Patents by Inventor Norihiro Nishitani
Norihiro Nishitani 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).
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Patent number: 8235565Abstract: A vehicular lamp includes a first aiming mechanism and a second aiming mechanism that enable a lamp unit to be assembled to a vehicle body from the outside or the inside. The lamp body includes a pair of first vertical tilt axis structural members that are provided on a rear portion and engage with the vehicle body tiltably around a first horizontal tilt axis, and a pair of second vertical tilt axis structural members that are provided on both left and right sides and retained tiltably around a second horizontal tilt axis with respect to the vehicle body. The first aiming mechanism has a first optical axis adjusting portion that tilts the lamp unit around the first horizontal tilt axis via an aiming screw. The second aiming mechanism has a second optical axis adjusting portion that tilts the lamp unit around the second horizontal tilt axis via an aiming screw.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2010Date of Patent: August 7, 2012Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventor: Norihiro Nishitani
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Publication number: 20110141752Abstract: A vehicular lamp includes a first aiming mechanism and a second aiming mechanism that enable a lamp unit to be assembled to a vehicle body from the outside or the inside. The lamp body includes a pair of first vertical tilt axis structural members that are provided on a rear portion and engage with the vehicle body tiltably around a first horizontal tilt axis, and a pair of second vertical tilt axis structural members that are provided on both left and right sides and retained tiltably around a second horizontal tilt axis with respect to the vehicle body. The first aiming mechanism has a first optical axis adjusting portion that tilts the lamp unit around the first horizontal tilt axis via an aiming screw. The second aiming mechanism has a second optical axis adjusting portion that tilts the lamp unit around the second horizontal tilt axis via an aiming screw.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 8, 2010Publication date: June 16, 2011Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventor: Norihiro Nishitani
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Patent number: 6871989Abstract: A headlamp includes a lamp housing defining a lamp body and a front lens. A reflector is accommodated in the lamp housing and a light source is attached thereto. An aiming mechanism tiltably supports the reflector relative to the lamp body, and includes an aiming fulcrum, aiming screws, and nut members attached to the reflector. The nut members are guided by sliding guides in the lamp body, and stress releasing devices having a ball-and-socket joint structure are provided in an attachment portion of the nut members and brackets. A ball portion of a ball-and-socket joint is formed in a nut member body itself provided with a female screw portion, a slider supported by the sliding guides is formed integrally with a side of the ball portion, and the ball portion is supported on a ball receiving portion of bearings attached to the brackets.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2002Date of Patent: March 29, 2005Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hideaki Nakazawa, Takeyuki Tachiiwa, Norihiro Nishitani, Katutada Shirai
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Patent number: 6824299Abstract: A marker lamp for a vehicle that has a tail lamp function and a stop lamp function including a bulb, light-emitting diodes and a reflector which are disposed in a lamp chamber defined by a lamp body and a front cover that covers the front portion of the lamp body. The bulb is positioned at the center of the reflector, the reflector is formed with a plurality of openings around the bulb and a primary reflective surface that reflects the light from the bulb substantially forward, and the light-emitting diodes are disposed so as to surround the bulb and face the front cover through the openings formed in the reflector. The tail lamp function is executed by lighting the bulb, and the stop lamp function is executed by lighting the light-emitting diodes.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2002Date of Patent: November 30, 2004Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventors: Fumihiko Mohri, Hiroki Fujinami, Hideyuki Aihara, Norihiro Nishitani
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Publication number: 20030117810Abstract: A compact reflector movable type headlamp which can reliably prevent the vibration of a reflector, can maintain the smooth rotation of an aiming screw, and furthermore, can prevent the shape of the reflector and the structure of a mold for reflector molding from being complicated. The headlamp includes a lamp body and a front lens which constitute a lamp housing. A reflector is accommodated in the lamp housing to which a light source attaches. An aiming mechanism serves to tiltably support the reflector with respect to the lamp body. The aiming mechanism is constituted by an aiming fulcrum, aiming screws, and nut members attached to the reflector and screwed into the aiming screws. The nut members are guided by sliding guides formed in the lamp body, and stress releasing means having a ball-and-socket joint structure are provided in an attachment portion of the nut members and brackets.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2002Publication date: June 26, 2003Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventors: Hideaki Nakazawa, Takeyuki Tachiiwa, Norihiro Nishitani, Katutada Shirai
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Publication number: 20030112634Abstract: A marker lamp for a vehicle that has a tail lamp function and a stop lamp function including a bulb, light-emitting diodes and a reflector which are disposed in a lamp chamber defined by a lamp body and a front cover that covers the front portion of the lamp body. The bulb is positioned at the center of the reflector, the reflector is formed with a plurality of openings around the bulb and a primary reflective surface that reflects the light from the bulb substantially forward, and the light-emitting diodes are disposed so as to surround the bulb and face the front cover through the openings formed in the reflector. The tail lamp function is executed by lighting the bulb, and the stop lamp function is executed by lighting the light-emitting diodes.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 18, 2002Publication date: June 19, 2003Applicant: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventors: Fumihiko Mohri, Hiroki Fujinami, Hideyuki Aihara, Norihiro Nishitani
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Patent number: 6554461Abstract: A vehicle lamp including a synthetic resin lamp body, a bracket that projects from an exterior surface of the lamp body and functions as a fixation portion to be fixed to a vehicle body, an adjacent lamp and the like, and a boss which is provided near the bracket and is used for attaching a replacement bracket thereon so as to replace the bracket when the bracket is damaged, the boss having a boss hole formed therein so that a tapping screw is pressed and screwed into the boss hole; and in this vehicle lamp, the boss hole is a shallow recess, and its bore diameter gradually increases toward its opening end.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2002Date of Patent: April 29, 2003Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kenji Yamada, Norihiro Nishitani
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Patent number: 6543920Abstract: A vehicle headlamp includes right and left reflectors disposed in a lamp body and a ballast that allows a discharge bulb mounted in the reflector to continue a stable discharge. The pair of right and left reflectors is offset in the vertical direction. The right reflector is also offset in the fore-and-aft direction to be located behind the adjacent left reflector. The ballast is disposed to extend over enlarged spaces extending from below the right reflector. Thus, the center of gravity of the ballast is made close to the center of gravity of the headlamp excluding the ballast.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2001Date of Patent: April 8, 2003Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroki Fujinami, Norihiro Nishitani
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Publication number: 20020145881Abstract: A vehicle lamp including a synthetic resin lamp body, a bracket that projects from an exterior surface of the lamp body and functions as a fixation portion to be fixed to a vehicle body, an adjacent lamp and the like, and a boss which is provided near the bracket and is used for attaching a replacement bracket thereon so as to replace the bracket when the bracket is damaged, the boss having a boss hole formed therein so that a tapping screw is pressed and screwed into the boss hole; and in this vehicle lamp, the boss hole is a shallow recess, and its bore diameter gradually increases toward its opening end.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 3, 2002Publication date: October 10, 2002Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventors: Kenji Yamada, Norihiro Nishitani
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Publication number: 20020075695Abstract: A vehicle headlamp includes right and left reflectors disposed in a lamp body and a ballast that allows a discharge bulb mounted in the reflector to continue a stable discharge. The pair of right and left reflectors is offset in the vertical direction. The right reflector is also offset in the fore-and-aft direction to be located behind the adjacent left reflector. The ballast is disposed to extend over enlarged spaces extending from below the right reflector. Thus, the center of gravity of the ballast is made close to the center of gravity of the headlamp excluding the ballast.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2001Publication date: June 20, 2002Inventors: Hiroki Fujinami, Norihiro Nishitani
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Patent number: 6231211Abstract: A vehicle lamp with a lamp body and a bulb socket portion placed through a bulb fitting hole in the lamp body. A waterproofing annular gasket placed between a flange of the bulb socket and the outer periphery of the bulb fitting hole provides a waterproof seal to the lamp body. The lamp body is integrally formed with a lens such that the bulb fitting hole is the only opening to the outside environment. A transverse cross section of the gasket reveals a sideways gourd-like structure that improves the seal between the flange of the bulb socket and the peripheral edge of the bulb fitting hole.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 1999Date of Patent: May 15, 2001Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventors: Norihiro Nishitani, Takayoshi Goto
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Patent number: 5931575Abstract: A light emitting reference point is set for a light source attached to a reflecting mirror having an opening on one end thereof, and it is assumed that a point light source is set on the reference point. Then, a reference surface formed as a set of half lines extending from the reference point to an arbitrary point on a front end edge of a socket arranged so as to interrupt rays of light from the point light source. Then, a partial surface of the basic surface of a reflective surface around the socket is arranged so that the partial surface projects more frontward than the reference surface, and a curved form of the partial surface is arranged so that the rays of light emitted from the point reach everywhere on the surface. Then, a group of paraboloids of revolution formed by a number of paraboloids of revolution whose focal distances are different from one another, is prepared, and intersecting lines between the basic surface and the group of paraboloids of revolution are obtained.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 1996Date of Patent: August 3, 1999Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventors: Norimasa Yamamoto, Norihiro Nishitani, Yoshiaki Furuya
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Patent number: 5836674Abstract: A vehicular lamp which includes a lamp body having a front opening, a lens coupled to the front opening of the lamp body, a light source disposed within a lamp chamber defined by the lamp body and the lens, and convex and concave fish-eye lens steps arranged in a line direction thereof, wherein because step portions are formed at a boundary of the convex and concave lens steps and the convex lens steps and the concave lens steps are arranged to shift by half a pitch in a column direction thereof, optical images created by the convex and concave lens steps are focused on different points from each other in the front-rear direction of the lens or the lamp, to create an impression of the deep, three dimensional lamp inside.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 1996Date of Patent: November 17, 1998Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventors: Norihiro Nishitani, Hirokazu Yanagihara, Masamitsu Wada