WO2013030769A1

WO2013030769A1 - An illumination system and method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2013030769A1
Application number: PCT/IB2012/054422
Authority: WO
Inventors: Atul RAMCHANDRA
Original assignee: Ramchandra Atul
Priority date: 2011-08-30
Filing date: 2012-08-29
Publication date: 2013-03-07

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to illuminate a beam in one or more defined areas, in a digital manner. More particularly, an illumination system (102) is disclosed to illuminate the beam with varying intensities and color quality in the defined area selected by a user. The intensity and color quality is under control precisely in all parts of a 360 degree arc around the light source (104) that a user perceives multiple independently shaped and regulated beams simultaneously. The width of the arc is customisable. The intensity reduction due to Inverse Square Law is compensated. Exploiting physiology of human vision including Persistence of Vision, and ability of solid state LED's to be switched ON and OFF million times a second efficiently and repeatedly. Many areas can be independently illuminated and yet simultaneously using one light source which saves energy.

Description

AN ILLUMINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD THERE OF

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Indian patent application serial number 2998/CHE/2011 filed on August 30, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is related to a digital lighting system adapted for both indoor and outdoor applications. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to the lighting system, a device and method to project a beam with varying intensities and color programmatically controllable by a user to illuminate a defined area.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

The existing lighting devices use fixed reflectors, refractive or diffractive optics to provide illumination of beam with limited flexibility in the uniformity of intensity, defining an area of illumination and color quality range over a pre-determined angle. The distribution pattern is fixed and not user-customizable easily.

The traditional inventions related to an outdoor luminary having a reflector adapted to provide uniform illumination of a relatively large, generally level surface. The optical elements such as light diffusion films, plates, and lenses, reflectors, guides, which can be used in light-emitting devices, such as light fixtures to control the distribution of light projected onto objects to be illuminated, such as walls, sculptures, and landscaping. These inventions utilize region(s) of volumetric asymmetric diffusion that allow a partial quantity of light to be transmitted without significant scattering to improve optical throw and illumination uniformity for a given geometry. However, the existing system and method does not provide lighting-on-demand and on-target in different areas in a dynamic manner with varying intensities and color.

Figure 1A illustrates visibility of an object illuminated by a light source placed distant from, and proximal to the object. From the illustrated view, the object which is placed close to the light source receives more illumination and gets better illuminated as compared with the object placed at a greater distance from the same light source. The other way to interpret this scenario, an object placed close to the light source requires less energy for the same illumination as compared with an object placed further away from the same light source. If a light source is brought close to the object to be illuminated, then the intensity pattern is highly localised. In order to provide close proximity uniform illumination over an extended area, several light sources at predetermined distances needed to be used.

Figure IB illustrates Inverse Square Law behaviour on distribution of light with respect to distance. According to Inverse Square Law principle the intensity of light reduces as the distance increases from the light source. The graph indicates that the intensity of light reduces proportional to the inverse of the square of the distance from the light source.

Figure 1C illustrates light distribution using existing lighting device placed next to one another showing glare with dashed lines in the distribution pattern. The light intensity close to the lighting fixture (directly below the light source) beam is stronger than the light intensity far from the lighting fixture centre (wider arrows represent higher intensity). Thus, street light beams are placed close to each other such that the light intensity further from the lighting fixture intersects/overlaps with the light from neighbouring lighting fixtures to illuminate the intermediate areas of intersection more intensely. The net effect is to approximate uniform illumination.

Further, the prior art does not provide variable control of light intensity in a given direction to compensate for Inverse Square Law behaviour of light in various scenarios. In addition, the prior art lighting devices does not provide the device user with a choice to select intensity or color dynamically in any specific direction of illumination simultaneously. The existing system lacks the flexibility of providing the user to control the intensity and color quality of the beam to be projected in the desired area as per user requirements which would save energy and improve visibility.

Thus, there is a need to provide a lighting device with system and method thereof to address the drawbacks of the existing art. SUMMARY

The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome through the provision of a system, a method and a device as described in the description.

An embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an illumination system to illuminate at least one defined area by projecting a light beam from the light source. The illumination system comprises at least one light source, a disc, at least one sensor and a control unit. The light source is used to project the light beam onto a reflector which is placed vertically inclined on a rotatable shaft of a motor. The projected light beam is reflected in the defined area by the reflector while rotating. The disc is mounted on the rotatable shaft and comprises at least one patch mark. The sensor is used to detect the patch mark and to generate an input signal upon detection of the patch mark. The control unit is configured for receiving the input signal from the sensor and for providing a pulse width modulation signal to trigger the light source.

One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for projecting a light beam to illuminate at least one defined area. The method comprises acts of driving a motor to rotate a rotatable shaft which is mounted with a reflector and a disc. An input signal is provided to a control unit by at least one sensor upon detecting at least one patch mark on the disc. A pulse width modulation signal is generated upon receiving the input signal by a control unit for triggering at least one light source to project the light beam on to the reflector. The projected light beam is reflected by the reflector illuminating at least one defined area.

One embodiment of the present disclosure provides an illuminating device for projecting a light beam to illuminate at least one defined area. The illuminating device comprises a transparent housing, a lower mounting plate, a base plate and a control unit. The transparent housing encloses a top plate, a reflector, a disc, at least one sensor, a rotatable shaft and a disc. The top plate is mounted with at least one light source below which the reflector is placed vertically inclined on the rotatable shaft of a motor. The disc is placed below the reflector and is coupled to the rotatable shaft. The disc comprises at least one patch mark. The patch mark is detected by at least one sensor which is placed adjacent to the disc. The lower mounting plate is disposed below the transparent housing. The lower mounting plate comprises one or more provisioning means to position the sensor and to mount the motor. The base plate is placed below the lower mounting plate and is connected to the transparent housing. The control unit is placed on the base plate below the lower mounting plate. The control unit triggers the light source using pulse width modulation when at least one sensor detects the patch mark.

One embodiment of the present disclosure discloses an illuminating device to project a light beam in at least one defined area using double sided reflector. The illuminating device comprises a transparent housing, a base plate and a control unit. The transparent housing encloses a double sided reflector, at least one disc, a motor, an upper mounting plate, a lower mounting plate, at least one sensor, a top plate and a bottom plate. The double sided reflector is placed vertically inclined inside a shroud which is placed between two light sources. The shroud is placed between the top plate and the bottom plate. At least one of the two light sources is mounted on the top plate and the bottom plate. At least one disc comprising at least one patch mark is mounted on the shroud. The shroud is placed on a second pulley of the lower mounting plate. The second pulley is connected to a first pulley using a belt and to the lower mounting plate using a bearing. At least one sensor is placed adjacent to the disc to detect the patch mark and is configured to generate an input signal upon detection. The motor is connected to the first pulley and is provisioned from the bottom of the bottom plate. The motor rotates the first pulley rotating the second pulley using belt that rotates the shroud and disc. The control unit is placed between the bottom plate and a base plate. The control unit triggers the light sources using pulse width modulation when at least one sensor detects the patch mark. The base plate is connected to the transparent housing.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the present disclosure are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, together with further features and attended advantages, will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanied drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

Figure 1A illustrates visibility of illuminated object placed distant from and proximal to light source (Prior Art);

Figure IB illustrates Inverse Square Law behaviour of light distribution with respect to distance (Prior Art);

Figure 1C illustrates distribution of light using existing lighting devices placed next to one another indicating the glare in the distribution pattern around light source with dashed lines (Prior Art);

Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary illumination system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 illustrates a method for projecting a light beam to illuminate a defined area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 4a illustrates exploded view of an exemplary illuminating device for projecting a light beam and illuminating one or more defined area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 4b depicts the assembled view of the illuminating device as shown in figure 4a as one of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 4c illustrates cut section view of the illuminating device as shown in figure 4b as one of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 5a illustrates an exemplary block diagram to vary the intensity and color of the light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure using discrete components; Figure 5b illustrates ON and OFF mode of the light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 6 shows beam shot of three defined areas been illuminated using the illuminating system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 7a illustrates illumination of beam on a street using the illumination system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figures 7b illustrates light beam of various intensities in a plurality of directions according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figures 7c shows intensity control of the beam to be illuminated in various directions using different PWM signals according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 7d illustrates one application of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 8 shows a block diagram of various function of a control unit using a microcontroller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 9a illustrates exploded view of an illuminating device for projecting light beam to illuminate a defined area using double sided reflector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 9b depicts the assembled view of the illuminating device as shown in figure 9a as one of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 9c illustrates cut section view of the illuminating device as shown in figure 9b as one of an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Figure 9d illustrates exemplary beam shots of two identical illuminations opposite to each other illuminated simultaneously using double sided reflector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary illumination system 102 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The illumination system 102 is used to project a light beam and to illuminate a defined area in a 360 degrees arc eliminating flicker. The illumination system 102 comprises at least one light source 104, a disc 108, at least one sensor 112 and a control unit 118. The light source 104 is a multi-colored light emitting diode which is used to project a light beam onto a reflector 106. In an embodiment, the light source 104 is a solid state source and includes color mixing with collimated secondary optics based on optical properties of the light source. The reflector 106 being a single sided mirror is placed vertically inclined at an angle from about 35 degrees to 55 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane based on the geometry of the construction. The reflector 106 is mounted on a rotatable shaft 114 attached to a motor 116. In an exemplary embodiment the mirror is placed at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. The projected light beam is reflected in a defined area by the reflector 106. In one embodiment the motor 116 is a brushless DC (BLDC) motor. The disc 108 is an infrared transparent disc and is mounted on the rotatable shaft 114. The disc 108 comprises one or more, opaque or reflective, patch mark 110. In one embodiment one patch mark 110 is made on the disc 108 right in front of the reflector 106. The patch mark 110 is the mark created on the disc 108 to facilitate sensor to identify the mark to locate the reflector position and output the light beam in the defined direction. As the motor 116 rotates, the disc 108 and the reflector 106 mounted also rotates. The sensor 112 is placed adjacent to the disc 108 to detect the patch mark 110. In an embodiment, the illumination system 102 are provided with one or more sensors 112 which are placed circumferentially adjacent to the disc 108, to detect the patch mark 110 and to generate an input signal to the control unit 118. The control unit 118 receives the input signal and provides variable duty cycle a pulse width modulation signal for specific defined area required to be illuminated, generated by a pulse width modulator 120, to trigger the light source 104.

The sensors 112 used in the instance invention are optical sensors. The sensors 112 can be either a transmissive type or a reflective type. In an embodiment, the optical sensors includes but not limited to infrared emitter and photo detector. The optical sensors use optical source and photo detector which are placed at close proximity to detect an intervention. In transmissive type, the optical source and the photo detector are located opposite to each other. The photo detector detects light form the optical source and when there is an interruption to light it creates a signal. In reflective type, the optical source and the photo detector are placed next to each other. When there is an interruption, the light from the optical source is reflected on to the photo detector to create a signal. One skilled in the art can find ways to adopt different sensors to sense the patch mark.

The control unit 118 uses at least one timer 122 to generate the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal. The PWM signal duty cycle determines the intensity of the light from the light source 104. By providing different PWM signals to a multi-colored LED module with varying intensities, one can create a required color and frequency of emission from the light source 104. A number of PWM channels are created simultaneously for each color as required. For example if RGB LED is used then there will be one PWM signal for each color and different combinations of PWM signals will create different colors. In one embodiment the light source 104 is a single color or white light source with secondary optics. The control unit 118 is digitally programmable by a user using a programming interface 124. In an exemplary embodiment the control unit 118 is a programmable microcontroller. The user provides one or more inputs using the programming interface 124 to the control unit 118 for controlling the illumination system 102. The programming interface 124 is at least one of a grid interface, wired and/or wireless client server interface. The programming interface 124 provides peer-peer networking or grid interaction between one or more programming interfaces and illumination systems. The illumination system 102 allows the user to programmatically vary the intensities and color of the light beam to be projected on the reflector 106, detects the on/off modes of the sensor 112, sets the timer 122, controls the speed of the motor 116 and determines the angular direction of the reflector 106. The person skilled in art can envisage the above described programming interface can be adapted to other various embodiments disclosed in this disclosure.

Figure 3 illustrates a method for projecting a light beam to illuminate a defined area in a 360 degrees arc according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method comprises steps of driving a motor 116 at step 302 to rotate a rotatable shaft 114 in predetermined rotation per minute (RPM) by a control unit 118. The rotatable shaft 114 is mounted with a reflector 106 and a disc 108. The reflector 106 is a single sided mirror. The disc 108 is an infrared transparent disc and comprises one or more, opaque or reflective, patch mark 110. In an embodiment, plurality of patch mark are provided on the disc 108 where one patch mark 110 is made right in front of the reflector 106 on the disc 108. An input signal is provided to a control unit 118 by at least one sensor 112 upon detecting the patch mark 110 on the disc 108 at step 304. The sensor 112 is placed adjacent to the disc 108 to detect the patch mark 110. In an embodiment, the patch mark 110 is detected by one or more sensors placed circumferentially adjacent to the disc 108. The location of the one or more sensors 110 around the circumference of the disc 108 determines the location of the beam illumination essentially in the 360 degree horizontal arc. The input signal is provided to the control unit 118 for the entire circumferential length of the patch mark 110. A set of PWM signals are generated at step 306, upon receiving the input signal, for triggering at least one light source 104 to project the light beam on to the reflector 106 at step 308. The light source 104 is a multi-colored light emitting diode module. In an embodiment, the light source 104 is a solid state source and includes color mixing with collimated secondary optics which could be used based on the optical properties of the light source 104. A number of PWM channels are created simultaneously for each color as required. For example if RGB LED is used then there will be one PWM signal for each color and different combinations of PWM signals will create different colors. The projected light beam is reflected by the reflector 106 in the defined area at step 310. The method allows the user to provide one or more inputs through the programming interface 124 to the control unit 118 for defining/varying the intensities and color of the light beam to be projected on the reflector 106, to detect the on/off modes of the sensor 112, to set the timer 122, to control the speed of the motor 116 and to determine the angular direction of the reflector 106. The intensity of light in the defined area is determined by the factors such as RPM of the motor 116, PWM duty cycles. The method achieves illuminating the defined area with no flicker in 360 degrees arc.

Figure 4a illustrates an exemplary illuminating device 412 for projecting a light beam to illuminate a defined area in a 360 degrees arc according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The illuminating device 412 illuminates the defined area with no flicker. The illuminating device 412 comprises a lower mounting plate 408b, a motor 116, a base plate 410, a control unit 118 and a transparent housing 402. The transparent housing 402 encloses a top plate 404, an upper mounting plate 408a, a shroud 406, a disc 108 and at least one sensor 112. The top plate 404 is mounted on top of the housing 402 with at least one light source 104 which is a multi-colored light emitting diode module. In an embodiment, the light source 104 is a solid state source and includes color mixing with collimated secondary optics based on optical properties of the light source. The top plate 404 is a thermal conductive plate which incorporates thermal management system that can be active or passive with temperature sensing. The upper mounting plate 408a has a provision to let the light beam to pass through projected from the light source 104. The shroud 406 is a transparent aerodynamic housing made of at least one of a transparent material to allow unhindered passage of light from the reflector 106. However, a person skilled in the art can envisage the illuminating device without the shroud 406. The shroud 406 has its upper end mounted onto bearing of the upper mounting plate 408a and is placed on the disc 108. The shroud 406 comprises a reflector 106 which is placed below the light source 104. The reflector 106 is placed vertically inclined on a rotatable shaft 114 of a motor 116 at an angle of for example 45 degrees. The angle can be varied from about 35 degrees to 55 degrees based on the user requirement and on the geometry of the construction. The reflector 106 is a single sided mirror. The disc 108 is placed below the reflector 106 and is coupled to the rotatable shaft 114. The disc 108 is an infrared transparent disc and comprises one or more patch mark 110 which is at least one of opaque and reflective. In an embodiment, one patch mark 110 is provided right in front of the reflector 106. The sensor 112 is placed adjacent to the disc 108 to detect the patch mark 110. In an embodiment, one or more sensors 112 are placed circumferentially adjacent to the disc 108 and are a transmissive type and reflective type. The shroud 406, reflector 106, the sensor 112 and the rotatable shaft 114 are configured inside the housing 402. The lower mounting plate 408b is disposed below the housing 402. The lower mounting plate 408b comprises one or more provisioning means to position the sensor 112 and to mount the motor 116. The provisioning means include but not limited to tapped holes. The base plate 410 is disposed below the lower mounting plate 408b and is connected to the transparent housing 402 using anchor points (not shown in figure 4a). The control unit 118 is placed on the base plate 410 below the lower mounting plate 408b. In the exemplary illuminating device 102 the control unit 118 is present proximal to the base plate 410 and mounting plate 408b. The control unit 118 triggers the light source 104 using pulse width modulation signal when the sensor 112 detects the patch mark 110. A driver circuit is provided along with control unit 118 to provide sufficient regulated power to the light source 104. A number of PWM channels are created simultaneously for each color as required. For example if RGB LED is used then there will be one PWM signal for each color and different combinations of PWM signals will create different colours. Figures 4b and 4c illustrate assembled view and cut section view of the device shown in figure 4a respectively as an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figures 4b and 4c comprise the control unit 118 placed between the base plate 410 and lower mounting plate 408b. The control unit 118 and the upper mounting plate 408a are not visible in the assembled view of the figure 4b. The base plate 410 is not shown in the figure 4c. Interconnecting wires and fasteners are not shown for simplicity of illustration.

Figure 5a illustrates an exemplary hardware based block diagram to vary the intensity and color of the light source 104 manually according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The sensors 112 (1, 2,....,n) detect the patch mark 110 on the disc 108. Once the patch mark 110 is detected the sensor 112 sends the input signal to its corresponding pulse width modulator 120. In this example a 555 timer is used to produce PWM signals of predefined duty cycle (502,... 508) for different light beam directions and colors. For specific direction the PWM duty cycle is varied as required varying the color to each color component of the light source 104 through the driver circuits 512. All 555 timer signals are provided to each of the driver circuits 512 by combining through OR gates 510. A person skilled in art can develop other methods to combine signal. A variable resistor, example potentiometer can be attached to each 555 timer to facilitate variation of duty cycle of the PWM signal. The driver circuit 512 is enabled or disabled by the pulse width modulation signal. The light source 104 is switched ON as per the PWM signal provided by the 555 timers 120. Thus each timer can be configured based on the location of the sensor 112 and the amount of illumination or color required in that direction. I.e. each sensor 112 is used to set beam intensity in one direction. The direction of the light beam is thus determined by the placement of the sensors 112 at each pre-determined angular position across the circumference of the disc 108.

Figure 5b illustrates ON time and OFF mode of the light source 104 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Switches 514 are provided between the sensors 112 and the 555 timer 120 which is a pulse width modulator as illustrated in figure 5b. The switches 514 can be adjusted as per the requirement of the user. If switch 514 is OFF then even if sensor senses the patch mark, it would not generate PWM signal to the light source 104. In one embodiment the switches, timers and OR gate is replaced by a programmable device like a microcontroller.

Figure 6 shows beam shot of three point illuminations using the illuminating system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The beam shots are projected in the desired direction illuminating a corresponding desired area as per the user requirements. The desired areas of illumination are within a certain angle from the full angle of 360 degree which the illumination device is capable of illuminating. The each beam shot is of different intensity and color from each other which are perceived simultaneously by the human eye. For example, the beam shot 602 is of higher intensity, the beam shot 604 is of lesser intensity than the beam shot 602. The beam shot 606 is of lesser intensity than beam shot 602 and 604. Figure 7a illustrates an exemplary projection of the light beam using the illumination system 102 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The light intensity of the beams projected from the illumination system 102 to regions further away from the illumination system 102 are of more intensity (shown as thicker lines) than the beams projected to the regions nearer to the illumination system 102. Thus, even if the light intensity travelling further away from the illumination system 102 decreases due to inverse square law principle, the illumination system 102 increases the duty cycle of the PWM signal for the areas farther from the illumination system 102 making the projection of the light beam brighter and objects more visible. The beam distribution on the ground is almost of same intensity. Thus, beams intensity on the street close to the light source and far from the light source will be uniform.

Figure 7b illustrates light beam of various intensity distributed in plurality of directions according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The width, intensity and color of the beam to be illuminated in a specific direction is programmatically set by the user. The user defines the illumination area. In the illustrated view, the light beam of high intensity travels to the farther region compared to the light beam of low intensity for the nearer region as set by the user. The illumination system 102 thus provides uniform illumination of the defined areas where the light source may not be proximal to the area or centrally located.

Figure 7c shows intensity control of the beam to be illuminated in various directions using different PWM signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. From the illustrated view, the intensity of the light to be illuminated is determined from the PWM duty cycle. The PWM duty cycle describes the ON and OFF time of the light sources and intensity of the light to be illuminated. The PWM duty cycle can be programmatically controlled by the user through the programming interface and can decide the intensity and color of the light and ON/OFF time of the light source for any direction.

Figure 7d shows beam is directed to predefined positions, for example, towards the forward traffic flow and footpaths. The beam is not directed on the people driving on the road on the oncoming traffic side. Thus, glare is not experienced by the oncoming traffic and better uniform visibility is provided for the areas in front of the vehicles. Also, since the light is directed in only necessary direction the utilization of power is efficient and illumination is more uniform and better because of proximity to ground. This also eliminates high intensity of light falling on the people driving the vehicle. Thus, the present embodiment utilizes the power judicially and avoids light pollution and glare.

Figure 8 illustrates function of a control unit 118 according as an embodiment of the present disclosure. The control unit 118 can comprise switch 514 used to control the ON and OFF mode of the light sources. In an embodiment, one can use a single sensor and single patch mark to create light essentially in any direction of 360 degrees. By measuring the time between two successive pulses from the sensor, one can determine the time required for the disc to complete 360 degree. Thus this time can be used to find out at which angle the patch mark is moving. Thus when the user provides the values for intensity or color for specific direction of illumination the same can be programmed in to the microcontroller and a specific illumination pattern can be achieved. A program is written and a programming interface 124 is provided for a user to enter the number of directions the user requires illumination and intensity and color for each direction. Once the number of directions is entered, the user is requested to enter the angle and duration of the illumination, intensity of illumination and color of illumination for each direction. Thus the microcontroller would produce required PWM signals to illuminate the light source for the given color and intensity when the reflector reaches that particular angle. The speed of motor will also be a determining factor for illumination with the required intensity and color in a given direction without flicker. In one embodiment, the direction of illumination with particular intensity and color in the desired direction is computed and generated for each revolution or part thereof.

Figure 9a illustrates an illuminating device 910 for projecting light beam in one or more defined areas using double sided reflector 904 rotating in 360 degrees arc according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The illuminating device 910 comprises housing 402, a base plate 410 and control unit 118. The housing 402 is transparent and enclosed in it are a top plate 404, a double sided reflector 904, at least one disc 108, at least one sensor (112, 112a), a motor 116, an upper mounting plate 902a, and a bottom plate 902b. The top plate 404 and bottom plate 404a have at least one light source (104, 104a) on each. The light sources (104, 104a) are used to incident light beams on both sides of the double sided reflector 904. The light sources (104, 104a) are multi-colored light emitting diode modules. In an embodiment, the light source 104 is a solid state source and includes color mixing with collimated secondary optics based on optical properties of the light source. The double sided reflector 904 is placed vertically inclined at an angle from about 35 degrees to 55 degrees inside a shroud 406. The angle could be varied based on the user requirement and on the geometry of the construction. In the exemplary embodiment, the reflector 904 is placed at an angle of 45 degrees to the horizontal plane. The shroud 406 is an aerodynamic transparent housing and is placed between the top plate and the bottom plate 404a. In one embodiment the light source is single color or white. The double sided reflector 904 reflects the projected light beam in two defined areas 180 degrees apart if both the light sources are triggered simultaneously. The disc 108 is mounted on the shroud 406 which is placed on a second pulley 906a connected to a lower mounting plate 902b using a bearing. Also, the lower mounting plate comprises an adapter support assembly to place the shroud 406 on it through the second pulley 906a. The lower mounting plate 902b is provided with a first pulley 906 connected to the second pulley 906a using a belt 908. The first pulley 906 is connected with the motor 116 which is provisioned from the bottom of the lower mounting plate 902b. The motor 116 rotates the first pulley 906 rotating the second pulley 906a using the belt 908 which in turn rotates the shroud 406 and the disc 108. The belt 908 and pulley 906 do not come in the optical path of the light from the either LED source. In one embodiment the motor 116 is a Brushless Direct Current (BLDC) motor. The upper mounting plate 902a is disposed below the top plate 404 and the lower mounting plate 902b is disposed above the bottom plate 404a. The sensors (112, 112a) are placed adjacent to disc 108 to detect the patch mark 110. In an embodiment, one or more sensors (112, 112a) are placed circumferentially adjacent to the disc 108. In an embodiment, the optical sensors include but are not limited to infrared emitter and photo detector. After the detection, the sensors (112, 112a) generate an input signal. In one embodiment, a patch mark on the disc 108 is provided in front of one side of the double sided reflector 106. In one embodiment, multiple patch marks on the disc can be provided. A control unit is placed between the bottom plate and a base plate which is connected to the transparent housing using anchor points (not shown). The control unit is configured for receiving the input signals and provides pulse width modulation signal to trigger the light sources (104, 104a). A number of PWM channels are created simultaneously for each color as required. For example if RGB LED is used then there will be one PWM signal for each color and different combinations of PWM signals will create different colours. The control unit 118 is digitally programmable by a user using a programming interface 124. The user provides one or more inputs on the programming interface 124 for controlling the illuminating device 910 through the control unit 118. The programming interface 124 is at least one of a grid interface, wired and/or wireless client server interface. The programming interface 124 provides peer-peer networking or grid interaction between one or more programming interfaces and illumination systems. The illuminating device 910 allows the user for varying the intensities and color of the beam to be illuminated on the double sided reflector 904, for detecting the on/off modes of the sensor 112, for setting the timer 122 and for controlling the speed of the motor 116 to set the angle, color, intensity and direction of the light emerging from the double sided reflector 904.

Figures 9b and 9c illustrate assembled view and cut section view of the illuminating device 910 respectively as shown in the figure 9a as an embodiment of the present disclosure. The control unit 118 and upper mounting plate 902a are not visible in the assembled figure 9b. Additionally, interconnecting wires and fasteners are not shown for the simplicity of the illustration.

Figure 9d illustrates exemplary beam shots of two identical illuminations opposite to each other illuminated simultaneously using double sided reflector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. By providing two identical lights sources, the rotation of the motor can be reduced to half the speed, to provide the beam shots in the same direction with no flicker as compared with illuminating device using single sided reflector. This makes use of nearly half the power (as compared to the power used in the illuminating device 412 using singe sided reflector) for producing the same intensity in the given direction at a lower RPM, which saves energy and is mechanically robust. Since the dwell time at each angular region is more i.e. due to reduction of speed of the motor to half, a defined area can be better illuminated with lower power LED's, which saves energy. Further, one can envisage using two light sources in which each light source is half of the power of the LED's reducing heating within the device. For example, from the illustrated figure 9d. The beam shots 912 and 914 are illuminated with same intensity wherein the rotation and speed of the motor is reduced half, and LED power is less compared to the illuminating device 412. The light sources placed below and above the double sided mirror need to be identical.

Using the illumination system 102 and illuminating device (412 and 910) the intensity is under control precisely in all parts of a 360 degree arc around the light source that a user perceives multiple independently shaped and regulated beams simultaneously. The width of the arc illuminated is customisable based on user specified size and resolution.

The present disclosure exploits physiology of human vision including the phenomena which is also referred as Persistence of Vision, exploiting the fundamental property of solid state LED which can be switched fully ON and OFF million times a second efficiently. Thus flicker is not perceived by the human eye at switching speeds above a certain frequency. The electronics cumulative and collectively perform all the sensing and output control operations faster than the human eye's response. This results in illuminating many areas independently and selectively sequentially, that appear visible simultaneously.

The present disclosure represents a true digital lighting platform where required illumination of a particular intensity and color properties is built-up using many small packets of light rapidly and repeatedly. The cumulative effect as perceived by the human eye is of continuous multiple illumination regions realised from single light source (412 or 910).

The present disclosure provides directing the beam of a specific intensity only to areas that require illumination and where no illumination is required the light source is not directed in that direction. Thus, the present disclosure saves energy by putting off the light source.

Additionally, the instant disclosure reduces light pollution and glares by illuminating only the selected the areas. Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Reference Table:

Reference Numerals Description

Illumination system 102

Light source 104, 104a (double sided mirror 904)

Reflector- single sided mirror 106

Disc 108

Patch mark 110, 110a

Sensor 112, 112a

Rotatable shaft 114

Motor 116

Control unit 118 Pulse width modulator 120

Timer 122

Programming interface 124

Transparent housing 402

Top plate 404

Bottom plate 404a

Shroud 406

Upper Mounting plate (single sided 408a mirror)

Lower Mounting plate (single sided 408b mirror)

Base plate 410

Upper Mounting plate(double sided 902a mirror)

Lower Mounting plate (double sided 902b mirror)

Illuminating device 412 and 910

Driver circuit 512

Switch 514

Reflector-Double sided mirror 904

First pulley 906

Second pulley 906a

Belt 908

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An illumination system comprising:

at least one light source to project a light beam onto a reflector which is placed vertically inclined on a rotatable shaft of a motor, said light beam is reflected over a defined area;

a disc mounted on the rotatable shaft, said disc comprises at least one patch mark;

at least one sensor to detect the patch mark and to generate an input signal upon detection; and

a control unit for receiving the input signal and providing a pulse width modulation signal to trigger the light source.

2. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light source is a multicolored light emitting diode.

3. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflector is a single sided mirror.

4. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the reflector is vertically inclined at an angle from about 35 degrees to 55 degrees.

5. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the disc is a transparent disc and the patch mark is opaque.

6. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises at least one timer to generate pulse width modulation signal.

7. A method for projecting a light beam to illuminate at least one defined area, said method comprising acts of:

driving a motor to rotate a rotatable shaft mounted with a reflector and a disc;

providing an input signal to a control unit by at least one sensor upon detecting at least one patch mark on the disc; generating a pulse width modulation signal upon receiving the input signal for triggering at least one light source to project the light beam on to the reflector, wherein the reflector reflects the projected light beam to illuminate at least one defined area.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the input signal is provided to the control unit for the entire circumferential length of the patch mark.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the intensity of light in the at least one defined area is determined by at least one of rotation per minute of the motor, pulse width modulation signal and circumferential length of the patch mark.

10. An illuminating device for projecting a light beam to illuminate at least one defined area comprising:

a transparent housing enclosing :

a reflector placed vertically inclined on a rotatable shaft of a motor, said reflector is placed below the light source mounted on to a top plate; a disc placed below the reflector and coupled to the rotatable shaft, said disc comprises at least one patch mark;

at least one sensor placed adjacent to the disc to detect the patch mark, wherein the at least one sensor and motor is mounted on a lower mounting plate disposed below the transparent housing; and a control unit placed between a base plate the and the lower mounting plate, said control unit triggers the light source using pulse width modulation when at least one sensor detects the patch mark, wherein the base plate is connected to the transparent housing.

11. The illuminating device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the reflector is a single sided mirror.

12. The illuminating device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the reflector is enclosed in a shroud which is a transparent aerodynamic housing made of at least one of an optically transparent material.

13. The illumination device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the light source is a multicolored light emitting diode.

14. The illumination device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the reflector is vertically inclined at an angle from about 25 degrees to 65 degrees.

15. The illumination device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the disc is a transparent disc and the patch marking is opaque.

16. The illuminating device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the sensor is placed circumferentially adjacent to the disc.

17. The illuminating device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the shroud is placed on the disc and has an upper end mounted onto a bearing of an upper mounting plate disposed below the top plate.

18. An illuminating device comprising:

a transparent housing enclosing:

a double sided reflector placed vertically inclined inside a shroud between two light sources, wherein the shroud is placed between a top plate and a bottom plate on which at least one of the two light sources are mounted at least one disc comprising at least one patch mark is mounted on the shroud connected to a second pulley of a lower mounting plate, said second pulley is connected to a first pulley using a belt, wherein the second pulley is connected to the lower mounting plate using a bearing,;

at least one sensor placed adjacent to the disc to detect the patch mark and to generate an input signal upon detection;

a motor is connected to the first pulley, wherein the motor is provisioned from the bottom of the lower mounting plate, said motor rotates the first pulley; and

a control unit placed between the bottom plate and a base plate, said control unit triggers the light sources using pulse width modulation upon detection of the input signal , wherein the base plate is connected to the transparent housing.

19. The illuminating device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the light source is a multicolored light emitting diode.

20. The illuminating device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the reflector is a double sided mirror.

21. The illuminating device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the reflector is vertically inclined at an angle from about 25 degrees to 65 degrees.

22. The illuminating device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the disc is a transparent disc and the patch mark is opaque.

23. The illuminating device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the sensor is placed circumferentially adjacent to the disc.

24. The illuminating device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the shroud has an upper end mounted onto a bearing of an upper mounting plate disposed below the top plate.