Patents Examined by Matthew J Peerce
  • Patent number: 11940110
    Abstract: A vehicle-mounted light source unit (LU) includes a heat sink (80) including a first rib (94L) and a second rib (94R), and a substrate (50) including a first through-hole (51L) and a second through-hole (51R) into which the first rib (94L) and the second rib (94R) are fitted. Each of the first rib (94L) and the second rib (94R) includes an extending portion (94E), and a protruding portion (94P) that protrudes from a part of the extending portion (94E) to a side on which the first rib (94L) and the second rib (94R) approach each other or are away from each other in a left-right direction. Each of the first through-hole (51L) and the second through-hole (51R) includes first facing portions facing both end surfaces of the extending portion (94E) and a second facing portion facing an end surface of the protruding portion (94P).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shuhei Nozue, Ryujiro Ikuta
  • Patent number: 11940109
    Abstract: A light assembly and method for steering a vehicle headlight illumination pattern. In one aspect, a method includes providing a processor programmed to perform the steps of: illuminating a subset of consecutive LEDs in the line including LEDs associated with the first and second edge illumination fields; as the direction of the vehicle wheels changes: (i) fading the LED associated with one of the first and second illumination fields off while simultaneously fading the LED associated with the other of the first and second illumination fields on thereby changing the illumination pattern; and (ii) repeating step (i) so that the illumination pattern tracks the direction of the vehicle wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: J.W. SPEAKER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bradley William Kay, Kevin Jay McWithey
  • Patent number: 11940113
    Abstract: An illumination device (1) for a motor vehicle headlight, including illumination units arranged next to one another, which respectively have a light source, primary optical device, and a secondary optical device. The primary optical devices are held in a common holding element formed by a transparent body. In the body, an overcoupling protective device in the form of a through hole in the body is provided between two adjacent receiving through holes in which a primary optical device is respectively held. The through hole of the overcoupling protective device is delimited by two side faces, which face the receiving through holes of the primary optical devices. Light deflection means are designed to deflect at least part of the rays of light entering the body such that part of the rays of light does not enter the adjacent illumination unit or strike the secondary optical device of the adjacent illumination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Nina Brauner, Sunjung Park, Kristijan Velebit, Dominic Gottsmann
  • Patent number: 11927332
    Abstract: A modular light housing apparatus for removably holding a light assembly includes a light transmissible portion and a cover portion. The cover portion is releasably coupled to the light transmissible portion and the light transmissible portion has a mounting region and a light compartment configured for transmitting light from the apparatus. Wire passages are provided between the mounting region and the light compartment, which is defined by a frame. The frame has a plurality of wire conduits, each near one of the wire passages. The wire conduits each have a conduit opening opposite one of the wire passages. The cover portion has a light mount for holding the light source, and the wires travel through the wire passages, wire conduits, and conduit openings to engage a light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: B.C. Lighting LLC
    Inventor: Austin B. Sermon
  • Patent number: 11913620
    Abstract: Illumination device for a motor vehicle headlight, which is configured to perform at least two different light functions and has an illuminant and an optical device associated with the illuminant, wherein the optical device has an adjustment means configured to adjust operating states of the optical device, wherein in a first operating state, the optical device is substantially transparent, and in a second operating state, the optical device is configured to scatter, wherein the illuminant comprises a plurality of light sources spaced apart from one another at a minimum distance, wherein the adjustment means is configured to adjust the optical device such that in the first operating state, a light propagation direction of the rays of light remains unchanged, and in the second operating state, the light propagation direction of the rays of light is changed by scattering the rays of light on scattering elements of the optical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventor: Manuel Stadler
  • Patent number: 11913615
    Abstract: An LED lighting device includes a transparent cover member arranged at an exterior member or an interior member and covering an LED element and a light emitting surface of the LED element mounted on a substrate, and a light transmission member receiving emission light from the light emitting surface of the LED element at a light inlet end and operating as a light transmission path. The light transmission member is integrated with the LED element mounted on the substrate together with the cover member using a transparent resin by insertion molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: NIFCO INC.
    Inventor: Kenji Umeda
  • Patent number: 11913618
    Abstract: Illumination device (1) for a motor vehicle headlight, comprising a first light guide (2), a second light guide (3), an optical device (4) with a first (5a) and second light input surface (6a) and a first (5b) and second light output surface (6b), wherein the light from the first light guide (2) can be injected into the optical device (4), passes through the optical device (4) and can exit via the first light output surface (5b), wherein the light from the second light guide (8) can be injected into the optical device (4), passes through the optical device (4) and can exit via the second light output surface (6b), wherein the first light output surface (5b) is formed from a plurality of first surface elements (7) and the second light output surface (6b) is formed from a plurality of second surface elements (8), wherein the first (7) and second surface elements (8) are arranged alternately with respect to one another in such a way that they form a step-like structure, wherein a first (7) surface element with a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventor: Matthias Kemetmüller
  • Patent number: 11906124
    Abstract: A system may have lights. The lights may emit visible and infrared light. Infrared light may be used to illuminate objects that are monitored using infrared image sensors or other infrared sensors. Visible light may be used to illuminate objects that are viewed by users and which may be monitored using sensors. The lights may be adjustable. An adjustable light may have a light source that contains an infrared light-emitting device such as an infrared light-emitting diode and a visible light-emitting device such as a visible light-emitting diode. A reflector may reflect light from the light source towards a lens. An adjustable light-blocking device may be located between the reflector and the lens. The light-blocking device may allow infrared light to pass unimpeded while adjusting visible light passing to the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaofeng Tang, Christopher P Child, Clarisse Mazuir
  • Patent number: 11906122
    Abstract: The invention relates to an illumination device (1) for a motor vehicle headlight, comprising: a lighting means (2); a primary optic element (3), which has a primary light input face (3a) for receiving light emitted by the lighting means (2), the light being guided to a primary light output face (3b) and emitted in a main emission direction (4); a secondary optic element (5), which has a secondary light input face (5a), the light from the lighting means (2) being emitted from the primary light output face (3b) via the secondary light input face (5a) into the secondary optic element (5) and being guided inside the secondary optic element (5) to a secondary light output face (5b), wherein the secondary light input face (5a) is formed by a plurality of optical elements (6) which are arranged next to one another in a planar manner and are designed to refract the light beams as they enter the secondary optic element (5) such that the light beams are oriented in the direction of the main emission direction (4) a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Maier, Martin Schragl
  • Patent number: 11906121
    Abstract: The present techniques include a plurality of laser lamp modules. In an example, the plurality of laser lamp modules includes a high beam wide lamp module, a high beam narrow lamp module, a low beam cut lamp module, and a low beam wide lamp module, each of which has a blue laser, and is sealed from an outside environment for reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: KYOCERA SLD Laser, Inc.
    Inventors: Cole J. Cunnien, Eric Goutain, Sten Heikman, James W. Raring
  • Patent number: 11898716
    Abstract: A lighting device for a motor vehicle having at least one first module and at least one second module and is set up to produce light with a second color different from a first color of the first module in operation of the lighting function. A shared at least partially transparent cover for the at least one first and the at least a second module is designed such that the light emitted by the respective module can escape through the cover from the lighting device. An LC display is arranged between the at least one first module and the cover and is set up to be controlled such that at least part of the light emitted by the first module enters an inlet surface of the LC display and exits from an exit surface of the LC display at least partially in the direction of the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Hella GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventor: Martin Muegge
  • Patent number: 11879610
    Abstract: A system may have lights. A light may include a first light source and a first reflector configured to provide lighting for a high-beam mode and for a low-beam mode. The light may include a second light source and a second reflector configured to provide lighting for a cornering light mode. The lighting provided by the first light source and the lighting provided by the second light source may pass through the same headlight lens aperture. A light blocking structure may provide a cutoff pattern that define the illumination pattern of the low-beam lighting and the cornering lighting. One or more additional light sources may be provided to boost the intensity of a hot spot for high-beam lighting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaofeng Tang, Christopher P Child, Clarisse Mazuir, Kurt R Stiehl, Bryce E Wallis
  • Patent number: 11879608
    Abstract: Provided are an automotive lamp optical element, an automotive lamp module and a vehicle. The automotive lamp optical element includes a light-incident portion, a transmission portion and a light-emitting portion connected in sequence. The light-incident portion is provided with at least one light-incident structure configured to converge light. An area of a cross section of the transmission portion gradually increases in a light transmission direction. A light-emitting convex surface is formed on one end of the light-emitting portion facing away from the transmission portion. The automotive lamp module includes the above automotive lamp optical element, and further includes at least one light source. The at least one light source is disposed in one-to-one correspondence with the at least one light-incident structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: HASCO VISION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Dapan Zhang, Zhiping Qiu, He Zhu, Wenhui Sang, Rui Nie
  • Patent number: 11874554
    Abstract: A diffusion sheet structure includes a transparent substrate and a diffusion film. The transparent substrate includes a first upper surface and a first lower surface. The diffusion film is disposed on the transparent substrate and includes a plurality of nano diffusion particles, and has a second upper surface and a second lower surface. The second lower surface is connected to the first upper surface. Janus material in a diffusion sheet is used in the present disclosure to replace diffusion particles of prior art, which not only retains original function of diffusing light, but also has excellent thermal conductivity, thereby improving thermal uniformity, making the liquid crystal display panel be heated uniformly, and reducing influence of temperature on liquid crystal material during lighting, thereby improving the problem of local area whitening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: TCL CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Qian Li
  • Patent number: 11873953
    Abstract: A light emitting device (1) comprising at least one LED light source (6, 61, 62) adapted for, in operation, emitting light source light, and an elongated light guide (2) comprising a height direction (H), a width direction (W), a depth direction (D), a longitudinal axis (L) extending in the height direction (H), a first major surface (31) and a second major surface (32) arranged extending opposite to the first major surface in the depth direction (D), a first minor surface (41) and a second minor surface (42) arranged extending opposite to the first minor surface in the width direction (W), and a first end (51) and a second end (52) arranged extending opposite to the first end in the height direction (H), where the elongated light guide (2) further comprises at least one light in-coupling element (7, 71, 72) configured to couple the light source light into the elongated light guide and at least one light out-coupling element (81, 82) configured to couple the light source light out of the elongated light guide
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Ties Van Bommel, Rifat Ata Mustafa Hikmet, Johannes Petrus Maria Ansems, Peter Johannes Martinus Bukkems
  • Patent number: 11867371
    Abstract: A vehicular light guiding body and a vehicular lam unit are configured to perform fine light distribution control. The vehicular light guiding body includes an incidence surface on which light from a light source is incident, a first reflection surface that internally reflects the light incident from the incidence surface, a second reflection surface that has a shape based on a paraboloid of revolution which reflects substantially parallel light from the first reflection surface toward a focus point, a light blocking part that blocks a portion of the light reflected by the second reflection surface, and an emission surface that emits the light internally reflected by the second reflection surface to pass through the light blocking part and that projects a headlight pattern toward a front of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Ichikoh Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kei Onoma
  • Patent number: 11865964
    Abstract: An optical apparatus capable of correcting field curvature easily, a method for manufacturing the optical apparatus, and a headlight including the optical apparatus. A lens, a plurality of solid-state light sources, and a substrate on which the solid-state light sources are mounted. The substrate includes a base material, which is rigid, and a mount surface, which is formed on the base material in a curved surface shape that substantially matches a focal plane shape of the lens, and on which a circuit pattern is formed. The solid-state light sources are mounted on the mount surface, and the substrate is positioned with respect to the lens such that a position of a focal plane of the lens substantially coincides with emission surfaces of the solid-state light sources, and thus field curvature can be easily corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Maro, Atsushi Yusa, Naoki Hiratoge, Junichi Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 11867377
    Abstract: A lamp for the rear of a vehicle is disclosed with a light transmissive cover having a red first illuminated surface area and a clear second illuminated surface area. It has a first LED light emitter located directly beneath the red first area, a second LED light emitter located directly beneath the clear second area, and a third LED light emitter, also located directly beneath said clear second area. The third red LED light emitter is for emitting red light through the clear second area simultaneously with light transmitted through the red first area, whereby the first and second areas are adapted to collectively form a contiguous red illuminated surface area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian K. Norris, Randall Staggs, Nakul Anand, Shawn S. Smith, Christopher C. Riley, Mark D. Noe
  • Patent number: 11846801
    Abstract: A backlight module and a display device are disclosed. The backlight module includes a back plate and a plurality of light plate assemblies arranged on the back plate, and there is a seam between every two adjacent light plate assemblies. The backlight module further includes at least one light guide plate and at least one side light source. The light guide plate is arranged at the seam. The side light source corresponds to the light guide plate, is located on the side of the light guide plate, and provides a light source for the light guide plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignees: MIANYANG HKC OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD, HKC CORPORATION LIMITED
    Inventors: Zhilong Zhao, Haijiang Yuan
  • Patent number: 11835194
    Abstract: A lighting device for a motor vehicle includes a lighting apparatus which has one or more light sources and one or more transparent bodies which each have a surface made of a plurality of flat facets. The lighting device is configured such that light which comes from a light source at least in part passes through a transparent body and is refracted at facets of the transparent body. The light which passes through the transparent body at least in part exits from the lighting device in order to create a light distribution. An associated transparent body is a molded component having one or more recesses which are integrally molded in the molded component, the molded component being clamped in the lighting device by the engagement of one or more projections into the one or more recesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Thomas Binder, Sebastien Casenave, Dominik Hart, Katharina Santner, Chunyue Zhai