Voice communication between lamp and remote device plus lighting control via remote device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11606852-B2
Application number	US-202016921800-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2020
Priority date	Jul 4, 2019
Publication date	Mar 14, 2023
Grant date	Mar 14, 2023

Abstract

A control device, lighting device including the control device, a lighting system and a method for controlling the lighting device are provided. In embodiments, the control device may comprise a communication unit and a controller. The communication unit may be operable to communicatively connect with a remote controller via a first wireless network and operable to communicatively connect with at least one mobile device via a second wireless network. The controller may be coupled to the communication unit and the lighting device, and configured to control the lighting device based on at least one signal of those received by the communication unit from the remote controller and the at least one mobile device. The first wireless network and the second wireless network operate at different bands. The lighting system may include the lighting device and the remote controller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device of a lighting device for controlling a component of the lighting device, the control device comprising:
a communication unit operable to communicatively connect with a remote controller via a first wireless network and operable to communicatively connect directly with a mobile device via a second wireless network; and
a controller coupled to the communication unit and the component of the lighting device, and configured to control a component of the lighting device based on a signal received by the communication unit from the remote controller and the mobile device,
wherein the component of the lighting device comprises at least one of a lighting unit, a microphone, and a speaker,
wherein the control device is housed within the lighting device along with the lighting unit, the microphone, and the speaker, and
wherein the first wireless network and the second wireless network operate at different bandwidths.

2. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust a volume of the speaker of the lighting device in response to a signal from the remote controller.

3. The control device of claim 2 , wherein the microphone is configured to acquire a first audio and the controller is further configured to control the communication unit to:
transmit the first audio to the remote controller via the first wireless network;
receive a second audio from the remote controller via the first wireless network; and
receive a third audio from the mobile device via the second wireless network.

4. The control device of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the speaker to output the second audio from the remote controller in response to a signal from the remote controller or to output the third audio from the mobile device in response to a signal from the mobile device.

5. The control device of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the lighting device to operate in different modes including a deep dim mode with a first brightness level, a dim mode with a second brightness level and a lighting mode with a third brightness level, in response to a signal from the remote controller,
wherein in the lighting mode, the microphone and the speaker are both activated, and
wherein the second brightness level is higher than the first brightness level, and the third brightness level is higher than the second brightness level.

6. The control device of claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the lighting device to switch to the dim mode in response to an acquisition of the first audio by the microphone when operating in the deep dim mode.

7. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless network operates at a bandwidth less than 1 GHz and the second wireless network operates at a bandwidth of 2.4 GHz.

8. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the communication unit is further configured to automatically search the remote controller and to establish a communicative connection with the remote controller via the first wireless network when the remote controller is found.

9. The control device of claim 8 , wherein the lighting device further comprises a remote controller pairing trigger for establishing the communicative connection with the remote controller via the first wireless network when the automatic communicative connection fails.

10. The control device of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to interrupt the output of the third audio via the speaker in response to an acquisition of the second audio from the remote controller via the first wireless network and to control the speaker to output the received second audio.

11. The control device of claim 3 , wherein the communication unit is operable to communicatively connect with a plurality of the mobile devices via the second wireless network; and
the controller is further configured to control the speaker to output the last third audio from one of the plurality of the mobile devices.

12. A remote controller for communicating with a lighting device, the remote controller comprising:
a communication unit configured to communicatively connect with the lighting device;
a speaker of the remote controller configured to output a first audio; and
a microphone of the remote controller configured to acquire a second audio, and
the lighting device comprises a communication unit operable to communicatively connect with the remote controller via a first wireless network and operable to communicatively connect directly with a mobile device via a second wireless network; and a controller coupled to the communication unit and a component of the lighting device, and configured to control a component of the lighting device based on a signal received by the communication unit from the remote controller and the mobile device,
wherein the component of the lighting device comprises at least one of a lighting unit, a microphone of the lighting device, and a speaker of the lighting device,
wherein the communication unit and the controller of the lighting device is part of a control device housed within the lighting device along with the lighting unit, the microphone of the lighting device, and the speaker of the lighting device,
wherein the first wireless network and the second wireless network operate at different bandwidths,
wherein the communication unit of the remote controller is configured to transmit the second audio to the lighting device, and
wherein the first audio is generated by the microphone of the lighting device.

13. The remote controller of claim 12 , wherein the first wireless network operates at a bandwidth less than 1 GHz and the second wireless network operates at a bandwidth of 2.4 GHz.

14. The remote controller of claim 12 , wherein the communication unit of the remote controller is further configured to automatically search the lighting device and establish a communicative connection with the lighting device when the lighting device is found.

15. The remote controller of claim 14 , wherein the remote controller is further configured to deactivate the automatic communicative connection when more than one lighting device is found by the communication unit of the remote controller.

16. The remote controller of claim 15 , wherein the remote controller further comprises:
a pairing trigger configured to establish the communicative connection with the lighting device when the automatic communicative connection is deactivated;
a volume adjuster configured to adjust the volume of the speaker of the remote controller;
a voicing trigger configured to turn on the microphone of the remote controller to acquire the second audio and transmit it to the lighting device;
a connection status indicator configured to indicate a status of the communicative connection with the lighting device; and
a power state indicator configured to indicate a power status of the remote controller.

17. The remote controller of claim 16 , wherein the connection status indicator is further configured to flash when the communicative connection with the lighting device is disconnected.

18. The remote controller of claim 12 , wherein the remote controller further comprises a mode switching trigger configured to transmit a mode switching signal to the lighting device.

19. A control device of a lighting device,
the lighting device comprises:
a lighting unit;
a microphone configured to acquire a first audio;
a speaker; and

a control device comprising:

Assignees

• Consumer Lighting Us Llc
• Savant Tech Llc

Inventors

• Guo Guangting
• Xiao Kun
• Sommers Mathew
• Qian Xin
• Liu Chengbin
• Hong Chunfeng
• Bhandari Abhinav

Classifications

• H05B47/1965

  using handheld communication devices · CPC title

• H05B47/197

  Sound control or voice control · CPC title

• H05B47/19

  via wireless transmission · CPC title

• Y02B20/40

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

• G06F3/165 Primary

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title