MASTER/SLAVE ARRANGEMENT FOR LIGHTING FIXTURE MODULES

• US 20140001959A1
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chobot, Joseph P., Harris, Michael James, Motley, Arnold, Pope, Daniel J., Trainor, John J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,572,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/149
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/62 using mixing chambers, e.g. housings with reflective walls
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/00 Reflectors for light sources characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/505
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/18 using temperature feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/30 Driver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3725 Switched mode power supply [SMPS]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/17 Operational modes, e.g. switching from manual to automatic mode or prohibiting specific operations
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/195 the transmission using visible or infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a lighting fixture that includes a driver module and at least one other module that provides a lighting fixture function, such as a sensor function, lighting network communication function, gateway function, and the like. The driver module communicates with the other modules in a master/slave scheme over a communication bus. The driver module is configured as a slave communication device, and the other modules are configured as master communication devices. As such, the other modules may initiate communications with the driver to send information to or retrieve information from the driver module.

Claims

1. A lighting fixture comprising:

a driver module adapted to drive an associated light source and to facilitate communications over a communication bus as a slave communication device; and

a communications module adapted to facilitate wireless communications with other elements in a lighting network and communications as a master communication device with the driver module over the communication bus.

2. The lighting fixture of claim 1 further comprising an auxiliary module adapted to:

provide a lighting fixture function for the lighting fixture; and

facilitate communications as a master communication device with the driver module over the communication bus.

3. The lighting fixture of claim 2 wherein being the master communication device, both the auxiliary module and the communications module initiate communications with the driver module.

4. The lighting fixture of claim 3 wherein the communications with the driver module comprise at least one of requesting information from the driver module and transferring information to the driver module.

5. The lighting fixture of claim 2 wherein the auxiliary module comprises an occupancy sensor and the lighting fixture function is detecting occupancy.

6. The lighting fixture of claim 2 wherein the auxiliary module comprises an ambient light sensor and the lighting fixture function is detecting ambient light.

7. The lighting fixture of claim 2 wherein the auxiliary module is a gateway and the lighting fixture function is providing a wireless communication gateway to at least one of a remote device and a network outside of the lighting network.

8. The lighting fixture of claim 7 wherein the auxiliary module is adapted to wirelessly receive information from the at least one of the remote device and the network outside of the lighting network and, as the master communication device, initiate transfer of the information to the driver module, which will control the light source based on the information.

9. The lighting fixture of claim 2 wherein the driver module is adapted to receive AC power and provide DC power to the communications module and the auxiliary module.

10. The lighting fixture of claim 2 wherein:

the communications module is adapted to wirelessly receive first information from one of the other elements of the lighting network and, as the master communication device, initiate transfer of the first information to the driver module, which will control the light source based on the first information; and

the auxiliary module comprises a sensor and is adapted to determine second information bearing on an output of the sensor and, as the master communication device, initiate transfer of the second information to the driver module, which will control the light source based on the second information.

11. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the driver module is adapted to receive AC power and provide DC power to the communications module.

12. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the communication bus is a serial communication bus.

13. The lighting fixture of claim 12 wherein the communication bus is an I²C bus.

14. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the communications module is adapted to wirelessly receive information from one of the other elements of the lighting network and, as the master communication device, initiate transfer of the information to the driver module, which will control the light source based on the information.

15. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the driver module is further adapted to communicate with a remote switch via the communication bus, wherein the remote switch is also configured as a master communication device, which is adapted to initiate transfer of switch information to the driver module, which will control the light source based on the switch information.

16. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the light source is an LED-based light source.

17. A driver module for a lighting fixture comprising:

a wired communication interface; and

control circuitry associated with the wired communication interface and adapted to;

drive a light source; and

facilitate communications over a communication bus as a slave communication device with at least one other module that is part of the lighting fixture, is adapted to provide a lighting fixture function, and is adapted to communicate over the communication bus as a master communication device.

18. The driver module of claim 17 wherein the at least one other module comprises a communications module that is adapted to facilitate wireless communications with other elements in a lighting network, and the control circuitry is adapted to send outgoing information to the communication module for delivery to at least one of the other elements of the lighting network and receive incoming information from the communications module.

19. The driver module of claim 18 wherein the control circuitry is further adapted to control the light source based on the incoming information.

20. The driver module of claim 18 further comprising a sensor and wherein the control circuitry is further adapted to:

generate a lighting control instruction for the at least one of the other elements of the lighting network based on a sensor output of the sensor; and

send the lighting control instruction to the communication module, which is adapted to send the lighting control instruction to the at least one of the other elements.

21. The driver module of claim 17 wherein the at least one other module comprises a sensor module that is adapted to determine a sensor output and the control circuitry is adapted receive information corresponding to the sensor output from the sensor module.

22. The driver module of claim 21 wherein the control circuitry is further adapted to control the light source based on the information corresponding to the sensor output.

23. The driver module of claim 22 wherein the control circuitry is further adapted to:

generate a lighting control instruction for at least one other element of a lighting network based on the sensor output; and

send the lighting control instruction to a communication module, which is adapted to send the lighting control instruction to the at least one of the other elements.

24. The driver module of claim 17 wherein the control circuitry is further adapted to communicate with a remote switch via the communication bus, wherein the remote switch is also configured as a master communication device, which is adapted to initiate transfer of switch information to the driver module, which will control the light source based on the switch information.

25. The driver module of claim 17 wherein the at least one other module comprises a plurality of modules that provide different lighting fixture functions.

26. The driver module of claim 25 wherein the different lighting fixture functions consist of a sensor function, a communication function, and gateway function.

27. The driver module of claim 17 wherein the communication bus is a serial communication bus.

28. The driver module of claim 27 wherein the communication bus is an I²C bus.