Lighting control system and method for communication of short messaging

• US 9,756,703 B1
• Filed: 09/03/2014
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Douglas Lighting Controls, Inc. (Atar Capital LLC)
• Original Assignee: Universal Lighting Technologies Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Berry, Travis L., Cavacuiti, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yang, Amy
• Application Number:
  US14/476,716
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 315159, 315291, 315307, 315308, 315297, 315149, 315312
• 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 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

An area lighting control system is provided for a light fixture and occupancy sensors. In a pairing mode, the occupancy sensors transmit messages with respective unique addresses to the light fixture, which identifies an associated sensor network. Upon lapsing of the pairing mode, an operating mode follows during which the sensors transmit output signals representative of occupancy in the area, and the light fixture regulates respective light sources based on an occupancy state determined according to output signals received from the associated network. The output signals are transmitted according to pseudo-random time intervals in order to reduce wireless transmission collisions, and only upon determining no occupancy in the defined area. When signals are received from all sensors in the network during a predetermined time period, the light fixture dims the light sources, whereas otherwise the light fixture operates the light sources at full lighting state.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

a light fixture including a light source and a controller;

a plurality of occupancy sensors associated with the light fixture, wherein each occupancy sensor is configured to generate output signals only upon determining no occupancy in a defined area;

the controller for the light fixture is configured to

count a number of occupancy sensors from which output signals are received during each of sequential predetermined time windows,

operate the light source in a first lighting state comprising a disabled or dimmed lighting output upon identifying output signals as received from each of a predetermined number of associated occupancy sensors within a particular predetermined time window, and

operate the light source in a second lighting state comprising a full lighting output upon identifying output signals as received from less than the predetermined number of associated occupancy sensors within the predetermined time window.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein:

in a pairing mode, each of the plurality of occupancy sensors respectively generate a message comprising a unique address, and the controller for the light fixture identifies each of the occupancy sensors as being associated with the light fixture based upon the addresses received during the pairing mode; and

in an operating mode, the occupancy sensors generate the output signals representative of occupancy in the defined area, and the light fixture operates the light source in the first or second lighting states based on the identified output signals from associated occupancy sensors.

3. The lighting system of claim 2, wherein each of the occupancy sensors respectively is configured to transmit the output signals according to a pseudo-random time interval.

4. The lighting system of claim 2, wherein the light fixture is configured to continuously determine identification of each associated occupancy sensor within each of sequential predetermined time windows.

5. The lighting system of claim 4, wherein a transmission protocol for the occupancy sensors comprises a point-to-point wireless network.

6. The lighting system of claim 4, wherein a transmission protocol for the occupancy sensors comprises a mesh network.

7. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the light fixture is programmed for a particular lighting zone, and identifies output signals as received from occupancy sensors assigned to the same lighting zone.

8. The lighting system of claim 7, the light fixture comprising a hardware interface configured to selectably define a lighting zone for the light fixture.

9. The lighting system of claim 7, the light fixture comprising a hardware interface configured to selectably define a number of occupancy sensors in the lighting zone and associated with the light fixture.

10. The lighting system of claim 9, wherein the controller for the light fixture is configured to count a number of occupancy sensors from which output signals are received, and to compare the number against the defined number of associated occupancy sensors in the lighting zone in order to determine an appropriate lighting state for the light fixture.

11. A lighting control method comprising:

initiating a pairing mode for each of one or more light fixtures and a plurality of occupancy sensors in a defined area, wherein the occupancy sensors transmit messages to the light fixture comprising respective unique addresses;

during the pairing mode, identifying at each light fixture the respective addresses for each occupancy sensor in the defined area;

upon lapsing of a time period associated with the pairing mode, initiating an operating mode during which the occupancy sensors transmit output signals only upon determining no occupancy in the defined area;

during the operating mode, counting a number of output signals that are transmitted and received at a given light fixture during each of sequential predetermined time windows;

providing a disabled or dimmed lighting output from the given light fixture when the counted number of received output signals matches a predetermined number of occupancy sensors within a particular predetermined time window, and

providing a full lighting output from the given light fixture when the counted number of received output signals is less than the predetermined number of occupancy sensors within the predetermined time window.

12. The lighting control method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting the output signals during the operating mode according to pseudo-random time intervals.

13. A lighting system comprising:

a light fixture including a light source and a controller;

a plurality of occupancy sensors, each configured to generate output signals only upon determining no occupancy in a defined area;

the controller for the light fixture is configured to

count a number of output signals received during each of sequential predetermined time windows,

operate the light source in a first lighting state comprising a disabled or dimmed lighting output when the counted number of received output signals matches a predetermined number of occupancy sensors within a particular predetermined time window, and

operate the light source in a second lighting state comprising a full lighting output when the counted number of received output signals is less than the predetermined number of occupancy sensors within the predetermined time window.