Artificial lighting apparatus for young plants using light emitting diodes as light source

• US 6,474,838 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2001
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Den Hua Lee, Wei Fang
• Original Assignee: Den Hua Lee, Wei Fang
• Inventors: Fang, Wei, Lee, Den Hua, Jao, Rueychi
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sawhney, Hargobind S
• Application Number:
  US09/837,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20010048598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 362/1, 362/226, 362/231, 362/251, 362/805, 362/563, 362/391, 362/2, 362/800, 362/250, 47/17, 47D/IG.6, 47/581
• US Class Current: 362/231
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/045 with electric lighting
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/249 Lighting means with special arrangements for promoting growth A01G7/045
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/14 Measures for saving energy, e.g. in green houses
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/805 Horticultural

Abstract

An artificial lighting apparatus for young plants that includes at least one electric track and a plurality of lamps. The lamps are detachably mounted on the electric track. Each of the lamps includes a plurality of first light emitting diodes, a plurality of second light emitting diodes and a mounting box. The first and second light emitting diodes are alternately arranged. The electric track supplies the lamps with power to light the first and second light emitting diodes. The driver provides the controlling capability on light quantity, quality, frequency and duty ratio.

Claims

1. An artificial lighting apparatus for young plants including:

at least one electric track having a first power line, a second power line and a common ground line;

a plurality of lamps detachably mounted on the at least one electric track and supplied with power by the at least one electric track, each of the lamps including a plurality of first light emitting diodes and a plurality of second light-emitting diodes, wherein the first and second light emitting diodes are alternately arranged, and the first power line and the common ground line are connected to the first light emitting diodes, and the second power line and the common ground line are connected to the second light emitting diodes.

2. An artificial lighting apparatus for young plants as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first light emitting diodes are high intensity red light emitting diodes, and the second light emitting diodes are blue light emitting diodes.

3. An artificial lighting apparatus for young plants as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one electric track further has an elongated body and an elongated cover, the elongated body has longitudinal receiving grooves inside to receive the first and second power lines, the elongated cover is fixed to the elongated body, and the common ground line is covered by the elongated cover.

4. An artificial lighting apparatus for young plants as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the lamps further includes a box with the first and second types of light emitting diodes mounted on the box, a lever mounted on the box, and a locking element mounted on the box and actuated by the lever to lock the lamp and the at least one electric track together.

5. An artificial lighting apparatus for young plants as claimed in claim 1, further including a driver connected to the at least one electric track for individually controlling the firth light emitting diodes'"'"' and the second light emitting diodes'"'"' light quantity, light quality and lighting cycle

6. An artificial lighting apparatus for young plants as claimed in claim 5, wherein the driver includes a waveform generating and controlling circuit for outputting desired waveform, and a current-amplifying circuit for amplifying the waveform and sending the waveform to the lamp, thereby controlling the lamp'"'"'s light quantity, light quality and lighting cycle.

7. An artificial lighting apparatus for young plants as claimed in claim 6, wherein the waveform'"'"'s amplitude, frequency and duty ratio are adjustable by the waveform generating and controlling circuit.