SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING LIGHTING

• US 20130131882A1
• Filed: 12/31/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orion Energy Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Orion Energy Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Verfuerth, Neal R., Potts, Michael J., Wang, Jun, Bartol, Anthony J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,351,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/00 Circuit arrangements or apparatus for igniting or operating discharge lamps structurally associated with the discharge lamps H01J61/54, H01J61/56
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A controller for controlling a plurality of lighting devices configured for wireless communications in a facility includes a data communications interface communicating with at least one of the devices. The controller further includes a control module configured to provide a control signal to the data communications interface for communicating to a transceiver associated with the device and for turning off the device according to an algorithm wherein the control signal is provided based on a time of day and/or a sensed condition relating to use of the facility. The transceiver reports device data to the control module to quantify a reduction in power obtained by controlling the devices according to the algorithm.

Claims

1. A system for controlling lighting in a facility, comprising:

a plurality of lighting fixtures configured for wireless communications;

a controller configured to create groups of lighting fixtures associated with different types of facility zones in a memory device of the controller, wherein the controller is configured to cause a first group of lighting fixtures to change from an operational algorithm not utilizing motion to an operational algorithm based on motion, and wherein the controller is configured to adjust a motion threshold for a motion-based operational algorithm for a second group of lighting fixtures;

wherein at least one lighting fixture of the first group of lighting fixtures wirelessly relays commands and data between the controller and at least one lighting fixture of the second group of lighting fixtures, wherein at least some of the second group of lighting fixtures are not within wireless transmission range of the controller, and

wherein the controller is further configured to quantify a reduction in power obtained by controlling the first group and second groups of lighting fixtures according to their adjusted motion-based operational algorithms.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to provide a user interface for receiving programming inputs from a user, wherein the user interface comprises graphical controls for receiving the adjustments to the operational algorithms for the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user interface comprises graphical controls for allowing the user to manually control the behavior of the lighting fixtures.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the user interface comprises a graphical user interface control configured to allow the user to adjust the first and second groups of lighting fixtures by relating device identifiers associated with the lighting fixtures to a first group identifier for the first group and a second group identifier for the second group.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the graphical user interface control shows a representation a facility floor plan and wherein the graphical user interface is configured to allow the user to divide the floor plan into one or more floor plan zones and to associate at least one of the first group and the second group with the one or more zones.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is wired to a master transceiver having a first transmission range and wherein the second group of lighting fixtures is outside the first transmission range.

7. A method for controlling lighting fixtures in a facility, comprising:

at a controller, creating a group of lighting fixtures associated with different types of facility zones;

using the controller to cause a first group of lighting fixtures to change from an operational algorithm not utilizing motion to an operational algorithm based on motion;

using the controller to adjust a motion threshold for a motion-based operational algorithm for a second group of lighting fixtures;

wirelessly relaying commands and data between the controller and at least one lighting fixture of the second group of lighting fixtures, wherein at least some of the second group of lighting fixtures are not within wireless transmission range of the controller; and

using the controller to quantify a reduction in power obtained by controlling the first group and the second group of lighting fixtures according to their motion-based operational algorithms.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

using the controller to provide a user interface for receiving programming inputs from a user, wherein the user interface comprises graphical controls for receiving adjustments to the operational algorithms for the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the user interface comprises graphical controls for allowing the user to manually control the behavior of the lighting fixtures.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user interface comprises a graphical user interface control configured to allow the user to adjust the first and second groups of lighting fixtures by relating device identifiers associated with the lighting fixtures to a first group identifier for the first group and a second group identifier for the second group.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the graphical user interface control shows a representation a facility floor plan and wherein the graphical user interface is configured to allow the user to divide the floor plan into one or more floor plan zones and to associate at least one of the first group and the second group with the one or more zones.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the controller is wired to a master transceiver having a first transmission range and wherein the second group of lighting fixtures is outside the first transmission range.

13. Non-transient machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

creating first and second groups of lighting fixtures associated with different types of facility zones;

causing the first group of lighting fixtures to change from an operational algorithm not utilizing motion to an operational algorithm based on motion;

adjusting a motion threshold for a motion-based operational algorithm for the second group of lighting fixtures; and

quantifying a reduction in power obtained by controlling the first group and the second group of lighting fixtures according to their adjusted motion-based operational algorithms.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

causing commands and data to be wirelessly transmitted to the second group of lighting fixtures by first transmitting the commands and data to a lighting fixture of the first group of lighting fixtures.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the second group of lighting fixtures only receives the commands and data via the relaying of the commands and data from the first group of lighting fixtures.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

refraining from causing lights of the first group or the second group from turning on if the ambient lighting level in the associated facility zone exceeds a predetermined threshold.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a user interface for receiving programming inputs from a user, wherein the user interface comprises graphical controls for receiving adjustments to the operational algorithms for the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the user interface comprises graphical controls for allowing the user to manually control the behavior of the lighting fixtures.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the user interface comprises a graphical user interface control configured to allow the user to adjust the first and second groups of lighting fixtures by relating device identifiers associated with the lighting fixtures to a first group identifier for the first group and a second group identifier for the second group.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the graphical user interface control shows a representation a facility floor plan and wherein the graphical user interface is configured to allow the user to divide the floor plan into one or more floor plan zones and to associate at least one of the first group and the second group with the one or more zones.