Color Kinetics patents relate to future uses of intelligent solid-state lighting

Solid-state lighting pioneer Color Kinetics has been granted two new U.S. patents relating to LED-based illumination systems designed to generate colour-changing LED-based light sources to convey information about temperature changes within a device. The concept of intelligent lighting offers some interesting capabilities - the temperature of the stove top could be conveyed through the colour of light emitted by a multicolour LED-based source, for example.

Patent number 6,888,322 is directed to a colour-changing enclosure where illumination is provided by multicolour LED-based sources. The colour-changing device might form part of a neon replacement system, tile light, consumer product, computer, peripheral or accessory.

Patent number 6,883,929 is directed to generating power for LED-based light sources based on a thermoelectric process called the Seebeck Effect, which allows a temperature differential to generate electricity. For example, the invention may be used in a stove where the temperature of the stove top is conveyed through the colour of light emitted by a multicolour LED-based source.

"Color Kinetics continually looks to innovate new technologies and methods that will allow completely new uses of intelligent solid-state lighting, for example, to create dynamic or customizable color changing enclosures," said George Mueller, Chairman and CEO, Color Kinetics. "Beyond the replacement of conventional light sources in traditional applications, we are shaping completely new, intelligent uses of light with exciting market potential."