KR20110101150A - Ambient light device and ambient light method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ambient lighting device for an air conditioner and an ambient lighting method using the same. The ambient lighting device (5) includes a microcontroller (30), a sensor (10) and a receptor (20) connected to the microcontroller (30). Each sensor 10 and the receptor 20 receives a signal from the surroundings and the user and transmits a corresponding signal to the microcontroller 30, the microcontroller 30 is a sensor 10 and the receptor Receives a signal from the (20) and sends the signal to the generator 60, the generator 60 operates the emitting device 40 based on the signal, the illumination provided by the emitting device 40 It corresponds to comparing the signal input from the sensor 10 with the signal input from the receptor 20. The air conditioner device 50 further includes a front panel 70 having an end 75, and the emitting element 40 is mounted behind or embedded in the front panel 70. A shielding cover 80 is also applied in front of the panel to disperse the light emitted by the emitting device 40 to the end 75 of the front panel 70. The present invention also provides a lighting method using the above apparatus.

Description

AMBIENT ILLUMINATION SYSTEM AND ILLUMINATION METHOD USING IT}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lighting device, and more particularly, to an ambient lighting device and another device used in an air conditioner device and a lighting method using the same.

Numerous ambient lighting devices are already known in the prior art, for example in the techniques disclosed in JP 5-126392 and JP 2004-237891.

JP 5-126392 relates to a lighting device that senses the climate of an area by using sensors. The switch selects which of the two signals is used in the local lighting process. The illumination is generated by a predefined map that associates temperature and climate with a predetermined color without allowing user adjustment. The definition of color is carried out to display cooler colors with the intention of alleviating the user's thermal feeling, for example when sensing in high temperature areas.

JP 2004-237891 discloses an illumination system that emits warm colors when the air conditioner is in heating mode and cool colors when it is in cooling mode to enhance the air conditioning effect. Color is still affected by the temperature difference between the local temperature and the temperature controlled by the thermostat. In addition, the above color change still occurs according to the speed change of the air conditioner device.

The present invention has been invented in view of the above, and an ambient lighting device capable of illuminating ambient light generated from the product itself to a user of an air conditioner or the like by using at least one LED, a temperature sensor and a fan speed; The purpose is to provide an ambient lighting method using the same.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an ambient lighting apparatus and an ambient lighting method using the same that enables the user to adjust the color used in the lighting as well as to use a predetermined color by the manufacturer.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an ambient lighting device capable of displaying a visual effect to the user according to the fan speed of the device and the ambient temperature of the place where the device provided in the system is assembled, and an ambient lighting method using the same. have.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an ambient lighting device capable of illuminating the surroundings, the device itself, the surroundings, and the device, and an ambient lighting method using the same.

In order to achieve the above object, an ambient lighting device for an air conditioner according to the present invention includes a microcontroller, a sensor connected to the microcontroller, receiving a signal from an ambient temperature, and transmitting a corresponding signal to the microcontroller, and the microcontroller; And a receptor receiving a signal from the user regarding the determined configuration and transmitting a corresponding signal to the microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller receives a signal from the sensor and the receptor and sends the signal to the generator, the generator The emitter is operated based on the signal, and the illumination provided by the emitter corresponds to a signal generated from the sensor and the receptor.

In addition, the ambient lighting method for an air conditioner device according to the present invention includes the steps of defining a temperature / color configuration used, operating the air conditioner device for a given temperature, sensing ambient information, ambient information and Transmitting a defined configuration to the generator, comparing the inputted information, defining what color the emitter will display upon receiving a comparison result, and changing color and intensity according to the change of the surrounding information. / Varying the brightness.

The invention will be better understood by the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings,
1 is a block diagram of an ambient lighting device according to the present invention;
2 is a perspective view of the air conditioner apparatus using the first embodiment of the ambient lighting apparatus of the present invention;
3 is a perspective view of an air conditioner apparatus using the second embodiment of the ambient lighting apparatus of the present invention;
4a to 4c show the position of another LED of the ambient lighting device of the present invention with respect to the air conditioner panel;
5A to 5C show another front panel shape of the air conditioner device including the ambient lighting device of the present invention;
6 is a flow chart of the function of the ambient lighting device of the present invention.

1 shows an ambient lighting device 5 of the invention comprising a sensor 10 and a receptor 20 which are connected with a microcontroller 30 which is connected to an emitting element 40 via a generator 60. Preferably, the sensor 10 is a temperature sensor, the receptor 20 is an infrared receptor 20, and the emitting device 40 is a light emitting diode (LED). The user sends a signal to the receptor 20 by operating the air conditioner device 50, at which time the sensor 10 senses the temperature at which the device is assembled. Both signals are sent to the microcontroller 30. This signal sent by the receptor 20 may be used to select the color and brightness performed by the user, to select a user-defined color and brightness, or to provide a function of the signal sent by the air conditioner 50 manufacturer or the sensor 10 and / or the like. Or data relating to selecting a predefined color and brightness by an illumination pattern (color / intensity) determined according to the speed of the fan air. The signal sent by the sensor 10 contains information about the ambient temperature where the device is assembled as described above.

The signal is converted into a signal sent to the generator 60 by the microcontroller 30. The generator 60 processes the signal, compares the signal with the user (whether customized or not) and sends the signal to the emitter 40, which emits visually through the selected color and brightness. Responsible for providing a response.

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the ambient lighting device 5 of the present invention that allows a change in the color of the surroundings as well as in the self-owned air conditioner device 50. In this embodiment, the air conditioner device 50 comprises a front panel 70 of a transparent material. In this way, light is emitted from the panel 70 to illuminate the front part of the air conditioner 50 and the entire surroundings thereof.

3 illustrates a second embodiment of the air conditioner 50, and the front panel 70 made of an opaque material in the front part and made of a transparent material in the end portion 75 can be seen. Instead of the opaque material, the front panel 70 may include an additional exterior case. In this case, light will be scattered around the end of the panel 70 as well.

The color seen by the device or surroundings in FIGS. 2 and 3 may be a color / brightness range predefined by the manufacturer or a range defined by the user, and may overlap with the manufacturer's definition. For example, as another alternative, the user selects a temperature of 18 ° C. while operating the device without changing the definition of industry. At this time, the temperature sensor 10 may detect the ambient temperature, for example, 25 ° C. As soon as the ambient cooling starts, the LED illuminates based on a predefined color range so that the emitted color changes as the ambient cools until the ambient temperature reaches a temperature of 18 ° C. determined by the user. The manufacturer determines blue at a temperature of 10 to 20 ° C. and green at a temperature of 21 to 30 ° C., in which the intensity of blue and green is increased so that there is an intensity 10 of blue and green in each range. The LED then displays five different green intensities and finally three blue intensities until the temperature reaches 18 ° C.

The user, in turn, has a previously determined color range that overlaps the manufacturer's color range, and the LED changes color based on this new table of color matching. For example, the user determines that the 11-30 ° C. temperature range corresponds to blue. This method has twelve intensity variations of blue, and eight of the same within these intensities are presented to the user. Here, the amount of color and the amount of intensity of the color determined to be emitted by the LED are predefined by the manufacturer based on the component used to make the device. More complex components provide higher amounts of color and color intensity.

4A-4C, FIGS. 4A and 4B show the front panel 70 of the first embodiment of the ambient lighting device 5 shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 4A, the LED is placed behind the panel 70 so that the illumination is only visible in front of the panel 70. With regard to FIG. 4B, an LED embedded in the panel 70 is shown, whereby the illumination of the panel 70 is illuminated at the front part or at its end.

Finally, FIG. 4C shows an LED with a shield cover 80 embedded in the front panel and applied to the front portion thereof. This configuration allows the illumination to be applied only to the end 75 of the panel 70. When light strikes the shield cover 80, light may be dispersed through the end 75 of the panel 70. This is because the end 75 of the panel 70 is the only part of the panel 70 made of a transparent material.

The intensity of light emitted by the LED can be varied by grooves formed at the end 75 of the front panel 70 using the configuration shown in FIG. 4C, for example, as shown in FIGS. 5A-5C.

A change in the groove of the end 75 of the front panel 70 that results in a higher light intensity is shown in FIG. 5B, which then leads to the change shown in FIG. 5A and finally to the change in FIG. 5C. It should be emphasized that other changes in grooves can be foreseen and that the changes shown in the figures are for illustrative purposes only. The change in intensity of light is caused by the change in the angle of refraction of the transparent material around it.

Examples of the transparent material used for the front panel 70 are acrylic type transparent polymers, strong transparent thermoplastic materials, some glass, and the like. Examples of opaque materials are brushed steel, mirror finishing, opaque polymers and the like.

Although the foregoing description relates to preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited by the above detailed description.

6 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary ambient lighting method using the device of the present invention.

First, in step 100 the user will use the temperature and color scheme predetermined by the manufacturer. In the opposite case, the user will move forward to step 100 to define a configuration that overlaps with the manufacturer's configuration. In the next step 120, when the sensor 10 senses an ambient temperature for later comparison, for example, the user operates the air conditioner 50 at a desired temperature. In step 130, data relating to the ambient temperature and the desired temperature is sent to the generator 60, which then compares the data (step 140) to define the color to be displayed by the emitter 40 (step 150). After defining the initial color to be displayed, the device proceeds to step 160 where color changes in color and brightness / intensity occur as the temperature increases or decreases.

As described above in detail with respect to embodiments of the present invention, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concept defined in the claims Forms are also included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (13)

In the ambient lighting device 5 for the air conditioner 50,
Microcontroller 30;
A sensor 10 connected to the microcontroller 30 and receiving a signal from an ambient temperature and transmitting a corresponding signal to the microcontroller 30;
A receptor (20) coupled to the microcontroller (30) and receiving a user's signal and transmitting a corresponding signal to the microcontroller (30); And
The microcontroller 30 receives a signal from the sensor 10 and the receptor 20, sends the signal to the generator 60, and the generator 60 operates the emitting device 40 based on the signal. Ambient light device for an air conditioner.
The ambient lighting device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor, and the signal is an ambient temperature at which the device is located.
The ambient lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioning device (50) comprises a front panel (70) having an end (75).
The ambient lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the emission element (40) is arranged behind the front panel (70).
The ambient lighting device for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the emission element (40) is embedded in the front panel (70).
The ambient lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the front panel (70) has a shielding cover (80) at its front portion.
4. Ambient lighting device according to claim 3, characterized in that the end (75) has a groove in a predetermined structure.
The ambient lighting device of claim 7, wherein the groove has a hook type structure.
In the ambient lighting method using the ambient lighting device 5 for the air conditioner 50,
Defining a configuration of the temperature / color used (100);
Operating (120) the air conditioning device (50) for the determined temperature;
Detecting the surrounding information (120);
Transmitting the surrounding information and the defined configuration to the generator 60 (130);
Comparing 140 the input information;
Defining (150) which color the emitter 40 will display upon receiving the comparison result; And
Changing color and intensity / brightness according to the change of the surrounding information (160):
Ambient light method using an ambient light device for an air conditioner comprising a.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the defining of the configuration used comprises customizing a color displayed within the determined temperature range.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the defining the used configuration comprises selecting a predefined configuration by the manufacturer.
The method of claim 9, wherein the ambient information is a temperature.
10. The ambient lighting as claimed in claim 9, wherein the defining configuration used comprises defining an illumination pattern determined as a function of the signal emitted by the sensor 10 and / or fan air speed. Ambient light method using the device.

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