System for landscape lighting customization and communication

• US 10,178,747 B1
• Filed: 01/17/2018
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chien Luen Industries Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Chien Luen Industries Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Rivera, Eliezer, Portorreal, Ronald R., Zauhar, Zachary, Bucher, Charles E., Lowe, Tien S.
• Primary Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US15/873,113
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 10/02 changing colors F21S10/002 - F21S10/007, F21S10/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/109 of gardens
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Systems, devices and methods for providing a controller to be wired between a transformer and zones of landscape lights to provide power to and for turning on and off different landscape lights, creating and deleting landscape light zones based on a schedule loaded onto the controller by a wireless communication from a portable digital device, such as a smart phone having a landscape scheduling App thereon. Additional embodiments include wireless receivers in the landscape lights which allow for the portable digital device to remotely change colors of the landscape lights. Additional embodiments for controlling other accessories used in landscapes such as but not limited to sprinkler systems, speakers, and the like.

Claims

1. A communication system for controlling landscape lights, comprising:

a transformer connected to a power source;

a plurality of landscape lights mounted at different locations being powered through the transformer; and

a computer controller wired between the transformer and the plurality of landscape lights, the controller for providing power to and for controlling operation of each of the landscape lights, the computer controller having a wireless receiver for receiving a schedule transmitted from a remote digital device, wherein the plurality of landscape lights includes a plurality of separate zones of landscape lights, each zone having at least one landscape light, and all of the zones are hardwired in series with the power source, and each zone is separately hardwired in parallel with the computer controller.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the power source includes 120 volt power supply, and the transformer converts the 120 volt power supply to a 12 volt power.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the schedule provides times for turning on and off the landscape lights.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the schedule provides times for turning on and off the landscape lights.

5. The communication system of claim 4, wherein the schedule further provides scheduling times for adding a new zone having at least one landscape light to the plurality of zones and for deleting at least one of the plurality of zones.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes:

a wireless receiver antenna.

7. The communication system of claim 6, wherein the controller further includes:

a real time clock for running the schedule.

8. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the controller further includes:

a battery power supply to hold the settings in the real-time clock.

9. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes;

a plurality of terminals for a plurality of zones.

10. The communication system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of terminals includes four terminals and the plurality of zones includes four zones.

11. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the remote digital device is selected from at least one of a smart phone, a tablet and a laptop computer.

12. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the remote digital device includes:

an App downloaded onto the remote digital device for determining the schedule for operation of the landscape lights.

13. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the operation includes

changing colors of each of the landscape lights.

14. The communication system of claim 13, wherein each of the landscape lights includes:

a wireless receiver for receiving color changing instructions from the remote digital device for scheduling changes in the colors of each of the landscape lights.

15. The communication system of claim 14, wherein each of the landscape lights includes:

light emitting diodes (LEDs).

16. A communication system for controlling landscape lights, comprising:

a transformer in combination with a computer controller hardwired to a power supply, the transformer combined with the computer controller having a wireless receiver for receiving a schedule transmitted from a remote digital device; and

a plurality of landscape lights mounted at different locations being powered through the combined transformer and controller, wherein the transformer combined with the controller is useful for controlling operation of each of the landscape lights, the plurality of landscape lights includes a plurality of zones, each zone having at least one landscape light, the combined transformer and controller controls activating and deactivating individual landscape lights and individual zones, and all of the zones are hardwired in series with the power source, and each zone is separately hardwired in parallel with the computer controller.