LEDs Make Simulated Sky Ceiling

  The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO has developed a ceiling display that simulates a semi-cloudy blue sky. The luminous ceiling extends across the entire room. The dynamic display simulates passing clouds in the sky, like being out doors.

The innovative luminous ceiling was developed by the Fraunhofer researchers in close collaboration with their partners at LEDs GmbH. It consists of 50cm by 50cm tiles. “Each tile comprises an LED board with 288 light emitting diodes (LEDs),” stated Dr. Matthias Bues, head of department at the IAO. “The board is mounted on the ceiling. A diffuser film in matt white is attached approximately 30cm beneath the LEDs and ensures that the individual points of light are not perceived as such. This diffuser film creates homogenous lighting that illuminates the room throughout.”

The researchers use a combination of red, blue, green and white LEDs in order to produce the full light spectrum. This combination makes it possible to generate more than 16 million hues. What’s more, the white LEDs are more energy efficient than the colored lights, which keeps the energy costs to a minimum.