Patents by Inventor Brant Potter

Brant Potter 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: 11047543
    Abstract: A light system comprising: (a) one or more reflectors; (b) a lens; (c) an optical axis extending through the one or more reflectors, the lens, or both; and (d) a light source located entirely on one side of the optical axis so that light from the light source is directed at an angle relative to the one or more reflectors and the one or more reflectors redirect the light through the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Valeo Vision SAS
    Inventor: Brant Potter
  • Publication number: 20210180759
    Abstract: The subject inventive arrangement produces a light guide that may be of any curved shape that produces and obtains a lighting appearance of a uniform or homogenous lit appearance at the light exit face by using a single light source and a single light-reflective coupler. The present invention is premised on a light guide system that includes a light guide; a light source; and a coupler positioned at the light source that is configured to receive generated light. The coupler is adapted to produce a collimated light beam from the light source. A stepped reflective surface is formed along a light reflecting face of the light guide by a plurality of light reflective facets and a plurality of lateral surfaces, which are configured to receive and direct collimated light towards a light-emitting exit face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2019
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Lionel Floc'h, Michael Kratoska, Ignacio Everardo Orozco, Brant Potter
  • Publication number: 20210156535
    Abstract: A headlamp assembly includes a low beam assembly configured to generate a low beam distribution that includes a first low beam module having a first laser solid state light source that is optically configured to emit a first luminous intensity distribution and a second laser solid state light source that is optically configured to emit a second luminous intensity distribution, and a second low beam module having a solid state light source that is optically configured to emit a third luminous intensity distribution, which at least partially overlaps at least one of the first and second luminous intensity distributions; the headlamp assembly also having a high beam assembly configured to generate a high beam distribution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2020
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Brant POTTER, John ORISICH
  • Patent number: 11009209
    Abstract: A light assembly comprising: (a) one or more light sources; and (b) one or more reflectors comprising: (i) a first reflector facet that forms a first reflected light by redirecting light from the one or more light sources in a first direction and (ii) a second reflector facet that forms a second directed light by redirecting light from the one or more light sources in a second direction; and wherein the first directed light and the second directed light are configured to extend away from a vehicle housing the light assembly to form a light pattern that demonstrates a location the light assembly is aimed relative to the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventor: Brant Potter
  • Publication number: 20210102678
    Abstract: A light assembly comprising: (a) one or more light sources; and (b) one or more reflectors comprising: (i) a first reflector facet that forms a first reflected light by redirecting light from the one or more light sources in a first direction and (ii)a second reflector facet that forms a second directed light by redirecting light from the one or more light sources in a second direction; and wherein the first directed light and the second directed light are configured to extend away from a vehicle housing the light assembly to form a light pattern that demonstrates a location the light assembly is aimed relative to the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventor: Brant Potter
  • Publication number: 20210102679
    Abstract: A light system comprising: (a) a plurality of light sources connected to a vehicle and creating light that radiates away from the vehicle so that the light substantially surrounds the vehicle; and (b) one or more sensors that detect light from another light source; and wherein one or more of the plurality of light sources are turned off in a direction of the another light source while some of the plurality of light sources remain on so that a tunnel having a reduction or absence of light is formed in the direction of the another light source between the plurality of light sources that remain on.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Brant Potter, Mark Pattison, John Orisich, Ambroise Servantie, Minesh Chaudhari, Frederick Roth
  • Publication number: 20210099625
    Abstract: An IR illuminator for providing infrared light for a digital camera having a camera lens with a camera field of view, including at least two mounting substrates arranged adjacent to the digital camera, at least one LED mounted to each of the mounting substrates for radiating the infrared light, and a free form cover lens positioned to cover the at least one LED. The shape of the free form cover lens is such that an emission pattern of light radiation is emitted without entering into the camera lens. Two IR illuminators adjacent to the camera are tilted at an angle from the camera optical direction. The shape of the free form cover lens may be elliptical or toric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Brant POTTER, John ORISICH, Fred ROTH, Kostadin BEEV
  • Patent number: 10907802
    Abstract: A light system a base that is configured to connect to a vehicle; a light layer that is movable into the base in a closed configuration and out of the base in an open configuration; and a cap located above the base and the light layer, the cap enclosing the light layer within the base when the light system is in the closed configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventors: Mark Pattison, John Orisich, Brant Potter
  • Patent number: 10890304
    Abstract: A headlamp assembly includes a low beam assembly configured to generate a low beam distribution. The low beam assembly includes a first low beam solid state light source module having a first laser solid state light source optically configured to emit a first luminous intensity distribution and a second laser solid state light source optically configured to emit a second luminous intensity distribution, and a second low beam solid state light source module having a solid state light source optically configured to emit a third luminous intensity distribution which at least partially overlaps at least one of the first and second luminous intensity distributions. The headlamp assembly also has a high beam assembly configured to generate a high beam distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Brant Potter, John Orisich
  • Patent number: 10873687
    Abstract: An IR illuminator for providing infrared light for a digital camera having a camera lens with a camera field of view, including at least two mounting substrates arranged adjacent to the digital camera, at least one LED mounted to each of the mounting substrates for radiating the infrared light, and a free form cover lens positioned to cover the at least one LED. The shape of the free form cover lens is such that an emission pattern of light radiation is emitted without entering into the camera lens. Two IR illuminators adjacent to the camera are tilted at an angle from the camera optical direction. The shape of the free form cover lens may be elliptical or toric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Brant Potter, John Orisich, Fred Roth, Kostadin Beev
  • Publication number: 20200370723
    Abstract: A light masking system for a vehicle includes: a printed circuit board (PCB); at least one infrared (IR) light source disposed on a first surface of the PCB and configured to emit a first predetermined wavelength range of light; at least one masking light source disposed on the first surface of the PCB proximal to the IR light source and configured to emit a second predetermined wavelength range of light, wherein a portion of the emitted first predetermined wavelength range of light of the IR light source includes visible light; and the emitted second predetermined wavelength range of light of the at least one masking light source masks the emitted visible light from the first predetermined wavelength range of the at least one IR light source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory STEIN, Jonathan BEAUCHAMP, Brant POTTER, Nathan MONTGOMERY, John ORISICH
  • Publication number: 20200355338
    Abstract: A thin aspect lighting system and method are shown. The system and method include at least one module having a reflector that is generally elliptical in one cross-section and generally parabolic in another cross-section. Each module is adapted to generate at least one of a flat beam pattern, a high beam pattern or a low beam pattern, such as a low beam pattern with a kink or elbow. Also shown is a headlamp assembly having a plurality of modules that generate the same or a different light beam pattern. Manipulation and variation of facets and/or positions of various components, such as at least one light source, have been found to provide improved characteristics in one or more of the light beam patterns.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Brant POTTER, John Orisich, Matthew Berry
  • Patent number: 10823358
    Abstract: A light system comprising: (a) a light source that is configured to direct light from an exterior of a vehicle; and (b) two or more optical elements that direct the light to two or more desired locations without movement of the light source, the two or more optical elements being in series so that the light from the light source is directed through the two or more optical elements; and wherein the two or more desired locations include a driving surface and a location above the driving surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventors: Gregory Stein, Brant Potter
  • Patent number: 10766401
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a lighting device for a vehicle includes a first light source configured to generate first light, and a second light source configured to generate second light. A fiber optic light panel is optically coupled to the first and second light sources and includes a plurality of optical fibers each configured to emit light along a respective length of the optical fiber. The plurality of optical fibers are arranged to define an illumination region such that the first and second light is output from the illumination region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Valere Calais, Brant Potter
  • Publication number: 20200224843
    Abstract: An IR illuminator for providing infrared radiation for a digital camera having a camera lens with a camera field of view, including equidistant mounting substrates arranged adjacent to the digital camera, IR LEDs mounted to each of the mounting substrates, and a cover lens positioned to cover the IR LEDs. The shape of the free form cover lens is such that an emission pattern of radiation is emitted without entering into the camera lens and the emission pattern of IR radiation has an asymmetric field of view. Two IR illuminators adjacent to the camera are tilted at an angle from the camera optical direction. The cover lens may be a Fresnel lens, or include a diffractive layer or a collimator to shift radiation emitted from the LED to an asymmetric distribution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Brant POTTER
  • Publication number: 20200207255
    Abstract: A headlamp assembly, an adaptive front-lighting system, and a method for generating a hybrid luminous intensity distribution are provided. The headlamp assembly includes a light module configured to emit a first luminous intensity distribution and a supplementary module including a plurality of independently controlled pixels and configured to emit a second luminous intensity distribution which at least partially overlaps with the first luminous intensity distribution. The second luminous intensity distribution varies with a rotation of the light module by selectively activating or deactivating each pixel of the plurality of independently controlled pixels based on at least a rotation angle of the light module with respect to the supplementary module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Brant Potter
  • Patent number: 10697607
    Abstract: A thin aspect lighting system and method are shown. The system and method include at least one module having a reflector that is generally elliptical in one cross-section and generally parabolic in another cross-section. Each module is adapted to generate at least one of a flat beam pattern, a high beam pattern or a low beam pattern, such as a low beam pattern with a kink or elbow. Also shown is a headlamp assembly having a plurality of modules that generate the same or a different light beam pattern. Manipulation and variation of facets and/or positions of various components, such as at least one light source, have been found to provide improved characteristics in one or more of the light beam patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Brant Potter, John Steven Orisich, Matthew Berry
  • Publication number: 20200204713
    Abstract: An IR illuminator for providing infrared light for a digital camera having a camera lens with a camera field of view, including at least two mounting substrates arranged adjacent to the digital camera, at least one LED mounted to each of the mounting substrates for radiating the infrared light, and a free form cover lens positioned to cover the at least one LED. The shape of the free form cover lens is such that an emission pattern of light radiation is emitted without entering into the camera lens. Two IR illuminators adjacent to the camera are tilted at an angle from the camera optical direction. The shape of the free form cover lens may be elliptical or toric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: VALEO NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Brant POTTER, John ORISICH, Fred ROTH, Kostadin BEEV
  • Publication number: 20200200356
    Abstract: An IR illuminator used during the operation of autonomous vehicles, which provides improvement in the performance of cameras used in the vehicle at night time. An optical design of an outer lens of the IR illuminator is selected so that the outer lens forms a beam pattern for the output light from the IR light source, and also acts as a light guide for light emitted from a secondary visible light source, which is located in the same module as the IR light source, and which may be positioned on the same or a different printed circuit board as the IR light source. The material of outer lens is opalescent including scattering bodies. The optical design of the outer lens allows for improved field of view of the IR illuminator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: VALEO NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Brant POTTER, John Orisich
  • Publication number: 20200195816
    Abstract: A compact digital camera and infrared (IR) illuminator apparatus, including IR illuminators arranged adjacent to the digital camera. The digital camera has a camera lens and each IR illuminator includes IR LEDs. A single cover lens is positioned to cover the at least one IR LED and the camera lens. A region of the single cover lens that covers the IR LEDs blocks visible light and a region of the single cover lens that covers the camera lens is a neutral lens that transmits visible light. The single cover lens is a two-shot molded lens or a three-shot molded lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Applicant: VALEO NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Gregory STEIN, Jon BEAUCHAMP, John ORISICH, Brant POTTER