Commissioning a configurable user control device for a lighting control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017223808-A1
Application number	US-201715492373-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 20, 2017
Priority date	Aug 11, 2014
Publication date	Aug 3, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A wireless lighting control system includes a remote server system connected to a wide area network and having software for configuring, monitoring, and controlling lighting fixtures at an installation site. The site includes wireless devices in communication with a gateway via a local wireless network and at least some of the wireless devices are configured to control lighting fixtures, including a configurable user control device, such as a wall dimmer switch, having user interface elements configurable to activate specific lighting effects, such as power, dimming, and scene control. A user computer device is connected to the wide area network and has a graphical user interface enabling virtually mapping of user interface elements to lighting effects. Configuration can advantageously be done without physical access to either the user control device or to the lighting controllers, fixtures, or other devices at the installation site.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A configurable user control device for a lighting control system, the lighting control system having at least one lighting control device and a wireless gateway in communication with a server system, comprising:
a plurality of user interface elements capable of receiving a plurality of different user interactions; a processor coupled to the plurality of user interface elements and programmed to detect the plurality of different user interactions; and a wireless transceiver coupled to the processor; wherein a lighting effect is configured for one or more of the plurality of different user interactions for one or more of the plurality of user interface elements using a graphical user interface that is not directly associated with the processor; and wherein the processor provides a transmission of control instructions for the configured lighting effect upon detection of one of the plurality of different user interactions for one of the plurality of user interface elements.

2 . The configurable user control device of claim 1 , wherein the transmission is directed to the at least one lighting control device to control one or more lighting devices.

3 . The configurable user control device of claim 2 , wherein the one or more lighting control devices communicate lighting state changes to the wireless gateway.

4 . The configurable user control device of claim 1 , wherein the transmission is directed to the wireless gateway of the lighting control system.

5 . The configurable user control device of claim 1 , wherein the lighting effect is dimming control for one or more lighting devices of the lighting control system.

6 . The configurable user control device of claim 1 , wherein the lighting effect is a scene selection for the lighting control system.

7 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 1 , wherein the graphical user interface displays available configuration selections for the user control device based on a type of user control device detected and the capabilities of the detected type of user control device.

8 . The configurable user control device of claim 1 , wherein the user control device is capable of detecting user-defined conditions and communicating lighting state changes without user intervention.

9 . The configurable user control device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless gateway is used for the configuration of the lighting control system and then deactivated.

10 . A configurable lighting control system, comprising:
a server system connected to a wide area network and having control software for configuring devices remotely located at a site; a local wireless network located at the site; a wireless gateway located at the site and configured to communicate with the server system via the wide area network and configured to communicate with the devices via the local wireless network; the devices including at least one lighting control device and at least one user control device; the at least one user control device, configured to communicate with the wireless gateway, and having a plurality of user interface elements capable of detecting user interactions; and a user computer device capable of communicating with the server system and having a graphical user interface allowing a user to configure the at least one user control device; wherein user configuration includes associating lighting effects of the at least one lighting control device with the plurality of user interface elements using the graphical user interface; and wherein the at least one user control device communicates control instructions for the associated lighting effects upon detection of the user interactions for one of the plurality of user interface elements.

11 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 10 , wherein the communication of control instructions is directed to the at least one lighting control device to control one or more lighting devices.

12 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one lighting control device communicates lighting state changes to the wireless gateway.

13 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 10 , wherein the communication of control instructions is directed to the wireless gateway of the lighting control system.

14 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 10 , wherein the lighting effect is setting a dim level for one or more lighting devices of the lighting control system.

15 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 10 , wherein the user computer device can be used to control the at least one user control device to produce lighting effects.

16 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 10 , wherein the local wireless network is a wireless mesh network.

17 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one user control device acts as a repeater to extend the area encompassed by the mesh network.

18 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 10 , wherein the lighting effect is setting a scene selection for the lighting control system.

19 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 10 , wherein the graphical user interface allows the user to pre-define lighting effect automations associated with user interface elements of the at least one user control device.

20 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 10 , wherein the graphical user interface displays available configuration selections for each user control device based on a type of user control device detected and the capabilities of the detected type of user control device.

21 . The configurable lighting control system of claim 10 , wherein the wireless gateway is used for configuration of the lighting control system and then the lighting control system operates as configured without at least one of the wireless gateway and the server system.

22 . A method of configuring a user control device for a lighting control system, wherein the lighting control system includes a server system, a site system, and a wireless gateway of the site system, comprising the steps of:
commissioning lighting control devices and configuring them to communicate with the wireless gateway, wherein the lighting control devices are coupled to and selectively powering at least one lighting device; commissioning user control devices and configuring them to communicate with the wireless gateway, the user control devices having user interface elements capable of detecting user interactions; displaying a list of user control devices on a graphical user interface of a user computer device, wherein the server system compiles and provides the list of user control devices based upon their communication with the server system; selecting a user control device from the list to configure from the graphical user interface, wherein configuration made available by the graphical user interface is based at least in part on the capabilities of the particular user control device detected; displaying and selecting available lighting effects to associate with the selected lighting control device; associating the selected lighting effects with the available user interface elements; and transmitting the association to a device on the site system.

23 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising the step of displaying and selecting available control modes for the selected user control device.

Assignees

• Rab Lighting Inc

Inventors

• Barna Ross
• Case-Hayes Michael Theodore
• Sanghvi Ankit
• Oliver Jason Lawrence

Classifications

• H05B47/11

  by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light · CPC title

• H04L12/2829 Primary

  involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered · CPC title

• H05B45/10

  Controlling the intensity of the light · CPC title

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title

• H04L63/0227

  Filtering policies (mail message filtering H04L51/212) · CPC title