ILLUMINATION APPARATUS, DRIVING APPARATUS AND DRIVING METHOD

• US 20130135870A1
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yokosawa, Nobuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,488,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/253
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2200/77 Use of a shape-memory material
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 6/008 with a combination of direct and indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/046 having multiple lighting devices, e.g. connected to a common ceiling base
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/06 by suspension
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 9/04 the power supply being a generator
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/02 by movement of light sources in vehicle head lamps F21S41/657
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/16 using wires or cords
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/00 Structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/10 comprising a two-dimensional array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

An illumination apparatus disclosed herein includes a first light emitting section, a thermal actuator, and a displacement mechanism. The thermal actuator is configured to generate a driving force on the basis of heat dissipated by the first light emitting section. The displacement mechanism is configured to displace a predetermined object by making use of the driving force generated by the thermal actuator.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus comprising:

a first light emitting section;

a thermal actuator configured to generate a driving force on the basis of heat dissipated by said first light emitting section; and

a displacement mechanism configured to displace a predetermined object by making use of said driving force generated by said thermal actuator.

2. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a light source employed in said first light emitting section is a light emitting diode.

3. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said thermal actuator has a shape-memory alloy and generates said driving force by making use of a change caused by said heat as a change of the shape of said shape-memory alloy.

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

a second light emitting source;

wherein said displacement mechanism is configured to displace said second light emitting source used as said object.

5. The illumination apparatus according to claim 4 wherein a light source employed in said second light emitting section is a light emitting diode.

6. The illumination apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said first light emitting section and said second light emitting section are provided in such a way that the light emission directions of said first light emitting section and said second light emitting section are opposite to each other.

7. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said displacement mechanism:

comprises

a rotation shaft, and

a rotation-object holding section connected to said rotation shaft and used for holding said object; and

displaces said object by rotating said rotation shaft by making use of said driving force generated by said thermal actuator.

8. The illumination apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said first light emitting section is provided in the neighborhood of the center axis of said rotation shaft.

9. The illumination apparatus according to claim 7, said illumination apparatus comprising:

a plurality of second light emitting sections;

wherein said displacement mechanism is

configured to include a plurality of rotation-object holding sections each used for holding one of said second light emitting sections and configured to displace each of said second light emitting sections; and

further provided with a turn-on control section configured to carry out control to sequentially turn on said second light emitting sections in accordance with the quantity of a rotation made by said rotation shaft.

10. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said thermal actuator is configured to increase said driving force generated thereby as the amount of heat dissipated by said first light emitting section rises.

11. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said displacement mechanism is configured to drive a plurality of rod-shaped members in an opening or closing operation of forming the shape of an umbrella.

12. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said displacement mechanism is configured to displace said object by horizontally moving said rotation-object holding section for holding said object.

13. A driving apparatus comprising:

a light emitting section; and

a thermal actuator configured to generate a driving force on the basis of heat dissipated by said light emitting section.

14. A driving method comprising:

displacing a predetermined object by making use of a driving force generated by a thermal actuator configured to generate said driving force on the basis of heat dissipated by a light emitting section.