Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02286376 1999-10-06
Smart Light Filtering System
By
Mohammad Reza Baraty
Field
The present invention relates to a system for controlling and automatically
adjusting the intensity
and color of the natural or artificially produced light passing to a living,
work , industrial,
commercial or other activities environment. More particularly it relates to a
system for filtration
and adjustment of intensity and color of light passing through a window by
remote or local
command to systems' computer.
Background
Controlled and adjusted intensity and color of natural or artificial light can
enhance: appearance
of objects, comfort of living, view and vision and increase the efficiency of
human, animals and
plants. Adversely intense and undesired light color can cause fading,
nervousness, eye fatigue
and reduce the efficiency and performance in human, animals and plants.
Sun light with its rich visible spectrum is the best and most economical light
for most of our day
time activities, but like other sources of natural energies it has to be
customized for specific
application. Considering the comfort, intensity and color of light for reading
newspaper must be
different with dining time or listening to the music or doing a medical
surgery.
Window coverings, illumination adjustments and color filters are well known.
For example to
prevent fading color of our furniture or reducing radiant heat from sun we
pull the window cover
which could be one of several types of drapery, blinds, louvers or using photo-
chromic type of
glasses or transparent media etc.
Window coverings although possibly helpful, but optimum comfort and best
vision can not be
achieved by using those because of restriction of the light. A beautiful piece
of art can be seen
ugly and unattractive under dim light while a piece of stone can be seen
beautiful under
appropriate lighting. This means we need to change color and intensity of
light for many reasons
in different applications instead of restricting it.
We generally choose light to see better, our power of sight and need of light
will differ with type
of activity and our biological state of being. For example an older person
won't like to be under
sunshine because of intensity of light while younger people would like to play
or swim in sunny
day or usually after long day activity we need dimmer light late at night. On
the other hand
animals and plants as our main sources of food and energy have been proven to
act and thrive
differently under various intensity and color of lights.
What is needed is a practical method and device to filter, adjust the
intensity of light in relation
with activity and application, enhance the power of vision and comfort. We
need a technological
solution to provide us with the optimum intensity and best color of light for
the type of activity
we are involved and application during day or night.
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CA 02286376 1999-10-06
It is obvious in most cases we can not, or it is not practical to apply
changes to the source of light
but we can put appropriate filter in front of light source and spare unwanted
wave length or
reduce the amount of light passing through. There has been many methods of
filtering the light
manually or by mechanisms but none of those methods are easy to apply and
filtration is not as
exact as this invention.
The present invention directed to a computerized system for applying
appropriate light filter in
order to adjust color and intensity of light entering in to a site, by or for
the user, by using an
electronic input device like adjustable switch, turning knob, keypad, keyboard
or light, sound
and motion activated circuits.
Summary
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a system for
affecting the intensity and
color of natural or artificial light entering or exiting the environment of a
site. Such light is produced
by a light source and conducted in to or out of the site through transparent
media like glass, plastic,
transparent crystal, gas etc which are used to separate the site from extreme
temperature, dust,
wind, and other natural or artificial phenomena. A site could be a room,
auditorium, concert hall,
factory, animals breeding space, plant or vegetation farm or any other
activity area.
Control board compares intensity and color ( wave length )of the light
entering to the site with
the given data ( wave length) to the control board usually produced by a
selection keypad by the
occupants of the site. Control panel takes necessary actions with providing
appropriate filtration
to the light. System will continue on the trial and error basis until desired
lighting ( Wave length )
is achieved.
The system comprising: means for detecting intensity of light and generating
analog/digital
signal (transducer) to be sent to the control board, means for detecting color
of the light and
generating analog /digital signal to be sent to the control board, means for
detecting
temperature/pressure and generating analog/ digital signal to be sent to the
control board, means
for detecting biological or chemical changes in the site and generating analog
or digital signal to
be transferred to the control board, control board to receive and process the
signals and to
command electro- mechanical, mechanical or pneumatic and hydro-mechanical
parts and devices
to do certain tasks including: pumps for circulating the liquid or gas media
as a filter, devices
for moving and replacing solid media as a filter or changing the color of
solid media by applying
waves or beams of electrons to it, devices for injecting color from Ink Unit,
devices for diluting
the ink to desired color and pumping to the transparent filter element.
System might further include:
containers for producing the color or de-coloration of the returned filter
media, containers for
adjusting the pressure and suction in the system, automatic, pneumatic or
motorized or solenoid
valves to conduct the flow of the filtering media in the system, chemical or
natural agents for
cleaning the different members of the system ( flushing ) or cleaning in case
of solid filters, means
for entering command data to the control board like key pad, turning knob,
sound or light activated
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CA 02286376 1999-10-06
electronic interface.
The system might also include: means for generating light or electron beam
with specific characteristic,
means for sending and receiving awareness signals, means for rapid evacuation
of colored media
or discontinuing waves and beams in case of failure or damage to protection
layer.
The system might further include: special sensors to detect hazardous or
necessary quality/quantity
of light for specific use and take necessary action, timer related devices to
do specified filtration at
certain instance or period of time.
Brief description of the Drawings
These and other aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become
better understood
with reference to the following description, appended claims and accompanying
drawing where:
Figure I as an example shows a schematic view of a simple liquid media filter
system and its
components.
Figure 2 shows the flow of information and responses from the control panel
for the model system
as shown in fig. 1
Figure 3 shows flow of information when changing intensity of the light and
necessary actions
Figure 4 shows flow of information when changing color of the light.
Description
With reference now to figure 1 a framework is provided for analyzing the
process of effect of light
entering to a site through a transparent media ( window ). Window "D" includes
2 protective layers of
highly transparent media like glass, plastic, fiberglass or crystal etc.
distance between two layer is
low pressured and tightly sealed preventing air humidity or other media to
enter between
protective layers. Between the two protective transparent layers which are
located with fixed
distance and parallel to each other and in the middle, another delicately
adjusted two layered
transparent element is located parallel and at the size slightly smaller or
same size with
protective layers hereafter we call it filter element.
Distance between two layers of filter element is about few Millimeters and
will hold colored filter
media that would be pumped from the computer controlled mixer (Mixer A)in to
it.
In the opposite side of the window to the light source is provided a sensor S
( transducer ) to sense
intensity and the color ( wave length ) of the light passing through the
window and report
the data in digital format to the control panel R , control panel will compare
received data with the
data fed by the user or occupant of the site and take following action ( See
Figure 2):
a- Color( wave length) and intensity is exactly as desired, then no further
action is needed except
Controlling clarity, temperature and pressure.
b- Intensity of light is wrong, will dispense appropriate ink to the mixer and
mix it gradually
with transparent media or just will pump transparent media to the filter
element and will check
CA 02286376 1999-10-06
the result by receiving data from the sensor. This will continue on the trial
and error basis
until desired filter is applied and desired color is achieved.
C- Color is wrong then following action will be taken:
1- Filter element and all piping would be flushed and cleaned from any
previous color by flushing
the system with transparent media and pumping the colored filter media to de-
coloration tank
which will be de colored properly and pumped to transparent media tank.
2- clarity of filter layer will be controlled by applying light and checking
the results by the
control board and if necessary chemical cleaning and clarifying will be
applied.
3- Small quantity of appropriate color will be dispensed by computer
controlled ink unit and
dispenser, to the mixing tank and will be diluted by transparent media, mixed
product is
pumped to the filter layer then intensity and color of the light will be
checked on trial and
error basis by control board until desired quality of light is achieved.
Durability of the protective layers depends to the various factors, outer
layer can be shatter proof
or bullet proof, laminated or armored with various thickness.
In case of vandalism or mishap and as soon as protective layer is damaged an
automatic
security system will evacuate the liquid or gas media from the filter layer
and replace it with air to
Prevent splashing of color media to the surroundings.
System is equipped with a fine gauge physical, centrifugal or electro static
filter to separate any
micro particle produced in the cycle to ensure clarity of the filtering media.
System may be equipped with security device that could check color and
intensity of light and in
case of discrepancy can send appropriate warning signal. this feature is good
if light sensitive
product, animals and plants existing in the site.
System may be equipped with automatic adjustment database for control board
that can adjust the
intensity or color of the light as programmed automatically.
System may be equipped with a clarity control device to control clarity of the
transparent media
and clean or physically filtrate the media for best transparency.
Filter liquid or gas can be of high insulation nature to protect the site from
extreme heat transfer
and act as invisible curtain.
Filter liquid or gas can be of high Ultra Violet reflecting material and
protect the site from UV.
Filter liquid or gas can be of radiation reflecting material and protect the
site from outside or space
radiation.
* Computer control panel or control board have the same meaning and concept in
this document
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