Tunable LED lamp for producing biologically-adjusted light

• US 8,941,329 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Healthe, Inc.
• Original Assignee: BioLogical Illumination, LLC
• Inventors: Maxik, Fredric S., Bartine, David E., Soler, Robert R., Grove, Eliza Katar, Bretschneider, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Daniel D
• Application Number:
  US14/165,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20140217902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 315/307, 315/113, 315/291, 315/294, 315/297, 315/308, 315/309, 362/294, 362/373, 362/249.07
• US Class Current: 315/307
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0044 by the sight sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0083 especially for waking up
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/00 Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/02 for inducing sleep or relaxation, e.g. by direct nerve stimulation, hypnosis, analgesia for massage A61H; electrotherapy A61N, e.g. applying alternating or intermittent electric currents for producing anaesthesia A61N1/36021
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0652 Arrays of diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0663 Coloured light
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0618 Psychological treatment
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/23 Retrofit light sources for lighting devices with a single fitting for each light source, e.g. for substitution of incandescent lamps with bayonet or threaded fittings
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/16 square or rectangular, e.g. for light panels
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/10 of different colours
• 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: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light

Abstract

A tunable light-emitting diode (LED) lamp for producing an adjustable light output is provided. In one embodiment, the LED lamp includes a drive circuit for driving LED dies in one of a plurality of light output configurations (e.g., a pre-sleep configuration, a phase-shift configuration, and a general lighting configuration). Further, the LED lamp may include an output select controller and/or input sensor electrically coupled to the drive circuit to select the light output configuration. As such, the LED lamp is tunable to generate different levels of spectral output, appropriate for varying biological circumstance, while maintaining a commercially acceptable light quality and color rendering index.

Claims

1. A tunable LED lamp comprising:

a housing;

a drive circuit disposed within the housing and configured to electrically couple to a power source;

a plurality of LED dies mounted on a support coupled to the housing, wherein each of the plurality of LED dies is electrically coupled to and driven by the drive circuit; and

an output-select controller electrically coupled to the drive circuit to program the drive circuit to drive the LED dies in one of a plurality of light output configurations, wherein the plurality of light output configurations includes a pre-sleep configuration and a general lighting configuration;

wherein in the pre-sleep configuration the drive circuit drives the plurality of LED dies such that a blue output intensity level, in a visible spectral output range of between 380 nm and 485 nm, is less than 10% of a relative spectral power of any other peaks in the visible spectral output above 485 nm.

2. The tunable LED lamp of claim 1 wherein in the general lighting configuration, the drive circuit drives the plurality of LED dies such that a blue output intensity level, in a visible spectral output range of between 380 nm and 485 nm, is between 20% to 100% of a relative spectral power of any other peaks in the visible spectral output above 485 nm.

3. The tunable LED lamp of claim 1 wherein one of the plurality of light output configurations produces a biologically-adjusted light output with a color rendering index above 70.

4. The tunable LED lamp of claim 1 further comprising an input sensor electrically coupled to the output-select controller to provide an input variable for consideration in the selection of the light output configuration.

5. The tunable LED lamp of claim 4 wherein the input sensor is a thermal sensor;

and wherein the input variable is selected from the group consisting of an ambient temperature, a support temperature, an LED die temperature, a housing temperature, and any combination thereof.

6. The tunable LED lamp of claim 4 wherein the input sensor is a photo-sensor;

and wherein the input variable is selected from the group consisting of the light output produced by the lamp, an ambient light, a daily light cycle, and any combination thereof.

7. The tunable LED lamp of claim 4 wherein the input sensor is a GPS chip;

and wherein the input variable is selected from the group consisting of a location of the lamp, an expected ambient light, an actual ambient light, a daily light cycle, a seasonal light cycle variation, a time of day, and any combination thereof.

8. The tunable LED lamp of claim 1 wherein the plurality of light output configurations further includes a phase-shift configuration.

9. The tunable LED lamp of claim 8 wherein in the phase-shift configuration, the drive circuit drives the plurality of LED dies such that a blue output intensity level, in a visible spectral output range of between 455 nm and 485 nm, is greater than 125% of a relative spectral power of any other peaks in the visible spectral output above 485 nm.

10. The tunable LED lamp of claim 8 wherein in the phase-shift configuration the drive circuit drives the plurality of LED dies such that a blue output intensity level, in a visible spectral output range of between 455 nm and 485 nm, is between 150% to 250% of a relative spectral power of any other peaks in the visible spectral output above 485 nm.

11. The tunable LED lamp of claim 1 wherein the plurality of LED dies includes a mint die, the power spectrum of which has a notch or trough in the 460-490 nm region.

12. The tunable LED lamp of claim 11 wherein the mint die power spectrum has a notch or trough minimum centered in between 470-475 nm.

13. The tunable LED lamp of claim 11 wherein the mint die exhibits a power spectrum in which the maximum intensity of radiant power in the 470-480 nm range is less than 2.5% of that of the peak intensity of the die.

14. The tunable LED lamp of claim 1 wherein the plurality of LED dies includes red-orange LED dies, cyan LED dies, mint LED dies, and blue LED dies.

15. The tunable LED lamp of claim 1 wherein the plurality of LED dies includes a ratio of red-orange LED dies to cyan LED dies to mint LED dies to blue LED dies of 2:

3;

3;

3, respectively.

16. A tunable LED lamp comprising:

a housing;

a drive circuit disposed within the housing and configured to electrically couple to a power source;

a plurality of LED dies mounted on a support coupled to the housing, wherein each of the plurality of LED dies is electrically coupled to and driven by the drive circuit; and

an output-select controller electrically coupled to the drive circuit to program the drive circuit to drive the LED dies in one of a plurality of light output configurations, wherein the plurality of light output configurations includes a pre-sleep configuration, a general lighting configuration, and a phase-shift configuration;

wherein in the pre-sleep configuration the drive circuit drives the plurality of LED dies such that a blue output intensity level, in a visible spectral output range of between 380 nm and 485 nm, is less than 10% of a relative spectral power of any other peaks in the visible spectral output above 485 nm;

wherein in the general lighting configuration the drive circuit drives the plurality of LED dies such that a blue output intensity level, in a visible spectral output range of between 380 nm and 485 nm, is between 20% to 100% of a relative spectral power of any other peaks in the visible spectral output above 485 nm; and

wherein in the phase-shift configuration the drive circuit drives the plurality of LED dies such that a blue output intensity level, in a visible spectral output range of between 455 nm and 485 nm, is greater than 125% of a relative spectral power of any other peaks in the visible spectral output above 485 nm.

17. The tunable LED lamp of claim 16 wherein in the phase-shift configuration, the drive circuit drives the plurality of LED dies such that a blue output intensity level, in a visible spectral output range of between 455 nm and 485 nm, is between 150% to 250% of a relative spectral power of any other peaks in the visible spectral output above 485 nm.

18. The tunable LED lamp of claim 16 wherein the plurality of LED dies includes a mint die, the power spectrum of which has a notch or trough in the 460-490 nm region.

19. The tunable LED lamp of claim 16 wherein the plurality of LED dies includes red-orange LED dies, cyan LED dies, mint LED dies, and blue LED dies.

20. The tunable LED lamp of claim 16 wherein the plurality of LED dies includes a ratio of red-orange LED dies to cyan LED dies to mint LED dies to blue LED dies of 2:

3;

3;

3, respectively.