# US 2021/0279060 A1 · Methods and systems for a user interface for illumination power, management, and control > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0279060 A1 - Document ID: US20210279060A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/327,445 - Filed: 2021-05-21 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2017-10-25 - Assignees: Nicor, Inc. - Applicants: Nicor, Inc. - Inventors: David Brown; Lucas Jackson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210279060A1 ## CPC - G06F 9/30083: {Power or thermal control instructions} - G05B 15/02: electric - G06F 1/1684: {Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675} - G06F 1/266: {Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips} - H02J 13/10: characterised by displaying of information or by user interaction, e.g. supervisory control and data acquisition [SCADA] systems - H05B 47/183: {using digital addressable lighting interface [DALI] communication protocols} - G05B 2219/2642: Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house - H02J 13/12: Monitoring network conditions, e.g. electrical magnitudes or operational status - H02J 13/1311: {using the power network as support for the transmission} - H02J 2105/12: supplying households or buildings - H04B 3/54: Systems for transmission via power distribution lines - H04B 3/548: {the power on the line being DC (arrangements for feeding power H04L12/10; extracting feeding power from signals H04L25/02)} - Y02B 90/20: Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector (smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00) - Y04S 40/121: using the power network as support for the transmission - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - H04B: TRANSMISSION - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract Systems and methods for illumination power, management and control can include lighting fixtures, lighting controllers, databases, and gateways. The lighting controllers can power the lighting fixtures, control the lighting fixtures, and store fixture state data and controller state data. The lighting controllers can be connected to building mains power (e.g., 240 VAC) and provide DC power to the lighting fixtures. The lighting controllers can read state data from and control the fixtures via a digital interface. The Database server can store user profiles, site profiles, fixture property data, and controller property data. The gateway can read and modify the state data stored by the lighting controllers, and can query the database server for the property data. The gateway can also provide a user interface through which users, based on authorization, can read and write the state data (e.g., fixture on/off) and the property data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving a floorplan image that indicates a floor plan of an area of a building; receiving a lighting plan that indicates a plurality of fixture locations for a plurality of lighting fixtures in the area of the building; displaying an area view showing the area of the floorplan image; overlaying the area of the floorplan image in the area view with a plurality of fixture graphics indicating the plurality of fixture locations for the lighting fixtures; displaying a plurality of illumination graphics in the area view that show an illumination pattern provided by the lighting fixtures; detecting an input event at one of the fixture graphics that is associated with one of the lighting fixtures; and displaying textual fixture data for a lighting fixture associated with the one of the fixture graphics in response to detecting the input event. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the method including: receiving a controller profile for a lighting controller that powers and controls the lighting fixtures; displaying a controller graphic that indicates the lighting controller in the area view; and using the controller profile to display textual controller data in response to detecting a second input event at the controller graphic. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the lighting controller is configured to provide fixture state data for the lighting fixtures, and the illumination pattern is based on at least one fixture lighting level included in the fixture state data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein: a gateway is configured access a database server and the lighting controller in response to receiving a plurality of application program interface (API) calls, and the floorplan image, the lighting plan, the controller profile, and the fixture state data are received via the gateway in response to at least one of the API calls. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, the method including: displaying fixture labels with the fixture graphics; and displaying a controller label with the controller graphic, wherein each of the fixture labels indicates a DALI network and a DALI address, and the controller label identifies the lighting controller. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, the method including: displaying a connectivity indication in the area view that indicates wired connections between the lighting controller and the lighting fixtures. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the method including: displaying a historical energy usage of one of the lighting fixtures based at least in part on a plurality of logged fixture lighting levels. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the method including: displaying a historical energy usage of a DALI group of the lighting fixtures based at least in part on a plurality of logged fixture lighting levels; displaying an aggregated lighting energy usage of the building based at least in part on the plurality of logged fixture lighting levels; and displaying the aggregated lighting energy usage of a floor of the building based at least in part on the plurality of logged fixture lighting levels. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the method including: receiving administrative data that indicates a site level, a building level, and a floor level; displaying a facilities interface that hierarchically presents the administrative data; accepting a building selection via the facilities interface; displaying a building administration interface configured to receive a plurality of building administration selections that include an energy usage selection; displaying a floor view selection configured to receive a plurality of area selections; and displaying the area view in response to receiving one of the area selections. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed in a computing device, cause the computing device to perform steps for: receiving a floorplan image that indicates a floor plan of an area of a building; receiving a lighting plan that indicates a plurality of fixture locations for a plurality of lighting fixtures in the area of the building; displaying an area view showing the area of the floorplan image; overlaying the area of the floorplan image in the area view with a plurality of fixture graphics indicating the plurality of fixture locations for the lighting fixtures; displaying a plurality of illumination graphics in the area view that show an illumination pattern provided by the lighting fixtures; detecting an input event at one of the fixture graphics that is associated with one of the lighting fixtures; and displaying textual fixture data for a lighting fixture associated with the one of the fixture graphics in response to detecting the input event. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the steps including: receiving a controller profile for a lighting controller that powers and controls the lighting fixtures; displaying a controller graphic that indicates the lighting controller in the area view; and using the controller profile to display textual controller data in response to detecting a second input event at the controller graphic. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the lighting controller is configured to provide fixture state data for the lighting fixtures, and the illumination pattern is based on at least one fixture lighting level included in the fixture state data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a gateway is configured access a database server and the lighting controller in response to receiving a plurality of application program interface (API) calls, and the floorplan image, the lighting plan, the controller profile, and the fixture state data are received via the gateway in response to at least one of the API calls. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the steps including: displaying fixture labels with the fixture graphics; and displaying a controller label with the controller graphic, wherein each of the fixture labels indicates a DALI network and a DALI address, and the controller label identifies the lighting controller. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the steps including: displaying a connectivity indication in the area view that indicates wired connections between the lighting controller and the lighting fixtures. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the steps including: displaying a historical energy usage of one of the lighting fixtures based at least in part on a plurality of logged fixture lighting levels. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the steps including: displaying a historical energy usage of a DALI group of the lighting fixtures based at least in part on a plurality of logged fixture lighting levels; displaying an aggregated lighting energy usage of the building based at least in part on the plurality of logged fixture lighting levels; and displaying the aggregated lighting energy usage of a floor of the building based at least in part on the plurality of logged fixture lighting levels. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the steps including: receiving administrative data that indicates a site level, a building level, and a floor level; displaying a facilities interface that hierarchically presents the administrative data; accepting a building selection via the facilities interface; displaying a building administration interface configured to receive a plurality of building administration selections that include an energy usage selection; displaying a floor view selection configured to receive a plurality of area selections; and displaying the area view in response to receiving one of the area selections. ### Claim 19 A system comprising: a mean for receiving configuration data that includes a floorplan image and a plurality of fixture locations; a means for displaying a plurality of fixture graphics overlaying an area of the floorplan image based on the configuration data; a means for displaying an illumination pattern relative to the fixture graphics; a means for detecting a fixture selection of a lighting fixture associated with one of the fixture graphics; and a means for displaying textual fixture data for the lighting fixture in response to detecting the fixture selection. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, further including: a means for displaying a controller graphic that indicates a lighting controller at a controller location included in the configuration data; a means for detecting a controller selection of the lighting controller; and a means for displaying textual controller data for the lighting controller in response to detecting the controller selection.