SBIR Phase I: LBRC LED Lighting Control

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is targeted at developing a new light-emitting diode (LED) lighting control system called Light Bursts with RF Control. Existing lighting control systems are typically burdened by the need for centralized control system that requires significant upfront costs and commissioning. By employing light burst communication between the LED fixtures and work-space sensors, the Light Bursts with RF Control system moves the point of lighting control from a commissioned system, which often requires a central processor, to point-of-use wireless sensors that do not require commissioning. Light Bursts with RF Control employs work-space sensors that monitor the light bursts from the fixtures, provides direct feedback to the fixtures via wireless communication, is intuitive to use, and allows the lighting to be readily adjusted to the space and occupant needs in real-time. It is anticipated that this research will result in an intuitive low cost control system that does not require upfront commissioning. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is anticipated to significantly lower installation costs and improve usability. The adoption of energy efficient LED lighting has been slow and is hindered by the need to install and commission costly central processing systems. LED penetration into indoor troffers, which in 2010 represented 957 million unique commercially available units, is less than a 0.1%. By removing and reducing the conventional barriers to energy efficient lighting and control, Light Bursts with RF Control will improve the adoption of LED lighting and enable significant energy savings associated with lighting. By intelligently employing wireless technology with direct correlation of light contribution from individual light fixtures, Light Bursts with RF Control is expected to enable reductions in lighting energy usage by more than 20%-60%.