LIGHTING APPARATUS AND METHODS PROVIDING VARIABLE ILLUMINATION CHARACTERISTICS BASED ON OBJECT DETECTION

• US 20160150614A1
• Filed: 11/25/2014
• Published: 05/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Randolph, David N.
• Granted Patent: US 9,877,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/00 Systems of lighting devices, not provided for in main groups F21S4/00 - F21S10/00 or F21S19/00, e.g. of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/088 with lighting device mounted on top of the standard, e.g. for pedestrian zones
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/00 Planar light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/46 having LEDs disposed in parallel lines
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A system includes at least one light-emitting device configured to be mounted on a stationary structure, such as a lighting pole or parking structure. A control circuit is operatively coupled to the at least one light-emitting device and configured to detect an object in a vicinity of the at least one light-emitting device and to vary a characteristic of illumination produced by the at least one light-emitting device responsive to the detection of the object.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one light-emitting device configured to be mounted on a stationary structure; and

a control circuit operatively coupled to the at least one light-emitting device configured to detect an object in a vicinity of the at least one light-emitting device and to vary a characteristic of illumination produced by the at least one light-emitting device responsive to the detection of the object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to vary an intensity of light emitted by the at least one light-emitting device in a selected direction responsive to the detection of the object.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to reduce light emission towards the object.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to discriminate moving objects from stationary objects.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one light-emitting device is configured to illuminate a driving surface, and wherein the control circuit is configured to detect movement of a vehicle on the driving surface towards the at least one light-emitting device and to responsively vary the intensity of the light emitted by the at least one light-emitting device in the selected direction responsive to detection of the movement of the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the control circuit is configured to cause the at least one light-emitting device to transition from a first illumination pattern to a second illumination pattern responsive to detecting movement of the vehicle to a first location and to return to providing the first illumination pattern responsive to detecting movement of the vehicle to a second location.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the stationary structure comprises a lighting pole or a parking structure.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one light-emitting device comprises an LED luminaire.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the LED luminaire comprises a plurality of LEDs and wherein the control circuit is configured to selectively vary emission from the plurality of LEDs responsive to the detection of the object.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to vary a color of light emitted by the at least one light-emitting device responsive to the detection of the object.

11. A system comprising:

at least one LED luminaire configured to be mounted on a stationary structure;

a control circuit configured to selectively illuminate LEDs of the at least one LED luminaire to vary an intensity of light emitted by the at least one LED luminaire in a selected direction.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuit configured to detect an object in a vicinity of the at least one LED luminaire and to vary the intensity of the light emitted by the at least one LED luminaire in the selected direction responsive to the detection of the object.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the control circuit is configured to reduce light emission towards the detected object.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the control circuit is configured to detect movement of the object.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one LED luminaire is configured to illuminate a driving surface, and wherein the control circuit is configured to detect movement of a vehicle along the driving surface towards the at least one LED luminaire and to vary the intensity-of the light emitted by the at least one LED luminaire in the selected direction responsive to detection of the movement of the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the stationary structure comprises a lighting pole or a parking structure.

17. A system comprising:

a plurality of luminaires located at respective stationary positions; and

a control circuit operatively coupled to the plurality of luminaires and configured to vary an intensity of illumination produced by the luminaires in at least one selected direction responsive to detection of movement of objects in relation to the luminaires.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of luminaires comprises a plurality of streetlights and wherein the objects comprise vehicles.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of luminaires comprises a plurality of parking structure lights and the objects comprise vehicles.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of luminaires comprises a plurality of LED luminaires and wherein the control circuit is configured to selectively illuminate LEDs within the LED luminaires to vary the intensity of the light emitted by the LED luminaires in the at least one selected direction.

21. A method comprising:

detecting an object in a vicinity of at least one light-emitting device mounted on a stationary structure; and

varying a characteristic of illumination produced by the at least one light-emitting device responsive to detecting the object.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein varying a characteristic of illumination produced by the at least one light-emitting device responsive to detecting the object comprises varying an intensity of light emitted by the at least one light-emitting device in a selected direction responsive to detecting the object.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein varying an intensity of light emitted by the at least one light-emitting device in a selected direction responsive to detecting the object comprises reducing light emission towards the object.

24. The method of claim 22, the object comprises a vehicle.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the stationary structure comprises a lighting pole or a parking structure.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one light-emitting device comprises an LED luminaire comprising a plurality of LEDs and wherein varying an intensity of light emitted by the at least one light-emitting device in a selected direction responsive to detecting the object comprises selectively varying emission from the plurality of LEDs responsive to detecting the object.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein varying a characteristic of illumination produced by the at least one light-emitting device responsive to detecting the object comprises varying a color of light emitted by the at least one light-emitting device responsive to detecting the object.