Method and apparatus for irradiation of plants using light emitting diodes

• US 7,033,060 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.), NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Gelcore (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Dubuc, Eden
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsidulko, Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/675,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20040233672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 362/600, 362/612, 362/234, 362/218, 362/294, 362/365, 362/367, 362/368, 362/396, 362/249, 362/800, 361/688, 361/690, 361/704, 361/707, 361/719, 174/252, 165/80.2, 165/80.3, 165/104.33
• US Class Current: 362/600
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/045 with electric lighting
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/24 Devices or systems for heating, ventilating, regulating temperature , illuminating, or watering, in greenhouses, forcing-frames, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/249 Lighting means with special arrangements for promoting growth A01G7/045
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/25 Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/14 Measures for saving energy, e.g. in green houses

Abstract

A method for using LEDs to supplement natural light in a greenhouse and a support structure for attaching LEDs in a greenhouse so that the plants receive substantially even light distribution from the LEDs and minimal natural light is blocked by the lighting system. A narrow attachment rail is used to suspend a strip of LEDs from the frame structure of the greenhouse.

Claims

1. A greenhouse lamp comprising:

at least one PCB,

at least one LED mounted on said at least one PCB;

a carrier having a heat sink, said at least one PCB attached to said carrier;

a shim, said shim securing the PCB to said carrier;

a clamp adapted for mounting said lamp; and

a power supply.

2. The greenhouse lamp of claim 1 where the clamp is adapted for mounting said lamp to a greenhouse frame.

3. The greenhouse lamp of claim 2 where the width of the carrier is less than 5 cm.

4. The greenhouse lamp of claim 1 wherein the carrier is about 4.5 cm wide and about 240 cm long and the PCB is about 3 cm wide and about 60 cm long.

5. The greenhouse lamp of claim 1 further comprising a plurality PCBs each having at least one LED, wherein the PCBs are attached to the carrier.

6. The greenhouse lamp of claim 1 wherein carrier comprises a base with a channel for receiving the PCB.

7. The greenhouse lamp of claim 1 wherein the PCB is a metal core PCB strip and a plurality of power package LEDs are mounted on the PCB strip.

8. The greenhouse lamp of claim 6 wherein the PCB is a metal core PCB strip and the PCB strip is slidably mounted in the channel.

9. The greenhouse lamp of claim 1 wherein the power supply is remote from the carrier.

10. The greenhouse lamp of claim 1 wherein the shim is a collar surrounding one LED.

11. The greenhouse lamp of claim 7 further comprising a heat sink.

12. The greenhouse lamp of claim 1 wherein at least one of the LEDs has a peak emission at a desired wavelength.

13. The greenhouse lamp of claim 12 wherein the desired wavelength is about 435 nm.

14. The greenhouse lamp of claim 12 wherein the desired wavelength is about 455 nm.

15. The greenhouse lamp of claim 12 wherein the desired wavelength is about 470 nm.

16. A plant growth lamp comprising:

at least one PCB;

at least one LED mounted on said at least one PCB, said at least one LED having a desired wavelength;

a carrier having;

a heat sink,

at least one external mounting slot, said at least one PCB attached to said carrier via a shim;

a clamp adapted to attach to said at least one external mounting slot, said clamp adapted for mounting said lamp; and

a power supply.

17. The plant growth lamp of claim 16 wherein at least one of the LEDs has a peak emission at a desired wavelength.

18. The plant growth lamp of claim 17 wherein the desired wavelength is about 435 nm.

19. The plant growth lamp of claim 17 wherein the desired wavelength is about 455 nm.

20. The plant growth lamp of claim 17 wherein the desired wavelength is about 470 nm.

21. The plant growth lamp of claim 16 where the clamp is adapted for mounting said lamp to a greenhouse frame.

22. The plant growth lamp of claim 21 where the width of the carrier is less than 150% the width of the greenhouse frame.

23. The plant growth lamp of claim 16 wherein the carrier is about 4.5 cm wide and about 240 cm long and the PCB is about 3 cm wide and about 60 cm long.

24. The greenhouse lamp of claim 16 further comprising a plurality PCBs each having at least one LED, wherein the PCBs are attached to the carrier.

25. The greenhouse lamp of claim 16 wherein carrier comprises a base with a channel for receiving the PCB.

26. The greenhouse lamp of claim 25 wherein the PCB is a metal core PCB strip and the PCB strip is slidably mounted in the channel.

27. The greenhouse lamp of claim 16 wherein the PCB is a metal core PCB strip, a plurality of power package LEDs are mounted on the PCB strip and said LEDs are equally spaced along the PCB strip.

28. The greenhouse lamp of claim 27 further comprising a heat sink.

29. The greenhouse lamp of claim 16 wherein the powers supply is remote from the carrier.

30. The greenhouse lamp of claim 16 wherein the shim is a collar surrounding one LED.

31. A greenhouse lighting assembly comprising:

at least one carrier;

at least one light engine comprising a plurality of LEDs mounted on a PCB strip;

said at least one light engine attached to said at least one carrier; and

a shim securing the PCB strip in the carrier.

32. The lighting assembly of claim 31 where the at least one carrier is adapted to be attached to a greenhouse frame.

33. The lighting assembly of claim 32 where the width of the at least one carrier is about 150% the width of the greenhouse frame.

34. The lighting assembly of claim 32 wherein the width of the at least one support rail is about equal the width of the greenhouse frame.

35. The lighting assembly of claim 32 wherein the width of the at least one carrier is narrower than the width of the greenhouse frame.

36. The lighting assembly of claim 31 wherein the at least one carrier is about 4.5 cm wide and about 240 cm long.

37. The lighting assembly of claim 31 wherein the light engine is about 3 cm wide and about 60 cm long.

38. The lighting assembly of claim 31 further comprising a plurality of light engines, wherein more than one light engine is attached to the at least one carrier.

39. The lighting assembly of claim 31 wherein the at least one carrier comprises a base with said channel;

said PCB strip is a metal core PCB strip, and the PCB strip is slidably mounted in the channel.

40. The lighting assembly of claim 39 further comprising a power supply.

41. The lighting assembly of claim 31 further comprising a clamp adapted for mounting the carrier to the greenhouse frame.

42. The lighting assembly of claim 41 wherein the lighting assembly is attached to a greenhouse frame.

43. The lighting assembly of claim 42 wherein the assembly further comprises a plurality of parallel rows, each row comprises at least one carrier.

44. The lighting assembly of claim 42 wherein each row is substantially the same length as the length of a lighted area of the greenhouse and the rows are arranged to provide substantially uniform even lighting.

45. The lighting assembly of claim 42 wherein the lighting assembly does not substantially reduce the amount of natural light received into the green house.

46. The lighting assembly of claim 43 wherein the lighting assembly covers less than 15% of the lighted area of the greenhouse.

47. The lighting assembly of claim 46 wherein the lighting assembly covers less than 10% of the lighted area of the greenhouse.

48. The lighting assembly of claim 47 wherein the lighting assembly covers less than 5% of the lighted area of the greenhouse.

49. The lighting assembly of claim 48 wherein the lighting assembly covers less than 3% of the lighted area of the greenhouse.

50. The lighting assembly of claim 31, wherein the shim is a collar surrounding one LED.

51. The lighting assembly of claim 31 wherein the light engine further comprises a heat sink.

52. A lamp for illuminating plants comprising:

a carrier having a channel;

a PCB slideably attached to said carrier;

a LED mounted on said PCB;

a collar that surrounds said LED to secure said PCB in said channel.

53. A plant illumination system comprising:

a carrier having at least one external mounting slot;

at least one PCB attached to said carrier;

a shim that secures the PCB strip in the carrier;

at least one LED mounted on said at least one PCB; and

a clamp attached to said at least one external mounting slot for mounting said system to an associated support frame.

54. A lighting system for plants comprising:

at least one PCB having a heat sink;

at least one LED mounted on said at least one PCB;

a carrier having

a receiving channel; and

at least one external mounting slot, said at least one PCB is attached to said receiving channel of said carrier through a shim;

a clamp that cooperates with the at least one external mounting slot for mounting said lighting system; and

a power supply.