Radio-frequency lighting control system with occupancy sensing

• US 9,265,128 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2015
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• 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, Schrems, Adam J., Valenta, Brian Raymond, Offenbacher, Andrew Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, AMY X
• Application Number:
  US14/689,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20150230323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• Field of Search: 315/149, 315/159, 315/291, 315/307, 315/308
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 47/19 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 a lighting 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 adjusts the intensity of the load to a first intensity in response to receiving the occupied control signal from at least one of the occupancy sensors, and adjusts the intensity of the load to a second intensity less than the first intensity (e.g., a non-off intensity) in response to receiving vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors.

Claims

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

a controllably conductive device adapted to be electrically coupled in series between the AC power source and the lighting load to control the power delivered to the lighting load;

a wireless receiver configured to receive wireless control signals from the occupancy sensors, each of the wireless control signals received from the occupancy sensors comprising one of 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 configured to control the controllably conductive device to control the power delivered to the lighting load and the intensity of the lighting load in response to the wireless control signals received by the wireless receiver; and

a memory configured to store unique identifiers of each of the occupancy sensors, the controller configured to mark as occupied in the memory the unique identifiers of the occupancy sensors from which occupied wireless control signals are received and to mark as vacant in the memory the unique identifiers of the occupancy sensors from which vacant wireless control signals are received;

wherein the controller is configured to adjust the intensity of the lighting load to a first intensity when the unique identifier for at least one of the occupancy sensors is marked as occupied and adjust the intensity of the lighting load to a second intensity less than the first intensity when the unique identifiers of all of the occupancy sensors are marked as vacant.

2. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine that no wireless control signals have been received from at least one of the occupancy sensors for the length of a predetermined timeout period.

3. The load control device of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to mark as vacant in the memory the unique identifier of the occupancy sensor from which no wireless control signals have been received for the length of the predetermined timeout period.

4. The load control device of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to initialize a failsafe timer with the predetermined timeout period in response to determining that no wireless control signals have been received from at least one of the occupancy sensors, the controller configured to restart the failsafe timer in response to receiving wireless control signals from the at least one occupancy sensor, the controller configured to mark as vacant in the memory the unique identifier of the at least one occupancy sensor when the failsafe timer expires.

5. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the unique identifiers comprise unique serial numbers of the respective occupancy sensors.

6. The load control device of claim 5, wherein each of the wireless control signals transmitted by the occupancy sensors includes the unique serial number of the respective occupancy sensor, the controller configured to be responsive to wireless control signals including the serial numbers that are stored in the memory.

7. The load control device of claim 1, wherein, if the lighting load is at the second intensity, the controller is configured to adjust the intensity of the lighting load to the first intensity in response to receiving an occupied wireless control signal including an occupied take action command.

8. The load control device of claim 7, wherein, if the lighting load is at the second intensity, the controller is configured to maintain the electrical load at the second intensity in response to receiving an occupied wireless control signal including an occupied no action command.

9. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the second intensity is 0%, such that the controller turns the lighting load off when the unique identifiers of all of the occupancy sensors are marked as vacant.

10. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the second intensity is a non off intensity.

11. A load control system for controlling power delivered from an AC power source to a lighting load provided in a space, the load control system comprising:

at least two occupancy sensors, each occupancy sensor configured 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 an occupancy condition in the space, the occupancy sensors further configured to transmit a vacant wireless control signal to the load control device in response to detecting a vacancy condition in the space; and

a load control device adapted to be electrically coupled in series between the AC power source and the lighting load to control the amount of power delivered to the electrical load, the load control device configured to receive the occupied and vacant wireless control signals from the occupancy sensors, the load control device configured to store a unique identifier of each of the occupancy sensors, the load control device configured to mark as occupied the unique identifiers of the occupancy sensors from which occupied wireless control signals are received and to mark as vacant the unique identifiers of the occupancy sensors from which vacant wireless control signals are received;

wherein the load control device is configured to adjust the intensity of the lighting load to a first intensity when the unique identifier for at least one of the occupancy sensors is marked as occupied and adjust the intensity of the lighting load to a second intensity less than the first intensity when the unique identifiers of all of the occupancy sensors are marked as vacant.

12. The load control system of claim 11, wherein the load control device is configured to determine that no wireless control signals have been received from at least one of the occupancy sensors for the length of a predetermined timeout period.

13. The load control system of claim 12, wherein the load control device is configured to mark as vacant the unique identifier of the occupancy sensor from which no wireless control signals have been received for the length of the predetermined timeout period.

14. The load control device of claim 13, wherein the load control device is configured to initialize a failsafe timer with the predetermined timeout period in response to determining that no wireless control signals have been received from at least one of the occupancy sensors, the load control device configured to restart the failsafe timer in response to receiving wireless control signals from the at least one occupancy sensor, the load control device configured to mark as vacant the unique identifier of the at least one occupancy sensor when the failsafe timer expires.

15. The load control system of claim 11, wherein the unique identifiers comprise unique serial numbers of the respective occupancy sensors.

16. The load control system of claim 15, wherein each of the wireless control signals transmitted by the occupancy sensors includes the unique serial number of the respective occupancy sensor, the load control device configured to be responsive to wireless control signals including the stored serial numbers.

17. The load control system of claim 11, wherein, if the lighting load is at the second intensity, the load control device is configured to adjust the intensity of the lighting load to the first intensity in response to receiving an occupied wireless control signal including an occupied take action command.

18. The load control system of claim 17, wherein, if the lighting load is at the second intensity, the load control device is configured to maintain the electrical load at the second intensity in response to receiving an occupied wireless control signal including an occupied no action command.

19. The load control system of claim 11, wherein the second intensity is 0%, such that the load control device turns the lighting load off when the unique identifiers of all of the occupancy sensors are marked as vacant.

20. The load control system of claim 11, wherein the second intensity is a non off intensity.