HANDHELD PROGRAMMER FOR LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20080088181A1
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Cash, Audwin, Rigatti, Christopher, Veskovic, Dragan, Kumar, Rishi Raj, Hewson, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,936,281 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/38
• 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 maintaining information representing devices installed in a lighting control system, the system comprising a plurality of ballasts and a bus supply linked together by a communication bus, the method comprising:

storing in each of the plurality of ballasts respective ballast configuration information, wherein the respective ballast configuration information represents a respective configuration setting of the respective ballasts; and

storing in the bus supply the respective configuration information for each of the ballasts.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

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

storing information representing ballast light intensity levels configured in association with each respective ballast'"'"'s location within a room.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information for each device linked by the communication bus is stored in the bus supply, a respective ballast, or both.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein information for the respective ballast and a device connected to the ballast is stored in the ballast.

5. The method of claim 1, 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.