Lighting system and corresponding method
AssigneeOSRAM GmbH
InventorsAlberto Alfier, Luca Mascolo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for lighting a space for growing vegetables, e.g. a greenhouse, wherein the system includes a first set of lighting sources for lighting the vegetables in a first, vertical direction, a second set of lighting sources for lighting the vegetables in at least one second direction, different from the vertical direction, e.g. in a horizontal and/or oblique direction.
Claims20
A lighting system for lighting a space for growing vegetables, wherein the system includes:
- a first set of lighting sources for lighting the vegetables in a first, vertical direction, the first set of lighting sources disposed within a housing,
- a second set of lighting sources for lighting the vegetables in at least one second direction, different from the vertical direction, the second set of lighting sources disposed within the housing;
- at least a first sensor disposed within the housing and at least a second sensor disposed outside of the housing, wherein the at least first sensor and the at least second sensor are configured to detect the intensity and/or spectrum of sunlight;
- and
- a control system comprising at least one controller, the control system configured to control the first set and the second set of lighting sources by selectively varying either the intensity or the spectrum of the radiation emitted by the first and second lighting sources so as to reproduce an illuminance distribution pattern and intensity of sunlight based on the detected intensity and/or spectrum of the sunlight and to compensate for absorption of the sunlight by the structure of the housing,
- wherein the lighting sources in the first set and the lighting sources in the second set have different radiation patterns with respect to intensity, spectrum and spatial distribution, and wherein the second set of lighting sources includes lighting sources for lighting the vegetables sidewise in a horizontal direction.
A method of operating a lighting system, the lighting system comprising a first set of lighting sources within a housing for lighting the vegetables in a first, vertical direction, a second set of lighting sources within the housing for lighting the vegetables in at least one second direction, different from the vertical direction, at least a first sensor within the housing, and at least a second sensor outside of the housing, the method including:
- controlling the lighting sources of the first set and in the second set by selectively varying at least one of the intensity and the spectrum of the lighting radiation emitted by said lighting sources;
- sensing, using the at least first sensor and the least second sensor, an intensity and a spectrum of sunlight radiation towards said space for growing vegetables;
- adjusting at least one of intensity and spectrum of the lighting radiation emitted by the first and second set of lighting sources as a function of said sensing and setting a given ratio of the intensity of the lighting radiation emitted by the lighting sources of the first set to the intensity of the lighting radiation emitted by the lighting sources of the second set so as to achieve of a volumetric distribution of illumination adjusted to suit different stages of growth and life of the vegetables.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.