Method and Apparatus for Distributed Lighting Control
First Claim
1. A lighting control server configured to control a distributed lighting system comprising a plurality of physically distributed lamps, each lamp controllable through a wireless lamp control module, said lighting control server comprising:
- a communication interface configured to communicatively couple the lighting control server to a regional network interface (RNI) that in turn communicatively couples to a radio network providing two-way radio links with the lamp modules; and
a control circuit operatively associated with the communication interface and configured to selectively reduce an aggregate electrical load of the distributed lighting system based on being configured to;
determine a set of lamps within the distributed lighting system to place into a reduced-consumption state according to a defined lighting reduction pattern; and
send lighting control commands to the wireless lamp control modules associated with said set of lamps, to effectuate the defined lighting reduction pattern in said distributed lighting system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In one aspect, the present invention provides control for a distributed lighting network, for selectively reducing an aggregate electrical load of the distributed lighting network according to a defined lighting reduction pattern. Among the several advantages of the provided control is the ability to define via the pattern which lamps are involved in load shedding, and how they are controlled to shed load. In another aspect, the present invention provides control for a distributed lighting network, for visibly signaling persons within sight of one or more lamps within the distributed lighting network. Among the several advantages of the provided control is the ability to provide emergency or other public safety signaling to persons that might not otherwise be alerted to an existing or impending danger.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A lighting control server configured to control a distributed lighting system comprising a plurality of physically distributed lamps, each lamp controllable through a wireless lamp control module, said lighting control server comprising:
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a communication interface configured to communicatively couple the lighting control server to a regional network interface (RNI) that in turn communicatively couples to a radio network providing two-way radio links with the lamp modules; and a control circuit operatively associated with the communication interface and configured to selectively reduce an aggregate electrical load of the distributed lighting system based on being configured to; determine a set of lamps within the distributed lighting system to place into a reduced-consumption state according to a defined lighting reduction pattern; and send lighting control commands to the wireless lamp control modules associated with said set of lamps, to effectuate the defined lighting reduction pattern in said distributed lighting system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A lighting control server configured to control a distributed lighting system comprising a plurality of physically distributed lamps, each lamp controllable through a wireless lamp control module, said lighting control server comprising:
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a communication interface configured to communicatively couple the lighting control server to a regional network interface (RNI) that in turn communicatively couples to a radio network providing two-way radio links with the lamp modules; and a control circuit operatively associated with the communication interface and configured to selectively control some or all of the lamps in the distributed lighting system to effectuate a defined signaling pattern, for visibly signaling any people in proximity of said some or all of the lamps, wherein said control circuit is configured to; determine a set of lamps within the distributed lighting system to use for signaling; and send lighting control commands to the wireless lamp control modules associated with said set of lamps, to effectuate the defined signaling pattern. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of lighting control for a distributed lighting system comprising a plurality of physically distributed lamps, each lamp controllable through a wireless lamp control module, said method comprising:
selectively reducing an aggregate electrical load of the distributed lighting system by; determining a set of lamps within the distributed lighting system to place into a reduced-consumption state according to a defined lighting reduction pattern; and sending lighting control commands to the wireless lamp control modules associated with said set of lamps, to effectuate the defined lighting reduction pattern in said distributed lighting system.
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21. A method of lighting control for a distributed lighting system comprising a plurality of physically distributed lamps, each lamp controllable through a wireless lamp control module, said method comprising:
selectively controlling some or all of the lamps in the distributed lighting system to effectuate a defined signaling pattern, for visibly signaling any people in proximity of said some or all of the lamps, by; determining a set of lamps within the distributed lighting system to use for signaling; and sending lighting control commands to the wireless lamp control modules associated with said set of lamps, to effectuate the defined signaling pattern.
Specification