Patents by Inventor Hiroyuki Sekii

Hiroyuki Sekii 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).

  • Publication number: 20180267229
    Abstract: A light guide includes: an incident surface onto which light is emitted; a light exit surface which intersects with the incident surface and from which light is emitted; and a facing surface opposite to the light exit surface. The light guide includes a plurality of clusters of diffusion dots which diffuse light, and the plurality of clusters being regularly arranged at least on the facing surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki SEKII, Shinichi ANAMI, Osamu TANAHASHI
  • Patent number: 10048426
    Abstract: A light guide includes a front surface. A back surface is opposite the front surface and includes a depression. A light incident surface introduces light. The light reflects off the depression and is emitted through the front surface. The depression includes an inclined side surface that faces the light incident surface. The inclined side surface includes a reflective curved surface that includes at least 50% of a surface area of the inclined side surface. In a cross section view of the depression in a plane substantially orthogonal to the front surface, a first tangent that touches a curved line defining the reflective curved surface of the inclined side surface and a second tangent that touches the curved line in a different location than the first tangent form a first angle that is greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 30°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Tanahashi, Hiroyuki Sekii
  • Patent number: 10018767
    Abstract: An illumination device includes a light source unit and a light guide plate configured to guide light coming from the light source unit. The light guide plate includes an incidence surface, main emission surfaces from which the light incident on the incidence surface is emitted, and an end emission surface which is opposed to the incidence surface and from which the light is emitted. At least one of the main emission surfaces has a stepped surface which is formed such that the thickness of the light guide plate becomes thinner at a side of the end emission surface than at a side of the incidence surface. The stepped surface is configured to reflect the light in a direction opposite to a light guide direction extending from the incidence surface toward the end emission surface and inclined with respect to the light guide direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideharu Kawachi, Shinichi Anami, Osamu Tanahashi, Hiroyuki Sekii
  • Patent number: 9964687
    Abstract: A luminaire is provided. A main surface of a light-guiding panel included in the luminaire includes a reflecting area having a plurality of approximately conical recesses. An angle ? formed by a lateral surface of each of the recesses and the main surface of the light-guiding panel satisfies a condition defined by a distance D from a center position of a light source to a center position of the reflecting area, a distance H from an illumination target surface to the center position of the light source, an angle ? which the light-guiding panel forms with a horizontal plane, a refractive index n of the light-guiding panel, and a surface roughness Ra of the lateral surface of each of the recesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sekii, Kyohei Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20170234509
    Abstract: A luminaire is provided. A main surface of a light-guiding panel included in the luminaire includes a reflecting area having a plurality of approximately conical recesses. An angle ? formed by a lateral surface of each of the recesses and the main surface of the light-guiding panel satisfies a condition defined by a distance D from a center position of a light source to a center position of the reflecting area, a distance H from an illumination target surface to the center position of the light source, an angle ? which the light-guiding panel forms with a horizontal plane, a refractive index n of the light-guiding panel, and a surface roughness Ra of the lateral surface of each of the recesses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki SEKII, Kyohei NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20170212294
    Abstract: A light guide includes a front surface. A back surface is opposite the front surface and includes a depression. A light incident surface introduces light. The light reflects off the depression and is emitted through the front surface. The depression includes an inclined side surface that faces the light incident surface. The inclined side surface includes a reflective curved surface that includes at least 50% of a surface area of the inclined side surface. In a cross section view of the depression in a plane substantially orthogonal to the front surface, a first tangent that touches a curved line defining the reflective curved surface of the inclined side surface and a second tangent that touches the curved line in a different location than the first tangent form a first angle that is greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 30°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu TANAHASHI, Hiroyuki SEKII
  • Publication number: 20160377794
    Abstract: An illumination device includes a light source unit and a light guide plate configured to guide light coming from the light source unit. The light guide plate includes an incidence surface, main emission surfaces from which the light incident on the incidence surface is emitted, and an end emission surface which is opposed to the incidence surface and from which the light is emitted. At least one of the main emission surfaces has a stepped surface which is formed such that the thickness of the light guide plate becomes thinner at a side of the end emission surface than at a side of the incidence surface. The stepped surface is configured to reflect the light in a direction opposite to a light guide direction extending from the incidence surface toward the end emission surface and inclined with respect to the light guide direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideharu KAWACHI, Shinichi ANAMI, Osamu TANAHASHI, Hiroyuki SEKII
  • Patent number: 8704256
    Abstract: In a lens-mounted light emitting unit comprising LED elements of multiple light colors, narrow-angle light distribution is enabled, and color mixing properties are improved. The lens-mounted light emitting unit comprises LED elements of multiple light colors placed on a base plate, and a lens unit having a shape of a body of revolution to color-mix and emit the light from the LED elements. Assuming an arbitrary contact point between the side incident surface and the upper incident surface of the lens unit, and that light from an LED element farthest from the contact point is refracted at the contact point to form a light path intersecting the emitting surface at an intersection point, the emitting surface inside a circle formed by continuously connecting such intersection points has a diffusion angle larger than the diffusion angle of the emitting surface outside the circle. This enables narrow-angle light distribution, and makes it possible to improve color mixing properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sekii, Yoko Matsubayashi, Kenichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8591075
    Abstract: An optical member for refracting light emitted from a light source and projecting the light from a light projecting surface thereof includes a plurality of concave or convex portions formed on the light projecting surface. The concave or convex portions are concentrically arranged on a plurality of circles having a common center point. The concave or convex portions on the circles adjoining to each other are arranged in different phase positions with respect to radial lines extending from the center point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kyohei Nakamura, Tadashi Murakami, Hiroyuki Sekii
  • Patent number: 8573809
    Abstract: An illumination device includes a plurality of light sources for emitting light and an optical member arranged in front of the light sources to control distribution of the light emitted from the light sources. The optical member includes a plurality of lens portions having storage recess portions formed in alignment with the light sources to accommodate the light sources and a plurality of ribs extending laterally from the lens portions to fix the lens portions to a substrate holding the light sources, each of the lens portions having a light distribution control portion formed in a rear opening edge of each of the storage recess portions to distribute frontward the light emitted from the light sources toward the ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kyohei Nakamura, Toshizumi Okada, Hiroyuki Sekii
  • Publication number: 20130051010
    Abstract: An illumination device includes a plurality of light sources for emitting light and an optical member arranged in front of the light sources to control distribution of the light emitted from the light sources. The optical member includes a plurality of lens portions having storage recess portions formed in alignment with the light sources to accommodate the light sources and a plurality of ribs extending laterally from the lens portions to fix the lens portions to a substrate holding the light sources, each of the lens portions having a light distribution control portion formed in a rear opening edge of each of the storage recess portions to distribute frontward the light emitted from the light sources toward the ribs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kyohei NAKAMURA, Toshizumi OKADA, Hiroyuki SEKII
  • Publication number: 20120212965
    Abstract: An optical member for refracting light emitted from a light source and projecting the light from a light projecting surface thereof includes a plurality of concave or convex portions formed on the light projecting surface. The concave or convex portions are concentrically arranged on a plurality of circles having a common center point. The concave or convex portions on the circles adjoining to each other are arranged in different phase positions with respect to radial lines extending from the center point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kyohei NAKAMURA, Tadashi Murakami, Hiroyuki Sekii
  • Publication number: 20110037084
    Abstract: In a lens-mounted light emitting unit comprising LED elements of multiple light colors, narrow-angle light distribution is enabled, and color mixing properties are improved. The lens-mounted light emitting unit 10 comprises LED elements 12 (12A to 12D) of multiple light colors placed on a base plate 11, and a lens unit 11 having a shape of a body of revolution to color-mix and emit the light from the LED elements 12. Assuming an arbitrary contact point P1 between the side incident surface 14c and the upper incident surface 14d of the lens unit 13, and that light from an LED element 12A farthest from the contact point P1 is refracted at the contact point P1 to form a light path L1 intersecting the emitting surface 14a at an intersection point P2, the emitting surface 14a inside a circle C1 formed by continuously connecting such intersection points has a diffusion angle larger than the diffusion angle of the emitting surface 14a outside the circle C1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: PANASONIC ELECTRIC WORKS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sekii, Yoko Matsubayashi, Kenichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7717589
    Abstract: A light emitting device comprises: an LED chip mounted in a recess formed in a mounting substrate; a wavelength converting member that is disposed so as to cover the recess and the edge area around the recess and that is excited by light emitted from the LED chip to emit light of a wavelength different from an excitation wavelength; and an emission control member disposed at a light output side of the wavelength converting member so as to allow emission of light coming from an area of the wavelength converting member that corresponds to the recess and to prevent emission of light coming from an area of the wavelength converting member that corresponds to the edge area around the recess. This can prevent variations in color between light emitted from the central part of the wavelength converting member and light emitted from the part of the wavelength converting member that is located on the edge area around the recess of the mounting substrate, thereby reducing unevenness of color on the irradiation surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouji Nishioka, Masaru Sugimoto, Hideyoshi Kimura, Ryoji Yokotani, Yutaka Iwahori, Takuma Hashmoto, Shinya Ishizaki, Satoshi Mori, Hiroyuki Sekii, Eiji Shiohama
  • Publication number: 20070085103
    Abstract: A light emitting device comprises: an LED chip mounted in a recess formed in a mounting substrate; a wavelength converting member that is disposed so as to cover the recess and the edge area around the recess and that is excited by light emitted from the LED chip to emit light of a wavelength different from an excitation wavelength; and an emission control member disposed at a light output side of the wavelength converting member so as to allow emission of light coming from an area of the wavelength converting member that corresponds to the recess and to prevent emission of light coming from an area of the wavelength converting member that corresponds to the edge area around the recess. This can prevent variations in color between light emitted from the central part of the wavelength converting member and light emitted from the part of the wavelength converting member that is located on the edge area around the recess of the mounting substrate, thereby reducing unevenness of color on the irradiation surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2004
    Publication date: April 19, 2007
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kouji Nishioka, Masaru Sugimoto, Hideyoshi Kimura, Ryoji Yokotani, Yutaka Iwahori, Takuma Hashmoto, Shinya Ishizaki, Satoshi Mori, Hiroyuki Sekii, Eiji Shiohama