Commissioning and controlling load control devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11722366-B2
Application number	US-202016812215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2020
Priority date	Mar 8, 2019
Publication date	Aug 8, 2023
Grant date	Aug 8, 2023

Abstract

A load control system may be commissioned using beacons. The load control system may include control devices that each include a beacon transmitting circuit configured to transmit a beacon that comprises an identifier associated with the control device. A network device, such as a mobile device, may discover a control device based on the beacon received from the control device. In response to discovery of the control device, the control device may be added to a temporary group of control devices for being collectively configured and/or controlled. Control devices may be discovered based on the signal strength at which the beacons are received. The control devices may provide feedback to a user in response to confirmation messages to indicate to a user that the lighting control device has been added to the temporary group. The control devices may stop providing the feedback after they are removed from the temporary group.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A load control system comprising:
a plurality of lighting fixtures; and
a commissioner device configured to:
receive respective device identification data from each lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures via a mobile device; and
transmit a respective joiner request message to each lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures using the respective device identification data received from each lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures via the mobile device, wherein each lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures is configured to:
receive an association message comprising a respective configuration identifier from the mobile device;
transmit, in response to receiving the association message, the respective device identification data to the mobile device; and
receive, in response to transmitting the respective device identification data to the mobile device, the respective joiner request message from the commissioner device.

2. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the commissioner device is configured to operate in an offline mode.

3. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein each lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures is configured to indicate that the lighting fixture has been associated with the respective configuration identifier by providing a first feedback type.

4. The load control system of claim 3 , wherein each lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures is configured to provide the first feedback type by illuminating in a first color.

5. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein each lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures is configured to:
monitor a first wireless communication link for the respective association message; and
after receiving the respective association message, alternately transmit the respective device identification data using the first wireless communication link and monitor a second wireless communication link for a joiner request.

6. The load control system of claim 5 , wherein after being joined to the network, each lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures is configured to communicate using the second wireless communication link.

7. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the commissioner device is further configured to:
select a first subset of the plurality of lighting fixtures for being joined to the network; and
join the first subset of lighting fixtures to the network.

8. The load control system of claim 7 , wherein the commissioner device is further configured to:
select a second subset of the plurality of lighting fixtures for being joined to the network, wherein the second subset comprises one or more lighting fixtures that have not yet been joined to the network; and
join the second subset of lighting fixtures to the network.

9. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the load control system further comprises the mobile device, and wherein the mobile device is configured to determine whether respective device identification data has been received from each of the plurality of lighting fixtures based on a comparison of a list of lighting fixtures for which respective device identification data has been received and a list of the plurality of lighting fixtures.

10. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the load control system further comprises the mobile device, and wherein the mobile device is configured to associate each lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures with a respective configuration identifier based on input from a user of the mobile device.

11. The load control system of claim 10 , wherein the mobile device is further configured to:
determine a project code;
transmit the project code to a cloud server; and
receive configuration data from the cloud server.

12. The load control system of claim 11 , wherein the project code comprises an alphanumeric sequence.

13. The load control system of claim 12 , wherein the mobile device is configured to determine the project code based on input from the user of the mobile device.

14. The load control system of claim 11 , wherein the mobile device is configured to determine the project code by scanning a machine-readable code using a camera of the mobile device.

15. The load control system of claim 14 , further comprising a processing device configured to display the machine-readable code on a display of the processing device, wherein the mobile device is further configured to determine the project code by scanning the display of the processing device.

16. The load control system of claim 12 , further comprising the cloud server, wherein the project code comprises a security key, and wherein the cloud server is configured to:
receive the security key from the mobile device;
authenticate the security key; and
transmit the configuration data to the mobile device.

17. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the device identification data comprises one or more of a respective address, a respective joiner ID, or a respective unique identifier of each of the plurality of lighting fixtures.

18. A load control system comprising:
a plurality of lighting fixtures; and
a commissioner device configured to:
receive, from a mobile device, respective device identification data that identifies each lighting fixture of the plurality of lighting fixtures;
select a subset of the plurality of lighting fixtures based on the device identification data, wherein the subset comprises a first lighting fixture;
transmit a joiner request to the selected subset of lighting fixtures;
determine that the commissioner device has received a response to the joiner request from the first lighting fixture;
determine, based on the response to the joiner request from the first lighting fixture, that the first lighting fixture has not been joined to a network; and
in response to the determination that the first lighting fixture in the selected subset has not been joined to the network, join the first lighting fixture to the network.

19. The load control system of claim 18 , wherein the network uses a Thread® network protocol.

20. The load control system of claim 18 , wherein the commissioner device is configured to select the subset of the plurality of lighting fixtures based on a random selection.

21. The load control system of claim 18 , wherein the joiner request comprises respective device identification data for each lighting fixture in the subset.

22. The load control system of claim 18 , wherein the commissioner device is further configured to transmit, to the first lighting fixture, an indication that the first lighting fixture has been joined to the network.

23. The load control system of claim 18 , wherein the subset of lighting fixtures further comprises a second lighting fixture, and wherein the commissioner device is further configured to:
determine that the commissioner device has received a response to the joiner request from the second lighting fixture;
determine, based on the response to the joiner request from the second lighting fixture, that the second lighting fixture has not been joined to the network; and
join the second lighting fixture to the network.

24. The load control system of claim 18 , wherein the commissioner device is further configured to:
determine whether the commissioner device is receiving a response from a lighting fixture of the se

Assignees

• Lutron Tech Co Llc

Inventors

• Anderson Todd G
• Mosolgo Alexander F
• Evans Parker
• Neyhart Jeremy Thomas
• Barnes Bryan Robert
• Jones Christopher Matthew

Classifications

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• G06K7/1417

  2D bar codes · CPC title

• G06K7/1413

  1D bar codes · CPC title

• G06K7/10722

  Photodetector array or CCD scanning · CPC title

• H05B45/22

  using optical feedback · CPC title