Electrical control system

• US 7,852,231 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Fair, James, Goyal, Rahul, Malkowski, Mariusz
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown; Vernal U
• Application Number:
  US11/332,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20070046488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.72, 340/10.51, 340/10.32, 340/2.25, 340/825.22, 340/825.29, 340/825.72, 710/110, 709/209, 709/211
• US Class Current: 700/3
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control

Abstract

An electrical control system includes one or more master devices that are adapted to control the operation of one of more slave devices. The master and the slave devices are operably coupled by at least one radio frequency communication interface. The master devices are adapted to assign the slave devices to a delayed off mode of operation, define a time delay associated with each slave device, and activate the delayed off mode of operation. The slave devices include manually operated switches and are operably coupled to corresponding loads. During the delayed mode of operation, each slave device is adapted to delay a transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device.

Claims

1. A control system, comprising:

one or more master devices;

one or more slave devices comprising manually operated switches and operably coupled to corresponding loads; and

at least one radio frequency communication interface for operably coupling the master and slave devices;

wherein one or more of the master devices remotely control the operation of one or more of the slave devices;

wherein one or more of the master devices are operable to assign one or more of the slave devices to a delayed off mode of operation;

wherein one or more of the master devices are operable to define a time delay associated with each slave device assigned to the delayed off mode of operation;

wherein one or more of the master devices activate the delayed off mode of operation for one or more of the slave devices;

wherein during the delayed mode of operation for a particular slave device, the particular slave device delays a transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device; and

wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device delays the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device for a predetermined time period.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the manually operated switch is not further depressed until after the corresponding load has transitioned to off.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein one of the master devices does not control operation of the particular slave device.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein the manually operated switch of the particular slave device is depressed multiple times prior to depression of the manually operated switch for a predetermined time period.

5. The control system of claim 1, wherein the time delay is less than or equal to ten seconds.

6. The control system of claim 1, wherein slave device is selected from a group consisting of an RF switch, an RF receptacle, an RF dimmer, and a thermostat.

7. The control system of claim 1, wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device for a predetermined time period and the manually operated switch is not further depressed until after the corresponding load has transitioned to off.

8. The control system of claim 1, wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device for a predetermined time period and one of the master devices does not control operation of the particular slave device.

9. The control system of claim 1, wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device multiple times and depression of the manually operated switch for a predetermined time period.

10. The control system of claim 1, wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device multiple time and depression of the manually operated switch for a predetermined time period and the manually operated switch is not further depressed until after the corresponding load has transitioned to off.

11. The control system of claim 1, wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device multiple time and depression of the manually operated switch for a predetermined time period and one of the master devices does not control operation of the particular slave device.

12. A control system, comprising:

one or more master devices;

one or more slave devices comprising manually operated switches and operably coupled to corresponding loads; and

at least one radio frequency communication interface for operably coupling the master and slave devices;

wherein one or more of the master devices are adapted to remotely control the operation of one or more of the slave devices;

wherein one or more of the master devices are is adapted to assign one or more of the slave devices to a delayed off mode of operation;

wherein one or more of the master devices are adapted to define a time delay associated with each slave device assigned to the delayed off mode of operation;

wherein one or more of the master devices are adapted to activate the delayed off mode of operation for one or more of the slave devices;

wherein during the delayed mode of operation for a particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay a transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device;

wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device for a predetermined time period;

wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device for a predetermined time period and the manually operated switch is not further depressed until after the corresponding load has transitioned to off;

wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device for a predetermined time period and one of the master devices does not control operation of the particular slave device;

wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device multiple time and depression of the manually operated switch for a predetermined time period;

wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device multiple time and depression of the manually operated switch for a predetermined time period and the manually operated switch is not further depressed until after the corresponding load has transitioned to off; and

wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the particular slave device, the particular slave device is adapted to delay the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of the manually operated switch of the particular slave device multiple time and depression of the manually operated switch for a predetermined time period and one of the master devices does not control operation of the particular slave device.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for operating a control system including one or more master devices for controlling the operation of one or more slave devices operably coupled to corresponding loads, the instructions comprising:

selecting one or more of the slave devices for a delayed off mode of operation during which the selected slave devices transition the corresponding loads from on to off with a corresponding time delay;

upon selection of the delayed mode of operation for a particular slave device, transitioning the corresponding load from on to off with the corresponding time delay depressing a switch associated with the particular slave device for a predetermined minimum time period; and

upon depression of the switch associated with the particular slave device after depressing the switch associated with the particular slave device for the predetermined minimum time period, transitioning the corresponding load from on to off without the corresponding time delay.

14. An electrical device operably coupled to a load for use in a control system comprising one or more master devices, comprising:

a radio frequency communication interface for operably coupling the device to one or more of the master devices;

a manually operated switch; and

a controller operably coupled to the communication interface and the manually operated switch to control an operational state of a load;

wherein the electrical device is operable to be assigned to a delayed off mode of operation within the control system;

wherein the electrical device delays the transition for the load from on to off by the time delay associated with the electrical device upon depression of the manually operated switch multiple times prior to depression of the manually operated switch of the electrical device for a predetermined time period;

wherein the delayed off mode of operation for the electrical device is activated by one or more master devices within the control system; and

wherein during the delayed mode of operation for the electrical device, the electrical device delays a transition for the load from on to off by the time delay associated with the electrical device.

15. A control system, comprising:

at least one master device;

at least one slave device comprising manually operated switches and operably coupled to a corresponding load; and

at least one radio frequency communication interface for operably coupling the master and slave device;

wherein the master device remotely controls the operation of the slave device;

wherein the master device is operable to assign the slave device to a delayed off mode of operation;

wherein the master device activates the delayed off mode of operation for the slave device; and

wherein during the delayed off mode of operation for the slave device, the slave device delays the transition for the corresponding load from on to off by the time delay associated with the particular slave device upon depression of at least one of the manually operated switches of the slave device.