# US 8,686,665 B2 · Method and system for lighting control and monitoring > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,686,665 B2 - Document ID: US8686665B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/783,109 - Filed: 2010-05-19 - Published: 2011-09-08 - Granted: 2014-04-01 - Earliest claimed: 2010-03-08 - Assignees: Virticus Corporation - Applicants: Joseph E. Horbst; Mark VanWagoner - Inventors: Joseph E. Horbst; Mark VanWagoner - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8686665B2 ## CPC - H05B 31/00: Electric arc lamps (regulating electric characteristics of arcs G05F1/02) - G05B 19/418: Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM] - H04L 41/00: Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks - H05B 47/165: following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC] - Y02B 20/00: Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps - Y02B 20/40: Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - 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) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract Embodiments of the present invention are directed to control of lighting systems at individual-light-fixture, local, regional, and larger-geographical-area levels. One embodiment of the present invention comprises 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, including lighting elements, LED-luminaire drivers, sensors, and other devices. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A lighting-control system comprising: two or more lighting fixtures, each containing one or more light-emitting-diode-based 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 including a light-emitting-diode-based-luminaire driver and storing control information and status information and controlling the intensity of light emitted by the light-emitting-diode-based lighting elements, over a range of intensities, within the lighting-fixture 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 light-emitting-diode-based 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 light-emitting-diode-based 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. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The lighting-control system of claim 1 wherein one or more end-point lighting-fixture management units communicate with the router directly by power-line communications. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The lighting-control system of claim 1 wherein one or more end-point lighting-fixture management units communicate with the router directly by radio-frequency communications. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The lighting-control system of claim 1 wherein one or more end-point lighting-fixture management units communicate with the router indirectly through power-line communications to a bridge lighting-fixture management unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The lighting-control system of claim 1 wherein each bridge lighting-fixture management unit controls intensity of light emission from light-emitting-diode-based lighting elements within the lighting fixture that contains the bridge lighting-fixture management unit, according to an operational schedule and additional control directives stored within the bridge lighting-fixture management unit; wherein each bridge lighting-fixture management unit monitors input from one or more sensors and generates events, based on sensor input; wherein each bridge lighting-fixture management unit collects and stores status information related to operation of components within the lighting fixture that contains the bridge lighting-fixture management unit; and wherein each bridge lighting-fixture management unit receives commands from the router for an end-point lighting-fixture management unit through the first communications medium and forwards the commands to the end-point lighting-fixture management unit by the inter-lighting-fixture-management-unit communications medium. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The lighting-control system of claim 1 wherein each lighting-fixture management unit stores status information related to operation of components within the lighting fixture that contains the lighting-fixture management unit that includes: current voltage input to the lighting fixture; current drawn by the lighting fixture; power consumed by the lighting fixture over an interval of time; indications of the occurrences of events indicated by sensor inputs; total hours of operation of light-emitting-diode-based lighting elements; and number of power-on events associated with light-emitting-diode-based lighting elements. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The lighting-control system of claim 1 wherein each lighting-fixture management unit comprises: inter-lighting-fixture-management-unit communications medium chip or chip set that provides for power-line reception and transmission of command and response packets; a noise filter that band-pass filters noise from a power-line connection, a CPU 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; an internal power supply that converts AC input power to DC internal power for supplying DC power to digital components, an optocouple isolation unit that isolates the CPU from power surges; the light-emitting-diode-based-luminaire driver that controls voltage and current output to the light-emitting-diode-based lighting elements to provide a range of output current for operating light-emitting-diode-based lighting elements over a range of light-intensity output; a switched relay for controlling AC power supply to various devices or components within the lighting fixture that contains the lighting-fixture management unit; a switched relay for controlling DC power supply to various devices or components within the lighting fixture that contains the lighting-fixture management unit; and an integrated-circuit power meter. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The lighting-control system of claim 1 wherein each lighting-fixture management unit stores data structures, in a memory component, that contain entries which represent: an operational status of one or more light-emitting-diode-based lighting elements; one or more group identifiers that identify groups to which the lighting-fixture management unit is assigned; one or more input signals that can be monitored by the lighting-fixture management unit; a status for each of one or more different events; and a schedule that includes one or more operational directives. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The lighting-control system of claim 1 wherein the first communications medium is a radio-frequency communications medium and wherein the inter-lighting-fixture-management-unit communications medium is a power-line communications medium. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The lighting-control system of claim 9 wherein the router additionally communicates with remote computers by network communications, wherein the router additionally communicates with lighting-fixture management units by power-line communications, and wherein both the router and one or more lighting-fixture management units communicate with hand-held telecommunications devices using cellular-telephone communications. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The lighting-control system of claim 1 further including one or more additional routers that each communicates with one or more additional lighting-fixture management units. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The lighting-control system of claim 11 further including a network-control center that communicates, through network communications, with, and controls operation of, the routers. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The lighting-control system of claim 1 wherein the lighting-fixture management units include sensor components that monitor one or more of: current; voltage; sound; camera data; volatile chemical substances; power consumption by lighting-fixture components; temperature; and pressure.