Patents by Inventor Yoichi FUKATSU

Yoichi FUKATSU 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: 11219109
    Abstract: A vehicle front lighting apparatus includes a lighting device array in which multiple lighting devices are connected in series, multiple bypass circuits, multiple switch elements, a lighting intensity detector, a lighting schedule generator, a lighting controller, a current value detector, a voltage value controller, a detector, and a disconnection determiner. When there is the switch element to be brought into a closed state during a prohibition period from a lighting timing to a post-lighting timing, the lighting schedule generator changes a timing at which the switch element is brought into the closed state outside the prohibition period. The disconnection determiner determines that a disconnection has occurred in any of the bypass circuits when the number of switch elements detected at the post-lighting timing does not match a voltage value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoichi Fukatsu, Toshiya Tanaka, Yosuke Ishiguro, Hisanori Takenaka
  • Patent number: 11124115
    Abstract: In a vehicle front lighting apparatus, the number of switch elements brought into an opened state and an applied voltage value is detected every time a predetermined detection condition is satisfied, the amount of change from the number of switch elements detected last time and the amount of change from the voltage value detected last time are acquired, and it is determined that a disconnection has occurred if the amount of change in the number of switch elements does not match the amount of change in the voltage value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoichi Fukatsu, Toshiya Tanaka, Yosuke Ishiguro, Hisanori Takenaka
  • Patent number: 11035542
    Abstract: A vehicle front lighting apparatus includes a lighting device array in which a plurality of lighting devices are connected in series, a plurality of bypass circuits, a plurality of switch elements, a lighting controller, a current value detector, a voltage value controller, and a disconnection determiner. The voltage value controller applies a voltage to the lighting device array, and controls a voltage value to be applied to cause a value of current flowing through the lighting device array to reach a predetermined target current value. The disconnection determiner determines that there is a disconnection in any of the bypass circuits when the number of the switch elements brought into the opened state does not match the controlled voltage value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoichi Fukatsu, Toshiya Tanaka, Yosuke Ishiguro, Hisanori Takenaka
  • Publication number: 20200314984
    Abstract: A vehicle front lighting apparatus includes a lighting device array in which multiple lighting devices are connected in series, multiple bypass circuits, multiple switch elements, a lighting intensity detector, a lighting schedule generator, a lighting controller, a current value detector, a voltage value controller, a detector, and a disconnection determiner. When there is the switch element to be brought into a closed state during a prohibition period from a lighting timing to a post-lighting timing, the lighting schedule generator changes a timing at which the switch element is brought into the closed state outside the prohibition period. The disconnection determiner determines that a disconnection has occurred in any of the bypass circuits when the number of switch elements detected at the post-lighting timing does not match a voltage value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Yoichi FUKATSU, Toshiya TANAKA, Yosuke ISHIGURO, Hisanori TAKENAKA
  • Publication number: 20200307442
    Abstract: In a vehicle front lighting apparatus, the number of switch elements brought into an opened state and an applied voltage value is detected every time a predetermined detection condition is satisfied, the amount of change from the number of switch elements detected last time and the amount of change from the voltage value detected last time are acquired, and it is determined that a disconnection has occurred if the amount of change in the number of switch elements does not match the amount of change in the voltage value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Yoichi FUKATSU, Toshiya TANAKA, Yosuke ISHIGURO, Hisanori TAKENAKA
  • Publication number: 20200309340
    Abstract: A vehicle front lighting apparatus includes a lighting device array in which a plurality of lighting devices are connected in series, a plurality of bypass circuits, a plurality of switch elements, a lighting controller, a current value detector, a voltage value controller, and a disconnection determiner. The voltage value controller applies a voltage to the lighting device array, and controls a voltage value to be applied to cause a value of current flowing through the lighting device array to reach a predetermined target current value. The disconnection determiner determines that there is a disconnection in any of the bypass circuits when the number of the switch elements brought into the opened state does not match the controlled voltage value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Yoichi FUKATSU, Toshiya TANAKA, Yosuke ISHIGURO, Hisanori TAKENAKA