REMOTELY CONTROLLABLE TRACK LIGHTING SYSTEM

• US 20100066267A1
• Filed: 02/02/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucidity Lights, Inc., Nova Scotia Limited (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Evolution Lighting LLC (Evolution Lighting Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: MEYER, A. Corydon
• Granted Patent: US 8,258,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/294
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/15 specially adapted for power operation, e.g. by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/34 Supporting elements displaceable along a guiding element telescopic mounting of lighting devices F21V21/22
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0435 activated by remote control means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

A remotely controllable track lighting system includes a track mountable to a support structure, such as a wall or ceiling, with lamps that are supported on the track that are individually controlled by a wireless remote. Each lamp on the track may be set to respectively different intensity levels (e.g., high, mid, low, off) or the user can uniformly control the lamps to be set to the same intensity level. Advantageously, all of the lamps may be set, upon initially turning on the lamps or at another time as desired, to their respective previously set intensity levels. The track system may also be powered via a wall switch where initially turning on the lamps via the wall switch advantageously causes all of the lamps to return to their respective previously set intensity levels or the user can move the wall switch off then on within a short period of time (e.g., 3 seconds) to cause all of the lamps to be set high. Other features and variations also are provided.

Claims

1. A track lighting system, comprising:

a track adapted to be mounted to a support structure;

a plurality of lamps supported by the track, each of the lamps supported on a different location of the track;

a wireless remote having a plurality of buttons and adapted to wirelessly transmit a control signal in accordance with depression of the buttons by a user of the wireless remote; and

a controller coupled to the track and adapted to receive the control signal wirelessly transmitted by the wireless remote and to selectively establish each of the lamps supported by the track to a respective intensity level in accordance with the received control signal.

2. The track lighting system of claim 1, wherein the wireless remote includes a plurality of dedicated buttons, each of the dedicated buttons associated with a respective lamp supported by the track, and the controller being adapted to selectively change an intensity level of the lamp associated with the dedicated button of the wireless remote upon depression by the user.

3. The track lighting system of claim 2, wherein the controller is adapted to selectively cycle one of the lamps through a plurality of intensity levels upon multiple depressions of the respective dedicated button on the wireless remote associated with said one of the lamps.

4. The track lighting system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes memory for storing data identifying a previously set intensity level of each of the lamps.

5. The track lighting system of claim 4, wherein the wireless remote includes a pre-set level button, and the controller is adapted to establish all of the lamps to their respective previously set intensity levels based on the data stored in the memory upon depression by the user of the pre-set level button of the wireless remote.

6. The track lighting system of claim 5, wherein the controller is adapted to establish all of the lamps to a maximum intensity level upon multiple depressions in succession of the pre-set level button of the wireless remote.

7. The track lighting system of claim 4, wherein the wireless remote includes a pre-set level button, and the controller, upon depression by the user of the pre-set level button of the wireless remote, ascertains current levels of all of the lamps and establishes all of the lamps to their respective previously set intensity levels if the current levels are different from the previously set intensity levels, and establishes all of the lamps to off if the current levels are the same as the previously set intensity levels.

8. The track lighting system of claim 1, wherein the wireless remote includes a uniform control button, and the controller is adapted to establish all of the lamps to the same intensity level upon depression by the user of the uniform control button of the wireless remote.

9. The track lighting system of claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to cycle all of the lamps through a plurality of intensity levels upon multiple depressions of the uniform control button.

10. The track lighting system of claim 1, further comprising a power switch adapted to be coupled to a source of power and to the controller, and operable between on and off positions, the power switch providing power to the controller when in the on position and not providing power to the controller when in the off position;

wherein the controller includes memory for storing data identifying a previously set intensity level of each of the lamps, and the controller is adapted to establish each of the lamps to their respective previously set intensity levels based on the data stored in the memory when power is initially received by the controller as a result of the power switch being moved from the off position to the on position.

11. The track lighting system of claim 10, wherein the controller is adapted to establish all of the lamps to a maximum intensity level upon moving, within a predetermined period of time, the power switch from the on position to the off position and back to the on position.

12. The track lighting system of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to receive a source of power through a power switch switchable between an on position, in which power is supplied to the controller, and an off position, in which power is not supplied to the controller;

and the controller includes memory for storing data identifying a previously set intensity level of each of the lamps, and the controller is adapted to establish each of the lamps to their respective previously set intensity levels based on the data stored in the memory when power is initially received by the controller as a result of the power switch being moved from the off position to the on position.

13. The track lighting system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a plurality of power outputs;

and the track lighting system includes a plurality of power lines, each of the power lines coupled to a respective one of the power outputs for supplying respective power to a respective one of the lamps supported by the track, and a substantial portion of each of the power lines is disposed within the track.

14. The track lighting system of claim 13, wherein each of the power lines is coupled to a respective one of the lamps and is sufficiently long to allow the respective lamp to be movable between different locations on the track.

15. The track lighting system of claim 1, wherein the wireless remote includes memory for storing data identifying a previously set intensity level of each of the lamps;

and the wireless remote generates the control signal in accordance with depression of the buttons of the wireless remote and the data stored in the memory, the control signal identifying a new intensity level of at least one of the lamps; and

wherein the controller establishes said at least one of the lamps at the intensity level identified in the control signal.

16. The track lighting system of claim 15, wherein the control signal generated by the wireless remote identifies a respective intensity level of each of the lamps.

17. The track lighting system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second track adapted to be mounted to one of the support structure and another support structure;

a second plurality of lamps supported by the second track, each of the second plurality of lamps supported on a different location of the second track; and

a second controller coupled to the second track and adapted to receive the control signal wirelessly transmitted by the wireless remote and to selectively establish each of the lamps supported by the second track to a respective intensity level in accordance with the received control signal.

18. The track lighting system of claim 17, wherein the wireless remote includes a plurality of dedicated buttons, each of the dedicated buttons associated with a respective one of the lamps supported by each of the tracks, and each of the controllers being adapted to selectively change an intensity level of the lamp on the respective track associated with the dedicated button of the wireless remote upon depression by the user.

19. The track lighting system of claim 17, wherein each of the controllers includes a respective memory for storing data identifying a previously set intensity level of each of the lamps supported by the respective track;

the wireless remote includes a pre-set level button; and

each of the controllers is adapted to establish all of the lamps supported by the respective track to their respective previously set intensity level based on the data stored in the respective memory upon depression by the user of the pre-set level button.

20. A track lighting system, comprising:

a track adapted to be mounted to a support structure, the track having a plurality of track segments, each of the track segments including a respective power conductor, each of the power conductors being electrically isolated from one another;

a plurality of lamps, each of the lamps supported by a select one of the track segments, and each of the lamps electrically coupled to the respective power conductor of the track segment supporting the respective lamp;

a wireless remote having a plurality of buttons and adapted to wirelessly transmit a control signal in accordance with depression of the buttons by a user of the wireless remote; and

a controller coupled to the track and adapted to receive the control signal wirelessly transmitted by the wireless remote and to selectively power each of the power conductors to a respective power level in accordance with the received control signal.

21. The track lighting system of claim 20, wherein each of the power conductors extends substantially along an entire length of the respective track segment.

22. The track lighting system of claim 20, wherein the controller is adapted to receive a source of power through a power switch switchable between an on position, in which power is supplied to the controller, and an off position, in which power is not supplied to the controller;

and the controller includes memory for storing data identifying a previously set power level of each of the power conductors, and the controller is adapted to establish each of the power conductors to their respective previously set power levels based on the data stored in the memory when power is initially received by the controller as a result of the power switch being moved from the off position to the on position.

23. The track lighting system of claim 20, wherein at least two of the lamps are supported by a same one of the track segments, and said at least two of the lamps are electrically coupled to the respective power conductor of said same one of the track segments.