Patents by Inventor Darin M. Carpenter

Darin M. Carpenter has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10548264
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a horticultural light system for use in a greenhouse where aspects of ambient light in the greenhouse are measured and compared against a prescribed light recipe. A light controller commands a light fixture contained within the greenhouse to augment the ambient light in response to the comparison. Photosynthetic photon flux, light intensity, color temperature and color spectrum among other aspects of light generated by the light fixture are altered by the controller to fill in deficiencies of the ambient light as compared to the prescribed light recipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Illum Horticulture LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Adams, Darin M. Carpenter
  • Publication number: 20190357447
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a horticultural light system for use in a greenhouse where aspects of ambient light in the greenhouse are measured and compared against a prescribed light recipe. A light controller commands a light fixture contained within the greenhouse to augment the ambient light in response to the comparison. Photosynthetic photon flux, light intensity, color temperature and color spectrum among other aspects of light generated by the light fixture are altered by the controller to fill in deficiencies of the ambient light as compared to the prescribed light recipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Applicant: Illum Technology LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Adams, Darin M. Carpenter
  • Patent number: 10398090
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a horticultural light system for use in a greenhouse where aspects of ambient light in the greenhouse are measured and compared against a prescribed light recipe. A light controller commands a light fixture contained within the greenhouse to augment the ambient light in response to the comparison. Photosynthetic photon flux, light intensity, color temperature and color spectrum among other aspects of light generated by the light fixture are altered by the controller to fill in deficiencies of the ambient light as compared to the prescribed light recipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Illum Horticulture LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Adams, Darin M. Carpenter
  • Patent number: 10309613
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a horticultural light for use in a horticultural facility that projects either a substantially uniform target illuminance onto a flat surface or an increasing target illuminance onto a flat surface that increases as the beam angle increases with respect to the optical axis. The horticultural light uses a refractor to receive the raw light distribution from one or more LEDs and then distributes an optically varied distribution having a minimized intensity at centerbeam with an increasing beam intensity as the beam width increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Illum Horticulture LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Adams, Megan M. Tidd, Johnathan J. Heiner, Darin M. Carpenter
  • Publication number: 20190110406
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a horticultural light system for use in a greenhouse where aspects of ambient light in the greenhouse are measured and compared against a prescribed light recipe. A light controller commands a light fixture contained within the greenhouse to augment the ambient light in response to the comparison. Photosynthetic photon flux, light intensity, color temperature and color spectrum among other aspects of light generated by the light fixture are altered by the controller to fill in deficiencies of the ambient light as compared to the prescribed light recipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Applicant: Illum Technology, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Adams, Darin M. Carpenter
  • Publication number: 20190113206
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a horticultural light for use in a horticultural facility that projects either a substantially uniform target illuminance onto a flat surface or an increasing target illuminance onto a flat surface that increases as the beam angle increases with respect to the optical axis. The horticultural light uses a refractor to receive the raw light distribution from one or more LEDs and then distributes an optically varied distribution having a minimized intensity at centerbeam with an increasing beam intensity as the beam width increases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Applicant: Illum Technology, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Adams, Megan M. Tidd, Johnathan J. Heiner, Darin M. Carpenter
  • Patent number: 10034342
    Abstract: An indoor horticultural system includes a grow bed and a lighting system arranged in proximity to the grow bed. The lighting system includes lighting fixtures having an optical axis and a light distribution whose intensity increases as the angle of the generated light increases in relation to the optical axis to increase cross-lighting. Alternately, the lighting system includes lighting fixtures mounted at varying angles and with varying beam widths so as to increase cross-lighting. Series connected light fixtures include a master light fixture that employs an intensity controller to control the intensity of light generated by each of the series-connected light fixtures, where the intensity controller derives operational power from an LED string contained within the master light fixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Illum Horticulture LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Adams, James V. Rhodes, Arthur A. Wilkes, Darin M. Carpenter
  • Patent number: 9955632
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Illum Horticulture LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Adams, Darin M. Carpenter
  • Publication number: 20180116025
    Abstract: An indoor horticultural system includes a grow bed and a lighting system arranged in proximity to the grow bed. The lighting system may include lighting fixtures having an optical axis and a light distribution whose intensity increases as the angle of the generated light increases in relation to the optical axis to increase cross-lighting. Alternately, the lighting system may include lighting fixtures mounted at varying angles and with varying beam widths so as to increase cross-lighting. Series connected light fixtures may include a master light fixture that employs an intensity controller to control the intensity of light generated by each of the series-connected light fixtures, where the intensity controller derives operational power from an LED string contained within the master light fixture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2017
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Applicant: Illum Technology, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Adams, James V. Rhodes, Arthur A. Wilkes, Darin M. Carpenter
  • Patent number: 9943040
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Illum Horticulture LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Adams, Megan M. Tidd, Johnathan J. Heiner, Darin M. Carpenter
  • Publication number: 20180084733
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Applicant: Illum Technology, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P Adams, Megan M. Tidd, Johnathan J. Heiner, Darin M. Carpenter