Control system for color lights

• US 9,066,385 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samir Gandhi
• Original Assignee: Samir Gandhi
• Inventors: Gandhi, Samir
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US13/465,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20120323394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 700/197, 700/2, 315/86, 315/151, 315/160, 315/186, 368/72, 368/131
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0097 Storage of instructions or parameters, e.g. customised instructions or different parameters for different user IDs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources

Abstract

One or more LED light array circuits are set to a display pattern via modulating the current via a microcontroller. A microcontroller master effects the lighting patterns by communicating display pattern settings to a plurality of slaved LED light array circuits via DC power lines and fixtures thereof.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

a master controller comprising a microcontroller, and a power line polarity switching unit configured to control a level of direct current from a direct current source to one or more slave control units via a first power line of a direct current (DC) circuit having a voltage polarity and a second power line of the DC circuit having a voltage polarity opposite the polarity of the first power line, the master controller configured to communicate with the one or more slave control units via switching the voltage polarities of the first power line and the second power line as a unidirectional communication system, wherein the master controller communicates to the one or more slave control units an intended action that is to be executed by the one or more slave control units and wherein the line polarity switching unit of the master control comprises a single H-bridge circuit in order for the master control to communicate to a plurality of slave control units.

2. The lighting system of claim 1 further comprising one or more slave control units wherein at least one of the slave control units comprises a polarity detecting module and a slave microcontroller configured to set a mode of operation based on a series of detected polarities of the direct current of at the first power line.

3. The light system of claim 1 wherein the polarity detecting module of the at least one slave control unit comprises a switching transistor in communication with the slave microcontroller and the first power line.

4. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the slave control units further comprises an LED driver circuit and at least one LED.

5. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the slave control units is configured to emit light to indicate a slave control unit selection.

6. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the slave control units is configured to power off based on a temperature threshold.

7. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the slave control units further comprises at least one temperature sensor in electrical communication with the microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to adjust intensity of a light source of the at least one slave control unit having the at least one temperature sensor.

8. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the time series of the voltage polarities of the first power line and the second power line is based on a predetermined binary command code.

9. The lighting system of claim 8 wherein the predetermined binary command code comprises a start code for instructing the destination electronic device to initiate an action selected from the group comprising at least one of:

assigning one or more addresses to the destination electronic device;

saving a user-defined color sequence;

selecting a factory preset color sequence; and

synchronizing timing between two or more destination electronic devices.

10. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the time series of the voltage polarities of the first power line and the second power line is based on a predetermined binary address code.

11. The lighting system of claim 2 wherein at least one slave control unit further comprises a color temperature adjustable LED array further comprising at least one of:

a red drive circuit;

a green drive circuit, and a blue drive circuit wherein each drive circuit is configured to supply a drive current to its respective LED.

12. The lighting system of claim 11 wherein the master controller is further configured to synchronize color temperature for the one or more slave control units.

13. A method of communicating between a source electronic device and a destination electronic device via a direct current circuit comprising:

switching direct current (DC) line polarity of a DC circuit comprising a first line and a second line, based on high voltage signals and low voltage signals at the source electronic device and wherein the polarity switching is effected by a single H-bridge in order for the source electronic device to communicate to a plurality of destination electronic devices;

providing the first line to a polarity detector;

receiving, at the destination electronic device, high voltage signals and low voltage signals based on the detected polarity; and

executing, at the destination electronic device, an intended action based on a unidirectional communication system wherein the source electronic device communicates the intended action to the destination electronic device to control lighting produced by the destination electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of:

effecting mode state changes at the destination electronic device based on a series of received high signals and low signals.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein in the polarity detection is effected by a switching transistor in communication with the first line.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the polarity switching is based on a predetermined binary command code.

17. The method claim of 16 wherein the predetermined binary command code comprises a start code for instructing the destination electronic device to initiate an action selected from the group comprising at least one of:

assigning one or more addresses to the destination electronic device;

saving a user-defined color sequence;

selecting a factory preset color sequence; and

synchronizing timing between two or more destination electronic devices.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the polarity switching is based on a predetermined binary address code.

19. A lighting system comprising:

a master controller comprising a microcontroller, and a power line polarity switching unit configured to control a level of direct current from a direct current source to one or more slave control units via a first power line of a direct current (DC) circuit having a voltage polarity and a second power line of the DC circuit having a voltage polarity opposite the polarity of the first power line, the master controller configured to communicate with the one or more slave control units via switching the voltage polarities of the first power line and the second power line as a unidirectional communication system, wherein the master controller communicates to the one or more slave control units an intended action that is to be executed by the one or more slave control units and wherein the time series of the voltage polarities of the first power line and the second power line is based on a predetermined binary command code, the predetermined binary command code comprising a start code for instructing the destination electronic device to initiate an action selected from the group comprising;

assigning one or more addresses to the destination electronic device.