LIGHTING APPARATUS

• US 20170347073A1
• Filed: 12/15/2015
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Maxell Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: SHIMIZU, Takuya, HANADA, Maki, KURACHI, Megumi, URATA, Hiroyuki, WATANABE, Katsuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 10,171,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/00 Lighting devices intended for fixed installation F21S9/00, F21S10/00 take precedence; using a string or strip of light sources F21S4/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/046 having multiple lighting devices, e.g. connected to a common ceiling base
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/04 the elements being switches safety devices F21V25/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0478 by means of an image recording device, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/00 Structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/00 Projectors or projection-type viewers; Accessories therefor devices for changing pictures G03B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/145 Housing details, e.g. position adjustments thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0426 tracking fingers with respect to a virtual keyboard projected or printed on the surface virtual keyboards on touch screens G06F3/04886
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3158 for controlling the spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3179 Video signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3194 including sensor feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/30 : Driver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 : by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 : Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A lighting apparatus with an image-projecting function that is convenient for a user is provided. It includes: an illuminating unit that emits illumination light; a projection-type image display unit that emits image-projecting emission light for projecting an image; and a sensor that emits operation-detecting light for operation detection and that is capable of detecting an operation by an operation object in a range including an image projection area of the projection-type image display unit, and is configured so that the image-projecting light, and the operation-detecting emission light have respective different wavelength distribution characteristics, and regarding a light amount in the wavelength range of light used by the sensor for the operation detection, a light amount of the operation-detecting light is the largest among those of the illumination light, the image-projecting emission light, and the operation-detecting light.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus comprising:

an illuminating unit that emits illumination light;

a projection-type image display unit that emits image-projecting light for projecting an image; and

a sensor that emits operation-detecting emission light used for operation detection, and is capable of detecting an operation by an operation object in a range including an image projection area of the projection-type image display unit,

wherein the illumination light, the image-projecting light, and the operation-detecting emission light have respective different wavelength distribution characteristics, and

regarding a light amount in a wavelength range of light used by the sensor for the operation detection, a light amount of the operation-detecting emission light is the largest among those of the illumination light, the image-projecting light, and the operation-detecting emission light.

2. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operation-detecting emission light mainly has a wavelength distribution characteristic in a non-visible light wavelength range,

the projection-type image display unit has an optical filter that cuts off or reduces a wavelength in a non-visible light range, the optical filter being disposed at any position on such an optical path in which light from a light source becomes the image-projecting light,

the illuminating unit has an optical filter that cuts off or reduces a wavelength in the non-visible light range before light emitted from an illumination light source becomes the illumination light, and

the lighting apparatus further comprises a control unit,

the control unit being capable of setting a virtual switch area in an illumination area of the operation-detecting emission light and at a position outside an image projection area of the projection-type image display unit, and controlling an execution of a given process when the sensor detects an operation by the operation object with respect to the virtual switch area, and

the control unit controlling, in setting a position of the virtual switch area, a display for a setting guide expression for a user in the image projection area of the projection-type image display unit so that the position of the virtual switch area can be set at a position intended by the user outside the image projection area of the projection-type image display unit.

3. A lighting apparatus comprising:

an illuminating unit that emits illumination light;

a projection-type image display unit that emits image-projecting light for projecting an image;

a sensor capable of detecting an operation by an operation object in a range including an image projection area of the projection-type image display unit; and

a control unit,

wherein the sensor is further capable of detecting a position of a second object that hampers an operation by the operation object on an image projection surface of the projection-type image display unit, and

when the projection-type image display unit displays, in the image, a menu or an icon operated through the operation by the operation object, the control unit changes a display position of the menu or the icon according to a relation between a position of the menu or the icon and a position of the second object detected by the sensor.

4. A lighting apparatus comprising:

an illuminating unit that emits illumination light;

a projection-type image display unit that emits image-projecting light for projecting an image;

a sensor capable of detecting an operation by an operation object in a range including an image projection area of the projection-type image display unit; and

a control unit,

wherein the sensor is capable of separately detecting a contact operation that is an operation of the operation object contacting onto a projection surface of the image projected by the projection-type image display unit, and an aerial operation that is an operation of the operation object in air aloof from on the projection surface, and

when the projection-type image display unit displays, in the image, a menu or an icon operated through the contact operation by the operation object, the control unit changes a display position of the menu or the icon based on the aerial operation by the operation object detected by the sensor.