Load control device having Internet connectivity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10271407-B2
Application number	US-201213538555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2012
Priority date	Jun 30, 2011
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

A load control device is able to receive radio-frequency (RF) signals from a Wi-Fi-enabled device, such as a smart phone, via a wireless local area network. The load control device comprises a controllably conductive device adapted to be coupled in series between an AC power source and an electrical load, a controller for rendering the controllably conductive device conductive and non-conductive, and a Wi-Fi module operable to receive the RF signals from the wireless network. The controller controls the controllably conductive device to adjust the power delivered to the load in response to the wireless signals received from the wireless network. The load control device may further comprise an optical module operable to receive an optical signal, such that the controller may obtain an IP address from the received optical signal and control the power delivered to the load in response to a wireless signal that includes the IP address.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wall-mountable dimmer switch for controlling power delivered from an AC power source to a lighting load, the wall-mountable dimmer switch comprising:
a controllably conductive device adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between the AC power source and the lighting load;
a controller operatively coupled to the controllably conductive device for controlling the controllably conductive device; and
an Internet Protocol communications module operatively coupled to the controller and operable to receive Internet Protocol packets via a wireless network, wherein the wireless network has an associated identifier and an associated password;
wherein the controller is configured to:
receive the identifier and the password of the wireless network from a control device that is connected to the wireless network,
wherein the controller receives the identifier and the password of the wireless network from the control device via a point-to-point connection between the dimmer switch and the control-device,
wherein the point-to-point connection does not comprise the wireless network, and
wherein the control device comprises at least one of a smart phone, a tablet, and a laptop;

use the identifier and the password of the wireless network received from the control device to connect the dimmer switch to the wireless network;
receive from a wireless access point, that is communicatively connected to the wireless network, an Internet Protocol address for the dimmer switch to communicate on the wireless network, wherein the wireless access point assigns the Internet Protocol address to the dimmer switch based in part on the dimmer switch connecting to the wireless network;
program the dimmer switch with the Internet Protocol address received from the wireless access point, wherein the programming enables the dimmer switch to communicate Internet Protocol packets on the wireless network;
receive from the control device, via the wireless network and the Internet Protocol communications module, one or more Internet Protocol packets, wherein the one or more received Internet Protocol packets comprise the Internet Protocol address and one or more lighting control instructions; and
control the controllably conductive device to control the AC power delivered to the lighting load in response to the received one or more lighting control instructions.

2. The wall-mountable dimmer switch of claim 1 , wherein the wireless access point comprises a wireless router.

3. The wall-mountable dimmer switch of claim 1 , wherein the identifier comprises a service set identifier of the wireless network, and wherein the password comprises a service set identifier password.

4. The wall-mountable dimmer switch of claim 1 , further comprising:
an optical module operatively coupled to the controller and operable to receive one or more optical signals via the point-to-point connection between the dimmer switch and the control-device; and
wherein to receive the identifier and the password of the wireless network from the control device comprises to obtain the identifier and the password of the wireless network from the received one or more optical signals.

5. The wall-mountable dimmer switch of claim 1 , further comprising:
a near-field communications (NFC) module operatively coupled to the controller and operable to receive one or more NFC signals via the point-to-point connection between the dimmer switch and the control-device; and
wherein to receive the identifier and the password of the wireless network from the control device comprises to obtain the identifier and the password of the wireless network from the received one or more NFC signals.

6. The wall-mountable dimmer switch of claim 1 , wherein the Internet Protocol communications module is configured to receive the Internet Protocol packets by way of Wi-Fi communication.

7. The wall-mountable dimmer switch of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
discover via the wireless network another dimmer switch connected to the wireless network; and
responsive to receiving the one or more lighting control instructions, communicate a lighting control instruction via the wireless network to the other dimmer switch, wherein the other dimmer switch is configured to receive the control instruction communicated by the controller and is further configured to control AC power delivered to another lighting load in response to the received control instruction communicated by the controller.

8. The wall-mountable dimmer switch of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine status information of the lighting load; and
communicate, via the Internet Protocol communications module and the wireless network, one or more Internet Protocol packets to the control device, wherein the one or more communicated Internet Protocol packets comprise the status information.

9. The wall-mountable dimmer switch of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide a visual indication that the dimmer switch has successfully connected to the wireless network.

10. A wall-mountable dimmer switch for controlling power delivered from an AC power source to a lighting load, the wall-mountable dimmer switch comprising:
a controllably conductive device adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between the AC power source and the lighting load;
a controller operatively coupled to a control input of the controllably conductive device for rendering the controllably conductive device conductive and non-conductive; and
a Wi-Fi module operatively coupled to the controller and operable to receive, via Wi-Fi signals, Internet Protocol packets via a wireless network, wherein the wireless network has an associated identifier and an associated password;
wherein the controller is configured to:
receive the identifier and the password of the wireless network from a control device,
wherein the controller receives the identifier and the password of the wireless network from the control device via a point-to-point connection between the dimmer switch and the control-device,
wherein the point-to-point connection does not comprise the wireless network, and
wherein the control device comprises at least one of a smart phone, a tablet, and a laptop;

use the identifier and the password of the wireless network received from the control device to connect the dimmer switch to the wireless network;
receive from a wireless access point, that is communicatively connected to the wireless network, an Internet Protocol address for the dimmer switch to communicate on the wireless network, wherein the wireless access point assigns the Internet Protocol address to the dimmer switch based in part on the dimmer switch connecting to the wireless network;
program the dimmer switch with the Internet Protocol address received from the wireless access point, wherein the programming enables the dimmer switch to communicate Internet Protocol packets on the wireless network;
receive from the control device, via the wireless network and the Wi-Fi module, one or more Internet Protocol packets, wherein the one or more received Internet Protocol packets comprise the Internet Protocol address and one or more lighting control instructions; and
control the controllably conductive device to control the AC power delivered to the lighting load in response to the received one or more lighting control instructions.

11. The wall-mountable dimmer switch of claim 10 , wherein the wireless access point comprises a wireless router.

12. The wall-mountable dimmer switch of claim 10 , further comprising:
an optical module opera

Assignees

• Pessina Michael W
• Economy Theodore F
• Browne Jr John C
• Lutron Electronics Co

Inventors

• Pessina Michael W
• Economy Theodore F
• Browne Jr John C

Classifications

• Y02B20/48

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H05B37/0272 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05B47/1965

  using handheld communication devices · CPC title

• H05B47/197

  Sound control or voice control · CPC title

• H05B47/195

  the transmission using visible or infrared light · CPC title