Configuration free and device behavior unaware wireless switch

• US 9,188,997 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2013
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Building Robotics, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Enlighted, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Mohan, Tanuj, Prabhu, Omkar, Gupta, Saurabh
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Jung
• Application Number:
  US14/025,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20140265927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 19/34 Polynucleotides, e.g. nucleic acids, oligoribonucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6844 Nucleic acid amplification reactions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 27/02 characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods and systems for controlling lighting, an environment factor, or security of a structure are discloses. A lighting control system includes a plurality of lighting devices, a central server and a switch. The central server communicates with each of the plurality of lighting devices, and controls an operating configuration of each of the lighting devices. The switch communicates with at least some of the plurality of lighting devices, wherein the communication includes information, and wherein the at least some of the plurality of lighting devices respond to the information based on the operating configuration of the at least some of the plurality of lighting devices.

Claims

1. A lighting control system, comprising:

a plurality of lighting devices;

a central server, wherein the central server communicates with each of the plurality of lighting devices, and controls an operating configuration of each of the lighting devices; and

a switch, wherein the switch communicates with at least some of the plurality of lighting devices, wherein the communication includes information, and wherein the at least some of the plurality of lighting devices respond to the information of the communication based on the operating configuration of the at least some of the plurality of lighting devices, wherein the switch includes a wireless switch;

wherein

the wireless switch toggles through N states as controlled by physical activation of the wireless switch, and wherein each of the plurality of lighting devices includes M scenes, wherein M is less than N, wherein M is greater than one, and wherein the plurality of lighting devices are synchronized to each other by selecting a present state of each of the plurality of lighting devices to be J mod M, wherein J is one of the N possible states of the wireless switch.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication includes a wireless broadcast, and the information includes a switch identification, and button activate information.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the plurality of lighting devices receiving the information and re-broadcasting the information to the central server or another lighting device.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the wireless switch further comprises a temperature sensor, and wherein the wireless broadcast further includes temperature information at the wireless switch.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least some of the plurality of lighting devices each receive the temperature information, and calibrate themselves based on the received temperature information of the wireless switch, and temperature information at the lighting device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless switch includes a scene unaware operation, thereby allowing the wireless switch to deep-sleep and wakeup upon physical activation.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the central server receives an input control from a system operator that provides adaptive control of the operating configuration of each of the lighting devices.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising the central server monitoring or the central server receiving monitoring information of occupancy behavior, wherein the operating configuration of each of the lighting devices is adaptively controllable based on the occupancy behavior.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operating configurations determine which of the lighting devices respond to the information and how each lighting device responds to the information.

10. A method of controlling lighting of a structure, comprising:

communicating, by a central server, with each of a plurality of lighting devices, wherein the communication provides control of an operating configuration of each of the lighting devices; and

communicating, by a switch, with at least some of the plurality of lighting devices, wherein the communication includes information, and wherein the at least some of the plurality of lighting devices respond to the information based on the operating configuration of the at least some of the plurality of lighting devices, wherein the switch includes a wireless switch;

wherein

the wireless switch toggles through N states as controlled by physical activation of the wireless switch, and wherein each of the plurality of lighting devices includes M scenes wherein M is less than N wherein M is greater than one, and wherein the plurality of lighting devices are synchronized to each other by selecting a present state of each of the plurality of lighting devices to be J mod M, wherein J is a one of the N possible states of the wireless switch.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication includes a wireless broadcast, and the information includes a switch identification, and button activate information.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising sensing a temperature at the wireless switch, wherein the wireless broadcast further includes temperature information at the wireless switch, the at least some of the plurality of lighting devices each receiving the temperature information, and calibrating themselves based on the received temperature information of the wireless switch, and temperature information at the lighting device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the central server receiving an input control from a system operator that provides adaptive control of the operating configuration of each of the lighting devices.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising the central server monitoring or receiving monitoring information of occupancy behavior, wherein the operating configuration of each of the lighting devices is adaptively controllable based on the occupancy behavior.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the operating configurations determine which of the lighting devices respond to the information and how each lighting device responds to the information.

16. An environmental control system, comprising:

a plurality of environmental control devices;

a central server, wherein the central server communicates with each of the plurality of environmental control devices, and controls an operating configuration of each of the environmental control devices; and

a wireless switch, wherein the wireless switch communicates with at least some of the plurality of environmental control devices through a wireless broadcast, wherein the wireless broadcast includes information, and wherein the at least some of the plurality of environmental control devices respond to the information of the wireless broadcast based on the operating configuration of the at least some of the plurality of environmental control devices;

wherein

the wireless switch toggles through N states as controlled by physical activation of the wireless switch, and wherein each of the plurality of lighting devices includes M scenes, wherein M is less than N, wherein M is greater than one, and wherein the plurality of lighting devices are synchronized to each other by selecting a present state of each of the plurality of lighting devices to be J mod M, wherein J is a one of the N possible states of the wireless switch.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the wireless switch further comprises a temperature sensor, wherein the wireless broadcast further includes temperature information at the wireless switch, and wherein the at least some of the plurality of lighting devices each receive the temperature information, and calibrate themselves based on the received temperature information of the wireless switch, and temperature information at the lighting device.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the environmental control devices comprise at least one of a light fixture, ASC (air system control), HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), and a fan.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the central server receives an input control from a system operator that provides adaptive control of the operating configuration of each of the environmental control devices.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising the central server monitoring or the central server receiving monitoring information of occupancy behavior, wherein the operating configuration of each of the environmental control devices is adaptively controllable based on the occupancy behavior.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the operating configurations determine which of the environmental control devices respond to the information and how each environmental control device responds to the information.