Patents by Inventor Toshihiro Okamura

Toshihiro Okamura 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: 11872604
    Abstract: The present invention is provided with: an outer housing configured from a housing having an opening, and a translucent cover closing the opening; a substrate disposed inside of the outer hosing; a camera module, which has an image pickup element, and is disposed on the substrate; and a light emitting element, which is provided as a light source, and is disposed on the substrate. Consequently, since the camera module and the light emitting element are disposed on the substrate that is disposed inside of the outer housing, the number of configuration components is small, thereby achieving reduction of the number of components, and size reduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura
  • Patent number: 11850992
    Abstract: Provided is a lighting device capable of forming an optimal light distribution pattern in a situation in which vehicle travel is being automatically controlled. Provided is a lighting device (100) in which a region having the highest luminous intensity on a virtual projection plane (VP) when the virtual projection plane (VP) is divided into three equal parts from lowest to highest luminous intensity is isolated in the left and right directions by a V line, and at least a portion of the region having the highest luminous intensity is located in a first central portion (M1) of the virtual projection plane (VP).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda
  • Patent number: 11254258
    Abstract: There is provided a vehicular component which include an illumination device capable of favorably illuminating the periphery of a host vehicle. There is provided a vehicular component that includes an illumination device (3) installed on a roof part (30) and configured to cover a vehicle interior space from above. The illumination device (4) includes a light source unit (100) and a light emitting unit (300). The light emitting unit (300) configured to emit light by light emitted from the light source unit (100) is provided along an outer peripheral edge (31) of the roof part (30) in a top view of the vehicle (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda, Osamu Endo
  • Publication number: 20220024422
    Abstract: A camera module shoots a satisfactory image by suppressing the adherence of water droplets to a part in a light transmitting cover through which imaging light is transmitted. Provided are an outer casing comprising a housing having an opening and a light transmitting cover for closing the opening; and a camera module arranged inside the outer casing. A part of the light transmitting cover is provided as a transmission window through which imaging light incident on the camera module is transmitted and a restriction part for restricting the inflow of water droplets toward the transmission window is provided to the light transmitting cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Okamura, Naoki Tatara, Akinobu Kubota
  • Patent number: 11173832
    Abstract: An illumination system includes an illumination control unit which is configured to change the illumination state of each of a left-side illumination unit (40L), a left-side auxiliary illumination unit (42L), a right-side illumination unit (40R), and a right-side auxiliary illumination unit (42R). The illumination control unit is configured to change the illumination state of the left-side illumination unit (40L) when a vehicle (1) has detected a pedestrian (P). The illumination control unit is configured to change the illumination state of the left-side auxiliary illumination unit (42L) according to the speed of the vehicle (1). The illumination control unit is configured to change the illumination state of each of light emission segments (43L) of the left-side illumination unit (40L) and each of light emission segments (44L) of the left-side auxiliary illumination unit (42L).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Takeshi Masuda, Toshihiro Okamura
  • Patent number: 11167731
    Abstract: A camera module shoots a satisfactory image by suppressing the adherence of water droplets to a part in a light transmitting cover through which imaging light is transmitted. Provided are an outer casing comprising a housing having an opening and a light transmitting cover for closing the opening; and a camera module arranged inside the outer casing. A part of the light transmitting cover is provided as a transmission window through which imaging light incident on the camera module is transmitted and a restriction part for restricting the inflow of water droplets toward the transmission window is provided to the light transmitting cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACIURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Okamura, Naoki Tatara, Akinobu Kubota
  • Publication number: 20210252562
    Abstract: The present invention is provided with: an outer housing configured from a housing having an opening, and a translucent cover closing the opening; a substrate disposed inside of the outer hosing; a camera module, which has an image pickup element, and is disposed on the substrate; and a light emitting element, which is provided as a light source, and is disposed on the substrate. Consequently, since the camera module and the light emitting element are disposed on the substrate that is disposed inside of the outer housing, the number of configuration components is small, thereby achieving reduction of the number of components, and size reduction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Publication date: August 19, 2021
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura
  • Patent number: 11066009
    Abstract: A vehicle illumination device which is provided in a vehicle capable of travelling in an automatic driving mode includes an illumination unit configured to display stop warning information forewarning stop of the vehicle toward a front of the vehicle, and an illumination controller configured to control the illumination unit such that the stop warning information is displayed toward the front of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda, Naoki Takii
  • Patent number: 11014575
    Abstract: A vehicular illumination device provided to a vehicle capable of travelling in an automatic driving mode includes an illumination unit configured to display advance-notice information for giving advance-notice of automatic traveling control of the vehicle so that a passenger in the vehicle can visually recognize the advance-notice information, and an illumination controller configured to control the illumination unit so that the passenger in the vehicle can visually recognize the advance-notice information before the automatic traveling control of the vehicle is executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Takii, Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda
  • Publication number: 20210114511
    Abstract: Provided is a lighting device capable of forming an optimal light distribution pattern in a situation in which vehicle travel is being automatically controlled. Provided is a lighting device (100) in which a region having the highest luminous intensity on a virtual projection plane (VP) when the virtual projection plane (VP) is divided into three equal parts from lowest to highest luminous intensity is isolated in the left and right directions by a V line, and at least a portion of the region having the highest luminous intensity is located in a first central portion (M1) of the virtual projection plane (VP).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda
  • Patent number: 10965878
    Abstract: A vehicle illumination system includes a light source unit capable of irradiating a front of a vehicle with light, a camera, an imaging control unit, and an image generation unit which performs computation for an image acquired by the camera, the imaging control unit enables the camera to capture the front of the vehicle and to output a first image to the image generation unit when the light source unit irradiates the front of the vehicle in the first mode, and enables the camera to capture the front of the vehicle and to output a second image to the image generation unit when the light source unit irradiates the front of the vehicle in a second mode in which light is irradiated with an illuminance higher than in the first mode, and the image generation unit generates a single output image by the first image and the second image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda
  • Patent number: 10906453
    Abstract: A vehicular detection device configured to be mounted to at least one of a right or a left side of a vehicle body includes a detection unit configured to detect an object. An outermost part of the vehicular detection device in a right and left direction is flush with or more inward than an outer surface of a side surface part of the vehicle body in the right and left direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura
  • Patent number: 10829044
    Abstract: Problem: To provide a vehicle monitoring system capable of checking a wide range of area at the rear of a vehicle to afford a high level of safety, without increasing an amount of protrusion from the side surface of the vehicle body. Solution: A vehicle monitoring system 1 is provided with a first camera 11 that shoots a first area at the rear side of a vehicle; a second camera 12 that shoots a second area further toward the inside in the width direction of the vehicle compared with the first area; an ECU 13 that combines videos captured by the two cameras; and a monitor 15 that displays the combined image. The first camera 11 is contained in an STSL 3 on a vehicle body side surface, and the second camera 12 is installed in an RCL 4 or a high mounted stop lamp at the rear of the vehicle body. A video processing circuit 14 performs correction to improve the visibility of the videos of an overlapping section captured by the cameras 11 and 12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura
  • Patent number: 10730427
    Abstract: An illumination apparatus has a light source unit that can form a light distribution pattern by applying light into a virtual region, and an illuminance controller that can change the illuminance of at least a part of the light distribution pattern. The illuminance controller reduces the illuminance of the light distribution pattern in a region positioned in a first center in the vertical direction and a second center in a lateral direction, depending on a signal transmitted from an oncoming vehicle detector that transmits a signal according to the presence of an oncoming vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda
  • Patent number: 10676023
    Abstract: A vehicle illumination system for a vehicle capable of traveling in an automatic driving mode includes a left-side communication support lamp and a right-side communication support lamp configured to lit light toward an outside of the vehicle and arranged to be visually recognized from the front of the vehicle, and an illumination controller configured to, when the vehicle detects a target object, change an illumination state of at least one of the left-side communication support lamp and the right-side communication support lamp. Each of the left-side communication support lamp and the right-side communication support lamp includes a plurality of light-emitting segments arranged side by side in a right and left direction of the vehicle. The illumination controller is configured to change an illumination state of each of the plurality of light-emitting segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda
  • Patent number: 10663978
    Abstract: An illumination device provided in a vehicle capable of traveling in an automatic driving mode is provided with: an illumination unit configured so that light is emitted toward the outside of the vehicle; and an illumination control unit configured so that, on the basis of an illumination control signal transmitted from another vehicle capable of traveling in an automatic driving mode and provided with an illumination unit, the illumination state of the illumination unit corresponds to the illumination state of the illumination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda
  • Patent number: 10636302
    Abstract: An illumination device installed in a vehicle capable of traveling in an automatic driving mode is provided with an illumination unit configured so as to radiate light outward from the vehicle, and an illumination control unit configured so as to control the illumination unit, on the basis of an illumination control signal sent from transportation infrastructure, which is provided with a light-emitting body for radiating light outward, in order to make the illumination state of the illumination unit correspond to the illumination state of the light-emitting body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Takii, Masashi Yamazaki, Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda
  • Publication number: 20190322207
    Abstract: An illumination apparatus has a light source unit that can form a light distribution pattern by applying light into a virtual region, and an illuminance controller that can change the illuminance of at least a part of the light distribution pattern. The illuminance controller reduces the illuminance of the light distribution pattern in a region positioned in a first center in the vertical direction and a second center in a lateral direction, depending on a signal transmitted from an oncoming vehicle detector that transmits a signal according to the presence of an oncoming vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda
  • Publication number: 20190320106
    Abstract: A vehicle illumination system includes a light source unit capable of irradiating a front of a vehicle with light, a camera, an imaging control unit, and an image generation unit which performs computation for an image acquired by the camera, the imaging control unit enables the camera to capture the front of the vehicle and to output a first image to the image generation unit when the light source unit irradiates the front of the vehicle in the first mode, and enables the camera to capture the front of the vehicle and to output a second image to the image generation unit when the light source unit irradiates the front of the vehicle in a second mode in which light is irradiated with an illuminance higher than in the first mode, and the image generation unit generates a single output image by the first image and the second image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Publication date: October 17, 2019
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura, Takeshi Masuda
  • Publication number: 20190315271
    Abstract: An illumination system includes an illumination control unit which is configured to change the illumination state of each of a left-side illumination unit (40L), a left-side auxiliary illumination unit (42L), a right-side illumination unit (40R), and a right-side auxiliary illumination unit (42R). The illumination control unit is configured to change the illumination state of the left-side illumination unit (40L) when a vehicle (1) has detected a pedestrian (P). The illumination control unit is configured to change the illumination state of the left-side auxiliary illumination unit (42L) according to the speed of the vehicle (1). The illumination control unit is configured to change the illumination state of each of light emission segments (43L) of the left-side illumination unit (40L) and each of light emission segments (44L) of the left-side auxiliary illumination unit (42L).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Publication date: October 17, 2019
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Takeshi Masuda, Toshihiro Okamura