Distributed fixture beacon management

• US 10,182,487 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2017
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Building Robotics, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Enlighted, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Mohan, Tanuj, Gordon, Gaile
• Primary Examiner(s): Taningco, Alexander H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bahr, Kurtis R
• Application Number:
  US15/405,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20170127495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 using handheld communication devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods, apparatuses and systems for a light fixture are disclosed. One apparatus of the light fixture includes a sensor unit and a light intensity controller. The sensor unit includes a sensor operative to generate a sense signal based on at least one of sensed motion or light, wireless communication circuitry operative to maintain a link with a network, and a controller. The controller is operative to manage communication with the network, manage reception of beacons through the wireless communication circuitry, wherein the beacons are received from an object, and the beacons include information associated with the object, and generate dimming control base on at least one of the sensed signal and communication from the network. The light intensity controller is configured to receive the dimming control and operative to adjust an emitted light intensity of a luminaire of the light fixture.

Claims

1. A fixture comprising:

a sensor unit, wherein the sensor unit is located at a fixed location, and

wherein the sensor unit comprises;

a plurality sensors, the plurality of sensors operative to generate a sense signals based on sensed motion and sensed light;

wireless communication circuitry, the wireless communication circuitry operative to maintain a wireless link with a network;

a controller, the controller operative to;

manage communication with the network, wherein the communication includes at least information of the sensed signals;

manage reception of beacons through the wireless communication circuitry, wherein the beacons are received from at least a mobile object, and at least some of the beacons include information associated with the mobile object, wherein the information associated with the mobile object includes at least a unique ID of the mobile object and a transmission power of the beacons, wherein managing the reception of the beacons further includes filtering the received beacons based on the unique ID;

determine a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the received beacons; and

estimate a distance between the fixture and the mobile object based on the RSSI of the received beacons and the transmission power of the beacons.

2. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the mobile object includes a remaining battery power of the mobile object.

3. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the mobile object includes sensed motion of the mobile object, and wherein the beacons are only transmitted by the mobile object if motion of the mobile object is sensed.

4. The fixture of claim 3, wherein the sensed motion includes sensed acceleration of the mobile object.

5. The fixture of claim 4, wherein the sensed acceleration includes a magnitude and direction of acceleration of the mobile object along one or more directions.

6. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the mobile object includes at least one of gyroscope data, magnetometer data, temperature data, air quality measurements.

7. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the fixture is operative to transmit wireless downlink beacons to the mobile object, wherein a different transmission protocol is used for the transmitted wireless downlink beacons to the mobile object than for the received beacons from the mobile object through the wireless communication circuitry, wherein the controller is further operative to estimate the distance between the fixture and the mobile object based on a received signal power of the downlink beacons received at the mobile object, and wherein at least one of the controller and another controller is operative to estimate a location of the mobile object based on the estimated distance.

8. The fixture of claim 7, wherein estimating the location of the mobile object is further based on sensed motion data within the beacons.

9. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the controller is further operative to sense motion, and wherein location of the mobile object is determined only after sensing the motion.

10. The fixture of claim 1, wherein a power level of transmission of the beacons from the mobile object is limited to below a threshold.

11. A fixture comprising:

a sensor unit, wherein the sensor unit is located at a fixed location, and wherein the sensor unit comprises;

a plurality sensors, the plurality of sensors operative to generate sense signals based on sensed motion and sensed light;

communication circuitry, the communication circuitry operative to maintain a link with a network;

a controller, the controller operative to;

manage communication with the network, wherein the communication includes at least information of the sensed signals;

manage reception of beacons through the wireless communication circuitry, wherein the beacons are received from a mobile object, and at least some of the beacons include information associated with the mobile object, wherein the information associated with the mobile object includes at least a unique ID of the mobile object and a transmission power of the beacons, wherein managing the reception of the beacons further includes filtering the received beacons based on the unique ID;

wherein the information associated with the mobile object includes sensed motion of the mobile object, wherein the sensed motion includes sensed acceleration of the mobile object, wherein the sensed acceleration includes a magnitude and direction of acceleration of the mobile object along one or more directions, and wherein

the controller is further operative to detect an orientation of the mobile object at rest and a direction and a magnitude of movement of the mobile object based on the magnitude and direction of the acceleration of the mobile object along one or more directions; and

wherein

the fixture is operative to;

determine a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the received beacons;

estimate a distance between the fixture and the mobile object based on the RSSI of the received beacons and the transmission power of the beacons;

determine a location of the mobile object based on the sensed signals and the the estimated distance between the fixture and the mobile object, and wherein the fixture operates to determine the location of the mobile object only when at least one of the sensors or the mobile device senses motion.

12. A method of operating a fixture comprising:

generating, by a sensor of the fixture, a sense signal based on sensed motion and sensed light;

maintaining a communications link between the fixture and a network;

managing communication with the network, wherein the communication includes at least information of the sensed signals;

managing manage reception of beacons through the wireless communication circuitry, wherein the beacons are received from a mobile object, and the beacons include information associated with the mobile object, and wherein the information associated with the mobile object includes at least a unique ID of the mobile object and a transmission power of the beacons, wherein managing the reception of the beacons further includes filtering the received beacons based on the unique ID;

determining a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the received beacons; and

estimating a distance between the fixture and the mobile object based on the RSSI of the received beacons and the transmission power of the beacons.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the information associated with the mobile object includes a remaining battery power of the mobile object.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the fixture is operative to determine a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the received beacons, and wherein the controller is operative to estimate a distance between the fixture and the mobile object based on the RSSI of the received beacons and the transmission power of the beacons.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the information associated with the mobile object includes sensed motion of the mobile object, wherein the sensed motion includes sensed acceleration of the mobile object.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting, by the by the fixture, wireless downlink beacons to the mobile object, wherein a different transmission protocol is used for the transmitted wireless downlink beacons to the mobile object than for the received beacons from the mobile object through the wireless communication circuitry, and further estimating the distance between the fixture and the mobile object based on a received signal power of the downlink beacons received at the mobile object, and estimating a location of the mobile object based on the estimated distance.