Lighting apparatus, lighting control system, and method of controlling the lighting apparatus

• US 9,192,032 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2014
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwag, Heui-sam, Kim, Tae-Eung, Jung, Yong-Min, Jung, Ju-young, Cho, Ho-chan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tan, Vibol
• Application Number:
  US14/312,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20150048760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 315/292, 315/297, 315/307
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/14 using electrical feedback from LEDs or from LED modules
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• 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

A lighting apparatus connected to a network includes a light source for emitting light. A controller controls operation of the light source in response to an external control signal. A non-contact sensor detects a non-contact signal and generates a reset signal in response to detecting the non-contact signal. A communication interface communicatively connects the lighting apparatus to a wireless network to receive the external control signal from a remote apparatus via the wireless network and disconnects the lighting apparatus from the wireless network in response to receiving the reset signal from the non-contact sensor.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a light source configured to emit light;

a controller configured to control operation of the light source in response to an external control signal;

a non-contact sensor configured to detect a non-contact signal and to generate a reset signal for controlling a connection to a wireless network in response to detecting the non-contact signal; and

a communication interface configured to;

communicatively connect the lighting apparatus to the wireless network to receive the external control signal from a remote apparatus via the wireless network, and to

disconnect the lighting apparatus from the wireless network in response to receiving the reset signal from the non-contact sensor.

2. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-contact sensor comprises at least one of a Hall sensor, a proximity sensor, or a magnetic resistance sensor.

3. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-contact sensor detects an approach of a magnetic substance to the lighting apparatus as the non-contact signal.

4. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication interface comprises:

an interface unit configured to communicate with the external apparatus via the wireless network by using a predetermined communication protocol;

a network setting unit configured to control the interface unit to connect to or disconnect from the wireless network; and

a memory configured to store network data related to the wireless network,

wherein the network setting unit deletes the network data related to the wireless network stored in the memory in response to receiving the reset signal from the non-contact sensor, and controls the interface unit to search for a new network.

5. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-contact sensor generates a first reset signal when a polarity of the approaching magnetic substance is an N electrode, and generates a second reset signal different from the first reset signal when the polarity of the approaching magnetic substance is an S electrode.

6. The lighting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the communication interface disconnects the lighting apparatus from the wireless network and operates in a first reset mode to reconnect the lighting apparatus to the wireless network in response to receiving the first reset signal from the non-contact sensor, and disconnects the lighting apparatus from the wireless network and operates in a second reset mode to connect the lighting apparatus to another wireless network in response to receiving the second reset signal from the non-contact sensor.

7. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller turns the light source on/off or changes at least one of a color temperature, chroma, or brightness of the light emitted from the light source in response to the external control signal.

8. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises:

a circuit substrate; and

one or more light emitting devices or one or more light emitting device packages that are disposed on the circuit substrate,

wherein the one or more light emitting devices comprise a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer, a second conductive semiconductor layer, a second electrode layer, an insulating layer, a first electrode layer, and a substrate that are sequentially stacked,

wherein the first electrode layer comprises one or more contact holes that are electrically insulated from the second conductive semiconductor layer and the active layer and that extend from a surface of the first electrode layer to a portion of the first conductive semiconductor layer in order to be electrically connected to the first conductive semiconductor layer,

wherein the number of vias is 3 or more, distances between the vias have a matrix structure having rows and columns in a range from about 100 μ

m to about 500 μ

m, and depths of the vias are in a range from about 0.5 μ

m to about 5.0 μ

m, and

wherein the one or more light emitting device packages comprise a phosphor layer on top surfaces of the one or more light emitting devices and generate a variety of white light having a color temperature in a range from 1500°

K to 20000°

K.

9. The lighting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more light emitting devices comprise nano light emitting structures.

10. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless network operates according to a ZigBee protocol.

11. A lighting control system comprising:

a lighting apparatus according to claim 1;

a lighting controller configured to generate the external control signal; and

a relay configured to receive the external control signal from the lighting controller and provide the external control signal to the lighting apparatus.

12. The lighting control system of claim 11, wherein the lighting apparatus and the relay are configured to transmit or receive a signal between each other using a same wireless communication protocol, and the lighting controller and the relay are each configured to transmit or receive a signal between each other using a same wireless communication protocol or wired communication protocol.

13. A method of controlling a lighting apparatus connected to a network, the method comprising:

detecting that a non-contact signal is generated outside of the lighting apparatus;

generating a reset signal for controlling a connection to the wireless network in response to detecting the non-contact signal; and

disconnecting the lighting apparatus from the network in response to generating the reset signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the generating of the reset signal comprises:

selectively generating a first reset signal or a second reset signal as the reset signal dependent on a type or pattern of the non-contact signal; and

reconnecting the lighting apparatus to the network in response to generating the first reset signal, and connecting the lighting apparatus to another network in response to generating the second reset signal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the non-contact signal is a magnetic signal.

16. A lighting control system comprising:

a lighting apparatus configured to emit light in response to a lighting control signal, and to receive the lighting control signal via a communication connection to a wireless network;

a lighting controller spaced apart from the lighting apparatus, and configured to generate the lighting control signal and to transmit the lighting control signal across the wireless network, wherein the lighting apparatus comprises a non-contact sensor configured to detect a non-contact signal, and the lighting apparatus is configured to disconnect from the wireless network in response to the non-contact sensor detecting a non-contact signal; and

a relay communicatively connected to the lighting apparatus via the wireless network and to the lighting controller, and configured to receive the lighting control signal from the lighting controller and to relay the received lighting control signal across the wireless network to the lighting apparatus.

17. The lighting control system of claim 16, wherein the non-contract sensor is configured to detect a change in a magnetic field, and to trigger the lighting apparatus to disconnect from the network in response to detecting the change in the magnetic field.

18. The lighting control system of claim 17, wherein the lighting apparatus is configured to connect to another wireless network in response to disconnecting from the wireless network, and to emit light in response to another lighting control signal received via the other wireless network.

19. The lighting control system of claim 17, wherein the lighting apparatus is configured to automatically search for one or more wireless networks to connect to in response to disconnecting from the wireless network.