Method and apparatus for tracking sequences of an electrical device controllable from multiple locations

• US 6,917,167 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2003
• Issued: 07/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Orchowski, Neil, Courtney, Brian, Howe, William H., Kocher, Kevin, Bamberger, Matthew, DiBenedetto, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US10/654,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20050046360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 315/292, 315/294, 315/297, 315/312, 315/318, 315/361, 700/83, 712/245, 704/270, 704/272, 340/825.37, 379/102.1, 362/233, 362/239
• US Class Current: 315/318
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

In an electric system that controls electrical or state variable devices through inputs received from device operators such as switches, buttons and the like, where some of the button control or set sequences for the electrical devices and others predefined “presets”, an automatic sequence tracking process monitors the system and adjusts the position of the sequence steps for buttons that are associated therewith, to ensure that they always track the current condition of the electrical devices. Thereby, actuation of sequence generating buttons will always choose the next step in a sequence for the corresponding electrical device.

Claims

1. A tracking system for an arrangement comprising controlled devices that can have more than one state and device operators therefor, the system comprising:

at least one device operator of a first type that is capable of setting a plurality of sequence steps for a corresponding controlled device, in which each step represents a given state of the controlled device and in which the sequence steps normally follow one another in a prescribed order;

a sequencer associated with the at least one device operator of the first type that operates to normally cause the steps to follow one another through the sequence steps;

at least one other device operator operable to cause the corresponding controlled device to assume a preset state different than that previously set by the device operator of the first type; and

a tracking sensor that senses changes in the state of the controlled device due to activation of the other device operator and which conforms the state of the sequencer to track the current state of the controlled device, so that a subsequent actuation of the device operator of the first type will cause the controlled device to assume the next state in the prescribed order.

2. The system of claim 1, in which the controlled device is a light.

3. The system of claim 1, in which the controlled device is a relay.

4. The system of claim 1, in which the controlled device is a programmable item having a state variable.

5. The system of claim 1, in which the controlled device is a fan.

6. The system of claim 1, in which the controlled device is a shade.

7. The system of claim 1, further including a plurality of device operators of the first type, a plurality of the other device operators and a plurality of controlled devices to be controlled by respective ones of said device operators.

8. The system of claim 7, in which the other device operators are of a second type different than the first type.

9. The system of claim 1, in which the device operator of the first type comprises a corresponding visual indicator that indicates the current step of the sequence.

10. The system of claim 9, in which the visual device is an LED.

11. The system of claim 1, in which the other device operator is a dimmer switch that serves to control its corresponding electrical device for ON and OFF operation.

12. The system of claim 11, further including a visual indicating device that reflects the state of the dimmer switch.

13. The system of claim 12, further including a process that monitors the state of the dimmer switch and conforms the visual device to a current state.

14. The system of claim 1, including a process that checks that the sequence steps are in conformance with current states of associated controlled devices.

15. The system of claim 1, including a control processor for processing inputs from the at least one device operator of the first type and from the at least one other device operator.

16. The system of claim 15, in which the at least one device operator of the first type communicates with the control processor wirelessly.

17. The system of claim 15, in which the at least one other device operator communicates with the control processor wirelessly.

18. The system of claim 15, further including wireless device operators and an RF controller for coupling signals from the wireless device operators to the control processor.

19. The system of claim 1, including a plurality of the controlled devices, a plurality of device operators for the plurality of controlled devices and the plurality of device operators comprising devices that operate through hardware connections and/or devices that operate wirelessly.

20. The system of claim 1, in which the tracking sensor becomes activated by activation of any of the device operators.

21. The system of claim 1, in which the sequence steps include the steps of controlling a light for at least ON, OFF and two intermediate light levels.

22. The system of claim 21, including a visual indicator for the sequence steps that includes the visual indications:

ON, FLASH 1, FLASH 2 and OFF corresponding to the light levels.

23. The system of claim 7, in which at least one of the device operators is a dimmer switch.

24. The system of claim 14, in which the process includes a system tracking process.

25. The system of claim 24, in which the process includes a LED evaluation process and a preset evaluate process.

26. The system of claim 14, in which the process is a scheduled activity.

27. The system of claim 14, in which the process is a constantly running process.

28. The system of claim 14, in which the process in an event-driven process that runs in response to actuation of one or more of the device operators.

29. A method of tracking and maintaining device states in a system arrangement comprising controlled devices and device operators therefor, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a system arrangement which includes a plurality of controlled devices that require to be controlled, a plurality of device operators for the plurality of controlled devices and a controller for receiving inputs from the device operators for controlling respective ones of the controlled devices, wherein at least one of the controlled devices is operable by inputs received from more than one of the device operators;

operating at least one of the device operators to normally follow a prescribed sequence of steps for its associated electrical device, in which each step represents a given state of the controlled device and in which the sequence steps normally follow one another in a prescribed order; and

adjusting a current sequence step of the device operator whenever the state of the controlled device thereof has been changed in response to a signal received from another device operator.

30. The system of claim 29, including operating the adjusting step in a scheduled manner.

31. The method of claim 29, including providing a visual indicator on the device operator that indicates a current state of the device operator.

32. The method of claim 29, including operating a process that checks that the sequence steps are in conformance with current states of associated electrical devices.

33. The method of claim 29, including operating the adjusting step constantly.

34. The method of claim 29, including operating the adjusting step in a manner which is event-driven.