Wireless lighting control system

• US 10,021,770 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2017
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Inventors: Turvy, Jr., Larry D., Scrimgeour, John W., Fultz, Tyler B., Roquemore, III, John Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fernandez, Pedro C
• Application Number:
  US15/715,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20180027636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 287 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/44 Star or tree networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 using handheld communication devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/199 Commissioning of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A networked lighting control system includes a variety of lighting control devices, including intelligent luminaires, standalone intelligent control nodes, plug load controllers, and power packs that communicate over a wireless control network and a commissioning network. Each lighting control device includes a dual-band wireless radio communication interface system. The dual-band wireless radio communication interface system is configured for unicast and multicast communication over a first of two different wireless communication bands as well as point-to-point communication over a second wireless communication band. The standalone intelligence control node can be a wall switch or detector. Commissioning and provisioning of the lighting control system is performed over the second communication band via communications with a mobile device and lighting controls are carried out over the first communication band. The lighting control devices may be divided into light control groups or zones.

Claims

1. A lighting system, comprising:

luminaires, each respective one of the luminaires comprising;

(a) a light source;

(b) a driver circuit coupled to the light source;

(c) a processor coupled to the driver circuit and configured to control light source operation via the driver;

(d) a dual-band wireless radio communication interface system configured for wireless communication;

(i) via a lighting control network, over a first of two different wireless communication bands, of light source control operations over the first wireless communication band; and

(ii) via a commissioning network with a mobile commissioning device, over a second of the two different wireless communication bands, of commissioning, configuration, or maintenance operations for the respective luminaire;

(e) a memory accessible to the processor; and

(f) programming in the memory which configures the processor to control operations of the respective luminaire, including the communications over the two different wireless communication bands via the dual-band wireless radio communication interface system;

a control node, comprising;

(a) a switch or a detector;

(b) a sense circuit responsive to the switch or the detector to generate a sensing signal;

(c) a processor coupled to the sense circuit and configured to receive and respond to the sensing signal;

(d) a dual-band wireless radio communication interface system configured for wireless communication;

(i) via the control network, over the first of two different wireless communication bands, of light source control operations over the first wireless communication band; and

(ii) via the commissioning network with the mobile commissioning device, over the second of two different wireless communication bands, of commissioning, configuration, or maintenance operations for the control node;

(e) a memory accessible to the processor of the control node; and

(f) programming in the memory which configures the processor of the control node to transmit information based on the sensing signal for the light source control operations over the first of the two different wireless communication bands via the dual-band wireless radio communication interface system;

wherein each dual-band wireless radio communication interface system comprises;

a sub-gigahertz band radio transceiver for the wireless communications over the first band; and

a two gigahertz or higher band radio transceiver for the wireless communications over the second band.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein one of the luminaires is a monitor of a lighting control group having a plurality of lighting control devices that are connected together over the first communication band.

3. The lighting system of claim 2, wherein the lighting control group is subdivided into a plurality of control zones.

4. The lighting system of claim 2, wherein the lighting control group is defined by a radio frequency (RF) channel.

5. The lighting system of claim 4, wherein the one of the luminaires subscribes to a multicast group as identified by a lighting control group identifier and reacts to messages on the RF channel of the lighting control group.

6. The lighting system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of lighting control devices include a plug load controller, a power pack, a switch, or a detector.

7. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the respective luminaire includes:

a detector; and

wherein the processor of the respective luminaire detects a state change of the detector via drive/sense circuitry and then sends a wireless message for control network operation to a lighting control group monitor of a lighting control group indicating the detector state change.

8. The lighting system of claim 7, wherein the detector is an in-fixture daylight sensor, an occupancy sensor, an audio sensor, or a temperature sensor.

9. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the lighting control network is defined as a star topology network having a lighting control group monitor at a center of a lighting control group comprised of lighting control devices.

10. The lighting system of claim 9, wherein the lighting control group monitor receives control events from one of the lighting control devices in the lighting control group and sends the control events to other members of the lighting control group over the first communication band.

11. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the communication of the plurality of luminaires over the first wireless communication band together implement a non-mesh wireless network topology.

12. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the programming of each respective one of the luminaires includes a real time operating system (RTOS) for control or communication operations of the respective luminaire.

13. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the mobile commissioning device is a tablet computer, a smartphone, or a personal digital assistant.

14. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the control node is the detector and the detector is an in-fixture daylight sensor, an occupancy sensor, an audio sensor, or a temperature sensor.

15. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the communication of the plurality of luminaires and the control node over the first wireless communication band together implement a non-mesh wireless network topology.

16. The lighting system of claim 1, further comprising:

a lighting control device, comprising;

(a) a second sense circuit responsive to a second switch or a second detector to generate a sensing signal;

(b) a second processor coupled to the second sense circuit and configured to receive and respond to the second sensing signal;

(c) a second dual-band wireless radio communication interface system configured for wireless communication;

(i) via the control network, over the first of two different wireless communication bands, of light source control operations over the first wireless communication band; and

(ii) via the commissioning network with the mobile commissioning device, over the second of two different wireless communication bands, of commissioning, configuration, or maintenance information for the lighting control device;

(e) a second memory accessible to the processor of the lighting control device; and

(f) programming in the memory which configures the second processor of the lighting control device to transmit information based on the second sensing signal for the light source control operations over the first of the two different wireless communication bands via the dual-band wireless radio communication interface system.

17. The lighting system of claim 16, wherein the lighting control device is a plug load controller, a power pack, a switch, or a detector.