SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING THE INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT OF AN ENCLOSURE

Abstract

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, a system and method of controlling the internal environment of an enclosure is provided. The system and method includes either increasing or decreasing the temperature of the enclosure to a predetermined target under normal operating conditions. The system and method further includes selectively engaging a trip condition in response to an overheat limit temperature. During the trip condition, the power relays for the fixture will be opened until the enclosure internal temperature has dropped. The system and method uses various sensors to control environmental conditions and may be controlled remotely.

Description

BACKGROUND

Video projectors, conventional lighting units, moving lights, laser projectors, and other luminaires (collectively “lighting fixture” or “fixture”) include components and materials which are sensitive to variations in environment, including: temperature, humidity, moisture, precipitation, electrical discharge, impact, and vibration. Lighting fixtures generally include rudimentary means of controlling excessively high temperature by using one or more cooling fans, where the fan duty cycles are directly related to measured temperature within the lighting fixture and normally emit noise that can be perceived by people and recording equipment in proximity with the unit. Typically, lighting fixtures do not have the means to directly control humidity and moisture, which can increase the risk of corrosion and other types of damage to the internal components. The danger of corrosion directly limits the locations in which they may be utilized, such as outdoors, humid environments, or anywhere near water.

Lighting fixtures are widely used in locations where quiet operation is an advantage, such as lecture halls, auditoriums, houses of worship, and movie sets. Some applications require dismantling the lighting fixture and moving some component to other areas where the noise is not bothersome. This limits the durability and efficiency of the lighting fixture and is often not practical.

A separate enclosure can be used in conjunction with the lighting fixture to protect against temperature, humidity, precipitation, and other environmental stress. In addition, the enclosure can reduce the noise created by the lighting fixture. Finally, the enclosure can control the internal temperature in order to maintain ideal operating conditions for the projector unit, regardless of the surrounding environment.

Enclosure environment controls are known in general, what is needed is a system that is configured to respond to parameters other than by direct reaction to internal temperature. This system needs to consider humidity, temperature, power usage, user-defined limits, and duty cycles when determining a control strategy.

SUMMARY

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, a system and method of controlling the internal environment of an enclosure is provided. The system and method can control the environment by increasing or decreasing the temperature of the enclosure to a predetermined target under normal operating conditions utilizing at least one fan and at least one heater based upon criteria mostly comprising temperature and humidity measurements. The system and method further includes selectively engaging a trip condition in response to an overheat limit temperature. During the trip condition, the power relays for the enclosure will be opened until the enclosure internal temperature has dropped. The system and method may also be controlled by a remote data communication. The system and method can further include at least one fan for stirring the air within the enclosure. The system and method further comprises the duty cycle calculation for determining the duration and interval of each heater and fan operation.

One embodiment of the system for controlling the enclosure environment comprises a temperature measurement and a relative humidity measurement and utilizes user-configurable temperature and humidity limits to activate a heater to adjust relative humidity and a fan to adjust temperature when factoring in the heater duty cycle and fan duty cycle. This system may also limit power to the enclosed lighting fixture in order to reduce internal enclosure temperature. One preferred power limitation length of time is at least four minutes.

The embodiment may further comprise a user-configurable maximum power draw of the system and the contained lighting fixture where the heater duty cycle is adjustable based upon total system power usage. The fan duty cycle may also be adjusted in order to reduce overall or intermittent noise.

This embodiment may further comprise at least one additional fan for stirring the air within the enclosure designed to increase the temperature monitoring accuracy.

Another embodiment of a method of controlling the internal environment of an enclosure comprises a plurality of sensors to determine a fan duty cycle to operate a fan and a heater duty cycle to operate a heater. This embodiment may further comprise determining either or both of the duty cycles based upon the enclosure internal temperature measurement and the user-configurable upper temperature limit. Alternatively, the system may determine either or both duty cycles based upon a calculated ideal temperature and relative humidity threshold. Finally, the system may determine either or both duty cycles based upon both the enclosure internal temperature measurement and the relative humidity measurement. The plurality of sensors are comprised of at least one temperature sensor, at least one relative humidity sensor, at lease one voltage sensor, and at least one amperage sensor. In this embodiment, either or both duty cycles may factor in data from the voltage sensor and the amperage sensor.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of disclosed subject matter will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method of controlling an internal enclosure environment according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an enclosure and an environmental control system according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a graph that illustrates relative humidity values with respect to internal air volume temperature values as may be used by various embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings, where like numerals reference like elements, is intended only as a description of various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter and is not intended to represent the only embodiments. Each embodiment described in this disclosure is provided merely as an example or illustration and should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The illustrative examples provided herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Similarly, any steps described herein may be interchangeable with other steps, or combinations of steps, in order to achieve the same or substantially similar result.

Although the present disclosure is described hereinafter with reference to video projector units, it will be appreciated that aspects of the present disclosure have wide application, and therefore, may be suitable for use with many types of electronic units and/or illuminating device, such as conventional lighting fixtures, intelligent lighting fixtures, laser projectors, video cameras, audio equipment, computers, other luminaires, etc. Any applicable unit and/or device shall be referred to as “lighting fixture” in this disclosure. Accordingly, the following descriptions and illustrations herein should be considered illustrative in nature, and thus, not limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Prior to discussing the details of various aspects of the present disclosure, it should be understood that several sections of the following description are presented largely in terms of logic and operations that may be performed by conventional electronic components. These electronic components, which may be grouped in a single location or distributed over a wide area, generally include processors, memory, storage devices, display devices, input devices, etc. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the logic described herein may be implemented in a variety of hardware, software, and combination hardware/software configurations, including but not limited to, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, processing units, and the like. In circumstances where the components are distributed, the components may be accessible to each other via communication links.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that many embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some or all of the specific details. In some instances, well-known process steps have not been described in detail in order not to obscure unnecessarily various aspects of the present disclosure. Furthermore, it will be appreciated the embodiments of the present disclosure may employ any of the features described herein.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method of controlling an internal enclosure environment according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is included within an enclosure 100 designed to enclose a lighting fixture 128. The lighting fixture 128 includes many features known to one of ordinary skill in the art as being included, such as a lamp, a lens, a body, a system controller, and so on.

The illustrated enclosure 100 includes various sensors, including a temperature sensor 102, a relative humidity sensor 104, an amperage meter 106, and a voltage meter 108. The temperature sensor 102 determines the temperature of the volume of air within the enclosure 100. The relative humidity sensor 104 determines the relative humidity of the volume of air within the enclosure 100. The amperage meter 106 determines the electrical current draw of the lighting fixture 128. The voltage meter 108 determines the electrical voltage of the lighting fixture 128. The various sensors, described above, provide real-time inputs to the various sub-systems of the enclosure 100. The inputs are required to monitor and maintain the internal environment of the enclosure 100 at the desired levels.

The temperature sensor 102 provides the temperature of the volume of air within the enclosure 100 to a variety of sub-systems. It provides data to the minimum target temperature sub-system (MTT) 110. The relative humidity sensor 104 provides the relative humidity of the volume of air within the enclosure 100 to the MTT 110. The MTT 110 uses the data from the sensors to determine the minimum, or ideal, temperature that will be required to keep the relative humidity of the internal environment of the enclosure 100 within the requirement of the maximum allowed relative humidity, which is user defined, and the minimum enclosure internal temperature. The temperature sensor 102 also provides data to the fan temperature control sub-system (FTC) 112. The FTC 112 is a system to cool the enclosure 100 proportionately when the enclosed temperature rises above the cooling threshold. The temperature sensor 102 also provides data to the heater temperature control sub-system (HTC) 114. The HTC 114 is a system to maintain a minimum temperature as determined by the ideal temperature.

The FTC 112 determines a required fan duty factor and provides the factor as an output to the fan duty cycle controller (FDC) 118. The FDC 118 is a system to switch one or more fans on periodically according to the required duty cycle relayed by the FTC 112. The FDC 118 output sends electrical power to the fan switch 124. In some circumstance, such as use in noise sensitive areas such as theatrical or video production use, the FTC 112 may also be operated in a “Hush” mode designed to reduce noise levels by reducing FDC 118 interval and duration. The FTC 112 also has an output to the lighting fixture power relay 122. The FTC 112 can open the power relay 122 to interrupt power to the lighting fixture 128 when the trip condition is engaged. In some embodiments, at least one fan is activated in order to maintain the temperature of the volume of air within the enclosure 100 below the upper temperature: a user-defined value. This is especially critical when the lighting fixture 128 is drawing substantial power and generating heat. This may be required when the temperature of the volume of air within the enclosure 100 exceeds the configurable Limit_Temp 310 where continued usage may cause damage to the lighting fixture or reduce useful lamp life.

The HTC 114 determines a required heater duty factor and provides the factor as an output to the heater duty cycle controller (HDC) 120. The HDC 120 is a system to switch one or more heaters on periodically according to the required duty cycle relayed by the HTC 114. The HDC 120 output sends electrical power to the heater switch 126. In some embodiments, at least one heater is activated in order to maintain the temperature of the volume of air within the enclosure 100 above the minimum temperature determined by the MTT 110. This is especially critical when the lighting fixture 128 is not drawing power and the external air temperature is cooler than the minimum temperature determined by the MTT 110. This prevents a variety of issues to the fixture caused by condensation and temperature changes such as circuitry oxidation, metal oxidation, environmental damage to optics, and changes caused by variability in material expansion and contraction.

The amperage meter 106 determines the electrical current draw of the lighting fixture 128. The amperage meter 106 provides data to the load power calculation sub-system (PWR) 116. The purpose of the PWR 116 is to provide a real-time calculation of the electrical power drawn by the lighting fixture 128.

The voltage meter 108 determines the electrical voltage of the lighting fixture 128. The voltage meter 108 provides data to the PWR 116 to enable the real-time calculation of the electrical power drawn by the lighting fixture 128. The PWR 116 provides data to the FTC 112 to enable the FTC 112 to run the FDC 118 at a duty cycle proportional to the power drawn by the enclosed lighting fixture 128. This is necessary to avoid sharp temperature spikes in the enclosure 100 during high power draw events. The PWR 116 provides data to the HTC 114 to run the HDC 120 at a duty cycle inversely proportional to the power drawn by the enclosed lighting fixture 128. This is necessary to avoid excessive power draw by the enclosure 100 and maintain system stability. The PWR 116 also provides a signal directly to the HDC 120 to inhibit the heater operation should the lighting fixture power draw approach the maximum system power rating.

A lighting fixture may be in a deactivated state, a standby state, or an active state where the lamp is active. The PWR 116 is able to determine the state of the fixture based upon data from the amperage meter 106 and the voltage meter 108. In a deactivated state, the fixture draws no power. In a standby state, the lighting fixture draws power in the range of 0.2 amperes to 2 amperes. Amperage draw exceeding a user-configurable power draw within this range correlates with an active state. The PWR 116 maintains a count of the hours in which the enclosed fixture is in an active state. Lighting fixture lamps require replacing after a number of hours and failing to do so reduces lighting fixture intensity and may cause a lamp failure with prolonged usage beyond the useful life. A lamp failure can cause damage to the various lighting fixture components. The enclosure 100 provides lamp hour data without requiring access to the lighting fixture 128. The lamp hour data is also accessible via remote data communication 212 to the user 214.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the enclosure 100 may include components in a different configuration than that depicted in FIG. 1. For example, in some embodiments, the FDC 118 may control additional fans which are configured to mix the air inside the enclosure 100, as opposed to exchanging air with the exterior environment. In another embodiment, components of the system may be located outside of the enclosure 100. Each of the examples described is exemplary only, and one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other configurations are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an enclosure and an environmental control system according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is included within an enclosure 200 designed to surround a lighting fixture 226. The enclosure 200 includes various sensors, the sensors described previously, including a temperature sensor 202, a relative humidity sensor 204, an amperage meter 206, and a voltage meter 208.

In one embodiment, the system controller 210 receives the signals from each sensor. The system controller 210 includes the sub-systems as described previously. In addition, the system controller 210 sends and receives information from a remote data communication source 212. The user 214 can utilize the remote data communication 212 to send and receive data from the system controller 210, such as power signals, manual override commands, sensor readings, sub-system calculation output, relay status, lighting fixture data, software information, and so on. In one embodiment, the remote data communication protocol is remote device management (RDM), USITT DMX512-A, and/or ArtNet.

The system controller 210 sends fan duty cycle data to the FDC 216. The FDC enables at least one fan 222 to exchange air with external ambient air in order to cool the internal air volume temperature. The FDC 216 may also enable at least one mixing fan 224 to stir the air within the enclosure 200 to avoid temperature gradients. In addition, the mixing fan 224 increases effectiveness of the heater(s) 228 and fan(s) 222. The system controller 210 sends a signal to the power relay 218 to enable power to the lighting fixture 226. The system controller 210 can interrupt the power relay 218 during a trip condition as a result of overheating within the enclosure 200. The system controller 210 will not close the power relay 218 until the enclosure temperature drops below a configurable limit for a predetermined time period. In one embodiment, the predetermined time period is four minutes. This time period is determined to be a good compromise between proper cooling time of the enclosure, lighting fixture, and lighting fixture lamp and the minimum amount of time required for certain types of lighting fixture lamps to re-ignite after being deactivated. Certain types of lamps are unable to immediately reactivate because of greatly increased voltage demands of hot lighting fixture lamps.

The system controller 210 sends heater duty cycle data to the HDC 220. The HDC enables at least one heater 228 to heat the air within the enclosure 200 in order to maintain the relative humidity of the internal air volume below the minimum value.

FIG. 3 is a graph that illustrates relative humidity values with respect to internal air temperature values as may be used by various embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of clarity, acronyms and definitions for various operational parameters and programmed settings are set forth below. The terms listed and the definitions provided are exemplary only. It will be appreciated that actual parameters and settings utilized during operation of the enclosure 300 can vary within the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Fan Duty Cycle Controller (FDC) 118: A system to switch the fan power on periodically according to the required duty cycle relayed by the fan temperature control sub-system.

Heater Duty Cycle Controller (HDC) 120: A system to control the duty of the heaters, according to the required duty cycle determined by the heater temperature control sub-system.

Minimum Temperature Tracking (MTT) 110: A system to determine the minimum or ideal temperature that will be required to keep the relative humidity of the enclosure internal environment within the requirement of the maximum allowed relative humidity and the minimum enclosure internal temperature.

Heater Temperature Control sub-system (HTC) 114: A system to maintain a minimum temperature as determined by the ideal temperature.

Fan Temperature Control sub-system (FTC) 112: A system to cool the enclosure proportionately when the enclosed temperature rises above the cooling threshold.

Load Power (PWR) 116: Real-time load power calculation. Fan_Duty_Factor: The parameter from which the FDC determines operation duration and frequency of the fan(s).

Heater_Duty_Factor: The parameter from which the HDC determines operation duration and frequency of the heater(s).

Max_Humidity 320: The maximum configurable target of the internal humidity control, independent of internal air temperature.

Upper_Temp 312: The maximum target of the internal temperature control, independent of internal air relative humidity.

Lower_Temp 318: The minimum configurable target of the internal temperature control, independent of internal relative humidity.

Minimum_Temp: The calculated minimum target of the internal temperature control required to maintain a relative humidity at or below Max_Humidity.

Limit_Temp 310: The temperature at which the trip condition is engaged. Ideal_Temp 316: The temperature which causes the maximum allowable relative humidity.

Target_Temp 314: The temperature between Ideal_Temp 316 and Upper_Temp 312 that the system adjusts to maintain.

Standard Operating Condition: The state in which the enclosure 100 is powered and turned on.

Digital Enclosure Control Operating System (DECOS): maintain the environment within an enclosure in an optimal way that meets the elected limits determined by the operational criteria.

To maintain the temperature in the enclosure 300, the system utilizes different system duty factor functions to determine temperature targets in real-time. The Limit_Temp 310 is a user-defined temperature enables a trip condition which disables power to the lighting fixture. In one embodiment, the Limit_Temp 310 should be set above normal operating temperatures, but below a temperature where equipment damage could occur. The Upper_Temp 312 is a user-defined temperature that is the maximum target of the internal temperature control. The system will adjust the fan duty cycle to keep the temperature of the volume of air within the enclosure 300 below the Upper_Temp 312. The fan duty cycle will enable the cooling fans in the temperature range 302 toward the Target_Temp 314. The Ideal_Temp 316 is the minimum temperature at which the user-defined Max_Humidity 320 target is reached. The system will adjust the heater duty cycle to keep the temperature of the volume of air within the enclosure 300 above the Ideal_Temp 316. The heater duty cycle will enable the heaters in the temperature range 304 toward the Target_Temp 314.

The Target_Temp 314 is a temperature above the Ideal_Temp 316 and below the Upper_Temp 312 at which the system will maintain the temperature of the volume of air within the enclosure 300 according to the duty cycle functions. The Target_Temp 314 is shown as the temperature range 306. The Target_Temp 314 will adjust to different parameters of the system. In one embodiment, the Target_Temp 314 will adjust toward the Ideal_Temp 316 if the lighting fixture is not powered. This adjustment will lower the duty cycle of the fans and cause the least amount of power draw while emitting the least amount of noise. In another embodiment, the Target_Temp 314 will adjust toward the Upper_Temp 312 when the lighting fixture is powered. This adjustment will lower the duty cycle of the fans and emit the least amount of noise.

The above sub-systems and parameters are exemplary only. In other contemplated embodiments, more or fewer sub-systems may be utilized in the enclosure environment control system. Moreover, the values and data stored therein may also vary.

The principles, representative embodiments, and modes of operation of the present disclosure have been described in the foregoing description. However, aspects of the present disclosure which are intended to be protected are not to be construed as limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Further, the embodiments described herein are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. It will be appreciated that variations and changes may be made by others, and equivalents employed, without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that all such variations, changes, and equivalents fall within the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter.

Claims

1. An enclosure comprising:

(a) an at least one fan configured to exchange internal air with external air;

(b) an at least one heater configured to raise internal air temperature;

(c) a system controller configured to: (i) cause the at least one fan to operate when an internal air temperature measurement meets a predetermined temperature criteria; and (ii) cause the at least one heater to operate when a relative humidity measurement of the internal air meets a predetermined humidity criteria.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the enclosure includes a power relay that is configured to interrupt power to a lighting fixture housed within the enclosure.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the power relay may be switched remotely.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system controller includes remote data communication.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an at least one fan configured to promote mixture of the air inside the enclosure.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system controller causes the at least one fan to operate based on a calculated fan duty cycle and the at least one heater to operate based on a calculated heater duty cycle.

7. A method of controlling the internal environment of an enclosure, the method comprising:

(a) setting a relative humidity value to a configurable limit during a standard operating condition;

(b) setting a temperature value to a configurable limit during a standard operating condition;

(c) monitoring the temperature and relative humidity within the enclosure;

(d) in response to determining that a change in temperature is required: (i) calculating the required duty cycle of an at least one heater and causing it to operate to maintain relative humidity below the configurable limit; and (ii) calculating the required duty cycle of an at least one fan and causing it to operate to maintain temperature below the configurable limit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a system controller selectively engages a trip condition in response to temperature, the temperature exceeding the configurable limit during operation, wherein the system power is temporarily unavailable until after the temperature has dropped below the configurable limit for a predetermined time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined time is 4 minutes.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein a lighting fixture input power value is monitored to not exceed the rated limit of the enclosure and alter the required duty cycle of the at least one heater.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the duty cycle of the fan in minimized to emit the least amount of noise.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising an at least one fan configured to stir the air inside the enclosure for increased accuracy of temperature monitoring.

13. A method of controlling the internal environment of an enclosure, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a set of sensor values from a plurality of sensors;

(b) executing more than one system duty factor function based on the set of sensor values to generate a fan duty factor and a heater duty factor associated with system duty factor function;

(c) causing a fan duty control and a heater duty control to operate an at least one fan and an at least one heater according to the fan duty factor and heater duty factor, respectively.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the more than one system duty factor function compares an internal air temperature value to a configurable upper temperature limit.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the more than one system duty factor function compares an internal air temperature value to a minimum temperature tracking system ideal temperature, the ideal temperature calculated to maintain a configurable internal air relative humidity limit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the minimum temperature tracking system ideal temperature is calculated based on an internal air temperature measurement and an internal air relative humidity measurement.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of sensors include: a temperature sensor, a relative humidity sensor, a voltage sensor, and an amperage sensor.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the more than one system duty factor function compares the voltage sensor reading and the amperage sensor reading to determine a plurality of electrical load power ranges.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein one of the electrical load power ranges signifies that an enclosed lighting fixture is powered, but an enclosed lighting fixture lamp is not active; a separate electrical load power range signifying that the enclosed lighting fixture is powered and the enclosed lighting fixture lamp is active.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a system controller records the duration the enclosed lighting fixture lamp is active.