# US 2015/0145408 A1 · Illuminated mirror device and method for controlling illumination thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2015/0145408 A1 - Document ID: US20150145408A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/404,945 - Filed: 2012-06-01 - Published: 2015-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2012-06-01 - Assignees: Pioneer Corporation - Inventors: Kazuo Kuroda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20150145408A1 ## CPC - H05B 47/115: by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings - A47G 1/00: Mirrors (as optical elements G02B5/08); Picture frames or the like, {e.g. provided with heating, lighting or ventilating means} - A47G 1/02: Mirrors used as equipment (hand, pocket, or shaving mirrors A45D42/00; {optical viewing means for vehicles B60R1/00}) - B60Q 3/252: Sun visors - B60Q 3/80: Circuits; Control arrangements (for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47) - F21V 23/0471: {the sensor detecting the proximity, the presence or the movement of an object or a person} - F21V 33/004: {Sanitary equipment, e.g. mirrors, showers, toilet seats or paper dispensers} - H05B 45/10: Controlling the intensity of the light - H05B 45/60: Circuit arrangements for operating LEDs comprising organic material, e.g. for operating organic light-emitting diodes [OLED] or polymer light-emitting diodes [PLED] - A47G 2200/08: Illumination - F21W 2131/302: for mirrors - F21Y 2115/10: Light-emitting diodes [LED] - F21Y 2115/15: Organic light-emitting diodes [OLED] - Y02B 20/40: Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - A47G: HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT (book-ends A47B5/00; knives B26B) - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - F21W: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS - F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract Provided is an illuminated mirror device including: a mirror; a light-emitting part for illumination disposed near the mirror; and driving means for driving the light-emitting part, and detection means for detecting a direction of a face of a person in front of the mirror with respect to the mirror, wherein the driving means controls an emission luminance distribution on a light-emitting surface of the light-emitting part on the basis of the face direction detected by the detection means. Also provided is a method for controlling illumination thereof. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An illuminated mirror device comprising: a mirror; a light-emitting part for illumination disposed near the mirror; and means for driving the light-emitting part, and means for detecting a face direction of a person in front of the mirror with respect to the mirror, wherein the means for driving controls an emission luminance distribution on a light-emitting surface of the light-emitting part based on the face direction detected by the means for detecting. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein the means for driving sets a luminance of a region of the light-emitting surface opposite to the face direction with respect to a center line of the mirror so as to be greater than a luminance of a region of the light-emitting surface corresponding to the face direction when the face direction detected by the means for detecting is shifted from a direction directly facing the mirror. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The mirror device according to claim 2, wherein when the face direction detected by the means for detecting directly faces the mirror, the means for driving drives the light-emitting part so that the entire light-emitting surface of the light-emitting part emits light with an even luminance; when the means for detecting has detected that the turning of the face is directed in a leftward direction from the direction directly facing the mirror, the means for driving drives the light-emitting part so that an emission luminance in a right region with respect to the center line of the light-emitting surface is greater than an emission luminance in a left region with respect to the center line of the light-emitting surface; and when the means for detecting has detected that the face direction is directed in a rightward direction from the direction directly facing the mirror, the means for driving drives the light-emitting part so that an emission luminance in the left region is greater than an emission luminance in the right region. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The mirror device according to claim 3, wherein the light-emitting part has a frame-shaped light-emitting surface disposed on an outer periphery of the mirror; and the means for driving individually drives a light source corresponding to the right region of the light-emitting surface and a light source corresponding to the left region according to the face direction detected by the means for detecting. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The mirror device according to claim 3, wherein the light-emitting part includes the left region and the right region interposing the mirror therebetween, and the means for driving individually drives a light source corresponding to the right region of the light-emitting surface and a light source corresponding to the left region according to the face direction detected by the means for detecting. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The mirror device according to claim 2, wherein the mirror is a half mirror, and the light-emitting part includes a light source part and a light diffusion plate with the half mirror being adhered thereto at a surface opposite to a mirror surface thereof, and the light diffusion plate diffuses light emitted from the light source part. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The mirror device according to claim 6, wherein the light source part includes a left light source disposed on a left side surface of the light diffusion plate and a right light source disposed on a right side surface of the light diffusion plate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The mirror device according to claim 7, wherein the light source part comprises a surface light source disposed on a surface of the light diffusion plate opposite to a surface to which the half mirror is adhered. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The mirror device according to claim 2, comprising: a flap for covering the mirror in an openable manner; and a flap-linked switch to be turned on when the flap is in an opened state to supply a power-supply voltage to the means for driving and to be turned off when the flap is in a closed state in order to stop the supply of the power-supply voltage to the means for driving. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The mirror device according to claim 2, comprising an infrared sensor for detecting presence of a person in front of the mirror, wherein the means for driving drives the light-emitting part when presence of a person in front of the mirror is detected by the infrared sensor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The mirror device according to claim 2 wherein the means for detection includes: an image sensor for image-capturing the face of the person in front of the mirror and generating an image signal; and a determination part for detecting a contour of the face of the person from the image signal and determining a direction of the face of the person with respect to the mirror on the basis of an area density of a region of a face part within the contour. ### Claim 12 A method for controlling illumination of an illuminated mirror device, the illuminated mirror device including: a mirror; a light-emitting part for illumination disposed near the mirror; and means for driving the light-emitting part, the method comprising: detecting a direction of a face of a person in front of the mirror with respect to the mirror; and controlling an emission luminance distribution on a light-emitting surface of the light-emitting part by the means for driving based on the face direction detected by the detecting. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method for controlling illumination according to claim 12, wherein when the face direction detected by the detecting is shifted from a direction directly facing the mirror, the controlling sets a luminance of a region of the light-emitting surface opposite to the face direction with respect to a center line of the mirror so as to be greater than a luminance of a region of the light-emitting surface corresponding to the face direction. ### Claim 14 An illuminated reflective device including a plurality of light emitting portions attached to a reflective surface, the illuminated reflective device comprising: a plurality of sensors configured to detect a difference between a first position and a second position of an object; and a circuit configured to modify a luminance of the illuminated reflective device in response to the plurality of sensors detecting the difference between the first position and the second position of the sensor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The illuminated reflective device of claim 14, wherein the circuit further comprises: detection circuitry configured to detect a motion of the object with respect to the reflective surface; and driving circuitry configured to drive the plurality of light-emitting portions based on the detected motion of the object. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The illuminated reflective device according to claim 15, wherein the driving circuitry determines a luminance distribution of the plurality of light-emitting portions continuously according to detection of an angle of the object, the objecting comprising a face of a person with respect to the reflective surface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The illuminated reflective device according to claim 15, wherein the detection circuitry detects the object comprising a face part of the person. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The illuminated reflective device according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one of an image sensor and an infrared sensor. ### Claim 19 A device, comprising: one or more sensors configured to detect at least one of (a) motion of a target object and output a first signal indicative of a detected motion of the target object, and (b) the target object positioned with respect to a reflective surface and output a second signal indicative of a detected position of the target object with respect to the reflective surface; and a control circuit configured to control a luminance distribution of a plurality of light-emitting devices disposed at the reflective surface, in response to at least one of the first signal received from the first sensor and the second signal received from the second sensor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The device of claim 19, wherein the one or more sensors comprises: a first sensor configured to detect motion of a target object and output a first signal indicative of a detected motion of the target object; a second sensor configured to detect the target object positioned with respect to a reflective surface, and output a second signal indicative of a detected position of the target object with respect to the reflective surface; and ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The device of claim 19, wherein the light-emitting devices comprise organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The device of claim 19, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the luminance distribution of the plurality of light-emitting devices such that the luminance decreases in a direction of the detected position of the target object. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The device of claim 19, wherein the target object comprises a body part of a person. ### Claim 24 (depends on 19) The device of claim 19, wherein the reflective surface comprises a mirror.