Patents Assigned to Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
  • Patent number: 11704910
    Abstract: A vehicle detecting device includes a region setting unit that sets a plurality of regions of interest having different ranges on image data acquired from an image capturing device that captures an image of a space in front of a host vehicle; and a vehicle determining unit that determines, for each of the regions of interest, presence of a front vehicle based on a luminous point present in the region and that executes a determination at different frequencies in the respective regions of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Endo, Mitsuharu Mano, Takanori Namba, Masayasu Ito
  • Publication number: 20230219489
    Abstract: A vehicle detecting device includes: a camera that includes an image sensor and a first filter, the image sensor including a plurality of imaging elements including a first imaging element group and a second imaging element group, the first filter keeping an amount of light entering the first imaging element group lower than an amount of light entering the second imaging element group; an image generating unit that generates a first image based on information obtained from the first imaging element group and a second image based on information obtained from the second imaging element group; and a detecting unit that detects a front vehicle based on the first image and the second image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2023
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO.,LTD.
    Inventor: Takehito IRIBA
  • Publication number: 20230213160
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes a metal plate having a light source mounted thereon, a lens that light emitted from the light source enters and passes through to exit forward, and a holder that holds the lens. The metal plate and the lens are positioned to the holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2023
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki NAKANISHI
  • Publication number: 20230213763
    Abstract: An image display device (100) includes: a first image projection unit (S1) configured to project a first image; a beam splitter (BS1) configured to reflect a part of light emitted from the first image projection unit (S1) in a first direction and transmit remaining light in a second direction; a retroreflection unit (RR) configured to retroreflect, to the beam splitter (BS1), light traveling from the beam splitter (BS1) in one of the first direction and the second direction; a reflection unit (M) configured to reflect, to the beam splitter (BS1), light traveling from the beam splitter (BS1) in the other of the first direction and the second direction; and an image forming optical unit (DM) configured to form an image of the light reflected by the retroreflection unit (RR) and the reflection unit (M) in a space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yoichi OGATA
  • Publication number: 20230202382
    Abstract: A control unit (CO) in a vehicle headlight (1) controls a light emitting unit (10) such that, when a signal indicating another vehicle (80, 90) is input, a region including a first region (211, 311) in a light distribution pattern (200, 300) becomes a light reduction region (210, 310) in which a total light flux amount of light from the light emitting unit (10) decreases as compared with that before the signal indicating the other vehicle (80, 90) is input, and controls the light emitting unit (10) such that, when a signal indicating a turn sign of the other vehicle (80, 90) is input, at least the first region (211, 311) in the light reduction region (210, 310) expands to a turning direction side indicated by the turn sign as compared with that before the signal indicating the turn sign of the other vehicle (80, 90) is input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuta MARUYAMA
  • Publication number: 20230206579
    Abstract: An illumination apparatus emits illumination light S1 with an intensity distribution that changes with time. A photodetector measures reflected light from an object. A reconstruction processing unit reconstructs an intermediate image Hi(x, y) of the object for every predetermined number of changes of the intensity distribution using a correlation calculation between detection intensities based on the output of the photodetector and the intensity distributions of the illumination light. A combining processing unit calculates shift amounts ?x and ?y for matching between the current reconstructed image Gi(x, y) obtained by combining the previous intermediate images H(x, y) and the current intermediate image Hi(x, y). Subsequently, the current reconstructed image Gi(x, y) is shifted based on the shift amounts ?x and ?y. The shifted reconstructed image Gi(x??x, y??y) is combined with the latest intermediate image Hi(x, y) to create a new reconstructed image Gi+1(x, y).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2023
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Applicant: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shintaro SUGIMOTO, Teruaki TORII, Yuta HARUSE
  • Patent number: 11686447
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle lamp controls an adjustment of an optical axis angle of a vehicle lamp provided with a vibration generating source that vibrates at a first frequency, and the control device includes an acceleration sensor provided in the vehicle lamp and configured to sample an acceleration at a second frequency that is a non-integral multiple of the first frequency, a receiving unit that receives a signal indicating an output value from the acceleration sensor, and a controlling unit that executes control of adjusting the optical axis angle of the vehicle lamp on the basis of the output value from the acceleration sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaaki Ishikawa, Kenta Ishigami, Atsushi Ogawa, Naoki Osada
  • Patent number: 11681037
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes a lamp chamber, an automatic operation marker lamp unit, and a sensor device. The lamp chamber includes a lamp body and an outer lens, and the automatic operation marker lamp unit and the sensor device are integrated in the lamp chamber. The automatic operation marker lamp unit informs surroundings that a vehicle is being driven automatically, and a sensor device detects information around the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobutaka Tezuka, Yuichi Watano, Shigeyuki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11679742
    Abstract: A vehicular system includes a first in-vehicle sensor having a first cleaning target surface which is provided on a design part forming an appearance of a vehicle and arranged so as to face an exterior of the vehicle. The first cleaning target surface is arranged at an inner side of the vehicle than an immediate upper portion of the first cleaning target surface. The immediate upper portion is constituted by a protrusion provided in a rear bumper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaru Sakai, Masaaki Sato
  • Publication number: 20230184902
    Abstract: A vehicular light source system includes: first and second laser emitters configured to emit first and second lasers; a thermometer configured to measure peripheral temperature; and a light source controller. The strength of the first laser at a temperature lower than a threshold temperature is higher than that of the second laser at that temperature. The strength of the first laser at a temperature higher than the threshold temperature is lower than that of the second laser at that temperature. The light source controller is configured to control the first and the second laser emitters such that: the strength of the first laser becomes higher than that of the second laser if the peripheral temperature is lower than the threshold temperature; and the strength of the second laser becomes higher than that of the first laser if the peripheral temperature is higher than or equal to the threshold temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yukihiro ONODA, Hidemichi SONE
  • Patent number: 11678424
    Abstract: Problem: To provide an autonomous driving indication system that allows a pedestrian or another vehicle to clearly discriminate driving states of an autonomous driving vehicle and provide a vehicle communication system capable of sending an appropriate message to a pedestrian from a vehicle according to the probability of the pedestrian crossing the road. Means to Solve the Problem: Left and right headlamps (3) are each provided with a first communication lamp (6) and a second communication lamp (7) for indicating an autonomous driving state of a vehicle (1). The first and second communication lamps (6) and (7) are each comprised of a plurality of light emitting segments, and each light emitting segment is caused to flash by a lamp ECU. When flashing the light emitting segments, the lamp ECU controls the change in the brightness of the light emitting segments according to the driving state of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Naoki Tatara
  • Patent number: 11676394
    Abstract: A processing unit recognizes an object based on image data. An object recognition unit identifies the object based on the image data. A conversion unit is configured as a neural network provided as an upstream stage of the object recognition unit. The conversion unit converts a first image IMG acquired by the camera into a second image, and inputs the second image to the object recognition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Ryota Ogura
  • Patent number: 11674658
    Abstract: A vehicle headlamp includes a reflector having plural reflecting surfaces arranged in a left-right direction, and n light sources which are arranged in the left-right direction and emit light toward any one of the reflecting surfaces. At least two adjacent light sources are provided as a common light source which emits light toward a same reflecting surface. n illumination patterns which illuminate different regions in the left-right direction are formed by light emitted from the n light sources, respectively, and are taken as a first to n-th illumination patterns in this order in the left-right direction. At least half of areas of illumination patterns of an immediately-following number and an immediately-preceding number overlap each other in the left-right direction. Focal lengths of the plural reflecting surfaces are set such that adjacent illumination patterns which do not overlap each other are formed by light emitted from the common light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shoji Fujita
  • Publication number: 20230179841
    Abstract: A gating camera divides a field of view in a depth direction into multiple ranges, and generates multiple slice images that correspond to the multiple ranges. An illumination apparatus emits probe light. A controller controls a timing of emission of the probe light L1 by the illumination apparatus and a timing of image capture by a first image sensor and a second image sensor. The controller controls the first image sensor and the second image sensor such that they receive reflected light from different respective ranges in response to one emission of the probe light from the illumination apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Publication date: June 8, 2023
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji ITABA, Jun KANO
  • Patent number: 11667268
    Abstract: A vehicle cleaner system includes: a cleaner unit configured to be mounted on a vehicle and to discharge a cleaning medium to an external sensor that acquires information outside the vehicle so as to clean the external sensor; and a cleaner control unit configured to control the cleaner unit. The cleaner control unit is configured to acquire weather information, and control the cleaner unit such that at least one of a type of the cleaning medium, a discharge amount of the cleaning medium, the number of times of discharge of the cleaning medium, the number of times of discharge of the cleaning medium per unit time, and a discharge time of the cleaning medium varies according to the weather information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuki Kawamura
  • Patent number: 11667234
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp system includes a vehicle lamp, a first imaging device structured to be disposed outside a lamp room, and generate a first image, a second imaging device structured to be housed in the lamp room, and generate a second image, and a light distribution control device. The light distribution control device includes an information processor structured to acquire from an outside or generate information of a first light shielding part, and decide a second light shielding part, a control executer structured to execute light distribution control for forming a light distribution pattern including the second light shielding part, and a control regulator structured to control the vehicle lamp to form a light distribution pattern including the first light shielding part when at least one condition of a condition (i) to a condition (iv).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuta Maruyama, Takehito Iriba, Yoshihiro Katsurada, Yuichi Watano, Takuya Kataoka
  • Publication number: 20230167963
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes: a lamp body that has an opening in a direction of light radiation; a front cover that covers the opening to define a housing and includes, on an inner surface, an anti-fogging film mainly composed of a synthetic resin; a light source that is disposed in the housing; and a silicone resin part that is disposed in the housing. A content of D3 to D20 cyclic low molecular weight siloxanes in the silicone resin part is 0 ppm to 300 ppm in terms of mass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kunihiko Nagahashi, Hideki Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20230167960
    Abstract: A vehicular lamp (1) includes a light source unit (20), and a meta-lens (30) in which a plurality of cells (33) including a nanostructure (35) smaller than a longest wavelength of light (L) emitted from the light source unit (20) are arranged, the meta-lens (30) having a main surface (31s) as a meta region through which the light L emitted from the light source unit (20) passes, and the main surface (31s) as the meta region changes a phase distribution of the light (L) passing through the main surface (31s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2023
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuya Motohashi
  • Patent number: 11655968
    Abstract: A light-emitting module includes: a semiconductor light-emitting element; a circuit board on which a lighting control circuit configured to perform control to turn on and off the semiconductor light-emitting element is provided; and an element metal plate on which the semiconductor light-emitting element is mounted. The circuit board is a resin substrate in which a wiring portion connecting the semiconductor light-emitting element and the lighting control circuit is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Suzuki, Tomoyuki Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20230151942
    Abstract: A vehicle headlight (10) includes a light source unit (30) including a plurality of light emitting elements (35), a reflector (39) that scans light from the plurality of light emitting elements (35) to form a light distribution pattern (350), and a control unit (60). The control unit (60) controls the light source unit (30) such that the light amount of light emitted from some light emitting elements to a predetermined region (AR) overlapping a target object does not change and the light amount of light emitted from other some light emitting elements to the predetermined region (AR) overlapping the target object changes among the light emitting elements that emit light to the predetermined region (AR) overlapping the target object in the superimposition region (PA).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2021
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuta MARUYAMA, Hidetada TANAKA