SUNNY-CLOUDY SCALE FOR SETTING COLOR TEMPERATURE OF WHITE LIGHTS

• US 20090243507A1
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andres Antonio Lucero-Vera, Elmo M.A. Diederiks, Tatiana Lashina
• Original Assignee: Andres Antonio Lucero-Vera, Elmo M.A. Diederiks, Tatiana Lashina
• Inventors: Lucero-Vera, Andres Antonio, Lashina, Tatiana, Diederiks, Elmo M.A.
• Application Number:
  US12/092,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20090243507A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/291
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source

Abstract

A control (410) for adjusting (420) the color output of a white light (430) provides an interface (210, 220, 301) that does not refer to, or depend upon an understanding of, color-temperature. The user interface control (210, 220, 301) uses the analogy (260, 270) of the light produced on cloudy days and the light produced on sunny days to distinguish between a low color-temperature output and a high color-temperature output. Using this cloudy-sunny description (260, 270) of the range of control (155, 255) of the light output, the terms “color” or “color-temperature” need not be introduced in the description of the output of a “white” light source (430).

Claims

1. A lighting control (410) comprising:

a user interface device (210, 220, 301) that provides a signal for controlling a color-temperature (420) of a light source (430) that corresponds to a position (155, 255) of a user-controllable element (150, 250), and

a label corresponding to the user-controllable element (150, 250) that includes at least two indicators (260, 270) corresponding to a minimum and maximum position of the user-controllable element (150, 250),

wherein

the at least two indicators (260, 270) include meteorological symbols.

2. The lighting control of claim 1, wherein

the meteorological symbols include a symbol of a sun (270), and a symbol of a cloud (260).

3. The lighting control of claim 1, wherein

the user interface device (210, 220) includes a rheostat.

4. The lighting control of claim 1, wherein

the user-controllable element (150, 250) includes a knob (150) that rotates (155) from the minimum to the maximum position.

5. The lighting control of claim 1, wherein

the user-controllable element (150, 250) includes a slide-bar (250) that travels laterally (255) from the minimum to the maximum position.

6. The lighting control of claim 1, wherein

the user interface device (210, 220, 301) includes a display screen (301), and

the user-controllable element includes a controllable object (310, 320, 330) on the display screen (301).

7. A lighting control comprising:

a display screen (301),

one or more user-controllable icons (310, 320, 330) on the display screen (301), and

a user-interface that provides a signal for controlling a color-temperature of a light source (430) that is dependent upon a position of the one or more user-controllable icons (310, 320, 330) on the display screen (301),

wherein

the one or more user-controllable icons (310, 320, 330) include meteorological symbols (360, 370).

8. The lighting control of claim 7, wherein

the meteorological symbols (360, 370) include at least one of:

a symbol of a cloud (360) and a symbol of a sun (370).

9. A lighting system comprising:

a light (430) that provides illumination in a variety of color temperatures,

a user interface device (410) that provides a control signal to the light that corresponds to a position of a user-controllable element (150, 250, 310, 320, 330), and

a label corresponding to the user-controllable element that includes at least two indicators (260, 270, 360, 370) corresponding to a minimum and maximum position of the user-controllable element,

wherein

the at least two indicators include a symbol of a sun (270, 370), and a symbol of a cloud (260, 360), and

when the user-controlled element is adjusted to correspond with the symbol of the sun (270, 370), the signal is configured to control (420) the light to provide a highest color temperature, and

when the user-controlled element is adjusted to correspond with the symbol of the cloud (260, 360), the signal is configured to control (420) the light to provide a lowest color temperature.

10. The lighting system of claim 9, wherein

the user interface device (410) includes a rheostat.

11. The lighting system of claim 9, wherein

the user-controllable element includes a knob (150) that rotates (155) from the minimum to the maximum position.

12. The lighting system of claim 9, wherein

the user-controllable element includes a slide-bar (250) that travels laterally (255) from the minimum to the maximum position.

13. The lighting system of claim 9, wherein

the user interface device (410) includes a display screen (301), and

the user-controllable element includes a controllable object (310, 320, 330) on the display screen (301).