Load control system having a broadcast controller with a diverse wireless communication system
First Claim
1. A load control system for controlling a plurality of electrical loads, the load control system comprising:
- a plurality of energy controllers, each energy controller operable to control at least one of the electrical loads; and
a first broadcast controller having first and second antennas, the first antenna arranged in a first position and the second antenna is arranged in a second position that is orthogonal to the first position, the broadcast controller operable to transmit a first wireless signal via the first antenna and a second wireless signal via the second antenna;
wherein each of the energy controllers is operable to receive at least one of the first and second wireless signals, and to control the respective load in response to the received wireless signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A load control system for controlling the amount of power delivered from an AC power source to a plurality of electrical load includes a plurality of energy controllers. Each energy controller is operable to control at least one of the electrical loads. The load control system also includes a first broadcast controller that has a first antenna and a second antenna. The first antenna is arranged in a first position and the second antenna is arranged in a second position that is orthogonal to the first position. The broadcast controller is operable to transmit a first wireless signal via the first antenna and a second wireless signal via the second antenna. Each of the energy controllers is operable to receive at least one of the first and second wireless signals, and to control the respective load in response to the received wireless signal.
153 Citations
57 Claims
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1. A load control system for controlling a plurality of electrical loads, the load control system comprising:
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a plurality of energy controllers, each energy controller operable to control at least one of the electrical loads; and a first broadcast controller having first and second antennas, the first antenna arranged in a first position and the second antenna is arranged in a second position that is orthogonal to the first position, the broadcast controller operable to transmit a first wireless signal via the first antenna and a second wireless signal via the second antenna; wherein each of the energy controllers is operable to receive at least one of the first and second wireless signals, and to control the respective load in response to the received wireless signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A broadcast controller for use in a load control system for controlling one or more electrical loads, the load control system having at least one energy controller for controlling at least one of the electrical loads, the broadcast controller comprising:
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first and second antennas; an RF communication circuit operatively coupled to the first and second antennas for transmitting a first wireless signal via the first antenna at a transmission frequency and a second wireless signal via the second antenna at the transmission frequency, the RF communication circuit comprising an RF transmitter coupled to the first and second antennas via an RF switch; and a control circuit coupled to the RF communication circuit for causing the RF communication circuit to transmit the first wireless signal in a first time slot and the second wireless signal in a second time slot; wherein the control circuit is coupled to the RF switch for controlling the RF switch to a first position in which the RF transmitter is coupled to the first antenna and a second position in which the RF transmitter is coupled to the second antenna, the control circuit further coupled to the RF transmitter for causing the RF transmitter to transmit the first wireless signal via the first antenna when the RF switch is in the first position and to transmit the second wireless signal via the second antenna when the RF switch is in the second position. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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18. A broadcast controller for use in a load control system for controlling one or more electrical loads, the load control system having at least one energy controller for controlling at least one of the electrical loads, the broadcast controller comprising:
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first and second antennas; an RF communication circuit operatively coupled to the first and second antennas for transmitting a first wireless signal via the first antenna at a transmission frequency and a second wireless signal via the second antenna at the transmission frequency, the RF communication circuit comprising first and second RF transceivers operable to both transmit and receive wireless signals, the first RF transceiver coupled to the first antenna for transmitting the first wireless signal, the second RF transceiver coupled to the second antenna for transmitting the second wireless signal; and a control circuit coupled to the first and second RF transceivers of the RF communication circuit for causing the first RF transceiver to transmit the first wireless signal via the first antenna in a first time slot and the second RF transceiver to transmit the second wireless signal via the second antenna in a second time slot; wherein the control circuit is operable to receive a third wireless signal via the first antenna and the second antenna at the same time. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 52)
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32. A load control system for controlling a plurality of electrical loads, the load control system comprising:
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a first broadcast controller having first and second antennas operable to receive a wireless signal at the same time, the first antenna arranged in a first position and the second antenna is arranged in a second position that is orthogonal to the first position, the broadcast controller comprising an RF communication circuit coupled to the first and second antennas for receiving the wireless signal, the RF communication circuit operable to generate a first received signal in response to the reception of the wireless signal by the first antenna and to generate a second received signal in response to the reception of the wireless signal by the second antenna, the broadcast controller further comprising a control circuit coupled to the RF communication circuit for receiving the first and second received signals; wherein the control circuit is operable to respond to the wireless signal received by the first and second antennas by processing the first and second received signals. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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44. An RF receiving device comprising:
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first and second antennas operable to receive a wireless signal at the same time, the first antenna arranged in a first position and the second antenna is arranged in a second position that is orthogonal to the first position; a first RF receiver coupled to the first antenna for receiving the wireless signal and generating a first received signal; a second RF receiver coupled to the second antenna for receiving the wireless signal and generating a second received signal; and a control circuit coupled to the first and second RF receivers for receiving the first and second received signals, the control circuit operable to process the first and second received signals in order to respond to the wireless signal received by the first and second antennas.
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53. A broadcast controller, the broadcast controller being in communication with one or more independent units, each of the one or more independent units including at least one commander and at least one energy controller, the at least one energy controller operable to control at least one electrical load in response to a control signal received from the at least one commander, the broadcast controller comprising:
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a first antenna configured to transmit a first command signal to the at least one energy controller; and a second antenna configured to transmit a second command signal to the at least one energy controller, the at least one energy controller being configured to prioritize the first command signal or the second command signal over the control signal received from the at least one commander. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57)
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Specification