Light transmissions used for communication are extremely secure due to the fact that the light transmission is focused within a narrow beam, requiring placement of equipment within the beam itself to establish a communication link. Also, because light transmissions in the visible spectrum are not regulated by the FCC, light transmissions may be used for communications purposes without the need of a license. Light transmissions are also not susceptible to interference nor do they produce noise that may interfere with other devices.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) may be used as light sources for data transmission, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,879,263 and 7,046,160, the entire contents of each being expressly incorporated herein by reference. LED technology provides a practical opportunity to combine lighting and communication. This combination of lighting and communication allows ubiquitous light sources to be converted to, or supplemented with, LED technology to provide for communications while simultaneously producing light for illumination purposes.
Regarding office buildings, building management is a complex science which incorporates and governs all facets of human, mechanical and structural systems associated with buildings. As a result of the complexity, most commercial buildings are managed by commercial property management companies with great expertise. Both at the time of construction and throughout the life-cycle of a building, the interrelationships between people and the mechanical and structural systems are most desirably evaluated.
Another very important consideration associated with building management is energy management. Energy management is quite challenging to design into a building, because many human variables come into play within different areas within a building structure. Different occupants will have different preferences and habits. One occupant may require full illumination for that occupant to operate efficiently or safely within a space, while a second occupant might only require a small amount or local area of illumination. Further complicating the matter of energy management is the fact that many commercial establishments may experience rates based upon peak usage. A business with a large number of lights that are controlled with a common switch may have peak demands which are large as compared to total consumption of power, simply due to the amount of power that will rush into the circuit. Breaking the circuit into several switches may not adequately address inrush current, since a user may switch more than one switch at a time, such as by sliding a hand across several switches at once. Additionally, during momentary or short-term power outages, the start-up of electrical devices by the power company is known to cause many problems, sometimes harming either customer equipment or power company devices.
Energy management may also include consideration for differences in temperature preferred by different occupants or for different activities. Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) demand or need is dependent not only upon the desired temperature for a particular occupant, but also upon the number of occupants within a relatively limited space
With careful facility design, considerable electrical and thermal energy can be saved. Proper management of electrical resources affects every industry, including both tenants and building owners. In many instances facility design has been limited to selection of very simple or basic switches, and thermostats, and particular lights, all fixed at the time of design, construction or installation.
Modern communications systems interconnect various electrical, electro-mechanical, or electrically controlled apparatuses. These connections may be referred to as connections between client devices and host devices. Host devices are simply parts of a network that serve to host or enable communications between various client devices. Generally speaking, host devices are apparatuses that are dedicated to providing or enabling communications. Peer-to-peer networks may also exist wherein, at any given moment, a device may be either client or host. In such a network, when the device is providing communication, data, information or services, it may be referred to as the host, and when the same device is requesting information, it may be referred to as the client.
Client devices may commonly include computing devices of all sorts, ranging from hand-held devices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to massive mainframe computers, and including Personal Computers (PCs). However, over time many more devices have been enabled for connection to network hosts, including for exemplary purposes printers, network storage devices, cameras, other security and safety devices, appliances, HVAC systems, manufacturing machinery, smart phones, mobile applications and so forth. Essentially, any device which incorporates or can be made to incorporate sufficient electronic circuitry may be so linked as a client to a host.
Most current communications systems rely upon wires and/or radio waves to link clients and hosts. Existing client devices are frequently designed to connect to host network access points through wired connections, fiber optic connections, or as wireless connections, such as wireless routers or wireless access points.
Buildings frequently incorporate wireless networks which are subject to a number of limitations. One of these is the lack of specific localization of a signal and device. For exemplary purposes, even a weak Radio-Frequency (RF) transceiver, in order to communicate reliably with all devices within a room, will have a signal pattern that will undoubtedly cross into adjacent rooms. When many rooms are to be covered by different transceivers, signal overlap between transceivers requires more complex communications systems, including incorporating techniques such as access control and device selection based upon identification. Radio frequency systems are subject to outside tapping and corruption, since containment of the signal is practically impossible for most buildings.
In addition to data communications, buildings and other spaces may also have a number of needs including, for exemplary illumination, fire and smoke detection, temperature control, and public address to name a few. With regard to illumination, buildings and other spaces are designed with a particular number and placement of particular types of light bulbs. Most designers incorporate incandescent or fluorescent bulbs to provide a desirable illumination within a space. The number and placement of these bulbs is most commonly based upon the intended use of the space.
The art referred to and/or described above is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is “prior art” with respect to this invention. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 C.F.R. § 1.56(a) exists.
All U.S. patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention, a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below. A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. § 1.72.