Systems and methods for outdoor luminaire wireless control

• US 10,219,360 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2018
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Express Imaging Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Express Imaging Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Vendetti, Donald Arthur, Dolf, Richard, Reed, William G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Jimmy
• Application Number:
  US15/943,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20180288860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 315151, 315209 R, 315291, 315294, 315307, 315308, 315312
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/01 Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts F21V15/02 takes precedence housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/045 the sensor receiving a signal from a remote controller
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/06 the elements being coupling devices , e.g. connectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• 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

Systems and methods which leverage the wireless communication capability present in wireless-enabled luminaires where the lamps include a short-range wireless transceiver and can be controlled by a smart appliance. The wireless capability of a luminaire may be paired with a compatible wireless interface system (e.g., adapter system) that allows for control of the luminaire via plug-in or hard-wired photocontrols and wireless network lamp control nodes. An adapter system may be provided that replaces a standard wired receptacle of a luminaire. The adapter system may include a wired interface to the luminaire which provides power to the wireless adapter system. The wireless adapter system may include a receptacle interface that receives a plug of a control node, such as photocontrol or a networked control node. The wireless adapter system may also include a wireless interface circuit that communicates control, status or other data between the connected control device and the luminaire.

Claims

1. A wireless adapter system, comprising:

an adapter system physical luminaire interface that is physically coupleable to a physical luminaire interface of a luminaire to receive alternating current (AC) power from the luminaire;

a first adapter system transceiver that in operation wirelessly communicates with a luminaire transceiver of the luminaire;

at least one processor communicatively coupled to the first adapter system transceiver; and

at least one nontransitory processor-readable storage medium operatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing at least one of data or instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

cause the first adapter system transceiver to at least one of;

wirelessly send data or instructions to the luminaire;

or

wirelessly receive data or instructions from the luminaire.

2. The wireless adapter system of claim 1 wherein the adapter system physical luminaire interface comprises a 3-wire interface comprising an AC line connection, an AC neutral connection, and an AC switched line connection.

3. The wireless adapter system of claim 1 wherein the adapter system physical luminaire interface comprises a twist lock plug.

4. The wireless adapter system of claim 1 wherein the adapter system physical luminaire interface is selectively physically coupleable to a control node physical node interface of a control node in an integrated housing.

5. The wireless adapter system of claim 1, further comprising:

an adapter system physical node interface that is selectively physically coupleable to a control node physical node interface of a control node.

6. The wireless adapter system of claim 5 wherein the adapter system physical node interface comprises one of a 5-pin receptacle interface or a 7-pin receptacle interface.

7. The wireless adapter system of claim 5 wherein in operation the adapter system physical node interface provides AC power from the physical luminaire interface of the luminaire to the control node physical node interface of the control node.

8. The wireless adapter system of claim 5 wherein in operation the adapter system physical luminaire interface couples an AC line connection, a neutral connection, and a switched line connection of the luminaire to the control node physical node interface of the control node.

9. The wireless adapter system of claim 8 wherein in operation the adapter system physical node interface enables power switching to and power measurement of the luminaire by the control node.

10. The wireless adapter system of claim 5 wherein in operation the at least one processor:

receives, via the adapter system physical node interface, at least one of instructions or data; and

causes the first adapter system transceiver to wirelessly send the received at least one of instructions or data to the luminaire in a format that is readable by the luminaire.

11. The wireless adapter system of claim 5 wherein in operation the at least one processor:

receives, via the adapter system transceiver, at least one of instructions or data from the luminaire; and

sends, via the adapter system physical node interface, the received at least one of instructions or data to the control node.

12. The wireless adapter system of claim 5 wherein the at least one processor comprises at least one of an analog dimming receiver or a digitally addressable lighting interface (DALI) transceiver.

13. The wireless adapter system of claim 5 wherein the adapter system physical luminaire interface, adapter system physical node interface, and the first adapter system transceiver are all disposed in an adapter system housing.

14. The wireless adapter system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second adapter system transceiver that in operation communicates wirelessly with an external device over a wireless network.

15. The wireless adapter system of claim 14 wherein in operation the at least one processor:

receives, via the second adapter system transceiver, at least one of instructions or data; and

causes the first adapter system transceiver to wirelessly send the received at least one of instructions or data to the luminaire in a format that is readable by the luminaire.

16. The wireless adapter system of claim 14 wherein in operation the at least one processor:

receives, via the first adapter system transceiver, at least one of instructions or data from the luminaire; and

sends, via the second adapter system transceiver, the received at least one of instructions or data to an external device over at least one communications network.

17. A method of operating a luminaire, the method comprising:

providing a wireless adapter system comprising an adapter system physical luminaire interface, a first adapter system transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the first adapter system transceiver;

physically coupling the adapter system physical luminaire interface of the wireless adapter system to a luminaire physical node interface of a luminaire to receive alternating current (AC) power from the luminaire; and

causing, by the at least one processor, the first adapter system transceiver to at least one of wirelessly send data or instructions to the luminaire or wirelessly receive data or instructions from the luminaire.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the adapter system physical luminaire interface comprises a 3-wire interface comprising an AC line connection, an AC neutral connection, and an AC switched line connection, and physically coupling the adapter system physical luminaire interface of the wireless adapter system to a luminaire physical node interface comprises physically coupling the AC line connection, the AC neutral connection, and the AC switched line connection to circuitry of the luminaire.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the adapter system physical luminaire interface comprises a twist lock plug and physically coupling the adapter system physical luminaire interface of the wireless adapter system to a luminaire physical node interface comprises physically coupling the twist lock plug to a receptacle of the luminaire.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the adapter system physical luminaire interface is selectively physically coupleable to a control node physical node interface of a control node in an integrated housing.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the wireless adapter system comprises an adapter system physical node interface, the method further comprising:

physically coupling the adapter system physical node interface to a control node physical node interface of a control node.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the adapter system physical node interface comprises one of a 5-pin receptacle interface or a 7-pin receptacle interface, and physically coupling the adapter system physical node interface to a control node physical node interface of a control node comprises physically coupling the one of a 5-pin receptacle interface or the 7-pin receptacle interface to a plug of the control node.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing, via the adapter system physical luminaire interface, AC power from the physical luminaire interface of the luminaire to the control node physical node interface of the control node.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor via the adapter system physical node interface, at least one of instructions or data; and

causing, by the at least one processor, the first adapter system transceiver to wirelessly send the received at least one of instructions or data to the luminaire in a format that is readable by the luminaire.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor via the first adapter system transceiver, at least one of instructions or data from the luminaire; and

sending, by the at least one processor via the adapter system physical node interface, the received at least one of instructions or data to the control node.

26. The method of claim 17 wherein the wireless adapter system comprises a second adapter system transceiver, the method further comprising:

communicating, via the second adapter system transceiver, wirelessly with an external device over a wireless network.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor via the second adapter system transceiver, at least one of instructions or data; and

causing, by the at least one processor, the first adapter system transceiver to wirelessly send the received at least one of instructions or data to the luminaire in a format that is readable by the luminaire.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor via the first adapter system transceiver, at least one of instructions or data from the luminaire; and

sending, by the at least one processor via the second adapter system transceiver, the received at least one of instructions or data to an external device over at least one communications network.