Matrix LED spotlight and method for controlling light generating component of matrix LED spotlight

Abstract

A matrix LED spotlight has a light generating assembly comprising: a carrier on which a matrix of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is arranged; an LED control device coupled to the light generating component and designed to individually control the matrix of LEDs to emit light based on the matrix-resolved image information stream; and a control information generator. The control information generator is coupled to the LED control device. The control information generator also has a first input interface for feeding in lighting parameters and a second input interface for feeding in user-generated adjustment instructions for adjusting the lighting parameters fed in via the first input interface in order to generate a matrix-decomposed image information stream.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a matrix LED spotlight and a method for controlling a light generation assembly of a matrix LED spotlight.

[0002] A matrix LED spotlight within the meaning of the present disclosure is a spotlight having a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged in a matrix as a basic light emitting device. Background Art

[0003] Lamps including light sources arranged in a matrix are modern lighting devices in the field of professional lighting applications. These are lamps capable of generating a field of individually controllable pixels that emit light based on different technologies and projecting them over a distance. Examples, as disclosed in DE 102015 012 021 A1, are matrix lamps in modern motor vehicles based on discrete or monolithic LED arrays, projectors including built-in LED lamp units, LCD displays, laser projectors, or combinations of such functions.

[0004] Matrix LED lamps are also used in the event, cinema or theater sectors because lamps of this type are capable of providing large-scale lighting for film, studio or theater settings in a variety of ways. Examples are disclosed in US 7,178,941 B2, US 7,522,211 B2, US 5,752,766 A and US 2009 / 0190346 A1. Lamps of this type typically have projection optics capable of projecting individual pixels onto a distant object with as little distortion and color error as possible. Depending on the intended use, the lamp has more or fewer pixels, more or less luminous flux, and different apertures and outputs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One object of the present invention is to make it possible to set dynamic effects, such as changes in beam characteristics, position of the light cone, color temperature or semi-beam angle, illuminance or other parameters commonly used in the lighting technology of a matrix LED spotlight, in a simpler, more convenient manner and in real time or almost in real time, especially in the event, studio, cinema or theater sectors.

[0006] This and other objects are achieved by the subject matter of the present disclosure. Advantageous embodiments are also described in the present disclosure.

[0007] In a first aspect of the present invention, a matrix LED spotlight includes: a light generating assembly including a carrier having a light emitting diode (LED) matrix disposed thereon; an LED control device coupled to the light generating assembly and configured to individually control the LED matrix to emit light based on a matrix-decomposed image information stream; and a control information generator. The control information generator is coupled to the LED control device. The control information generator further has a first input interface for feeding in lighting parameters and a second input interface for feeding in user-generated adjustment instructions for adjusting the lighting parameters fed in via the first input interface to generate a matrix-decomposed image information stream.

[0008] In a second aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling a light generating assembly of a matrix LED spotlight, the matrix LED spotlight having a carrier on which a light emitting diode (LED) matrix is disposed, the method comprising the steps of:

[0009] Receiving lighting parameters via a first input interface of the LED control device of the control information generator;

[0010] Receiving, via a second input interface of the control information generator, user-generated adjustment instructions for adjusting the lighting parameters fed in via the first input interface;

[0011] Converting, by the control information generator, the adjusted lighting parameters into a matrix-decomposed image information stream; and

[0012] Controlling each LED in the LED matrix to emit light based on the matrix-decomposed image information stream.

[0013] One of the central ideas of the present invention is to enable the target setting of parameters commonly used in lighting technology (such as color temperature or half-beam angle) in an unrestricted and user-friendly manner through the target input of user-generated adjustment instructions for adjusting lighting parameters, which are input as lighting data into the LED control device of the matrix LED spotlight. The user-generated adjustment instructions enable the precise implementation of lighting parameters, such as setting a target value of a specific illuminance in lux on a target surface. In addition, typical dynamic effects, such as changes in beam characteristics, changes in the position of the light cone, etc., can be directly achieved and do not require pre-calculation and measurement by the LED control device, nor do they need to be considered in advance in the lighting data.

[0014] In some embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the matrix LED spotlight may further include a feedback device, which is coupled to the control information generator and is designed to detect the light emitted by the light generating component and, based on the detected light, send a feedback signal to the control information generator for calibrating the matrix decomposition image information stream. Specifically, a field physical device including the required interfaces can be used as the feedback device. Alternatively, the feedback signal can also be fed back via remote access, for example, via wireless transmission from a cloud environment. The feedback device can operate online and offline. In the former case, for example, sensors can measure the physical parameters of the light emitted by the light generating component and send them to cloud-based management software, which in turn sends the corresponding calculated or adjusted correction and / or calibration data back to the control information generator. In the latter case, the measurement data from the sensors can be stored locally, and the user can use a removable storage medium such as a USB stick or flash drive to retrieve the stored measurement data at a later time and then feed it back into the control information generator.

[0015] In some further embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the matrix decomposition image information stream may include static image information or dynamic video information, which specifies the lighting behavior of each individual LED of the matrix over time.

[0016] In some further embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the first input interface may be a DMX interface, an RDM interface, an ArtNet interface or an ACN interface. An RS-485 interface, a USB interface, an Ethernet interface or a wireless interface such as WLAN or Bluetooth can be used as the input interface via which lighting parameters can be sent according to one of the above data coding protocols (i.e., DMX, RDM, ArtNet or ACN).

[0017] In some further embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the matrix LED spotlight may further include a user control device, which is coupled to the control information generator via a second input interface and has mechanical and / or electronic control elements for the user.

[0018] In some further embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the lighting parameters may include radiation characteristics, brightness, brightness gradient, two-dimensional light distribution shape, color, color gradient and / or color correction.

[0019] In some additional embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the light generating component may further include a projection, which is designed to project the emitted light of each individual LED onto an object in the far field without distortion or color error.

[0020] In some embodiments of the second aspect of the present invention, the method may further include the following steps: detecting the light emitted by the light generating component and sending a feedback signal for calibrating the matrix decomposition image information stream to the control information generator based on the detected light.

[0021] In some further embodiments of the second aspect of the present invention, the matrix decomposition image information stream may include static image information or dynamic video information, and the static image information or dynamic video information specifies the lighting behavior of each LED of the matrix over time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, are used to explain the principles of the present invention. Other embodiments of the present invention and many of the intended advantages thereof will be readily understood when elucidated by reference to the following detailed description. The elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale with each other. Like reference numerals denote corresponding similar components.

[0023] Figure 1 Schematically shows the structure of a matrix LED spotlight according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

[0024] Figure 2 Schematically shows a flowchart of a method for controlling a light generating component of a matrix LED spotlight according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] In the drawings, like reference numerals denote the same or functionally similar components, unless otherwise specified. All directional indications such as "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "upper", "lower", "horizontal", "vertical", "rear", "front" and similar terms are for explanatory purposes only and are not intended to limit the embodiments to the specific arrangements shown in the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Although specific embodiments have been shown and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various alternative and / or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. In general, this application is intended to cover any modifications or variations of the specific embodiments described herein.

[0027] Figure 1Schematically shown is a matrix LED spotlight 10 suitable for, for example, event, studio, cinema or theater applications. The matrix LED spotlight 10 has a light generating assembly 17 for projecting light onto an illumination surface B of an object 20 to be illuminated. The object 20 to be illuminated can be, for example, a screen, a theater stage, a wall, a room or any other suitable object. The illumination surface B on or near the surface of the object 20 to be illuminated can have variable or adjustable dimensions and any desired profile shape.

[0028] The light generating assembly 17 generally has a carrier 18 on which a matrix of light emitting diodes (LEDs) L is arranged. The matrix can, for example, have LEDs arranged in one or more rows, rows and / or columns. The LEDs can have any color, emission intensity and / or size. Specifically, LEDs with different light emission characteristics can also be arranged adjacent to each other in different regions or parts of the matrix. For example, the LEDs can be grouped into multicolor clusters, where by controlling the individual LEDs of different colors or color temperatures, the light from adjacent LEDs in each cluster can be mixed together to form pixels of a desired color. The carrier 18 can, for example, have one or more PCBs (printed circuit boards) or any other suitable substrate to which the LEDs L can be attached and powered in a targeted manner.

[0029] The light generating assembly 17 can also have a housing and optical elements by means of which targeted light emission can be carried out in one direction or at a specific angle. For example, the light generating assembly can have projection optics by means of which the emitted light of each individual LED can be projected onto an object in the far field without distortion or color error, for example onto the illumination surface B of the object 20 to be illuminated in event, studio, cinema or theater applications.

[0030] To be able to control the LEDs L, the matrix LED spotlight includes LED control means 15 coupled to the light generating assembly 17. The LED control means 15 is used to individually control the matrix of LEDs L to emit light. This control is based on the matrix-decomposed image information stream V1 output by the central processor 13 of the control information generator 11. The central processor 13 operates using software by means of which the illumination parameters V0 can be converted into static image information and / or dynamic video information specifying the illumination behavior of the individual LEDs L of the matrix over time. The static image information and / or dynamic video information is then sent in the matrix-decomposed image information stream V1 to the LED control means.

[0031] The control information generator 11 has a first input interface 12, such as a DMX interface (“Digital Multiplexing”, DMX), an RDM interface (“Remote Device Management”, RDM), an ArtNet interface or an ACN interface (“Architecture for Control Networks”, ACN). Lighting parameters V0 can be fed in via the first input interface 12 from an image information source Q. The lighting parameters V0 can include, for example, radiation characteristics, brightness, brightness gradient, two-dimensional light distribution shape, color, color gradient and / or color correction. The central processor 13 of the control information generator 11 can use its software to establish a defined arrangement or calibration between the lighting parameters V0 on the input side and the image / video parameters of the matrix-decomposed image information stream V1 on the output side.

[0032] As is often desired in professional lighting applications, such as in the event, studio, cinema or theater sectors, in order to enable an exact, photometrically and chromatically correct setting of the light field, the control information generator 11 also has a second input interface 14 through which user-generated adjustment instructions U can be fed into the central processor 13. For example, the second input interface 14 can be coupled to a user control device 19 external to the control information generator 11 via which the user can make a user input UI. For example, the user control device 19 can have mechanical control elements such as knobs, joysticks, keyboards, trackballs, etc. and / or electronic control elements such as touchscreens or touchpads. In addition, the user control device 19 can have a display element that enables the user to record the current state of the control information generator 11 or the currently fed-in lighting parameters V0 in real time or near real time.

[0033] The user-generated adjustment instructions U are processed by the central processor 13 to adjust the lighting parameters V0 fed in via the first input interface 12, thereby generating the matrix-decomposed image information stream V1. For example, the user can use the user-generated adjustment instructions U to set a light distribution similar to that of a Fresnel lens having a specific half-beam angle and / or a specific illuminance at a given distance. In addition, the user can use the user-generated adjustment instructions U to achieve a convenient and practical setting of any light distribution, such as rotating a light cone at a specific angle in a desired direction, zooming to a desired half-beam angle and / or correcting the light color with a selectable digital color filter.

[0034] In order to be able to calibrate the matrix-decomposed image information stream V1, the light emitted by the light generating assembly 17 can be detected at or on the lighting surface B of the object 20 to be illuminated. For this purpose, the matrix LED spotlight 10 can have a feedback device 16 coupled to the control information generator 11. The feedback device 16 detects the light emitted by the light generating assembly 17 and sends a corresponding feedback signal F to the control information generator 11 for calibrating the matrix-decomposed image information stream V1.

[0035] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method M for controlling a light generation assembly of a matrix LED spotlight is schematically shown. The matrix LED spotlight has a carrier on which a matrix of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is arranged. The method M can be implemented, for example, using the matrix LED spotlight 10 as shown Figure 1 in FIG.

[0036] First, in a first step M1, lighting parameters V0 are received via a first input interface 12 of a control information generator 11 of the matrix LED spotlight 10. Simultaneously or in a time relationship, in a second step M2, a user-generated adjustment instruction U for adjusting the lighting parameters V0 fed in via the first input interface 12 is received via a second input interface 14 of the control information generator 11 of the matrix LED spotlight 10.

[0037] In a third step, the control information generator 11 converts the adjusted lighting parameters V0 into a matrix-decomposed image information stream V1, which is used in a fourth step M4 to control the respective LEDs L of the LED matrix by an LED control device 15 to emit light. The matrix-decomposed image information stream V1 can have static image information or dynamic video information, which specifies the lighting behavior of the respective LEDs L of the matrix over time.

[0038] Optionally, in a fifth step M5, the light emitted by the light generation assembly 17 can be detected at or on an illumination surface B of an object 20 to be illuminated. According to the detected light, a feedback signal F is sent to the control information generator 11 so that the matrix-decomposed image information stream V1 can be calibrated.

[0039] In the above detailed description, for the purpose of simplifying the present disclosure, various features are grouped into one or more examples. It can be appreciated that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. It is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents. Many other examples will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the above description.

[0040] Embodiments have been selected and described in order to best explain the principles underlying the invention and its practical application, and thus to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention with various modifications suitable for the particular purposes contemplated. In the appended claims and the specification, the terms "including" and "in which" are used as simple linguistic equivalents of the terms "comprising" and "wherein", respectively. Additionally, the use of "a" or "an" herein does not exclude the possibility of a plurality.

[0041] List of reference marks

[0042] 10 Matrix LED spotlight

[0043] 11 Control information generator

[0044] 12 First input interface

[0045] 13 Processor

[0046] 14 Second input interface

[0047] 15 LED control device

[0048] 16 Feedback device

[0049] 17 Light generation component

[0050] 18 Carrier

[0051] 19 User control device

[0052] 20 Projection screen

[0053] Q Image information source

[0054] F Feedback signal

[0055] V0 Lighting parameter

[0056] V1 Matrix decomposition image information flow

[0057] U User-generated customized instruction

[0058] UI User input

[0059] S LED control signal

[0060] L LED

[0061] B Lighting area

[0062] M Method

[0063] M1-4 Method steps

Claims

1. A matrix LED spotlight (10), comprising: A light generating assembly (17), comprising a carrier (18) on which a matrix of light emitting diodes (LED, L) is arranged; an LED control device (15) coupled to the light generating assembly (17) and designed to individually control the matrix of LEDs (L) to emit light based on a matrix decomposed image information stream (V1); as well as A control information generator (11) is coupled to the LED control device (15) and has a first input interface (12) for feeding in lighting parameters (V0) and a second input interface (14) for feeding in user-generated adjustment instructions (U), wherein the adjustment instructions (U) are used to adjust the lighting parameters (V0) fed in via the first input interface (12) to generate the matrix decomposition image information stream (V1).

2. The matrix LED spotlight (10) according to claim 1, further comprising: A feedback device (16) is coupled to the control information generator (11) and is designed to: detect light emitted by the light generating component (17) and send a feedback signal (F) to the control information generator (11) based on the detected light to calibrate the matrix decomposition image information stream (V1).

3. The matrix LED spotlight (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The matrix decomposed image information stream (V1) comprises static image information or dynamic video information specifying the lighting behavior of the individual LEDs (L) of the matrix over time.

4. The matrix LED spotlight (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first input interface (12) is a DMX interface, an RDM interface, an ArtNet interface or an ACN interface.

5. The matrix LED spotlight (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: A user control device (19) is coupled to the control information generator (11) via the second input interface (14) and has mechanical and / or electronic operating elements for a user.

6. The matrix LED spotlight (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The lighting parameters (V0) include radiation characteristics, brightness, brightness gradient, two-dimensional light distribution shape, color, color gradient and / or color correction.

7. The matrix LED spotlight (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The light generating assembly further comprises projection optics designed to project the emitted light of each individual LED onto an object in the far field without distortion and color errors.

8. A method (M) for controlling a light generating component (17) of a matrix LED spotlight (10), the matrix LED spotlight having a carrier on which a matrix of light emitting diodes (LED, L) is arranged, the method (M) comprising the following steps: Receiving (M1) a lighting parameter (V0) via a first input interface (12) of a control information generator (11); receiving (M2) an adjustment instruction (U) generated by a user via a second input interface (14) of the control information generator (11), the adjustment instruction being used to adjust the lighting parameter (V0) fed in via the first input interface (12); The adjusted illumination parameters (V0) are converted (M3) into a matrix decomposed image information stream (V1) by the control information generator (11); as well as Based on the matrix-decomposed image information stream (V1), the individual LEDs (L) of the matrix of LEDs are controlled (M4) by means of an LED control device (15) to emit light.

9. The method (M) according to claim 8, further comprising the following steps: Light emitted by the light generating assembly (17) is detected (M5) and a feedback signal (F) for calibrating the matrix decomposed image information stream (V1) is sent to the control information generator (11) based on the detected light.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: The matrix decomposed image information stream (V1) comprises static image information or dynamic video information specifying the lighting behavior of the individual LEDs (L) of the matrix over time.

Images