Intelligent controller

• US 20170142813A1
• Filed: 11/14/2016
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de La Recherche Agronomique, Universite D Aix Marseille Ii
• Original Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de La Recherche Agronomique, Universite D Aix Marseille Ii
• Inventors: Sahni, Ranbir S., Cumming, Ian
• Application Number:
  US15/330,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20170142813A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 22/00 Cultivation of specific crops or plants not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/045 with electric lighting
• 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 47/16 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/14 Measures for saving energy, e.g. in green houses

Abstract

A lighting controller has one or more output channels connected to the lighting, each channel comprising a lighting driver circuit, and having independently controllable intensity of the lighting from off to full power, a microcontroller containing instructions to control the intensity of the lighting by direct current or pulse width modulation, a communication connection adapted to communicate wirelessly with a control program, in communication with the microprocessor.

A method of operating a lighting controller is also described, having the steps of the app connecting to the lighting controller by a communication connection, wherein the lighting controller is connected to a plurality of channels connected to lights, a user adjusting an intensity control on the app, wherein the lighting controller adjusts the output of one of the channels accordingly, between off and full-power, a user inputting a light schedule.

Claims

1. A lighting controller, comprising:

a. one or more output channels connected to the lighting, each channel comprising a lighting driver circuit, and having independently controllable intensity of the lighting from off to full power;

b. a microcontroller containing instructions to control the intensity of the lighting by direct current or pulse width modulation;

c. a communication connection adapted to communicate wirelessly with a control program, in communication with the microprocessor; and

d. a power connection connected to the output channels, the microcontroller and the communication connection, wherein the power connection is adapted to receive power from a power source.

2. The lighting controller of claim 1 further comprising one or more sensors connected to the microcontroller selected from the group consisting of up to 400 user defined sensors.

3. The lighting controller of claim 1, further comprising a CHx buffer and a CHx driver adapted to translate instructions to and from the buffer.

4. The lighting controller of claim 1, wherein the communication connection is adapted to communicate with a plurality of other communication connections within other lighting controllers, such that the controllers may daisy chain a signal to communicate over longer distances and create a mesh network of up to 2000 devices.

5. The lighting controller of claim 1 wherein the control program is adapted to provide a fixed or user defined lighting schedules.

6. The lighting controller of claim 1, further comprising an independent timer, wherein the control program and microcontroller receive a timing signal from the timer to ensure accurate scheduling under all conditions.

7. A lighting controller system, comprising:

a. a controller comprising;

i. a power connection adapted to receive power;

ii. multiple microprocessors;

iii. a communication connection in communication with the microprocessors;

iv. a memory adapted to store data for each microprocessor;

v. one or more sensors connected to the microprocessor;

vi. one or more independently controllable channels per grow light, each channel comprising a grow light driver;

b. one or more grow lights connected to each of the controllers;

c. an app or computing device connected to the communication connection, the app or computing device comprising software with;

i. an intensity control for each output channel; and

ii. a schedule to control the off and on times of each group of luminaires.

8. The lighting controller of claim 7 further comprising a cloud server wirelessly connected to the communication connection for backing up programmed data and containing light recipes for particular genus and species of plants.

9. The lighting controller of claim 7 wherein the microprocessor contains instructions for direct current manipulation or pulse width modulation to control the intensity of each output.

10. The lighting controller of claim 7 wherein up to 400 user defined sensors may be selected including an ambient light sensor, a temperature sensor, a pH sensor, a humidity sensor, a CO2 sensor, an air flow sensor, etc.

11. The lighting controller system of claim 7, further comprising an independent time synching mechanism adapted to provide a synched time to the microprocessor, the software and the communication connection.

12. A method of operating a lighting controller comprising the steps of:

a. the app connecting to the lighting controller by a communication connection, wherein the lighting controller is connected to a plurality of channels connected to lights;

b. a user adjusting an intensity control on the app, wherein the lighting controller adjusts the output of each of the channels accordingly, between off and full-power;

c. a user inputting a light schedule, wherein the on and off times of each group of luminaires is provided by the user; and

d. the lighting controller receiving signals from one or more sensors and communicating the signals to the app.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of describing the grow environment by:

a. creating separate groups configured to group luminaires, wherein a room and a group comprises a plurality of Luminaires controlled by one or more lighting controllers;

b. assigning one or more luminaires to each group.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the intensity control varies power of each channel either directly or by pulse width modulation.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the intensity of each channel by varying channel current.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the groups may comprise rooms or other criteria for linking luminaires.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of synchronizing the app, the communication link and the lighting controller time with an independent timer.