Systems and methods for providing an OEM level networked lighting system

• US 8,742,686 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sentry Centers Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Integrated Illumination Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Zampini, Thomas Lawrence II, Zampini, Mark Alphonse
• Primary Examiner(s): Gami, Tejal
• Application Number:
  US12/236,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20090085500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,078 Days
• Field of Search: 315/297, 315/294, 315/320, 700/11, 362/253, 362/35, 257/84, 257/13
• US Class Current: 315/297
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/325 Pulse-width modulation [PWM]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/375 using buck topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/38 using boost topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/395 Linear regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control

Abstract

The present application is generally directed to systems and methods for control and management of lighting components connected in a network. A user specified rule is executed to control lighting effects in a lighting network which comprises an interface module in communication with one or more lighting control modules. The interface module may receive a rule for controlling a lighting network. The rule may comprise a user identified input and a user specified lighting effect to occur responsive to the user identified input. The interface module detects receipt of the user identified input and executes the rule to trigger the user specified lighting effect via the one or more lighting control modules.

Claims

1. A method for executing a user specified rule to control lighting effects in a lighting network comprising an interface module in communication with one or more lighting control modules, the method comprising:

(a) receiving, by an interface module, a rule for controlling a lighting network, the interface module in communication with one or more lighting control modules of the lighting network, the interface module comprising one or more ports to receive data as input by changing a state of a port of the one or more ports from transmit mode to listen mode, the rule comprising a user identified input specifying a value to be detected in data of a data stream to be received by at least one port of the one or more ports of the interface module and a user specified lighting effect to occur via the one or more lighting control modules responsive to the interface module receiving the user identified input, the value to be used as input to the rule upon detection;

(b) detecting, by the interface module from the stream of data received via the at least one port, receipt of the value specified by the user identified input; and

(c) executing, by the interface module responsive to the detection of receipt of the value specified by the user identified input, the rule to trigger the user specified lighting effect via the one or more lighting control modules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving, by the interface module, a set of executable instructions comprising the rule.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving, by the interface module, the rule comprising a user specified predetermined threshold of the user identified input for which to trigger the user specified lighting effect.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises receiving, by the interface module, data as input via one or more analog or digital ports of the interface module.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises receiving, by the interface module, data as input via an input port comprising a network port of the interface module.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises detecting, by the interface module, the user identified input from a stream of data received via an input port of the one or more ports.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises communicating one or more instructions to the one or more lighting control modules to produce the user specified lighting effect.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises communicating one or more instructions to the one or more lighting control modules to produce the user specified lighting effect for a user specified time period.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises communicating instructions to program the one or more lighting control modules.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one port is a unidirectional port.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the port of the one or more ports and the at least one port of the one or more ports are the same port.

10. A method for configuring a user specified rule to control lighting effects in a lighting network comprising an interface module in communication with one or more lighting control modules, the method comprising:

(a) receiving, by a configuration tool, a user'"'"'s identification of value to be detected in data of a data stream to be received via one or more ports of an interface module for controlling one or more lighting control modules of a lighting network, the value to be used as an input to the rule upon detection, a state of a port of the one or more ports changing from transmit mode to listen mode;

(b) receiving, by the configuration tool, a user'"'"'s specification of a lighting effect to occur via the one or more lighting control modules and responsive to a receipt of the value specified by the user identified input in data of the data stream to be received via at least one port of the one or more ports; and

(c) providing, by the configuration tool, for execution on the interface module a rule comprising the user specified lighting effect to occur via the one or more lighting control modules responsive to the receipt of the value specified by the user identified input in data of the data stream to be received from at least one port of the one or more ports.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving a user'"'"'s identification of a value of data that may be received by an analog or digital input port of the interface module.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving a user'"'"'s identification of a value of data that may be received via a network interface of the one or more ports of the interface module.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving a user'"'"'s identification of the input based on a type of interface configured on the one or more ports of the interface module.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein step (b) further comprises receiving a user'"'"'s specification of the lighting effects as a sequence of one or more instructions to communicate to the one or more lighting control modules.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein step (b) further comprises receiving a user'"'"'s specification of the lighting effects as a sequence of one or more instructions to communicate to the one or more lighting control modules.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein step (b) further comprises receiving a user'"'"'s specification of the lighting effect as an identification of a program to execute on the one or more lighting control modules.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein step (b) further comprises receiving a user'"'"'s specification of the lighting effect as an identification of a program to execute on the interface module.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein step (b) further comprises the user specifying a lighting scheme for the lighting effect.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein step (c) further comprising generating, by the configuration tool, a set of executable instructions representing the rule.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising communicating the set of executable instructions to the interface module.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one port is a unidirectional port.

24. The method of claim 10, wherein the port of the one or more ports and the at least one port of the one or more ports are the same port.