Power receptacle control circuitry

• US 10,225,915 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2018
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harris, Michael James
• Primary Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US15/928,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20180317306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/62 using mixing chambers, e.g. housings with reflective walls
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/026 intended to be recessed in a ceiling or like overhead structure, e.g. suspended ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/00 Reflectors for light sources characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/505
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3725 Switched mode power supply [SMPS]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Power receptacle control circuitry includes load switching circuitry, communications circuitry, sensor circuitry, processing circuitry, and a memory. The sensor circuitry includes a light sensor. The processing circuitry is coupled to the load switching circuitry, the communications circuitry, the sensor circuitry, and the memory. The memory includes instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to selectively deliver power to a load via the load switching circuitry, detect a modulated light signal via the light sensor, and join a group of devices based on the modulated light signal.

Claims

1. Power receptacle control circuitry comprising:

load switching circuitry;

communications circuitry;

sensor circuitry comprising a light sensor;

processing circuitry coupled to the load switching circuitry, the communications circuitry, and the sensor circuitry; and

a memory coupled to the processing circuitry, the memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to;

selectively deliver power to a load via the load switching circuitry;

detect a modulated light signal via the light sensor; and

join a group of devices based on the modulated light signal.

2. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 1 wherein the memory stores further instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to:

receive data via the communications circuitry indicating a sender of the modulated light signal; and

join the group of devices, which includes the sender, based on the modulated light signal.

3. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 2 wherein:

the sender is a lighting fixture; and

the data received via the communications circuitry indicating the sender of the modulated light signal is provided by the lighting fixture.

4. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

the modulated light signal is provided by a lighting fixture; and

the group of devices includes the lighting fixture.

5. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 1 wherein the memory stores further instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to:

detect a plurality of modulated light signals via the light sensor, each of the plurality of modulated light signals provided by a different one of a plurality of lighting fixtures;

determine a light intensity of each one of the modulated light signals; and

join the group of devices including at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures based on the light intensity of each one of the modulated light signals.

6. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 1 wherein the load switching circuitry is further configured to provide a contact closure output, wherein a state of the contact closure output is synchronized with the selective delivery of power to the load.

7. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 1 wherein the memory includes further instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to:

receive data from the group of devices via the communications circuitry; and

selectively deliver power to the load based at least in part on the data received from the group of devices.

8. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 7 wherein the data received from the group of devices includes one or more of:

sensor data collected from one or more sensors associated with the group of devices; and

commands provided from the group of devices.

9. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 7 wherein:

the sensor circuitry further comprises an occupancy sensor, which is configured to detect a presence of humans in an environment surrounding the power receptacle control circuitry; and

the memory includes further instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to selectively deliver power to the load based at least in part on an occupancy state detected by the occupancy sensor and the data received from the group of devices.

10. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 9 wherein the data received from the group of devices includes one or more of:

sensor data collected from one or more sensors associated with the group of devices; and

commands provided from the group of devices.

11. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 1 wherein the memory includes further instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to:

analyze power consumption characteristics of the load; and

classify the load based on the analysis of the power consumption characteristics thereof.

12. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 11 wherein the memory includes further instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to change one or more operating parameters thereof based on a classification of the load.

13. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 12 wherein the memory includes further instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to:

detect restoration of power following a power outage; and

selectively deliver power to the load based on a power outage protocol associated with the power receptacle control circuitry.

14. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 13 wherein the one or more operating parameters include the power outage protocol associated with the power receptacle control circuitry.

15. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 1 wherein the memory includes further instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to:

detect restoration of power following a power outage; and

selectively deliver power to the load based on a power outage protocol associated with the power receptacle control circuitry.

16. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

the group of devices includes a wall control; and

the memory includes further instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to;

receive data from the wall control via the communications circuitry, the data describing user input to the wall control; and

selectively deliver power to the load based at least in part on the data received from the wall control.

17. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 16 wherein:

the sensor circuitry further comprises an occupancy sensor, which is configured to detect a presence of humans in an environment surrounding the power receptacle control circuitry; and

the memory includes further instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to;

provide power to the load based at least in part on the data received from the wall controller; and

cut power to the load based at least in part on an occupancy state detected by the occupancy sensor.

18. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 1 wherein the memory includes further instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuitry cause the power receptacle control circuitry to transmit sensor data from the sensor circuitry to the group of devices.

19. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 18 wherein the sensor circuitry further comprises one or more of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an air quality sensor, an image sensor, a Hall effect sensor, a position sensor, and a location sensor.

20. The power receptacle control circuitry of claim 1 wherein the sensor circuitry further comprises one or more of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an air quality sensor, an image sensor, a Hall effect sensor, a position sensor, and a location sensor.