CLOCK DEVICE WITH AUTOMATIC SIMULATION OF SUNRISE OR SUNSET

• US 20140269222A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Patton, Erica, Raneri, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 368/73
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6809 Control
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6827 sensing light
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6845 sensing position
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6872 using counters to determine shutter position
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/32 Operating, guiding, or securing devices therefor operation of tilting bars E06B9/307
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/38 Other details
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/42 Parts or details of roller blinds, e.g. suspension devices, blind boxes brackets or adjustable mountings for roller blinds and drawable curtains A47H1/13
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/68 Operating devices or mechanisms, e.g. with electric drive
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/90 for immobilising the closure member in various chosen positions
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 19/00 Producing optical time signals at prefixed times by electric means
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 21/12 by electro-acoustic means
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 23/18 for operating one device at a number of different times
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 23/38 Mechanisms measuring a chosen time interval independently of the time of day at which interval starts
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 15/00 Time-pieces comprising means to be operated at preselected times or after preselected time intervals G04G11/00, G04G13/00 take precedence; electronic timers G04F1/005; pulse delay circuits H03K5/13; electronic time-delay switches H03K17/28; electronic time-programme switches which automatically terminate their operation after the programme is completed H03K17/296
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 15/006 for operating at a number of different times cigar or cigarette receptacles or boxes with means for limiting the frequency of smoking A24F15/005
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/00 Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/24 Structural elements or technologies for improving thermal insulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 : Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 80/00 : Architectural or constructional elements improving the thermal performance of buildings

Abstract

A clock comprises an alarm clock housing having a front face, a clock display occupying at least a portion of the front face, a control on the housing for activating a shade positioning function, and a processor within the housing. The processor is responsive to the control for generating at least one shade positioning command to be transmitted to at least one motorized window shade, so as to cause the motorized window shade to move to one or more position at one or more corresponding predetermined interval relative to an alarm time.

Claims

1. A clock, comprising:

an alarm clock housing having a front face;

a clock display occupying at least a portion of the front face;

a control on the housing for activating a shade positioning function, and

a processor within the housing, the processor responsive to the control for generating at least one shade positioning command to be transmitted to at least one motorized window shade, so as to cause the motorized window shade to move to one or more position at one or more corresponding predetermined interval relative to an alarm time.

2. The clock of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate a command sequence including a plurality of shade positioning commands to be transmitted at respective transmission times to cause the motorized shade to move to respectively different positions, so as to gradually open or gradually close the shade.

3. The clock of claim 1, wherein the at least one shade positioning command includes a single command to cause the shade to gradually open or gradually close at a predetermined average rate.

4. The clock of claim 1, further comprising a mobile device dock configured to connect to a port of a of a mobile device, wherein the processor is configured to:

detect when the mobile device is connected to the dock; and

request the alarm time from the mobile device upon detecting that the mobile device is connected to the dock.

5. The clock of claim 4, wherein the clock is configured to input an alarm time and for storing an internal alarm time in the clock, and the processor is configured to generate the at least one shade positioning command at the internal alarm time, if the processor does not detect any mobile device connected to the dock.

6. The clock of claim 1, further comprising a first wireless communications interface within the housing and coupled to the processor for transmitting the command sequence to the motorized window shade.

7. The clock of claim 1, wherein the clock further comprises an audio alarm which gradually increases in volume.

8. A clock, comprising:

an alarm clock housing having a front face;

a clock display occupying at least a portion of the front face;

a first control on the housing for setting an alarm time;

a second control on the housing for activating a command sequence,

a processor within the housing, the processor responsive to the second control for generating the command sequence, including at least two shade positioning commands to be transmitted wirelessly to at least one motorized window shade at respective transmission times, so as to cause the motorized window shade to move to respective increasingly open positions at one or more predetermined interval relative to the alarm time; and

a first wireless communications interface within the housing and coupled to the processor for transmitting the command sequence to the motorized window shade.

9. The clock of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to calculate the transmission times based on the alarm time, such that the motorized window shade is partially open prior to the alarm time and in an open position at the alarm time.

10. The clock of claim 8, wherein the processor separates the transmission times from each other by the one or more predetermined interval, the clock further comprising a third control on the housing for setting the predetermined interval.

11. The clock of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to activate an audible alarm upon passage of a predetermined amount of time after the alarm time, if the second control has not been deactivated.

12. The clock of claim 11, further comprising a snooze control on the housing, wherein activation of the snooze control interrupts the audible alarm for a predetermined period, without issuing additional shade positioning commands, and resumes the audible alarm when the predetermined period has ended.

13. The clock of claim 12, wherein the processor is responsive to a snooze signal from an external remote control device, for interrupting the audible alarm for the predetermined period.

14. The clock of claim 11, further comprising a snooze control on the housing, wherein activation of the snooze control interrupts the audible alarm and moves the motorized window shade to a snooze position for a predetermined period, and resumes the audible alarm and returns the motorized window shade to the open position when the predetermined period has ended.

15. The clock of claim 8, further comprising a light sensor configured to provide a light level signal to the processor, wherein the processor is responsive to the light level signal for determining at a predetermined interval after transmitting each respective shade positioning command whether a light level is lower than a threshold value, and transmitting a respective dimmer command to a wireless dimmer if the light level is lower than the threshold.

16. The clock of claim 15, wherein the light sensor is in or on the housing.

17. The clock of claim 15, wherein the light sensor is adapted to be mounted on or adjacent to a window, and the light sensor has a second wireless communications interface for communicating with the processor via the first wireless communications interface.

18. The clock of claim 8, further comprising a third control on the housing, wherein the processor is responsive to actuation of the third control for associating the clock with a device that is transmitting an association data sequence, wherein the device is one of the group consisting of the motorized shade, a dimmer and a mobile device.

19. The clock of claim 8, further comprising a mobile device interface for a mobile device that is configured to provide a graphical interface to a user for entering the alarm time, such that when the mobile device is connected to the mobile device interface, the clock receives the alarm time from the mobile device.

20. The clock of claim 19, wherein the processor separates the transmission times from each other by an interval, and the processor is configured to receive the interval from the mobile device while the mobile device is connected to the interface.

21. The clock of claim 20, wherein the mobile device interface is a second wireless communications interface from the group consisting of radio frequency, 802.11 wireless local area network and Bluetooth.

22. The clock of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to access a daily sunrise time from the Internet, and transmit a respective dimmer command to a wireless dimmer to control activation of an electric light at each transmission time if the alarm time is earlier than the daily sunrise time.

23. The clock of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to access a daily sunset time from the Internet, and transmit a respective dimmer command to a wireless dimmer to control deactivation of an electric light at each transmission time if the alarm time is later than the daily sunset time.

24. The clock of claim 20, wherein the mobile device interface is a wired dock.

25. The clock of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to:

provide dimmer commands to a dimmer via the first communications interface at each respective transmission time, to cause the dimmer to set at least one electrical light at a respective level at a predetermined time relative to the alarm time.

26. The clock of claim 8, further comprising:

a third control on the housing for activating a command sequence at a programmed event time,

wherein the processor is responsive to the third control for generating a second command sequence, including at least two shade positioning commands to be transmitted wirelessly to the at least one motorized window shade at respective closing transmission times, so as to cause the motorized window shade to move to respective increasingly closed positions at predetermined intervals relative to the programmed event time.

27. The clock of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured for transmitting a respective dimmer command to a wireless dimmer at each of the closing transmission times, for dimming at least one electric light.

28. A clock, comprising:

an alarm clock housing having a front face;

a clock display occupying at least a portion of the front face;

a first control on the housing for setting an event time;

a second control on the housing,

a processor within the housing, the processor responsive to actuation of the second control for generating a command sequence including at least two shade positioning commands to be transmitted wirelessly to at least one motorized window shade at respective transmission times, so as to cause the motorized window shade to move to respective increasingly closed positions at one or more predetermined interval relative to the event time; and

a first wireless communications interface within the housing and coupled to the processor for transmitting the command sequence to the motorized window shade.

29. Apparatus comprising:

a mobile device configured with an alarm clock function capable of receiving an input alarm time, the mobile device having an input/output (I/O) port or earphone port; and

a dongle comprising;

a connector adapted to connect to the I/O port or earphone port of the mobile device and communicate with the mobile device;

a radio frequency (RF) transceiver;

an RF antenna coupled to the RF transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the connector and the RF transceiver, the processor configured to receive the alarm time from the mobile device, generate at least one shade positioning command to be transmitted to at least one motorized window shade via the RF transceiver and the RF antenna, so as to cause the motorized window shade to move to one or more position at one or more corresponding predetermined interval relative to the alarm time.