Abstract:
Methods of tuning a luminaire having a first light source, a second light source, and a third light source, wherein each light source produces a different color of light including receiving a selected warmth, include the step of determining whether the light emitted by the first light source matches the amount of light needed from the first light source to match the selected warmth. It may be determined whether the first and second light sources are emitting sufficient light, and each may be adjusted to emit light having the selected warmth.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is related to and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/643,308 filed May 6, 2012, titled TUNABLE LIGHT SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED METHODS, and is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/234,371 filed Sep. 16, 2011, titled COLOR CONVERSION OCCLUSION AND ASSOCIATED METHODS, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/107,928 filed May 15, 2011, titled HIGH EFFICACY LIGHTING SIGNAL CONVERTER AND ASSOCIATED METHODS, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/310,300 filed Dec. 5, 2011, titled TUNABLE LED LAMP FOR PRODUCING BIOLOGICALLY-ADJUSTED LIGHT, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to the field of lighting devices and, more specifically, to tunable lighting devices that allow customization of a light source. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Current lighting devices, while becoming increasingly more energy efficient, lack the ability to effectively adapt to their respective environments. Should a lighting device have the ability to effectively adapt to its environment, the lighting device may become more efficient, which is more desirable to both consumers and producers. Additionally, should the environment of the lighting device be changed, for instance, from a warm, inviting family room to a cool, private sanctuary, it may be advantageous to have a lighting device that allows for proper lighting of the environment without necessitating the need to buy additional lighting devices. Therefore, a need exists for a lighting device with the ability to “tune” its warmth to its environment. 
         [0004]    This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    With the foregoing in mind, embodiments of the present invention are related to methods of tuning a luminaire having a first light source, a second light source, and a third light source, wherein each light source produces a different color of light. The method may comprise the steps of operating each of first light source, the second light source, and the third light source, receiving a selected warmth, determining whether the light emitted by the first light source matches the amount of light needed from the first light source to match the selected warmth. A determination that the light emitted by the first light source does not match the amount of light needed from the first light source may result in operating the first light source to emit the amount of light needed from the first light source to match the selected warmth and determining whether the light emitted by the second light source matches the amount of light needed from the second light source to match the selected warmth. A determination that the light emitted by the second light source does not match the amount of light needed from the second light source may result in operating the second light source to emit the amount of light needed from the second light source to match the selected warmth, and determining whether the light emitted by the third light source matches the amount of light needed from the third light source to match the selected warmth. A determination that the light emitted by the third light source does not match the amount of light needed from the third light source may result in operating the third light source to emit the amount of light needed from the third light source to match the selected warmth. 
         [0006]    Other embodiments of the present invention are related to methods of tuning a luminaire having a first light source, a second light source, and a third light source using a computerized device having a user interface. The method may comprise the steps of operating each of first light source, the second light source, and the third light source, receiving a selected warmth via the user interface, and determining whether the light emitted by the first light source matches the amount of light needed from the first light source to match the selected warmth. A determination that the light emitted by the first light source does not match the amount of light needed from the first light source may result in operating the first light source to emit the amount of light needed from the first light source and determining whether the light emitted by the second light source matches the amount of light needed from the second light source to match the selected warmth. A determination that the light emitted by the second light source does not match the amount of light needed from the second light source may result in operating the second light source to emit the amount of light needed from the second light source to match the selected warmth and determining whether the light emitted by the third light source matches the amount of light needed from the third light source to match the selected warmth. A determination that the light emitted by the third light source does not match the amount of light needed from the third light source may result in operating the third light source to emit the amount of light needed from the third light source, receiving a selected dominant color, and adjusting the selected warmth to include the selected dominant color. 
         [0007]    Other embodiments of the present invention are related to a tunable lighting system comprising a luminaire, which in turn may comprise a mint-white light-emitting diode (LED), a first colored LED, a second colored LED, and a controller; The lighting system may further comprise a computerized device positioned in communication with the controller and configured to control the operation of each of the mint-white LED, the first colored LED, and the second colored LED. The computerized device may comprise a user interface configured to receive a selected warmth. The controller is programmable to operate the LEDs of the luminaire responsive to the selected warmth. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a luminaire according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a luminaire according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart detailing a process of operating a luminaire according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart detailing a process of operating a luminaire according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of an exemplary user interface to operate a luminaire according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of an exemplary user interface to operate a luminaire according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart detailing a process of operating a luminaire according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram of an exemplary computing device for use with the luminaire according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0016]    The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art realize that the following descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. 
         [0017]    In this detailed description of the present invention, a person skilled in the art should note that directional terms, such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” and other like terms are used for the convenience of the reader in reference to the drawings. Also, a person skilled in the art should notice this description may contain other terminology to convey position, orientation, and direction without departing from the principles of the present invention. 
         [0018]    Additionally, in the following detailed description, reference may be made to the driving of light emitting diodes, or LEDs. A person of skill in the art will appreciate that the use of LEDs within this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the any specific form of LED, and should be read to apply to light emitting semiconductors in general. Accordingly, skilled artisans should not view the following disclosure as limited to the any particular light emitting semiconductor device, and should read the following disclosure broadly with respect to the same. 
         [0019]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1-7 , a tunable luminaire  10  and methods of operating the same will be discussed. Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a tunable luminaire  10  is shown having an electrical base  12 , an enclosure  14 , and an intermediate member  16  between the electrical base  12  and the enclosure  14 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the enclosure  14  may house a mint white LED  18 , a bluish white LED  20 , and an amber LED  22  that is carried by the intermediate member  16 . The inclusion of these LEDs may advantageously allow a user to select any desired warmth of the light emitted from the luminaire  10  such as, cool bluish white, to a minty white, to a warm amber white. Further, depending on the intensity with which each of the LEDs  18 ,  20 ,  22  is illuminated, the warmth of the light emitted from the luminaire  10  may be readily adjusted to any warmth using any combination of the three LEDs to advantageously allow a user to set the luminaire to emit a custom warmth. 
         [0020]    Referring additionally to  FIG. 2 , an alternate embodiment of the tunable luminaire  10 ′ is shown. The luminaire  10 ′ may include an electrical base  12 ′, an enclosure  14 ′, and an intermediate member  16 ′ between the electrical base  12 ′ and the enclosure  14 ′. The enclosure  14 ′ may house a single tunable amber LED  22 ′ that is carried by the intermediate member  16 ′. Although not pictured, it is contemplated that the enclosure  14 ′ may alternately house a single tunable mint white LED  18 ′ carried by the intermediate member  16 ′, or a single tunable bluish white LED  20 ′ carried by the intermediate member  16 ′, rather than a single tunable amber LED  22 ′. The inclusion of only one tunable LED may allow for custom linear tuning. 
         [0021]    Referring now to flowchart  30  of  FIG. 3 , a method of tuning the luminaire  10  that is illustrated in  FIG. 1  will now be discussed. Beginning at Block  32 , the user may select a desired warmth at Block  34 . The luminaire  10  may check if the amount of light coming from the mint white LED  18  matches the amount of light needed from the mint white LED  18  to match the desired warmth (Block  36 ). If the amounts do not match, the mint white LED  18  may be adjusted to match the amount required for the desired warmth (Block  38 ). If the amount required from the mint white LED  18  matches at Block  36  or Block  38 , the it may then be determined if the amount of light coming from the bluish white LED  20  matches the amount of light needed from the bluish white LED  20  to match the desired warmth (Block  40 ). If the amounts do not match, the bluish white LED  20  may be adjusted to match the amount required for the desired warmth (Block  42 ). If the amount required from the bluish white LED  20  matches at Block  40  or Block  42 , the luminaire  10  may then check if the amount of light coming from the amber LED  22  matched the amount of light needed from the amber LED  22  to match the desired warmth (Block  44 ). If the amounts do not match, the amber LED  22  may be adjusted to match the amount required for the desired warmth (Block  46 ). If the amount required from the amber LED  22  matches at Block  44  or Block  46 , the tuning of the luminaire  10  may be completed at Block  52 . A user interface may optionally be included to present a confirmation message to a user at Block  48 . The user may optionally confirm the chosen warmth at Block  50 , ending the process at Block  52 , or the user may select an option to choose a different desired warmth at Block  50 , returning the process to Block  34 . 
         [0022]    A skilled artisan having had the benefit of this disclosure may readily recognize that the order of checking and adjusting the LEDs need not necessarily be the order outlined above, and may be done in any order that allows all of the LEDs to be checked and adjusted. Referring now to flowchart  60   FIG. 4 , an alternate method of adjusting the warmth of the luminaire  10  according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention will now be discussed. Starting at Block  62 , the user may select a desired warmth (Block  64 ). The luminaire may then be adjust to the selected warmth (Block  66 ), after which a user may make manual adjustments until he or she is satisfied (Block  68 ), ending the method (Block  70 ). 
         [0023]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , an exemplary user interface is presented as a mobile phone  72  or other handheld device. The mobile phone  72  may include an estimated image  74  which shows the projected warmth of an environment as selected by a user before making any adjustments. A mint slider  76 , an amber slider  78 , and a blue slider  80  are also provided to allow for individual adjustments to the warmth. Once the user has selected a desired warmth and is satisfied with the estimated image, the user may press a set button  82 . If the user wishes to not make any changes, or start over, a cancel button  83  may additionally be provided. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this is but one version of a user interface that may be used. It is contemplated, for example, that the user interface may not include a projected estimated environment after tuning  74  and may, instead, simply send a signal to adjust the luminaire  10  as the luminaire is being adjusted using the sliders  76 ,  78 ,  80 . Further, it is contemplated that the user interface may be provided by an application that is downloadable and installable on a mobile phone and over a mobile phone (other other handheld device) network. Further, it is contemplated that a range of warmths may be presented to a user, instead of the plurality of sliders  76 ,  78 ,  80 , and that the user may simply select a warmth within the range as desired. 
         [0024]    Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the luminaire is positioned in communication with a network and includes a controller in order to communicate with such a user interface. Additional information regarding a luminaire that is positioned in communication with a network can be found, for example, in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/486,314 titled Wireless Lighting Device and Associated Methods, as well as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/463,020 titled Wireless Pairing System and Associated Methods, and the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , and additionally  FIG. 7 , an alternate exemplary user interface and method of using the same will now be discussed. Beginning at Block  94  of flowchart  93 , the user may capture an image of the environment  84  with the mobile phone  72 , or other handheld device (Block  95 ). An application on the mobile phone  72  may pick out a dominant color  86  from the environment and display it to the user at Block  96 . The application may then wait for user input at Block  97 . The user may choose the adjust button  90  to recapture an image of the environment  84 , returning the operation to Block  95 . The user may alternately cancel the operation using the cancel button  92 , ending the operation at Block  99 . If, however, the user selects the set button  88 , the luminaire  10  may adjust its warmth to accentuate the dominant color  86  (Block  98 ), ending the operation (Block  99 ). 
         [0026]    A skilled artisan will note that one or more of the aspects of the present invention may be performed on a computing device. The skilled artisan will also note that a computing device may be understood to be any device having a processor, memory unit, input, and output. This may include, but is not intended to be limited to, cellular phones, smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, personal digital assistants, etc.  FIG. 8  illustrates a model computing device in the form of a computer  110 , which is capable of performing one or more computer-implemented steps in practicing the method aspects of the present invention. Components of the computer  110  may include, but are not limited to, a processing unit  120 , a system memory  130 , and a system bus  121  that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit  120 . The system bus  121  may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI). 
         [0027]    The computer  110  may also include a cryptographic unit  125 . Briefly, the cryptographic unit  125  has a calculation function that may be used to verify digital signatures, calculate hashes, digitally sign hash values, and encrypt or decrypt data. The cryptographic unit  125  may also have a protected memory for storing keys and other secret data. In other embodiments, the functions of the cryptographic unit may be instantiated in software and run via the operating system. 
         [0028]    A computer  110  typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer  110  and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may include computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, FLASH memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by a computer  110 . Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media. 
         [0029]    The system memory  130  includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM)  131  and random access memory (RAM)  132 . A basic input/output system  133  (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer  110 , such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM  131 . RAM  132  typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit  120 . By way of example, and not limitation,  FIG. 8  illustrates an operating system (OS)  134 , application programs  135 , other program modules  136 , and program data  137 . 
         [0030]    The computer  110  may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only,  FIG. 8  illustrates a hard disk drive  141  that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive  151  that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk  152 , and an optical disk drive  155  that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk  156  such as a CD ROM or other optical media. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive  141  is typically connected to the system bus  121  through a non-removable memory interface such as interface  140 , and magnetic disk drive  151  and optical disk drive  155  are typically connected to the system bus  121  by a removable memory interface, such as interface  150 . 
         [0031]    The drives, and their associated computer storage media discussed above and illustrated in  FIG. 8 , provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer  110 . In  FIG. 8 , for example, hard disk drive  141  is illustrated as storing an OS  144 , application programs  145 , other program modules  146 , and program data  147 . Note that these components can either be the same as or different from OS  134 , application programs  135 , other program modules  136 , and program data  137 . The OS  144 , application programs  145 , other program modules  146 , and program data  147  are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they may be different copies. A user may enter commands and information into the computer  110  through input devices such as a keyboard  162  and cursor control device  161 , commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit  120  through a user input interface  160  that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor  191  or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus  121  via an interface, such as a graphics controller  190 . In addition to the monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers  197  and printer  196 , which may be connected through an output peripheral interface  195 . 
         [0032]    The computer  110  may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer  180 . The remote computer  180  may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer  110 , although only a memory storage device  181  has been illustrated in  FIG. 8 . The logical connections depicted in  FIG. 8  include a local area network (LAN)  171  and a wide area network (WAN)  173 , but may also include other networks. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet. 
         [0033]    When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer  110  is connected to the LAN  171  through a network interface or adapter  170 . When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer  110  typically includes a modem  172  or other means for establishing communications over the WAN  173 , such as the Internet. The modem  172 , which may be internal or external, may be connected to the system bus  121  via the user input interface  160 , or other appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer  110 , or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of example, and not limitation,  FIG. 8  illustrates remote application programs  185  as residing on memory device  181 . 
         [0034]    The communications connections  170  and  172  allow the device to communicate with other devices. The communications connections  170  and  172  are an example of communication media. The communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. A “modulated data signal” may be a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Computer readable media may include both storage media and communication media. 
         [0035]    Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed.