Integrated digital lighting controller

• US 10,448,484 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Yan, Marques, Antonio, Downs, Steven E., Liu, Bo, Dang, Luy V., Padgett, Queen
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Monica C
• Application Number:
  US16/156,016
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/061 for DC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/20 Responsive to malfunctions or to light source life; for protection
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/28 Circuit arrangements for protecting against abnormal temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A luminaire includes: at least one digital sensor; an illumination element; a main power supply including driver functions configured to provide power to the illumination element; and an integrated digital lighting controller in communication with the main power supply and the at least one digital sensor. The integrated digital lighting controller configured to: receive digital signals corresponding to a sensed parameter from the at least one digital sensor; determine a lighting characteristic for the illumination element based at least in part on the digital signals from the at least one digital sensor; and generate one or more control signals to the main power supply to control the driver functions to provide power to the illumination element to produce the determined lighting characteristic.

Claims

1. A luminaire, comprising:

at least one digital sensor;

an illumination element;

a main power supply disposed within a housing of the luminaire, the main power supply including driver functions configured to provide power to the illumination element; and

an integrated digital lighting controller disposed within the housing of the luminaire and comprising a digital communications bus, the integrated digital lighting controller in communication with the main power supply and the at least one digital sensor, the integrated digital lighting controller configured to;

receive lighting control signals according to a lighting control protocol;

receive, via the digital communications bus, digital signals corresponding to a sensed parameter from the at least one digital sensor in communication with a digital peripheral interface;

determine a lighting characteristic for the illumination element based at least in part on the digital signals from the at least one digital sensor and the lighting control signals; and

generate one or more control signals to the main power supply to control the driver functions to provide power to the illumination element to produce the determined lighting characteristic.

2. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the digital peripheral interface is configured to provide mechanical and electrical coupling of the at least one digital sensor to the integrated digital lighting controller via an electrical connector disposed on the integrated digital lighting controller and a mating electrical connector disposed on the at least one digital sensor, and

wherein the digital peripheral interface is configured to communicate with a processor of the integrated digital lighting controller via a digital communications bus.

3. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the digital peripheral interface is configured to provide power to the at least one digital sensor, and

communicate with the at least one digital sensor via LEDcode protocol.

4. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the at least one digital sensor is one of a gas sensor, a daylight sensor, an occupancy sensor, and a proximity sensor.

5. The luminaire of claim 1, further comprising a wireless communications module, wherein configuration settings for the at least one digital sensor are received from a remote device via the wireless communications module.

6. The luminaire of claim 1, further comprising a wireless communications module configured to receive configuration settings for the luminaire from a remote device and transmit information related to operating conditions of the luminaire to the remote device.

7. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the integrated digital lighting controller is configured to perform self-diagnostic tests, and

results of the self-diagnostic tests are transmitted to a remote device via a wireless communications module.

8. The luminaire of claim 1, further comprising a back-up power supply,

wherein the integrated digital lighting controller is communicatively coupled to the back-up power supply and is configured to perform diagnostic tests on the back-up power supply.

9. The luminaire of claim 8, wherein results of the diagnostic tests of the back-up power supply are transmitted to a remote device via a wireless communications module.

10. The luminaire of claim 1, further comprising:

a back-up power supply,

wherein the at least one digital sensor, the illumination element, the main power supply, the integrated digital lighting controller, and the back-up power supply are disposed in a housing of the luminaire.

11. An integrated digital lighting controller disposed within a housing of a luminaire, the integrated digital lighting controller comprising:

a processor;

a digital peripheral interface; and

a digital communications bus,

wherein the processor is communicatively coupled to the digital peripheral interface via the digital communications bus, and is configured to;

receive lighting control signals according to a lighting control protocol;

receive, via the digital communications bus, digital signals corresponding to a sensed parameter from one or more digital sensors in communication with the digital peripheral interface; and

provide lighting control signals to a main power supply disposed within a housing of the luminaire and configured to provide driver functions to provide power to an illumination element based on the digital signals from the one or more digital sensors and the lighting control signals.

12. The integrated digital lighting controller of claim 11, wherein the digital peripheral interface is configured to:

provide power to the one or more digital sensors, and

communicate with the one or more digital sensors via LEDcode protocol.

13. The integrated digital lighting controller of claim 11, wherein the one or more digital sensors are mechanically and electrically coupled to the integrated digital lighting controller via an electrical connector disposed on the integrated digital lighting controller and a mating electrical connector disposed on the one or more digital sensors, and

wherein an electrical connection is formed with a corresponding port of the digital peripheral interface.

14. The integrated digital lighting controller of claim 13, wherein the one or more digital sensors comprises one or more of a gas sensor, a daylight sensor, an occupancy sensor, and a proximity sensor.

15. The integrated digital lighting controller of claim 11, further comprising a wireless communications module communicatively coupled to the processor,

wherein the wireless communications module is configured to receive configuration settings from a remote device and transmit information related to operating conditions of a luminaire to the remote device.

16. The integrated digital lighting controller of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to perform diagnostic test on a back-up power supply, and

wherein results of the diagnostic test of the back-up power supply are transmitted to a remote device via a wireless communications module.

17. An integrated digital lighting controller, comprising:

a wireless communications module;

a digital peripheral interface; and

a digital communications bus,

wherein the wireless communications module is communicatively coupled to the digital peripheral interface via the digital communications bus, and is configured to

receive digital signals corresponding to a sensed parameter from one or more digital sensors in communication with the digital peripheral interface; and

wherein the integrated digital lighting controller is operable to provide lighting control signals to a main power supply configured to provide driver functions to provide power to an illumination element based on the digital signals from the one or more digital sensors and lighting control signals received according to a lighting control protocol.

18. The integrated digital lighting controller of claim 17, wherein the one or more digital sensors are mechanically and electrically coupled to the integrated digital lighting controller via an electrical connector disposed on the integrated digital lighting controller and a mating electrical connector disposed on the one or more digital sensors, and

wherein an electrical connection is formed with a corresponding port of the digital peripheral interface.

19. The integrated digital lighting controller of claim 17, wherein the digital peripheral interface is configured to:

provide power to the one or more digital sensors, and

communicate with the one or more digital sensors via LEDcode protocol.

20. The integrated digital lighting controller of claim 17, wherein the one or more digital sensors comprise one or more of a gas sensor, a daylight sensor, an occupancy sensor, and a proximity sensor.

21. The integrated digital lighting controller of claim 17, wherein wireless communications module is configured to perform diagnostic test on a back-up power supply, and

results of the diagnostic test of the back-up power supply are transmitted to a remote device via the wireless communications module.