Communication with lighting units over a power bus
First Claim
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1. A lighting apparatus configured for internal communication over an internal network and communication with other lighting modules over an external network,the apparatus comprising:
- a power supply;
a controller;
a plurality of light sources;
an internal network facilitating bidirectional communication between the controller and the plurality of light sources; and
a transceiver for communicating over the external network,wherein the controller is configured to;
communicate over the internal network with the at least one of the light sources to obtain state information therefrom,communicate the state information over the external network using the using the transceiver,receive, over the external network via the transceiver, a query pertaining to a designated one of the light sources,responsively send a message to the designated light source over the internal network,receive a response from the designated light source over the internal network, and answer the query by sending a message over the external network using the transceiver.
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Abstract
Various systems and methods facilitate internal communication within a lighting module as well as intercommunication among lighting modules over an external network. The network may be a conventional network managed by a central network controller or may be an ad hoc or “mesh” network—i.e., a scalable network architecture in which any lighting module is a node that can communicate with any other module or network-connected device.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A lighting apparatus configured for internal communication over an internal network and communication with other lighting modules over an external network,
the apparatus comprising: -
a power supply; a controller; a plurality of light sources; an internal network facilitating bidirectional communication between the controller and the plurality of light sources; and a transceiver for communicating over the external network, wherein the controller is configured to; communicate over the internal network with the at least one of the light sources to obtain state information therefrom, communicate the state information over the external network using the using the transceiver, receive, over the external network via the transceiver, a query pertaining to a designated one of the light sources, responsively send a message to the designated light source over the internal network, receive a response from the designated light source over the internal network, and answer the query by sending a message over the external network using the transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system comprising a plurality of lighting modules configured for communication over an external network, the system comprising:
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a plurality of lighting modules each comprising a power supply, a controller, a plurality of light sources, an internal network facilitating bidirectional communication between the controller and at least one of the light sources, and a transceiver for communicating over the external network, wherein the controller is configured to; communicate over the internal network with the at least one of the light sources to obtain state information therefrom, communicate the state information over the external network using the using the transceiver, receive, over the external network via the transceiver, a query pertaining to a designated one of the light sources, responsively send a message to the designated light source over the internal network, receive a response from the designated light source over the internal network, and answer the query by sending a message over the external network using the transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A method of communication among a plurality of lighting devices over an external network, the method comprising the steps of:
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communicating over an internal network, by a controller within a first one of the devices, with at least one light source within the first device to obtain state information therefrom, communicating the state information over the external network, receiving, over the external network via the transceiver, a query pertaining to a designated one of a plurality of light sources, responsively sending a message to the designated light source over the internal network, receiving a response from the designated light source over the internal network, and answering the query by sending a message over the external network using the transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification