Patents by Inventor Yoshihiko Kanayama

Yoshihiko Kanayama 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: 10052999
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus for vehicle use that projects light forward includes a base, a low beam lamp including a low beam light emitter disposed on the base, a first light emitter disposed on the base and a second light emitter. A lighting controller turns on the low beam light emitter, the first light emitter, and the second light emitter, and an optical system reflects light from the first and second light emitters at least above and below the first and second light emitters, to produce a light distribution pattern. Centers of areas illuminated by the light from the first and second light emitters are horizontally spaced from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Kanayama, Hiro Aoki, Makoto Kai, Tomoyuki Ogata
  • Patent number: 10024514
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus to be installed on a mobile object includes: a heat dissipator having a first outer surface and a second outer surface different from the first outer surface; a first light-emitting device thermally coupled to the first outer surface of the heat dissipator; a second light-emitting device thermally coupled to the second outer surface of the heat dissipator; a reflector that reflects light emitted from the first light-emitting device; a first lens that is disposed in a path of light reflected by the reflector and that transmits the light from the reflector along a predetermined lighting direction; and a second lens disposed in a path of light from the second light-emitting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Kanayama, Hiro Aoki, Tomoyuki Ogata, Masashi Kichima, Makoto Kai
  • Patent number: 10006599
    Abstract: Lighting apparatus for a vehicle includes: night-time low beam light source which mainly illuminates a lower front region in front of the vehicle; and daytime light source which mainly illuminates an overhead region above the lower front region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Nakano, Tomoyuki Ogata, Yoshihiko Kanayama, Makoto Kai
  • Patent number: 9909733
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus for vehicle use that projects light forward includes: a base; a first light emitting device disposed on the base; a second light emitting device disposed on the base; a first lens body disposed in front of the first light emitting device; a second lens body disposed in front of the second light emitting device; and a light restrictor adjacent to the first lens body, the light restrictor restricting light emitted by the second light emitting device from entering the first lens body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Kanayama, Hiro Aoki, Makoto Kai, Tomoyuki Ogata
  • Publication number: 20180038570
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus for vehicle use that projects light forward includes a base, a low beam lamp including a low beam light emitter disposed on the base, a first light emitter disposed on the base and a second light emitter. A lighting controller turns on the low beam light emitter, the first light emitter, and the second light emitter, and an optical system reflects light from the first and second light emitters at least above and below the first and second light emitters, to produce a light distribution pattern. Centers of areas illuminated by the light from the first and second light emitters are horizontally spaced from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko KANAYAMA, Hiro AOKI, Makoto KAI, Tomoyuki OGATA
  • Patent number: 9810396
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus for vehicle use that projects light forward includes: a base, a low beam lamp including a low beam light emitting device disposed on the base; a first high beam lamp including a first high beam light emitting device disposed on the base; a second high beam lamp including a second high beam light emitting device disposed on the base; and a lighting controller configured to turn on the low beam light emitting device, the first high beam light emitting device, and the second high beam light emitting device when high beams are turned on. A center of an area illuminated by the first high beam lamp and a center of an area illuminated by the second high beam lamp are horizontally spaced apart from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Kanayama, Hiro Aoki, Makoto Kai, Tomoyuki Ogata
  • Patent number: 9765940
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus for vehicle use that projects light forward includes: a base; a low beam light emitting device disposed on the base; a high beam light emitting device disposed on the base; a lens body disposed in front of the low beam light emitting device and the high beam light emitting device; and a first light restrictor disposed in front of the high beam light emitting device, the first light restrictor restricting light emitted by the high beam light emitting device from traveling downward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Kanayama, Hiro Aoki, Makoto Kai, Tomoyuki Ogata
  • Patent number: 9726341
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes: a first light source that emits a first light; a first lens that allows the first light to pass through and exit from a first exit face of the first lens; a second light source that emits a second light; and a second lens that is smaller than the first lens and allows the second light to pass through and exit from a second exit face of the second lens. When viewed from the first exit face side: (i) the first exit face has a recess that is recessed inward from a periphery of the first exit face; and (ii) the second exit face is at least partially disposed in the recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Kanayama, Tomoyuki Nakano, Tomoyuki Ogata, Masaaki Ito, Toshiro Omuro
  • Publication number: 20170184268
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes: a projection lens; a light source behind the projection lens; a reflector that reflects light from the light source toward the projection lens; and a shield that blocks a portion of the light reflected by the reflector to form a cutoff line in a distribution pattern of the light. A textured section demarcated by unit regions is formed on a surface of the projection lens, and when a region in a center of the projection lens is defined as a central region, and regions left and right of the central region are defined as left and right regions, respectively, in a front view, a proportion of the unit regions in the central region is greater than a proportion of the unit regions in each of the left region and the right region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2016
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Yoshihiko KANAYAMA, Naoki TOMODA, Hideaki HYUGA
  • Publication number: 20170158113
    Abstract: A headlamp that projects light forward includes: a low beam light source module; a reflector disposed in a path of light from the low beam light source module; and a first lens body and second lens body disposed farther forward than the low beam light source module and the reflector. The reflector reflects first light and second light, which are portions of the light from the low beam light source module, toward the first lens body and the second lens body, respectively. The first lens body transmits and projects, to a first region, the first light reflected by the reflector. The second lens body transmits and projects, to a second region larger than the first region and including a region closer to the headlamp than the first region, the second light reflected by the reflector. The first light is higher in luminous intensity than the second light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Inventors: Yoshihiko KANAYAMA, Naoki TOMODA
  • Patent number: 9657912
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes: a base that is open toward a front and includes a low beam light-distribution pattern forming component; a lens body disposed forward of the base; a first light-emitting device; and a second light-emitting device. Incident light is refracted in a lower portion of the lens body, and the incident light and exiting light travel in substantially same direction in an upper portion of the lens body. The first light-emitting device is disposed behind the lower portion of the lens body, the second light-emitting device is disposed further forward than the first light-emitting device and behind the upper portion of the lens body, and the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component is disposed in front of the first light-emitting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Kanayama, Makoto Kai, Hiro Aoki, Tomoyuki Ogata
  • Patent number: 9632240
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes a ring-shaped light guide including ring-shaped light entry and light exit faces; and light-emitting devices arranged in a ring at predetermined intervals, at positions opposite the light entry face. The light guide includes collimating portions that collimate light emitted from the light-emitting devices. Each of the collimating portions includes light-reflecting faces for collimating, in the direction of the optical axis of the collimating portion, light emitted from the corresponding light-emitting device. The light-reflecting faces include: an outer reflecting face; an inner reflecting face; a lateral reflecting face; and a large radius reflecting face. A distance from the optical axis to an optical axis-side end portion of at least one of the outer reflecting face, the inner reflecting face, and the lateral reflecting face is less than a distance from the optical axis to an optical axis-side end portion of the large radius reflecting face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Kai, Tomoyuki Ogata, Yoshihiko Kanayama, Hiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 9557027
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes: a light guide which is tubular and includes a light entry portion in one end in a tube axis direction; and a light source arranged corresponding to the light entry portion. The light entry portion includes a light redirecting portion which changes a traveling direction of light entering from the first light source to a direction that is substantially parallel to the tube axis direction of the light guide. The light guide includes: plural light-emitting faces which are ring-shaped and formed concentrically in the other end in the tube axis direction of the light guide; and a non light-emitting face which is wall-like and formed along the tube axis direction of the light guide, at a border of adjacent ones of the light-emitting faces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Kai, Yoshihiko Kanayama, Hiro Aoki, Tomoyuki Ogata
  • Publication number: 20160377249
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes: a base that is open toward a front and includes a low beam light-distribution pattern forming component; a lens body disposed forward of the base; a first light-emitting device; and a second light-emitting device. Incident light is refracted in a lower portion of the lens body, and the incident light and exiting light travel in substantially same direction in an upper portion of the lens body. The first light-emitting device is disposed behind the lower portion of the lens body, the second light-emitting device is disposed further forward than the first light-emitting device and behind the upper portion of the lens body, and the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component is disposed in front of the first light-emitting device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Yoshihiko KANAYAMA, Makoto KAI, Hiro AOKI, Tomoyuki OGATA
  • Publication number: 20160341385
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes a low beam lens, a low beam light-emitting device disposed behind the low beam lens, a plurality of high beam lenses disposed along a periphery of the low beam lens, and a plurality of high beam light-emitting devices disposed behind the plurality of high beam lenses in one-to-one correspondence. At least one of the plurality of high beam lenses includes, on a circumferential edge, a textured surface having light diffusing characteristics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2016
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Inventors: Yoshihiko KANAYAMA, Hiro AOKI, Tomoyuki OGATA
  • Patent number: 9464775
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes: a base that is open toward a front and includes a low beam light-distribution pattern forming component; a lens body disposed forward of the base; a first light-emitting device; and a second light-emitting device. A refractive portion is provided in a lower portion of the lens body, and a non-refractive portion is provided in an upper portion of the lens body. The first light-emitting device is disposed behind the refractive portion of the lens body, the second light-emitting device is disposed further forward than the first light-emitting device and behind the non-refractive portion of the lens body, and the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component is disposed in front of the first light-emitting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Kanayama, Makoto Kai, Hiro Aoki, Tomoyuki Ogata
  • Publication number: 20160265734
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus to be installed on a mobile object includes: a heat dissipator having a first outer surface and a second outer surface different from the first outer surface; a first light-emitting device thermally coupled to the first outer surface of the heat dissipator; a second light-emitting device thermally coupled to the second outer surface of the heat dissipator; a reflector that reflects light emitted from the first light-emitting device; a first lens that is disposed in a path of light reflected by the reflector and that transmits the light from the reflector along a predetermined lighting direction; and a second lens disposed in a path of light from the second light-emitting device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Inventors: Yoshihiko KANAYAMA, Hiro AOKI, Tomoyuki OGATA, Masashi KICHIMA, Makoto KAI
  • Publication number: 20160061402
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes: a first light source that emits a first light; a first lens that allows the first light to pass through and exit from a first exit face of the first lens; a second light source that emits a second light; and a second lens that is smaller than the first lens and allows the second light to pass through and exit from a second exit face of the second lens. When viewed from the first exit face side: (i) the first exit face has a recess that is recessed inward from a periphery of the first exit face; and (ii) the second exit face is at least partially disposed in the recess.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko KANAYAMA, Tomoyuki NAKANO, Tomoyuki OGATA, Masaaki ITO, Toshiro OMURO
  • Publication number: 20160033103
    Abstract: Lighting apparatus for a vehicle includes: night-time low beam light source which mainly illuminates a lower front region in front of the vehicle; and daytime light source which mainly illuminates an overhead region above the lower front region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Publication date: February 4, 2016
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki NAKANO, Tomoyuki OGATA, Yoshihiko KANAYAMA, Makoto KAI
  • Patent number: D773700
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiro Aoki, Makoto Kai, Yoshihiko Kanayama, Masaaki Itoh