LIGHTING ASSEMBLY, APPARATUS AND ASSOCIATED METHOD FOR MAINTAINING LIGHT INTENSITIES

• US 20150002025A1
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Maricic, Danijel, Ramabhadran, Ramanujam, Garrity, John Thomas
• Application Number:
  US13/931,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20150002025A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/151
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/12 using optical feedback

Abstract

In accordance with one embodiment, a lighting assembly is provided. The lighting assembly includes a first light unit configured to operate at a first duty cycle and a second light unit configured to operate at a second duty cycle. The second duty cycle is less than the first duty cycle, and the first and second light units emit light having a same wavelength.

Claims

1. A lighting assembly comprising:

a first light unit configured to operate at a first duty cycle; and

a second light unit configured to operate at a second duty cycle, wherein the second duty cycle is less than the first duty cycle, and the first and second light units emit light having a same wavelength.

2. The lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second light units are configured to be driven with driving current of same magnitude.

3. The lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second light units are electrically coupled to a current driver unit and the current driver unit is configured to provide driving currents to the first and second light units.

4. The lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second light units are optically coupled to a sensor unit and the sensor unit is configured to sense light emitted from the first light unit and light emitted from the second light unit so as to determine corresponding first and second intensity values.

5. The lighting assembly of claim 4, wherein the first and second light units are communicatively coupled to a controller unit, and the controller unit is configured to receive the first and second intensity values from the sensor unit and determine magnitudes of a driving current provided by a current driver unit to the first and second light units based on the received first and second intensity values.

6. The lighting assembly of claim 5, wherein the controller unit is communicatively coupled to a memory unit and the memory unit is configured to store a first reference intensity value of the first light unit and a second reference intensity value of the second light unit.

7. The lighting assembly of claim 4, wherein the controller unit is further configured to compare a ratio between the first and second intensity values with a ratio between first and second reference intensity values to determine magnitudes of a driving current provided by the current driver unit to the first and second light units.

8. The lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the second light unit is configured to be switched ON when a second intensity value of the second light unit is to be determined.

9. The lighting assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a heat sink, wherein the first light unit and the second light are disposed on the heat sink; and

a temperature sensor unit disposed on the heat sink and configured to detect a temperature of the heat sink.

10. The lighting assembly of claim 1, further comprising first and second heat sinks, wherein the first light unit is disposed on the first heat sink and the second light unit is disposed on the second heat sink.

11. The lighting assembly of claim 10, further comprising a thermal relay disposed between the first and second light units and configured to thermally couple or decouple the second light unit from the first light unit.

12. The lighting assembly of claim 10, further comprising a temperature sensor unit disposed on the second heat sink and configured to detect temperature of the second heat sink.

13. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a lighting assembly comprising;

a first light unit configured to operate at a first duty cycle, and

a second light unit configured to operate at a second duty cycle, wherein the second duty cycle is less than the first duty cycle, and the first and second light units emit light having a same wavelength;

a current driver unit electrically coupled to the first and second light units and configured to provide driving currents to the first and second light units;

a sensor unit optically coupled to the first and second light units and configured to sense light emitted from the first light unit and light emitted from the second light unit so as to determine corresponding first and second intensity values; and

a controller unit communicatively coupled to the sensor unit and the current driver unit, and configured to receive the first and second intensity values from the sensor unit and determine magnitudes of the driving current provided by the current driver unit to the first and second light units based on the received first and second intensity values.

14. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first and second light units are configured to be driven with the driving current of same magnitude.

15. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a memory unit configured to store a first reference intensity value of the first light unit and a second reference intensity value of the second light unit.

16. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller unit is further configured to compare a ratio between the first and second intensity values with a ratio between first and second reference intensity values to determine the magnitudes of the driving current provided by the current driver unit to the first and second light units.

17. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second light unit is configured to be switched ON when the second intensity value of the second light unit is to be determined.

18. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the lighting assembly further comprises:

a heat sink, wherein the first light unit and the second light are disposed on the heat sink; and

a temperature sensor unit disposed on the heat sink and configured to detect a temperature of the heat sink.

19. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the lighting assembly further comprises first and second heat sinks, wherein the first light unit is disposed on the first heat sink and the second light unit is disposed on the second heat sink.

20. The lighting apparatus of claim 19, wherein the lighting assembly further comprises a thermal relay disposed between the first and second light units and configured to thermally couple or decouple the second light unit from the first light unit.

21. The lighting apparatus of claim 19, wherein the lighting assembly further comprises a temperature sensor unit disposed on the second heat sink and configured to detect temperature of the second heat sink.

22. A method comprising:

receiving a first intensity value corresponding to a first light unit and a second intensity value corresponding to a second light unit at a controller unit, wherein the first light unit operates at a first duty cycle and the second light unit operates at a second duty cycle such that the second duty cycle is less than the first duty cycle, and the first and second light units emit light having a same wavelength; and

determining by the controller unit, magnitudes of driving current provided to the first and second light units based on the received first and second intensity values.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising driving the first and second light units with the driving current of same magnitude.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein determining magnitudes of the driving current comprises:

determining a first reference intensity value of the first light unit and a second reference intensity value of the second light unit; and

comparing a ratio between the first and second reference intensity values with a ratio between the first and second intensity values to determine the magnitudes of the driving current provided to the first and second light units.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising switching ON the second light unit prior to determining the first and second intensity values.