IP Library Granted Patent US 9,113,509
Granted Patent B2
US 9,113,509 · App. 14/176,217 · Granted Aug 18, 2015

Lighting device and lighting fixture

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,113,509
App. No.
14/176,217
Granted
Aug 18, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

The lighting device according to the present invention includes: a power source configured to supply power to a light source having a plurality of regions; a plurality of cooling devices arranged corresponding to the plurality of regions to cool the plurality of regions, respectively; and a cooling control circuit configured to control the plurality of cooling devices. The cooling control circuit includes: a plurality of output circuits configured to supply drive voltages to the plurality of cooling devices by use of power from the power source to drive the plurality of cooling devices, respectively; a plurality of temperature measurement circuits configured to respectively measure temperatures of the plurality of regions; and an output control circuit configured to regulate the drive voltages respectively supplied from the plurality of output circuits based on the temperatures respectively measured by the plurality of temperature measurement circuits.

Claims (40)

1. A lighting device, comprising:

a power source configured to supply power to a light source having a plurality of regions;

a plurality of cooling devices arranged corresponding to the plurality of regions to cool the plurality of regions, respectively; and

a cooling control circuit configured to control the plurality of cooling devices,

wherein

the cooling control circuit includes:

a plurality of output circuits configured to supply drive voltages to the plurality of cooling devices by use of power from the power source to drive the plurality of cooling devices, respectively;

a plurality of temperature measurement circuits configured to respectively measure temperatures of the plurality of regions; and

an output control circuit configured to regulate the drive voltages respectively supplied from the plurality of output circuits based on the temperatures respectively measured by the plurality of temperature measurement circuits.

2. The lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein

the output control circuit is configured to control the plurality of output circuits so as to reduce a difference between two temperatures selected from the temperatures respectively measured by the plurality of temperature measurement circuits.

3. The lighting device as set forth in claim 2 , wherein

the output control circuit is configured to control the output circuit corresponding to the temperature measurement circuit that has measured a higher one of the two temperatures.

4. The lighting device as set forth in claim 3 , wherein:

each of the plurality of cooling devices is configured to increase a cooling capacity thereof with an increase in the drive voltage supplied thereto; and

the output control circuit is configured to increase the drive voltage of the output circuit corresponding to the temperature measurement circuit that has measured the higher one of the two temperatures.

5. The lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

the cooling control circuit further includes a power supply circuit configured to output a constant voltage by use of power from the power source; and

the plurality of output circuits each are configured to receive the constant voltage from the power supply circuit as the power from the power source and generate the drive voltage by use of the constant voltage.

6. The lighting device as set forth in claim 5 , wherein

the output control circuit is configured to,

when determining that all the temperatures respectively measured by the plurality of temperature measurement circuits are not greater than a first temperature, regulate the drive voltages of the plurality of output circuits to a same voltage, and

when determining that at least one of the temperatures respectively measured by the plurality of temperature measurement circuits is greater than the first temperature, regulate the drive voltages of the plurality of output circuits to different voltages.

7. The lighting device as set forth in claim 5 , wherein:

the output control circuit has a plurality of correspondence information pieces each defining a correspondence relation between the temperatures and the drive voltages;

the output control circuit is configured to determine the drive voltages of the plurality of output circuits based on the temperatures respectively measured by the plurality of temperature measurement circuits by use of the plurality of correspondence information pieces; and

the plurality of correspondence information pieces have the same correspondence relation between the temperatures and the drive voltages in a range of equal to or less than a first temperature, and have different correspondence relations between the temperatures and the drive voltages in a range of more than the first temperature.

8. The lighting device as set forth in claim 5 , wherein

the output control circuit is configured to operate the plurality of output circuits singly in order.

9. The lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a dimming circuit configured to dim the light source by regulating power supplied from the power source to the light source,

wherein the dimming circuit is configured to, when determining that at least one of the temperatures respectively measured by the plurality of temperature measurement circuits exceeds a second temperature, decrease the power supplied from the power source to the light source.

10. The lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein

each of the plurality of temperature measurement circuits includes a thermosensitive device having a characteristic value varying with a temperature.

11. The lighting device as set forth in claim 10 , wherein

the thermosensitive device is an NTC thermistor, a PTC thermistor, or a CTR thermistor.

12. The lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein

the light source is configured to light up when energized.

13. A lighting fixture, comprising:

a fixture body for holding a light source; and

a lighting device according to claim 1 , for controlling the light source.

Assignments (3)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ERRONEOUSLY FILED APPLICATION NUMBERS 13/384239, 13/498734, 14/116681 AND 14/301144 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 034194 FRAME 0143. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Dec 24, 2020
From: PANASONIC CORPORATION
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 056788/0362 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 10, 2014
From: PANASONIC CORPORATION
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 034194/0143 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 19, 2014
From: HASEGAWA, JUNICHI; KIDO, HIROSHI; HIRAMATU, AKINORI; KAMOI, TAKESHI; IDO, SHIGERU; MATSUZAKI, NOBUTOSHI; YAMAHARA, DAISUKE
To: PANASONIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 032919/0662 →