Patents by Inventor Koji Imaeda

Koji Imaeda 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: 10202067
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes a first control apparatus that controls a first lamp mounted in a vehicle and a second control apparatus that controls a second lamp mounted in the vehicle. The first control apparatus starts light-on/off control of the first lamp under a condition that a light-on/off command is inputted, turns on/off the first lamp such that a light quantity of the first lamp is gradually changed over a first transition time from the start of light-on/off control to when the light quantity of the first lamp reaches a target and light-on/off is completed, and inputs an auxiliary light-on/off command to the second control apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Okumura, Koji Imaeda
  • Patent number: 9713979
    Abstract: A vehicular headlamp apparatus includes: a headlamp that illuminates ahead of a vehicle; light distribution pattern switching means for switching light distribution pattern of the headlamp between a plurality of light distribution patterns which include, at least, a high beam and a low beam; detecting means for detecting a forward vehicle present in front of the vehicle; controlling means for controlling the light distribution pattern switching means based on a detection result of the detecting means; and turning radius acquiring means for acquiring a turning radius of the own vehicle during running. Moreover, when the turning radius of the own vehicle acquired by the turning radius acquiring means is less than a predetermined value, the controlling means inhibits the switching of the light distribution pattern of the headlamp to a higher side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Imaeda, Hajime Kasai, Kiyotaka Mochizuki, Tatsuya Takagaki
  • Patent number: 9656594
    Abstract: Speed of a vehicle is acquired from a speed detecting device, and then a beam switching threshold, according to the acquired speed, of an irradiation direction of a headlight is initially set. When the number of appearance (i.e. frequency of appearance) of a light source in a predetermined time detected by a light source detection means have become the beam switching threshold or more, the headlight is switched to a low beam. When a predetermined time (beam switching prohibition time Tp) has been passed after the irradiation direction of a headlight was switched to the low beam, the irradiation direction of the headlight is switched to a high beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koji Imaeda
  • Publication number: 20170015237
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes a first control apparatus that controls a first lamp mounted in a vehicle and a second control apparatus that controls a second lamp mounted in the vehicle. The first control apparatus starts light-on/off control of the first lamp under a condition that a light-on/off command is inputted, turns on/off the first lamp such that a light quantity of the first lamp is gradually changed over a first transition time from the start of light-on/off control to when the light quantity of the first lamp reaches a target and light-on/off is completed, and inputs an auxiliary light-on/off command to the second control apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Publication date: January 19, 2017
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Okumura, Koji Imaeda
  • Patent number: 9527433
    Abstract: A control apparatus, which controls a headlight unit, repeatedly performs a process of measuring brightness ahead of the own vehicle using a luminance sensor. For example, when a curved road region is present ahead of the own vehicle, measurement is made of the brightness of a road surface or a guardrail of a specified region (region to which light from a headlight unit of a forward vehicle is emitted) in the road region. Then, a variation (?) in a measurement value of the brightness from a previous measurement value is calculated. When the variation (?) is equal to or more than a threshold TH, a vehicle yet to emerge is predicted to emerge in a forward view of the own vehicle to thereby switch a lighting mode for the light emitted from the headlight unit to another mode so that the emergence area is darkened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Imaeda, Yoshikazu Hatada
  • Patent number: 9469242
    Abstract: In a headlamp light distribution control device, a light source configured by a pair of lamps mounted in a forward vehicle is extracted from an image of the forward vehicle if a distance to the forward vehicle is less than a predetermined value, and the number of the extracted light sources is judged. When the number of the extracted light sources is two, an irradiation direction of a headlamp is controlled such that a shielded area is set in an irradiation area to prevent an area including the lamp of the forward vehicle from being irradiated. When the number of the extracted light sources is one, the irradiation direction is controlled such that a shielded area is set in the irradiation area to have a margin in right and left directions larger than the shielded area set when the number of the extracted light sources is two.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Imaeda, Kentarou Shiota
  • Publication number: 20160288697
    Abstract: Speed of a vehicle is acquired from a speed detecting device, and then a beam switching threshold, according to the acquired speed, of an irradiation direction of a headlight is initially set. When the number of appearance (i.e. frequency of appearance) of a light source in a predetermined time detected by a light source detection means have become the beam switching threshold or more, the headlight is switched to a low beam. When a predetermined time (beam switching prohibition time Tp) has been passed after the irradiation direction of a headlight was switched to the low beam, the irradiation direction of the headlight is switched to a high beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventor: Koji IMAEDA
  • Patent number: 9436881
    Abstract: An apparatus predicts a turn of a vehicle based on a picked-up image of a forward view of the vehicle. The forward view is imaged by an on-vehicle sensor to repeatedly acquire images. The acquired images include position coordinate information of a light source and information indicating whether the light source is a light source of a preceding vehicle or a light source of an oncoming vehicle. Based on such information, it is determined whether or not the light source is a light source of an oncoming vehicle newly appeared in the images and the light source is in a predetermined area near the left end or in a predetermined area near the right end in the images. When the determination result is affirmative, it is determined that there is a curve in the traveling direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koji Imaeda
  • Patent number: 9387796
    Abstract: Speed of a vehicle is acquired from a speed detecting device, and then a beam switching threshold, according to the acquired speed, of an irradiation direction of a headlight is initially set. When the number of appearance (i.e. frequency of appearance) of a light source in a predetermined time detected by a light source detection means have become the beam switching threshold or more, the headlight is switched to a low beam. When a predetermined time (beam switching prohibition time Tp) has been passed after the irradiation direction of a headlight was switched to the low beam, the irradiation direction of the headlight is switched to a high beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koji Imaeda
  • Publication number: 20160023591
    Abstract: A control apparatus, which controls a headlight unit, repeatedly performs a process of measuring brightness ahead of the own vehicle using a luminance sensor. For example, when a curved road region is present ahead of the own vehicle, measurement is made of the brightness of a road surface or a guardrail of a specified region (region to which light from a headlight unit of a forward vehicle is emitted) in the road region. Then, a variation ? in a measurement value of the brightness from a previous measurement value is calculated. When the variation ? is equal to or more than a threshold TH, a vehicle yet to emerge is predicted to emerge in a forward view of the own vehicle to thereby switch a lighting mode for the light emitted from the headlight unit to another mode so that the emergence area is darkened.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: Koji Imaeda, Yoshikazu Hatada
  • Publication number: 20150251586
    Abstract: A vehicular headlamp apparatus includes: a headlamp that illuminates ahead of a vehicle; light distribution pattern switching means for switching light distribution pattern of the headlamp between a plurality of light distribution patterns which include, at least, a high beam and a low beam; detecting means for detecting a forward vehicle present in front of the vehicle; controlling means for controlling the light distribution pattern switching means based on a detection result of the detecting means; and turning radius acquiring means for acquiring a turning radius of the own vehicle during running. Moreover, when the turning radius of the own vehicle acquired by the turning radius acquiring means is less than a predetermined value, the controlling means inhibits the switching of the light distribution pattern of the headlamp to a higher side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Imaeda, Hajime Kasai, Kiyotaka Mochizuki, Tatsuya Takagaki
  • Publication number: 20150028742
    Abstract: In a headlamp light distribution control device, a light source configured by a pair of lamps mounted in a forward vehicle is extracted from an image of the forward vehicle if a distance to the forward vehicle is less than a predetermined value, and the number of the extracted light sources is judged. When the number of the extracted light sources is two, an irradiation direction of a headlamp is controlled such that a shielded area is set in an irradiation area to prevent an area including the lamp of the forward vehicle from being irradiated. When the number of the extracted light sources is one, the irradiation direction is controlled such that a shielded area is set in the irradiation area to have a margin in right and left directions larger than the shielded area set when the number of the extracted light sources is two.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Koji IMAEDA, Kentarou SHIOTA
  • Publication number: 20150016678
    Abstract: An apparatus predicts a turn of a vehicle based on a picked-up image of a forward view of the vehicle. The forward view is imaged by an on-vehicle sensor to repeatedly acquire images. The acquired images include position coordinate information of a light source and information indicating whether the light source is a light source of a preceding vehicle or a light source of an oncoming vehicle. Based on such information, it is determined whether or not the light source is a light source of an oncoming vehicle newly appeared in the images and the light source is in a predetermined area near the left end or in a predetermined area near the right end in the images. When the determination result is affirmative, it is determined that there is a curve in the traveling direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koji Imaeda
  • Patent number: 8884522
    Abstract: An extraction unit extracts a forward vehicle from an acquired image of the forward area image. A judgment unit extracts a lamp of the forward vehicle from the image of the extracted forward vehicle if a distance to the forward vehicle is less than a predetermined value, and judges whether the extracted lamp is actually two lamps or a single lamp. A control unit controls an irradiation direction of a headlamp such that a first shielded area is set in an irradiation area to prevent an area including the lamp of the forward vehicle from being irradiated if judged that the extracted lamp is actually two lamps, and such that a second shielded area is set in the irradiation area to have a margin in right and left directions larger than the first shielded area if judged that the extracted lamp is really only a single lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Imaeda
  • Publication number: 20140169010
    Abstract: Speed of a vehicle is acquired from a speed detecting device, and then a beam switching threshold, according to the acquired speed, of an irradiation direction of a headlight is initially set. When the number of appearance (i.e. frequency of appearance) of a light source in a predetermined time detected by a light source detection means have become the beam switching threshold or more, the headlight is switched to a low beam. When a predetermined time (beam switching prohibition time Tp) has been passed after the irradiation direction of a headlight was switched to the low beam, the irradiation direction of the headlight is switched to a high beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koji Imaeda
  • Publication number: 20130026916
    Abstract: An extraction unit extracts a forward vehicle from an acquired image of the forward area image. A judgment unit extracts a lamp of the forward vehicle from the image of the extracted forward vehicle if a distance to the forward vehicle is less than a predetermined value, and judges whether the extracted lamp is actually two lamps or a single lamp. A control unit controls an irradiation direction of a headlamp such that a first shielded area is set in an irradiation area to prevent an area including the lamp of the forward vehicle from being irradiated if judged that the extracted lamp is actually two lamps, and such that a second shielded area is set in the irradiation area to have a margin in right and left directions larger than the first shielded area if judged that the extracted lamp is really only a single lamp.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Imaeda