Wall mountable control system with virtually unlimited zone capacity

• US 5,949,200 A
• Filed: 07/30/1996
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Lind, Frederick J. III, Ference, Jonathan H., Stocker, Robert Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): KINKEAD, ARNOLD M
• Application Number:
  US08/688,500
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.03, 340/825.06, 307/126, 307/34, 307/38, 307/40, 307/42, 307/157, 315/DIG. 4, 315/317, 315/318, 315/319, 315/312, 315/316, 315/295
• US Class Current: 315/318
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 315/04 Dimming circuit for fluorescent lamps

Abstract

A wall mountable control panel for controlling power levels delivered to electrical loads, such as lighting loads defining zones, has a zone select switch for scrolling through multiple zones, so as to permit a single control unit (having a power level adjustment switch and a power level display for one zone) in the control panel to be used to separately adjust the power level for, and separately display the power level of, more than one zone. The control panel is capable of controlling M times N zones, where N is the number of control units in the control panel, and where M represents the number of selections that can be made by the zone select switch.

Claims

1. A control system comprising:

a) a wall mountable control panel having disposed therein, for mounting in the wall, a plurality of control units each for controlling electrical loads, each control unit having associated therewith, and disposed on a face of the control panel, a single, user operable, switch means for adjusting power levels to be delivered to the loads and a single display means for displaying the power levels, the control system being capable of separately controlling a greater number of loads than there are switch means and of separately displaying a greater number of power levels than there are display means, there being more than one load assigned to each single switch means and each single display means, such that each switch means and each display means share a function of separately adjusting the power level and displaying the power level of each of a plurality of the loads, respectively;

b) a user operable selection means disposed on the face of the control panel for simultaneously selecting a group of zones, whereby loads corresponding to the selected group of zones may have their desired power levels adjusted and displayed by each of the switch means and display means, the switch means adjusting, and the display means displaying, the desired power levels for only the loads corresponding to the selected group of zones;

c) a visual indicator disposed on the face of the control panel for indicating the identity of the loads selected by the user operable selection means.

2. The control system according to claim 1 further comprising a memory for storing data indicative of the desired power levels for each load in separate memory locations, and wherein the user operable selection means comprises a single switch means operative to scroll through different ones of the memory locations and recall the data stored therein upon each operation of the switch means.

3. The control system according to claim 1 wherein there are N control units, and N switch means and N display means, there being one set of switch means and display means associated with each control unit, and wherein the control system is capable of controlling M times N loads, where M is an integer greater than 1, and wherein the user operable selection means has means for making M selections, for selecting N ones of the M times N loads whose desired power levels are to be adjusted by the switch means and displayed by the display means.

4. The control system according to claim 3 wherein a microprocessor within the wall mountable control panel causes data stored in a memory within the control panel for each load to be communicated over a communications link to a remote power control circuit.

5. The control system according to claim 1 wherein the loads are lighting loads, and each load defines a zone, and each of the desired power levels is a selected one of an off condition, a full on condition and an intermediate power level.

6. The control system according to claim 1 wherein the control system is adapted to be received by a ganged plurality of NEMA standard 3" high by 131/32" wide wall boxes.

7. A wall mountable control system comprising:

a) a wall mountable control panel;

b) a plurality, N, of control units within the wall mountable control system and affixed to the control panel for controlling electrical loads, each control unit having a single, user operable, switch means disposed on a face of the control panel for adjusting a power level desired to be delivered to an electrical load assigned to the control unit and a single display means for displaying the power level, there being N switch means and N display means, the control system being capable of controlling M times N loads, where M is an integer greater than 1, each single switch means being operable to separately adjust the power level for more than one load, and each single display means being operative to separately display the power level for more than one load;

c) a user operable selection means disposed on the face of the control panel, with means for making M selections, so as to permit simultaneous selection of a group of N zones from M times N zones, whereby loads corresponding to the selected group of zones may have their desired power levels adjusted by the switch means and displayed by the display means, the switch means being operable to adjust the desired power levels for, and the display means displaying the power levels for, only the loads corresponding to the selected group of zones;

d) a load display disposed on the face of the control panel for indicating the identity of the loads selected by the user operable selection means.

8. The control system according to claim 7 further comprising a memory for storing data indicative of the desired power levels for each of the M times N loads in separate memory locations, and wherein the user operable selection means comprises a single switch means operative to scroll through different ones of the memory locations and recall the data stored therein upon each operation of the switch means.

9. The control system according to claim 7 wherein a microprocessor within the wall mountable control panel causes data stored in a memory within the control panel for each load to be communicated over a communications link to a remote power control circuit.

10. The control system according to claim 7 wherein the loads are lighting loads, and each load defines a zone, and each of the desired power levels is a selected one of an off condition, a full on condition and an intermediate power level.

11. The control system according to claim 7 wherein the control system is adapted to be received by a ganged plurality of NEMA standard 3" high by 131/32" wide wall boxes.

12. In a wall mountable control system of the type having an affixed, user accessible control panel and a plurality, of ganged control units adapted to be received by a ganged plurality, of NEMA standard 3" high by 131/32" wide wall boxes, the control units each having a single user operable switch means disposed on a face of the control panel for adjusting power levels desired to be delivered to electrical loads associated with the control units, each control unit further having a display means disposed on the face of the control panel for providing visual indications of the power levels, the control system having a memory for storing data indicative of the desired power level for each load, and wherein a microprocessor within the wall mountable control panel causes at least selected data stored in the memory to be communicated over a communications link to a remote power control circuit, the improvement comprising:

first means within the control system for enabling the control system to separately control each of M times N loads, where M is an integer greater than 1, with only N switch means and N display means, by switchably allocating, via the memory, M loads to each of the switch means and display means on each control unit, such that each single switch means is operable to separately adjust the power level for M loads, and each single display means is operable to separately display the power level for M loads;

second, user operable, means disposed on the face of the control panel for making M selections so as to permit simultaneous selection of a group of N zones from M times N zones, whereby loads corresponding to the selected group of zones may have their desired power levels adjusted by the switch means and displayed by the display means, the switch means being operable to adjust the desired power levels for, and the display means displaying the power levels for, only the loads corresponding to the select group of zones;

third means disposed on the face of the control panel for providing an identification of the loads selected by the second means.

13. The wall mountable control system according to claim 12 wherein the memory stores data indicative of the desired power level for each of the M times N loads in separate memory locations, and wherein the second means comprises a single pushbutton switch means operative to scroll through different ones of the memory locations and recall the data stored therein upon each operation the push-button switch means.

14. The wall mountable control system according to claim 13 wherein the loads are lighting loads, and each load defines a zone, and each of the desired power levels is a selected one of an off condition, a full on condition and an intermediate power level.