Patents by Inventor Masanori Shimizu

Masanori Shimizu 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: 6817735
    Abstract: An illumination light source includes four different types of LEDs, namely a blue light-emitting diode 11 emitting blue light, a blue-green light-emitting diode 12 emitting blue-green light, an orange light-emitting diode 13 emitting orange light and a red light-emitting diode 14 emitting red light. Thus, an illumination light source having high efficiency and high color rendering performance is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Shimizu, Yoko Shimomura, Hideo Nagai, Tetsushi Tamura, Nobuyuki Matsui
  • Publication number: 20040124430
    Abstract: An LED lamp includes at least one LED chip having an emission peak wavelength of 400 nm to 490 nm, and a wavelength converting portion including a phosphor for transforming the emission of the LED chip into light having a longer wavelength than that of the emission. The LED lamp further includes a filtering member, of which the spectral transmittance is adjusted so as to minimize color shifting even if the amount of current supplied to the LED chip to make the LED chip produce the emission has changed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Yano, Masanori Shimizu, Nobuyuki Matsui, Tatsumi Setomoto, Tetsushi Tamura
  • Publication number: 20040119086
    Abstract: An LED lamp includes at least one LED chip and a wavelength converting portion including a phosphor for transforming the emission of the LED chip into light having a longer wavelength than that of the emission. The LED lamp further includes filtering member. The filtering member is designed such that the spectral transmittance thereof becomes lower in at least a portion of the wavelength range of 550 nm to 605 nm than in the remaining visible radiation range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Publication date: June 24, 2004
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Yano, Masanori Shimizu, Nobuyuki Matsui, Tatsumi Setomoto, Tetsushi Tamura
  • Publication number: 20040100192
    Abstract: An LED lamp includes a substrate, an LED chip, and a resin portion. The LED chip is flip-chip bonded to the substrate. The resin portion covers the LED chip and includes at least one type of phosphor that transforms the emission of the LED chip into light having a longer wavelength than the emission. In this LED lamp, the resin portion has at least one side surface. The side surface is separated from another surface that can reflect the outgoing light of the resin portion, surrounds the side surfaces of the LED chip and is curved at least partially.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2003
    Publication date: May 27, 2004
    Applicant: Matsuhita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Yano, Masanori Shimizu, Nobuyuki Matsui, Tatsumi Setomoto, Tetsushi Tamura
  • Publication number: 20030189829
    Abstract: An LED illumination apparatus according to the present invention includes at least one connector and a lighting drive circuit. The connector is connected to an insertable and removable card-type LED illumination source, which includes multiple LEDs that have been mounted on one surface of a substrate. The lighting drive circuit is electrically connected to the card-type LED illumination source by way of the connector. The card-type LED illumination source preferably includes a metal base substrate and the multiple LEDs that have been mounted on one surface of the metal base substrate. The back surface of the metal base substrate, including no LEDs thereon, thermally contacts with a portion of the illumination apparatus. A feeder terminal to be electrically connected to the connector is provided on the surface of the metal base substrate on which the LEDs are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2003
    Publication date: October 9, 2003
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Shimizu, Tadashi Yano, Tatsumi Setomoto, Nobuyuki Matsui, Tetsushi Tamura
  • Patent number: 6611000
    Abstract: A lighting device includes: a plurality of LEDs arranged in an at least two-dimensionally dispersed manner; a transparent resin layer that covers the plurality of LEDs in an integrated form; a photo-detecting unit that detects an intensity of light emitted from the plurality of LEDs using a photodetector, the photodetector being arranged inside, on a surface, or in the vicinity of the transparent resin layer; and a power supply circuit unit that controls driving of the plurality of LEDs based on a detection output from the photo-detecting unit. Here, the number of the photodetector is smaller than the number of the LEDs, and the photodetector detects an intensity of light emitted from the LEDs and propagated through the transparent resin layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsushi Tamura, Hideo Nagai, Nobuyuki Matsui, Masanori Shimizu
  • Patent number: 6577073
    Abstract: An LED lamp includes blue and red LEDs and a phosphor. The blue LED produces an emission at a wavelength falling within a blue wavelength range. The red LED produces an emission at a wavelength falling within a red wavelength range. The phosphor is photoexcited by the emission of the blue LED to exhibit a luminescence having an emission spectrum in an intermediate wavelength range between the blue and red wavelength ranges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Shimizu, Yoko Shimomura, Tetsushi Tamura, Hideo Nagai, Nobuyuki Matsui
  • Publication number: 20030102204
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a key top for a push-button switch according to the present invention includes forming a hot-melt adhesive layer on a resin key top so as to have a shape corresponding to a display portion for displaying a letter, symbol, or other indicia, and transferring a metallic thin film layer onto the hot-melt adhesive layer. Therefore, the metallic thin film layer is not damaged due to coating of the hot-melt adhesive layer, and positioning of the display portion is unnecessary. Further, when a transfer resin layer is formed on the metallic thin film layer, oxidation of the metallic thin film layer or damages thereto can be prevented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2002
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Inventors: Masanori Shimizu, Kazuo Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 6570342
    Abstract: A fluorescent lamp includes: an emission tube for generating a luminous flux; a first filament provided at one end of the emission tube; a second filament provided at another end of the emission tube; first current regulator having a first impedance; a first electrode pin coupled to one end of the first filament via the first current regulator; a first switch coupled in parallel to the first current regulator; a second switch; a second electrode pin coupled to another end of the first filament via the second switch; and a control circuit for controlling the first switch and the second switch so as to be opened or closed. The control circuit doses the first switch and the second switch before the fluorescent lamp is lit and during a nominal lighting period after the fluorescent lamp is lit, and opens the first switch and the second switch during a power conservation lighting period following the nominal lighting period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Okubo, Yoshinori Tanabe, Masanori Shimizu, Takeshi Arakawa, Yoko Shimomura
  • Publication number: 20030063462
    Abstract: An illumination light source includes four different types of LEDs, namely a blue light-emitting diode 11 emitting blue light, a blue-green light-emitting diode 12 emitting blue-green light, an orange light-emitting diode 13 emitting orange light and a red light-emitting diode 14 emitting red light. Thus, an illumination light source having high efficiency and high color rendering performance is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2002
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Inventors: Masanori Shimizu, Yoko Shimomura, Hideo Nagai, Tetsushi Tamura, Nobuyuki Matsui
  • Patent number: 6504305
    Abstract: A fluorescent lamp is capable of easily achieving a reduction of power consumption only be being mounted on a conventional lighting apparatus, whether or not the lighting apparatus has a dimming function. The fluorescent lamp includes an arc tube; and a current suppressing section for suppressing a lamp current which flows in the arc tube, after the elapse of a predetermined time after the power is turned on, and during an operation of the fluorescent lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Ohkubo, Yoshinori Tanabe, Masanori Shimizu, Takeshi Arakawa
  • Publication number: 20020130326
    Abstract: A lighting device includes: a plurality of LEDs arranged in an at least two-dimensionally dispersed manner; a transparent resin layer that covers the plurality of LEDs in an integrated form; a photo-detecting unit that detects an intensity of light emitted from the plurality of LEDs using a photodetector, the photodetector being arranged inside, on a surface, or in the vicinity of the transparent resin layer; and a power supply circuit unit that controls driving of the plurality of LEDs based on a detection output from the photo-detecting unit. Here, the number of the photodetector is smaller than the number of the LEDs, and the photodetector detects an intensity of light emitted from the LEDs and propagated through the transparent resin layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Publication date: September 19, 2002
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsushi Tamura, Hideo Nagai, Nobuyuki Matsui, Masanori Shimizu
  • Patent number: 6445118
    Abstract: A fluorescent lamp of the present invention includes: a first electrode section having a first filament; a second electrode section having a second filament; a fluorescent tube in which a fluorescent substance Is applied on an inner wall of the fluorescent tube; a first structure of a nonconductor provided in the fluorescent tube: and a second structure of a conductor provided in the fluorescent tube. The first structure and the second structure are provided between the first filament and the second filament.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Shimizu, Kazuaki Ohkubo, Takeshi Arakawa, Yoshinori Tanabe, Kenjiro Hashimoto, Yoko Shimomura
  • Publication number: 20020113246
    Abstract: A number of red LEDs, green LEDs, and blue LEDs are mounted on one surface of a polygonal flexible multilayer substrate. The LEDs are connected in series according to color. A red feeder terminal, a green feeder terminal, a blue feeder terminal, and a common terminal are provided on each of at least three sides of the periphery of the flexible multilayer substrate. Circuit patterns for connecting LEDs at the high-potential end of the red, green, and blue series-connected LEDs respectively to the red feeder terminals, green feeder terminals, and blue feeder terminals are provided to the flexible multilayer substrate. Also, a circuit pattern for connecting LEDs at the low-potential end of the red, green, and blue series-connected LEDs all to the common terminals is provided to the flexible multilayer substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2002
    Publication date: August 22, 2002
    Inventors: Hideo Nagai, Nobuyuki Matsui, Tetsushi Tamura, Masanori Shimizu
  • Patent number: 6414426
    Abstract: A fluorescent lamp ensures categorical color perception for surface colors of at least red, green, blue, yellow and white, while improving the luminous efficiency in scotopic vision and mesopic vision or in a wide visual field, wherein dominant radiation is obtained from a phosphor which has peak emission wavelength in a wavelength region from 530 to 580 nm and a region from 600 to 650 nm, flux ratio of a phosphor having peak emission wavelength in a wavelength region from 420 to 530 nm is set to 4 to 40% of the total flux radiated in the dominant wavelength band, correlated color temperature of the lamp light color is set to 3500 K to ∞ and Duv (Duv=&Dgr;uv×1000, &Dgr;uv is the distance of color point from Plankian locus on the CIE 1960 uv chromaticity diagram) is set within a range from 5 to 70.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Izumi Akashi, Masanori Shimizu, Shoetsu Sakamoto
  • Publication number: 20020070681
    Abstract: An LED lamp includes blue and red LEDs and a phosphor. The blue LED produces an emission at a wavelength falling within a blue wavelength range. The red LED produces an emission at a wavelength falling within a red wavelength range. The phosphor is photoexcited by the emission of the blue LED to exhibit a luminescence having an emission spectrum in an intermediate wavelength range between the blue and red wavelength ranges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2001
    Publication date: June 13, 2002
    Inventors: Masanori Shimizu, Yoko Shimomura, Tetsushi Tamura, Hideo Nagai, Nobuyuki Matsui
  • Patent number: D494286
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Matsui, Masanori Shimizu
  • Patent number: D494287
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Matsui, Masanori Shimizu
  • Patent number: D494288
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Matsui, Masanori Shimizu
  • Patent number: D494687
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Matsui, Masanori Shimizu