Light-emitting apparatus

• US 10,661,047 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2017
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2016
• 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: Sato, Ayumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Matthews, Christine H
• Application Number:
  US15/815,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20180147386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0044 by the sight sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/02 for inducing sleep or relaxation, e.g. by direct nerve stimulation, hypnosis, analgesia for massage A61H; electrotherapy A61N, e.g. applying alternating or intermittent electric currents for producing anaesthesia A61N1/36021
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/13 comprising an assembly of point-like light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light

Abstract

A light-irradiating apparatus which emits light for activating a body is provided. The light-irradiating apparatus includes a blue light source, a white light source, and a controller. The controller controls the white light source and the blue light source, and adjusts irradiation intensities of light emitted by the blue light source and the white light source. The controller causes the white light source to continuously maintain an on state and causes the blue light source to repeat an on state and an off state. The controller causes a sum of the irradiation intensity of the light which is emitted by the white light source and the irradiation intensity of the light which is emitted by the blue light source to be greater than or equal to a biological effect threshold at which light produces an effect of activating the body.

Claims

1. A light-emitting apparatus which emits light for activating a body, the light-emitting apparatus comprising:

a blue light source;

a white light source; and

a controller which controls the white light source and the blue light source and which adjusts an irradiation intensity of light emitted by the blue light source and an irradiation intensity of light emitted by the white light source, wherein

the controller causes the white light source to continuously maintain an on state and causes the blue light source to repeat an on state and an off state,

the controller causes a sum of the irradiation intensity of the light which is emitted by the white light source and the irradiation intensity of the light which is emitted by the blue light source to be greater than or equal to a biological effect threshold at which light produces an effect of activating the body, and

the controller divides a duty cycle of the blue light source by a first irradiation time for activating the body to calculate a second irradiation time, and causes the blue light source and the white light source to emit light for the second irradiation time by controlling the blue light source and the white light source.

2. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the duty cycle of the blue light source in the on state among the on state and the off state is in a range from 20% to 75%.

3. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a frequency at which the blue light source repeats the on state and the off state is greater than or equal to 500 Hz.

4. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a sum of an average luminance of the light which is emitted by the blue light source at a light emission surface of the blue light source and an average luminance of the light which is emitted by the white light source at a light emission surface of the white light source is less than or equal to a predetermined luminance.

5. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light emitted by the light-emitting apparatus has a brightness greater than or equal to 750 lx.

6. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the light emitted by the light-emitting apparatus has a brightness greater than or equal to 1500 lx.

7. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a casing which houses the white light source and the blue light source, and which includes an opening; and

a light-transmissive plate which covers the opening in the casing, wherein

the white light source and the blue light source are disposed on a rear portion of the casing which is opposite the opening such that the white light source and the blue light source emit light toward the opening.

8. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the light emitted by the light-emitting apparatus gradually changes from blue to white from one side of the light-emitting apparatus to another side of the light-emitting apparatus.

9. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light emitted by the light-emitting apparatus has a luminance which gradually decreases from one side of the light-emitting apparatus to another side of the light-emitting apparatus.

10. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light emitted by the white light source has a color temperature in a range from 2000 K to 8000 K.

11. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is one of a microcomputer, a processor, and a dedicated circuit.

12. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the biological effect threshold is calculated by multiplying a predetermined coefficient by an irradiance, and

the biological effect threshold is multiplied by the second irradiation time to calculate an irradiation time for activating the body.

13. A light-emitting apparatus which emits light for activating a body, the light-emitting apparatus comprising:

a blue light source;

a white light source;

a controller which controls the white light source and the blue light source and which adjusts an irradiation intensity of light emitted by the blue light source and an irradiation intensity of light emitted by the white light source, wherein

the controller causes the white light source to continuously maintain an on state and causes the blue light source to repeat an on state and an off state,

the controller causes a sum of the irradiation intensity of the light which is emitted by the white light source and the irradiation intensity of the light which is emitted by the blue light source to be greater than or equal to a biological effect threshold at which light produces an effect of activating the body;

a first light-emitting module;

a second light-emitting module;

a casing which houses the first light-emitting module and the second light-emitting module, and which includes an opening; and

a light-transmissive plate which covers the opening in the casing, wherein

the first light-emitting module and the second light-emitting module are approximately orthogonal to the opening, and disposed in the casing such that the first light-emitting module and the second light-emitting module emit light toward each other.

14. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of the blue light sources including first and second blue light sources, wherein

the first light-emitting module includes the white light source and the first blue light source among the plurality of the blue light,

the second light-emitting module includes the second blue light source among the plurality of the blue light sources, and

the first blue light source included in the first light-emitting module is disposed closer to a rear portion of the casing than the white light source, the rear portion being opposite the opening.

15. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the light emitted by the light-emitting apparatus gradually changes from blue to white from one side of the light-emitting apparatus to another side of the light-emitting apparatus.