Patents by Inventor Tetsuaki Inaba

Tetsuaki Inaba 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: 9829176
    Abstract: A lamp includes a projection lens, a light source disposed behind the projection lens, a lens holder that holds the projection lens, and a lamp body that holds the lens holder while accommodating the light source. In particular, a front surface of the projection lens includes a central region configured by a convex curved surface and a peripheral region around the central region which is configured by an annular concave curved surface, the lens holder is formed in a cylindrical shape and an annular flange portion extending towards an inner peripheral side is formed at a front end of the lens holder, an annular step portion is formed at an outer peripheral edge of the peripheral region on the front surface of the projection lens, and the projection lens is fixed to the annular flange portion of the lens holder at a step surface of the annular step portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Patent number: 8848300
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes a lens formed from a resin material and a lens holding member for holding the lens formed from the resin material. The lens and the lens holding member are adapted to be joined together through laser welding. A joining annular portion is provided on the lens holding member to which an outer circumferential portion of the lens is joined. A plurality of welding portions and a plurality of stopper portions are provided on the joining annular portion. The plurality of welding portions project towards the lens and are positioned apart from each other in a circumferential direction. The plurality of stopper portions project towards the lens, are positioned apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and contact the outer circumferential portion of the lens when the lens is joined to the joining annular portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chiharu Matsunaga, Hiroyuki Kageyama, Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Publication number: 20140098539
    Abstract: A lamp includes a projection lens, a light source disposed behind the projection lens, a lens holder that holds the projection lens, and a lamp body that holds the lens holder while accommodating the light source. In particular, a front surface of the projection lens includes a central region configured by a convex curved surface and a peripheral region around the central region which is configured by an annular concave curved surface, the lens holder is formed in a cylindrical shape and an annular flange portion extending towards an inner peripheral side is formed at a front end of the lens holder, an annular step portion is formed at an outer peripheral edge of the peripheral region on the front surface of the projection lens, and the projection lens is fixed to the annular flange portion of the lens holder at a step surface of the annular step portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2013
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuaki INABA
  • Patent number: 8591081
    Abstract: A LED is modularized by a light emitting device modularizing member. The light emitting device modularizing member includes heatsink having planar base, a LED mounting plate extending perpendicularly to the base from a portion closer to the end than to the middle portion of the base, and a light emitting device holder provided on each of a first face of the LED mounting plate, which is a face facing the middle portion of the base, and a second face of the LED mounting plate, which is a face opposite to the first face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Publication number: 20130141930
    Abstract: A vehicular headlamp includes: a lamp body that has a cylindrical portion having a front opening and a rear opening; a translucent cover that covers the front opening; a metallic light source base that has a light source installation portion, which is inserted from the rear opening to the lamp body and disposed therein; an annular elastic body coupling the lamp body to the light source base and closing a clearance between the lamp body and the light source base; and an optical axis adjustment mechanism coupling the lamp body to the light source base, wherein the light source base is supported so as to be turnable with respect to the lamp body by operation of the optical axis adjustment mechanism, and the elastic body is configured to be elastically deformed as the light source base is turned with respect to the lamp body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Inventor: Tetsuaki INABA
  • Patent number: 8287167
    Abstract: A lamp unit includes a first semiconductor light-emitting element that serves as a light source; a second semiconductor light-emitting element that serves as a light source; a support member that supports the first semiconductor light-emitting element and the second semiconductor light-emitting element; a first reflector provided above the first semiconductor light-emitting element, which reflects light radiated from the first semiconductor light-emitting element forward; a shade that blocks a portion of reflected light from the first reflector; a projection lens provided in front of the first reflector with the shade disposed therebetween, which forms a light distribution pattern with a cut-off line from light reflected by the first reflector; a positioning portion that positions the projection lens; and a second reflector provided below the second semiconductor light-emitting element, which reflects light radiated from the second semiconductor light-emitting element forward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Patent number: 8162507
    Abstract: A lamp unit includes a first light source; a projection lens that forms a light distribution pattern using light radiated from the first light source; a second light source; and a parabola optical system reflector that reflects light radiated from the second light source. The projection lens has a paraxial outer peripheral portion that is closer to a first optical axis than at least part of another outer peripheral portion as seen in the direction of the first optical axis. The parabola optical system reflector reflects light radiated from the second light source such that the reflected light passes through a space adjacent to the paraxial outer peripheral portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Patent number: 7922377
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes a light emitting diode (LED) unit supported by a metal-made support member. The LED unit is constituted by an integrally formed aluminum diecast product including an LED support portion for supporting an LED, a reflector including a reflecting face constituted by a face thereof opposed to the LED, a rib projected from a back face of the reflector, and a connecting portion connected to the metal-made support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuhiko Yamamichi, Shigeyuki Watanabe, Tetsuaki Inaba, Takashi Inoue
  • Patent number: 7907261
    Abstract: An optical axis inspection apparatus is provided with: a camera for capturing a light distribution pattern of a light source device projected on a screen; an image processing device for finding a cutoff line in the light distribution pattern; an acceptance reference cutoff line setting unit; and a shade having an oblong slit and arranged to be opposed to a projection lens of the projection type light source device. Whether or not an optical axis is proper is inspected based oh a shift of the cutoff line with respect to the acceptance reference cutoff line. Only a transmissive light passing through a substantially central portion in a vertical direction of a projection lens including an optical axis of the projection lens is guided onto the screen by the shade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Publication number: 20100246204
    Abstract: A lamp unit includes a first semiconductor light-emitting element that serves as a light source; a second semiconductor light-emitting element that serves as a light source; a support member that supports the first semiconductor light-emitting element and the second semiconductor light-emitting element; a first reflector provided above the first semiconductor light-emitting element, which reflects light radiated from the first semiconductor light-emitting element forward; a shade that blocks a portion of reflected light from the first reflector; a projection lens provided in front of the first reflector with the shade disposed therebetween, which forms a light distribution pattern with a cut-off line from light reflected by the first reflector; a positioning portion that positions the projection lens; and a second reflector provided below the second semiconductor light-emitting element, which reflects light radiated from the second semiconductor light-emitting element forward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Publication number: 20100244649
    Abstract: A LED is modularized by a light emitting device modularizing member. The light emitting device modularizing member includes heatsink having planar base, a LED mounting plate extending perpendicularly to the base from a portion closer to the end than to the middle portion of the base, and a light emitting device holder provided on each of a first face of the LED mounting plate, which is a face facing the middle portion of the base, and a second face of the LED mounting plate, which is a face opposite to the first face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuaki INABA
  • Patent number: 7798690
    Abstract: A headlamp including a metal bracket and a plurality of light source units 50, each unit having a light source, being mounted on the metal bracket 20, and being disposed within a lamp chamber. Irradiation light patterns of the light source units 50 are combined together to form a predetermined light distribution pattern. Each of the light source units 50 includes a resin shade 58, which is fastened to the bracket 20 by a fastening portion and is disposed forwardly of the light source, and a resin lens 52 connected to the shade 58. Part of the fastening portion is made of metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Watanabe, Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Publication number: 20090310353
    Abstract: A lamp unit includes a first light source; a projection lens that forms a light distribution pattern using light radiated from the first light source; a second light source; and a parabola optical system reflector that reflects light radiated from the second light source. The projection lens has a paraxial outer peripheral portion that is closer to a first optical axis than at least part of another outer peripheral portion as seen in the direction of the first optical axis. The parabola optical system reflector reflects light radiated from the second light source such that the reflected light passes through a space adjacent to the paraxial outer peripheral portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2009
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Patent number: 7597465
    Abstract: A projector-type lamp unit including a first reflecting surface for reflecting and condensing light emitted from an LED toward a projection lens disposed in the forward direction than the LED, a second reflecting surface for reflecting a part of the reflected light from the first reflecting surface toward the projection lens, and a design portion disposed between the second reflecting surface and the projection lens and continuing to the second reflecting surface. The first reflecting surface, the second reflecting surface and the design portion form a one-piece reflection mirror unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuaki Inaba, Shigeyuki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7568824
    Abstract: A vehicle lighting device with a lamp compartment having a light source unit disposed therein. The light source unit includes a light emitting device as a light source and a projection lens as a light distribution control member for distributing light. A face bearing portion at a distal end of a lens mounting portion of the light emitting device corresponds to a rear surface of a collar portion disposed along an outer circumference of the projection lens. Complimentary extending projections and stepped portions on the collar portion and lens mounting portion are ultrasonically welded together, and burrs formed during the welding process are prevented from protruding toward the optical axis by an erect wall of the stepped portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Watanabe, Tetsuaki Inaba, Tatsuhiko Yamamichi
  • Publication number: 20090073703
    Abstract: An optical axis inspection apparatus is provided with: a camera for capturing a light distribution pattern of a light source device projected on a screen; an image processing device for finding a cutoff line in the light distribution pattern; an acceptance reference cutoff line setting unit; and a shade having an oblong slit and arranged to be opposed to a projection lens of the projection type light source device. Whether or not an optical axis is proper is inspected based oh a shift of the cutoff line with respect to the acceptance reference cutoff line. Only a transmissive light passing through a substantially central portion in a vertical direction of a projection lens including an optical axis of the projection lens is guided onto the screen by the shade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Patent number: D685519
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Teranishi, Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Patent number: D701638
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuaki Inaba
  • Patent number: D713070
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Teranishi, Tetsuaki Inaba, Kuniaki Matsueda
  • Patent number: D715975
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Teranishi, Tetsuaki Inaba, Kuniaki Matsueda