Patent Grant
11729877
The present disclosure relates to lighting fixtures and methods of lighting. In some aspects, the disclosure relates to light fixtures (comprising one or more light sources and/or one or more light engines) that mimic or emulate the appearance and/or effects of a skylight, and/or that give an ‘outdoor’ feel to an indoor space, in some cases even with no exterior light from any windows or doors.
Skylights are used to provide natural light (i.e., daylight) in residential, commercial and other buildings, as well as in other structures. A skylight is a window that is generally installed in a roof or ceiling. Skylights are excellent sources of natural light and highly desirable in many residential and commercial buildings. Providing natural light to an area is known to enhance moods, increase productivity, and improve ambiance among many other benefits. Skylights are often used to supplement the natural light in spaces with windows, and are often the only way to provide natural light to interior spaces that are not abutting exterior walls.
Conventional skylights can pose numerous problems, including water leakage, heat loss, lack of light on overcast or stormy days, and installation difficulty or impracticability in certain situations. In addition, conventional skylights (like windows) typically get dirty, streaked and/or smeared, and as a result there is often a frequent desire (or need) to clean them. In addition, direct sunlight can sometimes produce a great deal of glare on work surfaces and other items, e.g., computer screens, and such glare is typically counterproductive and/or annoying (for example, glare can make it difficult or impossible for a worker to see his or her computer screen). Also, direct sunlight (and/or resulting glare) can increase eye strain (even after a short period of time, and more so during prolonged exposure, including continuous exposure as well as intermittent exposure over periods of time).
Additionally, providing skylights in many spaces is impractical or impossible. The lower floors of a building will not have direct access to the roof of the building. In many cases, even the top floor of the building will have structural or mechanical components that prevent the installation of skylights, limit the functionality of skylights, or would cause installation of the skylights to be too expensive.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide the benefits of skylights to those spaces where installation of skylights would be impractical or impossible. It may also be beneficial to provide the benefits of skylights that would overcome the problems associated with conventional skylights, and/or that would enable control over light being provided to an interior space.
Large areas of open indoor space, such as an office or warehouse spaces, require sufficient lighting to allow for safe and comfortable activities by persons occupying or visiting the space at all times including periods when natural lighting, such as that provided by windows, is unavailable or reduced during nighttime, rainy or foggy weather conditions, and/or in the absence of windows. An indoor luminaire for large indoor spaces or smaller indoor spaces, such as hallways or individual office spaces, must illuminate spaces varying in size, floor plan, and intended use. It may be useful for such a luminaire to provide customizable illumination patterns in order to effectively match the light produced by the luminaire with the characteristics of the space to be illuminated. Still further, such a luminaire should be customizable such that desired illumination patterns may be achieved. Additionally, such a luminaire should be aesthetically pleasing, and further, versatile enough to provide illumination patterns suitable for the varied environments mentioned hereinabove.
Advances in light emitting diode (LED) technology have resulted in wide adoption of luminaires that incorporate such devices. While LEDs can be used alone to produce light without the need for supplementary optical devices, it has been found that optical modifiers, such as lenses, reflectors, optical waveguides, and combinations thereof, can significantly improve illumination distribution for particular applications.
An optical waveguide mixes and directs light emitted by one or more light sources, such as one or more LEDs. A typical optical waveguide includes three main components: one or more coupling elements, one or more distribution elements, and one or more extraction elements. The coupling component(s) direct light into the distribution element(s), and condition the light to interact with the subsequent components. The one or more distribution elements control how light flows through the waveguide and is dependent on the waveguide geometry and material. The extraction element(s) determine how light is removed by controlling where and in what direction the light exits the waveguide.
When designing a coupling optic, the primary considerations are: maximizing the efficiency of light transfer from the source into the waveguide; controlling the location of light injected into the waveguide; and controlling the angular distribution of the light in the coupling optic. One way of controlling the spatial and angular spread of injected light is by fitting each source with a dedicated lens. These lenses can be disposed with an air gap between the lens and the coupling optic, or may be manufactured from the same piece of material that defines the waveguide's distribution element(s). Discrete coupling optics allow numerous advantages such as higher efficiency coupling, controlled overlap of light flux from the sources, and angular control of how the injected light interacts with the remaining elements of the waveguide. Discrete coupling optics use refraction, total internal reflection, and surface or volume scattering to control the distribution of light injected into the waveguide.
After light has been coupled into the waveguide, it must be guided and conditioned to the locations of extraction. The simplest example is a fiber-optic cable, which is designed to transport light from one end of the cable to another with minimal loss in between. To achieve this, fiber optic cables are only gradually curved and sharp bends in the waveguide are avoided. In accordance with well-known principles of total internal reflectance light traveling through a waveguide is reflected back into the waveguide from an outer surface thereof, provided that the incident light does not exceed a critical angle with respect to the surface. Specifically, the light rays continue to travel through the waveguide until such rays strike an index interface surface at a particular angle less than an angle measured with respect to a line normal to the surface point at which the light rays are incident (or, equivalently, until the light rays exceed an angle measured with respect to a line tangent to the surface point at which the light rays are incident) and the light rays escape.
In order for an extraction element to remove light from the waveguide, the light must first contact the feature comprising the element. By appropriately shaping the waveguide surfaces, one can control the flow of light across the extraction feature(s). Specifically, selecting the spacing, shape, and other characteristic(s) of the extraction features affects the appearance of the waveguide, its resulting distribution, and efficiency.
Low-profile LED-based luminaires have recently been developed that utilize a string of LED components directed into the edge of a waveguiding element (an “edge-lit” or “edge-coupled” approach). However, such luminaires typically suffer from low efficiency due to losses inherent in coupling light emitted from a predominantly Lambertian emitting source such as a LED component into the narrow edge of a waveguide plane.
In a first aspect, the present disclosure relates to light fixtures (artificial skylights) that avoid problems with conventional skylights and that provide benefits that are provided by conventional skylights.
Conventional skylights provide a number of benefits including:
In accordance with the first aspect of the present disclosure, at least a portion of a first light engine resembles a sky (e.g., a surface of the first light engine looks like the sky to a viewer), and light exiting from a second light engine has one or more characteristics that resemble that (or those) of at least a portion of light emitted by (and received from) the sun.
In some light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, many advantages are provided, including the ability to supply light (in residential buildings, commercial buildings, other buildings and other structures) while avoiding or reducing (in comparison to other devices, such as conventional skylights) water leakage, providing lower heat loss, providing light on overcast or stormy days, simplifying installation, providing the ability for installation (e.g., in locations where installation of a skylight would be problematic or impossible, e.g., in the first story of a multi-story structure, or in a building in which the roof is spaced a large distance from a ceiling), providing the ability to control light exiting from the device into an office, a room or any other space (e.g., controlling the brightness and/or the color of light exiting from the light fixture). In addition, light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter can simplify cleaning (e.g., devices can be more easily accessed, and/or can be removed from a structure on which they are mounted).
In a second aspect, the present disclosure relates to light fixtures that comprise first and second light engines, in which the second light engine comprises a sidewall from which light exits.
In a third aspect, the present disclosure matter relates to light fixtures that output light having specific characteristics. For example, some embodiments provide for light emission that can achieve specific biological effects, such as adjusting a person's biological melatonin levels in a desired way (e.g., during twenty-four-hour periods), for instance to adjust a person's circadian rhythm, to ameliorate a person's circadian rhythm disorders, and/or to adjust a person's alertness (e.g., to increase the person's alertness during some daily time periods and/or to increase the person's drowsiness during other daily time periods).
The present disclosure further includes methods that comprise supplying electricity to any light fixture as described herein. In some of such embodiments, color and brightness of light exiting the light fixture are controlled independently to provide the illusion of natural daylight passing through a conventional skylight.
The present disclosure further includes methods that comprise moving at least one light engine relative to another light engine in any light fixture as described herein.
In accordance with another aspect, the disclosure relates to a lighting fixture that appears as a skylight and is referred to as a skylight fixture. The skylight fixture has a sky-resembling light assembly and a plurality of sun-resembling light assemblies. The sky-resembling light assembly has a specific optical assembly and a specific light source, wherein light from the light source exits a planar interior surface of the optical assembly as sky resembling light. The plurality of sun-resembling light assemblies are arranged adjacent one another and extend downward from a periphery of the sky-resembling light assembly. Each of the plurality of sun-resembling light assemblies has a specific optical assembly and a specific light source, wherein light from the light source exits a planar interior surface of the optical assembly as sun resembling light. The planar interior surfaces of the sky-resembling optical assembly and the plurality of sun-resembling optical assemblies define a cavity. One or more control modules alone or in a collective are configured to, in a first mode, drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific light sources such that the sky-resembling assembly has a light emission with a first color point and the at least one of the sun-resembling assemblies has light emission with a second color point that is different from the first color point. The skylight assembly may be configured to emulate a window of a traditional skylight. Each of the plurality of sunlight assemblies may be configured to emulate sunlight passing through and/or reflecting off of sidewalls of the traditional skylight. The interior surfaces need not be planar for either assembly for dome or other shaped skylight fixtures.
In one embodiment, one or both of the sky-specific light source and the sun-specific light source comprise first LEDs that emit light having a third color point, second LEDs that emit light having a fourth color point, and third LEDs that emit light having a fifth color point. In this embodiment or an independent embodiment, an interior angle formed between the planar interior surface of the sky-resembling optical assembly and the planar surface of each of the sun-resembling optical assembly is an obtuse angle. In various embodiments, the interior angle is greater than 90 degrees and less than or equal to 135 degrees; greater than or equal to 95 degrees and less than or equal to 130 degrees; or greater than or equal to 100 degrees and less than or equal to 125 degrees.
In one embodiment, the x coordinate value of the first color point and the x coordinate value of the second color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram differ by at least 0.1. The first color point falls within a first color space defined by x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram: (0.37, 0.34), (0.35, 0.38), (0.15, 0.20), and (0.20, 0.14). The second color point falls within a second color space defined by x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram: (0.29, 0.32), (0.32, 0.29), (0.41, 0.36), (0.48, 0.39), (0.48, 0.43), (0.40, 0.41), and (0.35, 0.38).
In one embodiment, the x coordinate value of the first color point and the x coordinate value of the second color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram differ by at least 0.1. The first color point falls within a first color space defined by x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram: (0.32, 0.31), (0.30, 0.33), (0.15, 0.17), and (0.17, 0.14). The second color point falls within a second color space defined by x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram: (0.30, 0.34), (0.30, 0.30), (0.39, 0.36), (0.45, 0.39), (0.47, 0.43), (0.40, 0.41), and (0.35, 0.38).
In one embodiment, the x coordinate value of the first color point and the x coordinate value of the second color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram differ by at least 0.1. The first color point falls within a first color space defined by x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram: (0.39, 0.31), (0.34, 0.40), (0.10, 0.20), and (0.16, 0.06). The second color point falls within a second color space defined by x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram: (0.28, 0.36), (0.35, 0.26), (0.44, 0.33), (0.62, 0.34), (0.50, 0.46), (0.43, 0.45), (0.36, 0.43).
In one embodiment, the x coordinate value of the first color point and the x coordinate value of the second color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram differ by at least 0.1. The first color point falls within a first color space defined by x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram: (0.10, 0.20), (0.36, 0.43), (0.43, 0.45), (0.50, 0.46), (0.62, 0.34), (0.44, 0.33), (0.16, 0.06). The second color point falls within a second color space defined by x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram: (0.10, 0.20), (0.36, 0.43), (0.43, 0.45), (0.50, 0.46), (0.62, 0.34), (0.44, 0.33), (0.16, 0.06).
In one embodiment, the x coordinate value of the first color point and the x coordinate value of the second color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram differ by at least 0.15. In another embodiment, the x coordinate value of the first color point and the x coordinate value of the second color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram differ by at least 0.2.
In one embodiment, the x coordinate value of the first color point is less than the x coordinate value of the second color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram. In another embodiment, the y coordinate value of the first color point is less than the y coordinate value of the second color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram. In yet another embodiment, both the x coordinate value of the first color point is less than the x coordinate value of the second color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram and they coordinate value of the first color point is less than the y coordinate value of the second color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram. The x coordinate value of the first color point and the x coordinate value of the second color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram may differ by at least 0.15, 0.2, and 0.25.
In one embodiment, the sky-specific light source comprises first LEDs that emit light having a third color point, second LEDs that emit light having a fourth color point, and third LEDs that emit light having a fifth color point. The third color point, the fourth color point, and the fifth color point are spaced apart from one another on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram by at least 0.05 in at least one of x and y directions. The first LEDs may emit white light, and the third color point may be within three, five, seven, or ten MacAdam Ellipses (a/k/a MacAdam step ellipses) of a blackbody curve. The second LEDs may emit bluish light, the third LEDs may emit greenish light, and the y coordinate value of the fourth color point and they coordinate value of the fifth color point on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram may differ by at least 0.1, 0.15, or 0.2.
In one embodiment, at least two of the sun-specific light sources may have fourth LEDs that emit light having a sixth color point, fifth LEDs that emit light having a seventh color point, and sixth LEDs that emit light having an eighth color point. The sixth color point, the seventh color point, and the eighth color point may be spaced apart from one another on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram by at least 0.05, 0.1, or 0.15 in at least one of x and y directions.
In one embodiment, at least two of the sun-specific light sources have first LEDs that emit light having a third color point, second LEDs that emit light having a fourth color point, and third LEDs that emit light having a fifth color point. The third color point, the fourth color point, and the fifth color point spaced may be apart from one another on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram by at least 0.05, 0.1, or 0.15 in at least one of x and y directions.
In one embodiment, the sky-resembling light assembly and the sun-resembling light assembly may provide a composite light output that has a color rendering index of greater than 90.
In one embodiment, the one or more control modules may be further configured to independently and variably drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific source such that the first color point and the second color point are independently variable.
In one embodiment, the one or more control modules may be further configured to drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific light source such that the first color point and the second color point change temporally.
In one embodiment, the one or more control modules may be further configured to drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific light source such that the first color point and the second color point are selected based on a time of day.
In one embodiment, the one or more control modules may be further configured to drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific light source such that the first color point and the second color point are selected based on information received from a remote device.
In one embodiment, the one or more control modules may be further configured to drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific light source such that the first color point and the second color point are selected based on sensor information provided by at least one sensor.
In one embodiment, the one or more control modules may be further configured to drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific light source such that the first color point and the second color point are selected based on outdoor lighting conditions.
In one embodiment, the one or more control modules may be further configured to drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific light source such that the first color point and the second color point are selected based on outdoor weather conditions.
In one embodiment, the one or more control modules may be further configured to drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific light source such that the first color point and the second color point are selected based on outdoor environmental conditions.
In one embodiment, the one or more control modules may be further configured to, in a second mode, drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific light source to change the first and second color point to provide a circadian stimulus.
In one embodiment, the one or more control modules may be further configured to, in a second mode, drive each sunlight light source to change the second color point of the sunlight light provided by each sunlight source to have additional red spectral content.
In one embodiment, the one or more control modules may be further configured to communicate with other skylight fixtures and drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific light source such that the sky-specific emission and sun-specific emission is coordinated with that from the other skylight fixtures.
While the above features of various embodiments are listed separately for clarity, each of the features above may be implemented together in any combination as long as functionality is not destroyed.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present disclosure and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing figures.
The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
In one or more implementations, not all of the depicted components in each figure may be required, and one or more implementations may include additional components not shown in a figure. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. Additional components, different components, or fewer components may be utilized within the scope of the subject disclosure. Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers may designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. Use herein of a reference numeral without an index number, where such reference numeral is referred to elsewhere with an index number, may be a general reference to the corresponding plural elements, collectively or individually.
The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.
As used herein the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The term “plurality,” as used herein, means two or more, i.e., it encompasses two, three, four, five, etc. For example, the expression “plurality of positions” encompasses two positions, three positions, four positions, etc.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, region, or substrate is referred to as being “on” or extending “onto” another element, it can be directly on or extend directly onto the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” or extending “directly onto” another element, there are no intervening elements present. Likewise, it will be understood that when an element such as a layer, region, or substrate is referred to as being “over” or extending “over” another element, it can be directly over or extend directly over the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly over” or extending “directly over” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present.
The expression “in contact with,” as used herein, means that a first structure that is in contact with a second structure is in direct contact with the second structure or is in indirect contact with the second structure. The expression “in indirect contact with” means that the first structure is not in direct contact with the second structure, but that there are a plurality of structures (including the first and second structures), and each of the plurality of structures is in direct contact with at least one other of the plurality of structures (e.g., the first and second structures are in a stack and are separated by one or more intervening layers). The expression “direct contact”, as used in the present specification, means that the first structure which is “in direct contact” with a second structure is touching the second structure and there are no intervening structures between the first and second structures at least at some location. A statement herein that two components in a device are “electrically connected,” means that there are no components electrically between the components that affect the function or functions provided by the device. For example, two components can be referred to as being electrically connected, even though they may have a small resistor between them which does not materially affect the function or functions provided by the device (indeed, a wire connecting two components can be thought of as a small resistor); likewise, two components can be referred to as being electrically connected, even though they may have an additional electrical component between them which allows the device to perform an additional function, while not materially affecting the function or functions provided by a device which is identical except for not including the additional component; similarly, two components which are directly connected to each other, or which are directly connected to opposite ends of a wire or a trace on a circuit board, are electrically connected. A statement herein that two components in a device are “electrically connected” is distinguishable from a statement that the two components are “directly electrically connected”, which means that there are no components electrically between the two components.
Relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical” may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element, layer, or region to another element, layer, or region as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. Likewise, relative terms, such as “front”, “back”, “behind”, etc., are used herein to describe spatial relationships among elements or structures. Such relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation described. For example, if a device is turned 180 degrees, an element in front of the light fixture (or in front of another component) would in the back of the light fixture (or behind the other component) from the same perspective prior to turning the device 180 degrees.
The expression “defines (or at least partly defines)”, e.g., as used in the expression “The sidewall defines (or at least partly defines) a space” means that the element or feature that is defined, or at least partly defined by the structure (e.g., the sidewall in this example) is defined by that structure or is defined by that structure in combination with one or more additional structures.
The expression “defines at least part”, e.g., as used in the expression “the sidewall comprises a second edge that defines at least part of a second edge-defined region” means that the element or feature that is defined, or at least part of which is defined by the structure, (e.g., the sidewall in this example) is defined by that structure or is defined by that structure in combination with one or more additional structures.
The expression “axis of light distribution”, as used herein in connection with light output from one or more light sources (and/or light one or more light engines), means an axis of the light from a light source (and/or from a light engine), a direction of maximum brightness of a distribution of light, or a mean direction of a distribution of light. In other words, in the case of “a mean direction of a distribution of light,” (1) if there is provided a light source (or a light engine) in which the distribution of the brightness of emitted light (or light exiting the light engine) is non-Lambertian, the axis of light distribution might coincide with the an axis of the light source or light engine (e.g., because the mean direction of the maxima lies on the axis of the light source or light engine), even though the maximum directions of brightness do not themselves lie on the axis of the light source or light engine, or (2) if the maximum brightness is in a first direction, a brightness in a second direction ten degrees to one side of the first direction is larger than a brightness in a third direction ten degrees to an opposite side of the first direction, the mean direction of light emission would be moved somewhat toward the second direction as a result of the brightnesses in the second direction and the third direction.
The expression “correlated color temperature” (“CCT”) is used according to its well-known meaning to refer to the temperature of a blackbody that is nearest in color, in a well-defined sense (i.e., can be readily and precisely determined by those skilled in the art). Persons of skill in the art are familiar with correlated color temperatures, and with Chromaticity diagrams that show color points to correspond to specific correlated color temperatures and areas on the diagrams that correspond to specific ranges of correlated color temperatures. Light can be referred to as having a correlated color temperature even if the color point of the light is on the blackbody locus (i.e., its correlated color temperature would be equal to its color temperature); that is, reference herein to light as having a correlated color temperature does not exclude light having a color point on the blackbody locus.
The term “edge” of a structure (e.g., “bottom edge of the first sidewall”), means any portion (or portions) of the structure where there is a non-flat topography (e.g., a location where a surface ends, a location where a first planar surface meets a second planar surface, or a location where a curved or other non-planar surface meets a planar surface, or a location where a first non-planar surface meets a second non-planar surface, etc.).
A “light engine” can be any structure (or combination of structures) from which light exits. In many cases, a light engine consists of one or more light sources plus one or more mechanical elements, one or more optical elements and/or one or more electrical elements. In many cases, a light engine is a component of a light fixture, i.e., it is not a complete light fixture, but it can be a discrete group or set of LEDs that is spatially segregated and controlled as a unit. In some embodiments, for instance, a light engine in a light fixture can be a discrete set of LEDs (e.g., an array of LEDs) mounted to a board (e.g., a printed circuit board) that is separate from one or more other light engines in the light fixture. In some embodiments, a larger board can comprise different sets or groups of LEDs occupying different portions of the board, and thereby comprise multiple light engines. A light engine can, for example, comprise chip-on-board, packaged LEDs, secondary optics and/or control/drive circuitry. In some embodiments, a light fixture can comprise a first light engine comprising multiple LEDs on a first board, and a second light engine comprising multiple LEDs on a second board. In some embodiments, a light engine can comprise multiple LEDs spaced from each other (in the aggregate) in one dimension, in two dimensions or in three dimensions. For example, a first light engine can be mounted adjacent or spaced laterally from but on the same plane with a second light engine and thereby spaced in one dimension.
A first light engine can be positioned adjacent or spaced from a second light engine but positioned at an angle or on a second plane from the second light engine and thereby in two dimensions. A first light engine can be offset from a second light engine in two or three dimensions. A first light engine can be offset or positioned relative to two, three or more dimensions of one or more other light engines. In some embodiments, a light engine can comprise a single light source (e.g., a single LED), or an array of light sources (e.g., a plurality of LEDs, a plurality of other light sources, or a combination of one or more LEDs and/or one or more other light sources). In some embodiments, a plurality of light source (e.g., a plurality of LEDs) can be on a board and controlled together, for example, a control device (that controls color point of a mixture of light from the plurality of light sources, and/or that controls brightness of light emitted from one or more of the plurality of light sources, etc.) can control a plurality of light sources on a board (and/or can control all of the light sources on a board.
The expression “light exit region” (e.g., “at least a first light exit region is at a boundary of the space”), means any region through which light passes (e.g., as it travels from a space which is to one side of the light exit region to the other side of the light exit region, i.e., as it exits the space through the light exit region). For example, if a light fixture has a cylindrical surface that defines an internal space (closed at the top and open at the bottom), light can exit the space by traveling through the circular light exit region at the bottom of the cylindrical surface (i.e., such circular light exit region is defined by the lower edge of the cylindrical surface). Such a light exit region can be open, or it can be partially or completely occupied by a structure that is at least partially light-transmitting (e.g., transparent or translucent). For example, a light exit region can be an opening in an opaque structure (through which light can exit), a light exit region can be a transparent region in an otherwise opaque structure, a light exit region can be an opening in an opaque structure that is covered by a lens or a diffuser, etc.
The expression “defining a space” (e.g., in the expression “the first sidewall defines a space”) means that portions of the structure which is being described as defining the space objectively define an identifiable space. As purely representative examples for illustration, a cylindrical surface defines a cylindrical space inside the cylindrical surface; likewise, a surface that is cylindrical except for not having closed ends (i.e., not having circular regions at the top and bottom) and having holes and/or gaps can define a cylindrical space; likewise, a series of planar surfaces extending around a region can define a space (e.g., four planar regions having respective edges that abut two neighbors on either side to define right angles can together define a rectangular prismatic or a square prismatic space); likewise, one or more irregular, non-flat surfaces can together define a space where each point in the space is along a line segment connecting respective points on one or more of the surfaces, etc.
The expression “boundary of the space” means any portion of an exterior of a space. For example, in the case of a cylindrical space, a “boundary of the space” can be either of the circular regions at the exterior of the space, or it can be the curved side of the exterior of the space (i.e., the entire exterior except for the two circular regions), or any portion of either of the circular regions or any portion of the curved side. Similarly, in the case of a space in the shape of a square prism or a rectangular prism, a “boundary of the space” can be any of the sides of the prism or any portion of any of the sides of the prism.
The expression “substantially flat,” as used herein (e.g., in the expression “the first light exit surface can be substantially flat and rectangular”) means that at least 90% of the points in a surface of the structure that is being characterized as substantially flat are located between a pair of planes which are parallel and which are spaced from each other by a distance of not more than 25% of the largest dimension of the surface (and in some cases, not more than 15%, not more than 10% or not more than 5% of the largest dimension of the surface).
The expression “visibly distinct color” means that a human with normal vision would be able to detect a difference in color between lights (e.g., between light that exits from a first light engine and light that exits from a second light engine).
The expression “light that exits a light engine is of a first color point” (and similar or analogous expressions) means the color point of light (or a mixture of light) exiting the light engine, i.e., if light that exits the light engine is all of a single color point (e.g., if the light engine includes only a single light source), the light that exits the light engine is of that color point, and if light that exits the light engine is a mixture of light of different color points (e.g., if the light engine includes two or more light sources that emit light of different color points), the light that exits the light engine is of the color point that the mixture of light is.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including” when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. A statement that something comprises an element (e.g., an element of a type or group) does not preclude the presence of additional elements of the same type (for instance, recitation that a light fixture “comprises a first light engine” does not preclude the light fixture from having a second light engine or other light engines). The term “include” (or the like, e.g., “including”) also specifies the presence of the listed item or items, but does not preclude the presence or addition of other items (e.g., “including” means including but not limited to).
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
The color of visible light emitted by a light source, and/or the color of a mixture visible light emitted by a plurality of light sources can be represented on either the 1931 CIE (Commission International de l'Eclairage) Chromaticity Diagram or the 1976 CIE Chromaticity Diagram. Persons of skill in the art are familiar with these diagrams, and these diagrams are readily available (e.g., by searching “CIE Chromaticity Diagram” on the internet).
The CIE Chromaticity Diagrams map out the human color perception in terms of two CIE parameters, namely, x and y (in the case of the 1931 diagram) or u′ and v′ (in the case of the 1976 diagram). Each point (i.e., each “color point”) on the respective Diagrams corresponds to a particular hue. For a technical description of CIE chromaticity diagrams, see, for example, “Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology”, vol. 7, 230-231 (Robert A Meyers ed., 1987). The spectral colors are distributed around the boundary of the outlined space, which includes all of the hues perceived by the human eye. The boundary represents maximum saturation for the spectral colors.
The 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram can be used to define colors as weighted sums of different hues. The 1976 CIE Chromaticity Diagram is similar to the 1931 Diagram, except that similar distances on the 1976 Diagram represent similar perceived differences in color.
The expression “hue”, as used herein, means light that has a color shade and saturation that correspond to a specific point on a CIE Chromaticity Diagram, i.e., a point that can be characterized with x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram or with u′, v′ coordinates on the 1976 CIE Chromaticity Diagram.
In the 1931 Diagram, deviation from a point on the Diagram (i.e., “color point”) can be expressed either in terms of the x, y coordinates or, alternatively, in order to give an indication as to the extent of the perceived difference in color, in terms of MacAdam ellipses (or plural-step MacAdam ellipses). For example, a locus of points defined as being ten MacAdam ellipses (also known as “a ten-step MacAdam ellipse) from a specified hue defined by a particular set of coordinates on the 1931 Diagram consists of hues that would each be perceived as differing from the specified hue to a common extent (and likewise for loci of points defined as being spaced from a particular hue by other quantities of MacAdam ellipses).
A typical human eye is able to differentiate between hues that are spaced from each other by more than seven MacAdam ellipses (and is not able to differentiate between hues that are spaced from each other by seven or fewer MacAdam ellipses).
Since similar distances on the 1976 Diagram represent similar perceived differences in color, deviation from a point on the 1976 Diagram can be expressed in terms of the coordinates, u′ and v′, e.g., distance from the point=(Δu′2+Δv′2)′. This formula gives a value, in the scale of the u′ v′ coordinates, corresponding to the distance between points. The hues defined by a locus of points that are each a common distance from a specified color point consist of hues that would each be perceived as differing from the specified hue to a common extent.
A series of points that is commonly represented on the CIE Diagrams is referred to as the blackbody locus. The chromaticity coordinates (i.e., color points) that lie along the blackbody locus correspond to spectral power distributions that obey Planck's equation: E(X)=A k−5/(e(B/T)−1), where E is the emission intensity, lamda is the emission wavelength, T is the temperature of the blackbody and A and B are constants. The 1976 CIE Diagram includes temperature listings along the blackbody locus. These temperature listings show the color path of a blackbody radiator that is caused to increase to such temperatures. As a heated object becomes incandescent, it first glows reddish, then yellowish, then white, and finally bluish. This occurs because the wavelength associated with the peak radiation of the blackbody radiator becomes progressively shorter with increased temperature, consistent with the Wien Displacement Law. Illuminants that produce light that is on or near the blackbody locus can thus be described in terms of their color temperature.
The expression “dominant wavelength” is used herein according to its well-known and accepted meaning to refer to the perceived color of a spectrum, i.e., the single wavelength of light which produces a color sensation most similar to the color sensation perceived from viewing light emitted by the light source, as opposed to “peak wavelength”, which is well known to refer to the spectral line with the greatest power in the spectral power distribution of the light source. Because the human eye does not perceive all wavelengths equally (it perceives yellow and green better than red and blue), and because the light emitted by many solid state light emitters (e.g., light emitting diodes) is actually a range of wavelengths, the color perceived (i.e., the dominant wavelength) is not necessarily equal to (and often differs from) the wavelength with the highest power (peak wavelength). A truly monochromatic light such as a laser has a dominant wavelength that is the same as its peak wavelengths.
The expression “peak intensity angle” is used herein according to its well-known and accepted meaning to refer to an angle, relative to a plane, that a largest illuminance of light emitted from a light source (or light sources) is travelling, i.e., for each angle (e.g., whole numbers, i.e., 0 degrees, 1 degree, 2 degrees . . . 89 degrees and 90 degrees) relative to a defined plane, the illuminance of light travelling at such angle relative to the plane is determined, and the angle for which the largest illuminance is determined is the “peak intensity angle.”
A statement that “light output from a first light engine provides a first CS value” (or the like) means that the light output from the first light engine would, in the absence of any other light, provide the first CS value. That is, such a statement does not indicate that the light output from the first light engine does not mix with other light from one or more other light engines, or that the total light output from a light fixture that comprises the first light engine provides such first CS value (e.g., the light output from the light fixture can comprise light output from at least a second light engine, and a mixture of light output from the first light engine and the second light engine can have an aggregate CS value that differs from the first CS value.
It is well known that light sources that emit light of respective differing hues (two or more) can be combined to generate mixtures of light that have desired hues (e.g., non-white light corresponding to desired color points or white light of desired color temperature, etc.). It is also well known that the color point produced by mixtures of colors can readily be predicted and/or designed using simple geometry on a CIE Chromaticity Diagram. It is further well known that starting with the notion of a desired mixed light color point, persons of skill in the art can readily select light sources of different hues that will, when mixed, provide the desired mixed light color point. For example, persons of skill in the art can select a first light engine (e.g., comprising a light emitting diode and phosphor), plot the color point of the light exiting from the first light engine (i.e., a first color point) on a CIE Chromaticity Diagram, plot a desired range of color points (or a single desired color point) for mixed light, and draw one or more line segments through the desired range of color points (or the single color point) for the mixed light such that the line segment(s) extend beyond the desired color point(s). Each line segment drawn in this way will have one end at the first color point, will pass through the range for the desired mixed light color point (or the desired single color point), and will have its other end at a second color point. A second light engine can be provided from which light of the second color point exits, and when the first light engine and a second light engine are energized so that light exits from them, the color point of the mixed light will necessarily lie along a line segment connecting the first color point and the second color point, and the location of the color point of the mixed light along the line segment will be dictated by (namely, proportional to) the relative brightnesses of the respective light that exits from the first and second light engines. That is, the greater the proportion of the mixed light that is from the second light engine, the closer the color point of the mixed light is to the second color point; this relationship is geometrically proportional, i.e., the fraction of the length of the line segment that the color point of the mixed light is spaced from the first color point is equal to the fraction of the mixed light that is from the second light engine (and vice-versa), or, in geometric terms, the ratio of (1) the distance from the first color point to the color point of the mixed light, divided by (2) the distance from the first color point to the second color point will be equal to the ratio of the brightness (in lumens) of the first light engine divided by the brightness (in lumens) of the combination of light in the mixed light. Accordingly, once one identifies light sources (or light engines) that provide the endpoints of a line segment that extends through the desired mixed light color point, the desired mixed light color point can be obtained by calculating the relative brightnesses of the first and second light sources (or light engines) necessary to arrive at the desired mixed light color point.
Where more than two light sources (and/or light engines) are used (e.g., where there are mixed light of a first color point from a first light source, light of a second color point from a second light source, and light of a third color point from a third light source), the geometrical relationships can be used to ensure that the desired mixed light color point is obtained (e.g., conceptually, the color point of a sub-mixture of light from the first light source (or the first light engine) and the second light source (or the second light engine) can be determined, and then the color point of a mixture of sub-mixture (having a brightness of the combined brightnesses of the first light source (or the first light engine) and the second light source (or the second light engine)) and the third light source (or the third light engine) can be determined, and the range of mixed light color points that can be reached is defined by the perimeter obtained from drawing lines connecting the respective color points of the light sources (and/or light engines).
As noted above, in accordance with a first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there are provided light fixtures (artificial skylights), in which at least a portion of a first light engine resembles a sky (e.g., a surface of the first light engine looks like the sky to a viewer), and light exiting from a second light engine has one or more characteristics that resemble that (or those) of at least a portion of light emitted by (and received from) the sun.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
A first group of embodiments within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter includes light fixtures that comprise at least first and second light engines and a first sidewall, in which:
A second group of embodiments within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter includes light fixtures that comprise a first light engine and at least a first sidewall, in which:
A third group of embodiments within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter includes light fixtures that comprise at least first and second light engines, in which:
As noted above, each of the first, second and third groups of embodiments in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter comprises a first light engine that comprises at least a first light exit surface, and at least a portion of the first light engine (namely, the first light exit surface) resembles a view of the sky, e.g., a blue sky.
In addition, as noted above, in some embodiments in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, light exiting the first light engine (i.e., upon supplying electricity to a light source of the first light engine) has x, y color coordinates which define a point on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram which is within a quadrilateral area with vertices having x, y coordinates of (0.37, 0.34), (0.35, 0.38), (0.15, 0.20), and (0.20, 0.14) (such area is plotted in
Light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter can, in some embodiments, have only a single light engine that has at least one light exit surface that resembles a view of the sky (i.e., part of the sky), or they can have any number of such light engines. Accordingly, each light engine that comprises a light exit surface that resembles a view of the sky (in light fixtures that comprise more than one such light engine) can have any of the features of a “first light engine” as described herein. In some embodiments, the first light engine is not extremely bright, is blue-ish, is substantially uniform, and the illumination pattern it creates in space beyond the light exit region is substantially non-directional.
Any “first light engine” (i.e., a light engine that comprises at least a first light exit surface that resembles a view of the sky) can have a single light exit surface that resembles a view of the sky or any number of light exit surfaces that each resemble a view of the sky. Accordingly, each light exit surface that resembles a view of the sky (in light engines that comprise more than one such light exit surface) can have any of the features of a “first light exit surface” as described herein.
The first light engine, and the first light exit surface (or surfaces) of the first light engine, can each be of any suitable shape and size, and persons of skill in the art can readily select a suitable shape for the first light engine and a suitable shape for the first light exit surface. For example, the first light engine and/or the first light exit surface can be any combination of flat (or substantially flat), curved (e.g., concave, convex, or a combination of concave regions and convex regions; dome-shaped, elliptical, parabolic), square, rectangular, circular, oval, stepped, of a shape that has a repeating pattern, irregular or random, mosaic, moth's eye, or any other shape. For example, the first light exit surface can be substantially flat and rectangular, substantially flat and square, substantially flat and circular, dome-shaped and rectangular, dome-shaped and square, dome-shaped and circular, etc.
The first light engine can comprise any suitable light engine structure, and persons of skill in the art can readily select such suitable light engine structures. The visible surface of the first light engine can be diffuse, specular or any combination thereof. The expression “specular” is used in accordance with its well-known meaning to refer to mirror-like reflectivity, whereas “diffuse” (in the context of reflectivity) is used to refer to non-mirror-like reflectivity. In some preferred embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the visible surface of the first light engine has a specular glass-like finish, similar to a clear windowpane.
One representative example of a suitable light engine that can be employed as a first light engine in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter is a troffer. Persons of skill in the art are familiar with a wide variety of troffers, and any suitable troffer can be employed. Troffers typically comprise a housing that has one or more reflective surfaces (and/or on which a reflective material is coated, or to which one or more reflective layers is laminated, etc.) and to which one or more light sources is attached. Such troffers often comprise one or more reflective surfaces that are slanted or curved to redirect light (i.e., by reflecting incident light) in a favorable distribution.
Another representative example of a suitable light engine that can be employed as a first light engine in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter is an edge-lit panel. Persons of skill in the art are familiar with a wide variety of edge-lit panels, and any suitable edge-lit panel can be employed. As is well known, edge-lit panels typically comprise [1] a reflective housing and/or a reflective surface, [2] a substantially flat waveguide having first and second major surfaces on opposite sides, the waveguide configured to allow light to exit from one major surface more readily than from the other major surface, and [3] a plurality of light sources arranged along one or more of the edges of the waveguide, such that the light sources emit light into the waveguide and the light exits the waveguide through the major surface that faces away from the reflective housing and/or reflective surface (in some cases, including some light that exits the waveguide through a surface other than the major surface that faces away from the reflective housing and/or reflective surface, and [a] is reflected or back into the waveguide, and eventually exits the waveguide through the major surface that faces away from the reflective housing and/or reflective surface, or [b] is reflected away from the waveguide). A representative example of an edge-lit panel is similar to a backlight for a computer monitor or a cell phone backlight, and comprises one or more light sources (e.g., light emitting diodes) that emit light of any color or colors, a back reflector, a light guide panel, optionally one or more diffusion films and optionally one or more optical films (see also the discussion below in connection with
In addition, in light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter in which an edge-lit panel is employed, light extraction elements that serve in the role of diffusion films (i.e., that provide or enhance diffusion) can optionally be fabricated directly into a light guide panel, and/or onto one or more surfaces of a light guide panel. A representative example of an edge-lit panel that is suitable for use in light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter is an Essentia flat panel available from Cree, Inc., Durham, N.C. (modified to include LEDs selected in accordance with the present description).
In general, in light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter in which an edge-lit panel is employed and in which extraction elements are provided, extraction elements in/on the light guide panel and the films may be engineered in ways known to skilled practitioners so as to deliver any desired light distribution. In the case of the first light engine (i.e. the sky) especially desirable light distributions include Lambertian distributions or distributions oriented more perpendicular to the panel.
Another representative example of a suitable light engine that can be employed as a first light engine in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter is a direct-lit panel, also known as a back-lit panel. Persons of skill in the art are familiar with a wide variety of direct-lit panels, and any suitable direct-lit panel can be employed. A representative example of a direct-lit panel comprises one or more light sources (e.g., LEDs) that emit light of any color or colors, a back reflector, an optical gap, a diffuser plate, optionally one or more diffusion films and optionally one or more optical films (see also the discussion below in connection with
Representative examples of back-lit panels that are suitable for use in light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter are back-lit panels in the LR series available from Cree, Inc., Durham, N.C. (modified to include LEDs selected in accordance with the present description).
In any light fixture in accordance with the present inventive subject matter in which a back-lit panel is employed, a diffusion film (or plural diffusion films) is/are optional and an optical film (or plural optical films) is/are optional.
Another representative example of a suitable light engine that can be employed as a first light engine in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter is a side-lit panel. Persons of skill in the art are familiar with a wide variety of side-lit panels, and any suitable side-lit panel can be employed. A representative example of a side-lit panel comprises one or more light sources (e.g., LEDs) that emit light of any color or colors, a back reflector, an optical gap, a diffuser plate, optionally one or more diffusion films and optionally one or more optical films.
In any light fixture in accordance with the present inventive subject matter in which a side-lit panel is employed, a diffusion film (or plural diffusion films) is/are optional and an optical film (or plural optical films) is/are optional.
As noted above, in some embodiments in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, the first light engine comprises at least a first light exit surface that resembles a sky, e.g., a blue sky. In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first light engine comprises at least a first light exit surface that resembles a sky that is other than a typical blue sky, e.g., the first light exit surface can resemble a light blue sky, a deep blue sky, an overcast sky, a partly cloudy sky, a stormy sky, etc.
In some embodiments in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the color point of light that exits from the first light engine (or from a region or from respective regions thereof) can be changeable, e.g., based on the time of day, user input or actual conditions (e.g., a user can input a color point) of light to be delivered by the first light engine, or by one or more respective regions of the first light engine), and/or the color point (of the first light engine or respective regions of the first light engine) can automatically change over the course of a day. For example, the first light engine, or respective regions of the first light engine, can deliver light, the color point(s) of which automatically change, over the course of a day, along a curve on a CIE Chromaticity Diagram, e.g., along the blackbody locus (or near it), for example decreasing the correlated color temperature over the course of the day or altering other color characteristics of light delivery.
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the image of a sky that is viewable can be changeable, e.g., based on the time of day, user input, input from one or more sensors, or any other input. For example, the appearance of the first light exit surface of a first light engine can be adjusted (e.g., selected from among a number of designed images) based on sensing of actual conditions, based on user input (e.g., a user can input a type of sky image to be displayed), based on the time of day (e.g., the sky image can automatically change over the course of a day, such as from morning sky, to mid-day sky, to afternoon sky, to late-afternoon sky, to dusk, etc.), based on a report of actual conditions (e.g., actual conditions can be reported wirelessly or via a wired connection to the light fixture to cause the first light engine to present a sky image that correlates to actual conditions), based on images captured by a camera (e.g., a remote camera can capture images which are transmitted by wire or wirelessly to the light fixture and those actual images can be reproduced by the first light engine), etc. There exist a wide variety of components, apparatus or systems that are configured so as to have one or more light exit surfaces that display an image (which can be unchanging or which can change with any desired frequency). Representative examples of such components, apparatus or systems include (and are not limited to) LED panels with LED backlighting, plasma displays, LED displays, OLED displays, CRT displays, rear-projection screens, etc.
As noted above, each of the first, second and third groups of embodiments in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter comprises a second light engine, and light exiting from the second light engine has one or more characteristics that resemble that (or those) of at least a portion of light emitted by (and received from) the sun.
Light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter can, in some embodiments, have only a single light engine that has one or more characteristics that resemble that (or those) of at least a portion of light emitted by (and received from) the sun, or they can have any number of such light engines. Accordingly, each light engine that has one or more characteristics that resemble that (or those) of at least a portion of light emitted by (and received from) the sun can have any of the features of a “second light engine” as described herein. Thus, light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter can have two or more light engines that have features of a “second light engine” as described herein.
As noted above, in some embodiments in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, light exiting the second light engine (i.e., upon supplying electricity to a light source of the second light engine) has x, y color coordinates which define a point on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram which is within an area with vertices having x, y coordinates of (0.29, 0.32), (0.32, 0.29), (0.41, 0.36), (0.48, 0.39), (0.48, 0.43), (0.40, 0.41), and (0.35, 0.38) (such area is plotted in
The second light engine can be of any suitable shape, and persons of skill in the art can readily select a suitable shape for the second light engine.
The second light engine can be any suitable size, and persons of skill in the art can readily select a suitable size.
The second light engine can comprise any suitable structure from which light exits, and persons of skill in the art can readily select such suitable structures.
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, the second light engine has directionality, i.e., the direction or directions in which at least a portion of light that exits the second light engine is selected by features of elements in the second light engine and/or by orientation of such features (and/or by features of one or more other components in the light fixture that achieve selected directionality for light that exits the second light engine). Persons of skill in the art are familiar with, and are readily capable of, providing light engines that achieve specific directionality characteristics for exiting light (as well as components for altering directionality characteristics for light that has exited such light engines), and all such light engines and components are encompassed in the present description.
A representative example of a suitable device that can be employed as a second light engine in accordance with some embodiments of the present inventive subject matter is a downlight (e.g., a flood light or a spotlight). Persons of skill in the art are familiar with a wide variety of downlights, and any suitable downlight can be employed.
Another representative example of a suitable device that can be employed as a second light engine in accordance with some embodiments of the present inventive subject matter is an edge-lit panel (see the above discussion of edge-lit panels, as well as the discussion below in reference to
Another representative example of a suitable device that can be employed as a second light engine in accordance with some embodiments of the present inventive subject matter is a direct-lit panel (see the above discussion of direct-lit panels, as well as the discussion below in reference to
Another representative example of a suitable device that can be employed as a second light engine in accordance with some embodiments of the present inventive subject matter is a side-lit panel (see the above discussion of side-lit panels, as well as the discussion below in reference to
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the color point of light and/or wavelength distribution (e.g., selected from among a number of designed wavelength distributions) exiting from the second light engine (or from a region or from respective regions thereof) is changeable, e.g., based on the time of day, user input, input from one or more sensors, or any other input. For example, the color point and/or wavelength distribution of light exiting the second light engine can be adjusted based on sensing of actual conditions, based on user input (e.g., a user can input a color point and/or a wavelength distribution to be delivered), based on the time of day (e.g., the color point and/or wavelength distribution can automatically change over the course of a day). For example, the second light engine, or respective regions of the second light engine, is/are such that the color point(s) and/or wavelength distribution of light that exits therefrom automatically change, over the course of a day, according to one or more designed programs.
As discussed above, some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter comprise at least a first sidewall.
Some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter have no sidewall, some have only a single sidewall, and some have more than one sidewall. The sidewall in any light fixtures that have a single sidewall, or any of the sidewalls in any light fixtures that have two or more sidewalls, can have any of the features of a “first sidewall” as described herein. Since some embodiments have no sidewall, reference herein to “the first sidewall” or the like relates only to embodiments that have at least a first sidewall, and does not indicate that every embodiment has a sidewall.
The first sidewall can comprise only a single sidewall element, or it can comprise any number of sidewall elements (in such cases, the first sidewall is the combination of such multiple sidewall elements).
The first sidewall can be of any suitable size and shape.
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first sidewall is annular. The expression “annular”, as used herein, means a structure that extends around an unfilled region, and which can otherwise be of any general shape, and any cross-sections can be of any shape. For example, “annular” encompasses ring-like shapes which can be defined by rotating any shape about an axis in the same plane as, but spaced from, the shape (one example being where the shape is a rectangle with rounded edges, and a center of the rectangle is a constant distance from a single point on the axis throughout the entire rotation, and where at each stage during the rotation, the rectangle lies in a plane in which the axis also lies; such a shape would be a “circular annular” shape with a uniform substantially rectangular cross-section). “Annular” likewise encompasses shapes which can be defined by rotating a square (or any other two-dimensional shape) about an axis in the same plane as, but spaced from, the square. “Annular” likewise encompasses shapes that can be defined by moving any shape from a first position and orientation, through space along any path without ever moving to a position where part of the shape occupies a space previously occupied by any part of the shape, and eventually returning to the first position and orientation. “Annular” likewise encompasses shapes that can be defined by moving any shape from a first position and orientation, through space along any path without ever moving to a position where part of the shape occupies a space previously occupied by any part of the shape, and eventually returning to the first position and orientation, and where the shape and size of the shape being moved can be altered at any location, and any number of times, during its movement.
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first sidewall can be substantially rectangular annular and of substantially uniform rounded rectangular cross-section (edges where surfaces meet are rounded, i.e., such that a cross-section has four rounded corners, i.e., a shape that resembles a rectangular cardboard box with the top and bottom removed).
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first sidewall can be substantially rectangular annular and of substantially uniform rectangular cross-section (cross-section has four substantially non-rounded corners, e.g., about 90 degrees each).
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first sidewall (or portions of the first sidewall, or sidewall elements that together make up the first sidewall) is substantially vertical, and/or cross-sections of at least a portion of the first sidewall taken perpendicular to a vertical axis (or to any line segment) are substantially uniform, and/or a space defined by the first sidewall would have first and second surfaces that are parallel to each other and perpendicular to regions of the sidewall (e.g., a cubical or orthorhombic space).
In other embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first sidewall (or portions of the first sidewall, or sidewall elements that together make up the first sidewall) is slanted (angled) or curved, e.g., the first sidewall defines a three-dimensional space that is a truncated cone, a truncated pyramid, etc., or cross-sections of at least a portion of the first sidewall taken perpendicular to a vertical axis (or to any line segment) increase linearly, geometrically or non-linearly in one direction along the axis or line segment.
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first sidewall is configured to be mounted in any suitable space, e.g., a hole in a ceiling structure (or the first sidewall is connected to a housing or is part of a housing that can be mounted in any suitable space), e.g., the external shape of the first sidewall corresponds to the internal shape of a hole in a conventional ceiling structure. In some situations, a hole in a ceiling structure can be made to be of any suitable size.
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first sidewall is configured to be mounted in a ceiling of a commercial building, e.g., in a two foot by one foot space or in a one foot by one foot space (or multiples, e.g., two one foot by one foot housings can be mounted in a one foot by two foot space, etc.)(or the first sidewall is connected to a housing or is part of a housing that is configured to be mounted in such a ceiling.
The first sidewall defines (or at least partly defines) a space. In other words, at least a portion of the boundary of the space is defined by at least a portion of the first sidewall. In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, at least some points within the space are along respective line segments that connect respective points on the first sidewall (e.g., on opposite sides of the space). In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first sidewall is annular, and the space comprises every point that is located between a respective pair of points on the first sidewall (e.g., if the first sidewall is circular annular, the space is cylindrical; if the first sidewall is rectangular annular, the space is a rectilinear prism, etc.). In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first sidewall and one or more other structure(s) define the space, i.e., each point in the space is between two respective points, each of which is on the first sidewall or on one of the one or more other structure(s).
The first sidewall can comprise [1] one or more regions from which light exits into the space, [2] one or more regions that reflect light and/or [3] one or more regions that do not substantially reflect light and from which light does not exit (e.g., a sidewall can be partially transmitting and partially reflecting). That is, the first sidewall can reflect light, transport light, transmit light and/or emit light.
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, to an observer, a majority of the light exiting the light fixture appears to come from the sidewall (in other words, the sidewall appears to be illuminated). In some of such embodiments, the sidewall appears to have a significantly different color from light that exits from the first light engine (i.e., resembling the sky). This contrast can be very effective in providing the illusion of a skylight.
As noted above, in accordance with a first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there are provided light fixtures (artificial skylights), in which at least a portion of a first light engine resembles a sky (e.g., a surface of the first light engine looks like the sky to a viewer), and light exiting from a second light engine has one or more characteristics that resemble that (or those) of at least a portion of light emitted by (and received from) the sun; and:
[1] a first group of embodiments within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter includes light fixtures that comprise at least first and second light engines and a first sidewall, in which:
In some embodiments in accordance with the first group of embodiments within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, the first sidewall comprises an interior wall that extends around and defines a space, and the entirety of the surface (or surfaces) of the interior wall of the first sidewall is/are substantially reflective; in some embodiments in accordance with the first group or the third group within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, light exits from a portion of the first sidewall into the space, i.e., the space defined at least in part by the first sidewall; in some embodiments in accordance with the first or the third group within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, light exits (into a space) from the entirety of a surface of the first sidewall that extends around and defines the space; in some embodiments in accordance with the first group or the third group within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, one portion of an interior wall of the first sidewall (that defines an internal space) is reflective, and light exits from another portion of the first sidewall into the space, etc.
There are many ways that a sidewall can be configured such that it has one or more light exit surface (i.e., such that light exits from at least part of its surface or from at least part of one of its surfaces). For example, a sidewall can be configured such that it has one or more light exit surfaces by:
Representative examples of suitable sidewalls that have one or more light exit surface (or sidewall elements making up such sidewalls, or components in such sidewalls) include:
Light that exits from a light exit surface of a sidewall can have any suitable characteristics. In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, light that exits from a light exit surface of a sidewall has one or more characteristics that are described herein for the light that exits from the second light engine (including characteristics such as its color point as well as how it can be adjusted).
There are many ways that a sidewall can be configured such that it is reflective in at least part of its surface. Such reflectivity can be diffuse, specular or any combination thereof. The expression “specular” is used in accordance with its well-known meaning to refer to mirror-like reflectivity, whereas “diffuse” (in the context of reflectivity) is used to refer to non-mirror-like reflectivity. Persons of skill in the art are familiar with a wide variety of reflective materials, laminates, coatings, etc., e.g., MCPET (i.e., foamed sheets made of extra-fine, foamed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) available from Furukawa Electric in Japan), and so a detailed discussion of the various reflective materials that can be employed is not necessary. In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first sidewall, or at least a portion of the first sidewall, can comprise plasterboard or drywall (e.g., Sheetrock).
A sidewall can affect the far-field illumination pattern from the first and/or second light engines in a way that helps create the illusion of light originating from elsewhere (i.e., from the outside sky and sun).
The light sources employed in light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter (e.g., for a first light engine, a second light engine, or a sidewall in a light fixture in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter (including the first group of embodiments, discussed above, and the second and third groups of embodiment, discussed below) or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter (discussed below), or for generating light in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter) can comprise any suitable light source (or light sources). Persons of skill in the art are familiar with, and have ready access to, a wide variety of light sources that emit light in different respective colors, and any suitable light sources can be employed. In any light fixtures, that comprise more than one light source, the light sources can be similar or different, or can include some light sources that are similar and some that are not). Representative examples of types of light sources include light emitting diodes (LEDs), (inorganic or organic, including polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs)), incandescent lights, fluorescent lamps, laser diodes, thin film electroluminescent devices, light emitting polymers (LEPs), halogen lamps, high intensity discharge lamps, electron-stimulated luminescence lamps, etc.
Although the invention could be made using any of these light sources, or a combination of these light sources, LEDs are particularly convenient light sources because LEDs are (a) available in many colors of interest to the invention, (b) compact, (c) energy efficient.
Many of the embodiments are described as comprising LEDs, and much other disclosure below refers to LEDs, but the present inventive subject matter is not limited to any particular type of light source, i.e., as noted above, lighting fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can comprise any suitable light source (or light sources).
Embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter are described herein in detail in order to provide exact features of representative embodiments that are within the overall scope of the present inventive subject matter. The present inventive subject matter should not be understood to be limited to such detail.
Embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter are also described with reference to cross-sectional (and/or plan view) illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments of the present inventive subject matter. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, embodiments of the present inventive subject matter should not be construed as being limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, a molded region illustrated or described as a rectangle will, typically, have rounded or curved features. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region of a device and are not intended to limit the scope of the present inventive subject matter.
In addition, in each of the embodiments depicted in
The expression “group of embodiments,” as used herein, refers to any and all embodiments that have the combination elements and/or features specified. For example, the “first group of embodiments within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter” refers to embodiments that are light fixtures (artificial skylights), that comprise at least first and second light engines and a first sidewall, in which:
Similarly, the second group of embodiments within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, the third group of embodiments within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, etc., encompass any and all embodiments that have the respective combination of features specified.
As discussed above, a first group of embodiments within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter includes light fixtures that comprise at least first and second light engines and a first sidewall, in which the first sidewall defines a space.
Referring to
The first light engine 71 comprises an edge-lit panel (or a direct-lit panel), and the second light engine 72 comprises a downlight. The first sidewall 73 comprises at least a first sidewall aperture 77. The second light engine 72 is positioned and oriented such that at least a portion of it extends through the first sidewall aperture 77 and/or light that exits the second light engine 72 passes through the first sidewall aperture 77.
In some embodiments that comprise one or more sidewall apertures, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, one or more screen structure(s) is/are provided to block from view at least part of the second light engine(s). Such screen structure(s), if provided, can be of any suitable material and can be of any suitable size and shape. In embodiments that comprise one or more screen structure(s), the screen structure(s) can cover as much of the second light engine(s) as desired, and/or the screen structure(s) can partially or completely cover the sidewall aperture(s).
In embodiments in which one or more screen structure(s) is/are provided, the screen structure can have any suitable properties. In some embodiments in which one or more screen structure(s) is/are provided, the screen structure allows passage of a large percentage of light within a first wavelength range and allows passage of a much lower percentage of light within a second wavelength range, e.g., the screen structure filters very little of the light that exits the second light engine and it filters a high percentage of light of other wavelengths. In some embodiments, a screen structure can be provided which reduces glare of light that exits from the second light engine.
The bottom surface of the first light engine 71 can be any desired distance above the ceiling 74 (e.g., about six to about ten inches above the ceiling 74—in respective exemplary embodiments corresponding to this embodiment, the bottom surface of the first light engine 71 can be about six inches above the ceiling 74, the bottom surface of the first light engine 71 can be about ten inches above the ceiling 74, or the bottom surface of the first light engine 71 can be any distance between about six inches and about ten inches above the ceiling 74).
The beam of light 76 that exits from the second light engine 72 provides a sharp shadow and illuminates a portion of the wall 75 (providing an effect in the nature of a wall wash).
The overall visual impression created by some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, e.g., the embodiment depicted in
The troffer 111 comprises at least a first troffer aperture 117. The second light engine 112 is positioned and oriented such that at least a portion of it extends through the first troffer aperture 117 and/or light that exits the second light engine 112 passes through the first troffer aperture 117.
In some embodiments that comprise one or more troffer apertures, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, one or more screen structure(s) is/are provided to block from view at least part of the second light engine(s). The description of screen structures above in connection with
The first light engine 131 comprises an edge-lit panel (or a direct-lit panel), and the second light engine 132 comprises a downlight.
The first sidewall 133 comprises at least a first sidewall aperture 137. The second light engine 132 is positioned and oriented such that at least a portion of it extends through the first sidewall aperture 137 and/or light that exits the second light engine 132 passes through the first sidewall aperture 137. The light fixture 130 is similar to the light fixture 70 depicted in
In
One or more diffusers can be added to any of the embodiments depicted in
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter (including the embodiment depicted in
One or more diffusers can be added to either of the embodiments depicted in
Each of the embodiments depicted in
In some of the first group of embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter: light exiting the first light engine has a first peak intensity angle relative to a first plane defined by at least three points on the first light exit region, light exiting the second light engine has a second peak intensity angle relative to the first plane; and the first peak intensity angle differs from the second peak intensity angle.
As discussed above, a second group of embodiments within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter includes light fixtures that comprise at least a first light engine and a first sidewall, in which:
As noted above, the first sidewall comprises at least a second light exit surface. That is, the first sidewall has one or more surfaces through which light exits, e.g., the first sidewall can be part of a light engine within which light is emitted, and such emitted light (or at least part of such emitted light) exits through the light exit surface(s) into the space, and/or the first sidewall can comprise a light-transporting structure (or part of a light-transporting structure) from which light exits into the space, and/or the first sidewall can comprise a light-transmitting structure (or part of a light-transmitting structure) from which light exits into the space. In some preferred embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the visible surface of the first sidewall has a matte appearance, similar to frosted glass or a matte white-painted surface.
The first sidewall 162 is in the form of the recessed box comprising four surfaces, each of which is, in its entirety, a light exit surface.
The first light engine 161 comprises an edge-lit panel (or a direct-lit panel). The first light engine 161 is configured to deliver sky blue light, and the second light engine is configured to deliver light that has one or more characteristics that resemble that (or those) of at least a portion of light emitted by (and received from) the sun.
In representative embodiments that correspond to
One or more diffusers can be added to any of the embodiments depicted in
In the embodiment depicted in
In some of the second group of embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter: light exiting the first light engine has a first peak intensity angle relative to a first plane defined by at least three points on the first light exit region, light exiting the at least a first sidewall has a second peak intensity angle relative to the first plane; and the first peak intensity angle differs from the second peak intensity angle.
In the embodiment depicted in
In some preferred embodiments, for each surface of the first sidewall, the ratio of the maximum luminance to the minimum luminance is 2.5:1 or less (for example, for each surface of the sidewall, if such surface is conceptually divided into 1000 regions of equal size, the largest luminance in any of such regions is not more than two and a half times the luminance in any other of such regions), and/or the ratio of the maximum luminance of each surface of the first sidewall to the average luminance (averaged across the surface) is 2:1 or less.
In some preferred embodiments, one or more of the four surfaces of the first sidewall may emit little or even no light directly (i.e. only light reflected from elsewhere) to enhance the visual illusion that the first sidewall is being illuminated obliquely by the sun (i.e. one or more of the surfaces appears to be in the shade while the remainder are illuminated.)
In
As discussed above, a third group of embodiments within the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter includes light fixtures that comprise at least a first and second light engines, in which:
In some embodiments in which a surface of a second light engine is substantially flush with a ceiling (or other structure), the far-field light distribution characteristics of the first and second light engines are different from each other. The differing far-field light distribution characteristics of such embodiments are particularly important in such embodiments, because otherwise the combination of blue-ish and yellow-ish light would simply be white and no different from a conventional panel light. In a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, light exiting at high angles (i.e., relative to an axis of the light fixture, e.g., relative to vertical from the fixture 210 as depicted in
Another embodiment is similar to the embodiment depicted in
In some embodiments in which a first light engine and a second light engine are mounted on a surface of a ceiling (or other structure), the far-field light distribution characteristics of the first and second light engines are different from each other. The differing far-field light distribution characteristics of such embodiments is particularly important in such embodiments, because otherwise the combination of blue-ish and yellow-ish light would simply be white and no different from a conventional panel light. In a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, light exiting at high angles (i.e., relative to an axis of the light fixture, e.g., relative to vertical from the fixture 220 as depicted in
Another embodiment is similar to the embodiment depicted in
An embodiment as depicted in
One or more diffusers can be added to any of the embodiments depicted in
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the far-field distribution of light that exits the first light engine differs from the far-field distribution of light that exits from a second light engine and/or light that exits from a sidewall (including any first light engines, second light engines and/or sidewalls described herein).
In one aspect of the respective far-field distributions of light, the distribution of light that exits from the first light engine is closer to perpendicular to a plane defined by a light exit region from the space defined by the sidewall than the distribution of light that exits from the second light engine (e.g., in each of the embodiments depicted in
Representative examples where light that exits from a first light engine is closer to a particular direction than light that exits from a second light engine include:
In some embodiments, a distribution of light that exits from a second light engine having a larger angle relative to perpendicular to a light exit region than light that exits from a first light engine contributes to an illusion of comparatively bright sunlight being reflected and the sky being visible and not as bright.
In another aspect of the respective far-field distributions of light, the distribution of light that exits from the first light engine is closer to perpendicular to a plane defined by a light exit region from the space defined by the sidewall than the distribution of light that exits from the sidewall (e.g., in the embodiment depicted in
In the above discussion, the distribution of light is described in relation to perpendicular to a plane defined by a light exit region from the space defined by the sidewall. In some embodiments, the distribution of light would be described in relation to perpendicular to a plane defined by a largest periphery of the light fixture, or in relation to an axis of rotational symmetry, or in relation to the intersection of two planes of symmetry, or in relation to perpendicular to a plane defined by a light exit surface of the first light engine, or in relation to perpendicular to a plane that is tangential to a curved or dome-shaped light exit surface of the first light engine, or in relation to a plane defined by a surface in which the light fixture is mounted, e.g., a ceiling, a wall, a floor, a slanted structure, etc.
In another aspect of the respective far-field distributions of light, the distribution of light that exits from the first light engine is closer to perpendicular to a plane defined by a light exit surface of the first light engine (or a plane that is tangential to a curved or dome-shaped light exit surface of the first light engine) than the distribution of light that exits from the second light engine (e.g., in each of the embodiments depicted in
In some of the third group of embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter:
In some embodiments of light fixtures and/or methods in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, there is at least some variation in light color among light exiting a light fixture, e.g., the color point of light traveling at a first angle relative to the axis of light distribution differs from the color point of light traveling at a second angle relative to the axis of light distribution. Such differences in color point can be relatively small or relatively large, e.g., a 10-step MacAdam ellipse, a 20-step MacAdam ellipse, at least 0.05 units on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram, at least 0.10 (or 0.15, 0.20. 0.25. 0.30. 0.35, 0.40, 0.45 or 0.50) units on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram.
In some of such embodiments (i.e., embodiments in which there is at least some variation in light color among light exiting a light fixture), at least a portion of such color point variance results from different far-field distribution contributions from a first light engine (resembling the sky) and from a second light engine (resembling the sun). The present specification includes a number of descriptions relating to light fixtures and methods in which the far-field light distribution characteristics of first and second light engines are different from each other.
For conventional lights, color variation over angle (i.e., lighting in which there is a significant difference in the color point of light traveling at different angles relative to an axis of light distribution differs from the color point of light traveling at a second angle relative to the axis of light distribution) is generally not a desirable feature. However, color variation is an important element of natural skylights and therefore is desirable for creating or enhancing the illusion of an artificial skylight. Due to (1) the basic geometry of typical skylights (i.e. a recessed box in ceiling with central window), (2) the sun being visible only at specific angles depending on time of day, and (3) the sky being visible over a relatively large range of angles, the light delivered into a space from a skylight will typically have regions of high CCT (i.e. bluish white) and regions of low CCT (i.e. yellowish light). Some embodiments of the present invention provide this feature.
Another feature of natural daylight is that it generally provides very high quality light having a color rendering index (CRI) of approximately 100. This is because daylight is typically full spectrum light (and also reflects the definition of CRI). Moreover, very high CRI is maintained regardless of the CCT. Thus, a desirable feature of an artificial skylight is that it delivers light having high CRI.
Persons of skill in the art are familiar with ways to achieve high CRI values, and selecting suitable components (e.g., LED components) to achieve high CRI values is straightforward, and therefore discussion of the many ways to achieve such high CRI values is not necessary.
As noted above, in a second aspect, the present inventive subject matter relates to light fixtures that comprise first and second light engines, in which the second light engine comprises at least a first sidewall from which light exits.
In some embodiments in accordance with the second aspect, the at least a first sidewall defines a space, the first light engine delivers light to the space, and at least a first light exit region is at a boundary of the space.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first light engine comprises a light exit surface that defines a first plane, the light exit region defines a second plane, the first plane and the second plane are substantially parallel, and: the first plane is spaced from the second plane by at least three inches, and in some embodiments at least four inches, and in some embodiments at least six inches, and/or at least one surface of the first sidewall defines a plane that defines an angle of at least 75 degrees (and in some embodiments at least 80 degrees, and in some embodiments at least 85 degrees, and in some embodiments about 90 degrees) relative to the first plane and relative to the second plane.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first light engine comprises a light exit surface, a first plane is tangential to the light exit surface, the light exit region defines a second plane, the first plane and the second plane are substantially parallel, and:
In relation to the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, the respective characteristics of light that exits from the first light engine and light that exits from the second light engine are not limited to the descriptions above of the respective characteristics of light that exits from the first light engine and light that exits from the second light engine. The descriptions above of components and materials that are suitable for making a sidewall that has one or more light exit surfaces in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter are applicable to the sidewall that has one or more light exit surfaces in accordance with the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter.
The first sidewall 252 is in the form of the recessed box comprising four surfaces, each of which is, in its entirety, a light exit surface.
The first light engine 251 comprises an edge-lit panel (or a direct-lit panel).
One or more diffusers can be added to the embodiment depicted in
In some embodiments in accordance with the first aspect or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, a periphery of the first light engine is substantially similar to a periphery of the sidewall (or at least a portion of a periphery of the first light engine is substantially similar to a periphery of the sidewall, or a portion of a periphery of the sidewall). For example, in some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the sidewall is substantially rectangular annular and a periphery of the first light engine is substantially rectangular (e.g., such that the first light engine covers substantially all of the space defined by the annular sidewall, except for a relatively thin peripheral border of the space defined by the annular sidewall); in some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the sidewall is substantially circular annular and a periphery of the first light engine is substantially circular.
In some embodiments in accordance with the first aspect or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the sidewall defines (and in some cases extends around) the sides of a space, the sidewall has a first edge that defines (and in some cases extends around) a top boundary of the space and the sidewall has a second edge that defines (and in some cases extends around) a bottom boundary of the space (recognizing that top and bottom are relative, and the sidewall could be in any orientation, such that orientations of the “top” and “bottom” would be affected accordingly). In such embodiments, the bottom boundary can be the light exit region (through which light that exits from the first light engine and light that exits from the second light engine passes), and the top boundary can be space in which the first light engine can be accommodated (e.g., the first light engine is partially within the space), and/or through which light that exits the first light engine can enter the space (e.g., the first light engine is partially or completely outside the space), and/or within which the first light engine is positioned (e.g., the first light engine is completely in the space).
As is evident from the discussion above, in some embodiments in accordance with the first aspect or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, at least some of the dimensions of the first light engine bear a relation to some of the dimensions of the sidewall, and/or the dimensions of the space defined (at least in part) by the sidewall.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first light engine can be positioned relative to the sidewall in any suitable position
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the light fixture can further comprise a back wall, i.e., a structure that partially or completely covers the “top” boundary of the space (and in such embodiments, the first light engine can be partially or completely inside the space).
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the light fixture can further comprise one or more heat dissipation structures and/or one or more heat transfer structures, e.g., heat fins or heat pins can be provided on the side of a back wall (if included) opposite to the space.
The light exit surface of the first light engine can be recessed by any suitable or desired distance relative to the light exit region and/or the sidewall. For example, a ratio of the distance the first light engine is recessed relative to the overall size of the first light engine or the light fixture is not limited. In addition, as noted below, the light fixtures of the present inventive subject matter are scalable (i.e., the size of the light fixtures, or any portion or portions thereof, can be modified by being magnified or shrunk to any degree—see the definition and discussion of “scalable” below). As representative distances of recess, in some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the light exit surface of the first light engine is recessed about one inch to about 40 inches or more (particularly in view of the scalability, the distance of recess can be much larger), in some cases about three inches to about nine inches (e.g., about five inches), for example, the distance between the light exit surface of the first light engine and the light exit region in some embodiments is about three inches to about nine inches, and in some embodiments about five inches, about six inches, about seven inches, about three inches to about five inches, about three inches to about seven inches, or about five inches to about seven inches.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the “top” boundary of the space is of a shape and/or size that is substantially similar to a shape of the “bottom” boundary of the space, and/or the “top” boundary of the space is substantially aligned with the “bottom” boundary of the space (e.g., vertical planes that bisect the “top” of the boundary also bisect the “bottom” of the boundary).
In some embodiments in accordance with the first aspect or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the light fixture can further comprise at least one baffle element. In such embodiments, the baffle element is positioned and oriented such that it increases collimation of light that exits from the second light engine. In embodiments in which one or more baffle element(s) is/are provided, the baffle element(s) can be of any suitable shape (e.g., in a rectilinear grid pattern, in a substantially cylindrical shape, and/or in a honeycomb shape), and can, if desired, be reflective or light-absorbing (for example, in some instances, a baffle element can be colored (or painted) black, so that off-angle light will be absorbed and only light that is substantially parallel (e.g., aligned with an axis of light distribution) will pass through the baffle element. Additionally, reflectors can be used to limit or cut off spill light. Representative examples of baffle elements are depicted in
As mentioned above, in a third aspect, the present inventive subject matter relates to light fixtures that output light having specific characteristics. As discussed in more detail below, the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter (i.e., the “third aspect”) relates in general to any light fixtures that comprise the features described herein in relation to the third aspect and/or that provide the effects described herein in relation to the third aspect. Some of the light fixtures described herein in relation to the first and second aspects of the present inventive subject matter (as well as the fourth through seventh aspects of the present inventive subject matter, discussed below) comprise such features and/or provide such effects, but the third aspect is not limited to only light fixtures in accordance with the first and second aspects (or the fourth through seventh aspects). That is, the scope of the light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect is not limited to any of the features of the first and second aspects of the present inventive subject matter (or the fourth through seventh aspects of the present inventive subject matter).
Light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter are capable of providing light output that can achieve specific biological effects, such as adjusting a person's biological melatonin levels in a desired way (e.g., during twenty-four-hour periods), for instance to adjust a person's circadian rhythm, to ameliorate a person's circadian rhythm disorders, and/or to adjust a person's alertness (e.g., to increase the person's alertness during some daily time periods and/or to increase the person's drowsiness during other daily time periods).
In animals, circulating levels of the hormone melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) typically vary in a daily cycle. The melatonin signal forms part of the system that regulates the sleep-wake cycle by chemically causing drowsiness and lowering body temperature.
Lux is a measure of the intensity of illumination as distinguished by the human eye. This value does not correlate to an objective value of energy radiated or reflected, because different wavelengths within the visible spectrum are perceived with varying sensitivity by the eye. Lux is quantified by evaluating light intensity in consideration of this variable.
The apparent sensitivity of the human circadian system differs from the luminosity function used in determining lux.
While not wishing to be bound by any theories, some have correlated relative suppression of melatonin production in humans vs. wavelength of light to which subjects are exposed. One representative example of such a correlation might be that:
An example of a plot of relative suppression of melatonin production in humans vs. wavelength of light to which subject are exposed can be found in Rea et al., Journal of Circadian Rhythms, 2010, 8:2 (http://www.jcircadianrhythms.com/content/8/1/2) (see
CS value (“circadian stimulus value”) for a light source is a measure of the percentage of melatonin suppression when exposed (i.e., illuminance received at the eye) to the light source (i.e., a CS value of 0.2 correlates to 20% melatonin suppression, a CS value of 0.4 correlates to 40% melatonin suppression, a CS value of 0.6 correlates to 60% melatonin suppression, a CS value of 0.8 correlates to 80% melatonin suppression, etc. CS values are described in M. S. Rea et al, “Modeling the spectral sensitivity of the human circadian system,” 2012; see also online link to calculator http://www.Irc.rpi.edu/programs/lightHealth/index.asp.
Circadian rhythm disorders have been associated by some with change in nocturnal activity (e.g., nighttime shift workers), change in longitude (e.g., jet lag), and/or seasonal change in light duration (e.g., seasonal affective disorder, with symptoms including depression). In 2007, the World Health Organization named late-night shift work as a probable cancer-causing agent.
Aspects that relate to melatonin levels and the human circadian cycle are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,030,103, 9,039,746, and 9,681,510, and U.S. Pat. No. 9,532,382, the entireties of which wherein the entire contents of the foregoing patents are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
In accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a light fixture that comprises at least a first light engine and a second light engine, in which:
In some embodiments in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a light fixture that comprises one or more light engines that output light that provides strong suppression of melatonin (and/or a high CS value) at a given photopic illuminance, as well as one or more light engines that output light that does not (and/or a light fixture that comprises one or more light engines that can be controlled or adjusted to selectively output (1) light that provides strong suppression of melatonin (and/or a high CS value), e.g., at a given photopic illuminance and (2) light that does not provide strong suppression of melatonin), e.g., at said given photopic illuminance. The present inventive subject matter also comprises methods that comprise exposing a subject, e.g., a human, to light output from such light fixtures. In some embodiments in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, controls are provided to adjust the light output by the light fixture to adjust the degree of melatonin suppression provided to a person subjected to the light output by the light fixture (and/or to adjust the CS value provided by such light). For example, light fixtures can have multiple melatonin suppression settings (and/or CS value settings), incremental melatonin suppression settings (and/or CS value settings), or a substantially continuous range of melatonin suppression capabilities (and/or CS value settings). Melatonin suppression (and/or CS value of output light) of such light fixtures can be controlled automatically (e.g., in accordance with a daily cycles or selection of one of a number of selectable daily cycles, in accordance with user input, in response to feedback of a person's biological melatonin levels, in response to one or more sensed conditions, etc.). Control signals can be received by the light fixtures in any suitable way, e.g., wirelessly or through a wired connection. The present inventive subject matter also comprises methods that comprise exposing a subject, e.g., a human, to light output from such light fixtures.
Light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter can comprise solid state light emitters (e.g., LEDs) or any other light sources, any of which optionally include wavelength conversion material (e.g., phosphors), to provide the capability of outputting light of different color points at different times. Such light fixtures can comprise controls for controlling the light source(s) to output light of different color points at different times (e.g., light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter can comprise any LED lights where individual and/or groups of LEDs with different colors (e.g., of wavelength converted colored or white LEDs and/or non-wavelength converted LEDs) are controlled to produce different mixtures of the light to provide some or all of the effects described in relation to the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, e.g., to adjust one or more persons' circadian rhythm, to ameliorate one or more persons' circadian rhythm disorders, to adjust one or more persons' alertness, to provide a particular CS value in a subject or to bring a subject's CS value to above or below a particular CS value, and/or to provide a desired melatonin suppression or to bring melatonin suppression to above or below a particular degree of suppression).
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, upon supplying electricity to the light fixture:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein,
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, there is provided a light fixture in which:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
In some of such embodiments:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the light fixture is capable of outputting light that provides a CS value of at least 0.3 at a photopic illuminance of 300 lux. In some of such embodiments, the light fixture is also capable of outputting light that provides a CS value of less than 0.15 at a photopic illuminance of 200 lux.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the light fixtures are capable of outputting light that provides a CS value (in at least some humans) of at least 0.3 during at least a first part of the day, and outputting light that provides a CS value (in at least some humans) of less than 0.15 during at least a second part of the day, the photopic lux output during the second part of the day comprising at least 50% (and in some embodiments at least 60%, 70%, 80% or 90%) of the photopic lux output during the first part of the day.
Some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the first aspect or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter are particularly well suited to being used to affect a person's biological melatonin levels in a desired way. In some of such embodiments, for example, the light fixture (artificial skylight) comprises one or more light engines (e.g., the first light engine, which resembles the sky) that output light that provides strong suppression of melatonin, as well as one or more light engines (e.g., the second light engine, which has one or more characteristics that resemble that (or those) of at least a portion of light emitted by (and received from) the sun) that output light that provides less suppression of melatonin. In other words, a light fixture in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter can comprise features described herein in connection with the first and/or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter. In some of these embodiments, controls are provided to adjust the light output by the light fixture to adjust a predicted degree of melatonin suppression provided to a person subjected to the light output by the light fixture (and/or to provide a specific CS value or a CS value greater than or less than a specific value). For example, light fixtures can have multiple predicted melatonin suppression settings (and/or CS value settings or range settings), incremental predicted melatonin suppression settings (and/or CS value settings or range settings), or a substantially continuous range of predicted melatonin suppression capabilities (and/or CS value settings). Predicted melatonin suppression of such light fixtures (and/or CS values) can be controlled automatically (e.g., in accordance with a daily cycles or selection of one of a number of selectable daily cycles, in accordance with user input, in response to feedback of a person's biological melatonin levels, in response to one or more sensed conditions, etc.). Control signals can be received by the light fixtures in any suitable way, e.g., wirelessly or through a wired connection.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a light fixture comprising:
Light fixtures in accordance with the fourth aspect of the present inventive subject matter are capable of providing a phenomenon in which a person (e.g., a person in a room in which such a light fixture is installed) can see light of a first color point incident on a surface (i.e., the first surface) of the light fixture (e.g., a sidewall as discussed herein) and feel the sensation of perceiving the light from the light fixture to have such color point, while the actual cumulative light output from the light fixture is of a different color point (“cumulative light output from the light fixture” meaning a mixture of all of the light output from the light fixture, or substantially all of such light, or at least 90% of such light). Such a light fixture can thus achieve such a phenomenon where desired, e.g., in some instances it can be advantageous to provide to a person a sensation that a light fixture is outputting light that is of an aesthetically more pleasing color point when the light fixture is actually outputting (in aggregate, or cumulatively) light that is of an aesthetically less pleasing color point. In a representative example, light output from a light fixture having a cumulative color temperature (or correlated color temperature) of 5300K is frequently considered not aesthetically pleasing, and in accordance with a light fixture described in the present paragraph (and the paragraph preceding the present paragraph), a person's vision can be “tricked” into thinking that the light output from the light fixture is of a more pleasing color temperature (i.e., a lower color temperature, providing a sensation of “warmer” light) by having at least a first surface of the light fixture on which light of such more pleasing color temperature is incident (and typically a large portion of such light is reflected by the first surface). The phenomenon described in the present paragraph can be enhanced where the light that is incident on the at least a first surface is of comparatively high luminosity, i.e., is of wavelength (or wavelengths and/or wavelength ranges) for which human visual perception of brightness is comparatively high; as is well known by persons of skill in the art, the photopic luminosity function (also known as luminous efficiency function) describes the average spectral sensitivity of human visual perception of brightness, based on subjective judgments of which of a pair of different-colored lights is brighter, to describe relative sensitivity to light of different wavelengths. The color temperatures that are typically considered more pleasant are typically of higher luminosity, thereby further enhancing the phenomenon described in the present paragraph where light of an aesthetically pleasing color temperature that also has high luminosity is incident on the at least a first surface.
As noted above, in accordance with the fourth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a light fixture comprising: at least a first light engine, and at least a first surface, the light fixture configured such that upon supplying electricity to the light fixture:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fourth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fourth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the light fixture further comprises at least a first sidewall, and the first surface is on the first sidewall.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fourth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
In some embodiments in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there are provided light fixtures that comprise at least some of the features described above in connection with the first aspect of the present invention, e.g., light fixtures (artificial skylights), in which at least a portion of a first light engine resembles a sky (e.g., a surface of the first light engine looks like the sky to a viewer), and light exiting from a second light engine has one or more characteristics that resemble that (or those) of at least a portion of light emitted by (and received from) the sun. In some of such embodiments, as discussed above in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter:
In accordance with a fifth aspect in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a light fixture comprising:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the first light engine comprises at least one light emitter, and/or the second light engine comprises at least one light emitter.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the first light engine comprises at least one LED, and/or the second light engine comprises at least one LED.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the first light engine comprises at least two light emitters, and/or the second light engine comprises at least two light emitters.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the first light engine comprises at least two LEDs, and/or the second light engine comprises at least two LEDs.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first light engine is spaced from the second light engine laterally and/or vertically relative to the second light engine. The expression “first light engine spaced laterally relative to the second light engine” means that the first light engine is spaced from the second light engine in a plane perpendicular to an axis of light distribution of the second light engine. The expression “first light engine spaced vertically relative to the second light engine” means that the first light engine is spaced from the second light engine in a direction along the axis of light distribution of the second light engine. Accordingly, the expression “the first light engine is spaced from the second light engine laterally and/or vertically relative to the second light engine” means that the first light engine is [1] spaced from the second light engine in a plane perpendicular to an axis of light distribution of the second light engine, [2] spaced from the second light engine along the axis of light distribution of the second light engine, or [3] spaced from the second light engine along a line spaced from and parallel to the axis of light distribution of the second light engine. For instance, in some of such embodiments, there can be provided a plurality of light engines (in which at least two of such light engines are configured to output light of respective differing color points), in which a first of such light engines is in a first location and others of such light engines are spaced laterally around the first light engine (e.g., the first light engine has a generally square surface through which output light exits the first light engine, and other light engines are positioned as a ring around the first light engine)(i.e., as an example where a first light engine is spaced from a second light engine, and from other light engines, laterally.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the light fixture further comprises at least a third light engine.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the first light engine is configured to output light that has a first axis of light distribution, the second light engine is configured to output light that has a second axis of light distribution, and the first axis of light distribution differs from the second axis of light distribution.
In some of such embodiments, an angle of the first axis of light distribution relative to a first plane differs from an angle of the second axis of light distribution relative to the first plane, and in some of those embodiments, the first and second light engines are configured and oriented such that the first plane is defined by a region through which at least some light output from the first light engine and at least some light output from the second light engine exits the light fixture.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the first light engine is configured to output light that has a first peak intensity angle relative to a first plane, the second light engine is configured to output light that has a second peak intensity angle relative to the first plane, and the first peak intensity angle differs from the second peak intensity angle. In some of such embodiments, the first and second light engines are configured and oriented such that the first plane is defined by a region through which at least some light output from the first light engine and at least some light output from the second light engine exits the light fixture.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the light fixture further comprises at least a first control element, the at least a first control element controls independently at least a brightness of light exiting from the first light engine and a brightness of light exiting from the second light engine.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the light fixture further comprises at least a first control element, the at least a first control element controls at least a brightness of light exiting from the first light engine and a brightness of light exiting from the second light engine. In some of such embodiments: the first control element controls the brightness of light exiting from the second light engine based on the brightness of light exiting from the first light engine; or the first control element controls the brightness of light exiting from at least one of the first light engine and the second light engine based on a parameter selected from among (1) a color point of a mixture of light exiting from the light fixture, (2) a brightness of light exiting from the light fixture, (3) a time of day and (4) a melatonin suppression setting.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the light fixture further comprises at least a first light extraction element that affects light distribution characteristics of light exiting from at least one of the first and second light engines.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the light fixture further comprises at least a first diffuser that affects light distribution characteristics of light exiting from at least one of the first and second light engines.
In accordance with a sixth aspect in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a light fixture comprising:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the sixth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the first light engine is configured to output light of a first color point, the second light engine is configured to output light of a second color point, and the first color point is spaced from the second color point.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the sixth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: light incident on the first sidewall has a first ratio (which can be as high as infinity) of light output from the second light engine to light output from the first light engine, light output from the light fixture has a second ratio (which can be as low as zero) of light output from the second light engine to light output from the first light engine, and the first ratio is larger than the second ratio.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the sixth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the second light engine is movable relative to the first light engine and the first sidewall. In some of such embodiments:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the sixth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the sixth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the second light engine is in the space.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the sixth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the first sidewall comprises at least a second light exit surface, and upon supplying electricity to the light fixture, light exits the second light exit surface. In some of such embodiments, at least one of [A], [B], [C] or [D] (below) is satisfied:
In accordance with a seventh aspect in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a light fixture comprising:
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the seventh aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first control element is configured to adjust the brightness of light exiting from a first portion of the sidewall and a brightness of light exiting from a second portion of the sidewall based on the time of day (e.g., according to a repeating 24-hour cycle).
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the seventh aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first control element is configured to adjust the color point of light exiting from a first portion of the sidewall and the color point of light exiting from a second portion of the sidewall based on the time of day (e.g., according to a repeating 24-hour cycle), and (1) the color point of light exiting from the first portion of the sidewall at a first time of day differs from the color point of light exiting from the first portion of the sidewall at a second time of day, (2) the color point of light exiting from the second portion of the sidewall at the first time of day differs from the color point of light exiting from the second portion of the sidewall at the second time of day, and (3) the color point of light exiting from the first portion of the sidewall at the first time of day differs from the color point of light exiting from the second portion of the sidewall at the first time of day.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the seventh aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the first control element is configured to adjust the brightness and the color point of light exiting from a first portion of the sidewall, and the brightness and the color point of light exiting from a second portion of the sidewall based on the time of day (e.g., according to a repeating 24-hour cycle).
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the seventh aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the first sidewall has at least a first sidewall aperture, and at least some light that exits the first light engine enters the space through the first sidewall aperture. In some of such embodiments: the light fixture further comprises at least a first screen; and at least some light that exits the first light engine passes through the first screen.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the seventh aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the first sidewall comprises at least said first light engine, the first sidewall comprises at least one light-transporting structure, and/or the first sidewall comprises at least one light-transmitting structure.
An eighth aspect of the present inventive subject matter is directed to a method of supplying light, comprising: supplying electricity to a light fixture, the light fixture comprising:
In some embodiments of methods in accordance with the eighth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the method can optionally further comprise adjusting the brightness of light output from the first light engine and/or adjusting the brightness of light output from the second light engine so that a subject receives light that provides a CS value of at least 0.3 at an illuminance of 300 lux during a first part of the day, and a CS value of less than 0.15 at an illuminance of 200 lux (and/or a CS value of less than 0.2 at an illuminance of 300 lux) during a second part of the day.
A ninth aspect of the present inventive subject matter is directed to a method of supplying light, comprising:
In some embodiments of methods in accordance with the ninth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the first light engine and the second light engine are in a light fixture that further comprises a first sidewall that defines said space.
A tenth aspect of the present inventive subject matter is directed to a method of supplying light, comprising:
In some embodiments of methods in accordance with the tenth aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein: the light output from the first light engine is of a first color point, the light output from the second light engine is of a second color point, and the first color point is spaced from the second color point.
An eleventh aspect of the present inventive subject matter is directed to methods of affecting a subject's (e.g., a human's) biological melatonin levels, comprising exposing such subject to light output from a light fixture (as described herein, including but not limited to light fixtures in accordance with the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh aspects) in accordance with the present inventive subject matter.
In some embodiments of methods in accordance with the eleventh aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the method comprises exposing a subject to light output from a light fixture (e.g., a light fixture in accordance with the present inventive subject matter) to provide a CS value in said subject of at least 0.3 at an illuminance of 300 lux.
In some embodiments of methods in accordance with the eleventh aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the method comprises exposing a subject to light output from a light fixture (e.g., a light fixture in accordance with the present inventive subject matter) to provide a CS value in said subject of at least 0.3 at an illuminance of 300 lux during part of the day, and exposing said subject to light output from said light fixture to provide a CS value in said subject of less than 0.3 during a different part of the day (e.g., at an illuminance of 300 lux, and/or a CS value of less than 0.25 (in some cases less than 0.2) at an illuminance of 200 lux).
In some embodiments of methods in accordance with the eleventh aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the method comprises exposing a subject to light output from a light fixture (e.g., a light fixture in accordance with the present inventive subject matter) to provide a CS value in said subject of at least 0.3 at an illuminance of 300 lux during part of the day, and exposing said subject to light output from said light fixture to provide a CS value in said subject of less than 0.15 at an illuminance of 200 lux (and/or less than 0.2 at an illuminance of 300 lux) during a different part of the day.
In some embodiments of methods in accordance with the eleventh aspect of the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the method comprises exposing a subject to light output from a light fixture (e.g., a light fixture in accordance with the present inventive subject matter) to provide a CS value in said subject of at least 0.3 at an illuminance of 300 lux during at least a first part of the day, and exposing said subject to light output from said light fixture to provide a CS value in said subject of less than 0.15 during at least a second part of the day, the lumens output during the second part of the day comprising at least 50% (and in some embodiments at least 60%, 70%, 80% or 90%) of the lumens output during the first part of the day.
It is well known that the CCT or color of daylight changes over the course of a day, seasons, due to weather. etc. In some of the embodiments described in the preceding two sentences, the CCT of light exiting from the first light engine (CCT1) differs from the CCT of light exiting from the second light engine (CCT2), whereby the CCT for the overall light exiting from the light fixture includes at least a contribution of CCT1 from the first light engine and a contribution of CCT2 from the second light engine. In such embodiments, change in CCT during the day can be achieved by changing the ratio of light contribution from the “sun” (second light engine) to light contribution from the “sky” (first light engine).
It is also well known that the color of the sun and the sky portions of daylight change over the course of a day, seasons, due to weather. etc. In some of the embodiments described above, the CCT of the light exiting the first light engine (CCT1) may be made adjustable by including in its fabrication at least two different color light-emitting sources whose output is independently controlled. Likewise, the CCT of the light exiting the second light engine (CCT2) may made adjustable by including in its fabrication at least two different color light-emitting sources whose output is independently controlled.
In some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the color and/or the brightness of: light that exits from the first light engine (or any portion thereof), light that exits from the second light engine (or any portion thereof), and/or light that exits from a sidewall, can be varied over time (e.g., during the course of the day) automatically (e.g., programmed accordingly to a daily pattern, a monthly pattern, based on sensed condition, etc.) or manually by a user (e.g., by inputting commands in a control that provides signals wirelessly or through a wired connection). For instance, color-changing LED technology with programmable correlated color temperature and/or intensity settings may be employed for these purposes.
The color and/or the brightness of light that exits from one component (e.g., a first light engine) can be controlled independently of the color and/or the brightness of light that exits from another component (e.g., a second light engine or a sidewall).
In some embodiments that comprise one or more sidewall that comprises a light exit surface, light exiting various portions of the sidewall can be adjusted over the course of the day (e.g., with a box-shaped sidewall, one side can be illuminated more strongly in the morning hours and less in the late afternoon hours, and an opposite side can be illuminated less in the morning hours and more in the late afternoon hours to provide or enhance the appearance of movement of the sun during the day.
As discussed above, it is well known that light sources that emit light of respective differing hues (two or more) can be combined to generate mixtures of light that have desired hues. Any light described herein can be provided as a mixture of two or more portions of light that can be of differing color points. For example, the first light engine (and/or the second light engine, and/or any other light engine) can comprise a plurality of LEDs that emit light of two or more respective color points. A light engine that comprises two or more light emitters that emit light of two or more respective color points can be tuned over a range of color points by changing the contribution from each of the two or more light emitters that emit light of respective different color points.
Some embodiments of light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter comprise a control element (or control elements), which (or each of which) can control one or more of:
As a first representative embodiment of a light source that comprises plural light emitters, a first light engine can comprise a first LED and a second LED, in which the first LED emits light of a first color point, the second LED emits light of a second color point (different from the first color point), and the light output from the first light engine, which is a mixture of light emitted by the first LED and light emitted by the second LED, can be adjusted (to any point along a tie line extending from the first color point to the second color point) by changing the contribution from the first LED relative to the contribution from the second LED.
As a second representative embodiment of a light source that comprises plural light emitters, a first light engine can comprise a first LED, a second LED and a third LED, in which the first LED emits light of a first color point, the second LED emits light of a second color point (different from the first color point), the third LED emits light of a third color point (different from the first and second color points), and the light output from the first light engine, which is a mixture of light emitted by the first LED, light emitted by the second LED and light emitted by the third LED, can be adjusted (to any point within an area having the first, second and third color points as its vertices) by changing the contribution from the first LED, the second LED and the third LED relative to each other.
Light from two or more respective light sources can be mixed in any suitable way, e.g., light from one or more of the respective light sources can travel optionally through the same or different light transporting elements, light transmitting elements, etc.
Representative examples of light sources that comprise light emitters that emit light of two or more respective color points, and in which the respective contributions of light of the respective color points can be adjusted, include TrueWhite technology products available from Cree, Inc., Durham, N.C.
By providing light engines that comprise light emitters that emit light of two or more respective color points, it is possible for such a light engine to emit mixtures of light of different color points, e.g., multiple points within the respective regions depicted in
A representative example of a light fixture in accordance with the first aspect or the second aspect of the present inventive subject matter comprises:
Table 1 summarizes relevant characteristics for the four skylight settings, including the electrical power supplied to each of the four LED types.
Results in Table 1 and
As shown in
Since four LED types have been used in this case, in general there are multiple solutions (i.e. sets of supplied power) that can be used to deliver light having a given color point. Thus the powers listed in Table 1 are one set of many possible sets—others may be desirable (e.g. to maximize CRI, efficiency, or blueness of the sky).
The number of presets is not limited to four. With suitable controls, the number of possible color points within the color gamut defined by the four LED types is virtually unlimited.
In other embodiments, the number of LED types may be greater than four.
In a preferred embodiment, the sun light engine can comprise three (or more) LED types such that the light emitted by the sun light engine may be precisely controlled a in two-dimensional color space (e.g. to stay on the BBL at any achievable CCT value.)
In other embodiments, the color gamut of the selected LED types may be larger than shown in
“BSY” is defined as light that has x, y color coordinates (on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram) which define a point that is within either or both of:
“RDO” is defined as red-orange, corresponding to light emitted with a dominant wavelength between 600 nm and 630 nm.
As noted above,
In each of the embodiments shown in
Any light fixture disclosed herein can, if desired, comprise one or more luminescent materials. A luminescent material is a material that emits a responsive radiation (e.g., visible light) when excited by a source of exciting radiation. In many instances, the responsive radiation has a wavelength (or hue) that is different from the wavelength (or hue) of the exciting radiation. Persons of skill in the art are familiar with, and have ready access to, a variety of luminescent materials that emit light having a desired peak emission wavelength and/or dominant emission wavelength, or a desired hue, and any of such luminescent materials, or any combinations of such luminescent materials, can be employed, if desired.
One type of luminescent material are phosphors, which are readily available and well known to persons of skill in the art. Other examples of luminescent materials include scintillators, day glow tapes and inks that glow in the visible spectrum upon illumination with ultraviolet light.
Persons of skill in the art are familiar with, and have ready access to, a variety of luminescent materials that emit light having emission wavelengths (dominant or peak) in well-known ranges, and any of such luminescent materials, and any desired combinations of such luminescent materials, can be employed in accordance with the present inventive subject matter.
Several non-limiting representative examples of luminescent materials that can be employed in the present inventive subject matter include cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (aka “YAG:Ce” or “YAG”), CaAlSiN:Eu2+ (aka “CASN” or “BR01”), BOSE, quantum dots, nitride phosphors (such as (Sr, Ca)SiAlN3:Eu2+) and narrow band phosphors (such as K2SiF6:Mn4+).
Luminescent materials, if included, can be in any suitable form. For example, the luminescent element can be embedded in a resin (i.e., a polymeric matrix), such as a silicone material, an epoxy material, a glass material or a metal oxide material, and/or can be applied to one or more surfaces of a resin.
As noted above, in accordance with a first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there are provided light fixtures (artificial skylights), in which at least a portion of a first light engine resembles a sky (e.g., a surface of the first light engine looks like the sky to a viewer), and light exiting from a second light engine has one or more characteristics that resemble that (or those) of at least a portion of light emitted by (and received from) the sun.
Characteristics of light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be evaluated in a wide variety of ways. One example of a way to evaluate the light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter is to allow a number of test subjects (“observers”, i.e., persons, e.g., ten persons, one at a time) to observe a light fixture in accordance with the present inventive subject matter (and optionally also, simultaneously or in sequence) to observe another light fixture and/or a conventional skylight, and to obtain from each test subject a score (on the respective scales identified below) for each of a number of characteristics, e.g., the following characteristics [A] to [F]:
In another test model, each observer can rate comparatively each of a number of light fixtures, for example, one light fixture per day on three separate days (to rate three different configurations, with the brightnesses for each light engine in each configuration set to a particular value, and the correlated color temperature for each light engine set to a particular value. For each test, each observer can be in the room, by herself or himself, for about ten minutes, and after that time period, the observer can rank each of a number of characteristics of that configuration, and on the third day, each observer can review his or her rankings for all three configurations and make any desired adjustments. As a representative comparison test, for each light fixture configuration, an observer can be asked to give a rating, on a scale of 1 to 4 (1 being “clearly an artificial light, definitely not a skylight”; 2 being “looks more like an artificial light than a skylight”; 3 being “looks more like a skylight than an artificial light”; and 4 being “looks just like a real skylight”), for each of the following characteristics:
For each characteristic ([A]-[H]), an average can be calculated among the observers (and/or any other statistical analysis can be performed, e.g., removing one or more high and low scores, standard deviation, etc.).
In addition, the observers can be asked to characterize the glare from the light fixtures as “acceptable” or “not acceptable”.
In addition, each observer can be asked whether he or she would use the light fixture in his or her office (“Yes”, “No” or “indifferent”).
In addition, each observer can be asked whether he or she would use the light fixture in his or her home (“Yes”, “No” or “indifferent”).
In addition, each observer can be asked to state how he or she feels about the lighting in the room in comparison to other lighting in the room (e.g., whether there is any difference, whether the light is better, worse, more light than a skylight, more glare, etc.).
The relationship between values recorded from such tests can be of interest. For example, a value from [D] which is much lower (e.g., 1 or more, for example 1.2 or 1.3) than the value from [C] might indicate that the blue sky from the first light engine is favorable, but directly viewing the second light engine detracts significantly from such favorable viewpoint.
Below is a table showing various combinations that each comprise a first light engine (“1st”) and a second light engine (“2nd”), along with respective lux values for vertical illuminance (“v”) and horizontal illuminance (“h”), in which brightnesses are adjusted so that the horizontal and vertical illuminances are approximately constant. Illuminance measurements were performed with Konica-Minolta T10 illuminance meter. Horizontal illuminances were measured directly below the light fixture on surface parallel to the ceiling at approximately tabletop height of 2.5 ft from ground. Vertical illuminances were measured on a surface perpendicular to the ceiling at height of about 5 ft from the ground. The configuration of the first and second light engines was similar to the embodiment shown in
As seen above, the favorable results, indicated in Table 2 by “*v” and “*h”, tend to the lower right portion of the table, indicating that in some embodiments it is advantageous for the sky color (CCT) to be bluer (higher) than the sun color (CCT).
Representative combinations from Table 2 that provide particularly favorable results include: 17,000K first light engine and 5000K second light engine; 9000K first light engine and 3000K second light engine; 6000K first light engine and 3000K second light engine; 9000K first light engine and 4000K second light engine; 17,000K first light engine and 4000K second light engine; 5000K first light engine and 3000K second light engine; and 17,000K first light engine and 3000K second light engine.
Light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter are scalable (i.e., the size of the light fixtures, or any portion or portions thereof, can be modified by being magnified or shrunk to any degree). For example, a large (or immense) light fixture can be made by increasing the size of one or more components and/or by increasing the number of components (e.g., providing an array of direct-lit panels and an array of downlights, etc.). In view of the scalability of the present inventive subject matter, the brightness (e.g., quantity of lux and/or lumens delivered) is similarly scalable, and accordingly there are effectively no limits.
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, a second light engine is movable relative to a first light engine and/or a sidewall. In some of such embodiments, the light fixture further comprises a motor that is configured to move a second light engine, and/or to change the orientation of the second light engine, relative to the first light engine and/or a sidewall (e.g., by moving and/or altering the orientation of a support that is configured to hold the second light engine), e.g., in devices in accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter to mimic changes in sunlight over the course of a day and/or seasons of the year (e.g., to alter the angle of at least some of the light that exits from the second light engine to resemble changes that occur to sunlight over the course of a day). In embodiments in which the second light engine is movable relative to the first light engine and the sidewall, such movement can be automatic and/or input manually (e.g., by a user).
In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, including some embodiments that include or do not include any of the features described herein, the light fixture further comprises at least a first waveguide and/or a first light guide, and a second light engine is positioned relative to the first waveguide and/or the first light guide such that light that exits from the second light engine enters the first waveguide (and/or the first light guide). In some of such embodiments, the first waveguide (and/or the first light guide) is/are movable relative to the second light engine to change the orientation and/or the position of the first waveguide (and/or the first light guide) relative to the second light engine. For example, in some embodiments, the light fixture further comprises a waveguide bracket (which is configured to hold the first waveguide) and/or a light guide bracket (which is configured to hold the first light guide) and a motor which is configured to change the orientation and/or position of the first waveguide (and/or the first light guide) relative to the second light engine.
In some embodiments in which the light fixture comprises at least a first waveguide and/or a first light guide, the first waveguide (and/or the first light guide) is configured to change the direction(s) that at least some light that exits from the second light engine travels upon changing the orientation and/or position of the first waveguide (and/or the first light guide) relative to the second light engine.
In some embodiments in which the light fixture comprises at least a first waveguide and/or a first light guide, movement (changing the orientation and/or position) of the first waveguide (and/or the first light guide) relative to the second light engine corresponds to passage of time, e.g., the direction(s) of travel (e.g., the axis of emission) of at least some light that exits from the second light engine after passing through the first waveguide (and/or the first light guide) changes over the course of the day to correlate with (or emulate) the movement of the sun over the course of the day.
In embodiments in which the light fixture comprises at least a first waveguide and/or a first light guide and the first waveguide (and/or the first light guide) is movable relative to the second light engine, such movement can be automatic and/or input manually (e.g., by a user).
Light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be used as skylights, and/or as wall wash lighting (e.g., light fixtures that are configured and/or oriented such that a large portion of light that exits the light fixtures illuminates one or more walls) or as accent lighting (e.g., light fixtures that are configured and/or oriented such that they throw a large amount of light on a particular area or object(s)).
Light sources in the light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be supplied with electricity in any suitable manner. Skilled artisans are familiar with a wide variety of apparatuses and/or components for supplying electricity to light sources, and any such apparatuses and/or components can be employed in connection with the present inventive subject matter. Light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be electrically connected (or selectively connected) to any suitable power source, persons of skill in the art being familiar with a variety of such power sources.
Light fixtures according to the present inventive subject matter can, as desired, include any suitable circuitry components, e.g., drive electronics for supplying and controlling current passed through any light sources in the light fixture. Persons of skill in the art are familiar with a wide variety of ways to supply and control the current passed through light sources, and any such ways can be employed in light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter. For example, such circuitry can include at least one contact, at least one leadframe, at least one current regulator, at least one power control, at least one voltage control, at least one boost, at least one capacitor and/or at least one bridge rectifier, persons of skill in the art being familiar with such components and being readily able to design appropriate circuitry to meet whatever current flow characteristics are desired.
The light fixtures according to the present inventive subject matter can further comprise any suitable electrical connector, a wide variety of which are familiar to those of skill in the art, e.g., an Edison connector (for insertion in an Edison socket), a GU24 connector, etc., or light fixtures may be directly wired to an electrical branch circuit.
Compensation circuits can be provided to help to ensure that the perceived color (including correlated color temperature) of light exiting a light engine (e.g., a first light engine or a second light engine) is accurate (e.g., within a specific tolerance). Such compensation circuits, if included, can (for example) adjust the current supplied to light sources that emit light of one color and/or separately adjust the current supplied to light sources that emit light of a different color, so as to adjust the color of mixed light, and such adjustment(s) can be (1) based on temperature sensed by one or more temperature sensors (if included), and/or (2) based on light sensed by one or more light sensors (if included) (e.g., based on one or more sensors that detect (i) the color of the light that exits from a light engine and/or a light source, and/or (ii) the brightness of the light being emitted from one or more light sources, and/or (iii) the brightness of light of one or more specific hues of color), and/or based on any other sensors (if included), factors, phenomena, etc.
A wide variety of compensation circuits are known, and any can be employed in the light fixtures according to the present inventive subject matter. For example, a compensation circuit may comprise a digital controller, an analog controller or a combination of digital and analog. For example, a compensation circuit may comprise an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a collection of discrete components or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, a compensation circuit may be programmed to control one or more light sources. In some embodiments, control of one or more light sources may be provided by the circuit design of the compensation circuit and is, therefore, fixed at the time of manufacture. In still further embodiments, aspects of the compensation circuit, such as reference voltages, resistance values or the like, may be set at the time of manufacture so as to allow adjustment of the control of the one or more light sources without the need for programming or control code.
Energy can be supplied to the at least one light source from any source or combination of sources, for example, the grid (e.g., line voltage), one or more batteries, one or more photovoltaic energy collection devices (i.e., a device that includes one or more photovoltaic cells that convert energy from the sun into electrical energy), one or more windmills, etc.
The light fixtures in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can comprise any suitable heat transfer or dissipation elements, structures, components and/or materials, and/or cooling elements, as desired or needed to comply with regulations and/or to assist in providing a long useful life for the light fixtures and the components therein (e.g., light emitting diodes). Persons of skill in the art are familiar with a wide variety of heat transfer or dissipation elements, structures, components and materials, and schemes for their deployments, and a wide variety of cooling elements, and schemes for their deployment, and any such heat transfer or dissipation elements, structures, components and/or materials, and/or cooling elements, and schemes, combinations and arrangements thereof can be employed in accordance with the present inventive subject matter.
Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive subject matter. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of example, and that it should not be taken as limiting the inventive subject matter as defined by the following claims. The following claims are, therefore, to be read to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth but all equivalent elements for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, and also what incorporates the essential idea of the inventive subject matter.
Any two or more structural parts of the light fixtures described herein can be integrated. Any structural part of the light fixtures described herein can be provided in two or more parts (which may be held together in any known way, e.g., with adhesive, screws, bolts, rivets, staples, etc.). Similarly, any two or more functions can be conducted simultaneously, and/or any function can be conducted in a series of steps.
Additionally disclosed is a lighting fixture that appears as a skylight and is referred to as a skylight fixture. The skylight fixture has a sky-resembling assembly and a plurality of sun-resembling assemblies. The sky-resembling assembly has a sky-resembling optical assembly and a sky-specific light source, wherein light from the sky-specific light source exits a planar interior surface of the skylight optical assembly as skylight light. The sun-resembling assemblies are arranged adjacent one another and extend downward from a periphery of the sky-resembling assembly. Each of the plurality of sun-resembling assemblies has a sun-resembling optical assembly and a sun-specific light source, wherein light from the sun-specific light source exits a planar interior surface of the sunlight optical assembly as sunlight light. The planar interior surfaces of the skylight optical assembly and the plurality of sunlight optical assemblies define a cavity. It is understood that the planar surfaces of the various optical assemblies could have other shapes like curved or circular, such as in a dome shaped lighting fixture or the like. One or more control modules alone or in a collective are configured to, in a first mode, drive the sky-specific light source and each sun-specific light source such that the sky-specific light emission has a first color point and the sun-specific light emission of at least one of the plurality of sun-resembling assemblies has a second color point that is different from the first color point. The sky-resembling assembly may be configured to emulate a window of a traditional skylight. Each of the plurality of sun-resembling assemblies may be configured to emulate sunlight passing through and/or reflecting off of sidewalls of a traditional skylight.
An exemplary skylight fixture 310 is illustrated in
In general, the sky-resembling assembly 314 is configured to emit light and provide the appearance of the sky to a viewer. In essence, the sky-resembling assembly 314 emulates the window portion of a traditional skylight. The sun-resembling assemblies 316 are configured to emulate the sidewalls of a traditional skylight. Generally, the sidewalls of a traditional skylight reflect the more directional sunlight emanating from the sun. For the concepts described herein, the sun-resembling assemblies 316 are configured to emulate sunlight coming through the skylight directly at a particular angle or being reflected off of a sidewall. Accordingly, the sky-resembling assembly 314 is configured to provide the generally non-directional light associated with the sky, whereas the sun-resembling assembly 316 emulates the direct sunlight or a reflection thereof from the sun. Depending on the time of day or night, the intensity, color temperature, color of light emitted from the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 will vary in an effort to emulate the light provided by a traditional skylight at different times of the day or night and any transitions therebetween.
For the embodiment of
Also illustrated in
As indicated above, both the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 may be provided by various types of light engines. The sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 in a particular skylight fixture 310 may incorporate the same or different types of light engines. If the same light engines are used for both the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316, these light engines may be configured the same or differently depending on the spectral capabilities of the light engines.
The display assembly 324 is particularly beneficial as a sky-resembling assembly 314 due to the tremendous flexibility in scenes that can be displayed in an effort to emulate the appearance of the sky during any time of the day or night. The display can simply provide a uniform color across the display to emulate the blue sky of day, the sunset in the evening, or the black at night. In more sophisticated embodiments, the display can vary to indicate clouds, stars scattered in the night sky, the reddish orange light illuminating clouds during a sunrise or sunset, and the like. In essence, incorporation of a display assembly 324 provides the flexibility of presenting anything from a specifically colored panel to specific still or moving images, which may be coordinated among multiple skylight fixtures 310.
The embodiments of
With particular reference to
Turning now to
In one embodiment, the appearance of the exposed surfaces of the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 are configured to appear as a traditional skylight, which typically has painted, vertical side walls and a window. As such, the sun-resembling assemblies 316 may have optical assemblies 332, 342, 352, that have low gloss interior surfaces that are flat white in color. The interior surfaces are those that are visible once installed. The low gloss, flat white interior surfaces provide the appearance of the vertical side walls, which are typically painted flat white. The sun-resembling assemblies 316 will be of high efficacy and provide a CRI equal to or greater than 85 or 90 in addition to providing an R9 equal to or greater than 50. Ultra-uniform color mixing and uniform luminance across the interior surfaces of the optical assemblies 332, 342, 352 enhance the emulation effect.
The interior surfaces of the optical assembly 332, 342, 352 of the skylight fixture 310 may be a matt diffuser. For a waveguide embodiment, the optical assembly 332 will include a highly reflective backing on the back surface, which is opposite the interior surface. The sky-resembling assembly 314 should provide a CRI of or greater than 85 or 90 in addition to being color changeable. In one embodiment, the color can range from a sky blue to a very high correlated color temperature, such as white light within three, five, seven, or ten MacAdam ellipses of +/−5% of 5000K or 5500K, depending on the embodiment.
As noted, each of the sky-resembling assembly 314 and the sun-resembling assemblies 316 may be configured the same or differently with respect to their lighting capabilities and characteristics. While different ones of the sun-resembling assemblies 316 may be configured differently on a given skylight fixture 310, they are generally configured the same on a given skylight fixture 310. Given the different objectives for the respective sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316, the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 may be designed to operate at different intensity levels, color spaces, color temperatures, distribution patterns, and the like as well as provide light at different efficacy levels or with different color rendering index values. Further, the different sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 may be designed and/or controlled such that each panel provides light with different characteristics, yet the light from the overall skylight fixture 310 combines to provide light with certain characteristics, which are different from that of either of the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316.
With certain embodiments, the sun-resembling assemblies 316 are designed to emulate the directional nature of sunlight passing through a traditional skylight. The sky-resembling assemblies 314 are designed to emulate the appearance of the sky and the non-directional nature of sunlight passing through a traditional skylight. The sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 may be further configured to emulate the appearance of light passing through or being reflected from window and side walls of the traditional skylight. One of the more significant lighting characteristics in achieving these goals is the color space, and in particular, the color point at which the respective sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 operate.
In certain embodiments, the light exiting the sky-resembling assembly 314 is relatively shifted toward blue in the light spectrum to better emulate the appearance of a blue sky. The light exiting the sun-resembling assembly 36 is relatively shifted toward the red in the light spectrum to better emulate the appearance of sunlight. In a first embodiment, the light exiting the sky-resembling assembly 314 has a color point within a first skylight color space A. As shown in
In a second embodiment, the light exiting the sky-resembling assembly 314 has a color point within a second skylight color space B. As shown in
The first and second embodiments defined above provide relatively limited color spaces for the respective sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 to operate. These embodiments are geared toward emulating a traditional skylight during predominately daylight hours between, but not necessarily including, the sunrise and sunset where the sky may appear less blue and more reddish orange. To expand the functionality of the skylight fixture 310 to better emulate the appearance of a traditional skylight outside of daylight hours, operation in expanded color spaces is beneficial. For example, the color spaces may need to be shifted or expanded to address the deeper blues associated with dusk, dawn, and nighttime as well as the more reddish orange and red hues associated with sunrise and sunset. Exemplary enhanced color spaces for the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 are provided in a third embodiment.
In the third embodiment, the light exiting the sky-resembling assembly 314 has a color point within a third skylight color space C. As shown in
In a fourth embodiment, the color spaces for both the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 are greatly expanded and/or the same or substantially the same. As shown in
In any of the above or alternative embodiments, the ccx value on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram of the color point of light exiting the sky-resembling assembly 314 may be less or about equal than the ccx value on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram of the color point of light exiting the sun-resembling assembly 316. Alternatively, the ccy value on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram of the color point of light exiting the sky-resembling assembly 314 can be less or about equal than the ccy value on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram of the color point of light exiting the sun-resembling assembly 316. In other embodiments, both the ccx value on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram of the color point of light exiting the sky-resembling assembly 314 is less than or about equal the ccx value on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram of the color point of light exiting the sun-resembling assembly 316, and the ccy value on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram of the color point of light exiting the sky-resembling assembly 314 is less than or about equal the ccy value on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram of the color point of light exiting the sun-resembling assembly 316.
In LED-based embodiments, the arrays of LEDs are used for one or both of the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316. In the following embodiments, assume that LED arrays are used for both the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316. In the first embodiment, which is described in association with the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram of
For this embodiment, the first LEDs are bluish LEDs that emit bluish light with a color point CP1 in the lower left of the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram. The bluish LEDs have a 475 nm dominant wavelength and an overall spectrum that is illustrated in
For a two-color LED array, the color point of light exiting the sky-resembling assembly 314 can vary along a tie line that extends between the color points associated with the bluish and white LEDs depending on the extent to which the respective LEDs are driven. In this embodiment, the color point of the light exiting the sky-resembling assembly 314 can vary in color along the tie line from white light with a color temperature of approximately 5000K to a sky blue. Three exemplary color points for sky targets are shown as circles on the tie line. While a two-color LED array is cost effective and provides variable color points along a defined tie line, the overall spectrum associated with the light emitted from a two-color LEDs array is somewhat limited.
One way to increase the overall spectral gamut of the emitted light from the sky-resembling assembly 314 is two use three or more LEDs in the LED array. Using three or more colors in the LED array is beneficial, even if the design dictates varying color along a single, linear tie line. An example of a three color-LED array is illustrated in the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram of
The greenish LEDs emit greenish light with a color point CP5 in the upper left of the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram. The greenish LEDs have a 520 nm dominant wavelength but can range from about 505 nm to about 530 nm in dominant wavelength as illustrated in
Similar concepts are used to design the sun-resembling assemblies 316. For example, the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram of
For reference, color space CS1 is defined by the following x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram: (0.337421, 0.498235), (0.361389, 0.547099), (0.345207, 0.557853), and (0.320079, 0.506653). Color space CS2 is defined by the following x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram: (0.253872, 0.284229), (0.281968, 0.363411), (0.269385, 0.367235), and (0239191, 0.282521). Color space CS3 is defined by the following x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram: (0.547946, 0.298632), (0.532764, 0.307913), (0.586923, 0.341618), and (0.602105, 0.332400). Again, these are non-limiting examples that are provided for the purposes aiding those skilled in the art in understanding the concepts described herein.
With reference to
The vertical and horizontal lighting components are independently controllable with respect to one or more of intensity, color, color temperature, CRI, and the like. As such, the emission profile associated with the composite lighting component, which is effectively the output of the overall skylight fixture 310, can be tailored by controlling the vertical lighting component provided by the sky-resembling assembly 314 and the horizontal lighting components provide by the multiple sun-resembling assemblies 316. Notably, the horizontal lighting components provided by the different sun-resembling assemblies 316 may be the same or different to provide both symmetrical and asymmetrical emission profiles. For example, the skylight fixture 310 may be designed to provide the functionality described above and still have the composite lighting component provide a desired emission profile with a desired color, color temperature, CRI, or any combination thereof. The emission profile of the composite lighting component may have a normalized intensity distribution (i.e. substantially Lambertian Emission profile) to one that is substantially ellipsoidal, symmetrical, or asymmetrical.
Further, by employing three or more colors of LEDs for either or both of the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316, the white light color quality of the composite light output of the overall skylight fixture 310 can be significantly improved. In particular, the CRI of the composite light output of the overall skylight fixture 310 can be improved.
With regard to CRI, an LED-based fixture's CRI is calculated by measuring its CRI ratings for various individual colors, which are referred to as R1 through R8, and then taking an average of the results. Interestingly, R9 (red) and R13 (skin tone/beige) are generally not taken into consideration when calculating CRI. These red and skin tone colors have a significant impact on rendering skin colors in a healthy and natural way as well as making people feel at ease and more alert. As such, lighting may have a high CRI and still lack the red and skin tone color content necessary to properly render skin tones and/or enhance mood and alertness. The expanded spectrum provided by using LEDs of three or more colors for a given one of the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 can improve the CRI rating as well as the perceived quality of the composite lighting component. The expanded spectrum may also significantly improve the quality of the vertical and horizontal lighting components.
As described above, the respective sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 can be individually controlled such that light provided by the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 can emit light at different color points at any given time. The particular color points for the light from the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 may be permanently fixed or dynamically controlled such that the color points for the emitted light can change based on user input, a predefined program, or as a function of any number or combination of variables. The variables may range from date, day, and time of day to any number of sensor outputs, such as indoor and/or outdoor temperature sensors, light sensors, motion sensors, humidity sensors, rain sensors, and the like.
The sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 may be further controlled such that the composite lighting output of the skylight fixture 310 achieves a certain color, color temperature, CRI, and/or the like while achieving other lighting goals, such as emulating a traditional skylight in a fixed or dynamic manner. While emulating a traditional skylight has been the subject of much of the discussion thus far, the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 may be controlled to enhance moods, support general and mental health, and/or provide other physiological benefits.
For example, the skylight fixture 310 may be configured to deliver an enhanced circadian stimulus, with reference to Rea, M. S. et al; A model of phototransduction by the human circadian system; Brain Research Reviews 50 (2005) 213-228, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This is done by controlling the ratio between the horizontal and vertical illuminance provided by the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316. The circadian stimulus is controlled by the spectral power distribution, the color temperature and the amount of light of the respective characteristics delivered to the human eye. Vertical illuminance, such as that provided by the sun-resembling assemblies 316, appears to have the greatest efficiency in delivering an impact on circadian rhythms. The skylight fixture 310, by virtue of its vertical and horizontal light emitting surfaces along with independent spectral and brightness control, can provide effective control of this stimulus. Controlling the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 to provide a zonal luminance distribution of 35% or more in a region of 60-90 degrees of nadir will provide a higher vertical illuminance. This could be provided by increasing the brightness of the sun-resembling assemblies 316 and decreasing or maintaining the brightness of the sky-resembling assembly 314. Further, light with a higher amount of red spectral content may be emitted from the sun-resembling assemblies 316, further modulating the circadian or other alertness stimulation, as desired.
The skylight fixtures 310 may control the characteristics of light throughout the day based on when and how much circadian stimulus is desired. In the morning or during a certain time period in the morning, the skylight fixture 10 will increase its 60-90 degree illuminance to 35% or more and change the spectral power distribution and/or system vertical illuminance to provides a circadian stimulus of >0.3, which is a preferred circadian entrainment for humans according to Rea M S, Figueiro M G, Bierman A, Bullough J D.; J Circadian Rhythms; 2010 Feb. 13; 8(1):2, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Later in the day, the skylight fixture 10 could reduce its circadian stimulus by providing a spectral power distribution and system vertical illuminance that results in a circadian stimulus of <0.1. One element of this reduction could be a change of the 60-90 degree zonal illuminance distribution 35% or less by modifying the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assembly 314, 316 emission (brightness and/or spectral content) ratios.
In another embodiment, the red spectral content provided by the sun-resembling assemblies 316 can be temporarily increased to increase the red vertical illuminance provided by the skylight fixture 310 during post lunch hours and/or at night to counter the so called “post-lunch dip” and/or to improve nighttime alertness of shift workers. For the potential of increasing the alertness of shift workers by exposing them to a vertical illuminance of red light, reference is made to Figueiro M. G. et al., Biological Research for Nursing 2016, Vol. 18(1) 90, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. For the potential of increasing the alertness during the “post-lunch dip” in humans by providing increased red light exposure, reference is made to Sahin L., Figueiro M. G.; Physiology & Behavior, Vol. 116-117, 2013, 1, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Again, all of the above embodiments may be provided while or without maintaining desired characteristics of the composite lighting output for the skylight fixture 310.
Multiple skylight fixtures 310 may be controlled collectively by a remote source, by a master fixture, or in a distributed fashion to operate in concert to present a static or dynamic scene. Each of the skylight fixtures 310 may have different or the same light output of the respective sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316, depending on the nature of the scene. In one scenario, each of the skylight fixtures 310 may provide the same light output for a scene, such that each of the skylight fixtures 310 has the same appearance for a uniform scene. In another scenario, two or more of the skylight fixtures 310 will have different light output configurations, wherein each skylight fixture 310 represents a portion of an overall scene. The skylight fixtures 310 may also be controlled to provide virtually any type of mood, theme, holiday, or like lighting as well wherein the color, color temperature, brightness, and spectral content of the light emitted from the sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 is only limited by the nature and capabilities of the light sources and the control thereof. The skylight fixtures 310 may be controlled or configured to operate in different modes at different times or in response to sensor input or outside control input.
For example, the skylight fixtures 310 may function to emulate a traditional skylight with a changing scene that tracks outside conditions during business hours and transitions to decorative accent lighting mode during non-business hours. Alternatively, the skylight fixtures 310 may transition to a mode that enhances alertness or provides some other type of circadian stimuli after normal business hours. Again, such control may be provided by a programming of the skylight fixture or remote control in isolation or based on various input from other sensors and the like. The independent control and the potential for different capabilities and configurations of the respective sky-resembling and sun-resembling assemblies 314, 316 provide tremendous flexibility for a skylight-shaped lighting fixture.
The electronics module 318 controls the drive currents i1, i2, and i3, which are used to drive the respective LED strings LS1, LS2, and LS3 of the sky-resembling assembly 314. The sun-resembling assemblies 316 may be similarly configured and driven by the same or different electronics modules 318 in similar fashion. The ratio of drive currents i1, i2, and i3 that are provided through respective LED strings LS1, LS2, and LS3 may be adjusted to effectively control the relative intensities of the white light emitted from the white LEDs 359 of LED string LS1, the bluish light emitted from the bluish LEDs 359 of LED string LS2, and the greenish light emitted from the green LEDs 359 of LED string LS3. The resultant light from each LED string LS1, LS2, and LS3 mixes to generate an overall light output that has a desired color, correlated color temperature (CCT), and intensity, the latter of which may also be referred to as dimming level. As noted, the overall light output may take on any desired color or CCT.
When emulating a traditional skylight, the overall light output of the sky-resembling assembly 314 may range from a deep blue of an evening sky, to a medium blue of a daytime sky, to white light that falls on or within a desired proximity of the Black Body Locus (BBL) and has a desired CCT. The sun-resembling assemblies 316 are controlled in the same fashion to emulate direct and reflected sunlight as well as any of the other colors and CCTs described above for effects ranging from decorative to physiological.
The number of LED strings LSx may vary from one to many and different combinations of LED colors may be used in the different strings. Each LED string LSx may have LEDs of the same color, variations of the same color, or substantially different colors. In the illustrated embodiment, each LED string LS1, LS2, and LS3 is configured such that all of the LEDs 359 that are in the string are all essentially identical in color. However, the LEDs 359 in each string may vary substantially in color or be completely different colors in certain embodiments. A single string embodiment is also envisioned, wherein currents may be individually adjusted for the LEDs of the different colors using bypass circuits or the like.
The electronics module 318 includes AC-DC conversion circuitry 361, control circuitry 360, a communication interface (I/F) 62, and a number of current sources, such as the illustrated DC-DC converters 364. The AC-DC conversion circuitry 361 is configured to receive an AC signal (AC), rectify the AC signal, correct the power factor of the AC signal, and provide a DC power signal (PWR). The DC power signal may be used to directly or indirectly power the control circuitry 360 and any other circuitry provided in the electronics module 318, including the DC-DC converters 364 and the communication interface 362.
The three respective DC-DC converters 364 of the electronics module 318 provide drive currents i1, i2, and i3 for the three LED strings LS1, LS2, and LS3 of the sky-resembling assembly 314 in response to control signals CS1, CS2, and CS3. As noted, additional drive circuitry may be provided for each of the sun-resembling assemblies 316 in similar fashion. The drive currents i1, i2, and i3 may be pulse width modulated (PWM) signals or variable DC signals. If the drive currents i1, i2, and i3 are PWM signals, the control signals CS1, CS2, and CS3 may be PWM signals that effectively turn the respective DC-DC converters 64 on during a logic high state and off during a logic low state of each period of the PWM signal. As a result, the drive currents i1, i2, and i3 for the three LED strings LS1, LS2, and LS3 may also be PWM signals. The intensity of light emitted from each of the three LED strings LS1, LS2, and LS3 will vary based on the duty cycle of the respective PWM signals.
The control circuitry 360 will adjust the duty cycle of the drive currents i1, i2, and i3 provided to each of the LED strings LS1, LS2, and LS3 to effectively adjust the intensity of the resultant light emitted from the LED strings LS1, LS2, and LS3 while maintaining the desired intensity, color and/or CCT based on instructions from the control circuitry 360. If the drive currents i1, i2, and i3 for the three LED strings LS1, LS2, and LS3 are variable DC currents, the control circuitry 360 generates control signals CS1, CS2, and CS3 that result in the DC-DC converters 364 outputting the drive currents i1, i2, and i3 at the appropriate DC levels.
The control circuitry 360 may include a central processing unit (CPU) 366, such as microprocessor or microcontroller, and sufficient memory 368 to store the requisite data and software instructions to enable the control circuitry 360 to function as described herein. The control circuitry 360 may interact with the communication interface 362 to facilitate wired or wireless communications with other skylight fixtures 310 or remote devices, as described above.
When the terms “control system” or “control circuitry” are used in the claims or generically in the specification, the term should be construed broadly to include the hardware and any additional software or firmware that is needed to provide the stated functionality. These terms should not be construed as only software, as electronics are needed to implement control systems described herein. For example, a control system may, but does not necessarily, include the control circuitry 360, the DC-DC converters 364, the AC-DC conversion circuitry 358, and the like.
The expression “correlated color temperature” (“CCT”) is used according to its well-known meaning to refer to the temperature of a blackbody that is nearest in color, in a well-defined sense (i.e., can be readily and precisely determined by those skilled in the art). Persons of skill in the art are familiar with correlated color temperatures, and with Chromaticity diagrams that show color points to correspond to specific correlated color temperatures and areas on the diagrams that correspond to specific ranges of correlated color temperatures. Light can be referred to as having a correlated color temperature even if the color point of the light is on the blackbody locus (i.e., its correlated color temperature would be equal to its color temperature); that is, reference herein to light as having a correlated color temperature does not exclude light having a color point on the blackbody locus.
“Light engine” or “light source” can be any structure (or combination of structures) from which light exits. In many cases, a light engine consists of one or more light sources plus one or more mechanical elements, one or more optical elements and/or one or more electrical elements. In many cases, a light engine is a component of a light fixture, i.e., it is not a complete light fixture, but it can be a discrete group or set of LEDs that is spatially segregated and controlled as a unit. In some embodiments, for instance, a light engine in a light fixture can be a discrete set of LEDs (e.g., an array of LEDs) mounted to a board (e.g., a printed circuit board) that is separate from one or more other light engines in the light fixture. In some embodiments, a larger board can comprise different sets or groups of LEDs occupying different portions of the board, and thereby comprise multiple light engines. A light engine can, for example, comprise chip-on-board, packaged LEDs, secondary optics and/or control/drive circuitry. In some embodiments, a light fixture can comprise a first light engine comprising multiple LEDs on a first board, and a second light engine comprising multiple LEDs on a second board. In some embodiments, a light engine can comprise multiple LEDs spaced from each other (in the aggregate) in one dimension, in two dimensions or in three dimensions.
For example, a first light engine can be mounted adjacent to or spaced laterally from but on the same plane with a second light engine and thereby spaced in one dimension. A first light engine can be positioned adjacent to or spaced from a second light engine but positioned at an angle or on a second plane from the second light engine and thereby in two dimensions. A first light engine can be offset from a second light engine in two or three dimensions. A first light engine can be offset or positioned relative to two, three or more dimensions of one or more other light engines. In some embodiments, a light engine can comprise a single light source (e.g., a single LED), or an array of light sources (e.g., a plurality of LEDs, a plurality of other light sources, or a combination of one or more LEDs and/or one or more other light sources). In some embodiments, a plurality of light sources (e.g., a plurality of LEDs) can be on a board and controlled together, for example, a control device (that controls the color point of a mixture of light from the plurality of light sources, and/or that controls brightness of light emitted from one or more of the plurality of light sources, etc.) can control a plurality of light sources on a board (and/or can control all of the light sources on a board).
The expression “light exit region,” “light exit surface,” or “exit plane” (e.g., “at least a first light exit region is at a boundary of the space”), means any region through which light passes (e.g., as it travels from a space which is to one side of the light exit region to the other side of the light exit region, i.e., as it exits the space through the light exit region). For example, if a light fixture has a cylindrical surface that defines an internal space (closed at the top and open at the bottom), light can exit the space by traveling through the circular light exit region at the bottom of the cylindrical surface (i.e., such circular light exit region is defined by the lower edge of the cylindrical surface). Such a light exit region can be open, or it can be partially or completely occupied by a structure that is at least partially light-transmitting (e.g., transparent or translucent). For example, a light exit region can be an opening in an opaque structure (through which light can exit), a light exit region can be a transparent region in an otherwise opaque structure, a light exit region can be an opening in an opaque structure that is covered by a lens or a diffuser, etc.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this inventive subject matter belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
The color of visible light emitted by a light source, and/or the color of a mixture visible light emitted by a plurality of light sources can be represented on either the 1931 CIE (Commission International de l'Eclairage) Chromaticity Diagram or the 1976 CIE Chromaticity Diagram. Persons of skill in the art are familiar with these diagrams, and these diagrams are readily available.
The CIE Chromaticity Diagrams map out the human color perception in terms of two CIE parameters, namely, x (or ccx) and y (or ccy) (in the case of the 1931 diagram) or u′ and v′ (in the case of the 1976 diagram). Each color point on the respective diagrams corresponds to a particular hue. For a technical description of CIE chromaticity diagrams, see, for example, “Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology”, vol. 7, 230-231 (Robert A Meyers ed., 1987). The spectral colors are distributed around the boundary of the outlined space, which includes all of the hues perceived by the human eye. The boundary represents maximum saturation for the spectral colors.
The 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram can be used to define colors as weighted sums of different hues. The 1976 CIE Chromaticity Diagram is similar to the 1931 Diagram, except that similar distances on the 1976 Diagram represent similar perceived differences in color.
The expression “hue”, as used herein, means light that has a color shade and saturation that correspond to a specific point on a CIE Chromaticity Diagram, i.e., a color point that can be characterized with x, y coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram or with u′, v′ coordinates on the 1976 CIE Chromaticity Diagram.
In the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram, deviation from a color point on the diagram can be expressed either in terms of the x, y coordinates or, alternatively, in order to give an indication as to the extent of the perceived difference in color, in terms of MacAdam ellipses (or plural-step MacAdam ellipses). For example, a locus of color points defined as being ten MacAdam ellipses (also known as “a ten-step MacAdam ellipse) from a specified hue defined by a particular set of coordinates on the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram consists of hues that would each be perceived as differing from the specified hue to a common extent (and likewise for loci of points defined as being spaced from a particular hue by other quantities of MacAdam ellipses).
A typical human eye is able to differentiate between hues that are spaced from each other by more than seven MacAdam ellipses (and is not able to differentiate between hues that are spaced from each other by seven or fewer MacAdam ellipses).
Since similar distances on the 1976 Diagram represent similar perceived differences in color, deviation from a point on the 1976 Diagram can be expressed in terms of the coordinates, u′ and v′, e.g., distance from the point=(Δu′2+Δv′2)1/2. This formula gives a value, in the scale of the u′ v′ coordinates, corresponding to the distance between points. The hues defined by a locus of points that are each a common distance from a specified color point consist of hues that would each be perceived as differing from the specified hue to a common extent.
A series of points that is commonly represented on the CIE Diagrams is referred to as the blackbody locus. The chromaticity coordinates (i.e., color points) that lie along the blackbody locus correspond to spectral power distributions that obey Planck's equation: E(λ)=A λ−5/(e(B/T)−1), where E is the emission intensity, λ is the emission wavelength, T is the temperature of the blackbody and A and B are constants. The 1976 CIE Diagram includes temperature listings along the blackbody locus. These temperature listings show the color path of a blackbody radiator that is caused to increase to such temperatures. As a heated object becomes incandescent, it first glows reddish, then yellowish, then white, and finally bluish. This occurs because the wavelength associated with the peak radiation of the blackbody radiator becomes progressively shorter with increased temperature, consistent with the Wien Displacement Law. Illuminants that produce light that is on or near the blackbody locus can thus be described in terms of their color temperature.
The expression “dominant wavelength” is used herein according to its well-known and accepted meaning to refer to the perceived color of a spectrum, i.e., the single wavelength of light which produces a color sensation most similar to the color sensation perceived from viewing light emitted by the light source, as opposed to “peak wavelength”, which is well known to refer to the spectral line with the greatest power in the spectral power distribution of the light source. Because the human eye does not perceive all wavelengths equally (it perceives yellow and green better than red and blue), and because the light emitted by many solid state light emitters (e.g., light emitting diodes) is actually a range of wavelengths, the color perceived (i.e., the dominant wavelength) is not necessarily equal to (and often differs from) the wavelength with the highest power (peak wavelength). A truly monochromatic light such as a laser has a dominant wavelength that is the same as its peak wavelength.
It is well known that light sources that emit light of respective differing hues (two or more) can be combined to generate mixtures of light that have desired hues (e.g., non-white light corresponding to desired color points or white light of desired color temperature, etc.). It is also well known that the color point produced by mixtures of colors can readily be predicted and/or designed using simple geometry on a CIE Chromaticity Diagram. It is further well known that starting with the notion of a desired mixed light color point, persons of skill in the art can readily select light sources of different hues that will, when mixed, provide the desired mixed light color point.
For example, persons of skill in the art can select a first light engine (e.g., comprising a light emitting diode and phosphor), plot the color point of the light exiting from the first light engine (i.e., a first color point) on a CIE Chromaticity Diagram, plot a desired range of color points (or a single desired color point) for mixed light, and draw one or more line segments through the desired range of color points (or the single color point) for the mixed light such that the line segment(s) extend beyond the desired color point(s). Each line segment drawn in this way will have one end at the first color point, will pass through the range for the desired mixed light color point (or the desired single color point), and will have its other end at a second color point.
A second light engine can be provided from which light of the second color point exits, and when the first light engine and the second light engine are energized so that light exits from them, the color point of the mixed light will necessarily lie along a line segment connecting the first color point and the second color point, and the location of the color point of the mixed light along the line segment will be dictated by (namely, proportional to) the relative brightness of the respective light that exits from the first and second light engines. That is, the greater the proportion of the mixed light that is from the second light engine, the closer the color point of the mixed light is to the second color point; this relationship is geometrically proportional, i.e., the fraction of the length of the line segment that the color point of the mixed light is spaced from the first color point is equal to the fraction of the mixed light that is from the second light engine (and vice-versa). In geometric terms, the ratio of (1) the distance from the first color point to the color point of the mixed light, divided by (2) the distance from the first color point to the second color point will be equal to the ratio of the brightness (in lumens) of the first light engine divided by the brightness (in lumens) of the combination of light in the mixed light. Accordingly, once one identifies light sources (or light engines) that provide the endpoints of a line segment that extends through the desired mixed light color point, the desired mixed light color point can be obtained by calculating the relative brightness of the first and second light sources (or light engines) necessary to arrive at the desired mixed light color point.
Where more than two light sources (and/or light engines) are used (e.g., where there is mixed light of a first color point from a first light source, light of a second color point from a second light source, and light of a third color point from a third light source), the geometrical relationships can be used to ensure that the desired mixed light color point is obtained (e.g., conceptually, the color point of a sub-mixture of light from the first light source (or the first light engine) and the second light source (or the second light engine) can be determined, and then the color point of a mixture or sub-mixture (having a brightness of the combined brightness of the first light source (or the first light engine) and the second light source (or the second light engine) and the third light source (or the third light engine) can be determined, and the range of mixed light color points that can be reached is defined by the perimeter obtained from drawing lines connecting the respective color points of the light sources (and/or light engines).
As shown in the following figures, disclosed herein are embodiments of luminaires and/or light fixtures for general lighting, task lighting, or the like; more particularly, for illumination of spaces of varying size and floor plan such as a warehouse, office space, hallway, dwelling, or other space. Preferably, the illuminated space comprises an indoor space, although the luminaires disclosed herein may be used in other applications, such as an outdoor space or in a covered spaced exposed to the weather.
Referring now to
The present disclosure contemplates that the luminaire/lighting system 400 may provide an appearance effect 408 (
The present disclosure further contemplates the luminaire/lighting system 400 comprising one or more luminaires 400a, 400b, . . . 400n. Each of the luminaires 400n may produce one or more of the appearance effects 408 and/or the illumination effects. Each of the luminaires 400n, in operation together to form a coordinated and/or networked lighting system 404, may provide one or more appearance effects 408 and/or illumination effects to develop overall appearance and/or illumination effects 408, desirable for the lighting system 404 as a whole. The luminaire 400 detailed throughout the present disclosure may be referred to interchangeably as the luminaire 400, the skylight 400, the fixture 400, the lighting apparatus 400, and/or the lighting device 400; and further may comprise one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 430 and/or another suitable light source (such as a fluorescent bulb, incandescent bulb, and/or excimer lamp).
In
In the example embodiment of
Referring still to
Light developed by the first plurality of LEDs 432 is directed into the waveguide body 410 of first waveguide 412a through the edge surface 424a. Similarly, light developed by the second plurality of LEDs 434 is directed into the second waveguide 412b through the edge surface 424g. In example embodiments, the pluralities of LEDs 432, 434 may extend along more than one of the edge surfaces 424 of the first and second waveguides 412a, 412b, thereby directing light into the waveguides 412a, 412b from more than one direction. The quantity, arrangement, and relative locations of the LEDs 430 may be selected to introduce light into the first and second waveguides 412a, 412b in an amount and from a direction suitable for producing one or more of the above-noted appearance effects 408 and/or desired illumination effects.
Also, in example embodiments, the LEDs may be coupled to the first and/or second waveguides 412a, 412b at locations other than the edges 424 thereof. One or more coupling cavities may be disposed on the planar surfaces 416, 418, 420, 422 of the first and/or second waveguides 412a, 412b. Also, in embodiments, the LEDs 430 may be aligned with one or more interior coupling cavities 470 (see
Light is directed out and away from the first and second waveguides 412a, 412b by the extraction features 428. Referring to
The upper surface 422 of the lower waveguide 412b may also have extraction features 428b disposed thereon. The extraction features 428b of the lower waveguide 412b also direct light, produced by the second plurality of LEDs 434 and entering the second waveguide 412b through one of the edge surfaces 424e, 424f, 424g, 424h, out of and away from the second waveguide 412b through the lower surface 422 thereof. To produce the appearance effects 408 and illumination effects contemplated herein, the extraction features 428a, 428b are disposed in different patterns 442 (see
Referring now to
The luminaire 400 may include a housing 440 (
Each of the LED elements or modules 430 (
The waveguides 412 contemplated herein may be tapered depending on application. Tapering a waveguide body causes light to reflect internally along the length of the waveguide body while increasing the angle of incidence. Eventually, this light strikes one side at an angle that allows the light to escape. The opposite example, i.e., a gradually thickening waveguide body over the length thereof, causes light to collimate along the length with fewer and fewer interactions with the waveguide body surfaces. These interactions can be used to extract and control light within the waveguide. When combined with dedicated extraction features, tapering allows one to change the incident angular distribution across an array of features. This, in turn, controls how much, and in what direction light is extracted. Thus, a select combination of tapered surfaces and extraction features may achieve a desired illumination and appearance. Any combination of these features may be employed by the waveguides 412 of the presently described luminaire/lighting system 400, 404.
According to one aspect, a waveguide directs light into at least one, up to an infinite number, of beams or ray groups, wherein the rays of each group travel through the waveguide within a range of angles relative to one another. Each range may be narrow or broad within the TIR limits of the waveguide material. According to another aspect, a waveguide arranges light into a plurality of groups that bounce at least once inside the waveguide by TIR off one or more surfaces of the waveguide. Each group comprises a plurality of light rays that travel at angles that are disposed within a narrow or broad range of angles relative to one another. In any embodiment, the range may be so narrow that the light rays of ray group may be considered to be fully collimated, or nearly so, or the range may be so broad that the light rays of a ray group may be considered to be anti-collimated, or nearly so. Controlling the ray angles in this manner can lead to increased light control, reduced waveguide size and weight, and reduced luminaire costs.
Referring now to
The example embodiment of the optical waveguide 412 shown in
In an example arrangement of the luminaire 400, the first waveguide 412a comprises the extraction feature pattern 442a (
The appearance effect 408 produced by this example embodiment is a yellow perimeter, wherefrom light is emitted according to the extraction feature pattern 442b of the second waveguide 412b, disposed about a blue/violet interior, wherefrom light is extracted by the extraction feature pattern 442a of the first waveguide 412a. The blue/violet light emitted from the lower surface 416 (
In general, the luminaire(s) 400 is configured to emit light and provide the appearance of the sky to a viewer. For the concepts contemplated by the present disclosure, the luminaire(s) 400 are configured to emulate sunlight coming through a skylight directly at a particular angle or being reflected off of a sidewall. Accordingly, the luminaire(s) 400 may be arranged to provide generally non-directional light associated with the sky as well as emulate the direct sunlight or a reflection thereof from the sun. Depending on the time of day or night, the intensity, color temperature, and/or color of light emitted from the luminaire(s) 400 may vary in an effort to emulate the light provided by a conventional skylight at different times of the day or night and any transitions therebetween.
Referring back to
In the embodiments of the luminaire 400 shown in
In example embodiments, a material may be disposed between the first and second waveguides 412a, 412b. The material may be specular or otherwise suitably reflective and/or absorptive. The material between the waveguides 412a, 412b may prevent light extracted out of the first waveguide 412a from portions of the waveguide 412a comprising an extraction pattern that overlaps with portions of the second waveguide that also comprise an extraction pattern. For example, the extraction feature pattern 442a may overlap with the extraction feature pattern 442b. In this example, the material disposed between the first and second waveguides 412a, 412b may prevent undesirable light/color mixing at the overlapping edges of the first and second extraction feature patterns 442a, 442b.
Referring now to
In example embodiments, the extraction feature patterns 442 may include extraction features on both sides of the waveguide 412 and/or the extraction features 428 disposed at various portions of the waveguide 412 may direct light out of the waveguide in different directions. In the example embodiment of the luminaire 400 shown in
Also in example embodiments, such as are shown in the photographs of
In example embodiments, a plurality of the luminaires 400 such as those shown in
As noted, embodiments of the luminaire 400 may be configured the same or differently with respect to the lighting capabilities and characteristics thereof. In order to meet the specifications of particular applications, the luminaire(s) 400 may be designed to operate at different intensity levels, colors, color temperatures, light distributions, illumination patterns, and/or other lighting characteristics. Further, more than one of the luminaire(s) 400 may be designed and/or controlled such that each panel provides light with different characteristics, yet the light from the overall lighting system 404 combines to provide light with characteristics that may be different from the individual luminaire(s) 400 of the system 404.
In example embodiments, the luminaire(s) 400 may emulate the directional nature of sunlight passing through a conventional skylight, such as during different times of day with corresponding sun positions. The luminaire(s) 400 may be arranged to emulate the appearance of the sky and the non-directional nature of sunlight passing through a conventional skylight. The luminaire(s) 400 may be further configured to emulate the appearance of light passing through or being reflected from window and side walls of a conventional skylight.
Also in embodiments contemplated by this disclosure, the light exiting one or more portions of the luminaire(s) 400 may be relatively shifted toward blue in the light spectrum to emulate the appearance of a blue sky. The light exiting one or more other portions of the luminaire(s) 400 may be relatively shifted toward red in the light spectrum to better emulate the appearance of sunlight. The luminaire(s) 400 may be configured to vary the color, illumination pattern, and/or intensity of emitted light during operation emulate, track, and/or react to changing conditions of outside environments throughout the day and night. For example, it may be desirable for the luminaire(s) 400 to emulate the appearance effect 408 of blue sky and sunlight during nighttime and/or during weather events, e.g., cloudiness or fog. Also, embodiments may emulate a conventional skylight during predominately daylight hours between, but not necessarily including, the sunrise and sunset where the sky may appear less blue and more reddish orange. To expand the functionality of the luminaire(s) 400 to better emulate the appearance of a conventional skylight outside of daylight hours, operation in expanded color spaces and/or with more or less color mixing may be desirable. For example, the colors emitted by the luminaire(s) 400 may be shifted or expanded to address the deeper blues associated with dusk, dawn, and nighttime as well as the more reddish orange and red hues associated with sunrise and sunset.
In example embodiments, the LEDs 430 are coupled to one or more portions of the optical waveguide(s) 412. As mentioned hereinabove, the LEDs 430 may be disposed as strings or groups. Each string or group of LEDs 430 may comprise one color or more than one color of LEDs. A two-color LED string may comprise a plurality of LEDs of a first color and a plurality of LEDs of a second color. Therefore, the color and number of the LEDs 430 may be varied to introduce an overall color into the waveguide body 410 that is a combination of the color produced by the individual LEDs 430 of an LED string or group. The overall spectrum of light introduced into the waveguide body 410 may be controlled by the combination of LEDs selected and/or the extent to which the different LEDs are energized.
For example, the LEDs 430 introducing light into a portion of the waveguide body 410 may be bluish LEDs that emit bluish light comprising a 475 nm dominant wavelength and an overall bluish spectrum illustrated in
In example embodiments, the overall spectrum of the emitted light from the luminaire(s) 400 may be increased by using three or more LEDs comprising different colors. Using three or more colors of the LEDs 430 may be desirable for creating complex light that increases the accuracy with which the luminaire(s) 400 emulate sunlight. An example of a three color-LED combination may comprise deeper bluish LEDs, greenish LEDs, and white LEDs. Example bluish LEDs may comprise a 418 nm dominant wavelength and an overall spectrum (primary spectrum of 505 nm-530 nm) that is illustrated in
As noted hereinabove, the respective portions 444, 446 and/or the respective waveguides 412a, 412b of the luminaire(s) 400 may be individually controlled such that light introduced therein and emitted thereby may be of different colors or spectrums at any selected time. The particular spectrums and/or colors for particular portions and/or waveguides may be permanently fixed or dynamically controlled such that the appearance effect(s) 408 produced by the emitted light may change based on user input, a predefined program, and/or as a function of any number or combination of control inputs/variables. The control inputs may include date, day, time of day, sensor outputs (such as indoor and/or outdoor temperature sensors, light sensors, motion sensors, humidity sensors, rain sensors, and/or other suitable sensors), architectural/structural qualities of the building in which the luminaire(s) 400 is disposed, and/or other suitable control inputs.
The luminaire(s) 400 may be further controlled such that the composite lighting output produced thereby supplies a certain color, color temperature, CRI, and/or otherwise suitable light while achieving other lighting goals, such as emulating a conventional skylight, developing a depth effect, creating a vanishing point, enhancing room aesthetics, highlight architectural features, and/or other suitable lighting goals.
A networked plurality of the luminaire(s) 400 may be controlled collectively by a remote source, by a master fixture, or in a distributed fashion to operate in concert to present a static or dynamic scene. Each of the luminaire(s) 400 may have different or the same light output depending on the desired scene lighting. In one scenario, each of the luminaire(s) 400 may provide the same light output for a scene, such that each of the luminaire(s) 400 comprises the same appearance effect 408 for a uniform scene. In another scenario, two or more of the luminaire(s) 400 comprise different light output configurations, wherein each of the luminaire(s) 400 represents a portion of an overall scene. The luminaire(s) 400 may also be controlled to provide virtually any type of mood, theme, holiday, and/or like lighting as well wherein the color, color temperature, brightness, and spectral content of the light emitted from the luminaire(s) 400 is fully customizable through selection of the light sources and the control thereof. The luminaire(s) 400 may be controlled or configured to operate in different modes at different times or in response to sensor input or outside control input.
For example, the luminaire(s) 400 may function to emulate a conventional skylight with a changing scene that tracks outside conditions during business hours and transitions to decorative accent lighting mode during non-business hours. Alternatively, the luminaire(s) 400 may transition to a mode that enhances alertness or provides some other type of circadian stimuli after normal business hours. Again, such control may be provided by a programming of the luminaire(s) 400, remote control, and/or control based on various inputs from other sensors and controls. The independent control and the potential for different capabilities and configurations of the luminaire(s) 400 provides flexibility and customization for a luminaire, waveguide, and/or waveguide assembly emitting different spectrums of light from discrete portions thereof. The luminaire(s) 400 described herein may include the control, functionality, and/or LED/color point combinations disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,465,869 and 10,451,229, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
In an example embodiment, the light source(s)/LEDs 430 may comprise three (or more) LED types such that the light emitted by the luminaire(s) 400 may be precisely controlled a in two-dimensional color space (e.g. to stay on the black body locus at any achievable CCT value). In other embodiments, the color gamut of the selected LED types may have a range such that the achievable CCT/color range is correspondingly larger. In particular, the choice of warm white LEDs in the luminaire(s) 400, including but not limited to BSY+BSY+RDO combinations such as are found in Cree True White fixtures. “BSY” is a blue-shifted yellow LED; and “RDO” is a red-orange LED corresponding to light emitted with a dominant wavelength between 600 nm and 630 nm). For example, it may be desirable for the luminaire(s) 100 to produce light comprising a color similar to natural light around sunset, which may have a low CCT (<2700K).
Any of the embodiments disclosed herein may include a power circuit that may further be used with light control circuitry that controls color temperature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein in accordance with viewer/occupant input such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,278,250, the disclosure which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Further, any of the embodiments disclosed herein may include one or more communication components forming a part of the light control circuitry, such as an RF antenna that senses RF energy. The communication components may be included, for example, to allow the luminaire to communicate with other luminaires and/or with an external wireless controller, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,975,827, entitled “Lighting Fixture for Distributed Control” or U.S. Pat. No. 9,706,617, entitled “Handheld Device That Is Capable of Interacting with a Lighting Fixture,” both owned by the assignee of the present application, wherein the entire contents of the foregoing patents are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. More generally, the control circuitry includes at least one of a network component, an RF component, a control component, and a sensor. The sensor may provide an indication of ambient lighting levels thereto and/or occupancy within the illuminated area. Such sensor may be integrated into the light control circuitry and may cause the luminaire to adjust output lighting levels as a function of ambient light levels and/or detected motion.
In summary, the luminaire contemplated hereinabove may be relatively thin and conducive to surface mounting and/or mounting within ceilings and/or walls with very thin plenums, e.g., 4-6 inches, by using one or more flat, planar waveguides to deliver light. Skylights comprising waveguides may improve the ease of manufacture, power efficiency, and decrease material and manufacturing costs associated with producing other skylights and/or skylight replacement-type fixtures. A dual waveguide luminaire comprises one waveguide that is edge coupled with LEDs to produce a predominantly blue light emulating a blue sky and a second separate waveguide edge coupled with LEDs to create a predominantly white light emulating sunlight derived from a blue sky. The first and second light emitting surfaces do not substantially overlap in physical alignment/orientation so that light from the different waveguides does not color mix, as such mixing may produce an undesirable third color perception. To accomplish this, the first waveguide may comprise extraction features that are populated proximal a central portion of the waveguide, and the second waveguide may comprise extraction features that are disposed about a peripheral region of the second waveguide. When the first waveguide is illuminated with blue light the center/interior glows blue. Likewise, when the second waveguide is illuminated with white light the periphery thereof glows white. This arrangement creates the illusion of a skylight housed within a thin and flat construction. The light sources do not need to be blue and/or white, but instead may be any other color, such as a different CCT white light, to differently develop the illusion of depth. Further, the light sources may produce light of different brightness/lumen levels.
When one uses a relatively small light source which emits into a broad (e.g., Lambertian) angular distribution (common for LED-based light sources), the conservation of etendue, as generally understood in the art, requires an optical system having a large emission area to achieve a narrow (collimated) angular light distribution. In the case of parabolic reflectors, a large optic is thus generally required to achieve high levels of collimation. In order to achieve a large emission area in a more compact design, the prior art has relied on the use of Fresnel lenses, which utilize refractive optical surfaces to direct and collimate the light. Fresnel lenses, however, are generally planar in nature, and are therefore not well suited to re-directing high-angle light emitted by the source, leading to a loss in optical efficiency. In contrast, in the present disclosure, light is coupled into the optic, where primarily TIR is used for re direction and collimation. This coupling allows the full range of angular emission from the source, including high-angle light, to be re-directed and collimated, resulting in higher optical efficiency in a more compact form factor.
In at least some of the present embodiments, the distribution and direction of light within the waveguide is better known, and hence, light is controlled and extracted in a more controlled fashion. In standard optical waveguides, light bounces back and forth through the waveguide. In the present embodiments, light is extracted as much as possible over one pass through the waveguide to minimize losses.
In some embodiments, one may wish to control the light rays such that at least some of the rays are collimated, but in the same or other embodiments, one may also wish to control other or all of the light rays to increase the angular dispersion thereof so that such light is not collimated. In some embodiments, one might wish to collimate to narrow ranges, while in other cases, one might wish to undertake the opposite.
As in the present embodiments, a waveguide may include various combinations of mixing features, extraction features, and redirection features necessary to produce a desired light distribution. A lighting system may be designed without constraint due to color mixing requirements, the need for uniformity of color and brightness, and other limits that might otherwise result from the use of a specific light source. Further, the light transport aspect of a waveguide allows for the use of various form factors, sizes, materials, and other design choices. The design options for a lighting system utilizing a waveguide as described herein are not limited to any specific application and/or a specific light source.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The word “exemplary” is used to mean serving as an example or illustration. To the extent that the term “include”, “have”, or the like is used, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term comprise as comprise is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions.
Phrases such as an aspect, the aspect, another aspect, some aspects, one or more aspects, an implementation, the implementation, another implementation, some implementations, one or more implementations, an embodiment, the embodiment, another embodiment, some embodiments, one or more embodiments, a configuration, the configuration, another configuration, some configurations, one or more configurations, the subject technology, the disclosure, the present disclosure, other variations thereof and alike are for convenience and do not imply that a disclosure relating to such phrase(s) is essential to the subject technology or that such disclosure applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to such phrase(s) may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A disclosure relating to such phrase(s) may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspect or some aspects may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa, and this applies similarly to other foregoing phrases.
The disclosed systems and methods are well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. The particular implementations disclosed above are illustrative only, as the teachings of the present disclosure may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular illustrative implementations disclosed above may be altered, combined, or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope of the present disclosure. The systems and methods illustratively disclosed herein may suitably be practiced in the absence of any element that is not specifically disclosed herein and/or any optional element disclosed herein. All numbers and ranges disclosed above may vary by some amount. Whenever a numerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number and any included range falling within the range are specifically disclosed. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood to set forth every number and range encompassed within the broader range of values. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee. Moreover, the indefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in the claims, are defined herein to mean one or more than one of the element that it introduces. If there is any conflict in the usages of a word or term in this specification and one or more patent or other documents that may be incorporated herein by reference, the definitions that are consistent with this specification should be adopted.
Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/120,802 filed on Dec. 14, 2020 (now U.S. Pat. No. 11,638,339), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/667,239, filed on Oct. 29, 2019 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,900,621), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/419,538, filed on Jan. 30, 2017 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,502,374), wherein the entire disclosures of the foregoing applications and patents are hereby incorporated by reference herein. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/990,230 filed on Aug. 11, 2020 (now U.S. Pat. No. 11,209,138), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/657,254 filed on Oct. 18, 2019 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,781,984), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/972,176 filed on May 6, 2018 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,465,869), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/419,538 filed on Jan. 30, 2017 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,502,374), and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/628,131 filed on Feb. 8, 2018, wherein the entire disclosures of the foregoing applications and patents are hereby incorporated reference herein. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/113,768 filed on Dec. 7, 2020 (now U.S. Pat. No. 11,156,760), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/972,199 filed on May 6, 2018 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,859,753), and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/628,131, filed Feb. 8, 2018, wherein the entire disclosures of the foregoing applications and patents are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
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