RECONFIGURABLE OPTICAL FIBER SPECTROMETER IN A LIGHTING DEVICE

• US 20180058930A1
• Filed: 08/03/2017
• Published: 03/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramer, David P., Rains, JR., Jack C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,458,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0218 using optical fibers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0264 Electrical interface; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0291 Housings; Spectrometer accessories; Spatial arrangement of elements, e.g. folded path arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/10 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/28 Investigating the spectrum using colour filters G01J3/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/42 Absorption spectrometry; Double beam spectrometry; Flicker spectrometry; Reflection spectrometry beam switching arrangements G01J3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0006 Coupling light into the fibre in general G02B6/4298

Abstract

A spectrometer-equipped lighting device detects substances in an environment around the device. A fiber detector is optically coupled to receive light from a light source. The fiber detector has a bare area from which emanates an evanescent wave of light surrounding an exterior of the fiber detector to interact with the environment in which the fiber detector is exposed. The spectrometer, optically coupled to an opposite end of the fiber detector, detects the light output and in response, generates signals representative of the spectral power distribution of the light of the evanescent wave that has interacted with the surrounding environment. A controller analyzes the spectrometer generated signals and initiates action based on the analysis of the generated signals or outputs a report indicating an environmental condition detected by the spectrometer-equipped device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a lighting device comprising a light source configured to output light;

a fiber detector optically coupled to the light source to receive a portion of the output light at a first end of the fiber detector, the fiber detector having a bare area emanating an evanescent wave of the light surrounding an exterior of the fiber detector to interact with an environment in which the bare area of the fiber detector is exposed;

a spectrometer optically coupled to a second end of the fiber detector to receive the light from the fiber detector after the interaction of the evanescent wave with the environment, the spectrometer configured to;

detect light outputted from the fiber detector, and

generate signals representative of a spectral power distribution of the detected light, the generated signals corresponding to the interaction of the evanescent wave with the environment;

a memory storing spectral reference data and program instructions; and

a processor operatively coupled to the memory, the light source and the spectrometer, wherein in response to executing the stored program instructions, the processor is configured to process the generated signals based on the stored spectral reference data.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the interaction of the evanescent wave of the light with the environment diminishes spectral characteristics of the light.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the spectral reference data includes a reference spectral power distribution uniquely identifying a chemical composition, a biological material, or an environmental material, for comparison to one or more of the signals generated by the spectrometer.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein to process the signals, the processor is to:

control operation of the light source;

analyze the signals generated by the spectrometer in response to detecting light in relation to the spectral reference data to detect an environmental condition in an environment in which the lighting device is located; and

generate a report of the detected environmental condition.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a communication interface, wherein the processor is coupled to the communication interface;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the communication interface and to a wireless network, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to;

transmit the report of the detected environmental condition output by the processor to a device external to the environment in which the lighting device is located.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive an updated spectral reference data, wherein the updated spectral reference data changes one or more of a number of the reference spectral power distributions uniquely identifying one of a chemical composition, a biological material, or an environmental material.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the spectral reference data stored in the memory is stored as spectral reference data file containing data directed to a particular substance having one of a specific chemical composition, a specific biological material, or a specific environmental material identifiable from the spectrometer generated signals, and

the data includes an identifier corresponding to one of the specific chemical composition, the biological material or the environmental material.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a spectral reference data file, wherein the spectral reference data file includes spectral power distribution data related to one or more substances present in the environment;

store the received data file in the memory;

access the stored data file in the memory, and

based on the analysis of the signals generated by the spectrometer in relation to the spectral power distribution data of the stored data file, identify one or more identifiers associated with one or more substances.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein to analyze the signals, the processor is to:

compare the signals generated by the spectrometer to the spectral power distribution data in the spectral reference data stored in the memory; and

based on the results of the comparison, identify one or more of identifiers in the spectral reference data that correspond to the spectrometer generated signal.

10. The system device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

in response to a predetermined output report, adjust an output of the light source.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a spectrometer light source having known light emission characteristics that emits light detectable by the spectrometer, the spectrometer light source being coupled to the first end of the fiber detector to transmit light to the spectrometer through the fiber detector.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fan positioned relative to the lighting device, and configured to;

move air from the environment in which the lighting device is located through a space in which the fiber detector is exposed to facilitate the interaction of the moved air with the bare area of the fiber detector.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the fiber detector is further configured to:

pass through a ceiling plane into an occupiable space in the vicinity of the environment in which the lighting device is installed.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the fiber detector is further configured to:

sample an environment within a ceiling plenum in the vicinity of the space in which the lighting device is installed toward the spectrometer.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical coupling is configured to:

direct ambient sunlight from the environment in which the lighting device is installed towards the first end of the fiber detector.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the fiber detector is an optical fiber cable, the optical fiber cable further comprising:

a number of linear feet of the bare area along a length of the optical fiber cable that is exposed to air from the environment in which the lighting device is located.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the fiber detector is a waveguide.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the fiber detector is tangential to the lighting device such that the bare area of the fiber detector is tangential to an output surface of the lighting device.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the fiber detector comprises a shape resembling one of a sphere, a rectangle, a polygon or combinations thereof.

20. A lighting device, comprising:

a light output surface configured to transmit light into a space to be illuminated by the lighting device;

a fiber detector optically coupled to receive the light from the light output surface at a first end of the fiber detector, the fiber detector having a bare area emanating an evanescent wave of the light surrounding an exterior of the fiber detector to interact with an environment in which the fiber detector is exposed; and

a spectrometer integrated with the lighting device together with the light output surface, the spectrometer optically coupled to a second end of the fiber detector to receive the light from the fiber detector after the interaction of the evanescent wave with a medium in the environment.

21. The lighting device of claim 20, the fiber detector further comprises extraction features having a form of treatment or structure formed at an outer surface of the fiber detector.

22. The lighting device of claim 21 wherein the extraction features function as a reflector that interferes with the evanescent wave and allows the portion of the light to exit from the fiber detector.

23. The lighting device of claim 20, wherein the fiber detector is an optical fiber cable, the optical fiber cable further comprising:

a number of linear feet of the bare area along a length of the optical fiber cable that is exposed to the environment in which the lighting device is located.

24. The lighting device of claim 20, wherein the fiber detector is a waveguide.

25. The lighting device of claim 21 further comprising:

a processor coupled to the spectrometer to process spectral power distribution measurements from the spectrometer to selectively detect a plurality of different environmental conditions.

26. The lighting device of claim 25, further comprising:

a network communication interface coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor is further configured to communicate the processed spectral power distribution measurements corresponding to the detected environmental conditions over a network via the communication interface.

27. The lighting device of claim 20, further comprising:

a light source aligned with the light output surface, wherein upon transmission of the light through the light output surface, the light source is configured to emit general illumination light into the space.

28. The lighting device of claim 20 further comprising:

a light input surface configured to receive natural light from outside the lighting device, wherein;

the light output surface is configured to output at least a portion of the natural light as general illumination light; and

the spectrometer is integrated within the lighting device between the light input surface and the light output surface.

29. The lighting device of claim 20 wherein the interaction of the evanescent wave of the light with the environment diminishes spectral characteristics of the light.

30. A system comprising:

a first lighting device comprising;

a spectrometer light source integrated within the first lighting device; and

a first processor coupled to output control signals to the spectrometer light source causing the spectrometer light source to output light in a predetermined direction; and

a second lighting device, comprising;

a light source integrated within the second lighting device configured to emit general illumination light;

a spectrometer integrated within the second lighting device; and

a second processor coupled to the spectrometer to process spectral power distribution measurements from the spectrometer to selectively detect a plurality of different environmental conditions, wherein the spectrometer of the second lighting device is aligned to receive a portion of the light output by the spectrometer light source of the first lighting device; and

a fiber detector comprising;

a first end optically coupled to the spectrometer light source of the first lighting device, a second end optically coupled to the spectrometer of the second lighting device, and a bare area between the first and the second of the fiber detector, wherein;

light emitted by the spectrometer light source of the first lighting device is directed through the fiber detector toward the spectrometer of the second lighting device, and

the bare area of the fiber detector permits an evanescent light wave surrounding an exterior of the fiber detector to interact with an environment in which the bare area of the fiber detector is exposed.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein at least part of the bare area of the fiber detector is optically coupled to the first and the second lighting devices is located in a ceiling plenum.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the fiber detector is an optical fiber cable.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the fiber detector is a waveguide.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the first lighting device and the second lighting device collectively operate to provide an analysis of the environment common to the first and the second lighting devices.

35. The system of claim 30 wherein the interaction of the evanescent light wave with the environment diminishes spectral characteristics of light.

36. The system of claim 30 wherein a first wavelength of the general illumination light emitted by the light source is different from a second wavelength of the light outputted by the spectrometer light source.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the general illumination light is a natural light.

38. The system of claim 36 wherein the general illumination light is an artificial light.