Patents by Inventor Takahito Nishii
Takahito Nishii 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: 9815400Abstract: A headlight control device provided in a vehicle to perform headlight control and to control a distribution of light irradiated from a light source is provided. The headlight control device includes: a determination unit that determines a presence and an absence of an obstacle in front of the vehicle and determines a position of the obstacle; a setting unit that sets up an area covering the obstacle as an intensified illumination area when the determination unit determines the presence of the obstacle, wherein the intensified illumination area is an area to which the light from the light source is irradiated in a manner different than a peripheral area of the intensified illumination area; and a controller that controls the distribution of the light irradiated from the light source so that the intensified illumination area set up by the setting unit has an illuminated zone and a non-illuminated zone.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2015Date of Patent: November 14, 2017Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takahito Nishii, Naohito Kato, Koichi Kato, Kazuya Asaoka, Sho Masuda
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Patent number: 9783097Abstract: A headlight control device provided in a vehicle to perform headlight control and to control a distribution of light irradiated from a light source is provided. The headlight control device includes: a determination unit that determines a presence and an absence of an obstacle in front of the vehicle and determines a position of the obstacle; a setting unit that sets up an area covering the obstacle as an intensified illumination area when the determination unit determines the presence of the obstacle, wherein the intensified illumination area is an area to which the light from the light source is irradiated in a manner different than a peripheral area of the intensified illumination area; and a controller that controls the distribution of the light irradiated from the light source so that the intensified illumination area set up by the setting unit has an illuminated zone and a non-illuminated zone.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2015Date of Patent: October 10, 2017Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takahito Nishii, Naohito Kato, Koichi Kato, Kazuya Asaoka, Sho Masuda
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Publication number: 20160368413Abstract: A headlight control device provided in a vehicle to perform headlight control and to control a distribution of light irradiated from a light source is provided. The headlight control device includes: a determination unit that determines a presence and an absence of an obstacle in front of the vehicle and determines a position of the obstacle; a setting unit that sets up an area covering the obstacle as an intensified illumination area when the determination unit determines the presence of the obstacle, wherein the intensified illumination area is an area to which the light from the light source is irradiated in a manner different than a peripheral area of the intensified illumination area; and a controller that controls the distribution of the light irradiated from the light source so that the intensified illumination area set up by the setting unit has an illuminated zone and a non-illuminated zone.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 26, 2015Publication date: December 22, 2016Inventors: Takahito NISHII, Naohito KATO, Koichi KATO, Kazuya ASAOKA, Sho MASUDA
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Patent number: 9103521Abstract: A lighting apparatus is provided which includes a drive section which applies electric current to a light source which is a semiconductor element emitting light with application of electric current, at least one heat sink which is mounted with the light source and transfers heat generated by the emission of the light source, and a temperature measurement section which is mounted to the heat sink and measures temperature of the heat sink which is used for estimating temperature of the light source. The light source and the drive section are mounted to the same heat sink or to the heat sinks which are thermally coupled to each other.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2011Date of Patent: August 11, 2015Assignee: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Daisuke Nishitani, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahiro Nakano
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Patent number: 8816587Abstract: An illuminant device designed to activate a light source selectively in a plurality of lighting modes. The illuminant device includes a plurality of circuit boards having thermal conductivity and a plurality of lighting circuits each of which is operable to activate the light source in a selected one of the lighting modes. The lighting circuits are mounted on the circuit boards so that when the light source is being activated, the circuit boards will be different in temperature thereof from each other due to heat generated in at least one of the lighting circuits which is activating the light source. The illuminant device also includes a connector which couples the lighting boards together to transfer the heat therebetween, thereby enhancing the dissipation of the heat.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2011Date of Patent: August 26, 2014Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Takahiro Nakano, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahito Nishii, Daisuke Nishitani, Yasutoshi Horii
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Patent number: 8736173Abstract: A lighting control apparatus for a vehicle is provided which works to diagnose a malfunction of a light source which includes a plurality of lighting devices such as LEDs and emits light outside the vehicle. The lighting control apparatus determines a state of the vehicle. When the light source is determined to be malfunctioning, the lighting control apparatus operates the light source in one of predetermined warning lighting modes which is selected based on the state of the vehicle. This attracts a vehicle user's attention to the malfunctioning light source.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2011Date of Patent: May 27, 2014Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Daisuke Nishitani, Yasutoshi Horii, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahiro Nakano
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Patent number: 8519625Abstract: A light quantity control apparatus, which controls light quantity of a light of a vehicle, includes a traffic-jam-information obtaining unit obtaining traffic-jam-information including information on positions and on presence/absence of a traffic jam, a vehicle-position obtaining unit obtaining a position of a vehicle, a traffic-jam identifying unit identifying whether the vehicle is in a traffic jam based on the traffic-jam-information and the position of the vehicle, a traffic-jam-time light quantity control unit decreasing the light quantity compared with a normal time if the vehicle is in a traffic jam, an urban-district obtaining unit obtaining information on whether or not the vehicle is in an urban district or near an intersection, and an urban-district-traveling-time light quantity control unit decreasing the light quantity compared with a case where the vehicle is in an area other than urban districts and intersections if the vehicle is in the urban district or near an intersection.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2011Date of Patent: August 27, 2013Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Takahiro Nakano, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Daisuke Nishitani
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Patent number: 8469570Abstract: The vehicle head light is provided with a heat radiating member including a pillar member provided to extend from a bottom wall of a housing, on which a light source is mounted, a heat radiating fins fixed radially to the outer periphery of the pillar member, and a guide wall provided surrounding sides of the heat radiating fins. The guide wall is sloped with respect to bottom wall of the housing so that spaces each formed by adjacent two of the heat radiating fins and the guide wall become narrower with increasing distance from the lower end of the guide wall. The guide wall is formed with slits to make air communication between the light chamber and each of the spaces, the slits being shaped to be narrower with increasing distance from the lower end of the guide wall.Type: GrantFiled: September 7, 2011Date of Patent: June 25, 2013Assignees: Denso Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.Inventors: Motonori Tominaga, Takahito Nishii
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Patent number: 8433096Abstract: An operation control map of a white line detection apparatus, including a white line detection portion that detects a white line on a road based on a captured image of the road surface, that references the operation control map to determine whether to allow operation of the white line detection portion. The operation control map includes a region in which operation of the white line detection is allowed, and a region in which operation is not allowed, based on the gain of a road surface image signal and the temperature of a road surface imaging portion. The allowed region is set if the reduced accuracy of white line detection, due to the thermal noise generated in the solid-state imaging sensor, falls within an acceptable range, and the disallowed region is set if the reduced accuracy of white line detection falls outside of the acceptable range.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2009Date of Patent: April 30, 2013Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso CorporationInventors: Shioya Kageyama, Kentaro Mochida, Takahito Nishii, Takekazu Terui
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Publication number: 20130063960Abstract: A vehicle lighting apparatus has a semiconductor light-emitting device, an optical unit for discharging light of the semiconductor light-emitting device toward an irradiated area, a driving circuit portion for supplying electric power to the semiconductor light-emitting device, and a heat radiating portion. The semiconductor light-emitting device is directly attached to the driving circuit portion. The optical unit, the driving circuit portion and the heat radiating portion are assembled together to form a lighting module.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2012Publication date: March 14, 2013Applicant: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro Nakano, Daisuke Nishitani, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahito Nishii, Naohito Katoh
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Patent number: 8382353Abstract: In a light chamber formed by a housing case and a lens cover of a headlamp assembly, a projection lens and a light source are arranged in order along an optical axis of the light source from a front side of the light chamber. Radiating fins of a plate shape is vertically placed in the light chamber and radiate heat energy generated by the light source. A heat exchange chamber is formed in a ceiling wall of the housing case above the radiating fins. The heat exchange chamber has a concave shape from the ceiling wall of the housing case, and is open toward the radiating fins side.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2011Date of Patent: February 26, 2013Assignees: Nippon Soken, Inc., Denso CorporationInventors: Motonori Tominaga, Takahito Nishii, Yasutoshi Horii
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Publication number: 20120161633Abstract: A lighting apparatus is provided which includes a drive section which applies electric current to a light source which is a semiconductor element emitting light with application of electric current, at least one heat sink which is mounted with the light source and transfers heat generated by the emission of the light source, and a temperature measurement section which is mounted to the heat sink and measures temperature of the heat sink which is used for estimating temperature of the light source. The light source and the drive section are mounted to the same heat sink or to the heat sinks which are thermally coupled to each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2011Publication date: June 28, 2012Applicant: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Daisuke Nishitani, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahiro Nakano
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Publication number: 20120146506Abstract: A light quantity control apparatus, which controls light quantity of a light of a vehicle, includes a traffic-jam-information obtaining unit obtaining traffic-jam-information including information on positions and on presence/absence of a traffic jam, a vehicle-position obtaining unit obtaining a position of a vehicle, a traffic-jam identifying unit identifying whether the vehicle is in a traffic jam based on the traffic-jam-information and the position of the vehicle, a traffic-jam-time light quantity control unit decreasing the light quantity compared with a normal time if the vehicle is in a traffic jam, an urban-district obtaining unit obtaining information on whether or not the vehicle is in an urban district or near an intersection, and an urban-district-traveling-time light quantity control unit decreasing the light quantity compared with a case where the vehicle is in an area other than urban districts and intersections if the vehicle is in the urban district or near an intersection.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 9, 2011Publication date: June 14, 2012Applicant: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro Nakano, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Daisuke Nishitani
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Publication number: 20120057365Abstract: The vehicle head light is provided with a heat radiating member including a pillar member provided to extend from a bottom wall of a housing, on which a light source is mounted, a heat radiating fins fixed radially to the outer periphery of the pillar member, and a guide wall provided surrounding sides of the heat radiating fins. The guide wall is sloped with respect to bottom wall of the housing so that spaces each formed by adjacent two of the heat radiating fins and the guide wall become narrower with increasing distance from the lower end of the guide wall. The guide wall is formed with slits to make air communication between the light chamber and each of the spaces, the slits being shaped to be narrower with increasing distance from the lower end of the guide wall.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 7, 2011Publication date: March 8, 2012Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, Nippon Soken, Inc.Inventors: Motonori Tominaga, Takahito Nishii
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Publication number: 20120001547Abstract: A lighting control apparatus for a vehicle is provided which works to diagnose a malfunction of a light source which includes a plurality of lighting devices such as LEDs and emits light outside the vehicle. The lighting control apparatus determines a state of the vehicle. When the light source is determined to be malfunctioning, the lighting control apparatus operates the light source in one of predetermined warning lighting modes which is selected based on the state of the vehicle. This attracts a vehicle user's attention to the malfunctioning light source.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2011Publication date: January 5, 2012Applicant: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Daisuke Nishitani, Yasutoshi Horii, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahiro Nakano
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Patent number: 8091014Abstract: In an electronic apparatus, a first microcomputer is monitored by a second microcomputer, which periodically transmits data relating to a main function to the first microcomputer to be processed. The first microcomputer periodically updates a variable value, performs a predetermined calculation operation whose final result should be a specific fixed value, adds that final result to the updated variable value to obtain a sum value, and transmits the sum value and updated variable value concurrently to the second microcomputer. The second microcomputer determines that the first microcomputer is operating abnormally if the difference between the received sum value and variable value is not equal to the specific fixed value.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2008Date of Patent: January 3, 2012Assignees: Denso Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kentaro Mochida, Takahito Nishii, Yasuhiko Satoh, Masayuki Usami, Atsushi Kawakubo
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Publication number: 20110309750Abstract: An illuminant device designed to activate a light source selectively in a plurality of lighting modes. The illuminant device includes a plurality of circuit boards having thermal conductivity and a plurality of lighting circuits each of which is operable to activate the light source in a selected one of the lighting modes. The lighting circuits are mounted on the circuit boards so that when the light source is being activated, the circuit boards will be different in temperature thereof from each other due to heat generated in at least one of the lighting circuits which is activating the light source. The illuminant device also includes a connector which couples the lighting boards together to transfer the heat therebetween, thereby enhancing the dissipation of the heat.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2011Publication date: December 22, 2011Applicant: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro Nakano, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahito Nishii, Daisuke Nishitani, Yasutoshi Horii
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Publication number: 20110242833Abstract: In a light chamber formed by a housing case and a lens cover of a headlamp assembly, a projection lens and a light source are arranged in order along an optical axis of the light source from a front side of the light chamber. Radiating fins of a plate shape is vertically placed in the light chamber and radiate heat energy generated by the light source. A heat exchange chamber is formed in a ceiling wall of the housing case above the radiating fins. The heat exchange chamber has a concave shape from the ceiling wall of the housing case, and is open toward the radiating fins side.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2011Publication date: October 6, 2011Applicants: Nippon Soken, Inc., DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Motonori Tominaga, Takahito Nishii, Yasutoshi Horii
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Publication number: 20110001640Abstract: An operation control map of a white line detection apparatus, including a white line detection portion that detects a white line on a road based on a captured image of the road surface, that references the operation control map to determine whether to allow operation of the white line detection portion. The operation control map includes a region in which operation of the white line detection is allowed, and a region in which operation is not allowed, based on the gain of a road surface image signal and the temperature of a road surface imaging portion. The allowed region is set if the reduced accuracy of white line detection, due to the thermal noise generated in the solid-state imaging sensor, falls within an acceptable range, and the disallowed region is set if the reduced accuracy of white line detection falls outside of the acceptable range.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 26, 2009Publication date: January 6, 2011Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Shioya Kageyama, Kentaro Mochida, Takahito Nishii, Takekazu Terui
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Publication number: 20090055685Abstract: In an electronic apparatus, a first microcomputer is monitored by a second microcomputer, which periodically transmits data relating to a main function to the first microcomputer to be processed. The first microcomputer periodically updates a variable value, performs a predetermined calculation operation whose final result should be a specific fixed value, adds that final result to the updated variable value to obtain a sum value, and transmits the sum value and updated variable value concurrently to the second microcomputer. The second microcomputer determines that the first microcomputer is operating abnormally if the difference between the received sum value and variable value is not equal to the specific fixed value.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 20, 2008Publication date: February 26, 2009Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kentaro Mochida, Takahito Nishii, Yasuhiko Satoh, Masayuki Usami, Atsushi Kawakubo