Systems and methods for providing power and data to lighting devices

• US 8,710,770 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Woytowitz, Peter John
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, AMY X
• Application Number:
  US13/230,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20130026953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 315/307, 315/308, 315/312, 315/294, 315/291
• US Class Current: 315/307
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 via power line carrier transmission

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for lighting systems, including high output lighting systems for various environments. The lighting systems include a lighting controller for driving lighting modules and transmitting a data signal to the lighting modules. The data signal varies between logical states. The lighting controller provides a low loss rectified power signal. The lighting controller further provides data within the power signal by forming a positive polarity rectified power waveform corresponding to data in a first state and a negative polarity rectified waveform signal corresponding to data in a second state using substantially loss-less circuitry.

Claims

1. A lighting system for controlling and powering at least one lighting module, the system comprising:

a lighting controller electrically connected to at least one lighting module through a two-wire path, the lighting controller creating and providing a data encoded power signal to the at least one lighting module through the two-wire path, each lighting module being addressable; and

a user-operated remote device in communication with a selected lighting module of the at least one lighting module and the lighting controller, the remote device configured to receive a unique address of the selected lighting module from the selected lighting module and to instruct the lighting controller to encode the unique address onto the data encoded power signal in order to assign the selected lighting module to a selected lighting zone of at least one lighting zone without disconnecting the selected lighting module from the two-wire path each lighting zone being addressable, each lighting module storing its unique address and its lighting zone address.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the remote device communicates with the selected lighting module through an optical communication path.

3. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the remote device communicates with the lighting controller through a radio frequency (RF) communication path.

4. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the remote device comprises a digital device.

5. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the data encoded power signal forms a sinusoidal waveform between zero crossings.

6. The lighting system of claim 2, wherein the remote device comprises a smartphone executing one or more appropriate applications.

7. The lighting system of claim 2, wherein the selected lighting module includes at least one light emitting diode (LED) and the remote device includes an optical receiver, the at least one LED flashes an address of the selected lighting module and the optical receiver detects the address of the selected lighting module from the flashing at least one LED.

8. The lighting system of claim 2, wherein the selected lighting module includes an optical receiver and the remote device includes an LED, and the remote device optically sends commands and data to the selected lighting module by strobing the LED, the optical receiver of the selected lighting module receives the commands and data from the remote.

9. The lighting system of claim 6, wherein the selected lighting module includes at least one light emitting diode (LED) and the smartphone includes a camera, the at least one LED flashes an address of the selected lighting module and the camera reads the address of the selected lighting module from the flashing at least one LED.

10. The lighting system of claim 6, wherein the selected lighting module includes a bar code and the smartphone includes a camera, the bar code encoded with the unique address of the selected lighting module and the camera reads the bar code to determine the unique address of the selected lighting module.

11. The lighting system of claim 9 wherein a rate of flashing of the at least one LED is less than approximately 30 Hz.

12. A method for controlling and powering at least one lighting module, the method comprising:

connecting lighting modules in a lighting system to a two wire path;

providing a data encoded power signal to at least one lighting module through said two-wire path;

assigning the at least one lighting module to a first lighting zone, each lighting module and each lighting zone being addressable;

receiving a unique address of a selected lighting module of the at least one lighting module with a user-operated remote device, the selected lighting module storing its unique address;

encoding the unique address onto the data encoded power signal; and

sending the data encoded power signal including the encoded address through the two-wire path to reassign the selected lighting module to a second lighting zone without disconnecting the selected lighting module from the two-wire path, the selected lighting module storing its lighting zone address.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein communicating with the selected lighting module comprises communicating with the selected lighting module through an optical communication path.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein communicating with the selected lighting module comprises communicating with the selected lighting module through a radio frequency (RF) communication path.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the remote device comprises a digital device.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the data encoded power signal forms a sinusoidal waveform between zero crossings.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote device comprises a smartphone executing one or more appropriate applications.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the selected lighting module includes at least one light emitting diode (LED) and the remote device includes an optical receiver, the method further comprises flashing with the at least one LED an address of the selected lighting module, and detecting with the optical receiver the address of the selected lighting module from the flashing at least one LED.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the selected lighting module includes an optical receiver and the remote device includes an LED, the method further comprises strobing the LED to optically send commands and data to the selected lighting module, and optically receiving with the optical receiver the commands and data from the remote device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the selected lighting module includes at least one light emitting diode (LED) and the smartphone includes a camera, the method further comprises flashing with the at least one LED an address of the selected lighting module, and reading with the camera the address of the selected lighting module from the flashing at least one LED.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the selected lighting module includes a bar code and the smartphone includes a camera, the method further comprises:

encoding the bar code with a unique address of the selected lighting module;

reading with the camera the bar code; and

determining the unique address of the selected lighting module from the bar code read by the camera.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein a rate of flashing of the at least one LED is less than approximately 30 Hz.

23. A remote programming device for programming a lighting system including a lighting controller electrically connected to at least one lighting module, the lighting controller creating and providing a power signal through a two-wire path to the at least one lighting module, the at least one lighting module configured to be assigned to a lighting zone, each lighting module comprising a unique module address and each lighting zone comprising a zone address, the remote programming device comprising:

a portable housing;

a user interface housed by said portable housing; and

a processor housed within said portable housing and responsive to the user interface, the processor configured to wirelessly communicate with a selected lighting module of the at least one lighting module and the lighting controller, and configured to receive the unique module address of the selected lighting module from the selected lighting module and to instruct the lighting controller to encode the unique module address onto the data encoded power signal in order to reassign the selected lighting module to a selected lighting zone without disconnecting the selected lighting module from the lighting controller, each lighting module storing its unique module address and its zone address.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the power signal forms a sinusoidal waveform between zero crossings.

25. An lighting system configured to be controlled by a user through online interactivity, the system comprising:

a lighting controller electrically serially communicating with a plurality of lighting modules, the lighting controller outputting a data encoded power signal to the plurality of lighting modules, said data encoded power signal forming a sinusoidal waveform between zero crossings, each lighting module being responsive to data encoded in said data encoded power signal when said data is addressed to said lighting module; and

a webserver serving webpages to a digital device interacting with a user, said digital device receiving user input related to desired behavior of one or more of said lighting modules, wherein said lighting controller receives said user input and outputs said data encoded power signal causing said one or more of said lighting modules to be responsive to said user input.

26. The lighting system of claim 25, wherein said lighting controller comprises said webserver.

27. The lighting system of claim 25, comprising a module communicating with said lighting controller, said module comprising said webserver.

28. A method of encoding data onto a power signal for a lighting system, said data responsive to online interaction from a user, the method comprising:

serving online information to a user operated digital device;

receiving user input from said digital device, said user input related to desired behavior of lighting modules of a light system;

communicating the received user input to a lighting controller; and

outputting to said lighting modules a data encoded power signal responsive to said user input, said data encoded power signal forming a sinusoidal waveform between zero crossings, said data encoded power signal configuring said modules to behave according to said user input.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said lighting controller serves said online information.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein a module communicating with said lighting controller serves said online information.

31. A lighting system for controlling and powering at least one lighting module, the system comprising:

a plurality of lighting modules organized into at least two lighting zones;

at least one of said plurality of lighting modules configured to store its unique address and its lighting zone; and

a lighting controller electrically connected to the plurality of lighting modules through a two-wire path, the lighting controller creating and providing a data encoded power signal to the at least one lighting module of said plurality of lighting modules through the two-wire path, and configured to encode the unique address of the at least one lighting module on the two-wire path in order to change the lighting zone of the at least one lighting module without affecting a lighting zone of other lighting modules on the two-wire path and without disconnecting the at least one lighting module from the two-wire path.

32. The lighting system of claim 31, comprising a remote programming device, the remote programming device in communication with said lighting controller and configured to receive the unique address of the at least one lighting module and to instruct the lighting controller to encode the unique address onto the data encoded power signal to affect said change of said lighting zone.