System and method for communicating between non-networked monitoring device and networked lighting controllers

• US 10,638,584 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2018
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Original Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Inventors: Bencze, Balazs, Szabo, Gabor, Katz, Gergely, Vegh, Tamas Istvan, Polyak, Sandor
• Primary Examiner(s): Chai, Raymond R
• Application Number:
  US15/961,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20190327819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A lighting control system includes a monitoring assembly comprising a switch, an energy harvesting device, and radio circuitry. The switch is manually actuated to activate or deactivate network-controlled lamps. The energy harvesting device converts kinetic energy of the actuation of the switch into electric energy that powers the radio circuitry. The radio circuitry wirelessly broadcasts a radio control message to two or more networked controllers that control activation or deactivation of the lamps. The networked controllers communicate with each other and determine which of the networked controllers is a commander controller responsive to receiving the radio control message. The commander controller communicates a control message to other networked controllers to activate or deactivate the lamps based on the radio control message received from the monitoring assembly.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting an event at a monitoring assembly;

broadcasting a detection message from the monitoring assembly using a first communication protocol;

receiving the detection message at two or more nodes, the two or more nodes in a network formed using a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol, wherein the network is a mesh network and the monitoring assembly is outside of the mesh network;

arbitrating which of the two or more nodes in the network is a commander node among the two or more nodes in the network; and

communicating the detection message or another message representative of the event from the commander node to other nodes in the network responsive to arbitrating which of the two or more nodes is the commander node;

wherein the detection message is wirelessly broadcasted in a message format that differs from a message format used for communication among the nodes in the network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing one or more responsive actions based on receipt of the detection message or another message at the other nodes in the network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the event that is detected at the monitoring assembly is one or more of actuation of a switch, movement of an object, or a change in a light level at the monitoring assembly.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection message is wirelessly broadcasted from the monitoring assembly.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection message is wirelessly broadcasted from the monitoring assembly as a radio signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein arbitrating which of the two or more nodes in the network is the commander node includes comparing identifying information associated with each of the two or more nodes to determine which of the two or more nodes is the commander node.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the identifying information that is compared is a network address that is unique to each of the two or more nodes.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring assembly is not included in the network and is not able to communicate between the nodes in the network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring assembly is powered by harvesting kinetic energy from the event that is detected at the monitoring assembly.

10. A system comprising:

a monitoring assembly configured to detect an event within a monitored area of the monitoring assembly, the monitoring assembly configured to broadcast a detection message toward a mesh network using a first communication protocol, wherein the monitoring assembly is not in the mesh network; and

two or more nodes of the mesh network configured to receive the detection message and to arbitrate which of the two or more nodes in the mesh network is a commander node among the two or more nodes in the mesh network, the commander node configured to communicate the detection message or another message representative of the event to other nodes in the mesh network responsive to arbitrating which of the two or more nodes is the commander node, wherein communication within the mesh network uses a communication protocol different from the first communication protocol.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the nodes in the mesh network is configured to implement one or more responsive actions based on receipt of the detection message or another message.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the monitoring assembly is configured to one or more of:

detect actuation of a switch as the event, detect movement as the event, or detect a change in a light level as the event.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the monitoring assembly is configured to wirelessly broadcast the detection message as a radio signal.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the two or more nodes are configured to arbitrate which of the two or more nodes in the mesh network is the commander node by comparing identifying information associated with each of the two or more nodes.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the two or more nodes are configured to arbitrate and determine which of the nodes is the commander mode and to communicate the detection message or another message from the commander node by changing which of the two or more nodes is the commander node for different detection messages broadcast from the detection device.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the two or more nodes are two or more first nodes, the mesh network is a first network, and the commander node is a first commander node, and further comprising:

two or more second nodes of a second network that is separate from and communicatively decoupled from the first network, the two or more second nodes also configured to receive the detection message from the monitoring assembly, the two or more second nodes are configured to arbitrate which of the two or more second nodes in the second network is a second commander node among the two or more second nodes in the second network, the second commander node configured to communicate the detection message or another message representative of the event to other nodes in the second network responsive to determining which of the two or more second nodes is the second commander node.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the event that is detected at the monitoring assembly is a first event, the two or more nodes are two or more first nodes, the mesh network is a first network, the commander node is a first commander node, and the detection message is a first detection message,

wherein the monitoring assembly is configured to detect a different, second event and to broadcast a second detection message, and further comprising:

two or more second nodes of a second network, the two or more second nodes configured to receive the second detection message and to arbitrate which of the two or more second nodes in the second network is a second commander node in the second network, wherein the second commander node is configured to communicate the second detection message or another message representative of the second event to other nodes in the second network responsive to arbitrating which of the two or more second nodes is the second commander node.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the two or more first nodes in the first network communicate using a different communication protocol than the two or more second nodes in the second network such that the two or more first nodes cannot communicate with the two or more second nodes.

19. A lighting control system comprising:

a monitoring assembly comprising a switch, an energy harvesting device, and radio circuitry, the switch configured to be manually actuated to activate or deactivate one or more network-controlled lamps, the energy harvesting device configured to convert kinetic energy of the manual actuation of the switch into electric energy that powers the radio circuitry, the radio circuitry configured to wirelessly broadcast a radio control message using a first communication protocol; and

two or more networked controllers in a mesh network formed using a second communication protocol and configured to control activation or deactivation of the one or more network-controlled lamps, the two or more networked controllers configured to wirelessly receive the radio control message from the monitoring assembly, the two or more networked controllers configured to communicate with each other and determine which of the two or more networked controllers is designated as a commander controller responsive to receiving the radio control message,

wherein the commander controller is configured to communicate the radio control message or another control message to one or more other networked controllers to activate or deactivate the one or more network-controlled lamps based on the radio control message received from the monitoring assembly;

wherein the monitoring assembly is not in the mesh network of the networked controllers.

20. A system comprising:

a monitoring assembly configured to detect an event within a monitored area of the monitoring assembly, the monitoring assembly configured to broadcast a detection message toward a first network, wherein the monitoring assembly is not in the first network;

two or more first nodes of a first network configured to receive the detection message and to arbitrate which of the two or more first nodes in the first network is a first commander node among the two or more first nodes in the first network, the first commander node configured to communicate the detection message or another message representative of the event to other first nodes in the first network responsive to arbitrating which of the two or more first nodes is the first commander node;

two or more second nodes of a second network that is separate from and communicatively decoupled from the first network, the two or more second nodes also configured to receive the detection message from the monitoring assembly, the two or more second nodes are configured to arbitrate which of the two or more second nodes in the second network is a second commander node among the two or more second nodes in the second network, the second commander node configured to communicate the detection message or another message representative of the event to other nodes in the second network responsive to determining which of the two or more second nodes is the second commander node.

21. A system comprising:

a monitoring assembly configured to detect a first event within a monitored area of the monitoring assembly, the monitoring assembly configured to broadcast a first detection message toward a first network, and further to detect a different, second event and to broadcast a second detection message, wherein the monitoring assembly is not in the first network;

two or more first nodes of a first network configured to receive the first detection message and to arbitrate which of the two or more first nodes in the first network is a first commander node among the two or more first nodes in the first network, the first commander node configured to communicate the first detection message or another message representative of the first event to other first nodes in the first network responsive to arbitrating which of the two or more first nodes is the first commander node; and

two or more second nodes of a second network, the two or more second nodes configured to receive the second detection message and to arbitrate which of the two or more second nodes in the second network is a second commander node in the second network, wherein the second commander node is configured to communicate the second detection message or another message representative of the second event to other nodes in the second network responsive to arbitrating which of the two or more second nodes is the second commander node.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the two or more first nodes in the first network communicate using a different communication protocol than the two or more second nodes in the second network such that the two or more first nodes cannot communicate with the two or more second nodes.