Controlling groups of electrical loads

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020367346-A1
Application number	US-202016875663-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 15, 2020
Priority date	May 17, 2019
Publication date	Nov 19, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A remote control device may be configured to transmit command messages based on user interactions. The remote control device may receive an indication of a user interaction and transmit a command message based on the indication of the user interaction. The command message may include a command to adjust an intensity level of a lighting device and a fade period. The fade period may include the period of time over which the lighting device is to transition to the intensity level. After a transmission interval period of time from when the command message was transmitted elapses and based on a subsequent user interaction, the remote control device may transmit another command message, which may include a command for the lighting device to adjust to another intensity level over the fade period. The fade period may be longer than the transmission interval.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A remote control device, comprising:
a memory; a user interface; and a processor, configured to:
receive an indication of a user interaction via the user interface;
transmit a first command message after receipt of the indication of the first user interaction, wherein the first command message comprises a first command to adjust to a first intensity level over a fade period;
transmit a second command message, after a transmission interval from when the first command message was transmitted, wherein the second command message comprises a second command to adjust to a second intensity level over the fade period, and wherein the fade period is longer than the transmission interval.

2 . The remote control device of claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a rotation portion, and the processor is configured to periodically transmit command messages at the transmission interval while the rotation portion is being rotated.

3 . The remote control device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the second intensity level based on the first intensity level and an amount of rotation of the rotation portion during the transmission interval.

4 . The remote control device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to transmit a repeat command message between the first command message and the second command message at the end of a repeat interval from the beginning of the present transmission interval, the repeat command message comprising the first command to adjust to the first intensity level over the fade period.

5 . The remote control device of claim 4 , wherein the repeat interval is half of the transmission interval.

6 . The remote control device of claim 1 , wherein the fade period is twice as long as the transmission interval.

7 . A remote control device, comprising:
a memory; a user interface; and a processor, configured to:
receive an indication of a first user interaction via the user interface;
periodically transmit command messages at a transmission interval in response to receiving the indication of the first user interaction, each of the command messages comprising a respective command for adjusting to a respective intensity level over a fade period; and
transmit at least one repeat command message between the periodic transmissions of the command messages at the end of a repeat interval from the beginning of the present transmission interval, each repeat command message comprising the respective command included in the command message transmitted at the beginning of the present transmission interval.

8 . The remote control device of claim 7 , wherein the user interface comprises a rotation portion, and the processor is configured to periodically transmit command messages at the transmission interval while the rotation portion is being rotated.

9 . The remote control device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
detect an end of rotation of the rotation portion; and transmit a plurality of repeat command messages on a condition that the end of the rotation of the rotation portion is detected, each of the repeat command messages including a command of a last one of the command message to be transmitted.

10 . The remote control device of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive an indication of a second user interaction via the user interface; transmit a command message including a direct command based on the second user interaction; and transmit a plurality of repeats messages after the command message, each of the repeat command messages including the direct command of the command message.

11 . The remote control device of claim 10 , wherein the user interface comprises an actuation portion, and wherein the second user interaction is an actuation of the actuation portion.

12 . The remote control device of claim 7 , wherein the repeat interval is half of the transmission interval.

13 . The remote control device of claim 7 , wherein the fade period is twice as long as the transmission interval.

14 . A load control system comprising:
a remote control device configured to:
detect a user interaction;
in response to the detection of the user interaction, periodically transmit command messages at a transmission interval, wherein each command message comprises a command configured to control a plurality of lighting devices to a respective intensity level over a fade period, wherein the fade period is longer than the periodic transmission interval; and
transmit a repeat message after a repeat interval from each previously transmitted command message, wherein the repeat message comprises the same command in the previously transmitted command message;
a first lighting device configured to control an intensity level of a first lighting load, the first lighting device configured to:
receive a first command message from the remote control device, wherein the first command message comprises a first intensity level;
in response to the receipt of the first command message, initiate adjustment of the intensity level of the first lighting load toward the first intensity level over the fade period;
during the fade period over which the intensity level of the first lighting load is being controlled, receive a second command message from the remote control device; and
in response to the receipt of the second command message, initiate adjustment of the intensity level of the first lighting load towards the second intensity level over the fade period; and
a second lighting device configured to control an intensity level of a second lighting load, the second lighting device configured to:
receive a repeat message corresponding to the first command message from the remote control device, wherein the repeat message comprises the first intensity level, and wherein the repeat message is transmitted by the remote control device after the first command message;
in response to the receipt of the repeat message, initiate adjustment of the intensity level of the second lighting load toward the first intensity level over the fade period;
during the fade period over which the intensity level of the second lighting load is being controlled, receive the second command message from the remote control device; and
in response to the receipt of the second command message, initiate adjustment of the intensity level of the second lighting load toward the second intensity level over the fade period.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the remote control device comprises a rotation portion, and wherein the user interaction is rotation of the rotation portion.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the second command message is based on the first command message and an amount of rotation of the rotation portion during the transmission interval.

17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the remote control device is further configured to:
detect an end of rotation of the rotation portion; and transmit a plurality of repeat command messages on a condition that the end of the rotation of the rotation portion is detected, each of the repeat command messages including a command of a last periodically transmitted command message.

18 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the repeat interval is half of the transmission interval.

19 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the fade period is twice as long as the transmission interval.

20 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the remote control devi

Assignees

• Lutron Tech Co Llc

Inventors

• Petersen Alexander S
• Shukla Jaykrishna A

Classifications

• H05B47/19 Primary

  via wireless transmission · CPC title

• H05B47/196

  characterised by user interface arrangements · CPC title

• H05B47/199

  Commissioning of light sources · CPC title

• H05B47/165

  following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC] · CPC title

• H05B47/105

  in response to determined parameters · CPC title