Methods, systems, and apparatus for mapping a network of lighting fixtures with light module identification

• US 8,823,277 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2010
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: Digital Lumens, Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Chemel, Brian J., Piepgras, Colin, Kondo, Steve T., Johnston, Scott D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): COOPER, JONATHAN G
• Application Number:
  US12/832,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20110001436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: 315/291
• US Class Current: 315/291
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention, a method and system is provided for designing improved intelligent, LED-based lighting systems. The LED based lighting systems may include fixtures with one or more of rotatable LED light bars, integrated sensors, onboard intelligence to receive signals from the LED light bars and control the LED light bars, and a mesh network connectivity to other fixtures.

Claims

1. A method of mapping a wireless network of light emitting diode (LED) lighting fixtures, the method comprising:

A) storing identification data in a power management unit of a first LED lighting fixture in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures;

B) transmitting a signal representative of the identification data from the first LED lighting fixture to at least one second LED lighting fixture in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures via at least one third LED lighting fixture in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures;

C) receiving, from the first LED lighting fixture, the signal representative of the identification data at the at least one second LED lighting fixture;

D) determining network performance data based at least in part on a received signal strength indication of the signal received in C); and

E) generating a connectivity map of the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures based at least in part upon the identification data represented by the signal received in C) and based at least in part upon the network performance data determined in D).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification data represents at least one of lighting fixture placement of the first LED lighting fixture within an environment illuminated by the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures and a media access controller (MAC) address of the first LED lighting fixture.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein B) comprises at least one of:

B1) transmitting infrared radiation;

B2) transmitting a radio-frequency signal; and

B3) modulating visible light emitted by the first LED lighting fixture.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein D) comprises determining the network performance data based at least in part on a hop count from the first LED lighting fixture to the at least one second LED lighting fixture of the signal received in C).

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

F) constructing a rules database based at least in part upon the connectivity map generated in E).

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

G) storing the rules database constructed in F) in at least one of an LED lighting fixture in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures and a central management module communicatively coupled to the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

H) automatically assigning the first LED lighting fixture to at least one zone within the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures based at least in part upon the connectivity map generated in E).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein H) comprises automatically assigning the first LED lighting fixture to the at least one zone based on at least one of:

a location of the first LED lighting fixture within an environment illuminated by the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures;

a beam emitted by the first LED lighting fixture;

an area illuminated by the first LED lighting fixture; and

an electrical circuit to which the first LED lighting fixture is coupled.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

I) depicting, on the connectivity map generated in E), at least one of;

a distance from the first LED lighting fixture to at least one other LED lighting fixture in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures based on at least one of received signal strength indication data and hop-count data;

overlapping beam patterns of at least two LED lighting fixtures in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures;

contiguous beam patterns of at least two LED lighting fixtures in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures;

a location of a sensor associated with the first LED lighting fixture;

a zone in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures to which the first LED lighting fixture is assigned; and

at least one layer representing at least one relationship between the first LED lighting fixture and at least one other device in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures.

10. A first light-emitting diode (LED) lighting fixture in a wireless network of LED lighting fixtures, the first LED lighting fixture comprising:

at least one LED to illuminate an environment;

a nonvolatile memory to store first identification data about the first LED lighting fixture;

a sensor to receive a signal representative of second identification data about at least one second LED lighting fixture in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures, the sensor being configured so as to receive the signal via at least one third LED lighting fixture in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures; and

a power management unit (PMU) to power the at least one LED and to determine network performance data based at least in part on a strength of the signal received by the sensor and to provide the first identification data, the second identification data, and the network performance data to a central management module,

wherein the central management module is configured to generate a connectivity map of the network of LED lighting fixtures based at least in part on the first identification data, based at least in part on the second identification data, and based at least in part on the network performance data.

11. The first LED lighting fixture of claim 10, wherein the first identification data comprises at least one of lighting fixture placement within the environment and a media access controller (MAC) address of the first LED lighting fixture.

12. The first LED lighting fixture of claim 10, wherein the sensor is configured to detect the signal provided as at least one of infrared radiation, radio-frequency radiation, and modulation of visible light emitted by the at least one third LED lighting fixture.

13. The first LED lighting fixture of claim 10, wherein the PMU is configured to determine

a hop count of the signal to the first LED lighting fixture from the at least one second LED lighting fixture.

14. The first LED lighting fixture of claim 10, wherein the central management module is configured to construct a rules database based at least in part on the connectivity map.

15. The first LED lighting fixture of claim 14, wherein the nonvolatile memory is configured to store the rules database.

16. A wireless network of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting fixtures to provide lighting to an environment, the wireless network comprising:

A) at least one first LED lighting fixture comprising;

A1) at least one LED to illuminate at least a portion of the environment;

A2) a nonvolatile memory to store first identification data about the first LED lighting fixture;

A3) a sensor to receive a signal representative of second identification data about at least one second LED lighting fixture in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures, the sensor being configured so as to receive the signal via at least one third LED lighting fixture in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures; and

A4) a power management unit (PMU) to power the at least one LED and to determine network performance data based at least in part on a strength of the signal received by the sensor; and

B) a central management module to;

B1) receive the first identification data, the second identification data, and the network performance data from the at least one first LED lighting fixture; and

B2) generate a connectivity map of the wireless network based at least in part on the first identification data, based at least in part on the second identification data, and based at least in part on the network performance data.

17. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein the central management module is configured to construct a rules database based at least in part upon the connectivity map.

18. The wireless network of claim 17, wherein the central management module is further configured to store the rules database.

19. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein the central management module is configured to automatically assign the first LED lighting fixture to at least one zone within the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures based at least in part upon the connectivity map.

20. The wireless network of claim 19, wherein the central management module is configured to assign the first LED lighting fixture to the at least one zone based on at least one of:

a location of the first LED lighting fixture within the environment;

a beam emitted by the first LED lighting fixture;

an area illuminated by the first LED lighting fixture; and

an electrical circuit to which the first LED lighting fixture is coupled.

21. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein the central management is configured to depict, on the connectivity map, at least one of:

a distance from the first LED lighting fixture to at least one other LED lighting fixture in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures based on at least one of received signal strength indication data and hop-count data;

overlapping beam patterns of at least two LED lighting fixtures in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures;

contiguous beam patterns of at least two LED lighting fixtures in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures;

a location of a sensor associated with the first LED lighting fixture;

a zone in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures to which the first LED lighting fixture is assigned; and

at least one layer representing at least one relationship between the first LED lighting fixture and at least one other device in the wireless network of LED lighting fixtures.

22. A method of generating rules to regulate variable light provided by a wireless mesh network of light emitting diode (LED) lighting fixtures, the method comprising:

A) determining a hop count from a first LED lighting fixture in the wireless mesh network of LED lighting fixtures to at least one second LED lighting fixture in the wireless mesh network of LED lighting fixtures;

B) determining a received signal strength of a signal received by the first LED lighting fixture from the at least one second LED lighting fixture;

C) generating a representation of the wireless mesh network of LED lighting fixtures based at least in part upon the hop count determined in A) and upon the received signal strength determined in B); and

D) generating at least one rule to regulate the variable lighting provided by the wireless mesh network of LED lighting fixtures based at least in part upon the representation of the wireless mesh network of LED lighting fixtures generated in C).

23. The method of claim 22, wherein C) comprises automatically determining a placement of the first lighting fixture in an environment illuminated by the wireless mesh network of LED lighting fixtures.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein C) comprises generating a connectivity map representative of wireless connections between the first LED lighting fixture and the at least one second LED lighting fixture.