Illumination apparatus and illumination system

• US 10,209,431 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2016
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yokosawa, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Garlen, Alexander K
• Application Number:
  US15/192,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20160306103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/04 intended only for mounting on a ceiling or the like overhead structures F21S8/02 takes precedence; details of ceiling bases F21V21/03
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/14 Bayonet-type fastening
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/02 the elements being transformers, impedances or power supply units, e.g. a transformer with a rectifier
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/023 Power supplies in a casing F21V23/003 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0052 Audio or video equipment, e.g. televisions, telephones, cameras or computers; Remote control devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/00 Planar light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0043 provided on the surface of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0045 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0061 to provide homogeneous light output intensity
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0073 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0081 Mechanical or electrical aspects of the light guide and light source in the lighting device peculiar to the adaptation to planar light guides, e.g. concerning packaging
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0083 Details of electrical connections of light sources to drivers, circuit boards, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0088 of the light guide or other optical sheets in the package

Abstract

An illumination apparatus including a light-emitting unit and an apparatus-holding section. The light-emitting unit includes a light guide plate with a center portion being opened, a light source that inputs light from a side of an inner wall of the light guide plate, and a reflective film formed on a side of an upper surface of the light guide plate to reflect light propagated in the light guide plate. The light-emitting unit outputs light from a light output surface in opposite to the upper surface of the light guide plate. The apparatus-holding section detachably holds an electronic apparatus, is capable of removing the electronic apparatus from a side of an output direction of light from the light output surface, and includes a center of a surface parallel to the light output surface, which is positioned inside a light output area of the light output surface.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus comprising a light-emitting unit, the light emitting unit including:

a light guide plate having a planar shape with an upper surface and a lower surface and an opening through a center portion of the light guide plate,

a light source positioned to input light into the light guide plate via an inner wall of the light guide plate, the inner wall of the light guide plate defining a periphery of the opening, and

a reflective film on the upper surface of the light guide plate and configured to reflect light propagated in the light guide plate, the light-emitting unit being configured to output light from the lower surface of the light guide plate, and

a housing to which the light guide plate is detachably attached, the housing having an upper surface configured for attachment to a ceiling, the housing including a lower end extending through the opening with the light source positioned between the housing and the inner wall of the light guide plate and having an apparatus holding section within an interior of the housing, the apparatus holding section configured to detachably hold an electronic apparatus, the electronic apparatus having a function unrelated to illumination by the light emitting unit,

wherein,

the light guide plate is detachably attached to the housing by means of a first twist and lock configuration, and

the electronic apparatus is detachably held in the apparatus holding section by means of a second twist and lock configuration.

2. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes an electrical connection rosette at an upper surface of the housing and power-supply circuit within the interior of the housing.

3. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a power-supply section including the housing and a built-in power-supply circuit within the housing, the power-supply circuit configured to generate an operational voltage based on a commercial alternating-current power supply.

4. The illumination apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the light-emitting unit includes:

a light-emitting main-body portion including the light guide plate,

a rigid attachment bangle portion that is detachably attached to the power-supply section, and

a plurality of rigid bridge portions extending laterally between the light-emitting main-body portion and the attachment bangle portion,

wherein the light-emitting main body portion is supported laterally about the housing by means of rigid attachment bangle portion and the rigid bridge portions.

5. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a power-supply circuit configured to generate an operational voltage based on a commercial alternating-current power supply;

a micro-computer configured to operate based on the operational voltage generated by the power-supply circuit;

an electrical power output terminal for supplying the operational voltage generated by the power-supply circuit to the electronic apparatus; and

a data communication terminal for performing a data communication with the electronic apparatus.

6. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of dots or a plurality of grooves for scattering light are in the upper surface of the light guide plate.

7. The illumination apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of dots or the plurality of grooves are at constant pitches from an inner peripheral side to an outer peripheral side of the light guide plate and gradually increase in size from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side of the light guide plate.

16. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatus is selected from the group consisting of an acoustic reproduction apparatus with a speaker, a projector apparatus, a camera apparatus, an ion generator, a fire alarm, and a home planetarium device.

17. The illumination system according to claim 16, wherein the electronic apparatus is a camera apparatus or a projector apparatus.

8. An illumination system comprising:

an illumination apparatus including a light emitting unit; and

an electronic apparatus,

wherein, the light-emitting unit includes;

a light guide plate having a planar shape with an upper surface and a lower surface and an opening through the light guide plate,

a light source positioned to input light into the light guide plate via an inner wall of the light guide plate, the inner wall of the light guide plate defining a periphery of the opening,

a reflective film on the upper surface of the light guide plate and configured to reflect light propagated in the light guide plate, the light-emitting unit being configured to output light from the lower surface of the light guide plate, and

a housing to which the light guide plate is detachably attached, the housing having an upper surface configured for attachment to a ceiling, the housing including a lower end extending through the opening with the light source positioned between the housing and the inner wall of the light guide plate and having an apparatus holding section within an interior of the housing, the apparatus holding section configured to detachably hold the electronic apparatus, the electronic apparatus having a function unrelated to illumination by the light emitting unit, the light guide plate being detachably attached to the housing by means of a first twist and lock configuration, the electronic apparatus being detachably held in the apparatus holding section by means of a second twist and lock configuration.

9. The illumination apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus-holding section is positioned inside the light output area.

10. The illumination apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a power-supply section including the housing and a power-supply circuit within the housing, the power-supply circuit configured to generate an operational voltage based on a commercial alternating-current power supply.

11. The illumination apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the light-emitting unit includes:

a light-emitting main-body portion including the light guide plate,

a rigid attachment bangle portion that is attached to the power-supply section, and

a plurality of rigid bridge portions laterally extending between the light-emitting main-body portion and the attachment bangle portion,

wherein the light-emitting main body portion is supported laterally about the housing by means of rigid attachment bangle portion and the rigid bridge portions.

12. The illumination apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

power-supply circuit configured to generate an operational voltage based on a commercial alternating-current power supply;

a micro-computer configured to operate based on the operational voltage generated by the power-supply circuit;

an electrical power output terminal for supplying the operational voltage generated by the power-supply circuit to the electronic apparatus; and

a data communication terminal for performing a data communication with the electronic apparatus.

13. The illumination apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of dots or a plurality of grooves for scattering light are in the upper surface of the light guide plate.

14. The illumination apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of dots or the plurality of grooves are at constant pitches from an inner peripheral side to an outer peripheral side of the light guide plate and gradually increase in size from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side of the light guide plate.

15. The illumination system according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus holding section is positioned above the upper surface of the light guide plate.

18. The illumination system of claim 8, wherein the electronic apparatus is selected from the group consisting of an acoustic reproduction apparatus with a speaker, a projector apparatus, a camera apparatus, an ion generator, a fire alarm, and a home planetarium device.