JP2003288995A - Bathroom lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lighting system for providing a natural light environment close to natural light in a bathroom, capable of variably setting color temperatures according to time, user, and other situations so as to provide a physiological and psychological effect such as blood circulation promotion (fatigue relief, heat-retention) and relaxation. <P>SOLUTION: A bathroom lighting system for lighting a bathroom comprises a plurality of light sources each having a different color temperature, and a 90 and more color rendering property when lighted together, a controller for controlling luminous intensity of each light source, a reflector for illuminating light emitted from the light source toward a front side, and a globe covering the light source. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lighting system used as a lighting environment control for a bathroom.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in connection with the increasing awareness of health, the way of thinking about the space around water has been changing. For example, when it comes to bathrooms, not only washing the body but also promoting blood circulation (fatigue). The idea is that it is a place for recovery and heat retention and relaxation.

Various proposals have been made for lighting in a bathroom based on such a concept. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-3
In 01992, a method is proposed in which, depending on the temperature in the bathroom, lighting with a lower color temperature is normally used to secure the minimum brightness, and when the temperature is high, a high-color lighting with a cool feeling is switched on. In this case, the relationship between the color temperature, the illuminance and the comfort shown in FIG. 1 is considered as the basis.
The color temperature is a numerical value representing the color of a light source that radiates heat, and is the absolute temperature (K: Kelvin) that represents the temperature at which a black body radiates the same color. For example, in terms of the color of sunlight, red light in the early morning and evening has a color temperature of 300.
0K, 10,000K in fine daytime.

Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-275872, based on the finding that there is a tendency that the heat retention effect after bathing tends to increase with illumination of a low color temperature as shown in FIG. Bathroom lighting conditions for maintaining the heating effect are disclosed. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-214822 discloses a method for improving comfort by separately installing a warm color light source and a cold color light source as a bathroom lighting device and selectively using them according to the temperature in the bathroom.

It is generally known that a warm color light having a low color temperature can provide a relaxation effect, and conversely, a cold color light environment having a high color temperature can provide a wakefulness effect.

All of these conventional techniques apply a single physiological or psychological effect that the brightness, color temperature, and irradiation position bring to the user in bathroom lighting.
Alternatively, the effect is obtained by switching a plurality of lighting devices. Further, what is specifically disclosed as a light source used for emitting light with a controlled color temperature is a fluorescent lamp.

[0007]

As an index of the characteristics of the lighting device, not only brightness and color temperature but also color rendering properties can be mentioned. The color rendering property is an index that determines whether or not the appearance of the color of an illuminated object is visible. It depends on how much visible light, that is, light energy from blue-purple to red, is contained in the light source, and the more uniformly this light energy is contained in the light source, the color when it is illuminated by natural light. Will be closer to the appearance of, that is, the color rendering property will be higher. In other words, the higher the color rendering, the closer the natural light source is to natural light.

An incandescent lamp is a popular light source because it has a high color rendering property and is inexpensive. Although there are problems such as low luminous efficiency, heat generation, and lifespan, it is becoming more and more popular to be adopted in the space considered as a place of rest such as a living room or a bedroom, paying attention to the natural illumination light. However, in the incandescent lamp, in order to change the color temperature, there is no choice but to change the applied voltage, and at the same time, the luminous intensity also largely changes. There is also a problem that the life of the filament is shortened when a high voltage is applied. Therefore,
It is not preferable as a light source for obtaining a desired color temperature.

On the other hand, the fluorescent lamp emits ultraviolet light in the tube when the mercury enclosed in the tube is excited by the discharge and is released when returning to the ground state, and this light energy is applied to the wall of the fluorescent material. The principle is that the light is received, converted into visible light and emitted. The color temperature can be set by changing the type of fluorescent material applied to the tube wall. As the spectral characteristic, a specific wavelength becomes strong as shown in FIG. Therefore, the light source has a low color rendering property of Ra = 70 to 85, and natural illumination light close to natural light cannot be obtained.

Further, desired effects such as a physiological effect such as a thermal effect and a psychological effect such as relaxation and awakening vary depending on the season, time zone, physical constitution of the user and the like. The bathroom is a space used by a plurality of users in various time zones throughout the year, and it is not preferable to set the effect limited to a specific effect or to provide a plurality of facilities to satisfy all the effects. Therefore, it is desired to make the condition setting variable so that various effects can be obtained depending on the case.

Therefore, in the present invention, in the bathroom space, in a natural light environment close to that of natural light, the color temperature of the lighting which can be expected to have various physiological and psychological effects such as blood circulation promotion (fatigue recovery / heat retention) and relaxation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology that can be variably set according to time, users, and cases.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is a bathroom lighting system for illuminating the inside of a bathroom, and by simultaneously energizing, the color rendering property is 90 or more. It is characterized by comprising a plurality of light sources having different color temperatures, a control unit for individually controlling the luminous intensity of each light source, a reflector for irradiating the light emitted from the light source to the front, and a globe for covering the light source.

Considering the usage situation of the bathroom, for example, the effect desired to be obtained when taking a bath in the morning is a wakefulness effect, and it is desired to calm down and relax before falling asleep at night. In addition, it is desirable for women with coldness to maintain the warm bath effect especially in the winter, and conversely, in the summer it is assumed that there is a need to obtain a refreshing sensation by reducing the body surface temperature and deep temperature as soon as possible after bathing. To be done. In the present invention, by individually controlling the luminous intensity of a plurality of light sources having different color temperatures,
These various physiological and psychological effects can be expected, and the color temperature of illumination can be variably set according to time, user, and case. Further, by simultaneously lighting a plurality of light sources, the color rendering property can be 90 or more, and by irradiating natural light close to natural light, a more natural feeling can be obtained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the bathroom lighting system according to the first aspect, metal halide lamps are used for the plurality of light sources.

With the above construction, in addition to being able to emit light having a high color rendering index Ra as compared with the case of using a fluorescent lamp, the size of the light source for obtaining the same luminous intensity as incandescent lamps is made smaller. Therefore, even when a light source is formed by combining a plurality of lamps having different color temperatures, the size of the entire light source can be made compact.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the bathroom lighting system according to the second aspect, the metal halide to be enclosed in the lamp is one or two selected from dysprosium, cesium, neodymium and tin. It is characterized by being a compound of the above metal and iodine and / or bromine.

By forming a metal halide lamp by encapsulating these components, it becomes possible to emit natural light having a color rendering index Ra> 90 and close to natural light.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claims 2 to 3.
The bathroom lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the lamp includes at least one in which sodium is mixed, at least one in which thallium is mixed in the lamp, and at least one in which no contaminant is contained. It is characterized by that.

By constructing each of the metal halide lamps containing the above-mentioned sentence, a lamp mixed with sodium is red, a lamp mixed with thallium is green, and a lamp containing no thallium contains metal halide and mercury. Due to the reaction, a wavelength component corresponding to blue having a high color temperature strongly emits light. It is possible to form a desired color temperature environment by forming a light source by combining these, individually controlling the emission intensity of each, and supplying the mixed light to the bathroom.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the bathroom lighting system according to the first aspect, organic electroluminescence (organic EL) is used for the plurality of light sources.

With the above-mentioned structure, in addition to being able to emit light having a higher color rendering index Ra as compared with the case of using a fluorescent lamp, the organic EL is a planar light-emitting body. When installed in the bathroom, it is possible to keep the protrusions inside the room small.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the bathroom lighting system according to the fifth aspect, the wavelength is 380 to 500 nm.
The organic EL device that emits light at a wavelength of 500 nm to 600 nm and the organic EL device that emits light at a wavelength of 600 to 780 nm are stacked.

An organic EL having a wavelength of 380 to 500 nm corresponding to blue and a wavelength of 500 nm to 600 n corresponding to green.
m of organic EL and wavelength 600 to 780n corresponding to red
It is possible to form a desired color temperature environment by forming a light source by combining m organic ELs, individually controlling the emission intensity of each, and supplying the mixed light to the bathroom. In forming the laminated structure, it is necessary to use a material having a high light-transmitting property as an electrode material connected to both surfaces of the light emitting material of the organic EL which is a planar light emitting body.

The invention described in claim 7 is from claim 1 to claim 6.
In the bathroom lighting system described in the paragraph 1, the control unit individually controls voltages applied to the plurality of lamps.

When a metal halide lamp is used, by controlling the applied voltage, the condition of sublimation of the component in the tube of the light bulb changes, so that the internal pressure can be controlled, and thereby the emission intensity can be controlled. The emission intensity of the organic EL can be directly controlled by the applied DC voltage. In any case, by controlling the luminous intensity of the light-emitting body that individually emits the three primary colors of red, green, and blue light by controlling the applied voltage, a light environment of a desired color temperature is formed with a simple configuration. be able to.

[0026] The invention described in claim 8 is from claim 1 to claim 7.
In the bathroom lighting system described in the above item 1, a part of the control unit is an operation panel, and the operation panel is provided with a switch for manually setting a color temperature.

With the above configuration, the use time zone,
According to the season, the physical condition of the user, and the like, it becomes possible to form a light environment having a preferable color temperature by a simple operation. The operation switch may be provided in the bathroom or in a space outside the bathroom such as a dressing room.

The invention described in claim 9 is from claim 1 to claim 8.
In the bathroom lighting system described in the above item 1, the control unit is provided with a clock, and the color temperature of the lighting is automatically set according to the time.

It is the time zone that is supposed to be necessary to switch the action of the awakening effect and the relaxation effect,
Usually, morning use requires awakening, and night use requires relaxation effects. By setting the color temperature that can obtain these effects in advance according to the time zone and automatically switching this setting in conjunction with the clock, unnecessary operations can be omitted and the desired effect can be obtained. It will be possible.
Of course, it is also possible to manually change this setting depending on the case.

A tenth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the bathroom lighting system according to the first to ninth aspects, a joint portion between the reflector and the glove is waterproof.

With the above-mentioned structure, the light source and the cable for applying a voltage to the light source and the joint portion of these,
It is possible to avoid problems caused by the attachment of water vapor generated in the bathroom. Further, it is desirable that the glove used here is made of a material having a high light-transmitting property, and it is desirable that the glove has a substantially uniform light-transmitting property for all wavelengths in the visible light region.

[0032]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described.
A description will be given with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the first embodiment of the present invention. Metal halide lamp 1a emitting red light, metal halide lamp 1 emitting green light
b, a metal halide lamp 1c that emits blue light is arranged in a space formed by the globe 2 and the reflector 3, and these are connected to the voltage control unit 5 by the power cable 4. The joint between the globe 2 and the reflector 3 is waterproofed so as to prevent the lamp and the wiring from being damaged by water in the bathroom. A voltage is supplied to the voltage control unit 5 from the power supply 7 via the power distribution unit 6. The switch panel 10 includes a color temperature operation switch 10a for instructing to emit warm color light having a low color temperature, cold color light having a high color temperature, and intermediate light thereof, and brightness of illumination. Light intensity switch 1
0b and a switch 10c for instructing on-off of illumination are installed. The switch panel 10, the controller 9 that receives the instruction from the switch panel 10 to determine the voltage adjustment, and the voltage control unit 5 that actually performs the voltage adjustment are
It is connected via a signal cable 11.

When the illumination is turned on by the switch 10c, the lamps 1a, 1b and 1c are turned on at the same time. In that lighting state, the color temperature operation switch 10 of the switch panel 10
When an instruction to emit warm color light is sent from a, the controller 9 sends a signal to each of the three voltage control units 5,
The applied voltage is controlled so that the red lamp 1a emits light strongly and the blue lamp 1c emits light weakly. Conversely, when an instruction to emit cold-colored light is sent, the controller sends a signal to each of the three voltage control units, and the applied voltage is changed so that the blue lamp 1c emits light strongly and the red lamp 1a emits light weakly. Control. In addition to the color temperature control, the signal from the light intensity adjusting switch adjusts the intensity of the applied voltage evenly for each of red, green and blue, and controls only the light intensity without changing the color temperature. In addition, in such a state that red, green, and blue all emit light uniformly, the color rendering index Ra is approximately 90. The light emitted from the three lamps is reflected forward by the reflector and is also supplied as mixed light to the bathroom space through the globe to form a light environment having a desired color temperature.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the second embodiment of the present invention. The organic EL 11a that emits red light, the organic EL 11b that emits green light, and the organic EL 11c that emits blue light are stacked. Electrodes 12 are arranged on both sides of the organic EL, which is a planar light-emitting body, and these are made of a material having excellent translucency such as ITO. The laminated three-layer organic EL is arranged in the space formed by the globe 2 and the reflector 3. A DC voltage is supplied to each organic EL from a control unit 13 including a voltage control unit, a power distribution unit, a signal cable, a controller, and a switch panel (not shown) via a power cable via 14.
The light intensity is controlled to create a color temperature environment desired by the user. The light emitted from the organic EL having the three-layer laminated structure is emitted to the rear side from the reflector and is reflected when it is supplied to the bathroom space through the globe from the forefront, and becomes mixed light, which is desired by the user. A light environment of color temperature is formed.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the third embodiment of the present invention. The controller in the configuration diagram of FIG. 4 and / or FIG. 5 has a function of a clock.
The color temperature that can be expected to obtain the desired effect is set in advance, and this setting is automatically switched according to the time. The switching time can be freely changed by the user, and the illumination color temperature set to be automatically switched can be changed by the operation from the switch panel.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram described in a prior example showing a relationship between color temperature, illuminance, and comfort.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing spectral characteristics of a fluorescent lamp.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the influence of the color temperature of the bathroom environment on the deep temperature of the user.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1a …… Metal halide lamp (red light emission), 1b ……
Metal halide lamp (green light emission), 1c ... Metal halide lamp (blue light emission), 2 ... Globe, 3 ... Reflector, 4 ... Power cable, 5 ... Voltage control unit, 6
...... Distribution unit, 7 ... Power supply, 8 ... Signal cable 9 ...
... Controller, 10 ... Switch panel, 10a ...
Color temperature operation switch, 10b ... Luminous intensity adjustment switch, 1
0c ... on / off switch, 11a ... organic EL
(Red emission), 11b ... organic EL (green emission), 11
c ... Organic EL (blue emission), 12 ... Transparent electrode, 13
...... Control unit, 14 ...... Power cable

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hirotaka Ishibashi             2-1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture             No. Totoki Equipment Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3K073 AA11 AA48 BA36 CA01 CG15                       CG16 CJ03 CJ16 CJ17 CK03

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A bathroom lighting system for illuminating the inside of a bathroom, comprising: a plurality of light sources having different color temperatures, the color rendering of which is 90 or more when energized at the same time; and a control unit which individually controls the luminous intensity of each light source, A bathroom lighting system comprising a reflector for radiating light emitted from a light source forward and a globe covering the light source. 2. The bathroom lighting system according to claim 1, wherein a metal halide lamp is used for the plurality of light sources. 3. The bathroom lighting system according to claim 2, wherein the metal halide enclosed in the lamp is one or more metals selected from dysprosium, cesium, neodymium, tin, iodine and And / or a compound with bromine, a bathroom lighting system. 4. The bathroom lighting system according to claim 2, wherein the lamp contains at least one mixture of sodium and the lamp contains at least one mixture of thallium. A bathroom lighting system, characterized in that it comprises at least one without. 5. The bathroom lighting system according to claim 1, wherein organic electroluminescence is used for the plurality of light sources. 6. The bathroom lighting system according to claim 5, wherein the organic EL emits light with a wavelength of 380 to 500 nm.
A bathroom lighting system having a structure in which an organic EL emitting light with a wavelength of 500 nm to 600 nm and an organic EL emitting light with a wavelength of 600 to 780 nm are laminated. 7. The bathroom lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control unit individually controls voltages applied to the plurality of lamps. 8. The bathroom lighting system according to claim 1, wherein a part of the control unit is an operation panel, and the operation panel includes a switch for manually setting a color temperature. A bathroom lighting system characterized by being installed. 9. The bathroom lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a clock, and the color temperature of the lighting is automatically set according to the time. . 10. The bathroom lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the joint between the reflector and the glove is waterproof.