Networked lighting control system with dedicated keepalive normal power emergency protocol

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11601010-B2
Application number	US-202117385229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2021
Priority date	Jul 26, 2021
Publication date	Mar 7, 2023
Grant date	Mar 7, 2023

Abstract

A lighting control system includes a control group including a plurality of member devices which includes a power monitor and an emergency luminaire. The power monitor includes a power supply driven by a normal power source. The power monitor implements the following function. Transmit, via a wireless lighting control network, a normal power active message to the control group repeatedly at a predetermined time interval. The emergency luminaire includes an emergency light source to continuously emit illumination lighting during an emergency, and a power supply driven by an emergency power line. The emergency luminaire implements the following functions. Track an active message gap time. Reset the active message gap time after receiving the normal power active message. In response to the tracked active message gap time exceeding an active message timeout, enter an emergency mode active state by controlling the emergency light source to continuously emit the illumination lighting.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lighting control system comprising:
a lighting control group including a plurality of member devices, the member devices including a power monitor and an emergency luminaire wherein the power monitor includes:
a power monitor network communication interface system including at least one transceiver configured for communication via a lighting control network over a lighting control network communication channel for lighting control and systems operations;
a power monitor power supply driven by a normal power source;
a power monitor processor coupled to the power monitor network communication interface system;
a power monitor memory accessible to the power monitor processor; and
power monitor programming in the power monitor memory, wherein execution of the power monitor programming by the power monitor processor configures the power monitor to implement functions, including functions to:
transmit, via the lighting control network, a normal power active message to the lighting control group repeatedly at a predetermined time interval;

wherein the emergency luminaire includes:
an emergency luminaire network communication interface system including at least one transceiver configured for communication via the lighting control network over the lighting control network communication channel for lighting control and systems operations;
an emergency luminaire light source to continuously emit emergency illumination lighting during an emergency;
an emergency luminaire driver circuit coupled to the emergency luminaire light source to control light source operation of the emergency luminaire light source;
an emergency luminaire power supply driven by an emergency power line;
an emergency luminaire processor coupled to the emergency luminaire network communication interface system and the emergency luminaire driver circuit;
an emergency luminaire memory accessible to the emergency luminaire processor and including an active message gap time and an active message timeout; and
emergency luminaire programming in the emergency luminaire memory, wherein execution of the emergency luminaire programming by the emergency luminaire processor configures the emergency luminaire to implement functions, including functions to:
track the active message gap time;
in response to receiving the normal power active message from another member device before the tracked active message gap time exceeds the active message timeout, reset the active message gap time;
in response to the tracked active message gap time exceeding the active message timeout, enter an emergency mode (EM) active state by controlling the emergency luminaire light source, via the emergency luminaire driver circuit, to continuously emit the emergency illumination lighting.

2. The lighting control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the normal power active message is received, via the lighting control network, as a multicast normal power active packet or a broadcast normal power active packet; and
the other member device is the power monitor.

3. The lighting control system of claim 1 further comprising:
a normal power line, an emergency power source, and an emergency transfer switch; wherein:
the normal power source is coupled to the normal power line and the emergency transfer switch;
the emergency power source is coupled to the emergency transfer switch;
the emergency transfer switch is coupled to the emergency power line; and
the emergency transfer switch is configured to:
provide power from the normal power source to the emergency power line,
determine that the normal power source is interrupted such that power is no longer available via the normal power source, and
in response to determining that the normal power source is interrupted, provide power from the emergency power source to the emergency power line.

4. The lighting control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the power monitor further includes one or more capacitors with a stored capacitance;
execution of the power monitor programming by the power monitor processor further configures the power monitor to implement functions, including functions to:
determine that the normal power source is interrupted such that power is no longer available via the normal power source, and
in response to determining that the normal power source is interrupted, transmit a normal power override message; and

execution of the emergency luminaire programming by the emergency luminaire processor further configures the emergency luminaire to implement functions, including functions to:
in response to receiving the normal power override message from another member device, enter the EM active state by controlling the emergency luminaire light source, via the emergency luminaire driver circuit, to continuously emit the emergency illumination lighting, and

while the normal power source is interrupted, the power monitor is powered by the stored capacitance of the one or more capacitors.

5. The lighting control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the power monitor further includes a power monitor emergency power supply driven by the emergency power line;
execution of the power monitor programming by the power monitor processor further configures the power monitor to implement functions, including functions to:
determine that the normal power source is interrupted such that power is no longer available via the normal power source, and
in response to determining that the normal power source is interrupted, transmit a normal power override message; and

execution of the emergency luminaire programming by the emergency luminaire processor further configures the emergency luminaire to implement functions, including functions to:
in response to receiving the normal power override message from another member device, enter the EM active state by controlling the emergency luminaire light source, via the emergency luminaire driver circuit, to continuously emit the emergency illumination lighting.

6. The lighting control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the normal power source is coupled to an emergency transfer switch by a main distribution line;
the emergency power line is coupled to the emergency transfer switch; and
the power monitor power supply is coupled to the main distribution line.

7. The lighting control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the emergency luminaire memory further includes an intermediary message gap time and an intermediary message timeout; and
execution of the emergency luminaire programming by the emergency luminaire processor further configures the emergency luminaire to implement functions, including functions to:
track the intermediary message gap time;
in response to receiving the normal power active message from another member device before the tracked intermediary message gap time exceeds the intermediary message timeout, reset the intermediary message gap time;
in response to the tracked intermediary message gap time exceeding the intermediary message timeout, transmit, via the lighting control network, a normal power query message to the lighting control group;
in response to receiving the normal power query message from another member device, determine whether the emergency luminaire has entered the EM active state;
in response to determining that the emergency luminaire has entered the EM active state, transmit, via the lighting control network, a normal power override message to the lighting control group;
in response to determining that the emergency luminaire has not entered the EM active state, transmit, via the lighting control network, the normal power active message to the lighting control group; and
in response to receiving the normal power override message from another member device, enter

Assignees

• Abl Ip Holding Llc

Inventors

• Zaveruha Ryan A
• Westrick Jr Richard L

Classifications

• H02J13/1335

  involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi®, ZigBee® or Bluetooth® · CPC title

• H02J9/02 Primary

  in which an auxiliary distribution system and its associated lamps are brought into service · CPC title

• H02J13/00026

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02B20/40

  Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection · CPC title