Disinfecting light fixture

• US 9,333,274 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VYV Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vital Vio LLC
• Inventors: Peterson, James W., Lalicki, Jorel
• Primary Examiner(s): Pert, Evan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yi, Changhyun
• Application Number:
  US14/501,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20160030610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 362/231, 362/362, 250/492.1, 422/24, 422/186.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/00 Housing animals; Equipment therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0047 Air-conditioning, e.g. ventilation, of animal housings
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/06 Arrangements for heating or lighting in, or attached to, receptacles for live fish
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/0052 Visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/084 Visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/18 Radiation A61L9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/208 for hospital wards
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a light fixture. The light fixture includes at least one first light source that emits at a peak wavelength in a range of approximately 380 nm to approximately 420 nm and at least one second light source that emits at a different peak wavelength, wherein a combined light output of the at least one first light source and the at least one second light source emits a colored light that is perceived as white light. The white light is defined by having a color rendering index (CRI) value of more than approximately 50. The at least one second light source that emits at a different peak wavelength consists of an xy coordinate on a International Commission on Illumination (CIE) 1931 xy color space diagram above a black body curve within a bounded area defined by a first line of approximately y=2.23989x−0.382773 and a second line of approximately y=1.1551x−0.195082. The combined light output has a proportion of spectral energy measured in the approximately 380 nm to approximately 420 nm range of greater than approximately 20%.

Claims

1. A light fixture comprising:

at least one first light source that emits at a peak wavelength in a range of approximately 380 nanometers (nm) to approximately 420 nm;

at least one second light source that emits at a different peak wavelength, wherein a combined light output of the at least one first light source and the at least one second light source emits a colored light that is perceived as white light, and wherein the at least one second light source that emits at a different wavelength comprises a third light source and a fourth light source;

wherein the white light comprises a color rendering index (CRI) value of more than approximately 50;

wherein the at least one second light source that emits at a different peak wavelength consists of;

an xy coordinate on a International Commission on Illumination (CIE) 1931 xy color space diagram above a black body curve within a bounded area defined by a first line of approximately y=2.23989x−

0.382773 and a second line of approximately y=1.1551x−

0.195082; and

wherein the combined light output has a proportion of spectral energy measured in the approximately 380 nm to approximately 420 nm range of greater than approximately 20%.

2. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the at least one first light source emits at a peak wavelength in the range of approximately 400 nm to approximately 410 nm.

3. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the white light comprises a CRI value of more than approximately 60.

4. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the white light comprises a CRI value of more than approximately 70.

5. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the white light further comprises a correlated color temperature (CCT) value between approximately 1000K and approximately 8000K.

6. The light fixture of claim 5, wherein the white light comprises a CCT value between approximately 2000K and approximately 6000K.

7. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the at least one first light source that emits at a peak of approximately 380 nm to approximately 420 nm has an overall output sufficient to inactivate at least one pathogenic microorganism.

8. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the combined light output has an overall output containing a radiometric energy sufficient to inactive at least one bacterial population.

9. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the combined light output has a proportion of spectral energy measured in the approximately 380 nm to approximately 420 nm range of greater than approximately 25%.

10. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the combined light output has a proportion of spectral energy measured in the approximately 380 nm to approximately 420 nm range of greater than approximately 30%.

11. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the combined light output has a proportion of spectral energy measured in the approximately 380 nm to approximately 420 nm range of greater than approximately 35%.

12. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the combined light output has a proportion of spectral energy measured in the approximately 380 nm to approximately 420 nm range of at least approximately 40%.

13. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the third light source and the fourth light source emit visible light.

14. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the at least one second light source that emits at a different wavelength further comprises a fifth light source and a sixth light source.

15. The light fixture of claim 14, wherein the fifth light source and the sixth light source emit visible light.

16. The light fixture of claim 1, wherein the at least one first light source comprises a light emitting diode (LED).

17. The light fixture of claim 16, wherein the at least one first light source comprises a primary emitter and a secondary emitter.

18. The light fixture of claim 17, wherein the primary emitter comprises a light emitting diode (LED) and the secondary emitter comprises at least one of a group consisting of:

a semiconductor material, a phosphor, a Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet (YAG) phosphor, a semiconductor nanocrystal, and a quantum dot.

19. The light fixture of claim 1, further comprising:

a control system, the control system configured to alter the combined light output.