Wireless monitoring and control device for indoor and outdoor lighting

• US 20130033187A1
• Filed: 08/01/2011
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eagle Wireless Mac LLC
• Original Assignee: Eagle Wireless Mac LLC
• Inventors: Brown, Zane, Dylinski, Joe, Hillhouse, James Hoye, McIngvale, James D. Jr., Pike, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US13/068,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20130033187A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/201
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

The invention provides a wireless means of power monitoring and control of lighting fixtures. The device consists of five sections; line voltage AC to DC convertor and DC power circuit, voltage sensing circuit, current sensing circuit, relay circuit, and wireless microcontroller (“WUC”). Power input to the device is made via a multi-pronged connector (“MPC”). The AC to DC convertor reduces voltage to an acceptable level for the DC voltage circuit to power the circuitry on the printed circuit boards. A logic-controlled relay circuit provides on/off control of the light fixture outputting to the “Load” terminal of the MPC. Line voltage from the MPC enter current and voltage sensing circuits, continues through signal shaping circuits, and is provided to the WUC for processing. The two input signals are scaled and computed to provide power consumption values which are then transmitted wirelessly to a building automation control network.

Claims

1. A device for the wireless monitoring and control of lighting fixtures consisting of a combined set of circuits;

AC to DC convertor and DC power circuit, voltage sensing circuit, current sensing circuit, relay circuit, and wireless microcontroller(“

WUC”

).

2. Power enters the device base assembly via a general multi-pronged connector (“

MPC”

). Line voltage connections are made, in series with a current sensing integrated circuit (“

IC”

), to the AC to DC converter from claim 1. Voltage level and type are converted and stepped-down from commercially available 110 VAC-277 VAC type to 24 volts DC. Said 24 volts DC enters the DC power circuit from claim 1 and is stepped down to 3.3 volts DC (VCC).

3. Continued from the DC power circuit of claim 2, the 3.3 volts DC power circuit output is shared to all subsequent VCC connections on all subsequent circuit sections.

4. Line voltage connections are made, bypassing the current sensing IC, to the voltage sensing circuit from claim 1. Line voltage is rectified via a high voltage diode. Voltage leaves the rectifier diode and enters a voltage-dividing resistor network where, upon exiting, it continues to an operational amplifier (“

OA”

). Voltage output from the OA enters a schottky diode. Upon exiting the schottky diode, voltage enters a storage cap while paralleled to an input channel (IN2) of an analog-to-digital converter (“

ADC”

). Upon leaving the ADC, a proportional digital value equal to (VCC/IN2)*4095 is presented to the WUC.

5. Current sensing IC from claim 2 outputs a, waveform synonymous, DC-offset, voltage (“

Vout”

) which is centered around ½

VCC proportional to the total AC current consumption of said device and subsequent connected lighting fixture. The same IC outputs a voltage reference that is ½

VCC (“

Vref”

). Both outputs, Vout and Vref, are connected to an OA. The OA applies gain and removes the ½

VCC offset from the Vout signal. The output from the OA continues to a schottky diode. Upon exiting the schottky diode, the signal is connected to a storage capacitor while paralleled to an input channel (IN1) of an ADC. Upon leaving the ADC, a proportional digital value equal to (VCC/IN1)*4095 is presented to the WUC.

6. Line voltage connections are made, in series with a current sensing IC, to the relay circuit of claim 1. Relay circuit is comprised of various resistors, capacitor, transistors, and a relay. The WUC controls the inputs to the circuit to command the relay to a desired state. The output from the relay is connected to the load terminal of the MPC to provide control of the subsequently connected lighting fixture.

7. The WUC in claim 1 gathers the digital signals from the ADC in claims 4 and 5 and combines those values with various control and mathematical program logic to determine power usage of the device and subsequently connected lighting fixtures. The WUC also contains program logic to control the output state of the relay. The WUC has various input connections for programming the software and hardware logic as well as the wireless communication parameters.