Wireless Load Control System

• US 20150185752A1
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Bard, Benjamin F., Dolan, David J., Mann, Timothy, Riedl, Christopher M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,851,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A wireless load control system for controlling one or more electrical loads comprises a wireless control device (e.g., a gateway device) able to obtain a present time from a server via a network (e.g., the Internet), control the electrical loads according to a timeclock schedule, and disable the timeclock schedule if the present time is not able to be obtained from the server via the network. The wireless control device may also be able to obtain the present time from a digital message received from an external device (e.g., a smart phone or a tablet device) via the network. The wireless control device may be configured to receive a control signal indicating a power outage (e.g., from a battery backup device), and to operate in a low-power mode in response to receiving the control signal indicating the power outage.

Claims

1. A wireless control device comprising:

a first communication circuit configured to transmit wireless signals;

a second communication circuit configured to be electrically coupled to a network;

a control circuit electrically coupled to the first and second communication circuits, the control circuit configured to obtain a present time from a server via the second communication circuit, the control circuit configured to transmit digital messages via the first communication circuit at event times of a timeclock schedule, the digital messages each including a command for controlling at least one electrical load according to the timeclock schedule;

wherein the control circuit is configured to cease transmitting the digital messages at the event times of the timeclock schedule if the present time is not able to be obtained from the server via the network.

2. The wireless control device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to obtain the present time from a time server via the Internet.

3. The wireless control device of claim 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to cease transmitting the digital messages at the event times of the timeclock schedule if the control circuit is not able to obtain the present time via the Internet when the wireless control device is first powered on.

4. The wireless control device of claim 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to cease transmitting the digital messages at the event times of the timeclock schedule if the control circuit is not able to obtain the present time via the Internet when the control circuit is reset.

5. The wireless control device of claim 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to cease transmitting the digital messages at the event times of the timeclock schedule after a predetermined timeout period after the control circuit is not able to obtain the present time via the Internet.

6. The wireless control device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to obtain the present time from a first digital message received from an external device via the second communication circuit.

7. The wireless control device of claim 6, wherein the control circuit is configured to obtain a location of the external device from a second digital message received from the external device via the second communication circuit, and to store the location in a memory.

8. The wireless control device of claim 7, wherein the control circuit is configured to subsequently confirm that a location of the external device is the same as the location stored in the memory, and to obtain the present time from a third digital message received from the external device via the second communication circuit if the location of the external device is the same as the location stored in the memory.

9. The wireless control device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power supply connector for receiving a supply voltage for powering the control circuit and the first and second communication circuits;

wherein the control circuit is configured to receive a control signal indicating a power outage via the power supply connector, and to operate in a low-power mode in response to receiving the control signal indicating the power outage.

10. The wireless control device of claim 9, wherein the control circuit is configured to detect the power outage in response to detecting an impedance between data terminals of the power supply connector.

11. The wireless control device of claim 10, wherein the power supply connector comprises a micro-USB port.

12. A battery backup device for powering an external device, the battery backup device comprising:

an output connector adapted to be coupled to an external device so as to provide power to the external device;

a power supply configured to be coupled to a power source and to generate a supply voltage;

a battery configured to produce a battery voltage;

a first switching circuit configured to be controlled to provide one of the supply voltage and the battery voltage at the output connector; and

a control circuit configured to detect a power outage at the power source and to control the first switching circuit to provide the battery voltage at the output connector during the power outage;

wherein the control circuit is further configured to generate a control signal indicating that the power outage is presently occurring at the output connector.

13. The battery backup device of claim 12, further comprising:

an impedance; and

a second switching circuit coupled in series with resistor between data terminals of the output connector;

wherein the control circuit is configured to render the second switching circuit conductive to couple the resistor in series between the data terminals of the output connector during the power outage.

14. A method of controlling one or more electrical loads comprising:

obtaining a present time from a server via a network;

controlling the electrical loads according to a timeclock schedule; and

disabling the timeclock schedule if the present time is not able to be obtained from the server via the network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining a present time from a server via a network further comprises obtaining by a control device the present time from a time server via the Internet.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein disabling the timeclock schedule further comprises disabling the timeclock schedule if the control device is not able to obtain the present time via the Internet when the control device is first powered on.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein disabling the timeclock schedule further comprises disabling the timeclock schedule if the control device is not able to obtain the present time via the Internet when the control device is reset.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein disabling the timeclock schedule further comprises disabling the timeclock schedule after a predetermined timeout period after the control device is not able to obtain the present time via the Internet.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

obtaining the present time from a first digital message received from an external device via the network.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

obtaining a location of the external device from a second digital message received from the external device via the network; and

storing the location in a memory.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

subsequently confirming that a location of the external device is the same as the location stored in the memory; and

obtaining the present time from a third digital message received from the external device via the network if the location of the external device is the same as the location stored in the memory.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a control signal indicating a power outage; and

operating in a low-power mode in response to receiving the control signal indicating the power outage.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein controlling the electrical loads according to a timeclock schedule comprises transmitting digital messages for controlling the electrical loads.