Handheld device for merging groups of lighting fixtures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9723673-B2
Application number	US-201414498197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2014
Priority date	Jul 1, 2012
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A handheld device for merging groups of lighting fixtures is disclosed. The handheld device includes a communication interface configured to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of lighting fixtures and control circuitry. In one embodiment, the control circuitry is configured to effect selection of a first lighting fixture or a first switch module that is grouped with a first group of lighting fixtures via the communication interface; identify the first group of lighting fixtures; effect selection of a device-to-be-added that is not initially associated with the first group of lighting fixtures via the communication interface; determine a new group by adding the device-to-be-added to the first group of lighting fixtures; create group assignment information for the new group; and send the group assignment information to each of the first group of lighting fixtures and the device-to-be-added of the new group via the communication interface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A handheld device for merging groups of lighting fixtures comprising:
a communication interface configured to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of lighting fixtures; and
circuitry configured to:
effect selection of a first lighting fixture or a first switch module that is grouped with a first group of lighting fixtures via the communication interface;
identify the first group of lighting fixtures;
effect selection of a device-to-be-added that is not initially associated with the first group of lighting fixtures via the communication interface;
determine a new group by adding the device-to-be-added to the first group of lighting fixtures;
create group assignment information for the new group; and
send the group assignment information to each of the first group of lighting fixtures and the device-to-be-added of the new group via the communication interface, wherein the group assignment information is wirelessly transmitted directly to either one or more lighting fixtures of the first group of lighting fixtures and the device-to-be-added.

2. The handheld device of claim 1 wherein the device-to-be-added is a second lighting fixture.

3. The handheld device of claim 2 wherein the circuitry is further configured to, upon selecting the second lighting fixture, instruct the second lighting fixture via the communication interface to change its light output to provide human perceptible feedback indicative of being selected.

4. The handheld device of claim 1 wherein the device-to-be-added is a second switch module.

5. The handheld device of claim 4 wherein the circuitry is further configured to, upon selecting the second switch module, instruct the second switch module via the communication interface to provide human perceptible feedback indicative of being selected.

6. The handheld device of claim 1 wherein to effect selection of the first lighting fixture or the first switch module, the circuitry effects selection of the first lighting fixture.

7. The handheld device of claim 1 further comprising a light source, and wherein to select the first lighting fixture, the circuitry is further configured to:
provide a light signal via the light source;
receive light level information from the plurality of lighting fixtures via the communication interface, wherein the light level information for a given lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures relates to a light level at which the light signal was received at the given lighting fixture; and
select a selected lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures based on the light level information, wherein the selected lighting fixture is the first lighting fixture.

8. The handheld device of claim 1 wherein the circuitry is further configured to, upon selection of the first lighting fixture, instruct the first group of lighting fixtures to change its light output to provide human perceptible feedback indicative of being selected.

9. The handheld device of claim 1 wherein to effect selection of the first lighting fixture or the first switch module, the circuitry effects selection of the first switch module.

10. The handheld device of claim 1 wherein the circuitry is further configured to, upon selection of the first switch module, instruct the first group of lighting fixtures to change its light output to provide human perceptible feedback indicative of being selected.

11. The handheld device of claim 1 wherein the new group is a control group.

12. The handheld device of claim 1 wherein the new group is an occupancy group.

13. A handheld device for merging groups of lighting fixtures comprising:
a communication interface configured to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of lighting fixtures; and
circuitry configured to:
effect selection of a first lighting fixture in a first group of lighting fixtures via the communication interface;
effect selection of a second lighting fixture in a second group of lighting fixtures via the communication interface;
identify the first group of lighting fixtures based on information from the first lighting fixture and the second group of lighting fixtures based on information from the second lighting fixture;
determine a new group for the first group and the second group wherein the new group includes the lighting fixtures of both the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures;
create group assignment information for the new group; and
send the group assignment information to each of the lighting fixtures of the new group via the communication interface, wherein the group assignment information is wirelessly transmitted directly to either one or more lighting fixtures of the first group of lighting fixtures and one or more lighting fixtures of the second group of lighting fixtures.

14. The handheld device of claim 13 wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
upon selection of the first lighting fixture, instruct the first group of lighting fixtures to change its light output to provide human perceptible feedback indicative of being selected; and
upon selection of the second lighting fixture, instruct the second group of lighting fixtures to change its light output to provide human perceptible feedback indicative of being selected.

15. The handheld device of claim 14 wherein after the group assignment information is sent to each of the lighting fixtures of the new group, the circuitry is further configured to instruct each of the lighting fixtures of the new group to change its light output to provide human perceptible feedback indicative of the first group and second group being merged to form the new group.

16. The handheld device of claim 13 wherein the circuitry is further configured to send default settings to the lighting fixtures of the new group via the communication interface, the default settings defining at least one control parameter for the lighting fixtures of the new group.

17. The handheld device of claim 13 further comprising a light source, and wherein to select the first lighting fixture, the circuitry is further configured to:
provide a light signal via the light source;
receive light level information from a plurality of lighting fixtures via the communication interface, wherein the light level information for a given lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures relates to a light level at which the light signal was received at the given lighting fixture; and
select a selected lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures based on the light level information, wherein the selected lighting fixture is the first lighting fixture.

18. The handheld device of claim 17 wherein the circuitry is further configured to send via the communication interface an instruction that is intended to instruct the plurality of lighting fixtures to begin monitoring for the light signal.

19. The handheld device of claim 17 further comprising a user interface wherein the circuitry is further configured to provide an indication via the user interface to a user once the selected lighting fixture is selected.

20. The handheld device of claim 17 further comprising a user interface wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive an input from a user via the user interface, and in response to receiving the input, provide the light signal.

21. The handheld device of claim 17 wherein to select the selected lighting fixture, the circuitry is further configured to compare the light level

Assignees

• Cree Inc

Inventors

• Carrigan Brian
• Trainor John J
• Chobot Joseph P
• Deese Matthew
• Bryan Keith

Classifications

• H10W74/00

  Encapsulations, e.g. protective coatings · CPC title

• H10W72/884

  Die-attach connectors and bond wires · CPC title

• H05B47/11 Primary

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

• H05B45/20

  Controlling the colour of the light · CPC title

• H05B47/18

  via data-bus transmission · CPC title