Patents by Inventor Yasuhiro Tanoue

Yasuhiro Tanoue 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: 20240151891
    Abstract: A minimum display unit forming a pattern, displayable by a light guide plate of a display device, has first and second prisms with reflective surfaces in a curved surface shape that is convex relative to an incident surface of the light guide plate. The first and second prisms are configured such that a ratio of light quantities from first and second light sources having different emission colors into the light guide plate, reflected by the reflective surface of the first prism, and directed to a predetermined direction is a first ratio; a ratio of light quantities from second and third light sources having different emission colors into the light guide plate, reflected by the reflective surface of the second prism, and directed to the predetermined direction is a second ratio. The first and second ratios are set such that the minimum display unit is displayed in a predetermined display color.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2023
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru OKUDA, Yasuhiro Tanoue
  • Patent number: 11966064
    Abstract: A light guide plate according to one or more embodiments may include an incident surface that receives light, and an optical path changer on a back surface perpendicular to the incident surface. The optical path changer may reflect light to be emitted through an emission surface parallel to the back surface. The light emitted through the emission surface may form a formed image including a plane image representing a surface. The plane image may include a near imaging portion and a distant imaging portion. The plane image may have two ends included in the near imaging portion in a cross section perpendicular to the back surface and an optical axis of a light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Shinohara, Yasuhiro Tanoue, Masafumi Danno
  • Patent number: 11940114
    Abstract: An optical device includes: a light guide plate having a group of optical-path deflectors configured to change the optical path of light from a first light source to form an image in the space within a first angle range, and change the optical path of light from a second light source to form an image in the space within a second angle range, wherein the first angle range and the second angle range are separated from each other or adjoining each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Takagi, Masayuki Shinohara, Yasuhiro Tanoue, Gouo Kurata, Norikazu Kitamura
  • Patent number: 11747542
    Abstract: When an optical element is transparent, an observer is enabled to visually recognize a stereoscopic image having a stereoscopic effect. A display method for a stereoscopic image, using a display device provided with a transparent light guide plate, includes: emitting light to be recognized by the observer as a stereoscopic image (I1) from an optical element; and displaying the stereoscopic image (I1) on a stereoscopic image forming plane (P1) not parallel to an outgoing surface (21) of the optical element. In the display method, the observer is able to visually recognize a rear surface side of the display device through the optical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Omron Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Shinohara, Yasuhiro Tanoue, Norikazu Kitamura, Mitsuru Okuda
  • Publication number: 20230205369
    Abstract: An input device according to one or more embodiments may include a light guide plate configured to direct light entering from a light source so that the light exits from a light emitting surface and forms an image in a space, the image being an object for an input action from a user; a sensor configured to detect an object employed by a user for the input action; an input detection unit configured to detect an input from a user on the basis of a detection result from the sensor for the object; and a notification unit configured to notify a user that the input was detected when the input detection unit has detected an input from a user. The sensor may be placed in a space opposite the light emitting surface of the light guide plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2023
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki SHINOHARA, Yasuhiro TANOUE, Norikazu KITAMURA, Yuto MORI
  • Publication number: 20220406230
    Abstract: A light guide plate according to one or more embodiments may include a plurality of optical path changing units each converging incident light to a definite point. A stereoscopic image is formed in a space by a collection of a plurality of definite points. The stereoscopic image includes a plurality of faces not parallel to each other, the face is made up of a plurality of dots dispersedly arranged on the face, and a density of the plurality of dots on each of the faces is a value corresponding to a position of the face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro TANOUE, Masayuki SHINOHARA, Yoshihiko TAKAGI
  • Patent number: 11525953
    Abstract: A light guide plate according to one or more embodiments may include a plurality of optical path deflectors arranged in a matrix. Each of the plurality of optical path deflectors may include a plurality of optical path deflector sets. The plurality of optical path deflectors may include a first cell and a second cell located periodically. The first cell may include a first deflector that deflects light within a first angle range. The first cell may be free of a second deflector that deflects light within a second angle range adjacent to the first angle range. The second cell may be free of the first deflector and may include the second deflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Tanoue
  • Publication number: 20220291441
    Abstract: A light guide plate according to one or more embodiments may include a plurality of optical path deflectors arranged in a matrix. Each of the plurality of optical path deflectors may include a plurality of optical path deflector sets. The plurality of optical path deflectors may include a first cell and a second cell located periodically. The first cell may include a first deflector that deflects light within a first angle range. The first cell may be free of a second deflector that deflects light within a second angle range adjacent to the first angle range. The second cell may be free of the first deflector and may include the second deflector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro TANOUE
  • Publication number: 20220291519
    Abstract: A light guide plate according to one or more embodiments may include a first optical deflector that guides light to be emitted within a first angle range to display a stereoscopic image in a space, and a second optical deflector that guides light to be emitted within a second angle range to display a stereoscopic image at a same position as the stereoscopic image. Across a boundary between the first angle range and the second angle range, a discrete change occurs between luminance of a portion of the stereoscopic image and luminance of a portion of the stereoscopic image corresponding to the portion of the stereoscopic image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro TANOUE
  • Publication number: 20220291439
    Abstract: A light guide plate according to one or more embodiments may include an incident surface that receives light, and an optical path changer on a back surface perpendicular to the incident surface. The optical path changer may reflect light to be emitted through an emission surface parallel to the back surface. The light emitted through the emission surface may form a formed image including a plane image representing a surface. The plane image may include a near imaging portion and a distant imaging portion. The plane image may have two ends included in the near imaging portion in a cross section perpendicular to the back surface and an optical axis of a light source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki SHINOHARA, Yasuhiro TANOUE, Masafumi DANNO
  • Publication number: 20220291521
    Abstract: A light guide according to one or more embodiments may include an incident surface that receives light from a light source, a first reflective surface that reflects incident light, a second reflective surface that reflects light reflected by the first reflection surface to be parallel light, and an emission surface that may allow parallel light reflected by the second reflective surface to be emitted. The first reflective surface reflects light at a reflection angle nonuniform across the first reflective surface. The second reflective surface has a saw-toothed cross section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki SHINOHARA, Gouo KURATA, Yasuhiro TANOUE, Masafumi DANNO, Yuto MORI
  • Publication number: 20220291440
    Abstract: A light guide plate according to one or more embodiments may include an incident surface that receives light and an optical path changer on a back surface perpendicular to the incident surface. Light reflected by the optical path changer forms a stereoscopic image including a near formed image at an imaging position within a predetermined distance from the back surface and a distant formed image at another imaging position. The near formed image includes an image formation area with a larger total area than an image formation area of the distant formed image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki SHINOHARA, Yasuhiro TANOUE, Masafumi DANNO
  • Patent number: 11412596
    Abstract: A display switching device (10) is provided, which switches a display image (P) by switching irradiation of lights from positions of a plurality of light sources (7). The display switching device includes: a lens array (6) in which a plurality of lenses are arranged; and a display part (45) including a plurality of pixel regions (45a) arranged to include a region through which a light, which is formed by condensing each of the lights emitted from the positions of the plurality of light sources (7) with each of the lenses of the lens array (6), passes. A transmittance in each of the pixel regions (45a) is set corresponding to a predetermined stationary pattern. A total area of the pixel regions (45a) in the display part (45) is 60% or less of a total area of a sum of the pixel regions (45a) and the pixel surrounding regions (45b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Shinohara, Yuto Mori, Yoshihiko Takagi, Gouo Kurata, Tsuyoshi Arai, Yasuhiro Tanoue
  • Patent number: 11340472
    Abstract: A first stereoscopic image display device includes a light guide plate having a plurality of reflectors and causes an observer to recognize an undistorted stereoscopic image even when the observer views a stereoscopic image from a high angle with respect to a direction normal to the front surface of the light guide plate. In a plan view from a direction vertical to an outgoing surface, when four quadrants are specified for each of the reflectors, the four quadrants taking a position of each of the reflectors as an origin, the four quadrants being divided by two straight lines orthogonal to each other and inclined 45° with respect to a direction in which the incident light is incident on each of the reflectors, light changed in the optical path by each of the reflectors is emitted to a quadrant adjacent to a quadrant on which incident light is incident.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Omron Corporation
    Inventors: Yuji Hirose, Yutaka Okayasu, Keiichiro Tanaka, Yoshimasa Osumi, Yasuhiro Tanoue, Mitsuru Okuda
  • Publication number: 20220146855
    Abstract: The display device includes, on a back surface of a light guide plate, a first optical path alteration part group that forms a first image and a second optical path alteration part group that forms a second image, and a difference between an inclination angle of the first optical path alteration part group and an inclination angle of the second optical path alteration part group is equal to or greater than 10°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro TANOUE
  • Publication number: 20210342030
    Abstract: A light guide plate guides light from a light source to form an image in a space. A sensor detects an object in the space including an imaging position of the image. Based on an output from the sensor, a controller acquires at least one of a trajectory of a plurality of positions where the object is detected, a duration time of detecting the object, or a number of times the object is detected as an input parameter. The controller identifies an input pattern according to a movement of the object based on the input parameter, and outputs a signal corresponding to the identified input pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: Masayuki SHINOHARA, Yasuhiro TANOUE, Norikazu KITAMURA, Hiroyuki MIYAMOTO, Yuto MORI
  • Publication number: 20210337180
    Abstract: A first stereoscopic image display device (2) is provided with a light guide plate (20) including a plurality of reflectors (31a, 31b, 31c), the first stereoscopic image display device (2) causing an observer to recognize an undistorted stereoscopic image even when the observer views a stereoscopic image from an angle being a high angle with respect to a direction normal to the front surface of the light guide plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2017
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Applicant: Omron Corporation
    Inventors: Yuji Hirose, Yutaka Okayasu, Keiichiro Tanaka, Yoshimasa Osumi, Yasuhiro Tanoue, Mitsuru Okuda
  • Patent number: 11155208
    Abstract: In order to achieve an image display unit having excellent degree of freedom in designing the position of a display image, an image display unit (1A) is provided with: an imaging unit (10) configured to capture an image of a space to be viewed; an image display device (11) configured to display an image captured by the imaging unit (10) in a display area in real time; and an image forming unit configured to form an image in a space where there is no screen by projecting the image displayed by the image display device (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Omron Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Shinohara, Yasuhiro Tanoue, Gouo Kurata, Norikazu Kitamura, Tsuyoshi Arai, Yuto Mori
  • Publication number: 20210263612
    Abstract: An input device according to one or more embodiments may include a light guide plate configured to direct light entering from a light source so that the light exits from a light emitting surface and forms an image in a space, the image being an object for an input action from a user; a sensor configured to detect an object employed by a user for the input action; an input detection unit configured to detect an input from a user on the basis of a detection result from the sensor for the object; and a notification unit configured to notify a user that the input was detected when the input detection unit has detected an input from a user. The sensor may be placed in a space opposite the light emitting surface of the light guide plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Publication date: August 26, 2021
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki SHINOHARA, Yasuhiro TANOUE, Norikazu KITAMURA, Yuto MORI
  • Patent number: 11067826
    Abstract: An optical device includes a light guide plate configured to guide light entering therein, and cause said light to exit from an emission surface thereof and thereby form an image in a space; a group of narrow-view optical-path deflectors configured to form an image in a space within a narrow view direction taken as greater than or equal to 0° and less than a first angle relative to a reference plane that is orthogonal to the emission surface and parallel to a side surface of the light guide plate; and a group of wide-view optical-path deflectors configured to form an image in a space within a wide view direction taken as greater than or equal to the first angle and less than 90° relative to the reference plane. The group of narrow-view optical-path deflectors and the group of wide-view optical-path deflectors have different image forming conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: Omron Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Shinohara, Yasuhiro Tanoue, Gouo Kurata, Norikazu Kitamura, Kazuyuki Okada