Patent Application
20170211764
The present invention relates to indoor simulation of outdoor light using a disguised lighting device, that is, a lighting device made to resemble a window or other item that is not typically a source of artificial light. In particular, the present invention relates to a lighting device comprising a housing, a light source, means of directing or diffusing the emitted light, a connection to one or more photosensors, and at least one computer to control or program the lighting device.
Natural light is important to human health in several ways. Exposure to natural light can contribute to production and regulation of hormones, such as cortisol, and vitamin D; can regulate circadian rhythms; can help to counter symptoms of seasonal affective disorder and make other mood improvements in people, including countering depressing; and can help to counter memory loss. Natural light has been shown to boost alertness and productivity, and make people feel less stressed. Exposure to adequate levels of natural light at appropriate times of day has been shown to improve sleep patterns, alertness, productivity, general mood, and physiology.
Living and working indoors reduces exposure to natural light. Windows provide natural light and give occupants a sense of being in touch with the outside world. But, it is not always feasible to install a window in a space, such as an interior room or a room below grade, and some windows, such as those looking onto narrow alleys or courtyards, or shaded by other structures, may not admit significant amounts of natural light. When windows are absent or inadequate, a living or working space is less valued and more likely to negatively impact the health, mood, and productivity of occupants.
To replace the reduced exposure to natural light that can result from many such situations, many attempts have been made to simulate natural outdoor light for the indoor environment, both for homes and workplaces. But, simulating natural light accurately requires the ability to control and alter the color spectrum (the range wavelengths of light, and their relative intensities) of the emitted light, and the overall brightness of the light. To more fully simulate the effect of a window requires the ability to control the directionality of the light emitted from the light source—that is, to imitate sunlight coming in a window requires the ability to direct the light emitted from the light source side-to-side and up-and-down. By way of example, such a simulator of outdoor light could emit light and track across a room over the course of a day, imitating the sun's apparent arc across the sky. To fully simulate a window on the outdoors, a natural light simulator must also be able to sense outdoor conditions in real time, and replicate them in real time for color spectrum, brightness, and directionality by altering the overall and relative amounts of light emitted from one or more light sources, and directing the light emitted from the natural light simulator.
In addition, while lighting devices are omnipresent and vital in people's homes and workplaces, hiding their function and minimizing their intrusion into the interior space, while retaining their effectiveness and efficiency, are often desirable.
Among other examples of the prior art of natural-light-imitating products and methods, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,251,392, 5,426,879, and 7,784,204, and U.S. Publication Nos. 2013/0165741 and 2010/0079992, variously disclose lighting devices constructed to resemble artificial or wall-hangable windows, or pictures simulating outdoor scenes or other images. U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,741 discloses a light source and a computer to control it, capable of programming simulation of the photoperiod of a place and time. But, all of the prior art falls short of realistic simulation of natural light indoors, and none disclose implementing means of real-time simulation of local or distant outdoor conditions. The products and methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,251,392, 5,426,879, and 5,589,741 do not disclose means or methods to control the color spectrum or directionality of the light they emit, or to simulate real-time conditions. U.S. Publication Nos. 2013/0165741 and 2010/0079992 disclose not artificial windows, but lighting devices disguised with frames and covers or image displays, and they do not simulate a natural daylight spectrum or have the ability to control the light spectrum they emit, or to control the directionality of light emitted, or to simulate real-time conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 7,784,204 discloses controlling the color spectrum of the light emitted, and programming or user input for control of the light emitted, but does not disclose control over the directionality of the light emitted. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 7,784,204 briefly mentions the possibility of inputting signals to control the light source using a sensor, but does not disclose a system or method for doing so, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,392 mentions contemplation of control of the directionality of light emitted, but does not describe or disclose how that might be done.
Collectively, the disadvantages of existing products, such as those disclosed in the prior art, include incomplete or inadequate control over the color spectrum of emitted light, limited programmatic control over the brightness and color spectrum of the light, no control over the directionality of the light emitted, and no disclosed means to control the light characteristics from an outdoors sensor or sensors, whether local or remote. Accordingly, the existing products cannot provide lighting that accurately mimics with emitted light the light transmitted by a window in a wall.
Additionally, while using such non-realistic simulators of natural light may provide some benefits to human health or well-being, but without full control over brightness, color spectrum, and directionality, and without real-time input of current outdoor conditions, such simulators will always fall short of accurate simulation of the then-current outdoor light. Accordingly, they are likely to cause cognitive dissonance in users who can see actual windows while viewing existing products (or soon after viewing them, for instance by going outdoors). It seems possible then that the current art may fall short of providing the full range of benefits to human physical and mental health, and alertness and productivity, that could be achieved by an accurate simulator of natural light—one that is capable of synchronizing its light output with current conditions.
In addition, while some existing products imitate windows, there exists a need for a lighting product that can be seamlessly installed in a wall without protruding farther into a room than a conventional window's sill and casing would, so as to maximize the imitation of a natural window, and minimize the use of interior space.
Thus, there exists a consumer need for a lighting device capable of accurately reproducing natural outdoor light. Additionally, there is a need for a lighting device that is capable of synchronizing its light output with current conditions, both local current conditions, or the actual current conditions of another location. Further, there is a need for a lighting device that can be programmed locally, or remotely, to accurately simulate the light transmission of a window at another location or time of day or year. Finally, there is a need for a lighting device that appears to be a window mounted in a wall, with minimal protrusion into the interior space.
The present invention meets all these needs, generating a realistic imitation of natural lighting conditions inside an interior living or working space. The realistic imitation may include reproduction or approximation of one or more outdoor lighting conditions, including but not limited to brightness, color spectrum, and direction or diffuseness of light. The invention disclosed here does this by providing a lighting device with: a housing that may be shaped like a window and installed in a wall; one or more lighting elements; one or more light altering means including but not limited to mirrors, refractive or Fresnel lenses, apertures, louvers, diffusers and/or screens, one or more photosensors which may be configured to sense and transmit lighting conditions to a computer; and a computer with methods to control the lighting elements and the elements that control the positioning of the lighting elements, and the elements that alter the light emitted, to simulate a) current local outdoor lighting conditions according to the data received from the one or more photosensors, or b) current lighting conditions of another location based on data received from a source external to the lighting device, or c) programmed outdoor lighting conditions of any time and location.
To blend into a room, the lighting device, referred to herein as a Natural
Light Simulation Window (“NLSW”), may be built to resemble a window, with a frame comprising a head, jambs, and sill, possibly containing multiple sashes, which may have grilles or muntins. The NLSW may be installed on or in a wall or other building surface, such as in the ceiling to simulate a skylight. The appearance of the NLSW is important because occupants of a living or working space generally expect it to have windows. The NLSW may also be built in any other shape, configuration, or appearance.
To simulate the color spectrum of natural lights, which varies over the course of a day and day-to-day, the NLSW includes one or multiple lighting elements capable of emitting a range of wavelengths of light sufficient to reproduce the range of natural light conditions present outside of a building. To simulate the variable intensity of natural light, the one or more lighting elements may be operated at a range of brightness levels, ranging from off to sufficient to provide light output to mimic the brightness of midday sunlight that would come through a window equivalent in size and placement to a NLSW.
To simulate the apparent motion of the sun across the sky as Earth spins, and to simulate the variable zenith of the sun in the sky over the course of a year, the NLSW may also have computer-controlled light altering means, including but not limited to mirrors, refractive or Fresnel lenses, apertures, louvers, diffusers, screens, or other elements capable of producing both a horizontal directionality and a vertical directionality to the light emitted from the NLSW. The NLSW may also comprise computer-controlled elements to control the orientation of the lighting elements, so as to further allow the NLSW to reproduce the directionality or diffuseness of real-time or other outdoor lighting conditions. These mechanisms guiding and altering the light emitted from the NLSW may be controlled to vary over the course of a day, and over the course of a year, giving the NLSW the ability to simulate with emitted light the track of the sun across the sky. To simulate the directness or diffuseness of natural light conditions, which may vary with atmospheric conditions including clouds, haze, mist, fog, and other factor, the NLSW may have one or more diffusers, screens, or other means to alter or disperse the light emitted from the NLSW.
A computer controls the lighting elements, directing the color spectrum and intensity of light emitted, and controls the light altering means, (i) directing the light at particular angles along both horizontal and vertical planes relative to the axes of the NLSW, or emitting the light broadly into the room without directing it at particular angles, and (ii) diffusing and/or screening the light to simulate various conditions of atmospheric clarity or obscurity. The computer may also be able to simulate transitory lighting effects, such as the effect of clouds casting shadows, dappled shade such as that cast by a tree, or flashes of lightning.
To sense outdoor conditions, one or more photosensors may be placed outdoors in a location and position to sense outdoor lighting conditions that the user desires to simulate indoors with the NLSW. The photosensor or photosensors transmit that information to the computer controlling the lighting elements and the light altering means, and the computer uses that information to control, in real time, the lighting elements and the light altering means. The NLSW may also be programmed directly without use of the photosensor through input means now known or later invented, or the computer may be connected to the internet for the purpose of accessing or receiving programming remotely, or to receive the current lighting conditions of another location.
Accordingly, the NLSW can be used to provide simulated natural light where a window providing actual natural light cannot be installed, or is not practical or desired, or could not provide useful or significant amounts of natural light. By installing one or more NLSWs, indoor spaces such as a below-grade basement, an interior room, or a room with a wall whose exterior faces narrow passages, dark courtyards, or structures that shade the wall may be lit with realistic simulated natural light, providing the occupants the benefits of natural light, improving the satisfaction and quality of life for the occupants, and enhancing the usefulness and value of the property. The NLSW may also be used in a room with some natural light, but where more is desired. The NLSW can be used in such a room without appearing out of place, causing cognitive dissonance, or interfering with circadian rhythms, because it can be operated to emit light that is synchronized, in color spectrum, brightness, diffuseness, and direction, with the light transmitted by the existing windows.
Additionally, consumers wish to have interior spaces decorated in any of several ways, and without lighting devices that interfere or stand out. The NLSW may be constructed in a variety of sizes and shapes, from many materials and with a variety of finishes, to match virtually any decor.
In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same components of the device throughout the different figures.
In the following description, various embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:
As depicted in
The NLSW 100 further comprises a plurality of lighting elements 212, disposed in the enclosure formed by the plurality of panels, which in some embodiments of the present invention are attached to the back panel 210. It has been found advantageous to have the lighting elements 212 comprise light-emitting diodes (LEDs), but they may be any other type lighting element now known or later invented. The lighting elements 212 may include a plurality of lighting elements that are capable of changing the color of light they emit, or in other embodiments, the lighting elements 212 may include one or more pluralities of lighting elements that emit non-white light, including but not limited to red, green, or blue LEDs.
It has been found advantageous to have, with reference to
The middle panel 220 may comprise a plurality of holes 222, and may be disposed between the back panel and the front panel. The middle panel 220 may comprise a rigid or semi-rigid material. A plurality of the holes 222 align with the lighting elements 212 when the lighting elements 212 are in their neutral position, perpendicular to the back panel 210. With LED lighting elements 212, it has been found advantageous to have the plurality of holes 222 be circular and aligned concentrically with the long axis of the lighting elements 212, which is perpendicular to the back panel 210, though it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that other shapes of holes 222 and arrangements of holes 222 in relation to lighting elements 212 are possible with other types of lighting elements 212. The plurality of holes 222 may be lined with a plurality of hole liners 224.
It has been found advantageous, in the present invention, that the middle panel 220 may have light redirection means 320 attached to it to redirect the light emitted by the lighting elements 212 through the holes 222. The light redirection means 320 may be placed on, over, or near the holes 222, in whatever arrangement is best suited to redirecting the light from the lighting elements 212, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art. The light redirection means 320 may be Fresnel lenses, mirrors, diffraction gratings, or other means for optimizing the light emitted by the lighting elements 212 for projection out of the NLSW 100. The light redirection means 320 may be placed over or situated near each of the holes 222 individually, as illustrated by exemplary light redirection element 322 in
It has been found advantageous to have an element of the NLSW 100 be moveable. In some embodiments of the present invention, the middle panel 220 may be moveably connected to other elements of the enclosure in order to change the directionality of the light emitted from the NLSW 100. The middle panel 220 may be attached to one or more of the back panel 210, side panels 110, top panel 120, or bottom panel 130 with mounts capable of simultaneous motion in two perpendicular directions, such as up/down and side/side in the reference frame of the NLSW 100. The middle panel 220 may be attached to a plurality of motors 152, which may be configured to push the middle panel 220 in any combination of two perpendicular directions simultaneously, such as up/down and side/side in the reference frame of the NLSW 100. In other embodiments of the present invention, the back panel 210 may be similarly moveably connected to other elements of the enclosure while the middle panel 220 remains stationary. In still other embodiments of the invention, both the middle panel 220 and the back panel 210 may be stationary, and one or more of the lighting elements 212 may be moveably connected to other elements of the enclosure by means of the plurality of motors 152 attached to one or more of the moveable lighting elements 212. The plurality of motors 152 may be located in the operating tray 150, as illustrated in
It has been found advantageous to have the holes 222 may be lined with hole liners 224 disposed concentrically with the plurality of lighting elements 212 and concentrically inside of the plurality of holes 222, or in other suitable arrangements with other types of lighting elements 212, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art. The hole liners 224 may be composed of a soft or malleable material, including but not limited to a soft rubber, a foam, or a thick-pile synthetic fabric, suitable for being in physical contact with the lighting elements 212 and deforming as necessary to cushion the lighting elements 212 while the middle panel 220 moves. In this way, as the middle panel 220 moves relative to the back panel, it simultaneously pushes each of the lighting elements 212 protruding through the holes 222, and cushioned with the hole liners 224, to all point in the same direction, away from or perpendicular to the back panel 210.
The motion of the moveable element of the NLSW 100, that is of a moveable middle panel 220, or of a moveable back panel 210, or moveable lighting elements 212, may be controlled by the control means, using real-time input or by programmed input. It has been found advantageous to have such motion controlled in such a way that it directs the light from the NLSW 100 into the room to emulate current local outdoor lighting conditions, and also the light projected by the lighting elements 212 emulates current local outdoor lighting conditions. At times, this can mean projecting a bright light at a nearly horizontal angle to mimic direct sunlight at sunrise or sunset. At other times, the NLSW 100 may project light sharply downward, to mimic direct sunlight during the middle of the day. The control means, such as the computer 154, it has been found advantageous, may be connected, by a wire or wirelessly, or other means now known or later invented, to one or more photosensors 170 capable of sensing the direction from which light is striking it. The plurality of photosensors 170 may be a right-angle reflector, that is, three photoreceptors arranged perpendicular to each other, like the sides of a cube forming a corner, as illustrated in
The information from the plurality of photosensors 170 may be used by the computer 154 to control the NLSW 100 to emulate lighting conditions, as described here, and below in greater detail in the description of the inventive methods. The computer 154, which may be located in the operating tray 150, does so by controlling, by transmitting motor control signals, the plurality of motors 152 to move the middle panel 220 or other moveable components of the NLSW 100, which directs the light from the NLSW 100. It has been found advantageous to have the computer 154 further simulate lighting conditions by controlling, by transmitting lighting control signals, the intensity of light emitted by the lighting elements 212 and the color spectrum of the light emitted by the lighting elements 212, to further simulate current outdoor lighting conditions. The NLSW 100 may project light of different colors, or different brightness levels, or very bright flashes, to imitate outdoor conditions such as a colorful sky, a cloudy day, alternating sun and shade from clouds, or flashes of lightning. The NLSW 100 may, it has been found advantageous, be capable of controlling individual lighting elements 212 or groups of lighting elements 212 separately from other lighting elements 212, specifically, by the computer transmitting 940 a first set of lighting control signals to a first plurality of lighting elements 212, and the computer transmitting 940 a second set of lighting control signals to a second plurality of lighting elements 212. It will be obvious to one of skill in the art that more than two such sets of lighting control signals to more than two such pluralities of lighting elements 212 may be possible and desirable, in some embodiments of the present invention.
In other embodiments of the invention, a first set of information about lighting conditions to emulate may come from instruments located remotely and transmitting real-time data, and connected to the control means, such as the computer 154, via the input/output means 156 over the internet 182. In still other embodiments, the first set of information about lighting conditions to emulate by the control means may be a programmed simulated day, or other time period, of lighting. Such programming may be done locally, and into the computer 154 from a user device 180, or may be downloaded to the computer 154 over the internet 182, or using other means now known or later invented, as described below in greater detail in the description of the inventive methods. The connection between the computer 154, input/output means 156, and user device 180 or internet 182, may be wired or wireless, and may use any communication protocol now known or later invented.
It has been found advantageous to have the front panel 230 comprise material to diffuse light from the plurality of lighting elements 212. The front panel 230 may be clear, or frosted, or cross-hatched, or use other materials or means to diffuse the light emitted or otherwise alter it.
It has been found advantageous to have the NLSW 100 comprise front louvers which may have the appearance and function of slatted blinds, such as being operable to rotate and direct the light emitted by the lighting elements 212 further downward. Such optional louvers may be situated over the front panel 230. The NLSW 100 may also have window-trim components, which are intended to make the NLSW 100 appear more like a standard window, including but not limited to muntins 242 as depicted in
In other embodiments of the present invention, the directionality of the light may be controlled not by changing the orientation of the lighting elements 212 by moving the middle panel 220, the back panel 210, or the lighting elements 212 themselves, but through the use of rotatable louver units 410. In these embodiments, a plurality of panels are fixedly connected to each other to form an enclosure, including but not limited to a back panel 210, and a front panel 230, as well as a plurality of side panels 110 and a top panel 120 and a bottom panel 130; any of the plurality of panels may have mounting means 140.
As depicted in
In other embodiments of the present invention, though not depicted in
In these embodiments of the present invention, each of the rotatable louver units 410 may have a ring 412 that can rotate with the depicted ring rotation 414, and each of the louver fins 420 may be hinged at the top edge, at the louver fin attachments 422, such that the bottom edges of the louver fins 420 can rotate in or out as the louver fin rotation 424, away from the back panel 210. The rotatable louver units 410 are connected to the plurality of motors 152, which power both the ring rotation 414 and louver fin rotation 424.
It has been found advantageous to have, as shown in
With reference to
It has been found advantageous to have the lighting elements 212 project through the towers 510, as shown in
As shown in
With reference to
Each of the plurality of ladders 640 is attached to one of the plurality of towers 510, advantageously the tower nearest each ladder 640 and directly behind which the ladder 640 is situated, with a plurality of ladder anchors 660. Each ladder anchor 660 is fixedly mounted to a tower 510, and is slidably engaged with a ladder 640, such as by partly or completely surrounding a frame element of the ladder 640 if the ladder 640 is built with a flat element, or by other means such as surrounding or partly surrounding a ladder 640 comprised of a panel as described above. By slidably engaging each ladder 640 to the nearest tower 510, the ladder anchors 660 permit the ladders 640 a degree of movement in the vertical while restraining them from moving in a horizontal direction relative to the towers 510. When the ladders 640 are controlled by the computer 154 and the plurality of motors 152 to move up and down, as described below in a discussion of the inventive method, in the vertical direction which the ladder anchors 660 permit them, the motion of the ladders 640, with their component element tail openings 642, move the lighting element tails 644 down or up, thereby tilting the lighting elements 212 up or down as the lighting elements 212 rotate about their lighting element attachment points 612 as described above, enabling the NLSW 100 to simulate the verticality of outdoor or programmed lighting by projecting light into a room horizontally or at a downward or upward angle from the horizontal.
In some embodiments of the present invention, with reference to
The ladder elevation means 830 may be a bar or platform or other suitable form, and the ladder elevation means 830 is operably connected to and moved by the plurality of motors 152, with the motion of the ladder elevation means 830 controlled by the computer 154, to simulate real-time outdoor or programmed lighting conditions. The ladder elevation means 830 elevates and lowers throughout the day or course of the program run by the computer 154, and thus elevates each of the ladders 640 synchronously. The ladder elevation means 830 may itself rotate about either its front or back edge, impelled by the plurality of motors 152, or may maintain a horizontal orientation and be raised and lowered by the plurality of motors 152, or may be moved in another manner, as will be clear to one skilled in the art, all of which motions of the ladder elevation means 830 serve to raise or lower the ladders 640.
As the ladders 640 are raised or lowered by the ladder elevation means 830, each of the ladders 640 being slidably engaged with its respective ladder anchors 660 attached to the respective towers 510, the lighting element tails 644 in the element tail openings 642 are moved higher or lower, causing the lighting elements 212 to rotate about the horizontal axis of their respective lighting element attachment points 612, and thus causing the light emitted from the NLSW 100 to be directed horizontally into the room or at an angle from the horizontal. This motion, in combination with the synchronous rotation of the towers 510, allows the NLSW 100 to accurately and realistically simulate real-time or programmed outdoor lighting conditions. Note that as the towers 510 are rotated by the tower rotation means 820, the ladders 640 rotate synchronously with the towers 510, with each of the ladder anchors 660 exerting the horizontal force on each of the ladders 640, causing the ladders 640 to rotate synchronously with the towers 510. As the ladders 640 rotate, their path defines an arc, the track of which is apparent in the semi-circular or arc shape of the ladder stem opening 650, and which is further illustrated as the ladder stem track 840 on the ladder elevation means 830 in
Other embodiments of the present invention may include a larger or window sized circular mechanism, like a single large rotatable louver unit with lighting elements 212 and light redirection means 320 mounted directly on to the rotatable louver. In such an embodiment, the side panels 110 and top panel 120 and bottom panel 130 are not present, replaced instead with a plurality of panels comprising a large cylinder. Such an embodiment of the present invention may be covered with a rectangular or other shape of front panel 230, to be mounted in a building and have front louvers and decorative elements as described above, including but not limited to mullions, muntins 242, and/or curtains. Still other embodiments may have a circular NLSW 100, as described above, so that the NLSW 100 may appear to be and imitate a porthole as on a ship.
The methods 900 carried out by the present invention include, with reference to
The computer 154 then transmits motor control signals 930 to the plurality of motors 152, such that the plurality of motors 152 may direct the location and orientation of the lighting elements 212, and in certain embodiments of the present invention, the means to direct or orient the light emitted by the lighting elements 212, including but not limited to a moveable middle panel 220 or back panel 210, moveable lighting elements 212, rotatable louver units 410, rotatable louver fins 420, rotatable towers 510, and/or ladders 640, or other components comprising other embodiments of the present invention. The computer 154 may transmit motor control signals 930 to the plurality of plurality of motors 152 over the course of a day to accurately simulate the tracking of the sun across the sky, or other lighting conditions.
The computer 154 also transmits lighting control signals 940 to a plurality of lighting elements 212, which lighting control signals 940 may vary sufficiently rapidly to simulate real-time lighting conditions, or the computer 154 may be programmed or controlled to transmit lighting control signals 940 to simulate any other lighting conditions. The transmitted lighting control signals 940 contain information determining how much light the lighting elements 212 emit, and the spectrum of that light, e.g. if there are lighting elements 212 that emit different colors of light, the transmitted lighting control signals 940 may separately control one or more pluralities of the lighting elements 212 to alter the overall spectrum of light emitted from the NLSW 100 and relative intensities of light of different visible colors, i.e. wavelengths or wavelength ranges.
Certain embodiments of the present invention were described above. It is expressly noted that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments, but rather the intention is that additions and modifications to what was expressly described herein are also included within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it is to be understood that the features of the various embodiments described herein are not mutually exclusive and can exist in various combinations and permutations, even if such combinations or permutations were not made express herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In fact, variations, modifications, and other implementations of what was described herein will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. As such, the invention is not to be defined only by the preceding illustrative descriptions.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US15/52662 | 9/28/2015 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62056601 | Sep 2014 | US |
