Patents by Inventor Tatsuma KITAZAWA

Tatsuma KITAZAWA 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: 20230415637
    Abstract: A light distribution control device controls formation of a light distribution pattern by a light distribution variable lamp. The light distribution control device controls the light distribution variable lamp so as to reduce an illuminance of light that illuminates a non-traveling road when a vehicle reaches a first location a predetermined distance before a forked road, while a normal light distribution pattern is formed that includes, in an illumination range thereof, a side illuminating a traveling road of the vehicle at the forked road and a side illuminating the non-traveling road, and to form a guiding light distribution pattern in which an illuminance of light that illuminates the traveling road is higher than the illuminance of the light that illuminates the non-traveling road.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2023
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirohiko OSHIO, Yuichi WATANO, Koji ISHIHARA, Takashi TERAYAMA, Tatsuma KITAZAWA, Takao MURAMATSU, Shuji MATSUURA
  • Patent number: 11066006
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes: a variable light distribution lamp capable of generating a beam having a variable intensity distribution; an infrared illumination device configured to irradiate a front; an infrared camera configured to image the front; and a light distribution controller configured to detect a snow particle based on an output of the infrared camera, generate a light distribution pattern in which a portion corresponding to the snow particle is shaded, and control the variable light distribution lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tatsuma Kitazawa
  • Patent number: 10895357
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp forms an additional high-beam light distribution pattern with light emitted though a projection lens from a plurality of light emitting elements. The plurality of light emitting elements are disposed to be aligned in a transverse direction below a rear focal point of the projection lens and can be lit individually. The vehicle lamp forms an additional light distribution pattern by lighting the plurality of light emitting elements at the same time to form a high-beam light distribution pattern. In addition, the vehicle lamp forms another additional light distribution pattern where a part of the additional light distribution pattern is omitted by selectively lighting a part of the plurality of light emitting elements so as to form an intermediate light distribution pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ishida, Tatsuma Kitazawa, Takahiko Honda, Takayoshi Ishizuka
  • Patent number: 10883692
    Abstract: A lamp unit includes a light source including a first light emitting element that emits visible light and a second light emitting element that emits infrared light, and a rotating reflector that rotates about a rotational axis while reflecting visible light and infrared light emitted from the light source. The light source is configured such that part of the second light distribution pattern overlaps with the first light distribution pattern and such that a region of the second light distribution pattern, which does not overlap with the first light distribution pattern, is provided on the side closer to a middle region in front of the vehicle with respect to the first light distribution pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tatsuma Kitazawa
  • Publication number: 20200158308
    Abstract: A lamp unit includes a light source including a first light emitting element that emits visible light and a second light emitting element that emits infrared light, and a rotating reflector that rotates about a rotational axis while reflecting visible light and infrared light emitted from the light source. The light source is configured such that part of the second light distribution pattern overlaps with the first light distribution pattern and such that a region of the second light distribution pattern, which does not overlap with the first light distribution pattern, is provided on the side closer to a middle region in front of the vehicle with respect to the first light distribution pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tatsuma KITAZAWA
  • Patent number: 10655808
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes a projection lens, a first light source disposed behind the projection lens and configured to emit light forming a low-beam light distribution pattern which is a predetermined light distribution pattern, a reflector configured to reflect light emitted from the first light source toward a first rear focal point of the projection lens, and a second array light source disposed behind the projection lens and having a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements arranged in at least one row. The second array light source is configured to emit light forming an additional light distribution pattern, and the center position or maximum light intensity position of the additional light distribution pattern overlaps with the low-beam light distribution pattern on a virtual vertical screen in front of the lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi Takada, Tatsuma Kitazawa, Hiroki Kawai, Teruaki Yamamoto, Akira Hanada, Kenta Oishi, Akinori Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20200039420
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes: a light distribution controller configured to generate a light distribution pattern including a shaded portion in which a margin region is added around a snow particle; and a variable light distribution lamp capable of generating a beam having an intensity distribution corresponding to the light distribution pattern. And at least one of a size and a shape of the margin region is variable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tatsuma Kitazawa
  • Publication number: 20200039419
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes: a variable light distribution lamp capable of generating a beam having a variable intensity distribution; an infrared illumination device configured to irradiate a front; an infrared camera configured to image the front; and a light distribution controller configured to detect a snow particle based on an output of the infrared camera, generate a light distribution pattern in which a portion corresponding to the snow particle is shaded, and control the variable light distribution lamp.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tatsuma Kitazawa
  • Publication number: 20190360652
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp forms an additional high-beam light distribution pattern with light emitted though a projection lens from a plurality of light emitting elements. The plurality of light emitting elements are disposed to be aligned in a transverse direction below a rear focal point of the projection lens and can be lit individually. The vehicle lamp forms an additional light distribution pattern by lighting the plurality of light emitting elements at the same time to form a high-beam light distribution pattern. In addition, the vehicle lamp forms another additional light distribution pattern where a part of the additional light distribution pattern is omitted by selectively lighting a part of the plurality of light emitting elements so as to form an intermediate light distribution pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki ISHIDA, Tatsuma KITAZAWA, Takahiko HONDA, Takayoshi ISHIZUKA
  • Patent number: 10309606
    Abstract: There is provided a vehicle lamp including a projection lens, a first light source arranged at a rear of the projection lens and configured to emit light for forming a predetermined light distribution pattern, a reflector configured to reflect the light emitted from the first light source towards the projection lens, a first array light source arranged at the rear of the projection lens and including a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements aligned in at least one row, and a second array light source arranged at the rear of the projection lens and including a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements aligned in at least one row. The first array light source and the second array light source are arranged in an upper-lower direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi Takada, Tatsuma Kitazawa, Teruaki Yamamoto, Hiroki Kawai, Akira Hanada
  • Publication number: 20170343173
    Abstract: There is provided a vehicle lamp including a projection lens, a first light source arranged at a rear of the projection lens and configured to emit light for forming a predetermined light distribution pattern, a reflector configured to reflect the light emitted from the first light source towards the projection lens, a first array light source arranged at the rear of the projection lens and including a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements aligned in at least one row, and a second array light source arranged at the rear of the projection lens and including a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements aligned in at least one row. The first array light source and the second array light source are arranged in an upper-lower direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi TAKADA, Tatsuma KITAZAWA, Teruaki YAMAMOTO, Hiroki KAWAI, Akira HANADA
  • Publication number: 20170227184
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp forms an additional high-beam light distribution pattern with light emitted though a projection lens from a plurality of light emitting elements. The plurality of light emitting elements are disposed to be aligned in a transverse direction below a rear focal point of the projection lens and can be lit individually. The vehicle lamp forms an additional light distribution pattern by lighting the plurality of light emitting elements at the same time to form a high-beam light distribution pattern. In addition, the vehicle lamp forms another additional light distribution pattern where a part of the additional light distribution pattern is omitted by selectively lighting a part of the plurality of light emitting elements so as to form an intermediate light distribution pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki ISHIDA, Tatsuma KITAZAWA, Takahiko HONDA, Takayoshi ISHIZUKA
  • Patent number: 9243772
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes an element installation portion including a mounting face, a light emitting element which is mounted on the mounting face and which includes a rectangular shaped light emitting face extending parallel to the mounting face, and a reflector configured to reflect light of the light emitting element. The mounting face is tilted such that each lamp left-right direction end is at a different height position. The light emitting element is mounted on the mounting face such that, with respect to a reference position where two sides of the light emitting face are parallel to a lamp front-rear axis and the other two sides of the light emitting face are perpendicular to a lamp front-rear axis, the light emitting face is positioned at a position rotated about a reference axis which is orthogonal to the light emitting face when the light emitting face is in the reference position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tatsuma Kitazawa
  • Publication number: 20150241010
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes an element installation portion including a mounting face, a light emitting element which is mounted on the mounting face and which includes a rectangular shaped light emitting face extending parallel to the mounting face, and a reflector configured to reflect light of the light emitting element. The mounting face is tilted such that each lamp left-right direction end is at a different height position. The light emitting element is mounted on the mounting face such that, with respect to a reference position where two sides of the light emitting face are parallel to a lamp front-rear axis and the other two sides of the light emitting face are perpendicular to a lamp front-rear axis, the light emitting face is positioned at a position rotated about a reference axis which is orthogonal to the light emitting face when the light emitting face is in the reference position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFATURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tatsuma KITAZAWA