Method for replacing a load control device of a load control system

• US 8,368,307 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Cash, Audwin W., Rigatti, Christopher J., Veskovic, Dragan
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, Jacob Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alemu, Ephrem
• Application Number:
  US12/915,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20110115293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 315/149, 315/312, 315/291, 315152-154, 315292-295, 315/90, 315/363, 315/318, 307/40, 340/825.52, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/3.1, 340/9.1, 340/12.29, 340/3.5
• US Class Current: 315/90
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/195 the transmission using visible or infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 using handheld communication devices

Abstract

The invention regards a system and method for using a handheld programming device to configure a lighting control system wirelessly. In one embodiment, at least one device configured with a processing section is installed in the lighting control system. A communications receiver that is operable to receive a signal from the handheld programming device is also installed in the lighting control system, wherein the signal includes an instruction for configuring the lighting control system. Further, the signal is wirelessly sent from the handheld programming device to the communications receiver, and the instruction is transmitted from the communications receiver to a device in the system. The instruction functions to configure the lighting control system.

Claims

1. A method for replacing a load control device in a load control system including a first load control device having a first unique identifier associated therewith and a first configuration setting, the load control system further including a bus supply, the first load control device and the bus supply interconnected by a communication bus, the method comprising the steps of:

removing the first load control device from the load control system;

installing a second load control device having a second unique identifier associated therewith in the load control system;

transmitting an instruction to the bus supply to configure the second load control device with the first configuration setting, the bus supply having stored therein the first unique identifier and first electronic configuration information representing the first configuration setting;

correlating the second unique identifier with the first unique identifier; and

configuring the second load control device with the first electronic configuration information stored in the bus supply.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second unique identifiers are serial numbers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second load control devices also have respective short identifiers that correspond with each respective unique identifier so as to facilitate faster communication between the first load control device and the bus supply, and between the second load control device and the bus supply.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

removing a third load control device from the load control system, the third load control device having a third unique identifier associated therewith a third configuration setting;

installing a fourth load control device having a fourth unique identifier associate therewith in the load control system; and

transmitting an instruction to the bus supply to configure the fourth load control device with the third configuration setting, the bus supply having stored therein the third unique identifier and third electronic configuration information representing the third configuration setting;

correlating the fourth unique identifier with the third unique identifier; and

configuring the fourth load control device with the third configuration information stored in the bus supply.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting comprises transmitting wirelessly the instruction by a handheld programming device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the instruction is transmitted via infrared or radio frequency communications.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

providing a graphical user interface on the handheld programming device; and

entering the unique identifiers of the first and second load control devices into the graphical user interface;

wherein the step of transmitting further comprises transmitting the unique identifiers of the first and second load control devices from the handheld programming device to the bus supply.

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

flashing a lamp associated with the second load control device to represent that the second load control device has successfully replaced the first load control device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration setting represents at least one of a high end trim, a low end trim, a fade time, a ballast burn-in state, an emergency intensity level setting, an intensity level to operate a load control device at in response to a photosensor registering a light input, an intensity level to operate a load control device at in response to an occupancy sensor registering an occupied or an unoccupied status, a time-out value, and an intensity level to operate a load control device at in response to a contact closure input terminal registering a closed status or an open status.

10. A method for replacing a load control device in a load control system including a first load control device having a first unique identifier associated therewith and a first configuration setting, the load control system further including a bus supply, the first load control device and the bus supply interconnected by a communication bus, the method comprising the steps of:

removing the first load control device from the load control system;

installing a second load control device having a second unique identifier associated therewith in the load control system;

entering the unique identifiers of the first and second load control devices into a graphical user interface of a handheld programming device;

transmitting the unique identifiers of the first and second load control devices from the handheld programming device to the bus supply, the bus supply having stored therein the first unique identifier and first electronic configuration information representing the first configuration setting;

the bus supply correlating the second unique identifier with the first unique identifier; and

transmitting the first electronic configuration information stored in the bus supply to the second load control device.