U.S. patent application number 14/272425 was filed with the patent office on 2014-08-28 for adaptable wireless power, light and automation system.
This patent application is currently assigned to KORTEK INDUSTRIES PTY LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is KORTEK INDUSTRIES PTY LTD.. Invention is credited to BARRIE DAVIS, BENJAMIN DAVIS, MATTHEW DAVIS.
Application Number | 20140244044 14/272425 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48288359 |
Filed Date | 2014-08-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140244044 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
DAVIS; BARRIE ; et
al. |
August 28, 2014 |
ADAPTABLE WIRELESS POWER, LIGHT AND AUTOMATION SYSTEM
Abstract
A power control unit and method of use thereof for varying the
supply of electricity to an electrical apparatus using a wireless
communications link between a controller and the power control
unit. The power control unit is adapted to alternatively
communicate with the controller using a non-peer-to-peer
communications standard or a peer-to-peer communications standard
such as Wi-Fi Direct.
Inventors: |
DAVIS; BARRIE; (SANCTUARY
COVE, AU) ; DAVIS; BENJAMIN; (ALDERLEY, AU) ;
DAVIS; MATTHEW; (SANCTUARY COVE, AU) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KORTEK INDUSTRIES PTY LTD. |
BRISBANE |
|
AU |
|
|
Assignee: |
KORTEK INDUSTRIES PTY LTD.
BRISBANE
AU
|
Family ID: |
48288359 |
Appl. No.: |
14/272425 |
Filed: |
May 7, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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PCT/AU2012/000959 |
Aug 15, 2012 |
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14272425 |
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61556751 |
Nov 7, 2011 |
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61641166 |
May 1, 2012 |
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61652485 |
May 29, 2012 |
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61678020 |
Jul 31, 2012 |
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61678810 |
Aug 2, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
700/276 ;
315/149; 315/291; 700/275 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G05B 15/02 20130101;
H05B 47/10 20200101; H05B 47/16 20200101; H05B 47/19 20200101; H02J
4/00 20130101; Y04S 20/20 20130101; G08C 17/02 20130101; H04W 52/04
20130101; G06F 1/26 20130101; Y02B 20/40 20130101; Y02B 70/30
20130101; G05D 23/1917 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
700/276 ;
700/275; 315/291; 315/149 |
International
Class: |
H02J 4/00 20060101
H02J004/00; H05B 37/02 20060101 H05B037/02 |
Claims
1. A method for automatically adjusting an environmental control of
a structure, comprising: electronically determining a geographic
location of a personal controller; downloading an environmental
control program to the personal controller, the environmental
control program being configured based on the geographic location
of the personal controller; and transferring at least a portion of
the environmental control program to a power control unit having a
microcontroller, and a power control circuit configured to vary the
supply of electricity to the environmental control.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental control
comprises lighting.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the lighting comprises interior
lighting.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the lighting includes exterior
lighting.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein an ambient light sensor is
connected to the power control unit, the power control unit
including a memory storing a predetermined sensitivity level for
the sensor, further comprising: varying the supply of electricity
to the lighting when the light level indicated by the sensor meets
the sensitivity level stored in the memory of the power control
unit.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental control
comprises a control for regulating temperature.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental control program
is configured to vary the environmental control based on whether
the structure is a commercial or residential structure.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the
environmental control program is transferred to the power control
unit wired into the structure.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the
environmental control program is transferred to the power control
unit adapted to plug into an electrical socket.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental control
program is configured to vary the supply of electricity to the
environmental control based on data that includes a time of sunrise
and a time of sunset for a given calendar date and geographic
location.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental control
program comprises a default schedule configured to vary the supply
of electricity to the environmental control based on predetermined
hours of daylight on a given calendar date for the electronically
determined geographic location.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental control
program includes a default schedule configured to vary the supply
of electricity to the environmental control based on predetermined
business hours for a commercial entity at the electronically
determined geographic location.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the
environmental control program is transferred using a peer-to-peer
communications standard.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the peer-to-peer communications
standard includes Wi-Fi Direct.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein a link using the peer-to-peer
communications standard is established by simulating a network
access point.
16. The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing a
diagnostic assessment of the power control unit and communicating
results of the assessment to the personal controller.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the results are communicated
via Wi-Fi Direct.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the results are communicated by
simulating a network access point.
19. The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing the
diagnostic assessment of the power control unit and communicating
results of the assessment to an entity not in possession of the
personal controller.
20. A system for automatically adjusting, with a personal
controller, an environmental control, the system comprising: a
wireless control module operable for wireless communication with
the personal controller, the wireless control module comprising a
microcontroller configured to operate the wireless control module
using a peer-to-peer communications standard to communicate with
the personal controller; and a power control circuit configured to
vary a supply of electricity to the environmental control based at
least in part on instructions communicated from the personal
controller through the microcontroller of the wireless control
module, the instructions being based at least in part on data that
includes a geographic location of the wireless control module.
21. The system of claim 20, wherein the microcontroller is
configured to instruct the power control circuit to vary the supply
of electricity based on data which includes a time of sunrise and a
time of sunset for a given calendar date and geographic
location.
22. The system of claim 20, wherein the microcontroller is
configured to instruct the power control circuit to vary the supply
of electricity according to a pre-programmed default schedule, the
schedule being based on hours of daylight on a given calendar date
for the geographic location of the wireless module.
23. The system of claim 20, wherein the microcontroller is
configured to instruct the power control circuit to vary the supply
of electricity according to a pre-programmed default schedule, the
schedule being based on pre-determined business hours for a
commercial entity at the geographic location of the wireless
module.
24. The system of claim 20, wherein the system is wired into at
least one of a commercial or residential building.
25. The system of claim 20, wherein the wireless control module is
configured to be plugged into an electrical socket.
26. The system of claim 20, wherein the power control circuit
controls the supply of electricity to lighting.
27. The system of claim 26, wherein the lighting is interior
lighting.
28. The system of claim 26, wherein the lighting is exterior
lighting.
29. The system of claim 20, further comprising: a sensor for
measuring ambient light, the microcontroller being configured to
use data from the sensor to vary the supply of electricity to the
lighting.
30. The system of claim 20, wherein the power control circuit
controls the supply of electricity to equipment adapted to at least
one of heating or cooling a building.
31. The system of claim 20, wherein the wireless control module is
configured to communicate with the personal controller using Wi-Fi
Direct.
32. The system of claim 20, wherein the wireless control module is
configured to communicate with the personal controller by
simulating a network access point.
33. The system of claim 20, wherein the microcontroller is
configured to control the supply of electricity to at least two
independently controllable lights.
34. The system of claim 20, wherein the microcontroller is
configured to perform a diagnostic assessment of the system.
35. The system of claim 34, wherein the microcontroller is
configured to communicate results of the assessment to the personal
controller.
36. A method for previewing a program configured to vary a supply
of electricity to lighting in a lighting zone of a structure,
comprising: establishing a peer-to-peer communications link between
a personal controller and a power control unit having a
microcontroller and a power control circuit adapted to vary the
supply of electricity to the lighting incorporated in the lighting
zone; entering time-based parameters into the personal controller
to modify the program for controlling the lighting in the lighting
zone, the program being configured to instruct the power control
unit to vary the supply of electricity to the lighting at a
real-time rate according to the time-based parameters entered
through the personal controller; and transmitting a request from
the personal controller to the power control unit to vary the
supply of electricity to the lighting at a rate faster than the
real-time rate of the program to preview the programmed variances
in lighting.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein the time-based parameters
include a time of sunrise and a time of sunset.
38. The method of claim 36, wherein the lighting zone is part of a
commercial structure, the time-based parameters including hours of
operation of a commercial entity occupying the commercial
structure.
39. The method of claim 36, wherein the program is modified to
control multiple lighting zones.
40. The method of claim 36, further comprising: electronically
determining the geographic location of the power control unit, the
time-based parameters being predetermined based on the geographic
location of the power control unit.
41. The method of claim 36, wherein the preview is configured to
run a full day-time cycle of the program in less than 5
minutes.
42. The method of claim 36, wherein the variance in the supply of
electricity by the power control unit comprises dimming and
brightening the lighting.
43. The method of claim 36, wherein the variance in the supply of
electricity by the power control unit comprises turning on and off
the lighting.
44. The method of claim 36, wherein the lighting program comprises
providing different amounts of electricity to at least two
different lights in the lighting zone.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of, and claims the benefit
of the filing date of International Patent Application No.
PCT/AU2012/000959, filed Aug. 15, 2012, entitled "Adaptable
wireless power, light and automation system." International Patent
Application No. PCT/AU2012/000959 claims the benefit of: U.S.
Application No. 61/556,751, filed Nov. 7, 2011; U.S. Application
No. 61/641,166, filed May 1, 2012; U.S. Application 61/652,485,
filed May 29, 2012; U.S. Application No. 61/678,020, filed Jul. 31,
2012; and U.S. Application No. 61/678,810, filed Aug. 2, 2012; all
of the above referenced applications are incorporated by reference
herein in their entirities.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the control of mains
power, lighting and automation in domestic, residential and
commercial applications using standard portable devices which
support Wi-Fi such as smartphones, tablets,
laptop/notebook/netbook/ultrabook computers and similar items to
act as a personal controller for the system utilizing a wireless
peer-to-peer communications link or a wireless local area network
between the devices.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The proliferation of domestic Wireless Local Area Networks
(WLANs) for connecting computers to the Internet and sharing
peripherals such as scanners and printers has created a ready-made
framework for home automation. In most cases these networks use
wireless technology that conforms to the IEEE 802.11 standards,
operate in accordance with the Wi-Fi Alliance specifications and
are generally known as "Wi-Fi". Terms such as "infrastructure
Wi-Fi", "Wi-Fi network", "legacy Wi-Fi" and others are commonly
used to refer to wireless local area networks supported by an
access point device and conforming to the Wi-Fi Alliance
specifications. For ease of reference, such networks will be
described using the term "Wi-Fi WLAN" although it will be
understood that other terminology could be used.
[0004] Conventional Wi-Fi WLANs are typically based on the presence
of a specific control device known as a wireless access point or
AP. These devices provide physical support for the wireless
network, perform bridging and routing between devices on the
network and allow devices to be added or removed from the
network.
[0005] In most cases a home Wi-Fi WLAN also includes a wired or
wireless connection to the telephone Wide Area Network (WAN) for
broadband Internet services. The devices connected to the Wi-Fi
WLAN can communicate with each other and to the Internet via the
Wi-Fi WLAN access point that acts as a gateway for all
communications.
[0006] Another Wi-Fi Alliance specification called Wi-Fi Direct can
also be used to connect devices wirelessly on a peer-to-peer or 1:1
basis. With Wi-Fi Direct, a Wi-Fi WLAN access point is not required
and the wireless communication link is established directly between
the two connecting devices. For ease of reference, embodiments of
the disclosure which utilize a peer-to-peer communications link
will be described using Wi-Fi Direct, though the disclosure is not
so limited. For example only, peer-to-peer communications may be
established using other specifications such as Bluetooth, and other
specifications that may be developed over time.
[0007] For home automation applications such as the control of
power and lighting, both methods have advantages and disadvantages.
A Wi-Fi WLAN with an Internet connection allows home automation
devices to be connected to the Internet and be controlled from
virtually anywhere in the world.
[0008] It can be appreciated that a WLAN system that is connected
to the Internet, or has its wireless system extended beyond the
confines of a controlled area, is open to external attacks or
monitoring from third parties such as hackers, governments and
private companies. In addition, as all communications pass through
a single wireless access point, the failure of this critical device
renders the complete home automation system inoperable.
[0009] While there are well established regulatory procedures in
place for operational safety of electrical/electronic devices and
testing regimes to ensure commercial products meet these
requirements, there are currently none for functional safety. There
are many cases where home automation systems based on WLANs have
been compromised by third parties and private data, including
personal video footage, has been published on the Internet or used
for commercial purposes without the permission of the owner.
[0010] Wi-Fi Direct, by virtue of its wireless peer-to-peer or 1:1
architecture, requires the communicating devices to be within a
reasonable proximity of each other, for example, 10-20 metres. It
can be appreciated that this relatively close proximity has a
greatly reduced chance of external attacks from third parties, but
does not have the capability of being controlled remotely.
[0011] There are many applications where the ability to control low
security home automation functions such as turning on an outside
light while some distance from the home could be a convenient, but
not a critical function. Alternatively, there are other
applications such as opening a garage door which could also be
possible, but better suited to local rather than remote control due
to the risk of third party intrusions.
SUMMARY
[0012] In one embodiment, the present disclosure includes Radio
Frequency (RF) Amplifier and Switching Circuits, a Wi-Fi System on
Chip (Wi-Fi SoC), Non-volatile Memory and Power Control Circuits.
The RF Amplifier and Switching Circuits may include several
components and/or arrangements including power amplifiers, low
noise amplifiers, baluns, diplexers, printed circuit board (PCB)
and/or chip aerials depending on the system requirements.
[0013] The Wi-Fi SoC is a highly integrated, single chip component
which includes a Wi-Fi radio transceiver, microcontroller, system
support functions and a system interface for connection to external
microcontrollers, circuits and/or devices. The Non-volatile Memory
is a read/write memory which is able to retain its stored data when
power is removed. Typically, the Non-volatile Memory would be of
the type called "flash memory" and would support a data transfer
connection and protocol known as the Serial Peripheral Interface
bus or SPI bus.
[0014] In one embodiment, the RF Amplifier and Switching Circuits,
Wi-Fi SoC and Non-volatile Memory form a Wi-Fi Control Module,
which acts as a communications element that can be incorporated
into any number of different devices to regulate and/or control
power, light and automation functions for home, business or
commercial applications. The Wi-Fi Control Module provides the
wireless communications link between an external remote controller
and the co-located Power Control Circuits which physically perform
the power, light and automation functions.
[0015] The Power Control Circuits may be directly controlled by the
Wi-Fi SoC microcontroller or the Power Control Circuits may include
a separate microcomputer/microcontroller depending on the
application complexity.
[0016] The Wi-Fi Control Module is able to perform the wireless
communications functions utilizing the Wi-Fi Alliance Wi-Fi WLAN
and Wi-Fi Direct specifications which are amended from time to
time. As used herein, the term "Wi-Fi WLAN device" refers to a
device configured to support the Wi-Fi WLAN specification. As used
herein, the term "Wi-Fi Direct device" refers to a device
configured to support the Wi-Fi Direct specification, which is
amended from time to time. The Wi-Fi Alliance defines "Wi-Fi" as
any "wireless local area network (WLAN) products that are based on
the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
802.11 standards;" this definition is expressly adopted herein.
[0017] The personal controller can be a cellular or mobile phone
commonly known as a smartphone which supports Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi WLAN.
As used herein, "Wi-Fi WLAN" refers to the IEEE 802.11
a/b/g/n/ac/ad specification and amendments or extensions. The
personal controller may also support the Wi-Fi Direct specification
and other wireless communications specifications such as Bluetooth.
The personal controller is also equipped with location capability
including Global Positioning System technology (GPS) and/or other
positional technology such as, by way of example only, assisted
GPS, synthetic GPS, cell ID, inertial sensors, Bluetooth beacons,
terrestrial transmitters, and geomagnetic field techniques enabling
the controller to determine its relative global location. Unless
otherwise noted, the personal controller will be described in terms
of a smartphone, though the disclosure is not so limited. For
example only, the personal controller may be any portable device
which can download or install by other means an applications
program, have a suitable interface the user can interact with to
control the applications program in order to execute required
functions, have location capability, and have peer-to-peer
communications capability to enable communications to be
established with a power control unit. Examples of such devices
include smartphones, tablets, laptops and notebook personal
computers.
[0018] There are other wireless standards available that could be
used to implement the wireless link, such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, and
Near Field Communications (NFC). Specifically, it should be noted
that most smartphones also support NFC and the Bluetooth wireless
specification SIG class 2.1+EDR or later. As with Wi-Fi Direct, NFC
or Bluetooth are also peer-to-peer wireless communications methods
and could be used to provide similar capability for some
embodiments of the disclosure without changing the originality and
function of the disclosure as described herein.
[0019] The functions of a smartphone, being a portable computer,
are controlled by its operating system in a similar way to most
other computers. The operating system, in conjunction with resident
applications programs, known as "Apps", executes functions in
response to a user's commands. By entering an appropriate command
into the smartphone, the user can have the appropriate App send a
control message to the Wi-Fi Control Module which is then passed to
the co-located power control circuits for interpretation and
activation.
[0020] The Wi-Fi Control Module is a device that can form a
communications link with a smartphone using Wi-Fi Direct and/or a
Wi-Fi WLAN. It can be appreciated that when a Wi-Fi Control Module
is connected to a Wi-Fi WLAN, any smartphone with Wi-Fi capability
also connected to the same Wi-Fi WLAN can use an appropriate App to
communicate with the Wi-Fi Control Module. In this way, a user can
enter the command they require to be executed and send it to the
appropriate Wi-Fi Control Module via the Wi-Fi WLAN. In this case
the smartphone can be in the vicinity of the Wi-Fi WLAN access
point, or the smartphone could be at a remote location and
communicate with the Wi-Fi WLAN access point via the Internet.
[0021] It can be appreciated that a Wi-Fi Control Module operating
as a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant can communicate
directly with a smartphone without the requirement of a Wi-Fi WLAN.
In this case, the Wi-Fi Control Module appears as a Wi-Fi access
point if the personal controller is not using Wi-Fi Direct to
communicate with the Power Control Device; or if the personal
controller is using Wi-Fi Direct to communicate, negotiates between
the Wi-Fi Control Module and the personal controller which of the
Power Control Device and personal controller will assume a Wi-Fi
Direct group owner role and establishes a peer-to-peer connection.
The user is then able to send commands directly to the selected
Wi-Fi Control Module without the need for any other device. In this
case, the Wi-Fi Control Module and smartphone communicate directly
with each other, but only if they are within wireless range.
[0022] A Power Control Device or Power Control Unit may be formed
by the combination of a Wi-Fi Control Module and Power Control
Circuits. The Power Control Circuits perform the switching and/or
regulation of electricity to attached electrical, electronic or
lighting equipment and/or devices in accordance with instructions
from the user via the smartphone.
[0023] The Power Control Circuits can be co-located and execute the
user control functions. Examples of power control circuits that may
be controlled by the Wi-Fi Control Module are described in more
detail in PCT Application No. PCT/AU2011/00166, filed Dec. 29,
2011, titled "Wireless Power, Light and Automation Control," the
entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0024] It can be appreciated that in power, light and automation
control applications, some applications are more suited to Wi-Fi
WLAN configurations while others are more suited to Wi-Fi Direct
configurations. For example, if one application requires the Wi-Fi
Control Module to be part of a Wi-Fi WLAN and another application
requires the Wi-Fi Control Module to provide a Wi-Fi Direct
peer-to-peer connection, it can be seen that these functions would
normally require individual specific control devices to be
installed.
[0025] In another embodiment, the present application can provide a
dual mode, single radio Wi-Fi Control Module which in a first mode
may provide a Wi-Fi Direct peer-to-peer connection to a smartphone
and in a second mode can be configured by the user to connect to a
Wi-Fi WLAN. If the smartphone supports Wi-Fi Direct, the smartphone
and the Wi-Fi Control Module will negotiate with each other as to
which will be the group owner.
[0026] The Power Control Unit has its Wi-Fi Control Module set to
initially function in Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant
mode irrespective of its final configuration. Because the Wi-Fi
Direct access point/group participant mode is a peer-to-peer
connection, as soon as power is applied to the Wi-Fi Control
Module, it can be recognized by a smartphone and a wireless
communications link can be established. Once the link is
established, the user is able to activate a smartphone App which
establishes a data path between the smartphone and the Wi-Fi
Control Module. Using the smartphone App, the user can set the
operational parameters required for a Wi-Fi WLAN or Wi-Fi Direct
device, name the device, set an encryption key, enter a password
and any other requirements. When this procedure is completed the
user can command the Wi-Fi Control Module to "restart" at which
time it will configure itself to only recognize the parameters
which have been specified during the setup process.
[0027] If the Wi-Fi Control Module is configured to operate as a
Wi-Fi Direct device, it would continue to do so. The Wi-Fi Control
Module would only connect to smartphones which can fully comply
with its connection requirements to establish a communications
link.
[0028] If the Wi-Fi Control Module is configured to operate as a
Wi-Fi WLAN device, the smartphone App would configure the Wi-Fi
Control Module for connection to a Wi-Fi WLAN. When the Wi-Fi
Control Module is "restarted" it would appear as a client device on
the Wi-Fi WLAN and would only be accessible to devices which are
also connected to the same Wi-Fi WLAN.
[0029] In either mode, once the Wi-Fi Control Module has been
configured, the smartphone App can be used to control the functions
of the device. In the Wi-Fi WLAN mode the smartphone App
communicates with the selected Wi-Fi Control Module via the Wi-Fi
WLAN access point. In the Wi-Fi Direct mode, the smartphone App
communicates directly with the selected Wi-Fi Control Module.
[0030] There are applications where it may be preferable to have a
Power Control Module provide both a Wi-Fi WLAN and a Wi-Fi Direct
connection simultaneously or concurrently (Concurrent Connections).
With such a Power Control Unit the user could allow third parties
to control the Power Control Unit functions via a Wi-Fi Direct
connection, but not allow access to the concurrent Wi-Fi WLAN
connection, thus preventing access to other WLAN devices.
[0031] The present disclosure in another embodiment provides for a
dual mode, dual radio Power Control Unit incorporating two Wi-Fi
Control Modules where each module can be configured by the user to
be a Wi-Fi WLAN device or a Wi-Fi Direct device. The dual mode,
dual radio Power Control Unit is able to provide simultaneous or
Concurrent Connections.
[0032] The present disclosure in another embodiment provides a dual
mode, single radio Wi-Fi Control Module which can provide
Concurrent Connections by means of virtual channels. Each virtual
channel can be configured by the user to appear as a Wi-Fi WLAN
device or a Wi-Fi Direct device, where each connection may be
formed on the same or a different physical channel. The methods to
create virtual channels are already known to those skilled in the
art and are not described herein.
[0033] The present disclosure in a further embodiment provides a
Power Control Unit for controlling lights with the ability to run a
schedule configured by an applications program, or Product App,
running on a smartphone, the schedule specifying the operating
times and dimming of attached lights, the command instructions
being transferred from a smartphone to the Power Control Unit
through a peer-to-peer communications link. The Product App is able
to determine its global location from the smartphone location
capability and offer a Default Schedule of on/off times based on
specific sunset/sunrise with daylight savings correction and/or
business hours with public holiday profiles and special events
and/or other conditional elements for the specific location that
the smartphone location capability reports as its current global
position. The Default Schedule may be pre-stored in the Product App
or may be downloaded by the Product App from a remote server using
the smartphone's cellular or Wi-Fi communications, the operation of
which is well known to those skilled in the art. The Product App
will allow for user customization of a Default Schedule for the
specific application, including adjustment of times for a light,
bank of lights, or many banks of lights either individually or as
groups, and may include the ability to set dimming levels of lights
individually or as groups with the possibility to have various
dimming scenes over time.
[0034] In another embodiment, schedules to be programmed into the
power control unit via the Product App may be verified through a
Preview Mode where the Product App controls power control unit
parameters through the peer-to-peer communications link between
smartphone and power control unit, allowing the Product App to
simulate the programmed schedule at any particular time in a
similar fashion to fast forwarding or rewinding a movie on a video
recorder. In one aspect, the Product App may display a dynamic
graphical representation of the time and light parameters
corresponding to the parameters programmed for that time in order
to identify how lights will react as Preview Mode runs. The user
can fast forward, rewind, play and pause Preview Mode in order to
make any necessary adjustments, which are dynamically updated in
the programmed schedule in the Product App. When all edits have
been made, the Product App can transfer the programmed schedule to
power control unit memory in order to run locally on power control
unit.
[0035] In another embodiment, the user may run the Preview Mode in
a step fashion where the time period is divided into step segments,
the user being able to progress the period from one step to the
next.
[0036] In an additional embodiment, the Product App may execute the
Preview Mode by causing a programmed schedule stored in the power
control unit to run other than real time.
[0037] The Power Control Unit may have an exposed human interface
in the form of a switch, or switches, that may allow a user to turn
power to lights off; turn power to lights on while overriding Power
Control Unit programmed schedule; or run Power Control Unit
programmed schedule. These settings are provided by way of example
only. It will be appreciated that other switch configurations and
functions may be supported without departing from the scope of the
present disclosure. In one embodiment, it may be desirable to have
no exposed human interface in order to reduce the incidence of
vandalism or create a highly weather resistant unit. By way of
example only, a typical application of the Power Control Unit could
be automatically controlling lights in the surrounding gardens of a
building in Austin Tex., USA. By using the location capability on a
smartphone, the Product App could present a Default Schedule with
sunset/sunrise times specifically for Austin Tex., USA. The user
could choose to customize the Default Schedule by dimming lights to
half power from 1 am until dawn in order to save on energy. The
user could then preview the schedule at a rate faster than real
time to determine if the settings are suitable and, when satisfied,
program this into power control unit using a peer-to-peer
communications link between smartphone and Power Control Unit for
total automation of the lights.
[0038] It can be appreciated that the Wi-Fi Control Module can be
incorporated into many forms of power, light and automation control
systems and applications where power switches, power boards, light
switches, light dimmers, wall switches are some more common
examples.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0039] In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited
and other advantages and features of the disclosure can be
obtained, a more particular description of the principles briefly
described above will be rendered by reference to specific
embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings.
Understanding that these drawings depict only example embodiments
of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be
limiting of its scope, the principles herein are described and
explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of
the accompanying drawings in which:
[0040] FIG. 1 illustrates an example system of a Power Control Unit
and smartphone controller used in a Wi-Fi Direct peer-to-peer
communications link with each other, and used in a Wi-Fi WLAN in
accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0041] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the Power Control Unit of FIG.
1;
[0042] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a Serial Peripheral Interface
bus connecting a Microcontroller and a Non-volatile Memory which
forms a portion of the Power Control Unit of FIG. 1;
[0043] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a Power Control Unit in
accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0044] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing a typical "power up"
sequence for a single channel Power Control Unit initializing in
Wi-Fi Direct mode;
[0045] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing a typical "system restart"
sequence for a single channel Power Control Unit initializing in
Wi-Fi WLAN client mode;
[0046] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing a typical "power up"
sequence for a dual channel Power Control Unit;
[0047] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing a typical "discovery
message" sequence for a dual channel Power Control Unit;
[0048] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing a typical "system restart"
sequence for a dual channel Power Control Unit initializing in
Wi-Fi WLAN client mode;
[0049] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a dual radio Wi-Fi SoC in
accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0050] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the functional elements of a
Power Control Unit in accordance with another embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0051] FIG. 12 is example system of the smartphone of FIG. 1 and
its interaction with location services, remote data servers and the
Power Control Unit of FIG. 11 running a plurality of lights;
[0052] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram showing a sequence of events
between a user and an applications program loadable onto the
smartphone of FIG. 1 for discovery and communication with the Power
Control Unit of FIG. 11;
[0053] FIGS. 14A and 14B are a flow diagram showing a sequence of
events between a user and an applications program loadable onto the
smartphone of FIG. 1 for programming parameters into the Power
Control Unit of FIG. 11;
[0054] FIG. 15A is an example Product App running in preview mode
on smartphone of FIG. 1 using a peer-to-peer communications link
with the Power Control Unit of FIG. 11 to control retail lights in
accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure;
[0055] FIG. 15B is an expanded view of a screen shot of the screen
of the smartphone of FIG. 15A;
[0056] FIG. 16 is block diagram of the functional elements of a
Power Control Unit in accordance with a further embodiment of the
present disclosure shown operationally connected to a garage door
opener;
[0057] FIG. 17 is an example Product App running on the smartphone
of FIG. 1 using a peer-to-peer communications link with the Power
Control Unit of FIG. 16 to control the garage door; and
[0058] FIG. 18 is a flow diagram showing a sequence of events
between a user and an applications program loadable onto the
smartphone of FIG. 1 for discovery and communication with the Power
Control Unit of FIG. 16.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0059] Alternative embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent
to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification
and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein. It is intended
that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary
only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being
indicated by the claims which follow.
[0060] FIG. 1 is an example system of a typical Wi-Fi WLAN which
has an access point 10 as the network control unit or hub. Access
point 10 has an Internet connection 12. Wirelessly connected to
access point 10 are shown five network clients, although the number
of network clients is only limited by the capabilities of access
point 10. The network, for example, can have access point 10,
network client 14 (smart TV), network client 16 (computer) and
network client 18 (printer).
[0061] Smartphone 20 has a user interface in the form of a touch
sensitive graphical screen, a memory for storing the Product App
and associated data, a system processor and location capability.
Location capability includes technology for determining relative
global position through satellite triangulation which may conform
to specifications such as the USA Global Positioning System (GPS),
Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GOLNASS), European
Union Galileo Positioning System, Chinese Compass Navigation
System, Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System or others.
Location capability may also include technology for determining
relative global position based on assisted GPS, synthetic GPS, cell
ID, inertial sensors, Bluetooth beacons, terrestrial transmitters,
geomagnetic field techniques or any combination thereof with, or
without, satellite methods.
[0062] Communications over the Wi-Fi WLAN pass through access point
10. For a smartphone and a Power Control Unit to communicate with
each other via the Wi-Fi WLAN, they are usually part of the same
network. As shown in FIG. 1, smartphone 20 and Power Control Unit
100 are also network clients of access point 10. For smartphone 20
to communicate with Power Control Unit 100, it would communicate
with access point 10 and the access point would pass any messages
from smartphone 20 onto Power Control Unit 100. The same happens
for any messages computer 16 sends to Power Control Unit 100.
Accordingly, it can be seen that: (1) access point 10 must
continuously operate for the network to be available for
communications; (2) the network is limited to an area which is
defined by the maximum radio transmission distance between a
network client and the access point; (3) a network requires an
access point and at least one network client; and (4) at least one
network client must be able to configure and maintain the access
point operations.
[0063] To avoid some of the restrictions inherent with a Wi-Fi
WLAN, Power Control Unit 100 may be configured to establish a
peer-to-peer communications link with smartphone 20 as shown in
FIG. 1, thus bypassing the Wi-Fi WLAN. In this case the
peer-to-peer smartphone can wirelessly connect directly to Power
Control Unit 100 without requiring the services of any additional
device. If smartphone 20 is also a Wi-Fi Direct device, it will
negotiate with Power Control Unit 100 to determine which of them
will be the group owner. The access point/group owner can set up
1:N connections if allowed so that more than one client could have
a communications link with the group owner at the same time, for
example, in a hub and spoke arrangement where the access
point/group owner is the hub.
[0064] Alternatively, the access point/group owner may restrict
itself to 1:1 connections in which case it will only establish a
communication link with one peer-to-peer client at a time. For
example, in FIG. 1 Power Control Unit 100 would communicate with
one client, smartphone 20, while operating in a peer-to-peer mode.
Accordingly, it can be seen that: (1) a third device such as access
point 10 is not required for peer-to-peer communications to be
established; (2) the communications link may be formed on an "as
needed" basis; and (3) that smartphone 20 should be brought within
radio range of the access point/group participant to establish a
communications link.
[0065] In one embodiment of the disclosure, Power Control Unit 100
operates by switching roles between a Wi-Fi WLAN client or a Wi-Fi
Direct access point/group participant.
[0066] It can be seen by those skilled in the art that both a Wi-Fi
WLAN connection and a Wi-Fi Direct peer-to-peer connection between
a smartphone controller and a Power Control Unit provide different
functionality. The Wi-Fi WLAN allows a Power Control Unit to be
operated remotely by the smartphone via the Internet.
Alternatively, Wi-Fi Direct peer-to-peer connection by virtue of
its limited range has high security because Power Control Unit 100
can only be operated when the smartphone is in close proximity. The
applicability of the Wi-Fi WLAN and the Wi-Fi Direct methods of a
Power Control Unit being operated remotely or locally can be
readily appreciated by considering each particular application from
their convenience and functional safety aspects.
[0067] When Power Control Unit 100 is connected to the Wi-Fi WLAN,
it operates as a network client and all communications pass through
network access point 10. When Power Control Unit 100 is connected
to smartphone 20, it operates as a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group
participant and communications are peer-to-peer. It is evident that
in terms of the Wi-Fi connections the functionality of Power
Control Unit 100 operating as a client is different to Power
Control Unit 100 operating as an access point/group
participant.
[0068] In another embodiment of the disclosure, Power Control Unit
100 operates as a single device capable of operating as a Wi-Fi
WLAN client and/or a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group
participant.
[0069] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a dual mode, single channel
Power Control Unit 100. Power Control Unit 100 includes a Wi-Fi
Control Module 102 operatively connected to power control circuits
104. Wi-Fi Control Module 102 can be configured to be a Wi-Fi WLAN
client or a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant such as
shown in FIG. 1. Wi-Fi Control Module 102 has three major
functional units: RF Amplifier and Switching Circuits 106, Wi-Fi
SoC 108, and Non-volatile Memory 110.
[0070] RF Amplifier and Switching Circuits 106 may include several
components and arrangements including Power Amplifiers, Low Noise
Amplifiers, Baluns, Diplexers, PCB or chip Aerial just to name a
few. Particular components and arrangements will depend on the
particular system requirements. While certain arrangements and
functions of these components are useful for the operation in one
or more embodiments of the present disclosure, they are not the
primary focus of this embodiment and are well understood by those
skilled in the art such that a detailed description of RF Amplifier
and Switching circuits 106 is not required.
[0071] As shown in FIG. 2, Wi-Fi SoC 108 is the primary control
element and is of the class of integrated circuit components known
as a System on Chip (SoC). Wi-Fi SoC 108 has four major
sub-systems: a Wi-Fi Radio Transceiver 112, System Support
Functions 114, a Microcontroller 115, and a Systems Interface
118.
[0072] The Wi-Fi Radio Transceiver of Wi-Fi SoC 108, under the
control of Microcontroller 115, generates the radio frequency
carriers at the required frequencies, and modulates the carrier
with the data to be transferred to a remote device over the
wireless communications link. The modulated carrier is sent to RF
Amplifier and Switching Circuits 106 via Transmit connection (TX)
120 and then to Aerial 122 where it is transmitted wirelessly to
the remote device. Modulated carrier received from the remote
device by Aerial 122 is sent from RF Amplifier and Switching
Circuits 106 via receive connection (RX) 124 to the Wi-Fi Radio
Transceiver of Wi-Fi SoC 108 to be demodulated. The received data
is then processed by Microcontroller 115.
[0073] System Support Functions 114 of Wi-Fi SoC 108 can provide
the ancillary functions required by complex SoC components which,
by way of example, may include clock generation and timing,
protocol engines, and power management, which are specific to each
SoC device. Systems Interface 118, which is also specific to each
SoC device, provides the physical connections between the internal
circuits of Wi-Fi SoC 108 and external circuits such as Power
Control Circuits 104 as shown in FIG. 2, external microcontrollers
or other circuits and/or devices. A detailed explanation of the
operation of the System Support Functions and the Systems Interface
is not necessary because they would be understood by those skilled
in the art.
[0074] The internal program/data memory of Wi-Fi SoC 108 is
volatile. Non-volatile Memory 110 is provided to store Wi-Fi
Control Module 102 firmware for when the device is not powered. It
will be appreciated that some SoC devices may have internal
non-volatile memory which may be substituted for Non-volatile
Memory 110 without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
[0075] Power Control Circuits 104 are shown for completeness and
while they are not part of Wi-Fi Control Module 102, they are part
of a particular Power Control Unit 100. Depending on the capability
of microcontroller 115 of Wi-Fi SoC 108 and the functions required
to be performed by Power Control Circuits 104, Wi-Fi SoC 108 may
also directly perform the control functions, or an additional
external microcontroller or other control element may be
incorporated into Power Control Circuits 104 to execute the power
control functions independent of Wi-Fi SoC 108. The connection
between Wi-Fi SoC 108 and Power Control Circuits 104 is by
Interconnection 125 which may take the appropriate form to meet the
system interconnection requirements. A detailed description of the
function and operation of Power Control Circuits 104 is not
required for the understanding of the present disclosure.
[0076] In another embodiment of the disclosure, the Wi-Fi Radio
Transceiver and Microcontroller of Wi-Fi SoC 108 may be individual,
but connected elements and it is possible for other functional
architectures to be devised which, while being different in form,
are still within the scope of the disclosure.
[0077] In one embodiment of the disclosure, Non-volatile Memory 110
is a separate component and is of the type called "flash memory"
although other compatible memory types can be used if desired.
Non-volatile Memory 110 is connected to Wi-Fi SoC 108 by an
industry standard Serial Peripheral Interface bus or "SPI" bus 128
although other suitable bus or connection arrangements and
protocols may also be used and are within the scope of the
disclosure.
[0078] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing Wi-Fi SoC 108 connected to
Non-volatile Memory 110 via an SPI bus. Wi-Fi SoC 108 can be the
master device and controls the transfer of data over the SPI bus.
Non-volatile Memory 110 is the slave device and responds to
commands from Wi-Fi SoC 108. Wi-Fi SoC 108 master SPI bus interface
130 and Non-volatile Memory slave SPI bus interface 132 each
includes four data connections being SCLK (serial clock), MOSI
(master output, slave input), MISO (master input, slave output) and
SS (slave select). The operation of the SPI bus is already known to
those skilled in the art and is not described herein. Other data
transfer schemes for exchanging data between Wi-Fi SoC 108 and
Non-volatile Memory 110 may be used instead of the SPI bus without
departing from the scope of the disclosure.
[0079] When the Power Control Unit is manufactured, Non-volatile
Memory 110 holds two firmware control programs: one to operate
Wi-Fi SoC 108 as a Wi-Fi WLAN client and the other to operate Wi-Fi
SoC 108 as a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant. A Wi-Fi
Mode Select flag in Non-volatile Memory 110 is initially set to
Wi-Fi Direct mode so when power is applied, Power Control Unit 100
initializes as a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant. An
exemplary "power-up" sequence is shown in FIG. 5.
[0080] Having described the components of the Power Control Unit, a
method 300 for powering-up the Power Control Unit will now be
described with reference to FIG. 5. In step 302, power is applied
to the Power Control Unit for the first time. In step 304, the SoC
microcontroller runs a small loader program from its own Read Only
Memory (ROM) or external memory. In step 306, the loader program
transfers a system initialization program from the non-volatile
memory to the SoC microcontroller program/data RAM. In step 308,
the loader program passes control to the initialization program. In
step 310, the initialization program examines the Wi-Fi mode select
flag which is set by default to run the Power Control Unit in Wi-Fi
Direct mode. In step 312, the initialization program transfers the
Wi-Fi Direct application firmware from the non-volatile memory to
SoC microcontroller program/data RAM. In step 314, the
initialization program passes control to the Wi-Fi Direct
application firmware. In step 316, the Wi-Fi Direct application
firmware runs the Wi-Fi radio transceiver in Wi-Fi Direct mode. In
step 318, the Power Control Unit starts transmitting discovery
messages or "pings" which can be seen by a smartphone within
wireless range. In step 320, the "pings" identify the Power Control
Unit as a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant with a
generic name and ID address common to all Power Control Units when
they are first powered on. In step 322, the Power Control Unit and
smartphone can establish a communications link that may or may not
be secured by data encryption. It will be appreciated that the
steps described above may be performed in a different order,
varied, or certain steps added or omitted entirely without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0081] Once the Power Control Unit has been powered-up, the user
can identify the presence of the Power Control Unit displayed on
the screen of the smartphone as a new Wi-Fi device which needs to
be individualised to allow it to be identified from other similar
devices. The method to do this requires the user to load a related
App (Product App). Instructions on how this is done for each
smartphone operating system is included with the Power Control
Unit. The procedure is simple and is similar to loading any other
App onto a smartphone.
[0082] When the Product App is started, it will identify the Power
Control Unit as being a new device. This requires re-configuration
as a specifically selectable device. At this point, the Product App
allows the user to determine if the new Power Control Unit is to
remain a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant, or connect to
a wireless network and become a Wi-Fi WLAN client.
[0083] If the user chooses the new Power Control Unit to be a Wi-Fi
Direct device, this is selected as the required option on the
smartphone. The Product App then leads the user through a series of
data inputs using the smartphone's graphics touch screen as the
input interface. The Product App also communicates with the Wi-Fi
Direct applications program running on the Microcontroller of Wi-Fi
SoC 108 and updates the general parameters used for the initial
connection with the smartphone to specific parameters which define
the Power Control Unit as a unique Wi-Fi Direct product. These may
include: (1) setting a unique encryption key so all data transfers
between the Power Control Unit and the smartphone are protected;
(2) setting the Power Control Unit name to a unique, easily
recognisable identifier, e.g., from a product name such as "Power
Switch" to "Kitchen TV"; (3) setting the Power Control Unit's
unique Wi-Fi address ID so that it becomes an individual device in
its own right; and (4) setting a password in the Power Control Unit
used to establish a secure link with a smartphone.
[0084] The Product App maintains a record of these specific
parameters in the memory of the smartphone for future
identification of, and connection to, the Power Control Unit.
[0085] Once the setup procedure is completed, the Product App
commands the Power Control Unit Wi-Fi Direct application's firmware
to "restart". When the applications firmware restarts, the Power
Control Unit will have its own unique Wi-Fi Direct identity. The
smartphone which was used to set this identity will be able to
automatically connect because the new specific parameters are
known. The Product App can be used to communicate with the Power
Control Unit each time the user selects that particular device.
[0086] Once a Power Control Unit has been configured, any other
smartphone can only be connected if the user knows the specific
parameters that are now unique to that particular Power Control
Unit. If a second smartphone searches for Wi-Fi access points, it
will see the Power Control Unit identified as, for example,
"Kitchen TV" with the characteristic that it is "secure". To
connect to it, the user will have to know the specific password
allocated to communicate with that specific Power Control Unit,
otherwise it will not be able to establish a communications link.
If the password is known and entered into the smartphone when
requested, the communication link between the second smartphone and
the Power Control Unit will be established. The Product App is
still required to control the Power Control Unit and this may have
additional security requirements depending on the nature of the
application.
[0087] If, instead of configuring the newly installed Power Control
Unit as a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant, the user
chooses it to be a Wi-Fi WLAN client, this is selected as the
required option and the Product App determines if there are one or
more Wi-Fi WLANs available for the Power Control Unit to connect to
as a client. The Product App requests the user to confirm the
network and asks the user to input the network password so the
Power Control Unit can connect to the Wi-Fi WLAN as a client.
[0088] The Product App, via the smartphone, communicates with the
Wi-Fi Direct applications program running on the microcontroller of
Wi-Fi SoC 108 and sets the parameters which will be needed for the
Power Control Unit to establish itself as a Wi-Fi WLAN client
instead of being a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant.
When all of the appropriate parameters are known and updated, the
Product App commands the Power Control Unit to restart as a Wi-Fi
WLAN device. This is a similar procedure to that when power is
applied to Power Control Unit for the first time. FIG. 6, by way of
example, shows a typical "system restart" sequence.
[0089] Referring to FIG. 6, a method 400 for restarting the system
is shown and described. In step 402, the initialization program
examines the Wi-Fi mode select flag which is set to run the Power
Control Unit in Wi-Fi WLAN mode. In step 404, the initialization
program transfers the Wi-Fi WLAN application firmware from the
non-volatile memory to the SoC microcontroller program/data RAM and
sets any parameters or IEEE 802.11 specifications required for the
Power Control Unit to operate as a Wi-Fi WLAN client. In step 406,
the initialization program transfers control to the Wi-Fi WLAN
applications firmware. In step 408, the Wi-Fi WLAN application
firmware runs the Wi-Fi radio transceiver in Wi-Fi WLAN mode. In
step 410, the Power Control Unit connects to the Wi-Fi WLAN as a
client and is only accessible by the smartphone product app via the
Wi-Fi WLAN access point. In step 412, the Power Control Unit
running as a network client can be controlled by other smartphones
as long as they are on the same Wi-Fi WLAN as a client. It will be
appreciated that the steps described above may be performed in a
different order, varied, or certain steps added or omitted entirely
without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0090] Once a Power Control Unit is configured as a Wi-Fi Direct
access point/group participant or a Wi-Fi WLAN client, it continues
to operate in this mode even after it has been powered off. All of
the specific operating parameters for each mode are saved in
Non-volatile Memory 110 and are retained if power is lost. When
power is restored, the microcontroller of Wi-Fi SoC 108 powers up
in the same Wi-Fi mode as was running before power was removed, and
the appropriate firmware and operating parameters are restored from
Non-volatile memory 110.
[0091] In another embodiment of the disclosure, a dual mode is
supported by dual radios provided by two separate Wi-Fi Wireless
Subsystems that can operate simultaneously and can provide
individual and concurrent Wi-Fi Direct and Wi-Fi WLAN connections
if desired.
[0092] FIG. 4 is the block diagram of a dual mode, concurrent
connection Power Control Unit 200 where Wireless Subsystem 234 is
configured to be a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant and
Wireless Subsystem 236 is configured to be a Wi-Fi WLAN client.
Each wireless subsystem includes a Wi-Fi Control Module such as
Wi-Fi Control Module 102 described above, and associated Wi-Fi
Control Firmware for the particular configuration.
[0093] Wireless Subsystems 234 and 236 may meet the IEEE 802.11
specifications for Wi-Fi interworking for their particular
configurations and would be configured as the factory default
settings.
[0094] System Microcontroller 238 communicates with each Wireless
Subsystem via electrical connections 240 which function as an SPI
bus and provide individual data transfer and/or exchanges at high
data rates. It will be appreciated that other data transfer
arrangements may be used instead of connections 240 without
departing from the scope of the disclosure. In an embodiment of the
present disclosure, System Microcontroller 238 is the system master
device and via its firmware control program, it oversees the
functional operations of both Wireless Subsystems 234, 236 and
Power Control Circuits 204.
[0095] As noted above, Power Control Circuits 204 are not the
primary focus of this embodiment of the disclosure and a detailed
description of the function and operation of Power Control Circuits
204 is not required.
[0096] When the Power Control Unit is manufactured, packaged and
ready for delivery to an end user, the firmware control program in
the Non-volatile Memory of each Wireless Subsystem conforms to the
task it will perform in the Power Control Unit. The firmware of
Wireless Subsystem 234 may configure its Wi-Fi Control Module to
conform to the Wi-Fi Alliance's Wi-Fi Direct specification for
access point/group participant application. The firmware of
Wireless Subsystem 236 may configure its Wi-Fi Control Module to
conform to the Wi-Fi Alliance's Wi-Fi WLAN specification for client
applications.
[0097] When mains power is applied to the Power Control Unit, both
Wireless Subsystems load their firmware control programs from their
respective Non-volatile Memory and then power down to a sleep mode
until commanded by System Microcontroller 238 to execute a
function.
[0098] For the purposes of this example it is assumed Wireless
Subsystems 234 and 236 incorporate a Wi-Fi Control Module such as
Wi-Fi Control Module 102 shown in FIG. 2. Except as already noted,
each Wireless Subsystem is identical and supports SPI bus 240 for
communication with System Microcontroller 238. System
Microcontroller 238 is the master SPI bus device and is able to
control the functions of Wireless Subsystems 234 and 236
selectively and individually using the SPI bus slave select
control. FIG. 7, by way of example, shows a typical "power up"
sequence.
[0099] Referring to FIG. 7, a method 500 for powering-up Power
Control Unit 200 is shown and described. In step 502, mains power
is applied to the Power Control Unit. In step 504, the first
wireless control module loads the Wi-Fi Direct application firmware
from is non-volatile memory to its SoC microcontroller program/data
RAM. In step 506, the second wireless control module loads the
Wi-Fi application firmware from is non-volatile memory to its SoC
microcontroller program/data RAM. In step 508, the first wireless
control module configures itself as a Wi-Fi Direct access
point/group participant and then powers down to "sleep" mode. In
step 510, the second wireless control module configures itself as a
Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant and then powers down to
"sleep" mode. In step 512, the system microcontroller runs a
control program from its own non-volatile memory and assumes the
role of Power Control Unit master. It will be appreciated that the
steps described above may be performed in a different order,
varied, or certain steps added or omitted entirely without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure. It will further
be appreciated that one or more steps shown in FIG. 7 may be
performed simultaneously in parallel if desired.
[0100] At this point of the initialization process, the Power
Control Circuits are inactive because there are no pre-programmed
functions in the factory defaults. The Power Control Unit
initialization is started by System Microcontroller 238 as the
system master. FIG. 8, by way of example, shows a typical
"discovery message" sequence in Wi-Fi Direct mode.
[0101] Referring to FIG. 8, a method 600 for a typical "discovery
message" sequence is shown and described. In step 602 the system
microcontroller commands the first wireless control module to start
searching for a user. In step 604, the first wireless control
module runs its Wi-Fi radio transceiver in Wi-Fi Direct access
point/group participant mode and starts transmitting discovery
messages or "pings" which can be seen by a smartphone within range.
In step 606, the "pings" identify the Power Control Unit as a Wi-Fi
Direct access point/group participant with a generic name and ID
address common to all Power Control Units when they are first
powered on. In step 608, the Power Control Unit and smartphone can
establish a communications link that may or may not be secured by
data encryption. It will be appreciated that the steps described
above may be performed in a different order, varied, or certain
steps added or omitted entirely without departing from the scope of
the present disclosure.
[0102] It can be appreciated that a Wi-Fi Control Module operating
as a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant can communicate
directly with a smartphone without the requirement of a Wi-Fi WLAN.
In this case, the Wi-Fi Control Module appears as a Wi-Fi access
point if the personal controller is not using Wi-Fi Direct to
communicate with the Power Control Unit; or if the personal
controller is using Wi-Fi Direct to communicate, negotiates between
the Wi-Fi Control Module and the personal controller which of the
Power Control Unit and personal controller will assume a Wi-Fi
Direct group owner role and establishes a peer-to-peer connection.
The user is then able to send commands directly to the selected
Wi-Fi Control Module without the need for any other device. In this
case, the Wi-Fi Control Module and smartphone communicate directly
with each other, but only if they are within wireless range. The
method to do this has the user loading a related Product App.
Instructions on how this is done for each smartphone operating
system is included with the Power Control Unit. The procedure is
simple and is similar to loading any other App onto a
smartphone.
[0103] When the Product App is installed and is started, it will
identify the Power Control Unit as being a new device which needs
to be re-configured in order to become a specific, individually
selectable device.
[0104] At this point the Product App allows the user to determine
if the new Power Control Unit is: (1) to remain a Wi-Fi Direct
access point/group participant only; or (2) connect to a WLAN and
become a Wi-Fi WLAN client only; or (3) operate as a concurrent
device being simultaneously a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group
participant and a Wi-Fi WLAN client.
[0105] If the user desires the new Power Control Unit to be a Wi-Fi
Direct device so that communications between it and a smartphone
are by a direct peer-to-peer communications link only, this is
selected as the requested option on the smartphone. The Product App
then leads the user through a series of data inputs using the
smartphone's graphics touch screen as the input interface. The
Product App also communicates with the applications program of
System Microcontroller 238, which updates the general parameters
used for the initial connection with the smartphone to specific
parameters which define the Power Control Unit as a unique Wi-Fi
Direct product. These may include: setting a unique encryption key
so all data transfers between the Power Control Unit and the
smartphone are protected; setting the Power Control Unit name to a
unique, easily recognisable identifier, e.g., from a product name
such as "Power Switch" to "Kitchen TV"; setting the Power Control
Unit's unique Wi-Fi address ID so that it becomes an individual
device in its own right; setting a password in the Power Control
Unit used to establish a secure link with a smartphone.
[0106] The Product App maintains a record of these specific
parameters in the smartphone memory for future identification of,
and connection to, the new specific Power Control Unit.
[0107] Once the setup procedure is completed, the Product App
commands the Power Control Unit System Microcontroller 238 to
restart Wireless Subsystem 234. When the restart completes, the
Power Control Unit will have its own unique Wi-Fi Direct identity.
The smartphone which was used to set this identity will be able to
automatically connect each time the user selects that particular
device because the new specific parameters are known.
[0108] Once a Power Control Unit has been configured as a specific
unit, any other smartphone can also be connected, but only if the
user knows the specific parameters that are now unique to that
particular Power Control Unit. The procedure to connect another
smartphone to the dual mode, dual channel Power Control Unit is the
same as for the dual mode, single channel Power Control Unit
described previously.
[0109] If, instead of configuring the newly installed Power Control
Unit as a Wi-Fi Direct access point/group participant, the user
wishes the Power Control Unit to be a Wi-Fi WLAN client, this
option is selected as the choice and the Product App determines if
there are one or more Wi-Fi WLANs available for the Power Control
Unit to connect to as a client. The Product App requests the user
to confirm the network and asks the user to input the network
password so the Power Control Unit can connect to the Wi-Fi WLAN as
a client.
[0110] The Product App communicates with System Microcontroller 238
via the Wi-Fi Direct communications link and sets the parameters
which will be needed for the Power Control Unit to establish itself
as a Wi-Fi WLAN client instead of being a Wi-Fi Direct access
point/group participant. When all of the appropriate parameters are
known and updated, the Product App commands the Power Control Unit
System Microcontroller 238 to initialize Wireless Subsystem 236 as
a Wi-Fi WLAN client. This is a similar procedure to establishing
the Wi-Fi Direct connection when power is applied to Power Control
Unit for the first time. FIG. 9, by way of example, shows a typical
"system restart" sequence.
[0111] Referring to FIG. 9, a method 700 for re-starting Power
Control Unit 200 is shown and described. In step 702, the system
microcontroller sets any parameters or IEEE 802.11 specifications
required for the second wireless control module to operate as a
Wi-Fi WLAN client. In step 704, the second wireless control module
runs its Wi-Fi radio transceiver in Wi-Fi WLAN mode. In step 706,
the Power Control Unit connects to the Wi-Fi WLAN as a client. In
step 708, the system microcontroller confirms to the Product App
that the Wi-Fi WLAN client connection is active and then commands
the first wireless control module to disconnect the Wi-Fi Direct
communications link and enter "sleep" mode. In step 710, all
communications between the smartphone and the Power Control Unit
are then made via the Wi-Fi WLAN access point. It will be
appreciated that the steps described above may be performed in a
different order, varied, or certain steps added or omitted entirely
without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0112] There are applications for a Power Control Unit where
concurrent Wi-Fi Direct and Wi-Fi WLAN capability is desirable. In
this situation, the user via the Product App can enable both Wi-Fi
modes to remain active, allowing either mode to be used. Equally,
the user, via the Product App, can choose to disable one of the
modes, or can change the Wi-Fi mode from Wi-Fi Direct to Wi-Fi
WLAN, or vice versa as desired.
[0113] Each time the Wi-Fi mode is changed, the parameters for the
new mode are retained by System Microcontroller 238 in the event
power is disconnected or lost. When power is restored, System
Microcontroller 238 powers up in the same Wi-Fi mode as previously
operating before power was removed, and the appropriate operating
parameters are restored from the Non-volatile Memory.
[0114] It will be envisaged that there may be times when a Power
Control Unit may be moved for a different application where the
particular Wi-Fi mode may not be suitable, or the original Wi-Fi
WLAN may not be available. The Product App is configured to
communicate with a Power Control Unit and command it to
re-initialise to the factory default configuration. In this case,
all user-defined parameters that were loaded into the Power Control
Unit are lost and when the unit is next powered up, it will be in
its factory default state, ready to receive user-defined
parameters.
[0115] The Power Control Unit may incorporate a mechanical means
such as a button or switch which the user could activate to cause
the Power Control Unit to re-initialise to the factory default
configuration without the use of a smartphone or Product App.
[0116] The foregoing description is by way of example only, and may
be varied considerably without departing from the scope of the
present disclosure. For example only, the wireless control module
may be configured for use with standards outside the IEEE 802.11
standards. The Power Control Unit may include only a single
wireless control module, or a plurality of wireless control
modules. Such wireless control modules may be integrated with the
microcontroller forming part of the Power Control Unit and/or
connected to the microcontroller through an interface such as a USB
interface. It will be appreciated that the Power Control Unit may
be configured to operate in more than two modes, whether singularly
(one at a time), or simultaneously. For example only, the Power
Control Unit may be configured to operate in a peer-to-peer
communications mode such as Wi-Fi Direct, a non-peer-to-peer
communications mode which utilizes an access point, such as Wi-Fi
WLAN, or some other form of peer-to-peer mode.
[0117] Referring now to FIG. 10, a Power Control Unit 800 is shown
in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 10 shows that the dual mode, concurrent connection Power
Control Unit may be configured to operate with a single Wi-Fi SoC,
substantially simplifying the architecture of the Power Control
Unit, as well as reducing its size and cost. Power Control Unit 800
is similar to Power Control Unit 100 except that it has a Wi-Fi SoC
808 that includes two Wi-Fi radio Transceivers 812a, 812b.
Transmitter TX connections 820a, 820b and Receiver connections
824a, 824b connect Wi-Fi SoC 808 to the RF Amplifiers and Switching
Circuits. Similarly, connections 825, 828 connect Wi-Fi SoC 808 to
the Power Control Circuits and Non-volatile memory.
[0118] It will be further appreciated that a single radio Wi-Fi
Control Module can provide virtual concurrent connections. Each
virtual connection can be configured by the user to appear as a
Wi-Fi WLAN device or a Wi-Fi Direct device, where each connection
may be formed on a different physical channel if so desired. For
example, Wi-Fi Control Module 102, shown in FIG. 2, may be
configured with virtual concurrent connections so that Wi-Fi
Control Module 102 may operate in both a peer-to-peer mode and a
WLAN mode concurrently.
[0119] It will also be appreciated that references to specific
modules and subsystems in the description of the disclosure by way
of embodiments does not limit the scope for integration of the
component parts into a few or even a single integrated circuit as
technology advances in time.
[0120] Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, a Power Control Unit 900
is shown in accordance with another embodiment of the present
disclosure. FIG. 11 shows Power Control Unit 900 in an environment.
Power Control Unit 900 has a wireless communications transceiver
and controller 902, perpetual clock calendar 904, power control
circuits 906, system microcontroller with embedded memory 908, and
an aerial 910. Perpetual clock calendar 904 includes a battery
backup enabling real time to be accurately calculated even in
instances where a mains power outage occurs.
[0121] The commands and responses between system microcontroller
908 and the smartphone are communicated through a radio frequency
wireless link supported by wireless communications transceiver and
controller 902 and aerial 910. Depending on cost and the desired
operational functions, wireless communications transceiver and
controller 902 may include only a Wi-Fi radio, only a Bluetooth
radio, only a NFC radio or combination of those technologies. The
Product App may communicate with any mix of power controlling
elements and radio technologies which seamlessly provide the best
communications link as the user moves through a controlled space.
This would allow a controlled space to be restricted to an
approximate small radius from the controller or a large radius
which provides increased flexibility for the user in the way the
user configures and uses an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0122] When the wireless communications transceiver and controller
902 operates according to the Wi-Fi Direct specification, it can
communicate with devices that support Wi-Fi WLAN or Wi-Fi Direct on
a peer-to-peer basis without the need for any intermediary
hardware. Wireless communications transceiver and controller 902 is
configured to operate according to the Wi-Fi Direct specification
as both a Wi-Fi Direct group participant and Wi-Fi Direct access
point, allowing the power control unit to appear to Wi-Fi WLAN
devices during discovery as a Wi-Fi access point. After being
discovered as a Wi-Fi Direct access point, a Wi-Fi Direct device is
able to communicate peer-to-peer with Wi-Fi WLAN devices that
support the IEEE 802.11 specification as amended from time to time.
In this instance, a Wi-Fi WLAN device will receive a device
discovery message from the power control unit as if from a Wi-Fi
access point and be able to establish a communications link with a
smartphone if the right is granted by the power control unit. The
intricacies of establishing the communications link between a Wi-Fi
Direct device and Wi-Fi WLAN devices are defined in the Wi-Fi
Alliance specifications and would be understood by practitioners
skilled in communications systems protocols.
[0123] Wi-Fi Direct has a number of advantages which simplify
communications between a Power Control Unit and a smartphone
operating as a controller. Significant advantages include mobility
and portability, where a smartphone and the Power Control Unit only
need to be within radio range of each other to establish a wireless
communications link. Wi-Fi Direct also offers secure communications
using Wi-Fi Protected Access protocols and encryption for
transported messages, ensuring the system remains secure to
qualified devices. Most importantly, Wi-Fi Direct allows a
smartphone with only Wi-Fi WLAN to engage in peer-to-peer data
exchange with the power control unit even though the smartphone
Wi-Fi WLAN was never intended to support on-demand peer-to-peer
communications.
[0124] As smartphones continue to evolve, new models are starting
to include Wi-Fi Direct support in addition to Wi-Fi WLAN. In one
embodiment of the present disclosure, where a Power Control Unit
receives a Wi-Fi Direct response to a device discovery message, the
smartphone and Power Control Unit will negotiate which device will
be the group owner in accordance with the Wi-Fi Alliance Wi-Fi
Direct specification, as amended from time to time, and a 1:1 or
peer-to-peer Wi-Fi Direct communication link will be established.
The Wi-Fi Direct specification allows any Wi-Fi Direct device to be
a group owner, and depending on the capabilities of the device, the
negotiation procedure determines the most suitable device to
perform this role.
[0125] System microcontroller 908 may incorporate a firmware
program which defines the operation and functions of the Power
Control Unit and assumes responsibility for running all program
code and system elements, including specifying the operation of
wireless communications transceiver and controller 902,
interrogation of the perpetual clock calendar 904 and operation of
power control circuits 906. System microcontroller includes
non-volatile memory to store any program data received from the
Product App.
[0126] In one embodiment, power control circuits 906 may include a
single relay configured to vary the supply of power to attached
lights in a simple on/off fashion. In another embodiment, power
control circuits 906 may include a number of relays configured to
vary the supply of power to different lights or banks of lights in
a simple on/off fashion. In another embodiment, power control
circuits 906 may include a dimmer control. The dimmer control is
used to vary the amount of power transferred to attached lights
which have the appropriate characteristics to allow the light
output to be varied anywhere from fully on to fully off as directed
by system microcontroller 908.
[0127] A function of the dimmer is to control the amount of light
emitted by a connected individual light or bank of lights. Using a
dimmer in power control circuits 906 under the control of system
microcontroller 908, the amount of electrical power transferred to
the attached light is regulated. Because the electrical load
presented to the dimmer control can be resistive, inductive or
capacitive depending on the light type and arrangement, the dimmer
unit can provide both leading edge and trailing edge dimming.
[0128] System microcontroller 908 has the ability to communicate
with external power control circuits 914 via a communications link
912, which in an embodiment, is a hardware interface. External
power control circuits 914 perform the same type of functions as
power control circuit 906, except being external to power control
unit 900, allowing an installer to add as many external power
control circuits 914 as may be required to control the lighting
needs of any particular installation without being limited by the
number of lights supported by embedded power control circuits 906.
Power control circuits 914 may also have different capabilities to
power control circuits 906. Power control circuits 914 may include
a number of relays configured to vary the supply of power to
different lights or banks of lights 916 in a simple on/off fashion.
In another embodiment, power control circuits 914 may include a
dimmer control and adjust the light output anywhere from fully on
to fully off as directed by system microcontroller 908. System
microcontroller 908 has the ability to automatically interrogate
power control circuits 914 for capabilities in order to present
appropriate controls for the user in the Product App. If system
microcontroller is unable to automatically determine power control
circuits 914 capabilities, the Product App will allow the user to
manually enter power control circuits 914 capabilities so that the
Product App will only expose controls corresponding with the
capabilities of power control circuits 914.
[0129] Power control unit 900 has the ability to support an
external control panel 922 that interfaces with system
microcontroller 908, allowing a user to manually control functions
including overriding any program running on power control unit 900.
External control panel 922 may also be used by the user to start
any program stored in the Power Control Unit. These settings are
provided by way of example only. It can be appreciated that other
switch configurations and functions may be supported without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In one
embodiment, it may be desirable to have no exposed human interface
in order to reduce the incidence of vandalism or create a highly
weather resistant unit.
[0130] Power Control Unit 900 has the ability to accept data from
external sensors 924 that system microcontroller 908 can use to
determined if programmed thresholds have been met in order to
execute a command or commands. By way of example only, external
sensor 924 could be a sensor measuring ambient light, the level of
which system microcontroller 908 could use as a threshold for
causing power control circuits 906 to turn on and off a bank of
lights.
[0131] It will be appreciated that the system described above can
be extended in many ways without departing from the scope of the
present disclosure. Power control circuits 914 may be configured to
control an external device such as a blind, shutters, gate or door
rather than lights, allowing power control unit 900 to manage other
external devices according to a programmed schedule.
[0132] Communications link 912 may be performed by a wireless link
such as sub-1 GHz radio rather than hardware interface. Such
extension would require the addition of a supporting radio that may
be a transmitter only, or a transmitter and receiver, depending on
power control circuits 914 requirements. Supporting radio may be
configured by system microcontroller 908 to operate at a number of
different carrier frequencies. Data could be modulated onto those
carrier frequencies such that the encoded data could be received,
decoded and acted upon by a compatible radio receiver in a remote
power control circuit to operate lights or a device such as, for
example only, a garage door opener, alarm system, boom gate and/or
blind system.
[0133] Supporting radio may be capable of FSK, GFSK, MSK, OOK or
other modulation methods and be able to operate over a wide
frequency range including the license free Industrial Scientific
and Medical (ISM) frequencies, or may support specific proprietary
standards such as Zigbee, Z-wave or equivalents. While these
specifications are applicable to most wireless sensor networks,
home and building automation, alarm and security systems and
industrial monitoring and control, there may be applications where
a system compatible transceiver with specific frequency and
modulation specifications is required. In these situations, a
specific supporting radio could be provided within the embodiment
described herein.
[0134] In one embodiment, power control unit 900 may not contain
any embedded power control circuits and interface entirely with
external power control circuits allowing for a custom number of
circuits with, or without, their own dimming capabilities to be
installed to meet the particular requirements of the application at
hand.
[0135] FIG. 12 shows smartphone 20 determining its location via a
GPS satellite 30, accessing remote data server 32 and communicating
with power control unit 900 in order to configure and transfer a
program for automating a plurality of lights. Referring to FIG. 11,
system microcontroller 908 incorporates firmware which defines the
operation and functions of the power control unit. When power is
applied to the system microcontroller for the first time, it
ensures power control circuits 906 and power control circuits 914
are open and no power is sent to the attached lights or device.
System microcontroller 908 then activates wireless communications
transceiver and controller 902 and attempts to communicate with
nearby smartphones.
[0136] Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, when the user touches the
Product App icon on touch sensitive graphical screen 22 of
smartphone 20, the smartphone's operating system starts the Product
App. The Product App activates the wireless communications
transceiver and control of smartphone 20, which requests the status
of any power control units in wireless range. Power control unit
900 responds with a message to smartphone 20 that includes the type
of the power control unit. One option during the pairing process is
to allocate a name to the power control unit so it can be easily
identified by the user. This is particularly useful for more
complex arrangements where multiple power control units are
present.
[0137] Prior to being able to communicate with each other,
smartphone 20 and power control unit 900 are paired using the Wi-Fi
Direct access point or group participant pairing procedure
according to specifications outlined by the Wi-Fi Alliance. This
only needs to be done once and then each time smartphone 20 is
within wireless range of power control unit 900, smartphone 20 can
initiate a dialog using the exchange of serial data commands and
responses. Accordingly, smartphone 20 can send commands to power
control unit 900 which, under the control of system microcontroller
908 and its firmware, will execute those commands.
[0138] Smartphone 20 may be configured to setup a wireless link
with a paired power control unit 900, but the program data which
causes power control unit 900 to execute one or more of its
functions is generated by the Product App. The Product App
determines the commands and responses smartphone 20 exchanges with
power control unit 900.
[0139] The Product App is activated and controlled by the user
through the smartphone's touch sensitive graphics screen 22. The
Product App may be preloaded on a specific device, or could be
downloaded from an appropriate server through a wireless network,
Internet and/or computer. The Product App is designed to translate
a user's requests inputted by the user via the smartphone's
graphics screen 22 into specific commands that are transferred to
the power control unit 900 through the transmitter of smartphone 20
to wireless communications and transceiver control 902 of the power
control unit.
[0140] The Product App presents its control interface as a
combination of graphics and text on graphics screen 22. Graphics
screen 22 is also touch-sensitive, allowing the Product App to
present a graphical picture of options to the user and then
determine which of the options the user wants by determining how
and where the user responds by touching the graphics screen.
Typically the Product App will be activated by the user touching an
icon on the graphics screen. The operating system will load the
Product App as the current operating app so the user can proceed
with instructions to the paired power control unit.
[0141] An important consideration in using touch sensitive graphics
screen 22 as the interface between the smartphone and the user is
the ease that the graphical presentation can be changed for
different languages. While the icon images may remain the same, the
graphical interface allows the text of, for example, an alphabetic
language such as English to be replaced with, for example, a
pictorial language such as Japanese by changing the graphics
displayed on the graphics screen. The underlying functions
represented on the screen respond to the user's selection by touch
irrespective of the language used for the display.
[0142] The Product App's primary role is as an interface for users
to program or modify lighting parameters under the control of power
control unit 900 including schedule data specifying the operating
times and/or dimming levels where supported by power control
circuits. It can be appreciated that in many instances it may be
favourable for lights to run automated according to reoccurring
events. An example of this is turning a light on at a particular
time each evening, most commonly dusk, and off again in the
morning, most commonly at dawn. The ability to offer a generic
schedule for events such as sunrise and sunset or business hours is
problematic in that these times vary for each location depending on
factors such as season, time zone, latitude, longitude, trading
laws, religious festivals, public holidays, etc.
[0143] The Product App can offer users the ability to program
lighting scenes with the assistance of a Default Schedule. A
Default Schedule includes on/off times based on specific
sunset/sunrise with daylight savings correction, business hours
with public holiday profiles, religious holidays, special events,
other parameters specific to a particular location, or a
combination thereof; having been compiled for regions and time
zones around the world.
[0144] If a user chooses to work from a Default Schedule, the
Product App may ask the user if the lighting to be programmed is
indoors, outdoors, business, business type, private, or a
combination thereof in order to offer a Default Schedule most
suited to the user's situation. It can be appreciated that
different or additional parameters may be offered to compile a more
tailored Default Schedule without departing from the spirit of the
disclosure. It can also be appreciated that the Product App may
allow for users to be charged a fee for Default Schedules.
[0145] If the user chooses to run a Default Schedule, the Product
App is able to access location data through an application layer in
the operating system associated with the smartphone. The ability
for the Product App to access location data is a feature common to
all current smartphone operating systems, the mechanics of which
would be understood by those skilled in the art of application
development.
[0146] As shown in FIG. 12, location capability of Smartphone 20 is
able to determine its global position through GPS using satellite
30. Because location data is typically a core service of smartphone
operating systems, the present disclosure is not limited to using
GPS and can equally accept location data from other technologies
the smartphone may be using such as, by way of example only,
assisted GPS, synthetic GPS, cell ID, inertial sensors, Bluetooth
beacons, terrestrial transmitters, or geomagnetic field techniques.
If for some reason the Product App is unable to fix a global
position from the smartphone location capability, the user may
manually enter location into the Product App using the touch screen
interface.
[0147] Once the Product App has determined its global location from
the smartphone location capability or user input, it will verify if
a Default Schedule is available. The Default Schedule may be
pre-stored in the Product App or may be downloaded by the Product
App from remote server 32. If a Default Schedule is not available
for the location, the Product App will offer the user the next
closest location for which a Default Schedule is available. If next
closest location is not suitable for the user, the Product App will
allow the user to manually enter all parameters.
[0148] In the instance that a Default Schedule needs to be
downloaded, the smartphone's wireless communications transceiver
and control can use smartphone's cellular or Wi-Fi communications
to access remote server 32 and transfer Default Schedule into the
Product App.
[0149] The Product App will allow for the user to customize and
manipulate parameters of Default Schedule for the specific
application, including scheduling and adjustment of times for a
light, bank of lights, or many banks of lights either individually
or as groups, and may include the ability to set dimming levels of
lights individually or as groups with the possibility to have
various dimming scenes over time.
[0150] During programming of lighting parameters and scheduling,
smartphone 20 maintains an active peer-to-peer link with power
control unit 900, allowing the Product App to send commands to
system microcontroller 908, causing it to adjust the power control
circuits so that users can preview how adjustments in the Product
App appear on the lighting in situ. The Product App allows the user
through the smartphone touch screen to select different time
periods for which lighting events have been programmed into the
Product App, with the Product App sending commands to system
microcontroller 908 causing it to adjust the power control circuits
for all parameters that have been programmed for that corresponding
time period in order to preview a lighting scene in order to verify
if any adjustments need to be made.
[0151] When the user has completed programming in the Product App,
the Product App using the peer-to-peer link between smartphone 20
and the power control circuits will transfer program data to Power
Control Unit 900 to be run by system microcontroller 908 in
executing schedules and parameters programmed by the user in the
Product App giving effect to automated lighting scenes.
[0152] Referring again to FIG. 11, because default schedules and
other functions on Power Control Unit are time dependant, Power
Control Unit 900 includes perpetual clock calendar 904 that system
microcontroller 908 uses to maintain a highly accurate internal
clock calendar. Perpetual clock calendar 904 includes battery power
backup allowing it to continue running in case of mains power
outage. On the successful establishment of a peer-to-peer
communications link, system microcontroller 908 requests from the
Product App current clock calendar data in order to verify
perpetual clock calendar 904 is operating in sync with the user's
smartphone. System microcontroller 908 has the ability to set
perpetual clock calendar 904 current time and date based on clock
calendar data from the Product App to ensure seamless synchronicity
with the user's smartphone.
[0153] Having described the components of Power Control Unit 900, a
method of use will now be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and
14. FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a method 1000 that includes
actions taken by a user to discover and open communications with a
Power Control Unit in accordance with the user's instructions. Such
actions are conveyed to a Power Control Unit by touching the
available options presented by the Product App for that particular
Power Control Unit. Referring to FIG. 13, in step 1002, the user
switches the smartphone ON and the smartphone operating system
displays a number of icons on its graphics screen. The user may
have to scroll or page the display to locate the icon for the
Product App depending on the smartphone operating system. Once
located, in step 1004 the user touches the Product App icon and the
Product App activates. In step 1006 the Product App checks to see
if the radio is active and if not, requests the user to turn it on.
In some implementations, the Product App may automatically turn the
radio on. Once on, the Product App in step 1008 scans its radio
frequencies looking for Power Control Units within wireless
communications range. If in step 1010 no Power Control Units are
detected, the Product App proceeds to step 1012 and advises the
user. In step 1014, if one or more Power Control Units are
detected, the Product App determines their name and type and
displays this information to the user on the smartphone's graphical
screen. If the user selects one of the displayed Power Control
Unit's icon in step 1016, the Product App in step 1018 then
displays any prerequisites for establishing a peer-to-peer
communications link between the smartphone and Power Control Unit,
the correct completion of which will establish a peer-to-peer link.
Such prerequisites may include passwords or other security
measures. If the smartphone and Power Control Unit have previously
established a peer-to-peer link, protocols for establishing a new
link may be automatically exchanged and a link established on the
user selecting the Power Control Unit at step 1016.
[0154] It will be appreciated that the steps described above may be
performed in a different order, varied, or certain steps added or
omitted entirely without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0155] FIGS. 14A and 14B are a flow diagram of a method 1100 that
includes actions, commands and responses between a user and the
smartphone, and the smartphone and the Power Control Unit to
program a Power Control Unit with automated lighting scenes. In one
embodiment, the Product App dynamically stores all of the user's
edits as the user progresses through each step of programming. In
step 1102, smartphone and Power Control Unit establish a
peer-to-peer communications link. In step 1104, Power Control Unit
reports to the Product App functions that Power Control Unit is
able to perform, the Product App then displaying available options
to the user. In step 1106, the user through the smartphone touch
screen, is able to select parameters they wish to set or edit.
Selecting a particular parameter will expose the controls necessary
for making adjustments to that parameter on the smartphone touch
screen. There may be a number of parameters defined by the Product
App as location dependant in that an associated Default Schedule
may be available to assist in the programming of that parameter. By
way of example only, this may be the Product App offering a Default
Schedule to program lighting on and off times.
[0156] If the function the user selects is not defined by the
Product App as location dependant, the user will be presented with
the controls necessary for making adjustments to the selected
parameter on the smartphone touch screen in step 1108. By way of
example only, this may be manually configuring the Product App for
an external power control circuit that was not automatically
detected by system microcontroller. Once the user completes
adjustments to the chosen parameter, the Product App in step 1110
asks the user if they wish to perform any further tasks. If the
user chooses the affirmative, the Product App will revert to the
main control screen at step 1104 for the chosen Power Control
Unit.
[0157] If the user selects a parameter defined by the Product App
as location dependant in step 1106, the Product App will access the
location capabilities on the smartphone at step 1112 to determine
its global position. In step 1114, the Product App will ascertain
if it can determine its global position from the smartphone
location capabilities. If the Product App cannot determine its
global position, or if the current position is unknown, the Product
App at step 1116 will allow the user to manually enter their
current location or manually choose from a list of the next closest
locations for which Default Schedule data is available.
[0158] If the user's location can be determined by the Product App
at step 1114, or if the user has manually entered a location, at
step 1116 the Product App may ask the user to confirm a number of
parameters on how lighting is being used and will check to see if a
Default Schedule is available for the user's global position and
application in the Product App database stored locally on the
smartphone. Examples of parameters that might be asked of the user
could include if lighting is installed in a retail, domestic,
residential, commercial, internal or external environment, or any
combination thereof. If a Default Schedule is not available in the
Product App database stored locally on the smartphone, at step 1120
the Product App will access an external database stored on a remote
server using either the smartphone cellular or Wi-Fi communications
and at step 1124 will search for a Default Schedule for the user's
global position and application. If a Default Schedule cannot be
found for the user's global position and application at step 1124,
the Product App will report this to the user at step 1126 and allow
them to manually enter parameters. When the user has finished with
parameter changes at step 1126, the Product App in step 1127 will
ask the user if they wish to perform any further tasks. If the user
chooses the affirmative, the Product App will revert to the main
control screen at step 1104 for the chosen Power Control Unit. If
the user does not have any further tasks they wish to perform, the
Product App at step 1134 will ask the user if they wish to preview
what they have programmed.
[0159] If a Default Schedule for the user's global position is
found at step 1118 or step 1124, the Product App will present the
user with the Default Schedule parameters on the smartphone touch
screen at step 1128. At step 1130, the user has the ability to
accept the Default Schedule as presented, deeply edit the Default
Schedule according to their requirements, or choose to continue
programming without using the Default Schedule.
[0160] When the user has finished with parameter changes at step
1130, the Product App in step 1132 will ask the user if they wish
to perform any further tasks. If the user chooses the affirmative,
the Product App will revert to the main control screen at step 1104
for the chosen Power Control Unit. If the user does not have any
further tasks they wish to perform, the Product App at step 1134
will ask the user if they wish to preview what they have
programmed. The Product App will similarly move to step 1134 where
the user doesn't have any further tasks they wish to perform at
step 1110.
[0161] Referring to FIGS. 11 and 14B, if the user chooses to
preview what they have programmed, the Product App enters preview
mode at step 1136 and uses open peer-to-peer communications link
with Power Control Unit 900 to directly control system
microcontroller 908 in adjusting lighting to replicate a scene as
it would appear at the particular time chosen by the user to
preview, allowing the user to verify all parameters as though the
program was running on Power Control Unit 900. The Product App
controlling the system microcontroller could also replicate changes
in lighting scenes over time by allowing a user to preview lighting
scenes between a start and finish time, with the Product App
causing system micro controller 908 to change all parameters in
faster than real time to allow the user to preview a scene in a
fast forward format and verify parameters change as expected. At
step 1138, the user is asked by the Product App if they wish to
make any changes to the programming. If the user selects the
affirmative, they are taken to step 1130 where parameters of the
Default Schedule can be edited. It will be appreciated that user at
this stage may also wish to change parameters not related to a
Default Schedule, in which case the user is also given the option
to go to step 1104 in order to modify any parameter associated with
Power Control Unit 900.
[0162] If the user does not want to preview the program at step
1134, or if the user does not wish to make any program changes
after previewing at step 1138, at step 1140 the Product App will
compile the programming of the user and attempt to transmit program
data to Power Control Unit via peer-to-peer communications link
between smartphone 20 and Power Control Unit 900. The Product App
will request from Power Control Unit confirmation that program data
has been received.
[0163] At step 1142, the Product App analyses the Power Control
Unit's response to the Product App's attempt to transmit program
data. At step 1144, if Power Control Unit does not confirm
successful receipt of program data, the Product App will display a
message that transfer could not be completed and await further
direction from the user. At step 1146, if Power Control Unit 400
confirms successful receipt of program data, the Product App will
display a message that the transfer was completed and await further
direction from the user.
[0164] It will be appreciated that the steps described above may be
performed in a different order, varied, or certain steps added or
omitted entirely without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0165] Referring now to FIGS. 15A and 15B, a Power Control Unit
1200 is shown in accordance with another embodiment of the present
disclosure. FIG. 15A shows Power Control Unit 1200 being used in a
retail environment to demonstrate the interaction between different
aspects of the disclosure. It can be appreciated that the
automation of lighting in retail shop 60 could be both convenient
and offer power savings by efficiently controlling lights according
to the time of day and trading hours. By way of example only,
retail shop 60 is located on a public street rather than inside a
shopping mall and is accordingly exposed to daylight. Retail shop
60 has exterior banner lighting 1202, main interior lights 1204,
interior spotlights 1206, exterior facia lights 1208, interior
feature lights 1212 and front display lights 1214 for six total
lighting zones connected to Power Control Unit 1200 that has power
control circuits suited to running all six zones independently.
[0166] In scheduling scenes for each of the six lighting zones,
three variables should be considered. The first variable is opening
or business hours that affect the scheduling of internal lights
such as main interior lights 1204, interior spotlights 1206 and
interior feature lights 1212. As used herein, "business hours" are
those hours during the day that a business entity operates a
location with a majority of its employees based at that location
being present, or is open to the general public. The second
variable is the impact of natural daylight that typically affects
the scheduling of external lights such as exterior banner lighting
1202 and exterior facia lights 1208. There are also applications
where the scheduling of lighting, such as front display lights
1214, may be equally affected by both opening hours and daylight. A
third possible variable is the application of dimmer settings in
those cases where adjusting the lighting level is advantageous or
desired.
[0167] A flow of exemplary actions, commands and response between a
user and the smartphone and smartphone and the Power Control Unit
being used in conjunction with a plurality of lights, may take the
following form. Smartphone 20 establishes a peer-to-peer link with
Power Control Unit 1200. The Product App interrogates Power Control
Unit 1200 for functional capabilities and number of power control
circuits, thereby defining the number and type of individual zones.
The user in the Product App has the ability to manually enter the
number of lighting zones and/or define zone capabilities.
[0168] User through the Product App may choose to program on/off
times for exterior banner lighting 1202 and exterior facia lights
1208 as a group, thereby applying the same scheduling to both
zones. The Product App, having defined the programming of on/off
times as a location dependant parameter, asks the user if they
would like to use a Default Schedule for exterior banner lighting
1202 and exterior facia lights 1208. If the user chooses the
affirmative, the Product App may ask the user to define if the
lights are being used for an interior or exterior application. If
the user chooses exterior option, the Product App accesses location
services on smartphone 20, determines its global position, confirms
that a Default Schedule for the global position and application is
already stored locally in the Product App database and loads a
Default Schedule of on/off times corresponding to actual sunrise
and sunset times for the global position including seasonal and
daylight saving adjustments. For example only, the user accepts the
Default Schedule without wishing to make any edits. It can be
appreciated complex automation programming for the outside lights
that track actual sunrise and sunset times can be compiled in a few
simple steps using a smartphone.
[0169] The user through the Product App chooses to program on/off
times for main interior lights 1204, interior spotlights 1206 and
interior feature lights 1212, again as a group, thereby applying
the same scheduling to all zones. The Product App, having defined
the programming of on/off times as a location dependant parameter,
asks the user if they would like to use a Default Schedule for main
interior lights 1204, interior spotlights 1206 and interior feature
lights 1212. If the user chooses the affirmative, the Product App
may ask the user to define if the lights are being used for an
interior or exterior application. Where the user chooses interior
option, the Product App, knowing that interior lights may be used
in commercial, retail or domestic applications, may further ask the
user to define the type of use. Where the user selects retail, the
Product App accesses location services on smartphone 20, determines
its global position, confirms that a Default Schedule for the
global position and interior retail application is already stored
locally in the Product App database and loads a Default Schedule of
on/off times corresponding to actual retail opening hours for the
global position including holiday, seasonal and daylight saving
adjustments. The user may optionally decide to edit Default
Schedule to adjust operating time of lights for a number of public
holidays. It can be appreciated that in only a few simple steps,
complex programming for the interior lights that track actual
retail hours can be quickly compiled and edited.
[0170] The user, through the Product App, may program on/off times
for front display lights 1214. The Product App, having defined the
programming of on/off times as a location dependant parameter, asks
the user if they would like to use a Default Schedule for front
display lights 1214. By way of example only, the user chooses to
manually program times. Front display lights 1214 may include
dimmer capability. For any light with dimmer capability, the user
would be able to set dimmer level in the Product App including a
start time for the dimmer with a corresponding level, and an end
time for the dimmer with an equal or different level. Where dimmer
level at the start differed to the dimmer level at the end, Power
Control Unit 1200 would adjust the dimming level incrementally over
the selected time period to vary from the starting level to the end
level.
[0171] Referring to FIG. 15B, after user finishes editing all
parameters, the user may choose to enter preview mode. In preview
mode, the Product App displays a screen that visually shows the
user a selection of core parameters and the status of those
parameters for various zones. By way of example only, the Product
App screen 1218 shows preview mode display having a clock 1220,
counter 1222, days to be previewed 1224, active zones 1226,
selected zone 1228, light setting for selected zone 1230, dimmer
status for selected zone 1232, dimmer starting level for selected
zone 1234, dimmer ending level for selected zone 1236, dimmer level
bar for start or ending as selected 1238, preview start time
selector 1240, preview end time selector 1242, preview run/stop
button 1244, edit button 1246, and load button 1248.
[0172] The preview screen provides a concise graphical user
interface of parameters and their status. The user, through the
smartphone touch screen, is able to set the period they wish the
preview to start in preview start time selector 1240. The user
selects the period they wish the preview to end in the preview end
time selector 1242. This defines the preview period that is then
represented graphically in clock 1220. At this stage the Product
App runs a comparative analysis on the user's programming to see if
different scenes have been set for different days of the week in
the chosen preview period. In the instance that user has compiled
different scenes for different days of the week, the preview screen
will offer the user the ability to select from different groupings
of days that share common programming via the days to be previewed
section 1224.
[0173] After preview period has been defined, the Product App
displays parameters for the start of the preview period including
updating counter 1222 to the start time of the preview period.
Active zones 1226 shows all zones associated with a power control
unit, highlighting those zones that are active at the start of the
preview period. The user, by touching selected zone 1228 parameter,
can choose a particular zone, or group of zones where those zones
share common programming, to see active parameters and dynamically
adjust light setting 1230 for the selected zone, dimmer status 1232
for selected zone, dimmer starting level 1234 for selected zone,
dimmer ending level 1236 for selected zone, and dimmer level bar
1238 for start or ending as selected during the preview period. For
those zones that do not have dimmer capabilities, the Product App
will set the dimmer to "off" in dimmer status 1232 for the selected
zone and not allow it to activate.
[0174] The user starts preview period by touching run/stop button
1244. When the preview starts, the Product App, using a
peer-to-peer link with power control unit 1200, causes the power
control circuits to operate faster than real time under the control
of the Product App in accordance with the parameters programmed for
those times selected by the user as the preview period. Counter
1222 will run faster than real time to provide a highly accurate
reference for the time at which events occur. The user may
optionally touch counter 1222 and manually enter a time, causing
the preview mode to jump to that time and update all parameters on
screen accordingly. The user can pause the preview at any stage by
touching run/stop button 1244 while the preview is running. It will
be appreciated that transport controls may be included that are
similar to a DVD player with icons and capabilities for play/pause,
rewind and fast forward, allowing users to control the running of
the preview period in a familiar fashion.
[0175] During the preview it may become apparent to the user that
deeper editing may be required than the exposed preview mode
controls offer. Edit button 1246 allows the user to terminate the
preview mode and returns the user to the main control screen for
power control unit 1200 in order to edit any parameter. After the
user has finished checking a specific preview period, they can
define a new preview period in order to check multiple scenes in
preview mode.
[0176] If the user is satisfied with all parameters, pressing load
button 1248 will cause the Product App to compile all programming
data and transfer this using the peer-to-peer link to power control
unit 1200 where the program will then be able to run locally
without any interaction with the smartphone or the Product App.
[0177] If at any stage the power control unit fails to perform any
functions as expected, the user could through the Product App cause
the power control unit to run a self diagnostic and report any
errors or issues back to the Product App for the user to review.
The Product App could prepare a report for transmission to an
external party for the purposes of providing technical support
directly from the Product App or by using email, short message
service, or any other communications method supported by the
smartphone.
[0178] It will be appreciated that the steps described above may be
performed in a different order, varied, or certain steps added or
omitted entirely without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0179] It will be appreciated that the personal controller may be
omitted by incorporating certain control and program functions
directly into a microprocessor that is integrated with the wiring
of the building. Where a personal controller is used, instead of,
or in addition to a graphical user interface, the personal
controller may be configured with a voice-activated system that
inputs data according to the voice commands of the user. The
details associated with voice-activated technology would be well
understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.
[0180] Aspects of the present disclosure may be used in a variety
of environments. For example only, street lights commonly rely on
individual light sensors to turn on and off each light. Often,
these light sensors break down, or the light burns out. Government
workers usually have to rely on citizens to report burnt-out
lights, or pay government workers to check the lights after hours.
The present disclosure, in one embodiment, permits a power control
unit to be installed in each light fixture. In such an arrangement,
government workers may individually or collectively test groups of
lights regardless of the time of day. The advantages of such a
system are many.
[0181] Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17, a Power Control Unit 1300
is shown in accordance with another embodiment of the present
disclosure. FIG. 16 shows a block diagram outlining the embodiment
of functional elements of power control unit 1300, which has a
wireless communications transceiver and controller 1302, system
microcontroller with embedded memory 1304, power control circuits
1306 with wire terminals 1316, and an aerial 1310.
[0182] The commands and responses between system microcontroller
1304 and the smartphone are communicated through a radio frequency
wireless link supported by wireless communications transceiver and
controller 1302 and aerial 1310. Depending on cost and the desired
operational functions, wireless communications transceiver and
controller 1302 may include only a Wi-Fi radio, only a Bluetooth
radio, only a NFC radio or any combination of those technologies.
The Product App may communicate with any mix of power controlling
elements and radio technologies which seamlessly provide the best
communications link as the user moves through, or into, a
controlled space. This allows a controlled space to be restricted
to an approximate small radius from the controller or a large
radius which provides increased flexibility for the user in the way
the user configures and uses an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0183] Referring to FIG. 16, when wireless communications
transceiver and controller 1302 operates according to the Wi-Fi
Direct specification, it can communicate with devices that support
Wi-Fi WLAN or Wi-Fi Direct on a peer-to-peer basis without the need
for any intermediary hardware. Wireless communications transceiver
and controller 1302 is configured to operate as both a Wi-Fi Direct
group participant and Wi-Fi Direct access point, allowing power
control unit 1300 to appear to Wi-Fi WLAN devices during discovery
as a Wi-Fi access point. After being discovered as a Wi-Fi Direct
access point, a Wi-Fi Direct device is able to communicate
peer-to-peer with Wi-Fi WLAN devices that support the IEEE 802.11
specification as amended from time to time. In this instance, a
Wi-Fi WLAN device will receive a device discovery message from the
power control unit as if from a Wi-Fi access point and be able to
establish a communications link with a smartphone if the right is
granted by the power control unit. The intricacies and procedures
of establishing the communications link between a Wi-Fi Direct
device and Wi-Fi WLAN devices are defined in the Wi-Fi Alliance
specifications and would be understood by practitioners skilled in
communications systems protocols.
[0184] System microcontroller 1304 incorporates a firmware program
which defines the operation and functions of the power control unit
and assumes responsibility for running all program code and system
elements, including specifying the operation of wireless
communications transceiver and controller 1302 and operation of
power control circuits 1306. System microcontroller 1304 may
include non-volatile memory to store any program data received from
the Product App.
[0185] Referring to FIG. 16, in one embodiment, power control
circuits 1306 may include a switch configured to vary the supply of
power to an attached garage door or gate mechanism 1314 to execute
a simple open/close operation. Electrical wiring connected to the
wire terminal 1316 is connected to push button terminal 1308 of a
garage door/gate mechanism 1314. Push button terminal 1308 is a
common feature to most garage door mechanisms and allows for the
connection of an external switch 1312 that can be used to manually
activate a garage door mechanism without the use of a wireless
clicker. The power control unit 1300, through power control
circuits 1306, is able to replicate the commands of an external
switch 1312 and by connecting to push button terminal 1308 is able
to activate the garage door/gate mechanism 1314 as though the
garage door/gate mechanism had received a command from an external
switch 1312. Push button terminal 1308 would usually be able to
accommodate wires from both the power control circuit and an
external switch so that the operation of an external switch 1312,
or of a wireless clicker, is preserved in controlling the garage
door/gate mechanism 1314.
[0186] It would be apparent to those skilled in the art that
variations of this connection method are possible without departing
from the spirit of the disclosure. By way of example only, power
control circuits 1306 could have an additional wire terminal that
allows for an external switch to be connected to power control unit
1300 so that only one set of wires from wire terminal 1316 connects
to push button terminal 1308. Commands from such an external switch
may pass through power control circuits 1306 to push button
terminal 1308.
[0187] In another embodiment, power control circuits 1306 may
include a number of relays and a plurality of wire terminals
configured to vary the supply of power to multiple garage door or
gate mechanisms.
[0188] In another embodiment, power control unit 1300 may have the
ability to support an external switch that would allow a user to
disable or enable wireless communications transceiver and
controller 1302. Such could be used by the user to easily put the
power control unit into a "stand down" mode when away on vacation
to prevent any wireless communication. It can be appreciated that
other switch configurations and functions may be supported without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In another
embodiment, it may be desirable to have no exposed human interface
in order to reduce the incidence of vandalism or create a highly
weather resistant unit.
[0189] In another embodiment, power control unit 1300 may support
the input of data from an NFC reader connected to the power control
unit, transmitting to power control unit wirelessly, or embedded in
the power control unit. System microcontroller 1304 may be
configured to interpret data from the NFC reader to determine if it
should cause power control circuits to open or close a garage door
or gate. In some embodiments it may be preferable for system
microcontroller 1304 to use data from the NFC reader to configure
the wireless communications transceiver and controller 1302 or
establish a peer-to-peer connection with a particular personal
controller.
[0190] In another embodiment, it may be preferable for power
control circuits 1306 to be located outside of power control unit
1300, with power control unit 1300 controlling power control
circuits 1306 wirelessly using a link such as sub-1 GHz radio
rather than a hardware interface. Using this mechanism, a single
power control unit could have the ability to control one or more
garage door and/or gate mechanisms in a controlled area. This
extension would utilize a supporting radio to supplement power
control unit 1300. The supporting radio may be a transmitter only,
or a transmitter and receiver, depending on the application of
power control circuits 1306. The supporting radio may be configured
by the system microcontroller 1304 to operate at a number of
different carrier frequencies. Data could be modulated onto those
carrier frequencies such that the encoded data could be received,
decoded and acted upon by a compatible radio receiver in a remote
power control circuit that would then execute commands.
[0191] The supporting radio may be capable of FSK, GFSK, MSK, OOK
or other modulation methods and be able to operate over a wide
frequency range including the license free Industrial Scientific
and Medical (ISM) frequencies, or may support specific proprietary
standards such as Zigbee and Z-wave. While these specifications are
applicable to most wireless sensor networks, home and building
automation, alarm and security systems and industrial monitoring
and control, there may be applications where a system compatible
transceiver with specific frequency and modulation specifications
is required. In these situations, a specific supporting radio could
be provided within the embodiment described herein.
[0192] It will be appreciated that the system described above can
be extended in many ways without departing from the scope of the
present disclosure. The power control unit may be wholly integrated
into a garage door and/or gate mechanism. Power control circuits
1306 may be configured to control devices such as blinds and
shutters rather than garage doors and gates, allowing power control
unit 1300 to control a range of products using a smartphone.
[0193] It will be appreciated that a single smartphone may be
utilized with a plurality of power control units Thus, it can be
appreciated that a single smartphone may be used to control
unlimited different garage doors or gates, a task that present
typically requires a dedicated clicker for each garage door or gate
mechanism.
[0194] It will also be appreciated that a single power control unit
may be utilized with a plurality of smartphones. Thus, multiple
smartphones may be used to control the same garage door or gate, a
task that present typically requires a dedicated clicker for each
person wishing to control that garage door or gate mechanism.
[0195] FIG. 17 shows an example Product App 1400 running on
smartphone 20 using a peer-to-peer communications link with power
control unit 1300 to control a garage door installed in garage 70
in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure. When the user
touches the Product App icon on the touch sensitive graphical
screen 22 of smartphone 20, the smartphone's operating system
starts Product App 1400. The Product App activates the wireless
communications transceiver and control of smartphone 20, which
searches for any power control units in wireless range. Power
control unit 1300 in garage 70 responds with a message to
smartphone 20 that includes the name of the power control unit
which is displayed by the Product App at 1404. One option during
the configuration process is to allocate a name to the power
control unit so it can be easily identified by the user. This is
particularly useful for more complex arrangements where multiple
power control units are present.
[0196] Prior to being able to communicate with each other,
smartphone 20 and power control unit 1300 are paired using the
Wi-Fi Direct access point or group participant pairing procedure
according to specifications outlined by the Wi-Fi Alliance. This
only needs to be done once and then each time smartphone 20 is
within wireless range of power control unit 1300, smartphone 20 can
initiate a dialog using the exchange of serial data commands and
responses. After a peer-to-peer communications link has been
established, smartphone 20 can send commands to power control unit
1300 which, under the control of the system microcontroller 1304
and its firmware, will execute those commands.
[0197] Smartphone 20 may be configured to setup a wireless link
with a paired power control unit 1300, but the program data which
causes power control unit 1300 to execute one or more of its
functions is generated by the Product App. The Product App
determines the commands and responses smartphone 20 exchanges with
power control unit 1300.
[0198] The Product App is activated and controlled by the user
through the smartphone's touch sensitive graphics screen 22. The
Product App may be preloaded on a specific device, or could be
downloaded from an appropriate server through a wireless network,
Internet or computer.
[0199] Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, the Product App is designed to
translate a user's requests inputted by the user via the
smartphone's graphics screen 22 into specific commands that are
transferred to power control unit 1300 through the transmitter of
smartphone 20 to wireless communications transceiver and controller
1302 of power control unit 1300. Product App 1400 presents its
control interface as a combination of graphics and text on graphics
screen 22.
[0200] As shown in FIG. 17, Product App 1400 can display all power
control units the Product App has been configured to communicate
with in their own individual cells 1402, allowing the Product App
to function as a wireless interface for multiple power control
units. An icon or colored light 1406 provides a visually indication
if the Product App is able to communicate with a particular power
control unit in range. Touching the power control unit name 1404
causes Product App 1400 to establish an active peer-to-peer link
with the power control unit associated with that cell 1402. If a
peer-to-peer connection is successfully established, colored icon
1406 may display a new color to indicate an active peer-to-peer
connection with that particular power control unit. Touching button
1408 may send a command to power control unit 1300, causing it to
control garage door 70.
[0201] It will be appreciated that the steps described above may be
performed in a different order, varied, or certain steps added or
omitted entirely without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure. By way of example only, pressing button 1408 may cause
Product App 1400 to establish a peer-to-peer wireless link with the
power control unit associated with button 1408 and then send the
control data associated with button 1408 in a single sequence
rather than require a peer-to-peer communications link to have
already been established with associated power control unit prior
to pressing button 1408.
[0202] Having described the components of Power Control Unit 1300,
a method of use will now be described with reference to FIG. 18.
FIG. 18 is a flow diagram of a method 1500 that includes actions
taken by a user to discover and open communications with a power
control unit in accordance with the user's instructions. Such
actions are conveyed to a power control unit by touching the
available options presented by the Product App for that particular
power control unit. Referring to FIG. 18, in step 1502, the user
switches the smartphone ON and the smartphone operating system
displays a number of icons on its graphics screen. The user may
have to scroll or page the display to locate the icon for the
Product App depending on the smartphone operating system and user
preference. Once located, in step 1504 the user touches the Product
App icon and the Product App activates. In step 1506 the Product
App checks to see if the radio is active and if not, requests the
user to turn it on. In some implementations, the Product App may
automatically turn the radio on. Once on, the Product App in step
1508 scans its radio frequencies looking for power control units
within wireless communications range. If in step 1510 no power
control units are detected, the Product App proceeds to step 1512
and advises the user. In step 1514, if one or more power control
units are detected, the Product App will offer the user an option
to add and configure a new power control unit if the Product App
and a power control unit have not previously negotiated a
peer-to-peer link, or will otherwise update the status icon 1406 in
the power control unit cell 1402 (FIG. 17) to identify those power
control units that are within range to form a peer-to-peer
communications link for power control units that have previously
been configured in the Product App.
[0203] If the user selects one of the displayed power control units
with an icon indicating the power control unit is within range to
form a peer-to-peer communications link in step 1516, the Product
App in step 1518 will display any prerequisites for establishing a
peer-to-peer communications link between the smartphone and
selected power control unit, the correct completion of which will
establish a peer-to-peer link. Such prerequisites may include
passwords or other security measures that may be part of the
peer-to-peer standard or an additional security layer in the
Product App or power control unit. If the smartphone and power
control unit have previously established a peer-to-peer link,
protocols for establishing a new link may be automatically
exchanged and a link established on the user selecting their power
control unit at step 1516. If a communications link cannot be
successful established at step 1518 with a selected power control
unit, the Product App will inform the user that link could not be
established and Product App will then default to step 1508.
[0204] Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, if no power control unit is
selected at step 1516, the Product App will continue to display the
status icons 1406 of the power control units. The Product App may
continually poll, or poll intermittently, to update the status of
any paired power control units enabling the user to physical move
with the smartphone and have the status icons for each power
control unit dynamically update.
[0205] If at step 1518 a peer-to-peer communication link is
established, at step 1520 the Product App may update the product
cell 1402 with any specific function buttons or settings that the
power control unit may report back to the Product App. By way of
example only, this may include an open/close function button and
icons or messages identifying error situations or other conditions
or programmable parameters applicable to that particular power
control unit. If nothing has changed in the configuration or
operation parameters of the chosen power control unit since the
user last interacted with it, it may be that nothing changes
visually in the Product App cell for that unit.
[0206] In step 1522, if the user selects a particular function for
the active power control unit, the product App moves to step 1524
and transmits the function command to the power control unit. In
step 1526, the Product App checks for a response from the power
control unit and if it is not received, informs the user at step
1528 and waits for the next command. If the power control unit
confirms the function has been executed, the Product App in step
1530 advises the user that the function requested was executed and
then waits for the next command.
[0207] It will be appreciated that the steps described above may be
performed in a different order, varied, or certain steps added or
omitted entirely without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure. By way of example only, if only one power control unit
has been configured in the Product App, the Product App may
automatically establish a peer-to-peer link if the power control
unit is within wireless range. By way of another example only,
pressing button 1408 may cause Product App 1400 to establish a
peer-to-peer wireless link with the power control unit associated
with button 1408 and then send the control data associated with
button 1408 all in one series of steps rather than require a
peer-to-peer communications link to have already been established
with associated power control unit prior to pressing button
1408.
[0208] If at any stage the power control unit fails to perform any
functions as expected, the user could through the Product App cause
power control unit to run a self diagnostic and report any errors
or issues back to the Product App for the user to review. The
Product App could prepare a report for transmission to an external
party for the purposes of providing technical support directly from
the Product App or by using email, short message service, or any
other communications method supported by the smartphone. The power
control unit could also keep a record of when and by whom the power
control unit was activated which could be reported to the Product
App.
[0209] The Product App may include a voice recognition mode,
whereby the user speaks "open door" and the Product App processes
the voice command to establish a peer-to-peer communications link
with a power control unit associated with that voice command and
then sends an "open door" instruction to the power control unit. It
will be appreciated that the voice recognition and activation of a
power control unit could be integrated into separate software
applications or core services of an operating system allowing for
voice control of a power control unit by software or a core
component running broader services than is provided by the Product
App only.
[0210] It will be appreciated that the personal controller may be
omitted by incorporating certain control and program functions
directly into a microprocessor that is integrated into a vehicle
which could be controlled by a touch user interface, button, voice
activation and/or a combination thereof. Where a personal
controller is used, instead of, or in addition to a graphical user
interface, the personal controller may be configured with a
voice-activated system that inputs data according to the voice
commands of the user. The details associated with voice-activated
technology would be well understood by those of ordinary skill in
the art.
[0211] The features described with respect to one embodiment may be
applied to other embodiments, or combined with or interchanged with
the features of other embodiments, as appropriate, without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0212] Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to
those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification
and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein. It is intended
that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary
only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being
indicated by the following claims.
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