Patents by Inventor Koji Noro
Koji Noro 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).
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Patent number: 9121593Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes a light-emission unit having plate shape; and a base unit configured to be detachably attached thereto the light-emission unit. The base unit has substantially rectangular shape. The base unit includes a power supply rail for supplying electricity to the light-emission unit and a support section supporting the light-emission unit. The power supply rail has rail-shape and extending in a longitudinal direction of the base unit. The light-emission unit includes a luminescent panel, a control circuit configured to control lighting of the luminescent panel and an electrically conductive connection terminal electrically connecting the control circuit to the power supply rail. The base unit is formed so as to be capable of being attached thereto a plurality of the light-emission units along the longitudinal direction of the base unit. The connection terminal is connected to an arbitrary point of the rail-shaped power supply rail.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2013Date of Patent: September 1, 2015Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yohei Hayashi, Hirofumi Konishi, Osamu Tanahashi, Hideharu Kawachi, Masanao Okawa, Koji Noro, Ryusuke Kotera
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Patent number: 9039257Abstract: A lighting device pertaining to one aspect of the present invention includes a mount, a light-emitting module, and a substrate holder. The light-emitting module is mounted on a main surface of the mount, and the substrate holder covers a portion of the light-emitting module and is connected with the mount. The light-emitting module includes a substrate, a plurality of light-emitting elements, a sealant and a padding. The padding is provided on a first main surface of the substrate. The light-emitting module is mounted on the main surface of the mount such that a second main surface of the substrate comes into contact with the main surface of the mount, and the light-emitting module is fixed to the mount by pressure applied from the substrate holder via the padding brought into contact with the substrate holder. The padding is made of a same material as the sealant.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2013Date of Patent: May 26, 2015Assignee: PANASONIC INTELECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.Inventors: Koji Noro, Katsushi Seki, Ryusuke Kotera, Youji Tachino, Satoshi Fukano, Akihiro Hirano
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Publication number: 20140268832Abstract: An LED unit which serves as illumination light source to be attached to lighting equipment, includes: a mounting board on which a light-emitting element, which emits light frontward, is provided; a support pad disposed behind the mounting board; and a case disposed so that the mounting board is sandwiched in a front-back direction by the case and the support pad. The support pad or the case includes insertion holes which are three or more openings into which securing components for securing the LED unit to the lighting equipment are inserted, and the three or more openings are disposed in such a way that, when a distance between two of the three or more openings is referred to as an inter-opening distance, at least one inter-opening distance is different from other inter-opening distances.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2014Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Yoshiro GOTO, Kazuhiro TAKAMURA, Koji NORO, Ryusuke KOTERA, Kensaku ATSUMI
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Publication number: 20140177240Abstract: A lighting device pertaining to one aspect of the present invention includes a mount, a light-emitting module, and a substrate holder. The light-emitting module is mounted on a main surface of the mount, and the substrate holder covers a portion of the light-emitting module and is connected with the mount. The light-emitting module includes a substrate, a plurality of light-emitting elements, a sealant and a padding. The padding is provided on a first main surface of the substrate. The light-emitting module is mounted on the main surface of the mount such that a second main surface of the substrate comes into contact with the main surface of the mount, and the light-emitting module is fixed to the mount by pressure applied from the substrate holder via the padding brought into contact with the substrate holder. The padding is made of a same material as the sealant.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2013Publication date: June 26, 2014Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Koji NORO, Katsushi SEKI, Ryusuke KOTERA, Youji TACHINO, Satoshi FUKANO, Akihiro HIRANO
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Publication number: 20140071680Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes a light-emission unit having plate shape; and a base unit configured to be detachably attached thereto the light-emission unit. The base unit has substantially rectangular shape. The base unit includes a power supply rail for supplying electricity to the light-emission unit and a support section supporting the light-emission unit. The power supply rail has rail-shape and extending in a longitudinal direction of the base unit. The light-emission unit includes a luminescent panel, a control circuit configured to control lighting of the luminescent panel and an electrically conductive connection terminal electrically connecting the control circuit to the power supply rail. The base unit is formed so as to be capable of being attached thereto a plurality of the light-emission units along the longitudinal direction of the base unit. The connection terminal is connected to an arbitrary point of the rail-shaped power supply rail.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2013Publication date: March 13, 2014Applicant: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Yohei HAYASHI, Hirofumi KONISHI, Osamu TANAHASHI, Hideharu KAWACHI, Masanao OKAWA, Koji NORO, Ryusuke KOTERA
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Patent number: 7557523Abstract: A level shift IC (3b) of a power supply/shutoff section (3) is operable, when a shutoff signal (Sa) is input from a timer circuit (8) for a time T during an ON state of a discharge lamp (7), to turn off a MOSFET (3a) so as to shut off power supply to a smoothing capacitor (4). When a detection signal (Sb) of a capacitor voltage is lowered to a value less than a reference voltage Vr1 during input of the shutoff signal (Sa), an output of a comparator (10) is changed from an H level to an L level in an inverted manner. In conjunction with this change, respective outputs of an auxiliary control circuit (12) and a NOT element (12a, 12b) are changed from an L level to an H level in an inverted manner. As a result, a current flows from the NOT element (12a) to an LED (13b) through a resistor (13a) to turn on the LED (13b). Thus, a life end of the smoothing capacitor 4 is annunciated, and a main control circuit (6) is operable to suppress an output of an inverter main circuit (5).Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2005Date of Patent: July 7, 2009Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.Inventors: Takeshi Goriki, Koji Noro, Noriyuki Fukumori, Kenichi Fukuda
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Patent number: 7432670Abstract: Even if a DC output voltage of a step-down chopper circuit (3) is lowered from a value in a non-lighted state or a no-load state due to a discharge occurring between conductors (105a) in a cable (104), the turn on detection circuit (26a) can discriminates between lighted and non-lighted states without erroneously determining such a discharge as a discharge in a discharge lamp (4). This allows an operation of the timer (29) to be continued, so that high-voltage pulses are intermittently applied to prevent continuous discharge between the conductors (105) and abnormal heat generation in the cable (104). Further, even if a discharge occurs in an outer tube of the discharge lamp (4), the turn on detection circuit (26a) never erroneously discriminates this discharge as the lighted state. Thus, the lighting device of the present invention can suppress abnormal heat generations in the components and a socket (102).Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 2004Date of Patent: October 7, 2008Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Koji Yamashita, Akihiro Kishimoto, Koji Noro, Toshiaki Sasaki, Noriyuki Fukumori
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Publication number: 20080030143Abstract: A level shift IC (3b) of a power supply/shutoff section (3) is operable, when a shutoff signal (Sa) is input from a timer circuit (8) for a time T during an ON state of a discharge lamp (7), to turn off a MOSFET (3a) so as to shut off power supply to a smoothing capacitor (4). When a detection signal (Sb) of a capacitor voltage is lowered to a value less than a reference voltage Vr1 during input of the shutoff signal (Sa), an output of a comparator (10) is changed from an H level to an L level in an inverted manner. In conjunction with this change, respective outputs of an auxiliary control circuit (12) and a NOT element (12a, 12b) are changed from an L level to an H level in an inverted manner. As a result, a current flows from the NOT element (12a) to an LED (13b) through a resistor (13a) to turn on the LED (13b). Thus, a life end of the smoothing capacitor 4 is annunciated, and a main control circuit (6) is operable to suppress an output of an inverter main circuit (5).Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2005Publication date: February 7, 2008Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.Inventors: Takeshi Goriki, Koji Noro, Noriyuki Fukumori, Kenichi Fukuda
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Publication number: 20070063659Abstract: Even if a DC output voltage of a step-down chopper circuit (3) is lowered from a value in a non-lighted state or a no-load state due to a discharge occurring between conductors (105a) in a cable (104), the turn on detection circuit (26a) can discriminates between lighted and non-lighted states without erroneously determining such a discharge as a discharge in a discharge lamp (4). This allows an operation of the timer (29) to be continued, so that high-voltage pulses are intermittently applied to prevent continuous discharge between the conductors (105) and abnormal heat generation in the cable (104). Further, even if a discharge occurs in an outer tube of the discharge lamp (4), the turn on detection circuit (26a) never erroneously discriminates this discharge as the lighted state. Thus, the lighting device of the present invention can suppress abnormal heat generations in the components and a socket (102).Type: ApplicationFiled: November 24, 2004Publication date: March 22, 2007Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.Inventors: Koji YAamashita, Akihiro KIishimoto, Koji Noro, Toshiaki Sasaki, Noriyuki Fukumori