Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20140028200A1/en
Timestamp: 2020-01-28 14:16:49
Document Index: 403004874

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61']

US20140028200A1 - Lighting and integrated fixture control - Google Patents
Lighting and integrated fixture control Download PDF
US20140028200A1
US20140028200A1 US14/039,825 US201314039825A US2014028200A1 US 20140028200 A1 US20140028200 A1 US 20140028200A1 US 201314039825 A US201314039825 A US 201314039825A US 2014028200 A1 US2014028200 A1 US 2014028200A1
US14/039,825
Jesse Wade Fannon
2011-05-12 Priority to US201161485552P priority Critical
2012-05-14 Priority to US13/471,257 priority patent/US20130015783A1/en
2013-01-09 Priority to US201361750492P priority
2013-03-12 Priority to US13/795,866 priority patent/US20130257284A1/en
2013-09-27 Application filed by Saco Technologies Inc filed Critical Saco Technologies Inc
2013-09-27 Priority to US14/039,825 priority patent/US20140028200A1/en
2013-10-01 Assigned to LSI INDUSTRIES, INC. reassignment LSI INDUSTRIES, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: BOYER, JOHN D., FANNON, JESSE WADE, FRODSHAM, TIM, KELLY, KEVIN ALLAN, WAGONER, MARK VAN
2013-12-20 Priority claimed from PCT/US2013/077032 external-priority patent/WO2014109891A2/en
2014-01-30 Publication of US20140028200A1 publication Critical patent/US20140028200A1/en
2014-06-09 Assigned to LSI INDUSTRIES INC. reassignment LSI INDUSTRIES INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: BOYER, JOHN D., FANNON, JESSE WADE, FRODSHAM, TIM, KELLY, KEVIN ALLAN, VAN WAGONER, MARK
Radio frequency-enabled lighting-fixture management systems, apparatus, and methods are described. One implementation includes a wireless communication component and a controller that is integrated into the radio frequency-enabled lighting-fixture management unit. The controller is configured to obtain operational values of a luminaire driver or a luminaire. The controller is further configured to provide the obtained operational values to the wireless communication component for transmission.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/795,866, filed Mar. 12, 2013 and entitled “Lighting and Integrated Fixture Control,” which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/471,257, filed May 14, 2012 and entitled “Method and System for Electric-Power Distribution,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/485,552, filed May 12, 2011 and entitled “Method and System for Electric Power Distribution,”; the entire content of all of the above applications are incorporated by reference herein. This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/750,492, filed Jan. 9, 2013 and entitled “LIGHTING AND INTEGRATED FIXTURE CONTROL,” the entire content of which is incorporated by reference herein.
In addition, this application is related to the following: U.S. application Ser. No. 13/795,848, filed Mar. 12, 2013, and entitled “LIGHTING SYSTEM CONTROL AND SYNTHETIC EVENT GENERATION,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/750,425, filed Jan. 9, 2013 and entitled “LIGHTING SYSTEM CONTROL AND SYNTHETIC EVENT GENERATION”; U.S. application Ser. No. 13/795,887, filed Mar. 12, 2013, and entitled “LIGHT BALANCING,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/750,435, filed Jan. 9, 2013 and entitled “LIGHT BALANCING”; U.S. application Ser. No. 13/795,906, filed Mar. 12, 2013, and entitled “LIGHT HARVESTING,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/750,443, filed Jan. 9, 2013 and entitled “INVERSE LIGHT HARVESTING”; and U.S. application Ser. No. 13/795,988, filed Mar. 12, 2013, and entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC-POWER DISTRIBUTION AND IRRIGATION CONTROL,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/750,455, filed Jan. 9, 2013, and entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC-POWER DISTRIBUTION AND IRRIGATION CONTROL.” The entire content of the applications listed above is incorporated herein by reference.
The current application is directed to control of lighting systems at individual-light-fixture, local, regional, and larger-geographical-area levels that also distribute electrical power to consumers. One implementation includes a hierarchical lighting-control system including an automated network-control center that may control up to many millions of individual lighting fixtures and lighting elements, regional routers interconnected to the network-control center or network-control centers by public communications networks, each of which controls hundreds to thousands of individual light fixtures, and light-management units, interconnected to regional routers by radio-frequency communications and/or power-line communications, each of which controls components within a lighting fixture (or “luminaire”), including one or more lighting elements. Such lighting elements can be any type, with notable examples being LED, incandescent, or high-intensity-discharge (HID) type lighting. The lighting fixtures can also include drivers, sensors, and other devices/components. Reference to “LEDs” can include any type of light emitting diode, including organic light emitting diodes (“OLEDs”) and structures or materials including such.
In one example, a radio frequency-enabled lighting-fixture management unit (“LMU”) includes a driver with an integrated controller. The LMU can include a wireless communication component, and a light-emitting-diode (LED)-based-luminaire driver operative to control one or more LEDs. The LED-based-luminaire driver can be configured to receive an alternating current. The light emitting diode-based-luminaire driver can be operative or configured to rectify the received alternating current to produce to a direct current. The light-emitting-diode-based-luminaire driver is operative or configured to provide the rectified direct current to a light-emitting-diode-based luminaire that includes an array of light-emitting-diode elements. The LMU can include a controller that is integrated into the radio frequency-enabled lighting-fixture management unit. The controller can be configured to obtain operational values of the light emitting-diode-based-luminaire driver and an operational status of the light emitting-diode-based luminaire. The controller may be operative or configured to provide the obtained operational values of the light emitting-diode-based luminaire driver and the light emitting-diode-based luminaire to the wireless communication component for transmission.
A further example includes a method for providing an operational status of a luminaire. The luminaire can include any type of lighting elements. The method can include receiving an indication corresponding to a request for an operational status of a light-emitting diode-based-luminaire driver and a light-emitting diode-based luminaire. Operational values of the light-emitting diode-based luminaire driver and operational values of the light-emitting diode-based luminaire can be obtained in response to receipt of the indication. The obtained operational values of the light-emitting diode-based-luminaire driver and the light-emitting diode-based-luminaire can be compared to values corresponding to operational parameter ranges for the light-emitting-diode-based-luminaire driver and the light-emitting diode-based-luminaire. The obtained operational values of the light-emitting diode-based luminaire driver and light-emitting diode-based-luminaire can be transmitted to a wireless communication device if the obtained operational values of the light-emitting diode-based-luminaire driver and operational values of the light-emitting diode-based-luminaire are within range of the operational parameter ranges. Further, an alarm can be signaled or transmitted to the wireless communication device if at least one of the obtained operational values of the light-emitting diode-based luminaire driver and light-emitting diode-based-luminaire are not within range of the operational parameter ranges.
FIG. 39 illustrates the RF-enabled LMU/LED-based-luminaire-driver module of FIG. 34, where the driver module includes a controller that is integrated into the LMU/LED-based-luminaire-driver module.
FIG. 40 illustrates a RF-enabled LMU/LED-based-luminaire-driver module and LED array assembly.
FIG. 41 illustrates an example process for providing an operational status of a light emitting-diode-based luminaire.
FIG. 42 illustrates an integrated fixture control system.
FIG. 43 illustrates a luminaire.
There are many different types of lighting fixtures, lighting elements, or luminaries, and lighting applications. FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of a traditional lighting system observed in parking lots, along thoroughfares and roadways, and within industrial sites, school facilities, and office-building complexes. Such lighting systems commonly employ street-light fixtures, such as street-light fixtures 102-104 in FIG. 1. Each street-light fixture includes a rigid, vertical pole 110 and arms or brackets 112, through which internal electrical wiring runs, that together support one or more lighting units 114. Each lighting unit generally includes one or more lighting elements and associated electrical ballasts that limit voltage drops across, and current drawn by, lighting elements and that buffer voltage and/or current surges and shape the input voltage or current in order to provide a well-defined output voltage or current for driving the lighting elements. Many different types of lighting elements are currently used, including light-emitting-diode (“LED”) panels, inductive-lighting, or compact fluorescent, elements, high-pressure-sodium lighting elements, mercury-halide lighting elements, incandescent lighting elements, and other types of lighting elements. A series of lighting fixtures is often interconnected along a common electrical path within a public-utility electrical grid. Lighting fixtures are often controlled by photocell switches 116, which respond to ambient illumination and/or lack of ambient illumination, to power on lighting elements during periods of darkness and power off lighting elements when adequate ambient daylight is available.
FIGS. 3A-B illustrates a conceptual approach to lighting-system control. According to this example, lighting-system control is implemented hierarchically, with a top-level network-control center 302 directly communicating with multiple routing devices 304-310, each of which, in turn, communicates with one or more radio-frequency (“RF”)-enabled bridging lighting-fixture-management units (“LMUs”) 320-331 within individual fixtures that control operation of the lighting fixtures and that, in turn, communicate with one or more end-point LMUs within individual lighting fixtures via power-line communications. In general, the network-control center communicates with routers via network communications, including the Internet. However, network-control centers may also employ cellular telephone network communications, radio-frequency communications, and other types of communications in addition to network communications, in alternative examples. The routers intercommunicate with LMUs via radio-frequency communications, power-line communications, and, in alternate implementations, using other types of communications. In certain examples of the currently described lighting systems, RF-enabled, bridging LMUs intercommunicate with routers using radio-frequency communications, and the RF-enabled, bridging LMUs communicate with additional end-point LMUs via power-line communications.
FIG. 6 provides a generalized architecture for the automated hierarchical lighting-control system that represents one example of the currently described lighting systems. Large-area control is exercised over many lighting fixtures within a large geographical area via automated control programs running within a network-control center 602. The network-control center includes, in addition to the control programs, one or more relational database management servers 603 or other types of data-storage systems and multiple web servers, or other interface serving systems, 605-607 that together include a distributed, automated lighting control-system network-control center. The network-control center web servers serve lighting-system-control information to multiple routers 610-613 via the Internet 616 or via radio-frequency transmitters 618. In addition, the network-control center may provide a web-site-based network-control-center user interface 620 via a personal computer or work station 622 interconnected with the network-control center by the Internet or a local area network. In certain examples of the currently described lighting systems, the network-control center may provide functionality similar to that provided by individual routers, including the ability to monitor the state of individual LMUs, define groups, define and modify schedules, manually control lighting fixtures, and carry out other such tasks that can be carried out on a local basis through the user interface provided by a router. In addition, the network-control center may provide additional functionality, not provided at the router level, including computationally complex analysis programs that monitor and analyze various characteristics of lighting systems, including power consumption, maintainability, and other such characteristics, over very large geographical areas.
Both bridge LMUs and end-point LMUs control operation of lighting elements within light fixtures and collect data through various types of sensors installed in the light fixtures. Both types of LMUs control lighting-fixture operation autonomously, according to schedules downloaded into the LMUs from routers and network-control centers or default schedules installed at the time of manufacture, but may also directly control operational characteristics of lighting fixtures in response to commands received from routers and network-control centers. The schedules and other control directives stored within LMUs may be modified more or less arbitrarily by users interacting with user interfaces provided by routers and network-control centers. While, in many applications, the control functionality of the LMUs is a significant portion of the automated lighting-system control functionality provided by examples of the currently described lighting systems, in many other applications, monitoring functionality provided by LMUs is of as great a significance or greater significance. The LMUs architecture provides for connecting numerous different sensor inputs to LMUs, including motion-sensor inputs, chemical-detection-sensor inputs, temperature-sensing inputs, barometric-pressure-sensing inputs, audio and video signal inputs, and many other types of sensor inputs in addition to voltage and power sensors generally included in LMUs. The LMUs' response to each of the different types of input signals may be configured by users from user interfaces provided by routers and network-control centers. The various types of sensor input may be used primarily for providing effective control of lighting-system operation, in certain cases, but also may be used for providing a very large variety of different types of monitoring tasks, at local, regional, and large-geographical-area levels. LMU sensing can be employed, for example, for security monitoring, for monitoring of traffic patterns and detection of impending traffic congestion, for facilitating intelligent control of traffic signals, for monitoring local and regional meteorological conditions, for detecting potentially hazardous events, including gunshots, explosions, release of toxic chemicals into the environment, fire, seismic events, and many other types of events, real-time monitoring of which can provide benefits to municipalities, local government, regional governments, and many other organizations.
FIG. 7 provides a block diagram for a radio-frequency-enabled light-management unit, which may be a radio-frequency (RF) enabled power line communication (PLC) enabled light-management unit (LMU). The RF-enabled LMU includes an RF antenna 702, a wireless communications chip or chip set 704 that provides for wireless reception and transmission of command and response packets, a power-line-communications chip or chip set 706 that provides for power-line reception and transmission of command and response packets, a noise filter 707 that band-pass filters noise from the power-line connections, a CPU 708 and associated memories for running internal control programs that collect and store data, that control lighting-element operation according to stored data and stored programs, and that provide forwarding of packets from RF to PL communications and from PL to RF communications, an internal power supply that converts AC input power to DC internal power for supplying DC power to digital components, an optocouple isolation unit 710 that isolates the CPU from power surges, a dimming circuit 712 that provides digital pulse-width modulation of the electrical output to lighting elements to provide a range of output current for operating certain types of lighting elements over a range of light-intensity output, a digital-to-analog circuit 714 that provides controlled voltage output to lighting elements or other components, and a switched relay 716 for controlling power supply to various devices or components within a lighting fixture, including ballasts. In some cases, the LMU of FIG. 7 switches the power to and controls the output levels of the solid state driver (SSD). The output levels may be controlled by a 0-10 volt or a pulse-width modulation (PWM) interface. In some cases, the CPU 708 may be replaced with any other controller.
FIG. 9 illustrates communications between routers, radio-frequency-enabled light-management units, and end-point light-management units. Both commands and responses are encoded in packets including between seven and 56 bytes for RF communications. The RF communications protocol is a command/response protocol that allows routers to issue commands to RF-enabled LMUs and receive responses from those commands and that allows RF-enabled LMUs to issue commands to routers and receive responses to those commands from the routers. Broadcast messages and one-way messages are also provided for. Each command or response packet includes a six-byte ID 902, a single-byte command identifier or code 904, and between zero and 49 bytes of data 906. The ID 902 is used to identify particular LMU or RF-enabled LMUs from among the LMUs that communicate with the router. The commands and responses are packaged within power-line-communications applications packets for communications via power-line communications via the Echelon power-line communications protocol.
FIG. 11 shows the type of data stored within each light-management unit. Each LMU stores information for each of up to a fixed number of lighting elements 1102-1105, a number of group identifiers 1112 that identify groups to which the LMU is assigned, various input/output device descriptors 1114, the status for each of various different events 1116, and a schedule 1118 including up to some maximum number of operational directives. Each set of information describing a particular lighting element, such as the information that describes lighting element “0” 1102, includes a lamp-status 1120 with a bit indicating whether or not the lighting element is powered on or off 1121 and a field indicating the degree to which the light is powered on with respect to the maximum light-intensity output of the light 1122. In addition, the total hours of operation for the lighting element 1124, total operation of the ballast associated with the lighting element 1126, and the number of power-on events associated with the lighting element 1128 are stored, along with various additional types of information. Information regarding the light fixture 1108 includes a current power consumption 1130, a current or instantaneous voltage across the lighting fixture 1132, a current drawn by the lighting fixture 1134, an accumulated energy used by the lighting fixture 1136, flags that indicate whether particular alarms, other sensor inputs, or other input signals are active or inactive 1138, and a set of flags indicating whether or not particular relays and other output components are active or inactive 1140. Lighting fixture information also includes a cumulative light status 1142 that indicates whether or not any of the light elements associated with the light fixture are on or off. The status bits 1110 include a variety of different bit flags indicating various types of problems, including override events, sensor failures, communications failures, absence of stored data needed for control of light-element operation, and other such events and characteristics. The I/O device descriptors 114 provide a description of the meaning of each of various input signals that can be monitored by the LMU. Each operational directive within the schedule 1118 includes an indication of the day 1150, start time 1152, end time 1154, and lamp status 1156 associated with the directive, as well as a group ID 1158 that indicates a group to which the directive applies.
Select GPS, SerialNo From Component C, ComponentType CT Where C.CTID = CT.ID AND CT. Description = ‘pole’ AND C.ID IN (Select CID2 From Manages M1 Where M1.CID1 (Select CID2 From Manages M2 Where M2.CID1 IN (Select RID From Groups G Were G.Name = ‘Superman Pkg’ ) ) )
Routers exercise control over LMUs through a command interface. FIG. 13 shows various commands used in router-to-light-management-unit communications. These commands include: (1) the set-time command, which sets the time stored with an LMU; (2) the define-groups command, which sets entries in the list of groups (1112 in FIG. 11) to which an LMU belongs; (3) the define-schedule command, which is used to define schedules stored within LMUs; (4) the define-input/output command, which defines the various sensor devices and associated events within LMUs; (5) the force-lamp-state command, which provides for manual operation of a lighting unit via the LMU by a user interacting with the router through the user interface or, in alternative examples, by a user interacting with a cell phone; (6) the report-status command, which solicits status information by the router from LMUs; (7) the report-status-command reply, several forms of which are used to respond to report-status commands received by LMUs; (8) the event command, which reports events and which can be sent by any unit; (9) the set-operating-hours command, which allows the router to set various electrical characteristics for components within a lighting fixture maintained by an LMU; (10) the define-lamp-characteristics command, which allows the router to store particular lamp characteristics for lighting elements within the LMU that manages those lighting elements; (11) the firmware-update command, which prepares an LMU for reception of a firmware update; (12) the backdoor command, a debugging command used to obtain data from LMUs; and (13) the add/remove command, which informs a bridging LMU of the addition or deletion of an end-point LMU from the bridging LMU's power-line network. FIGS. 14A-N show the data contents of the various commands and replies discussed above with reference to FIG. 13. The tables describing data fields of messages, provided in FIGS. 14A-N, are self-explanatory, and are not discussed further.
FIGS. 20-26 provide additional description of the radio-frequency-enabled light-management unit (“RF-Enabled LMU”) discussed above with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 20 shows a block diagram for the RF-enabled LMU that represents one example of the currently described lighting systems, similar to the block diagram shown in FIG. 7, with additional detail and with dashed-line indications of subcomponents, circuit diagrams for which are provided in FIGS. 21-26. The circuit diagrams provided in FIGS. 21-26 include addition description of the following subcomponents, indicated by dashed-line rectangles in FIG. 20: (1) the microprocessor 2002; (2) the optocouple-isolation subcomponent 2004; (3) the switched-relay subcomponent 2006; (4) the internal-power-supply subcomponent 2008; and (5) a power-meter subcomponent 2010. The power-meter component 2010 is an integrated-circuit-implemented power meter that monitors power usage of the luminaire or luminaries that receive electrical power through the AC power lines 2012-2013. Software routines within the RF-enabled LMU query the power-meter component 2010, generally at regular intervals in time and/or upon requests received from a router or network control center, in order to monitor power usage by the luminaire or luminaries managed by the RF-enabled LMU and report the power usage back to the router or network-control centers.
FIG. 21 provides additional description of the microprocessor component (2002 in FIG. 20) of the RF-enabled LMU. The microprocessor 2102 includes a large number of pins, to which external signal lines are coupled, that provide an interface between the microprocessor and other RF-enabled-LMU components. In FIG. 21, the pins are numerically labeled from 1 to 32. Interrupt-like signals 2104-2105 are input to pins 12 and 13 by various sensor or monitor components of the RF-enabled LMU. The microprocessor outputs a relay signal 2106 to the switched-relay component (2006 in FIG. 20) to disconnect the luminaire from the AC power source. The microprocessor receives a signal 2108 from a thermistor temperature sensor in order to monitor the temperature within the light-fixture housing in which the RF-enabled LMU resides. A group of signals 2110 provide a universal-asynchronous-receiver-transmitter (“UART”) interface to the wireless module (704 in FIG. 7) and another group of signal lines 2112 provides an interface to the power-line communications module (706 in FIG. 7). Signal lines 2114-2115 provide a clock input to the microprocessor and the group of signal lines 2116 implements a serial-peripheral-interface (“SPI”) bus interface to the power-meter component (2010 in FIG. 20). Another group of signal lines 2118 implements a pulse-width-modulation output. Several pins connect the microprocessor to internal DC power 2120 and to ground 2122. The microprocessor 2102 includes flash memory for storing software programs that implement control and communications functionalities of the RF-enabled LMU, as well as traditional processor subcomponents, including registers, arithmetic and logic units, and other such subcomponents. Any of a variety of different microprocessors may be employed in RF-enabled LMUs.
For many reasons, light-emitting-diode (“LED”) based area lighting, including street lighting, is rapidly becoming a preferred lighting technology in many applications, including street-lighting applications. LED-based luminaries provide significantly greater energy efficiency than incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lighting elements, and other lighting element technologies. LED-based luminaries can be implemented and controlled to produce output light with desired spectral characteristics, unlike many other types of lighting elements, which output light of particular wavelengths or wavelength ranges. LED-based luminaries can be quickly powered on and off, and achieve full brightness in time periods on the order of microseconds. The output from LED-based luminaries can be easily controlled by pulse-width modulation or by controlling the current input to the LED-based luminaire, allowing for precise dimming. LED-based luminaries tend to fail over time, rather than abruptly failing, as do incandescent or fluorescent lighting elements. LED-based luminaries have lifetimes that are longer than the lifetimes of other types of lighting elements by factors of between 2 and 10 or more. LED-based luminaries are generally more robust than other types of lighting elements, being far more resistant to shock and other types of mechanical insults. For these and other reasons, LED-based luminaries are predicted to largely replace other types of lighting elements in street-lighting applications during the next five to ten years.
However, despite their many advantages, LED-based luminaries have certain disadvantages, including a non-linear current-to-voltage response that requires careful regulation of voltage and current supplied to LED-based luminaries. In addition, LED-based luminaries are relatively temperature sensitive. For these and other reasons, RF-enabled-LMU control of LED-based luminaries may provide even greater advantages for LED-based lighting than for traditional types of lighting. For example, RF-enabled LMUs may include power meters and output-lumen sensors to facilitate automated monitoring of LED-based-luminaire output in order to determine when LED-based luminaries need to be replaced. In the case of traditional types of lighting elements, which abruptly fail, it is relatively easy for maintenance personnel to identify failed lighting elements. By contrast, since LED-based luminaries fail gradually, monitoring by RF-enabled LMUs can provide a far more reliable, automated system for monitoring and detecting failing LED-based luminaries than monitoring by maintenance personnel. In addition, the RF-enabled LMUs can monitor temperature within lighting fixtures at relatively frequent intervals and can automatically lower power output to luminaries and take other ameliorative steps to ensure that the temperature-sensitive LED-based luminaries remain within an optimal temperature range.
FIG. 28 illustrates a principal of LED operation. A semiconductor crystal that forms the light-emitting element of an LED device 28-2 is differentially doped to produce a p-n junction 2804. The p side of the crystal contains an excess of positive charge carriers, or holes, such as hole 2806, and the n side of the semiconductor contains an excess of negative charge carriers, or electrons, such as electron 2808. At the interface 2804 between the p and n portion of the semiconductor crystal, a shallow barrier region 2810 is formed in which electrons diffuse from the n side to the p side and holes diffuse from the p side to the n side. This barrier region represents a small potential-energy barrier to current flow. However, when a voltage is applied 2812 across the semiconductor in a forward direction, as shown in FIG. 28, referred to as “forward biasing,” the barrier is easily overcome, and current flows across the p-n junction. Reversing the polarity of the voltage source, referred to as “reverse biasing,” can induce current to flow through the semiconductor in the opposite direction, although, when reverse current flow is allowed to increase past a threshold reverse current, sufficient heat is generated to disrupt the semiconductor lattice and permanently disable the device. Asymmetrically doped semiconductor crystals, which implement p-n junctions, include the basic functional unit of many components of modem electronic systems, including diodes, transistors, and other components. In the case of a light-emitting diode (“LED”), when the semiconductor chip is forward biased, and current flows across the p-n junction, excited electrons combine with holes in a process by which the electrons transition to lower energy levels by releasing light of a specific wavelength.
FIG. 29 shows a current-versus-voltage curve for a typical LED. When 0 V is applied across the LED 2902, no current passes through the LED. Forward biasing of the LED produces a small initial current which increases exponentially past a threshold forward-biasing voltage 2904. Reverse biasing of the LED produces an exponential increase in reverse current flow past a breakdown-voltage threshold 2406. The LED emits lights that when an applied forward-biasing voltage exceeds the threshold voltage 2404 in FIG. 29. However, the operational applied-voltage range within which light is emitted without sufficient current flow to destroy the semiconductor lattice is quite narrow. In other words, as shown in FIG. 29, a LED exhibits a high degree of non-linearity in current flow with respect to applied voltage, and even small increases in applied voltage in the exponential regions of the current-versus-voltage curve can induce sufficient current flow within the device to destroy the device. For this reason, unlike in incandescent and fluorescent light elements, control of voltage or current output to an LED-based luminaire needs to be relatively precise. LED-based area lighting fixtures generally employ LED driver components that rectify input AC power and that output either constant-voltage or constant-current DC power to the luminaire. When the subject technology is implemented with LED based luminaries, rectification of an AC current to a DC current, as described above, may be useful. However, in some aspects, the subject technology is implemented in conjunction with non-LED based luminaries, for example, high-intensity discharge (HID), tungsten, or fluorescent lighting luminaries. In some of these aspects, the received alternating current may remain an alternating current and may not be rectified to produce a direct current. For example, HID, tungsten, or fluorescent lighting luminaries do not require rectification.
FIG. 30 illustrates a LED-based street-light luminaire. The LED-based street-light luminaire 3002, shown inverted from normal installation orientation, includes a transparent cover 3004 through which light emitted by LED elements, such as LED element 3006, in an array of LED elements 3008 passes to illuminate an area. The LED-based street-light luminaire includes a generally metallic housing 3010 with multiple fin-like projections, such as fin 3012, to facilitate heat removal from the LED array. The LED-based street-light luminaire may also include an LED driver that acts as a constant-voltage or constant-current power source for the LED array. Input power and signal lines run through a collar-like fixture 3014 that also serves as a mechanical couple to a light-fixture bracket. In alternative types of LED-based street-light luminaries, the LED driver may instead be placed within a component of a light fixture other than the luminaire housing, shown in FIG. 30, and interconnected to the LED array by wiring threaded through the collar-like fixture.
FIG. 34 illustrates an RF-enabled LMU/LED-based-luminaire-driver module. As shown in FIG. 34, the RF-enabled-LMU/LED-base-luminaire driver 3402 includes the RF-enabled LMU components 702, 704, 708, 710, 707, 709, and 716 discussed above with reference to FIG. 7 as well as an additional switched relay 3406, LED-driver output control subcomponent 3408, and a LED driver 3410 that rectifies and stabilizes input AC power to produce a constant-current DC output to an LED array 3412. The additional switch relay 3406 is controlled in identical fashion as the switched relay 716 to ensure that, in a default mode prior to initialization of the RF-enabled LMU software or during periods of time in which the RF-enabled LMU is not actively controlling the light fixture, the LED driver is provided with input signals, in addition to input AC power, to drive light output from the LED array.
A problem that is addressed by a LED-driver-enhanced RF-enabled LMU is that the power factor for a LED-driver coupled to one or more luminaries is generally not 1.0, as would be desired for maximum light output for minimum current drawn from the main, but generally significantly less than one. When the power factor is 1.0, the waveform of the voltage matches that of the current within the load, and the apparent power, computed as the product of the voltage drop across the load and current that passes through the load, is equal to the power consumed within the load and ultimately dissipated to the environment as heat, referred to as the real power. Linear loads with only net resistive characteristics generally have a power factor of 1.0. By contrast, linear loads with reactive characteristics, due to capacitance or inductance in the load, store a certain amount of energy and release the stored energy back to the main during each AC cycle. Therefore the apparent power provided to the load exceeds the real power consumed by the load. Non-linear loads, including rectifiers and pulse-width-modulation-based dimming circuits, change the voltage and current waveforms in complex ways, and may result in power factors significantly below 1.0. LED-drivers include both rectifiers and pulse-width-modulation-based dimming circuits, and therefore represent non-linear loads that have power factors significantly below 1.0.
The problem with a power factor below unity is that more current is drawn by the load from the main power supplier than is actually used to generate power within the load. Although the excess current is not used in the load, and is returned to the power supplier through the main, the higher currents drawn by the load result in higher power losses during transmission, as a result of which power suppliers often charge higher rates for supplying power to devices with low power factors. Thus, for maximum cost and energy efficiency, the LED driver incorporated into a LED-driver-enhanced RF-enabled LMU needs additional circuitry and circuit elements to increase the power factor of the LED-driver-enhanced RF-enabled LMU and LED-driver-enhanced RE-enabled-LMU-controlled-luminaries to a value as close to 1.0 as possible. The power factor of reactive, linear loads can also be increased by offsetting inductance in the load with added capacitance or offsetting capacitance in the load with added capacitance inductance, referred to as “passive power factor correction.” The power factor of non-linear loads can be increased by using active circuit components, including boost converters, buck converters, or boost-buck converters, referred to as “active power factor correction.” Depending on the particular implementation of the LED driver included in a LED-driver-enhanced RF-enabled LMU, the LED-driver-enhanced RF-enabled LMU needs additional active-power-factor-correction components, and, in certain cases, may also employ additional passive-power-factor-correction components. In general, loads with power factors of between 0.95 and 1.0 are not subjected to higher fees by power suppliers, and thus the LED-driver-enhanced RF-enabled LMUs are desired to have power factors in excess that equal or exceed 0.95. And additional problem with LED drivers is that the power factor may decrease when dimming circuitry is active, due to pulse-width modulation that introduces additional harmonics into the voltage/current waveform. Thus, preferred LED-driver-enhanced RE-enabled LMUs include dynamic power-factor correction that can adjust to and correct dynamically the changing power factor of the LED-driver and coupled luminaries as the level of luminaire dimming changes.
Incorporation of an LED driver into the RF-enabled LMU provides a one-component solution for control of LED-based luminaries. For many reasons, the types of centralized monitoring and control of light fixtures made possible by RF enabled LMUs are of particular need in LED-based street-light fixtures. LED drivers and LED-based luminaries have narrow operational parameter ranges, including narrow operational temperature ranges and relatively strict requirements for input voltage and input current due to the non-linearity of LED lighting elements. While certain types of temperature monitoring and control circuitry can be included in LED drivers, RF-enabled LMUs provide a second level of centralized, remote monitoring of operational parameters and both local and remote control over lighting fixture to minimize and/or eliminate occurrences of LED-driver-damaging and LED-array-damaging conditions. As discussed above, RF-enabled LMU control can provide for precise monitoring of power consumption and light output by LED-based luminaries in order to determine automatically and remotely the points in time at which luminaries need to be serviced and replaced. Furthermore, integrating the RF-enabled-LMU and LED-features together in a single module simplifies the design and manufacture of light-fixture components and reduces the cost of light fixtures. In accordance with the implementation described in FIG. 34, the SSD may be included within the LMU to form a combined unit.
FIG. 36 illustrates certain of the enhancements made to the data stored within each LMU and enhancements to LMU functionality that are made to provide for electric-power distribution. Data structures are created and maintained by the LMU to describe the automated kiosk 3602 and each of the charge-dispensing units 3604-3605. These data structures are equivalent to the data structures, shown in FIG. 11, that store information related to lighting fixtures and luminaries. In addition, the LMU is enhanced to include a kiosk-management module 3608 and a charge-dispensing-unit management module 3610 for automated control of the kiosk (3504 in FIG. 35) and each of the charge-dispensing units (3506 in FIG. 35).
FIGS. 38A-C illustrate a representative electric-power-distribution transaction. These FIGS. are divided into three columns, a left column 3802 corresponding to the customer/automated kiosk, a central column 3804 corresponding to the LMU control functionality, and a right-hand column 3806 corresponding to the router/control-center functionality. Referring now to FIG. 38A, the transaction is initiated in step 3810 when a customer inputs a transaction-initiation input to the automated kiosk, generally by pushing a button or touching the screen as directed by the kiosk display. Upon receiving the customer input, the kiosk transmits, in step 3811, an initiation signal to the kiosk-management module within the LMU. The kiosk-management module receives the initiation signal, in step 3812, and initiates collection of data needed to carry out an electric-power-distribution transaction. In step 3813-3814, the kiosk-management module transmits various data-input screens, or indications for the kiosk to display the various input-requesting screens, and the kiosk displays the input-requesting screens and receives appropriate customer input. Once the kiosk-management module has collected the information needed to conduct a power-distribution transaction, the kiosk-management module prepares a transaction-initiation message and transmits the message to a router or network-control center in step 3815. In step 3816, the router or network-control center receives the transaction initiation message, authorizes the transaction in step 3817 using a credit-card authorization service, comparing input information to information stored in the customer's relational table (3702 in FIG. 37), and by other such means, and returns the authorization and fueling-permission message, in step 3818, to the LMU. In step 3819, the LMU receives the authorization from a fueling-permission message and, in steps 3820-3821, carries out a display of fueling instructions and monitoring of the fueling process via information displayed by the kiosk, power-distribution metering and monitoring, and by other types of testing and monitoring.
For some applications, embodiments of the subject technology can include a driver for a LMU or light fixture (e.g., a LED driver) that includes one or more integrated controllers. Such a controller can communicate and/or mesh with external components, networks, or systems, e.g., one or more controllers, while at the same time providing control of and/or access to additional status and/or operational parameters (e.g., “health” data) of the driver circuit, including the driven lighting element(s). Such integrated controllers can over various advantages/benefits, e.g., one of more of the following: (a) updates, calculations, and/or reports of/on voltage, current, and power through the lighting element(s), e.g., LED array(s) can be monitored and reported to an environment (e.g., network) outside of the LMU; (b) updates, calculations, and/or reports of/on failure of lighting elements (e.g., LEDs) can be detected and reported; (c) updates, calculations, and/or reports of/on voltage and/or temperature conditions outside of desired parameters, and corresponding alarms/warnings can be set and triggered; (d) the controller can monitor one or more motion and/or light sensors integrated into or connected to the lighting elements (e.g., LEDs) and driver circuits; (e) driver power usage/draw can be monitored and efficiently reported; and, (f) dimming levels and dimming ramp commands can be sent directly to the driver. The foregoing are just some of the advantages possible with an integrated controller; others may of course be realized within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, integrated controllers of the subject technology can report on temperature conditions in or associated with a light fixture driver, the number of strikes for the driver, the amount of time the driver has been on, and/or other information about the state and/or “health” of the light fixture or luminaire.
FIG. 39 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the RF-enabled LMU/LED-based-luminaire-driver of FIG. 34, where the driver includes a controller that is integrated into the module. As shown in FIG. 39, the RF-enabled-LMU/LED-base-luminaire driver 3402 includes the RF-enabled LMU components—RF antenna 702, wireless communication chip 704, CPU 708, optocouple isolation unit 710, noise filter 707, internal power supply 709, and switched relay 716, switch 3406, LED driver output controls 3408, and LED driver 3410—discussed above with reference to FIGS. 7 and 34. As shown in FIG. 39, controller 3902 is connected to LED driver 3410 and LED array 3412. As shown in FIG. 39, controller 3902 is also connected to wireless communication chip 704. FIG. 39 may be seen to represent the implementation described in FIG. 34 with the controller 3902 added. The controller 3902 is connected (e.g., via wire(s)) to the LED driver 3410 and to the LED array 3412.
Controller 3902, in the configuration shown in FIG. 39 serves multiple purposes. As discussed, LED drivers and LED-based luminaries have narrow operational parameter ranges, narrow operational temperature ranges and relatively strict requirements for input voltage and input current due to non-linearity of LED lighting elements. The controller 3902 can monitor voltage, current, power through LED array 3412, and operational temperature of LED array 3412. The controller 3902 can transmit the signals indicating voltage, current, power through LED array 3412 to external controllers, routers, and/or network control centers via wireless communication chip 704.
The controller 3902 has access to a set of values corresponding to different operational ranges (e.g., voltage range, current range, power range, etc.) for LED array 3412. In one example, the set of values corresponding to the operational parameter ranges for LED array is hardcoded to the controller 3902. In another example, the set of values is stored at a remote location (e.g., network control center, etc.) and is transmitted wirelessly from the remote location to the controller 3902. If the controller 3902 identifies that LED array 3412 is not operating within the set of values (e.g., over voltage, under voltage, operating at excessive temperature, etc.) signals indicating an alarm are generated and transmitted to external controllers, routers and/or network control centers via the wireless communication chip 704. Furthermore, signals indicating the operational values of the LED array 3412 may be transmitted together with the alarm to external controllers, routers and/or network control centers.
The controller 3902 can also monitor the operational status of individual LED elements of LED array 3412. If the controller 3902 identifies that one or more LED elements of LED array 3412 has failed, signals indicating failure of the one or more LED elements of the LED array 3412 are generated and transmitted to external controllers, routers, and/or network control centers. Similarly, the controller 3902 can also monitor operational status of motion and light sensors that are integrated into the RF-enabled LMU/LED luminaire-driver module. If the controller 3902 identifies that a motion and/or light sensor has failed, signals indicating failure of the motion and/or light sensor are generated and transmitted to the external controllers, routers, and/or network control centers.
The controller 3902 can also monitor operational status of the LED driver 3410 (e.g., output current, voltage and/or power values of LED driver 3410, etc.). Furthermore, the controller 3902 can also monitor the power factor of LED driver 3410. Signals indicating the operational status and/or power factor of the LED driver 3410 can be generated and transmitted to external controllers, routers, and/or network control centers via wireless communication chip 704. In another example, additional circuitry, including relays, shunt resistors current transformers may be integrated into the RF-enabled LMU/LED luminaire-driver module 3402 and/or LED array 3412 to provide the controller 3902 with the operational status of LED driver 3410 and/or LED array 3412.
The controller 3902, can receive from an external controller, a router and/or a network control center, signals indicating a request to modify the operational level of LED array 3412. In one example, signals indicating a command to adjust the level of luminaire dimming of LED array 3412 (e.g., dim the LED array, etc.) is received by controller 3902. In one example, the level of luminaire dimming of LED array 3412 may be adjusted by adjusting the power level of LED driver 3410. As described herein, the power level of LED driver 3410 can be adjusted through “passive power factor correction” and/or “active power correction.” The controller 3902, upon receipt of signals indicating a request to adjust the level of luminaire dimming, transmits signals indicating a command to LED driver 3410 to adjust the power factor of the LED driver 3410.
As illustrated in FIG. 39, the noise filter 707, switched relay 716, and internal power supply 709 are connected to an isolation protection. The noise filter 707 is coupled with a power line communication unit. The wires between the switched relay 716 and the LED driver 3410 may include any wires, for example, a switched hot wire and a switched neutral wire or two switched hot wires. The wires between the LED driver output controls 3408 and the LED driver 3410 are characterized by 0-10 volt dimming or pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming. Alternatively, the wires may not be characterized by 0-10 volt dimming or PWM dimming and dimming information may be communicated over the LIN bus, in conjunction with other information. FIG. 39 illustrates driving the LED driver 3410 or the LED array 3412. However, the subject technology may be used to drive any type of lighting or any other electrical device, not necessarily a LED driver or a LED array. As shown, the LED driver 3410 and the controller 3902 are separate units. However, in some examples, a single unit may include both the LED driver 3410 and the controller 3902. As described above, the RF-enabled LMU/LED-based-luminaire-driver is powered from the line. However, alternatively, the RF-enabled LMU/LED-based-luminaire-driver may derive power from the driver itself as a low voltage input (e.g., 12 volts). In some implementations, the RF-enabled LMU/LED-based-luminaire-driver may lack power line communication capability. Alternatively, the RF-enabled LMU/LED-based-luminaire-driver may have power line communication capability.
FIG. 40 illustrates a RF-enabled LMU/LED-based-luminaire-driver module 3402 and LED array 3412 assembly. As shown in FIG. 40, the RF-enabled-LMU/LED-base-luminaire driver 3402 includes the RF-enabled LMU components 704, 3410, and 3902 as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 7, 34 and 39. As shown in FIG. 40, controller 3902 is integrated into the RF-enabled-LMU/LED-base-luminaire driver module 3402 and controller 4002 is integrated with the LED array 3412. In some examples, controller 3902 and controller 4002 provides identical functions as described herein. Furthermore, controller 3902 and/or controller 4002 may be integrated into RF-enabled LMU/LED-base-luminaire driver module 3402 and/or with LED array 3412, respectively.
The controller 3902 or 4002 receives operational values of LED driver 3410 and LED array 3412 from LED driver 3410 and LED array 3412 respectively. In one example, communication between LED driver 3410, controller 3902, and LED array 3412 is established using a local interconnect network (LIN) bus and protocol. As shown in FIG. 40, a two wire connection is used to illustrate the LIN bus and protocol. As shown in FIG. 40, status of the LED driver 3410 and/or LED array are obtained through queries on the LIN bus. While a LIN bus/protocol is described, any suitable bus/protocols may be used within the scope of the present disclosure. Additional examples of protocols/buses for facilitating communication between LED driver 3410, controller 3902, and LED array 3412 include, but are not limited to, serial peripheral interface bus (SPI bus), and layer 2 control (12 c) protocol. The controller 3902 or 4002 also receives current and voltage information from an external meter 4003. Examples of protocols that can facilitate communication between the controller 3902 or 4002 and external meter 4003 includes LIN bus, SPI bus, 12C, etc.
FIG. 41 illustrates an exemplary process for providing an operational status of a light emitting-diode-based luminaire. In one example the process as illustrated in FIG. 41 is performed by the controller 3902. In step 4102, a request to obtain operational values of the LED array and LED driver is received. In step 4104, the operational values of the LED array and driver are obtained by the controller 3902. The controller 3902 has access to a set of values indicating operational parameter ranges for the LED array and the LED driver. In step 4106, the controller compares the obtained operational values for the LED array and LED driver with the set of operational parameter ranges. In step 4108, the controller 3902 determines if the LED array and/or the LED driver is operating outside of the operational parameter ranges. If the LED array and/or the LED driver is not operating outside of the parameter ranges, the operational values of the LED array and LED driver are transmitted to a wireless communication device in step 4110. As described herein, the wireless communication device may be a part of a external controller, a router, and/or a network control center. If the LED array and/or the LED driver is operating outside of the parameter ranges, then the operational values of the LED array and LED driver together with signals indicating an alarm are transmitted to the wireless communication device.
FIG. 42 illustrates an integrated fixture control system 4200. As shown, the integrated fixture control system 4200 includes a meter 4210, a driver 4220, a LED array 4230, and a controller 4240 configured to communicate with one another.
The meter 4210 operates similarly to the meter 4210 of FIG. 40. As illustrated, the meter 4210 is connected to AC mains. The meter 4210 monitors line voltage, current, and/or a power factor on the AC mains. The meter 4210 is configured to communicate with the controller 4240. The communication between the meter 4210 and the controller 4240 can be through LIN, SPI, L2C, or any other protocol.
The driver 4220 operates similarly to the LED driver 3410 of FIG. 40. As illustrated, the driver 4220 includes a power supply 4221, a LED current drive voltage sense 4222, and a LIN interface 4223. The power supply 4221 is configured to provide power to the driver 4220.
The LED current drive voltage sense 4222 is configured to determine the voltage and current provided to the LED array 4230 (e.g., using a LIN bus or any other interface). According to some aspects, if the LED power provided to the LED array does not fall within a predetermined range, the LED current drive voltage sense 4222 notifies one or more other modules within the driver 4220. The one or more other modules within the driver 4220 may take or cause taking of corrective action so that the LED current will return to a value which falls within the predetermined range. As a result of the current being provided to the LED array 4230 falling within the predetermined range, the lifetime of LEDs within the array 4230 may be lengthened.
As illustrated, the LIN interface 4223 of the driver 4220 is used for communication between the driver 4220 and the LED array 4230. The LIN interface 4223 is an interface for a LIN bus and/or a LIN protocol. The driver 4220 can obtain the status of the LED array 4230 using the LIN interface 4223 of the driver. In some aspects, the LIN protocol is used, as illustrated. In other aspects, any other bus, protocol, or interface, may be used in place of the LIN interface 4223.
The LED array 4230 operates similarly to the LED array 3412 of FIG. 40. As shown, the LED array 4230 includes a LED control 4231, a motion sensor 4232, a light sensor 4233, and LED luminaries. The LED control 4231 operates similarly to the controller 4002 of the LED array 3412 of FIG. 40. In some aspects, the LED control 4231 is coupled, via a LIN bus, to the LIN interface 4223 of the driver 4220 and can obtain a status of the driver 4220 using the LIN bus. The LED control 4231 is configured to receive operational values for the LED array 4230 from the driver 4220.
The motion sensor 4232 and the light sensor 4233 are configured to detect motion and light, respectively, in a region surrounding the LED array 4230. In some aspects, the motion and light information obtained via the sensors 4232 and 4233 is provided to the driver 4220. In some aspects, operational values for the LED array 4230 are adjusted in response to the motion and light information obtained via the sensors 4232 and 4233 based on instructions stored, for example, on the driver 4220 or on the LED array 4230. The operational values can include, for example, brightness, voltage, current, power, etc.
The controller 4240 operate similarly to the controller 3902 of FIG. 39 and FIG. 40. As shown, the controller 4240 includes a RF interface 4241, a processor 4242, a real time clock 4243, a meter interface 4244, and a LIN interface 4245.
The RF interface is configured for external communication through a wireless mesh. For example, the RF interface could be used to communicate with a computing device (e.g., a mobile phone) external to the integrated fixture control system 4200 that is configured to allow a human operator to adjust settings of the integrated fixture control system 4200.
The processor 4242 is configured to execute instructions stored in a memory of the controller 4240 or provided to the controller 4240 from an external memory. While a single processor 4242 is illustrated, according to aspects of the subject technology the controller 4240 can include a single processor or multiple processors.
The real time clock 4243 is configured to store a current time (e.g., 11:38:22 AM on Feb. 6, 2010). The current time can be used to adjust settings of the LED array 4230 based on the time. For example, if the LED array 4230 corresponds to a street lamp, the street lamp can be programmed to turn on at a time of a sunset and to turn off at a time of a sunrise. The times of the sunset or the sunrise can be determined via the Internet or via a cellular network.
The meter interface 4244 is configured to communicate with the meter 4210. The meter interface 4244 can receive, from the meter 4210, information about line voltage, current, and/or a power factor of the AC mains. The communication between the meter 4210 and the meter interface 4244 of the controller 4240 can be through LIN, SPI, L2C, or any other protocol.
The LIN interface 4245 is configured to allow the controller 4240 to communicate with the driver 4220 and/or the LED array 4230 via the LIN protocol. In some aspects, the LIN interface 4245 can be replaced with an interface for any other protocol (e.g., SPI or L2C) that is used for communication of the controller 4240 with the driver 4220 and/or the LED array 4230.
FIG. 43 illustrates a luminaire 4300. As shown, the luminaire includes a solid state driver (SSD) 4310, a solid state light (SSL) 4320, and a light management unit (LMU) communication interface (CI) 4330.
The solid state driver 4310 may correspond to the RF-enabled LMU/LED-based-luminaire-driver of FIGS. 34 and 39. The solid state driver 4310 includes an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter 4312, a power factor correction unit 4314, an output switching regulator 4316, and a microcontroller 4318. The EMI filter 4312 receives alternating current (AC) input power 4302 from outside the luminaire 4300 and removes electromagnetic interference from the input power. The power factor correction unit 4314 corrects the power factor of the electromagnetic interference filtered (by EMI filter 4312) input power. The EMI filter 4312 prevents switching noise generated within the driver from escaping and interfering with the operation of other devices connected to the alternating current (AC) input power or subject to interference via radiated emissions. The power factor correction unit 4314 corrects the driver's power factor so that the input current is in phase with the input voltage. The power factor correction unit 4314 may operate via boost, critical mode (CRM), or continuous conduction mode (CCM). The output switching regulator 4316 receives current from the power factor correction unit 4314 and provides direct current (DC) output power 4304 to the solid state light 4320. The output switching regulator 4316 may be, for example, a buck, flyback, or resonant output switching regulator.
The power factor correction unit 4314 and the output switching regulator 4316 are controlled by the microcontroller 4318. The microcontroller 4318 is connected to a LIN bus 4306, which allows the microcontroller 4318 to communicate with other components of the luminaire 4300, including microcontroller(s) in the solid state light 4320 and/or the LMU CI 4330. Based on logic within the microcontroller 4318 and the communication of the microcontroller 4318 with the LIN bus 4306, the EMI filter 4312, the power factor correction unit 4314, or the output switching regulator 4316, the microcontroller 4318 has access to or knowledge of the following: (i) the AC input voltage, the AC input current, and the energy usage associated with the AC input power 4302, (ii) the DC output voltage, the DC output current, and the amount of DC output power 4304, (iii) an efficiency of the solid state driver 4310, as calculated based on the DC output power 4304 and the AC input power 4302, (iv) an hour meter, (v) internal temperature information, (vi) fault conditions, (vii) minimum and maximum values for the above-noted parameters, including AC and DC current parameters, temperature parameters, and fault parameters. The microcontroller 4318 may communicate all of the above parameters and values with other components of the luminaire 4300 via the LIN bus 4306.
In some cases, the microcontroller 4318 detects or determines an existence of a discontinuity in the AC input voltage. In response, the microcontroller causes a switchover to a backup power source (BPS) and causes the luminaire 4300 to enter an emergency backup lighting mode. The BPS may be, for example, a battery within the luminaire 4300 or a generator external to the luminaire 4300. The generator may be a large piece of equipment with a diesel engine. In some cases, the driver may detect a discontinuity when the generator kicks in, and the driver may enter, in response to the discontinuity, an emergency backup lighting mode that prohibits dimming for a threshold time period (e.g., 90 minutes) and overrides normal operation. The emergency backup lighting mode may be useful in an emergency situation, for example, a fire. During the emergency situation, the lights of the luminaire 4300 may stay on at full brightness to assist, for example, in the egress of personnel. As a result, the luminaire 4300 may continue to function normally when there is a discontinuity in the AC input voltage. The microcontroller 4318 may correspond to a central processing unit (CPU) of the SSD 4310. The microcontroller 4318 measures the AC input voltage, AC input current, output voltage and output current. From these measurements the microcontroller 4318 may derive the following values: input power, output power, efficiency, power factor. All or a portion of these values may be communicated to the LMU CI 4330 and then to a server (e.g., via the wireless communication chip 4334) for revenue calculations. Some forms of continuous conduction mode power factor correction use a resistor in the return path of the input current which can be used to measure current. This may be, in some cases, less expensive than a current transformer. The microcontroller 4318 has an internal hour meter that is made available to the LMU CI 4330 using the LIN bus 4306. The microcontroller 4318 measures internal temperatures. An alarm may be sent to the LMU CI 4330, via the LIN bus 4306, in the event of an abnormal reading. In an event of a fault, the microcontroller 4318 saves fault conditions and the hour meter value at the time of the fault. These are made available to the LMU CI 4330. The microcontroller 4318 saves maximum and minimum values, for example, of input voltage or temperature, and the hour meter value at the time of the maximum or minimum, these maximum and minimum values may be used, for example, in trouble shooting and product improvement and are provided via the LIN bus 4306 to the LMU CI 4330.
The microcontroller 4318 provides, to the LMU CI 4330 via the LIN bus 4306, an indication of a discontinuity in input voltage. The indication of the discontinuity in input voltage may be used to cause the luminaire 4300 to enter an “emergency lighting” mode of operation. When load conditions exist that would result in excessive power delivery, the microcontroller 4318 provides an indication of output power limiting and a reason for output power limiting. When input conditions (e.g., low voltage) exist that result in a need to limit output power, the microcontroller 4318 provides an indication of output power limiting and a reason for output power limiting. When internal conditions (e.g., high temperature) exist that result in a need to limit output power, the microcontroller 4318 provides an indication of output power limiting and a reason for output power limiting.
The solid state light 4320 is powered by the DC output power 4304. The solid state light 4320 includes LEDs 4321, a microcontroller 4322, an hour meter 4324, a temperature sensing unit 4326, and a light sensing unit 4328. The LEDs 4321 are powered by the DC output power 4304. The microcontroller 4322 communicates with the microcontroller 4318 of the solid state driver 4310 via the LIN bus 4306. Among other things, the microcontroller 4322 communicates to the microcontroller 4318 information from the hour meter 4324, the temperature sensing unit 4326, and the light sensing unit 4328. The hour meter 4324 stores information about a lifespan of LEDs 4321 in the solid state light 4320 and generates information for increasing or reducing the drive current to extend the lifespan of the LEDs 4321 and to provide for constant or approximately constant (e.g., within a range of a threshold percentage, e.g., 5% or 10%) light output of the LEDs 4321 during the life of the LEDs 4321. The temperature sensing unit 4326 determines a temperature of the LEDs 4321. The light sensing unit 4328 senses light emanating from the LEDS 4321 through glass and determines the intensity (e.g., in lumens) of the sensed light. In some examples, the microcontroller 4322 is also connected to a remote light sensor 4340, external to the luminaire 4300 to detect the presence of light not generated by the luminaire 4300 (e.g., sunlight or light generated by another manmade source). In some examples, the microcontroller 4322 is also connected to a motion sensor 4350 configured to detect movement external to the luminaire 4300. As a result, an amount of light generated by the LEDs 4321 in the luminaire 4300 may be adjusted (via operation of the microcontroller(s) 4322 or 4318) based on external light and/or movement proximate to the luminaire 4300).
The microcontroller 4322 may correspond to a CPU of the SSL 4320. The microcontroller 4322 may be coupled to the hour meter 4324 and/or may have an internal hour meter that can be used for constant light output over life. The microcontroller 4322 may initially set the output of the LEDs 4321 to a first threshold percentage (e.g., 70%) of the maximum output. Over time, the LEDs 4321 may deteriorate causing the amount of light generated for a given current to decrease. In response, to keep the amount of light generated constant or approximately constant, the current provided to the LEDs 4321 may be gradually increased to counteract the deterioration of the LEDs.
The microcontroller 4322 measures the temperature of the SSL 4320, for example, using the temperature sensing unit 4326. An alarm is sent, via the LIN bus 4306, to the LMU CI 4330 in the event of an abnormal temperature reading. The microcontroller 4322 measures, for example, using the light sensing unit 4328 or the remote light sensor 4340, ambient light through the glass of the luminaire 4300 and makes the measurements of the ambient light available to the SSD 4310 and the LMU CI 4330 via the LIN bus 4306. For outdoor applications, in order to reduce the disturbing influence of the LED light, the light sensing unit 4328 or the remote light sensor 4340 may filter out visible light and measure near infrared, as sunlight may have near infrared content, while LED light may lack near infrared content. The microcontroller 4322 is programmed with a correct nominal current for operation. The value of the correct nominal current may be communicated to the microcontroller 4322 at startup and the driver may supply current accordingly. The microcontroller 4322 communicates with the motion sensor 4350, which is external to the luminaire 4300. The motion sensor 4350 may use any motion sensing technology, for example, passive infrared, microwave, or ultrasonic.
The microcontroller 4322 may be programmed to respond to inputs from the light sensing unit 4328, the remote light sensor 4340, or the motion sensor 4350 based on requirements specified by a customer or a user. For example, a luminaire for a city street may be programmed to provide light whenever there is no sunlight. A luminaire for a conference room with a large window may be programmed to provide light whenever there is no sunlight and motion is detected inside the conference room. A luminaire for an office may be programmed to provide light whenever motion is detected. In some examples, the LMU CI 4330 may receive updates for the programming of the microcontroller 4322 of the SSL 4320. For example, a parking garage operator may initially program its luminaire to provide light whenever motion is detected. Upon receiving customer complaints that the garage feels unsafe at night due to the darkness of the garage, the parking garage operator may reprogram its luminaire to provide light whenever there is no sunlight or whenever motion is detected. Due to the wireless or network connection of the LMU CI 4330, the luminaire of the parking garage may be reprogrammed by a programmer accessing a computing device, for example, a mobile phone. The programmer may not need to visit the parking garage or access the luminaire.
The LMU CI 4330 includes a microcontroller 4332 and a wireless communication chip 4334. The wireless communication chip 4334 may include a short-range radio, a long-range radio, and/or one or more network interface controllers (NICs). The wireless communication chip 4334 is connected to a LMU router and/or to a network, for example, the Internet or a cellular network. By operation of the wireless communication chip, instructions may be sent to the LMU CI from a remote computer that is connected to the LMU router and/or to the network. The instructions may be forwarded from the wireless communication chip 4334 to the microcontroller 4332, and from the microcontroller 4332 to the microcontroller 4318 via the LIN bus 4306. Using the LMU CI 4330, the luminaire 4300 may be controlled and/or reprogrammed via the remote computer. Advantageously, a technician may access the remote computer to control or reprogram the luminaire 4300 and does not need to access the luminaire 4300, for example, if the luminaire is in a hard-to-reach location high above the ground, in a lake, or on a busy street or highway. Any information received at the LMU CI 4330 or a the microcontroller 4332 via the LIN bus 4306 may be forwarded, via the wireless communication chip 4334 and/or the network, to an external machine (e.g., an external computer, which may be a client computing device or a server) for processing.
The microcontroller 4332 may correspond to a CPU of the LMU CI 4330. The microcontroller 4332 communicates with the microcontroller 4322 of the SSL 4320 and the microcontroller 4318 of the SSD 4310 via the LIN bus 4306. In some examples, the microcontroller 4332 is used to update firmware or software on the microcontroller 4322 of the SSL 4320 or the microcontroller 4318 of the SSD 4310. The LMU CI 4330 may include functionality to provide revenue grade power measurement. Alternatively, this functionality may be built into a separate device (e.g., a light management unit power interface (LMU PI)) which is also connected to the LIN bus. According to some implementations, the microcontroller 4332 of the LMU CI 4330 resides within a driver of the luminaire 4300. The microcontroller 4332 has access to information stored within the driver of the luminaire 4300, and the microcontroller is configured to query and report, via the wireless communication chip 4334, health or failure issues of the driver of the luminaire 4300.
As illustrated in FIG. 43, the motion sensing and light sensing functions are controlled at the SSL 4320. However, in some implementations, the motion sensing and light sensing functions can be controlled at the LMU CI 4330 and the motion sensor(s) or light sensor(s) may communicate wirelessly (e.g., over a WiFi network, a cellular network, a short-range radio, or a long-range radio) with the wireless communication chip 4334 of the LMU CI 4330. The wireless communication with the motion sensor(s) or light sensor(s) may generate information (e.g., information about presence of person(s) or other light source(s) in a room) that may be used to reduce voltage requirements of the luminaire 4300. Alternatively, the motion sensor(s) or light sensor(s) may be “snap on” sensors that connect or are operative to connect to the luminaire 4300 on an as needed basis.
As illustrated herein, the SSD 4310 can be turned on or off based on commands received by the SSD 4310. The SSD 4310 provides power to the LMU CI 4330 and to the SSL 4320.
The LIN bus 4306 may have three wires: +12 volts, ground (GND), and LIN COMM. Alternatively, the LIN bus 4306 may be replaced with any other wire(s) for local communication and low voltage power within the luminaire 4300.
In some aspects, the subject technology relates to a light management unit (LMU) communication interface (CI). The LMU CI includes a wireless communication chip that connects or is operative to connect the LMU CI to a network. The LMU CI includes an interface for local communication within a lighting device. The LMU CI includes a microcontroller, the microcontroller being coupled with the wireless communication chip and the interface for local communication. The microcontroller is programmed for receiving, via the interface for local communication within the lighting device, operational parameters of the lighting device. The microcontroller is programmed for providing, via the wireless communication chip, the received operational parameters to an external machine. The microcontroller is programmed for receiving, via the wireless communication chip, an update for software, firmware, or an operational setting of the lighting device from the external machine. The microcontroller is programmed for transmitting, via the interface for local communication within the lighting device, a command to implement the update for the software, the firmware, or the operational setting of the lighting device.
Implementations of the subject technology may include one or more of the following features. The interface for local communication within the lighting device includes a local interconnect network (LIN) bus. The LIN bus connects the LMU CI with a solid state driver (SSD) within the lighting device and with a solid state light (SSL) within the lighting device. The update for the software, the firmware, or the operational setting of the lighting device includes an update for the SSD. The update for the software, the firmware, or the operational setting of the lighting device includes an update for the SSL. The wireless communication chip connects the LMU CI to a remote light sensing unit. The microcontroller is further programmed for receiving, via the wireless communication chip, external light information from the remote light sensing unit, and transmitting, via the interface for local communication within the lighting device, a command to adjust a second operational setting of the lighting device based on the external light information. The second operational setting includes a brightness setting. The second operational setting is transmitted to a solid state driver (SSD) within the lighting device. The wireless communication chip connects the LMU CI to a motion sensor. The microcontroller is further programmed for receiving, via the wireless communication chip, motion information from the motion sensor, and transmitting, via the interface for local communication within the lighting device, a command to adjust a second operational setting of the lighting device based on the motion information. The second operational setting includes a brightness setting. The second operational setting is transmitted to a solid state driver (SSD) within the lighting device. The operational parameters of the lighting device include: input voltage, input current, output voltage, output current, input power, output power, efficiency, power factor, or internal temperature. The operational parameters of the lighting device are determined at a solid state driver (SSD) of the lighting device, the SSD being connected to the interface for local communication within the lighting device.
In some aspects, the subject technology relates to a lighting device. The lighting device includes a local communication interface connecting a solid state driver (SSD), a solid state light (SSL), and a light management unit communication interface (LMU CI). The lighting device includes the SSD, the SSL, and the LMU CI.
The SSD includes an AC-to-DC converter receiving alternating current (AC) input power and converting the AC input power to direct current (DC) output power. The SSD includes a SSD microcontroller for measuring operational parameters of the lighting device and providing the measured operational parameters to the local communication interface.
The SSL includes a power input for receiving the DC output power from the SSD. The SSL includes one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) for producing light and consuming the DC output power. The SSL includes a SSL microcontroller. The SSL microcontroller is coupled with a temperature sensing unit for sensing a temperature of the one or more LEDs. The SSL microcontroller is coupled with a light sensing unit for sensing a presence of light external to the lighting device. The SSL microcontroller is coupled with a motion sensor for sensing motion external to the lighting device. The SSL microcontroller provides the sensed temperature, the sensed light, and the sensed motion to the local communication interface.
The LMU CI includes a wireless communication chip for forwarding information between the local communication interface and an external network. The LMU CI includes a microcontroller for translating the forwarded information between a format associated with the local communication interface and a format for transmission via the external network.
Implementations of the subject technology may include one or more of the following features. The local communication interface includes a local interconnect network (LIN) bus or any other communication interface implementing a communication protocol, for example, serial peripheral interface (SPI), inter-integrated circuit (I2C), or radio frequency identification (RFID). The external network includes an Internet. The format associated with the local communication network includes one or more LIN bus packets. The format for transmission via the external network includes one or more Internet Protocol (IP) packets. The operational parameters of the lighting device include: input voltage, input current, output voltage, output current, input power, output power, efficiency, or power factor. The LMU CI transmits the operational parameters of the lighting device, the sensed temperature, or the sensed presence of light from the local communication interface to a remote server for analysis of the lighting device at the remote server. The LMU CI receives, from a remote server, a command for reprogramming the SSD microcontroller or the SSL microcontroller, and the LMU CI signals the SSD microcontroller or the SSL microcontroller to be reprogrammed according to the command from the remote server. The AC-to-DC converter includes an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter, a power factor correction unit, and an output switching regulator, and the EMI filter, the power factor correction unit, and the output switching regulator are controlled by the SSD microcontroller. The lighting device further includes a revenue grade power meter connected to the local communication interface, the revenue grade power meter measuring a power usage of the lighting device and providing the power usage to the local communication interface. In some implementations, the subject technology can be implemented with a revenue grade power meter. Alternatively, the subject technology can include a driver that provides (e.g., in response to a request) current and voltage measurements to the LED array. The actual power usage may be estimated or determined based on the provided current and voltage measurements.
Although the present invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments, it is not intended that the invention be limited to these embodiments. Modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, a variety of different hardware configurations and designs may be used to implement end-point LMUs, bridge LMUs, routers, and network-control centers. As discussed above, many of various different communications methodologies can be employed for communications between hierarchical levels of components in a lighting-control system, according to embodiments of the present invention, by introducing proper chip sets, circuitry, and logic support within network-control center hardware, router hardware, and LMU hardware. As discussed above, LMUs can be configured to accommodate many different types of sensor devices and to control many types of local electronic and electromechanical devices, such as heating elements, motors that control video cameras, and other such devices and components. Software and logic components of LMUs, routers, and network control centers may be implemented in many different ways by varying any of the many different implementation parameters, including programming language, operating system platforms, control structures, data structures, modular organization, and other such parameters. Router and network-control-center user interfaces may be devised to provide many different types of automated lighting system control and monitoring functionality. Lighting-fixture operation can be controlled by schedules, by specifying operational characteristics that follow particular events, can be controlled manually through manual-control user interfaces, and can be programmatically controlled in each of the different levels within the hierarchical automated lighting-system control systems that represent embodiments of the present invention, including relatively autonomous, programmatic control by individual LMUs.
1. A light management unit (LMU) communication interface (CI) comprising:
a wireless communication chip operative to connect the LMU CI to a network;
an interface operative to provide local communication within a lighting device; and
a microcontroller, the microcontroller being coupled with the wireless communication chip and the interface operative to provide local communication, the microcontroller being operative to:
receive, via the interface for local communication within the lighting device, operational parameters of the lighting device;
provide, via the wireless communication chip, the received operational parameters to an external machine;
receive, via the wireless communication chip, an update for software, firmware, or an operational setting of the lighting device from the external machine;
transmit, via the interface for local communication within the lighting device, a command to implement the update for the software, the firmware, or the operational setting of the lighting device.
2. The LMU CI of claim 1, wherein the interface for local communication within the lighting device comprises a local interconnect network (LIN) bus.
3. The LMU CI of claim 2, wherein the LIN bus is operative to connect the LMU CI with a solid state driver (SSD) within the lighting device and with a solid state light (SSL) within the lighting device.
4. The LMU CI of claim 3, wherein the update for the software, the firmware, or the operational setting of the lighting device comprises an update for the SSD.
5. The LMU CI of claim 3, wherein the update for the software, the firmware, or the operational setting of the lighting device comprises an update for the SSL.
6. The LMU CI of claim 1, wherein the interface for local communication within the lighting device comprises a serial peripheral interface (SPI), an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, or a radio frequency identification (RFID) interface.
7. The LMU CI of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication chip is operative to connect the LMU CI to a remote light sensing unit, and wherein the microcontroller is further operative to:
receive, via the wireless communication chip, external light information from the remote light sensing unit; and
transmit, via the interface for local communication within the lighting device, a command to adjust a second operational setting of the lighting device based on the external light information.
8. The LMU CI of claim 7, wherein the second operational setting comprises a brightness setting.
9. The LMU CI of claim 7, wherein the second operational setting is transmitted to a solid state driver (SSD) within the lighting device.
10. The LMU CI of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication chip is operative to connect the LMU CI to a motion sensor, and wherein the microcontroller is further operative to:
receive, via the wireless communication chip, motion information from the motion sensor; and
transmit, via the interface for local communication within the lighting device, a command to adjust a second operational setting of the lighting device based on the motion information.
11. The LMU CI of claim 10, wherein the second operational setting comprises a brightness setting.
12. The LMU CI of claim 10, wherein the second operational setting is transmitted to a solid state driver (SSD) within the lighting device.
13. The LMU CI of claim 1, wherein the operational parameters of the lighting device comprise: input voltage, input current, output voltage, output current, input power, output power, efficiency, power factor, or internal temperature.
14. The LMU CI of claim 1, wherein a solid state driver (SSD) is operative to determine the operational parameters of the lighting device, the SSD also being operative to connect to the interface for local communication within the lighting device.
a local communication interface operative to connect a solid state driver (SSD), a solid state light (SSL), and a light management unit communication interface (LMU CI);
the SSD comprising:
an AC-to-DC converter operative to receive alternating current (AC) input power and operative to convert the AC input power to direct current (DC) output power; and
a SSD microcontroller operative to measure operational parameters of the lighting device and operative to provide the measured operational parameters to the local communication interface;
the SSL comprising:
a power input operative to receive the DC output power from the SSD;
one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) operative to produce light and operative to consume the DC output power;
a SSL microcontroller, the SSL microcontroller being coupled with:
a temperature sensing unit operative to sense a temperature of the one or more LEDs;
a light sensing unit operative to sense a presence of light external to the lighting device; and
a motion sensor operative to sense motion external to the lighting device, wherein the SSL microcontroller is operative to provide the sensed temperature, the sensed light, and the sensed motion to the local communication interface; and
the LMU CI comprising:
a wireless communication chip operative to forward information between the local communication interface and an external network; and
a microcontroller operative to translate the forwarded information between a format associated with the local communication interface and a format for transmission via the external network.
16. The lighting device of claim 15, wherein the local communication interface comprises a local interconnect network (LIN) bus, the external network comprises an Internet, the format associated with the local communication network comprises one or more LIN bus packets, and the format for transmission via the external network comprises one or more Internet Protocol (IP) packets.
17. The lighting device of claim 15, wherein the local communication interface comprises a serial peripheral interface (SPI), an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, or a radio frequency identification (RFID) interface.
18. The lighting device of claim 15, wherein the operational parameters of the lighting device comprise: input voltage, input current, output voltage, output current, input power, output power, efficiency, or power factor.
19. The lighting device of claim 15, wherein the LMU CI is operative to transmit the operational parameters of the lighting device, the sensed temperature, or the sensed presence of light from the local communication interface to a remote server for analysis of the lighting device at the remote server.
20. The lighting device of claim 15, wherein the LMU CI is operative to receive, from a remote server, a command for reprogramming the SSD microcontroller or the SSL microcontroller, and wherein the LMU CI is operative to signal the SSD microcontroller or the SSL microcontroller to be reprogrammed according to the command from the remote server.
21. The lighting device of claim 15, wherein the AC-to-DC converter comprises an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter, a power factor correction unit, and an output switching regulator, and wherein the SSD microcontroller is operative to control the EMI filter, the power factor correction unit, and the output switching regulator.
22. The lighting device of claim 15, further comprising a revenue grade power meter operative to connect to the local communication interface, the revenue grade power meter being operative to measure a power usage of the lighting device and provide the power usage to the local communication interface.
23. The lighting device of claim 15, wherein the microcontroller of the LMU CI resides within a driver of the lighting device.
24. The lighting device of claim 23, wherein the microcontroller has access to information stored within the driver of the lighting device, and wherein the microcontroller is operative to query and report, via the wireless communication chip, health or failure issues of the driver of the lighting device.
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Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:VAN WAGONER, MARK;FRODSHAM, TIM;FANNON, JESSE WADE;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:033058/0820