Patents Assigned to Redwood Systems, Inc.
  • Patent number: 9583979
    Abstract: A system comprises a fixture and a controller that is configured to power the fixture from an alternating current (AC) source and a direct current (DC) source. The controller is configured to automatically switch from powering the fixture from the DC source to powering the fixture from the AC source in response to a time of day. Related systems, methods and computer program products are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Covaro, Dave Leonard
  • Patent number: 9572228
    Abstract: Commissioning a lighting system is disclosed. A user can be provided with a pointing device capable of emitting or returning a signal which can be received by detectors co-located with each fixture in the lighting system. The user can add a fixture to a group by aiming the pointing device at the fixture when the fixture is not assigned to the group, and the user can remove a fixture from a group in the same way when the fixture was previously assigned to the group. Additional user gestures are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Henig, David Fowler, Deepak Nulu, David Leonard, Carl P. Zwanzig
  • Patent number: 9347834
    Abstract: Temperature monitoring systems for data centers include a plurality of ceiling-mounted infrared sensor arrays. Each infrared sensor array includes a two-dimensional array of infrared emission sensors, and at least some of the infrared emission sensors have field of view patterns that project onto aisle faces of equipment racks that are mounted in rows in the data center. These systems may further include a controller that is remote from at least some of the infrared sensor arrays and that is in communications with the infrared sensor arrays, the controller configured to provide a two-dimensional thermal map of the aisle faces of the equipment racks based at least in part on temperature data received from the infrared sensor arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Luc W. Adriaenssens, Stewart Findlater
  • Patent number: 8981913
    Abstract: Commissioning a lighting system is disclosed. A user can be provided with a pointing device capable of emitting or returning a signal which can be received by detectors co-located with each fixture in the lighting system. The user can add a fixture to a group by aiming the pointing device at the fixture when the fixture is not assigned to the group, and the user can remove a fixture from a group in the same way when the fixture was previously assigned to the group. Additional user gestures are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Henig, David Fowler, Deepak Nulu, David Leonard, Carl P. Zwanzig
  • Patent number: 8890679
    Abstract: A power device may include channels coupled to conductors in lines, where each one of the channels is coupled to a different one of the lines than the other channels and where the channels deliver direct current power signals over the conductors to the load devices. Each one of the load devices may be powered by a different one of the direct current power signals. The power device may include a power communicator that communicates with the load devices over the conductors that propagate the direct current power signals. The power communicator may determine a target power level for the load devices based on the communication over the conductors. The load device may adjust an amount of power in the direct current power signals in order to match the target power level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Covaro, Dave Leonard
  • Patent number: 8890663
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a circuit coupled to a line, where the circuit may power a device, and where the power is transmitted to the device over the line as a pulse-width modulated signal. The circuit may set a duty cycle of the pulse-width modulated signal in order to transmit a determined power level to the device. The apparatus may vary a frequency of the pulse-width modulated signal to transmit data to the device while the duty cycle of the pulse-width modulated signal is fixed in order to continue to transmit the determined power level to the device. A variation in the frequency of the pulse-width modulated signal may be detectable by the device and represents at least a portion of the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Covaro, Dave Leonard
  • Patent number: 8860324
    Abstract: A system and method for commissioning a lighting system is provided in which signals from light sensors are filtered in order to determine whether light is received from light fixtures in the lighting system or from external light sources. Alternatively or in addition, signals from light sensors may be filtered to determine the amount of light from external light sources. By filtering the signals from the light sensors, an identification of which light fixtures are colocated with which light sensors may be made even in the presence of light received from external light sources or light from multiple light fixtures in the lighting system. Physical locations of light fixtures and/or sensors may be determined based on detecting the amount of light received from external light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan M. Barrilleaux, Mark Covaro
  • Patent number: 8860316
    Abstract: A system and method for daylight harvesting and/or light management is provided in which a signal from a light sensor is filtered in order to determine the amount of light received from a light fixture in a lighting system and/or from an external light source, such as sunlight even if light is received from multiple light sources. By filtering the signals from the light sensor, an amount of light received from each light source may be determined, and correspondingly controlled to reach a target light level and/or a target balance of light from the multiple light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan M. Barrilleaux
  • Patent number: 8809788
    Abstract: A system to detect occupants is provided. The system may rotate the field of views of multiple sensors in order to scan an area. The system may scan the area multiple times. The system may determine the number of occupants in the area based on a comparison of a scan of the area with a scan of the area when the area is determined to be unoccupied. The system may determine the number of occupants in the area based on a maximum number of occupants detected by any of the sensors. The system may also determine a location of an object or an occupant from scans of the area obtained from multiple sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark Covaro
  • Patent number: 8759734
    Abstract: Systems and methods for spatial commissioning of a lighting system are provided. A determination of which sensors receive a light signal from one or more emitter devices may be made. Each one of the sensors and/or each one of the emitter devices may provide a direction of the light signal detected by a respective one of the sensors. The direction of the light signal detected by the respective one of the sensors may be detected. A sensor graph based on the direction of the light signal may be generated, where nodes of the sensor graph represent the sensors and/or the emitter devices. Each one of the sensors and/or the emitter devices may be mapped to a corresponding location in a site model based on the sensor graph and on the site model, where locations of the sensors and/or the emitter devices are indicated by the site model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan M. Barrilleaux
  • Patent number: 8729835
    Abstract: A lighting system for areal illumination is disclosed which may include a remote driver and a plurality of fixtures including luminaires. The luminaires may include a light source whose output light level can be adjusted, a light sensor co-located therewith adapted to measure light received from adjacent fixtures. The remote driver may provide power for the light sources of the luminaires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Henig, David Fowler, Jeremy Stieglitz, David Leonard, Mark Covaro
  • Patent number: 8710772
    Abstract: A lighting system for areal illumination is disclosed which includes a remote driver and a plurality of fixtures including luminaires, control devices, and/or standalone sensors. The luminaires include a light source whose output light level can be adjusted, a light sensor co-located therewith adapted to measure light received from adjacent fixtures, and a microcontroller capable of transmitting the output of the light sensor over wires to the remote driver. The remote driver is capable of bidirectional communication with the luminaires and provides independently controllable power for the light sources of the luminaires. A movable orb region containing luminaires can also be defined and the light levels of individual luminaires can be set according to their location within the orb region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Henig, David Fowler, Jeremy Stieglitz, David Leonard, Mark Covaro
  • Patent number: 8706310
    Abstract: A goal-based control system may be provided that controls lighting based on high-level management goals for the operation of a lighting system. The system may include a lighting system model. The system may convert the high-level management goals into low-level device control parameters that include a power level for each respective one of the light fixtures, where the system determines that a modeled operation of each respective one the light fixtures at the power level meets the management goals based on the lighting system model. The system may cause each respective one of the light fixtures to operate at the power level. The system may determine a likelihood of satisfying the management goals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan M. Barrilleaux
  • Patent number: 8706271
    Abstract: A system may communicate between a display device and a lighting system using light generated by the display device and a light sensor in the lighting system. A computing device and a building control system may communication over a wireless link. The building control system may determine that the computing device is co-located with a fixture in the building control system based on whether communication over the wireless link between the computing device and the building control system is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Covaro, David Leonard
  • Publication number: 20140088904
    Abstract: A system may be provided for limiting false detections of occupancy caused by air flow. The system may include control unit and sensors that detect motion in one or more areas, where the control unit and the sensors are connected by a network. The control unit may determine that the area or areas are unoccupied, and autotune parameters of the sensors so that the sensors indicate that the area or areas are unoccupied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: REDWOOD SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventor: Mark Covaro
  • Patent number: 8662734
    Abstract: A flexible multi-line conductor and multiple luminaire connectors may be provided. Each one of the luminaire connectors may be coupled to a corresponding luminaire and the flexible multi-line conductor. Each of the luminaire connectors may be moveable relative to each other. The flexible multi-line conductor may bend in response to movement of any of the luminaire connectors relative to each other. The flexible multi-line conductor may include multiple conductors. Each one of the luminaire connectors may couple a corresponding one of the luminaires to a different set of the conductors than the other luminaire connectors couple to the other luminaires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark Covaro
  • Publication number: 20130241699
    Abstract: A system for tracking rack-mount devices may be provided that may include a light fixture and a communication module. The light fixture may include one or more RFID readers and/or one or more antennas configured to read an RFID tag coupled to a rack-mount device. The rack-mount device may be mounted in any mounting position of a modular equipment rack. The communication module may cause a device identifier to be transmitted to a power device that powers the light fixture. The device identifier may identify the rack-mount device determined to be mounted in the modular equipment rack based on any of the RFID readers and/or any of the antennas reading the RFID tag.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: REDWOOD SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Mark Covaro, Dave Leonard
  • Patent number: 8538596
    Abstract: A lighting controller may optimize a timeout value of a lamp based on the goals of saving energy and providing occupant comfort. The lamp may illuminate a lighting area. The lighting controller may determine a false-negative rate for the lamp from sensor data that represents a frequency at which the lamp is timed out while the lighting area is occupied. The lighting controller may adjust the timeout value of the lamp over time so that the false-negative rate approaches a threshold false-negative rate. The false-negatives and occupancy periods may be detected from spikes in time distributions of motion data. The amount of energy that the lamp would consume at an increased timeout value of the lamp may be determined from motion data stored while the timeout value of the lamp is at an initial timeout value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Xin Gu, Kelvin Gu, Deepak Nulu
  • Publication number: 20130229268
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a circuit coupled to a line, where the circuit may power a device, and where the power is transmitted to the device over the line as a pulse-width modulated signal. The circuit may set a duty cycle of the pulse-width modulated signal in order to transmit a determined power level to the device. The apparatus may vary a frequency of the pulse-width modulated signal to transmit data to the device while the duty cycle of the pulse-width modulated signal is fixed in order to continue to transmit the determined power level to the device. A variation in the frequency of the pulse-width modulated signal may be detectable by the device and represents at least a portion of the data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2013
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: Redwood Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Covaro, Dave Leonard
  • Publication number: 20130221203
    Abstract: Systems and methods for spatial commissioning of a lighting system are provided. A determination of which sensors receive a light signal from one or more emitter devices may be made. Each one of the sensors and/or each one of the emitter devices may provide a direction of the light signal detected by a respective one of the sensors. The direction of the light signal detected by the respective one of the sensors may be detected. A sensor graph based on the direction of the light signal may be generated, where nodes of the sensor graph represent the sensors and/or the emitter devices. Each one of the sensors and/or the emitter devices may be mapped to a corresponding location in a site model based on the sensor graph and on the site model, where locations of the sensors and/or the emitter devices are indicated by the site model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: REDWOOD SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventor: Jonathan M. Barrilleaux