Networked architectural lighting with customizable color accents

• US 20070285921A1
• Filed: 06/09/2006
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Acuity Brands, Inc.
• Inventors: Zulim, Don, Lydecker, Stephen Haight, King, Leslie Charles, Hinnefeld, Jon Dale
• Granted Patent: US 7,614,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/240
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/00 Systems of lighting devices, not provided for in main groups F21S4/00 - F21S10/00 or F21S19/00, e.g. of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/02 of recess-mounted type, e.g. downlighters specially adapted for vehicle exteriors F21S41/00-F21S45/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/04 by movement of reflectors in vehicle head lamps F21S41/675
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/04 the elements being switches safety devices F21V25/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0025 Combination of two or more reflectors for a single light source array of reflectors for a cluster of light sources F21V7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/33 annular
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/00 Combination of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/20 of different form
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 35/00 Electric light sources using a combination of different types of light generation
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/17 Operational modes, e.g. switching from manual to automatic mode or prohibiting specific operations

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and apparatuses for dynamically controlling the operational modes of a single luminaire or a group of networked luminaires configured to deliver an illumination pattern having a decorative colored glow surrounding a central region of substantially uniform brightness. A control module for the luminaire is configured to drive three dimmable fluorescent ballasts, as well as a LED module. A variety of operational modes including different schemes for color mixing and color cycle control can be selected by a user and implemented by a microcontroller. A group of luminaires is connected in a standard communication protocol-based master-slave configuration, where the slave units respond to commands received from the master unit, and the last slave unit automatically engages terminating and biasing resistors for proper operation of the network.

Claims

1. A luminaire, comprising:

a first reflector having an inner space and an inner surface that includes a light mixing portion;

a second reflector having an inner space and an inner surface, the second reflector being at least partially disposed within the inner space of the first reflector;

a third reflector having an inner space, an inner surface, and an outer surface, wherein light emitted from a lamp at least partially disposed within the inner space of the third reflector is reflected by a portion of the inner surface of the third reflector and exits through an opening of the third reflector;

the third reflector being at least partially disposed within the inner space of the second reflector;

a plurality of colored light sources disposed within the inner space of the first reflector, wherein light emitted by the plurality of colored light sources is reflected by the light mixing portion of the inner surface of the first reflector and passes through a plenum formed by a portion of the outer surface of the third reflector and a portion of the inner surface of the second reflector; and

a control module coupled to the plurality of colored light sources that controls an intensity of each of the plurality of colored light sources.

2. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the intensity of a first colored light source is controllable independently of the intensity of a second colored light source.

3. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the intensity of a first group of colored light sources is controllable independently of the intensity of a second group of colored light sources.

4. The luminaire of claim 3, wherein the plurality of colored light sources are mounted on a circuit board having at least one electrical connector that couples the plurality of colored light sources to the control module.

5. The luminaire of claim 4, wherein the at least one electrical connector is an RJ11 telephone jack connector.

6. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the plurality of colored light sources are colored light-emitting-diodes.

7. The luminaire of claim 1, further comprising a light socket coupled to the control module.

8. The luminaire of claim 7, wherein the light socket is one of a fluorescent lamp light socket, an incandescent lamp light socket, and a light emitting diode light socket.

9. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the luminaire further comprises a dimmable ballast coupled to the control module.

10. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a universal input power supply that provides a first output voltage and a second output voltage, the first output voltage for powering the plurality of colored light sources and the second output voltages for powering electronic components of the control module.

11. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a first multi-position binary coded decimal switch that selects one of a plurality of operational modes, wherein one of the operational modes is a self-diagnostics mode.

12. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises at least one multi-position binary coded decimal switch that controls cycle time.

13. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a pulse frequency modulation power supply.

14. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a flyback converter power supply.

15. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a network input port and a network output port.

16. The luminaire of claim 15, wherein the control module comprises a biasing resistor.

17. The luminaire of claim 15, wherein the control module comprises a terminating resistor that automatically engages if the network output port is not coupled to another luminaire.

18. The luminaire of claim 15, wherein the network input port and the network output port comprise RJ45 connectors.

19. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a microcontroller.

20. A lighting system, comprising:

a plurality of luminaires coupled together in a daisy-chained master-slave configuration, wherein each of the luminaires has a control module to control a plurality of colored light sources, the control module including

a network input port and a network output port for coupling to other luminaires,

a biasing resistor for proper operation of an RS485 communication protocol, and

a terminating resistor that automatically engages if the network output port is not coupled to another luminaire;

wherein slave luminaires are configured to act in response to commands received from a master luminaire.

21. The lighting system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of luminaire are coupled together using Ethernet cables.

22. A luminaire configured to deliver an illumination pattern having a decorative colored glow surrounding a central region of substantially uniform brightness, the luminaire comprising:

a housing;

a source of illumination that creates the central region of substantially uniform brightness;

a plurality of colored fluorescent light sources that creates the decorative colored glow surrounding the central region; and

a plurality of dimmable fluorescent light ballasts coupled to the plurality of colored fluorescent light sources via three independent 0-10V control signal channels,

wherein the first control signal channel controls the fluorescent light sources emitting a first colored light, the second control signal channel controls the fluorescent light sources emitting a second colored light, and the third control signal channel controls the fluorescent light sources emitting a third colored light, and

wherein the first colored light, the second colored light, and the third colored light can be mixed to provide any color inside a CIE chromaticity chart including saturated colors.

23. A control module for driving a variety of colored light sources included in a luminaire configured to deliver an illumination pattern having a decorative colored glow surrounding a central region of substantially uniform brightness, the control module comprising:

a universal input power supply module having a low-power off-line switcher chip to provide multi-level output voltages, the higher of the output voltages driving the colored light sources, and the lower of the output voltages driving other electronic and communication components;

a 3-channel output module coupled to the power supply module, wherein the output module has three independent 0-10V output channels, each of the channels configured to drive a dimmable ballast for colored fluorescent lights;

a light emitting diode driver module coupled to the power supply module, wherein the light emitting diode driver module is configured to drive colored light emitting diodes; and

a mode control selector that determines an operational mode of the luminaire.