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

• US 7,950,827 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2009
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• 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): CARIASO, ALAN B
• Application Number:
  US12/541,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20090301672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 362/1, 362/276, 362/802, 362/458, 362/227, 362/233, 362/277, 362/319, 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, 160/5, 160/84.02, 160/331, 160/25, 49/25
• US Class Current: 362/276
• 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 method for reducing sun glare through an opening into a space, wherein the amount of daylight is sensed by a first sensor and selectively alterable by an electrically controllable window treatment, and the first sensor is characterized by a sensor gain, the method comprising the steps of:

adjusting the sensor gain automatically in response to a present time of day when glare from the sun can occur through the opening;

sensing a level of illumination in the space;

applying the sensor gain to the sensed illumination level to generate a corrected sensed illumination level;

comparing the corrected sensed illumination level in the space to a dead-band having upper and lower thresholds; and

automatically adjusting the window treatment to reduce the sun glare in response to the step of comparing.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

determining the present time of the day from an astronomical time clock.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of adjusting the sensor gain further comprises adjusting the sensor gain during at least a first time period after sunrise or during a second time period before sunset.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first time period ranges from sunrise to three hours after sunrise and the second time period ranges from three hours before sunset to sunset.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of adjusting the sensor gain further comprises determining the sensor gain from a look-up table using the present time of the day.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

correcting for a spectral sensitivity property of the first sensor using the present time of the day.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of adjusting the window treatment comprises delaying for a predetermined amount of time and then adjusting the window treatment to bring the corrected sensed illumination level in the space within the dead-band.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined amount of time is reduced if the corrected sensed illumination is consistently higher than the upper threshold or consistently lower than the lower threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of adjusting the window treatment further comprises increasing the sensor gain during the time period when glare from the sun can occur through the opening.