Artificial lighting system for fish and a method of providing fish lighting

Abstract

A fish lighting system has an input interface which receives instructions corresponding to a desired fish behavioral and/or physiological response. This is converted into a lighting control signal for driving a lighting arrangement, with the intensity and color of the output from the lighting arrangement selected to obtain the desired fish behavioral and/or physiological response.

1 . A fish lighting system, comprising:
 a lighting arrangement;   an input interface for receiving instructions representing a desired fish behavioral and/or physiological response, wherein the input interface is adapted: to receive instructions in the form of a set of at least two coordinate values (x, y, z, b, c, d, A) wherein a first coordinate value represents a visual response, and a second coordinate value represents a biorhythm response; or convert the instructions into a set of at least two coordinate values (x, y, z, b, c, d, A), wherein a first coordinate value represents a visual response, and a second coordinate value represents a biorhythm response; and   a conversion unit, for converting the coordinate values into a lighting control signal for driving the lighting arrangement,   wherein the lighting control signal is adapted to select the intensity and color of the output from the lighting arrangement to obtain the desired fish behavioral and/or physiological response.   
     
     
         2 . A method of providing fish lighting in the form of a light intensity distribution, comprising:
 receiving instructions representing a desired fish behavioral and/or physiological response as a set of at least two coordinate values, wherein a first coordinate value represents a visual response, and a second coordinate value represents a biorhythm response, or receiving instructions representing a desired fish behavioral and/or physiological response and deriving from the received instructions a set of at least two coordinate values, wherein a first coordinate value represents a visual response, and a second coordinate value represents a biorhythm response;   converting the coordinate values into a lighting control signal; and   driving a lighting arrangement using the lighting control signal,   wherein the lighting control signal is adapted to select the intensity and color of the output from the lighting arrangement to obtain the desired fish behavioral or physiological response.   
     
     
         3 . A method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein converting the coordinate values into a lighting control signal comprises:
 characterizing each of a plurality of light sources using a set of at least two coordinate values, wherein a first coordinate value represents a visual response, and a second coordinate value represents a biorhythm response; and   driving the light sources such that the combined lighting aims to match the set of at least two coordinate values of, or derived from, the received instructions.   
     
     
         4 . A method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the first coordinate value represents a visual response during daylight, and the set of at least two coordinate values further comprises a third coordinate value which represents a visual response during the night. 
     
     
         5 . A method as claimed in  claim 4 , further comprising receiving a light intensity parameter as part of the instructions, or converting the instructions into a light intensity parameter, and driving the light sources to provide the light intensity. 
     
     
         6 . A method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the set of at least two coordinate values is obtained by:
 setting a desired response of at least one visual photo pigment of the fish to the light intensity distribution to be provided; and   setting a desired response of at least one non-visual photo pigment of the fish to the light intensity distribution.   
     
     
         7 . A method as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein setting a desired response of at least one visual photo pigment of the fish to the light intensity distribution to be provided comprises:
 setting a desired response of a rod photo pigment;   setting a desired response of each of a set of red, green, blue and UV cone photo pigments.   
     
     
         8 . A method as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein setting a desired response of at least one non-visual photo pigment of the fish to the light intensity distribution comprises:
 setting a desired response of each of first and second pineal gland photo pigments.   
     
     
         9 . A method as claimed in  claim 6  wherein each desired response comprises the integral over frequency of the product of the light intensity distribution to be provided and a normalized light absorption characteristic of the respective photo pigment, normalized with respect to the sum of the sensitivities.