Patents by Inventor Tsutomu Kamizono

Tsutomu Kamizono 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: 9103521
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke Nishitani, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahiro Nakano
  • Patent number: 8816587
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Nakano, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahito Nishii, Daisuke Nishitani, Yasutoshi Horii
  • Patent number: 8736173
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Nishitani, Yasutoshi Horii, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahiro Nakano
  • Patent number: 8669492
    Abstract: A passenger seat device includes a seat heater embedded in a seat and a detector electrode embedded underneath the seat heater. Electric power is supplied to the seat heater from an on-board battery through seat heater switches. Alternating voltage or current is supplied to the detector electrode. The detector electrode potential relative to the ground is lowered when the seat is occupied by a passenger. The changes in the potential of the detector electrode is detected by an occupant detector including a microcomputer. The detection is performed when the seat heater is brought to a floating state to suppress an amount of capacitance formed between the seat heater and the detector electrode. Thus, a sensitivity of the occupant detector is improved. The detector electrode may be eliminated, and the occupant conditions may be detected based on a potential of the seat heater to which alternating current or voltage is supplied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ito, Tsutomu Kamizono, Shoichi Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 8531108
    Abstract: A headlamp for a vehicle includes: a housing having a front opening; a lens cover arranged to cover the front opening of the housing; a lamp chamber defined by the housing and the lens cover; a light source provided in the lamp chamber; a lighting control circuit that controls lighting of the light source; and a heat dissipating member arranged in the lamp chamber. Further, the lighting control circuit is formed on a substrate. The heat dissipating member has a pillar portion and a plurality of heat dissipating fins. The pillar portion has the light source mounted thereto. The heat dissipating fins are provided on an outer periphery of the pillar portion so as to be spaced from one another. The pillar portion also has a recess formed therein. The substrate is received in the recess of the pillar portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Motonori Tominaga, Tsutomu Kamizono
  • Patent number: 8519625
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Nakano, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Daisuke Nishitani
  • Patent number: 8508133
    Abstract: In a light chamber formed in a housing case and a lens cover placed at a front part of the housing case in a headlamp assembly, a projection lens, a shade and a light source are arranged in line from the front side of the light chamber along an optical axis of the light source. A radiating member has radiating fins of a plate shape vertically placed in the light chamber, and radiates heat energy generated by the light source to surrounding air. A slit composed of a vertical slit part and an inclined-slit part is formed in each of the radiating fins. The formation of the slit generates a change of heat capacity and a temperature difference at upper and bottom parts of each of the radiating fins. The incline-slit part is extended from the top of the vertical slit part to the upper part of the radiating fin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Motonori Tominaga, Syogo Kume, Tsutomu Kamizono
  • Publication number: 20130063960
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Nakano, Daisuke Nishitani, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahito Nishii, Naohito Katoh
  • Publication number: 20120161633
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2011
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke Nishitani, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahiro Nakano
  • Publication number: 20120146506
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Publication date: June 14, 2012
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Nakano, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Daisuke Nishitani
  • Publication number: 20120062117
    Abstract: A headlamp for a vehicle includes: a housing having a front opening; a lens cover arranged to cover the front opening of the housing; a lamp chamber defined by the housing and the lens cover; a light source provided in the lamp chamber; a lighting control circuit that controls lighting of the light source; and a heat dissipating member arranged in the lamp chamber. Further, the lighting control circuit is formed on a substrate. The heat dissipating member has a pillar portion and a plurality of heat dissipating fins. The pillar portion has the light source mounted thereto. The heat dissipating fins are provided on an outer periphery of the pillar portion so as to be spaced from one another. The pillar portion also has a recess formed therein. The substrate is received in the recess of the pillar portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Motonori Tominaga, Tsutomu Kamizono
  • Publication number: 20120061067
    Abstract: A heat sink includes a pillar member, to which a device that generates heat is to be mounted, and a plurality of heat-dissipating fins arranged on a side surface of the pillar member to dissipate the heat generated by the device. The heat sink further includes a ring-shaped holding member that has a plurality of grooves formed therein. The holding member is mounted to a longitudinal end of the pillar member and has each of the heat-dissipating fins inserted in a corresponding one of the grooves of the holding member, thereby holding the heat-dissipating fins to the pillar member. Each of the heat-dissipating fins has a detachment prevention portion that prevents the heat-dissipating fin from being detached from the pillar member in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the pillar member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Motonori Tominaga, Tsutomu Kamizono, Masanobu Katou, Katsuyuki Murase
  • Publication number: 20120001547
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke Nishitani, Yasutoshi Horii, Takahito Nishii, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahiro Nakano
  • Publication number: 20110309750
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Nakano, Tsutomu Kamizono, Takahito Nishii, Daisuke Nishitani, Yasutoshi Horii
  • Patent number: 8078362
    Abstract: An electrostatic seat occupant detecting system of a vehicle has a vehicle body and a seat. The electrostatic seat occupant detecting system includes an antenna unit that includes a main electrode and a sub-electrode disposed near the main electrode, an AC power source, a switch unit for switching supply of AC voltage to the antenna unit to form one of a first electric field between the vehicle body and the main electrode thereby providing a seat-occupant detecting mode and a second electric field between the main electrode and the sub-electrode thereby providing a wet condition detecting mode, and a seat-occupant detecting ECU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Shoichi Yamanaka, Tsutomu Kamizono, Masahiro Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20110254446
    Abstract: In a light chamber formed in a housing case and a lens cover placed at a front part of the housing case in a headlamp assembly, a projection lens, a shade and a light source are arranged in line from the front side of the light chamber along an optical axis of the light source. A radiating member has radiating fins of a plate shape vertically placed in the light chamber, and radiates heat energy generated by the light source to surrounding air. A slit composed of a vertical slit part and an inclined-slit part is formed in each of the radiating fins. The formation of the slit generates a change of heat capacity and a temperature difference at upper and bottom parts of each of the radiating fins. The incline-slit part is extended from the top of the vertical slit part to the upper part of the radiating fin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Motonori Tominaga, Syogo Kume, Tsutomu Kamizono
  • Patent number: 8040241
    Abstract: A capacitance-based occupant detection system accurately determines seat occupancy and a failure of an electrode and between electrodes and includes an impedance calculation section, a Re/Im part calculation section, and a determination section. A first impedance Z1 is calculated including a main-body impedance Za between a main electrode and a vehicle body. The Re/Im part calculation section calculates real and imaginary parts of the first impedance Z1 based on the first impedance Z1 calculated by the impedance calculation section. The determination section determines the presence or absence of destruction of the main electrode and a guard electrode based on an imaginary part of the first impedance Z1 calculated by the Re/Im part calculation section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Kamizono, Shoichi Yamanaka, Shinichi Kiribayashi, Masahiro Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7928341
    Abstract: An electrode unit for detecting whether a seat is occupied or not (occupancy conditions) is embedded in a seat of an automotive vehicle together with an electrically powered seat heater. Both of the electrode unit and the seat heater are flat, and the electrode unit is laminated on the heat heater. The electrode unit is composed of an upper electrode, a lower electrode and an insulating film disposed between both electrodes. The occupancy conditions are detected based on changes in a capacitance between the upper electrode and a member grounded to a vehicle body. To reduce a capacitance between the upper electrode and seat heater and to thereby improve sensitivity of the detection of the occupancy conditions, an alternating voltage that alternates in accordance with an alternating voltage supplied to the upper electrode is supplied to the lower electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ito, Tsutomu Kamizono, Shoichi Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 7859423
    Abstract: A film-type electrostatic capacitance sensor is provided for detecting seat occupancy and for reducing discomfort to a seat occupant and which is easy to produce. The mat of the film-type electrostatic capacitance sensor can be located in a seat portion of a vehicle seat and can include electrodes formed on both sides of a resin film and of a resin coating layer covering the electrodes. The coating layer can be a flexible resin to decrease discomfort for an occupant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Shoichi Yamanaka, Tsutomu Kamizono
  • Patent number: 7701338
    Abstract: An occupant detection system for detecting an occupant on a seat of a vehicle includes an antenna electrode in a seat bottom of the seat, and an electronic unit connected to the antenna electrode and the vehicle. The electronic unit applies a load current to the antenna electrode so as to generate a weak electric field, and detects a potential current passing through the antenna electrode. The electronic unit detects an occupant based on an impedance and a phase difference, which are based on the load current and the potential current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Kamizono, Eiichi Nishio