Optical projection apparatus and illumination apparatus using same

• US 9,720,309 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• 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: Kawamura, Ryo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sultan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Owens, Danell L
• Application Number:
  US14/852,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20160081168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2006 characterised by the light source
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2046 Positional adjustment of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2053 Intensity control of illuminating light controlled by video signal processing H04N5/74 or H04N9/31
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/206 Control of light source other than position or intensity
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/3921 with possibility of light intensity variations
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/18 using temperature feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 using handheld communication devices

Abstract

An optical projection apparatus includes a light specification setting unit for setting a specification of a light, a shape setting unit for setting a shape made by the light, a position setting unit for setting a position of the shape, a size setting unit for setting a size of the shape, an optical data generation unit for generating optical data based on the specification, the shape, the position, and the size. The optical projection apparatus further includes a light drawing unit for generating light drawing data by performing a drawing process with the optical data, an optical projection unit for projecting the shape at the position with the light drawing data, and a manipulation unit for allowing a user to set one or more parameters indicating the specification, the shape, the position, and the size.

Claims

1. An optical projection apparatus, comprising:

a light specification setting unit configured to set a specification of a light;

a shape setting unit configured to set a shape which is made by the light irradiated in a space;

a position setting unit configured to set a position of the shape, the position being within a predetermined projection range in the space;

a size setting unit configured to set a size of the shape;

an optical data generation unit configured to generate optical data based on the specification, the shape, the position, and the size;

a light drawing unit configured to generate light drawing data by performing a drawing process with the optical data;

an optical projection unit configured to project the shape at the position with the light drawing data; and

a manipulation unit configured to allow a user to set one or more parameters indicating at least one of the specification, the shape, the position, and the size,

wherein the optical projection unit is configured to project, to the predetermined projection range, a menu showing the parameters and a pointer moveable by the user.

2. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shape setting unit is configured to set the shape by using preset shape patterns, and

wherein the manipulation unit is configured to allow the user to select one of the preset shape patterns.

3. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a shape blurring unit configured to blur a boundary of the shape with an arbitrary width,

wherein the manipulation unit is configured to allow the user to set the arbitrary width.

4. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light specification setting unit is configured to perform brightness setting and color mixing by using a dimming rate parameter and a color temperature parameter, and

wherein the manipulation unit is configured to allow the user to consecutively change at least one of the dimming rate parameter and the color temperature parameter.

5. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position setting unit is configured to set the position of the shape by using a vertical position parameter and a horizontal position parameter, and

wherein the manipulation unit is configured to allow the user to consecutively change at least one of the vertical position parameter and the horizontal position parameter.

6. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the size setting unit is configured to set the size of the shape by using a size parameter, and

wherein the manipulation unit is configured to allow the user to consecutively change the size parameter.

7. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical data generation unit is configured to generate multiple sets of optical data,

wherein the light drawing unit is configured to generate multiple sets of light drawing data by performing drawing processes with the multiple sets of optical data, and

wherein the optical projection unit is configured to simultaneously project a plurality of shapes with the multiple sets of light drawing data.

8. The optical projection apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a data modification unit configured to modify at least one of the specification, the shape, the position, the size, and the arbitrary width.

9. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a data storage unit configured to store the optical data,

wherein the optical data generation unit is configured to read the optical data from the data storage unit.

10. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a data communication unit for communicating at least one of the optical data and the light drawing data with a server.

11. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the manipulation unit includes an attitude sensor configured to measure an inclination of the manipulation unit in a vertical and a horizontal directions of the manipulation unit, and

wherein the manipulation unit is configured to generate, based on the inclination, a manipulation signal for manipulating a mouse pointer for setting the parameters, the mouse pointer being projected from the optical projection unit within the predetermined projection range.

12. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a data modification unit configured to modify at least one of the specification, the shape, the position, and the size.

13. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a data storage unit configured to store at least one of the optical data and the light drawing data,

wherein the light drawing unit is configured to read at least one of the optical data and the light drawing data from the data storage unit.

15. The optical projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical projection apparatus is configured to visualize a result obtained by applying the parameters set by the user to the predetermined projection range in real-time.

14. An illumination apparatus, comprising:

an optical projection apparatus,

wherein the optical projection apparatus includes;

a light specification setting unit configured to set a specification of a light;

a shape setting unit configured to set a shape which is made by the light irradiated in a space;

a position setting unit configured to set a position of the shape, the position being within a predetermined projection range in the space;

a size setting unit configured to set a size of the shape;

an optical data generation unit configured to generate optical data based on the specification, the shape, the position, and the size;

a light drawing unit configured to generate light drawing data by performing a drawing process with the optical data;

an optical projection unit configured to project the shape at the position with the light drawing data; and

a manipulation unit configured to allow a user to set one or more parameters indicating at least one of the specification, the shape, the position, and the size, and

wherein the optical projection unit is configured to project, to the predetermined projection range, a menu showing the parameters and a pointer moveable by the user.

16. The illumination apparatus of claim 14, wherein the optical projection apparatus is configured to visualize a result obtained by applying the parameters set by the user to the predetermined projection range in real-time.