Sensor lighting control systems and methods

• US 9,474,133 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartlabs
• Original Assignee: Smartlabs
• Inventors: Cregg, Daniel Brian, Slick, Robert Ellery
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Don
• Application Number:
  US14/844,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20160157325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 315/155
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 via power line carrier transmission
• 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 sensor lighting control system automatically controls lighting on a home automation network without creating unnecessary network traffic. A sensor module uses the light level to determine when a command to turn the light ON should be resent over the network.

Claims

1. A method to automatically control lighting on a home-control network, the method comprising:

automatically transmitting over a home-control network a lighting control command from a sensor module to control a state of a light, the home-control network configured to propagate the lighting control command, the lighting control command being one of an ON command and an OFF command;

detecting motion and ambient light with the sensor module;

transmitting the ON command through the home-control network and starting a timer having a timer count in response to detected motion when the ambient light is less than a threshold;

determining whether the light is OFF, the light being further controlled independently of the sensor module by a switch configured to send the lighting control commands over the home-control network in response to a physical input by a user; and

setting the timer count to an end count when the light is OFF in response to the physical input by the user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising setting the timer count to a start count when the light is ON and motion is detected.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising transmitting the OFF command through the home-control network when the light is ON, the timer times out, and no motion is detected.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receipt of the ON command causes the light to illuminate to a percentage of illumination capability that is stored in memory.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a message over the home-control network comprising the threshold, wherein the threshold is user settable.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether the light is OFF by receiving and decoding a message transmitted over the home-control network, the message being transmitted in response to the physical input by the user and comprising the state of the light.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether the light is OFF by detecting the ambient light and comparing the detected ambient light to the threshold.

8. A system to automatically control lighting on a home-control network, the system comprising:

a sensor module configured to automatically transmit over a home-control network a first lighting control command to control a state of a light;

a switch configured to transmit over the home-control network a second lighting control command to control the light in response to a manual input from a user, the home-control network configured to propagate the first and second lighting control commands, the first and second lighting control commands being one of an ON command and an OFF command;

a lighting module comprising the light and configured to receive the first and second lighting control commands over the home-control network and turn ON the light or turn OFF the light in response to the first and second lighting control commands;

a motion sensor configured to detect motion in an area proximate to the lighting module; and

a light detector configured to detect ambient light in the area proximate to the lighting module;

the sensor module further configured to send the ON command to the lighting module and start a timer having a timer count when the motion is detected and a level of the ambient light is below a threshold, the sensor module further configured set the timer count to an end count when the lighting module receives the OFF command from the switch.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the sensor module is further configured to set the timer count to a start count when the light is ON and the motion is detected.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the sensor module is further configured to transmit the OFF command over the home-control network when the light is ON, the timer times out, and no motion is detected.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the ON command causes the lighting module to restore the light to a percentage of illumination capability that is stored in memory.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the sensor module is further configured to receive a message over the home-control network comprising the threshold, wherein the threshold is user settable.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the sensor module is further configured to determine whether the light is OFF by receiving and decoding a message transmitted over the home-control network, the message being transmitted in response to the manual input by the user and comprising the state of the light.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the sensor module is further configured to determine whether the light is OFF by detecting the ambient light and comparing the detected ambient light to the threshold.

15. A sensor module to control a light on a home-control network, the sensor module comprising:

a light detector configured to detect ambient light in an area proximate to a light;

a motion detector configured to detect motion in the area proximate to the light;

a transmitter configured to transmit through a home-control network a lighting control command to control a state of the light, the home-control network configured to propagate the lighting control command, the lighting control command being one of an ON command and an OFF command;

a receiver configured to receive and decode messages from the home-control network; and

computer hardware configured to start a timer having a timer count and send the ON command to the transmitter for transmission over the home-control network to turn the light ON in response to detected motion when the ambient light is less than a threshold, the computer hardware further configured to determine whether the light is OFF, the light being controlled independently of the sensor module by a switch configured to send the lighting control commands over the home-control network in response to a physical input by a user, the computer hardware further configured to set the timer count to an end count when the light is OFF in response to the physical input by the user.

16. The sensor module of claim 15 wherein the computer hardware is further configured to determine whether the light is OFF by receiving and decoding a message over the home-control network comprising the state of the light, the message being transmitted in response to the physical input by the user.

17. The sensor module of claim 15 wherein the computer hardware is further configured to determine whether the light is OFF by detecting the ambient light and comparing the detected ambient light to the threshold.

18. The sensor module of claim 15 wherein the computer hardware is further configured to set the timer count to a start count when the light is ON and motion is detected.

19. The sensor module of claim 15 wherein the computer hardware is further configured to transmit the OFF command through the home-control network when the light is ON, the timer times out, and no motion is detected.

20. The sensor module of claim 15 wherein the receipt of the ON command causes the light to illuminate to a percentage of illumination capability that is stored in memory.