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| | Fraunhofer and LEiDs create cloud-like ceiling from LEDs | | 03 Jan 2012 | | A new ceiling tile system uses RGB and white LEDs with diffusers to simulate clouds overhead inside an office environment. | | Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in Stuttgart, Germany, in collaboration with the fixture manufacturer LEiDs GmbH (Backnang, Germany), have created 50 x 50-cm ceiling tiles using RGB and white LEDs that, when combined with diffusers, have the appearance of an outdoor sky with clouds slowly moving overhead.
Each tile contains a board with 288 RGB and white LEDs, which is mounted on the ceiling. A white diffuser film is attached 30 cm beneath the LEDs to ensure that the individual points of light are not perceived as such. “This diffuser film creates homogenous lighting that illuminates the room throughout,” said Matthias Bues, Head of the Department at the IAO. The combination of LEDs makes it possible to generate more than 16 million hues.
The main focus of the project was to simulate natural lighting conditions on a cloudy day. The results of a preliminary study indicate that users find dynamic lighting conditions to be extremely pleasant.
The study involved ten volunteers who carried out their daily work over the course of four days under different lighting conditions under a lighting surface measuring 30 x 60 cm. On the first day, the lighting remained static. Throughout the second day, it fluctuated gently, and on the third day the fluctuations were rapid. On the fourth day, the participants could choose which type of lighting they wanted, and 80% opted for the fast, dynamic lighting.
A prototype of the ceiling that contains a total of 34,560 LEDs spanning an area of 34 m2 has been developed. It can generate up to 3000 lux at full power, but 500-1000 lux has been determined to be a comfortable lighting level.
The system is initially priced at EUR1000/m2.
The researchers will exhibit a 2.8 x 2.8-m ceiling at the CeBIT trade fair in Hannover, March 6-10.
| | About the Author | | Laura Peters is a Senior Technical Editor with LEDs Magazine. | | COMMENTS | | Name: bubba gump Posted: Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:01 |
| HAHA...somewhere right now, there are 3 departments...Marketing, finance, and IT/Engineering...There is what IT presented as the next hottest thing, this "cloud" thing...Finance said it looked like a money maker...Then marketing got a hold of it...
| | Name: innerglow Posted: Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:01 |
| This could also be used to simulate a sunrise or sunset. For instance in restaurants. Or for setting moods for different times of the day, or different occasions/events. Or, just for dazzle/entertainment/unique settings. This could add wonderful dimension to background music or sound effects. Other venues might be spas, libraries, hotel lobbies, or even hotel rooms. How about in hospitals--to reduce stress and sooth patients as they heal. It might even be great in the operating room. This might also be a boon for seasonal effective disorder or for simulating environments for animals in a Zoo. | | Name: italianlightdesigner Posted: Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:01 |
| An apparently nice idea....but, in the pictures I see very large panels, much larger than 50x50cm. Will be the ceiling nice as well with many crossing lines?? | | Name: d.e.e.l Posted: Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:01 |
| What..new idea!?
Zumtobel Lighting has showed this and sold this for at least 4 years.
I bet they will show it at the next L & B again to show people how you could do it so it´s possible to sell and of course with out large black shadows. | | Name: hador Posted: Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:01 |
| Basically the same product is already available commercially from at least one large lighting company and in fact has been for some time, so I kinda wonder where the real novelty is in this.... |
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