LED lighting system

• US 7,863,829 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solarone Solutions, Inc. (Reden Solar SAS)
• Original Assignee: Solarone Solutions, Inc. (Reden Solar SAS)
• Inventors: Azzam, Moneer, Fox, Martin, Karlicek, Robert F. Jr., Bernier, Joseph, Sayers, Graham, Lemons, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens; Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alemu; Ephrem
• Application Number:
  US11/323,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20060149607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 315/312, 315/360, 315/362, 315/307, 315/291, 315/178, 315/179, 315/149, 315/153, 315/154, 315/302, 362/208, 362/800, 362/285, 323/905, 323/906, 345 76- 83
• US Class Current: 315/291
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A method for optimizing an LED lighting system cost includes steps of determining LED costs, power source costs, and total costs associated with a plurality of LED quantities, and identifying a lowest total cost as an optimal cost. A LED lighting system includes an LED operated by a constant-current driver at less than its maximum current capacity. A programmable controller including a feedback routine is used to compensate for intensity drift as an LED ages. Other embodiments of LED lighting systems include multiple LEDs producing light having various spectrums to optimize the lighting system efficiency and the effectiveness. A charge controller including an MPPT routine is advantageously employed with a LED lighting system powered by a limited-capacity power source.

Claims

1. An LED lighting system emitting light having an overall intensity, said system comprising:

a plurality of LEDs each having a maximum current capacity;

at least one constant-current driver for supplying a substantially constant current to said plurality of LEDs, said at least one constant-current driver being set to supply said constant current at a level less than said maximum current capacity, wherein said level of constant current to each of said plurality of LEDs is less than approximately 50% of said maximum current capacity for said LEDs; and

whereby luminous efficiency of said LED lighting system is increased without decreasing said overall intensity of said light.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said first LED has a greater luminous efficiency than said second LED, and said programmable controller includes an efficiency enhancement routine for increasing an overall efficiency of said LED lighting system by operating said first LED at a higher intensity relative to said second LED.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a battery for supplying power to said LED lighting system; and

a charge detection means for determining a state of charge of said battery and communicating said state of charge to said programmable controller;

wherein said programmable controller controls performs said efficiency enhancement routine when said state of charge falls below a pre-determined threshold.

2. An LED lighting system producing light having an overall spectrum, said system comprising:

a first LED producing light having a first spectrum and an adjustable first intensity;

a second LED producing light having a second spectrum and an adjustable second intensity;

a programmable controller for independently adjusting said first and second intensities; and

a light detection means for detecting an ambient light condition; and

a battery for supplying power to said LED lighting system; and

a charge detection means for determining a state of charge of said battery and communicating said state of charge to said programmable controller;

wherein said programmable controller includes a spectrum adjustment routine for adjusting at least one of said first and second adjustable intensities to adjust said overall spectrum in response to said ambient light condition and wherein said programmable controller performs said spectrum adjustment routine when said state of charge falls below a pre-determined threshold.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said programmable controller performs said spectrum adjustment routine to adjust said overall spectrum to substantially correspond to at least one of a peak scotopic and a peak photopic condition of a human eye, to reduce energy demands of said LEDs.

4. An LED lighting system comprising:

at least one LED having a maximum current capacity; and

at least one constant-current driver for supplying a substantially constant current to said at least one LED, said at least one constant-current driver being set to supply said constant current at a level less than said maximum current capacity, wherein said level of constant current to each of said at least one LED is less than approximately 50% of said maximum current capacity for said LED; and

whereby luminous efficiency of said LED lighting system is increased,

wherein said maximum luminous intensity of said system is increased by adding additional LEDs, each of said additional LEDs operating at less than approximately 50% of said maximum current capacity for said additional LEDs.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a programmable controller including a PWM signal generator for generating a PWM control signal and supplying said PWM control signal to said constant-current driver, wherein said constant-current driver supplies said substantially constant current in response to said PWM control signal.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said constant-current driver is set to supply said constant current at less than approximately 35% of said maximum current capacity.

7. An LED lighting system comprising:

a first LED producing light having a first spectrum substantially corresponding to one of a peak scotopic and a peak photopic sensitivity of a human eye; and

a second LED producing light having a second spectrum; and

wherein said system reduces power demands by providing either said first spectrum or said second spectrum depending upon which is most effective for vision in either scotopic or photopic ambient conditions.

8. The LED lighting system of claim 7, further comprising a third LED and a fourth LED, and wherein said first LED is a cyan LED, said second LED is a blue LED, said third LED is a green LED, and said fourth LED is a red LED.

9. The LED lighting system of claim 7, wherein said first spectrum substantially corresponds to said peak scotopic sensitivity and said second spectrum includes wavelengths substantially corresponding to said peak photopic sensitivity.

10. The LED lighting system of claim 9, wherein said first LED is a cyan LED and said second LED is a PC LED.

11. An LED lighting system producing light having an overall spectrum, said system comprising:

a first LED producing light having a first spectrum and an adjustable first intensity;

a second LED producing light having a second spectrum and an adjustable second intensity;

a programmable controller for independently adjusting said first and second intensities;

a first constant-current driver for supplying a first constant current to said first LED in response to a first PWM control signal; and

a second constant-current driver for supplying a second constant current to said second LED in response to a second PWM control signal;

wherein said programmable controller generates said first and second PWM control signals and supplies said first and second PWM control signals to said first and second constant-current drivers, respectively, and said programmable controller independently adjusts said first and second intensities by independently adjusting said first and second PWM control signals; and

wherein said programmable controller actively and continuously reduces energy demands of said LEDs by shifting said overall spectrum to a most efficient spectrum of one of said first and second spectrums for a given ambient condition.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a wide-range photodetector for detecting an actual first intensity and an actual second intensity of said first and second LEDs, respectively;

wherein said programmable controller includes a feedback routine for coordinating said first and second PWM control signals such that a first isolation period periodically occurs when only said first LED is operated and a second isolation period periodically occurs when only said second LED is operated, so as to enable said wide-range photodetector to independently detect said actual first and second intensities.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said programmable controller includes an information routine for adjusting at least one of said first and second intensities to convey information to a user of said system by said system.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a feedback means for independently detecting an actual first intensity and an actual second intensity of said first and second LEDs, respectively, and communicating said actual first and second intensities to said programmable controller;

wherein said programmable controller includes a feedback routine for using said actual first and second intensities as feedback for adjusting said adjustable first and second intensities.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said feedback means is a wide-range photodetector and said feedback routine enables said wide-range photodetector to independently detect said actual first and second intensities by controlling said first and second LEDs to conduct a first isolation period when only said first LED is operated and a second isolation period when only said second LED is operated.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said programmable controller rapidly conducts said first and second isolation periods so as to make said first and second isolation periods visually undetectable.