Multimode color tunable light source

• US 8,779,681 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2011
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fluence Bioengineering, Inc. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Adler, Helmar
• Primary Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US13/198,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20120306381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 315/112, 315/117, 315/149, 315/150, 315/158, 315/159, 315/291, 315/307
• US Class Current: 315/291
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 11/00 Non-electric lighting devices or systems using daylight roofs with sky-light opening E04D13/03; sun blinds for windows with means for redirecting light onto ceiling of a room E06B9/00; hybrid lighting devices combining artificial and natural light F21S19/00; solar heat collectors F24S; solar cells or solar cell modules H01L31/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 19/005 Combining sunlight and electric light sources for indoor illumination
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/00 Systems of lighting devices, not provided for in main groups F21S4/00 - F21S10/00 or F21S19/00, e.g. of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0442 activated by means of a sensor, e.g. motion or photodetectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0464 the sensor sensing the level of ambient illumination, e.g. dawn or dusk sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0478 by means of an image recording device, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/13 comprising an assembly of point-like light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 35/00 Electric light sources using a combination of different types of light generation
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Described herein are ambient lighting devices, methods, and systems that utilize at least one multimode artificial ambient light source, a control unit, and a remote image sensor. The control unit couples to at least one artificial ambient light source and is configured to output at least one control signal to the at least one artificial ambient light source. The at least one multimode artificial ambient light source is configured to output light of varying color and color temperature in response to said at least one control signal. The remote image sensor couples to the at least one control unit and is configured to detect at least one color and intensity characteristic and output an output signal to the at least one control unit, based on said color and intensity characteristic detected.

Claims

1. A lighting system, comprising:

at least one multimode artificial ambient light source;

at least one control unit coupled to said at least one artificial ambient light source and configured to output at least one control signal to said at least one artificial ambient light source wherein said at least one multimode artificial ambient light source is configured to output light of varying color and color temperature in response to said at least one control signal; and

one remote image sensor coupled to said at least one control unit, wherein the remote sensor is configured to detect at least one color and intensity characteristic and an output signal to said at least one control unit, based on said color and intensity characteristic detected wherein the remote image sensor utilizes a weighted border region and center region of the image detected.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the remote image sensor utilizes only one pixel for aid color and intensity characteristic.

3. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the remote image sensor utilizes a region of an image detected smaller than the area of the image detected.

4. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the remote image sensor utilizes only a border region of an image detected smaller than the area of the image detected.

5. The lighting system of claim 1, further comprising a monitor wherein the complete image is displayed on the monitor.

6. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the remote image sensor utilizes a frame grabber to provide an image to detect at least one color and intensity characteristic by the image remote sensor.

7. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the remote image sensor converts the color and intensity characteristic into the output signal with an R-G-B bitmap format.

8. The lighting system of claim 1, further comprises an additional sensor coupled to said at least one control unit, wherein the additional sensor is configured to detect at least one color and intensity characteristic of current lighting conditions and wherein the control unit compensates the control signal for current lighting conditions.

9. The lighting system of claim 8, further comprising a mixing chamber configured to receive light from said natural light source and light from said at least one multimode artificial ambient light source.

10. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein said at least one multimode artificial ambient light source comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDS), wherein each of said plurality of LEDS is individually addressable and controllable by said at least one control unit.

11. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein said at least one multimode artificial ambient light source is disposed within at least one solar tube.

12. A lighting method, comprising:

detecting at least one color and intensity characteristic and producing an output signal to at least one control unit based on said color and intensity characteristic with a remote image sensor wherein the remote image sensor utilizes a region of an image detected smaller than the area of the image detected;

outputting at least one control signal to at least one artificial ambient light source by said at least one control unit; and

outputting light of varying color and color temperature by at least one multimode artificial ambient light source in response to said at least one control signal.

13. The lighting method of claim 12, wherein the remote image sensor utilizes only one pixel for aid color and intensity characteristic.

14. The lighting method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying the image on a display.

15. The lighting method of claim 12, wherein the remote image sensor utilizes a frame grabber to provide an image to detect at least one color and intensity characteristic by the image remote sensor.

16. The lighting method of claim 12, wherein the remote image sensor converts the color and intensity characteristic into the output signal with an R-G-B bitmap format.

17. The lighting method of claim 12, further comprises an additional sensor coupled to said at least one control unit, wherein the additional sensor is configured to detect at least one color and intensity characteristic of current lighting conditions and wherein the control unit compensates the control signal for current lighting conditions.

18. The lighting method of claim 12, further comprising a mixing chamber configured to receive light from said natural light source and light from said at least one multimode artificial ambient light source.

19. The lighting method of claim 12, wherein said at least one multimode ambient artificial light source comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDS), wherein each of said plurality of LEDS is individually addressable and controllable by said at least one control unit.

20. A lighting system, comprising:

at least one multimode artificial ambient light source;

at least one control unit coupled to said at least one artificial ambient light source and configured to output at least one control signal to said at least one artificial ambient light source wherein said at least one multimode artificial ambient light source is configured to output light of varying color and color temperature in response to said at least one control signal;

one remote image sensor coupled to said at least one control unit, wherein the remote sensor is configured to detect at least one color and intensity characteristic and an output signal to said at least one control unit, based on said color and intensity characteristic detected wherein the remote image sensor utilizes a weighted border region and center region of the image detected; and

a monitor displaying the image wherein said ambient light source provides lighting in a room in which the monitor is displaying the image.