Wireless occupancy sensor with controllable light indicator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11095469-B2
Application number	US-201816156786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2018
Priority date	Oct 10, 2018
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

A wireless occupancy sensor that is configured to be deployed within a building space includes a sensor body, an occupancy sensor that is housed by the sensor body, a light emitting diode (LED) that is housed by the sensor body, a wireless transceiver that is housed by the sensor body and is configured to be in wireless communication with a remote device. A controller is housed by the sensor body and is operably coupled to the occupancy sensor, the LED and the wireless transceiver and is configured to receive via the wireless transceiver a request to illuminate the LED from the remote device and in response to receiving the request, illuminate the LED in order to help visually identify the wireless occupancy sensor in the building space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a wireless battery-powered device configured to be deployed within a building space, the wireless battery-powered device comprising:
a body;
an occupancy sensor housed by the body;
a light emitting diode (LED) for visually identifying the wireless battery-powered device, wherein the LED is housed by the body;
a wireless transceiver housed by the body, the wireless transceiver configured to be in wireless communication with a remote device; and
a controller housed by the body and operably coupled to the occupancy sensor, the LED, and the wireless transceiver, the controller configured to:
receive via the wireless transceiver a request to illuminate the LED from the remote device; and
in response to receiving the request, illuminate the LED in order to help visually identify the wireless battery-powered device in the building space; and

the remote device comprising a user interface configured to:
present a list of two or more installed occupancy-sensor devices to a user, the list of the two or more installed occupancy-sensor devices including the wireless battery-powered device; and
receive user input from the user selecting the wireless battery-powered device from the list of the two or more installed occupancy-sensor devices,

wherein the remote device is configured to instruct the wireless battery-powered device, in response to receiving the user input, to identify the wireless battery-powered device by illuminating the LED, and
wherein the remote device is configured to be in wireless communication with the wireless transceiver of the wireless battery-powered device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the remote device comprises a portable handheld remote device.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the portable handheld remote device comprises a smart phone.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the remote device comprises a wall mountable thermostat or a zone damper controller.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wireless battery-powered device further comprises a temperature sensor housed by the body and operatively coupled to the controller.

6. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the body comprises a sensor body,
wherein the wireless battery-powered device comprises a wireless occupancy sensor including the occupancy sensor housed by the sensor body and operably coupled to the occupancy sensor,
wherein the sensor body defines an aperture on a front side of the sensor body that exposes the occupancy sensor and the LED, and
wherein the wireless occupancy sensor comprises a lens situated in line with the aperture of the sensor body to hide the occupancy sensor and the LED.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the occupancy sensor is a PIR occupancy sensor, and the lens is at least partially transparent to infrared light.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the sensor body defines a battery cavity on the front side of the sensor body for receiving one or more batteries.

9. The system of claim 8 ,
wherein the wireless occupancy sensor further comprises a removable cover configured to be removably secured to the sensor body,
wherein the removable cover is configured to cover the battery cavity when the removable cover is secured to the sensor body,
wherein the wireless occupancy sensor further comprises a connect button hidden behind the removable cover, the connect button when pressed places the wireless occupancy sensor in an enroll mode to enroll the wireless occupancy sensor in a wireless building control network, and
wherein the removable cover further includes an aperture that exposes the lens.

10. The system of claim 6 ,
wherein the lens comprises a Fresnel lens, and
wherein the lens further comprises high density polyethylene (HDPE).

11. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the remote device is configured to send the request after the wireless battery-powered device is enrolled in a wireless building control network, and the remote device comprises a building controller connected to the wireless building control network, and
wherein the building controller is configured to send the request including an address that specifically identifies the wireless battery-powered device from one or more other devices on the wireless building control network.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the request is user initiated to help identify the wireless battery-powered device from other devices on the wireless building control network.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wireless battery-powered device further comprises a replaceable power supply housed by the sensor body, the controller configured to monitor a remaining energy level within the replaceable power supply, the controller further configured to illuminate the LED in order to alert a homeowner that the replaceable power supply needs to be replaced.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the wireless battery-powered device further comprises a removable cover, wherein the removable cover is removable from the sensor body to provide access to the replaceable power supply so that a homeowner can replace the replaceable power supply without having to remove the sensor body from a wall.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request received by the wireless battery-powered device indicates that a user instructs the wireless battery-powered device to identify the wireless battery-powered device by illuminating the LED.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
in response to receiving the request, illuminate the LED in a first color in order to help visually identify the wireless battery-powered device in the building space;
determine that a low battery situation for the wireless battery-powered device; and
illuminate the LED in a second color to alert the user of the low battery situation, the second color being different from the first color.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine that the low battery situation has become more critical; and
illuminate the LED in a third color to alert the user to the more critical low battery situation.

18. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the user interface is configured to present a button labeled “identify” to the user, and
wherein the user interface is configured to receive the user input selecting the wireless battery-powered device when the user touches the button labeled “identify”.

19. A system comprising:
a wireless battery-powered device configured to be deployed within a building space, the wireless battery-powered device comprising:
a body;
an occupancy sensor housed by the body;
a light source for visually identifying the wireless battery-powered device, wherein the light source is housed by the body;
a wireless transceiver housed by the body, the wireless transceiver configured to be in wireless communication with a remote device;
a controller housed by the body and operably coupled to the occupancy sensor, the light source, and the wireless transceiver, the controller configured to:
receive via the wireless transceiver a request from the remote device to illuminate the light source in one of two or more different colors; and
in response to receiving the request, illuminate the light source in the requested one of the two or more different colors; and

the remote device comprising a user interface configured to:
present a list of two or more installed occupancy-sensor devices to a user, the list of the two or more installed occupancy-sensor devices including the wireless batter

Assignees

• Ademco Inc

Inventors

• Read Travis
• Barton Eric
• Morales Karla
• Reategui Liliana
• Heintzelman Christopher

Classifications

• G02B3/08

  with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens {(diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876)} · CPC title

• H04L12/2809 Primary

  indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network (monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51) · CPC title

• H04L12/282

  based on user interaction within the home (receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204) · CPC title

• H04L12/2823

  Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network (device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00) · CPC title

• F24F11/89

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title