IP Library Granted Patent US 10,210,796
Granted Patent B2
US 10,210,796 · App. 15/899,566 · Granted Feb 19, 2019

Lighting device and movable body

Inventors: Yoshihiko Kanayama (Hyogo, JP); Yasuharu Ueno (Osaka, JP); Tomoyuki Ogata (Osaka, JP); Hiroya Tsuji (Kyoto, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
G09G3/32H01L25/0753H01L33/60H05B33/089H05B33/0824H05B33/0851H05B37/02H05B33/0854
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,210,796
App. No.
15/899,566
Granted
Feb 19, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a lighting device provided with a light source module including a plurality of light sources, insufficiency of luminous intensity, illuminance unevenness, and the like due to a low-light light source are compensated for. The lighting device includes the light source module which is composed of the plurality of light sources in a matrix and mounted on a board. A drive circuit individually supplies power to the light sources. A processor controls a lighting status of each of the light sources via the drive circuit. The processor determines a low-light light source that is lower in luminous intensity than at least one light source among the plurality of light sources, and causes at least one light source adjacent to the low-light light source to emit light with a higher luminous intensity than the at least one other light source.

Claims (40)

1. A lighting device to be mounted on a movable body, the lighting device comprising:

a light source module which is composed of a plurality of light sources in a first matrix and mounted on a board;

a drive circuit which individually supplies power to each of the plurality of light sources to cause each of the plurality of light sources to emit light;

a primary lens which is composed of a plurality of light guide portions arranged to correspond to the plurality of light sources, respectively, in a second matrix corresponding to the first matrix of the plurality of light sources, each of the plurality of light guide portions comprising a light entrance face through which light from a respective one of the plurality of light sources enters and a light exit face through which the light entering the light entrance face exits;

a projection lens through which the light exiting the light exit face of each of the plurality of light guide portions passes to be externally emitted; and

a processor which controls a lighting status of each of the plurality of light sources via the drive circuit,

wherein the processor detects a low-light light source that is lower in luminous intensity than at least one other light source among the plurality of light sources, and causes at least one light source adjacent to the low-light light source to emit light with higher luminous intensity than the at least one other light source.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first matrix includes more columns than rows, and

the processor causes the at least one light source adjacent to the low-light light source in a row direction to emit the light with the higher luminous intensity than the at least one other light source.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first matrix includes more columns than rows, and

the processor causes the at least one light source adjacent to the low-light light source in a column direction to emit the light with the higher luminous intensity than the at least one other light source.

4. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first matrix includes more columns than rows, and

the processor causes four light sources adjacent to the low-light light source in a row direction and a column direction to emit the light with the higher luminous intensity than the at least one other light source.

5. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first matrix includes more columns than rows, and

the processor causes eight light sources surrounding and adjacent to the low-light light source to emit the light with the higher luminous intensity than the at least one other light source.

6. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein

the plurality of light sources is divided into a plurality of groups, and the processor is configured to control each group of the plurality of groups such that each group emits light with a predetermined luminous intensity, and

the processor causes light sources other than the low-light light source in a group including the low-light light source to emit the light with the high luminous intensity such that the group emits the light with the predetermined luminous intensity.

7. A movable body comprising:

the lighting device according to claim 1 ; and

a camera configured to capture an image of a region irradiated with the light emitted from the plurality of light sources,

wherein the processor specifies the low-light light source based on the image captured by the camera.

8. The lighting device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a current sensor which detects the low-light light source by detecting a current flowing through the low-light light source.

9. The lighting device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a voltage sensor which detects the low-light light source by detecting a voltage applied to the low-light light source.

10. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein, for each of the plurality of light guide portions, a portion around the light exit face is integrally formed with a portion around the light exit face of at least one adjacent light guide portion.

11. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of light guide portions arranged in a column of the second matrix extend toward the projection lens, in a direction from the light entrance face to the light exit face of each of the plurality of light guide portions arranged in the column, and are non-parallel.

12. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of light guide portions arranged in a row of the second matrix extend toward the projection lens, in a direction from the light entrance face to the light exit face of each of the plurality of light guide portions arranged in the row, and are non-parallel.

13. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein

the plurality of light guide portions arranged in each column of the second matrix extend toward the projection lens, in a direction from the light entrance face to the light exit face of each of the plurality of light guide portions arranged in each column, and are non-parallel, and

the plurality of light guide portions arranged in each row of the second matrix extend toward the projection lens, in a direction from the light entrance face to the light exit face of each of the plurality of light guide portions arranged in the row, and are non-parallel.

14. The lighting device according to claim 13 , wherein

the plurality of light guide portions extend toward the projection lens and converge toward a center of the projection lens.

15. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein

a light entrance face of the primary lens which includes the light entrance face of each of the plurality of light sources is larger in size than a light exit face of the primary lens which includes the light exit face of each of the plurality of light sources.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 11, 2018
From: KANAYAMA, YOSHIHIKO; UENO, YASUHARU; OGATA, TOMOYUKI; TSUJI, HIROYA
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 045499/0362 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2017-035226 · Feb 27, 2017 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180247585A1 · Aug 30, 2018