Lighting device and lighting system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10012959-B2
Application number	US-201615216587-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2016
Priority date	Jul 29, 2015
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

A lighting device includes: an illuminator which emits illumination light; a clock which measures time; a receiver which receives input of a set time from a user; a sensor which detects whether an eye of the user is open; and a controller which controls, at or after the set time, the illuminator, based on a result of the detection by the sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lighting device comprising:
an illuminator which emits illumination light;
a clock which measures time;
a receiver which receives input of a set time from a user;
a detector which detects whether an eye of the user is open; and
a controller which controls, at or after the set time, a dimming level of the illuminator, in accordance with a control pattern based on a result of the detection by the detector, wherein:
when the detector does not detect that an eye of the user is open, the controller performs awakening control for decreasing the dimming level of the illuminator over a period from a first time at or after the set time to a second time, and increasing the dimming level over a period from the second time to a third time, and
the second time is a time when decreasing the dimming level ends and when increasing the dimming level starts.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein:
in the awakening control, the controller controls the dimming level from the second time to the third time, based on a function expressed by, using constants a, b, c, and d:

Y
=

d
+

a
-
d

1
+

(

t
/
c

)

b

where Y denotes the dimming level and t denotes time, and
the constant c is a value closer to the second time than the third time.

3. The lighting device according to claim 2 , wherein
the controller controls the dimming level of the illuminator at a maximum value after the detector detects that an eye of the user is open.

4. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein:
the controller performs open-eye control for increasing the dimming level to the maximum value when the detector detects that an eye of the user is open, and
the controller controls the diming level in the open-eye control, based on the function, and
the constant c of the function during the open-eye control is a value closer to a time at which the dimming level reaches the maximum value than a time at which the open-eye control starts.

5. The lighting device according to claim 2 , wherein
the controller iterates the awakening control when the detector does not detect that an eye of the user is open.

6. The lighting device according to claim 5 , wherein
during the awakening control, the controller further maintains a dimming level at the third time, from the third time to a fourth time.

7. The lighting device according to claim 2 , further comprising
an alarm which emits alarm sound, wherein
during the awakening control, the controller further causes the alarm to emit the alarm sound at the third time.

8. The lighting device according to claim 7 , wherein
in iteration of the awakening control, the controller intermittently causes the alarm to emit the alarm sound at the third time.

9. The lighting device according to claim 2 , wherein
the controller further performs gradual increase control for causing the illuminator to start emitting the illumination light at a start time prior to the set time, and gradually increasing the dimming level until the set time.

10. A lighting system comprising:
a lighting device which includes an illuminator which emits illumination light;
a control device which controls the lighting device; and
a detector which detects whether an eye of a user is open, wherein
the control device includes:
a clock which measures time;
a receiver which receives input of a set time from the user; and
a controller which controls, at or after the set time, a dimming level of the illuminator, in accordance with a control pattern based on a result of the detection by the detector, wherein:
when the detector does not detect that an eye of the user is open, the controller performs awakening control for decreasing the dimming level of the illuminator over a period from a first time at or after the set time to a second time, and increasing the dimming level over a period from the second time to a third time, and
the second time is a time when decreasing the dimming level ends and when increasing the dimming level starts.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Toda Naohiro
• Hatta Kazuhiro

Classifications

• H05B47/16

  by timing means · CPC title

• G04G13/023

  Adjusting the duration or amplitude of signals · CPC title

• G04G13/02

  at preselected times, e.g. alarm clocks · CPC title

• G04G11/00 Primary

  Producing optical signals at preselected times · CPC title

• A61B5/4809

  Sleep detection, i.e. determining whether a subject is asleep or not · CPC title