Method of optically transmitting digital information from a smart phone to a control device

• US 10,693,558 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2019
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Inventors: Economy, Theodore F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Syed, Nabil H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eustaquio, Cal J
• Application Number:
  US16/524,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20200092003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/808 Electrical power feeding of an optical transmission system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/195 the transmission using visible or infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 using handheld communication devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A load control device for controlling the power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load is able to receive radio-frequency (RF) signals from a Wi-Fi-enabled device, such as a smart phone, via a wireless local area network. The load control device comprises a controllably conductive device adapted to be coupled in series between the source and the load, a controller for rendering the controllably conductive device conductive and non-conductive, and a Wi-Fi module operable to receive the RF signals directly from the wireless network. The controller controls the controllably conductive device to adjust the power delivered to the load in response to the wireless signals received from the wireless network. The load control device may further comprise an optical module operable to receive an optical signal, such that the controller may obtain an IP address from the received optical signal and control the power delivered to the load in response to a wireless signal received from the wireless network that includes the IP address.

Claims

1. A non-transient computer readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that when executed by a control circuit of a wireless control device cause the control circuit to:

display, via a visual display of the wireless control device, a user interface for programming a load control device;

receive, via an actuation of a soft button on the visual display, at least one setting for programming the load control device, wherein the at least one setting comprises one of a high end trim, a low end trim, or an occupancy or vacancy mode;

display, via the visual display, a second user interface to assist a user in aligning a light source of the wireless control device with an optical receiver of the load control device, wherein the light source of the wireless control device comprises one of a camera flash or a portion of the display screen configured to optically alternate between at least two colors to flash the portion of the display screen; and

transmit, via the light source of the wireless control device, an optical signal containing the received at least one setting to the load control device to program the load control device.

2. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the control circuit, further cause the control circuit to:

subsequent to displaying the second user interface, determine that the light source of the wireless control device is aligned with the load control device; and

based on the determination, display a message to the user via the visual display.

3. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine that the light source of the wireless control device is aligned with the load control device by receiving, via the load control device, an indication comprising an optical signal or a wireless signal.

4. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the control circuit, further cause the control circuit to:

subsequent to displaying the second user interface, detect, via a proximity detector of the wireless control device, the load control device;

determine, based on the detection, that the wireless control device is within a predetermined distance from the load control device; and

based on the determination, transmit the optical signal.

5. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the second user interface comprises a targeting image.

6. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the targeting image of the second user interface comprises cross-hairs.

7. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the portion of the display screen is configured to optically alternate between two contrasting colors to flash the portion of the display screen.

8. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the control circuit, further cause the control circuit to encode multiple bits in the transmitted optical signal by causing the portion of the display screen of the wireless control device to optically alternate between three or more colors.

9. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the load control device comprises an occupancy sensor.

10. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the load control device comprises a dimmer switch.

11. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the wireless control device comprises one of a smart phone or a tablet device.

12. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein optical signal transmitted to the load control device is configured to cause the load control device to blink a respective lighting load in response to receiving the optical signal.

13. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the control circuit, further cause the control circuit to:

in response to transmitting the optical signal, provide an indication to a user that the transmission has been completed.

14. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the indication comprises one of an audio alert, visual alert, or vibration.

15. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the control circuit, further cause the control circuit to assign an identifier to the load control device.

16. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the control circuit, further cause the control circuit to:

transmit at least one of an SSID or SSID password to the load control device to enable the load control device to receive messages via wireless communication on the wireless network.

17. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the wireless network comprises a Wi-Fi local area network.