Controlling Color Temperature And Luminance In Linear Led Fixtures
Patent No. US11751302 (titled "Controlling Color Temperature And Luminance In Linear Led Fixtures") was filed by Ags Lighting Management Llc on Dec 21, 2020.
What is this patent about?
’302 is related to the field of LED lighting , specifically linear LED fixtures. Traditional LED fixtures are often limited to a single color temperature and luminance level. This can be restrictive, especially in large spaces where uniform lighting is desired. Custom manufacturing is often required to achieve specific lighting characteristics, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.
The underlying idea behind ’302 is to create a modular linear LED lighting system where color temperature and luminance can be adjusted. This is achieved by using multiple strings of LEDs with different color temperatures and a switch assembly to control which strings are activated. Furthermore, the system is designed to be scalable, allowing multiple modules to be connected while maintaining consistent lighting properties.
The claims of ’302 focus on a linear LED lighting apparatus comprising an array of LEDs with at least two sets of LEDs that emit light at different color temperatures. A driver circuit provides current, and a switch assembly controls which set of LEDs receives the current, thereby controlling the color temperature. The apparatus is designed to be electrically coupled to other similar apparatuses of different lengths.
In practice, the invention uses a switch assembly with two switches: one to select the desired current level (luminance) from the driver circuit, and another to direct that current to either a 'warm' or 'cool' string of LEDs, or both. This allows for adjusting both the brightness and the color of the light emitted. The modular design allows for creating lighting solutions of varying lengths by connecting multiple fixtures together.
The key differentiation from prior approaches lies in the combination of adjustable color temperature and luminance within a modular linear LED fixture . This eliminates the need for custom-designed fixtures for each specific application. The modularity allows for easy scaling and adaptation to different space requirements while maintaining consistent lighting characteristics across the entire installation.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the early 2020s when ’302 was filed, at a time when LED lighting systems were becoming increasingly prevalent as energy-efficient alternatives to incandescent and fluorescent lighting. At this time, it was common to design LED fixtures for a specific color temperature and lumen output, often requiring custom manufacturing to achieve desired lighting characteristics. Systems commonly relied on manual configuration or limited control mechanisms for adjusting light properties after installation, when hardware or software constraints made dynamic adjustment of color temperature and luminance non-trivial.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner allowed the claims because claim 1 requires a second set of LEDs to produce a second light having a different color temperature, where the second set of LEDs are aligned in a linear shape. Also required is a second switch to couple current to the first set of LEDs, the second set of LEDs, or both. The linear LED lighting apparatus is configured to electrically couple to an additional linear LED lighting apparatus having a second length different than the first length by a scale factor, wherein the additional linear LED lighting apparatus is configured to produce a third light having the first color temperature via a third plurality of LEDs or a fourth light having the second color temperature via a fourth plurality of LEDs.
Claims
This patent contains 20 claims, with independent claims numbered 1, 10, and 18. The independent claims are generally directed to linear LED lighting apparatuses and systems comprising multiple LEDs, driver circuits, and switch assemblies, often with modularity and scalability features. The dependent claims generally elaborate on specific features, configurations, and functionalities of the elements described in the independent claims, such as switch positions, color temperatures, housing characteristics, and electrical connections.
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Date
Description
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US11751302
- Application Number
- US17129228
- Filing Date
- Dec 21, 2020
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Jul 11, 2041
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents