Illumination apparatus and storage medium

• US 9,307,617 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sako, Yoichiro, Watanabe, Kazuhiro, Sakoda, Kazuyuki, Okada, Hiroshi, Yuchi, Hirofumi, Asada, Kohei, Sato, Takashi, Fukuyama, Yutaka, Yoneda, Kiyoshi, Miyata, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Houston, Adam
• Application Number:
  US13/970,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20140070729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 315/131, 315152-154, 315/169.3, 315/297
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/12 by detecting audible sound
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

There is provided an illumination apparatus including an illumination unit, a reception unit, and a control unit configured to control illumination of the illumination unit in accordance with a default illumination pattern. When the reception unit receives an illumination pattern, the control unit performs illumination control different from the illumination according to the default illumination pattern.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus comprising:

an illumination unit;

a reception unit; and

a control unit configured to control illumination of the illumination unit in accordance with a default illumination pattern,

wherein, when the reception unit receives an illumination pattern, the control unit performs illumination control different from the illumination according to the default illumination pattern.

2. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the illumination control performed on the illumination unit by the control unit in accordance with the default illumination pattern is illumination control substantially synchronized with illumination control performed on another illumination unit.

3. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls at least switching on and off of illumination, a color of the illumination, or luminous intensity of the illumination in accordance with the illumination pattern received by the reception unit.

4. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the default illumination pattern is stored in advance in a predetermined storage medium.

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

an audio playback unit,

wherein the reception unit receives audio signals, and

wherein the control unit performs control in a manner that the audio signals received by the reception unit are output from the audio playback unit.

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

an audio playback unit,

wherein the reception unit receives audio signals as the illumination pattern, and

wherein the control unit controls the illumination of the illumination unit in accordance with a pattern of the audio signals received by the reception unit, and performs control in a manner that the audio signals are further output from the audio playback unit.

7. The illumination apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the reception unit receives charging information along with the audio signals, and

wherein, when the control unit determines, based on the charging information received by the reception unit, that a charge has been paid, the control unit performs illumination control in accordance with the pattern of the audio signals and performs output control on the audio signals.

8. The illumination apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the illumination apparatus is a light bulb having a speaker built therein.

9. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives the illumination pattern from a communication terminal of a user around the illumination apparatus.

10. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives the illumination pattern from a communication terminal of a user through near field communication.

11. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the reception unit receives the illumination pattern, the control unit controls the illumination of the illumination unit in accordance with an attribute of a sender who has transmitted the illumination pattern.

12. The illumination apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the reception unit receives the attribute of the sender along with the illumination pattern.

13. The illumination apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control unit recognizes the attribute of the sender, based on an image obtained by capturing the sender.

14. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reception unit receives charging information along with the illumination pattern, and

wherein, when the control unit determines, based on the charging information received by the reception unit, that a charge has been paid, the control unit performs illumination control in accordance with the illumination pattern.

15. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reception unit receives a sound of a user as the illumination pattern, and

wherein the control unit controls the illumination of the illumination unit in accordance with a pattern of the sound received by the reception unit.

16. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reception unit receives image data as the illumination pattern, and

wherein the control unit controls the illumination of the illumination unit in accordance with a pattern of the image data received by the reception unit.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a program stored thereon, the program causing a computer to execute:

a process of controlling illumination of an illumination unit in accordance with a default illumination pattern;

a process of receiving, by a reception unit, an illumination pattern; and

a process of performing illumination control different from the illumination according to the default illumination pattern when the reception unit receives the illumination pattern.