LIGHTING SYSTEM

• US 20160061396A1
• Filed: 09/02/2015
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Feit Electric Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LiFi Labs, Inc. (Buddy Technologies Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bosua, Philip, Alexander, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 11,455,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/238 Arrangement or mounting of circuit elements integrated in the light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/04 intended only for mounting on a ceiling or the like overhead structures F21S8/02 takes precedence; details of ceiling bases F21V21/03
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0435 activated by remote control means
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/13 comprising an assembly of point-like light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• 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 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

A lighting system, including: a substrate defining a first broad face; a first set of light emitting elements configured to emit visible light having a fixed first color parameter; a second set of light emitting elements configured to emit visible light having a fixed second color parameter different from the first color parameter; a diffuser cooperatively enclosing the first and second sets of light emitting elements with the substrate; a communication module including an antenna; and a processor operatively connected to the communication module, the first set of light emitting elements, and the second set of light emitting elements, the processor configured to independently control relative intensities of the first and second set of light emitting elements to cooperatively emit light having a target color parameter value, wherein the target color parameter value is received from the communication module.

Claims

1. A lighting system, comprising:

a substrate defining a first broad face;

a first set of light emitting elements configured to emit visible light having a fixed first color parameter, the first set of light emitting elements mounted to the first broad face;

a second set of light emitting elements configured to emit visible light having a fixed second color parameter different from the first color parameter, the second set of light emitting elements mounted to the first broad face;

a diffuser arranged proximal the first broad face, the diffuser cooperatively enclosing the first and second sets of light emitting elements with the substrate;

a communication module comprising an antenna; and

a processor operatively connected to the communication module, the first set of light emitting elements, and the second set of light emitting elements, the processor configured to independently control relative intensities of the first and second set of light emitting elements to cooperatively emit light having a target color parameter value, wherein the target color parameter value is received from the communication module.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the first and second color parameters comprise color temperatures.

3. The lighting system of claim 2, wherein the first color parameter is a fixed color temperature above 5,000K and the second color parameter is a fixed color temperature below 5,000K.

4. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the antenna extends through the substrate, from a second broad face, opposing the first broad face, to the first broad face.

5. The lighting system of claim 4, wherein the antenna extends through a central portion of the substrate.

6. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the first and second set of light emitting elements are substantially uniformly distributed across the first broad face.

7. The lighting system of claim 1, further comprising a standard light bulb base electrically connected to the processor, the light bulb base configured to electrically connect to a standard light fixture.

8. The lighting system of claim 1, further comprising a third set of light emitting elements having a fixed, invisible emission wavelength, the third set of light emitting elements mounted to the first broad face, the processor further configured to independently control operation of the third set of light emitting elements.

9. The lighting system of claim 1, further comprising a repeater for a communication protocol.

10. A method for control signal extension, comprising:

receiving a control instruction for an appliance at a device remote from the appliance, the device associated with a user account;

identifying a lighting system proximal the appliance from a plurality of lighting systems associated with the user account;

determining a modulation pattern to communicate the control instruction to the appliance; and

controlling an infrared light emitting element of the lighting system according to the modulation pattern.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the lighting system comprises a plurality of individually indexed infrared light emitting elements, the method further comprising:

identifying an infrared light emitting element proximal the appliance from the plurality;

wherein controlling the infrared light emitting element of the lighting system according to the modulation pattern comprises;

operating the identified infrared light emitting element according to the modulation pattern; and

operating a second infrared light emitting element of the plurality according to a second modulation pattern different from the modulation pattern.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining a position of the identified light emitting element relative to the appliance, comprising:

scrolling through a set of visual light emitting elements having predetermined angular positions on the lighting system, comprising, at each of a set of timestamps, concurrently operating one visual light emitting element in a high mode and operating a remainder of the set in a low mode;

storing each of the set of timestamps with an identifier for the visual light emitting element concurrently operated in the high mode;

receiving an association notification from a user device, the association notification including an association timestamp and an identifier for the appliance;

determining a reference timestamp from the set of timestamps substantially matching the association timestamp;

determining the visual light emitting element identifier, stored in association with the reference timestamp, as a reference visual light emitting element identifier;

determining an identifier for an infrared light emitting element located adjacent the visual light emitting element identified by the reference visual light emitting element identifier; and

storing the infrared light emitting element identifier in association with the appliance identifier;

wherein identifying the infrared light emitting element proximal the appliance comprises retrieving the infrared light emitting element identifier associated with the appliance identifier.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the control instruction are appliance instructions or lighting system instructions;

in response to the control instruction being lighting system instructions;

determining a target color parameter value from the control instruction;

independently controlling emission intensities of a first and second set of light emitting elements of the lighting system to cooperatively emit visible light having a color parameter value substantially matching the target color parameter value, the first and second sets of light emitting elements configured to emit light having a first and second fixed color parameter value, respectively, wherein the first and second fixed color parameter values are different; and

in response to the control instruction being appliance instructions, determining the modulation pattern.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying the lighting system proximal the appliance comprises:

determining an appliance identifier based on the control instruction; and

determining an identifier for the lighting system, stored in association with the appliance identifier;

the method further comprising storing the lighting system identifier in association with the appliance identifier in response to receipt of a user input associating the identifier for the lighting system with the appliance identifier.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising sending the control instruction to the lighting system, comprising:

addressing the control instruction to the lighting system; and

broadcasting the addressed control instruction to all lighting systems associated with the user account;

wherein the lighting system determines the modulation pattern.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the device comprises a second lighting system outside of an infrared appliance communication range, wherein the second lighting system receives the control instruction from a user device.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

sending the control instructions to a remote computing system; and

sending data indicative of the control instructions to the lighting system from the remote computing system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the modulation pattern is determined by the remote computing system, wherein the modulation pattern is sent to the lighting system as the data indicative of the control instructions.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising, at the remote computing system:

determining context parameter values associated with control instruction receipt;

assigning the context parameter values with the control instructions to form a control record;

extracting a context parameter value pattern associated with the control instruction from a plurality of control records; and

in response to an instantaneous set of context parameter values substantially matching the context parameter value pattern, controlling the lighting system according to the modulation pattern.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a first context parameter value pattern comprises power receipt at the lighting system and a second context parameter value pattern comprises cessation of power provision to the lighting system;

wherein controlling the lighting system according to the modulation pattern in response to an instantaneous set of context parameter values substantially matching the context parameter value pattern comprises;

in response to power receipt at the lighting system;

concurrently communicating a first set of control instructions associated with the first context parameter value pattern to a plurality of appliances through a plurality of lighting systems; and

storing power in power storage devices on-board each of the plurality of lighting systems; and

in response to cessation of power provision to the lighting system, concurrently communicating a second set of control instructions, different from the first set and associated with the second context parameter value pattern, to the plurality of appliances through the plurality of lighting systems, wherein each of the plurality of lighting systems communicates a respective subset of the second set of control instructions to a respective appliance using the power stored in the respective power storage device.