Mechanisms for light management

• US 9,526,151 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2014
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kreiner, Barrett, Reeves, Jonathan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Jimmy
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUONG, HENRY T
• Application Number:
  US14/269,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20140239811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 315307-308, 315/291, 315/297
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 9/022 Emergency lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0471 the sensor detecting the proximity, the presence or the movement of an object or a person
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/065 for lighting purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 via power line carrier transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/00 Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Mechanisms for light management include a light emitting diode (LED) light bulb. The LED light bulb includes multiple light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured for illumination in the LED light bulb and includes a battery. A base is configured to fit a standard socket designed for an incandescent light bulb, and the base is configured to operatively connect to an electrical power source. A module is operative to detect a residual voltage of the power source when a control for powering the LED light bulb is powered off. The module is configured to determine that a power outage occurred and operative to switch to battery power from the battery in response to not detecting the residual voltage of the power source.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a light emitting diode light bulb, comprising:

a plurality of light emitting diodes connected to a base, the plurality of light emitting diodes providing illumination in the light emitting diode light bulb; and

a module which detects a residual voltage of an electrical power source when a control for powering the light emitting diode light bulb is powered off, the residual voltage detected when a path to a hot wire is open from the electrical power source;

wherein the module detects the residual voltage on a closed path with the light emitting diode light bulb that remains closed between a neutral wire and a ground wire, when the path to the hot wire is open from the electrical power source;

wherein the module determines that a power outage occurred and switches to battery power from a battery in response to detecting no presence of the residual voltage of the electrical power source.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module prevents certain light emitting diodes of the plurality of light emitting diodes from illuminating during the power outage.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the module detects that the power outage has concluded based on detecting the presence of the residual voltage;

and

in response to detecting that the power outage has concluded, the module allows all of the light emitting diodes of the plurality of light emitting diodes to illuminate.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to the module determining that there is a fire emergency, the module communicates with other light emitting diode light bulbs having light emitting diodes;

and

wherein the module causes the light emitting diode light bulb and the other light emitting diode light bulbs to illuminate as a predefined exit during the fire emergency.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to the module determining that there is a fire emergency, the module actively searches for motion by selectively powering off certain light emitting diodes of the plurality of light emitting diodes;

and

in response the module detecting motion, the module illuminates light emitting diodes of the plurality of light emitting diodes that are directed toward the motion such that a person moving in an area is constantly tracked by light illuminating from the plurality of light emitting diodes.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module detects a security emergency;

wherein in response to detecting the security emergency, the module communicates with other light emitting diode light bulbs having light emitting diodes; and

wherein the module causes the light emitting diode light bulb and the other light emitting diode light bulbs to cooperatively illuminate in a mode indicative of the security emergency.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module detects a weather emergency;

wherein in response to detecting the weather emergency, the module communicates with other light emitting diode light bulbs having light emitting diodes; and

wherein the module causes the light emitting diode light bulb and the other light emitting diode light bulbs to cooperatively illuminate in a mode indicative of the weather emergency.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to a fire emergency, a security emergency, and a weather emergency, the module causes the light emitting diode light bulb and other light emitting diode light bulbs to increase and decrease brightness, increase and decrease intensity, change a color, and change a blinking pattern.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base fits a socket designed for an incandescent light bulb.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a power on and off mechanism integrated into the base of the light emitting diode light bulb.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein in response to the light emitting diode light bulb being unscrewed from the base that fits a socket designed for an incandescent light bulb, the power on and off mechanism causes the light emitting diode light bulb to be powered by the battery power from the battery.

12. An apparatus for a light emitting diode light bulb, comprising:

a plurality of light emitting diodes connected to a base, the plurality of light emitting diodes operating to illuminate in the light emitting diode light bulb; and

a module that detects motion via the plurality of light emitting diodes, the module causing the light emitting diode light bulb and other light emitting diode light bulbs to communicate together to track the motion;

wherein certain ones of the plurality of light emitting diodes detect temperature and thermal energy above a predefined threshold in detecting a fire emergency;

wherein in response to the fire emergency, the module actively searches for the motion of a person during the fire emergency by selectively powering off particular light emitting diodes of the plurality of light emitting diodes; and

wherein in response to the fire emergency, the module illuminates the plurality of light emitting diodes that are directed in a field of view toward the motion of the person as a spotlight during the fire emergency, while powering off the other light emitting diode light bulbs that are not in the field of view in order for the person to be viewed during the fire emergency.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a battery;

wherein in response to a power outage, the module detects the motion by utilizing battery power of the battery.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a battery;

wherein the module causes the light emitting diode light bulb to illuminate by utilizing battery power of the battery; and

wherein the module causes the other light emitting diode light bulbs to illuminate by utilizing the battery power from respective batteries.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein when the module determines a security emergency, the module causes the light emitting diode light bulb and the other light emitting diode light bulbs to illuminate in a mode indicative of the security emergency in response to the module detecting the motion in a secure environment;

and

wherein the module causes the light emitting diode light bulb and the other light emitting diode light bulbs to illuminate in a mode that dazzles where the motion is detected in response to the module detecting the motion in the secure environment during the security emergency.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the module causes the light emitting diode light bulb and the other light emitting diode light bulbs to illuminate with a low level of light based on the module detecting a nighttime.

17. A method for a light emitting diode light bulb, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of light emitting diodes that connect to an electrical power source, the plurality of light emitting diodes providing illumination in the light emitting diode light bulb;

detecting, by a hardware module, a residual voltage of an electrical power source when a control for powering the light emitting diode light bulb is powered off, the residual voltage detected when a path to a hot wire is open from the electrical power source;

detecting the residual voltage on a closed path with the light emitting diode light bulb that remains closed between a neutral wire and a ground wire, when the path to the hot wire is open from the electrical power source;

determining that a power outage occurred in response to detecting no presence of the residual voltage of the electrical power source; and

switching to battery power from a battery in response to detecting no presence of the residual voltage of the electrical power source.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising preventing certain light emitting diodes of the plurality of light emitting diodes from illuminating during the power outage.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining that the power outage has concluded based on detecting the presence of the residual voltage;

and

in response to determining that the power outage has concluded, allowing all of the plurality of light emitting diodes of the plurality of light emitting diodes to illuminate.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein in response to the hardware module determining that there is a fire emergency, the hardware module communicates with other light emitting diode light bulbs having light emitting diodes;

and

wherein the hardware module causes the light emitting diode light bulb and the other light emitting diode light bulbs to illuminate as a predefined exit during the fire emergency.