Two-part load control system mountable to a single electrical wallbox

• US 10,587,147 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2016
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Inventors: Carmen, Jr., Lawrence R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Borroto, Alfonso Perez
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yeshaw, Esayas G
• Application Number:
  US15/150,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20160254699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/16 in which transmission is by pulses
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/266 One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 39/088 by wireless means, e.g. infrared transmitting means
• 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 includes a load control device and a remote control for configuring and controlling operation of the load control device. The load control device and remote control may be mounted to an electrical wallbox. The system may be configured by associating the remote control with the load control device, and actuating a button on the remote control to configure the load control device. A second remote control device may be directly or indirectly associated with the load control device. The load control device and remote control may communicate via inductive coils that are magnetically coupled together. The remote control may be operable to charge a battery from energy derived from the magnetic coupling between the inductive coils. The load control device and remote control may include near-field communication modules that are operable to communicate wirelessly via near-field radiation.

Claims

1. A load control system comprising:

a device

comprising a second inductive coil and one or more buttons configured to be actuated by a user;

wherein the device is configured to wirelessly transmit load control settings via the second inductive coil in response to an actuation of the one or more buttons by a user; and

wherein the device is further configured to be attached to a wallbox such that the device, when attached, is located on an outside of the wallbox; and

a load control device configured to control an amount of power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load and further configured to be located inside the wallbox, the load control device comprising;

a first inductive coil, wherein the first inductive coil is configured to wirelessly receive the load control settings via magnetic coupling from the second inductive coil of the device, wherein the load control settings are configured to enable control of an operation of the load control device; and

a controller configured to control the operation of the load control device based on the load control settings received via the magnetic coupling from the second inductive coil of the device in response to the actuation of the one or more buttons of the device.

2. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the first inductive coil of the load control device is configured to wirelessly receive load control instructions via the magnetic coupling from the second inductive coil of the device, wherein the load control instructions are configured to control the operation of the load control device.

3. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the first inductive coil of the load control device is configured to wirelessly receive association information via the magnetic coupling from the second inductive coil of the device, wherein the association information comprises information configured to associate the device with the load control device for the device to control the electrical load via the load control device.

4. The load control system of claim 3, wherein the association information comprises information configured to associate a second device with the load control device.

5. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a power supply, and wherein the device is configured to charge the power supply of the device using energy derived from the magnetic coupling.

6. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the operation comprises providing the amount of power from the AC power source to the electrical load.

23. The load control system of claim 1,

wherein the device further comprises a wireless module that is separate from the second inductive coil and is configured to receive messages;

and

wherein the device is further configured to wirelessly communicate messages via the second inductive coil to the load control device based on messages received via the wireless module.

7. A method for controlling an amount of power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving, by a load control device from a device, load control settings via magnetic coupling between a first inductive coil of the load control device and a second inductive coil of the device, wherein;

the load control settings are wirelessly transmitted by the device in response to an actuation of one or more buttons of the device by a user;

the load control settings are configured to enable control of an operation of the load control device,

the device is attached to a wallbox such that the device is located on an outside of the wallbox, and

the load control device is located inside the wallbox; and

controlling, by the load control device, the operation of the load control device based on the load control settings received via the magnetic coupling from the second inductive coil of the device in response to the actuation of the one or more buttons of the device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising wirelessly receiving, by the load control device, load control instructions via the magnetic coupling between the first inductive coil of the load control device and the second inductive coil of the device, wherein the load control instructions are configured to control the operation of the load control device.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising wirelessly receiving, by the load control device, association information via the magnetic coupling between the first inductive coil of the load control device and the second inductive coil of the device, wherein the association information comprises information configured to associate the device with the load control device for the device to control the electrical load via the load control device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the association information comprises information configured to associate a second device with the load control device.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the device further comprises a power supply, and wherein the method further comprises charging the power supply of the device using energy derived from the magnetic coupling.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the operation comprises providing the amount of power from the AC power source to the electrical load.

24. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the device, messages via a wireless module of the device, wherein the wireless module is separate from the second inductive coil; and

wirelessly communicating, by the device, messages via the second inductive coil to the load control device based on the messages received via the wireless module.

13. A load control system comprising a device and a load control device, wherein:

the device comprises a second near field communication (NFC) module and one or more buttons, and is configured to be attached to a wallbox such that the device, when attached, is located on an outside of the wallbox; and

the device is configured to receive an actuation of the one or more buttons, and in response to the actuation, wirelessly transmit load control settings via the second NFC module;

the load control device is configured to control an amount of power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load and is further configured to be located inside the wallbox, the load control device comprising;

a first NFC module, wherein the first NFC module is configured to wirelessly receive the load control settings via NFC signals from the second NFC module of the device, wherein the load control settings are configured to enable control of an operation of the load control device; and

a controller configured to control the operation of the load control device based on the load control settings received via the NFC signals from the second NFC module of the device in response to the actuation of the one or more buttons of the device.

14. The load control system of claim 13, wherein the first NFC module of the load control device is configured to wirelessly receive load control instructions via the NFC signals from the second NFC module of the device, wherein the load control instructions are configured to control the operation of the load control device.

15. The load control system of claim 13, wherein the first NFC module of the load control device is configured to wirelessly receive association information via the NFC signals from the second NFC module of the device, wherein the association information comprises information configured to associate the device with the load control device for the device to control the electrical load via the load control device.

16. The load control system of claim 15, wherein the association information comprises information configured to associate a second device with the load control device.

17. The load control system of claim 13, wherein the operation comprises providing the amount of power from the AC power source to the electrical load.

25. The load control system of claim 13,

wherein the device further comprises a wireless module that is separate from the second NFC module and is configured to receive messages;

and

wherein the device is further configured to wirelessly communicate messages via the second NFC module to the load control device based on messages received via the wireless module.

18. A method for controlling an amount of power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving, by a load control device from a device, load control settings via near field communication (NFC) signals transmitted between a first NFC module of the load control device and a second NFC module of the device, wherein;

the load control settings are wirelessly transmitted by the device in response to an actuation of one or more buttons of the device by a user,

the load control settings are configured to enable control of an operation of the load control device,

the device is attached to a wallbox such that the device is located on an outside of the wallbox, and

the load control device is located inside the wallbox; and

controlling, by the load control device, the operation of the load control device based on the load control settings received via the NFC signals from the second NFC module of the device in response to an actuation of the one or more buttons of the device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising wirelessly receiving, by the load control device, load control instructions via the NFC signals transmitted between the first NFC module and the second NFC module, wherein the load control instructions are configured to control the operation of the load control device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising wirelessly receiving, by the load control device, association information via the NFC signals transmitted between the first NFC module and the second NFC module, wherein the association information comprises information configured to associate the device with the load control device for the device to control the electrical load via the load control device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the association information comprises information configured to associate a second device with the load control device.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the operation comprises providing the amount of power from the AC power source to the electrical load.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, by the device, messages via a wireless module of the device, wherein the wireless module is separate from the second NFC module; and

wirelessly communicating, by the device, messages via the second NFC module to the load control device based on the messages received via the wireless module.