Patent Application
20230417402
The disclosure generally relates to luminaires, and more specifically to a method for controlling the humidity and pressure inside a luminaire.
Luminaires with automated and remotely controllable functionality (which may be referred to as automated luminaires) are well known in the entertainment and architectural lighting markets. Such products are commonly used in theatres, television studios, concerts, theme parks, night clubs, and other venues. A typical automated luminaire provides control from a remote location of the pan and tilt functions of the luminaire allowing an operator to control the direction the luminaire is pointing and thus the position of the light beam on the stage or in the studio. Many automated luminaires additionally or alternatively provide control from the remote location of other parameters such as intensity, focus, zoom, beam size, beam shape, and/or beam pattern of light beam(s) emitted from the luminaire. Such automated luminaire products are often used outdoors in, for example, theme parks or concerts. Maintaining a dry, controlled physical environment inside an automated luminaire is important for the continuing operation of the unit.
For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like features.
In a first embodiment, a luminaire includes an enclosure, a remotely operable air valve, and a chamber. The enclosure includes one or more luminaire components that are configured to modify and emit a light beam. The enclosure also includes a sealed cover and a first opening. The enclosure is otherwise sealed from external air. The air valve includes second and third openings and is coupled at the second opening by a sealed air coupling to the enclosure at the first opening. The chamber includes a drying agent and fourth and fifth openings. The chamber is otherwise sealed from the external air. The chamber is coupled at the fourth opening by a sealed air coupling to the air valve at the third opening. The fifth opening includes a membrane that completely covers the fifth opening. The membrane includes a material that is configured to allow air to pass through the material while reducing the passage of water droplets in the air. The air valve is configured to block air passage between the enclosure and the chamber when closed.
In a second embodiment, a method for performing a test to determine whether an enclosure of a luminaire is adequately sealed includes closing an air valve to seal the enclosure from outside air and determining an initial air pressure in the enclosure. The method also includes activating a heat-generating component of the enclosure and waiting for a predetermined time period. The method further includes determining whether a current air pressure in the enclosure has increased from the initial air pressure by more than a threshold pressure change value and sending a signal indicating a result of the determination of whether the current air pressure in the enclosure has increased from the initial air pressure by more than a threshold pressure change value. The method still further includes deactivating the heat-generating component and opening the air valve.
Preferred embodiments are illustrated in the figures, like numerals being used to refer to like and corresponding parts of the various drawings.
If a luminaire (or fixture) is used outdoors or in another area where it is subject to rain, weather, or high humidity it is important to protect any luminaire mechanisms and optical systems from the effects of moisture and humidity. Some fixtures may have sealed housings or semi-sealed housings with pressure equalization. Such fixtures may suffer from effects caused by the thermal operating cycle, as follows. When an automated luminaire is turned on, internal systems such as light sources, electronic circuits, power supplies, and motors generate heat and cause the temperature inside the fixture to rise. Such a rise in temperature produces a corresponding increase in the air pressure within the luminaire.
In some fixtures, this pressure is contained within the luminaire using hermetic seals. The load on such a hermetic seal from such a pressure increase within the luminaire can be significant and the repair and maintenance of the seals may be expensive and/or difficult. A failure in such seals may lead to water ingress into the luminaire, which may lead to damage or degradation of the luminaire mechanisms and/or optical systems.
In other fixtures, the fixture is sealed, but the pressure is allowed to escape through pressure relief valves. However, when such a fixture is powered off and cools down, its internal pressure drops relative to atmospheric pressure outside the fixture and external air (or outside air) and moisture may be drawn back into the luminaire through the seals, the pressure relief valve, or other paths. This too can lead to water ingress to the luminaire or condensation within the luminaire and damage or degradation of the luminaire mechanisms and/or optical systems.
Luminaires according to the disclosure are sealed, but also are vented to the outside air through a system that removes excess humidity from incoming air and reduces condensation within the luminaire. This has the advantage of reducing water ingress to the luminaire and condensation within the luminaire, as well as reducing damage or degradation of the luminaire mechanisms and/or optical systems.
Luminaires according to the disclosure are also segmented into enclosures that are sealed and are coupled to each other to allow passage of air between the enclosures. The connected enclosures are vented to the outside air through each other to a single water and humidity reducing system. In such embodiments, the enclosures are coupled by air passages that are rotatably coupled to the enclosures, giving the advantage of allowing one or more of the enclosures to rotate relative to each other while reducing water ingress to the luminaire and condensation within the luminaire. Optical, mechanical, and electrical components of the luminaire may be located in various ones of the enclosures as appropriate to the design and functioning of the luminaire.
In addition to being connected to mains power either directly or through a power distribution system, the control system of each luminaire 12 is connected in series or in parallel by a wired data link 14 to one or more control desks 15. Upon actuation by an operator, the control desk 15 sends control signals (such as commands) via the data link 14, where the control signals are received by the control system of one or more of the luminaires 12. The control systems of the one or more of the luminaires 12 that receive the control signals may respond by changing one or more of the parameters of the receiving luminaires 12. The control signals are sent by the control desk 15 to the luminaires 12 using DMX-512, Art-Net, ACN (Architecture for Control Networks), Streaming ACN, or other suitable communication protocol.
The luminaire head of the luminaire 12 comprises an optical system comprising one or more luminaire mechanisms, each of which includes one or more optical devices such as gobo wheels, effects wheels, and color mixing (or other color changing) systems, as well as prism, iris, shutter, and lens movement systems. The term luminaire mechanisms further includes a pan and tilt mechanism configured to move the luminaire head relative to a fixed portion of the luminaire 12. Some or all of the luminaire mechanisms may include stepper motors or other rotating actuators to cause movement of their associated optical device(s).
Although the luminaire 200 includes three enclosures, in other embodiments any number of enclosures may be included. For example, a light bar or cyclorama luminaire may have only the head enclosure 206 mounted for tilt motion relative to the base enclosure 202. The motors and associated electronic circuits that control tilt motion of such a luminaire may be located in either or both of the base enclosure 202 and/or the head enclosure 206. Still other embodiments may include only a single enclosure or more than three enclosures. The ability to increase the number of enclosures in a luminaire according to the disclosure provides the advantage of increasing the number of luminaire components that may be protected from damage or degradation caused by water ingress and/or condensation, while also allowing the additional components to rotate relative to each other. It is to be understood that when the phrase ‘connected enclosures’ is used in this specification, it means one or more enclosures.
All three enclosures 202, 204, and 206 are sealed from external air such that external air does not pass through the seals. However, the enclosures 202, 204, and 206 are connected together and vented through drying tubes 212 and 214 that allow air to flow into and out of the enclosures, such that an internal air pressure in the enclosures 202, 204, and 206 never rises significantly above or below an external atmospheric pressure, thereby reducing pressure on the seals of the enclosures. In the luminaire 200, the base enclosure 202 is vented to the motor enclosure 204 through a pipe 208 that couples an opening in the base enclosure 202 to an opening in the motor enclosure 204.
The pipe 208 provides a rotatable sealed air coupling between the base enclosure 202 to the motor enclosure 204. The coupling is an air coupling because it allows passage of air from the base enclosure 202 to the motor enclosure 204. The coupling is a sealed air coupling because it is sealed from the external air. The coupling is a rotatable sealed air coupling because it comprises rotating flanges, gaskets, seals, and/or other elements configured to allow the base enclosure 202 and the motor enclosure 204 to rotate relative to each other while still allowing the passage of air. A sealed air coupling that does not allow the pipe 208 to rotate relative to the base enclosure 202 or the motor enclosure 204 may be referred to as a sealed air coupling or as a fixed sealed air coupling. The pipe 208 provides a rotatable sealed air coupling that is configured to pass air from the base enclosure 202 to the motor enclosure 204, sealed from the external air, through the rotating pan system at the base of the motor enclosure 204 by which the motor enclosure 204 rotates relative to the base enclosure 202.
In turn, the motor enclosure 204 is vented to the head enclosure 206 through a pipe 217. The pipe 217 comprises a sealed air coupling at a first end 216 to an opening in the motor enclosure 204 and a rotating sealed air coupling at a second end 218 to an opening in the head enclosure 206. The pipe 217 is configured to pass air from the motor enclosure 204 to the head enclosure 206 through the rotating tilt system on the side of the head enclosure 206.
The three enclosures 202, 204, and 206 are thus connected together by pipes 208 and 217 to form a combined enclosure having pressure and humidity control. The combined enclosure is vented to the external air through a vent pipe 209 via an opening in the head enclosure 206. The vent pipe 209 comprises a rotating sealed air coupling at a first end to the opening in the head enclosure 206. The vent pipe 209 comprises a sealed air coupling at a second end to a drying tube (or chamber) 212, which is sealed air coupled to a drying tube 214. The drying tubes 212 and 214 include a drying agent such as silica gel or other suitable desiccant material. An exit opening of the drying tube 214 includes a membrane 210 that air couples the drying tube 214 to the external air.
The membrane 210 may comprise a hydrophobic membrane material such as GORE-TEX (a registered trademark of W. L. Gore & Associates, Newark, Delaware) or other suitable material that allows air to pass through, but reduces or prevents the passage of water and/or moisture in the form of water droplets. Thus, the membrane 210 is configured to remove water droplets from incoming air and the drying agent of the drying tubes 212 and 214 is configured to remove water vapor (or humidity) from incoming air.
In operation, when the luminaire 200 is initially powered up, both the temperature and internal air pressure rise within the three enclosures 202, 204, and 206. This increase in air pressure forces air out of the enclosures 202, 204, and 206 through the vent pipe 209 and drying tubes 212 and 214 before exiting the luminaire 200 at membrane 210. When the luminaire 200 is powered down, both the temperature and the internal air pressure inside the enclosures 202, 204, and 206 drop and external air may be drawn back into the luminaire 200 through the membrane 210, reducing or eliminating liquid water and/or moisture in the indrawn air. The indrawn air then passes through the drying tubes 212 and 214. The drying tubes 212 and 214 will remove water vapor from the indrawn air, causing the air that enters the enclosures 202, 204, and 206 through vent pipe 209 to have a reduced humidity. This forcing of air out of and subsequent drawing of air back into the enclosures 202, 204, and 206 may be referred to as an ‘air cycle path’ of the luminaire humidity and pressure control system of the disclosure.
Because the volume of air passing out of and into the enclosures 202, 204, and 206 through the drying tubes 212 and 214 is relatively small, the drying tubes 212 and 214 have a capacity to remove the humidity for multiple on/off cycles of the luminaire 200. In some embodiments the drying tubes 212 and 214 contain enough drying agent to dehumidify 400 on/off cycles of the luminaire 200 before requiring regeneration or replacement of the drying agent by a service technician. The term ‘regeneration’ refers to a drying treatment that removes absorbed moisture from the drying agent, renewing or regenerating the capacity of the drying agent to continue absorbing moisture. The term ‘life’ of the drying agent may be used to refer to the time from a first use of the drying agent to the point where its reduced effectiveness as a desiccant requires regeneration or replacement by a service technician. Although the example shown uses two drying tubes 212 and 214, in other embodiments one drying tube (or drying chamber) or more than two drying tubes may be included. Similarly, although some embodiments utilize silica gel as a drying agent, in other embodiments the drying tubes or chambers may additionally or alternatively include other drying agents.
In some embodiments, the hot dry air being forced out when the luminaire 200 is powered on will regenerate the drying agent in the drying tubes, extending the life of the drying agent. In further embodiments, this drying and regeneration process may be enhanced by using a heater (not shown in
In some embodiments, one or more of the enclosures 202, 204, and 206 may include one or more sensors that are configured to measure characteristics of the enclosure, where the characteristics are selected from, but not limited to, air pressure, air humidity, and/or air temperature. Data samples from such sensors may be collected by a control system of the luminaire 200 and information related to the collected data samples sent (or transmitted) to a user via one or more communication channels such as a display included in the luminaire 200, the wired data link 14 using a protocol such as Remote Device Management (RDM), a web connection via the data link 14, a cellular or WiFi wireless connection, or a near-field communication (NFC) or other wireless communication link. Such sending of the information has the advantage of allowing a user of the luminaire 200 to obtain the information without opening the luminaire 200 or to receive the information at a remote location, rather than being required to access the luminaire 200 to obtain the information. In some embodiments, a plurality of such data samples may be stored in a service log of the luminaire 200 and the contents of the log sent via one or more of the above channels to the user, a service technician, or the manufacturer. Such of a plurality of data samples in a service log has the advantage of giving a historical record of the sensed characteristics within the luminaire. In some such embodiments, the service log may also include one or more timestamps associated with corresponding one or more of the plurality of data samples, wherein a timestamp may indicate a time at which the data sample was collected. As such, the user, a service technician, or the manufacturer may identify a time at which a data sample of interest was collected.
Additionally, in some such embodiments, the control system of the luminaire 200 may determine, based on data from such sensors, whether the sealed enclosures have been effectively sealed (or re-sealed after maintenance). For example, when the luminaire 200 is powered on if an air pressure sensor indicates that the air pressure inside one or more of the enclosures 202, 204, and 206 is not rising, while at the same time the temperature sensor indicates that the temperature in the enclosure is rising, then this data may be interpreted by the control system as an indication that one or more of the enclosures 202, 204, and 206 are incompletely sealed to the external air. Such a determination provides the advantage of (i) enabling a service technician to determine whether the enclosure(s) have been effectively re-sealed after maintenance, prior to returning the luminaire 200 to service, and/or (ii) enabling a user of the luminaire 200 to determine remotely whether the seals have failed in an enclosure that was previously effectively sealed.
The head enclosure 406 includes a sensor 424 that measures one or more parameters such as air pressure, air humidity, or air temperature. In other embodiments, one or more of such sensors 424 may be included in the enclosures 402 and/or 404. In some embodiments, a plurality of such sensors 424 may be included in one or more of the enclosures 402, 404, and 406.
Data samples from such sensors may be collected by the control system of the luminaire 200. The control circuit 426 is located in the base enclosure 402. In other embodiments, a control circuit 428 may be additionally or alternatively located in the head enclosure 406. In still other embodiments, a control circuit (not shown in
The drying boxes 226 and 228 are not part of the air cycle path described with reference to
In some embodiments, the drying agent inside any of the drying boxes 226 and 228 and/or the drying tubes 212 and 214 changes color when it absorbs moisture. In some such embodiments, the drying boxes 226 and 228 and/or the drying tubes 212 and 214 are configured to allow such color-changing drying agent to be easily visible. In some such embodiments, the drying boxes 226 and 228 and/or the drying tubes 212 and 214 may be fabricated at least in part of a transparent or translucent material. In other such embodiments, the drying box or drying tube may have an easy to remove portion of the box or tube exposing the drying agent to view. In still other embodiments, one or more of the plurality of openings in the drying box may be sized to allow viewing of the drying agent through the opening. Such a drying agent and drying boxes or drying tubes provide the advantage of enabling a user or service technician to visually check whether the drying agent is ready for use or needs regeneration or replacement before sealing the enclosures 202, 204, and 206 of the luminaire 200.
The inclusion of the drying boxes 226 and 228 provides the advantage of an extra, initial drying cycle, which may serve to extend the life of the drying agents in the drying tubes within the luminaire. The inclusion of the drying boxes 226 and 228 provides the advantage of allowing the luminaire 200 to be placed back into service more quickly, without requiring the use of external tools to dehumidify the sealed enclosure or to flush the humid air from the sealed enclosure with nitrogen or dehumidified air.
The control system 600 includes a processor 602 electrically coupled to a memory 604. The processor 602 is implemented by hardware and software. The processor 602 may be implemented as one or more Central Processing Unit (CPU) chips, cores (e.g., as a multi-core processor), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and digital signal processors (DSPs).
The processor 602 is further electrically coupled to and in communication with a communication interface 606. The communication interface 606 is coupled to, and configured to communicate via, the data link 14. The processor 602 is also coupled via a control interface 608 to one or more sensors 424, motors, actuators, controls, heater 422, and/or other devices. The processor 602 is configured to receive control signals from the data link 14 via the communication interface 606 and, in response, to control systems and mechanisms of the luminaire 12 via the control interface 608.
Via the control interface 608, the processor 602 is further electrically coupled to and in communication with temperature, humidity, and/or pressure sensors such as the sensor 424. The processor 602 is configured to receive control signals from the data link 14 via the communication interface 606 and, in response, measure, store, and transmit information related to data sampled from one or more of the sensors 424.
The control system 600 is suitable for implementing processes, module control, optical device control, pan and tilt movement, parameter control, motor control, position sensor control, brake control, and other functionality as disclosed herein, which may be implemented as instructions stored in the memory 604 and executed by the processor 602. The memory 604 comprises one or more disks and/or solid-state drives and may be used to store instructions and data that are read and written during program execution. The memory 604 may be volatile and/or non-volatile and may be read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM), and/or static random-access memory (SRAM).
In this embodiment, the connected enclosures 202, 204, and 206 are vented to the outside air through the valve 719. The valve 719 may be an electromagnetic valve that is electrically coupled to the control system of the luminaire 200, which may be configured to open and close the valve 719. Access panels and covers of the connected enclosures 202, 204, and 206 are configured with seals and, when the seals are functioning as intended, air flows into and out of the connected enclosures 202, 204, and 206 only through the valve 719. Thus, when the valve 719 is closed, if air flows into or out of the connected enclosures 202, 204, and 206, it may be assumed that it is flowing through the seals.
Although in the embodiment shown in
The valve 819 is an electromagnetic valve that is electrically coupled to the control system of the luminaire 700, which is configured to open and close the valve 819. As described with reference to
In the embodiments shown in
When the luminaire 700 is first built, such a test may be run to confirm that the luminaire 700 has been properly assembled. The test may also be run after maintenance is performed on the luminaire 700, where the maintenance requires that a technician (or other user) remove and reattach a sealed cover (or a sealed panel in a cover, both collectively referred to herein as a sealed cover) to access a component in one of the connected enclosures 202, 204, or 206.
The test may be initiated by a control signal (such as a command) that is received via the data link 14 or via an input panel of the luminaire 700. In some embodiments, a user may initiate the test at any time that the luminaire 700 is powered on. The control system 600 of the luminaire 700 may be configured to perform the test automatically when the luminaire 700 is initially powered up. Such configuration may be set by a user by a control signal received via the data link 14 or via the input panel of the luminaire 700.
The process 900 continues with the following steps:
The process 1000 continues with the following steps:
In some embodiments the threshold pressure change value is 7 millibars and the predetermined time period is 5 minutes. In other embodiments, the threshold pressure change value is 20 millibars and the predetermined time period is 30 minutes.
In some embodiments, the threshold minimum initial temperature in the one or more of the connected enclosures 202, 204, and 206 is 0° C. In some embodiments, the threshold maximum initial temperature in the one or more of the connected enclosures 202, 204, and 206 is C. In such embodiments, the temperature may rise to 70-75° C. during the test. In general, the threshold maximum initial temperature will be at least 10-15° C. less than the temperature achieved once the heat-generating components have been activated. The threshold maximum initial temperature may be selected based on where in the connected enclosures 202, 204, and 206 the one or more temperature sensors are located.
In some embodiments, the control system may also monitor a temperature rise and correlate it with the expected pressure rise to determine whether the connected enclosures 202, 204, and 206 are adequately sealed.
In some embodiments, the signal indicating a result of the test is sent as a message over a communication link, such as data link 14. In other embodiments, the signal is sent as an indicator or status display on the luminaire 700. In still other embodiments, the signal is sent using both methods.
In some embodiments, the test sequence is performed every time the luminaire 700 is initially powered up. In some embodiments, the test sequence is performed in response to a signal received from a user, such as a command received via an input panel of the luminaire 700 or via a communication link, such as the data link 14 or a wireless communication link. In some embodiments, as a user-selectable option, the control system of the luminaire 700 does not begin normal operation if the connected enclosures 202, 204, and 206 are not adequately sealed.
Although the luminaire 700 and the second luminaire humidity and pressure control system 800 include three enclosures, in other embodiments any number of enclosures may be included.
While only some embodiments of the disclosure have been described herein, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments may be devised which do not depart from the scope of the disclosure herein. While the disclosure has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/851,742 filed Jun. 28, 2022 by Pavel Jurik, et al. entitled “System and Method for Controlling the Humidity and Pressure in a Luminaire”. This application also is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/901,231 filed Sep. 1, 2022 by Pavel Jurik, et al. entitled “System and Method for Controlling the Humidity and Pressure in a Luminaire”, both of which are incorporated by reference herein as if reproduced in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17901231 | Sep 2022 | US |
| Child | 18045363 | US | |
| Parent | 17851742 | Jun 2022 | US |
| Child | 17901231 | US |
