Lighting device capable of providing horticulture light and method of illuminating horticulture

• US 10,448,579 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Inventors: Casper, Lars Christian, Tanase, Cristina, Hikmet, Rifat Ata Mustafa, Nicole, Celine Catherine Sarah, Van Echtelt, Esther Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Topolski, Magdalena
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barlow, Morgan T
• Application Number:
  US14/413,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20150128488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,297 Days
• Field of Search: 47 581 LS, 47 17, 47 581 R, 362231
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/045 with electric lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/08 the elements being filters or photoluminescent elements and reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/08 for producing coloured light, e.g. monochromatic; for reducing intensity of light with provision for controlling the colour F21V9/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/32 characterised by the arrangement of the photoluminescent material
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/14 Measures for saving energy, e.g. in green houses

Abstract

The invention provides a lighting device (100) with light emitting diodes (10) configured to generate light (11) having a wavelength selected from the range of 400-475 nm, wherein the lighting device (100) comprises at least two light emitting parts (100a, 100b). The first light emitting part (100a) comprises a first subset (10a) of light emitting diodes (10), and is configured to provide a first light (111a) having the first spectral light distribution substantially in the range of 400-475 nm. The second light emitting part (100b) comprises a second subset (10b) of light emitting diodes (10) and comprising a light conversion element (20) configured to convert at least part of the light (11) generated from the second subset (10b) of the plurality of light emitting diodes (10) into the second light (111b), with the second spectral light distribution substantially in the range of 625-800 nm. The first subset (10a) of the plurality of light emitting diodes (10) and the second subset (10b) of the plurality of light emitting diodes (10) are independently controllable.

Claims

1. A lighting device for providing horticulture light having a spectral light distribution with a light intensity within a first wavelength range of 400-475 nm and within a second wavelength range of 625-800 nm, the lighting device comprising:

a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to generate LED light having a wavelength essentially within said range of 400-475 nm, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes are configured in an array,

the lighting device further comprising at least two light generating parts;

a first light generating part consisting of a first subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the first light generating part is configured to provide first light having a first spectral light distribution with a light intensity essentially within said first wavelength range, and

a plurality of second light generating parts wherein each second light generating part consists of a second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein downstream of the optical path of each LED of the second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes a light conversion element is configured, the light conversion element configured to convert at least part of the LED light generated by the second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes into converted light having a wavelength that is essentially within the second wavelength range, wherein the second light generating part is configured to provide second light, consisting essentially of said converted light,

wherein the light conversion element is noncontiguous with any light emitting surface of each LED of the second subset, and

wherein the spectral light distributions, in the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range, of the first light and the second light are different,

the lighting device further comprising a control unit whereby the first subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes and the second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes are independently controllable to thereby enable electronically controlling the intensity of the first light and the second light.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light conversion element comprises an organic dye configured to convert at least part of the LED light generated by the second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes into said converted light with the second wavelength.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the second light has a resulting spectral light distribution with at least light intensity at a first red wavelength range of 625-675 nm and at a second red wavelength range of 675-750 nm.

4. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light conversion element comprises a foil.

5. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein downstream of the optical path of each LED of the first subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes, a light transmissive element is configured, the light transmissive element configured to transmit at least part of the LED light.

6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the first light generating part is arranged parallel to each of the plurality of second light generating parts.

7. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the first subset further comprises a plurality of the light emitting diodes and wherein the second subset further comprises a plurality of the light emitting diodes.

8. The lighting device according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of first light generating parts, wherein each of the second light generating parts has an associated light conversion element that is not shared by other second light generating parts.

9. The lighting device according to claim 8, wherein first light generating parts and the second light generating parts are configured in a 2D array of alternating first light generating parts and second light generating parts.

10. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light emitting diodes of the lighting device is configured to only generate the LED light having a wavelength selected from said range of 400-475 nm.

11. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the horticulture light provided by the lighting device provides a tunable mix of light intensity at said first wavelength and light intensity at said second wavelength.

12. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device comprises a plurality of second light generating parts arranged with a pitch distance (p) between two nearest neighboring second light generating parts in the range of 5-30 cm.

13. A lighting device for providing horticulture light having a spectral light distribution with a light intensity at a first wavelength within a range of 400-475 nm and at a second wavelength within a range of 625-800 nm, the lighting device comprising:

a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to generate LED light having a wavelength essentially within said range of 400-475 nm, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes are configured in an array,

the lighting device further comprising at least two light generating parts;

a first light generating part consisting of a first subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the first light generating part is configured to provide first light having a first spectral light distribution with a light intensity essentially within said first wavelength range, and

a second light generating part consisting of a second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein downstream of the optical path of each LED of the second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes a light conversion element is configured, the light conversion element configured to convert at least part of the LED light generated by the second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes into converted light having a wavelength that is essentially within the second wavelength range, wherein the second light generating part is configured to provide second light, consistently essentially of said converted light,

wherein the light conversion element is noncontiguous with any light emitting surface of each LED of the second subset, and

wherein the spectral light distributions, in the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range of the first light and the second light are different,

the lighting device further comprising a plurality of light chambers, each of said chambers comprising walls and a top surface, thereby forming a cavity, and each of said light chambers containing less than two of the light emitting diodes,

wherein the light emitting diodes of the second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes are each arranged in one of a subset of the light chambers, wherein each light chamber of that subset comprises the light conversion element being positioned on the top surface of the light chamber, and

wherein the lighting device further comprising a control unit whereby the first subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes and the second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes are independently controllable to thereby enable electronically controlling the intensity of the first light and the second light.

14. A method of illuminating crop comprising:

positioning a lighting device at a distance 10-50 cm from the crop, and

illuminating at least part of the crop with horticulture light from the lighting device;

wherein the lighting device is configured to provide horticulture light having a spectral light distribution with a light intensity at a first wavelength range of 400-475 nm and at a second wavelength range of 625-800 nm, the lighting device comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to generate LED light having a wavelength essentially within said range of 400-475 nm, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes are configured in an array, wherein the lighting device comprises at least two light generating parts, wherein

a first light generating part consisting of a first subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the first light generating part is configured to provide first light having a first spectral light distribution with at least light intensity essentially within said first wavelength range, and

a second light generating part consisting of a second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein downstream of the optical path of each LED of the second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes a light conversion element is configured, the light conversion element configured to convert at least part of the LED light generated by the second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes into converted light essentially within the second wavelength range, wherein the second light generating part is configured to provide second light, comprising at least part of said converted light,

wherein the light conversion element is noncontiguous with any light emitting surface of each LED of the second subset,

wherein the spectral light distributions, in the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range, of the first light and the second light are different, and

wherein the lighting device further comprising a control unit whereby the first subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes and the second subset of the plurality of light emitting diodes are independently controllable to thereby enable electronically controlling the intensity of the first light and the second light.

15. The method according to claim 14, comprising varying the spectral light distribution of the horticulture light as a function of one or more of

(a) the addressed part of the crop,

(b) the time of the day,

(c) the light intensity and light distribution of other light than the horticulture light,

(d) the type of crop,

(e) the growth stage of the crop,

(f) the stage of a fruit,

(g) the time to harvest,

(h) the time from harvest, and

(i) position in horticulture arrangement.