Luminaire and sound integration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10244597-B1
Application number	US-201816032663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 11, 2018
Priority date	Jul 11, 2018
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A system includes a luminaire having a light source, a lighting control device to control a light output and operation of the light source in an area of the luminaire, and a sound transducer integrated on a surface of a panel of the luminaire. The sound transducer responds to vibration of the panel to detect incoming audio waves. An audio front end device includes an audio coder responsive to analog signals from the sound transducer, and is coupled to an output of the sound transducer. The lighting control device includes programming that configures a processor to control the audio front end device to receive the analog signals from the sound transducer and provide a digital output signal, process the digital output signals to generate a responsive result that is supplied to the lighting control device in the area of the luminaire.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a data network;
a luminaire, including:
a light source;
driver circuitry coupled to the light source to provide power to the light source;
a lighting control device coupled to the driver circuitry to control a light output and operation of the light source in an area of the luminaire;
a network interface to enable the luminaire to receive communication via the data network;
a panel as an element of the luminaire susceptible to acoustic waves in the area of the luminaire; and
a sound transducer integrated on a surface of the panel of the luminaire, wherein the sound transducer is configured to respond to vibration of the panel to detect incoming audio waves in the area of the luminaire; and

an audio front end device coupled to an output of the sound transducer, the audio front end device comprising an audio coder responsive to analog signals from the sound transducer,
wherein the lighting control device of the luminaire comprises:
a processor coupled to the driver circuitry, the network interface and the audio front end; and
memory coupled to be accessible to the processor, wherein the memory stores programming for execution by the processor and data to be stored or processed by the processor during execution of instructions included in the programming,

wherein execution of the programming in the memory configures the processor to:
control the audio front end device to receive the analog signal from the sound transducer and provide a digital output signal;
perform audio signal processing of the digital output signal to generate a responsive result, based upon the digital output signal; and
supply the responsive result to the lighting control device in the area of the luminaire.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the digital output signal is proportional to the detected incoming audio waves in the vicinity of the luminaire and reduced by a waveform of noise associated with the incoming detected audio waves.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the audio front end device further comprises:
an amplifying device coupled to the sound transducer and to an input of the audio coder;
a digital signal processor coupled to the audio coder to:
receive digital signals from the audio coder; and
analyze a waveform of noise associated with the incoming audio waves represented by the digital input signals to generate at least one of a phase shifted waveform or an inverted polarity waveform relative to the waveform of the noise.

4. The system of claim 3 , further comprising an audio module coupled to the output of the audio front end device to receive the digital signal output.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the audio module comprises:
a microprocessor configured to process the digital signal output received from the audio front end device to provide audio data representing the incoming detected audio wave reduced by a waveform of noise associated with the incoming detected audio wave; and
memory coupled to the microprocessor, wherein the memory stores the audio data.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the audio data is stored in a an audio coding format.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the audio data is accessible to the processor of the lighting control device to control additional operations in the system.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the responsive result is a lighting command to control operation of the light source.

9. A system, comprising:
a data network;
a luminaire, including:
a light source;
driver circuitry coupled to the light source to provide power to the light source;
a lighting control device coupled to the driver circuitry to control a light output and operation of the light source in an area of the luminaire;
a network interface to enable the luminaire to receive communication via the data network;
at least two panels as elements of the luminaire, the panels being susceptible to acoustic waves in a vicinity of the luminaire;
a first sound transducer integrated on a surface of a first of the at least two panels of the luminaire, wherein the first sound transducer is configured to respond to vibrations of the first panel to detect incoming audio waves in the vicinity of the luminaire; and
a second sound transducer integrated on a surface of a second of the at least two panels of the luminaire, wherein the second sound transducer is configured to output an audio signal in the vicinity of the luminaire; and
an audio front end device coupled to an output of the first sound transducer and to an input of the second sound transducer, the audio front end device comprising an audio coder responsive to analog signals from the first sound transducer,

wherein the lighting control device of the luminaire comprises:
a processor coupled to the driver circuitry, the network interface, and the audio front end device; and
memory coupled to be accessible to the processor, wherein the memory stores programming for execution by the processor and data to be stored or processed by the processor during execution of instructions included in the programming,

wherein execution of the programming in the memory configures the processor to:
control the audio front end device to receive the analog signal from the first sound transducer and provide a digital output signal;
process the digital output signal to generate a responsive result based upon the digital output signal;
supply the responsive result to the lighting control device in the area of the luminaire; and
supply a portion of the responsive result having an audible component to the input of the second sound transducer for audible output from the second sound transducer.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the digital output signal is proportional to the detected incoming sound wave in the vicinity of the luminaire and reduced by a waveform of noise associated with the incoming detected audio waves.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the audio front end further comprises:
a first amplifying device coupled to the first sound transducer and to an input of the audio coder of the audio front end device;
a second amplifying device coupled to the second sound transducer and an output of an audio decoder, the audio decoder responsive to the responsive result to convert the audible component to an analog audio output from the second sound transducer;
a digital signal processor coupled to the audio coder to:
receive digital signals from the audio coder; and
analyze a waveform of noise associated with the incoming audio wave represented by the digital input signals to generate at least one of a phase shifted waveform or an inverted polarity waveform relative to the waveform of the noise.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the audio front end is coupled to the processor and memory of the lighting control device.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the responsive result is a lighting control command to control the light output and operation of the light source.

14. The system of claim 9 , further comprising an audio module coupled to the output of the audio front end device to receive an analog copy of the responsive result, wherein the audio module comprises:
a microprocessor configured to process the copy of the responsive result to provide audio data; and
memory coupled to the microprocessor, wherein the memory stores the audio data.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the audio data is stored in an audio coding format.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the audio data is accessible to the processor of the lighting control device to

Assignees

• Abl Ip Holding Llc

Inventors

• Scott Jeffrey M
• Lu Min-Hao Michael
• Ramer David P
• Rodriguez Yan

Classifications

• H05B47/12

  by detecting audible sound · CPC title

• H04R7/04

  Plane diaphragms · CPC title

• H04R1/028

  associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles · CPC title

• H04R7/045

  using the distributed mode principle, i.e. whereby the acoustic radiation is emanated from uniformly distributed free bending wave vibration induced in a stiff panel and not from pistonic motion · CPC title

• H04R2420/07

  Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones · CPC title