Radio-frequency lighting control system with occupancy sensing

• US 10,098,206 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2015
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Steiner, James P., Schmalz, Andrew Peter, Offenbacher, Andrew Ryan, Schrems, Adam J., Valenta, Brian Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, An T
• Application Number:
  US14/688,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20150223310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/13 by using passive infrared detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A load control system controls an electrical 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 turns on the load in response to receiving the occupied control signal from at least one of the occupancy sensors, and turns off the load in response to receiving vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors. The load control device is operable to determine that no wireless control signals have been received from the occupancy sensors for the length of a predetermined timeout period and to subsequently turn off the load.

Claims

1. A load control device for controlling power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load provided in a space, the load control device comprising:

a controllably conductive device adapted to be electrically coupled in series between the AC power source and the electrical load to control the power delivered to the electrical load;

a wireless receiver configured to receive wireless control signals from at least two occupancy sensors, each of the wireless control signals received from the occupancy sensors comprising one of an occupied wireless control signal indicating an occupancy condition in the space and a vacant wireless control signal indicating a vacancy condition in the space, the vacant wireless control signal being generated in response to occupancy in the space not being detected for a time period;

a controller configured to control the controllably conductive device to control the power delivered to the electrical load in response to the wireless control signals received by the wireless receiver, the controller configured to determine whether an occupied wireless control signal or a vacant wireless control signal has been received from each of the occupancy sensors; and

a memory configured to store unique identifiers of each of the occupancy sensors, the controller configured to mark as occupied in the memory the unique identifiers of the occupancy sensors from which occupied wireless control signals are received and to mark as vacant in the memory the unique identifiers of the occupancy sensors from which vacant wireless control signals are received;

wherein the controller is configured to enable delivery of power to the electrical load when the unique identifier for at least one of the occupancy sensors is marked as occupied and cease the delivery of power to the electrical load when the unique identifiers of all of the occupancy sensors are marked as vacant, the controller storing in the memory the status of the unique identifier of each of the occupancy sensors as either occupied or vacant so that the controller does not disable the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to vacant wireless control signals received from the occupancy sensors when at least one of the unique identifiers is marked as occupied.

2. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine that no wireless control signals have been received from at least one of the occupancy sensors for the length of a predetermined timeout period.

3. The load control device of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to mark as vacant in the memory the unique identifier of the occupancy sensor from which no wireless control signals have been received for the length of the predetermined timeout period.

4. The load control device of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to initialize a failsafe timer with the predetermined timeout period in response to determining that no wireless control signals have been received from at least one of the occupancy sensors, the controller configured to restart the failsafe timer in response to receiving wireless control signals from the at least one occupancy sensor, the controller configured to mark as vacant in the memory the unique identifier of the at least one occupancy sensor when the failsafe timer expires.

5. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the unique identifiers comprise unique serial numbers of the respective occupancy sensors.

6. The load control device of claim 5, wherein each of the wireless control signals transmitted by the occupancy sensors includes the unique serial number of the respective occupancy sensor, the controller configured to be responsive to wireless control signals including the serial numbers that are stored in the memory.

7. The load control device of claim 1, wherein, if the electrical load is off, the controller is configured to enable the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving an occupied wireless control signal including an occupied-take-action command.

8. The load control device of claim 7, wherein, if the electrical load is off, the controller is configured to maintain the electrical load off in response to receiving an occupied wireless control signal including an occupied-no-action command.

9. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the electrical load is a lighting load and the load control device is a dimmer.

10. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the wireless receiver is configured to receive an actuator wireless control signal from a remote control, the remote control configured to transmit the actuator wireless control signal in response to an actuation of an actuator of the remote control, the controller configured to enable the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving the actuator wireless control signal from the remote control.

11. A load control system for controlling power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load provided in a space, the load control system comprising:

at least two occupancy sensors, each occupancy sensor configured 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 an occupancy condition in the space, the occupancy sensors further configured to transmit a vacant wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting a vacancy condition in the space, the vacant wireless control signal being generated in response to occupancy in the space not being detected for a time period; and

a load control device adapted to be electrically coupled in series between the AC power source and the electrical load to control the amount of power delivered to the electrical load, the load control device configured to receive the occupied and vacant wireless control signals from the occupancy sensors, the load control device configured to determine whether an occupied wireless control signal or a vacant wireless control signal has been received from each of the occupancy sensors, the load control device configured to store in a memory a unique identifier of each of the occupancy sensors, the load control device configured to mark as occupied the unique identifiers of the occupancy sensors from which occupied wireless control signals are received and to mark as vacant the unique identifiers of the occupancy sensors from which vacant wireless control signals are received;

wherein the load control device is configured to enable delivery of power to the electrical load when the unique identifier for at least one of the occupancy sensors is marked as occupied and cease the delivery of power to the electrical load when the unique identifiers of all of the occupancy sensors are marked as vacant, the load control device storing in the memory the status of the unique identifier of each of the occupancy sensors as either occupied or vacant so that the load control device does not disable the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to vacant wireless control signals received from the occupancy sensors when at least one of the unique identifiers is marked as occupied.

12. The load control system of claim 11, wherein the load control device is configured to determine that no wireless control signals have been received from at least one of the occupancy sensors for the length of a predetermined timeout period.

13. The load control system of claim 12, wherein the load control device is configured to mark as vacant the unique identifier of the occupancy sensor from which no wireless control signals have been received for the length of the predetermined timeout period.

14. The load control system of claim 13, wherein the load control device is configured to initialize a failsafe timer with the predetermined timeout period in response to determining that no wireless control signals have been received from at least one of the occupancy sensors, the load control device configured to restart the failsafe timer in response to receiving wireless control signals from the at least one occupancy sensor, the load control device configured to mark as vacant the unique identifier of the at least one occupancy sensor when the failsafe timer expires.

15. The load control system of claim 11, wherein the unique identifiers comprise unique serial numbers of the respective occupancy sensors.

16. The load control system of claim 15, wherein each of the wireless control signals transmitted by the occupancy sensors includes the unique serial number of the respective occupancy sensor, the load control device configured to be responsive to wireless control signals including the stored serial numbers.

17. The load control system of claim 11, wherein, if the electrical load is off, the load control device is configured to enable the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving an occupied wireless control signal including an occupied-take-action command.

18. The load control system of claim 17, wherein, if the electrical load is off, the controller is configured to maintain the electrical load off in response to the wireless receiver receiving an occupied wireless control signal including an occupied-no-action command.

19. The load control system of claim 11, wherein the electrical load is a lighting load and the load control device is a dimmer.

20. The load control system of claim 11, further comprising:

a remote control comprising an actuator and configured to transmit an actuator wireless control signal to the load control device in response to an actuation of the actuator;

wherein the load control device is configured to enable the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving the actuator wireless control signal from the remote control.