MECHANISMS FOR LIGHT MANAGEMENT

• US 20110133649A1
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reeves, Jonathan L., Kreiner, Barrett
• Granted Patent: US 8,716,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/86
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 9/022 Emergency lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0471 the sensor detecting the proximity, the presence or the movement of an object or a person
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/065 for lighting purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 via power line carrier transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/00 Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Mechanisms for light management include a light emitting diode (LED) light bulb. The LED light bulb includes multiple light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured for illumination in the LED light bulb and includes a battery. A base is configured to fit a standard socket designed for an incandescent light bulb, and the base is configured to operatively connect to an electrical power source. A module is operative to detect a residual voltage of the power source when a control for powering the LED light bulb is powered off. The module is configured to determine that a power outage occurred and operative to switch to battery power from the battery in response to not detecting the residual voltage of the power source.

Claims

1. A light emitting diode (LED) light bulb, comprising:

a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured for illumination in a LED light bulb;

a battery;

a base configured to fit a standard socket designed for an incandescent light bulb, the base configured to operatively connect to an electrical power source; and

a module operative to detect a residual voltage of the power source when a control for powering the LED light bulb is powered off;

wherein the module is operative to determine that a power outage occurred and operative to switch to battery power from the battery in response to not detecting the residual voltage of the power source.

2. The bulb of claim 1, wherein the module is operative to prevent certain LEDs of the plurality of LEDs from illuminating during the power outage.

3. The bulb of claim 2, wherein the module is operative to detect that the power outage has concluded based on detecting the residual voltage;

and

in response to detecting that the power outage has concluded, the module is operative to allow all of the LEDs of the plurality of LEDs to illuminate.

4. The bulb of claim 1, wherein in response to the module determining that there is a fire emergency, the module is operative to communicate with other LED light bulbs having LEDs;

and

wherein the module causes the LED light bulb and the other LED light bulbs to illuminate as a predefined exit during the fire emergency.

5. The bulb of claim 1, wherein in response to the module determining that there is a fire emergency, the module is operative to actively search for motion by selectively powering off certain LEDs of the plurality of LEDs;

and

in response the module detecting motion, the module is operative to illuminate LEDs of the plurality of LEDs that are directed toward the motion such that a person moving in an area is constantly tracked by light illuminating from the plurality of LEDs.

6. The bulb of claim 1, wherein the module is operative to detect a security emergency;

wherein in response to detecting a security emergency, the module is operative to communicate with other LED light bulbs having LEDs; and

wherein the module is operative to cause the LED light bulb and the other LED light bulbs to cooperatively illuminate in a mode indicative of the security emergency.

7. The bulb of claim 1, wherein the module is operative to detect a weather emergency;

wherein in response to detecting the weather emergency, the module is operative to communicate with other LED light bulbs having LEDs; and

wherein the module is operative to cause the LED light bulb and the other LED light bulbs to cooperatively illuminate in a mode indicative of the weather emergency.

8. The bulb of claim 1, wherein in response to a fire emergency, a security emergency, or weather emergency, the module is operative to cause the LED light bulb and other LED light bulbs to increase and decrease brightness, increase and decrease intensity, change the color, and change a blinking pattern.

9. The bulb of claim 1, wherein in response to a fire emergency, a security emergency, or weather emergency, a blinking pattern of the LED light bulb and other LED light bulbs can be very slow, slow, medium, fast, and very fast.

10. The bulb of claim 1, further comprising a power on and off mechanism integrated into the base of the LED light bulb.

11. The bulb of claim 9, wherein in response to the LED light bulb being unscrewed from the base configured to fit the standard socket designed for an incandescent light bulb, the power on and off mechanism causes the LED light bulb to be powered by battery power from the battery.

12. A light emitting diode (LED) light bulb, comprising:

a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured for illumination in a LED light bulb;

a base configured to fit a standard socket designed for an incandescent light bulb;

a module operative to detect motion via the plurality of LEDs configured for illumination;

wherein;

the module is operative to determine a security emergency, wherein the module is operative to cause the LED light bulb and other LED light bulbs to illuminate in a mode indicative of the security emergency in response to the module detecting motion in a secure environment;

the module is operative to cause the LED light bulb and other LED light bulbs to illuminate in a mode that dazzles where the motion is detected in response to the module detecting motion in the secure environment during the security emergency; and

the module is operative to cause the LED light bulb and the other LED light bulbs to illuminate with a low level of light in response to the module detecting a nighttime, wherein the module is operative to cause the LED light bulb and the other LED light bulbs to communicate together to track motion by illuminating with the low level of light when the module detects motion during the nighttime.

13. The bulb of claim 12, further comprising a battery;

wherein in response to a power outage, the module is operative to detect motion by utilizing battery power of the battery.

14. The bulb of claim 12, further comprising a battery;

wherein the module is operative to cause the LED light bulb to illuminate by utilizing battery power of the battery; and

wherein the module is operative to cause the other LED light bulbs to illuminate by utilizing battery power of their respective batteries.

15. The bulb of claim 12, wherein in response to the module determining that there is a fire emergency, the module is operative to communicate with the other LED light bulbs having LEDs;

and

wherein the module causes the LED light bulb and the other LED light bulbs to illuminate as a predefined exit during the fire emergency.

16. The bulb of claim 12, wherein in response to the module determining that there is a fire emergency, the module is operative to actively search for motion by selectively powering off certain LEDs of the plurality of LEDs;

and

in response to the module detecting motion, the module is operative to illuminate LEDs of the plurality of LEDs that are directed toward the motion such that a person moving in an area is constantly tracked by light illuminating from the plurality of LEDs.

17. A system for light management, comprising:

a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) light bulbs operative to communicate with one another, the plurality of LED light bulbs having bases configured to fit standard sockets designed for incandescent light bulbs, wherein the plurality of LED light bulbs are configured for illumination;

a module of the plurality of LED light bulbs, the module being operative to control the plurality of LED light bulbs, wherein the module is operative to detect an emergency;

wherein;

the module is operative to cause the plurality of LED light bulbs to cooperatively illuminate a predefined exit route in response to detecting a fire emergency;

the module is operative to cause the plurality of LED light bulbs to cooperatively illuminate in a mode indicative of a weather emergency in response to detecting the weather emergency; and

the module is operative to cause the plurality of LED light bulbs to cooperatively illuminate in a mode indicative of a security emergency in response to detecting the security emergency.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein in response to detecting the fire emergency, the module is operative search for motion by utilizing the plurality of LED light bulbs.

19. The system of claim 18, in response to the module detecting motion during the search for motion, the module is operative to cause the plurality of LED light bulbs to illuminate in a strobe mode in the vicinity where motion is detected.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein in response to a power outage, the module causes the plurality of LED light bulbs to illuminate by utilizing battery power of their respective batteries.