Patent Document

FIELD  
       [0001]    Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of lighting, and more particularly, to a lighting system with wireless alternating current detection system. 
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]    Auxiliary lighting systems are connected into an electrical network and provide light in the event that a power outage occurs in the electrical network. While these systems provide a critical safety element in emergency situations, their deployment is severely limited by the expense and complexity of wiring them into a structure&#39;s electrical network. This is especially the case when these auxiliary lighting systems are added after the structure has been constructed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0003]    Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numerals designate like structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings. 
           [0004]      FIG. 1  illustrates a lighting module in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure. 
           [0005]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  respectively illustrate exploded and assembled views of a lighting module in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart describing operation of a lighting module in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0007]    In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by way of illustration embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
         [0008]    Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments of the present disclosure; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent. 
         [0009]    For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A and/or B” means “(A), (B), or (A and B).” For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” means “(A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).” 
         [0010]    Various components may be introduced and described in terms of an operation provided by the components. These components may include hardware, software, and/or firmware elements in order to provide the described operations. While some of these components may be shown with a level of specificity, e.g., providing discrete elements in a set arrangement, other embodiments may employ various modifications of elements/arrangements in order to provide the associated operations within the constraints/objectives of a particular embodiment. 
         [0011]    The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,” or “in embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous. 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates a lighting module  100  in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure. The lighting module  100  may include a controller  104  coupled with a resonant circuit  108 , which is, in turn, coupled with antenna  112 , as shown. The controller  104  may be further coupled with a programming interface  116 , an indicator LED  120 , a power supply interface  124 , and a power converter  128 , as shown. 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  also shows an electrical network  132 , which may represent a structure&#39;s wiring system. Alternating current (AC) power may be present in the electrical network  132  when it, and the larger, external electrical grid to which the electrical network  132  is coupled, is functioning properly. When present, AC power in the electrical network  132  may be alternating at a set operating frequency of, e.g., 60 Hertz (Hz) in the United States or 50 Hz in Europe. The presence of the AC power in the electrical network  132  may result in electromagnetic radiation (EMR)  136  being emitted at the operating frequency. The lighting module  100 , when proximally disposed with at least a segment of the electrical network  132 , may use the emitted EMR  136  to wirelessly detect a presence or absence of AC power in the electrical network  132  as will be described. As used herein, “proximally disposed” means the lighting module  100  is close enough to at least a portion of the electrical network  132  to reliably receive and detect the EMR  136  when emitted by the electrical network  132 . 
         [0014]    The antenna  112  may receive EMR, including EMR  136 , and the resonant circuit  108  may be tuned to the set operating frequency of the electrical network  132  in order to isolate and detect the EMR  136 . In this manner, the resonant circuit  108  may detect a presence of the AC power in the electrical network  132  based at least in part on the antenna  112  receiving the EMR  136  directly from the electrical network  132 , i.e., without relying on any intermediate transmitters. 
         [0015]    The controller  104  may control an LED  140  based at least in part on a success or failure of the resonant circuit  108  detecting the AC power in the electrical network  132 . In some embodiments, the controller  104  may control the LED  140  by activating it when the resonant circuit  108  fails to detect the presence of AC power in the electrical network  132 , e.g., when a power outage occurs. Providing the wireless detection of the AC power, as described, allows the lighting module  100  to be flexibly deployed as, e.g., emergency lighting. For example, the lighting module  100  may be deployed at a stairwell to provide emergency illumination in the event of a power outage without having to incur the associated expense of hardwiring an AC outlet for the lighting module  100  to detect an AC power outage. 
         [0016]    The power supply interface  124  may couple the lighting module  100  to one or more power supplies to provide power for the various components of the lighting module  100 , e.g., the LED  140 . The power supply interface  124  may include a first interface to be coupled with a direct current (DC) power source, e.g., a battery  144 , and a second interface to be coupled with the electrical network  132 . In this embodiment, the controller  104  may provide power to the components of the lighting module  100  from the electrical network  132  when AC power is successfully detected in the electrical network  132  and may provide power to the components of the lighting module  100  from the battery  144  when AC power is failed to be detected in the electrical network  132 . Furthermore, if the battery  144  is a rechargeable battery, AC power from the electrical network  132 , when present, may be used to recharge the battery  144 . 
         [0017]    In some embodiments, the controller  104  may control the indicator LED  120  in a manner to indicate whether the lighting module  100  is operating on power supplied by the electrical network  132  or power supplied by the battery  144 . In some instances, the controller  104  may activate the indicator LED  120  when the lighting module  100  is operating on power supplied by the battery  144 , or vice versa. In other embodiments, the color of the indicator LED  120  may be indicative of whether the lighting module  100  is operating on power supplied by the electrical network  132  or power supplied by the battery  144 . 
         [0018]    In some embodiments, the lighting module  100  may further include a photodetector  148  coupled to the controller  104 . The photodetector  148  may be configured to detect ambient light. In some embodiments, the controller  104  may control the LED  140  based at least further in part on a success or failure of the photodetector  148  detecting ambient light. For example, the controller  104  may use the failure of the photodetector  148  to detect ambient light as a condition precedent to activating the LED  140 . This may, in certain situations, prevent the controller  104  from activating the LED  140  if another, adequate source of illumination is present, e.g., sunlight. 
         [0019]    The programming interface  116  may provide configurable access to the components of the lighting module  100 , e.g., the controller  104 , from a programming device. The programming device may configure the controller  104  with respect to any of a variety of control functions, e.g., configuring battery parameters to determine run-time, configuring operating schedules, etc. 
         [0020]    In some embodiments, the programming interface  116  may locally couple to the programming device having a user interface that allows local configuration of the lighting module  100 . In other embodiments, the programming interface  116  may receive control signals, over a wired network (e.g., a power line network) or a wireless network (e.g., a wireless personal area network or a wireless local area network), from a remote programming device. In the event that the programming interface  116  receives control signals over a wireless network, it may be coupled to an antenna, e.g., antenna  112  or a separate antenna. 
         [0021]    In some embodiments, at least a portion of the configuration of the lighting module  100  may be conducted when the lighting module  100  is deployed and the relative disposition of the lighting module  100  and the electrical network  132  is fixed. This may allow the lighting module  100  to be tuned, e.g., through the programming interface  116 , to the power/frequency of the EMR  136 . 
         [0022]    The power converter  128  may be coupled to the power supply interface  124 , either directly or through the controller  104 , as shown, and the LED  140  and used to provide power to the LED  140  at a desired DC level. Depending on the type of power being provided to the lighting module  100 , e.g., AC power from the electrical network or DC power from the battery  144 , the power converter  128  may be an AC-DC converter or a DC-DC converter. Both types of converters may be present when both types of power supplies are used. The power provided by the power converter  128  may be conditioned by a diode  156  prior to being supplied to the LED  140 . 
         [0023]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  illustrate a lighting module  200  in an exploded view and an assembled view, respectively, in accordance with some embodiments. The lighting module  200  and its components may be similar to, and substantially interchangeable with, the lighting module  100  and its components. 
         [0024]    The lighting module  200  may include an antenna  212  coupled to a circuit board  214  that may house and interconnect the various electrical components of the lighting module  200 . These electrical components may include components similar to those described above with respect to lighting module  100 , e.g., a controller, a power converter, a resonant circuit, etc. The controller, as described above, may control LEDs  240  based at least in part on whether AC power is detected in a proximally-disposed electrical network and/or whether ambient light is detected by a photodetector  248 . In this embodiment, three LEDs  240  are shown, however, in other embodiments, other numbers of LEDs may be used. 
         [0025]    The circuit board  214  may also be coupled with a state switch  216 . The state switch  216  may be operated to change between various operating states of the lighting module  200 . For example, in one embodiment the lighting module  200  may have two states. In a first state, the lighting module  200  may function as an emergency light. That is, the LEDs  240  are activated when AC power is not detected in a proximally-disposed electrical network and when ambient light is not detected. In a second state, the LEDs  240  may be activated, regardless of the presence/absence of AC power in the proximally-disposed electrical network and/or ambient light. In this manner, the lighting module  200  may also provide conventional lighting functionality. In other embodiments, additional and/or alternative states may be provided. 
         [0026]    One example of a state that may be used in various embodiments is an ambient light sensitivity state. In these embodiments, the state switch  216  may adjust the amount of ambient light that, when present, would prevent the LEDs  240  from being activated when AC power is not detected in a proximally-disposed electrical network. This may allow the lighting module  200  to be further adjusted to the preferences and/or objectives of a particular deployment. 
         [0027]    The lighting module  200  may include a mounting board  218  that provides power connections to the LEDs  240  and also couples to a battery  244 . A lens reflector  222  may be placed around a perimeter of the mounting board  218  to provide a desired optical effect. 
         [0028]    The components of the lighting module  200  may be disposed in a housing that includes a bulb-shaped, light passable body  226  (hereinafter “body  226 ”) and a base  230 . In some embodiments, the base  230  may provide a power supply interface to the electrical network through, e.g., a standard lighting fixture. The base  230  may be an Edison screw base, of any size, as is generally shown. In other embodiments, the base  230  may be any other type of light bulb connector. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the base  230  may function strictly as a mechanical connector and not provide a power supply interface to the electrical network. 
         [0029]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart describing operation of a lighting module, e.g., lighting module  100  and/or lighting module  200 , in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure. At block  304 , an antenna of the lighting module may receive EMR. The EMR may be received directly from a proximally-disposed electrical network. At block  308 , a resonant circuit of the lighting module may detect for a presence of AC power in a proximally-disposed electrical network based at least in part on EMR of a predetermined frequency being detected. The lighting module may control an LED based at least in part on a success or failure of the resonant circuit detecting the presence of AC power in the proximally-disposed electrical network. 
         [0030]    If AC power is detected in the proximally-disposed electrical network, the lighting module may charge a rechargeable battery, at block  312 , and power an LED from the electrical network in accordance with an operational state of the lighting module at block  316 . 
         [0031]    If, at block  308 , AC power is not detected in the proximally-disposed electrical network, the lighting module and, in particular, a photodetector of the lighting module, may determine whether ambient light is detected at block  320 . The lighting module may then control the LED based at least further in part on success or failure of the photodetector detecting the ambient light. For example, if ambient light is detected, the lighting module may, at block  324 , power the LED from a battery. 
         [0032]    If the lighting module is equipped with an indicator LED, it may, at block  328 , determine whether power is provided to the LED from the electrical network or from the battery and control the indicator LED accordingly. For example, it may activate the indicator LED when power is supplied from a battery and deactivate it when power is supplied from the electrical network. 
         [0033]    Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description of the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, memory devices of the present disclosure may be employed in host devices having other architectures. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

Technology Category: h