Patents by Inventor Chiharu Matsunaga

Chiharu Matsunaga 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: 8848300
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes a lens formed from a resin material and a lens holding member for holding the lens formed from the resin material. The lens and the lens holding member are adapted to be joined together through laser welding. A joining annular portion is provided on the lens holding member to which an outer circumferential portion of the lens is joined. A plurality of welding portions and a plurality of stopper portions are provided on the joining annular portion. The plurality of welding portions project towards the lens and are positioned apart from each other in a circumferential direction. The plurality of stopper portions project towards the lens, are positioned apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and contact the outer circumferential portion of the lens when the lens is joined to the joining annular portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chiharu Matsunaga, Hiroyuki Kageyama, Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Patent number: 7575495
    Abstract: In a lamp including a lamp housing and a lamp cover, the lamp cover is laser-beam welded to an opening edge portion of the lamp housing. There exists no trace of fusion on the opening edge portion of the lamp housing in any other areas than a surfaces abutment portion where the lamp cover is brought into abutment. A method for fabricating a lamp includes bringing a lamp cover into abutment with an opening edge portion of a lamp housing; and emitting a laser beam to a surfaces abutment portion of the lamp housing with the lamp cover so as to laser-beam weld the lamp housing and the lamp cover together. The emission of the laser beam is implemented while blocking the laser beam so that the laser beam is not emitted to at least any other areas of the opening edge portion than the surfaces abutment portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamazaki, Fujihiko Sugiyama, Masahiro Enoki, Chiharu Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20080253000
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes a lens formed from a resin material and a lens holding member for holding the lens formed from the resin material. The lens and the lens holding member are adapted to be joined together through laser welding. A joining annular portion is provided on the lens holding member to which an outer circumferential portion of the lens is joined. A plurality of welding portions and a plurality of stopper portions are provided on the joining annular portion. The plurality of welding portions project towards the lens and are positioned apart from each other in a circumferential direction. The plurality of stopper portions project towards the lens, are positioned apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and contact the outer circumferential portion of the lens when the lens is joined to the joining annular portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chiharu Matsunaga, Hiroyuki Kageyama, Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Patent number: 7118250
    Abstract: A vehicular lamp includes a lamp source, a lamp body accommodating the lamp source, and a lens attached to the lamp body. The lamp body has an abutment surface on the top portion of a peripheral wall, which is configured to rise in a direction of an optical axis of the light source along a peripheral edge of the lamp body. The abutment surface of the lamp body is configured to incline to the optical axis. Similary, the lens has an abutment surface corresponding to the abutment surface of the lamp body along a peripheral portion of the lens. In this case, the abutment surface of the lens is configured within the dimention of an outer surface of the lens so as not to protrude over the outer surface. The abutment surfaces of the lamp body and the lens are integrally jointed together by laser walding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chiharu Matsunaga, Michihiko Suzuki, Fujihiko Sugiyama, Kazuhiro Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20050225991
    Abstract: In a lamp including a lamp housing and a lamp cover, the lamp cover is laser-beam welded to an opening edge portion of the lamp housing. There exists no trace of fusion on the opening edge portion of the lamp housing in any other areas than a surfaces abutment portion where the lamp cover is brought into abutment. A method for fabricating a lamp includes bringing a lamp cover into abutment with an opening edge portion of a lamp housing; and emitting a laser beam to a surfaces abutment portion of the lamp housing with the lamp cover so as to laser-beam weld the lamp housing and the lamp cover together. The emission of the laser beam is implemented while blocking the laser beam so that the laser beam is not emitted to at least any other areas of the opening edge portion than the surfaces abutment portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2005
    Publication date: October 13, 2005
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamazaki, Fujihiko Sugiyama, Masahiro Enoki, Chiharu Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20050030751
    Abstract: A vehicular lamp includes a lamp source, a lamp body accommodating the lamp source, and a lens attached to the lamp body. The lamp body has an abutment surface on the top portion of a peripheral wall, which is configured to rise in a direction of an optical axis of the light source along a peripheral edge of the lamp body. The abutment surface of the lamp body is configured to incline to the optical axis. Similary, the lens has an abutment surface corresponding to the abutment surface of the lamp body along a peripheral portion of the lens. In this case, the abutment surface of the lens is configured within the dimention of an outer surface of the lens so as not to protrude over the outer surface. The abutment surfaces of the lamp body and the lens are integrally jointed together by laser walding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Inventors: Chiharu Matsunaga, Michihiko Suzuki, Fujihiko Sugiyama, Kazuhiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 4599856
    Abstract: A hydraulic apparatus for a vehicle having a propulsion engine comprises a control valve, a flow dividing valve, pumps driven by the engine for delivering fluid to the valves, and steering and implement circuit operatively connected to the control and flow dividing valves. The control valve includes plunger provided with orifices having variable degrees of openings and a spool connected to the plunger and the flow dividing valve includes a spool. With the hydraulic apparatus this constructed, fluid having an amount necessary for operating the steering circuit is always fed thereinto by operatively connecting the spools of the control and flow dividing valves and sharing the fluid into the steering and implement circuit by controlling the fluid dividing valve in accordance with pressure difference between the upstream and downstream portions of the orifices in the control valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1986
    Assignee: Toshiba Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideo Araki, Chiharu Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 4489644
    Abstract: A multiple control valve for operating a civil construction machine or the like comprises a valve body, at least two parallel direction change-over plungers assembled in the valve body, by-pass passages and fluid supply passages formed in the valve body and operatively communicated with the plungers for feeding fluid from an external source to the plungers. One of plungers disposed most downstream side of the multiple control valve is provided with inner passages arranged on both sides thereof, a passage crossing the plunger, an axial passage having one end closed and the other end opened towards one of the inner passages, and a lateral port communicated with the inner passage. The crossing passage is communicated with the axial passage at a portion near the closed end thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1984
    Assignee: Toshiba Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiaki Tsukimoto, Chiharu Matsunaga, Yutaka Hashimoto