Communicating with and controlling load control systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10874005-B2
Application number	US-201916560931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2019
Priority date	Sep 4, 2018
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for communicating via a communications network with a load control system of a respective user environment, receiving information on the load control system via the communications network, displaying graphical user interfaces based on the received information, and controlling and configuring the load control system via graphical user interfaces by communicating via the communications network messages the load control system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a display screen;
a communications circuit;
at least one processor; and
at least one memory device communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and having software instructions stored thereon that when executed by the at least one processor, direct the at least one processor to:
receive via the communications circuit from a communications network information communicated by a controller, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with a lighting control device, wherein the lighting control device is configured to control a lighting load, wherein the lighting load is configured to produce light of any of a plurality of different colors, and wherein the information comprises an indication of a color the lighting load is configured to produce;
display on the display screen a graphical user interface that comprises an on-off actuator to turn the lighting load on and off; and
display together with the on-off actuator in the graphical user interface a color indicator that indicates the color the lighting load is configured to produce.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:
detect an actuation of the on-off actuator to turn the lighting load off; and
responsive to detecting the actuation of the on-off actuator to turn the lighting load off, remove from the graphical user interface the color indicator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:
display within the graphical user interface a dimming actuator to change an intensity level of the lighting load;
detect an actuation of the dimming actuator to change the lighting load to a new intensity level; and
responsive to detecting the actuation of the dimming actuator to change the lighting load to the new intensity level, communicate a message to the controller to control the lighting load to the new intensity level.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein to display within the graphical user interface the dimming actuator comprises to display the dimming actuator on a control line such that a position of the dimming actuator on the control line shows an intensity level of the lighting load.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:
display within the graphical user interface a pallet together with the dimming actuator, wherein the pallet enable selection of a color;
detect a selected color on the pallet; and
responsive to detecting the selected color on the pallet, communicate a message to the controller to control the lighting load to the selected color.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:
display within the graphical user interface the color indicator together with the dimming actuator and the pallet; and
responsive to detecting the selected color on the pallet, change the color indicator to indicate the selected color.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:
prior to detecting the selected color on the pallet, display the color indicator as having a first size in the graphical user interface; and
responsive to detecting the selected color on the pallet, increase within the graphical user interface a size of the color indicator to a second size that is greater than the first size.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:
subsequent to increasing the size of the indicator to the second size, decrease within the graphical user interface the size of the color indicator from the second size to the first size.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 ,
wherein the lighting load comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) including a white or a substantially white LED; and
wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:
display a vibrancy actuator;
detect an actuation of the vibrancy actuator; and
responsive to detecting the actuation of the vibrancy actuator, communicate a message to the controller to control the lighting load to reduce an intensity of the white or the substantially white LED while continuing to produce the color the lighting load is configured to produce.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 ,
subsequent to detecting the actuation of the vibrancy actuator, detect a further actuation of the vibrancy actuator; and
responsive to detecting the further actuation of the vibrancy actuator, communicate a message to the controller to control the lighting load to increase the intensity of the white or the substantially white LED while continuing to produce the color the lighting load is configured to produce.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the pallet enables selection of a color only along a black body curve.

12. The apparatus of claim 5 ,
wherein the lighting load comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) of a plurality of different colors; and
wherein the pallet enables selection of a color within color gamut formed by the plurality of different colored LEDs.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:
display within the graphical user interface a dimming actuator to change an intensity of the lighting load, a warm-cool actuator to configure the lighting load to produce a color on a black body curve, and a full-color actuator to configure the lighting load to produce a color within a color gamut comprising additional colors not found on the black body curve.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:
detect an actuation of the dimming actuator to change the lighting load to a new intensity level; and
responsive to detecting the actuation of the dimming actuator by the user to change the lighting load to the new intensity level, communicate a message to the controller to control the lighting load to the new intensity level.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:
detect an actuation of the warm-cool actuator;
responsive to detecting the actuation of the warm-cool actuator, display on the display screen a pallet together with the dimming actuator, wherein the pallet enables selection of a color on the black body curve;
detect a selected color on the pallet; and
responsive to detecting the selected color on the pallet, communicate a message to the controller to control the lighting load to the selected color.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:
prior to detecting the selected color on the pallet, display in the graphical user interface the color indicator as indicating a first color and having a first size; and
responsive to detecting the selected color on the pallet, change within the graphical user interface the color indicator from indicating the first color to indicate the selected color, and incr

Assignees

• Lutron Tech Co Llc

Inventors

• Agarwal Rhythm
• Kreschollek Brad M
• Barnes Bryan R
• Green Christopher M
• Baker Rhodes B
• Wong Jennifer
• Altonen Gregory S
• Alfonzo Karelys

Classifications

• H05B47/196

  characterised by user interface arrangements · CPC title

• H05B47/19

  via wireless transmission · CPC title

• G05B2219/25257

  Microcontroller · CPC title

• G05B19/0423 Primary

  Input/output · CPC title

• G06F3/04847 Primary

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title