Configurable and remotly controlled bulb adaptor

• US 9,414,466 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verbal Machines, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Activocal Ltd.
• Inventors: Dvash, Nir
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Jason M
• Application Number:
  US14/741,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20150366037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• Field of Search: 340/815.46, 704/275
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/00 Switches operated by change of a physical condition operated by change of magnetic or electric field H01H36/00; thermally-actuated switches H01H37/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/9453 for screw type coupling devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/12 by detecting audible sound
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A bulb adaptor that may include a housing that comprises an input adaptor and an output adaptor; wherein the input adaptor is shaped and sized to match a bulb socket and wherein the output adaptor is shaped and sized to match a base of a bulb; and circuitry, located within the housing, that is electrically coupled between the input adaptor and the output adaptor and is arranged to control a provision of electricity from the input adaptor to the output adaptor in response to a reception of sound waves are associated with a command to be executed by the circuitry.

Claims

1. A bulb adaptor, comprising:

a housing that comprises an input adaptor and an output adaptor;

wherein the input adaptor is shaped and sized to match a bulb socket and wherein the output adaptor is shaped and sized to match a base of a bulb; and

circuitry, located within the housing, that is electrically coupled between the input adaptor and the output adaptor;

wherein the circuitry is arranged to

(a) search for ultrasonic sound waves that represent a command of a first set of commands and to search for human perceptible sound waves that represent a command of a second set of command;

wherein the second set of commands consists of commands that consist of a bulb adaptor identifier and up to two additional words;

(b) ignore any command of the second set of commands that does not comprise a bulb adaptor identifier that matches a bulb adaptor identifier associated with the bulb adaptor; and

(c) control a provision of electricity from the input adaptor to the output adaptor in response to a reception of a command of the first set of commands and in response to a reception of a command of the second set of commands that comprises the bulb adaptor identifier that matches the bulb adaptor identifier associated with the bulb adaptor.

2. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the first set of commands equals the second set of command.

3. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the first set of commands differs from the second set of commands.

4. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the first set of commands comprises more commands than the second set of commands.

5. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the first set of commands comprises at least one command that is more complex than each command of the second set of commands.

6. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the first set of commands comprises at least one command that lacks a bulb identifier and wherein the circuitry is arranged to respond to the at least one command that lacks the bulb identifier.

7. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the second set of commands consists of a turn on command and a turn off command.

8. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the first set of commands comprises a turn on command, a turn off command, at least one time related command, and a dimmer command.

9. The blub adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the first set of commands comprises a circuit configuration command.

10. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the circuitry is arranged to apply a signature seeking process on ultrasonic sound waves received by the circuitry to search for one or more command.

11. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the circuitry is arranged to apply a speech recognition process to human perceptible sound waves to detect one or more command.

12. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the circuitry comprises:

a microphone;

a controller;

an interfacing circuit;

wherein the controller is coupled to the microphone and to the interfacing circuit;

wherein the interfacing circuit is coupled to the input and output adaptors;

wherein the microphone is arranged to sense sound signals;

wherein the interfacing circuit is arranged to selectively provide the electricity from the input adaptor to the output adaptor under the control of the controller; and

wherein the controller is arranged to control the interfacing circuit.

13. The bulb adaptor according to claim 12 wherein the circuitry comprises a power converter for receiving electricity supplied from the input adaptor and outputting a controller power supply.

14. The bulb adaptor according to claim 12 comprising a memory unit for storing representations of multiple commands;

wherein the controller is arranged to compare sound signals to the representations of the multiple commands.

15. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the input adaptor differs by diameter from the output adaptor.

16. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the housing exhibits a radial symmetry.

17. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the input adaptor and the output adaptor are Edison adaptors.

18. The bulb adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the input adaptor and the output adaptor are Edison E-27 adaptors.

19. The blub adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the circuitry is arranged to participate in a process of changing a mapping between sound signals and a command to be executed by the circuitry.

20. The bulb adaptor according to claim 19 wherein the circuitry is arranged to determine whether a command represented by sound signals received by the circuitry is a request to change an association between signals and commands or a command that once executed by the circuitry affects the manner in which electricity is provided to the output adaptor.

21. A bulb adaptor, comprising:

a housing that comprises an input adaptor and an output adaptor;

wherein the input adaptor is shaped and sized to match a bulb socket and wherein the output adaptor is shaped and sized to match a base of a bulb; and

circuitry, located within the housing, that is electrically coupled between the input adaptor and the output adaptor and is arranged to (a) control a provision of electricity from the input adaptor to the output adaptor in response to a reception of sound waves are associated with a command to be executed by the circuitry;

(b) participate in a process of changing a mapping between sound signals and a command to be executed by the circuitry; and

wherein one of the following is true;

(i) the circuitry is further arranged to search for a request to change the mapping and when detecting a request, allowing a user to provide new sound signals associated with the command; and

(ii) the circuitry is further arranged to determine whether a command represented by sound signals received by the circuitry is a request to change an association between signals and commands or a command that once executed by the circuitry affects the manner in which electricity is provided to the output adaptor.

22. A method for controlling a provision of electricity to a blub, the method comprises:

receiving, by circuitry that is electrically coupled between an input adaptor and an output adaptor, sound signals;

searching, by the circuitry, for ultrasonic sound waves that represent a command of a first set of commands and to search for human perceptible sound waves that represent a command of a second set of command;

wherein the second set of commands consists of commands that consist of a bulb adaptor identifier and up to two additional words;

ignoring, by the circuitry, any command of the second set of commands that does not comprise a bulb adaptor identifier that matches a bulb adaptor identifier associated with the bulb adaptor; and

controlling, by the circuitry, a provision of electricity from the input adaptor to the output adaptor in response to a reception of a command of the first set of commands and in response to a reception of a command of the second set of commands that comprises the bulb adaptor identifier that matches the bulb adaptor identifier associated with the bulb adaptor;

wherein the circuitry is at least partially surrounded by a housing that comprises the input adaptor and the output adaptor;

wherein the input adaptor is shaped and sized to match a bulb socket and wherein the output adaptor is shaped and sized to match a base of a bulb.

23. The method according to claim 22 comprising determining whether a command represented by sound signals received by the circuitry is a request to change an association between signals and commands or a command that once executed by the circuitry affects the manner in which electricity is provided to the output adaptor.

24. A bulb, comprising:

a bulb base for receiving electricity, a bulb light source for outputting light; and

circuitry that is electrically coupled between the bulb base and the bulb light source;

(a) search for ultrasonic sound waves that represent a command of a first set of commands and to search for human perceptible sound waves that represent a command of a second set of command;

wherein the second set of commands consists of commands that consist of a bulb identifier and up to two additional words;

(b) ignore any command of the second set of commands that does not comprise a bulb identifier that matches a bulb identifier associated with the bulb; and

(c) control a provision of electricity from the input adaptor to the output adaptor in response to a reception of a command of the first set of commands and in response to a reception of a command of the second set of commands that comprises the bulb identifier that matches the bulb identifier associated with the bulb.

25. The bulb according to claim 24 wherein the circuitry comprises a controller, a microphone and an interfacing circuit;

wherein the controller is coupled to the microphone and to the interfacing circuit;

wherein the interfacing circuit is coupled to the bulb base and to the bulb light source;

wherein the microphone is arranged to sense sound signals;

wherein the interfacing circuit is arranged to selectively provide electricity from the bulb base to the bulb light source under the control of the controller; and

wherein the controller is arranged to control the interfacing circuit in response to at least a detection of sound signals that represent a command.

26. A method for controlling a provision of electricity to a blub light source, the method comprises:

receiving, by circuitry of a blub that is electrically coupled between a blub base and the bulb light source, sound signals;

determining whether the sound signals represent a command;

controlling, by the circuitry, a provision of electricity from the bulb base to the bulb light source in response to a detection of the command;

participating in a process of changing a mapping between sound signals and a command to be executed by the circuitry; and

wherein one of the following is true;

(i) the method further comprise searching for a request to change the mapping and when detecting a request, allowing a user to provide new sound signals associated with the command; and

(ii) the method further comprises determining whether a command represented by sound signals received by the circuitry is a request to change an association between signals and commands or a command that once executed by the circuitry affects the manner in which electricity is provided to the output adaptor.

27. A bulb, comprising:

a bulb base for receiving electricity, a bulb light source for outputting light; and

circuitry that is electrically coupled between the bulb base and the bulb light source and is arranged to (a) control a provision of electricity from the bulb base to the bulb light source in response to a reception of sound waves are associated with a command to be executed by the circuitry;

(b) participate in a process of changing a mapping between sound signals and a command to be executed by the circuitry;

wherein one of the following is true;

(i) the circuitry is further arranged to search for a request to change the mapping and when detecting a request, allowing a user to provide new sound signals associated with the command; and

(ii) the circuitry is further arranged to determine whether a command represented by sound signals received by the circuitry is a request to change an association between signals and commands or a command that once executed by the circuitry affects the manner in which electricity is provided to the output adaptor.