Artificial Skylight Light Engines for Glare Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional skylights face issues such as water leakage, heat loss, glare, difficulty in installation, and maintenance, while also failing to provide consistent natural light on overcast or stormy days, which affects the indoor environment and user comfort.
Innovation Solution
The development of artificial skylight fixtures that mimic the appearance and effects of natural skylights, featuring light engines that resemble the sky and sun, allowing for controlled light emission with specific biological effects, and are designed for easy installation and maintenance, including the use of edge-lit, direct-lit, and side-lit panels to provide a visually complex and dynamic lighting experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If conventional skylights are installed to provide natural light, then illumination quality is improved, but water leakage and heat loss occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates an artificial skylight that copies the visual appearance and lighting effects of a real skylight using light engines. The first light engine produces a sky-like appearance while the second light engine produces sun-like light characteristics, replicating the natural light experience without the physical opening that causes leakage and heat loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The light engines act as intermediaries between the need for natural light and the requirement for building envelope integrity. Instead of opening the roof to the sky, the patent uses illuminated surfaces that mediate the visual and lighting effects of a skylight while maintaining the protective barrier against water and heat.
2Illumination intensity
If conventional skylights are installed to provide natural light, then visual connection with outdoors is improved, but installation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The skylight system is divided into separate light engine modules that can be independently installed and configured. The first light engine for sky simulation and the second light engine for sun simulation are separate units that can be installed in different locations and orientations, simplifying the installation process compared to a single complex skylight unit.
3Illumination intensity
If conventional skylights are used to provide natural light, then full spectrum light is obtained, but glare and eye strain increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different lighting characteristics to different regions or functions within the skylight system. The first light engine provides diffuse sky-like illumination for general ambient lighting, while the second light engine provides directed sun-like light for specific areas, allowing control over light distribution to reduce glare while maintaining full spectrum benefits.
4Illumination intensity
If conventional skylights are installed to provide natural light, then light variation with time and weather is achieved, but cleaning frequency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The light engines are designed to be accessible and easy to maintain, with features that facilitate self-cleaning or easy cleaning procedures. The modular design allows the light engines to be removed and cleaned separately from the building structure, reducing the complexity and frequency of maintenance compared to traditional skylights that require roof access for cleaning.
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
These fixtures offer a reliable and comfortable indoor lighting solution that reduces glare, maintains heat efficiency, simplifies installation, and provides adjustable light settings to simulate natural daylight, improving mood and health by mimicking the circadian rhythm of natural light.
Implementation Method 1
a first light engine (71)
Implementation Method 2
a second light engine (72) from which light having one or more characteristics that resemble that of light emitted by the sun exits
Data Source
AI summary
A light fixture, e.g., as an artificial skylight, in which light within a region defined by x, y color coordinates (0.37, 0.34), (0.35, 0.38), (0.15, 0.20), and (0.20, 0.14) exits a first light engine, and light within a region defined by coordinates (0.29, 0.32), (0.32, 0.29), (0.41, 0.36), (0.48, 0.39), (0.48, 0.43), (0.40, 0.41), and (0.35, 0.38) exits a second light engine. Also, light fixtures in which a second light engine comprises a sidewall, and light exiting a first light engine passes through space defined by the sidewall; light fixtures in which first and second light engines are able to output light providing different CS values at a luminance; light fixtures in which light incident on a surface of the fixture and cumulative light exiting the fixture have different color points; light fixtures in which light distribution characteristics of light engines differ; and/or other features. The invention also relates to corresponding methods.