Dual-mode dimming of a light

• US 9,900,965 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2016
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Greenwave Reality, Inc.
• Inventors: Jonsson, Karl S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US15/137,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20160242266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 315291, 315297, 315307, 315312, 315318, 362227, 36224902, 34081545, 3408559, 702 60, 702 62
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/04 the elements being switches safety devices F21V25/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/00 Globes; Bowls; Cover glasses with refracting properties F21V5/00; with reflecting properties F21V7/00; characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/506
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/14 using electrical feedback from LEDs or from LED modules
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/00 Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/801 Bedroom lighting, e.g. modular combinations

Abstract

A lighting system includes a master lighting device, a control unit, and one or more slave lighting devices. The master lighting device includes a power input, a light emitting component, a memory device, a processor, and a network interface to communicate over a network. The memory device stores computer readable code that when executed by the processor, causes the master lighting device to receive a message that includes brightness information over the network, receive information regarding a characteristic of power received at the power input, control a brightness level of the light emitting component based on the brightness information and the information regarding the characteristic of the power, and send a message to the slave lighting devices to control their brightness level. The control unit includes a network interface send the message that includes the brightness information over the network.

Claims

1. Circuitry comprising an input line, and an output line;

the circuitry configured to;

receive a message over a network;

receive information regarding a characteristic of a power line through the input line, the information being different than the message and indicating a value of the characteristic that is between maximum and minimum expected values; and

control the output line based on both the message and the information regarding the characteristic of the power line.

2. The circuitry of claim 1, wherein the message comprises brightness information for a light emitting device coupled to the output line.

3. The circuitry of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the characteristic of the power line is represented by a duty cycle of a signal on the input line.

4. The circuitry of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless network interface to communicate over the network;

a processor coupled to the wireless network interface, the input line, and the output line; and

a physical memory, coupled to the processor, storing computer readable code that when executed by the processor, causes the circuitry to receive the message, receive the information, and control the output line.

5. The circuitry of claim 4, wherein the circuitry is incorporated into a single integrated circuit.

6. The circuitry of claim 1, wherein the output line is pulse-width modulated to control a brightness of a light emitting component coupled to the output line.

7. The circuitry of claim 1, further comprising a setup register;

the circuitry further configured to control the output line based on a value stored in the setup register in addition to the message and the information regarding the characteristic of the power line.

8. A lighting system comprising a master lighting device that comprises a power input, a light emitting component, and a network interface to communicate over a network, the master lighting device configured to:

receive a master message comprising brightness information over the network;

receive information regarding a characteristic of power received at the power input, the information being different than the master message and indicating a value of the characteristic that is between maximum and minimum expected values; and

control a brightness level of the light emitting component based on both the brightness information and the information regarding the characteristic of the power.

9. The lighting system of claim 8, further comprising a control unit that comprises a network interface to communicate over the network, the control unit configured to:

send the master message comprising the brightness information over the network.

10. The lighting system of claim 9, wherein the control unit is a remote control.

11. The lighting system of claim 9, further comprising one or more slave lighting devices that each comprise a power input, a light emitting component, and a network interface to communicate over the network;

the master lighting device further configured to send a slave message to at least one of the one or more slave lighting devices to control a brightness level of the light emitting component of the at least one of the one or more slave lighting devices based on both the brightness information received by the master lighting device in the master message and the information regarding the characteristic of the power received by the master lighting device.

12. The lighting system of claim 11, wherein the brightness level of the light emitting component of the at least one of the one or more slave lighting devices is controlled to match the brightness level of the light emitting component of the master lighting device.

13. The lighting system of claim 8, wherein the characteristic comprises phase information of an alternating current electrical power at the power input.

14. The lighting system of claim 8, wherein the network interface comprises a wireless network interface, and the network comprises a radio frequency network.

15. The lighting system of claim 8, further comprising one or more slave lighting devices that each comprise a power input, a light emitting component, and a network interface to communicate over the network;

the master lighting device further configured to send a slave message to at least one of the one or more slave lighting devices to control a brightness level of the light emitting component of the at least one of the one or more slave lighting devices based on both the brightness information received by the master lighting device in the master message and the information regarding the characteristic of the power received by the master lighting device.

16. The lighting system of claim 8, the master lighting device further comprising:

a processor coupled to the power input, the light emitting component, and the network interface; and

a memory device, coupled to the processor, storing computer readable code that when executed by the processor, causes the master lighting device to receive the master message, receive the information, and control the brightness level of the light emitting component.

17. A lighting apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a brightness message over a network at the lighting apparatus;

means for detecting a change in a characteristic of a power input of the lighting apparatus, the change being less than a difference between maximum and minimum expected values of the characteristic of the input power; and

means for changing a brightness of the lighting apparatus based on both the brightness message and the change in the characteristic.

18. The lighting apparatus of claim 17, wherein the power input comprises alternating current electrical power, and the characteristic of the power input comprises phase control of the alternating current electrical power.

19. The lighting apparatus of claim 17, wherein the brightness message comprises information about a relative change of brightness;

and

the means for changing of the brightness of the lighting apparatus also uses a previous brightness of the lighting apparatus.

20. The lighting apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

means for receiving a configuration message over the network

means for storing configuration information from the configuration message, wherein the means for changing of the brightness of the lighting apparatus also uses the configuration information.