Associating wireless control devices

• US 10,368,426 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2019
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Inventors: Mann, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Blouin, Mark S
• Application Number:
  US16/253,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20190159321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 189 Days
• Field of Search: 340 1229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/283 Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/199 Commissioning of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A load control system may include one or more wireless control devices that may be associated via a programming device. An identifier for a first wireless control device may be determined in response to an actuation of a button on the first wireless control device. An association between the first wireless control device and a second wireless control device may be defined at the programming device. The identifier for the first wireless control device may be transmitted to the second wireless control device, which may cause the first wireless control device to enter a sleep mode. The first wireless control device may enter the sleep mode after an actuation of a button on the first wireless control device. The identifier may be determined in response to the actuation of the button on the first wireless control device and/or prior to the first wireless control device entering the sleep mode.

Claims

1. A control device for a load control system having a load control device configured to control an electrical load, the control device comprising:

a button for receiving a user input via an actuation of the button;

a memory;

a communications circuit; and

a control circuit configured to;

identify a first actuation of the button;

generate a first control instruction configured to control the electrical load in response to the first actuation of the button;

send, via the communications circuit, the first control instruction in a first digital message for controlling the electrical load;

in response to the first digital message that includes the first control instruction, receive an identifier configured to associate the control device with at least one other device in the load control system, wherein the at least one other device comprises the load control device configured to control the electrical load;

store the identifier in the memory;

identify a second actuation of the button;

generate a second control instruction configured to control the electrical load in response to the second actuation of the button; and

send, via the communications circuit, the second control instruction in a second digital message that includes the identifier configured to associate the control device with the at least one other device in the load control system.

2. The control device of claim 1, wherein the electrical load is a lighting load, and wherein the first control instruction is a lighting control instruction configured to control the lighting load.

3. The control device of claim 2, wherein the lighting control instruction is configured to turn the lighting load on, turn the lighting load off, increase a dimming level of the lighting load, decrease the dimming level of the lighting load, or set the lighting load to a preset dimming level.

4. The control device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to send, via the communications circuit, the first control instruction with a unique identifier of the control device.

5. The control device of claim 1, wherein the control device is a control-source device, and wherein the identifier is a group identifier that corresponds to one or more control-source devices other than the control device or one or more load control devices other than the load control device.

6. The control device of claim 5, wherein the group identifier is a random number received from a gateway device.

7. The control device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to:

enter a sleep mode after the identifier is stored in the memory; and

awake from the sleep mode after the second actuation of the button is identified.

8. The control device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to send the first digital message and the second digital message to a gateway device.

9. The control device of claim 1, wherein the control device is a remote control device.

10. A method comprising:

identifying a first actuation of a button on a control device;

generating a first control instruction configured to control an electrical load in response to the first actuation of the button;

sending the first control instruction in a first digital message for controlling the electrical load;

in response to the first digital message that includes the first control instruction, receiving an identifier configured to associate the control device with other devices in a load control system, wherein the other devices comprise a load control device configured to control the electrical load;

storing the identifier in memory;

identifying a second actuation of the button on the control device;

generating a second control instruction configured to control the electrical load in response to the second actuation of the button; and

sending the second control instruction in a second digital message that includes the identifier configured to associate the control device with the at least one other device in the load control system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the electrical load is a lighting load, and wherein the first control instruction is a lighting control instruction configured to control the lighting load.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the lighting control instruction is configured to turn the lighting load on, turn the lighting load off, increase a dimming level of the lighting load, decrease the dimming level of the lighting load, or set the lighting load to a preset dimming level.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first control instruction is sent with a unique identifier of the control device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the control device is a control-source device, and wherein the identifier is a group identifier that corresponds to one or more control-source devices other than the control device or one or more load control devices other than the load control device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the group identifier is a random number received from a gateway device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the control circuit is configured to:

enter a sleep mode after the identifier is stored in the memory; and

awake from the sleep mode after the second actuation of the button is identified.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the first digital message and the second digital message are sent to a gateway device.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the control device is a remote control device.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating the identifier at a gateway device; and

halting an association procedure until the first digital message is received at the gateway device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

associating a unique identifier of the control device with the load control device at a network device; and

sending association information to the gateway device from the network device, wherein the association information includes the association of the unique identifier of the control device with the load control device.