Replaceable lighting unit with adjustable output intensity and optional capability for reporting usage information, and method of operating same

{
  "publication_number": "US2011101868A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Replaceable lighting unit with adjustable output intensity and optional capability for reporting usage information, and method of operating same",
  "abstract": "A lighting unit includes a power supply, a light source, a controller, and an output intensity adjustment mechanism. The adjustment mechanism is configured to allow a user to set an output intensity of a plurality of non-zero intensities generatable by the light source. The controller is operable to control a supply of electrical power from the power supply to the light source such that the light source illuminates in accordance with the intensity set by the user. The lighting unit is also operable to optionally report usage information for the lighting unit (e.g., cumulative on time) using the light source to produce a visually undetectable information signal. The controller is further optionally operable to adjust (e.g., increase) the electrical power supplied to the light source when the cumulative on time for the light source corresponds to a point on a lumen depreciation curve indicating a reduction in light source intensity.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A self-contained, replaceable lighting unit with user-settable output intensity designed for use in a light fixture, the lighting unit comprising: a power supply; a light source; an output intensity adjustment mechanism configured to allow a user to set an output intensity of a plurality of non-zero output intensities generatable by the light source; and a controller operably coupled to the power supply, the light source and the output intensity adjustment mechanism, the controller operable to control a supply of electrical power from the power supply to the light source such that the light source illuminates in accordance with the output intensity set by the user. 2. The lighting unit of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises at least one light emitting diode (LED). 3. The lighting unit of claim 2, wherein the at least one LED further includes at least one lens, the lighting unit further comprising: at least one light-concentrating member positioned in substantial registry with the at least one LED and defining at least one receiving recess, the at least one receiving recess receiving the at least one lens of the at least one LED; at least a first printed circuit board supporting at least the controller; a second printed circuit board supporting the at least one LED and being separated from the at least a first printed circuit board, the second printed circuit board defining a wire pass-through aperture and including a set of solder pads; a set of wires electrically connecting the at least a first printed circuit board and the set of solder pads, the set of wires passing through the wire pass-through aperture and being soldered to the solder pads, the solder pads being electrically coupled to the at least one LED; and a non-metallic shield member secured to the second printed circuit board and positioned between the second printed circuit board and the at least one light-concentrating member, the shield member defining a cavity that encloses the set of wires and the set of solder pads. 4. The lighting unit of claim 3, wherein the shield member has a UL 94-V5 fire rating. 5. The lighting unit of claim 4, wherein the lighting unit has a UL 94-V5 fire rating. 6. The lighting unit of claim 3, wherein the shield member further defines at least one LED lens aperture and wherein the at least one LED lens aperture is substantially in registry with the at least one receiving recess of the at least one light-concentrating member such that the at least one lens of the at least one LED passes through the at least one lens aperture of the shield member and into the at least one receiving recess of the at least one light-concentrating member. 7. The lighting unit of claim 2, further comprising: a timer coupled to the controller and operable to determine an amount of time that the at least one LED has been illuminated; a memory coupled to the controller and operable to store a value representing a cumulative amount of time that the at least one LED has been illuminated and at least one lumen depreciation curve indicating an estimated variation in output intensity of the at least one LED over time; wherein the controller is further operable to: adjust the supply of electrical power from the power supply to the at least one LED based on the stored value representing the cumulative amount of time that the at least one LED has been illuminated and the at least one lumen depreciation curve. 8. The lighting unit of claim 7, wherein the controller is operable to adjust the supply of electrical power to the at least one LED by increasing the supply of electrical power when the stored value representing the cumulative amount of time that the at least one LED has been illuminated corresponds to a point on the at least one lumen depreciation curve indicating that an output intensity of the at least one LED has decreased. 9 - 11. (canceled) 12. The lighting unit of claim 1, further comprising: a timer coupled to the controller and operable to determine an amount of time that the light source has been illuminated; a memory coupled to the controller and operable to store a value representing a cumulative amount of time that the light source has been illuminated and at least one lumen depreciation curve indicating an estimated variation in output intensity of the light source over time; wherein the controller is further operable to: adjust the supply of electrical power from the power supply to the light source based on the stored value representing the cumulative amount of time that the light source has been illuminated and the at least one lumen depreciation curve. 13. The lighting unit of claim 12, wherein the controller is operable to adjust the supply of electrical power to the light source by increasing the supply of electrical power when the stored value representing the cumulative amount of time that the light source has been illuminated corresponds to a point on the at least one lumen depreciation curve indicating that an output intensity of the light source has decreased. 14. The lighting unit of claim 1, wherein the output intensity adjustment mechanism comprises at least one magnetic field source and at least one magnetic field detector, wherein the controller is operably coupled to the at least one magnetic field detector, and wherein the controller is operable to control the supply of electrical power from the power supply to the light source such that the light source illuminates in accordance with the output intensity set by the user based on detection of at least one magnetic field by the at least one magnetic field detector. 15. The lighting unit of claim 14, wherein the at least one magnetic field source comprises at least one magnet. 16. The lighting unit of claim 15, further comprising: at least one printed circuit board supporting the power supply, the controller, and the at least one magnetic field detector; a hollow, generally cylindrical base member defining, in an outer surface thereof, at least one channel extending along at least a portion of a length of the base member, the at least one channel terminating at one end in at least one wall defining at least one wall aperture; a support plate; at least one magnetizable fastener insertable through the at least one wall aperture for fastening at least the base member to the support plate; and a generally circular ring member including at least one socket projecting toward a center of a circle defined by the ring member, the at least one socket being configured to fit within the at least one channel of the base member and defining a recess for retaining the at least one magnet, wherein the at least one magnetic field detector is positioned on the at least one printed circuit board so as to be proximate the at least one fastener when the at least one fastener is fastened to the support plate, and wherein positioning of the ring member about the base member such that the at least one socket resides within the at least one channel and is in contact with the at least one fastener magnetizes the at least one fastener to produce the at least one magnetic field detectable by the at least one magnetic field detector. 17. The lighting unit of claim 14, wherein the at least one magnetic field detector comprises at least one Hall effect sensor. 18. The lighting unit of claim 1, further comprising: a timer coupled to the controller and operable to determine an amount of time that the light source has been illuminated; and a memory coupled to the controller and operable to store a value representing a cumulative amount of time that the light source has been illuminated; wherein the controller is further operable to: update the value stored in the memory based on the amount of time determined by the timer; determine whether a reporting time interval has arrived, and when the reporting time interval has arrived, modulate the supply of electrical power from the power supply to the light source so as to cause the light source to optically communicate an information signal therefrom, the information signal including the value stored in the memory and being visually undetectable by the user. 19. The lighting unit of claim 18, wherein the controller is operable to determine whether a reporting time interval has arrived based on whether the value stored in the memory is greater than or equal to a threshold. 20. The lighting unit of claim 18, wherein the controller is operable to periodically determine reporting time intervals. 21. A self-contained, replaceable lighting unit with user-settable output intensity designed for use in a light fixture, the lighting unit comprising: a power supply; a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), each LED including a lens; a light concentrating lens element defining a plurality of generally conical light-concentrating members, each light-concentrating member being positioned in substantial registry with a corresponding LED and defining a receiving recess, the receiving recess receiving the lens of the corresponding LED; a hollow, generally cylindrical base member defining, in an outer surface thereof, at least one channel extending along at least a portion of a length of the base member, the at least one channel terminating at one end in at least one wall defining at least one wall aperture; a support plate; at least one magnetizable fastener insertable through the at least one wall aperture for fastening at least the base member to the support plate; a generally circular ring member including at least one socket projecting toward a center of a circle defined by the ring member, the at least one socket being configured to fit within the at least one channel of the base member and defining a recess for retaining at least one magnet, the ring member being positionable about the base member such that the at least one socket resides within the at least one channel and is in contact with the at least one fastener, wherein contact between the at least one magnet and the at least one fastener magnetizes the at least one fastener to produce at least one magnetic field; at least one magnetic field detector positioned proximate the at least one fastener when the at least one fastener is fastened to the support plate; and a controller operably coupled to the power supply, the plurality of LEDs and the at least one magnetic field detector, the controller operable to: determine an output intensity setting for the lighting unit based on whether the at least one magnetic field is detected by the at least one magnetic field detector, and control a supply of electrical power from the power supply to the plurality of LEDs such that the plurality of LEDs illuminate in accordance with the output intensity setting. 22. The lighting unit of claim 21, further comprising: at least a first printed circuit board supporting at least the controller; a second printed circuit board supporting the plurality of LEDs and being separated from the at least a first printed circuit board, the second printed circuit board defining a wire pass-through aperture and including a set of solder pads; a set of wires electrically connecting the at least a first printed circuit board and the set of solder pads, the set of wires passing through the wire pass-through aperture and being soldered to the solder pads, the solder pads being electrically coupled to the plurality of LEDs; and a fire-retardant, non-metallic shield member secured to the second printed circuit board and positioned between the second printed circuit board and the light concentrating lens element, the shield member defining a cavity that substantially encloses the set of wires and the set of solder pads, the shield member further defining a plurality of LED lens apertures, each LED lens aperture being substantially in registry with a respective receiving recess of the plurality of light-concentrating members such that the lens of an LED passes through a lens aperture of the shield member and into a respective receiving recess of a light-concentrating member. 23. (canceled) 24. A method for a lighting unit to optically report usage information from a light source of the lighting unit, the method comprising: determining a cumulative amount of time that the light source has been illuminated; determining whether a reporting time interval has arrived; and when a reporting time interval has arrived, using the light source to generate an optical, visually undetectable information signal that includes a value representing the cumulative amount of time that the light source has been illuminated. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of determining whether a reporting time interval has arrived comprises: determining whether a reporting time interval has arrived based on whether the cumulative amount of time that the light source has been illuminated is greater than or equal to a threshold. 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of determining whether a reporting time interval has arrived comprises: determining whether a predetermined amount of time has passed since a previous reporting time interval. 27. A method for maintaining an output intensity for a lighting unit utilizing a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), the method comprising: storing at least one lumen depreciation curve for the plurality of LEDs, the at least one lumen depreciation curve indicating an estimated variation in output intensity of the plurality of LEDs over time; determining a cumulative amount of time that the plurality of LEDs have been illuminated; and adjusting a supply of electrical power to the plurality of LEDs based on the cumulative amount of time that the plurality of LEDs have been illuminated and the at least one lumen depreciation curve. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of adjusting a supply of electrical power to the plurality of LEDs comprises: increasing the supply of electrical power to the plurality of LEDs when the cumulative amount of time that the plurality of LEDs have been illuminated corresponds to a point on the at least one lumen depreciation curve indicating that an output intensity of the plurality of LEDs has decreased."
  ],
  "cpc": [
    "H05B 47/175"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "WEISS WILLIAM J"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2009-11-03",
  "publication_date": "2011-05-05",
  "priority_date": "2009-11-03",
  "application_number": "US-61170309-A",
  "family_id": "43924658",
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}