LED light apparatus with instantly adjustable color intensity

• US 7,405,715 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2002
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chauvet & Sons, LLC
• Original Assignee: Robert Guzman
• Inventors: Moscopulos, Manuel Hugo Rojas, Guzman, Robert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Henry N
• Application Number:
  US10/486,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20050040772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,181 Days
• Field of Search: 345 11- 13, 345 21- 23, 345/208, 345/211, 345/214, 345/690, 345/83, 345589-594, 315/200.R, 315/293, 315/302, 315/313, 315/314, 362/84, 362/85
• US Class Current: 345/83
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/24 using electrical feedback from LEDs or from LED modules
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3725 Switched mode power supply [SMPS]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source

Abstract

An instantly controllable LED light apparatus provides an LED array (34) formed of red, green and blue LEDs in a regular arrangement. The apparatus also provides a unitary power supply/controller (4) disposed within a unitary housing (20) that is coupled only to the LED array (34) and a power source (56) in one embodiment. The power supply/controller (4) includes a memory device (64) such that, when a button (62) is pressed on the control panel (18) of the power supply/controller (4), a desired illumination color is instantly produced by the combination of the red, green and blue LEDs of the LED array (34).

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a plurality of LEDs defining an array of LEDs including more than one different colored group of LEDs; and

an integral power supply/controller unit disposed within a unitary housing and connectible directly between said plurality of LEDs and a power source, and including;

a power supply module for receiving power from a power source and providing modulated power to the plurality of LEDs,

a memory device,

a user interface capable of providing a plurality of signals, each corresponding to a distinct illumination color of a corresponding plurality of distinct illumination colors, the user interface including a plurality of pre-set buttons each of which is operable to provide one of the signals,

a controller for receiving a signal of said plurality of signals from the user interface and communicating with the memory device and the power supply module to substantially instantly cause the plurality of LEDs to produce a first distinct illumination color of said plurality of distinct illumination colors, independent of externally adjustable settings, and

a dimmer capable of uniformly dimming the LEDs associated with a distinct illumination color.

2. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a plurality of LEDs defining an array of LEDs including more than one different colored group of LEDs; and

an integral power supply/controller unit disposed within a unitary housing and connectible directly between said plurality of LEDs and a power source, and including;

a power supply module for receiving power from a power source and providing modulated power to the plurality of LEDs,

a memory device,

a user interface capable of providing a plurality of signals each of which corresponds to a distinct illumination color of a corresponding plurality of distinct illumination colors, the user interface including a plurality of pre-set buttons and the plurality of distinct illumination colors including programmed illumination colors each being defined by data stored within the memory device and selectable by a corresponding pre-set button, each programmed illumination color including intensity levels for each of the different colored groups of LEDs, the programmed illumination colors comprising red, blue, green, cyan, yellow, magenta, daylight 5500°

K, tungsten 3200°

K, and tungsten 2900°

K, and

a controller for receiving a provided signal from the user interface and communicating with the memory device and the power supply module to substantially instantly cause the plurality of LEDs to produce the distinct illumination color to which the received provided signal corresponds independent of externally adjustable settings.

3. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a plurality of LEDs defining an array of LEDs including more than one different colored group of LEDs; and

an integral power supply/controller unit disposed within a unitary housing and connectible directly between said plurality of LEDs and a power source, and including;

a power supply module for receiving power from a power source and providing modulated power to the plurality of LEDs,

a memory device,

a user interface capable of providing a plurality of signals, each of which corresponds to a distinct illumination color of a corresponding plurality of distinct illumination colors,

a controller for receiving a provided signal from the user interface and communicating with the memory device and the power supply module to substantially instantly cause the plurality of LEDs to produce the distinct illumination color to which the received provided signal corresponds independent of externally adjustable settings, and

a computer, and in which the user interface provides the plurality of signals responsive to commands from the computer, the computer having graphics including a color spectrum pad that includes primary colors, secondary colors, and a plurality of color temperatures of white light, each color of the color spectrum pad being selectable and provideable to the user interface by way of said commands.

4. A lighting apparatus comprising:

an array of LEDs including a first plurality of first color LEDs, a second plurality of second color LEDs, and a third plurality of third color LEDs; and

an integral power supply/controller unit disposed within a unitary housing and connectible to the array of LEDs and a power source, and including;

a power supply module for receiving power from a power source, and providing modulated power to the array of LEDs,

a memory device,

a user interface capable of providing a plurality of signals each of which corresponds to a distinct illumination color of a corresponding plurality of distinct illumination colors,

a controller for receiving a provided signal from the user interface and communicating with the memory unit and the power supply module to instantly cause the array of LEDs to produce the distinct illumination color to which the received provided signal corresponds independent of external settings, and

a computer,

the controller being capable of receiving commands from the computer and communicating with the power supply module to cause the array of LEDs to produce the plurality of distinct illumination colors, the computer including a color spectrum pad that includes individually selectable colors including primary colors, secondary colors, and a plurality of color temperatures of white light.

5. The lighting apparatus as in claim 4 in which the controller further communicates with the computer using DMX protocol.

6. The lighting apparatus as in claim 4, in which the computer and the controller can communicate using one of RS-485 communication standards and RS-232 communication standards.