AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR LIGHTING CONTROL

• US 20180103411A1
• Filed: 10/10/2017
• Published: 04/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Powercast Corporation
• Original Assignee: Powercast Corporation
• Inventors: Greene, Charles E., Harrist, Daniel W., Gensure, George
• Granted Patent: US 10,979,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/32 for defining a routing cluster membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/46 in multi hop networks, e.g. wireless relay networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• 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 47/13 by using passive infrared detectors
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In some embodiments, a method includes receiving, at a first wireless device of a plurality of wireless devices, a data packet including an indication of a source of the data packet. In response to the first wireless device being associated with the source of the data packet, whether the first wireless device is a local repeater can be determined based on at least one of a random number or a number of wireless devices of the plurality of wireless devices. In response to the first wireless device being determined to be a local repeater, the first wireless device can be caused to be configured as a local repeater such that the first wireless device sends the data packet to at least one remaining wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first wireless device of a plurality of wireless devices, a data packet including an indication of a source of the data packet;

in response to the first wireless device being associated with the source of the data packet, determining whether the first wireless device is a local repeater based at least in part on at least one of a random number or a number of wireless devices of the plurality of wireless devices;

in response to the first wireless device being determined to be a local repeater, causing the first wireless device to configure as a local repeater such that the first wireless device sends the data packet to at least one remaining wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices; and

in response to the first wireless device being determined to not be a local repeater, the first wireless device does not repeat the data packet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is a wireless controller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the first wireless device is a local repeater is based at least in part on a calculation of (the random number) modulo ((the number of wireless devices of the plurality of wireless devices associated with the first wireless device+2)/4).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data packet is a first data packet and the random number is a first random number, further comprising receiving, at the first wireless device, a second data packet including an indication of a source of the second data packet;

in response to the first wireless device being associated with the source of the second data packet, determining whether the first wireless device is a local repeater based at least in part on at least one of a second random number or the number of wireless devices of the plurality of wireless devices;

in response to the first wireless device being determined to be a local repeater, causing the first wireless device to configure as a local repeater such that the first wireless device sends the second data packet to at least one remaining wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices; and

in response to the first wireless device being determined to not be a local repeater, the first wireless device does not repeat the second data packet.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first wireless device is determined to be a local repeater based on the first data packet and determined to not be a local repeater based on the second data packet, the first data packet being received by the first wireless device at a first time, the second data packet being received by the first wireless device at a second time different from the first time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the source of the data packet is at least one of a switch or a sensor.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a first wireless device having a transceiver and a processor operatively coupled to the transceiver, the transceiver configured to receive a data packet, the processor configured to determine whether to repeat the data packet at least in part in response to the first wireless device being associated with a source of the data packet,

the transceiver, at a first time, configured to repeat the data packet in response to a determination to repeat the data packet during operation of the first wireless device,

the transceiver, at a second time different from the first time, configured to not repeat the data packet in response to a determination to not repeat the data packet during operation of the first wireless device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first wireless device is a wireless controller.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether to repeat the data packet in response to a calculation based at least in part on at least one of a random number or a number of a plurality of wireless devices associated with the first wireless device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the calculation is a calculation of (the random number) modulo ((the number of wireless devices of the plurality of wireless devices associated with the first wireless device+2)/4).

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first wireless device is co-located with a light source.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, in response to the transceiver being configured to not repeat the data packet, the processor is configured to change a characteristic of the light source based on the data packet.

13. A system, comprising:

a network repeater configured to repeat data packets, the network repeater having a first transmission power level associated with a first propagation distance; and

a plurality of wireless devices operatively coupled to the network repeater, each wireless device from the plurality of wireless devices being operatively coupled to the remaining wireless devices of the plurality of wireless devices and associated with a light source from a plurality of light sources, each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices configured to individually determine whether to operate as a local repeater such that at least one wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices operates as a local repeater and at least one remaining wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices operates as an end device and not a local repeater,

the local repeater configured to repeat data packets at a second transmission power level associated with a second propagation distance, the second transmission power level being less than the first transmission power level, the second propagation distance being less than the first propagation distance.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices is configured to determine independent from each remaining wireless device whether to operate as a local repeater.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices is configured to determine independent of any other device whether to operate as a local repeater.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one remaining wireless device during operation as an end device is configured to change a characteristic of the light source with which the at least one remaining wireless device is associated based on a data packet sent by the local repeater.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein each wireless device from the plurality of wireless devices is configured to operate as a local repeater at a first time and to operate as an end device and not a local repeater at a second time different from the first time.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein each wireless device from the plurality of wireless devices is configured to determine whether to repeat the data packet in response to a calculation based at least in part on at least one of a random number or a number of the plurality of wireless devices associated with each wireless device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the calculation is a calculation of (the random number) modulo ((the number of wireless devices of the plurality of wireless devices associated with each wireless device+2)/4).

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first transmission power level is between 20 and 30 dBm and the second transmission power level is between 0 and 10 dBm.