An LED module that includes an LED (light-emitting diode) and a rotationally symmetrical, bowl-shaped collimator lens is provided. The collimator lens has an inner refractive wall, an outer reflective wall, a first surface having an entrance aperture with a recess in which the LED is situated and which collimator lens is also provided with a second surface from which light generated by the LED emerges, the normal to the surface extending substantially parallel to the axis of symmetry of the lens, and the LED module also includes one or more of the following structures: (1) a conic wall portion of the recess of the inner refractive wall at the entrance aperture that includes a curved portion, and an outer reflective wall so configured in accordance with the structure of the inner refractive wall to achieve substantial collimation of a source of light at the entrance aperture; and/or (2) a first surface of the lens that is recessed away from the LED source; and/or (3) two surfaces of said refractive wall between which the refractive function of said refractive wall is divided. The LED module offers an improvement in the performance of the Flat top Tulip Collimator disclosed and claimed in our co-pending application Ser. No. 09/415,833 in terms of reduced size, beam divergence, beam uniformity, and to some degree efficiency. Moreover, it allows a wider variety of choices in optimizing various performance characteristics, and this in turn allows more flexibility in the structure design.

LED collimation optics with improved performance and reduced size

A system for producing hair growth stimulation using light energy, topical compositions, and combinations thereof. By using photomodulation resulting from cellular responses to exposure to specific wavelengths of light, optionally in conjunction with topical compositions and procedures for enhancing the penetration of such compositions, hair follicles are activated to produce hair growth.

Method and apparatus for the stimulation of hair growth

An apparatus for controlling the light distribution of a headlamp includes a vehicle speed sensor; a calculating device for estimating a position to be reached by the vehicle after a predetermined time along a forward roadway of the vehicle on the basis of a vehicle speed and information representing a route of the forward roadway, and for calculating a direction of illumination or a range of illumination by the headlamp so that light is illuminated onto an estimated position; and a control device for controlling the direction of illumination or the range of illumination by the headlamp on the basis of a result of calculation by the calculating device. The light is illuminated onto a position, which is located ahead of the vehicle and which is viewed by a driver, for obtaining an optimum light distribution for a field of view of the driver.

Apparatus and method for controlling light distribution of headlamp

A method of estimating a time to collision (TTC) of a vehicle with an object comprising: acquiring a plurality of images of the object; and determining a TTC from the images that is responsive to a relative velocity and relative acceleration between the vehicle and the object.

Collision warning system

A class of transportation vehicles for carrying an individual (10) over ground having a surface that may be irregular. Various embodiments have a motorized drive, mounted to the ground-contacting module (6) that causes operation of the vehicle in an operating position that is unstable with respect to tipping when the motorized drive arrangement is not powered. Related methods are provided.

Personal mobility vehicles and methods

A light source constituted by a plurality of light emitting units which are arranged opposite to a light irradiating lens such that light emission from a part of the light source is changed to light emission from the whole surface of the light source and vice versa is disclosed. In addition, a light irradiating apparatus having a light emitting diode used therefor as a light source wherein optical fiber(s) are laid between the light emitting diode and a light emitting lens such that a light emitted from the light emitting diode can be conducted to the light irradiating lens is disclosed. One end of each optical fiber is located at the position in the vicinity of the light emitting diode and other end of the same is located at the position substantially coincident with the focus of the light irradiating lens. Additionally, an optical fiber employable for an optical radar system wherein an outlet end of the optical fiber is formed by two inclined surfaces in a wedge-shaped configuration is disclosed. An inlet end of the optical fiber is formed at a right angle relative to an optical axis of the optical fiber.

Light irradiating apparatus having light emitting diode used as light source

A warning apparatus for warning of possible rear-end collision of a given vehicle having the warning apparatus with another vehicle preceding the given vehicle includes: a computer; a distance sensor for measuring a vehicle-to-vehicle distance to the another preceding vehicle; and a velocity sensor for measuring the velocity of the given vehicle. The computer computes a relative velocity of the given and the another preceding vehicle from a differential of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance and then computes an anticipated rear-end collision time by dividing of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance by the relative velocity of the given vehicle. The computer corrects the anticipated rear-end collision time in response to an acceleration and the relative velocity. The computer produces a warning of signal and an alarm is provided in response to the corrected anticipated rear-end collision time. A method of warning of a possible rear-end collision comprises the step of: detecting a vehicle-to-vehicle distance between a given vehicle and the another vehicle preceding the given vehicle; detecting a velocity of the given vehicle; computing an anticipated rear-end collision time Ta of the given vehicle with the another vehicle, with an equation: ##EQU1## and producing a warning in response to the computed anticipated rear-end collision time Ta.

Apparatus and method of warning rear-end collision

A two-eyed type optical distance measuring apparatus operable in accordance with a phase difference detecting process to optically measure a distance between the apparatus and an object to be measured is disclosed. To determine the distance between the apparatus and the object to be measured, a phase difference between the phase of a reflected light beam reflected from the object to be measured and the optical phase of a reference light beam derived from partial division of a distance measuring light beam emitted from a light source is detected and calculated. The apparatus includes as essential components a light source disposed in a housing on the light emitting side to emit a modulated distance measuring light beam therefrom toward the object to be measured, a light emitting element in a housing on the light receiving side and a reference light introducing mechanism for introducing a part of the modulated distance measuring light beam emitted from the light source into the light receiving element via an optical fiber. To prepare the reference light beam, a shade is arranged at the intermediate part of the housing on the light emitting side. In addition, an iris mechanism is disposed on the incident side of the optical fiber to variably adjust an optical quantity of the reference light beam.

Optical distance measuring apparatus

An apparatus for properly adjusting an attitude of optical axes of head lamps on a vehicle includes a motor driven actuator and a controlling section. The motor driven actuator additionally includes a voltage dividing circuit comprising two resistors and one of a plurality of contact positions in the controlling section is earthed directly, whereby a resistance value of the controlling section becomes zero ohm when the angle of elevation assumed by the head lamps is maximized in an upward tilted state. A motor circuit in the motor driven actuator includes in a power supply line an element for preventing an excessive intensity of electric current from being fed to a motor when motor is held in a blocked state for some reason. Preferably, the element has positive temperature characteristics which suppress generation of heat when rotation of the motor is blocked.

Apparatus for adjusting attitude of optical axes of head lamps on vehicle

An apparatus (1) of warning a possible rear-end collision of a vehicle having the apparatus against a preceding vehicle, including a computer (2), a distance sensor (3) measuring a vehicle-to-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle, a velocity sensor (4) measuring the velocity of the present vehicle. The computer (2) computes a relative velocity of the present and preceding vehicles from a differential of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance and then an anticipated rear-end collision time (Ta) by a division of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance by the relative velocity. The computer corrects the anticipated rear-end collision time (Ta) in response to an acceleration on the relative velocity. The computer produces a warning signal (Ws) on an alarm (5) in response to the corrected anticipated rear-end collision time. A method of warning a possible rear-end collision is also disclosed.

Yukio Ohmamyuda

Papers

Light irradiating apparatus having light emitting diode used as light source

Apparatus and method of warning rear-end collision

Optical distance measuring apparatus

Apparatus for adjusting attitude of optical axes of head lamps on vehicle

Apparatus and method for detecting and warning of possible collision with rear of vehicle in front