Patents by Inventor Takahiro NAMBARA

Takahiro NAMBARA 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: 11474349
    Abstract: A light guide unit includes a first phase shifter disposed on the optical path to convert the display light as the linear polarized light from the projection unit into a circularly polarized light and including a reflection surface directed to the projection member and capable of reflecting a light from the projection member side to the projection member, a second phase shifter disposed on the projection member side of the first phase shifter on the optical path and giving a ΒΌ wavelength phase difference to the display light converted into the circularly polarized light by the first phase shifter to convert the display light into a linear polarized light, and a linear polarizer on the projection member side of the second phase shifter on the optical path. The linear polarizer guides the display light converted into the linear polarized light by the second phase shifter toward the projection member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Nambara
  • Patent number: 11397321
    Abstract: A head-up display device includes a light emitting device array, an image formation unit, and an optical member. The light emitting device array includes multiple light emitting devices to emit illumination light and arrayed in a device array direction. The image formation unit forms an image according to illumination of an illumination light and emits the image as a display light. The optical member includes a diverging unit located in an optical path between the light emitting device array and the image formation unit and exerts a diverging action in the device array direction on the illumination light. The diverging unit includes one or more refractive surfaces to refract the illumination light while exerting a diverging action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Nambara
  • Patent number: 11385462
    Abstract: A head-up display device includes: an illumination light source unit configured to emit illumination light; an image forming unit configured to form the image by partial transmission of the illumination light and to emit the image as the display light; and an anisotropic diffusion unit disposed on an optical path between the illumination light source unit and the image forming unit to diffuse the illumination light at an anisotropic diffusion angle. When the image is displayed as a virtual image, the image is defined to have an image up-down axis in a direction along an up-down direction of the vehicle and an image left-right axis perpendicular to the image up-down axis. The diffusion angle in the anisotropic diffusion unit is larger in a direction corresponding to the image left-right axis than in a direction corresponding to the image up-down axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TSUJIDEN Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Nambara, Ryu Saeki
  • Publication number: 20220026712
    Abstract: A virtual image display device includes a backlight and an image display panel that displays an image to be imaged as a virtual image on a display screen. The backlight has a deflection prism array on an optical path between a light source unit and the image display panel. The deflection prism array includes deflection prism elements to deflect the illumination light, and deflects a direction of an after-transmission vector corresponding to a Poynting vector of the illumination light immediately after passing through the deflection prism array with respect to a direction of a before-transmission vector corresponding to a Poynting vector of the illumination light immediately before passing through the deflection prism array. An angle between a unit normal vector of the display screen and the after-transmission vector is larger than an angle between the unit normal vector of the display screen and the before-transmission vector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Inventor: Takahiro NAMBARA
  • Patent number: 11169375
    Abstract: A lighting unit includes a light source configured to radiate a light, a circuit board on which the light source is mounted, and multiple stages of condenser lenses configured to condense the radiation light radiated from the light source. A first-stage lens that is located closest to the light source and given a maximum positive power among the multiple stages of condenser lenses has a partition wall portion and a positioning portion. The partition wall portion partitions an accommodation space in which the light source is accommodated in a range from a composite focal point of the multiple stages of condenser lenses to the first-stage lens by projection toward the circuit board side. The positioning portion 222 is provided on the partition wall portion and positioned relative to the circuit board by concavo-convex fitting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Nambara
  • Publication number: 20210278663
    Abstract: A head-up display device includes a light emitting device array, an image formation unit, and an optical member. The light emitting device array includes multiple light emitting devices to emit illumination light and arrayed in a device array direction. The image formation unit forms an image according to illumination of an illumination light and emits the image as a display light. The optical member includes a diverging unit located in an optical path between the light emitting device array and the image formation unit and exerts a diverging action in the device array direction on the illumination light. The diverging unit includes one or more refractive surfaces to refract the illumination light while exerting a diverging action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2017
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventor: Takahiro NAMBARA
  • Patent number: 11067798
    Abstract: A head-up display device that displays a virtual image to be viewable by an occupant in a movable body includes: a light source part which emits light source light; a liquid crystal panel integrally having a pair of polarizers for liquid crystals and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the polarizers in a stacked state; and an additional polarizer arranged in an optical path between the light source part and the liquid crystal panel. The additional polarizer and the pair of polarizers for liquid crystals have properties of transmitting polarized light along a transmission axis and shielding polarized light along a shielding axis which intersects the transmission axis. The additional polarizer is arranged such that the transmission axis and the shielding axis respectively match those of a polarizer for liquid crystals adjacent to the light source part, of the pair of polarizers for liquid crystals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yu Togasaki, Takahiro Nambara
  • Patent number: 11002962
    Abstract: A light guide unit guides a display light toward a projection member. A multilayer film filter unit transmits the display light with an optical multilayer film and shields an external light incident from a projection window. In the XYZ color system, a first wavelength region is between a wavelength having a maximum value of a color matching function Z and a wavelength having a maximum value of a color matching function Y. A second wavelength region is between the wavelength having the maximum value of the color matching function Y and a wavelength having a maximum value of a color matching function X. A minimum transmittance of the multilayer film filter unit to the display light takes a minimum value among transmittances of respective wavelengths in a target wavelength region. The minimum transmittance in the first wavelength region is smaller than that in the second wavelength region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junya Yokoe, Takahiro Nambara
  • Patent number: 10920958
    Abstract: An illumination light from each light emitting device illuminates a corresponding region of an image forming unit to form an image. A light condensing unit has multiple lens elements paired with the respective light emitting devices. Each condenser lens element has a light condensing surface to condense the illumination light. A z-direction is a direction connecting a surface vertex of the light condensing surface with the light emitting device paired with the surface vertex. An x-direction and a y-direction are orthogonal to each other on a virtual plane orthogonal to the z-direction. The pair of the condenser lens element and the light emitting device is aligned in at least one of the x-direction and the y-direction. Each light condensing surface is formed in a convex shape in which a curvature in the x-direction and a curvature in the y-direction are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Nambara
  • Patent number: 10793003
    Abstract: Light emitting devices are aligned along one alignment direction. A first diffusion plate diffuses the illumination light from each of the light emitting devices. A condensing unit exerts a condensing action on the illumination light diffused with the first diffusion plate in a vertical direction perpendicular to the alignment direction. An image forming unit has an illumination target surface illuminated with the illumination light, which is condensed with the condensing unit, and allows a part of the illumination light incident on the illumination target surface to pass therethrough to form the image and to emit display light of the image as a light flux. A second diffusion plate is located on an optical path between the condensing unit and the image forming unit to again diffuse the illumination light condensed with the condensing unit and to cause the diffused illumination light to incident on the illumination target surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Nambara, Mami Shiomi
  • Patent number: 10739587
    Abstract: A projector projects a polarized light of an image. A light guide portion guides the light toward a projection member. A polarizing plate on an optical path has a transmission axis along which transmittance of the polarized light becomes maximum. An image longitudinal direction is along a vertical direction of a vehicle. An image lateral direction is perpendicular to the image longitudinal direction. A projection polarization azimuth angle is an azimuth angle of a polarization direction of the light relative to the image lateral direction. A transmission axis azimuth angle is an azimuth angle of the transmission axis of the polarizing plate relative to the image lateral direction. The polarizing plate makes the projection polarization azimuth angle different from the transmission axis azimuth angle to tilt the polarization direction of the light of the image relative to both of the image longitudinal direction and the image lateral direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayuki Yamaguchi, Takahiro Nambara
  • Patent number: 10732419
    Abstract: A head-up display device is configured to project a display light, which is to be reflected by a concave image forming reflection surface, onto a combiner having the image forming reflection surface a combiner to display a virtual image visible to an occupant. The combiner is located above an upper surface portion of the instrument panel. The projector is configured to project a display light in the form of a light beam. A light guide mirror has a light guide reflection surface and is configured to reflect the display light from the projector toward the image forming reflection surface. The light guide reflection surface is convex.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Nambara
  • Patent number: 10698210
    Abstract: A light guide unit has a cold mirror unit to guide display light toward a projection window. In an XYZ color system, a wavelength region between a wavelength at which a value of a color matching function Z is maximum and a wavelength at which a value of the color matching function Y is maximum is a first wavelength region, and a wavelength region between a wavelength at which a value of a color matching function Y is maximum and a wavelength at which a value of a color matching function X is maximum is a second wavelength region. A minimum reflectance of the cold mirror unit to the display light takes a minimum value among reflectances of the respective wavelengths in a corresponding wavelength region. The minimum reflectance in the second wavelength region is larger than the minimum reflectance in the first wavelength region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junya Yokoe, Takahiro Nambara
  • Publication number: 20200174253
    Abstract: A head-up display device includes: an illumination light source unit configured to emit illumination light; an image forming unit configured to form the image by partial transmission of the illumination light and to emit the image as the display light; and an anisotropic diffusion unit disposed on an optical path between the illumination light source unit and the image forming unit to diffuse the illumination light at an anisotropic diffusion angle. When the image is displayed as a virtual image, the image is defined to have an image up-down axis in a direction along an up-down direction of the vehicle and an image left-right axis perpendicular to the image up-down axis. The diffusion angle in the anisotropic diffusion unit is larger in a direction corresponding to the image left-right axis than in a direction corresponding to the image up-down axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventor: Takahiro NAMBARA
  • Patent number: 10670863
    Abstract: A head-up display device includes an illumination optical system, an imaging optical system and a reflective optical system. The illumination optical system emits a source light indicating information. The imaging optical system projects the source light to a projection surface. The reflective optical system has a dielectric multilayer film, and is configured so that a retardation of a subject wavelength including at least a part of wavelengths of the source light from the illumination optical system is in a range greater than ??/2 [rad] and smaller than ?/2 [rad]. The reflective optical system is arranged on a path from the illumination optical system to the imaging system so that a polarization axis of the source light from the illumination optical system defines an angle ? satisfying a relation of 0 degree <?<90 degrees <?<180 degrees, relative to an incident surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junya Yokoe, Takahiro Nambara
  • Patent number: 10663723
    Abstract: A head-up display device reflects a display light on a projection member to display a virtual image. A light condensing unit causes condensation and collimates an illumination light from a light source unit. A liquid crystal element includes forms an image illuminated with the illumination light. The liquid crystal element emits the display light of the image in a light flux form in an emission direction corresponding to an incident direction of the illumination light. A positive optical element has a positive refractive power. A negative optical element has a negative refractive power. Both of the optical elements are located on the optical path and guide the display light from the liquid crystal element toward the projection member to enlarge a virtual image. The negative optical element on the optical path is located closer to the liquid crystal element than the positive optical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Nambara
  • Patent number: 10606074
    Abstract: A HUD apparatus is provided. The HUD apparatus is provided with: an optical source part having a light emission element; a condenser lens, which faces the optical source part, and collects light source light; a field lens, which further collects the light source light transmitted from the condenser lens side, and which projects light at a predetermined angle; and an image formation element, which forms an image when the light source light transmitted from the field lens side is inputted thereto, and which projects light of an image toward the windshield side. The field lens has a composite surface on at least one of the condenser lens side and the image formation element side, the composite surface having multiple continuous optical surfaces. The condenser lens has a diffusion part that diffuses the light source light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Nambara
  • Patent number: 10585282
    Abstract: A head-up display device projects display light of an image on a projection member to virtually display a virtual image of the image. An illumination light source unit emits an illumination light. An image display panel causes the illumination light from the illumination light source unit to pass therethrough to be emitted as a display light from a display surface to display the image. A projection lens is located between the illumination light source unit and the image display panel and projects the illumination light from the illumination light source unit onto the image display panel. The image display panel is tilted so that a normal direction to the display surface intersects with an optical axis of the illumination light source unit. The projection lens is tilted so that a radial direction of the projection lens coincides with a tangential direction to the display surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Nambara
  • Publication number: 20200026073
    Abstract: A light guide unit includes a first phase shifter disposed on the optical path to convert the display light as the linear polarized light from the projection unit into a circularly polarized light and including a reflection surface directed to the projection member and capable of reflecting a light from the projection member side to the projection member, a second phase shifter disposed on the projection member side of the first phase shifter on the optical path and giving a 1/4 wavelength phase difference to the display light converted into the circularly polarized light by the first phase shifter to convert the display light into a linear polarized light, and a linear polarizer on the projection member side of the second phase shifter on the optical path. The linear polarizer guides the display light converted into the linear polarized light by the second phase shifter toward the projection member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventor: Takahiro NAMBARA
  • Patent number: 10437056
    Abstract: A head-up display device virtually displays an image to be viewable by an occupant by projecting the image on a projection member located above an instrument panel of a vehicle in a vehicle upward direction. Assuming that a direction along an up-down direction of the vehicle when the image is virtually displayed is defined as a vertical direction of the image, the head-up display device includes a projector that projects an image as light polarized in a polarization direction intersecting the vertical direction of the image and a reflecting mirror that reflects and redirects the light of the image from the projector toward the projection member, on an optical path between the projector and the projection member, and has a difference between S polarization reflectance and P polarization reflectance for the light from the projector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Nambara, Jyunya Yokoe