Dynamic load management for lighting system
AssigneeHiViz Lighting, Inc.
InventorSamuel T. Massa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lighting system including one or more loads and one or more load managers electrically coupled to or embedded in the one or more loads. The one or more load managers are configured to measure an input voltage from the one or more loads, determine if the input voltage is below a minimum voltage for the lighting system, when the input voltage is below the minimum voltage threshold, adjust a power level of the lighting system, and when the input voltage is above a minimum voltage, store the power level as an operational power for the lighting system.
Claims20
A load management system comprising:
- one or more loads;
- and
- one or more load managers electrically coupled to or embedded in the one or more loads, wherein each load manager of the one or more load managers comprises a microcontroller (MCU) having one or more data stores configured to store data, the MCU configured to:
- sense an input voltage to the one or more of loads from a vehicle;
- determine whether the input voltage is below a minimum voltage for the vehicle load management system with the MCU, wherein the minimum voltage is based on a capacity of an alternator of the vehicle, a battery system of the vehicle, or a combination thereof;
- when the input voltage is below the minimum voltage threshold, adjust a power level, wherein the power level is a power consumption of the one or more loads;
- and
- when the input voltage is above the minimum voltage, store the power level as an operational power for the vehicle load management system with one or more data stores of the MCU.
A load management system comprising:
- one or more loads;
- and
- one or more load managers electrically coupled to or embedded in the one or more loads, wherein each load manager of the one or more load managers comprises a microcontroller (MCU) having one or more data stores configured to store data, wherein the MCU is configured to:
- sense a startup voltage of the vehicle load management system, wherein the startup voltage is a voltage of the vehicle load management system before the one or more loads are applied;
- calculate a voltage drop under load based on a difference between the startup voltage and an input voltage under load;
- and
- when the voltage drop under load is greater than or equal to a voltage drop threshold, adjust a power level of the one or more loads until the voltage drop under load is less than the voltage drop threshold.
A method of dynamically managing loads having a microcontroller (MCU) with one or more data stores configured for storing data, the method comprising:
- receiving a sensed input voltage to one or more loads on the vehicle when the vehicle is turned on and at least one load of the one or more loads is applied with an MCU of each load manager of the one or more load managers;
- determining whether the input voltage is below a minimum voltage for the vehicle with the MCU;
- when the input voltage is below the minimum voltage threshold, reducing a power level of the vehicle with the MCU;
- and
- when the input voltage is above a minimum voltage, storing the power level as an operational power level for the vehicle with the one or more data stores of the MCU.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.