Commissioning load control systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11700147-B2
Application number	US-202217717221-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2022
Priority date	Oct 30, 2015
Publication date	Jul 11, 2023
Grant date	Jul 11, 2023

Abstract

A load control system may include control devices for controlling power provided to an electrical load. The 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. The control devices may include a load control discovery device capable of sending discovery messages configured to discover control devices within a location. The discovered control devices may be organized by signal strength and may be provided to a network device to enable association of the discovered control devices within a location. The discovery messages may be transmitted within an established discovery range. The discovery range may be adjusted to discover different control devices. Different control devices may be identified as the load control discovery device for discovering different control devices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A load control discovery device, comprising:
communication interface circuitry; and
control circuitry communicatively coupled to the communication interface circuitry, the control circuitry to:
receive a first input that includes data representative of control device discovery criteria;
responsive to receipt of the control device discovery criteria, cause a broadcast, via the communication interface circuitry, of a control device discovery message;
receive, via the communication interface circuitry, a response message from each respective one of a plurality of responding control devices that meet the received control device discovery criteria, the response message including at least data representative of a unique identifier assigned to the respective responding control device; and
receive a second input that includes data representative of an association between at least two of the plurality of responding control devices; and
communicate, via the communication interface circuitry, to a system controller communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of responding control devices:
the received data representative of each of the plurality of responding control devices; and
data representative of the association between the at least two of the plurality of responding control devices.

2. The load control discovery device of claim 1 , the control circuitry to further:
cause generation of a graphical user interface that includes the data representative of each of the plurality of responding control devices and the data representative of the unique identifier assigned to each respective one of the plurality responding control devices.

3. The load control discovery device of claim 2 wherein to cause the generation of the graphical user interface that includes the data representative of each of the plurality of responding control devices and the data representative of the unique identifier assigned to each respective one of the plurality responding control devices, the control circuitry to further:
cause the generation of the graphical user interface that includes data representative of each of the plurality of responding control devices, the data representative of the unique identifier assigned to each respective one of the plurality responding control devices, and data representative of the control device discovery criteria from each respective one of the plurality of responding control devices.

4. The load control discovery device of claim 1 , wherein to receive the first input that includes the data representative of the control device discovery criteria, the control circuitry to further:
receive an input that includes the data representative of the control device discovery criteria and data representative of a control device discovery type.

5. The load control discovery device of claim 1 , wherein to receive the first input that includes the data representative of the control device discovery criteria, the control circuitry to further:
receive an input that includes the data representative of a defined strength of the control device discovery message.

6. The load control discovery device of claim 1 , wherein to receive the first input that includes the data representative of the control device discovery criteria, the control circuitry to further:
receive an input that includes the data representative of a defined received signal strength of the control device discovery message at each of a plurality of control devices.

7. The load control discovery device of claim 6 , wherein to cause the broadcast of the control device discovery message, the control circuitry to further:
cause a broadcast of a control device discovery message that includes the received data representative of a defined received signal strength of the control device discovery message.

8. The load control discovery device of claim 1 :
wherein to broadcast the control device discovery message, the control circuitry to further:
cause a broadcast of a control device discovery message via a first portion of the communication interface circuitry, wherein the first portion of the communication interface circuitry includes a first type of communication interface circuitry that uses a first communication protocol; and

wherein to communicate to the system controller the received data representative of each of the plurality of responding control devices; and the received data representative of the association between the at least two of the plurality of responding control devices, the control circuitry to further:
communicate to the system controller the received data representative of each of the plurality of responding control devices; and the received data representative of the association between the at least two of the plurality of responding control devices via a second portion of the communication interface circuitry, wherein the second portion of the communication interface circuitry includes a second type of communication interface circuitry that uses a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol.

9. A load control device discovery method, comprising:
receiving, by control circuitry, a first input that includes data representative of control device discovery criteria;
responsive to receipt of the control device discovery criteria, causing by the control circuitry, a broadcast of a control device discovery message via communication interface circuitry communicatively coupled to the control circuitry;
receiving, by the control circuitry via the communication interface circuitry, a response message from each respective one of a plurality of responding control devices that meet the received control device discovery criteria, the response message including at least data representative of a unique identifier assigned to the respective responding control device; and
receiving, by the control circuitry, a second input that includes data representative of an association between at least two of the plurality of responding control devices; and
causing, by the control circuitry, a communication, via the communication interface circuitry, to a system controller communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of responding control devices:
the received data representative of each of the plurality of responding control devices; and
data representative of the association between the at least two of the plurality of responding control devices.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
causing a generation of a graphical user interface that includes the data representative of each of the plurality of responding control devices and the data representative of the unique identifier assigned to each respective one of the plurality responding control devices.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein causing the generation of the graphical user interface that includes data representative of each of the plurality of responding control devices and data representative of the unique identifier assigned to each respective one of the plurality responding control devices, further comprises:
causing, by the control circuitry, generation of a graphical user interface that includes data representative of each of the plurality of responding control devices, the data representative of the unique identifier assigned to each respective one of the plurality responding control devices, and data representative of the control device discovery criteria from each respective one of the plurality of responding control devices.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein receiving the first input that includes the data representative of the control device discovery

Assignees

• Lutron Tech Co Llc

Inventors

• Barco Kyle Thomas
• Barnes Bryan Robert
• Clymer Erica L
• Courtney Brian Michael
• Crafts Jordan H
• Fricke William Bryce
• Knode Galen Edgar
• Kumar Sanjeev
• Lenz Jonathan T
• Ludwig Jr Stephen M
• Raghuram Sandeep Mudabail
• Walsh Iii Richard M

Classifications

• G05B2219/23312

  Load program from attached device to control that device · CPC title

• H05B47/19

  via wireless transmission · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• H02J13/00

  Circuit arrangements for providing remote monitoring or remote control of equipment in a power distribution network · CPC title

• H04L12/4625 Primary

  Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge · CPC title