Advanced networked lighting control system including improved systems and methods for automated self-grouping of lighting fixtures

• US 10,548,204 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2018
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Leinen, Richard A., Hick, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US16/227,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20190132934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/12 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/195 the transmission using visible or infrared light
• 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

An advanced lighting control system including systems for commissioning a network of lighting fixtures preferably includes a plurality of lighting fixtures, each having a sensor and control module. The sensor and control module includes occupancy and light sensing elements, and a first transceiver. The lighting fixtures can send wireless signals to a second transceiver located in a room controller and/or a network coordinator. The room controller being configured to interpret the occupancy and light sensing information and make decisions thereon, while the network coordinator can rank the lighting fixtures according to a determined signal strength. The network coordinator can command each of the lighting fixtures to illuminate, and based on an observation of the lighting fixture, a determination is made about whether the lighting fixture is located in a particular room. The network coordinator can also include a third transceiver for receiving wireless commands from a remote device.

Claims

1. A system for commissioning a network of lighting fixtures, comprising:

a plurality of lighting fixtures, each of the plurality of lighting fixtures including;

a lighting element;

an identifier unique to each of the plurality of lighting fixtures;

a sensor module including a light sensing element;

at least one transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless messages; and

a network coordinator configured to discover, group and control a portion of the plurality of lighting fixtures;

wherein the network coordinator includes a processor programmed to;

transmit a wireless activation message to one or more of the plurality of lighting fixtures;

receive an acknowledgment message in response to the wireless activation message from one or more of the plurality of lighting fixtures, each of the acknowledgment messages including the identifier associated with the respective lighting fixture;

group each of the one or more lighting fixtures, from which an acknowledgement message is received, into a networked lighting group; and

determine which of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group has highest signal strength associated with the received acknowledgement messages.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the network coordinator is further programmed to:

determine whether each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group is located within an area.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the network coordinator is further programmed to:

rank each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group according to a respective signal strength associated with the received acknowledgement messages; and

command the highest ranked lighting fixture to illuminate its associated lighting element.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

programming at each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group to;

detect light level information in response to the highest ranked lighting fixture illuminating its associated lighting element; and

transmit to the network coordinator a message containing information relevant to the detected light level; and

wherein the network coordinator is programmed to;

receive the message from the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group;

determine from the received one or more messages, respectively, if a light fixture detected an increase in light level; and

remove any light fixture from the networked lighting group that did not detect an increase in light level.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

programming at each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group to;

detect light level information in response to the highest ranked lighting fixture illuminating its associated lighting element; and

transmit to the network coordinator a message containing information relevant to the detected light level; and

wherein the processor of the network coordinator is further programmed to;

receive the message from the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group; and

keep any lighting fixture in the networked lighting group if the lighting fixture sees an increased amount of light based on the highest ranked lighting fixture illuminating its associated lighting element;

or

remove any lighting fixture from the networked lighting group if no change in light level is detected based on the highest ranked lighting fixture illuminating its associated lighting element.

6. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

programming at each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group to;

detect light level information in response to the highest ranked lighting fixture illuminating its associated lighting element; and

transmit to the network coordinator a message containing information relevant to the detected light level; and

wherein the processor of the network coordinator is further programmed to;

receive the message from the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group; and

remove any lighting fixture from the networked lighting group except for those where a message was received indicating a detection of increased light level.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the network coordinator includes a transceiver for receiving wireless messages from a remote device for controlling an operational function of the network coordinator.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the network coordinator is programmed to rank each of the plurality of lighting fixtures from which an acknowledgement message is received, according to the determined signal strength.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the network coordinator is programmed to selectively command each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group to illuminate their respective lighting elements.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the network coordinator is programmed to transmit the wireless activation message to one or more of the plurality of lighting fixtures in response to a user input selected from a list consisting of a light flash, a button press on an entry station, and a signal from a remote device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the network coordinator is disposed in an entry station associated with a room, the room containing at least a portion of the plurality of lighting fixtures.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the network coordinator is disposed in one of the plurality of lighting fixtures.

13. A method for commissioning a networked lighting system, comprising:

transmitting, from a network coordinator associated with an area, a wireless activation message to one or more lighting fixtures;

receiving, by at least a portion of the lighting fixtures, the wireless activation message;

transmitting, from the lighting fixtures receiving the wireless activation message, an acknowledgment message to the network coordinator in response to receiving the wireless activation message, each of the acknowledgment messages including an identifier associated with the respective lighting fixture;

receiving, at the network coordinator, the acknowledgement messages;

grouping, by the network coordinator, the lighting fixtures transmitting an acknowledgement message into a networked lighting group;

determining which of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group has highest signal strength associated with the received acknowledgement messages;

transmitting, from the network coordinator, a message to a highest ranked one of the lighting fixtures, the message instructing the highest ranked one to illuminate an associated lighting element; and

determining whether each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group is located within the area in response to the highest ranked one of the lighting fixtures illuminating its associated lighting element.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of determining which of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group has highest signal strength associated with the received acknowledgement messages comprises:

determining, at the network coordinator, a respective signal strength associated with each of the received acknowledgement messages; and

ranking each of the lighting fixtures from which an acknowledgement message is received according to the determined signal strength of the received acknowledgement message.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein step of determining whether each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group is located within the area comprises sensing, at a light sensing element associated with each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group, an increased detected light level when the lighting element associated with the highest ranked lighting fixture is illuminated.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein step of determining whether each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group is located within the area comprises:

keeping any lighting fixture in the networked lighting group that detects an increased amount of light based on the highest ranked lighting fixture illuminating its associated lighting element; and

removing any lighting fixture from the networked lighting group if no change in light level is detected based on the highest ranked lighting fixture illuminating its associated lighting element.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein transmitting, from the network coordinator, a message instructing the highest ranked lighting fixture to illuminate an associated lighting element comprises instructing the highest ranked lighting fixture to cycle its lighting element through a series of on and off cycles.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing a light pulse to a lighting sensing element of an additional lighting fixture located within the area;

transmitting, from the additional lighting fixture, a message including an identifier associated with the respective lighting fixture;

receiving, at the network coordinator, the message from the additional lighting fixture; and

adding, by the network coordinator, the additional lighting fixture to the networked lighting group.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the network controller is located in a first lighting fixture.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of transmitting, from a network coordinator associated with an area, a wireless activation message to one or more lighting fixtures is performed in response to an installer transmitting a prompt.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the network coordinator further comprises a transceiver for communicating with a remote device, the remote device running an application configured to enable the installer to communicate with the network coordinator.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless activation message includes a command to the one or more lighting fixtures instructing them to send the respective acknowledgment message.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein after determining that each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group is located within the area, the network coordinator transmits a message to each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group instructing them to illuminate their associated lighting element.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein an installer confirms that each of the lighting fixtures in the networked lighting group is located within the area by pressing a button, soft key or other data entry feature on an entry station, or by pressing a button on a remote device.