Illumination apparatus and illumination system

• US 10,440,792 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2018
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2017
• 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: Takeshita, Hironori, Yamauchi, Kentaro, Yamauchi, Satoru, Fujii, Shumpei, Hyodo, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Thai
• Application Number:
  US15/934,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20180279454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/02 of recess-mounted type, e.g. downlighters specially adapted for vehicle exteriors F21S41/00-F21S45/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/01 Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts F21V15/02 takes precedence housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/30 Pivoted housings or frames
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/003 the elements being electronics drivers or controllers for operating the light source, e.g. for a LED array
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/02 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/049 Patterns or structured surfaces for diffusing light, e.g. frosted surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/02 for simulating daylight F21V9/04, F21V9/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2121/008 for simulation of a starry sky or firmament
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/16 square or rectangular, e.g. for light panels
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/17 forming a single encapsulated light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/20 of different form
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0955 Lenses lenses per se G02B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0051 Diffusing sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/145 Housing details, e.g. position adjustments thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2033 LED or laser light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2066 Reflectors in illumination beam in projection beam G03B21/28
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• 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 47/105 : in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 : by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 : by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 : Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

An illumination apparatus includes: a case having an opening portion; a light source disposed in the case and including a plurality of light-emitting elements; a light diffuser which is disposed in the opening portion, and diffuses and transmits light emitted from the plurality of light-emitting elements; and a controller that controls light emission from the light source. The controller: controls light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements to project an image on the light diffuser, the image changing with time; and when changing the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements changing the image, controls the light emission from the light source to keep a change in at least one of (i) a light amount, (ii) a color temperature, and (iii) a spectral distribution of light emitted from the illumination apparatus within a predetermined range.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus, comprising:

a case having an opening portion;

a light source disposed in the case, the light source including a plurality of light-emitting elements;

a light diffuser which is disposed in the opening portion, and diffuses and transmits light emitted from the plurality of light-emitting elements; and

a controller that controls light emission from the light source,

wherein the controller;

controls light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements to project an image simulating a sky on the light diffuser, the image changing with time; and

when changing the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements changing the image, controls the light emission from the light source to keep a change in at least one of (i) a light amount, (ii) a color temperature, and (iii) a spectral distribution of light emitted from the illumination apparatus within a predetermined range.

2. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

as the control of the light emission from the light source,

when changing the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements, the controller controls the light emission from the light source to keep a change in at least one of (i) a light amount, (ii) a color temperature, and (iii) a spectral distribution of light exiting from the light diffuser of the illumination apparatus within the predetermined range.

3. The illumination apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the controller changes at least a part of the image to keep a change in at least one of (i) the light amount, (ii) the color temperature, and (iii) the spectral distribution of the light within the predetermined range.

4. The illumination apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

when the image is an image simulating a cloud and a blue sky,

the controller changes the image to keep at least one of a change in a ratio of a cloud region to the image as a whole and a change in a ratio of a blue sky region to the image as a whole within a predetermined range, the cloud region being a region of the cloud, the blue sky region being a region of the blue sky.

5. The illumination apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

when the image is projected using white light and blue light,

the controller changes the image to keep a change in a light flux ratio within a predetermined range.

6. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller keeps a change in at least one of (i) the light amount, (ii) the color temperature, and (iii) the spectral distribution of the light within the predeteimined range during a unit time.

7. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls the light emission from the light source to keep a change in at least one of (i) the light amount, (ii) the color temperature, and (iii) the spectral distribution of the light emitted from the illumination apparatus within the predetermined range during a predetermined time of day.

8. The illumination apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the controller controls the light emission from the light source to keep a change in at least one of (i) the light amount, (ii) the color temperature, and (iii) the spectral distribution of the light emitted from the illumination apparatus within a predetermined range during a time of dawn, morning, daytime, or evening.

9. An illumination system, comprising:

the illumination apparatus according to claim 1;

light-emitting equipment including a light-emitting source different from the plurality of light-emitting elements of the illumination apparatus; and

an illumination controller that controls light emission from the illumination apparatus and light emission from the light-emitting equipment,

wherein the illumination controller;

controls the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements to project an image on the light diffuser of the illumination apparatus, the image changing with time; and

when changing the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements, controls the light emission from the light-emitting equipment to keep a change in at least one of (i) a light amount, (ii) a color temperature, and (iii) a spectral distribution of light emitted from the illumination system within a predetermined range.

10. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is disposed on a surface of the light source opposite to the light diffuser.

11. An illumination apparatus, comprising:

a case having an opening portion;

a light source disposed in the case, the light source including a plurality of light-emitting elements and a plurality of light-emitting sources different from the plurality of light-emitting elements;

a light diffuser which is disposed in the opening portion, and diffuses and transmits light emitted from the plurality of light-emitting elements; and

a controller that controls light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements and light emission from the plurality of light-emitting sources,

wherein the controller;

controls the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements to project an image simulating a sky on the light diffuser, the image changing with time; and

when changing the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements, controls the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting sources to keep a change in at least one of (i) a light amount, (ii) a color temperature, and (iii) a spectral distribution of light emitted from the illumination apparatus within a predetermined range.

12. The illumination apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the controller performs at least one of the following control:

control of a light intensity of the plurality of light-emitting sources according to a light amount of light exiting from the light diffuser; and

control of a tone of the plurality of light-emitting sources according to a color of the light exiting from the light diffuser.

13. The illumination apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the controller controls at least one of a light intensity and a tone of the plurality of light-emitting sources according to a change of the image.

14. The illumination apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the controller is disposed on a surface of the light source opposite to the light diffuser.

15. An illumination apparatus, comprising:

a case having an opening portion;

a light source disposed in the case, the light source including a plurality of light-emitting elements;

a light diffuser which is disposed in the opening portion, and diffuses and transmits light emitted from the plurality of light-emitting elements; and

a controller that controls light emission from the light source,

wherein the controller;

controls light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements to project an image simulating a sky on the light diffuser, the image changing with time; and

when changing the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements changing the image, controls the light emission from the light source to keep a change in an amount of light exiting from the light diffuser of the illumination apparatus within a predetermined range during a unit time.

16. The illumination apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the controller:

controls the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements to project an image on the light diffuser, the image changing with time; and

when changing the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements, controls the light emission from the light source to keep a change in a color temperature of the light exiting from the light diffuser of the illumination apparatus within a predetermined range during the unit time.

17. The illumination apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the controller:

controls the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements to project an image on the light diffuser, the image changing with time; and

when changing the light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements, controls the light emission from the light source to keep a change in a spectral distribution of the light exiting from the light diffuser of the illumination apparatus within a predetermined range during the unit time.

18. The illumination apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the unit time is at least 0.001 seconds and at most 1 second.

19. The illumination apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the controller is disposed on a surface of the light source opposite to the light diffuser.

20. An illumination apparatus, comprising:

a case having an opening portion;

a first light source including a plurality of light-emitting elements disposed in the case;

a second light source different from the first light source and disposed outside the case;

a light diffuser which is disposed in the opening portion, and diffuses and transmits light emitted from the plurality of light-emitting elements; and

a controller that controls light emission from the first light source and light emission from the second light source,

wherein the controller;

controls light emission from the plurality of light-emitting elements to project an image simulating a sky on the light diffuser, the image changing with time; and

when changing the image, controls the light emission from at least one of the first light source and the second light source to keep a change in at least one of (i) a light amount, (ii) a color temperature, and (iii) a spectral distribution of light emitted from the illumination apparatus within a predetermined range.