Automatic configuration systems and methods for lighting and other applications

• US 20040032226A1
• Filed: 04/22/2003
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify North America Corporation (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Color Kinetics Incorporated (Signify N.V.)
• Inventors: Lys, Ihor A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,969,954 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/294
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

A system and method for automatic configuration of devices that comprises a receiver for receiving information from a device that uniquely identifies the device, a controller capable of assigning an address to the device, and a communication link for transmitting said information from the receiver to the controller.

Claims

1. A system for automatic configuration of network devices, comprising:

a receiver to receive information from a network device that uniquely identifies the device;

a controller capable of assigning a base address to the device; and

a communication link between the receiver and the controller to transmit said information from the receiver to the controller.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said controller is a computing device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said receiver is hand-held.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said network device is an illumination device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said network device includes at least one LED.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said at least one LED can be used to generate a unique identifier that uniquely identifies the device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said communication link comprises a wireless communication link.

8. A method for the configuration of network devices, comprising acts of:

communicating a unique identifier from a network device to a remote receiver;

communicating the unique identifier from the remote receiver to a controller;

generating a network address; and

communicating the network address from the controller to the network device from which the unique identifier was originally communicated.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising an act of:

storing the network address in a memory of the network device such that the network device will respond to network signals communicated to the address.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the network device is a lighting device.

11. The method of claim 10, where in the lighting device is an LED lighting device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication from the network device to the remote receiver is accomplished through wireless communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless communication is accomplished through visible light producing LEDs.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the LEDs produce red light.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the LEDs are used for illumination and communication.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the unique identifier is a serial number of the network device.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiver includes an optic for reducing interference.

18. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication from the remote receiver to the controller is accomplished through wireless communication.

19. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of generating a network address comprises selecting a network address.

20. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of generating a network address further comprises incrementing the address in relation to a previously generated and communicated address.

21. A method for the configuration of network devices, comprising acts of:

communicating a first unique identifier from a first network device to a remote receiving device;

storing the first unique identifier in memory in the remote receiving device;

communicating the first unique identifier from the memory to a controller;

generating a first network address; and

communicating the first network address from the controller to the first network device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising acts of:

communicating a second unique identifier from a second network device to the remote receiving device;

storing the second unique identifier in the memory;

communicating the second unique identifier from the memory to the controller;

generating a second network address; and

communicating the second network address from the controller to the second network address.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the acts of communicating and storing the first and second unique identifiers to the remote receiving device take place before the act of communicating the unique identifiers to the controller.