WHITE LIGHT COLOR CHANGING SOLID STATE LIGHTING AND METHODS

• US 20110043137A1
• Filed: 08/19/2009
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cree Lighting Company (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: VAN DE VEN, ANTONY PAUL, NEGLEY, GERALD H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,598,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/297
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• 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: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/22 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/28 using temperature feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3577 Emulating the dimming characteristics, brightness or colour temperature of incandescent lamps

Abstract

Solid state lighting (SSL) luminaries are disclosed wherein the emission intensity of discrete light sources within the SSL luminaire can be varied to produce luminaire light having different characteristics. The present invention can utilize the unique circuit topology of SSL luminaires to vary the emission intensity of different types of LEDs in the luminaire. In some embodiments, the different types of LEDs are connected in respective serial strings, and the intensity of emission of the LEDs in each of the strings can be varied by changing the electrical signal driving the strings. In some of these embodiments, white light is emitted from the SSL luminaire by combining emission from BSY and red LEDs. For these embodiments the color changing solutions according to the present invention can include, as an example, changing color while dimming the luminaire, changing color between daytime and nighttime modes, and changing between most efficient and points in between.

Claims

1. A solid state lighting (SSL) luminaire, comprising:

a plurality of first light emitting diodes (LEDs);

a plurality of second light emitting diodes emitting light with characteristics different from the first LEDs; and

a current control mechanism to control the intensity of light from said first and second LEDs, said controller capable of changing the emission intensity of said first and second LEDs so that said SSL luminaire emits light having desired characteristics.

2. The SSL luminaire of claim 1, wherein one of said first and second LEDs can be turned off by said current control mechanism.

3. The SSL luminaire of claim 2, wherein said current control mechanism turns off one of said first and second LEDs and said luminaire emits light compatible with night time lighting operation.

4. The SSL luminaire of claim 2, wherein one of said first or second LEDs emits light more efficiently than the other, wherein said current control mechanism turns off the lower efficient of said first and second LEDs.

5. The SSL luminaire of claim 1, wherein said first LEDs comprise blue shifted yellow (BSY) LEDs and said second LEDs comprise red emitting LEDs.

6. The SSL luminaire of claim 5, wherein said current control mechanism turns off said BSY LEDs for night time lighting operation.

7. The SSL luminaire of claim 5, wherein said BSY LEDs emit light more efficiently than said red LEDs and wherein said current control mechanism turns off said red LEDs for high efficiency lighting operation.

8. The SSL luminaire of claim 1, wherein said current control mechanism controls the intensity of said first and second LEDs during dimming of said SSL luminaire such that said first LEDs are disproportionately dimmed compared to said second LEDs.

9. The SSL luminaire of claim 8, wherein said current control mechanism controls the intensity of said first and second LEDs during such that said SSL luminaire mimics dimming of incandescent based lighting fixtures.

10. The SSL luminaire of claim 1, wherein said current control mechanism varies the emission of said first and second LEDs so that the emission from said SSL luminaire is on a point on a CIE diagram tie line between the emission points for said first and second LEDs.

11. The SSL luminaire of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of third LEDs having different emission characteristics from said first and second LEDs, wherein said current control mechanism control the intensity of light from said third LEDs, said controller capable of changing the emission intensity of said first, second and third LEDs so that said SSL luminaire emits light having desired characteristics.

12. A solid state lighting SSL luminaire, comprising:

a plurality of first blue shifted yellow (BSY) light emitting diodes (LEDs);

a plurality of second BSY LEDs emitting light with different characteristics than said first BSY LEDs; and

a plurality of red LEDs, wherein the relative emission intensities of the first, second and third LEDs can be varied such that said SSL luminaire emits a combination of light from said first, second and third LED with desired lighting characteristics.

13. The SSL luminaire of claim 12, wherein the light from said first, second and third LEDs combines to produce white light.

14. The SSL luminaire of claim claim 12, wherein the emission of one or more of said first, second and third LEDs can be turned off.

15. The SSL luminaire of claim 14, wherein the emission of said first, second and third LEDs can be turned off manually.

16. The SSL luminaire of claim 14, where the emission of said first, second and third LEDs can be turned off automatically in response to changing lighting conditions.

17. The SSL luminaire of claim 12, wherein the first and second LEDs can be turned off for night time SSL luminaire operation.

18. The SSL luminaire of claim 12, wherein said one of said first and second LEDs emits light more efficiently than the other, wherein said third LEDs and the least efficient ones of said first and second LEDs are turned off for high efficiency SSL luminaire operation.

19. The SSL luminaire of claim 12, wherein the intensity of said first, second and third LEDs reduces disproportionately during dimming of said SSL luminaire.

20. The SSL luminaire of claim 18, mimicking the dimming of an incandescent based light.

21. A solid state lighting (SSL) luminaire, comprising:

a plurality of serially connected first light emitting diodes (LEDs);

a plurality of serially connected second LEDs; and

a plurality of serially connected third LEDs, said first, second and third LEDs having different emission characteristics, wherein the relative emission intensities of the first, second and third LEDs can be varied such that said SSL luminaire can be controlled to emit light with different lighting characteristics.

22. The SSL luminaire of claim 21, wherein the light from said first, second and third LEDs combines to produce white light.

23. The SSL luminaire of claim 21, wherein the emission of one or more of said first, second and third LEDs can be turned off.

24. The SSL luminaire of claim 21, wherein the emission of said first, second or third LEDs can be turned off manually.

25. The SSL luminaire of claim 21, where the emission of said first, second and third LEDs can be turned off automatically in response to changing lighting conditions.

26. The SSL luminaire of claim 21, wherein one of said first, second and third LEDs comprises LEDs compatible with night time operation.

27. The SSL luminaire of claim 21, wherein said one of said first, second and third LEDs emits light more efficiently than the others.

28. The SSL luminaire of claim 21, wherein the emission intensity of said first, second and third LEDs can be reduced disproportionately during dimming of said SSL luminaire.

29. The SSL luminaire of claim 21, wherein the emission of said first, second and third LEDs can be varied so that the emission from said SSL luminaire is on a point on a CIE diagram within a triangle formed by a tie line between the emission points for said first second and third emitters.

30. The SSL luminaire of claim 29, wherein the emission of said first, second and third LEDs is varied automatically in response to changing lighting conditions.

31. A solid state lighting (SSL) luminaire, comprising:

a plurality of first light emitting diodes (LEDs); and

a plurality of second LEDs emitting light with characteristics different from the first LEDs, wherein the intensity of light from said first and second LEDs can be controlled so that said SSL luminaire produces a dominant emission from one of said first and second LEDs in response to changing lighting conditions.

32. The SSL luminaire of claim 31, further comprising a plurality of third LEDs having emission characteristics different from said first and second LEDs, the emission of said third LEDs controlled so that said SSL luminaire produces light a dominant emission from said first, second and third LEDs in response to changing lighting conditions.