US-12628259-B2 - Multimode lighting system

US12628259B2US 12628259 B2US12628259 B2US 12628259B2US-12628259-B2

Abstract

A multimode lighting system is disclosed. Due to industry standards, manufacturers of lighting devices are incentivized to create high initial light outputs that drop off quickly. Portable lighting devices with multiple modes of operation that can maximize light output and runtime according to industry standards (e.g., FL-1) as well as other lighting modes with more consistent light output over the device runtime. Lighting modes may be adjusted automatically based on sensor input. In an extreme mode, light output may be adjusted based on the temperature of the lights. Automatic modes may be adjusted based on ambient lighting or distance to a target. Lifecycle adjustments may be made to output current levels to obtain consistent light output throughout the lifecycle of lights by adjusting lighting based on accumulated usage.

Inventors

Dennis K. Bertken

Assignees

INFINITY X1 LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20250605

Claims (20)

1 . A lighting apparatus, comprising: one or more lighting devices; a temperature sensor configured to detect a current temperature of at least one of the one or more lighting devices; a controller; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by the controller cause the lighting apparatus to: determine the current temperature of at least one of the one or more lighting devices; and operate the one or more lighting devices based on a temperature reduction mode responsive to the current temperature is greater than a threshold temperature.
2 . The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , where the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to determine a lighting mode of a plurality of lighting modes, the plurality of lighting modes comprising a first lighting mode characterized by a heat output by the one or more lighting devices greater than a heat dissipation by the lighting apparatus, where determining the current temperature is based on the lighting mode.
3 . The lighting apparatus of claim 2 , where the plurality of lighting modes comprises the temperature reduction mode characterized by a second heat output by the one or more lighting devices less than the heat dissipation by the lighting apparatus.
4 . The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , where the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to periodically determine an updated temperature of the at least one of the one or more lighting devices based on the current temperature is greater than the threshold temperature.
5 . The lighting apparatus of claim 4 , where the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to: determine the updated temperature is below the threshold temperature; and operate the one or more lighting devices based on an extreme output mode based on the updated temperature is below the threshold temperature, the extreme output mode characterized by a heat output by the one or more lighting devices greater than a heat dissipation by the lighting apparatus.
6 . The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , where the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to activate active cooling measures responsive to the current temperature is greater than the threshold temperature.
7 . The lighting apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a fan, where activating the active cooling measures comprises activating the fan.
8 . The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a head component, the head component comprising the one or more lighting devices; and a rotatable mode dial adjacent to the head component, the rotatable mode dial configured to indicate a user mode selection, where the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to determine the user mode selection based on a state of the rotatable mode dial.
9 . A lighting apparatus, comprising: one or more lighting devices; a temperature sensor; a controller; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by the controller cause the lighting apparatus to: determine a temperature of at least one of the one or more lighting devices via the temperature sensor; select an output mode based on a comparison of the temperature and a threshold temperature; and operate the one or more lighting devices based on the output mode.
10 . The lighting apparatus of claim 9 , where: selecting the output mode based on the temperature comprises selecting the output mode between a high output mode and a low output mode, operating the one or more lighting devices based on the high output mode causes the one or more lighting devices to generate more heat than can be dissipated during operation of the lighting apparatus to cause a temperature increase in the one or more lighting devices, and operating the one or more lighting devices based on the low output mode causes the one or more lighting devices to generate less heat than can be dissipated during operation of the lighting apparatus to cause a temperature decrease in the one or more lighting devices.
11 . The lighting apparatus of claim 9 , where: selecting the output mode based on the temperature comprises selecting the output mode between a high output mode, a medium output mode, and a low output mode, a first light output of the one or more lighting devices when operating in the medium output mode is greater than a second light output of the one or more lighting devices when operating in the low output mode, and a third light output of the one or more lighting devices when operating in the high output mode is greater than the first light output of the one or more lighting devices when operating in the medium output mode.
12 . The lighting apparatus of claim 9 , where the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to determine one or more light output for one or more of the one or more lighting devices based on a function negatively proportional to the temperature.
13 . The lighting apparatus of claim 9 , where: the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to determine a plurality of updated temperatures of the at least one of the one or more lighting devices, responsive to the temperature is greater than the threshold temperature.
14 . The lighting apparatus of claim 13 , where the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to: determine the plurality of updated temperatures is below the threshold temperature for a threshold duration; select an updated output mode based on the plurality of updated temperatures is below the threshold temperature for the threshold duration; and operate the one or more lighting devices based on the updated output mode.
15 . The lighting apparatus of claim 13 , where the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to: determine at least a threshold number of the plurality of updated temperatures is below the threshold temperature; select an updated output mode based on the threshold number of the plurality of updated temperatures is below the threshold temperature; and operate the one or more lighting devices based on the updated output mode.
16 . A lighting apparatus, comprising: one or more lighting devices; a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of at least one of the one or more lighting devices; a controller; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by the controller cause the lighting apparatus to: determine a lighting mode of a plurality of lighting modes, the plurality of lighting modes comprising a first lighting mode characterized by an initial light output that decreases over a first runtime of the lighting apparatus, a second lighting mode characterized by a substantially constant light output over a second runtime of the lighting apparatus, and a third lighting mode characterized by a modulating light output based on the temperature of the at least one of the one or more lighting devices; and operate the one or more lighting devices based on the lighting mode.
17 . The lighting apparatus of claim 16 , where the substantially constant light output is characterized by a light output during a majority of the second runtime is greater than 90% of a second initial light output.
18 . The lighting apparatus of claim 16 , where the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to determine a user mode selection, where determining the lighting mode is based on the user mode, selection.
19 . The lighting apparatus of claim 16 , where the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to: determine a current temperature of the at least one of the one or more lighting devices via the temperature sensor responsive to determining the lighting mode comprises the third lighting mode; and select a light output for the at least one of the one or more lighting devices based on the current temperature.
20 . The lighting apparatus of claim 19 , where the instructions, when executed by the controller, further cause the lighting apparatus to: determine an updated temperature of the at least one of the one or more lighting devices via the temperature sensor; and select an updated light output for the at least one of the one or more lighting devices based on the updated temperature.

Description

PRIORITY This application is a continuation of, and claims the benefit of priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/765,297 filed Jul. 7, 2024 and entitled “MULTIMODE LIGHTING SYSTEM”, the foregoing incorporated by reference in its entirety. COPYRIGHT A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates generally to the field of lighting systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a multimode lighting system. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED TECHNOLOGY Prior to the promulgation of the ANSI-PLATO FL-1 standard (formerly called the ANSI-NEMA FL1 Standard) in 2009, each flashlight manufacturer used different standards, testing methods, and language to describe the performance of their flashlights. As a result, comparing flashlights in the marketplace was a difficult task for consumers. Around this time, with the growth of light emitting diode (LED) technology came a marketplace flooded inferior LED flashlights with misrepresented performance claims. Industry leaders who were committed to quality and accuracy decided to work together to formulate a scientifically based standard which would help provide clarity and accountability to the industry as a whole. The ANSI-PLATO FL-1 standard lays out a series of basic flashlight tests and minimal performance criteria for flashlights. For example, the FL-1 standard allows consumers to compare light output across flashlights with lumen values rather than trying to compare watt, candlepower, and LED Flux values. Standardized icons were provided to allow manufacturers to highlight and consumers to easily compare these standard flashlight features. The FL-1 specification calls for test and measurement criteria for the following: beam distance, light output, impact resistance, run time, water resistance, waterproof capability, submersible capability, and peak beam intensity. Beam Distance is measured in meters and defined as the distance from the light where illuminance is equal to a full moon on a clear night. Light output is measured in lumens and is a measurement of energy. Impact resistance is measured in meters and is tested by dropping the light onto a concrete surface with all accessories and batteries installed, from a specified height. Run time, measured in hours, measures the amount of time until the flashlight's output drops below 10%. Tests are conducted with the same batteries as come with the unit, or with the batteries suggested by the manufacturer to be used with the product. Water resistance is represented by an ingress protection (IP) rating. Peak beam intensity is measured in candelas and is a measurement of the intensity at the center of the flashlight beam. The promulgation of the FL-1 standard however has not been a panacea for flashlight consumers. The portable lighting industry is driven by marketing high lumen values on products. This has created incentives to game the FL-1 Standard in ways that do not accurately convey light output performance to consumers. Additionally, inconsistent mode labels (e.g., turbo, high, medium, low, ultra-low) add to consumer confusion of what each product is offering. And while the icons in the FL-1 standard allow consumers a means of product comparison, the user interfaces on the products are inconsistent making it difficult for users to get the full benefit of the product purchased. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a graph of three light curves illustrating the light output over time of three exemplary flashlights. FIG. 2 is a graph of light curves illustrating the light output over time of exemplary lighting modes of a portable lighting device, according to aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 illustrates a portable lighting device 300 according to aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a logical block diagram of an exemplary lighting system, useful in conjunction with the various techniques described herein. FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating exemplary discharge curves for single-use and rechargeable batteries. FIG. 6 illustrates voltage measurements for a Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) Light Emitting Diode (LED), useful to illustrate battery capacity measurements under dynamic loading conditions. FIG. 7 illustrates logical flow diagrams of methods for power management and monitoring in accordance with the various techniques described herein. FIG. 8 is a logical flow diagram of a method for operational mode selection in accordance with the various techniques described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be util