Dimmer for use with a three-way switch
First Claim
1. A lighting control system for controlling the intensity of a lighting load from a source of AC power, comprising:
- a load control device comprising a first load terminal, a second load terminal, a controllably conductive device coupled between said first load terminal and said second load terminal for controlling the current through said lighting load, and an accessory terminal;
said first load terminal, said controllably conductive device, and said second load terminal coupled in series electrical connection for carrying substantially all of said current through and said lighting load;
said load control device operable to toggle the lighting load between an ON state in which a current flows through the lighting load as determined by the controllably conductive switch and an OFF state in which substantially no current flows through the lighting load;
a maintained switch coupled between said accessory terminal and one of said first load terminal and said second load terminal;
said maintained switch having a closed state in which said accessory terminal is coupled to said one of said first load terminal and said second load terminal, and an open state in which said accessory terminal is not coupled to said one of said first load terminal and said second load terminal; and
wherein said load control device is operable to toggle said lighting load when said maintained switch changes between said open state and said closed state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A smart dimmer for controlling the intensity of a lighting load from a source of AC power is operable to replace one of the three-way switches in a standard three-way lighting system without the need to replace the other three-way switch with a unique accessory switch. A simple rewiring is needed in the wallbox of the remaining three-way switch. In the resulting three-way lighting system, the smart dimmer is always coupled between the lighting load and the source and the remaining three-way switch is coupled between either of the load terminals of the dimmer and an accessory terminal of the dimmer. The remaining three-way switch acts to either couple or decouple an AC voltage from the accessory terminal. The smart dimmer is operable to detect a change in the state at the accessory terminal and toggle the lighting load on or off as a result of the change in state.
50 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A lighting control system for controlling the intensity of a lighting load from a source of AC power, comprising:
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a load control device comprising a first load terminal, a second load terminal, a controllably conductive device coupled between said first load terminal and said second load terminal for controlling the current through said lighting load, and an accessory terminal;
said first load terminal, said controllably conductive device, and said second load terminal coupled in series electrical connection for carrying substantially all of said current through and said lighting load;
said load control device operable to toggle the lighting load between an ON state in which a current flows through the lighting load as determined by the controllably conductive switch and an OFF state in which substantially no current flows through the lighting load;a maintained switch coupled between said accessory terminal and one of said first load terminal and said second load terminal;
said maintained switch having a closed state in which said accessory terminal is coupled to said one of said first load terminal and said second load terminal, and an open state in which said accessory terminal is not coupled to said one of said first load terminal and said second load terminal; andwherein said load control device is operable to toggle said lighting load when said maintained switch changes between said open state and said closed state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for controlling the intensity of a lighting load from a source of AC power in a lighting control system comprising a load control device having a first load terminal, a second load terminal, and an accessory terminal and a maintained switch having a closed state for coupling said accessory terminal to one of said first load terminal and said second load terminal and an open state for decoupling said accessory terminal from said one of said first load terminal and said second load terminal;
- said method comprising the steps of;
storing a previous state of said maintained switch; detecting a present state of said maintained switch; comparing said present state with said previous state of said maintained switch; and toggling said intensity of said lighting load between an ON state and an OFF state in response to the result of the step of comparing. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- said method comprising the steps of;
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15. A load control device for controlling the intensity of a lighting load from a source of AC power and operable to be coupled to a maintained switch, said load control device comprising:
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a first load terminal adapted to be coupled to said source of AC power; a second load terminal adapted to be coupled to said lighting load; an accessory terminal adapted to be coupled to said maintained switch, such that when said maintained switch is in a closed state, said accessory terminal is coupled to one of said first load terminal and said second load terminal, and when said maintained switch is in an open state, said accessory terminal is not coupled to either of said first load terminal and said second load terminal; a controllably conductive device coupled between said first load terminal and said second load terminal for controlling the amount of current flowing through said lighting load; and a microcontroller coupled to said controllably conductive device for controlling said lighting load between an ON state in which a current flows through said lighting load and an OFF state in which substantially no current flows through said lighting load, and operable to determine whether said maintained switch has changed between said open state and said closed state, said microcontroller operable to control said lighting load between the ON state and the OFF state in response to determining that said maintained switch has changed between said open state and said closed state. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification