Two Or More In A Series Patents (Class 359/365)
  • Patent number: 11914111
    Abstract: The disclosure provides an imaging lens assembly, which sequentially includes, from an object side to an image side along an optical axis, a movable diaphragm, a first lens with a positive refractive power, a second lens with a negative refractive power, a third lens with a refractive power, a fourth lens with a refractive power, a fifth lens with a refractive power and a sixth lens with a negative refractive power, wherein TSmin is a distance from the movable diaphragm at a minimum distance from an imaging surface of the imaging lens assembly to an object-side surface of the first lens on the optical axis, TSmax is a distance from the movable diaphragm at a maximum distance from the imaging surface of the imaging lens assembly to the object-side surface of the first lens on the optical axis and EPDmin is a minimum entrance pupil diameter of the imaging lens assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: ZHEJIANG SUNNY OPTICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yi Zhang, Fujian Dai, Liefeng Zhao
  • Patent number: 11914119
    Abstract: An ultraviolet optical system includes an objective lens group that captures ultraviolet light for each angle from an ultraviolet light source and forms an intermediate image, and an imaging lens group that re-images the intermediate image. Neither the objective lens group nor the imaging lens group has a cemented surface, and all lenses included in the objective lens group and in the imaging lens group are single lenses that transmit ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 300 nm or shorter. A light distribution measuring apparatus includes the ultraviolet optical system and a sensor, and outputs light distribution of the ultraviolet light source by using a signal obtained by the sensor. The ultraviolet optical system is positioned such that the intermediate image is re-imaged on a light receiving sensor surface, and the sensor has light receiving sensitivity to ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 300 nm or shorter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Yusuke Hirao, Takashi Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 11829064
    Abstract: An EUV lighting device for metrology and inspection of an EUV mask in an EUV exposure process of a semiconductor device manufacturing process includes: an EUV light source for outputting EUV light with a wavelength ranging from 5 nm to 15 nm; and a multilayer reflection zone plate having an EUV reflection multilayer film, which is a planar substrate, and a zone plate pattern. The EUV lighting device radiates EUV light output from the EUV light source to the multilayer reflection zone plate, acquires 1st diffraction light reflected, and creates EUV illumination light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: ESOL Inc.
    Inventor: Dong Gun Lee
  • Patent number: 11747601
    Abstract: A relay optical system (RL) of this telescope has arranged therein, in the following order from the object side: a first lens group (G1) having positive refractive power; a second lens group (G2) having positive refractive power; a third lens group (G3) having positive refractive power; a fourth lens group (G4) having negative refractive power; and a fifth lens group (G5) having positive refractive power, wherein the magnification of the telescope can be changed by causing an image formed on a first image plane (IM1) to be re-formed on a second image plane (IM2) and further causing the second lens group (G2) and the third lens group (G3) to move along the optical axis, and thereby varying the image-forming magnification of the relay optical system (RL).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: ASIA OPTICAL CO., INC.
    Inventor: Shogo Okubo
  • Patent number: 11733602
    Abstract: An EUV lighting device for metrology and inspection of an EUV mask in an EUV exposure process of a semiconductor device manufacturing process includes: an EUV light source for outputting EUV light with a wavelength ranging from 5 nm to 15 nm; and a multilayer reflection zone plate having an EUV reflection multilayer film, which is a planar substrate, and a zone plate pattern. The EUV lighting device radiates EUV light output from the EUV light source to the multilayer reflection zone plate, acquires 1st diffraction light reflected, and creates EUV illumination light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: ESOL Inc.
    Inventor: Dong Gun Lee
  • Patent number: 11566765
    Abstract: A lighting device is provided, comprising a spatially extended light source with a light-emitting surface greater than 0.5 mm2 and also an aspherical TIR lens, which is configured to collimate light from the spatially extended light source, and a refractive diffuser configured to generate a lighting distribution on the basis of the collimated light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias Cumme, Arnaud Deparnay, Roman Kleindienst
  • Patent number: 11473746
    Abstract: A lighting device is provided, comprising a spatially extended light source with a light-emitting surface greater than 0.5 mm2 and also an aspherical TIR lens, which is configured to collimate light from the spatially extended light source, and a refractive diffuser configured to generate a lighting distribution on the basis of the collimated light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias Cumme, Arnaud Deparnay, Roman Kleindienst
  • Patent number: 11435588
    Abstract: A virtual image display apparatus includes a display element, a projection lens configured to converge image light emitted from the display element, a prism configured to cause the image light by an internal reflecting surface thereof and moreover emit the image light from an emission surface thereof while refracting the image light, and a see-through mirror configured to reflect the image light emitted from the prism toward a pupil position. The projection lens, the prism, and the see-through mirror are arranged to form an off-axis system. AT an off-axis surface of the off-axis system, an intermediate pupil is arranged between the projection lens and the internal reflecting surface, with the intermediate pupil being arranged to be farther to the incident surface side of the prism than to the projection lens and the internal reflecting surface, and an intermediate image is formed between the prism and the see-through mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Takeda, Masayuki Takagi, Toshiaki Miyao, Tokito Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11415781
    Abstract: The microobjective optical system and the optical device provided in the present disclosure use a catadioptric structure. Specifically, a catadioptric relay lens group and a complex transmissive collimating lens group are combined to effectively correct a higher-order spherical aberration, and control astigmatism, field curvature, and primary and higher-order coma related to a field of view. In a spectrum band ranging from 320 nm to 800 nm, the field of view is larger than 2 mm, a numerical aperture is 1.0, and imaging quality reaches a diffraction limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: CHANGCHUN INSTITUTE OF OPTICS, FINE MECHANICS AND PHYSICS, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
    Inventor: Xin Zhang
  • Patent number: 11360246
    Abstract: Configurable afocal optical systems that can be configured to have different magnifications, including unity magnification, and which are capable of being cascaded to produce any number of magnifications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Wavefront Research, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas A. Mitchell
  • Patent number: 11340496
    Abstract: A head-up display assembly including a printed circuit board with a plurality of light emitting elements. A display is illuminated by the plurality of light emitting elements. A biconic lens array is between the printed circuit board and the display. The biconic lens array includes a plurality of biconic lenses. Each one of the plurality of biconic lenses is aligned with a different one of the plurality of light emitting elements. Light emitted by the plurality of light emitting elements passes through the plurality of biconic lenses and illuminates the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignees: DENSO International America, Inc., DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Olga Adeyshvili, Reben Werman
  • Patent number: 11112101
    Abstract: A lighting fixture system that includes a plurality of lighting devices and an adjustable mounting assembly configured to mount the plurality of lighting devices to a support structure. The adjustable mounting assembly includes a plurality of lighting-device end caps and a link which includes at least one support attachment feature configured to connect to the support structure and a plurality of end-cap attachment features. The plurality of end-cap attachment features includes a first end-cap attachment feature configured to movably mount the first lighting-device end cap and a second end-cap attachment feature configured to movably mount the second lighting-device end cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Group Dekko, Inc.
    Inventors: Mike Jaslowski, Rich Cook, Stephen Samson
  • Patent number: 11061322
    Abstract: A system includes a plate configured for mounting of a reflective extreme ultra-violet (EUV) mask thereon and a zone plate configured to divide EUV light into zero-order light and first-order light and to pass the zero-order light and the first-order light to the reflective EUV mask. The system further includes a detector configured to receive EUV light reflected by the EUV mask and including a zero-order light detection region configured to generate a first image signal and a first-order light detection region configured to generate a second image signal, and a calculator configured to generate a compensated third image signal from the first image signal and the second image signal. The third image signal may be used to determine a distance between mask patterns of the EUV mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ji Hoon Na, Dong Gun Lee, Hee Bom Kim
  • Patent number: 11061177
    Abstract: A solid body made of an inactive, light transmissive material (3) has embedded therein an optical fiber (6) having a lengthwise segment (9) in which a scattering structure is formed that is to redirect primary propagating light sideways out of the fiber (6). An active photoluminescent layer integrated in the optical fiber (6) is to wavelength-convert the primary light into secondary light. The solid body is generally cylindrical but without rotational symmetry about the center longitudinal axis (2) of the fiber (6). A portion of the outer side surface of the body is curved and is covered by an external reflector (4), while another portion of the outer side surface is uncovered by the reflector in order for the secondary light to emerge. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: L.E.S.S. LTD.
    Inventor: Yann Tissot
  • Patent number: 10989898
    Abstract: An optics system, a telescope system, and an optics system for a telescope are provided. The optics system may include a plurality of mirrors arranged around and centered about four orthogonal, rotational axes in a quad-axis Coudé optical path. The rotational axes are consecutively dependent on one another, and the plurality of mirrors direct light to a predetermined region irrespective of an orientation of an incident beam directed to the plurality of mirrors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Kevin S. Scheiman
  • Patent number: 10942299
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid lens that includes a first electrode and a second electrode to which a predetermined voltage is applied. The second electrode is arranged outside the first electrode in the planar direction, and an insulating film having water repellency is formed on an upper surface of the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Sony Corporaton
    Inventor: Masanori Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 10884229
    Abstract: An immersion microscope objective includes: a first lens group that includes a meniscus lens component that is the closest to an image in the first lens group, the meniscus lens component having a convex surface facing an object; and a second lens group, the objective satisfying the following conditional expressions: 1.4<NAob?1.51??(1) 1.30 mm?Yreso×NAob8??(2) Ltotal?65 mm??(10) where NAob indicates the numerical aperture of the objective; Yreso a maximum object height within a region on a plane orthogonal to an optical axis that crosses a position on the optical axis at which an RMS wave aberration in a d line is minimized, the region having an RMS wave aberration in the d line that is 0.1?d or less provided therewithin; ?d, the wavelength of the d line; Ltotal, a distance on the optical axis from an object surface to the lens surface that is the closest to the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Kuwano, Bunryu Arashi
  • Patent number: 10795154
    Abstract: A head-up display assembly including a printed circuit board having a plurality of light emitting elements. A display element is illuminated by the plurality of light emitting elements. A total internal reflection (TIR) lens array includes a plurality of TIR lenses. Each one of the plurality of TIR lenses is aligned with a different one of the plurality of light emitting elements to reflect light emitted by the plurality of light emitting elements to the display element to illuminate the display element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignees: DENSO International America, Inc., DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Olga Adeyshvili, Reben Werman, Kelly Farner
  • Patent number: 10754238
    Abstract: The imaging optical system consists of, in order from a magnification side along an optical axis: a first lens group; a first optical axis deflection unit that deflects the optical axis; a second lens group; a second optical axis deflection unit that deflects the optical axis; and a third lens group. The imaging optical system forms an intermediate image between the first optical axis deflection unit and a surface closest to the magnification side in the first lens group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yukiko Nagatoshi
  • Patent number: 10705336
    Abstract: A head-up display assembly including a printed circuit board having a plurality of light emitting elements. A display element is illuminated by the plurality of light emitting elements. A total internal reflection (TIR) lens array includes a plurality of TIR lenses. Each one of the plurality of TIR lenses is aligned with a different one of the plurality of light emitting elements to reflect light emitted by the plurality of light emitting elements to the display element to illuminate the display element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignees: DENSO International America, Inc., DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Olga Adeyshvili, Reben Werman, Kelly Farner
  • Patent number: 10690917
    Abstract: A variety of femtoprojector optical systems are described. Each of them can be made small enough to fit in a contact lens using plastic injection molding, diamond turning, photolithography and etching, or other techniques. Most, but not all, of the systems include a solid cylindrical transparent substrate with a curved primary mirror formed on one end and a secondary mirror formed on the other end. Any of the designs may use light blocking, light-redirecting, absorbing coatings or other types of baffle structures as needed to reduce stray light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory David Miller, Brian Elliot Lemoff, George Michael Mihalakis, Ronald Maynard, Michael West Wiemer
  • Patent number: 10670852
    Abstract: Provided is an illuminated reticle assembly for an optical aiming device. The assembly includes a reticle plate has a first surface on which a physical reticle pattern is applied. A laser light source is configured to project a beam of laser light into the reticle plate at a first angle and toward an inner side of a second surface at an angle of incidence that directs a reflected beam of laser light toward at least a selected portion of the physical reticle pattern. The reflected laser light illuminates the at least selected portion of the physical reticle pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Lightforce USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian J. Bellah, Chad D. Beauregard
  • Patent number: 10599042
    Abstract: An illumination optical system which is used with a reflective imaging optical system configured to form an image of a pattern arranged on a first plane onto a second plane, and which illuminates an illumination area on the first plane with a light from a light source. The illumination optical system includes one or more reflecting mirrors configured to reflect the light from the light source such that the light from the light source passes between first and second mirrors of a plurality of mirrors provided in the reflective imaging optical system, the first mirror being configured to reflect the light from the pattern first, and the second mirror being configured to reflect the light from the pattern second.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshio Kawabe
  • Patent number: 10571698
    Abstract: A light guide device used in a display apparatus includes a transparent light guide portion that guides light beams incident from one end side to a light-emitting portion. The light guide portion includes a plurality of partial reflection surfaces between a first surface and a second surface which are parallel to each other, the plurality of partial reflection surfaces being inclined at the same angle from a normal direction with respect to the second surface toward the one end side. In the plurality of partial reflection surfaces, an appropriate incident angle range of the partial reflection surface positioned on the one end side is set to a larger angle than that of the partial reflection surface positioned on another end side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hayato Matsuki, Takashi Takeda
  • Patent number: 10466452
    Abstract: A projection optical system capable of performing compact and proximate projection and a projector including the projection optical system. The projection optical system includes a first optical group which is a dioptric system and a second optical group which is a catoptric system. The second optical group includes a first catoptric system to a third catoptric system that have a first reflection surface with a concave surface shape, a second reflection surface with a curved surface shape, and a third reflection surface with a convex surface shape. The first catoptric system to the third catoptric system satisfy Conditional Expression (1) for focal distances. Image light emitted from the first optical group is reflected by the second optical group to be projected to a projection surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Nobutaka Minefuji
  • Patent number: 10310284
    Abstract: A projection apparatus of reduced size and weight projects holographic images to a floating display position. An apparatus housing includes a laser projection system that outputs a laser beam, a beam diverter/splitter that receives and polarizes the laser beam, a concave mirror onto which the laser beam is diverted, and an adjustable lens or series of lenses to adjust the focus and/or size of images that are reflected from the concave mirror and through the adjustable lens. Rotating mirrors may be used instead of a beam diverter/splitter to draw images onto the concave mirror. Multiple apparatuses may be mounted around the floating display position for use as subsystems to synchronously project the holographic images for viewing from a 360° perspective. The multiple apparatuses or an individual apparatus may be used in conjunction with a conical mirror to display the images at a position above the conical mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Inventors: Mary Gormley Waldron, Kenneth Epstein
  • Patent number: 10310275
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a structured light generation unit, a conversion lens module, a collimating lens and a casing. The structured light generation unit outputs a structured light. The light beams from the structured light generation unit are expanded by the conversion lens module. The expanded light beams are collimated by the collimating lens. After the light beams pass through the conversion lens module and the collimating lens, the light beams are projected to a projection surface. Consequently, a structured light pattern is formed on the projection surface. All conversion lenses of the conversion lens module have negative optical power. Consequently, the area of the structured light pattern on the projection surface is wider. Moreover, the structured light generation unit and the conversion lens module can be accommodated within the casing having a smaller thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: EVERREADY PRECISION IND. CORP.
    Inventors: Jyh-Long Chern, Chih-Ming Yen
  • Patent number: 10191275
    Abstract: An off-axis optical system having a rectangular aperture stop to control rays of incident electromagnetic radiation passing through the optical system along an optical path is provided. The optical system includes one or more optical surfaces along the optical path, each surface being configured to change a direction of each ray on the surface based on a location of the ray relative to the surface. At least one of the surfaces is conjugate to and has the same shape as the rectangular aperture stop. In one embodiment, each optical surface is shaped to avoid vignetting the rays. In one embodiment, the optical system is a three-mirror anastigmat (TMA) and includes a concave primary mirror to collect and focus the electromagnetic radiation; a curved secondary mirror to reflect the electromagnetic radiation focused by the primary mirror; and a concave tertiary mirror to focus the electromagnetic radiation reflected by the secondary mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
    Inventors: Ian B. Murray, David Ericson, Michael J. Russo, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10095013
    Abstract: An objective optical system includes in order from an object side a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, and a third lens group having a positive refractive power, wherein focusing is carried out by moving the second lens group with respect to a change in an object-point distance, and the following conditional expressions (2) and (3) are satisfied: 3<|?|??(2), and 60°<???(3), where, ? denotes a lateral magnification of the overall objective optical system at the time of focusing to an object point at a close distance, and ? denotes the maximum half angle of view at the time of focusing to an object point at a long distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hideyasu Takato
  • Patent number: 10078223
    Abstract: A head mounted display device includes a structural frame arranged generally along a X-axis and a Y-axis for viewing along a Z-axis, the X, Y, and Z axes being mutually perpendicular. A micro-display is coupled to the structural frame, and configured to project visual content in a substantially forward direction along the Z-axis away from a user. A group of one or more optical elements with reflective optical surfaces is coupled to the structural frame and respectively positioned on a front side of the micro-display to reflectively guide a light ray bundle in a non-pupil forming optical path from the micro-display to a user's eye to provide an image to the user's eye such that the light rays of the light ray bundle entering the user's eye are essentially parallel to make the image visible to the user with varied positions of the user's pupil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: IMMY INC.
    Inventor: Douglas Peter Magyari
  • Patent number: 10025195
    Abstract: A reflective imaging optical system which forms, on a second plane, an image of a pattern arranged on a first plane and illuminated with light from an illumination optical system includes a plurality of reflecting mirrors including first and second reflecting mirrors by which the light reflected by the first plane is reflected first, second, respectively. An area on the first plane illuminated with the light from the illumination optical system is an illumination objective area, the illumination objective area is positioned on a predetermined side of an optical axis of the reflecting mirrors, and reflection areas of the first and second reflecting mirrors are positioned on the predetermined side of the optical axis of the reflecting mirrors; and the first and second reflecting mirrors are arranged so that an optical path of the light from the illumination optical system is positioned between the first and second reflecting mirrors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshio Kawabe
  • Patent number: 9958683
    Abstract: In a light guide device, a step between optical surfaces connected to each other by a connection portion can be limited (e.g., to 1 mm or smaller) so that a large stepped portion is not allowed to be formed at the connection portion in a hard coat formation process, whereby a coating liquid that flows along portions that are to form the optical surfaces forms no liquid pool or causes no liquid sagging. The light guide device can thus maintain satisfactory light guiding performance at the light guide portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayuki Takagi, Toshiaki Miyao, Takahiro Totani, Takashi Takeda, Akira Komatsu
  • Patent number: 9846366
    Abstract: A catadioptric projection objective images a pattern provided in an object plane of the projection objective onto an image plane of the projection objective. The projection objective includes first, second and third objective parts. The first objective part images the pattern into a first intermediate image. The second objective part images the first intermediate image into a second intermediate image. The third objective part images the second intermediate image onto the image plane. A first concave mirror having a first continuous mirror surface and at least one second concave mirror having a second continuous mirror surface are arranged upstream of the second intermediate image. Pupil surfaces are formed between the object plane and the first intermediate image, between the first and the second intermediate images and between the second intermediate image and the image plane. All concave mirrors are arranged optically remote from a pupil surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Omura
  • Patent number: 9709824
    Abstract: A deformable membrane assembly comprising a fluid-filled envelope, one wall of which is formed by an elastic membrane that is held around its edge by a bendable supporting ring, a support for the envelope and at least three ring-engaging members that are arranged to apply a force to the ring at spaced control points for adjusting the shape of the membrane, with the ring bending to control the shape of the membrane to a predefined form. A control point is provided at or proximate each point on the ring where the profile of the ring that is needed to produce the predefined form of the membrane exhibits a turning point in the direction of the force applied at the control point between two adjacent points where the profile of the ring exhibits an inflection point or a turning point in the opposite direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Adlens Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert Edward Stevens, Alex Edginton, Benjamin Thomas Tristram Holland, Daniel Paul Rhodes, Dijon Pietropinto, Derek Paul Forbes Bean, Roger Brian Minchin Clarke, Peter Lee Crossley, Richard Leefe Douglas Murray, Edwin James Stone
  • Patent number: 9632310
    Abstract: In a light guide device, a step between optical surfaces connected to each other by a connection portion can be limited to 1 mm or smaller so that a large stepped portion is not allowed to be formed at the connection portion in a hard coat formation process, whereby a coating liquid that flows along portions that are to form the optical surfaces forms no liquid pool or causes no liquid sagging. The light guide device can thus maintain satisfactory light guiding performance at the light guide portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayuki Takagi, Toshiaki Miyao, Takahiro Totani, Takashi Takeda, Akira Komatsu
  • Patent number: 9599815
    Abstract: Provided is a head-up display apparatus that projects a display image, which is formed on a display surface, onto a projection surface of a movable body to display a virtual image viewable from a cabin of the movable body. The head-up display apparatus includes a display with pixels arranged along the display surface, a light source, and a diffusion plate for diffusing the light coming from the light source and emits the diffused light toward the display. The diffusion plate has through-holes in a thickness direction. In a specific direction on the display surface, an inner dimension of the through-hole is smaller than a pixel pitch of the pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Makoto Inomata
  • Patent number: 9541841
    Abstract: An imaging optical system has a plurality of mirrors which image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. The imaging optical system has a pupil obscuration. The last mirror in the beam path of the imaging light between the object field and the image field has a through-opening for the passage of the imaging light. A penultimate mirror of the imaging optical system in the beam path of the imaging light between the object field and the image field has no through-opening for the passage of the imaging light. The imaging optical system has precisely eight mirrors. The result is an imaging optical system which exhibits a favorable combination of small imaging errors, manageable production and good throughput.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Alexander Epple
  • Patent number: 9459539
    Abstract: An imaging optical unit for a projection exposure apparatus serves for imaging an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. The image field is arranged at a field distance from the object plane. The optical unit has a plurality of mirrors. The imaging optical unit has a wavefront aberration over the image field of a maximum of 0.3 nm and an image-side numerical aperture of at least 0.5. The image field in at least one dimension has an extent of at least 10 mm. The result is an imaging optical unit in particular suited as part of an optical system for a projection exposure apparatus for projection lithography.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Christoph Menke, Susanne Beder
  • Patent number: 9395525
    Abstract: A catadioptric imaging lens includes: a first reflecting mirror; a second reflecting mirror; and a lens group. A reflecting surface of the first reflecting mirror is a rotationally asymmetrical aspherical, with concavity on the object side within the reference and the first orthogonal plane. A reflecting surface of the second reflecting mirror is a rotationally asymmetrical aspherical, with convexity toward the first reflecting mirror within the reference and within the second orthogonal plane. A surface in the lens group closest to the second reflecting mirror is a rotationally asymmetrical aspherical, with concavity toward the second reflecting mirror within the reference plane and convexity toward the second reflecting mirror within the third orthogonal plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Miho Matsumoto, Yoshikazu Hirayama, Kinya Kato, Yoshikazu Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 9341831
    Abstract: An optical system to form an image on an image plane includes, a catadioptric optical subsystem configured to collect light from an object plane; and a refractive optical subsystem configured to form the image on the image plane, the catadioptric and refractive optical subsystems being arranged in order from the object plane to the image plane along an optical axis of the optical system. A baffle to shut off light traveling toward the image plane without being reflected by the catadioptric optical subsystem is placed in the optical system, in order to form a shielded portion in a center of an exit pupil plane of the optical system, and the catadioptric optical subsystem includes a partially transparent surface around the optical axis of the optical system so that transmissivity of a region, other than the shielded portion, at the exit pupil plane varies in a radial direction of the exit pupil plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, The Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
    Inventors: Masatsugu Nakano, Jose Manuel Sasian-Alvarado
  • Patent number: 9323158
    Abstract: A design method of extreme ultraviolet lithography projection objective comprises: determining the optical design parameters of the lithography projection objective, setting the projection objective to include six lenses and an aperture diaphragm, and dividing the six lenses into the three groups according to the beam propagation direction; determining the radii and the intervals of the first and third groups, respectively; and determining the radii and the intervals of the second group of lenses according to the parameters of the foregoing two groups of lenses. The design method has the advantage of avoiding the blindness in revising and error testing of the existing structure of the conventional optical design method by calculating lens structures that meet the parameter conditions, so that light rays can be selected conveniently according to the special requirements of optical processing detection, and a mass of searches and judgments can be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: National Institute of Metrology
    Inventors: Yanqiu Li, Fei Liu
  • Patent number: 9297512
    Abstract: Incidence region 162 of light flux controlling member 160 includes first lens region 10 and second lens region 50 which have a fan shape in a plan view thereof. First lens region 10 includes a plurality of first projections 172. In first inclining surface 174 of first projection 172, angle ?11 on a first cross section and angle ?21 on a second cross section in a direction orthogonal to the first cross section are both larger than 0°. In second inclining surface 176, angle ?12 on the second cross section is larger than angle ?22 on the second cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Enplas Corporation
    Inventors: Aki Inada, Noriyuki Kawahara
  • Patent number: 9229236
    Abstract: A head-mounted display includes: a scanning unit that scans signal light modulated according to an image signal; a display unit on which the signal light from the scanning unit is incident and that is transmissive to visible light, the display unit including a half mirror area reflecting the signal light from the scanning unit and a transmission area having a transmittance higher than that of the half mirror area for visible light; and a control unit that scans, based on a use condition, the signal light over an area including the transmission area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makiko Hino, Yasushi Mizoguchi
  • Patent number: 9188771
    Abstract: An optical imaging system serving for imaging a pattern arranged in an object plane of the imaging system into an image plane of the imaging system with the aid of electromagnetic radiation from a wavelength range around a main wavelength ?0 has a multiplicity of mirrors. Each mirror has a mirror surface having a reflective layer arrangement having a sequence of individual layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Aurelian Dodoc, Christoph Zaczek, Sascha Migura, Gerhard Braun, Hans-Juergen Mann, Hans-Jochen Paul
  • Patent number: 9110225
    Abstract: A metrology system serves to examine an object arranged in an object field using EUV illumination light. An illumination optics of the metrology system has a collector mirror which is arranged in the beam path directly downstream of an EUV light source. Downstream of the collector mirror, less than three additional illumination mirrors are arranged in the beam path between the collector mirror and the object field. An intermediate focus is arranged in the beam path between the collector mirror and the additional illumination mirror. The metrology system further includes a magnifying imaging optics for imaging the object field into an image field in an image plane. As a result a metrology system is obtained which comprises an illumination optics that ensures an efficient illumination of the object field by means of illumination parameters which are well adapted to the illumination situation of current EUV projection exposure apparatuses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Jürgen Mann, Alois Herkommer
  • Patent number: 9081295
    Abstract: A catadioptric projection objective for imaging a pattern provided in an object plane of the projection objective onto an image plane of the projection objective. The projection objective includes a first objective part that includes one or more refractive optical elements to image the pattern provided in the object plane into a first intermediate image, a second objective part that consists of reflective optical elements including at least one concave mirror to image the first intermediate image into a second intermediate image, and a third objective part that includes one or more refractive optical elements to image the second intermediate imaging onto the image plane. The projection objective includes at lease one double asphere having a first aspheric surface and a second aspheric surface immediately adjacent to the first aspheric surface, the double asphere being formed by facing adjacent aspheric surfaces of two consecutive lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Omura
  • Patent number: 9075322
    Abstract: An reflective imaging optical system of the far pupil type, which is applicable to an exposure apparatus using for example the EUV light, forms on a second plane an image of a predetermined area on a first plane and is provided with first to eighth reflecting mirrors arranged in an order of reflection from the first plane toward the second plane. An entrance pupil of reflective imaging optical system is positioned on a side opposite to the reflective imaging optical system with the first plane intervening therebetween; and the following condition is fulfilled provided that PD represents a distance along an optical axis between the entrance pupil and the first plane, TT represents a distance along the optical axis between the first plane and the second plane, and R represents an angle of incidence of a main light beam coming into the first plane: ?14.3<(PD/TT)/R<?2.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshio Kawabe
  • Patent number: 9075291
    Abstract: A teleconverter includes a master lens apparatus-side mount on which a master lens apparatus is mounted, a camera body-side mount on which a camera body is mounted, and a converter lens unit that has a negative refracting power for mounting the master lens apparatus thereon to obtain a lens system having a focal length longer than that of the master lens apparatus, the converter lens unit including a first lens group on the master lens apparatus side and a second lens group on the camera body side with an on longest air separation interposed between them, the first lens group has positive refracting power, and the second lens group has negative refracting power, with satisfaction of the following condition (1): ?1.53<f1/f<?0.66??(1) where f is the focal length of a whole system of the converter lens unit, and f1 is the focal length of the first lens group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.
    Inventor: Yasuji Ogata
  • Publication number: 20150146283
    Abstract: Projection optical system for forming an image on a substrate and including an illumination relay lens and a projection lens each of which is a catadioptric system. The projection lens may include two portions in optical communication with one another, the first of which is dioptric and the second of which is catadioptric. In a specific case, the projection optical system satisfies 4 < ? ? I ? ? ? T ? < 30 , where ?I and ?T are magnifications of the first portion and the overall projection lens. Optionally, the projection lens may be structured to additionally satisfy 6 < ? ? II ? ? ? T ? < 20 , where ?II is a magnification of the second portion. A digital scanner including such projection optical system and operating with UV light having a spectral bandwidth on the order of 1 picometer. Method for forming an image with such projection optical system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventor: David M. Williamson
  • Patent number: 9030598
    Abstract: A method includes producing a first layer of optical liquid, shaping contactlessly the first layer of the optical liquid according to a desired form, and curing the shaped first layer of the optical liquid with electromagnetic radiation to generate a first optically refracting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventor: Marko Eromaki