Controllable lighting devices

• US 9,609,725 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2013
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Feit Electric Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LiFi Labs, Inc. (Buddy Technologies Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bosua, Phillip, Gelme, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Tung X
• Application Number:
  US14/425,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20150271899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 315/297, 315/307, 315/312
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

The present invention provides a lighting device comprising a light output means, a computing device, data communication means, and a casing, wherein the light output means is configured to be controllable by the computing device, the computing device configured to receive and/or transmit instructions to/from the data communication means. The lighting device may be capable of outputting light have various effects, or may emit notifications to a user.

Claims

1. A lighting system configured to connect to a WiFi network accessible through a WiFi network identifier and password, the lighting system comprising:

a first lightbulb comprising;

a first set of light emitting elements;

a first WiFi module operable between a;

configuration mode, wherein the first WiFi module provides a lightbulb WiFi network and broadcasts a lightbulb WiFi identifier for accessing the lightbulb WiFi network, wherein the first WiFi module is configured to receive the WiFi network identifier and the password from a user device in the configuration mode, wherein the user device is connected to the lightbulb WiFi network using the lightbulb WiFi identifier; and

a connected mode, wherein the first WiFi module is connected to the WiFi network using the WiFi network identifier and password, wherein the first WiFi module is configured to receive lighting instructions over the WiFi network in the connected mode;

a first processing system comprising non-volatile memory configured to store the WiFi network identifier and password received from the user device, the first processing system communicably coupled to the first set of light emitting elements and the first WiFi module, wherein the first processing system is configured to operate the first set of light emitting elements based on the lighting instructions received by the first WiFi module; and

a first lightbulb casing substantially encapsulating the first set of light emitting elements, the first WiFi module, and the first processing system.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the first lightbulb casing encloses the first set of light emitting elements, the first WiFi module, and the first processing system.

3. The lighting system of claim 2, wherein the first WiFi module is incorporated into the first processing system.

4. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the first processing system is a microprocessor or microcontroller.

5. The lighting system of claim 4 wherein the first set of light emitting elements comprises one or more light emitting diodes.

6. The lighting system of claim 5 wherein the first set of light emitting elements is configured to emit light of predetermined wavelengths.

7. The lighting system of claim 6, wherein the first set of light emitting elements comprises at least two light emitting elements configured to emit different light spectra, wherein the different light spectra mix to provide a predetermined light spectrum.

8. The lighting system of claim 7, further comprising a user computing device wirelessly connected to the lighting system and configured to control a lighting effect or a notification of the lighting system.

9. The lighting system of claim 8 wherein the lighting effect is light color.

10. The lighting system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second lightbulb comprising;

a second set of light emitting elements;

a second WiFi module configured to connect to the WiFi network with the WiFi network identifier and the password, and configured to receive the lighting instructions over the WiFi network when the second WiFi module is connected to the WiFi network;

a mesh network module configured to couple to a mesh network, the mesh network module operable between;

a slave mode, wherein the mesh network module is configured to receive the lighting instructions from the first lightbulb over the mesh network, wherein the second WiFi module is disconnected from the WiFi network in the slave mode; and

a master mode, wherein the mesh network module is configured to transmit the lighting instructions to the first lightbulb, disconnected from the WiFi network, over the mesh network;

a second processing system comprising non-volatile memory configured to store the WiFi network identifier and password, the second processing system communicably coupled to the second set of light emitting elements, the second WiFi module, and the mesh network module, wherein the second processing system is configured to operate the second set of light emitting elements based on the lighting instructions; and

a second lightbulb casing substantially encapsulating the second set of light emitting elements, the second WiFi module, the mesh network module, and the second processing system.

11. The lighting system of claim 10, wherein the mesh network module is further configured to transmit the lighting instructions to a third lightbulb, disconnected from the WiFi network, over the mesh network in the master mode.

12. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the first WiFi module, in the connected mode, is configured to receive weather data retrieved from the Internet, and wherein the first processing system is configured to operate the first set of light emitting elements in response to the weather data satisfying a user-received condition of the lighting instructions.

13. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the first WiFi module, in the connected mode, is configured to receive social network-derived data retrieved from the Internet, and wherein the first processing system is configured to operate the first set of light emitting elements in response to the social network-derived data satisfying a lighting condition of the lighting instruction.

14. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the first processing system is configured to operate the first set of light emitting elements to emit a lighting notification in response to the first WiFi module entering the connected mode from the configuration mode.

15. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the lighting instructions comprise a desired color input selected from a range of RGB colors presented at an application executing on the user device, wherein the first set of lighting elements comprise a red light emitting element, a green light emitting element, and a blue light emitting element, and wherein the first processing system is configured to individually operate the red, greed, and blue light emitting elements based on the desired color input.

16. A lighting system configured to connect to a WiFi network accessible with a WiFi network identifier and password, the lighting system comprising:

a first lightbulb comprising;

a first set of light emitting elements;

a first WiFi module operable between a;

configuration mode, wherein the first WiFi module provides a lightbulb WiFi network accessible through a WiFi lightbulb identifier and is configured to receive the WiFi network identifier and password from a user device connected to the lightbulb WiFi network using the lightbulb WiFi identifier; and

a connected mode, wherein the first WiFi module is connected to the WiFi network using the WiFi network identifier and password, and is configured to receive lighting instructions over the WiFi network; and

a first processing system communicably coupled to the first set of light emitting elements and the first WiFi module, wherein the first processing system is configured to operate the first set of light emitting elements based on the lighting instructions received at the first WiFi module.