Power and data distribution in lighting systems

• US 6,469,457 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2001
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael Callahan
• Original Assignee: Michael Callahan
• Inventors: Callahan, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US09/782,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20020014867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 315/312, 315/316, 315/317, 315/318, 315/292, 315/294, 315/299, 315/297, 315/360, 315/362, 323/234, 323/237, 323/322, 323/905
• US Class Current: 315/294
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/905 Lamp dimmer structure

Abstract

Improvements to lighting systems, especially for entertainment and architectural applications are disclosed, including apparatus that permit a user to readily field-configure power distribution to branch circuits to be dimmed or un-dimmed, single- or multi-phase, as required; communication of data over existing power wiring by variations in output of dimmers; and improved methods for generating, managing, and distributing data specifying the physical and electrical configurations of a lighting system.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

a plurality of light fixtures, each of said light fixtures producing a light beam, and each of said light fixtures having identifying characteristics;

a plurality of dimmers, each of said dimmers capable of adjusting the intensity of said light beam of at least one of said light fixtures, said dimmer having at least one input and a power output, and adjusting said intensity responsive to a value received via said input;

a controller, said controller having at least one output, said output coupled with said input of a plurality of said dimmers, said controller capable of producing said values for each of a plurality of dimmers at said output;

a database for storing said identifying characteristics;

said identifying characteristics for said light fixture being encoded in said power output by said dimmer adjusting said intensity of said light fixture.

2. The system according to claim 1, said dimmer having at least one semiconductor power control device, said semiconductor power control device being coupled with a current-limiting device, said semiconductor power control device and said current-limiting device being contained in separate mechanical enclosures, said separate mechanical enclosures accepted by a common chassis.

3. Apparatus comprising

a plurality of power controllers, each of said power controllers having a power output and coupled between an alternating current supply and a lamp load, said alternating current supply having half-cycles, said lamp load spaced apart from said power controller, said power controller including at least one semiconductor power control device, said power controller determining the conductive behavior of said semiconductor power control device so as to supply substantially a desired amount of power from a range of possible amounts to said lamp load, said power controller further varying said conductive behavior of said semiconductor power control device so as to encode at least one value in said power output other than said desired amount of power, by varying the power supplied to said lamp load over time.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said at least one value is encoded by variations between half-cycles in the averaged amount of power supplied in said half-cycle.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said at least one value is encoded by variations within at least one of said half-cycles in the power supplied.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said at least one value comprises specification data.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a mechanism is provided at a location remote from said power controller and said at least one value comprises control data for said mechanism.

8. The apparatus according to claim 3, said semiconductor power control device being coupled with a current-limiting device, said semiconductor power control device and said current-limiting device being contained in separate mechanical enclosures, said separate mechanical enclosures accepted by a common chassis.

9. In a light dimmer, said light dimmer including at least one semiconductor power control device and having a power output suitable for connection to a light, the conductive behaviour of said semiconductor power control device being controlled so as to determine the amount of power supplied to said light and further so as to encode data other than said amount of power in said power output.

10. Apparatus comprising:

a chassis, said chassis accepting a plurality of first enclosures and a plurality of second enclosures, said chassis accomodating at least one alternating current supply bus, said alternating current supply bus supplying alternating current, said alternating current having half-cycles, said chassis accommodating a plurality of load output contacts;

said first enclosure containing at least one current-limiting device, said current-limiting device making electrical contact with said alternating current bus and having at least one current-limited output;

said second enclosure containing at least one semiconductor power control device, said semiconductor power device coupling between said current-limited output and said load output contact.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, said at least one semiconductor power control device having a control input, said control input coupled with a control circuit, said control circuit controlling the conductive behaviour of said semiconductor power control device so as to determine the amount of power supplied to said load output contact.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said semiconductor power device transitions at least once in at least one of said half-cycles between one and the other of substantially conductive and substantially non-conductive power conditions, and wherein said semiconductor power control device is capable of varying the instantaneous voltage or current supplied to the lamp load and is controlled so as to increase the duration of said transition sufficiently to reduce the electromagnetic interference product of said transition relative to a transition whose duration has not been increased.

13. Apparatus comprising:

a chassis, said chassis including a plurality of chassis outputs suitable for connection to electrical loads exterior to said chassis;

a plurality of current-limiting devices, each of said current-limiting devices having a current-limited output and packaged as a mechanically-modular element intermateable with said chassis, each of said current-limiting devices coupling with an alternating-current supply via said chassis, said alternating current supply supplying alternating current, said alternating current having half-cycles, said current-limiting device suitable for limiting the passage of current to less than the maximum possible current available from said alternating current supply;

a plurality of power controllers, each of said power controllers including at least one semiconductor power control device, each of said power controllers coupled with said alternating current supply via one of said current-limiting devices, each of said power controllers further having at least one power output, said power output coupling with at least one of said chassis outputs, said power controller responsive to a control input;

at least one control circuit coupled with said control input of at least one of said power controllers, said control circuit having at least one input and accepting at said input at least a first value indicating the desired amount of power to be supplied to a lamp load coupled with said power output over a range of possible amounts, said control circuit determining the conductive behavior of said at least one semiconductor power control device so as to supply substantially said desired amount of power to said lamp load;

said semiconductor power control device being packaged in a mechanically-modular element intermateable with said chassis, said mechanically-modular element separate from said mechanically-modular element packaging said current-limiting device via which said semiconductor power control device is coupled with said alternating current supply.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said mechanically-modular element packaging said semiconductor power control device may be replaced by a mechanically-modular element shunting said current-limited output with said chassis output.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said apparatus includes electrical contacts coupling said chassis output with said current-limiting device unless said mechanically-modular element containing said semiconductor power control device is mated with said chassis.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said mechanically-modular element containing said current-limiting device includes electrical contacts coupling said chassis output with said current-limiting device via said power controller when said mechanically-modular element containing said semiconductor power control device is employed.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said current-limited output is coupled with one of a plurality of said chassis outputs when said power controller is employed and a different one of said chassis outputs when said power controller is not employed.

18. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said alternating-current supply has a plurality of phases and said mechanically-modular element packages current-limiting devices current-limiting a plurality of said phases.

19. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein within said range of possible said amounts, said semiconductor power device transitions at least once in at least one of said half-cycles between one and the other of substantially conductive and substantially non-conductive power conditions, and wherein said semiconductor power control device is capable of varying the instantaneous voltage or current supplied to the lamp load and is controlled so as to increase the duration of said transition sufficiently to reduce the electromagnetic interference product of said transition relative to a transition whose duration has not been increased.

20. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said conductive behaviour of said at least one semiconductor power control device is varied so as to encode a value in addition to said first value so as to be decodable in said power output.

21. Apparatus comprising:

a chassis, said chassis including a plurality of chassis outputs suitable for connection to electrical loads exterior to said chassis;

a plurality of current-limiting devices, each of said current-limiting devices having a current-limited output and packaged as a mechanically-modular element intermateable with said chassis, each of said current-limiting devices coupling with an alternating-current supply via said chassis, said alternating current supply supplying alternating current, said alternating current having half-cycles, said current-limiting device suitable for limiting the passage of current to less than the maximum possible current available from said alternating current supply;

a plurality of power controllers, each of said power controllers including at least one semiconductor power control device, each of said power controllers coupled with said alternating current supply via one of said current-limiting devices, each of said power controllers further having at least one power output, said power output coupling with at least one of said chassis outputs, said power controller responsive to a control input;

at least one control circuit coupled with said control input of at least one of said power controllers, said control circuit having at least one input and accepting at said input at least a first value indicating the desired amount of power to be supplied to a lamp load coupled with said power output over a range of possible said amounts, said control circuit determining the conductive behavior of said at least one semiconductor power control device so as to supply substantially said desired amount of power to said lamp load;

said semiconductor power control being packaged in a mechanically-modular element separate from and intermateable with said mechanically-modular element packaging said current-limiting device.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said apparatus includes electrical contacts coupling said chassis output with said current-limiting device unless said mechanically-modular element containing said semiconductor power control device is mated with said mechanically-modular element packaging said semiconductor power control device.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said alternating-current supply has a plurality of phases and said mechanically-modular element packages current-limiting devices current-limiting a plurality of said phases.

24. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein within said range of possible said amounts, said semiconductor power device transitions at least once in at least one of said half-cycles between one and the other of substantially conductive and substantially non-conductive power conditions, and wherein said semiconductor power control device is capable of varying the instantaneous voltage or current supplied to the lamp load and is controlled so as to increase the duration of said transition sufficiently to reduce the electromagnetic interference product of said transition relative to a transition whose duration has not been increased.

25. Apparatus comprising:

a chassis, said chassis accepting a plurality of first enclosures and a plurality of second enclosures, said chassis further accomodating at least one alternating current supply bus, said alternating current supply bus supplying alternating current, said alternating current having half-cycles, said chassis accepting a plurality of load output contacts;

said first enclosure containing at least one current-limiting device, said current-limiting device making electrical contact with said alternating current bus and having at least one current-limited output;

said first enclosure accepting a second senclosure, said second enclosure containing at least one semiconductor power control device, said semiconductor power device coupled between said current-limited output and said load output contact.

26. Apparatus according to claim 25, said at least one semiconductor power control device having a control input, said control input coupled with a control circuit, said control circuit controlling the conductive behaviour of said semiconductor power control device so as to determine the amount of power supplied to said load output contact.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said semiconductor power device transitions at least once in at least one of said half-cycles between one and the other of substantially conductive and substantially non-conductive power conditions, and wherein said semiconductor power control device is capable of varying the instantaneous voltage or current supplied to the lamp load and is controlled so as to increase the duration of said transition sufficiently to reduce the electromagnetic interference product of said transition relative to a transition whose duration has not been increased.

28. Apparatus comprising:

a chassis, said chassis including at least one alternating current supply bus and a plurality of current-limiting devices, each of said current-limiting devices supplied from said bus and each having a current-limited output, said chassis including a plurality of load contacts suitable for connection to electrical loads exterior to said chassis, said chassis having a plurality of positions into which a modular element may be inserted, each of said positions being associated with at least one of said current-limited outputs;

said modular element containing at least one semiconductor power control device for at least one light dimmer;

said load contact being coupled with said current-limited output via said semiconductor power control device when said modular element is inserted in said associated position and being shunted to said current-limited output when no modular element is inserted in said associated position.