Cubicle unit, transportation vehicle, and illumination control method

• US 10,357,584 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hatta, Kazuhiro, Hasegawa, Junichi, Hirata, Kiyotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Coughlin, Andrew J
• Application Number:
  US15/486,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20170296687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/02 Toilet fittings of general application A47K
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2011/0038 Illumination systems for cabins as a whole
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/12 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/17 Operational modes, e.g. switching from manual to automatic mode or prohibiting specific operations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A cubicle unit includes a first illumination apparatus, a second illumination apparatus, a sensor, and a controller. When a brightness sensed by the sensor is a predetermined brightness or less, the controller causes the second illumination apparatus to emit light having a first color temperature lower than a color temperature of light emitted by the first illumination apparatus. When the brightness sensed by the sensor is greater than the predetermined brightness, the controller causes the second illumination apparatus to emit light having a second color temperature lower than the first color temperature.

Claims

1. A cubicle unit comprising:

sidewalls, ceiling, and flooring which form a cubicle;

a toilet pan placed in the cubicle;

a first illumination apparatus which emits light to illuminate an interior of the cubicle, the first illumination apparatus being placed on the ceiling or one of the sidewalls;

a second illumination apparatus which emits light to illuminate a floor surface of the cubicle, the floor surface being part of the flooring, the second illumination apparatus being placed at a position lower than a top end of the toilet pan in the cubicle;

a sensor which senses a brightness outside the cubicle; and

a controller which

(i) causes, when the brightness sensed by the sensor is a predetermined brightness or less, the second illumination apparatus to emit light having a first color temperature lower than a color temperature of light emitted by the first illumination apparatus, and

(ii) causes, when the brightness sensed by the sensor is greater than the predetermined brightness, the second illumination apparatus to emit light having a second color temperature higher than the first color temperature.

2. The cubicle unit according to claim 1, wherein

the controller further causes the first illumination apparatus to emit light having a first brightness when the brightness sensed by the sensor is the predetermined brightness or less, and causes the first illumination apparatus to emit light having a second brightness greater than the first brightness when the brightness sensed by the sensor is greater than the predetermined brightness.

3. The cubicle unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a door for allowing a user to enter and exit the cubicle, the door being lockable from inside the cubicle by the user; and

a lock detector which detects whether the door is locked, wherein

the controller determines that the door is locked, based on a detection by the lock detector, and causes at least one of the first illumination apparatus and the second illumination apparatus to emit light brighter than before the door is locked.

4. The cubicle unit according to claim 3, further comprising:

an opening and closing detector which detects opening and closing of the door, wherein

the second illumination apparatus further includes a radiator which emits ultraviolet radiation, and

the controller further causes the radiator to emit ultraviolet radiation when the controller determines that the door is not locked after being closed, based on a detection by the opening and closing detector and a detection by the lock detector.

5. The cubicle unit according to claim 1, wherein

while causing the second illumination apparatus to emit the light having the first color temperature, the controller further causes the light emitted by at least one of the first illumination apparatus and the second illumination apparatus to dim over a predetermined time.

6. The cubicle unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a basin placed in the cubicle; and

a third illumination apparatus which emits light to illuminate the user at the basin, wherein emission of the light by the third illumination apparatus is controlled independently of the first illumination apparatus and the second illumination apparatus.

7. The cubicle unit according to claim 6, wherein

the third illumination apparatus includes a light emitter which is configured to emit light in a plurality of illumination modes, and a receiver which receives a selection from among the plurality of illumination modes.

8. The cubicle unit according to claim 6, wherein

the third illumination apparatus has a color rendering property higher than the first illumination apparatus.

9. The cubicle unit according to claim 1, wherein

the cubicle unit is placed in a transportation vehicle, and

the sensor senses the brightness outside the cubicle which is a brightness in the transportation vehicle.

10. A transportation vehicle comprising:

the cubicle unit according to claim 1; and

a transport body inside which the cubicle unit is located.

11. A method for controlling illumination in a cubicle unit including:

sidewalls, ceiling, and flooring which form a cubicle;

a toilet pan placed in the cubicle;

a first illumination apparatus which emits light to illuminate an interior of the cubicle, the first illumination apparatus being placed on the ceiling or one of the sidewalls; and

a second illumination apparatus which emits light to illuminate a floor surface of the cubicle, the floor surface being part of the flooring, the second illumination apparatus being placed at a position lower than a top end of the toilet pan in the cubicle,

the method comprising;

sensing a brightness outside the cubicle;

causing, when the brightness sensed is a predetermined brightness or less, the second illumination apparatus to emit light having a first color temperature lower than a color temperature of light emitted by the first illumination apparatus; and

causing, when the brightness sensed is greater than the predetermined brightness, the second illumination apparatus to emit light having a second color temperature higher than the first color temperature.