Method of automatically controlling motorized window treatments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9670725-B2
Application number	US-201414578105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2014
Priority date	Dec 23, 2013
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

A load control system automatically controls the amount of daylight entering a building through at least one window of a non-linear façade of the building. The load control system comprises at least two motorized window treatments located along the non-linear façade, and a system controller. The controller is configured to calculate an optimal position for the motorized window treatments at each of a plurality of different times during a subsequent time interval using at least two distinct façade angles of the non-linear façade, such that a sunlight penetration distance will not exceed a maximum distance during the time interval. The controller is configured to use the optimal positions to determine a controlled position to which both of the motorized window treatments will be controlled during the time interval and to automatically adjust each of the motorized window treatments to the controlled position at the beginning of the time interval.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A load control system for controlling an amount of daylight entering a space of a building through at least one window of a non-linear façade of the building, the non-linear façade characterized by at least two distinct façade angles, the load control system comprising:
at least two motorized window treatments located along the non-linear façade for controlling the amount of daylight entering the space; and
a system controller configured to transmit digital commands to the at least two motorized window treatments for controlling the at least two motorized window treatments, the system controller configured to:
calculate a position for the at least two motorized window treatments at each of a plurality of different times during a time interval using the at least two distinct façade angles, the position calculated to prevent a sunlight penetration distance from exceeding a maximum sunlight penetration distance at each of the plurality of different times during the time interval;
use the calculated positions at the plurality of different times during the time interval to determine a controlled position to which the at least two motorized window treatments will be controlled during the time interval; and
automatically adjust the position of each of the at least two motorized window treatments to the controlled position so as to prevent the sunlight penetration distance from exceeding the maximum sunlight penetration distance during the time interval.

2. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the system controller is further configured to determine a representative façade angle for each of the plurality of different times during the time interval using the at least two distinct façade angles, and calculate the position for the at least two motorized window treatments at each of the plurality of different times during the time interval using the representative façade angle, the position calculated to prevent the sunlight penetration distance from exceeding the maximum sunlight penetration distance at each of the plurality of different times during the time interval.

3. The load control system of claim 2 , wherein the at least two distinct façade angles comprise first and second façade angles, and the system controller is further configured to calculate a solar azimuth angle at each of the plurality of different times during the time interval, and set the representative façade angle equal to the solar azimuth angle if the solar azimuth angle is between the first and second façade angles.

4. The load control system of claim 3 , wherein the system controller is further configured to set the representative façade angle equal to the first façade angle if the solar azimuth angle is not between the first and second façade angles and the solar azimuth angle is closer to the first façade angle than the second façade angle, and set the representative façade angle equal the second façade angle if the solar azimuth angle is not between the first and second façade angles and the solar azimuth angle is closer to the second façade angle than the first façade angle.

5. The load control system of claim 4 , wherein the first and second façade angles comprise, respectively, a start façade angle and an end façade angle of a portion of the non-linear façade on which the at least two motorized window treatments are located.

6. The load control system of claim 3 , wherein the system controller is further configured to calculate the solar azimuth angle at each of the plurality of different times during the time interval as a function of a longitude and a latitude of a location of the building, a present date, and each of the plurality of different times.

7. The load control system of claim 2 , wherein the system controller is further configured to set the controlled position equal to a lowest one of the positions during the time interval.

8. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the system controller is further configured to calculate a first position for a first motorized window treatment arranged at a first façade angle at each of the plurality of different times during the time interval, and calculate a second position for a second motorized window treatment arranged at a second façade angle at each of the plurality of different times during the time interval.

9. The load control system of claim 8 , wherein the system controller is further configured to determine a lowest position of the first and second positions for the respective motorized window treatments at each of the plurality of different times during the time interval, and set the controlled position equal to the lowest position of the first and second positions at each of the plurality of different times during the time interval.

10. The load control system of claim 9 , wherein the first and second façade angles comprise, respectively, a start façade angle and an end façade angle of a portion of the non-linear façade on which the at least two motorized window treatments are located.

11. The load control system of claim 9 , wherein the first and second façade angles comprise distinct angles at which the first and second motorized window treatment of the at least two motorized window treatments are oriented, respectively.

12. The load control system of claim 8 , wherein the system controller is configured to:
calculate a third position for a third motorized window treatment at a third façade angle at each of the plurality of different times during the time interval;
determine a lowest position of the first, second, and third calculated positions for the respective first, second, and third motorized window treatments at each of the plurality of different times during the time interval; and
set the controlled position equal to the determined lowest position.

13. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the system controller is configured to:
calculate positions of the at least two motorized window treatment during a plurality of consecutive time intervals, where the positions are calculated for the plurality of consecutive time intervals to prevent the sunlight penetration distance from exceeding the maximum sunlight penetration distance during any of the consecutive time intervals;
determine respective controlled positions to which the at least two motorized window treatment should be controlled during the consecutive time intervals; and
automatically adjust the position of the at least two motorized window treatment to the calculated positions at a beginning of each time interval.

14. The load control system of claim 13 , wherein the system controller is configured to build a timeclock schedule including a number of timeclock events each having an event time corresponding to the beginning of one of the time intervals and a respective event position corresponding to the respective controlled position of the respective time interval, the system controller further configured to automatically control the at least two motorized window treatments according to the timeclock schedule by adjusting the position of the at least two motorized window treatment to the respective event position of each of the timeclock events at the respective event time.

15. The load control system of claim 14 , wherein the system controller is further configured to determine a minimum time period that may occur between any two consecutive timeclock events, each time interval having a length greater than or equal to the minimum time period that may occur between the any two consecutive window treatment movements.

16. The load control system of claim 13 , wher

Assignees

• Lutron Electronics Co

Inventors

• Gill Timothy

Classifications

• E06B2009/6845

  sensing position · CPC title

• E06B9/11

  Roller shutters · CPC title

• E06B2009/6809

  Control · CPC title

• E06B9/40 Primary

  Roller blinds (usable only as awnings E04F10/06) · CPC title

• E06B2009/6818

  using sensors · CPC title