GROUP CREATION IN AUTO-COMMISSIONING OF LIGHTING SYSTEMS

• US 20120194083A1
• Filed: 04/09/2012
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WTEC GmbH
• Original Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Henig, Robert, Fowler, David, Stieglitz, Jeremy, Leonard, David, Covaro, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,729,835 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/152
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission

Abstract

A lighting system for areal illumination is disclosed which may include a remote driver and a plurality of fixtures including luminaires. The luminaires may include a light source whose output light level can be adjusted, a light sensor co-located therewith adapted to measure light received from adjacent fixtures. The remote driver may provide power for the light sources of the luminaires.

Claims

1. A lighting system for areal illumination comprising:

a driver;

a plurality of fixtures comprising a plurality of luminaires, wherein each one of the luminaires comprises a light source; and

a plurality of light sensors, wherein each one of the light sensors is co-located with a respective one of the fixtures, each one of the light sensors is configured to measure light received,

wherein the driver is configured to receive an output of each of the light sensors,

wherein the driver is further configured to provide power to the light source of the luminaires,

wherein the driver is further configured to group the luminaires into a plurality of groups such that each one of the light sensors co-located with the luminaires that are in a respective one of the groups detects light from at least one of the luminaires in the respective one of the groups, and

wherein the driver controls an output light level of each one of the luminaires in the respective one of the groups as a group.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the fixtures further comprise one or more control devices, wherein the control devices comprise at least one of a switch or a dimmer.

3. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the fixtures further comprise one or more sensors, wherein the sensors are configured to sense a measureable quantity that is used to control lighting levels of the luminaires.

4. The lighting system of claim 3, wherein the measurable quantity is motion or presence of a person or animal.

5. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the fixtures further comprise a wall controller co-located with an additional light sensor, and wherein the driver is further configured to include the wall controller in a group of fixtures that includes the respective one of the groups of the luminaires in response to a detection by the additional light sensor of light from any of the luminaires included in the respective one of the groups of the luminaires.

6. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the light source included in each one of the luminaires is different from light sources of the luminaires.

7. A lighting system for areal illumination comprising:

a driver configured to provide power to a plurality of signal sources, wherein each one of the signal sources is co-located with a respective one of a plurality of luminaires,

wherein the driver is further configured to receive data from a plurality of sensors, each one of the sensors is co-located with the respective one of the luminaires, and each one of the sensors is configured to detect a type of signal that is emitted by the signal sources,

wherein the driver is further configured to group the luminaires into a plurality of groups such that each one of the sensors co-located with the luminaires that are in a respective one of the groups detects a signal from at least one of the signal sources that are co-located with the luminaires in the respective one of the groups, and wherein the driver controls an output light level of each one of the luminaires in the respective one of the groups as a group.

8. The lighting system of claim 7, wherein the signal is at least one of a visible light, an infrared light, a sound, an ultrasound, or a radio wave.

9. The lighting system of claim 7, wherein the signal sources include light sources of the luminaires.

10. The lighting system of claim 7, wherein the luminaires in at least two of the groups may be in one contiguous space.

11. The lighting system of claim 7, wherein each one of the groups is controlled by a respective switch.

12. The lighting system of claim 7, wherein the driver controls the luminaires in the respective one of the groups in response to motion detected by a motion sensor.

13. The lighting system of claim 7, wherein the driver controls the output light level of each one of the luminaires in the respective one of the groups so that the luminaires in the respective one of the groups provide substantially constant light levels independent of any auxiliary sources of light.

14. A method of providing areal illumination comprising:

providing power to a plurality of signal sources, wherein each one of the signal sources is adjacent to or included in a respective one of a plurality of luminaires;

receiving data from a plurality of sensors, wherein each one of the sensors is adjacent to or included in the respective one of the luminaires, and each one of the sensors is configured to detect a type of signal that is emitted by the signal sources;

assigning each of the luminaires to a respective one of a plurality of groups, wherein each one of the sensors adjacent to or included in the luminaires that are in the respective one of the groups detects a signal from at least one of the signal sources that are adjacent to or included in the luminaires in the respective one of the groups; and

controlling output light levels of the luminaires that are in the respective one of the groups as a group.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the signal sources include light sources of the luminaires, and the sensors include light sensors.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the groups are groups of fixtures that include the luminaires and control devices.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising assigning a control device co-located with a light sensor to one of the groups of fixtures based on the light sensor detecting light from any of the luminaires assigned to the one of the groups of fixtures.