surface shape processing means 7 for measuring the surface shape of the object 1 based on the stereo images of the object 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Topcon Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuo Kochi, Hitoshi Otani, Satoru Niimura
  • Publication number: 20040234122
    Abstract: A surface shape measuring apparatus, comprising: a stereo-photographing part 3 for photographing an object 1 in stereo; a relative position changing part 4 for changing the positional relation between the stereo-photographing part 3 and the object 1; means 5 for storing stereo-photographing parameters in a plurality of directions from which the stereo-photographing part 3 photographs the object 1; a stereo-image generating means 6 for controlling the stereo-photographing part 3 to photograph the object 1 from the plurality of directions with the stored stereo-photographing parameters and generating stereo images of the object 1; and a surface shape processing means 7 for measuring the surface shape of the object 1 based on the stereo images of the object 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2004
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Inventors: Nobuo Kochi, Hitoshi Otani, Satoru Niimura
  • Patent number: 6217172
    Abstract: An ophthalmologic measuring system, comprising a light source unit 4 for emitting an illuminating light beam for illuminating a fundus of each of both eyes of a person under measurement, a projection optical system 1 for projecting the illuminating light beam from said light source unit to the fundus of each of the eyes of the person under measurement, a photodetection optical system 2 including a light blocking member which blocking a part of a reflection light beam coming from the fundus of the eye of the person under measurement and is arranged in an optical path and at approximately conjugate position to a pupil of the eye under measurement so that change occurs in light amount distribution depending on ocular refractive power, a photodetection unit 9 arranged at approximately conjugate position to the pupil of the eye under measurement and receives photodetection light beam from said photodetection optical system, a storage unit for storing a photodetection signal of said photodetection unit, a control a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Masahiro Shibutani, Satoru Niimura
  • Patent number: 5717481
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a visual field of a patient, especially characteristics of X ganglion cells, displays a series of targets to a patient. A ramp stimulus is used to measure characteristics of X ganglion cells. A target size setting device sets targets of various sizes. A stimulus intensity changing device changes the intensity of the stimulus in accordance with the size set by the target size setting device. A response device measures the response from the patient, that is, whether the patient senses the target. A memory stores the intensity of stimulus and target size corresponding to the patient's responses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1998
    Assignee: Topcon Corporation
    Inventors: Nobusuke Obata, Satoru Niimura
  • Patent number: 5633694
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an ophthalmometric apparatus and is intended to provide an ophthalmometric apparatus that generates image signals representing a section of a measuring portion of a measuring eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1997
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Toshifumi Mihashi, Satoru Niimura, Katsuhiko Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5106364
    Abstract: A surgical cutting instrument having an outer tubular member with a closed distal end, and an aperture therein which is adjacent to the closed distal end and which is in communication with the hollow of the outer tubular member. The instrument also includes an inner tube slidably disposed in the outer tube such that it reciprocates between first and second positions. The instrument also has a suction device which draws a portion of an object inwardly through the aperture. The inner tubular member has first and second edges which cooperate with the aperture such that when the suction device draws a first portion of the object into the aperture, the first edge cuts this portion away as the inner tubular member moves from the first position to the second position. However, when the suction device draws a second portion of the object into the aperture, the second edge cuts this portion away as the inner tubular member moves from the first position to the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1992
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Mineki Hayafuji, Yoshihiko Hanamura, Satoru Niimura
  • Patent number: 4986653
    Abstract: A light wave range finder has a range finding optical system in which the intensity of a coherent beam of light emitted from a coherent light source is modulated and delivered to an object and a reflecting beam of light reflected on the object is received by an light receiving element. A distance to the object is measured based on a phase detection of the reflecting beam of light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 22, 1991
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Takashi Yokokura, Nobuo Hori, Hiroaki Shimozono, Satoru Niimura
  • Patent number: 4973153
    Abstract: A range finder for finding a distance to an object comprising an outgoing light guiding wave path, a reference light guiding wave path, and an incoming light guiding wave path. The finder further comprises wavelength changing means for changing the wavelength of the beam of light emitted from the light source, wavelength detecting means for detecting the wavelength of the beam of light emitted from the light source, and calculating means for detecting at least two peaks of the signal coming from the light receiving element when the wavelength of the light source is changed by the wavelength changing means, finding the wavelengths of the light source, respectively, from the wavelength detecting means at the time when the signal exhibits the two peaks, and calculating the distance to the object according to an operation expression memorized beforehand with reference to such obtained two wavelengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1990
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Takashi Yokokura, Nobuo Hori, Hiroaki Shimozono, Satoru Niimura
  • Patent number: 4941744
    Abstract: An integrated-photocircuit interferometer (20) comprises a substrate (21) in which coherent light for measurement emitted from a light source (23) is directed through an exit waveguide (22) toward a corner cube prism (34) which can be movable with an object to be measured. The light reflected back from the prism (34) can enter an inlet waveguide (33) having branch waveguides (35, 36) which split the incident measurement light. Part of the light transmitted through the exit waveguide (22) is transferred to reference waveguides (26, 27) which provide different optical path lengths for the light propagated therethrough. The "reference beams of light" which has been transmitted through the different lengths of optical paths provided by the reference waveguides (26, 27) are introduced into the branch waveguides (35, 36) where interference occurs between the reference beams and the split beams of incident light from the corner cube prism (34).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 17, 1990
    Assignee: Tokyo Kogaku Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Yokokura, Nobuo Hori, Hiroaki Shimozono, Satoru Niimura
  • Patent number: 4909629
    Abstract: A light interferometer has an interferometer portion for interfering a measuring light and a reference light, and a light signal processing portion for processing a signal according to an interference signal which changes according to the change of an optical path length of the measuring light. The interferometer portion has a first light source for generating a coherent light, a light interference portion for dividing the coherent light emitted by the first light source into a reference light and a measuring light in order to introduce the measuring light to an object, making the measuring light reflected by the object and the reference light interfered with each other and introducing thereof to a photo detector, and an optical path length periodically changing means for periodically changing the difference of an optical path length of the reference light with respect to the optical path length of the measuring light relatively at a constant amplitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 20, 1990
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Takashi Yokokura, Nobuo Hori, Hiroaki Shimozono, Satoru Niimura