System and method for controlling lighting

Abstract

A controller for controlling lighting in a facility provided by a plurality of lighting fixtures configured for wireless communications, the controller includes a data communication interface and a control module. The data communications interface communicates with at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures. The control module is configured to provide a control signal to the data communications interface for communicating to the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures and for at least one of turning on and turning off the plurality of lighting fixtures according to an algorithm that generates the control signal based on a time of day and an occupancy within the facility. The control module is also configured to determine the occupancy within the facility based on a sensed condition relating to motion within the facility and a level of heat within the facility.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A controller for controlling lighting in a facility provided by a plurality of lighting fixtures configured for wireless communications, the controller comprising:
 a data communications interface communicating with at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures; and   a control module configured to provide a control signal to the data communications interface for communicating to the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures and for at least one of turning on and turning off the plurality of lighting fixtures according to an algorithm that generates the control signal based on a time of day and an occupancy within the facility, the control module configured to determine the occupancy within the facility based on a sensed condition relating to motion within the facility and a level of heat within the facility, wherein the control module is configured to compare the level of heat within the facility with a heat threshold associated with human occupation, and wherein the control module is further configured to quantify a reduction in power obtained by controlling the plurality of lighting fixtures according to the algorithm, and wherein the control module is configured to quantify the reduction in power by calculating the difference of (A) a first amount of power used by the lighting without control according to the algorithm with (B) a second amount of power used by the lighting as controlled by the algorithm.   
     
     
         2 . The controller of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is a master controller for the plurality of lighting fixtures. 
     
     
         3 . The controller of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a user interface for receiving programming inputs from a user and configured to provide the inputs to the control module.   
     
     
         4 . The controller of  claim 3 , wherein the user interface allows the user to manually control the behavior of the lighting fixtures. 
     
     
         5 . The controller of  claim 4 , wherein the user interface is configured to provide at least one user interface element for allowing the user to specify which of providing the control signal based on time of day and providing the control signal based on a sensed condition relating to use of the facility to use by the algorithm. 
     
     
         6 . The controller of  claim 5 , wherein the user interface is configured to provide at least one user interface element for allowing the user to override the algorithm. 
     
     
         7 . The controller of  claim 6 , wherein the user interface is configured to provide at least one user interface element for allowing the user to control at least a second group of lighting fixtures in addition to a first group of lighting fixtures formed by the plurality of lighting fixtures, and wherein the algorithm applied to the first group of lighting fixtures can also be applied to the second group of lighting fixtures. 
     
     
         8 . The controller of  claim 7 , wherein the user interface element is at least one of a switch, a touch screen area, a button, and a hyperlink, and wherein the user may select a time duration for the override using the user interface. 
     
     
         9 . A method for controlling lighting in a facility provided by a plurality of lighting fixtures configured for wireless communications, the method comprising:
 determining whether to provide a control signal to at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures according to an algorithm that generates the control signal based on a time of day and an occupancy within the facility;   determining the occupancy within the facility based on a sensed condition relating to motion within the facility and a level of sound within the facility;   comparing the level of sound within the facility with a sound threshold associated with human occupation;   providing the control signal to a data communications interface for communication to the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures; and   quantifying a reduction in power obtained by controlling the plurality of lighting fixtures according to the algorithm by calculating the difference of (A) a first amount of power used by the lighting without control according to the algorithm with (B) a second amount of power used by the lighting as controlled by the algorithm; and   storing indicia of the reduction in power in a memory device, displaying indicia of the reduction in power on an electronic display, or storing indicia of the reduction in power in the memory device and displaying indicia of the reduction in power on the electronic display.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 providing the plurality of lighting fixtures;   installing the plurality of lighting fixtures; and   creating at least a first group of lighting fixtures and a second group of lighting fixtures from the plurality of lighting fixtures.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 providing a user interface configured to allow the configuration of the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures, wherein the configuration specifies which of control based on time of day and a sensed condition to use by the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 manually controlling the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures via the user interface.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 adjusting the composition of the first group of lighting fixtures and the second group of lighting fixtures via the user interface.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 electrically coupling a first wireless transceiver to one of the plurality of lighting fixtures to configure the plurality of lighting fixtures for the wireless communications, wherein the wireless communications are bi-directional.   
     
     
         15 . A system for controlling lighting in a facility, the system comprising:
 a plurality of lighting fixtures configured for wireless communications;   a data communications interface communicating with at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures, wherein the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures communicates with at least a second of the plurality of lighting fixtures via wireless communications; and   a control module configured to provide a control signal to the data communications interface for communicating to the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures and for at least one of turning on and turning off the plurality of lighting fixtures according to an algorithm that generates the control signal based on a time of day and an occupancy within the facility, the control module configured to determine the occupancy within the facility based on a sensed condition relating to motion within the facility and a level of at least one of heat and sound within the facility, wherein the control module is configured to compare the level of the at least one of heat and sound within the facility with at least one of a heat and sound threshold associated with human occupation, wherein the control module is further configured to quantify a reduction in power obtained by controlling the plurality of lighting fixtures according to the algorithm, and wherein the control module is configured to quantify the reduction in power by calculating the difference of (A) a first amount of power used by the lighting without control according to the algorithm with (B) a second amount of power used by the lighting as controlled by the algorithm.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein turning off the plurality of lighting fixtures comprises turning off the light emitting circuitry of the lighting device while continuing to power the communications circuitry of the lighting device. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures includes a master transceiver wired to the data communications interface, the master transceiver configured for bi-directional wireless communication with transceivers coupled to other of the plurality of lighting fixtures; wherein the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures includes a radio frequency transceiver for bi-directional wireless communication with the data communications interface. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 an occupancy sensor for determining if a zone of the facility lit by the plurality of lighting fixtures is occupied, the occupancy sensor configured to provide a signal indicating occupancy to at least one of the data communications interface, the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures, and the control module, wherein the occupancy sensor is physically coupled to the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures, wherein the occupancy sensor is electrically coupled to a transmitter configured to provide the signal indicating occupancy to at least one of the data communications interface, the at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures, and the control module via radio frequency communications.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures includes a transceiver which has been retrofit to the lighting fixture by placement in series with the power input for the lighting fixture. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the data communications interface is also configured to communicate with another type of building component in addition to lighting fixtures, wherein the another type of building component includes at least one of a fan, an air handling unit, and a heating system; and
 wherein the control module selectively provides sensed condition based control and time of day based control to the another type of building component via the data communications interface.