Abstract: A method and apparatus for a horticultural light for use in a horticultural facility that uses both continuous current control and discontinuous current control to select an intensity for each LED string in the horticultural light. Continuous current control is selected when the horticultural light is operating above a threshold intensity and discontinuous current control is selected when the horticultural light is operating below the threshold intensity for enhanced dimming fidelity. A CPU detects the number of LED strings present in the horticultural light and determines the optimal operating voltage for each detected LED string based upon the detected forward voltage of each detected LED string. Based upon the optimal operating voltage determined for each LED string, the CPU additionally selects an optimized current stabilization network for each detected LED string.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a horticultural light for use in an indoor horticultural facility that produces broad spectrum white light with variable correlated color temperature (CCT) so as to better simulate various aspects of the sun, such as the multiple phases of the sun, aspects of the sun in all four seasons and latitude of the sun. One or more rows of fixed-color LEDs is used to obtain even wider ranges of CCT values, such as the use of red and/or blue LEDs. Even broader spectrums are achieved by utilizing LEDs that emit differing wavelengths within a particular color spectrum, such as a channel of red LEDs that emit two different wavelengths within the red spectrum and/or a channel of blue LEDs that emit two different wavelengths within the blue spectrum. Sensors with feedback control maintains the light within constraints defined by a light prescription database.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a horticultural light for use in a horticultural facility that projects a substantially uniform target illuminance onto a flat surface or that projects increasing target illuminance onto a flat surface that increases as the beam angle increases with respect to the optical axis. A lens array of the horticultural light mechanically maintains an optimal separation distance between each LED of the horticultural light and the corresponding lens of the lens array. Each lens of the lens array receives the raw light distribution from the LED and then distributes an optically varied distribution having a nominal centerbeam intensity with an increasing beam intensity as the beam width increases. As the distance to target increases, so does the intensity of the light distribution, which projects a substantially uniform target illuminance, or an increasing target illuminance with increasing angle of incidence, onto a flat surface.