Electrical wiring device with wiring detection and correction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12549002-B2
Application number	US-202318396067-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2023
Priority date	Apr 29, 2019
Publication date	Feb 10, 2026
Grant date	Feb 10, 2026

Abstract

An electrical wiring device including a housing assembly including a plurality of terminals at least partially disposed therein, the plurality of terminals including a HOT/LOAD terminal, a NEUTRAL terminal, a first traveler terminal, and a second traveler terminal, wherein, when in use, at least one of the terminals is connected to line hot; a first series FET and a second series FET disposed in series between the HOT/LOAD terminal and one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal; at least one of a first sensor producing a first sensor output according to current flow or a voltage at the one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal and a second sensor producing a second sensor output according to current flow through the NEUTRAL terminal or according to a voltage between the first series FET and second series FET; and a controller configured to determine to which of the plurality of terminals line hot is connected based, at least, on the first sensor output or the second sensor output and to provide, during operation, at least one of a first control signal to the first series FET and a second control signal to the second series FET according to a user adjustable load setting.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electrical wiring device comprising:
a housing assembly including a plurality of terminals at least partially disposed therein, the plurality of terminals including a HOT/LOAD terminal, a NEUTRAL terminal, a first traveler terminal, and a second traveler terminal, wherein, when in use, at least one of the terminals is connected to line hot; a first series FET and a second series FET disposed in series between the HOT/LOAD terminal and one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal, the first series FET and the second series FET arranged to provide, during dimming operation, a dimmed signal at the HOT/LOAD terminal; at least one of a first sensor producing a first sensor output according to current flow or a voltage at the one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal and a second sensor producing a second sensor output according to current flow through the NEUTRAL terminal or according to a voltage between the first series FET and second series FET; and a controller configured to determine to which of the plurality of terminals line hot is connected based, at least, on the first sensor output or the second sensor output.

2 . The electrical wiring device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide, during dimming operation, at least one of a first control signal to the first series FET and a second control signal to the second series FET according to a user adjustable load setting, wherein the first control signal and the second control signal are provided to the first series FET and the second series FET in accordance with a first dimming sequence or a second dimming sequence, based on, at least, to which of the plurality of terminals line is connected.

3 . The electrical wiring device of claim 2 , wherein the first dimming sequence and the second dimming sequence are each configured to eliminate or reduce current spikes in a load current.

4 . The electrical wiring device of claim 2 , wherein the first dimming sequence is selected if line hot is determined to be connected to the HOT/LOAD terminal, wherein, in the first dimming sequence, the first series FET is ON during at least a portion of a positive half cycle of line hot and the second series FET is ON during the positive half cycle.

5 . The electrical wiring device of claim 2 , wherein the second dimming sequence is selected if line hot is determined to be connected to one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal, wherein, in the second dimming sequence, the first series FET is ON during a positive half cycle of line hot and the second series FET is ON during at least a portion of the positive half cycle.

6 . The electrical wiring device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide, during dimming operation, at least one of a first control signal to the first series FET and a second control signal to the second series FET according to a user adjustable load setting, wherein the first control signal and the second control signal are the same.

7 . The electrical wiring device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to apply, when determining to which of the plurality of terminals line hot is connected, a control sequence to a gate of the first series FET and to a gate of the second series FET, wherein the controller determines to which of the plurality of terminals line hot is connected by monitoring the first sensor output or the second sensor output while the control sequence is applied.

8 . The electrical wiring device of claim 7 , wherein the controller determines that line hot is connected to the HOT/LOAD terminal if the first sensor output indicates current flow through or a voltage at the one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal when, as a first part of the control sequence, the first series FET is ON and the second series FET is OFF in a first positive half-cycle of line hot or the first series FET is OFF and the second series FET is ON in a first negative half-cycle of line hot.

9 . The electrical wiring device of claim 8 , wherein the controller determines that line hot is connected to the one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal if the first sensor output indicates no current flow through or no voltage at the one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal during the first part of the control sequence and the first sensor output indicates current flow through or a voltage at the one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal when, as a second part of the control sequence, the first series FET is OFF and the second series FET is ON in a second positive half cycle of line hot or the first series FET is ON and the second series FET is OFF in a second negative half-cycle of line hot.

10 . The electrical wiring device of claim 9 , wherein the first part of the control sequence occurs after the second part of the control sequence.

11 . The electrical wiring device of claim 9 , wherein the first positive half cycle is the same as the second positive half cycle and the first negative half cycle is the same as the second negative half cycle.

12 . The electrical wiring device of claim 7 , wherein the controller determines that line hot is connected to the one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal if the first sensor output indicates current flow through or a voltage at the one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal when, as part of the control sequence, the first series FET is OFF and the second series FET is ON in a positive half cycle of line hot or the first series FET is ON and the second series FET is OFF in a negative half cycle of line hot.

13 . The electrical wiring device of claim 7 , wherein the controller determines that line hot is connected to the HOT/LOAD terminal if the second sensor output indicates current flow through the NEUTRAL terminal or a voltage between the first series FET and second series FET when the first series FET is ON and the second series FET is OFF in a first positive half-cycle of line hot or the first series FET is OFF and the second series FET is ON in a first negative half-cycle of line hot.

14 . The electrical wiring device of claim 13 , wherein the controller determines that line hot is connected to the one of the first traveler terminal or the second traveler terminal if the second sensor output indicates no current flow through the NEUTRAL terminal or no voltage between the first series FET and second series FET during a first part of the control sequence and the second sensor output indicates current flow through the NEUTRAL terminal or a voltage between the first series FET and second series FET when, as a second part of the control sequence, the first series FET is OFF and the second series FET is ON in a second positive half cycle of line hot or the first series FET is ON and the second series FET is OFF in a second negative half-cycle of line hot.

15 . The electrical wiring device of claim 14 , wherein the first part of the control sequence occurs after the second part of the control sequence.

16 . The electrical wiring device of claim 14 , wherein the first positive half cycle is the same as the second positive half cycle and the first negative half cycle is the same as the second negative half cycle.

17 . The electrical wiring device of claim 7 , wherein the controller determines that line hot is connected to the one of the first traveler terminal or the second travele

Assignees

• Pass & Seymour Inc

Inventors

• Mueller Brian
• Haines Joshua P
• Finlay Sr David A
• Savicki Jr Gerald R

Classifications

• H05B47/14

  by determining electrical parameters of the light source · CPC title

• H02H11/004

  in case of incorrect phase sequence; with switching for obtaining correct phase sequence (protection of motors against wrong direction of rotation H02H7/097) · CPC title

• H05B47/20

  Responsive to malfunctions or to light source life; for protection · CPC title

• H02H11/003 Primary

  using a field effect transistor as protecting element in one of the supply lines · CPC title

• H05B47/10 Primary

  Controlling the light source · CPC title