Radio-frequency lighting control system with occupancy sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9148937-B2
Application number	US-201113242383-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2011
Priority date	Sep 3, 2008
Publication date	Sep 29, 2015
Grant date	Sep 29, 2015

Abstract

A load control system controls a lighting load provided in a space and comprises a load control device and one or more occupancy sensors. The load control device controls the load in response to the wireless control signals received from the occupancy sensors. Each occupancy sensor transmits an occupied control signal to the load control device in response to detecting an occupancy condition in the space and a vacant control signal to the load control device in response to detecting a vacancy condition. The load control device adjusts the intensity of the load to a first intensity in response to receiving the occupied control signal from at least one of the occupancy sensors, and adjusts the intensity of the load to a second intensity less than the first intensity (e.g., a non-off intensity) in response to receiving vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A load control system for controlling the amount of power delivered from an AC power source to a lighting load provided in a space, the load control system comprising:
a load control device adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between the AC power source and the lighting load for controlling the amount of power delivered to the lighting load to control the intensity of the lighting load, the load control device operable to receive wireless control signals and to control the intensity of the lighting load in response to the wireless control signals; and
two occupancy sensors, each operable to independently detect an occupancy condition in the space and to transmit an occupied wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting the occupancy condition, the occupancy sensors further operable to transmit a vacant wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting a vacancy condition in the space;
wherein the load control device adjusts the intensity of the lighting load to a first intensity in response to receiving the occupied wireless control signal from at least one of the occupancy sensors, and adjusts the intensity of the lighting load to a second intensity less than the first intensity in response to receiving vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors,
the load control device associating a unique identifier with each occupancy sensor and storing in respective memory locations an occupancy/vacancy status of each occupancy sensor in accordance with its unique identifier, the load control device adjusting the intensity of the lighting load to a second intensity when the occupancy/vacancy statuses of the memory locations for both of the occupancy sensors denote vacancy.

2. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein each of the occupancy sensors are characterized by a unique serial number, the unique serial number comprising the unique identifier, the load control device comprising a memory for storage of the serial numbers of the two occupancy sensors, the load control device responsive to wireless control signals including the serial numbers of the two occupancy sensors.

3. The load control system of claim 2 , wherein the load control device keeps track of the occupancy sensors from which the load control device received the occupied wireless control signals.

4. The load control system of claim 3 , wherein the load control device adjusts the intensity of the lighting load to the second intensity in response to receiving vacant control signals from all of the occupancy sensors from which the load control device received the occupied wireless control signals.

5. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein each of the occupancy sensors transmits a third wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting a continued occupancy condition in the space, the load control device adjusting the intensity of the lighting load to the second intensity in response to determining that no wireless control signals have been received from one of the occupancy sensors for the length of a predetermined timeout period and receiving a vacant control signal from the other occupancy sensor.

6. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the second intensity is 0%, such that the load control turns the lighting load off in response to receiving vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors.

7. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the second intensity is a non-off intensity.

8. A method of controlling the amount of power delivered from an AC power source to a lighting load provided in a space, the method comprising the steps of:
providing two occupancy sensors in the space;
detecting by one of the occupancy sensors an occupancy condition in the space;
transmitting by one of the occupancy sensors an occupied wireless control signal in response to the step of detecting the occupancy condition;
receiving at a load control device the occupied wireless control signal from at least one of the occupancy sensors;
adjusting the intensity of the lighting load to a first intensity using the load control device in response to the step of receiving the occupied wireless control signal from at least one of the occupancy sensors;
detecting by one of the occupancy sensors a vacancy condition in the space;
transmitting by one of the occupancy sensors a vacant wireless control signal in response to the step of detecting a vacancy condition in the space;
receiving at the load control device vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors;
associating a unique identifier with each occupancy sensor and storing in respective memory locations an occupancy/vacancy status of each occupancy sensor in accordance with its unique identifier at the load control device, and
adjusting the intensity of the lighting load to a second intensity less than the first intensity using the load control device when the occupancy/vacancy statuses of the memory locations for both of the occupancy sensors denote vacancy.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second intensity is 0%, such that the step of adjusting the intensity of the lighting load to a second intensity comprises turning the lighting load off in response to the step of receiving vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second intensity is a non-off intensity.

11. A load control system for controlling the amount of power delivered from an AC power source to a lighting load provided in a space, the load control system comprising:
a load control device adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between the AC power source and the lighting load for controlling the amount of power delivered to the lighting load to control the intensity of the lighting load, the load control device operable to receive wireless control signals and to control the intensity of the lighting load in response to the wireless control signals; and
an occupancy sensor operable to detect an occupancy condition in the space and to transmit a first wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting the occupancy condition, the load control device operable to adjust the intensity of the lighting load to a first intensity in response to the first wireless control signal, the occupancy sensor further operable to transmit a second wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting a continued occupancy condition in the space;
wherein the load control device adjusts the intensity of the lighting load to a second intensity less than the first intensity in response to determining that no wireless control signals have been received from the occupancy sensor for the length of a predetermined timeout period; and
the occupancy sensor further comprising an occupancy timer, on the expiration of the occupancy timer, the occupancy sensor transmitting a vacant wireless control signal to the load control device, the load control device storing an occupancy/vacancy status of the occupancy sensor in a memory location of a memory of the load control device.

12. The load control system of claim 11 , wherein the load control device initializes a failsafe timer with the predetermined timeout period and restarts the failsafe timer in response to receiving the second wireless control signals from the occupancy sensor, the load control device operable to adjust the intensity of the lighting load to the second intensity when the failsafe timer expires.

13. The load control system of claim 12 , wherein the occupancy sensor is characterized by

Assignees

• Steiner James P
• Schmalz Andrew Peter
• Offenbacher Andrew Ryan
• Schrems Adam J
• Valenta Brian Raymond
• Lutron Electronics Co

Inventors

• Steiner James P
• Schmalz Andrew Peter
• Offenbacher Andrew Ryan
• Schrems Adam J
• Valenta Brian Raymond

Classifications

• H05B47/19 Primary

  via wireless transmission · CPC title

• H05B37/0227 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05B37/0272

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05B47/115

  by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings · CPC title

• H05B47/13

  by using passive infrared detectors · CPC title