METHOD OF PROVIDING LUMENS AND TRACKING OF LUMEN CONSUMPTION

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for compensating an LED light fixture/light source provider for generation of photons by one or more LED light fixtures used by a customer. In one example, a method comprises receiving a monetary amount as compensation for photons generated by the LED light fixtures/light sources, maintaining a contractual relationship with the customer in exchange for the monetary amount, the contractual relationship including a requirement that the provider pay an electricity supplier for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources, determining, with a meter associated with each respective LED light fixture/light source, the amount of electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources used by the customer over a period of time, and in response to the determination and on behalf of the customer, submitting payment to the customer's electricity supplier for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources used by the customer.

Claims

1. An optical data communication method from at least one optical transceiver, the method comprising: providing at least one optical transceiver, said at least one optical transceiver having a plurality of light emitting diodes and at least one photodetector, the plurality of light emitting diodes generating photons of light for a period of time providing illumination measured in lumens, said illumination comprising a plurality of flashes of illumination, said flashes of illumination not being observable to an individual, said at least one optical transceiver comprising at least one processor, said at least one processor being in communication with said plurality of light emitting diodes and said at least one photodetector, said processor regulating said flashes of illumination embedding and communicating information or data within said illumination, said processor having memory, said memory storing at least one optical transceiver identifier and at least one of a required lumen emission level and a required lumen emission color; using an electric meter to measure electricity entering said at least one optical transceiver over said period of time and storing said measured electricity in said memory; using a light meter to measure said photons of light exiting said at least one optical transceiver over said period of time as at least one of an existing lumen emission level and an existing lumen emission color and storing in said memory at least one of said existing lumen emission level and said existing lumen emission color; automatically comparing at said at least one processor at least one of said existing lumen emission level to said required lumen emission level and said existing lumen emission color to said required lumen emission color, said at least one processor automatically adjusting a driver circuit in said at least one optical transceiver to at least one of adjusting said electricity being provided to said plurality of light emitting diodes to obtain said required lumen emission level for said period of time and adjusting said electricity being provided to said plurality of light emitting diodes to obtain said required lumen emission color for said period of time; storing in said memory said measured adjusted electricity provided to said at least one optical transceiver to at obtain at least one of said required lumen emission level for said period of time and said required lumen emission color for said period of time; and assigning to said measured electricity or to said measured adjusted electricity said at least one optical transceiver identifier; and including said measured electricity and said at least one optical transceiver identifier and said measured adjusted electricity and said at least one optical transceiver identifier in said information and data and transmitting said information and data for receipt by a second optical transceiver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating said measured electricity and said measured adjusted electricity to a computing device on a weekly basis.

3. The method claim 1, further comprising communicating said measured electricity and said measured adjusted electricity to a computing device, said communication comprising a unique identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, said unique identifier comprising global positioning system information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating said measured electricity and said measured adjusted electricity to a computing device following receipt of a request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying the total amount of said measured electricity and said measured adjusted electricity associated with each of said at least one optical transceivers, and an amount of said lumens generated by each of said at least one optical transceivers over said period of time.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising retrieving said measured electricity and said measured adjusted electricity provided to each of said at least one optical transceivers from said memory according to a communication schedule.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising retrieving said measured electricity said measured adjusted electricity provided to each of said at least one optical transceivers from said memory automatically.

9. An optical data communication method of tracking lumen generation from at least one LED light fixture used by a customer, the method comprising: providing at least one LED light fixture, generating photons of light for a period of time, said photons of light comprising information or data; using a first meter to measure the electricity entering the at least one LED light fixture over a period of time and storing the measured amount of electricity entering the at least one LED light fixture over the period of time in memory on at least one processor; measuring the photons of light exiting the at least one LED light fixture over the period of time with a second meter and storing in said memory the measured photons of light exiting the at least one LED light fixture over the period of time on the at least one processor; automatically comparing at the at least one processor the measured amount of photons of light at each of the at least one LED light fixture for the period of time to data representative of a desired lumen emission level, wherein the at least one processor automatically adjusts the electricity to be provided to each of the at least one LED light fixture to achieve the desired lumen emission level; storing in said memory the adjusted electricity provided to each of the at least one LED light fixture for the period of time to achieve the desired lumen emission level; assigning a LED light fixture identifier to the LED light fixture; communicating the measured electricity and the adjusted electricity provided to each of the at least one LED light fixture for the period of time to a computing device; and wherein the at least one LED light fixture transmits observable light, the observable light including pulsed light embedded communication or data signals, the embedded communication or data signals not being detectable by ordinary observation by an individual.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising communicating the metered amount of electricity to the computing device on a weekly basis.

11. The method claim 9, further comprising communicating the metered amount of electricity to the computing device, the communication comprising a unique identifier.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the unique identifier comprises global positioning system information.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising communicating the metered amount of electricity to the computing device upon request.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising: identifying the total amount of electricity associated with each respective light emitting diode light fixture, and the amount of lumens generated by the LED light fixture over a period of time.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: increasing an amount of current applied to at least one LED of the LED light fixture if the summed total amount of lumens generated by the at least one LED light fixture is determined to be below a pre-determined level.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising retrieving the metered electricity and the adjusted electricity provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture from the memory of the at least one processor according to a communication schedule.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising retrieving the metered electricity and the adjusted electricity provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture from the memory of the at least one processor automatically without user intervention.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one example communication system that may be used with the techniques of this disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example LED light fixture that may be used with the techniques of this disclosure.

[0042] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example metering configuration for an LED light fixture, in accordance with various technique of this disclosure.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example LED light fixture agreement between a customer and a licensor.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of compensating an LED light fixture provider for generation of photons by one or more LED light fixtures used by a customer.

[0045] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example system for compensating an LED light fixture provider for generation of photons by one or more LED light fixtures used by a customer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one example communication system that may be used with the techniques of this disclosure. The communication system in FIG. 1, shown generally at 10, includes a server computer 12 connected to a server optical transceiver (XCVR) 14, e.g., via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable or the like, and a client computer 16 connected to a client optical transceiver 18, e.g., via a USB cable or the like, that generates pulsed light signals for pulsed light communication. Server 12 is in communication with network 20 via a Category (CAT) 5 cable, CAT-6 cable, or the like, for example.

[0047] Server optical XCVR 14 and client optical XCVR 18 are substantially similar in at least one example and, as such, will be described together for purposes of conciseness. Optical XCVRs 14, 18 may include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 22 for transmission of light and one or more photodetectors 24 for receiving transmitted light. LEDs and photodetectors are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and, as such, their specific operation will not be described in detail. The term photodetector includes photodiodes and all other devices capable of converting light into current or voltage. The terms photodetector and photodiode are used interchangeably throughout this disclosure. The use of the term photodiode is not intended to restrict embodiments of the invention from using alternative photodetectors that are not specifically mentioned herein.

[0048] In at least one example, the XCVR circuit may include an RS232 to USB conversion module. The transmit pin on the USB conversion module drives the driver electronics for the LEDs. In some embodiments, the XCVR circuit includes high intensity LEDs. In some embodiments it may be desirable to use high intensity LEDs to enhance lighting, to improve data transmission, or both. In at least one embodiment, a 12 volt direct current (DC), 3 amp power supply is sufficient for powering an array of high intensity LEDs.

[0049] In some embodiments, the XCVR circuit further includes an amplifier for amplifying the optical signal received by the photodiode. The output of the amplifier may be fed into level shifting circuitry to raise the signal to TTL levels, for example. The signal is then fed into the receive pin of the RS232 to USB module.

[0050] In one example, an alternating current (AC) source such as a line voltage, e.g., 120 Volt (V) provided by an electricity supplier, e.g., power company, can supply power to the XCVR circuit. In some embodiments, a 9V battery can be used to power the amplifier circuitry. Significant noise is generated by switching high brightness LEDs on and off, e.g., at 200 milliamps (mA) and 500 kilobits per second (kbps). Powering the amplifier with a battery can reduce these noise problems by reducing or removing transients.

[0051] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the LED can both emit and receive light. In such an embodiment, the LED can act both as a transmitter or receiver, i.e., a transceiver (XCVR). More information on such bi-directional LEDs can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,072,587, the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0052] In at least one embodiment, the optical XCVRs, or circuitry attached thereto, include modulation circuitry for modulating a carrier signal with the optical signal. Modulation can be used to eliminate bias conditions caused by sunlight or other interfering light sources. Digital modulation can be accomplished by using phase-shift keying, amplitude-shift keying, frequency-shift keying, quadrature modulation, or any other digital modulation technique known by those of ordinary skill. Similarly, such XCVRs can include demodulation circuitry that extracts the data from the received signal. Modulation and demodulation techniques for modulating light signals are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,245,681, and 6,137,613, the entire contents of each being expressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0053] It may be desirable in some embodiments to further include filters or filter circuitry to prevent unwanted light from being amplified. For example, the optical baseband signal can be modulated at 100 kHz and then transmitted. The XCVR that receives the 100 kHz modulated signal can include a filter stage centered at 100 kHz. The filtered 100 kHz signal can then be input into the amplifier circuitry, thereby preventing amplification of unwanted signals. In some embodiments, it can be desirable to amplify the transmitted signal first, and then filter out the baseband signal.

[0054] Additional information regarding data communication can be found in International Publication Number WO 99/49435, the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0055] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example LED light fixture that may be used with the techniques of this disclosure. LED light fixture 26 is configured to generate and receive pulsed light signals for pulsed light communication. Power and data applied to LED light fixture 26 is converted and transmitted as observable light, which includes pulsed light embedded communication/data signals that, in turn, are received by a transceiver (not shown) in communication with a computing device, for example. The transceiver receives and processes the pulsed light photons/lumens transmitted by LED light fixture 26, which includes embedded communication/data signals as carried by the observed light. The embedded communication signals within the observed light are not detectable by ordinary observation by an individual.

[0056] LED light fixture 26 of FIG. 2 includes, for example, photodetectors 24 for converting received light into an electrical signal, e.g., current, and amplifier circuitry 28 that amplifies the electrical signal. The received light may be received from a LED light dongle communication system connected to a client computer, for example, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0320200 to Pederson et al., the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0057] Processor 30 receives a digitized version of the electric signal via an analog-to-digital converter (ADC)(not shown), generates data packets from the digitized signal, e.g., Ethernet data packets, encapsulates the data packets with appropriate header information and the like, and transmits the data packets to another computer device, e.g., laptop computer, desktop computer, and the like, via connector 32. LED fixture 26 may, for example, use broadband over power line (BPL) techniques to transmit the data packets, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0129782 to John C. Pederson, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0058] The term processor as used herein refers to a processor, controller, microprocessor, microcontroller, or any other device that can execute instructions, perform arithmetic and logic functions, access and write to memory, interface with peripheral devices, etc. Processor 30 may take the form of one or more microprocessors, controllers, ASICS, FPGAs, DSPs, or equivalent discrete or integrated logic circuitry. The functions attributed to processor 30 in this disclosure may be embodied as software, firmware, hardware or any combination thereof.

[0059] LED light fixture 26 of FIG. 2 further includes LEDs 22 and driver circuitry 34 for transmitting received data, e.g., Ethernet data packets, to client computer 16 of FIG. 1, for example, as light signals. Processor 30 receives data packets via connector 32, e.g., using BPL techniques, and decapsulates the data packets. Processor 30 controls a digital-to-analog converter (DAC)(not shown) and driver circuitry 34 to drive LEDs 22 with an analog signal that represents the received data, thereby generating light signals carrying embedded data.

[0060] LED light fixture 26 further includes power supply circuitry 36. As one example, LED light fixture 26 may receive AC line power, e.g., 120 V, and power supply circuitry 36 may include power converter circuitry to convert the line voltage to a direct current (DC) voltage that powers LED light fixture 26.

[0061] In some examples, LED light fixture 26 further includes identification (ID) module 38. ID module 38 may include global positioning system (GPS) capabilities and/or an identification number, which processor 30 uses to generate a unique identifier for each LED light fixture to assist in the recording of data as measured by individual meters (FIG. 3). In some examples, each LED light fixture 26 may include a unique media access control (MAC) address that can serve as the fixture's unique identifier. In at least one example, LED light fixture 26 may transmit longitude, latitude, elevation and other GPS information, e.g., as a 20-digit number, either at regular or irregular intervals. In one example, the identification number associated with the LED light fixture may also emanate at regular or irregular intervals. ID module 38 provides each LED light fixture 26 with a unique identifier, which assists in the tracking and recording of usage data as measured by individual meters associated with each LED light fixture 26, as described in more detail below.

[0062] As described in more detail below, each LED light fixture is associated with a meter that measures an amount of electricity used by the LED light fixture. Processor 30 of LED light fixture 26, via ID module 38, generates a unique identifier using a unique identification number and/or GPS location, associates the measured amount of electricity with the unique identifier, and transmits a light signal comprising data representing the associated measured amount of electricity and unique identifier.

[0063] In one example, a customer using one or more LED light fixtures 26 has an account with an LED light fixture licensor (or simply licensor). Using the techniques of this disclosure, the amount of electricity used to generate photons by LED light fixture 26 can be tracked, quantified, and reported for billing purposes. The transmitted light signal comprising data representing the associated measured amount of electricity and unique identifier can be received, recorded, and assigned to a customer account for recording, processing, and summation, so that a billed expense may be issued by the licensor to the customer, as described in more detail below.

[0064] In one example, processor 30 may transmit data including a customer account number and/or customer location number specific to a property or address or floor in situations where the customer has more than one property, address locations, and/or floors. In some examples, in a manner similar to a premise having multiple phone lines, a customer location may have multiple identification numbers that are assigned to floors, or departments on a floor, where a main number is assigned as having a main account number for the customer.

[0065] It should be noted that LED light fixtures 26 may be mobile or stationary. Even if mobile, the unique identifier associated with each LED light fixture assists in the recording of data as measured by individual meters (FIG. 3).

[0066] The costs associated with the use of the LED light fixture and embedded communication/data transmission signals may be less than, and represent a cost savings, as compared to the utilization of traditional types of illumination sources. In at least one example configuration, the embedded communication data transmission signals incorporate security features that may operate in a manner similar to encryption to provide security for the embedded communication data transmission signals.

[0067] As described in more detail below, in accordance with various techniques of this disclosure, a provider of LED light fixtures 26 can track and/or quantitatively measure the photons generated by LED light fixtures 26 that provider 44 supplied to a customer. In addition, and in accordance with various techniques of disclosure, the provider has inserted itself between the customer and power company, thereby allowing the provider to generate a revenue stream for the provider based on the tracked and/or quantitatively measured photon generation.

[0068] Additional information and details regarding LED light communication systems can be found in the following references, the entire contents of each being expressly incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0310850; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0320200; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0129782; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0317475; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0003832; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0292320.

[0069] It should be noted that although various techniques of this disclosure are described with respect to LED light fixture 26, the disclosure is not limited to fixtures. Rather, various techniques of this disclosure may be used in conjunction with any LED light source, e.g., LED lamp and the like. For example, an LED light source, e.g., LED lamp, may include one or more components described above with respect to LED light fixture 26.

[0070] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example metering configuration for an LED light fixture, in accordance with various techniques of this disclosure. As seen in the example configuration depicted in FIG. 3, both the line-in side (from the electricity supplier, e.g., power company) and line-out side of LED light fixture 26 may include a meter. In particular, FIG. 3 depicts meter 40A receiving power (e.g., AC line power from a power company, or DC power). Meter 40A measures the amount of current drawn by LED light fixture 26 and the voltage at which the current is drawn. Hence, meter 40A may be considered a power meter, or may be considered to perform a power metering function. Meter 40A transmits the measured current and voltage to LED fixture 26 and, in particular, processor 30 of LED fixture 26 as power consumption data. Processor 30 of fixture 26 then associates the received power consumption data with the unique identifier of fixture 26 and either stores the data in memory, e.g., FLASH RAM or the like (not depicted), or transmits the associated data, as described above. In this manner, the amount of electricity used by LED light fixture 26 to generate photons and/or visible light can be tracked, quantified, and reported for billing purposes. Meter 40A provides a sub-metering function that allows the electrical consumption of each LED light fixture 26 to be determined.

[0071] The measurement of the visible light and/or photons may be in any quantitative measurement per given period of time as opposed to hour increments. The measurement of the photons generated may be referred to photons per hour or photons per some other period of time.

[0072] In some configurations, meter 40B is provided. Optional meter 40B measures the luminosity (or quality of the luminosity) of LED light fixture 26, by measuring the amount of lumens produced by LED light fixture 26. In particular, meter 40B receives light emitted from the LEDs of fixture 26, shown generally at 41 in FIG. 3, meter 40B determines the luminosity of light 41 emitted from the LEDs of fixture 26 (and, in some examples, the color of light 41 for color correction purposes), and meter 40B transmits the determined luminosity to LED fixture 26, and, in particular, processor 30 of LED fixture 26 or to computing device 42 (which will transmit the determined luminosity to LED fixture 26). Upon receiving the determined luminosity from meter 40B, processor 30 of LED light fixture 26 retrieves from a memory device in fixture 26 (not depicted) a luminosity value, e.g., pre-configured value stored in the memory device, and compares the luminosity value measured by meter 40B to the value retrieved from memory. Meter 40B may be considered a light (or lumen) meter, or may be considered to perform a light (or lumen) metering function.

[0073] If processor 30 determines that the luminosity value as measured by meter 40B is less than the value retrieved from the memory device, processor 30 controls driver circuitry 34 of fixture 26 to increase the amount of current applied to LEDs 22, thereby increasing the amount of light output from LEDs 22 which, in turn, increases the luminosity of LED light fixture 26. For instance, an agreement between the LED light fixture customer and the LED light fixture provider, e.g., agreement 72A of FIG. 6, may include a provision that the provider, e.g., provider 44 of FIG. 6, agrees to provide an amount of lumens or luminosity to the customer, e.g., customer 46A of FIG. 6, for an agreed upon price over an agreed upon time period. As LEDs 22 of fixture 26 degrade over time from use and produce less light (in response to a particular applied current level), processor 30 of fixture 26 controls driver circuitry 34 to increase the amount of current applied to LEDs 22 in order to provide the agreed upon amount of lumens or luminosity. In this manner, meter 40B aids in calibrating LED light fixture 26 so that the fixture is in compliance with the agreement between the customer and the provider.

[0074] Of course, as more current is applied to LEDs 22, meter 40A measures an increase in power consumption by fixture 26. As fixture 26 ages and requires more power to produce a given lumen output, the profit to the provider is reduced because the amount of money that the customer pays the provider for a given lumen output is independent of how much electricity is required to produce that given output. The electrical cost paid by the provider to the electricity supplier and the provided lumen output are predetermined.

[0075] In one example, processor 30 of LED light fixture 26 controls driver circuitry to increase the amount of current applied to LEDs 22 based on values stored in a memory device in LED light fixture 26. For example, a data structure, e.g., table, stored in the memory device may associate a set of luminosity values with a set of current values to be applied to LEDs. Processor 30 accesses the data structure, compares the measured luminosity value from meter 40B with the stored set of luminosity values, and retrieves a current value associated with that luminosity value (or a value close to it) from the stored set of current values. Then, processor 30 controls driver circuitry 34 to apply the retrieved current value to LEDs 22.

[0076] In some examples, a master computer, e.g., computing device 42, may query one or more of LED light fixtures 26 in order to retrieve the stored luminosity information and/or power consumption information. If appropriate, the master computer controls processor 30 of LED light fixture 26 to adjust its light output.

[0077] In some configurations, only the line-in side meter 40A is used. It should be noted that in some example configurations, meters 40A, 40B are integral with LED light fixture 26 such that meters 40A, meter 40B (if present), and LED light fixture form a single unit. In one example configuration, meters 40A, 40B are separate components that are external to and in communication with LED light fixture 26. In some examples, the LED light fixture provider (provider 44 of FIG. 4) maintains the line-in side meter 40A.

[0078] The power entering LED light fixture 26 is converted by LED light fixture 26 into observable light, which includes pulsed light embedded communication/data signals. The light, in turn, is received by another transceiver that processes the pulsed light photons/lumens to process and communicate the embedded communication/data signals as carried by the observed light. The embedded communication signals within the observed light are not detectable by ordinary observation by an individual.

[0079] FIG. 3 further depicts computing device 42. Computing device 42 is any device capable of communicating with meters 40 and storing and processing data related to the amount of electricity used by LED light fixture 26 to generate photons and/or visible light. Accordingly, computing device 42 includes, for example, one or more processors, memory for storing instructions executable by the one or more processors as well as data, and communication functionality. In one example, computing device 42 may be remotely located at the LED light fixture provider's premises and owned and operated by the provider. In another example, computing device 42 may be positioned on the customer's site and either owned and operator by the provider or owned and operated by the customer.

[0080] In at least one example configuration, an LED light fixture customer has an account with the LED light fixture provider. For each LED light fixture 26, processor 30 transmits data packets comprising the electricity usage measured by meter 40A (and if present, the lumens measured by meter 40B), and the unique identifier for the LED light fixture. Processor 30 may execute instructions, without user intervention, that cause processor 30 to periodically transmit the data packets comprising the electricity usage measured by meter 40A (and if present, the lumens measured by meter 40B) and the unique identifier for the LED light fixture, e.g., daily, weekly, bi-weekly. Or, in some examples, processor 30 may execute instructions, without user intervention, that cause processor 30 to almost continuously transmit the data packets comprising the electricity usage measured by meter 40A (and if present, the lumens measured by meter 40B) and the unique identifier for the LED light fixture, e.g., once per minute, every other minute, every five minutes, or some other small time interval. In other examples, processor 30 may respond to a user request, e.g., via computing device 42, and execute instructions that cause processor 30 to transmit the data packets comprising the electricity usage measured by meter 40A (and if present, the lumens measured by meter 40B) and the unique identifier for the LED light fixture.

[0081] The meter is assigned to a customer account for recording, processing, and summation, so that a billed expense may be issued by the provider to the customer. In one example, the provider may estimate the amount of electricity that will be used by the LED light fixtures on the customer's premises, e.g., in the first year after installation of the LED fixtures.

[0082] Regardless of whether meters 40A, 40B are integral with LED light fixture, the functions attributed to meters 40A, 40B in this disclosure may be embodied as software, firmware, hardware or any combination thereof.

[0083] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example LED light fixture agreement between a customer and a licensor, in accordance with this disclosure. FIG. 4 depicts three entities, namely LED light fixture provider 44, LED light fixture customer 46, and power company 48 (also referred to as an electricity supplier). LED light fixture customer 46 is an entity that uses one or more LED light fixtures 26 supplied by LED light fixture provider 44. In accordance with a contractual agreement between provider 44 and customer 46, customer 46 agrees to pay provider 44 a pre-determined monetary amount for each LED light fixture 26 supplied to customer 46 by provider 44, as indicated by line 50, as compensation for the photons generated by the LED light fixtures. Within the photons received by the customer is embedded pulse light communication and/or data. In return, provider 44 agrees to provide customer 46 with LED light fixtures that can provide illumination, embed receivable data within the illumination, and receive data embedded within transmitted light signals, as indicated by line 52.

[0084] Additionally, as part of the contractual agreement between provider 44 and customer 46, provider 44 agrees to pay the electricity supplier, e.g., power company 48, on behalf of customer 46, a monetary amount for the cost of the electricity used to generate the photons by each LED light fixture 26 on the customer's premises. The payment made by the provider to the electricity supplier is used as a credit against any account balance owed by the customer to the electricity supplier. To facilitate this payment, the customer may provide the LED light fixture provider with the name of the customer's electricity supplier, e.g., the local power company, and the customer's account information with the electricity supplier.

[0085] As described above, meter 40A (FIG. 3) is used to determine the amount of electricity used to generate the photons by each LED light fixture 26. During each power company billing period, for example, provider 44 pays power company 48 (into an account associated with customer 46) a monetary sum equal to the total cost of the electricity used to generate the photons for all LED light fixtures 26 on the customer's premises, as indicated by line 54. The difference between what customer 46 agreed to pay provider 44 as a pre-determined monetary amount for each LED light fixture 26 supplied to customer 46 by provider 44 (line 50) and what provider 44 pays power company 48 as a monetary sum equal to the total cost of the electricity used to generate the photons for all LED light fixture 26 on the customer's premises (line 54) is realized as a profit for provider 44.

[0086] By way of specific example, assume that customer 46 enters a contractual agreement with provider 44 and has two LED light fixtures on the customer's premises. In the agreement, customer 46 agreed to pay provider 44 $2.50 per fixture, per 30 day billing period, in perpetuity as compensation for the photons generated by the LED light fixtures. During a power company 48 billing cycle, e.g., 30 days, provider 44 determined, via one or more meters 40A, that the two LED fixtures on the customer's premises consumed electricity totaling $2.25 per fixture. Per their agreement, provider 44 deposits, transfers, or otherwise establishes a credit with the customer's account at power company 48 in the amount of $4.50 ($2.25*2 LED light fixtures). Because provider 44 received from customer 46 $5.00 ($2.50*2 LED light fixtures) as compensation for the photons generated by the LED light fixtures per 30 day billing period, provider 44 realizes a profit of $0.50 for that particular billing cycle. In this manner, using the techniques of this disclosure, provider 44 can track the photons generated by the LED light fixtures that provider 44 has supplied to customer 46. In addition, and in accordance with various techniques of disclosure, provider 44 has inserted itself between customer 46 and power company 48, thereby allowing provider 44 to generate a revenue stream for provider 44 based on the tracked photon generation.

[0087] Still referring to FIG. 4, customer 46 and power company 48 have a contractual agreement in which customer 46 is financially obligated to pay power company 48 for the expense of power consumed by customer 46 that is in excess of the amount credited by provider 44 to the customer's account with power company 48. The excess power expense may be incurred by the customer by use of electrical devices that are not associated with LED light fixtures that include embedded communication and/or data, e.g., traditional light sources other than the LED light fixtures or electricity used by other electrical devices. In accordance with their agreement, power company 48 agrees to supply customer 46 with electricity (indicated by line 56) and customer 46 agrees to pay power company 48 a monetary amount for the electricity consumed (indicated by line 58). As described above, provider 44 pays power company 48 a monetary sum equal to the total cost of the electricity used to generate the photons or all LED light fixtures 26 on the customer's premises (line 54). Customer 46, however, has likely consumed electricity beyond that used to generate photons for all LED light fixtures 26 on the customer's premises. Hence, customer 46 owes power company 48 a monetary sum equal to the difference between the credits applied to the customer's account by provider 44 and the excess consumed electricity. Power company 48 bills customer 46 for the difference.

[0088] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of compensating an LED light fixture provider for generation of photons by one or more LED light fixtures used by a customer. In the example method of FIG. 5, an LED light fixture provider, e.g., provider 44, receives from an LED light fixture customer, e.g., customer 46, a pre-determined monetary amount as compensation for photons generated by LED light fixtures 26 installed at the customer's premises (60). Provider 44 may receive the pre-determined monetary amount on a periodic basis, e.g., weekly, monthly, or yearly. In other words, provider 44 may receive a payment from the customer at a regular interval corresponding to a period of time, as agreed upon by provider 44 and customer 46. For example, assume that customer 46 enters a contractual agreement with provider 44 and has two LED light fixtures on the customer's premises. In the agreement, customer 46 agreed to pay provider 44 $2.50 per fixture in perpetuity as compensation for the photons generated by the LED light fixtures.

[0089] Per a previously entered into contractual agreement, provider 44 maintains a contractual relationship with customer 46 for a period of time in exchange for the pre-determined monetary amount, the contractual relationship including a requirement that provider 44 pay the customer's electricity supplier, e.g., power company 48, for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures (62) used by the customer. The method of FIG. 5 further includes determining, with a meter associated with each respective LED light fixture, e.g., meter 40A, the amount of electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures used by the customer over a period of time (64). Then, in response to the determination and on behalf of customer 46, provider 44 submits payment to the customer's electricity supplier, e.g., power company 48, for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures 26 (66) used by the customer.

[0090] For example, during a power company 48 billing cycle, e.g., 30 days, provider 44 determined, via meters 40A, that the two LED fixtures on the customer's premises consumed electricity totaling $2.25 per fixture. Per their agreement, provider 44 deposits, transfers, or otherwise establishes a credit with the customer's account at power company 48 in the amount of $4.50 ($2.25*2 LED light fixtures). Because provider 44 received from customer 46 $5.00 ($2.50*2 LED light fixtures) as compensation for the photons generated by the LED light fixtures, provider 44 realizes a profit of $0.50 for that particular billing cycle. In this manner, using the techniques of this disclosure, provider 44 has inserted itself between customer 46 and power company 48 in order to generate a revenue stream.

[0091] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example system for compensating an LED light fixture provider for generation of photons by LED light fixtures used by a customer. The system, shown generally at 70, includes LED light fixture provider 44 establishing and maintaining a contractual agreement, e.g., agreement 72A, with an LED light fixture customer, e.g., customer 46A. Provider 44 may establish and maintain additional contractual agreements, e.g., agreements 72B-72N (each agreement referred to generally in this disclosure as agreement 72) with additional customers 46B-46N, respectively, (each customer referred to generally in this disclosure as customer 46).

[0092] LED light fixture provider 44 may be a LED light fixture manufacturer, LED light fixture retailer, or LED light fixture distributor, or any other party capable of providing LED light fixtures. Customer 46 is any person, organization (public or private), or other entity capable of receiving, maintaining, and operating an LED light fixture, e.g., LED light fixture 26. Examples of customers include, but are not limited to, government entities (e.g., city governments), school districts, shopping malls, private businesses, individuals, airports, and the like.

[0093] Agreements 72 include any legally binding instrument, electronic or tangible, capable of establishing a contractual relationship between a customer, e.g., customer 46A, and a provider, e.g., provider 44, (the parties). Agreements 72 set forth the terms and conditions of the contractual relationship between the parties. In one example, agreements 72 are tangible agreements that may be signed by the parties. In other examples, agreements 72 are click-thru agreements in which the customer, e.g., customer 46A, manifests assent by clicking an ok or agree button or the like on a dialog box or pop-up window.

[0094] Per each agreement 72, the customer, e.g., customer 46A, agrees to pay LED light fixture provider 44, a pre-determined monetary amount as compensation for photons generated by LED light fixtures 26 installed at customer 46A's premises. In exchange for the pre-determined monetary amount, provider 44 agrees to pay the customer's electricity supplier, e.g., power company 48, for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures used by the customer. Because provider 44 will generally receive from the customer, e.g., customer 46A, a compensatory amount greater than the cost of the electricity usage, provider 44 realizes a profit and generates a revenue stream.

[0095] In some examples, the agreement between the parties includes three or more phases, e.g., stages. In other examples, the agreement between the parties includes less than three phases.

[0096] In one example, the use of LED light fixtures having embedded communication/data signal transmissions capabilities is an infrastructure change to the customer. In some examples, in at least one phase the agreement requires the customer to pay to the provider an agreed-upon price for manufacture and installation of each LED light fixture. The provider retains ownership of the LED light fixture in some examples. In at least one example, the customer may also lease from the LED light fixture provider one or more USB Internet transceivers for an agreed-upon price.

[0097] In at least one example, payment of the agreed-upon installation price and execution of the agreement, e.g., agreement 72A, places the customer, e.g., customer 46A, in a priority position relative to other customers which enter into the contract with provider 44 at a later date. In one example, early entry into an agreement with provider 44 affords priority to the customer with respect to installation or service of LED light fixtures at additional locations (to be identified at a future date) or when the customer adds additional designated locations or fixtures within a particular property. That is, the customer's execution of the agreement places the customer in an established position in a queue with respect to installation and/or service of additional LED light fixtures at the customer's facility. The faster that the customer establishes its priority in the queue, then the faster the customer will start saving energy and receiving embedded communication/data services.

[0098] In one example, the agreement with the customer will include a charge and an agreement that the customer pays for the equipment necessary in phase 1 of the contract. Phase 2 of the agreement may, in some examples, have another equipment charge for additional LED light fixtures and the installation of additional LED light fixtures. In some examples, the equipment charge and/or the installation charge per light fixture in phase 2 is lower than in phase 1, due to economies of scale.

[0099] Customers may save costs by using LED light fixtures, which eliminate the expenses associated with conventional light sources, the replacement costs associated with conventional light sources, the labor costs associated with the replacement of conventional light sources, the labor costs associated with bookkeeping, tracking, and payments associated with conventional light sources, the expense of purchasing lights, receiving lights, unpacking lights, distributing lights, installing lights, removing and disposing of exhausted lights, breakage of purchased lights, storage of purchased lights, retrieval of lights, replacing ballasts and sockets and the accounting associated with the above tasks.

[0100] In addition, the cost may vary between locations and/or facilities for a customer. It should be noted that the expenses as identified above are representative of examples, and by no means are exhaustive of all of the direct and/or indirect expenses associated with a conventional light source. Using LED light fixtures 26 may eliminate a number of the above identified expenses for the customer.

[0101] In one example, provider 44 is responsible for the ongoing expense associated with the replacement of an LED light fixture. In other examples, customer 46 may be responsible for the agreed-upon expense associated with the manufacturer, installation, and/or replacement of an LED light fixture.

[0102] In some examples, provider 44 assists customer 46 in identifying the costs associated with conventional illumination sources so that an actual cost savings may be identified and communicated to individuals having decision authority to minimize waste of resources by the customer. In at least one embodiment, the use of LED light fixtures including embedded communication/data, conserves and saves natural resources reducing the stress on the environment.

[0103] In one example, the parties agree on a value and/or expense associated with the use of the conventional light sources so that expense savings resulting from the use of the LED light fixtures may be identified and realized. Provider 44 may, in some examples, determine or assist in the determination of an average expense incurred by a customer that uses conventional light sources.

[0104] The typical light bulb (or other conventional illumination source) following installation generally produces less light as the bulb ages even though the bulb consumes the same amount of power over time. A reduction in the produced illumination of a conventional light source may be due to dirt, deposits on the outside or inside of the gas, gas leakage, and/or wear in the filament. In one example, provider 44 assists customer 46 in identifying and quantifying intangible expenses associated with a conventional light source such as reduced productivity, downtime, discussions and communications related to service and maintenance, as well as/or loss of productivity due to frustration. In at least one example, provider 44 prepares a chart of the usual expenses and cost savings associated with the use of LED light fixtures as compared to conventional light sources.

[0105] In one example implementation, the cost savings realized by the customer equals the difference in the calculated and agreed upon composite costs associated with the use of traditional light sources following consideration of the factors identified above, less the amount that has been agreed to be paid to the provider for the use of the LED light fixtures having embedded communication/data transmission. The customer may, for example, finance the installation and manufacture costs associated with the LED light fixtures having embedded communication/data transmission by continuing to pay to the provider the entire amount as agreed upon by the customer and/or provider of the actual previous cost expense incurred by the customer for the use of conventional light sources, following the consideration of the above identified factors.

[0106] In at least one example, the customer may finance the initial installation and manufacturing expenses for one or more LED light fixtures in a manner similar to a performance contract. Factors considered by the customer are present capital expenditure outlay and incurred immediate operational savings versus continuous payment of a previous level of expenditure and realization of operational savings at a future date once financing is liquidated/exhausted. In at least one example, the initial capital investment is available where ongoing operational expenses are problematic, where the ongoing cost savings associated with the use of the LED light fixtures with embedded communication/data transmission enables the customer to afford to proceed with the use of LED light fixtures as an ongoing operational expense.

[0107] In at least one embodiment, pursuant to the contractual agreement, the customer 46 will agree to compensate provider 44 an agreed upon fixed sum, in addition to the metered electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/LED light sources (62) used by the customer 46, for each agreed upon period of time. In at least one embodiment, pursuant to the contractual agreement, the customer 46 will agree to compensate provider 44 an agreed upon multiplier of the metered electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/LED light sources (62) used by the customer 46, for each agreed upon period of time. It should be noted that any other method or type of compensation enhancement from the customer 46 to the provider 44 above the metered electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/LED light sources (62) used by the customer 46, is contemplated under this invention. It is anticipated that the contractual relationship will include a requirement that provider 44 pay the customer's electricity supplier, e.g., power company 48, for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/LED light sources (62) used by the customer.

[0108] Various aspects of the disclosure have been described. These and other aspects are within the scope of the following claims.