WO2011016679A2

WO2011016679A2 - Lighting apparatus for bathroom and method for controlling the same

Info

Publication number: WO2011016679A2
Application number: PCT/KR2010/005132
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seung-Hyo Huh
Original assignee: Alto Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2009-08-07
Filing date: 2010-08-05
Publication date: 2011-02-10
Also published as: KR20110015386A; KR101125750B1; WO2011016679A3

Abstract

Disclosed is a lighting apparatus for a bathroom, capable of improving comfort of the bathroom by performing not only a lighting function but also sterilization and ventilation functions. The lighting apparatus includes a light emitting diode (LED) module used as a main light source and including a plurality of LEDs, a plurality of UV LEDs arranged around the main light source, and a dedicated ventilator disposed in a housing of the lighting apparatus. The lighting apparatus includes the housing, a first mounting bracket, a second mounting bracket, a cover made of a transparent or translucent material to transmit light, the LED module, the UV LEDs for sterilization, the ventilator to draw and discharge interior air, and a controller to control the UV LEDs according to on and off states of the general LEDs.

Description

LIGHTING APPARATUS FOR BATHROOM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

The present disclosure relates to a lighting apparatus for a bathroom and a method for controlling the same.

Generally, a lighting apparatus lights up an interior space, being installed on the ceiling or wall of the interior space. Recently, the lighting apparatus is more widely used, for example, for an interior decoration item.

The lighting apparatus generally has a predetermined shape such as rectangular or circular column. The lighting apparatus includes: a space having a predetermined depth inside thereof; a case body mounted to the wall or ceiling by a separate fastening member; a lamp inserted in a socket mounted in the case body and turned on and off according to current controlled by a user’s switch control; and a cover connected to an opening of the case body, the opening being disposed at a lower part of the lamp, to transmit a light emitted from the lamp toward an interior space.

In the above-configured conventional lighting apparatus, a fluorescent bulb or an incandescent bulb are usually used for the lamp. However, these types of bulb consume a lot of power while having a short lifespan and low illumination intensity.

As the lifestyle changes to the western style and apartment buildings are taking more percentage of type of housings than ever, bathroom is generally located inside a house. Also, a shower facility is provided in the bathroom for more effective use of a narrow space.

Due to the trend in type of housings, lighting apparatuses are usually provided on the wall or ceiling of the bathroom. The lighting apparatus installed in the bathroom is configured as described above and is mainly used to light the bathroom.

However, since the bathroom is a closed space, it is poorly ventilated and odors generated during use may not be efficiently removed.

Furthermore, after use of the shower facility or a washstand equipped in the bathroom, dampness generated from showering and washing stays in the bathroom for a long time, thereby increasing the humidity. In addition, since temperature in the bathroom is relatively higher than the outside, it may be difficult to keep the bathroom hygienic due to germs and mold.

To overcome such a situation, a dedicated ventilator is usually provided inside of the bathroom. However, since the ventilation fan of the ventilator is exposed to the outside, a noise is generated and the appearance may not be satisfactory. Also, the lifetime of the ventilation fan is reduced by frequent exposure to dampness from shower.

The present disclosure provides a lighting apparatus for a bathroom, capable of improving comfort of the bathroom by performing not only a lighting function but also sterilization and ventilation functions by using a light emitting diode (LED) module including a plurality of LEDs as a main light source, by disposing a plurality of UV LEDs around the main light source, and by providing a dedicated ventilation fan in a housing of the lighting apparatus.

The present disclosure also provides a lighting apparatus for a bathroom, capable of considerably improving hygiene in the bathroom.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a lighting apparatus for a bathroom including: a housing having a predetermined size and shape according to design, inside thereof being hollow, and upper and lower surfaces thereof being opened for communication; a first mounting bracket disposed across an inner side of a lower end of the housing, and both ends of the first mounting bracket being fixed to an inner circumference of the housing ; a second mounting bracket fixedly mounted along an outer circumference of the lower end of the housing to support a circumference of a panel which is a portion of a ceiling or a wall, and including a horizontal step surface disposed at the inside thereof, the horizontal step being disposed on the same surface as the lower end of the housing; a cover made of a transparent or translucent material to transmit light and an upper end thereof being fixed to a middle of the first mounting bracket , and including a receiving space formed inwardly from an upper part; a light emitting diode (LED) module inserted from the upper part of the cover into the receiving space formed inside the cover and fixed in the receiving space, and including a plurality of ordinary LEDs connected on a circuit board, the LED module being turned on and off according to current application; a plurality of UV LEDs arranged and connected at uniform intervals on another circuit board mounted on the step surface of the second mounting bracket and turned on and off according to current application; a ventilator mounted between an upper end of the housing and an exhaust duct and driven by current application to draw in indoor air through the lower end of the housing and discharge the drawn air toward the exhaust duct; and a controller electrically connected with the circuit board on which the LED module is mounted and the circuit board on which the UV LEDs are mounted, and adapted to control the UV LED to be turned off when the ordinary LEDs are turned on and to be turned on when the ordinary LEDs are turned off according to a user’s operation through a switch.

The lighting apparatus may further include a human body sensor separately provided on the first mounting bracket or the second mounting bracket, wherein wherein the human body sensor is electrically connected to the controller so that the controller controls the UV LED mounted on the second mounting bracket to be turned off when a human body sensing signal is output from the human body sensor while the UV LED is on.

The ventilator may be electrically connected with the controller and controlled to be driven simultaneously with turning on of the ordinary LEDs and stopped simultaneously with turning off of the ordinary LEDs according to the user’s switch operation.

Exemplary embodiments can be understood in more detail from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lighting apparatus for a bathroom in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connected state of the lighting apparatus for a bathroom;

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing the connected state of the lighting apparatus for a bathroom;

FIG. 4 is an operation state view of the lighting apparatus for bathroom;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the lighting apparatus for a bathroom;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operational process of a controller according to the exemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the operational process of a controller according to another exemplary embodiment.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following description, a light emitting diode (LED) performing a lighting function will be referred to as an ‘ordinary LED’ and an LED performing a sterilization function will be referred to as a ‘UV LED.’

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lighting apparatus for a bathroom in accordance with an exemplary embodiment and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connection state of the lighting apparatus for a bathroom.

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing a connected state of the lighting apparatus for a bathroom, according to the exemplary embodiment. FIG. 4 is an operation state view of the lighting apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, a lighting apparatus 10 according to the exemplary embodiment has a predetermined size and shape such as a cylindrical or polygonal column shape according to design. The lighting apparatus 10 includes a housing 12 which has a hollow inside and opened at upper and lower surfaces for fluid communication.

A first mounting bracket 14 is separately provided and disposed at an inner side of a lower end of the housing 12 across a middle of the lower end. Both ends of the first mounting bracket 14 are fixed to an inner circumference of the housing 12. A second mounting bracket 20 is fixedly mounted along an outer circumference of the lower end of the housing 12 to support a circumference of a panel 16 forming a ceiling and a wall.

The second mounting bracket 20 has a stepwise structure. A horizontal step surface 18 is formed on an inside of the second mounting bracket 20 and disposed collinear with the lower end of the housing 12.

An upper end of a cover 24 is fixedly mounted to a middle part of the first mounting bracket 14. The cover 24 includes a receiving space 22 formed inwardly from an upper part thereof and is made of a transparent or translucent material to transmit light.

An LED module is inserted and fixed in the receiving space 22 formed inwardly from the upper part of the cover 24. The LED module includes a plurality of ordinary LEDs 30 connected to a circuit board 26 and turned on by application of a current.

Another circuit board 28 is disposed along the step surface 18 of the second mounting bracket 20. A plurality of UV LEDs 34 lighted up by application of a current are connected to the another circuit board 28 at uniform intervals.

According to the embodiment, a ventilator 38 is mounted between an upper end of the housing 12 and an exhaust duct 36. The ventilator 38 driven by application of the current draws in air of the interior through the lower end of the housing 12 and discharges the air to the exhaust duct 36.

The circuit board 26 mounting the LED module and the circuit board 28 mounting the UV LEDs 34 are electrically connected to a separate controller 40. Therefore, according to a user’s operation through a switch, when the ordinary LEDs 30 on the LED module are turned on, the UV LEDs 34 are turned off and vice versa.

In the above-structured lighting apparatus, a human body sensor 42 is separately mounted on the first mounting bracket 14 or the second mounting bracket 20. The human body sensor 42 is electrically connected to the controller 40. Under the control of the controller 40, in a state where the UV LEDs 34 mounted on the second mounting bracket 20 are turned on, when a human body sensing signal is output from the human body sensor 42, the UV LEDs 34 are turned off automatically.

The ventilator 38 is also electrically connected with the controller 40. The controller 40 controls the ventilator 38 to be driven simultaneously with turning on of the LED module and to be stopped simultaneously with turning off of the LED module according to the user’s switch operation.

The operation of the lighting apparatus will now be described.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, in a state where the first mounting bracket 14 is disposed across the middle of the inner side of the lower end of the housing 12, both ends of the first mounting bracket 14 are fixed to the inner circumference of the housing 12. The second mounting bracket 20 having the stepwise structure is fixed along the outer circumference of the lower end of the housing 12.

Next, the LED module including a plurality of the ordinary LEDs 30 installed on the circuit board 26 is inserted in the receiving space 22 from the upper outside of the cover 24 and then fixed through fastening members such as screws. The upper end of the cover 24 mounting the LED module therein is fixedly connected to the middle of the first mounting bracket 14.

The circuit board 28 mounting a plurality of the UV LEDs 34 is mounted on the step surface 18 of the second mounting bracket 20. In this state, the circuit board 26 mounting the LED module and the circuit board 28 mounting the UV LEDs 34 are electrically connected to the controller 40 disposed in the housing 12 or on any one of the

circuit boards

26 and 28.

The thus-assembled lighting apparatus 10 may be mounted on the ceiling or the wall of the interior space in the following manner. The housing 12 is disposed on an inside of the panel 16 forming the ceiling or the wall. In this state, both ends of the ventilator 38 are fit with an inside of an entrance of the exhaust duct 36 disposed in the ceiling or the wall and with an inside of the upper end of the housing 12. A circumference of the panel 16 is disposed on an upper outside of the second mounting bracket 20 mounted along the outer circumference of the lower end of the housing 12, accordingly completing the installation of the lighting apparatus 10.

In a state where the lighting apparatus 10 is installed, the ventilator 38 may be driven by power separately supplied or through electrical connection with the controller 40.

When the user turns on the switch (not shown) to light up the interior of the bathroom where the lighting apparatus 10 is installed, a current of the power supply is applied to the circuit board 26 including the LED module through the controller 40. Accordingly, the respective ordinary LEDs 30 in electrical connection with the circuit board 26 are turned on, thereby emitting light.

The light from the ordinary LEDs 30 included in the LED module is transmitted into the bathroom through the cover 24, thereby lighting up the bathroom.

Simultaneously, the ventilator 38 is driven under the control of the controller 40 so that moisture or offensive odor in the bathroom is drawn in through the lower end of the housing 12 and discharged to the outside through the exhaust duct 36. As a result, the interior space of the bathroom may be maintained comfortable.

When the user turns off the switch after use, the current applied to the circuit board 26 and the ventilator 38 from the controller 40 is interrupted. Therefore, the ordinary LEDs 30 of the LED module are turned off. The operation of the ventilator 38 may be stopped immediately or in a predetermined time.

Also, as the current is applied to the circuit board 28 under the control of the controller 40, the UV LEDs 34 installed on the second mounting bracket 20 mounted along the lower end outer circumference of the housing 12 are turned on, thereby emitting UV rays which kill germs and molds. The UV LEDs 34 may be turned off upon turning on of the switch or after operating for a predetermined time.

If the user opens a bathroom door and enters the bathroom without turning on the switch, in this state, the human body sensor 42 formed at the first mounting bracket 14 or the second mounting bracket 20 may detect this and output the human body sensing signal to the controller 40. According to this, the controller 40 interrupts the current applied to the circuit board 28 including the UV LEDs 34, thereby turning off the UV LEDs 34. At this time, the ordinary LEDs 30 may be turned off.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a lighting apparatus for a bathroom, according to the embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5, the lighting apparatus includes a controller 500, a switch 510 connected with the controller 500, a sensor 520, at least one ordinary LED 530 and UV LED 540, and a ventilator 560. A timer 570 may be additionally provided. The timer 570 may be operated by a user to set a time for driving or stopping at least one of the ordinary LED 530, the UV LED 540, and the ventilator 380.

When the switch 510 is turned “on” by the user, the controller 500 is applied with a control signal corresponding to the “on” state, accordingly turning on the ordinary LED 530 and driving the ventilator 560. If the UV LED 540 is in an on state when the control signal corresponding to the on state is applied to the controller 500, the controller 500 turns off the UV LED 540.

When the switch 510 is turned “off” by the user, the controller 500 is applied with a control signal corresponding to the “off” state, accordingly turning off the ordinary LED 530 and turning on the UV LED 540. If the ventilator 560 is in an on state at the time of application of the control signal corresponding to the off state, the controller 500 stops the ventilator 560.

Besides the control signals corresponding to turning on and off the switch 510, there is another control signal of the sensor 520. When the control signal generated by the sensor 520 is applied to the controller 500, the controller 500 turns on the ordinary LED 530 and turns off the UV LED 540.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation process of the controller according to the embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, the controller is input with the control signal, in operation S601, and advances to operation S603. The controller determines types of the input control signals, in operation S603, and performs any one of operations S605, S607, and S609. Here, the control signal may include the on/off signals from the switch and the sensing signal from the sensor.

In operation S605, the controller turns on the ordinary LED and drives the ventilator. In operation S607, the controller turns off the ordinary LED, turns on the UV LED, and stops the ventilator. In operation 609, the controller turns on the ordinary LED and turns off the UV LED.

Referring to FIG. 7, the controller is input with a control signal, in operation S701, and advances to operation S703. If the input control signal is a switch-on signal in operation S703, the controller advances to operation S705 to turn on the ordinary LED and drive the ventilator. On the other hand, when the input control signal is not the switch-on signal, the controller determines whether the input control signal is a switch-off signal in operation S707. When the input control signal is not the switch-off signal as a result of the determination, the controller turns on the ordinary LED and turns off the UV LED in operation S709. That is, the control signal in operation S709 may be the control signal sensed by the sensor.

When the input control signal is the switch-off signal in operation S707, the controller turns on the UV LED and turns off the ordinary LED, in operation S711, and advances to operation S713. When a predetermined time passes in operation S713, the controller turns on the UV LED and stops the ventilator, in operation S715. When the predetermined time has not passed, the controller maintains the UV LED in the on state and also maintains the ventilator in operation, in operation S717.

The time for turning on the UV LED may be properly adjusted in accordance with development of the UV LED technology. Also, light intensity of the UV LED may be adjusted corresponding to height of the bathroom.

Although the lighting apparatus 10 applied in a bathroom has been explained so far, the embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the lighting apparatus 10 may be applied to a very tightly closed space such as an indoor dress room.

According to the exemplary embodiments, a UV LED is mounted along an outer circumference of an LED module that is a main light source of the lighting apparatus. The UV LED and the LED module are electrically connected with a separate controller. The UV LED is turned off when the LED module is turned on, and turned on when the LED module is turned off. Therefore, when the user turns the switch off after using a bathroom, the UV LED is automatically turned on. Since UV rays emitted from the UV LED sterilize an interior space of the bathroom, the hygiene of the bathroom may be highly improved.

In addition, as the ventilator is driven simultaneously with turning on of the LED module, dampness or odors in the bathroom may be drawn and discharged out through an exhaust duct. As a result, the bathroom may be kept comfortable.

Although the lighting apparatus and a method of controlling the same have been described with reference to the specific embodiments, they are not limited thereto. Therefore, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims.

Claims

A lighting apparatus for a bathroom, comprising:

a housing having a predetermined size and shape according to design, inside thereof being hollow, and upper and lower surfaces thereof being opened for communication;

a first mounting bracket disposed across an inner side of a lower end of the housing, and both ends of the first mounting bracket being fixed to an inner circumference of the housing;

a second mounting bracket fixedly mounted along an outer circumference of the lower end of the housing to support a circumference of a panel which is a portion of a ceiling or a wall, and including a horizontal step surface disposed at the inside thereof, the horizontal step being disposed on the same surface as the lower end of the housing;

a cover made of a transparent or translucent material to transmit light and an upper end thereof being fixed to a middle of the first mounting bracket, and including a receiving space formed inwardly from an upper part;

a light emitting diode (LED) module inserted from the upper part of the cover into the receiving space formed inside the cover and fixed in the receiving space, and including a plurality of ordinary LEDs connected on a circuit board, the LED module being turned on and off according to current application;

a plurality of UV LEDs arranged and connected at uniform intervals on another circuit board mounted on the step surface of the second mounting bracket and turned on and off according to current application;

a ventilator mounted between an upper end of the housing and an exhaust duct and driven by current application to draw in indoor air through the lower end of the housing and discharge the drawn air toward the exhaust duct; and

a controller electrically connected with the circuit board on which the LED module is mounted and the circuit board on which the UV LEDs are mounted, and adapted to control the UV LED to be turned off when the ordinary LEDs are turned on and to be turned on when the ordinary LEDs are turned off according to a user’s operation through a switch.
The lighting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a human body sensor separately provided on the first mounting bracket or the second mounting bracket,

wherein the human body sensor is electrically connected to the controller so that the controller controls the UV LED mounted on the second mounting bracket to be turned off when a human body sensing signal is output from the human body sensor while the UV LED is on.
The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ventilator is electrically connected with the controller and controlled to be driven simultaneously with turning on of the ordinary LEDs and stopped simultaneously with turning off of the ordinary LEDs according to the user’s switch operation.
A lighting apparatus for a bathroom, comprising:

at least one ordinary LED and UV LED;

a switch adapted to be turned on and off by a user and generate a control signal corresponding to the on and off operations;

a sensor adapted to sense a movement and generate a control signal corresponding thereto;

a ventilator adapted to draw in indoor air of the bathroom and discharge the indoor air to the outside; and

a controller adapted to control on and off operations of the ordinary LED, the UV LED, and the ventilator by based on the control signal generated by the switch and the sensor,

wherein the controller turns on the ordinary LED and the ventilator when the control signal is a switch-on signal; turns on the UV LED and turns off the ordinary LED when the control signal is a switch-off signal; and turns on the ordinary LED and turns off the UV LED when the control signal is a sensing signal generated by the sensor.
The lighting apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a timer adapted to control a time for turning on and off at least one of the ordinary LED, the UV LED, and the ventilator according to the user’s operation.
The lighting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller turns off the UV LED and stops the ventilator when the control operation corresponding to the switch-off signal is completed and the time predetermined by the timer is passed.
A method of controlling a lighting apparatus for a bathroom, the method comprising:

determining types of a control signal upon generation of the control signal;

turning on an ordinary LED and driving a ventilator when the control signal is determined to be a switch-on signal;

turning on a UV LED and turning off the ordinary LED when the control signal is determined to be a switch-off signal; and

turning on the ordinary LED and turning off the UV LED when the control signal is determined to be generated by a sensor.
The method of claim 7, further comprising turning off the UV LED which is on state and stopping the ventilator in operation when the control signal is the switch-off signal and a predetermined time is passed.