Light unit with internal back-up power supply, communications and display

• US 8,018,161 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sunovia Energy Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sunovia Energy Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Hall, Richard Craig, Veal, Matthew, Fugerer, Robert, Smith, Carl III
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens; Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Tung X
• Application Number:
  US12/027,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20090039788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,315 Days
• Field of Search: 315 85- 87, 315/149, 315/156, 315/158, 315/224, 315/291, 315/307
• US Class Current: 315/86
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/30 Driver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/357 specially adapted for retrofit LED light sources

Abstract

A light unit that includes an internal power supply that may be used in the event of an external power failure to provide power to the light unit. In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a lighting apparatus, comprising (a) a power input configured to receive external power from an external power source; (b) a solid state light element that is interconnected to the power input; and (c) a back-up power source that is interconnected to the solid state light element and the power input and that provides power to the solid state light element when the light element is not provided with power from the power input.

Claims

1. A lighting appearatus, comprising:

a housing comprising a base that is insertable into a light socket;

a power input configured to receive external power from an external power source;

a solid state light element that is interconnected to the power input;

a back-up power source that is interconnected to the solid state light element and the power input and that provides power to the solid state light element when the light element is not provided with power from the power input;

a microcontroller within the housing that is interconnected with the power input, solid state light element, and back-up power source, that controls the illumination of the solid state light element; and

a modem within the housing that is interconnected with the microcontroller and that receives signals from a source external to the lighting apparatus, the microcontroller controlling the illumination of the light element in response to the received signals.

2. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the microcontroller comprises a memory that has instructions stored therein that, when executed by the microcontroller, cause the microcontroller to illuminate the solid state light element using power from the power input or using power from the back-up power source.

3. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the microcontroller comprises a memory that has instructions stored therein that, when executed by the microcontroller, cause the microcontroller to charge the back-up power source using power from the power input.

4. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein when modem comprises a power-line modem that receives signals that are modulated on the power signal from the external power source.

5. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein when modem comprises a wireless modem that receives signals from a wireless transmitter that is remote from the lighting apparatus.

6. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the back-up power source comprises a battery.

7. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solid state light element comprises a light emitting diode.

8. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes.

9. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a microcontroller to control the illumination of individual light emitting diodes independently of the illumination of the remaining light emitting diodes.

10. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 9, wherein the microcontroller controls illumination of the light emitting diodes to display a predefined pattern of light that is emitted from the lighting apparatus.

11. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing base is adapted to be screwed into an Edison-type light socket.

12. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a transparent dome interconnected to the base, the solid-state light element located within the transparent dome.

13. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solid state light element provides illumination to a living or work area.

14. The lighting apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solid state light element is mounted to a heat sink.