Apparatus, methods and systems for providing lighting and communication

1. A system for providing illumination and communication comprising:

a plurality of solid-state lighting panels that are arranged in an indoor space that includes a plurality of indoor sub-spaces that are each configured to have at least one of the plurality of solid-state lighting panels therein; and

a lighting panel group controller that is configured to transmit the input signals to at least one of the plurality of solid-state lighting panels,

wherein the plurality of solid-state lighting panels are operable to illuminate the plurality of sub-spaces in a first mode and are collaboratively controlled by the lighting panel group controller to communicate information to occupants in the second mode by selectively illuminating ones of the plurality of solid-state lighting panels, and

wherein the input signals are transmitted responsive to the lighting panel group controller receiving an environmental information signal from an environmental condition sensor, and

wherein the plurality of solid-state lighting panels comprise a first portion of solid-state lighting panels that are configured to provide illumination in the first mode and the second mode and a second portion of solid-state lighting panels that are configured to provide illumination in the first mode and not in the second mode, wherein the collaborative operation of the first portion and the second portion in the second mode communicate information.

2. The system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the ones of the plurality of solid-state lighting panels are each configured to communicate a portion of the information to the occupants, and

wherein the ones of the plurality of solid-state lighting panels are operated collaboratively to communicate the information to the occupants.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein ones of the plurality of solid-state lighting panels are separate fixtures from one another.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination provided in the first mode is substantially white light.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of solid-state lighting panels are spaced apart from one another in the indoor space when viewed in a plan view.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the ones of the plurality of solid-state lighting panels receive the environmental information signal from the environmental condition sensor.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of solid-state lighting panels comprises a first portion of the solid-state light emitters that are configured to emit substantially white light and a second portion of the solid-state light emitters that are configured to emit substantially non-white light, and wherein the first portion of the solid-state light emitters are configured to emit light responsive to the first mode and the second portion of the solid-state light emitters are configured to emit light during the second mode.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the lighting panel group controller comprises a building control system.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a solid-state lighting panel that is arranged above a portion of an indoor personnel space and that is configured to illuminate the portion of the indoor personnel space, the solid-state lighting panel comprising a plurality of solid-state light emitters and an input module that is configured to receive an input signal that is generated by an environmental sensor,

wherein the solid-state lighting panel is configured to illuminate the portion of the indoor personnel space when operating in a first mode by emitting substantially white light and is configured to communicate information to an occupant in the portion of the indoor personnel space when operating in a second mode responsive to receiving the input signal that is generated by the environmental sensor,

wherein the indoor personnel space includes a plurality of indoor sub-spaces that are distinct from one another and that are separated from one another by walls or partitions,

wherein the portion of the indoor space comprises one of the plurality of indoor sub-spaces, and

wherein the information that is communicated to the occupant of the portion of the indoor space is a portion of a message that is communicated via collaborative operation of the solid-state lighting panel and other solid-state lighting panels that are in other ones of the plurality of indoor sub-spaces.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the information that is communicated to the occupant of the portion of the indoor space is dependent on which of the plurality of indoor sub-spaces the corresponding one of the plurality of solid-state lighting panels is located in.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the environmental sensor is remote from the solid-state lighting panel.