SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF CONTROLLING LIGHT SOURCES ACCORDING TO LOCATION

• US 20160192461A1
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Minsky, Henry Bowdoin
• Granted Patent: US 9,526,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/12 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/135 by determining the type of light source being controlled electrical parameters of light source being controlled H05B47/14
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 via power line carrier transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Systems and methods of the disclosed subject matter provide a first light source, a second light source, and a controller communicatively coupled to the first light source and the second light source, the controller to control a first operation of the first light source according to an input received by the controller for at first period of time, and to control a second operation of the second light source when the input received by the controller is for a second period of time that is greater than the first period of time.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first light source;

a second light source; and

a controller communicatively coupled to the first light source and the second light source, the controller to control a first operation of the first light source according to an input received by the controller for a first period of time, and to control a second operation of the second light source when the input received by the controller is for a second period of time that is greater than the first period of time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is included with the first light source.

3. The system of the claim 2, wherein the second light source is a smart light source, the controller includes a smart light source controller, and the smart light source controller controls the second operation of the smart light source via the communicative coupling.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein controller comprises:

a switch to receive the first and second inputs to control the first light source and the second light source according to the first operation and the second operation, respectively.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second light source is a smart light source, and the controller includes a smart light source controller, and

wherein the switch and the smart light source controller control the second operation of the smart light source via the communicative coupling.

6. The system of claim 4, where the switch comprises at least one from the group consisting of:

a rocker switch, a push-button switch, a slider switch, and a dial switch.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the dial switch receives input from the group consisting of:

clockwise rotational movement, counterclockwise rotational movement, and a pressing selection.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein when the dial switch receives both the pressing selection and the clockwise or counterclockwise rotational movement, the controller controls the second operation of the second light source, without controlling the first operation of the first light source.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first operation and the second operation are selected from the group consisting of:

an ON operation, an OFF operation, a dimming operation, and an operation to increase brightness.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third light source communicatively coupled to the controller,

wherein the controller controls the first operation of the first light source according to the input received by the controller, and successively controls the second light source to according to the second operation and the third light source according to a third operation when the input received by the controller is for at third period of time that is greater than the second period of time.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller successively controls the second light source to according to the second operation and the third light source according to the third operation according to the duration of the input received by the controller.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller transmits request messages to the second light source and the third light source to determine their respective locations.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller determines that the second light source is closer in distance to the first light source than the third light source according to messages received in response to the request messages.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third light source communicatively coupled to the controller.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a user device to receive input to identify the position of the first light source, the second light source, and the third light source in an area.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the user device controls the first operation of the first light source, and controls the second operation of the second light source and a third operation of the third light source according to an order that corresponds to the identified position.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a user device communicatively coupled to the controller, the user device to transmit commands from the group consisting of;

the first operation to control the first light source and the second operation to control the second light source.

18. A method comprising:

controlling, by a controller, a first operation of a first light source according to an input received by the controller for a first period of time; and

controlling, by the controller, a second operation of a second light source when the input received by the controller is for a second period of time that is greater than the first period of time.

19. The method of the claim 18, wherein the controlling the second operation comprises:

controlling a smart light source of the second light source with a smart light source controller that is included in the controller.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, by a switch, the input to control the first light source and the second light source according to the first operation and the second operation, respectively.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

controlling, by the switch, the second light source according to the second operation, wherein the second light source is a smart light source, and the controller includes a smart light source controller.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the receiving comprises:

receiving, by the switch, input from the group consisting of;

clockwise rotational movement, counterclockwise rotational movement, and a pressing selection.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

controlling the second operation of the second light source, without controlling the first operation of the first light source, when the switch receives both the pressing selection and the clockwise or counterclockwise rotational movement.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the first operation and the second operation are selected from the group consisting of:

an ON operation, an OFF operation, a dimming operation, and an operation to increase brightness.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

controlling, by the controller, the first operation of the first light source according to the input received by the controller, and successively controlling the second light source according to the second operation and a third light source according to a third operation when the input received by the controller is for at third period of time that is greater than the second period of time.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

successively controlling, by the controller, the second light source according to the second operation and the third light source according to the third operation according to the duration of the input received by the controller.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

transmitting, by the controller, request messages to the second light source and the third light source to determine their respective locations.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

determining, by the controller, that the second light source is closer in distance to the first light source than the third light source according to messages received in response to the request messages.

29. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, by a user device, input to identify the position of the first light source, the second light source, and a third light source in an area.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

controlling, by the user device, the first operation of the first light source; and

controlling, by the user device, the second operation of the second light source and a third operation of the third light source according to an order that corresponds to the identified position.

31. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

transmitting, by a user device communicatively coupled to the controller, commands from the group consisting of;

the first operation to control the first light source and the second operation to control the second light source.

32. A system comprising:

a first light source;

a second light source; and

a controller communicatively coupled to the first light source and the second light source, the controller to control a first operation of the first light source according to a first input received by the controller, and to control a second operation of the second light source when a second input is received by the controller.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein controller comprises:

a switch to receive the first and second inputs to control the first light source and the second light source according to the first operation and the second operation, respectively.

34. The system of claim 33, where the switch comprises at least one from the group consisting of:

a rocker switch, a push-button switch, a slider switch, and a dial switch.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the dial switch receives input from the group consisting of:

clockwise rotational movement, counterclockwise rotational movement, and a pressing selection.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein when the dial switch receives both the pressing selection and the clockwise or counterclockwise rotational movement, the controller controls the second operation of the second light source, without controlling the first operation of the first light source.