Lighting element-centric network of networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10383199-B2
Application number	US-201815957363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2018
Priority date	Aug 12, 2013
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A lighting system utilizes intelligent system elements, such as lighting devices, user interfaces for lighting control or the like and possibly sensors. The system also has a data communication network. Some number of the intelligent lighting system elements, including at least two of the lighting devices, also support wireless communication with non-lighting-system devices at the premises. Each such element has a communication interface system configured to provide a short range, low power wireless data communication link for use by non-lighting-system devices at the premises in proximity to the respective intelligent system element. Also, in such an element, the processor is configured to control communications via the communication interface system so as to provide access to the data network and through the data network to the wide area network outside the premises for non-lighting related communications of the non-lighting-system devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lighting system, comprising:
a data network configured to enable data communication within a premises and to provide data communication access to a wide area network extending outside the premises; and
intelligent lighting system elements, including:
lighting devices each comprising a light source, and
either a user interface device configured for lighting control or a lighting-related sensor including a detector,

each of the intelligent lighting system elements comprising:
a communication interface system, including a first communication interface, configured to enable communication via a link to the data network; and
a processor coupled to communicate via the communication interface and the data network link and configured to control a lighting related operation of the respective intelligent system element, wherein for each respective one of a plurality of the intelligent lighting system elements, including for at least two of the lighting devices:
the communication interface system of the respective intelligent lighting system element includes a second communication interface configured to provide a small cell of wireless coverage via a short range, low power wireless data communication link, separate from the link to the data network, for use by non-lighting-system devices at the premises in range of the low power wireless data communication link of the respective intelligent lighting system element;
the low power of the wireless data communication link of the small cell is set sufficiently low so as to avoid undue interference with the short range wireless data communication link of the small cell, provided by another of the intelligent lighting system elements among the plurality of the intelligent lighting system elements, for use by non-lighting-system devices; and
the processor of the respective intelligent lighting system element is configured to control communications via the communication interface system of the respective intelligent lighting system element to provide access to the data network and through the data network to the wide area network outside the premises for non-lighting related communications of the non-lighting-system devices.

2. The lighting system as in claim 1 , wherein the second communication interface is configured to:
provide the wireless data communication link in accordance with a wireless data communication standard; and
to operate under the standard but at a power level that is 15% or less of a normal operating power level for a wireless network access point operated under the standard.

3. The lighting system as in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the intelligent lighting system elements is further configured to communicate data to/from one of the non-lighting-system devices and to perform a processing operation to support an operation of a processor of the one non-lighting-system device.

4. The lighting system as in claim 3 , wherein the at least one of the intelligent lighting system elements comprises a second plurality of the intelligent lighting system elements configured to perform the processing operation to support the operation of the processor of the one non-lighting-system device in a distributed processing manner using processing and/or memory resources of each of the plurality of the intelligent lighting system elements.

5. The lighting system as in claim 4 , wherein the second plurality of the intelligent lighting system elements configured to perform the processing operation in a distributed processing manner comprises:
first and second ones of the intelligent lighting system elements; and
first and second instances of server programming stored in respective memories of the first and second intelligent lighting system elements for execution by processors of the first and second intelligent lighting system elements, which configure the first and second intelligent lighting system elements to operate in a distributed processing fashion to implement a server function with respect to the operation of the processor of the one non-lighting-system device and to perform server communications with a client executing on the processor of the one non-lighting-system device.

6. The lighting system as in claim 1 , wherein
the data network is an optical fiber network.

7. The lighting system as in claim 1 , wherein:
each second communication interface comprises a radio-frequency wireless transceiver;
each short range, low power link comprises a radio-frequency wireless link;
each first communication interface comprises a radio-frequency wireless transceiver;
each link to the data network comprises a radio-frequency wireless link; and
the data network is a radio-frequency wireless network.

8. The lighting system as in claim 1 , wherein the at least two of the lighting devices are street light fixtures.

9. The lighting system as in claim 1 , wherein said plurality of the intelligent lighting system elements includes at least two intelligent lighting system elements of the plurality in each of a plurality of service areas of the premises configured to provide short range, low power wireless data communication links for use by non-lighting-system devices in each of the service areas of the premises.

10. A lighting device, comprising:
a first communication interface configured to enable communication via a link to a data network of a lighting system at a premises served by the lighting system;
a second communication interface configured to provide a small cell of wireless coverage via a short range, low power wireless data communication link, separate from the link to the data network, for use by a non-lighting-system device at the premises in range of the low power wireless data communication link of the lighting device; and
a processor configured to control communications via the communication interfaces to provide wireless access to the data network and to provide access through the data network to a wide area network outside the premises for non-lighting related communications of the non-lighting-system device using the low power of the wireless data communication link of the small cell;
wherein the low power of the wireless data communication link of the small cell is set sufficiently low so as to avoid undue interference with a short range wireless data communication link of a small cell provided by another lighting system element for use by non-lighting-system devices.

11. The lighting device as in claim 10 , wherein the second communication interface is configured to:
provide the short range, low power wireless data communication link in accordance with a wireless data communication standard; and
operate under the standard but at a power level that is 15% or less of a normal operating power level for a wireless network access point operated under the standard.

12. The lighting device as in claim 10 , wherein the first communication interface is configured to connect to an optical fiber as the link to the data network.

13. The lighting device as in claim 10 , wherein:
the first communication interface comprises a radio-frequency wireless transceiver; and
the second communication interface comprises a radio-frequency wireless transceiver.

14. The lighting device as in claim 13 , wherein the radio-frequency wireless transceiver of the second communication interface is a WiFi transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a Zigbee transceiver, or a pico or femto cell mobile wireless transceiver.

15. The lighting device as in claim 14 , wherein the radio-frequency wireless transceiver of the first communication interface is WiFi

Assignees

• Abl Ip Holding Llc

Inventors

• Aggarwal Januk
• Rogers Jason
• Rains Jr Jack C
• Ramer David P

Classifications

• H05B47/105

  in response to determined parameters · CPC title

• H04W4/70 Primary

  Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] · CPC title

• H05B47/18

  via data-bus transmission · CPC title

• H04L12/2803

  Home automation networks · CPC title

• H04W4/90

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title