Patents by Inventor Toru Iwane

Toru Iwane 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: 7705907
    Abstract: What is disclosed is a display apparatus that introduce an electronic image that is generated electronically into a viewing optical system through which an object is viewed to make the electronic image viewable in such a way as to be superimposed on an image of the object. The electric image forming apparatus has a light source, a micro lens array and scanning means for scanning light from the light source to form an image on the micro lens array. There is disclosed a scanning display apparatus that introduces an image formed on the micro lens and superimpose it on an image of an object and a camera in which an object image formed optically and an electronic image are made viewable in a superimposed manner using the scanning display apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Patent number: 7702237
    Abstract: An observation device capable of observing a first image formed by an objective optical system, includes: a display element into which an illumination light emitted from an illumination source is incident and that generates a second image with the illumination light to superimpose the second image over the first image formed by the objective optical system; a detector that receives the second image to detect information of the second image; and a filter that filters out light of the illumination light advancing to the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20100086293
    Abstract: Disclosed is a focus detecting apparatus detecting an image offset of an optical system. The apparatus comprises a micro lens array arranged with a plurality of micro lenses, a photo-detector having a plurality of detecting elements provided so as to correspond to each of the plurality of micro lenses and receiving an optical beam from the optical system via the micro lenses, and a calculator that selects a pair of detecting elements from the plurality of detecting elements in accordance with a plurality of aperture values of the optical system and calculates an image offset of the optical system based on outputs from the pair of detecting elements. The pair of detecting elements receive respectively a pair of optical beams passing through different areas of the optical system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2009
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Patent number: 7652710
    Abstract: Optical system for guiding subject light incident through a photo-taking lens 20 toward a finder 100 through a prism 90 is prepared and a plate-like diffractive element 50 is provided on the optical path. Light from an LED 70 to be turned on when a focusing state is achieved is introduced into the plate-like diffractive element 50 via a light guide member 60, and “auxiliary light indicating a focusing state” to travel upward in the drawing from the plate-like diffractive element 50 is generated and synthesized with the subject light. The auxiliary light shall have a linear polarization property. The subject image and the focusing state indication can be visually recognized on the finder 100. Part of the light toward the finder 100 is branched through a mirror 110 and then guided toward photometric unit 140. Auxiliary light separating unit 130 for excluding auxiliary light based on the difference in polarization property is provided in front of the photometric unit 140.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignees: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Masachika Watanabe, Yasuyuki Oyagi, Norihisa Moriya, Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20090322970
    Abstract: An optical low-pass filter is constituted with a liquid crystal substrate including a layer of liquid crystal. The optical low-pass filter includes: a first liquid crystal part in which the liquid crystal is aligned along a first direction; and a second liquid crystal part in which the liquid crystal is aligned along a second direction different from the first direction. The first liquid crystal part and the second liquid crystal part are disposed in an alternately repeated fashion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 4, 2007
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20080291445
    Abstract: The spectroscopic instrument includes a plurality of first lenses arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally; an aperture opening provided near a focal plane of each of the plurality of first lenses; a spectroscopic unit that spectrally distribute the light that has passed through the aperture opening; and a light receiving unit that receives the light spectrally distributed by the spectroscopic unit. The image producing device includes: the spectroscopic instrument; an imaging unit that captures an image formed by an imaging optical system; and an image processing unit that acquires a lighting condition from a result of spectroscopy by the spectroscopic instrument and performs color conversion processing depending on the lighting condition on an image captured by the imaging unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2008
    Publication date: November 27, 2008
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20080291390
    Abstract: A color temperature conversion element includes a diffractive optical element that includes a polymer and a liquid crystal and diffracts light with a specific wavelength in incident light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2006
    Publication date: November 27, 2008
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20080237444
    Abstract: A light detection device includes a lens array of a plurality of lenses arranged in the form of a honeycomb; and a photoelectric device array of a plurality of photoelectric devices for each of the plurality of lenses. The plurality of photoelectric devices is arranged under each of the plurality of lenses. Also disclosed are a focus detection device provided with the light detection device, and an imaging apparatus provided with the focus detection device as well as a method of producing such a light detection device and a method of detecting a focus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20080007952
    Abstract: A display element includes a display substrate that comprises a liquid crystal; and a plurality of diffraction gratings having different diffraction modes, arranged in regions of the single display substrate that are different from one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20080002047
    Abstract: Optical system for guiding subject light incident through a photo-taking lens 20 toward a finder 100 through a prism 90 is prepared and a plate-like diffractive element 50 is provided on the optical path. Light from an LED 70 to be turned on when a focusing state is achieved is introduced into the plate-like diffractive element 50 via a light guide member 60, and “auxiliary light indicating a focusing state” to travel upward in the drawing from the plate-like diffractive element 50 is generated and synthesized with the subject light. The auxiliary light shall have a linear polarization property. The subject image and the focusing state indication can be visually recognized on the finder 100. Part of the light toward the finder 100 is branched through a mirror 110 and then guided toward photometric unit 140. Auxiliary light separating unit 130 for excluding auxiliary light based on the difference in polarization property is provided in front of the photometric unit 140.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Inventors: Masachika Watanabe, Yasuyuki Oyagi, Norihisa Moriya, Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20070148466
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for manufacturing a multilayer film optical member, includes an injection step in which an UV-curable liquid crystal is injected into a space between a pair of transparent substrates, with a transparent conductive film disposed on each of the transparent substrates; a first radiation step in which parallel coherent ultraviolet light beams are radiated onto the UV-curable liquid crystal through the pair of transparent substrates from two sides of the UV-curable liquid crystal; and a second radiation step in which ultraviolet light achieving uniform intensity on a surface of the transparent substrate is radiated onto the UV-curable liquid crystal through the transparent substrate while applying an electrical field between the pair of transparent conductive films.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2005
    Publication date: June 28, 2007
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20070009255
    Abstract: An observation device capable of observing a first image formed by an objective optical system, includes: a display element into which an illumination light emitted from an illumination source is incident and that generates a second image with the illumination light to superimpose the second image over the first image formed by the objective optical system; a detector that receives the second image to detect information of the second image; and a filter that filters out light of the illumination light advancing to the detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2006
    Publication date: January 11, 2007
    Applicant: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20060250697
    Abstract: What is disclosed is a display apparatus that introduce an electronic image that is generated electronically into a viewing optical system through which an object is viewed to make the electronic image viewable in such a way as to be superimposed on an image of the object. The electric image forming apparatus has a light source, a micro lens array and scanning means for scanning light from the light source to form an image on the micro lens array. There is disclosed a scanning display apparatus that introduces an image formed on the micro lens and superimpose it on an image of an object and a camera in which an object image formed optically and an electronic image are made viewable in a superimposed manner using the scanning display apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Publication date: November 9, 2006
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Patent number: 6975810
    Abstract: A camera comprises a spatial modulation optical filter that is disposed in a viewfinder optical system for subject observation at or near a position optically equivalent to an estimated image forming plane of a photographic optical system and modulates a subject light flux entering via the photographic optical system with transmission characteristics to obtain a light flux having a predetermined spatial frequency; a photoelectric conversion device that outputs a signal corresponding to detected light; an optical element that guides the subject light flux having been modulated at the spatial modulation optical filter to the photoelectric conversion device; and a focal adjustment state calculation means that calculates a focal adjustment state of the photographic optical system based upon the signal output from the photoelectric conversion device having received the modulated subject light flux.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Patent number: 6973264
    Abstract: First to third liquid crystal filters are arranged at first to third different distances from a predeterminate image formation surface. Light flux passing through the liquid crystal filters is received by a photodiode and converted into an electric signal. A variable-density stripe pattern of a predetermined space frequency is formed on the first liquid crystal filter while the second and the third liquid crystal filter are in the state of entire transparency and a first signal is output from the photodiode. Similarly, a variable-density stripe pattern is formed on the second liquid crystal filter while the first and the third liquid crystal filter are in the state of entire transparency and a second signal is output. Similarly, a variable-density stripe pattern is formed on the third liquid crystal filter while the first and the second liquid crystal filter are in the state of entire transparency and a third signal is output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20050036780
    Abstract: A camera comprises a spatial modulation optical filter that is disposed in a viewfinder optical system for subject observation at or near a position optically equivalent to an estimated image forming plane of a photographic optical system and modulates a subject light flux entering via the photographic optical system with transmission characteristics to obtain a light flux having a predetermined spatial frequency; a photoelectric conversion device that outputs a signal corresponding to detected light; an optical element that guides the subject light flux having been modulated at the spatial modulation optical filter to the photoelectric conversion device; and a focal adjustment state calculation means that calculates a focal adjustment state of the photographic optical system based upon the signal output from the photoelectric conversion device having received the modulated subject light flux.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Publication date: February 17, 2005
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20050036779
    Abstract: First to third liquid crystal filters are arranged at first to third different distances from a predeterminate image formation surface. Light flux passing through the liquid crystal filters is received by a photodiode and converted into an electric signal. A variable-density stripe pattern of a predetermined space frequency is formed on the first liquid crystal filter while the second and the third liquid crystal filter are in the state of entire transparency and a first signal is output from the photodiode. Similarly, a variable-density stripe pattern is formed on the second liquid crystal filter while the first and the third liquid crystal filter are in the state of entire transparency and a second signal is output. Similarly, a variable-density stripe pattern is formed on the third liquid crystal filter while the first and the second liquid crystal filter are in the state of entire transparency and a third signal is output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Publication date: February 17, 2005
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Patent number: 6757077
    Abstract: A three-dimensional image making apparatus according to the present invention comprises: an image input device configured to obtain image information of the object; an object distance processing device configured to obtain object distance information of the object; a printer configured to print an object image of the object and to form a relief configuration of the object; and an information-processing device configured to control the printer to print the object image based upon the image information and to form the relief configuration, superimposed on the object image, based upon the object distance information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Toru Iwane
  • Publication number: 20040080659
    Abstract: A high-polymer optical low-pass filter is produced by cutting out of a high polymer material achieving optical anisotropy diagonally relative to an optic axis thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2003
    Publication date: April 29, 2004
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Iwane, Takashi Matsubara
  • Patent number: 6556179
    Abstract: Disclosed is a display device which comprises a pair of plate-like light transmittable members; a display member located so as to form a predetermined pattern between a pair of light transmittable members, the display member being composed of a material whose light transmittance is electrically changed; and a pair of light transmittable electrodes, at least one of a pair of light transmittable electrodes having a shape corresponding to the pattern, a pair of light transmittable electrodes being formed on a pair of light transmittable members and for electrically controlling the material. The camera having the display device comprises illuminating means for illuminating the display portion. The display portion is illuminated in accordance with a luminance of a subject. The illuminating light can be also used for measuring a distance and for illuminating another display element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Iwane, Toshimi Watanabe, Itaru Homma, Takehiko Ueda