Seamless connection to multiple wireless controllers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12192169-B2
Application number	US-202318482404-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2023
Priority date	Mar 22, 2016
Publication date	Jan 7, 2025
Grant date	Jan 7, 2025

Abstract

A load control system may be provided including control devices and a system controller. The system controller may be configured to broadcast a service set identifier (SSID) and provide a wireless network connection to a network device. The system controller may provide a web page to the network device, wherein the web page may include an indication of target system controllers. The target system controllers may be used for configuring (e.g., associating) the control devices. The system controller may receive an indication of a target system controller selected to associate the control devices. The system controller may determine an address and port number of the target system controller identified by the network device. The system controller may provide, to the network device, the web page from the target system controller while the network device is connected to the system controller via the wireless network connection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical load control system, comprising:
a plurality of system controllers communicatively couplable via a first network connection, wherein each respective one of the plurality of system controllers:
shares a common service set identifier (SSID) and SSID password; and
communicatively couples to one or more respective control devices via a second network connection;

wherein each of the plurality of system controllers includes:
memory circuitry;
communication circuitry;
control circuitry communicatively coupled to the memory circuitry and to the communication circuitry, the control circuitry to:
broadcast the SSID via a third network connection different from the first network connection and the second network connection;
receive, from a network device, the SSID password via the third network connection; and
responsive to receipt of the SSID password from the network device:
provide to the network device via the third network connection:
 data indicative of one or more of the plurality of system controllers communicatively coupled via the first network connection to the respective system controller and with which the network device may communicatively couple;
 data indicative of the one or more control devices communicatively coupled via the second network connection to each respective one of the one or more system controllers;
receive, from the network device via the third network connection, an input indicative of a target system controller selected from the one or more system controllers communicatively coupled to the respective system controller; and
responsive to the receipt of the input indicative of the target system controller:
 redirect inputs received via the third network connection from the network device to the target system controller; and
 redirect inputs received from the target system controller via the first network to the network device.

2. The electrical load control system of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry to further:
seamlessly transfer the third network connection with the network device from the respective system controller to a second control circuit disposed in a second system controller, wherein the respective system controller and the second system controller share the common SSID and SSID password.

3. The electrical load control system of claim 2 wherein, responsive to the receipt via the third network connection, of the input from the network device indicative of the target system controller, the control circuitry to further:
retrieve, via the first network connection data representative of the one or more control devices communicatively coupled via the second network connection to the target system controller; and
provide to the network device via the third network connection, the retrieved data representative of the one or more control devices communicatively coupled to the target system controller.

4. The electrical load control system of claim 3 wherein to retrieve the data representative of the one or more control devices communicatively coupled via the second network connection to the target system controller, the control circuitry to further:
receive, from the target system controller via the first network connection, the data representative of the one or more control devices communicatively coupled via the second network connection to the target system controller.

5. The electrical load control system of claim 3 wherein to retrieve the data representative of the one or more control devices communicatively coupled via the second network connection to the target system controller, the control circuitry to further:
retrieve from a data structure retained in the memory circuitry, the data representative of the one or more control devices communicatively coupled via the second network connection to the target system controller.

6. The electrical load control system of claim 2 wherein to provide to the network device via the third network connection the data indicative of one or more of the plurality of system controllers communicatively coupled to the respective system controller and with which the network device may communicatively couple, the control circuitry to further:
provide to the network device via the third network connection, an HTTP Webpage, that includes the data indicative of one or more of the plurality of system controllers communicatively coupled via the first network connection to the respective system controller and with which the network device may communicatively couple.

7. A method of communicatively coupling a network device to a control circuit disposed in one of a plurality of system controllers communicatively coupled via a first network connection, wherein the plurality of system controllers share a common service set identifier (SSID) and SSID password, and wherein each of the plurality of system controllers communicatively couples to one or more respective control devices via a second network connection, the method comprising:
broadcasting, by the control circuit, the service set identifier (SSID) via a third network connection;
receiving, by the control circuit, the SSID password from the network device via the third network connection different from the first network connection and the second network connection;
providing to the network device via the third network connection, responsive to receipt of the SSID password from the network device:
data indicative of one or more of the plurality of system controllers communicatively coupled, via the first network connection, to the respective control circuit and to which the network device may communicatively couple; and
data indicative of the one or more control devices communicatively coupled via the second network connection to each respective one of the one or more system controllers; and

receiving, from the network device via the third network connection, an input indicative of a target system controller selected from the one or more system controllers and, responsive to the receipt of the input indicative of the target system controller:
redirecting, by the control circuit, inputs received via the third network connection from the network device to the target system controller; and
redirecting, by the control circuit, inputs received from the target system controller via the first network connection to the network device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the control circuitry to further:
seamlessly transferring, by the control circuit, the third network connection with the network device from the respective system controller to a second control circuit disposed in a second system controller, wherein the respective system controller and the second system controller share the common SSID and SSID password.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising, responsive to the receipt via the third network connection of the input from the network device indicative of the target system controller:
retrieving, by the control circuit, data representative of the one or more control devices communicatively coupled via the second network connection to the target system controller; and
providing, to the network device via the third network connection, the retrieved data representative of the one or more control devices communicatively coupled to the target system controller.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein retrieving the data representative of the one or more control devices communicatively coupled via the second network connection to the target system controller further comprising:
receiving, by the control circuit via the first network connection, from the target system controller the data representative of the one or more c

Assignees

• Lutron Tech Co Llc

Inventors

• Anderson David
• Banerjee Agniva
• Evans Parker

Classifications

• H05B47/196

  characterised by user interface arrangements · CPC title

• H04L61/2514

  between local and global IP addresses · CPC title

• H04L2012/2841

  Wireless · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• H04L12/2814

  Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network (arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08) · CPC title