Method for controlling a tunable white fixture using a single handle

• US 9,913,343 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2017
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ciccarelli, David, Weiss, Daniel Aaron, Suttles, Benjamin Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US15/803,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20180070420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 120 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/28 using temperature feedback

Abstract

A system allows a light fixture to have a wider range of color temperatures (CCT) while limiting the warmest temperature reached at full intensity. The CCT of the light output may be controlled independently of intensity across a certain range of CCT and dependent on intensity across another range. In an implementation, both intensity and CCT may be adjusted from a single handle, where the interface positions may be divided into multiple zones. In another implementation, intensity may be adjusted from a first handle, while CCT may be adjusted from a second handle. The CCT of the light output may be limited to cooler levels when the intensity is higher, and/or the intensity of the light may be limited to lower levels when the CCT is warmer.

Claims

1. A lighting fixture, comprising:

a controller configured for receiving multiple values, each value of the multiple values received from a respective handle having a range of positions divided into multiple zones,

the controller further configured for controlling a driver,

the driver configured for instructing a plurality of LEDs to produce light output; and

the plurality of LEDs;

wherein each zone of the multiple zones corresponds to a value range of the respective handle,

wherein each received value of the multiple values is associated with a respective zone, and is within the corresponding value range of the respective zone,

wherein, when the controller receives a first value of the multiple values, the controller;

determines a first handle from which the first value is received and a first zone associated with the first value;

determines a first parameter associated with the first zone and the first handle, the first parameter describing a quality of the light output;

determines a first level of the first parameter corresponding to the first value;

determines, for each additional value of the multiple values, an additional handle from which the additional value is received, an additional zone associated with the additional value, and an additional parameter associated with the additional zone and the additional handle,

determines, for each additional value of the multiple values, an additional level of the additional parameter corresponding to the additional value; and

instructs the driver to control the plurality of LEDs to produce light with a combination of the first level of the first parameter and each additional level of each additional parameter.

2. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein:

the first parameter is a color temperature, and the first level of the first parameter is a color temperature level,

one of the additional parameters is an intensity, and the additional level of the one of the additional parameters is an intensity level, and

the controller is further configured for;

determining whether the color temperature level and the intensity level correspond to one of a plurality of allowed combinations of color temperature and intensity;

responsive to determining that the color temperature level and intensity level correspond to a first allowed combination of the plurality of allowed combinations, instructing the driver to control the plurality of LEDs to produce light output with the first allowed combination; and

responsive to determining that the color temperature level and the intensity level correspond to a combination outside the plurality of allowed combinations;

adjusting at least one of the color temperature level and the intensity level to obtain a second allowed combination of the plurality of allowed combinations, and

instructing the driver to control the LEDs to produce light with the second allowed combination.

3. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein:

the lighting fixture comprises multiple luminaires,

each luminaire of the multiple luminaires includes a portion of the plurality of LEDs,

the first level of the first parameter corresponds to a sequence of the multiple luminaires, and

the controller is further configured, based on the first level of the first parameter, to instruct the driver to control a respective portion of LEDs to produce light output, the respective portion of LEDs included in a respective luminaire of the multiple luminaires.

4. The lighting fixture of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured, based on the first level of the first parameter, to instruct the driver to control multiple respective portions of LEDs to produce light output, the multiple respective portions of LEDs (i) being included in multiple respective luminaires and (ii) having a spatial arrangement.

5. A lighting fixture, comprising:

a controller configured for receiving a value from a first handle, receiving a value from a second handle, and controlling a driver,

the driver configured for instructing a plurality of LEDs to produce light output having a color temperature and an intensity; and

the plurality of LEDs;

wherein the first handle has multiple zones of values, and a first zone of the multiple zones corresponds to a first range of values of the first handle,

wherein, when the controller receives a first value from the first handle and a second value from the second handle, the controller;

determines a color temperature level and an intensity level corresponding to the second received value;

determines whether the first received value is within the first zone of values; and

when the first received value is within the first zone of values;

determines a level of a parameter corresponding to the first received value, the parameter describing a quality of the light output other than the color temperature and intensity, and

instructs the driver to control the plurality of LEDs to produce light with a combination of the color temperature level, the intensity level, and the level of the parameter.

6. The lighting fixture of claim 5, wherein:

the lighting fixture comprises multiple luminaires,

each luminaire of the multiple luminaires includes a portion of the plurality of LEDs,

the level of the parameter corresponds to a sequence of the multiple luminaires, and

the controller is further configured, based on the level of the parameter, to instruct the driver to control a respective portion of LEDs included in a respective luminaire of the multiple luminaires.

7. The lighting fixture of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured, based on the level of the parameter, to instruct the driver to control multiple respective portions of LEDs included in multiple respective luminaires, the multiple respective portions of LEDs having a spatial arrangement.

8. The lighting fixture of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured, based on the level of the parameter, to instruct the driver to control the respective portion of LEDs to produce light with a respective intensity.

9. The lighting fixture of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured for:

receiving a modified value from the first handle;

determining whether the modified value is within a second zone of values associated with the first handle;

responsive to determining that the modified value is within the second zone of values, determining an additional level of an additional parameter corresponding to the modified value; and

instructing the driver to control the plurality of LEDs to produce light with a combination of the color temperature level, the intensity level, the level of the parameter corresponding to the first received value, and the additional level of the additional parameter corresponding to the modified value.

10. The lighting fixture of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured for:

determining whether the color temperature level and the intensity level corresponding to the second received value correspond to one of a plurality of allowed combinations of color temperature and intensity;

responsive to determining that the color temperature level and intensity level corresponding to the second received value correspond to a first allowed combination of color temperature and intensity, instructing the driver to control the plurality of LEDs to produce light output with the level of the parameter and the first allowed combination of color temperature and intensity; and

responsive to determining that the color temperature level and the intensity level corresponding to the second received value correspond to a combination outside the plurality of allowed combinations;

adjusting at least one of the color temperature level and the intensity level to obtain a second allowed combination of color temperature and intensity, and

instructing the driver to control the LEDs to produce light with the level of the parameter and the second allowed combination of color temperature and intensity.

11. The lighting fixture of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured for:

receiving a modified value from the second handle;

determining a second color temperature level and a second intensity level corresponding to the modified value; and

determining whether the second color temperature level and second intensity level correspond to an additional allowed combination of color temperature and intensity;

responsive to determining that the second color temperature level and second intensity level correspond to the additional allowed combination of color temperature and intensity, instructing the driver to control the plurality of LEDs to produce light output with the level of the parameter and the additional allowed combination of color temperature and intensity.

12. The lighting fixture of claim 5, wherein the parameter corresponding to the first received value is one of a tint, a color, a color rendering index (CRI), a circadian stimulus, or a TM-30 metric.

13. A method of independently adjusting multiple parameters of light output produced by a plurality of LEDs, the method comprising:

receiving a first value from a first handle and a second value from a second handle, wherein the first handle has multiple zones of values, and a first zone of the multiple zones corresponds to a first range of values of the first handle;

determining whether the first received value is within the first zone of values;

determining a requested color temperature and a requested intensity corresponding to the second received value; and

responsive to determining that the first received value is within the first zone of values;

determining a level of an parameter corresponding to the first received value, the parameter describing a quality of the light output other than the color temperature and intensity, and

instructing a driver to control the plurality of LEDs to produce light with a combination of the requested color temperature, the requested intensity, and the level of the parameter.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a modified value from the first handle;

determining whether the modified value is within a second zone of values associated with the first handle;

responsive to determining that the modified value is within the second zone of values, determining an additional level of an additional parameter corresponding to the modified value; and

instructing the driver to control the plurality of LEDs to produce light with a combination of the requested color temperature, the requested intensity, the level of the parameter corresponding to the first received value, and the additional level of the additional parameter corresponding to the modified value.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether the requested color temperature and requested intensity correspond to one of a plurality of allowed combinations of color temperature and intensity;

responsive to determining that the requested color temperature and requested intensity correspond to a first allowed combination of color temperature and intensity, instructing the driver to control the plurality of LEDs to produce light output with the level of the parameter and the first allowed combination of color temperature and intensity; and

responsive to determining that the requested color temperature and requested intensity correspond to a combination outside the plurality of allowed combinations;

adjusting at least one of the requested color temperature and requested intensity to obtain a second allowed combination of color temperature and intensity, and

instructing the driver to control the LEDs to produce light with the level of the parameter and the second allowed combination of color temperature and intensity.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a modified value from the second handle;

determining a second requested color temperature and a second requested intensity corresponding to the modified value; and

determining whether the second requested color temperature and second requested intensity correspond to an additional allowed combination of color temperature and intensity;

responsive to determining that the second requested color temperature and second requested intensity correspond to an additional allowed combination of color temperature and intensity, instructing the driver to control the plurality of LEDs to produce light output with the level of the parameter and the additional allowed combination of color temperature and intensity.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the parameter corresponding to the first received value is one of a tint, a color, a color rendering index (CRI), a circadian stimulus, or a TM-30 metric.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the driver is configured to control multiple luminaires,

each luminaire of the multiple luminaires includes a portion of the plurality of LEDs,

the level of the parameter corresponds to a sequence of the multiple luminaires, and

instructing, based on the level of the parameter, the driver to control a respective portion of LEDs included in a respective luminaire of the multiple luminaires.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the instructing, based on the level of the parameter, the driver to control multiple respective portions of LEDs included in multiple respective luminaires, the multiple portions of LEDs having a spatial arrangement.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising the instructing, based on the level of the parameter, the driver to control the respective portion of LEDs to produce light with a respective intensity.