Interior lighting system having window with band pass filter coordinated with broad/narrow band light source to provide privacy mode

• US 10,286,839 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2017
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mazuir, Clarisse, Kingman, David E., Melcher, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Negron, Ismael
• Application Number:
  US15/651,805
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 362276, 362293, 359609
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/208 Sun roofs; Windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/64 for a single lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/74 for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2417 Light path control; means to control reflection
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2464 featuring transparency control by applying voltage, e.g. LCD, electrochromic panels
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/247 Electrically powered illumination
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/24 Screens or other constructions affording protection against light, especially against sunshine; Similar screens for privacy or appearance; Slat blindsoperating, guiding or securing devices or arrangements for roll-type closures E06B9/56; free-hanging flexible screens A47H23/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/08 for producing coloured light, e.g. monochromatic; for reducing intensity of light with provision for controlling the colour F21V9/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/20 Dichroic filters, i.e. devices operating on the principle of wave interference to pass specific ranges of wavelengths while cancelling others
• 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: G02B 6/0035 provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0073 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1336 Illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133624 characterised by their spectral emissions
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13725 based on guest-host interaction G02F1/13762, G02F1/13737, take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/48 Variable attenuator

Abstract

A system includes a space with at least one window separating an interior space from an exterior space; band-pass filter layers provided in the window and configured to block narrowband light; and a light source provided in the interior space and including at least red, green and blue light emitting diodes. The light source is configured to selectively provide broad spectrum white light and narrowband light blocked by the filter layers in the window, such that the interior space is visible from the exterior space through the window when illuminated by the broad spectrum light, but not visible when illuminated by the narrowband light.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

control circuitry;

a support structure;

a window supported by the support structure, wherein the window and support structure enclose an interior region and separate the interior region from an exterior region and wherein the window includes a light filter with visible light stop bands; and

a light source in the interior region, wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust the light source to produce a selected one of;

broad spectrum visible light including light at visible wavelengths that are not blocked by the visible light stop bands; and

narrowband light that is blocked by the visible light stop bands.

2. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the light source includes narrowband bandpass filters that filter white light to produce the narrowband light.

3. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a display with a pixel array that displays images.

4. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the light source comprises an ambient light source in the interior region.

5. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the window comprises an inner glass layer and an outer glass layer, the light filter being interposed between the inner glass layer and the outer glass layer.

6. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the light source comprises a non-light-emitting-diode white light source that produces the broad spectrum visible light.

7. The system defined in claim 6 wherein the non-light-emitting diode white light source comprises an incandescent lamp.

8. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the system comprises a vehicle.

9. The system defined in claim 8, wherein the support structure comprises a vehicle body for the vehicle.

10. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the visible light stop bands include at least first, second, and third stop bands.

11. The system defined in claim 10, wherein the first, second, and third stop bands are each characterized by a bandwidth of 5-25 nm.

12. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the light source comprises narrowband light-emitting diodes that produce the narrowband light and a white light-emitting diode that produces the broad spectrum visible light.

13. The system defined in claim 12 wherein the visible light stop bands include at least first, second, and third stop bands having full-width-half-maximum bandwidths of 5-25 nm.

14. The system defined in claim 13 wherein the narrowband light-emitting diodes include at least first, second, and third light-emitting diodes that respectively produce respective narrowband light that is blocked by the first, second, and third stop bands.

15. The system defined in claim 14 wherein the first light-emitting diode produces blue light, the second light-emitting diode produces green light, and the third light-emitting diode produces red light.

16. The system defined in claim 15 wherein the blue light has a full width half maximum bandwidth of 5-25 nm, wherein the green light has a full width half maximum bandwidth of 5-25 nm, and wherein the red light has a full width half maximum bandwidth of 5-25 nm.

17. The system defined in claim 16 wherein the white light-emitting diode comprises a photoluminescent material and a light-emitting diode that produces light that stimulates the photoluminescent material.

18. The system defined in claim 17 wherein the light filter comprises a thin-film interference filter.

19. The system defined in claim 18 wherein the window includes at least one structural window layer and wherein the thin-film interference filter comprises a dielectric stack of coating layers on the structural window layer.

20. The system defined in claim 18 wherein the window includes an outer glass layer, an inner glass layer, and a polymer layer interposed between the outer and inner glass layers and wherein the thin-film interference filter is between the outer and inner glass layers.

21. The system defined in claim 17 wherein the light filter comprises dyes.

22. The system defined in claim 21 wherein the dyes comprise first, second, and third dyes having first, second, and third light absorption peaks that respectively form the first, second, and third stop bands.

23. The system defined in claim 22 wherein the light filter comprises an adjustable guest-host liquid crystal light filter and wherein the first, second, and third dyes exhibit anisotropic light absorption.