Abstract:
A horticultural lighting system and method for controlling same. Lights operating at different peak wavelengths, which affect the color of lights, can be optimized for different plant species during different stages of growth. The present disclosure pertains to a horticultural light, a system of horticultural lights, and a method for controlling light output to optimize different types of plants in various stages of plant growth cycles.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application is related to and claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/360,077, filed Jul. 8, 2016, titled “HORTICULTURAL LIGHT” (attorney docket no. 208272-9275-US00), the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Plants are often grown in an enclosed environment so that growers can better control ambient factors that affect plant growth (e.g., temperature, sunlight, and moisture). Cultivating plants in an enclosed environment requires an artificial light source to replace sunlight. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    Lights operating at different peak wavelengths, which affect the color of lights, can be optimized for different plant species during different stages of growth. The present disclosure pertains to a horticultural light, a system of horticultural lights, and a method for controlling light output to optimize different types of plants in various stages of plant growth cycles. 
         [0004]    Other aspects will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a horticultural light. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the horticultural light of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a table of LED specifications for a horticultural light according to one embodiment. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a circuit schematic of an LED board according to one embodiment. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a wiring diagram of a fixture control according to one embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is an electrical block diagram of a fixture control according to one embodiment. 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a graphical user interface for a recipe application display according to one embodiment. 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is another graphical user interface for a recipe application display according to one embodiment. 
           [0013]      FIG. 9  is another graphical user interface for a recipe application display according to one embodiment. 
           [0014]      FIG. 10  is a flow diagram of a method for generating a recipe application startup platform. 
           [0015]      FIG. 11  is a flow diagram of a method for launching a recipe application. 
           [0016]      FIG. 12  is a flow diagram of a method for adding, changing, or deleting a recipe in a recipe application. 
           [0017]      FIG. 13  is a flow diagram of a method for Bluetooth initialization and data transmission in the recipe application. 
           [0018]      FIG. 14  is a flow diagram of a method for managing Bluetooth communication in a recipe application. 
           [0019]      FIG. 15  is a communication block diagram. 
           [0020]      FIG. 16  is a flow diagram of a method for controlling a fixture mesh network using a user operated device. 
       
    
    
       [0021]    Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. Illustrations may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments presented so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the description herein. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    Embodiments presented herein relate to an array of different colored light emitting diodes (LEDs) operating at various peak wavelengths in a horticultural light. A user may control the light intensity of each LED color group in the horticultural light to produce an appropriate light mix output that optimizes different stages of plant growth. 
         [0023]    One example embodiment provides a horticultural lighting fixture. The lighting fixture includes a housing fixture having an outer surface including an opening. The lighting fixture includes an array of different colored light emitting diodes (LEDs) operating at various peak wavelengths. The lighting fixture includes a current control channel in electrical communication with at least one of the LEDs. The lighting fixture includes a fixture control for controlling light wave intensity of each LED via the current control channel. The lighting fixture includes a fixture firmware to store programmable user input. The lighting fixture includes a fixture ID to identify the housing fixture in a system of horticultural lights. 
         [0024]    Another example embodiment provides a system of horticultural lights. The system includes a plurality of horticultural lights, each consisting a housing fixture and an array of different colored light emitting diodes (LEDs). The system includes a plurality of current control channels in electrical communication with at least one of the LEDs. The system includes a plurality of fixture controls for controlling light wave intensity of each LED via the current control channel. The system includes a fixture mesh network including at least one fixture control. The system includes an at least one master fixture control for receiving information from a user and relaying the information to other fixture control(s) in the fixture mesh network. The system includes a plurality of fixture firmware consisting one or more zone control variable, the one or more user input recipe, and multiple preset modes of operation. 
         [0025]    Another example embodiment provides a method for programming a horticultural light. The method includes receiving a user input including intensity level for at least one LED color group. The method includes transmitting the user input to a fixture control. The method includes relaying information between a network of at least one fixture controls. The method includes, based on the relayed information, controlling a wavelength intensity of a light emitting diode (LED) to produce a desirable colored light. 
         [0026]    Before any embodiments are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Use of “consisting of” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. 
         [0027]    It should also be noted that a plurality of hardware and software based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components may be used to implement the invention. In addition, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention may include hardware, software, and electronic components or modules that, for purposes of discussion, may be illustrated and described as if the majority of the components were implemented solely in hardware. However, one of ordinary skill in the art, and based on a reading of this detailed description, would recognize that, in at least one embodiment, the electronic-based aspects of the invention may be implemented in software (e.g., stored on non-transitory computer-readable medium) executable by one or more processors. As such, it should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components may be utilized to implement the invention. For example, “control units” and “controllers” described in the specification can include one or more processors, one or more memory modules including non-transitory computer-readable medium, one or more input/output interfaces, and various connections (e.g., a system bus) connecting the components. 
         [0028]    For ease of description, some or all of the exemplary systems presented herein are illustrated with a single exemplar of each of its component parts. Some examples may not describe or illustrate all components of the systems. Other exemplary embodiments may include more or fewer of each of the illustrated components, may combine some components, or may include additional or alternative components. 
         [0029]      FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  illustrate a horticultural light  10 . The horticultural light  10  includes a linear aluminum housing fixture  4 . In some embodiments, the housing fixture  4  is shaped differently. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing  4  includes accessories  8  (e.g., a male or female connector) to engage a similar housing fixture  4  so that multiple units may be coupled together for a larger illumination area. In some embodiments, the housing fixture  4  has an outer surface including an opening  11 , through which an array  12  may protrude. 
         [0030]    Each horticultural light  10  has an array  12  (See  FIG. 1 ) of different LED color groups, a current control channel (e.g., the power converters  32  of  FIG. 6 ) in electrical communication with at least one LED color group, a current measuring device  13  (See  FIG. 4 ) to detect the current flow through each LED color group, a fixture control  20  (See  FIG. 6 ) for modifying light wave intensity of the LED color groups (e.g., based on instructions from a user), and a programmable fixture firmware installed on each fixture control  20 . A plurality of fixture controls  20  in a system of horticultural lights form a fixture mesh network (See  FIG. 15 ). The user may specify and store a recipe that contains a specific combination of intensity levels for each LED color group in the fixture firmware. As set forth in greater detail below, a master fixture control receives user recipes and relays the information to other fixture controls via the fixture mesh network. In some embodiments, a communication bridge is coupled to the master fixture control to bridge between various networks which allows for more flexibility. Each horticultural light in a system may be assigned a control zone variable that identifies the location of the horticultural light in the instance that the user assigns different sections of horticultural lights to operate at different recipes. The fixture firmware may store control zone variables, user recipes, and multiple factory preset modes of operation. 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  includes specifications for the LED color groups according to one embodiment, including type, color, peak wavelength, number of LEDs, current, voltage, and power. The LED color groups may be red, blue, while, ultraviolet, infrared, or another suitable color band. The color of a LED depends on the peak wavelength specification of the LED. For example, a blue LED operates at a peak wavelength between 450 to 500 nm while a red LED operates at peak wavelength between 610 to 760 nm. The amount of power supplied to a LED determines the light intensity of the produced colored light. Highly powered 5000K white LEDs may be used individually in “inspection mode” or in combination with LEDs operating at specific wavelengths in “growth mode.” 
         [0032]    Despite the limited spectrum, the use of multiple color groups of LEDs in a horticultural light system may be preferable to a system of traditional gas discharge bulbs, such as high intensity discharge (HID) bulbs or plasma bulbs, since LEDs are directly controlled by the amount of current received, providing finer control of the produced light spectrum of the system. Additionally, LEDs are more power efficient and have significantly longer lifespans than most traditional bulbs. 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  illustrates a circuit diagram for the LED board  12  according to one embodiment. As shown, groups of LEDs  16  operating at the same peak wavelength are wired in series in common LED color groups  18 , and LEDs operating at different peak wavelengths are wired in parallel in separate LED color groups  18 . Since current is the same for elements wired in series, this wiring configuration allows for “dimming” or “brightening” of each LED color group  18  independently of the other LED color groups  18 . A current measuring device  13  detects current flow through each LED color group  18 . The current measuring device detects a fault in a single LED driver or an LED color group  18 , and instances in which a single LED color group  18  receives zero current may be reported or transmitted to the fixture mesh network. Such fault detection provides improved detection of failures especially failures that may not be visually apparent, such as in the case of an infrared LED failure. In some embodiments, the horticultural light has two LED boards  12 . 
         [0034]    The fixture control  20  regulates current flow to each LED color group  18  within the horticultural light.  FIG. 5  illustrates a wiring diagram for an example horticultural light  10 . An AC input voltage  24  is transmitted to a constant voltage (CV) driver  28 . The CV driver  28  provides power to a driver PCB  29 . An interface  37  is coupled to the LED boards  12  and the driver PCB  29 . The interface  37  receives recipes from the user. The interface  37  provides interfaces to other modules to allow the fixture to communicate with other fixtures and outside devices, such as smart phones or other computing devices. In the illustrated embodiment, the interface  37  includes a Bluetooth interface  19   a,  a radio frequency (RF) interface  19   b,  and a NXFM interface  19   c.  Alternative embodiments may provide other suitable interfaces. 
         [0035]      FIG. 6  is block diagram for an example horticultural light  10 . In the illustrated embodiment, the CV driver  28  powers a fixture control  20 . The fixture control  20  includes power converters  32  and a control module  36  with an interface  37  (See  FIG. 5 ). The interface  37  receives recipes from the user, and the control module  20  transmits a signal to each power converter  32  to supply a corresponding power and current to each LED color group  18 . The user has the option to leave certain LED color groups  18  disabled to achieve a more flexible range of light mix outputs. 
         [0036]      FIGS. 7-9  illustrate screenshots of a recipe application  39  for generating recipes, according to one embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 7 , a welcome page of the application may include a list  40  of user stored recipes  40   a.  A light-bulb icon  44  may be displayed next to the recipe  40   a  that is currently applied to the horticultural light(s). A plus sign  48  (e.g., positioned in the upper right hand corner) may allow the user to add a new recipe  40   a  to the list  40 . Selecting a recipe  40   a  may direct the user to a second page ( FIG. 8 ) to edit the recipe  40   a.  The user may be prompted to enter a “Recipe name”  52  (e.g., in ASCII characters including upper case, lower case, blank, and underline characters). As shown in  FIG. 9 , the user may enter in a dim level  56  in percentages ranging from 30% to 100% to set the light intensity of each LED color group  18 . After the desired adjustments have been made, the user may choose to “Save”  60 , “Cancel”  61 , “Delete”  62 , or “Send”  63  the recipe (see  FIG. 8 ). Saving may add the recipe  40   a  to the list  40  of stored user recipes displayed in  FIG. 7 . Canceling may erase user input information and return to the welcome page. Deleting may remove a previously stored recipe  40   a  from the list  40 . Sending may deliver the user recipe  40   a  to another user. 
         [0037]    Referring now to  FIGS. 10-14 , in some embodiments, when the recipe application  39  is launched, the application follows a sequence of events to configure a platform and handle new “events” or user recipes  40   a.  The application may be executed on a smart phone, tablet computer, or other computing device in communication with the lighting fixture  10 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 10  illustrates a flowchart of an example method  100  for a startup platform of one embodiment for loading the recipe application  39 . Upon startup, the application loads the forms for a graphical user interface (at block  102 ).  FIG. 11  illustrates a flowchart of an example method  110  for saving received recipes  40   a,  according to one embodiment. At blocks  112  and  114 , the application instance is launched and the variables are initialized. At block  116 , the application waits for an event, for example, for the user to select a command via the graphical user interface. At block  118 , events are handled based on the nature of the events. For example, when no event is received within a determined time, the application sleeps and automatically saves the current recipe (at block  120 ). In another example, the application starts up by displaying a main screen (at block  122 ). In another example, on a wake event, the application resumes from where it was left off by navigating to the last known screen (at block  124 ) by determining the screen (at block  126 ). The screen may be the main screen (block  122 ) or the recipe detail screen (See  FIGS. 8 and 9 ), at block  128 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 12  illustrates a flowchart of a method  130  for adding, changing, or deleting a recipe  40   a,  according to one embodiment. At block  132 , a user action is received and the application enters an edit mode (at block  134 ), an add mode (at block  136 ), or it returns to displaying the main screen (See  FIG. 7 ) including a recipe list (at block  138 ). In the add mode, entries are validated (at block  140 ) for example, based on the configuration of the lighting fixture  10 , and may be saved (at block  142 ), sent (at block  144 ), or deleted (at block  146 ). 
         [0040]      FIG. 13  illustrates a flowchart for a method  150  for enabling Bluetooth communication and transmitting information from the recipe application  39  to a paired device. In the embodiment illustrated, the paired device is the master fixture control  20 . At block  152 , the application determines whether a connection exists. When a connection exists, the application determines whether there is data to send, at block  154 . When there is data to send, it is sent, at block  156 , and the application returns to the graphical user interface, at block  158 . When there is no data to send, the application returns to the graphical user interface, at block  158 . When a connection does not exist, the application determines whether the Bluetooth adapter is enabled, at block  160 . When the adapter is enabled, the application looks for a paired device, at block  162 . When a paired device is not found, at block  164 , the application returns to the graphical user interface, at block  158 . When a paired device is found, at block  164 , the application opens a connection, at block  166 , and determines whether there is data to send, at block  154 . When the adapter is not enabled, at block  160 , the application issue a request to enable the adapter, at block  168 . When the request successfully enables the adapter, at block  170 , the application looks for a paired device, at block  162 . When the request does not successfully enable the adapter, at block  170 , the application returns to the graphical user interface, at block  158 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 14  illustrates a flowchart of a method  180  for processing and updating transmitted information in the recipe application  39 . At block  182 , Bluetooth is running and receiving data as a background process. At block  184 , the application listens for incoming data. When data is not received, at block  186 , the application continues to listen, at block  184 . When data is received, at block  186 , the application parses the data, at block  188 . When the data includes a data package, at block  190 , the application invokes the data package, at block  192 , and updates the GUI and database based on the data package, at block  194 . When the data does not include a data package, the application continues to listen for data at block  184 . 
         [0042]    The master fixture control  20  may receive user recipes  40   a  via a hand-held device (for example, a smart phone), a computer, or another computing device. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 15 , a smart phone  68  operating the recipe application  39  transmits information via Bluetooth to the master fixture control  20 . In some embodiments, upon being received by the Bluetooth module  19   a,  the signal is transmitted to the master fixture control  20  via a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART). The fixture control module  20  uses the recipe  40   a  to regulate current flow to each LED color group  18  to produce a desired light mix output, as specified in the recipe  40   a.    
         [0043]    In some embodiments, only the fixture control  20  to be updated will receive the user recipe  40   a  and will make adjustments to the light mix output. In such embodiments, the user recipe  40   a  is not transmitted to the other fixture control(s)  20  in communication with the fixture mesh network  76 . 
         [0044]    In some embodiments, using the fixture mesh network interface, the master fixture control  20  transmits the user recipes  40   a  to other fixture control(s)  20  in the system of horticultural lights in communication with the fixture mesh network. Accordingly, a user may control multiple horticultural lights in different zones to operate under different recipes as opposed to all horticultural lights outputting the same light mix. 
         [0045]    A similar sequence of steps is followed for recipe instructions transmitted via a computer or other computing device. For example, a personal computer (PC)  72  including a fixture control application, for example, the application  39 , may send a signal to the fixture mesh network  76  via a USB bridge node (not shown). The USB Bridge includes a USB port and an antenna that transmits information from the PC  72  to the fixture mesh network module  76 . When the fixture control  20  connects to the fixture mesh network module  76 . Once connected, the fixture control  20  adjusts the light mix output and updates the recipe  40   a  in the fixture firmware based on the user input, for example, located within a zone specified by the use. Firmware may store one or more zone control variables, one or more user input recipes, and multiple preset modes of operation. In some embodiments, the recipe  40   a  is stored in nonvolatile memory, thus retaining stored recipe information in the event of a power outage. As discussed above, in other embodiments, a different type of networks  19 ( a - c ) could be used to transmit information from the PC  72  to the fixture control(s)  20 . 
         [0046]    Horticultural lights may be controlled individually, a group of horticultural lights may be controlled according to zone specifications, or all horticultural lights may be controlled in unison. If a user chooses to control the system of horticultural lights according to zones, the system performs a test to confirm whether a located fixture control  20  is the fixture control  20  specified by the user.  FIG. 16  illustrates is a flowchart of a commissioning method  200  for determining which fixture control(s)  20  in a fixture mesh network  76  to update with a recipe  40   a.  In some embodiments, commissioning may depend on the type of device that transmits recipe information to the fixture control(s). 
         [0047]    The smart phone  68  or the computer  72  transmit recipes to the mesh network modules  76 ,  76 a, as described above. At block  202 , when the message received is addressed to the local host and the destination module is that lighting fixture, the message is processed by that host, at block  204 . Otherwise, the mesh network module  76  receives the message and determines whether it is addressed locally or remotely, at block  206 . When the message is addressed remotely, it is sent to the mesh network module  76   a,  which determines, at block  208 , whether the message is addressed to it. When the message is addressed to that lighting fixture and module, at block  210 , the message is processed by the network module, at block  212 . At block  206 , when the message is addressed to that lighting fixture and module, at block  214 , the message is processed by the network module, at block  216 . 
         [0048]    Although aspects have been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects as described.