Agile Spectrum LED Lighting Fixture for Plant Growth
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current greenhouse lighting systems, such as florescent, metal halide, and high-pressure sodium vapor lights, are inefficient as they provide unnecessary wavelengths of light that are not beneficial for photosynthesis, wasting energy and failing to adjust light spectrum and intensity according to the specific needs of different plant growth stages.
Innovation Solution
An agile LED lighting system that provides adjustable intensity and spectrum, mimicking natural sunlight by offering eight frequency bands of light, which can be customized and controlled manually or automatically through a software program to meet the specific needs of various plants, including adjusting light intensity based on time, season, and growth cycle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If legacy lighting types (florescent, metal halide, high-pressure sodium vapor) are used to provide full spectrum lighting, then all light wavelengths are provided, but energy is wasted in green, yellow and orange wavelengths that are not beneficial for photosynthesis
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system is segmented into multiple independent LED channels, each emitting at specific wavelengths (blue, red, green, yellow, orange). This allows selective activation of only those wavelength channels that are photosynthetically beneficial, eliminating energy waste in non-useful wavelengths while maintaining full spectrum capability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the intensity and composition of different wavelength channels based on plant growth stage, time of day, and photosynthetic needs. During vegetative growth, blue channel intensity is increased; during fruit development, red channel intensity is increased. This dynamic adaptation optimizes energy efficiency while meeting changing plant requirements.
2Loss of energy
If current LED lighting fixtures provide limited wavelengths (typically two), then energy efficiency is improved, but the ability to meet specific plant growth stage requirements is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting fixture integrates five different wavelength channels (blue, red, green, yellow, orange) into a single system, making it universally applicable to different plant types and growth stages. The controller can activate any combination of channels independently, allowing the same fixture to serve vegetative growth, flowering, fruiting, and maintenance phases, as well as different plant species requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes multiple parameters simultaneously - wavelength composition, intensity levels, and temporal patterns - to adapt to different plant needs. Each LED channel's intensity can be independently adjusted, and the controller modifies these parameters dynamically throughout the day and across different growth stages, providing precise spectral control without sacrificing energy efficiency.
3Productivity
If light intensity is increased to maximize photosynthesis, then photosynthetic activity is enhanced, but heat generation increases and maintenance needs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and eliminates the heat generation problem by replacing traditional incandescent and halide lighting with LED technology. LEDs convert electrical energy directly to light with minimal heat production. The fixture design also extracts heat away from the plant growth area through strategic positioning and heat sink design, directing thermal energy away from the sensitive plant zone while maintaining high photosynthetic light output.
4Adaptability or versatility
If slowly increasing and decreasing light source mimicking natural sunlight is implemented, then plant response is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller implements periodic action by gradually increasing light intensity from dawn to noon and decreasing from noon to dusk, mimicking natural sunlight patterns. The system activates and deactivates different wavelength channels in a timed sequence, creating a daily light cycle that resembles natural solar patterns. This periodic modulation improves plant responses without requiring complex mechanical adjustments, using only electronic control timing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system minimizes energy waste by providing only the necessary light for photosynthesis, optimizing plant growth by adjusting light spectrum and intensity, thus enhancing photosynthetic activity while reducing heat generation and maintenance needs.
Implementation Method 1
Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights have entered the picture, offering a more targeted spectrum of light wavelengths
Implementation Method 2
each set of the plurality of sets includes one or more light emitting diodes that emit light in a narrow frequency band of light within a chosen predominant wavelength
Implementation Method 3
Research shows that the most efficient production of photosynthesis occurs when plants are exposed to primarily the blue and red wavelength regions of the light spectrum, referred to in the industry as Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are various embodiments of an agile spectrum LED lighting fixture with a control. In one embodiment, a light emitting device includes a plurality of sets of light emitting diodes, wherein each set of the plurality of sets of light emitting diodes includes one or more light emitting diodes. The light emitting device further includes a control device for controlling a light intensity of each set of light emitting diodes of the plurality of sets of light emitting diodes. Each set of the plurality of sets is controlled by a driver, such that there are a plurality of drivers, at least one for each set of the plurality of sets.