System and method for remote control lighting

• US 8,179,056 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Seguine, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THUY V
• Application Number:
  US12/238,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20100079083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 340/531, 340/533, 340/534, 340/538, 340/538.11, 345/156, 345/173, 315/291, 315/307
• US Class Current: 315/291
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission

Abstract

Remote lighting control methods, devices and systems are disclosed. One embodiment of the present invention pertains to a light device. The light device includes a light source for emitting light and a control circuit for setting an intensity level of the light source based on receipt of control data via a power line when the light device is electrically coupled to the power line. The control data is generated in response to user input to an input panel of a remote lighting control module for the light device. In addition, the light device comprises a unique address associated with a region on the input panel.

Claims

1. A light device, comprising:

a first light source;

a mechanism to couple the first light source to a light fixture;

a control circuit to set an intensity level of the first light source in response to receipt of control data transmitted via a power line; and

a user interface of a remote lighting control module for the first light source in communication with the control circuit, the user interface including a first icon and other icons;

wherein;

the control data is generated in response to user input to the user interface of the remote lighting control module for the first light source,

the first light source comprises a unique address associated with the first icon on the user interface, and

the other icons of the user interface are associated with lighting units other than the first light source and are configured for accessing the lighting units.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first light source comprises a plurality light emitting diodes (LEDs) including a red LED, a blue LED and a green LED.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the control data comprises a first intensity level of the red LED, a second intensity level of the blue LED and a third intensity level of the green LED.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is operable to receive control data communicated via the power line using frequency-shift keying (FSK) modulation, and wherein the control circuit comprises a power line receiver module to receive the control data based on the FSK demodulation.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a capacitive sensing touch pad.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises a processor to control the intensity of the first light source based on the control data.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the mechanism to couple the first light source to the light fixture is operable to be coupled to the power line.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is implemented using a programmable electronic device.

9. A lighting control system, comprising:

a capacitive sensing touch pad comprising a first button operable to remotely set color and intensity, a second button representing a first LED light device, and other buttons associated with other LED lighting units, wherein the first LED light device comprises an address linked with the second button, and selection of the other buttons accesses the other LED lighting units; and

a remote lighting control module coupled to the capacitive sensing touch pad to generate and forward the address and control data associated with the color and the intensity information to the LED light device via a power line in response to user interaction with the first button and the second button to remotely control the LED light device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first LED light device comprises:

an LED to emit light; and

a control circuit to set the color and intensity level of the LED based on the control data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuit comprises a receiver module to receive the control data from the power line.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the power line comprises a path to transmit half duplex modulated data.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote lighting control module is wall mounted and is implemented using a programmable electronic device.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote lighting control module comprises a power line transmitter module to couple with a power line and to forward the control data to the LED light device via the power line using FSK modulation.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the first button comprises a touch array.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second button comprises a touch button.

17. A method for remotely controlling an LED light device via a power line, comprising:

generating control data to set color and intensity information by processing user interaction with a first icon of a capacitive sensing touch pad;

determining an address of the LED light device based on the user interaction with a second icon representing the LED light device, wherein the second icon is associated with the address of the LED light device;

communicating the address and control data to the LED light device via the power line; and

accessing lighting units other than the LED light device based on the user interaction with other icons of the capacitive sensing touch pad other than the first icon and the second icon.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first icon comprises a touch array and the second icon comprises a touch button.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the communicating the address and control data to the LED light device comprises transmitting the address and the control data via the power line using FSK modulation.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the LED light device comprises a light source and a control circuit to set color and intensity level of the light source based on the control data, and wherein the control circuit controls color and intensity of the light source responsive to the address and the control data.