Load Control System Having An Energy Savings Mode

• US 20110035061A1
• Filed: 07/28/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Fricke, William Bryce, Pessina, Michael W., Zaharchuk, Walter S., Jacoby, Elliot G., Altonen, Gregory, Spira, Joel S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/278
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6818 using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/02 Shutters, movable grilles, or other safety closing devices, e.g. against burglary louvre windows or grilles E06B7/08; lamellar blinds E06B9/26
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/24 Screens or other constructions affording protection against light, especially against sunshine; Similar screens for privacy or appearance; Slat blindsoperating, guiding or securing devices or arrangements for roll-type closures E06B9/56; free-hanging flexible screens A47H23/00
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/40 Roller blinds usable only as awnings E04F10/06
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/68 Operating devices or mechanisms, e.g. with electric drive
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/20 Sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/40 Damper positions, e.g. open or closed
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1919 characterised by the type of controller
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A load control system for a building having a heating and cooling system and a window located in a space of the building is operable to control a motorized window treatment in response to a demand response command in order to attempt to reduce the power consumption of the heating and cooling system. When the window may be receiving direct sunlight, the motorized window treatment closes a fabric covering the window when the heating and cooling system is cooling the building, and opens the fabric when the heating and cooling system is heating the building. In addition, when the space is unoccupied and the heating and cooling system is heating the building, the motorized window treatment may open the fabric if the window may be receiving direct sunlight, and may close the fabric if the window may not be receiving direct sunlight.

Claims

1. A load control system for a building having a heating and cooling system and a window located in a space of the building, the load control system responsive to a demand response command, the load control system comprising:

a motorized window treatment comprising a window treatment fabric for covering the window, the motorized window treatment operable to move the fabric between a fully-open position in which the window is not covered and a fully-closed position in which the window is covered; and

a temperature control device for controlling a setpoint temperature of the heating and cooling system to thus control a present temperature in the building, the temperature control device operable to determine whether the heating and cooling system is heating or cooling the building;

wherein, when the window may be receiving direct sunlight, the motorized window treatment closes the fabric in response to the demand response command when the heating and cooling system is cooling the building, and opens the fabric in response to the demand response command when the heating and cooling system is heating the building.

2. The load control system of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller operable to determine whether the window may be receiving direct sunlight and to transmit digital messages to the motorized window treatment, so as to close the fabric of the motorized window treatment when the heating and cooling system is cooling the building and the window may be receiving direct sunlight, and to open the fabric of the motorized window treatment when the heating and cooling system is heating the building and the window may be receiving direct sunlight.

3. The load control system of claim 2, further comprising:

an occupancy sensor for detecting whether the space is occupied or unoccupied, the controller operable to control the motorized window treatment in response to the occupancy sensor.

4. The load control system of claim 3, wherein, when the space is occupied, the motorized window treatment is operable to move the fabric according to a predetermined timeclock schedule in order to limit a sunlight penetration depth in the space to a maximum penetration depth in response to receiving the demand response command.

5. The load control system of claim 4, wherein, when the space is occupied, the motorized window treatment is operable to move the fabric according to the timeclock schedule in response to receiving the demand response command when the window may not be receiving direct sunlight.

6. The load control system of claim 4, wherein, when the heating and cooling system is heating the building, the window may be receiving direct sunlight, and the space is occupied, the motorized window treatment is operable, in response to receiving the demand response command, to move the fabric according to a modified timeclock schedule in order to limit the sunlight penetration depth in the space to an increased maximum penetration depth.

7. The load control system of claim 4, wherein, when the heating and cooling system is cooling the building, the window may be receiving direct sunlight, and the space is occupied, the motorized window treatment is operable to move the fabric to the fully-closed position in response to receiving the demand response command.

8. The load control system of claim 3, wherein, when the space is unoccupied and the heating and cooling system is heating the building, the motorized window treatment moves the fabric to the fully-open position in response to the demand response command when the window may be receiving direct sunlight, and moves the fabric to the fully-closed position in response to the demand response command when the window may not be receiving direct sunlight.

9. The load control system of claim 3, wherein, when the space is unoccupied, the motorized window treatment is operable to move the fabric to the fully-closed position in response to the demand response command when the heating and cooling system is cooling the building.

10. The load control system of claim 2, wherein the controller operable to determine whether the window may be receiving direct sunlight in response to the present time of the day.

11. The load control system of claim 10, wherein the controller is operable to determine whether the window may be receiving direct sunlight using the longitude and latitude of the location of the building and an angle of a faç

ade in which the window is located with respect to true north.

12. The load control system of claim 2, wherein the temperature control device, in response to the demand response command, automatically increases the setpoint temperature of the heating and cooling system when the heating and cooling system is presently cooling the building so as to decrease the power consumption of the heating and cooling system, and decreases the setpoint temperature of the heating and cooling system when the heating and cooling system is presently heating the building so as to decrease the power consumption of the heating and cooling system.

13. The load control system of claim 2, wherein the controller is operable to receive the demand response command and to transmit digital messages to the motorized window treatment in response to receiving the demand response command, so as to close the fabric of the motorized window treatment when the heating and cooling system is cooling the building and the window may be receiving direct sunlight, and to open the fabric of the motorized window treatment when the heating and cooling system is heating the building and the window may be receiving direct sunlight.

14. The load control system of claim 1, further comprising:

a lighting control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to a lighting load, the lighting control device operable to decrease the amount of power delivered to the lighting load in response to the demand response command so as to decrease the power consumption of the lighting load.

15. A method of controlling a motorized window treatment comprising a window treatment fabric for covering a window in a space of the building, the building having a heating and cooling system, the method comprising:

receiving a demand response command;

determining if the window may be receiving direct sunlight;

determining whether the heating and cooling system is heating or cooling the building;

closing the fabric in response to the demand response command when the window may be receiving direct sunlight and the heating and cooling system is cooling the building; and

opening the fabric in response to the demand response command when the window may be receiving direct sunlight and the heating and cooling system is heating the building.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting whether the space is occupied or unoccupied;

moving the fabric to the fully-open position in response to the demand response command when the window may be receiving direct sunlight, the heating and cooling system is heating the building, and the space is unoccupied; and

moving the fabric to the fully-closed position in response to the demand response command when the window may not be receiving direct sunlight, the heating and cooling system is heating the building, and the space is unoccupied.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting whether the space is occupied or unoccupied;

opening the fabric in response to the demand response command when the space is occupied, the heating and cooling system is heating the building, and the window may be receiving direct sunlight; and

moving the fabric to the fully-closed position if the heating and cooling system is consuming more energy after the step of opening the fabric in response to the demand response command.

18. A load control system for a building having a heating and cooling system and a window located in a space of the building, the load control system comprising:

a motorized window treatment comprising a window treatment fabric for covering the window, the motorized window treatment operable to move the fabric between a fully-open position in which the window is not covered and a fully-closed position in which the window is covered;

a temperature control device for controlling a setpoint temperature of the heating and cooling system to thus control a present temperature in the building, the temperature control device operable to determine whether the heating and cooling system is heating or cooling the building; and

an occupancy sensor for detecting whether the space is occupied or unoccupied;

wherein, when the space is unoccupied and the heating and cooling system is heating the building, the motorized window treatment opens the fabric if the window may be receiving direct sunlight, and closes the fabric if the window may not be receiving direct sunlight.

19. The load control system of claim 18, further comprising:

a controller operable to determine whether the window may be receiving direct sunlight and to transmit digital messages to the motorized window treatment, so as to open the fabric of the motorized window treatment when the space is unoccupied, the heating and cooling system is heating the building, and the window may be receiving direct sunlight, and to close the fabric of the motorized window treatment when the space is unoccupied, the heating and cooling system is heating the building, and the window may not be receiving direct sunlight.

20. The load control system of claim 19, wherein the load control system is responsive to a demand response command.

21. The load control system of claim 20, wherein the controller is operable to receive the demand response command and to transmit digital messages to the motorized window treatment in response to receiving the demand response command, so as to close the fabric of the motorized window treatment when the heating and cooling system is cooling the building and the window may be receiving direct sunlight, and to open the fabric of the motorized window treatment when the heating and cooling system is heating the building and the window may be receiving direct sunlight.

22. The load control system of claim 20, wherein the temperature control device, in response to the demand response command, automatically increases the setpoint temperature of the heating and cooling system when the heating and cooling system is presently cooling the building so as to decrease the power consumption of the heating and cooling system, and decreases the setpoint temperature of the heating and cooling system when the heating and cooling system is presently heating the building so as to decrease the power consumption of the heating and cooling system.

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

a lighting control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to a lighting load, the lighting control device operable to decrease the amount of power delivered to the lighting load in response to the demand response command so as to decrease the power consumption of the lighting load.

24. The load control system of claim 19, wherein the controller is operable to determine whether the window may be receiving direct sunlight in response to the present time of the day.

25. The load control system of claim 24, wherein the controller is operable to determine whether the window may be receiving direct sunlight using the longitude and latitude of the location of the building and an angle of a faç

ade in which the window is located with respect to true north.

26. The load control system of claim 18, wherein, when the space is unoccupied and the heating and cooling system is heating the building, the motorized window treatment opens the fabric to the fully-open position if the window may be receiving direct sunlight, and closes the fabric to the fully-closed position if the window may not be receiving direct sunlight.

27. The load control system of claim 26, wherein the motorized window treatment closes the fabric to the fully-closed position when the space is unoccupied and the heating and cooling system is cooling the building.

28. A method of controlling a motorized window treatment comprising a window treatment fabric for covering a window in a space of the building, the building having a heating and cooling system, the method comprising:

detecting whether the space is occupied or unoccupied;

determining if the window may be receiving direct sunlight;

determining whether the heating and cooling system is heating or cooling the building;

opening the fabric when the space is unoccupied, the heating and cooling system is heating the building, and the window may be receiving direct sunlight; and

closing the fabric if the space is unoccupied, the heating and cooling system is heating the building, and the window may be receiving direct sunlight.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving a demand response command;

wherein the steps of opening and closing the fabric are performed in response to receiving the demand response command.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

opening the fabric in response to the demand response command when the space is occupied, the heating and cooling system is heating the building, and the window may be receiving direct sunlight; and

moving the fabric to the fully-closed position if the heating and cooling system is consuming more energy after the step of opening the fabric in response to the demand response command.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein opening the fabric further comprises moving the fabric to a fully-open position if the space is unoccupied and the window may be receiving direct sunlight, and closing the fabric further comprises moving the fabric to a fully-closed position if the space is unoccupied and the window may be receiving direct sunlight.