Patents by Inventor Shigeo Gotou

Shigeo Gotou 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: 9420660
    Abstract: A controller of a lighting fixture is configured to set a light modulation level of an LED to a first light modulation level in a period from a beginning of a night time slot until when a predetermined first time period elapses, regardless of a detection result of a human detecting sensor, and set the light modulation level of the LED to a second light modulation level that is lower than the first light modulation level when the first time period elapses. The controller is configured to set, when the human detecting sensor detects a person in a state where the light modulation level of the LED is set to the second light modulation level, the light modulation level of the LED to the first light modulation level for a predetermined time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Murakami, Shigeo Gotou
  • Patent number: 9207308
    Abstract: A doppler sensor includes a doppler signal generation unit and a determining unit. The doppler signal generation unit serves to transmit an electric wave to a detection range and receiving electric waves from a detection range, and generating a doppler signal based on a transmission signal used in transmitting the electric wave and a reception signal obtained from the received electric waves, and the determining unit serves to determine whether or not there exists a human body in the detection range through a spectrum analysis using a peak frequency, which is a frequency having the highest intensity in a difference spectrum obtained by subtracting a background spectrum from the spectrum of the doppler signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tadashi Murakami, Shigeo Gotou
  • Publication number: 20150289337
    Abstract: A controller of a lighting fixture is configured to set a light modulation level of an LED to a first light modulation level in a period from a beginning of a night time slot until when a predetermined first time period elapses, regardless of a detection result of a human detecting sensor, and set the light modulation level of the LED to a second light modulation level that is lower than the first light modulation level when the first time period elapses. The controller is configured to set, when the human detecting sensor detects a person in a state where the light modulation level of the LED is set to the second light modulation level, the light modulation level of the LED to the first light modulation level for a predetermined time period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2013
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Inventors: Tadashi Murakami, Shigeo Gotou
  • Patent number: 9146310
    Abstract: An object detection device comprises an active sensor, an amplifying circuit configured to divide and amplify a sensor signal outputted from said active sensor with respect to each a plurality of frequency bands through each amplifier, and a determining unit determining the presence or absence of a detection target object by comparing an output of said amplifying circuit with a predetermined threshold value. A noise determining unit controls a switching circuit so as to turn off a switch inserted between said determining unit and an amplifier having a band pass including a noise of a particular frequency, when determining that the noise of the particular frequency is produced constantly by using an analysis result outputted from a frequency analyzer detecting intensity of each frequency of the sensor signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tadashi Murakami, Tamami Ono, Shigeo Gotou
  • Patent number: 8981671
    Abstract: An illumination system includes a plurality of illumination apparatuses, each of the illumination apparatuses including a light source, a detection sensor for sensing presence and absence of a moving object, a wireless communication unit for transmitting a sensing signal of the detection sensor to other illumination apparatuses and for receiving a sensing signal from other illumination apparatuses and a control unit for controlling an output of the light source based on the sensing signal of the detection sensor or the sensing signal transmitted from other illumination apparatuses. If the detection sensor of one of the illumination apparatuses senses the moving object, at least one of remaining illumination apparatuses is controlled together by the sensing signal wirelessly transmitted from said one of the illumination apparatuses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yosinori Karasawa, Shigeo Gotou, Kensuke Yamazoe
  • Patent number: 8414158
    Abstract: An illumination device includes a cover; a lamp including a light emitting unit; and a doppler sensor including a receiving unit, disposed on the same side as the lamp with respect to a first plane including a surface of the cover facing the lamp. In a cross section that intersects the receiving unit and is orthogonal to a central axis of the light emitting unit, “?” between a boundary line of a detectable range of the receiving unit close to the lamp and a normal to the first plane, “d” between the central axis and the first plane, “r” of the light emitting unit; “y” between the first plane and the receiving unit; and “x” between the receiving unit and a second plane that includes the central axis of the light emitting unit and is orthogonal to the first plane satisfy the following equation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Murakami, Shigeo Gotou
  • Publication number: 20130009555
    Abstract: An object detection device comprises an active sensor, an amplifying circuit configured to divide and amplify a sensor signal outputted from said active sensor with respect to each a plurality of frequency bands through each amplifier, and a determining unit determining the presence or absence of a detection target object by comparing an output of said amplifying circuit with a predetermined threshold value. A noise determining unit controls a switching circuit so as to turn off a switch inserted between said determining unit and an amplifier having a band pass including a noise of a particular frequency, when determining that the noise of the particular frequency is produced constantly by using an analysis result outputted from a frequency analyzer detecting intensity of each frequency of the sensor signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Murakami, Tamami Ono, Shigeo Gotou
  • Publication number: 20120268034
    Abstract: An illumination system includes a plurality of illumination apparatuses, each of the illumination apparatuses including a light source, a detection sensor for sensing presence and absence of a moving object, a wireless communication unit for transmitting a sensing signal of the detection sensor to other illumination apparatuses and for receiving a sensing signal from other illumination apparatuses and a control unit for controlling an output of the light source based on the sensing signal of the detection sensor or the sensing signal transmitted from other illumination apparatuses. If the detection sensor of one of the illumination apparatuses senses the moving object, at least one of remaining illumination apparatuses is controlled together by the sensing signal wirelessly transmitted from said one of the illumination apparatuses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yosinori KARASAWA, Shigeo Gotou, Kensuke Yamazoe
  • Publication number: 20120206288
    Abstract: A doppler sensor includes a doppler signal generation unit and a determining unit. The doppler signal generation unit serves to transmit an electric wave to a detection range and receiving electric waves from a detection range, and generating a doppler signal based on a transmission signal used in transmitting the electric wave and a reception signal obtained from the received electric waves, and the determining unit serves to determine whether or not there exists a human body in the detection range through a spectrum analysis using a peak frequency, which is a frequency having the highest intensity in a difference spectrum obtained by subtracting a background spectrum from the spectrum of the doppler signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi MURAKAMI, Shigeo GOTOU
  • Publication number: 20120126706
    Abstract: An illumination device includes a cover; a lamp including a light emitting unit; and a doppler sensor including a receiving unit, disposed on the same side as the lamp with respect to a first plane including a surface of the cover facing the lamp. In a cross section that intersects the receiving unit and is orthogonal to a central axis of the light emitting unit, “?” between a boundary line of a detectable range of the receiving unit close to the lamp and a normal to the first plane, “d” between the central axis and the first plane, “r” of the light emitting unit; “y” between the first plane and the receiving unit; and “x” between the receiving unit and a second plane that includes the central axis of the light emitting unit and is orthogonal to the first plane satisfy the following equation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi MURAKAMI, Shigeo Gotou
  • Patent number: 8172423
    Abstract: An illumination apparatus includes a light source unit having solid light-emitting elements and a sensor unit having a wave transmission portion for transmitting energy waves of specified frequency and a wave reception portion for receiving the energy waves reflected from an object. The sensor unit outputs a detection signal by detecting the object within a detection range based on the difference in frequency between the transmitted and received energy waves. The illumination apparatus further includes a control unit responsive to the detection signal from the sensor unit for performing a control operation to turn on the light source unit, and a power source unit for supplying electric power to the light source unit. The power source unit is arranged outside the detection range of the sensor unit. The sensor unit is provided on the opposite side to the direction of light irradiated from the light source unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tamami Sobagaki, Shigeo Gotou, Tadashi Murakami
  • Patent number: 8058819
    Abstract: An illumination system includes a plurality of illumination devices and a number of sensor blocks. In each of the sensor blocks, an active sensor is provided to detect a moving object traveling within a detection area thereof and plural amplifier circuits is provided to divide a detection signal transmitted from the active sensor into plural frequency bands and for amplifying signal components of the frequency bands. Provided in a one-to-one relationship with the amplifier circuits is plural judgment units that, based on the amplified signal components of the frequency bands provided from the amplifier circuits, judges whether the moving object is travelling at a travel velocity corresponding to any one of the frequency bands. A control unit is also provided to perform a turn-on control on at least one of the illumination devices based on judgment results made by the judgment units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Murakami, Tamami Sobagaki, Shigeo Gotou
  • Publication number: 20100295479
    Abstract: An illumination apparatus includes a lamp load; a lighting circuit unit for turning on the lamp load; a sensor unit; an amplifier circuit unit for; a control unit for controlling the lighting circuit unit to turn on or off the lamp load depending on presence or absence of a human body; and a power supply unit. The control unit determines that a human body is present when a voltage of the. amplified detection signal exceeds a first threshold voltage while the lighting circuit unit is not operated and the lamp load is turned off, and determines that a human body is present if a voltage of the amplified detection signal exceeds a second threshold voltage while the lighting circuit unit is operated and the lamp load is turned on, a magnitude of the second threshold voltage being set to be higher than a magnitude of the first threshold voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2010
    Publication date: November 25, 2010
    Applicant: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tamami Sobagaki, Shigeo Gotou, Tadashi Murakami
  • Publication number: 20100102758
    Abstract: An illumination apparatus includes a light source unit having solid light-emitting elements and a sensor unit having a wave transmission portion for transmitting energy waves of specified frequency and a wave reception portion for receiving the energy waves reflected from an object. The sensor unit outputs a detection signal by detecting the object within a detection range based on the difference in frequency between the transmitted and received energy waves. The illumination apparatus further includes a control unit responsive to the detection signal from the sensor unit for performing a control operation to turn on the light source unit, and a power source unit for supplying electric power to the light source unit. The power source unit is arranged outside the detection range of the sensor unit. The sensor unit is provided on the opposite side to the direction of light irradiated from the light source unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tamami Sobagaki, Shigeo Gotou, Tadashi Murakami
  • Publication number: 20100052571
    Abstract: An illumination system includes a plurality of illumination devices and a number of sensor blocks. In each of the sensor blocks, an active sensor is provided to detect a moving object traveling within a detection area thereof and plural amplifier circuits is provided to divide a detection signal transmitted from the active sensor into plural frequency bands and for amplifying signal components of the frequency bands. Provided in a one-to-one relationship with the amplifier circuits is plural judgment units that, based on the amplified signal components of the frequency bands provided from the amplifier circuits, judges whether the moving object is travelling at a travel velocity corresponding to any one of the frequency bands. A control unit is also provided to perform a turn-on control on at least one of the illumination devices based on judgment results made by the judgment units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Murakami, Tamami Sobagaki, Shigeo Gotou