Patents by Inventor Yuichi Atarashi

Yuichi Atarashi 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: 20080094737
    Abstract: An object lens unit for an optical pickup device is disclosed. The object lens unit includes a first optical element facing an optical information recording medium; a second optical element positioned on a light source side of the first optical element; and a frame in which the first optical element and the second optical element are fixed. The frame includes a first fitting portion and a second fitting portion, and has a prescribed clearance in a perpendicular direction to the optical axis between at least one of the first fitting portion of the frame and the first optical element, and the second fitting portion of the frame and the second optical element to adjust a position of at least one of the first optical element and the second optical element in a perpendicular direction to the optical axis. An optical pickup device including such object lens unit is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2007
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Inventors: Shogo Yamamoto, Yuichi Atarashi, Kazuhiro Wada, Tsutomu Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7352518
    Abstract: An objective optical system according to the present invention is provided for use in an optical pickup apparatus for recording or reproducing information on an information recording surface of a first optical information recording medium using a first light flux emitted from a first light source, and the objective system includes: a first lens with a positive reflective power including plastic; and a second lens with a positive refractive power including plastic. Opposite optical surfaces of the first lens are convex surfaces, and a refractive power of the first lens and a power of a whole system of the objective optical system satisfy the predefined condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazutaka Noguchi, Yuichi Atarashi
  • Patent number: 7317677
    Abstract: An semiconductor laser light source apparatus includes: a semiconductor laser oscillator for emitting a laser beam; and a lens for transmitting the laser beam emitted by the semiconductor laser oscillator, wherein the lens comprises a light transparent material in which microparticles are dispersed into a plastic resin and have a size of the transmitting laser beam wavelength or below.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventor: Yuichi Atarashi
  • Patent number: 7304935
    Abstract: An optical pickup device wherein at least a high density disc such as HD-DVD is compatible with DVD, and securing an amount of light is compatible with correction of chromatic aberration. An a correcting element representing an optical system used for the aforementioned optical pickup device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Kiyono Ikenaka, Shinichiro Saito, Yuichi Atarashi
  • Patent number: 7301713
    Abstract: An object lens unit for an optical pickup comprising: a first optical element positioned facing an optical information recording medium; a second optical element positioned on a light source side of the first optical element; and a frame which has a first reference surface in contact with the first optical element to position the first optical element in an optical axis direction and a second reference surface in contact with the second optical element to position the second optical element in the optical axis direction so that the first optical element and the second optical element are fixed to be integrated with the frame, wherein the first optical element, the second optical element and the frame are attached, as a single optical component, to another member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Shogo Yamamoto, Yuichi Atarashi, Kazuhiro Wada, Tsutomu Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20070258144
    Abstract: A hybrid objective lens has a refractive lens and a diffractive optical element constructed by plural coaxial ring-shaped zones on at least one optical surface thereof. When n1, n2 and n3 each is a diffraction order of a diffracted ray having a maximum light amount among diffracted rays of each of first, second and third light flux having wavelength ?1, ?2 and ?3 when respective light flux comes to be incident into the diffractive structure respectively, the following formulas are satisfied: |n1|>|n2|, and |n1|>|n3|, and the hybrid objective lens converges a n1-th, n2-th and n3-th order diffracted ray of the first, second and third light flux onto an information recording plane of each of the first, second ant third optical information recording medium respectively so as to form an appropriate wavefront within respective prescribed necessary image side numerical apertures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Publication date: November 8, 2007
    Inventors: Tohru Kimura, Katsuya Sakamoto, Yuichi Atarashi
  • Patent number: 7289415
    Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus comprising: a first light source emitting first light flux having wavelength ?1 (380 nm??1?450 nm); a second light source emitting second light flux having wavelength ?2 (600 nm??2?700 nm); a third light source emitting third light flux having wavelength ?3 (750 nm??3?800 nm); a first divergent angle-converting element through which the first light flux passes; a second divergent angle-converting element through which the second light flux and the third light flux pass; and an objective optical element through which the first, second, and third light fluxes pass. Optical magnification m2 of the second divergent angle-converting element for the second light flux and optical magnification m3 of the second divergent angle-converting element for the third light flux are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Kiyono Ikenaka, Shinichiro Saito, Yuichi Atarashi
  • Publication number: 20070237458
    Abstract: An optical element used in a bidirectional optical communication module used for bidirectional optical fiber communication by a wavelength multiplex system, comprising a diffraction grating of binary structure prepared by molding, wherein a taper is formed at a portion of the diffraction grating where light entering the diffraction grating is intercepted by a convex part of the binary structure of the diffraction grating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Publication date: October 11, 2007
    Inventors: Hajime Kobayashi, Yayoi Eguro, Nobuyoshi Mori, Hiroyuki Hattori, Yoshiharu Masaki, Fumiaki Yoshida, Yuichi Atarashi, Kazuhiro Wada, Kazuhiko Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20070159952
    Abstract: An objective optical element of an optical pickup apparatus has a magnification m1 satisfying the following formula for a light flux of the wavelength ?1:?1/7?m1??1/25 and |m1 |<|M1, where M1 is an optical system magnification from the first light source to the first optical information recording medium for a light flux of the wavelength ?1. The objective optical element comprises a common region and an exclusive region. The exclusive region includes an exclusive diffractive structure having a function to suppress an increase of spherical aberration due to a raise of atmospheric temperature. A light flux of a wavelength ?2. having passed through the exclusive diffractive structure intersects with the optical axis at a position different from the position of the converged light spot formed on the information recording plane of the second optical information recording medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2007
    Publication date: July 12, 2007
    Inventors: Mitsuru Mimori, Kohei Ota, Shinichiro Saito, Yuichi Atarashi, Katsuya Sakamoto, Hidekazu Totsuka, Kiyono Ikenaka
  • Patent number: 7236445
    Abstract: An objective lens used in an optical head having a convex lens and a chromatic aberration correction optical element wherein there is provided a positioning means that positions the center of gravity of the objective lens used in an optical head substantially on a straight line connecting supporting points for the objective lens used in an optical head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Hattori, Yuichi Atarashi
  • Publication number: 20070091411
    Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor light source module including: a semiconductor light source for emitting a light flux with a predefined wavelength; a SHG element for converting an incident light flux entering onto an incident end surface of the SHG element into an outgoing light flux having a different wavelength from the incident light flux; a light converging optical system for converging a light flux emitted from the semiconductor light source onto the incident end surface of the SHG element; a light receiving element for receiving a part of a light flux emitted from the SHG element; and a drive device for driving an optical element in the light converging optical system based on a light flux received by the light receiving element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Publication date: April 26, 2007
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Mori, Katsuya Yagi, Yuichi Atarashi, Fumio Nagai
  • Patent number: 7210103
    Abstract: Printed book publishing system and method, for loading down data on a network according to a request from a terminal and for outputting the loaded data for publishing the printed book, comprising a management server which performs making a data server storing book contents data send the book contents data according to a request from the terminal; wherein the book contents data is converted to image data for viewing and the image data for viewing is sent to the terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Seitarou Kasahara, Mitsuo Motohashi, Akira Kinoshita, Akitoshi Matsubara, Masahiko Kamei, Yuichi Atarashi, Xiang Hong Guan, Alex Xuyang Li, Keizo Kawada, Michiyo Shimonaka
  • Patent number: 7206276
    Abstract: A hybrid objective lens has a refractive lens and a diffractive optical element constructed by plural coaxial ring-shaped zones on at least one optical surface thereof. When n1, n2 and n3 each is a diffraction order of a diffracted ray having a maximum light amount among diffracted rays of each of first, second and third light flux having wavelength ?1, ?2 and ?3 when respective light flux comes to be incident into the diffractive structure respectively, the following formulas are satisfied: |n1|>|n2|, and |n1|>|n3|, and the hybrid objective lens converges a n1-th, n2-th and n3-th order diffracted ray of the first, second and third light flux onto an information recording plane of each of the first, second ant third optical information recording medium respectively so as to form an appropriate wavefront within respective prescribed necessary image side numerical apertures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Tohru Kimura, Katsuya Sakamoto, Yuichi Atarashi
  • Publication number: 20070067788
    Abstract: An objective lens unit, includes: an objective lens for irradiating and converging laser light on an optical disc as an a light information recording medium; and a lens frame for retaining the objective lens, wherein the lens frame is structured so that at least a portion closer to a rotation center of the optical disc is offset to an inner side of the lens frame with regards to a virtual edge section closer to the rotation center of the optical disc, wherein the virtual edge section is in a nodal line of a virtual plane that includes an end face which is closest to the optical disc in the lens frame and the objective lens, and that is perpendicular to an optical axis and a virtual rotation curved surface that is obtained when a virtual straight line passing a portion which is farthest from the optical axis in the lens frame and the objective lens, in parallel with the optical axis, is rotated around the optical axis as a center axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2006
    Publication date: March 22, 2007
    Inventors: Shogo Yamamoto, Yuichi Atarashi, Yasutaka Nakagaki
  • Patent number: 7193954
    Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus includes first, second and third light sources; a light converging optical system including a first objective optical element and a second objective optical element, wherein the first objective optical element converges the light flux emitted from the first light source on a first information recording surface, the second objective optical element converges the light flux emitted from the third light source on a third information recording surface, and the first objective optical element or the second objective optical element converges the light flux emitted from the second light source on a second information recording surface; a lens holder holding the first objective optical element and the second objective element therein; and a chromatic aberration correcting element which corrects a chromatic aberration caused by a wavelength variation in a light flux emitted by the first light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holding, Inc.
    Inventors: Katsuya Yagi, Yuichi Atarashi, Tohru Kimura, Kiyono Ikenaka
  • Publication number: 20070053255
    Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus having first and second light sources emitting first and second light fluxes having wavelength of ?1 and ?2, respectively, an light-converging optical system including first and second objective optical elements, and a lens holder to hold the first and second objective optical elements. When the optical pickup apparatus converges the first or the second light flux onto first or second information recording surface of first or second information recording medium through one protective substrate, which has a thickness of t1 or t2 and is provided on the first or second information recording surface, with utilizing the first or second objective optical element for conducting information recording and/or information reproducing of the first or second information recording medium, a variation of each of a coma aberration and an astigmatism is not more than 0.02 ?1 rms or 0.02 ?2 rms, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Publication date: March 8, 2007
    Inventors: Yuichi Atarashi, Takeshi Kojima, Kazutaka Noguchi
  • Publication number: 20060291363
    Abstract: An objective optical system according to the present invention is provided for use in an optical pickup apparatus for recording or reproducing information on an information recording surface of a first optical information recording medium using a first light flux emitted from a first light source. The objective optical system is provided with: a first lens with a positive refractive power including plastic; a second lens with a positive refractive power including plastic; and a first phase structure. A wavefront aberration change amount of the objective optical system when a wavelength of the first light flux changes, and a wavefront aberration change amount of the objective optical system when an ambient temperature of the objective optical system satisfy the predefined condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Publication date: December 28, 2006
    Inventors: Kazutaka Noguchi, Yuichi Atarashi
  • Publication number: 20060285472
    Abstract: An objective optical system according to the present invention is provided for use in an optical pickup apparatus for recording or reproducing information on an information recording surface of a first optical information recording medium using a first light flux emitted from a first light source, and the objective system includes: a first lens with a positive reflective power including plastic; and a second lens with a positive refractive power including plastic. Opposite optical surfaces of the first lens are convex surfaces, and a refractive power of the first lens and a power of a whole system of the objective optical system satisfy the predefined condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Publication date: December 21, 2006
    Inventors: Kazutaka Noguchi, Yuichi Atarashi
  • Publication number: 20060256674
    Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus comprises first, second and third light sources to emit light fluxes of wavelength ?1, ?2 and ?3 for conducting recording and/or reproducing information for first, second and third optical information recording mediums having respective protective substrates of thickness t1, t2 and t3 and a diffractive optical element located on a common optical path for the first, second and third light sources. A converged-light spot is formed on the first optical information recording medium with m-th order diffracted-light ray of the wavelength ?1, on the second optical information recording medium with n-th order diffracted-light ray of the wavelength ?2, and on the third optical information recording medium with k-th order diffracted-light ray of the wavelength ?3 generated by the diffractive optical element respectively, wherein one of m, n and k is different from one of other two numbers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2006
    Publication date: November 16, 2006
    Inventors: Kiyono Ikenaka, Yuichi Atarashi
  • Publication number: 20060256673
    Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus comprises first, second and third light sources to emit light fluxes of wavelength ?1, ?2 and ?3 for conducting recording and/or reproducing information for first, second and third optical information recording mediums having respective protective substrates of thickness t1, t2 and t3 and a diffractive optical element located on a common optical path for the first, second and third light sources. A converged-light spot is formed on the first optical information recording medium with m-th order diffracted-light ray of the wavelength ?1, on the second optical information recording medium with n-th order diffracted-light ray of the wavelength ?2, and on the third optical information recording medium with k-th order diffracted-light ray of the wavelength ?3 generated by the diffractive optical element respectively, wherein one of m, n and k is different from one of other two numbers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2006
    Publication date: November 16, 2006
    Inventors: Kiyono Ikenaka, Yuichi Atarashi