Illumination light supply system

• US 20020176073A1
• Filed: 03/21/2002
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mukai, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 6,836,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source

Abstract

An illumination light supply system that can save users from the task of replacing defective light source lamps with proper ones, enabling the users to use illumination light over an extended time period, and can easily change the lighting atmosphere as requested by the user. The illumination light supply system comprises: two or more light source units that generate and output lights of different colors; mixing means for mixing the lights output from the two or more light source units; adjustment means for adjusting an amount of light supplied from each light source unit to the mixing means; light transfer means for transferring the mixed light output from the mixing means to a user; and an illumination unit that radiates the transferred light into a space for the user.

Claims

1. An illumination light supply system, comprising:

a light source unit that generates and outputs light;

light transfer means that transfers the light output from the light source unit to a user; and

an illumination unit that radiates the transferred light into a space for the user.

2. The illumination light supply system of claim 1 further comprising

charging means for charging the user for illumination light the user has used.

3. The illumination light supply system of claim 2, wherein the charging means includes:

a light amount measuring unit that measures an amount of light transferred by the light transfer means to the user; and

a storage unit that stores and accumulates the measured amount of light to have information of an accumulated amount of light, wherein

the charging means charges the user an illumination light usage charge in accordance with the accumulated amount of light stored in the storage unit.

4. The illumination light supply system of claim 1 further comprising:

an input unit that receives light tone information input by the user; and

an adjustment unit that adjusts, in accordance with the input light tone information, an amount of light transferred by the light transfer means to the user.

5. An illumination light supply system, comprising:

two or more light source units that generate and output lights of different colors;

mixing means for mixing the lights output from the two or more light source units;

adjustment means for adjusting an amount of light supplied from each light source unit to the mixing means;

light transfer means for transferring the mixed light output from the mixing means to a user; and

an illumination unit that radiates the transferred light into a space for the user.

6. The illumination light supply system of claim 5 further comprising

an input unit that receives lighting environment information input by the user, wherein

the adjustment means adjusts the amount of light supplied from each light source unit to the mixing means, in accordance with the lighting environment information received by the input unit.

7. The illumination light supply system of claim 6, wherein

the adjustment means adjusts the amount of light supplied from each light source unit to the mixing means, by referring to a table showing correspondence between contents of the lighting environment information and amounts of the lights to be supplied respectively from the two or more light source units to the mixing means.

8. The illumination light supply system of claim 5 further comprising:

a light amount measuring unit that measures an amount of light transferred by the light transfer means to the user; and

a storage unit that stores and accumulates the measured amount of light to have information of an accumulated amount of light; and

charging means for charging the user an illumination light usage charge in accordance with the accumulated amount of light stored in the storage unit.

9. The illumination light supply system of claim 5, wherein each light source unit has

light dividing means for dividing the light generated by the light source unit into a plurality of lights, wherein

the light transfer means transfers the plurality of lights from each light source unit.

10. An illumination light supply system, comprising:

two or more light source units that generate and output lights of different colors;

light transfer means for transferring the lights of different colors output from the two or more light source units to a user;

a mixing means for mixing the lights transferred by the light transfer means;

adjustment means for adjusting an amount of each of the lights transferred by the light transfer means; and

an illumination unit that radiates the mixed light into a space for the user.

11. The illumination light supply system of claim 10 further comprising

an input unit that receives lighting environment information input by the user, wherein

the adjustment means adjusts the amount of each of the lights transferred by the light transfer means.

12. The illumination light supply system of claim 11, wherein

the adjustment means adjusts the amount of each of the lights transferred by the light transfer means, by referring to a table showing correspondence between contents of the lighting environment information and amounts of the lights to be supplied respectively from the two or more light source units to the user.

13. The illumination light supply system of claim 10 further comprising:

a light amount measuring unit that measures an amount of light transferred by the light transfer means to the user; and

a storage unit that stores and accumulates the measured amount of light to have information of an accumulated amount of light; and

charging means for charging the user an illumination light usage charge in accordance with the accumulated amount of light stored in the storage unit.

14. The illumination light supply system of claim 10, wherein

each light source unit has

light dividing means for dividing the light generated by the light source unit into a plurality of lights, wherein

the light transfer means transfers the plurality of lights from each light source unit.

16. The light supply system of claim 15 wherein the light control unit reflects light back to the source of light that is not transmitted.

17. The light supply system of claim 15 further including a light measuring unit to measure the amount of light delivered to the user to enable a user fee to be calculated.

18. The light supply system of claim 15 wherein the source of light comprises a plurality of light generators of different wavelengths and the input unit permits the user to select the wavelengths of light to illuminate the area.

19. The light supply system of claim 15 further including a second light transfer member connected to the source of light and conducting the light to a second area remote from the light source;

a second control unit operatively connected to the second light transfer member to regulate the transmission of light through the second light transfer member; and

a second input unit operatively positioned relative to the second area to be illuminated and connected to the second light control unit whereby a user can regulate the transmission of light to the second area.

20. The light supply system of claim 19 further including a light measuring means to measure the amount of the respective light delivered to the user through the respective light transfer members to enable a calculation of user fees.

15. A light supply system for illuminating an area to be used by people, comprising:

a source of light;

a light transfer member connected to the source of light and conducting the light to an area remote from the light source to illuminate the area;

a light control unit operatively connected to the light transfer member to regulate the transmission of light; and

an input unit operatively positioned relative to the area to be illuminated and connected to the light control unit whereby a user can regulate the transmission of light from the remote source of light to the area.