System for autonomous commissioning and harvesting of functional wireless lighting groups

• US 9,924,581 B1
• Filed: 04/04/2017
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fabriq, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Fabriq, Ltd.
• Inventors: Reh, Jeffrey G., O'Kelley, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Monica C
• Application Number:
  US15/479,067
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/199 Commissioning of light sources

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for creating functional lighting groups. The apparatus includes a multimode wireless switch and a gateway. The multimode wireless switch is coupled to one or more wireless devices via a line voltage, and is configured to enter a grouping mode responsive to commands sent over a wireless network, and is configured to switch the line voltage off and then back on, where the one or more wireless devices send messages over the wireless network indicating that they have been power cycled. The gateway is coupled to the one or more wireless devices over the wireless network, and is configured to send the commands, and is configured to receive the messages and is configured to create a functional lighting group comprising the multimode wireless switch and the one or more wireless devices.

Claims

1. An apparatus for creating functional lighting groups, the apparatus comprising:

a multimode wireless switch, coupled to one or more wireless devices via a line voltage, configured to enter a grouping mode responsive to commands sent over a wireless network, and configured to switch said line voltage off and then back on, wherein said one or more wireless devices send messages over said wireless network indicating that they have been power cycled; and

a gateway, coupled to said one or more wireless devices over said wireless network, configured to send said commands, and configured to receive said messages, and configured to create a functional lighting group comprising said multimode wireless switch and said one or more wireless devices.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said multimode wireless switch switches said line voltage responsive to said commands.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said multimode wireless switch comprises an actuator, and wherein said multimode wireless switch switches said line voltage responsive to said commands followed by actuation of said actuator.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said one or more wireless devices comprise one or more wireless lighting fixtures.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said one or more wireless lighting fixtures comprise wireless fluorescent lights.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said one or more wireless lighting fixtures comprise wireless light-emitting diode lights.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said one or more wireless devices further comprise one or more connected wireless sensors.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said gateway is coupled via the internet to a cloud-based server, and wherein said cloud-based server communicates with said gateway and a commissioning device to enable formation of said functional lighting group.

9. An apparatus for creating functional lighting groups, the apparatus comprising:

one or more wireless devices, configured to enter a grouping mode responsive to first commands sent over a wireless network, and, responsive to being power cycled, configured to send messages over said wireless network indicating that they have been power cycled;

a multimode wireless switch, coupled to said one or more wireless devices via a line voltage, configured to enter said grouping mode responsive to second commands sent over a wireless network, and configured to switch said line voltage off and then back on; and

a gateway, coupled to said wireless network, configured to send said first and second commands, and configured to receive said messages, and configured to create a functional lighting group comprising said multimode wireless switch and said one or more wireless devices.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said multimode wireless switch switches said line voltage responsive to said second commands.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said multimode wireless switch comprises an actuator, and wherein said multimode wireless switch switches said line voltage responsive to said second commands followed by actuation of said actuator.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said one or more wireless devices comprise one or more wireless lighting fixtures.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein said one or more wireless devices further comprise one or more connected wireless sensors.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said gateway is coupled via the internet to a cloud-based server, and wherein said cloud-based server communicates with said gateway and a commissioning device to enable formation of said functional lighting group.

15. A method for creating functional lighting groups, the method comprising:

coupling a multimode wireless switch to one or more wireless devices via a line voltage;

via a gateway, first commanding the one or more wireless devices over a wireless network to enter a grouping mode;

via the gateway, second commanding the multimode wireless switch over the wireless network to switch the line voltage off and then back on, wherein the one or more wireless devices send messages over the wireless network indicating that they have been power cycled; and

via the gateway, receiving the messages, and creating a functional lighting group comprising the multimode wireless switch and the one or more wireless devices.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the multimode wireless switch switches said line voltage responsive to said second commanding.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the multimode wireless switch comprises an actuator, and wherein the multimode wireless switch switches said line voltage responsive to said second commanding followed by actuation of the actuator.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the one or more wireless devices comprise one or more wireless lighting fixtures.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the one or more wireless devices further comprise one or more connected wireless sensors.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the gateway is coupled via the internet to a cloud-based server, and wherein the cloud-based server communicates with the gateway and a commissioning device to enable formation of the functional lighting group.