HANDHELD PROGRAMMER FOR LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20080088435A1
• 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: Veskovic, Dragan, Kumar, Rishi Raj, Cash, Audwin, Hewson, John, Rigatti, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,228,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• 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 using a handheld programming device to wirelessly configure a lighting control system having at least one device configured with a processing section, a communications receiver operable to receive a signal from the handheld programming device, and a communication bus interconnecting the at least one device and the communications receiver, the method comprising the steps of:

wirelessly transmitting the signal from the handheld programming device to the communications receiver, the signal including an instruction for configuring the lighting control system; and

transmitting the instruction from the communications receiver to the at least one device, wherein the instruction functions to configure the lighting control system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device comprises at least one of a ballast and a bus supply.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is formatted as an infrared signal or a radio frequency signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device comprises a ballast, and the instruction provides an instruction to configure the ballast'"'"'s high end trim, low end trim, fade time, burn-in state and emergency level intensity setting.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a plurality of devices in the lighting control system, wherein the plurality of devices comprises at least two ballasts connected to the communications bus, and at least one sensor device connected to the one of the at least two ballasts.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of devices comprises a plurality of sensor devices each of the sensor devices connected to a different ballast, and the instruction functions to group the at least two ballasts to operate in response to the at least one sensor device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of devices comprises a plurality of sensor devices, each of the sensor devices connected to a different ballast, and the instruction functions to group at least one ballast to operate in response to a plurality of sensor devices.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one sensor device comprises one or more of a photosensor and an occupancy sensor.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the instruction causes at least one of the ballasts to operate at a respective intensity level in response to the photosensor registering a light input.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the instruction causes at least one of the ballasts to operate at a respective intensity level in response to the occupancy sensor registering an occupied or an unoccupied status.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the system further comprises a bus supply connected to the communications bus, the bus supply including a contact closure input terminal, and the instruction causes at least one of the ballasts to operate at a respective intensity level in response to the contact closure input terminal registering an open or a closed status.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the instruction causes at least one of the ballasts to time-out after a specified amount of time after the at least one sensor device registers an unoccupied status of an associated space.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising flashing a lamp associated with at least one of the devices to communicate to a user of the handheld programming device that the at least one device had been selected for configuration.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction functions to reset the at least one device to a factory default setting.

15. A system for wirelessly configuring a lighting control system using a handheld programming device, the system comprising:

at least one device installed in the lighting control system, wherein the at least one device is configured with a processing section;

a communications receiver connected to the at least one device, wherein the communications receiver is operable to receive a signal from the handheld programming device, wherein the signal includes an instruction for configuring the lighting control system;

wherein the handheld programming device is operable to transmit wirelessly the instruction to the communications receiver; and

wherein the communications receiver is operable to transmit the instruction to the at least one device on the system, wherein the instruction is operable to configure the lighting control system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one device comprises at least one of a ballast and a bus supply.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the signal is formatted as an infrared signal or a radio frequency signal.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one device comprises a ballast, and the instruction provides an instruction to configure at least one of the ballast'"'"'s high end trim, low end trim, fade time, burn-in state and emergency level intensity setting.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of devices, wherein the plurality of devices comprises at least two ballasts and at least one sensor device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the instruction functions to group the at least two ballasts to operate in response to the at least one sensor device.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of devices further comprises a plurality of sensor devices, and the instruction functions to group at least one ballast to operate in response to a plurality of sensor devices.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one sensor device comprises one or more of a photosensor and an occupancy sensor.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the sensor device comprises a photosensor and the instruction causes at least one of the ballasts to operate at a respective intensity level in response to the photosensor registering a light input.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the sensor device comprises a photosensor and the instruction causes at least one of the ballasts to operate at a respective intensity level in response to the occupancy sensor registering an occupied or an unoccupied status.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the sensor device comprises a contact closure input terminal and the instruction causes at least one of the ballasts to operate at a respective intensity level in response to the contact closure input terminal registering an open or a closed status.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the sensor device comprises an occupancy sensor and the instruction causes at least one of the ballasts to time-out after a specified amount of time after the occupancy sensor registers an unoccupied status.

27. The system of claim 19, further comprising a lamp associated with at least one of the ballasts, wherein the at least one ballast is operable to convey information to a user of the handheld programming device by flashing the lamp.

28. The system of claim 15, wherein the instruction functions to reset one or more devices installed in the lighting control system to a factory default setting.