Method and system for automated lighting control and monitoring

An automated lighting-control system comprising:

• two or more lighting fixtures, each containing one or more lighting elements;
• two or more lighting-fixture management units, each of the lighting fixtures including a lighting-fixture management unit, each lighting-fixture management unit storing control information and status information and controlling the intensity of light emitted by the lighting elements within the lighting-fixture, within a range of intensities, that contains the lighting-fixture management unit according to the stored control information;
• and
• a router that provides a user interface for creation and modification of operational schedules for automated control of the lighting elements within the lighting fixtures and that communicates with lighting-fixture management units, using a first communications medium between the router and at least one lighting-fixture management unit and additionally by an inter-lighting-fixture-management-unit communications medium, in order to transmit control information to the lighting-fixture management units and receive status information from the lighting-fixture management units;
• wherein lighting-fixture management units include bridge lighting-fixture management units and end-point lighting-fixture management units;
• wherein each end-point lighting-fixture management unit controls intensity of light emission from lighting elements within the lighting fixture that contains the end-point lighting-fixture management unit, according to an operational schedule and additional control directives stored within the end-point lighting-fixture management unit;
• wherein each end-point lighting-fixture management unit monitors input from one or more sensors and generates events, based on sensor input;
• and
• wherein each end-point lighting-fixture management unit collects and stores status information related to operation of components within the lighting fixture that contains the end-point lighting-fixture management unit.