Illum Horticulture LLC

Nacho Led LLC

Arthur A Wilkes

Stephen P Adams

James V Rhodes

Johnathan J Heiner

Darin M Carpenter

Brent R Perkins

Jay B Norrish

A method and apparatus for an adaptable vehicle light fixture is provided to activate directional illumination aspects of the light fixture based upon sensed characteristics of the vehicle. The vehicle may automatically sense its position, speed, acceleration, heading and angular velocity and may command the light fixture to emit symmetric and/or asymmetric beam patterns based upon the sensed vehicle characteristics. Directional light incident upon the light fixture may also be detected to allow intensity control thereby reducing glare to oncoming traffic. A vehicle light fixture may be pre-configured with lenses and wirelessly programmed for manual and/or automatic operation that is responsive to the pre-configuration. A plurality of vehicles with light fixtures mounted thereon comprise a network of light fixtures that are manually or adaptively controlled as a group.

Method and apparatus for an adaptable vehicle light fixture

A method and apparatus for a light fixture that uses current sharing across any one or more parallel LED strings within the light fixture. A processor determines the current requirements of the one or more LED strings that are needed to produce a given intensity level. The processor then apportions the current generation capability of a power supply across all active LED strings using time division multiple access (TDMA) whereby each LED string conducts its apportioned current within its allocated time slot to the mutual exclusion of the remaining active LED strings in any given time period. The light fixture utilizes LEDs with increased forward voltage interspersed with LEDs having reduced forward voltage in the same LED string. A processor utilizes shunt devices across the one or more LEDs with increased forward voltage to substantially match the cumulative forward voltage of each LED string.

Method and apparatus for horticultural lighting with current sharing

A method and apparatus for an indoor horticultural system that utilizes both a wireless and a wired network to control lighting. The wireless interface is used in a primary mode of operation to control all aspects of lighting including intensity, spectrum and color temperature. The wired interface is used in a secondary mode of operation, whereby an analog signal is used to control the intensity of all LED arrays in each lighting fixture and a digital signal is used to control the intensity of each individual LED array in each lighting fixture. Both the analog and digital signals utilize the same physical interface.

Method and apparatus for an indoor horticultural facility

A method and apparatus for a light fixture that uses current sharing across any one or more LED strings within the light fixture. A processor may determine the current requirements of the one or more LED strings that are needed to produce a given intensity level. The processor may then apportion the current generation capability of a power supply across all active LED strings using time division multiple access (TDMA) whereby each LED string may conduct its apportioned current within its allocated time slot to the mutual exclusion of the remaining active LED strings in any given time period. The processor may transition from a TDMA mode of operation to a direct drive mode of operation when the time duration of each of the mutually exclusive time slots are substantially equal to each other or within a percentage range of each other.

A method and apparatus for a horticultural light for use in a horticultural facility that uses current sharing across any one or more LED strings within the horticultural light. A processor determines the current requirements of the one or more LED strings that are needed to produce a given intensity level. The processor then apportions the current generation capability of a DC-DC converter across all active LED strings using time division multiple access whereby each LED string conducts its apportioned current within its allocated time slot to the mutual exclusion of the remaining active LED strings in the allocated time slot. The processor employs analog (continuous) and/or digital (discontinuous) dimming techniques within each time slot to further modulate the amount of current conducted by any LED string within its allocated time slot.

An indoor horticultural system includes a grow bed and a lighting system arranged in proximity to the grow bed. The lighting system includes lighting fixtures having an optical axis and a light distribution whose intensity increases as the angle of the generated light increases in relation to the optical axis to increase cross-lighting. Alternately, the lighting system includes lighting fixtures mounted at varying angles and with varying beam widths so as to increase cross-lighting. Series connected light fixtures include a master light fixture that employs an intensity controller to control the intensity of light generated by each of the series-connected light fixtures, where the intensity controller derives operational power from an LED string contained within the master light fixture.

A method and apparatus for a horticultural light for use in a horticultural facility that uses both continuous current control and discontinuous current control to select an intensity for each LED string in the horticultural light. Continuous current control is selected when the horticultural light is operating above a threshold intensity and discontinuous current control is selected when the horticultural light is operating below the threshold intensity for enhanced dimming fidelity. A CPU detects the number of LED strings present in the horticultural light and determines the optimal operating voltage for each detected LED string based upon the detected forward voltage of each detected LED string. Based upon the optimal operating voltage determined for each LED string, the CPU additionally selects an optimized current stabilization network for each detected LED string.

Growing community of inventors

Chandler, AZ, United States of America

Arthur A Wilkes