Illumination control through selective activation and de-activation of lighting elements
First Claim
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1. An illumination system comprising:
- a light-emitting array comprising a plurality of light-emitting strings, each light-emitting string comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements electrically connected in series;
a plurality of constant current sources, each constant current source providing a constant current to a different one of the light-emitting strings;
a power supply for supplying power to the plurality of constant current sources; and
a controller for selectively activating or deactivating various ones of the light-emitting strings to regulate an overall output of the array,wherein (i) the light-emitting strings are not individually dimmable by the controller, and the light output of the light-emitting strings is regulated only by the selective activation or deactivation of various ones of the light-emitting strings, (ii) the light-emitting array comprises a first group of one or more light-emitting strings and, associated therewith, at least one first lens having a first optical characteristic, (iii) the light-emitting array comprises a second group, different from the first group, of one or more light-emitting strings and, associated therewith, at least one second lens having a second optical characteristic, (iv) activation of the first group and deactivation of the second group produces a first light intensity distribution through the at least one first lens, and (v) activation of the second group and deactivation of the first group produces a second light intensity distribution different from the first light intensity distribution, through the at least one second lens.
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Abstract
In various embodiments, an illumination system includes multiple light-emitting strings that are selectively activated or deactivated to regulate an overall output of the array.
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Citations
58 Claims
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1. An illumination system comprising:
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a light-emitting array comprising a plurality of light-emitting strings, each light-emitting string comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements electrically connected in series; a plurality of constant current sources, each constant current source providing a constant current to a different one of the light-emitting strings; a power supply for supplying power to the plurality of constant current sources; and a controller for selectively activating or deactivating various ones of the light-emitting strings to regulate an overall output of the array, wherein (i) the light-emitting strings are not individually dimmable by the controller, and the light output of the light-emitting strings is regulated only by the selective activation or deactivation of various ones of the light-emitting strings, (ii) the light-emitting array comprises a first group of one or more light-emitting strings and, associated therewith, at least one first lens having a first optical characteristic, (iii) the light-emitting array comprises a second group, different from the first group, of one or more light-emitting strings and, associated therewith, at least one second lens having a second optical characteristic, (iv) activation of the first group and deactivation of the second group produces a first light intensity distribution through the at least one first lens, and (v) activation of the second group and deactivation of the first group produces a second light intensity distribution different from the first light intensity distribution, through the at least one second lens. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An illumination system comprising:
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a light-emitting array comprising a plurality of light-emitting strings, each light-emitting string comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements electrically connected in series; at least one power source for providing power to the light-emitting strings; a controller for selectively activating or deactivating various ones of the light-emitting strings to regulate an overall output of the array; a plurality of switches, each switch being associated with one of the light-emitting strings and controlling supply of power thereto from at least one said power source; and a plurality of shift registers for receiving signals from the controller and outputting the signals to the switches. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method for controlling a light-emitting array comprising a plurality of light-emitting strings, each light-emitting string comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements electrically connected in series, the method comprising:
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providing a constant current to each of the light-emitting strings; selectively activating or deactivating various ones of the light-emitting strings to regulate an overall output of the array, wherein (i) the light-emitting strings are not individually dimmable, and the light output of the light-emitting strings is regulated only by the selective activation or deactivation of various ones of the light-emitting strings, (ii) the light-emitting array comprises a first group of one or more light-emitting strings and, associated therewith, at least one first lens having a first optical characteristic, (iii) the light-emitting array comprises a second group, different from the first group, of one or more light-emitting strings and, associated therewith, at least one second lens having a second optical characteristic; activating the first group and deactivating the second group to produce a first light intensity distribution through the at least one first lens; and activating the second group and deactivating the first group to produce a second light intensity distribution different from the first light intensity distribution, through the at least one second lens. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. An illumination system comprising:
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a light-emitting array comprising a plurality of light-emitting strings, each light-emitting string comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements electrically connected in series; a plurality of constant current sources, each constant current source providing a constant current to a different one of the light-emitting strings; a power supply for supplying power to the plurality of constant current sources; and a controller for selectively activating or deactivating various ones of the light-emitting strings to regulate an overall output of the array, wherein the light-emitting strings are not individually dimmable by the controller, and the light output of the light-emitting strings is regulated only by the selective activation or deactivation of various ones of the light-emitting strings to produce a pattern of activated and deactivated light-emitting strings that is visibly perceptible to an observer of the illumination system. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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Specification