Light controller

• US 9,942,965 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2017
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hutz, David James, Lutes, Robert Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DON P
• Application Number:
  US15/470,296
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 315152
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 using handheld communication devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for performing actions based on a determined relative composition of light. In some implementations, data representing an amount of ambient light detected within the portion of the property by a light sensor located at the portion of the property is initially obtained. Data indicating (i) a shape of an optical spectra for a natural light source, and (ii) a shape of an optical spectra for a non-natural light source is then obtained. A relative composition of the ambient light detected within the portion of the property is determined. An estimated amount of natural light within the portion of the property is then determined. In response, the amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property is adjusted.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more computers, the method comprising:

measuring, using a light sensor located at a portion of a property, ambient light in the portion of the property;

determining signature peaks in the measured ambient light based on an optical spectrum;

determining a composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property based on the measured signature peaks;

determining an amount of natural light in the portion of the property based on the determined composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property;

determining to adjust an amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property based on the determined amount of natural light within the portion of the property; and

in response to determining to adjust the amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property based on the determined amount of natural light within the portion of the property, adjusting the amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more light sources comprises a light emitting diode (LED), a high-intensity discharge (HID) bulb, an incandescent bulb, or a fluorescent bulb.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining to adjust an amount of light output by the one or more light sources located at the portion of the property comprises determining that the determined amount of natural light within the portion of the property satisfies a predetermined threshold for amount of natural light within the portion of the property.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the amount of light output by the one or more light sources located at the portion of the property comprises transmitting an instruction to turn off at least one of the one or more light sources.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the amount of light output by the one or more light sources located at the portion of the property comprises transmitting an instruction to reduce the amount of light output by at least one of the one or more light sources located at the portion of the property without turning off the one or more light sources.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property based on the measured signature peaks comprises determining, based on comparing peaks and troughs of a generated optical spectrum of the measured ambient light and a reference optical spectrum that covers waveforms of multiple different types of light sources, the composition of the ambient light.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining, based on comparing peaks and troughs of the generated optical spectrum of the measured ambient light and the reference optical spectrum that covers the waveforms of multiple different types of light sources, the composition of the ambient light comprises comparing the generated optical spectrum to characteristic peaks and troughs for specified wavelengths of the reference optical spectrum.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the amount of natural light in the portion of the property comprises determining the amount of natural light based on measuring relative energy produced by natural light within the measured ambient light for specified wavelengths based on the reference optical spectrum.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the amount of natural light based on measuring relative energy produced by natural light within the measured ambient light for specified wavelengths based on the reference optical spectrum comprises identifying, from the reference optical spectrum, different relative energy for light from different light sources at different wavelengths, and determining a ratio of an amount of light from different light sources that results in a spectrum that best matches the generated optical spectrum from the measured ambient light.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the amount of natural light based on measuring relative energy produced by natural light within the measured ambient light for specified wavelengths based on the reference optical spectrum comprises calculating a ratio of relative energy produced by natural light and total relative energy of the measured ambient light at certain wavelength ranges.

11. An electronic system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

measuring, using a light sensor located at a portion of a property, ambient light in the portion of the property;

determining signature peaks in the measured ambient light based on an optical spectrum;

determining a composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property based on the measured signature peaks;

determining an amount of natural light in the portion of the property based on the determined composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property;

determining to adjust an amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property based on the determined amount of natural light within the portion of the property; and

in response to determining to adjust the amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property based on the determined amount of natural light within the portion of the property, adjusting the amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more light sources comprises a light emitting diode (LED), a high-intensity discharge (HID) bulb, an incandescent bulb, or a fluorescent bulb.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein determining to adjust an amount of light output by the one or more light sources located at the portion of the property comprises determining that the determined amount of natural light within the portion of the property satisfies a predetermined threshold for amount of natural light within the portion of the property.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein adjusting the amount of light output by the one or more light sources located at the portion of the property comprises transmitting an instruction to turn off at least one of the one or more light sources.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein adjusting the amount of light output by the one or more light sources located at the portion of the property comprises transmitting an instruction to reduce the amount of light output by at least one of the one or more light sources located at the portion of the property without turning off the one or more light sources.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein determining the composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property based on the measured signature peaks comprises determining, based on comparing peaks and troughs of a generated optical spectrum of the measured ambient light and a reference optical spectrum that covers waveforms of multiple different types of light sources, the composition of the ambient light.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein determining, based on comparing peaks and troughs of the generated optical spectrum of the measured ambient light and the reference optical spectrum that covers the waveforms of multiple different types of light sources, the composition of the ambient light comprises comparing the generated optical spectrum to characteristic peaks and troughs for specified wavelengths of the reference optical spectrum.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein determining the amount of natural light in the portion of the property comprises determining the amount of natural light based on measuring relative energy produced by natural light within the measured ambient light for specified wavelengths based on the reference optical spectrum.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein determining the amount of natural light based on measuring relative energy produced by natural light within the measured ambient light for specified wavelengths based on the reference optical spectrum comprises identifying, from the reference optical spectrum, different relative energy for light from different light sources at different wavelengths, and determining a ratio of an amount of light from different light sources that results in a spectrum that best matches the generated optical spectrum from the measured ambient light.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein determining the amount of natural light based on measuring relative energy produced by natural light within the measured ambient light for specified wavelengths based on the reference optical spectrum comprises calculating a ratio of relative energy produced by natural light and total relative energy of the measured ambient light at certain wavelength ranges.