System and method for controlling lighting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017071050-A1
Application number	US-201615357922-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 21, 2016
Priority date	Mar 27, 2008
Publication date	Mar 9, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A controller for controlling lighting in a facility provided by a plurality of lighting fixtures configured for wireless communications, the controller includes a data communication interface and a control module. The data communications interface communicates with at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures. The control module is configured to provide a control signal to the data communications interface for communicating to the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures and for at least one of turning on and turning off the plurality of lighting fixtures according to an algorithm that generates the control signal based on a time of day and an occupancy within the facility. The control module is also configured to determine the occupancy within the facility based on a sensed condition relating to motion within the facility and a level of heat within the facility.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A controller for controlling lighting in a facility provided by a plurality of lighting fixtures configured for wireless communications, the controller comprising:
a data communications interface communicating with at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures; and a control module configured to provide a control signal to the data communications interface for communicating to the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures and for at least one of turning on and turning off the plurality of lighting fixtures according to an algorithm that generates the control signal based on a time of day and an occupancy within the facility, the control module configured to determine the occupancy within the facility based on a sensed condition relating to motion within the facility and a level of heat within the facility, wherein the control module is configured to compare the level of heat within the facility with a heat threshold associated with human occupation, and wherein the control module is further configured to quantify a reduction in power obtained by controlling the plurality of lighting fixtures according to the algorithm, and wherein the control module is configured to quantify the reduction in power by calculating the difference of (A) a first amount of power used by the lighting without control according to the algorithm with (B) a second amount of power used by the lighting as controlled by the algorithm.

2 . The controller of claim 1 , wherein the controller is a master controller for the plurality of lighting fixtures.

3 . The controller of claim 1 , further comprising:
a user interface for receiving programming inputs from a user and configured to provide the inputs to the control module.

4 . The controller of claim 3 , wherein the user interface allows the user to manually control the behavior of the lighting fixtures.

5 . The controller of claim 4 , wherein the user interface is configured to provide at least one user interface element for allowing the user to specify which of providing the control signal based on time of day and providing the control signal based on a sensed condition relating to use of the facility to use by the algorithm.

6 . The controller of claim 5 , wherein the user interface is configured to provide at least one user interface element for allowing the user to override the algorithm.

7 . The controller of claim 6 , wherein the user interface is configured to provide at least one user interface element for allowing the user to control at least a second group of lighting fixtures in addition to a first group of lighting fixtures formed by the plurality of lighting fixtures, and wherein the algorithm applied to the first group of lighting fixtures can also be applied to the second group of lighting fixtures.

8 . The controller of claim 7 , wherein the user interface element is at least one of a switch, a touch screen area, a button, and a hyperlink, and wherein the user may select a time duration for the override using the user interface.

9 . A method for controlling lighting in a facility provided by a plurality of lighting fixtures configured for wireless communications, the method comprising:
determining whether to provide a control signal to at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures according to an algorithm that generates the control signal based on a time of day and an occupancy within the facility; determining the occupancy within the facility based on a sensed condition relating to motion within the facility and a level of sound within the facility; comparing the level of sound within the facility with a sound threshold associated with human occupation; providing the control signal to a data communications interface for communication to the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures; and quantifying a reduction in power obtained by controlling the plurality of lighting fixtures according to the algorithm by calculating the difference of (A) a first amount of power used by the lighting without control according to the algorithm with (B) a second amount of power used by the lighting as controlled by the algorithm; and storing indicia of the reduction in power in a memory device, displaying indicia of the reduction in power on an electronic display, or storing indicia of the reduction in power in the memory device and displaying indicia of the reduction in power on the electronic display.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
providing the plurality of lighting fixtures; installing the plurality of lighting fixtures; and creating at least a first group of lighting fixtures and a second group of lighting fixtures from the plurality of lighting fixtures.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
providing a user interface configured to allow the configuration of the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures, wherein the configuration specifies which of control based on time of day and a sensed condition to use by the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
manually controlling the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures via the user interface.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
adjusting the composition of the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures via the user interface.

14 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
electrically coupling a first wireless transceiver to one of the plurality of lighting fixtures to configure the plurality of lighting fixtures for the wireless communications, wherein the wireless communications are bi-directional.

15 . A system for controlling lighting in a facility, the system comprising:
a plurality of lighting fixtures configured for wireless communications; a data communications interface communicating with at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures, wherein the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures communicates with at least a second of the plurality of lighting fixtures via wireless communications; and a control module configured to provide a control signal to the data communications interface for communicating to the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures and for at least one of turning on and turning off the plurality of lighting fixtures according to an algorithm that generates the control signal based on a time of day and an occupancy within the facility, the control module configured to determine the occupancy within the facility based on a sensed condition relating to motion within the facility and a level of at least one of heat and sound within the facility, wherein the control module is configured to compare the level of the at least one of heat and sound within the facility with at least one of a heat and sound threshold associated with human occupation, wherein the control module is further configured to quantify a reduction in power obtained by controlling the plurality of lighting fixtures according to the algorithm, and wherein the control module is configured to quantify the reduction in power by calculating the difference of (A) a first amount of power used by the lighting without control according to the algorithm with (B) a second amount of power used by the lighting as controlled by the algorithm.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein turning off the plurality of lighting fixtures comprises turning off the light emitting circuitry of the lighting device whi

Assignees

• Orion Energy Systems Inc

Inventors

• Potts Michael J
• Verfuerth Neal R
• Wang Jun
• Bartol Anthony J

Classifications

• H05B47/16 Primary

  by timing means · CPC title

• H05B47/105

  in response to determined parameters · CPC title

• H05B47/1965

  using handheld communication devices · CPC title

• H05B47/1985

  Creation of lighting zones or scenes · CPC title

• H05B37/0281

  Electricity · mapped topic