IP Library Patent Application 15903639
Patent Application
App. No. 15/903,639

ILLUMINATION DEVICE, ILLUMINATION SYSTEM, AND MOVABLE BODY

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
15/903,639
Abstract

An illumination device, an illumination system, and a movable body are provided in which color toning can be easily realized in a particular region, and toning unevenness can be suppressed. A headlight includes an LED substrate in which a plurality of light sources are mounted on a substrate, a primary lens provided at a light emission side of the plurality of light sources, and a projector lens provided at an opposite side from the side of the plurality of light sources with respect to the primary lens. The plurality of light sources include a plurality of group light sources each including a first white color LED which emits light of a bright white color, and a second white color LED which emits light of a natural white color.

Claims (52)

1 . An illumination device comprising:

a substrate on which a plurality of light sources are mounted;

a light guide provided at a light emission side of the plurality of light sources; and

a projector lens provided at a side opposite of the substrate with respect to the light guide, wherein

the plurality of light sources includes one or more group light sources each including a first light color emitting element and a second light color emitting element,

the light guide includes one or more light guide combiners, each of which includes a light incidence surface provided at a light emission side of the group light source and a light exit surface provided at an end on a side opposite from the light incidence surface, and each of which guides the lights of the plurality of colors in a manner to allow combining of the lights, and

a first color light emission region of the light exit surface from which light of a first color is emitted and a second color light emission region of the light exit surface from which light of a second color is emitted overlap each other.

2 . The illumination device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a controller which can individually control a plurality of light emitting elements, wherein

the controller is configured to selectively drive the first light color emitting element which emits the light of the first color among the plurality of light emitting elements included in each of one or more particular group light sources, and

a region illuminated by the light of the first color emitted from the first light color emitting element included in each of the one or more particular group light sources is unevenly distributed in a particular region which is a partial region of an illuminable region of the illumination device.

3 . The illumination device according to claim 2 , wherein the particular region is in a peripheral region positioned at a periphery of the illuminable region.

4 . The illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein

each of the group light sources includes a plurality of white light emitting elements which emit white color lights of a plurality of color temperatures which differ from each other.

5 . The illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein

the light guide includes a plurality of the light guide combiners,

the light source substrate has a rectangular front side surface,

the plurality of light sources are mounted on the light source substrate in a matrix form in such a manner that a row direction coincides with a longitudinal direction of the front side surface and a column direction coincides with a width direction of the front side surface, and

a length of the light guide combiner differs from a length of another light guide combiner adjacent in the column direction to the light guide combiner.

6 . The illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein

the light exit surface is curved.

7 . The illumination device according to claim 6 , wherein

the light exit surface has a convex shape on the side of the group light source.

8 . The illumination device according to claim 6 , wherein

the light exit surface is curved along a focusing surface of the projector lens.

9 . The illumination device according to claim 6 , wherein a focusing surface of the projector lens is placed near the light exit surface.

10 . The illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein

in the light guide combiner, a cut surface perpendicular to a direction of progress of the light passing through the light guide combiner is gradually reduced along the direction of progress of the light.

11 . The illumination device according to claim 2 , wherein

each of the light sources includes a red light emitting element which emits light of red color, a green light emitting element which emits light of green color, and a blue light emitting element which emits light of blue color, and

each of the light sources is independently controlled by the controller, and, in each light source, the red light emitting element, the green light emitting element, and the blue light emitting element are independently controlled by the controller, and

a voltage applied to or a current supplied to the red light emitting element, a voltage applied to or a current supplied to the green light emitting element, and a voltage applied to or a current supplied to the blue light emitting element are changeable in a continuous manner.

12 . An illumination system comprising:

a light source substrate on which a plurality of light sources are mounted;

a light guide provided at a light emission side of the plurality of light sources;

a projector lens provided at a side opposite of the light source substrate with respect to the light guide;

a controller which can individually control a plurality of light emitting elements; and

a human-sensing sensor which can sense people and which outputs a signal to the controller, wherein

the plurality of light sources includes one or more group light sources each including a first light color emitting element and a second light color emitting element,

the light guide includes one or more light guide combiners, each of which includes a light incidence surface provided at a light emission side of the group light source and a light exit surface provided at an end on a side opposite from the light incidence surface, and each of which guides the lights of the plurality of colors in a manner to allow combining of the lights,

a first color light emission region of the light exit surface from which light of a first color is emitted and a second color light emission region of the light exit surface from which light of a second color is emitted overlap each other,

the controller is configured to selectively drive the first light emitting color element which emits the light of the first color among the plurality of light emitting elements included in each of one or more particular group light sources,

a region illuminated by the light of the first color emitted from the first light emitting element included in each of the one or more particular group light sources is unevenly distributed in a particular region which is a partial region of an illuminable region of the illumination device, and

the controller drives and controls the one or more group light sources to match the particular region with a lower side region of a target sensed by the human-sensing sensor.

13 . A movable body comprising:

the illumination device according to claim 1 .

14 . The movable body according to claim 13 , further comprising:

a controller which is configured to individually control a plurality of light emitting elements included in each of one or more particular group light sources; and

an inputter for inputting biometric information of a driver, wherein

the controller drives and controls the one or more group light sources based on a signal from the inputter.

15 . The movable body according to claim 14 , wherein

the biometric information includes at least one of age, presence or absence of cataract, and a stage of the cataract.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 13, 2018
From: TSUJI, HIROYA; KANAYAMA, YOSHIHIKO; UENO, YASUHARU; OGATA, TOMOYUKI
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 045530/0092 →