Electronic ballast with embedded network micro-controller
First Claim
1. An electronic ballast assembly comprising command generation means responsive to a sensed condition external to said electronic ballast assembly, and a micro-controller system operatively connected to an electronic ballast circuit and housed in the same housing that houses said micro-controller, said micro-controller system being adapted to perform at least one control function in response to a command, said micro-controller system further comprising connection and interface means to facilitate two-way communication with at least one external control network.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention features an electronic ballast for use with gas discharge lamps incorporating a microprocessor-based network controller which facilitates the direct attachment of the ballast to a local or building-wide energy management systems. The use of the inventive ballast allows the production of a lighting luminaire whose light output, power consumption, and other operational or environmental parameters can be monitored and controlled as part of the distributed building control network. A building control computer network can control lighting functions, such as power on/off and dimming. The ballast of the present invention includes provision allowing connection to a local utility so that lighting in large buildings can be cut back in times of high power demand to help balance system loading.
135 Citations
21 Claims
- 1. An electronic ballast assembly comprising command generation means responsive to a sensed condition external to said electronic ballast assembly, and a micro-controller system operatively connected to an electronic ballast circuit and housed in the same housing that houses said micro-controller, said micro-controller system being adapted to perform at least one control function in response to a command, said micro-controller system further comprising connection and interface means to facilitate two-way communication with at least one external control network.
- 2. The electronic ballast assembly as recited in claim 2, further comprising sensing means operatively connected to said micro-controller system for sensing said sensed condition.
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9. An electronic ballast system comprising:
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a) a micro-controller system operatively connected to and proximate an electronic ballast circuit, said micro-controller system being adapted to perform at least one control function in response to a command;
b) sensing means for sensing a condition external to said electronic ballast system and generating a sensing signal representative thereof;
c) command-generation means operatively connected to said micro-controller system and to said sensing means, said command-generation means being adapted to generate a command in response to said sensing signal;
d) at least one external control network to facilitate two-way communication with ballast and non-lighting assemblies; and
e) connection and interface means operatively connected to said micro-controller system to facilitate two-way communication with said at least one external control network. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An electronic ballast system for gas-discharge lamps, comprising:
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a) a high-frequency, electronic ballast circuit for selectively powering one or more fluorescent lamps;
b) control means operatively connected to said ballast circuit for controlling said selective powering of said one or more fluorescent lamps;
c) an external control network to facilitate two-way communication with ballast and non-lighting assemblies;
d) means operatively connected to said control means for facilitating two-way communications with said external control network; and
e) command generation means operatively connected to said control means for generating a control command responsive to a sensed condition external to said ballast assembly. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification