Radio-frequency lighting control system with occupancy sensing

• US 9,035,769 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2011
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Steiner, James P., Schmalz, Andrew Peter, Offenbacher, Andrew Ryan, Schrems, Adam J., Valenta, Brian Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THUY V
• Application Number:
  US13/163,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20110257808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: 340/541, 315/149, 315/159, 315/291, 315/307, 315/308, 307/116, 307/117, 307/126, 307/130, 307/131
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/13 by using passive infrared detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A load control system controls an electrical load provided in a space and comprises a load control device and one or more occupancy sensors. The load control device controls the load in response to the wireless control signals received from the occupancy sensors. Each occupancy sensor transmits an occupied control signal to the load control device in response to detecting an occupancy condition in the space and a vacant control signal to the load control device in response to detecting a vacancy condition. The load control device turns on the load in response to receiving the occupied control signal from at least one of the occupancy sensors, and turns off the load in response to receiving vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors. The load control device is operable to determine that no wireless control signals have been received from the occupancy sensors for the length of a predetermined timeout period and to subsequently turn off the load.

Claims

1. A load control device for controlling the power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load provided in a space having at least two occupancy sensors, the load control device comprising:

a controllably conductive device adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between the AC power source and the electrical load for control of the power delivered to the electrical load;

a wireless receiver for receiving wireless control signals from the occupancy sensors, the wireless control signals comprising an occupied wireless control signal indicating an occupancy condition in the space and a vacant wireless control signal indicating a vacancy condition in the space;

a controller operatively coupled to the controllably conductive device and the wireless receiver for controlling the power delivered to the electrical load in response to the wireless control signals; and

a memory coupled to the controller, the controller configured to store a unique identifier of each occupancy sensor in the memory;

wherein the controller is configured to enable the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving the occupied wireless control signal from at least one of the occupancy sensors, and cease the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors, the controller configured to mark the unique identifier of each occupancy sensor from which the controller receives the occupied wireless control signal as occupied and mark the unique identifier of each occupancy sensor from which the controller receives the vacant wireless control signal as vacant, the controller configured to cease the delivery of power to the electrical load when the unique identifiers for both of the occupancy sensors are marked as vacant.

2. The load control device of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory for storage of the unique identifiers, each unique identifier comprising a unique serial number of each of the two occupancy sensors;

wherein each of the wireless control signals from the occupancy sensors includes the unique serial number of the respective occupancy sensor, the controller responsive to wireless control signals including the serial numbers of the two occupancy sensors.

3. The load control device of claim 2, wherein the controller keeps track of the occupancy sensors from which the load control device received the occupied wireless control signals.

4. The load control device of claim 3, wherein the controller ceases the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving vacant control signals from all of the occupancy sensors from which the controller received the occupied wireless control signals.

5. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the electrical load is a lighting load and the load control device is a dimmer.

6. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the wireless receiver is operable to receive an actuator wireless control signal from a remote control, the actuator wireless control signal transmitted in response to an actuation of an actuator of the remote control, the controller operable to enable the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving the actuator wireless control signal from the remote control, and to cease the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors.

7. A load control system for controlling the amount of power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load provided in a space, the load control system comprising:

a load control device adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between the AC power source and the electrical load for control of the amount of power delivered to the electrical load, the load control device operable to receive wireless control signals and to control the amount of power delivered to the electrical load in response to the wireless control signals;

two occupancy sensors, each operable to independently detect an occupancy condition in the space and to transmit a vacant wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting a vacancy condition in the space; and

a remote control comprising an actuator and operable to transmit an actuator wireless control signal to the load control device in response to an actuation of the actuator;

wherein the load control device is configured to enable the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving the actuator wireless control signal from the remote control, and cease the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors, the load control device configured to store a unique identifier of each occupancy sensor in a memory, the load control device configured to mark the unique identifier of each occupancy sensor from which the load control device receives the occupied wireless control signal as occupied and mark the unique identifier of each occupancy sensor from which the load control devices receives the vacant wireless control signal as vacant, the load control device configured to cease the delivery of power to the electrical load when the unique identifiers for both of the occupancy sensors are marked as vacant.

8. The load control system of claim 7, wherein each of the occupancy sensors is operable to independently detect an occupancy condition in the space and to transmit an occupied wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting the occupancy condition, the load control device operable to enable the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving the occupied wireless control signal from at least one of the occupancy sensors.

9. The load control system of claim 8, wherein each of the occupancy sensors are characterized by the unique identifier comprising a unique serial number, the load control device responsive to wireless control signals including the serial numbers of the two occupancy sensors.

10. The load control system of claim 9, wherein the load control device keeps track of the occupancy sensors from which the load control device received the occupied wireless control signals.

11. The load control system of claim 10, wherein the load control device ceases the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving vacant control signals from all of the occupancy sensors from which the load control device received the occupied wireless control signals.

12. The load control system of claim 8, wherein each of the occupancy sensors transmits a third wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting a continued occupancy condition in the space, the load control device ceasing the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to determining that no wireless control signals have been received from one of the occupancy sensors for the length of a predetermined timeout period and receiving a vacant control signal from the other occupancy sensor.

13. The load control system of claim 7, wherein the electrical load is a lighting load and the load control device is a dimmer.

14. A load control system for controlling the amount of power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load provided in a space, the load control system comprising:

a load control device adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between the AC power source and the electrical load for control of the amount of power delivered to the electrical load, the load control device operable to receive wireless control signals and to control the amount of power delivered to the electrical load in response to the wireless control signals;

a remote control comprising an actuator and operable to transmit a first wireless control signal to the load control device in response to an actuation of the actuator; and

an occupancy sensor operable to detect an occupancy condition in the space and to transmit a second wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting a continued occupancy condition in the space, the occupancy sensor comprising an occupancy timer;

wherein the load control device is operable to enable the delivery of power to the electrical load in response to receiving the first wireless control signal from the remote control, the load control device further operable to determine that no wireless control signals have been received from the remote control or the occupancy sensor for the length of a predetermined timeout period and to subsequently cease the delivery of power to the electrical load; and

wherein on the expiration of the occupancy timer, the occupancy sensor is operable to transmit a vacant wireless control signal to the load control device, the load control device configured to mark the occupancy sensor as vacant in response to receiving the vacant wireless control signal.

15. The load control system of claim 14, wherein the load control device initializes a failsafe timer with the predetermined timeout period and restarts the failsafe timer in response to receiving the wireless control signals from the occupancy sensor or the remote control, the load control device operable to cease the delivery of power to the electrical load when the failsafe timer expires.

16. The load control system of claim 15, wherein the occupancy sensor and the remote control are associated with the load control device during a configuration procedure of the load control system.

17. The load control system of claim 16, wherein the occupancy sensor is associated with the load control device in response to simultaneous actuations of an actuator of the load control device and an actuator of the occupancy sensor, and the remote control is associated with the load control device in response to simultaneous actuations of the actuator of the load control device and the actuator of the remote control.

18. The load control system of claim 17, wherein the electrical load is a lighting load.

19. The load control system of claim 18, wherein the load control device turns on the lighting load in response to an actuation of the actuator of the load control device, and starts the failsafe timer when the lighting load is turned on and the occupancy sensor is associated with the load control.

20. The load control system of claim 15, wherein the occupancy sensor is operable to transmit a third wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting the occupancy condition.

21. The load control system of claim 20, wherein the second wireless control signal comprises an occupied-no-action command, and the third wireless control signal comprises an occupied-take-action command.

22. The load control system of claim 20, wherein the load control device enables the delivery of power to the electrical load and starts the failsafe timer in response to receiving the first wireless control signal from the remote control or the third wireless control signal from the occupancy sensor.