Dimmer control system with two-way master-remote communication
First Claim
1. A dimmer control system for controlling power supplied to a load comprising:
- (a) a master unit connected in a communication control loop in series with one or more remote units, wherein said master and remote units each have a power level display for displaying a power level to be supplied by the system to the load, and control unit circuitry to allow two-way communication between the master unit and the remote units of the power level;
(b) a dimmer load line supplying power to the load, wherein said communication control loop is superimposed in series on the dimmer load line; and
(c) said communication control loop having a first encoding circuit for encoding communication messages by a first encoding method for transmission from the master unit to be decoded by the remote units in order to update the power level display of the remote units for the power level to be supplied by the system to the load, and a second encoding circuit for encoding communication messages by a second encoding method different from the first encoding method for transmission from any remote unit to be decoded by the master unit in order to set the power level to be supplied by the system to the load in accordance with user input entered on any of the remote units.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A dimmer control system has a communication control loop that connects a master unit in series with a plurality of remote units, and it is superimposed in series on the dimmer load line so as to allow two-way communication between the master unit and remote units without affecting the operation of the load. Communications from the master to the remote units are encoded in loop current fluctuations, whereas communications from any remote to the master unit are encoded in loop voltage fluctuations. The master unit has a switched power supply, for use during normal LOAD ON operation, in tandem with a capacitive power supply, for use during LOAD OFF operation of the control units so as to minimize hum. The master unit power supply circuit provides an output rail voltage comprised of a reference voltage for the load superimposed with a control loop voltage for the voltage drop across the series-connected remote units. The master unit has a POWER OFF detection circuit and a non-volatile memory for storing system status information, so that when power is restored, the system can be restored to its former power level. The switch units are formed with a cover frame mounting a switch plate on a hinge axis allowing ON/OFF movement of an opposing side thereof. An array of LED light pipes is mounted in the switch plate aligned with the hinge axis, in order to minimize displacement of the light pipes during actuator movement.
75 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A dimmer control system for controlling power supplied to a load comprising:
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(a) a master unit connected in a communication control loop in series with one or more remote units, wherein said master and remote units each have a power level display for displaying a power level to be supplied by the system to the load, and control unit circuitry to allow two-way communication between the master unit and the remote units of the power level; (b) a dimmer load line supplying power to the load, wherein said communication control loop is superimposed in series on the dimmer load line; and (c) said communication control loop having a first encoding circuit for encoding communication messages by a first encoding method for transmission from the master unit to be decoded by the remote units in order to update the power level display of the remote units for the power level to be supplied by the system to the load, and a second encoding circuit for encoding communication messages by a second encoding method different from the first encoding method for transmission from any remote unit to be decoded by the master unit in order to set the power level to be supplied by the system to the load in accordance with user input entered on any of the remote units. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A dimmer control system for controlling power supplied to a load comprising:
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(a) a master unit connected in a communication control loop in series with one or more remote units, wherein said master and remote units each have a power level display for displaying a current power level supplied by the system to the load, and control unit circuitry to allow two-way communication between the master unit and the remote units of the power level to be supplied to the load; (b) a dimmer load line supplying power to the load, wherein said communication control loop is superimposed in series on the dimmer load line; and (c) said master unit has a power supply circuit that provides an output rail voltage equal to the sum of a total control loop voltage drop and a fixed reference voltage. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification