Patents by Inventor Kiyotaka Mochizuki

Kiyotaka Mochizuki 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: 8480270
    Abstract: A headlamp aiming system is configured to include: a lamp unit; an actuator configured to displace the light axis of the lamp unit; an imaging apparatus configured to acquire the information necessary for adjustment of the light axis; and an ECU configured to control the actuator. By imaging a light distribution pattern formed by lighting the lamp unit with the imaging apparatus, and by controlling the actuator by the ECU such that the deviation between the position of an attention point in a light distribution pattern, obtained from the imaged image information, and the position of a reference point that has been set beforehand becomes the minimum or zero, an attitude of the lamp unit is adjusted such that aiming of the lamp unit can be automatically performed in a self-contained manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyotaka Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 8157427
    Abstract: A vehicle headlamp is provided. The vehicle headlamp includes a light source which is configured to form an additional light distribution pattern which is formed above a cut-off line of a low-beam mode light distribution pattern; a vehicle detection device which is configured to detect a presence of a front running vehicle; a road position detection device which is configured to detect an existing area of a road ahead; and a control unit. The control unit acquires information from the vehicle detection device and the road position detection device and, when the existing area includes a non-detectable area which is outside of a detectable area of the vehicle detection device, controls the light source to reduce an illuminance of the additional light distribution pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyotaka Mochizuki, Naoki Tatara
  • Publication number: 20110080751
    Abstract: A headlamp aiming system is configured to include: a lamp unit; an actuator configured to displace the light axis of the lamp unit; an imaging apparatus configured to acquire the information necessary for adjustment of the light axis; and an ECU configured to control the actuator. By imaging a light distribution pattern formed by lighting the lamp unit with the imaging apparatus, and by controlling the actuator by the ECU such that the deviation between the position of an attention point in a light distribution pattern, obtained from the imaged image information, and the position of a reference point that has been set beforehand becomes the minimum or zero, an attitude of the lamp unit is adjusted such that aiming of the lamp unit can be automatically performed in a self-contained manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2009
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kiyotaka Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 7901121
    Abstract: The light distribution of a vehicle headlamp can be changed between various modes, including a basic mode and a motorway mode. In the basic mode, shaded region changeover means block a high light intensity region, and deflection control means controls a lamp optical axis Lx to a straight travel direction. In the motorway mode, the shaded region changeover means does not block the high light intensity region, and the deflection control means controls deflection of the lamp optical axis to a host vehicle lane side. A light distribution in which the high light intensity region faces a far distance ahead of the host vehicle lane can be obtained, and the host vehicle lane is brightly illuminated without dazzling a driver of a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle. Accordingly, illumination suited to the motorway mode during high speed and medium speed travel can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirohiko Ohshio, Kiyotaka Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 7896512
    Abstract: The vehicle headlamp is provided with a main lamp unit fixed and arranged inside a lamp chamber and sub-lamp units as an auxiliary lamp capable of changing and forming light distribution patterns by using semiconductor light emitting elements as light sources. The sub-lamp units are respectively equipped with a vertically changing mechanism for changing the illuminating direction in a vertical direction, a laterally changing mechanism for changing the illuminating direction in a lateral direction and a pattern changing mechanism for changing a light distribution pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohisa Tatara, Takashi Hori, Kiyotaka Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 7758218
    Abstract: A vehicular headlamp including a light amount control device that controls the amount of light from at least two of a plurality of light source units each having a light-emitting element as the light source. The light amount control device performs a contrasting control of the lamp to increase the amount of light from at least one of the light source units and decrease the amount of light from the other light source unit, thus enhancing the visibility by increasing the amount of light from one light source unit and enhancing the brightness in an area that the unit illuminates, and decreasing the amount of light from the other light source unit that illuminates an area where visibility is required less, lowering the power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyotaka Mochizuki, Takashi Hori, Naohisa Tatara
  • Patent number: 7618173
    Abstract: A vehicle headlamp includes a lamp 110 having shade switching means 140 for providing a desired light distribution pattern by blocking a portion of light emitted from a light source. Light distribution pattern switching controlling means controls the shade switching means 140 in response to receipt of an instruction of switching a light distribution pattern of the lamp. Leveling means 130 controls deflection of an optical axis of the lamp in a vertical direction. The light distribution pattern switching controlling means controls the shade switching means 140 such that a cut line is formed by a height substantially the same as that of a cut line of high beam when an instruction of switching to a light distribution pattern of “remote optically recognizing beam” is received and controls the leveling means 130 such that the cut line is formed by a height of a cut line requested for “middle beam”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Sugimoto, Kiyotaka Mochizuki, Naohisa Tatara
  • Publication number: 20090231867
    Abstract: A vehicle headlamp is provided. The vehicle headlamp includes a light source which is configured to form an additional light distribution pattern which is formed above a cut-off line of a low-beam mode light distribution pattern; a vehicle detection device which is configured to detect a presence of a front running vehicle; a road position detection device which is configured to detect an existing area of a road ahead; and a control unit. The control unit acquires information from the vehicle detection device and the road position detection device and, when the existing area includes a non-detectable area which is outside of a detectable area of the vehicle detection device, controls the light source to reduce an illuminance of the additional light distribution pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiyotaka MOCHIZUKI, Naoki TATARA
  • Publication number: 20090116259
    Abstract: The light distribution of a vehicle headlamp can be changed between various modes, including a basic mode and a motorway mode. In the basic mode, shaded region changeover means block a high light intensity region, and deflection control means controls a lamp optical axis Lx to a straight travel direction. In the motorway mode, the shaded region changeover means does not block the high light intensity region, and the deflection control means controls deflection of the lamp optical axis to a host vehicle lane side. A light distribution in which the high light intensity region faces a far distance ahead of the host vehicle lane can be obtained, and the host vehicle lane is brightly illuminated without dazzling a driver of a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle. Accordingly, illumination suited to the motorway mode during high speed and medium speed travel can be achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirohiko Ohshio, Kiyotaka Mochizuki
  • Publication number: 20090086500
    Abstract: The vehicle headlamp is provided with a main lamp unit fixed and arranged inside a lamp chamber and sub-lamp units as an auxiliary lamp capable of changing and forming light distribution patterns by using semiconductor light emitting elements as light sources. The sub-lamp units are respectively equipped with a vertically changing mechanism for changing the illuminating direction in a vertical direction, a laterally changing mechanism for changing the illuminating direction in a lateral direction and a pattern changing mechanism for changing a light distribution pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naohisa TATARA, Takashi HORI, Kiyotaka MOCHIZUKI
  • Publication number: 20080192496
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp system includes lamps RHL and LHL. The lamp system can switch at least to a low beam distribution and a motorway light distribution. A light distribution switching control portion CONT for switching the light distribution based on operational information of the vehicle switches to the low beam distribution when it is determined that the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined speed in the motorway light distribution and a predetermined light distribution switching condition is satisfied. If presence of an obstacle is confirmed so as to apply a deceleration, it is possible to prevent the obstacle from being undetected by switching to the low beam distribution. Thus, it is possible to reliably keep away from the obstacle, thereby ensuring stable operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2008
    Publication date: August 14, 2008
    Applicant: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyotaka Mochizuki, Naohisa Tatara
  • Publication number: 20080007961
    Abstract: A vehicular headlamp including a light amount control device that controls the amount of light from at least two of a plurality of light source units each having a light-emitting element as the light source. The light amount control device performs a contrasting control of the lamp to increase the amount of light from at least one of the light source units and decrease the amount of light from the other light source unit, thus enhancing the visibility by increasing the amount of light from one light source unit and enhancing the brightness in an area that the unit illuminates, and decreasing the amount of light from the other light source unit that illuminates an area where visibility is required less, lowering the power consumption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Inventors: Kiyotaka Mochizuki, Takashi Hori, Naohisa Tatara
  • Publication number: 20070195543
    Abstract: A vehicle headlamp includes a lamp 110 having shade switching means 140 for providing a desired light distribution pattern by blocking a portion of light emitted from a light source. Light distribution pattern switching controlling means controls the shade switching means 140 in response to receipt of an instruction of switching a light distribution pattern of the lamp. Leveling means 130 controls deflection of an optical axis of the lamp in a vertical direction. The light distribution pattern switching controlling means controls the shade switching means 140 such that a cut line is formed by a height substantially the same as that of a cut line of high beam when an instruction of switching to a light distribution pattern of “remote optically recognizing beam” is received and controls the leveling means 130 such that the cut line is formed by a height of a cut line requested for “middle beam”.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2007
    Publication date: August 23, 2007
    Inventors: Atsushi Sugimoto, Kiyotaka Mochizuki, Naohisa Tatara
  • Patent number: 6535222
    Abstract: A graphic method for preparing a surface map used to synthesize a masking layer. The proposed structures on a semiconductor surface are mapped as trapezoidal figures on a numerical grid. The first grouping step groups trapezoids into a plurality of groups based on Ymin, and groups are then internally sorted based on Xmin. A to-be-judged group is selected. A intra-group judging step uses a trapezoid as a to-be-judged figure in order of sorting, and trapezoids sorted after the to-be-judged trapezoid as a to-be-compared figures successively in order of sorting, determining if there is intersection and if so incrementally moving the to-be-compared figure, and repetitively executing an intersection judgment processing until there is no intersection or until the to-be-compared figure disappears.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Shinko Electric Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyotaka Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 6008822
    Abstract: A graphic processing system for accomplishing high-speed processing of data conversion processing by effectively utilizing file information of input graphic data to improve processing efficiency of data processing inside blocks, and by optimizing block division.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignees: Shinko Electric Industries, Co., Ltd., Futjitsu Limited, Japan NUS Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Yumoto, Kiyotaka Mochizuki, Satoshi Akutagawa, Yasufumi Ishihara
  • Patent number: 5936642
    Abstract: A graphic processing system for accomplishing high-speed processing of data conversion processing by effectively utilizing file information of input graphic data to improve processing efficiency of data processing inside blocks, and by optimizing block division.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignees: Shinko Electric Industries, Co., Ltd., Fujitsu Limited, Japan NUS Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Yumoto, Kiyotaka Mochizuki, Satoshi Akutagawa, Yasufumi Ishihara