HANDHELD PROGRAMMER FOR LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20080084270A1
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Veskovic, Dragan, Kumar, Rishi Raj, Cash, Audwin, Hewson, John, Rigatti, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,764,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/3.7
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/195 the transmission using visible or infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 using handheld communication devices

Abstract

The invention regards a system and method for using a handheld programming device to configure a lighting control system wirelessly. In one embodiment, at least one device configured with a processing section is installed in the lighting control system. A communications receiver that is operable to receive a signal from the handheld programming device is also installed in the lighting control system, wherein the signal includes an instruction for configuring the lighting control system. Further, the signal is wirelessly sent from the handheld programming device to the communications receiver, and the instruction is transmitted from the communications receiver to a device in the system. The instruction functions to configure the lighting control system.

Claims

1. A method for replacing a plurality of ballasts in a lighting control system, the method comprising:

storing in a bus supply that is electronically connected to the plurality of ballasts by a communication bus, configuration information regarding respective configuration settings for each of a first plurality of ballasts;

replacing the first plurality of ballasts with a second plurality of ballasts;

transmitting an instruction to the bus supply to configure each of the second plurality of ballasts with the respective configuration settings of each of the first plurality of ballasts;

and configuring each of the second plurality of ballasts with the respective configuration settings of a respective one of the first plurality of ballasts with the configuration information stored in the bus supply.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting an instruction comprises transmitting unique identifiers for each of the first plurality of ballasts and the second plurality of ballasts.

3. A system for replacement of a plurality of ballasts in a lighting control system, the system comprising:

a bus supply that is electronically connected to the lighting control system by a communication bus and that stores configuration information regarding respective configuration settings for each of a first plurality of ballasts;

the first plurality of ballasts replaced with a second plurality of ballasts; and

a handheld programming device operable to transmit wirelessly an instruction to the bus supply to configure each of the second plurality of ballasts with the respective configurations of each of the first plurality of ballasts, wherein the bus supply is operable to use the configuration information to configure each of the second plurality of ballasts with the respective configurations of each of the first plurality of ballasts.

4. A system for maintaining information representing devices installed in a lighting control system, the system comprising:

a plurality of ballasts, wherein each of the plurality of ballasts has configuration information stored therein, wherein the respective configuration information represents a respective configuration setting of the respective ballast;

a bus supply that stores the respective configuration information for all of the ballasts; and

a communication bus interconnecting the plurality of ballasts and the bus supply.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

information representing a correlation of at least one sensor device with at least one ballast;

information representing a correlation of at least one wall control with at least one communications receiver; and

information representing ballast intensity levels configured in association with each respective ballast'"'"'s location in the room.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the information is stored in the bus supply, a respective ballast, or both.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the configuration setting represents at least one of a high end trim, a low end trim, a fade time, a ballast burn-in state, an emergency level intensity setting, an intensity level to operate a ballast at in response to a photosensor registering a light input, an intensity level to operate a ballast at in response to an occupancy sensor registering an occupied or an unoccupied status, a time-out value, and an intensity level to operate a ballast at in response to a contact closure input registering a closed status or an open status.