Commissioning load control systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10027127-B2
Application number	US-201313830237-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

A load control system may include load control devices for controlling power provided to an electrical load. The load control devices may include a control-source device and a control-target device. The control-target device may control the power provided to the electrical load based on digital messages received from the control-source device. A user device may discover load control devices when the load control devices are within an established range associated with the user device. The user device and the load control devices may communicate via a wireless communications module. The established range may be adjusted based on the configurable transmit power of the user device or the wireless communications module associated with the user device. A discovered control-target device may be associated with a control-source device to enable the control-target device to control the power provided to the electrical load based on digital messages received from the control-source device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A load control system comprising:
a plurality of lighting control devices, wherein each lighting control device is configured to control an amount of power provided to a respective lighting load, wherein the plurality of lighting control devices include a first control-target device and a second control-target device, and wherein the first control-target device and the second control-target device each has a respective device type and are each configurable to control the amount of power provided to the respective lighting load based on digital messages received from a control-source device;
a user device configured to:
receive a device type selected by a user;
transmit a discovery message, wherein the discovery message comprises an indication of the device type selected by the user;
responsive to the discovery message, receive respective responses from at least the first control-target device and the second control-target device, wherein the first control-target device and the second control-target device are each configured to compare the device type indicated in the discovery message with its own device type and respond to the discovery message if they are the same;
based at least in part on the received respective responses, determine that the first control-target device and the second control-target device are within an established discovery range;
based at least in part on determining that the first control-target device and the second control-target device are within the established discovery range, display within a graphical user interface the first control-target device and the second control-target device as discovered control-target devices, wherein the first control-target device and the second control-target device are each displayed adjacent to an indication of the device type selected by the user;
receive an indication to associate the first control-target device with the control-source device;
store an identifier of the first control-target device in association information with an identifier of the control-source device to associate the first control-target device with the control-source device; and
communicate at least part of the association information to the first control-target device to enable control of the first control-target device via the control-source device.

2. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the load control system further comprises a communications module, wherein the communications module is configured to:
receive, via a first communications channel, the discovery message from the user device;
broadcast, via a second communications channel, the discovery message;
receive, via the second communications channel, the respective response to the discovery message from the first control-target device; and
send, via the first communications channel, the respective response from the first control-target device to the user device.

3. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the user device further includes a communications circuit, wherein the established discovery range comprises a first established discovery range, wherein the discovery message comprises a first discovery message, and wherein the communications circuit is configured to:
broadcast the first discovery message within the first established discovery range;
receive the respective responses to the first discovery message from the first control-target device and the second control-target device;
broadcast a second discovery message within a second established discovery range; and
receive a response to the second discovery message from a third control-target device of the plurality of lighting control devices.

4. The load control system of claim 3 , wherein the first established discovery range and the second established discovery range each corresponds to a different transmit power of the user device.

5. The load control system of claim 3 , wherein the load control system further comprises a communications module configured to communicate with the user device and the plurality of lighting control devices, and wherein the first established discovery range and the second established discovery range each corresponds to a different transmit power of the communications module.

6. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the user device is further configured to determine that a third control-target device of the plurality of lighting control devices is outside the established discovery range and disregard information received from the third control-target device.

7. The load control system of claim 6 , wherein the user device is further configured to determine that the third control-target device is outside of the established discovery range based at least in part on a response received from the third control-target device being outside of a predefined received signal strength.

8. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the user device is further configured to discover the control-source device within the established discovery range.

9. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the user device is further configured to:
receive an indication to disassociate the first control-target device from the control-source device; and
responsive to the indication to disassociate the first control-target device from the control-source device:
disassociate the identifier of the first control-target device in the association information from the identifier of the control-source device; and
communicate a disassociation message to the first control-target device, wherein the disassociation message causes the first control-target device to not control the amount of power provided to the respective lighting load based on the digital messages from the control-source device.

10. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the user device is further configured to adjust the established discovery range to another established discovery range to discover other control-target devices.

11. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein to determine that the first control-target device and the second control-target device are within the established discovery range is based at least in part on respective received signal strengths of the respective responses received from the first control-target device and the second control-target device in response to the discovery message.

12. The load control system of claim 11 , wherein the user device is further configured to display the control-source device in response to discovery information received from the control-source device.

13. The load control system of claim 12 , wherein the control-source device is a one-way communication device, and wherein the control-source device is configured to send the discovery information to the user device in response to actuation of a button on the control-source device.

14. The load control system of claim 12 , wherein the user device is further configured to identify the control-source device upon selection of the control-source device for performing association.

15. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein to determine that the first control-target device and the second control-target device are within the established discovery range is based at least in part on a signal strength of the transmitted discovery message.

16. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the established discovery range is based at least in part on respective signal strengths of respective wireless signals received from at least the first control-target device and the second control-target device.

Assignees

• Lutron Electronics Co

Inventors

• Crafts Jordan H
• Fricke William Bryce
• Ludwig Jr Stephen M
• Lenz Jonathan T
• Barnes Bryan Robert
• Barco Kyle Thomas

Classifications

• H02J4/00 Primary

  Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as AC or DC; Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks combining AC and DC sections or sub-networks (arrangements using intermediate DC-AC-DC conversion H02J1/002; arrangements using high-voltage DC [HVDC] links H02J3/36) · CPC title

• H05B37/0272

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y10T307/352

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H05B47/196

  characterised by user interface arrangements · CPC title

• H05B47/198

  Grouping of control procedures or address assignation to light sources · CPC title