Daylighting for different groups of lighting fixtures

• US 9,456,482 B1
• Filed: 04/08/2015
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pope, Daniel J., Karpichev, Boris
• Primary Examiner(s): Richardson, Jany
• Application Number:
  US14/681,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20160302279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/12 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1985 Creation of lighting zones or scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/199 Commissioning of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Assume that the two groups of lighting fixtures are located in the same general area, employ daylighting, and provide light that can be sensed by each other. A first group will determine an actual lighting contribution provided by the second group and remove the actual lighting contribution provided by the second group when making daylighting decisions. As such, when the dimming level of the second group is changed, the first group will effectively ignore changes in the dimming level of the second group when making daylighting decisions, and vice versa. A group of lighting fixtures may include one or more lighting fixtures.

Claims

1. A lighting fixture associated with a first group of lighting fixtures, which is located in the same environment as a second group of lighting fixtures, the lighting fixture comprising:

a light source configured to emit light;

an ambient light sensor; and

circuitry configured to;

determine a reference output level for light emitted from the first group of lighting fixtures;

determine an actual lighting contribution for light emitted from the second group of lighting fixtures;

reduce the reference output level by the actual lighting contribution to provide an adjusted reference level that is a function of a target level; and

monitor the ambient light sensor and regulate a light output level such that a measurement from the ambient light sensor corresponds to the target level.

2. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the circuitry is configured to receive local dimming information that controls a dimming level for the first group of lighting fixtures and the target level is based on the adjusted reference level and the local dimming information.

3. The lighting fixture of claim 2 wherein the local dimming information corresponds to a percentage of a full output level for the light source and the target level corresponds to the percentage of the full output level multiplied by the adjusted reference level.

4. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein to determine the actual lighting contribution, the circuitry is further configured to:

determine a potential lighting contribution of the second group of lighting fixtures;

receive dimming information corresponding to a dimming level associated with the second group of lighting fixtures; and

determine the actual lighting contribution based on the potential lighting contribution and the dimming information.

5. The lighting fixture of claim 4 wherein to determine the potential lighting contribution, the circuitry is further configured to:

for each lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures, determine a difference in ambient light levels between the lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures emitting light at a full output level and not emitting light; and

sum the differences in the ambient light levels for each lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures to determine the potential lighting contribution.

6. The lighting fixture of claim 5 wherein when determining the potential lighting contribution, the circuitry is configured to:

for each lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures;

instruct the lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures to emit light at the full output level while other lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures remain at a set output level;

measure an ambient light level at the full output level when the lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures is emitting light at the full output level;

instruct the lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures to not emit light while other lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures remain at a set output level; and

measure the ambient light level when the lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures is not emitting light.

7. The lighting fixture of claim 4 wherein to determine the potential lighting contribution, the circuitry is further configured to determine a difference in ambient light levels between all of the lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures emitting light at a full output level and not emitting light, wherein the difference in the ambient light levels corresponds to the potential lighting contribution.

8. The lighting fixture of claim 7 wherein when determining the potential lighting contribution, the circuitry is configured to:

instruct each of the lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures to emit light at the full output level at the same time;

measure an ambient light level at the full output level when the lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures are emitting light at the full output level;

instruct each of the lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures to not emit light at the same time; and

measure the ambient light level when the lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures are not emitting light.

9. The lighting fixture of claim 4 wherein the dimming information is received from at least one of the lighting fixtures of the second group of lighting fixtures.

10. The lighting fixture of claim 9 wherein the at least one of the lighting fixtures of the second group of lighting fixtures comprises a plurality of lighting fixtures and the dimming information is received from each of the plurality of lighting fixtures.

11. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein to determine the reference output level for light emitted from the first group of lighting fixtures, the circuitry is configured to:

instruct each lighting fixture in the first group of lighting fixtures to output light at a full output level;

emit light from the light source at the full output level;

measure an ambient light level when the lighting fixtures in the first group of lighting fixtures are emitting light at the full output level;

instruct each lighting fixture in the first group of lighting fixtures to not output light;

stop emitting light from the light source;

measure the ambient light level when the lighting fixtures in the first group of lighting fixtures are not emitting light; and

determine a difference between the ambient light level when the lighting fixtures in the first group of lighting fixtures are emitting light at the full output level and the ambient light level when the lighting fixtures in the first group of lighting fixtures are not emitting light, wherein the difference corresponds to the reference output level.

12. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the first group of lighting fixtures only includes one lighting fixture.

13. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the second group of lighting fixtures only includes one lighting fixture.

14. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the first group of lighting fixtures comprises a plurality of lighting fixtures.

15. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the second group of lighting fixtures comprises a plurality of lighting fixtures.

16. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein:

the circuitry is configured to receive local dimming information that controls a dimming level for the first group of lighting fixtures and the target level is based on the adjusted reference level and the local dimming information;

wherein to determine the reference output level for light emitted from the first group of lighting fixtures, the circuitry is configured to;

instruct each lighting fixture in the first group of lighting fixtures to output light at a full output level;

emit light from the light source at the full output level;

measure an ambient light level when the lighting fixtures in the first group of lighting fixtures are emitting light at the full output level;

instruct each lighting fixture in the first group of lighting fixtures to not output light;

stop emitting light from the light source;

measure the ambient light level when the lighting fixtures in the first group of lighting fixtures are not emitting light; and

determine a difference between the ambient light level when the lighting fixtures in the first group of lighting fixtures are emitting light at the full output level and the ambient light level when the lighting fixtures in the first group of lighting fixtures are not emitting light, wherein the difference corresponds to the reference output level; and

wherein to determine the actual lighting contribution, the circuitry is further configured to;

determine a potential lighting contribution of the second group of lighting fixtures;

receive dimming information corresponding to a dimming level associated with the second group of lighting fixtures; and

determine the actual lighting contribution based on the potential lighting contribution and the dimming information.

17. The lighting fixture of claim 16 wherein to determine the potential lighting contribution, the circuitry is further configured to:

for each lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures, determine a difference in ambient light levels between the lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures emitting light at the full output level and not emitting light; and

sum the differences in the ambient light levels for each lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures to determine the potential lighting contribution.

18. The lighting fixture of claim 17 wherein when determining the potential lighting contribution, the circuitry is configured to:

for each lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures;

instruct the lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures to emit light at the full output level while other lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures remain at a set output level;

measure the ambient light level at the full output level when the lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures is emitting light at the full output level;

instruct the lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures to not emit light while other lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures remain at the set output level; and

measure the ambient light level when the lighting fixture in the second group of lighting fixtures is not emitting light.

19. The lighting fixture of claim 16 wherein to determine the potential lighting contribution, the circuitry is further configured to determine a difference in ambient light levels between all of the lighting fixtures in the second group of lighting fixtures emitting light at the full output level and not emitting light, wherein the difference in the ambient light levels corresponds to the potential lighting contribution.

20. The lighting fixture of claim 16 wherein the circuitry is configured to receive the local dimming information that controls the dimming level for the first group of lighting fixtures, and the target level is based on the adjusted reference level and the local dimming information.

21. The lighting fixture of claim 20 wherein the local dimming information corresponds to a percentage of the full output level for the light source, and the target level corresponds to the percentage of the full output level multiplied by the adjusted reference level.