Apparatus and method of energy efficient illumination using received signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9713228-B2
Application number	US-201414557275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2014
Priority date	Apr 12, 2011
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

Illumination sources are turned ON and turned OFF in response to detected levels of illumination in an ambient environment reaching respective thresholds, which may be user set. The detection of these turn ON and turn OFF events is verified, for instance against expected events or conditions for the particular location, date and/or time. An alert or log entry may be generated if a detected event or condition appears to be invalid. For instance, if an amount of illumination in the environment is different than predicted by a threshold amount or if a time that the event occurs or is detected is different than expected or predicted by more than a threshold amount. A level of illumination may be decreased to some non-zero level after a specified time after turn ON, and increased at some specified time before turn OFF. Use of information from external sources (e.g., satellites, cell towers) may allow times to be using local time, including daylight savings if applicable.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method of operating an illumination system including at least one light source and at least one controller, the method comprising:
detecting a level of light in an ambient environment;
comparing by the at least one controller the detected level of light in the ambient environment to a first threshold;
validating by the at least one controller a result of the comparison of the detected level of light in the ambient environment to the first threshold with respect to at least one expected condition, the at least one expected condition comprising an expected level of light for at least one of a current location, a current date or a current time; and
adjusting by the at least one controller an output of the at least one light source when both the detected level of light in the ambient environment at least satisfies the first threshold and the result of the comparison is valid with respect to the at least one expected condition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein validating a result of the comparison of the detected level of light in the ambient environment to the first threshold with respect to at least one expected condition includes: comparing by the at least one controller an actual time at which the detected level of light satisfied the first threshold to an expected time when the level of light is predicted to satisfy the first threshold for at least one of a current location or a current date; determining that the result of the comparison is valid when the actual time at which the detected level of light satisfied the first threshold is within a second threshold of the expected time when the level of light is predicted to satisfy the first threshold for the at least one of the current location or the current date; or determining that the result of the comparison is invalid when the actual time at which the detected level of light satisfied the first threshold is not within the second threshold of the expected time when the level of light is predicted to satisfy the first threshold for the at least one of the current location or the current date.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein validating a result of the comparison of the detected level of light in the ambient environment to the first threshold with respect to at least one expected condition includes: comparing by the at least one controller the detected level of light in the ambient environment to an expected level of light for at least one of a current location, a current date or a current time; determining that the result of the comparison is valid when the detected level of light in the ambient environment is within a second threshold of the expected level of light for the at least one of the current location, the current date or the current time; or determining that the result of the comparison is invalid when the detected level of light in the ambient environment is not within the second threshold of the expected level of light for the at least one of the current location, the current date or the current time.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein comparing the detected level of light in the ambient environment to an expected level of light for at least one of a current time or a current location includes comparing the detected level of light to a value indicative of the expected level of light for the current time at the current location.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting a level of light in an ambient environment includes continuously receiving a signal at the at least one controller from an ambient light sensor which is part of the illumination system, the signal indicative of the level of light in the ambient environment.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a location signal at the at least one controller indicative of the current location; and
determining by the at least one controller at least one of an excepted level of light or an expected time at which the level of light is predicted to satisfy the first threshold based on the current location identified by the location signal.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving a time signal at the at least one controller indicative of the current time.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving a location signal indicative of the current location includes receiving the location signal from a global positioning system receiver.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving a location signal indicative of the current location includes receiving the signal from at least one cellular communications system receiver.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting an output of the at least one light source when both the detected level of light in the ambient environment at least satisfies the first threshold and the result of the comparison is valid with respect to the at least one expected condition includes turning the at least one light source ON when both the detected level of light in the ambient environment is equal or less than a turn ON threshold and an actual time at which the detected level of light satisfied the first threshold is within a second threshold of the expected time when the level of light is predicted to satisfy the first threshold for the at least one of the current location or the current date.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting an output of the at least one light source when both the detected level of light in the ambient environment at least satisfies the first threshold and the result of the comparison is valid with respect to the at least one expected condition includes turning the at least one light source ON when both the detected level of light in the ambient environment is equal or less than a turn ON threshold and the detected level of light in the ambient environment is within the second threshold of the expected level of light for the current time at the current location.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting an output of the at least one light source when both the detected level of light in the ambient environment at least satisfies the first threshold and the result of the comparison is valid with respect to the at least one expected condition includes turning the at least one light source OFF when both the detected level of light in the ambient environment is equal or greater than a turn OFF threshold and an actual time at which the detected level of light satisfied the first threshold is within a second threshold of the expected time when the level of light is predicted to satisfy the first threshold for the at least one of the current location or the current date.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting an output of the at least one light source when both the detected level of light in the ambient environment at least satisfies the first threshold and the result of the comparison is valid with respect to the at least one expected condition includes turning the at least one light source OFF when both the detected level of light in the ambient environment is equal or greater than a turn OFF threshold and the detected level of light in the ambient environment is within the second threshold of the expected level of light for the current time at the current location.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
reducing the output of the at least one light source to a non-zero level when a first real time in a daily cycle is reached.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
detecting motion at least proximate an area being illuminated; and
in response to the detecting motion, temporally increasing the output of the at least one light source.

16. The method of claim 15 , further co

Assignees

• Express Imaging Systems Llc

Inventors

• Reed William G

Classifications

• H05B47/105

  in response to determined parameters · CPC title

• H05B47/16

  by timing means · CPC title

• H05B47/11 Primary

  by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light · CPC title

• H05B47/196

  characterised by user interface arrangements · CPC title

• H05B47/19

  via wireless transmission · CPC title