Patents by Inventor Shigeki Matsuo

Shigeki Matsuo 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: 20200055453
    Abstract: An on-board camera for capturing an image of an area in front of a vehicle is provided with a camera body, a housing part, and leg parts. The leg parts extend from the housing part toward an upper surface of a dashboard and support the housing part at a positions where the housing part is placed within a wiping range of a wiper on a windshield when the housing part is viewed from one direction. A space surrounded by the dashboard, the housing part, and the leg parts is formed. A driver seated in the driver's seat enables to see an area in front of the vehicle through the windshield from the space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2018
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventor: Shigeki MATSUO
  • Patent number: 9468361
    Abstract: An endoscope includes a flexible tube and a connection mouth ring. The flexible tube includes a helical tube, a braid tube disposed outside the helical tube, and an outer tube disposed outside the braid tube. The endoscope further includes a caulking member which caulks the end of the braid tube from the outside of the connection mouth ring in a state held therebetween. The end of the helical tube is connected by thermal action to the connection mouth ring, and a part where the end of the helical tube is connected to the connection mouth ring is positioned differently along the axis of the connection mouth ring from a part where the end of the braid tube is caulked against the connection mouth ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeki Matsuo, Yasushi Machida
  • Patent number: 9345390
    Abstract: In an endoscope flexible tube and an endoscope device of the present invention, an endoscope flexible tube which exhibits flexibility to be inserted into a body cavity includes a bending portion formed at a distal end side, a first flexible tube portion connected in series to a proximal end of the bending portion, and a second flexible tube portion connected in series to a proximal end of the first flexible tube portion. When the bending portion and the first flexible tube portion pass a flexed portion of the body cavity, a curvature radius of the first flexible tube portion which is passively bent under a predetermined force is set to be larger than a curvature radius of the bending portion in a maximum bent state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shigeki Matsuo
  • Patent number: 8905919
    Abstract: An endoscope includes a distal rigid portion, a bending portion comprising a first bending portion and a second bending portion and a flexible tube portion. The endoscope further includes an operation wire, a wire guide member, a bending operation portion. The endoscope further includes a regulation wire, the regulation wire being longer than the bending portion, the regulation wire being inserted through the first bending portion and the second bending portion, the regulation wire being provided to face the operation wire in the diametrical direction of the bending portion, the regulation wire regulating the bending of the bending portion so that the second bending portion is bent in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the first bending portion and the bending portion is bent in an S-shape when the first bending portion is bent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Shigeki Matsuo, Suguru Okaniwa
  • Publication number: 20140088356
    Abstract: An endoscope includes a distal rigid portion, a bending portion comprising a first bending portion and a second bending portion and a flexible tube portion. The endoscope further includes an operation wire, a wire guide member, a bending operation portion. The endoscope further includes a regulation wire, the regulation wire being longer than the bending portion, the regulation wire being inserted through the first bending portion and the second bending portion, the regulation wire being provided to face the operation wire in the diametrical direction of the bending portion, the regulation wire regulating the bending of the bending portion so that the second bending portion is bent in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the first bending portion and the bending portion is bent in an S-shape when the first bending portion is bent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Shigeki MATSUO, Suguru OKANIWA
  • Publication number: 20130303854
    Abstract: An endoscope includes a flexible tube and a connection mouth ring. The flexible tube includes a helical tube, a braid tube disposed outside the helical tube, and an outer tube disposed outside the braid tube. The endoscope further includes a caulking member which caulks the end of the braid tube from the outside of the connection mouth ring in a state held therebetween. The end of the helical tube is connected by thermal action to the connection mouth ring, and a part where the end of the helical tube is connected to the connection mouth ring is positioned differently along the axis of the connection mouth ring from a part where the end of the braid tube is caulked against the connection mouth ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventors: Shigeki Matsuo, Yasushi Machida
  • Publication number: 20130170513
    Abstract: The present invention provides a laser beam control apparatus including: beam optical systems 33 and 34 for dividing a laser beam into a principal beam P and an auxiliary beam S and then for crossing the principal beam P and the auxiliary beam S; polarizing devices 36 and 37 for converting the laser beam before the division process into a linearly-polarized beam or converting the laser beams after the division process into linearly-polarized beams; a polarization direction change element 38 for changing the polarization direction of either one or both of the principal beam P and the auxiliary beam S; an optical gate element 35 provided at the intersection of the principal beam P and the auxiliary beam S and made of a material that exhibits the optical Kerr effect; and a polarization filter 39 for taking out from the principal beam P which has passed through the optical gate element 35 only a beam polarized in a predetermined direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Publication date: July 4, 2013
    Applicant: THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKUSHIMA
    Inventor: Shigeki Matsuo
  • Patent number: 8317684
    Abstract: An endoscope includes a flexible tube having a helical tube in which a thin strip plate is helically wound, a braid tube covering the outside of the helical tube, and a flexible outer tube covering the outside of the braid tube, a connection mouth ring plastically deformed and fixed to an end of the flexible tube, and a helical tube displacement preventing portion which prevents displacement of the strip plate of the helical tube at the end of the flexible tube to which the connection mouth ring is fixed, when the connection mouth ring is fixed to the end of the flexible tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Shigeki Matsuo, Takatoshi Umeta, Shigeru Kosuki
  • Patent number: 8206287
    Abstract: A flexible tube for an endoscope and an endoscope device are provided. According to the present invention, a flexible tube for an endoscope is included in an insertion portion of the endoscope to be inserted into a body cavity and the flexible tube for the endoscope includes a bending portion provided at a distal end side and configured to perform a bending operation corresponding to an operation of an operator, and a flexible tube portion having a distal end and a proximal end and the distal end is connected to a proximal end side of the bending portion. The bending portion has a region that is bent at a first curvature radius when the bending portion is maximally bent, and at the distal end side of the flexible tube portion, a region that is set to be bent at a second curvature radius smaller than the first curvature radius when the bending portion is passively bent by a predetermined force quantity is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeki Matsuo
  • Publication number: 20100168519
    Abstract: In an endoscope flexible tube and an endoscope device of the present invention, an endoscope flexible tube which exhibits flexibility to be inserted into a body cavity includes a bending portion formed at a distal end side, a first flexible tube portion connected in series to a proximal end of the bending portion, and a second flexible tube portion connected in series to a proximal end of the first flexible tube portion. When the bending portion and the first flexible tube portion pass a flexed portion of the body cavity, a curvature radius of the first flexible tube portion which is passively bent under a predetermined force is set to be larger than a curvature radius of the bending portion in a maximum bent state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeki Matsuo
  • Patent number: 7728500
    Abstract: In an electrodeless discharge lamp suitable for use at a place with unfavorable environmental conditions or at a place where lamp replacement is difficult, the replacement of a lamp unit is facilitated and the lamp unit is prevented from falling off from a power coupler unit even if there is component deterioration caused by long-term use. A metallic elastic member is provided near a position on a metallic heat conduction member of the power coupler unit that is farthest from an electromagnetic field generating portion. In addition to an ordinary coupling structure between the power coupler unit and a coupling member, the elastic member is engaged with the coupling member of the lamp unit. When the lamp unit is mounted on or removed from the power coupler unit, a bulb of the lamp unit is turned relative to the power coupler unit about the axis and moved forward/backward in the direction of the axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ogasawara, Hidenori Kakehashi, Ryusuke Ura, Hiroshi Miyasaki, Keisuke Harada, Yoshinobu Shibata, Shigeki Matsuo, Kazuhiko Sakai
  • Patent number: 7719173
    Abstract: An electrodeless discharge lamp has a bulb into which a discharge gas and a mercury, which is controlled at a temperature of a coldest spot are filled. A power coupler generates a high frequency electromagnetic field. A ferrule couples the bulb and the power coupler. The bulb is configured as a substantially spherical barrel formed of a transparent material and has an opening. A sealing member is welded to the opening of the barrel having a substantially cylindrical cavity. A protrusion, which becomes the coldest spot when the lamp is lit in a state that the ferrule is disposed upward, is formed at an apex of the bulb. A protruding portion is formed in a vicinity just above the ferrule of the bulb, that is, in a bulb neck portion, so that the bulb neck portion becomes the coldest spot when the lamp is lit in a state that the ferrule is disposed downward. Thereby, a constant optical output is obtained, regardless of a posture of installation of the electrodeless discharge lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Tsuzuki, Kazuhiko Sakai, Shin Ukegawa, Shigeki Matsuo
  • Publication number: 20090281384
    Abstract: In order to provide a rotating self-propelling endoscope and an endoscope system capable of easily achieving miniaturization of an operation portion by using a small-sized motor, and configured to obtain sufficient propulsive force with a smaller motor torque, the endoscope of the invention comprises a flexible elongate endoscope insertion portion insertable into a subject's body; and a flexible propulsive force generating portion rotatable on an outer circumferential side of the endoscope insertion portion and having a helically shaped portion on an outer circumferential surface of the flexible propulsive force generating portion, wherein the helically shaped portion has a lead angle that is set to be in a range from not less than 9 degrees to not more than 15 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS, CORP.
    Inventors: Masayo Tsumaru, Shigeki Matsuo
  • Publication number: 20090171145
    Abstract: An endoscope includes a flexible tube and a connection mouth ring. The flexible tube includes a helical tube, a braid tube disposed outside the helical tube, and an outer tube disposed outside the braid tube. The endoscope further includes a caulking member which caulks the end of the braid tube from the outside of the connection mouth ring in a state held therebetween. The end of the helical tube is connected by thermal action to the connection mouth ring, and a part where the end of the helical tube is connected to the connection mouth ring is positioned differently along the axis of the connection mouth ring from a part where the end of the braid tube is caulked against the connection mouth ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Shigeki Matsuo, Yasushi Machida
  • Publication number: 20090171158
    Abstract: An endoscope includes a flexible tube having a helical tube in which a thin strip plate is helically wound, a braid tube covering the outside of the helical tube, and a flexible outer tube covering the outside of the braid tube, a connection mouth ring plastically deformed and fixed to an end of the flexible tube, and a helical tube displacement preventing portion which prevents displacement of the strip plate of the helical tube at the end of the flexible tube to which the connection mouth ring is fixed, when the connection mouth ring is fixed to the end of the flexible tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Shigeki Matsuo, Takatoshi Umeta, Shigeru Kosuki
  • Patent number: 7542186
    Abstract: A method of 3D holographic recording by using a very simple optical system includes dividing a femto-second laser pulse into a plurality of light beams by a diffraction beam splitter, focusing four light beams selected from the divided plurality of light beams, controlling each optical phase of the selected four light beams by a phase retarder, and further focusing these four light beams into a sample comprised of a photosensitive material capable of multi-photon exposure so that the photosensitive material is exposed to the interference among the four light beams and multi-photon absorption in the sample is induced, thus recording a 3D phase hologram on the irradiated portion of the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Japan Science and Technology Agency
    Inventors: Hiroaki Misawa, Saulius Juodkazis, Shigeki Matsuo, Toshiaki Kondo
  • Publication number: 20090051291
    Abstract: In an electrodeless discharge lamp 1 comprising a bulb 10 into which discharge gas and mercury which is controlled at a temperature of a coldest spot are filled, a power coupler 20 generating high frequency electromagnetic field, and a ferrule 15 for coupling the bulb 10 and the power coupler 20, the bulb 10 is configured of a substantially spherical barrel 14 formed of a transparent material and having an opening, and a sealing member 11 welded to the opening of the barrel 14 and having a substantially cylindrical cavity 5; a protrusion 4, which becomes a coldest spot when the lamp is lit in a state that the ferrule 15 is disposed upward, is formed at an apex of the bulb 10; and a protruding portion 17 is formed in a vicinity of just above the ferrule 15 of the bulb 10, that is, in a bulb neck portion 19 so that the bulb neck portion 19 becomes the coldest spot when the lamp is lit in a state that the ferrule 15 is disposed downward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2006
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Tsuzuki, Kazuhiko Sakai, Shin Ukegawa, Shigeki Matsuo
  • Publication number: 20080214897
    Abstract: A flexible tube for an endoscope and an endoscope device are provided. According to the present invention, a flexible tube for an endoscope is included in an insertion portion of the endoscope to be inserted into a body cavity and the flexible tube for the endoscope includes a bending portion provided at a distal end side and configured to perform a bending operation corresponding to an operation of an operator, and a flexible tube portion having a distal end and a proximal end and the distal end is connected to a proximal end side of the bending portion. The bending portion has a region that is bent at a first curvature radius when the bending portion is maximally bent, and at the distal end side of the flexible tube portion, a region that is set to be bent at a second curvature radius smaller than the first curvature radius when the bending portion is passively bent by a predetermined force quantity is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Inventor: Shigeki Matsuo
  • Publication number: 20070262730
    Abstract: In an electrodeless discharge lamp suitable for use at a place with unfavorable environmental conditions or at a place where lamp replacement is difficult, the replacement of a lamp unit is facilitated and the lamp unit is prevented from falling off from a power coupler unit even if there is component deterioration caused by long-term use. A metallic elastic member is provided near a position on a metallic heat conduction member of the power coupler unit that is farthest from an electromagnetic field generating portion. In addition to an ordinary coupling structure between the power coupler unit and a coupling member, the elastic member is engaged with the coupling member of the lamp unit. When the lamp unit is mounted on or removed from the power coupler unit, a bulb of the lamp unit is turned relative to the power coupler unit about the axis and moved forward/backward in the direction of the axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Publication date: November 15, 2007
    Applicants: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD., IKEDA ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ogasawara, Hidenori Kakehashi, Ryusuke Ura, Hiroshi Miyasaki, Keisuke Harada, Yoshinobu Shibata, Shigeki Matsuo, Kazuhiko Sakai
  • Publication number: 20070112250
    Abstract: An insertion support tool which is detachably attached to a large-intestine endoscope including an elongated inserting portion which is inserted into a lumen is provided, and an external sheath which is extendable and contractible in an inserting direction of the inserting portion and a cover member which is arranged outside the external sheath and held in a state where it covers the external sheath when the external sheath is contracted are provided to this insertion support tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2005
    Publication date: May 17, 2007
    Inventors: Yasuhito Kura, Katsutaka Adachi, Shigeki Matsuo, Tsutomu Ishiguro, Ryuichi Toyama