System for control of devices

• US 20040051467A1
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Courtney, Brian Michael, Raneri, Daniel Curtis, Valenta, Brian Raymond, Walko, Robert Francis Jr., Mosebrook, Donald Ray, Dejonge, Stuart William, Rogan, Chris Mark, Howe, William Harlan, Sinha, Siddarth P., Roper, Timothy Russell, Balasubramaniam, Gnanagiri, Black, Richard Leo, Johnson, Benjamin Aaron, Kruse, Glen Andrew, Thompson, Stephen Spencer, Craze, Jason Douglass
• Granted Patent: US 6,803,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/149
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 39/088 by wireless means, e.g. infrared transmitting means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

A wireless control system for lighting or the like has a central processor that receives commands from keypads and other control devices, and sends commands to dimmers and other controlled devices. The central processor also receives status reports from the dimmers and sends updates to the keypads, in order to ensure that displays on the keypads are up to date.

Claims

1. A method of remote control of devices, comprising:

detecting operation of at least one control by a user;

predicting whether the event commanded by said operation of said at least one control will result in a change of state of a display;

updating said display if the predicted state of said display differs from the state of said display before said operation of at least one control;

transmitting a command indicative of said operation of said at least one control;

receiving a response indicative of an event that actually occurred in response to said transmitted command;

determining a correct state of said display; and

updating said display if said correct state of said display differs from the state of said display as updated on the basis of said prediction.

2. A method according to claim 1, which comprises providing an event initiator that comprises said at least one control, said display, and a transmitter and receiver for sending said command and receiving said response;

and wherein said predicting step is carried out at least partly within said event initiator.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said command is transmitted from an event initiator that comprises said at least one control to a central controller, and from said central controller to a controlled device, and wherein said predicting step is carried out at least partly within said central processor.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of emitting a signal if said display is updated more than a predetermined time after detecting said operation of at least one control.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of updating said display when the state of a controlled device changes otherwise than as a response to operation of said at least one control.

6. An event initiator that comprises:

at least one control operable by a user;

a display; and

a transmitter and receiver for sending commands and receiving responses; and

wherein said event initiator is adapted to;

detect operation of at least one control by a user;

predict whether said operation of said at least one control will result in a change of state of said display;

update said display if the predicted state of said display differs from the state of said display before said operation of at least one control;

transmit a command indicative of said operation of said at least one control;

receive a response indicative of an event that actually occurs in response to said transmitted command; and

update said display if a state of said display correct in view of said response differs from the state of said display as updated on the basis of said prediction.

7. An event initiator according to claim 6 that is arranged to emit a signal if said display is updated more than a predetermined time after detecting said operation of at least one control.

8. An event initiator according to claim 6 that is arranged to update said display in response to other instructions received.

9. An event initiator for a wireless lighting control system, comprising:

at least one control operable by a user;

a transmitter for sending commands to another unit within the system in response to operation of said at least one control; and

a memory storing a control model that relates operations of said control to commands sent;

wherein said control model identifies operations of the control that denote valid commands, and associates a transmissible command with each identified operation.

10. An event initiator according to claim 9, wherein at least one said control is a button, and said operations of the control comprise at least one operation selected from the group consisting of:

pressing and releasing said button once;

pressing and releasing said button at least twice;

pressing said button and holding it down; and

releasing said button when it was previously held down.

11. An event initiator according to claim 9, wherein said control model identifies operations of the control that do not denote valid commands, and associates a transmissible command or no command with each identified operation.

12. An event initiator according to claim 9, wherein said memory is programmable such that otherwise identical controls may be caused to transmit different commands in response to the same operation of at least one control.

13. A lighting control system comprising at least event initiators having controls operable by a user and devices controlled by said event initiators, wherein:

said event initiators and controlled devices comprise parts of a system database;

said database part within each event initiator maps operations of controls by a user to commands transmissible from such event initiator to said controlled devices;

said database part within each controlled device maps commands received from an event initiator to actions of such device; and

said transmissible commands contain less data than is necessary to describe completely the operations of controls or the actions of devices.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said controlled devices are programmed with preset states, and said transmissible commands comprise at least one command that commands at least one said controlled device to enter such a preset state.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein said controlled devices are programmed with processes for entering said preset states, and no separate command to invoke said processes is transmitted.

16. A system according to claim 14, wherein at least some of said controlled devices are controllable over a range of operating values, and said preset states include specified operating values within such ranges.

17. A system according to claim 13, further comprising a central processor, wherein said event initiators are arranged to transmit to said central processor sufficient information to identify an operation of said controls by a user that validly commands the system, and wherein said central processor is arranged to transmit commands to said controlled devices.

18. A system according to claim 13, wherein said commands are transmitted on a shared wireless communications path.

19. A system according to claim 13, wherein said shared communications path is a radio channel.

20. A system according to claim 13, wherein said event initiators and controlled devices are each provided with an input device by means of which an operator can update said database parts.

21. A system according to claim 13, wherein said event initiators and controlled devices are arranged to receive updates to said database parts over the same medium through which said commands are transmitted.

22. An event initiator for a wireless lighting control system that comprises a plurality of sub-nets each operating on a different radio channel, the event initiator comprising:

a database of said channels; and

a transmitter and receiver capable of operating on any of said channels;

wherein said event initiator is arranged, upon activation, to search through channels in its database for an active sub-net of the system with which it can communicate.

23. A portable event initiator according to claim 22, wherein said database further specifies a network identification address for each sub-net, and said event initiator is arranged to communicate on each channel only with a sub-net using the specified sub-net address for that channel.

24. A portable event initiator according to claim 22 that is activated by a user operating a control on said event initiator and that is arranged, when it has established communication with a sub-net, to transmit to the system a command corresponding to the operation of the control.

25. A method of assessing the quality of radio communications within a wireless lighting control system, the wireless lighting control system comprising a plurality of wireless transmitter/receivers, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a signal from one wireless transmitter/receiver within the system;

causing other wireless transmitter/receivers within the system to measure the strength of the signal they receive; and

compiling a record of measured signal strengths.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the system comprises a plurality of transmitting units, the method comprising the steps of:

causing receiving units within the system to measure the strength of the signal they receive from each transmitting unit; and

compiling in said record separately-measured signal strengths for pairs of a transmitting unit and a receiving unit.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein said transmitting units comprise a central processor and a plurality of repeating units arranged to relay messages to and from said central processor, and said receiving units comprise originating and destination units for such messages.

28. A method according to claim 27, comprising the steps of:

transmitting from said central processor, using said repeating units, a command to said receiving units that causes said receiving units within the system to measure the strength of the signal received from a specified one of said transmitting units; and

repeating that measurement step for each transmitting unit that is to be included in the map.

29. A method according to claim 25, further comprising the steps of identifying one or more receiving units that do not receive a satisfactory signal from the transmitting units, and altering the system configuration so as to provide a better signal to such units.

30. A method of selecting an operating channel for a radio frequency system, comprising the steps of:

tentatively selecting a first channel;

communicating on a second channel while determining whether the tentatively selected channel is suitable for communication;

if the tentatively selected channel is found to be unsuitable, tentatively selecting a different channel, and repeating said steps of communicating, and determining; and

when a tentatively selected channel is found to be suitable, starting to communicate on that channel as the operating channel.

31. A method of selecting an operating channel for a radio frequency system, comprising the steps of:

tentatively selecting a first channel;

communicating on said tentatively selected first channel, while determining whether said tentatively selected first channel is suitable for communication;

if said tentatively selected first channel is found to be unsuitable, tentatively selecting a different channel, and repeating said steps of communicating, and determining; and

when a tentatively selected channel is found to be suitable, starting to communicate on that channel as the operating channel.

32. A method of selecting an operating channel for a radio frequency system, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of devices capable of communicating on a plurality of channels;

tentatively selecting a first channel;

causing the devices to communicate on a second channel;

on the second channel, announcing the tentatively selected channel to the devices;

switching the devices to the announced channel;

by the devices, detecting properties of the tentatively selected channel;

reporting back the results of such detection from the devices on the second channel;

from such results, determining whether the tentatively selected channel is suitable for communication;

if the tentatively selected channel is found to be unsuitable, tentatively selecting a different channel, and repeating said steps of announcing, switching, detecting, reporting, and determining; and

when a tentatively selected channel is found to be suitable, starting to communicate on that channel as the operating channel.

33. A method according to claim 32, wherein the step of tentatively selecting a first channel comprises the steps of:

detecting properties of a tentatively selected channel;

from the results of such detection, determining whether the tentatively selected channel is suitable for communication; and

if the tentatively selected channel is found to be unsuitable, tentatively selecting a different channel, and repeating said steps of detecting, and determining until a channel suitable for communication is found.

34. A method according to claim 32, wherein the step of providing devices comprises providing devices preset to a specific second channel.

35. A method according to claim 32, comprising selecting a second channel by the steps of:

detecting properties of a tentatively selected channel;

from the results of such detection, determining whether the tentatively selected channel is suitable for communication;

if the tentatively selected channel is found to be unsuitable, tentatively selecting a different channel, and repeating said steps of detecting, and determining until a channel suitable for communication is found.

36. A method according to claim 32, wherein said properties of a tentatively selected channel comprise the ambient noise level on that channel.

37. A method according to claim 32, wherein said properties of a tentatively selected channel comprise the presence or absence of a contending system already using the tentatively selected channel.

38. A method of assessing the quality of an operating channel for a wireless lighting control system that has a plurality of transmitting and receiving devices, comprising the steps of:

by the devices, detecting properties of the selected channel including at least one property selected from;

an ambient noise level on the selected channel at the location of each device; and

the presence or absence of a contending system using the same channel within radio range of any device; and

determining from the detected properties whether the channel is suitable for communication.

39. A method according to claim 38, further comprising the steps of:

if the tentatively selected channel is found to be unsuitable, tentatively selecting a different channel, and repeating said steps of detecting and determining; and

when a tentatively selected channel is found to be suitable, starting to communicate on that channel.

40. A method according to claim 38, further comprising the steps of:

if the tentatively selected channel is found to be unsuitable over only part of the extent of the system, altering the configuration of the system to improve the signal quality in that part of the system.

41. A method of operating a wireless lighting control system, comprising the steps of:

receiving at an event initiator a command from a user;

transmitting over a wireless link a message corresponding to the command;

receiving the transmitted message at a plurality of lighting device controllers, each having a lighting device associated therewith; and

altering the state of all lighting devices associated with lighting device controllers adapted to be responsive to the transmitted message, by their respective controllers, within 300 ms after the command is received at the event initiator.

42. A method of operating a wireless lighting control system, comprising the steps of:

receiving at an event initiator a command from a user;

transmitting over a wireless link a message corresponding to the command;

receiving the transmitted message at a lighting device controller having a lighting device associated therewith;

altering the state of the lighting device, by the controller;

transmitting, by the controller, a status message including a state of the lighting device controller;

receiving, at the event initiator, the transmitted status message; and

displaying at the event initiator, within 1.5 s after the command is received at the event initiator, an indication of the state of said lighting device controller after said altering step.

43. A method according to claim 42, which comprises displaying said indication within 0.5 seconds after the command is received.

44. A method of operating a wireless lighting control system that comprises a central controller and a plurality of remote devices that are in communication over a wireless link with said central controller and are programmed with an operating system, the method comprising:

uploading one of an operating system or a database to said remote devices by wireless communication.

45. A method according to claim 44 wherein, during said uploading, said remote devices are controlled by said central controller over said wireless link.

46. A method according to claim 45, which comprises uploading an operating system to a plurality of devices simultaneously by a common transmission over said wireless link.