Patents by Inventor Shinji Minamisawa
Shinji Minamisawa 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).
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Publication number: 20160231641Abstract: An optical unit may include a movable module holding an optical element having an optical axis; a fixed body comprising; a support mechanism swingably supporting the movable module; a drive mechanism structured to swing the movable module; and a flexible circuit board connected with the movable module and fixed body. The flexible circuit board may include a leading-out part extending from the movable module on a first side of the optical axis; a first extended part extending from the leading-out part to a second side of the optical axis; a first curved part which is curved from a tip end side of the first extended part toward a rear side; a second extended part extending from the first curved part toward the first side; and a fixed part of the second extended part connected with the fixed body on the first side of optical axis.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 5, 2014Publication date: August 11, 2016Inventors: Shinji MINAMISAWA, Toshiyuki KARASAWA, Shinroku ASAKAWA, Yoshihiro HAMADA, Takeshi SUE
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Publication number: 20160170227Abstract: An optical unit may include an optical module; a fixed body including a body part surrounding the optical module; a gimbal mechanism swingably supporting the optical module around a first axial line and a second axial line intersecting the optical axis direction and the first axial line; a shake correction drive mechanism including a coil and a magnet between a side face of the optical module and a side face of the body part; and a plate-shaped spring which is connected with the optical module and the fixed body to determine posture of the optical module when the shake correction drive mechanism is set in a stopped state. When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction, the gimbal mechanism and the plate-shaped spring may be provided at positions overlapping with the shake correction drive mechanism.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2014Publication date: June 16, 2016Inventor: Shinji MINAMISAWA
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Publication number: 20160124242Abstract: Provided is an optical unit with a shake correction function, said optical unit being capable of ensuring a space wherein a drive mechanism and the like are positioned between a side surface of an optical module and a side surface of a stationary body, even when the optical module is supported by a gimbal mechanism in such a manner as to be able to swing with respect to the stationary body. In the optical unit, a gimbal mechanism is disposed by utilizing corners of an optical module and corners of a square tube-shaped body section of a stationary body. In other words, the optical unit is configured in such a manner that: a rectangular movable frame is positioned between a rectangular second frame of the optical module and a rectangular frame secured to the square tube-shaped body section); and a first corner and a third corner of the movable frame are swingably supported by corners of the rectangular frame.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2014Publication date: May 5, 2016Inventor: Shinji MINAMISAWA
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Patent number: 9332188Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an optical unit with camera-shake correction function capable of minimizing the load applied to a movable element from a flexible wiring substrate even when the movable element is oscillated, in order to correct camera shake. In an optical unit provided with a camera-shake correction function, a movable element can be oscillated about an oscillation support point by actuating a drive mechanism for camera-shake correction, and camera shake can therefore be corrected.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 2012Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATIONInventors: Yuichi Takei, Shinji Minamisawa, Tatsuki Wade, Shinroku Asakawa
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Patent number: 9291832Abstract: Provided is an optical unit with shake correction function wherein it is possible to accurately swing the movable module even when a flexible wiring substrate is connected to the fixing element and movable module. In an optical unit with shake correction function, folding portions, the extending direction of which is reversed towards the vicinity of the swinging support point of a movable module, are provided at the midway portion of a flexible wiring substrate that is connected to the movable module and to a fixing element. In the folding portions, the overlapping portions of the flexible wiring substrate are fixed.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2011Date of Patent: March 22, 2016Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATIONInventors: Shinji Minamisawa, Hisahiro Ishihara, Tatsuki Wade, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Shinroku Asakawa, Yoshihiro Hamada, Toshiyuki Karasawa
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Publication number: 20150370086Abstract: An optical device may include a movable part including a lens; a holding part to hold the movable part; and a drive mechanism to drive the movable part. The holding part may include a case body. The drive mechanism may include a plurality of drive magnets; a plurality of sheet-shaped coils including a coil part; and a flexible printed circuit board including a coil attaching part. A plurality of the sheet-shaped coils may be attached to one face of the coil attaching part. A thickness of the coil attaching part is thinner than the sheet-shaped coil. A width of the coil attaching part may be narrower than a width of the sheet-shaped coil.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2013Publication date: December 24, 2015Inventors: Yoshihiro HAMADA, Shinroku ASAKAWA, Tatsuki WADE, Shinji MINAMISAWA
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Patent number: 9185296Abstract: Provided is an optical unit with a blur correction function, wherein even when a photoreflector and a drive mechanism for blur correction are provided in a movable module provided with an optical element, sizes in an optical axis direction and a direction crossing the optical axis direction can be prevented from increasing. In an optical unit (100) with a blur correction function, a drive mechanism (500) for blur correction is provided between the outer peripheral surface of an image capturing unit (1) and a fixed body (200) (upper cover (250)), and a first photoreflector (580) and a second photoreflector (590) are provided between a bottom portion (substrate (15)) of the image capturing unit (1) and the fixed body (200) (lower cover (700)), between which a swing support (180) is provided.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2015Date of Patent: November 10, 2015Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATIONInventors: Tatsuki Wade, Shinroku Asakawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Toshiyuki Karasawa, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Yoshihiro Hamada, Hayato Naito, Ryoji Komatsu, Hisahiro Ishihara
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Publication number: 20150277138Abstract: An optical unit may include a movable body holding an optical element; a fixed body surrounding the movable body; a plate-shaped spring member with a fixed body side connection part, a movable body side connection part, and an arm part which connects the fixed body side connection part with the movable body side connection part; and a drive mechanism to displace the movable body. The cover may be provided with a side plate part. The fixed body side connection part may include a frame part; and a plurality of protruded parts protruded from the frame part. The protruded parts may be separately provided from each other for every welding portion and an entire tip end side of the protruded part is formed as a melted part by welding.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 21, 2013Publication date: October 1, 2015Inventors: Kazuhiko Yanagisawa, Shinji Minamisawa
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Publication number: 20150277140Abstract: An optical unit with a shake correction function may include a movable module holding an optical element, a support body including a body part surrounding the movable module, a gimbal mechanism including a movable frame having elasticity and configured to swingably support the movable module between the movable module and the support body, a spring member connected to the movable module and the support body for holding posture of the movable module, and a shake correction drive mechanism configured to swing the movable module. When a natural vibration frequency of the movable frame is “fa”, a natural vibration frequency of the spring member is “fb”, and a vibration frequency band of a movable body on which the support body is mounted is “fw”, the natural vibration frequency “fa” and the natural vibration frequency “fb” are shifted from the vibration frequency band “fw”.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 26, 2015Publication date: October 1, 2015Inventor: Shinji MINAMISAWA
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Patent number: 9116361Abstract: An optical unit may include a fixed body, a movable module which holds an optical element, a swing support point which swingably supports the movable module, and a shake correction drive mechanism structured to swing the movable module with the swing support point as a swing center. The swing support point may be structured of an abutted portion of two members in an optical axis direction between a bottom part of the movable module and a bottom part of the fixed body. At least one of the two members may be made of elastic material.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2011Date of Patent: August 25, 2015Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATIONInventors: Shinji Minamisawa, Shinroku Asakawa, Tatsuki Wade, Toshiyuki Karasawa, Hisahiro Ishihara
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Patent number: 9049375Abstract: An optical unit may include a fixed body; a movable module which holds an optical element; a swing support point which swingably supports the movable module; a shake correction drive mechanism which swings the movable module with the swing support point as a swing center around two axial lines intersecting an optical axis direction of the optical element between an outer peripheral face of the movable module and the fixed body; a first photo reflector provided between a bottom part of the movable module and the fixed body at a position superposing on one of the two axial lines and that detects displacement of the movable module; and a second photo reflector provided between the bottom part of the movable module and the fixed body at a position superposing on the other of the two axial lines and that detects displacement of the movable module.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2011Date of Patent: June 2, 2015Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATIONInventors: Tatsuki Wade, Shinroku Asakawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Toshiyuki Karasawa, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Yoshihiro Hamada, Hayato Naito, Ryoji Komatsu, Hisahiro Ishihara
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Patent number: 9042042Abstract: The lens drive device is equipped with a first supporting body that holds the lens and is movable in the direction of the optical axis, a second supporting body that holds the first supporting body, a fixed body that holds the second supporting body in a manner enabling movement in directions that are roughly orthogonal to the optical axis direction, a first drive mechanism for driving the first supporting body, a second drive mechanism for driving the second supporting body in a first direction, and a third drive mechanism for driving the second supporting body in a second direction. The first supporting body is supported by the second supporting body by means of first supporting members which are formed from an elastic material; and the second supporting body is supported by the fixed body by means of second supporting members, which are formed from an elastic material.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2010Date of Patent: May 26, 2015Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATIONInventors: Tatsuki Wade, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Tadashi Takeda, Kiyoshi Miyazaki, Hisahiro Ishihara
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Publication number: 20150131153Abstract: The lens drive device is equipped with a first supporting body that holds the lens and is movable in the direction of the optical axis, a second supporting body that holds the first supporting body, a fixed body that holds the second supporting body in a manner enabling movement in directions that are roughly orthogonal to the optical axis direction, a first drive mechanism for driving the first supporting body, a second drive mechanism for driving the second supporting body in a first direction, and a third drive mechanism for driving the second supporting body in a second direction. The first supporting body is supported by the second supporting body by means of first supporting members (8, 9), which are formed from an elastic material; and the second supporting body is supported by the fixed body by means of second supporting members, which are formed from an elastic material.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 7, 2015Publication date: May 14, 2015Inventors: Tatsuki WADE, Katsushige YANAGISAWA, Shinji MINAMISAWA, Tadashi TAKEDA, Kiyoshi MIYAZAKI, Hisahiro ISHIHARA
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Publication number: 20150124108Abstract: Provided is an optical unit with a blur correction function, wherein even when a photoreflector and a drive mechanism for blur correction are provided in a movable module provided with an optical element, sizes in an optical axis direction and a direction crossing the optical axis direction can be prevented from increasing. In an optical unit (100) with a blur correction function, a drive mechanism (500) for blur correction is provided between the outer peripheral surface of an image capturing unit (1) and a fixed body (200) (upper cover (250)), and a first photoreflector (580) and a second photoreflector (590) are provided between a bottom portion (substrate (15)) of the image capturing unit (1) and the fixed body (200) (lower cover (700)), between which a swing support (180) is provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2015Publication date: May 7, 2015Inventors: Tatsuki WADE, Shinroku ASAKAWA, Shinji MINAMISAWA, Toshiyuki KARASAWA, Katsushige YANAGISAWA, Yoshihiro HAMADA, Hayato NAITO, Ryoji KOMATSU, Hisahiro ISHIHARA
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Patent number: 8860828Abstract: An optical unit may include a fixed body; a movable module which holds an optical element; and a shake correction drive mechanism which is structured to generate a drive force for swinging the movable module with respect to the fixed body. The shake correction drive mechanism may include a plurality of permanent magnets which are provided on an outer peripheral face of the movable module at positions separated in a circumferential direction around an optical axis of the optical element; and a sheet-shaped coil which is extended in a circumferential direction in the fixed body and is integrally provided with a plurality of coil parts facing the permanent magnets and a terminal part electrically connected with the coil parts.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2011Date of Patent: October 14, 2014Assignee: Nidec Sankyo CorporationInventors: Tatsuki Wade, Shinroku Asakawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Yoshihiro Hamada
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Publication number: 20140139693Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an optical unit with camera-shake correction function capable of minimizing the load applied to a movable element from a flexible wiring substrate even when the movable element is oscillated, in order to correct camera shake. In an optical unit provided with a camera-shake correction function, a movable element can be oscillated about an oscillation support point by actuating a drive mechanism for camera-shake correction, and camera shake can therefore be corrected.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 3, 2012Publication date: May 22, 2014Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATIONInventors: Yuichi Takei, Shinji Minamisawa, Tatsuki Wade, Shinroku Asakawa
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Patent number: 8682151Abstract: Disclosed is an optical unit with a shake correction function which is capable of suppressing interference with swinging of a movable module due to the rigidity of a wiring material and a repelling force generated when the wiring material is deformed, even when the wiring material is extended from the movable module. The optical unit uses a flexible wiring board as the wiring material for electrically interconnecting the movable module and outside. In the flexible wiring board, the connecting portion of a movable-side connecting section and an extending unit is provided, in the optical axis direction, on a side where the swing center of the movable module is positioned with respect to the position of the center of supporting a spring member to the movable module. The swing center, the connecting portion, and a fixed-side connecting section are at the same position in the optical axis direction.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2010Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Nidec Sankyo CorporationInventors: Shinji Minamisawa, Yoshihiro Hamada, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Shinroku Asakawa, Hisahiro Ishihara, Tadashi Takeda, Kiyoshi Miyazaki
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Patent number: 8660416Abstract: An optical unit with a shake correcting function may include a fixed body, a movable body holding an optical element, a swing support point which supports the movable body so that the movable body is capable of swinging, a spring member formed in a plate shape for urging the movable body toward the swing support point, a shake correction drive mechanism structured to swing the movable body with the swing support point as a swing center, a first stopper part which is protruded in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction on a front side in the optical axis direction of the movable body with respect to the spring member for determining a moving range of the movable body, and a second stopper part which is structured to face the first stopper part in the optical axis direction through the spring member on the rear side in the optical axis direction of the fixed body with respect to the spring member for determining a moving range of the movable body in the optical axis direction by restricting moveType: GrantFiled: October 31, 2012Date of Patent: February 25, 2014Assignee: Nidec Sankyo CorporationInventors: Shinroku Asakawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Tatsuki Wade
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Patent number: 8571399Abstract: An imaging optical device may include a movable module having a lens drive device on which a lens and an imaging element are mounted; a support body for supporting the movable module; a rocking drive mechanism for rocking the movable module; and a plate spring for rockably supporting the movable module. The plate spring is provided with a holding section for holding the movable module, a fixed section fixed to the support body, and a spring section for connecting the holding section and the fixed section to each other. The spring section can deform in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis and in the direction of the optical axis.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2009Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Nidec Sankyo CorporationInventors: Shinji Minamisawa, Toshiyuki Karasawa, Yuichi Takei, Tadashi Takeda, Akihiro Nagata, Hisahiro Ishihara, Kiyoshi Miyazaki, Katsushige Yanagisawa
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Publication number: 20130215284Abstract: An optical unit may include a fixed body; a movable module which holds an optical element; and a shake correction drive mechanism which is structured to generate a drive force for swinging the movable module with respect to the fixed body. The shake correction drive mechanism may include a plurality of permanent magnets which are provided on an outer peripheral face of the movable module at positions separated in a circumferential direction around an optical axis of the optical element; and a sheet-shaped coil which is extended in a circumferential direction in the fixed body and is integrally provided with a plurality of coil parts facing the permanent magnets and a terminal part electrically connected with the coil parts.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 24, 2011Publication date: August 22, 2013Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATIONInventors: Tatsuki Wade, Shinroku Asakawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Yoshihiro Hamada