Electrically controllable window treatment system to control sun glare in a space

• US 7,588,067 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Veskovic, Dragan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton; Anabel
• Assistant Examiner(s): SPINELLA, KEVIN
• Application Number:
  US11/530,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20070211447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 318/16, 318264-267, 318/286, 318466-470, 318/480, 315/291, 315/308, 315/312, 315/150, 250/205, 250/214.AL, 250/221, 250/222.1, 362/1, 362/276, 362/802, 362/458, 362/227, 362/233, 160/5, 160/84.02, 160/331, 49/25
• US Class Current: 160/5
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/32 Operating, guiding, or securing devices therefor operation of tilting bars E06B9/307
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/68 Operating devices or mechanisms, e.g. with electric drive
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/802 Position or condition responsive switch

Abstract

A system for reducing sun glare through an opening into a space, the system comprising an electrically controllable window treatment operable to alter the amount of daylight entering the space through the opening; a first sensor mounted within the space and characterized by a sensor gain, the first sensor operable to sense a level of illumination in the space; and a control system operable: to compare the sensed illumination level in the space to a dead-band having upper and lower thresholds; to adjust during a time period when glare from the sun can occur through the opening at least one of: (a) the upper threshold of the dead-band, (b) the lower threshold of the dead-band, and (c) the sensor gain of the first sensor; and to adjust the window treatment in response to the sensed level of illumination to reduce the sun glare.

Claims

1. A system for reducing sun glare through an opening into a space, the system comprising:

an electrically controllable window treatment operable to alter the amount of daylight entering the space through the opening;

a first sensor mounted within the space and characterized by a sensor gain, the first sensor operable to sense a level of illumination in the space; and

a control system characterized by a dead-band having an upper threshold and a lower threshold, the control system operable;

to adjust automatically in response to a present time of day when glare from the sun can occur through the opening at least one of;

(a) the upper threshold of the dead-band, (b) the lower threshold of the dead-band, and (c) the sensor gain of the first sensor;

to compare the sensed illumination level in the space to the dead-band; and

to adjust the window treatment automatically in response to the comparison of the sensed level of illumination to the dead-band to reduce the sun glare.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system includes an astronomical time clock.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the astronomical time clock is operable to determine the present time of the day.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the control system is further operable to adjust, during a first time period after sunrise or a second time period before sunset, at least one of:

(a) the upper threshold of the dead-band, (b) the lower threshold of the dead-band, and (c) the sensor gain of the first sensor.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the control system, using the present time of the day, is further operable to determine from a look-up table at least one of:

(a) the upper threshold of the dead-band, (b) the lower threshold of the dead-band, and (c) the sensor gain of the first sensor.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the control system, using the present time of the day, is further operable to correct for a spectral sensitivity property of the first sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

manual adjustment means operable to allow a user to manually adjust the window treatment.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control system is further operable to temporarily adjust at least one of the upper and lower thresholds of the dead-band, defining a temporary dead-band, in response to an illumination level sensed after a manual adjustment of the window treatment.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the control system is further operable to restore the upper and lower thresholds to default values after the sensed illumination level exceeds one of the upper and lower thresholds of the temporary dead-band.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the control system is further operable to automatically adjust the upper and lower thresholds after the control system detects a repeated manual adjustment of the window treatment to make the temporary dead-band a default dead-band.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the control system is further operable to restore the upper and lower thresholds to default values after a predetermined amount of time after a manual adjustment of the window treatment.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is further operable to adjust the window treatment to bring the sensed illumination level in the space within the upper and lower thresholds of the dead-band.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the control system is further operable to delay for a predetermined amount of time before automatically adjusting the window treatment.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the control system is further operable to reduce the predetermined amount of time if the sensed illumination is consistently higher than the upper threshold or consistently lower than the lower threshold.

15. The system of claim 4, wherein the control system is further operable to decrease the upper and lower thresholds of the dead-band during the first or second time period.

16. The system of claim 4, wherein the control system is further operable to increase the sensor gain of the first sensor during the first or second time period.