U.S. patent application number 14/832727 was filed with the patent office on 2016-02-25 for load control system responsive to sensors and mobile devices.
This patent application is currently assigned to Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.. Invention is credited to Rhodes B. Baker, Jason C. Killo, Galen Edgar Knode, Sanjeev Kumar, Brent Protzman, Daniel Curtis Raneri, Greg Edward Sloan.
Application Number | 20160054023 14/832727 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54106437 |
Filed Date | 2016-02-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160054023 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Baker; Rhodes B. ; et
al. |
February 25, 2016 |
LOAD CONTROL SYSTEM RESPONSIVE TO SENSORS AND MOBILE DEVICES
Abstract
A load control system may control an electrical load in a space
of a building based on one or more parameters regarding the
physical condition of an occupant. The parameters may be biometric
parameters of an occupant that may be gathered by one or more
sensing devices. The sensing devices may be included in a mobile
device. A system controller may receive the parameters and may
automatically control the electrical loads in response to the
parameters. The system controller may control the electrical load
to attempt to adjust the physical condition of the occupant in
response to the sensed parameters. The system controller may
control the electrical load to provide an alert, an alarm, and/or a
warning in response to the sensed parameters.
Inventors: |
Baker; Rhodes B.;
(Bethlehem, PA) ; Killo; Jason C.; (Emmaus,
PA) ; Knode; Galen Edgar; (Macungie, PA) ;
Kumar; Sanjeev; (Harleysville, PA) ; Protzman;
Brent; (Easton, PA) ; Raneri; Daniel Curtis;
(Orefield, PA) ; Sloan; Greg Edward; (Allentown,
PA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. |
Coopersburg |
PA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Lutron Electronics Co.,
Inc.
Coopersburg
PA
|
Family ID: |
54106437 |
Appl. No.: |
14/832727 |
Filed: |
August 21, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62040848 |
Aug 22, 2014 |
|
|
|
62094429 |
Dec 19, 2014 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
307/31 ;
315/307 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M 2205/3306 20130101;
F24F 2120/14 20180101; G05B 15/02 20130101; A61M 2021/0066
20130101; F24F 11/30 20180101; F24F 2120/10 20180101; H05B 47/105
20200101; A61M 2205/3592 20130101; A61M 2205/8206 20130101; A61M
2230/06 20130101; H05B 45/10 20200101; G08B 21/185 20130101; A61M
2230/30 20130101; A61M 2230/201 20130101; A61N 5/0618 20130101;
A61M 2021/0044 20130101; A61M 2205/33 20130101; E06B 9/24 20130101;
A61M 16/161 20140204; A61M 2205/3344 20130101; A61N 2005/0636
20130101; H02J 4/00 20130101; A61M 21/00 20130101; E06B 2009/247
20130101; A61M 2205/3368 20130101; E04F 19/00 20130101; F24F
2120/12 20180101; G05B 2219/2642 20130101; A61M 2205/3569 20130101;
A61M 2230/50 20130101; A61M 2202/0233 20130101; A61M 2205/505
20130101; A61N 2005/0626 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F24F 11/00 20060101
F24F011/00; G08B 21/18 20060101 G08B021/18; E06B 9/24 20060101
E06B009/24; E04F 19/00 20060101 E04F019/00; H05B 33/08 20060101
H05B033/08; H02J 4/00 20060101 H02J004/00 |
Claims
1. A load control system for controlling electrical loads in a
space of a building occupied by an occupant, the load control
system comprising: a plurality of load control devices, wherein
each load control device of the plurality of load control devices
is configured to control a respective electrical load in response
to digital messages; and a system controller configured to: receive
sensor information from a mobile device, wherein the sensor
information comprises parameters that indicate a physical condition
of the occupant that are sensed by at least one sensing device of
the mobile device; determine load control instructions for
controlling a load control device of the plurality of load control
devices in response to the parameters that indicate the physical
condition of the occupant; and send a digital message including the
load control instructions to the load control device to
automatically control the respective electrical load of the load
control device in response to the parameters sensed by the at least
one sensing device of the mobile device.
2. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the system
controller is configured to control the respective electrical load
of the load control device to attempt to adjust the physical
condition of the occupant in response to the parameters sensed by
the at least one sensing device of the mobile device.
3. The load control system of claim 2, wherein the system
controller is configured to control the electrical load to a level
that is dependent upon the parameters sensed by the at least one
sensing device of the mobile device.
4. The load control system of claim 2, wherein the system
controller is configured to control the electrical load in response
to a unique identifier of the mobile device and the parameters
sensed by the at least one sensing device of the mobile device.
5. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the system
controller is configured to control the electrical load to provide
an alert, an alarm, or a warning in response to the parameters
sensed by the at least one sensing device of the mobile device.
6. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device for controlling an
intensity of a lighting load, wherein the lighting load comprises
the respective electrical load for the lighting control device, and
wherein the load control instructions are configured to cause the
load control device to blink the lighting load in response to the
parameters sensed by the at least one sensing device of the mobile
device.
7. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device for controlling an
intensity of a lighting load, and wherein the lighting load
comprises the respective electrical load for the lighting control
device.
8. The load control system of claim 7, wherein the system
controller is configured to control the intensity of the lighting
load to a preset intensity in response to the parameters that
indicate the physical condition of the occupant.
9. The load control system of claim 7, wherein the system
controller is configured to adjust a color temperature of the
lighting load in response to the parameters that indicate the
physical condition of the occupant.
10. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the load control
device comprises a motorized window treatment, and wherein the
system controller is configured to automatically adjust an amount
of daylight entering the space in response to the parameters that
indicate the physical condition of the occupant.
11. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the load control
device comprises a temperature control device for controlling a
temperature of the space, and wherein the system controller is
configured to automatically adjust the temperature of the space in
response to the parameters that indicate the physical condition of
the occupant.
12. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the parameters
indicate that the occupant has fallen asleep, and wherein the
system controller is configured to control the electrical load in
response to the parameters that indicate that the occupant has
fallen asleep.
13. The load control system of claim 12, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device, wherein the electrical
load comprises a lighting load, and wherein the system controller
is configured to decrease an intensity level of the lighting load
via the lighting control device in response to the parameters that
indicate that the occupant has fallen asleep.
14. The load control system of claim 12, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device, wherein the electrical
load comprises a lighting load, and wherein the system controller
is configured to adjust a color temperature of the lighting load
via the lighting control device in response to the parameters that
indicate that the occupant has fallen asleep.
15. The load control system of claim 12, wherein the load control
device comprises a motorized window treatment, and wherein the
system controller is configured to adjust an amount of daylight
entering the space in response to the parameters that indicate that
the occupant has fallen asleep.
16. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the parameters
indicate that the occupant is waking up, and wherein the system
controller is configured to control the electrical load in response
to the parameters that indicate that the occupant is waking up.
17. The load control system of claim 16, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device, wherein the electrical
load comprises a lighting load, and wherein the system controller
is configured to increase an intensity level of the lighting load
via the lighting control device in response to the parameters that
indicate that the occupant is waking up.
18. The load control system of claim 16, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device, wherein the electrical
load comprises a lighting load, and wherein the system controller
is configured to adjust a color temperature of the lighting load
via the lighting control device in response to the parameters that
indicate that the occupant is waking up.
19. The load control system of claim 16, wherein the load control
device comprises a motorized window treatment, and wherein the
system controller is configured to adjust an amount of daylight
entering the space in response to the parameters that indicate that
the occupant is waking up.
20. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the parameters
indicate that a stress level of the occupant is increasing, and
wherein the system controller is configured to control the
electrical load in response to the parameters that indicate that
the stress level of the occupant is increasing.
21. The load control system of claim 20, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device, wherein the electrical
load comprises a lighting load, and wherein the system controller
is configured to decrease an intensity level of the lighting load
via the lighting control device in response to the parameters that
indicate that the stress level of the occupant is increasing.
22. The load control system of claim 20, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device, wherein the electrical
load comprises a lighting load, and wherein the system controller
is configured to adjust a color temperature of the lighting load to
a cooler temperature via the lighting control device in response to
the parameters that indicate that the stress level of the occupant
is increasing.
23. The load control system of claim 20, wherein the load control
device comprises a motorized window treatment, and wherein the
system controller is configured to adjust an amount of daylight
entering the space in response to the parameters that indicate that
the stress level of the occupant is increasing.
24. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the load control
system further comprises a mobile device having the at least one
sensing device for sensing the parameters that indicate the
physical condition of the occupant, the mobile device configured to
transmit wireless signals including information regarding the
sensed parameters.
25. The load control system of claim 24, wherein the mobile device
is a wearable device.
26. A system controller for controlling electrical loads in a space
of a building occupied by an occupant, the system controller
comprising: a communication circuit configured to receive sensor
information from a mobile device, wherein the sensor information
comprises parameters that indicate a physical condition of the
occupant that are sensed by at least one sensing device of the
mobile device; and a control circuit configured to: determine load
control instructions for controlling a load control device of a
plurality of load control devices in response to the parameters
that indicate the physical condition of the occupant; and send, via
the communication circuit, a digital message including the load
control instructions to the load control device to automatically
control the respective electrical load of the load control device
in response to the parameters sensed by the at least one sensing
device of the mobile device.
27. The system controller of claim 26, wherein the control circuit
is configured to control the respective electrical load of the load
control device to attempt to adjust the physical condition of the
occupant in response to the parameters sensed by the at least one
sensing device of the mobile device.
28. The system controller of claim 26, wherein the control circuit
is configured to control the electrical load to provide an alert,
an alarm, or a warning in response to the parameters sensed by the
at least one sensing device of the mobile device.
29. The system controller of claim 26, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device for controlling an
intensity of a lighting load, wherein the lighting load comprises
the respective electrical load for the lighting control device, and
wherein the control circuit is configured to cause the load control
device to blink the lighting load in response to the parameters
sensed by the at least one sensing device of the mobile device.
30. The system controller of claim 26, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device for controlling an
intensity of a lighting load, and wherein the lighting load
comprises the respective electrical load for the lighting control
device.
31. The system controller of claim 26, wherein the load control
device comprises a motorized window treatment, and wherein the
control circuit is configured to automatically adjust an amount of
daylight entering the space in response to the parameters that
indicate the physical condition of the occupant.
32. The system controller of claim 26, wherein the load control
device comprises a temperature control device for controlling a
temperature of the space, and wherein the control circuit is
configured to automatically adjust the temperature of the space in
response to the parameters that indicate the physical condition of
the occupant.
33. The system controller of claim 26, wherein the parameters
indicate that the occupant has fallen asleep, and wherein the
control circuit is configured to control the electrical load in
response to the parameters that indicate that the occupant has
fallen asleep.
34. The system controller of claim 26, wherein the parameters
indicate that the occupant is waking up, and wherein the control
circuit is configured to control the electrical load in response to
the parameters that indicate that the occupant is waking up.
35. The system controller of claim 26, wherein the parameters
indicate that a stress level of the occupant is increasing, and
wherein the control circuit is configured to control the electrical
load in response to the parameters that indicate that the stress
level of the occupant is increasing.
36. A system controller for controlling electrical loads in a space
of a building occupied by an occupant, the system controller
comprising: a communication circuit configured to receive sensor
information, wherein the sensor information comprises parameters
that indicate a physical condition of the occupant that are sensed
by at least one sensing device; and a control circuit configured
to: determine load control instructions for controlling a load
control device of a plurality of load control devices in response
to the parameters that indicate the physical condition of the
occupant; and send, via the communication circuit, a digital
message including the load control instructions to the load control
device to automatically control the respective electrical load of
the load control device in response to the parameters sensed by the
at least one sensing device.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/040,848, filed Aug. 22, 2014, and U.S.
Provisional Application No. 62/094,429, filed Dec. 19, 2014, which
are incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A user environment, such as a residence or an office
building for example, may be configured using various types of load
control systems. A lighting control system may be used to control
the lighting loads in the user environment. A motorized window
treatment control system may be used to control the natural light
provided to the user environment. An HVAC system may be used to
control the temperature in the user environment. Each load control
system may include various control devices, including
control-source devices and control-target devices. The
control-target devices may receive digital messages, which may
include load control instructions, for controlling an electrical
load from one or more of the control-source devices. The
control-target devices may be capable of directly controlling an
electrical load. The control-source devices may be capable of
indirectly controlling the electrical load via the control-target
device. Examples of control-target devices may include lighting
control devices (e.g., a dimmer switch, an electronic switch, a
ballast, or a light-emitting diode (LED) driver), a motorized
window treatment, a temperature control device (e.g., a
thermostat), an AC plug-in load control device, and/or the like.
Examples of control-source devices may include remote control
devices, occupancy sensors, daylight sensors, temperature sensors,
and/or the like.
[0003] Though current load control systems enable control of
different electrical loads in a load control environment, the load
control systems fail to use information that may be collected from
one or more occupants and/or the occupant's mobile devices to
control the electrical loads. Using such information may enable the
load control systems to be more perceptive and to more conveniently
control the electrical loads throughout the system.
SUMMARY
[0004] The present disclosure relates to a load control system for
controlling the amount of power delivered to one or more electrical
load, and more particularly, to a load control system able to
control a plurality of electrical loads in response to detected
information about one or more occupants in a space, such as a
building. For example, information may be gathered about an
occupant from one or more sensors, wearable wireless devices, or
other devices.
[0005] As described herein, a load control system for controlling
an electrical load in a space of a building occupied by an occupant
may comprise a system controller and one or more load control
devices. The load control system may include a mobile device that
may be used for controlling the one or more load control devices.
The mobile device may be a mobile phone, a wearable device, or
other computing device, for example. The load control system may
include one or more sensors or sensing devices for collecting
information. For example, the mobile device may comprise one or
more sensing devices for sensing one or more parameters regarding
the physical condition of the occupant.
[0006] The system controller may receive sensor information that
includes parameters that indicate a physical condition of the
occupant. The system controller may determine load control
instructions for controlling a load control device in response to
the parameters that indicate the physical condition of the
occupant. The system controller may send a digital message
including the load control instructions to the load control device
to automatically control the respective electrical load of the load
control device in response to the sensed parameters.
[0007] The parameters may indicate that the occupant fell asleep,
that the occupant is waking up, that an occupant's stress level is
changing, that the occupant is moving, biometrics of the occupant,
and/or other parameters that may indicate the physical condition of
the occupant. The system controller may control the electrical
loads in response to the parameters. For example, the system
controller may automatically transmit digital messages that include
instructions for controlling the electrical loads based on the
parameters.
[0008] The system controller may control the respective electrical
load of the load control device to attempt to adjust the physical
condition of the occupant in response to the sensed parameters. The
system controller may control the electrical load to provide an
alert, an alarm, or a warning in response to the sensed parameters.
The system controller may adjust a color temperature of the
lighting load, adjust an amount of daylight allowed by a motorized
window treatment, adjust a temperature of a temperature control
device, and/or otherwise control an electrical load in response to
the parameters that indicate the physical condition of the
occupant.
[0009] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will
become apparent from the following detailed description that refers
to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example load control system for
controlling one or more electrical loads.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example control procedure for
automatically controlling electrical loads in response to the
location of a mobile device and/or an occupant.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example control procedure for
automatically controlling electrical loads in response to the
location of one or more mobile devices and/or occupants when there
may be multiple mobile devices and/or occupants in a single
space.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example control procedure for
automatically controlling electrical loads in response to the
location of a mobile device and/or an occupant if the space in
which the mobile device and/or occupant is located is occupied.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example application startup
procedure that may be executed by a mobile device.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example button press procedure
that may be executed by a remote control device and/or a mobile
device.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example procedure for
controlling electrical loads based on biometric parameters.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram of an example network
device.
[0018] FIG. 9 is a simplified block diagram of an example system
controller.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an
example control device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example load control system 100
for controlling the amount of power delivered from an
alternating-current (AC) power source (not shown) to one or more
electrical loads. The load control system 100 may be installed in a
building having one or more rooms 102, 104, 106. The load control
system 100 may comprise a plurality of control devices configured
to communicate with each other via wireless signals, e.g.,
radio-frequency (RF) signals 108. Alternatively or additionally,
the load control system 100 may comprise a wired digital
communication link coupled to one or more of the control devices to
provide for communication between the load control devices. The
control devices of the load control system 100 may comprise a
number of control-source devices (e.g., input devices operable to
transmit digital messages in response to user inputs,
occupancy/vacancy conditions, changes in measured light intensity,
etc.) and a number of control-target devices (e.g., load control
devices operable to receive digital messages and control respective
electrical loads in response to the received digital messages). A
single control device of the load control system 100 may operate as
a control-source device and/or a control-target device (e.g., as
both a control-source and a control-target device).
[0021] The control-source devices may be configured to transmit
digital messages directly to the control-target devices. The load
control system 100 may comprise a system controller 110 (e.g., a
central controller or load controller) operable to communicate
digital messages to and from the control devices (e.g., the
control-source devices and/or the control-target devices). For
example, the system controller 110 may be configured to receive
digital messages from the control-source devices and transmit
digital messages to the control-target devices in response to the
digital messages received from the control-source devices. The
digital messages transmitted to the control-target devices may
include instructions generated for controlling a respective
electrical load. The control-source and control-target devices and
the system controller 110 may be configured to transmit and receive
the RF signals 108 using a proprietary RF protocol, such as the
ClearConnect.RTM. protocol. Alternatively, the RF signals 108 may
be transmitted using a different RF protocol, such as, a standard
protocol, for example, one of WIFI, ZIGBEE, Z-WAVE, KNX-RF, ENOCEAN
RADIO protocols, or a different proprietary protocol.
[0022] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more load
control devices, e.g., dimmer switches 120, for controlling
respective lighting loads 122 located in one or more of the rooms
102, 104, 106. A dimmer switch 120 may be adapted to be
wall-mounted in a standard electrical wallbox. The dimmer switch
120 may comprise a tabletop or plug-in load control device. The
dimmer switch 120 may comprise a toggle actuator (e.g., a button)
and an intensity adjustment actuator (e.g., a rocker switch).
Actuations (e.g., successive actuations) of the toggle actuator may
toggle, i.e., turn off and on, the respective lighting load 122.
Actuations of an upper portion or a lower portion of the intensity
adjustment actuator may respectively increase or decrease the
amount of power delivered to the respective lighting load 122 and
thus increase or decrease the intensity of the respective lighting
load from a minimum intensity (e.g., approximately 1%) to a maximum
intensity (e.g., approximately 100%). The dimmer switch 120 may
comprise a plurality of visual indicators, e.g., light-emitting
diodes (LEDs), which are arranged in a linear array and are
illuminated to provide feedback of the intensity of the respective
lighting load 122. Examples of wall-mounted dimmer switches are
described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,919, issued Sep.
29, 1993, entitled LIGHTING CONTROL DEVICE, and U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. 2014/0132475, published May 15, 2014,
entitled WIRELESS LOAD CONTROL DEVICE, the entire disclosures of
which are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0023] The dimmer switch 120 may be configured to wirelessly
receive digital messages via the RF signals 108 (e.g., from the
system controller 110) and to control the respective lighting load
122 in response to the received digital messages. Examples of
dimmer switches operable to transmit and receive digital messages
is described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. 2009/0206983, published Aug. 20, 2009,
entitled COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL FOR A RADIO-FREQUENCY LOAD CONTROL
SYSTEM, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference.
[0024] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more
remotely-located load control devices, such as light-emitting diode
(LED) drivers 130 for driving respective LED light sources 132
(e.g., LED light engines). The LED drivers 130 may be located
remotely, for example, in or adjacent to the lighting fixtures of
the respective LED light sources 132. The LED drivers 130 may be
configured to receive digital messages via the RF signals 108
(e.g., from the system controller 110) and to control the
respective LED light sources 132 in response to the received
digital messages. The LED drivers 130 may be configured to adjust
the color temperature of the respective LED light sources 132 in
response to the received digital messages. Examples of LED drivers
configured to control the color temperature of LED light sources
are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. 2014/0312777, published Oct. 23, 2014,
entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING COLOR TEMPERATURE, the
entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The
load control system 100 may comprise other types of
remotely-located load control devices, such as, for example,
electronic dimming ballasts for driving fluorescent lamps.
[0025] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more plug-in
load control devices 140 for controlling respective plug-in
electrical loads. For example, a plug-in lighting load, such as a
floor lamp 142 or a table lamp, may be plugged into one of the
plug-in load control devices 140, such that the plug-in load
control device is coupled in series between the AC power source and
the plug-in lighting load. The plug-in load control device 140 may
be configured to receive digital messages via the RF signals 108
(e.g., from the system controller 110) and to turn on and off or
adjust the intensity of the plug-in lighting load in response to
the received digital messages. An appliance, such as a television
144, may be plugged into one of the plug-in load control devices
140, and the plug-in load control device may be configured to turn
the appliance on and off in response to the digital messages
received via the RF signals 108.
[0026] Alternatively or in addition, the load control system 100
may comprise controllable receptacles for controlling plug-in
electrical loads plugged into the receptacles. The load control
system 100 may comprise one or more load control devices or
appliances that are able to directly receive the wireless signals
108 from the system controller 110, such as a speaker 146 (e.g.,
part of an audio/visual or intercom system), which is able to
generate audible sounds, such as alarms, music, intercom
functionality, etc.
[0027] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more
daylight control devices, e.g., motorized window treatments 150,
such as motorized cellular shades, for controlling the amount of
daylight entering the building in which the load control system is
installed. The motorized window treatments 150 may be configured to
receive digital messages via the RF signals 108 (e.g., from the
system controller 110) and may be configured to adjust the position
of a window treatment fabric in response to the received digital
messages. The load control system 100 may comprise other types of
daylight control devices, such as, for example, a cellular shade, a
drapery, a Roman shade, a Venetian blind, a Persian blind, a
pleated blind, a tensioned roller shade systems, an electrochromic
or smart window, and/or other suitable daylight control device.
[0028] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more
temperature control devices 160 (e.g., thermostats) for controlling
a room temperature in each of the rooms 102, 104, 106. A
temperature control device 160 may be coupled to a heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system 162 via a control
link (e.g., an analog control link or a wired digital communication
link). The temperature control device 160 may be configured to
wirelessly communicate digital messages with a controller of the
HVAC system 162. The temperature control device 160 may comprise a
temperature sensor for measuring the room temperature of the
respective room 102, 104, 106 and may control the HVAC system 162
to adjust the temperature in the room to a respective setpoint
temperature.
[0029] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more other
types of load control devices, such as, for example, a screw-in
luminaire including a dimmer circuit and an incandescent or halogen
lamp; a screw-in luminaire including a ballast and a compact
fluorescent lamp; a screw-in luminaire including an LED driver and
an LED light source; an electronic switch, controllable circuit
breaker, or other switching device for turning an appliance on and
off; a plug-in load control device, controllable electrical
receptacle, or controllable power strip for controlling one or more
plug-in loads; a motor control unit for controlling a motor load,
such as a ceiling fan or an exhaust fan; a drive unit for
controlling a motorized window treatment or a projection screen;
motorized interior or exterior shutters; a thermostat for a heating
and/or cooling system; a temperature control device for controlling
a setpoint temperature of an HVAC system; an air conditioner; a
compressor; an electric baseboard heater controller; a controllable
damper; a variable air volume controller; a fresh air intake
controller; a ventilation controller; hydraulic valves for use in
radiators and a radiant heating system; a humidity control unit; a
humidifier; a dehumidifier; a water heater; a boiler controller; a
pool pump; a refrigerator; a freezer; a television or computer
monitor; a video camera; an audio system or amplifier; an elevator;
a power supply; a generator; an electric charger, such as an
electric vehicle charger; and an alternative energy controller.
[0030] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more input
devices, e.g., such as battery-powered remote control devices 170,
occupancy sensors 172, and/or daylight sensors 174. The input
devices may be fixed or movable input devices. The battery-powered
remote control devices 170, the occupancy sensors 172, and/or the
daylight sensors 174 may be wireless control devices (e.g., RF
transmitters) configured to transmit digital messages via the RF
signals 108 to the system controller 110 (e.g., directly to the
system controller). For example, the battery-powered remote control
device 170 may be configured to transmit digital messages to the
system controller 110 via the RF signals 108 in response to an
actuation of one or more buttons of the battery-powered remote
control device. The system controller 110 may be configured to
transmit one or more digital messages to the load control devices
(e.g., the dimmer switches 120, the LED drivers 130, the plug-in
load control devices 140, the motorized window treatments 150,
and/or the temperature control devices 160) in response to the
digital messages received from the battery-powered remote control
devices 170, the occupancy sensors 172, and/or the daylight sensors
174. The battery-powered remote control devices 170, the occupancy
sensors 172, and/or the daylight sensors 174 may be configured to
transmit digital messages directly to the dimmer switches 120, the
LED drivers 130, the plug-in load control devices 140, the
motorized window treatments 150, and the temperature control
devices 160. The input devices may also comprise a door entrance
sensor, a door movement sensor, or a keycard door opening
device.
[0031] The occupancy sensors 172 may be configured to detect
occupancy and vacancy conditions in the rooms 102, 106 in which the
occupancy sensors are mounted. The occupancy sensors 172 may
transmit digital messages to the system controller 110 via the RF
signals 108 in response to detecting the occupancy or vacancy
conditions. The system controller 110 may be configured to turn one
or more of the lighting loads 122 and the LED light sources 132 on
and off in response to receiving an occupied command and a vacant
command, respectively. The occupancy sensors 172 may operate as
vacancy sensors, such that the lighting loads are merely turned off
in response to detecting a vacancy condition (e.g., and not turned
on in response to detecting an occupancy condition). Examples of RF
load control systems having occupancy and vacancy sensors are
described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No.
8,009,042, issued Aug. 30, 2011, entitled RADIO-FREQUENCY LIGHTING
CONTROL SYSTEM WITH OCCUPANCY SENSING; U.S. Pat. No. 8,199,010,
issued Jun. 12, 2012, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONFIGURING
A WIRELESS SENSOR; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,228,184, issued Jul. 24,
2012, entitled BATTERY-POWERED OCCUPANCY SENSOR, the entire
disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0032] The daylight sensors 174 may be configured to measure a
total light intensity in the room 102, 104 in which the daylight
sensor is installed. The daylight sensors 174 may transmit digital
messages including the measured light intensity to the system
controller 110 via the RF signals 108 for controlling the
intensities of one or more of the lighting loads 122 and the LED
light sources 132 in response to the measured light intensity.
Examples of RF load control systems having daylight sensors are
described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No.
8,410,706, issued Apr. 2, 2013, entitled METHOD OF CALIBRATING A
DAYLIGHT SENSOR; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,451,116, issued May 28, 2013,
entitled WIRELESS BATTERY-POWERED DAYLIGHT SENSOR, the entire
disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0033] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more
wireless temperature sensors 190 located in the rooms 102, 104, 106
for measuring the room temperatures. The temperature sensors 190
may communicate via wired and/or wireless communications with the
system controller 110 and/or the temperature control devices 160.
Though the temperature sensors 190 are external to the temperature
control devices 160, the temperature sensors 190 may be
incorporated in the temperature control devices 160. The HVAC
system 162 may be controlled by the temperature control devices 160
(e.g., in response to sensor information from the temperature
sensors 190, instructions from the system controller 110, actuation
of one or more buttons by a user, etc.). The HVAC system 162 may
turn a compressor on and off for cooling the rooms 102, 104, 106
and to turn a heating source on and off for heating the rooms in
response to the control signals received from the temperature
control devices 160. The HVAC system 162 may turn a fan of the HVAC
system on and off in response to the control signals received from
the temperature control devices 160. The temperature control
devices 160 and/or the HVAC system 162 may be configured to control
one or more controllable dampers to control the air flow in each of
the rooms 102, 104, 106.
[0034] The load control system 100 may comprise other types of
input devices, such as, for example, temperature sensors, humidity
sensors, radiometers, cloudy-day sensors, shadow sensors, pressure
sensors, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, air-quality
sensors, motion sensors, security sensors, proximity sensors,
fixture sensors, partition sensors, keypads, multi-zone control
units, slider control units, kinetic or solar-powered remote
controls, key fobs, cell phones, smart phones, tablets, personal
digital assistants, personal computers, laptops, timeclocks,
audio-visual controls, safety devices, power monitoring devices
(e.g., such as power meters, energy meters, utility submeters,
utility rate meters, etc.), central control transmitters,
residential controllers, commercial controllers, industrial
controllers, and/or any combination thereof.
[0035] The system controller 110 may be configured to be coupled to
a network, such as a wireless or wired local area network (LAN),
e.g., for access to the Internet. The system controller 110 may be
wirelessly connected to the network, e.g., using Wi-Fi technology.
The system controller 110 may be coupled to the network via a
network communication bus (e.g., an Ethernet communication
link).
[0036] The system controller 110 may be configured to communicate
via the network with one or more mobile devices 182, such as, a
personal computing device and/or a wearable wireless device. The
mobile device 182 may be located on an occupant 180, for example,
may be attached to the occupant's body or clothing or may be held
by the occupant. The mobile device 182 may be characterized by a
unique identifier (e.g., a serial number or address stored in
memory) that uniquely identifies the mobile device 182 and thus the
occupant 180. Examples of personal computing devices may include a
smart phone (e.g., an iPhone.RTM. smart phone, an Android.RTM.
smart phone, or a Blackberry.RTM. smart phone), a laptop, and/or a
tablet device (e.g., an iPad.RTM. hand-held computing device).
Examples of wearable wireless devices may include an activity
tracking device (e.g., such as a FitBit.RTM. device, a Misfit.RTM.
device, and/or a Sony Smartband.RTM. device), a smart watch, smart
clothing (e.g., OMsignal.RTM. smartwear, etc.), and/or smart
glasses (e.g., such as Google Glass.RTM. eyewear).
[0037] The mobile device 182 may be configured to transmit digital
messages to the system controller 110, for example, in one or more
Internet Protocol packets. For example, the mobile device 182 may
be configured to transmit digital messages to the system controller
110 over the LAN and/or via the Internet. The mobile device 182 may
be configured to transmit digital messages over the Internet to an
external service (e.g., If This Then That (IFTTT.RTM.) service),
and then the digital messages may be received by the system
controller 110. The mobile device 182 may transmit the RF signals
108 via a Wi-Fi communication link, a Wi-MAX communications link, a
Bluetooth.RTM. communications link, a near field communication
(NFC) link, a cellular communications link, a television white
space (TVWS) communication link, or any combination thereof.
Alternatively or additionally, the mobile device 182 may be
configured to transmit RF signals according to the proprietary
protocol.
[0038] The load control system 100 may comprise other types of
network devices coupled to the network, such as a desktop personal
computer, a Wi-Fi or wireless-communication-capable television, or
any other suitable Internet-Protocol-enabled device. Examples of
load control systems operable to communicate with mobile and/or
network devices on a network are described in greater detail in
commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication No.
2013/0030589, published Jan. 31, 2013, entitled LOAD CONTROL DEVICE
HAVING INTERNET CONNECTIVITY, the entire disclosure of which is
hereby incorporated by reference.
[0039] The operation of the load control system 100 may be
programmed and configured using, for example, the mobile device 182
or other network device (e.g., when the mobile device is a personal
computing device) during a configuration (or commissioning)
procedure. The mobile device 182 may execute a graphical user
interface (GUI) configuration software for allowing a user to
program how the load control system 100 will operate. For example,
the configuration software may run as a PC application or a web
interface. The configuration software and/or the system controller
110 (e.g., via instructions from the configuration software) may
generate a load control database that defines the operation of the
load control system 100. For example, the load control database may
include information regarding the operational settings of different
load control devices of the load control system (e.g., the dimmer
switch 120, the LED drivers 130, the plug-in load control devices
140, the motorized window treatments 150, and/or the temperature
control devices 160). The load control database may comprise
information regarding associations between the load control devices
and the input devices (e.g., the battery-powered remote control
devices 170, the occupancy sensors 172, and/or the daylight sensors
174). The load control database may comprise information regarding
how the load control devices respond to inputs received from the
input devices. Examples of configuration procedures for load
control systems are described in greater detail in
commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,391,297, issued Jun. 24, 2008,
entitled HANDHELD PROGRAMMER FOR A LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM; U.S.
Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0092075, published Apr. 17,
2008, entitled METHOD OF BUILDING A DATABASE OF A LIGHTING CONTROL
SYSTEM; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0265568,
published Sep. 18, 2014, entitled COMMISSIONING LOAD CONTROL
SYSTEMS, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by
reference.
[0040] The mobile device 182 may comprise one or more sensing
devices for sensing one or more parameters (e.g., biometric data)
that define the physical condition (e.g., behavior, movement,
comfort, and/or health) of the occupant 180. For example, the
sensing devices of the mobile device 182 may include an
accelerometer for monitoring the movement of the occupant. The
mobile device 182 may comprise sensing devices for monitoring the
heart rate, the blood pressure, the body temperature, the blood
sugar, and/or the perspiration level of the occupant 180. The
mobile device 182 may include any combination of sensing devices.
The mobile device 182 may be configured to transmit digital
messages to the system controller 110 including data regarding the
parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device
182.
[0041] The system controller 110 may be configured to deduce the
state or physical condition of the occupant 180 using the
parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device
182. For example, the system controller 110 may be configured to
determine that the occupant 180 is sleeping or that the stress
level of the occupant 180 is increasing in response to one or more
of the parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile
device 182.
[0042] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine the
location of the mobile device 182 and/or the occupant 180. The
system controller 110 may be configured to control (e.g.,
automatically control) the load control devices (e.g., the dimmer
switches 120, the LED drivers 130, the plug-in load control devices
140, the motorized window treatments 150, and/or the temperature
control devices 160) in response to determining the location of the
mobile device 182 and/or the occupant 180. The system controller
110 may be configured to control the load control devices according
to occupant control parameters associated with the occupant 180.
The occupant control parameters may be predetermined or preset
settings for the occupant 180, biometric data for the occupant 180,
and/or user input data received from the occupant 180 via the
mobile device 182.
[0043] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine the
location of the mobile device 182 using triangulation. Since the
load control devices of the load control system 100 may be mounted
in fixed locations, the load control devices may measure the signal
strength of RF signals received from the mobile device 182. The
load control devices may transmit these signals strengths to the
system controller 110, which may be configured to determine the
location of the mobile device 182 using the signal strengths. One
or more load control devices of the load control system 100 may be
movable devices. As such, the load control system 100 may comprise
fixed and movable load control devices.
[0044] The mobile device 182 may be configured to determine its
location and to transmit the location information to the system
controller 110 and/or the load control devices. For example, the
mobile device may be configured to determine its location based on
the signal strengths of RF signals received directly from three or
more of the load control devices. The mobile device 182 may be
configured to determine its location based on global positioning
system (GPS) information from a GPS receiver (e.g., a
geolocation).
[0045] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more beacon
devices 184 for transmitting the beacon signals. A load control
device (e.g., a fixed-location control device) of the load control
system 100 may be configured to transmit the beacon signals. The
mobile device may be configured to determine its location in
response to a beacon signal (e.g., transmitted using a short-range
and/or low-power RF technology, such as Bluetooth technology)
received when located near a control device that is presently
transmitting the beacon signal.
[0046] A beacon signal may comprise a unique identifier identifying
the location of the load control device that transmitted the beacon
signal. Since the beacon signal may be transmitted using a
short-range and/or low-power technology, the unique identifier may
indicate the approximate location of the mobile device 182. The
mobile device 182 may be configured to use the unique identifier to
retrieve the location of the mobile device via the Internet. The
mobile device 182 may be configured to transmit the location (e.g.,
unique identifier or other indication of location) to the system
controller 110, which may be configured to automatically control
the load control devices in response to the location of the mobile
device. The mobile device 182 may be configured to transmit the
unique identifier to the system controller 110, which may be
configured to determine the location of the mobile device 182 using
the unique identifier (e.g., using data stored in memory or
retrieved via the Internet). The system controller 110 may be
configured to transmit the location back to the mobile device 182
and/or automatically control the load control devices in response
to the location of the mobile device 182.
[0047] The system controller 110 may be configured to control
(e.g., automatically control) the load control devices in response
to determining the location of the mobile device 182, for example,
when one of the occupancy sensors 172 indicates that the space
(e.g., room), which was indicated as the location of the mobile
device, is occupied. The mobile device 182 may be configured to
directly receive a digital message indicating the occupancy
condition from one of the occupancy sensors 172, to determine that
the occupancy sensor is located in the room in which the mobile
device is located, and/or to transmit a command to control the load
control devices in the response to receiving the digital message
indicating the occupancy condition (e.g., transmitted to the system
controller 110 or directly to the load control devices).
[0048] An input device (e.g., the battery-powered remote control
devices 170, the occupancy sensors 172, and/or the daylight sensors
174) may be configured to determine its location. The input device
may be configured to determine its location in response to
determining a signal strength signature at the present location.
The signal strength signature may be a pattern of signal strength
measurements to and from the fixed-location control devices (e.g.,
the load control devices) of the load control system 100. The input
device may be configured to use a neural network to learn a signal
strength signature in each of the rooms 102, 104, 106. For example,
the input device may learn the signal strength signature using
signal strengths measured when the input device is in one of the
rooms 102, 104, 106 during a configuration or setup procedure of
the load control system 100 to determine the weights of the neural
network that will allow the input device to recognize these
patterns. The input device may alter its operation in response to
the determined location and/or transmit the determined location to
the load control devices and/or system controller 110. The input
devices and/or the system controller 110 may be configured to
determine the locations of the input devices using any of the
procedures described herein.
[0049] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more camera
devices 176 for recording video surveillance of the rooms 102, 104,
106. A camera device 176 may be configured to transmit video
recordings to the system controller 110. The system controller 110
may be configured to determine the presence of the occupant 180 in
the room 104 by processing the images received from the camera
devices 176. For example, the system controller 110 may identify
movement in the room 104, that a person is in the room 104, a
number of people in the room 104, and/or a specific person in the
room 104 from the images received from the camera device 176. The
system controller 110 may identify a specific person in the room
using facial recognition technology, for example.
[0050] An image of the face of the occupant 180 or predetermined
measurements on the occupant 180 may be stored for being compared
with the images received from the camera device 176. Other points
of reference on the body of the occupant 180 may similarly be
stored (e.g., locally or remotely) to identify the occupant 180
from the images received from the camera device 176. The occupant
180 may be of different occupant types. For example, the occupant
180 may be a human, the occupant 180 may also, or alternatively, be
a type of animal (e.g., a pet) or a plant. The occupant type may
refer to an adult human or a child human. The system controller 110
may be programmed to identify different occupants 180 by taking
images and storing the distance between points of reference in
images that identify the occupant 180 that can be compared against
later images for identifying the occupant 180. This may allow the
system controller 110 to differentiate between different occupants
and/or occupant types. The system controller 110 may also be
preconfigured to distinguish between the different occupants and/or
occupant types based on size in an image.
[0051] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more
microphones 192 for recording audio in the rooms 102, 104, 106. A
microphone 192 may be configured to transmit audio recordings to
the system controller 110. The system controller 110 may be
configured to determine the presence of the occupant 180 in the
room 104 by processing the audio received from the microphone 192.
For example, the system controller 110 may identify movement in the
room 104, that a person is in the room 104, a number of people in
the room 104, and/or a specific person in the room 104 from the
audio received from the microphone 192. The volume of the audio
received may indicate the relative distance of the occupant 180
from the microphone 192 and/or the number of people in the
room.
[0052] The load control system 100 may comprise one or more
fingerprint scanners 194 for detecting the fingerprint of the
occupant 180 in the rooms 102, 104, 106. The identification of the
fingerprint of the occupant 180 in the room 104 may indicate the
location of the occupant 180. The mobile device 182 may also, or
alternatively, be used to scan the fingerprint of the occupant 180.
The fingerprint scanner 194 may be configured to transmit
fingerprint data to the system controller 110. The system
controller 110 may be configured to determine the presence of the
occupant 180 in the room 104 by processing the fingerprint data to
identify the fingerprint of the occupant 180.
[0053] The system controller 110 may set the lighting control
device and/or other control-target devices to a preset of the
occupant 180 based on the detection of the occupant 180 within the
space of the control-target device. The system controller 110 may
set the control-target devices to different presets based on the
type of occupant 180 (e.g., adult human, child human, other types
of animals, plants) and/or different specific occupants.
[0054] A sensor (e.g., an occupancy sensor) may be configured to
control the status of a control-target device (e.g., turn lights
on/off, raise/lower shades, etc.) and the system controller 110 may
be configured to determine and set the preset level of the
control-target device based on the detection of a mobile device 182
(e.g., wearable wireless device) within the space of the
control-target device. For example, an occupancy sensor may turn
the lighting of a space on/off based on the detection of an
occupant, while the system controller 110 may set the lighting
control device or other control-target device to a preset of the
occupant 180 based on the detection of the occupant's mobile device
182 within the space of the control-target device.
[0055] The system controller 110 may be configured to control
(e.g., automatically control) the load control devices in response
to determining the location of the mobile device 182 and/or the
occupant 180. For example, the system controller 110 may be
configured to control (e.g., automatically control) the load
control devices according to predetermined or preset settings for
the occupant 180. A preset setting may identify preset lighting
intensities of the lighting loads, preset positions of the
motorized window treatments 150, and/or preset setpoint
temperatures of the temperature control devices 160. The system
controller 110 may control the load control devices in the rooms
according to the occupant's preset settings as the occupant moves
around the building (e.g., to "follow" the occupant around the
building). The preset settings may be "universal" settings (e.g.,
the preset settings may be the same for each room of the building),
or may be room settings (e.g., the preset settings may be different
for each room). The preset settings may be determined based on the
time of day and/or year. For example, the lighting loads 122 and
LED light sources 132 may automatically be illuminated dimly when
controlled (e.g., automatically controlled) at night in response to
the location of the mobile device 182 and/or occupant 180. The
level at which the load control devices and/or electrical loads are
controlled may be dependent upon the distance from the mobile
device 182 and the controlled load control device and/or electrical
load. Since the mobile device 182 may uniquely identify the
occupant 180, the preset settings may be different for different
occupants of the rooms. Since the system controller 110 may
uniquely identify different types of occupants 180, the preset
settings may be different for different types of occupants of the
rooms.
[0056] FIG. 2 is a simplified flowchart of an example control
procedure 200 for controlling (e.g., automatically controlling) one
or more electrical loads in response to the location of the mobile
device 182 and/or the occupant 180. For example, the control
procedure 200 may be executed by the system controller 110. At 202,
the example control procedure 200 may start. At 204, the system
controller 110 may determine a location of a mobile device 182
and/or occupant 180. For example, the system controller 110 may
determine a location of a mobile device 182 and/or occupant 180
using one or a combination of triangulation, received signals from
the mobile device 182, a sensor, a camera, beacon signals, a
microphone, fingerprint detection, and/or the like.
[0057] At 206, the system controller 110 may recall (e.g., load)
preset settings based on the mobile device 182 and/or occupant 180,
for example, as described herein. At 208, the system controller 110
may control (e.g., automatically control) electrical loads in the
space (e.g., room) according to the recalled preset settings of the
mobile device 182 and/or occupant 180. For example, the system
controller 110 may automatically control electrical loads in the
room according to predetermined or preset settings for the occupant
180, which may be room specific settings. At 210, the example
control procedure 200 may end.
[0058] Since there may be multiple occupants in a single room, the
system controller 110 may be configured to control (e.g.,
automatically control) one or more of the load control devices
using a predetermined priority (e.g., a tiered hierarchy) of
occupants to determine which occupant's preset settings get
priority. For example, the system controller 110 may automatically
control the load control devices to a preset setting of the mobile
device 182 and/or occupant 180 in the room that has the highest
priority. The priorities and/or tiered hierarchy may be determined
during a configuration procedure of the load control system 100 and
may be stored in memory in the system controller 110. The priority
may be based on the location of the occupants within the space. For
example, the occupant closest to or furthest from a door or window
(e.g., for control of the windows) may be assigned the highest
priority, the occupant closest to the load control device may be
assigned the highest priority, the occupant closest the load may be
assigned the highest priority, etc. Occupant priority may be
determined based on the amount of time in the space. For example,
occupants that have been in the location longer may be given higher
priority. The system controller 110 may give priority to an
occupant 180 that has a meeting in the space or otherwise has
primary occupancy over the space (e.g., an occupant's assigned
cubical space or office space). The system controller 110 may have
access to the occupant's calendar on the mobile device 182 or other
computing device to determine whether the occupant 180 has a
meeting in the space. The system controller 110 may have stored
thereon or access to an association of occupant's to office spaces
(e.g., occupant cubical spaces and/or offices).
[0059] Where different occupant types are in a room, the adult
occupants may be given priority over child occupants. Human
occupants may be given priority over other animal occupants and/or
plant occupants. Other animal occupants may be given priority over
plant occupants. Priority may also, or alternatively, be based on a
history of past actions by an occupant. For example, if the
occupant 180 selects a preference more than a predetermined number
of times (e.g., more than once) within a predefined time period
(e.g., last half hour, hour, day etc.), the selections performed
more than the predetermined number of times may be given a lesser
priority or no priority.
[0060] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example control procedure 300
for controlling (e.g., automatically controlling) one or more
electrical loads in response to the location of one or more mobiles
devices and/or occupants when there may be multiple mobile devices
and/or occupants in a single space. For example, the control
procedure 300 may be executed by the system controller 110. At 302,
the example control procedure 300 may start. At 304, the system
controller 110 may determine the location of one or more mobile
devices 182 and/or occupants 180, for example, as described herein.
At 306, the system controller 110 may determine if multiple
occupants are in the space. The system controller 110 may determine
occupancies based on the presence of an occupant's mobile device
182 (e.g., wearable wireless device), a sensor, a camera, etc. If
the system controller 110 determines that there is one occupant 180
in the space, then at 308 the system controller 110 may recall
preset settings for the mobile device 182 and/or the occupant 180
accordingly, for example, as described herein.
[0061] If the system controller 110 determines that there are
multiple occupants 180 in the space at 306, then at 310 the system
controller 110 may recall preset settings for the mobile device 182
and/or the occupant 180 having the highest priority, for example,
as described herein. At 312, the system controller 110 may control
(e.g., automatically control) one or more control-target devices
(e.g., electrical loads) according to the preset settings of the
occupant 180 having the highest priority. At 314, the example
control procedure 300 may end.
[0062] The system controller 110 may be configured to control
(e.g., automatically control) the load control devices according to
the occupant's preset settings in response to determining the
location of the mobile device 182 in combination with information
from one or more other control-source devices. For example, the
system controller 110 may be configured to automatically control
the load control devices according to the occupant's preset
settings in response to determining the location of the mobile
device 182 as well as determining that one of the occupancy sensors
172 has determined that the room in which the mobile device 182 is
located is occupied.
[0063] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example control procedure 400
for controlling (e.g., automatically controlling) one or more
electrical loads in response to the location of the mobile device
182 and/or the occupant 180. For example, the control procedure 400
may be executed by the system controller 110. The example control
procedure 400 may start at 402. At 404, the system controller 110
may determine the location of one or more mobile devices 182 and/or
occupants 180. At 406, the system controller 110 may determine
whether the space is occupied, for example, using information from
the one or more mobile devices 182, sensor information, a camera,
beacon signals, a microphone, fingerprint detection, etc. If the
system controller 110 determines that the space is not occupied at
406, then the example control procedure 400 may end at 412.
[0064] If the system controller 110 determines that the space is
occupied at 406, then at 408 the system controller 110 may recall
preset settings for a mobile device 182 and/or occupant 180 located
in the space, and control (e.g., automatically control) one or more
control-target devices (e.g., electrical loads) according to the
preset settings at 410. As such, the system controller 110 may be
configured to control one or more electrical loads in response to
the location of the mobile device 182 and/or the occupant 180 if
the space in which the mobile device and/or occupant is located is
occupied. The system controller 110 may be configured to control
the load control devices and/or electrical loads in a room to save
energy when the mobile device 182 and/or the occupant 180 is not
located in the room (e.g., by turning off or reducing the amount of
power delivered to the load control devices and/or electrical
loads).
[0065] The system controller 110 may be configured to control
(e.g., automatically control) the load control devices according to
the occupant's preset settings in response to determining the
location of the mobile device 182 when the occupant 180 actuates a
button on one of the load control devices (e.g., one of the dimmer
switches 120) in the room in which the mobile device 182 is
located. For example, the dimmer switch on which the button was
actuated may be configured to determine the unique identifier of
the mobile device 182 (e.g., the closest mobile device 182 if more
than one mobile device 182 is determined to be present in the room)
and to control the controlled lighting load in response to the
occupant's preset settings (e.g., which may be stored in memory in
the dimmer switch and/or the system controller 110, which may
communicate the settings to the dimmer switch).
[0066] The system controller 110 may be configured to learn the
preset settings for each occupant of the building. For example,
each time that an occupant 180 turns on a specific lighting load by
actuating a button of the corresponding dimmer switch 120, the
system controller 110 may be configured to store a desired
intensity level to which the intensity of the lighting load was
controlled as well as the identity of the occupant 180. The
identity of the occupant may be the unique identifier of the mobile
device 182 that is presently located in the room of that specific
dimmer switch (e.g., or the mobile device 182 closest to the dimmer
switch if more than one mobile device 182 is determined to be
present in the room). If the occupant repetitively controls the
lighting load to the same desired intensity level upon entering the
room, the system controller 110 may be configured to store the
desired intensity level as the preset level in the room for that
occupant. When the actuator of that specific dimmer switch is
subsequently actuated and the occupant 180 and/or occupant's mobile
device 182 is located in the room of the dimmer switch, the system
controller 110 may be configured to cause the dimmer switch to
control the intensity of the lighting load to the desired intensity
level (e.g., the preset level) that is stored in memory. The system
controller 110 may be configured to cause (e.g., automatically
cause) the dimmer switch to control the intensity of the lighting
load to the desired intensity level when the occupant and/or the
occupant's mobile device 182 enters the room of the dimmer switch
(e.g., without required actuation of the button of the dimmer
switch).
[0067] The system controller 110 may be configured to control
(e.g., predictively control) one or more load control devices
and/or electrical loads in response to detecting movement of an
occupant. The system controller 110 may be configured to determine
the direction in which the occupant 180 is moving (e.g., a
trajectory of the occupant) in response to sensor information,
analyzing the direction of movement in images from a camera, and/or
detecting the direction that the mobile device 182 is moving
through the building. For example, the system controller 110 may be
configured to control the load control devices and/or the
electrical loads at the intended destination of the occupant to the
occupant's preset settings before the occupant arrives at the
destination. The system controller 110 may be configured to learn
the intended destination of the occupant by monitoring the
occupant's movements over a number of days. For example, the
occupant 180 may get up in the middle of each night and walk to the
kitchen for a glass of water. The system controller 110 may be
configured to detect the occupant's movements and the time of day,
and determine to predictively turn the lights on the kitchen and/or
along the pathway to the kitchen. The system controller 110 may
determine to predictively control a control-target device at
defined time period when the system controller 110 detects the
occupant's movements in a location or toward a location occurred
within a defined time period more than a predefined number of times
(e.g., consecutive times) over a certain period (e.g., number of
hours, number of days, number of weeks, etc.). The predictive
control of the control target device may be set based on the user's
control of the control-target device. For example, the user's
control of the control-target device may be recorded and set as a
preset at the system controller 110 for automatically controlling
the control-target at the defined period of time. The user may
enable/disable the predictive control functionality of the system
controller 110 for different control target devices or altogether.
The user may also, or alternatively, enable/disable the predictive
control functionality of the system controller 110 for certain
times of day or times of the week (e.g., weekends, etc.).
[0068] When the occupant 180 is entering or exiting the building,
the system controller 110 may be configured to control the load
control devices and/or electrical loads differently depending upon
the origin and/or destination of the occupant 180. For example, the
system controller 110 may be configured to determine that the
occupant 180 is going on vacation by accessing the occupant's
calendar on the mobile device 182 and automatically select a
vacation mode when the occupant 180 leaves the building. The
occupant 180 may be prompted by the mobile device 182 to allow the
system controller 110 to access to the calendar on the mobile
device 182. The system controller 110 may be configured to
determine that the occupant 180 is headed home, for example, using
global positioning system (GPS) data (e.g., geolocation) from the
mobile device 182 and/or the present time of day, and automatically
control the load control devices and/or electrical loads according
to a preset (e.g., a "welcome home" preset). The system controller
110 may be configured to lock or unlock a controllable lock on the
building in response to determining that the occupant 180 is
approaching the building or has just left the building,
respectively. The system controller 110 may be configured to arm or
disarm a security system of the building in response to determining
that the occupant 180 is approaching the building or has just left
the building, respectively.
[0069] The mobile device 182 and/or the input devices (e.g., such
as the battery-powered remote control devices 170) may be
configured to operate differently depending upon the present
location of the mobile device 182. When a control application is
started on the mobile device 182 (e.g., and the mobile device has a
visual display), the mobile device 182 may be configured to display
a screen for controlling a respective location when the mobile
device 182 is at or near (e.g., within a predefined distance of)
the location. For example, the mobile device 182 and/or an input
device (e.g., remote control device 170 located in the living room)
may be configured to display a "living room" home screen when the
mobile device is presently located in the living room.
[0070] The mobile device 182 may be configured to re-order lists or
formats of electrical loads, load control devices, input devices,
control buttons, and/or presets displayed on the visual display in
response to the location of the mobile device 182. The mobile
device 182 may display the items in a list in a different order or
in a different location on the display in response to detecting
different locations of the mobile device 182. For example, the
mobile device 182 may determine the more commonly selected items by
one or more users for a respective location and may display the
more commonly selected items in a more convenient location on the
display (e.g., higher in a displayed list, closer to the top of the
displayed list, or closer to a side of the display for easier
access for selection by the user) when the mobile device is at or
near (e.g., within a predefined distance of) the location. The
mobile device 182 may store the number of times different items are
selected and may re-configure the display configuration for the
items when an item is selected more than another item (e.g., more
than a predefined number of times to prevent reconfiguration each
time an item is selected more than another). The mobile device 182
may be configured to display messages and/or warnings to the
occupant 180 depending upon the present location, for example, to
inform the occupant of burnt-out lamps or faulty control devices in
the present room. The mobile device 182 may be able to display a
warning when the time-of-day pricing for electricity has exceeded a
predetermined threshold. The warning may be received by the system
controller 110 (e.g., from an electricity provider) and may be sent
in a digital message to the mobile device 182 or may be sent as a
warning directly to the mobile device 182.
[0071] The mobile device 182 may use the location of the device to
determine the display configuration and/or warnings for being
displayed at or near the location. The mobile device 182 may
determine the location locally (e.g., via geolocation,
triangulation, beacons, etc.) or as an indication from the system
controller 110. The system controller 110 may also, or
alternatively, determine the location of the mobile device and may
provide the display, lists, and/or warnings to the mobile device
182 for display on the mobile device.
[0072] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example application procedure
500 that may be executed by the mobile device 182. Portions of the
procedure 500 may be performed by the system controller 110. At
502, an application on the mobile device 182 may be started. At
504, the mobile device 182 and/or the system controller 110 may
determine the location of the mobile device 182, for example, as
described herein. At 506, the mobile device 182 may display a
screen (e.g., home screen) based on the location of the mobile
device 182, for example, as described herein. For example, the
mobile device 182 may display a re-ordered list or format of
electrical loads, load control devices, input devices, control
buttons, and/or presets, display messages to the occupant 180,
and/or the like on its display in response to the location of the
mobile device 182. The information and/or display configuration may
be determined locally at the mobile device 182 and/or at the system
controller 110. At 508, the mobile device 182 and/or the system
controller 110 may determine whether the location of the mobile
device 182 has changed. If the location of the mobile device has
changed, the method may return to 506 to determine the screen
(e.g., screen configuration) to display based on the location of
the mobile device 182. At 510, the example procedure 500 may
end.
[0073] The battery-powered remote control devices 170 may be
configured to transmit different digital messages in response to
the actuation of a single button or buttons depending upon the
location of the remote control device 170. For example, actuation
of a preset button of one of the remote control devices 170 may
select a first preset for controlling one or more control-target
devices when the remote control device 170 is located in a first
room and may select a second preset for controlling one or more
control-target devices when the remote control device 170 is
located in a second room. The control-target devices in the first
room may be different devices than the control-target devices in
the second room. The presets for each location may be stored at the
remote-control device 170, or the remote-control device may
transmit the same digital message and a location of the device,
which may be interpreted differently at the system controller 110
and/or the control-target devices based on the location. The
location of the remote control device 170 may be determined at the
remote control device 170 via a digital message from the system
controller 110 or a digital message from the mobile device 182. The
location of the remote control device 170 may also, or
alternatively, be determined at the remote control device 170
similar to how the mobile device 182 may determine its location,
for example.
[0074] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example button press procedure
600 that may be executed by the remote control devices 170, the
mobile device 182, and/or the system controller 110. At 602, a
button on a remote control device 170 or a mobile device 182 may be
actuated. At 604, the remote control device 170, the mobile device
182, and/or the system controller 110 may determine the location of
the remote control device 170 or the mobile device 182. At 606, the
remote control device 170, the mobile device 182, and/or the system
controller 110 may transmit a digital message based on the location
of the remote control device 170 or the mobile device 182. For
example, the remote control device 170 or the mobile device 182 may
transmit different digital messages (e.g., for controlling
different devices and/or different instructions for control) in
response to the actuation of a single button depending upon its
location. The remote control device 170 or the mobile device 182
may transmit different digital messages that indicate the devices
location and the system controller 110 may transmit different load
control messages (e.g., for controlling different devices and/or
different instructions for control) to load control devices in the
identified location. At 608, the example button press procedure 600
may end.
[0075] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine the
location of a mobile device 182 and/or a remote control device 170
and react and/or respond when it is determined that the mobile
device 182 and/or the remote control device 170 is in an authorized
space (e.g., room, house, office building, etc.). As such, the
system controller 110 may be configured to determine whether a
device is attempting to control one of its control-target devices
from an unauthorized location, for example, outside of a user's
house, in an adjacent space or building, etc. The authorized spaces
may be based on a user priority associated with the authorized
space.
[0076] The system controller 110 may be configured to track
occupants in restricted areas (e.g., using their mobile device
182). For example, if the system controller 110 determines that an
occupant has entered a restricted area and/or is getting close to a
restricted area, the system controller 110 may sound an alarm
(e.g., visual, audio, etc.), indicate to the occupant that they are
in a restricted area (e.g., flash the lights), provide a message
via the occupant's mobile device 182, etc.
[0077] The system controller 110 may be configured to track
occupants (e.g., via their mobile device 182) during an emergency.
For example, the system controller 110 may be configured to
determine whether any occupants are in a building during an
emergency, and if so, what floors, rooms, etc. The system
controller 110 may be configured to confirm whether or not all
occupants are out of a space during an emergency situation. The
system controller 110 may be configured to identify the number of
occupants remaining in the space during the emergency
situation.
[0078] The system controller 110 may be configured to calculate the
utilization of different spaces (e.g., rooms) based on occupant
tracking. For example, the system controller 110 may be configured
to calculate the number of occupants (e.g., via their mobile device
182) in a space and/or the number of occupants in more than one
space of a building over time. The system controller 110 may be
configured to determine under and over utilized rooms based on this
information. For example, this information may be further refined
taking into consideration time of day, day of the week, etc. As
such, the system controller 110 may be configured to determine
whether additional space is desirable for the current occupants,
whether particular spaces are being underutilized, etc.
[0079] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine the
status of a hotel room based on information received from a mobile
device 182. For example, a user may register their mobile device
182 with the hotel when checking in. The system controller 110 may
be configured to determine whether the status of the user's hotel
room (e.g., do not disturb, ready for service, unsold room) based
on whether the mobile device 182 is in the room. The system
controller 110 may indicate the hotel rooms that are "ready for
service" based on a detection of the mobile device 182 within the
room. For example, the system controller 110 may illuminate a light
outside of the room, send a message to a mobile device 182 of the
cleaning staff, etc.
[0080] The present application has been described with reference to
the system controller 110 interacting between the control-source
devices (e.g., the input devices) and the control-target devices
(e.g., the load control devices). However, the control-source
devices may transmit digital message directly to the control-target
devices. In addition, while the present disclosure has been
described with reference to the mobile device 182 and/or the input
devices determining their locations, any of the control devices
(e.g., including the load control devices) could be configured to
determine its location. Further, the system controller 110 could be
configured to determine the location of any of the control
devices.
[0081] A control device of the system controller 110 (e.g., the
load control devices, the input devices, and/or the mobile device
182) may be configured to use its location information during
configuration of the load control system 100. For example, control
devices that are located near each other may be configured to
automatically associate with each other. When the mobile device 182
is being used to program and configure the operation of the load
control system 100, the mobile device may use its present
information to simplify the configuration procedure. The mobile
device 182 may be configured to store the locations of each control
device in the load control system. For example, the mobile device
182 may be configure to store the locations of remotely-located
control devices (e.g., such as the LED drivers 130) that may be
located out-of-view behind walls or above ceilings to provide for
quick and easy location of the remotely-located control devices at
a later date if the devices need to be serviced.
[0082] When the mobile device 182 is a wearable wireless device,
the mobile device 182 may comprise one or more sensing devices for
sensing one or more parameters (e.g., biometric data) that define
the physical condition (e.g., behavior, movement, comfort, and/or
health) of the occupant 180. For example, the mobile device 182 may
comprise one or more sensing devices, such as but not limited to,
an accelerometer for monitoring the movement of the occupant 180,
an ambient light sensor for measuring the ambient light in the
proximity of the occupant 180, a sound sensor (e.g., ambient noise
sensor) for measuring the ambient noise in the proximity of the
occupant 180, a temperature sensor (e.g., thermometer) for
measuring the ambient temperature in the proximity of the occupant
180, a camera for measuring the pupil dilation of the occupant 180,
the glare of the occupant 180, etc., a color temperature sensor for
measuring color temperature of light sources (e.g., lighting loads
122 such as LED light sources 132, the sun, etc.), and/or sensors
(e.g., electrodes) for measuring brainwaves of the occupant 180.
The mobile device 182 may comprise sensing devices for monitoring
the heart rate, the blood pressure, the body temperature, the blood
sugar, breathing rate, breathing depth, and/or the perspiration
level of the occupant 180. The mobile device 182 may be configured
to transmit digital messages to the system controller 110 (e.g., as
described herein) including data regarding the parameters measured
by the sensing devices of the mobile device.
[0083] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine the
state or physical condition of the occupant 180 using the
parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device
182. For example, the system controller 110 may be configured to
determine that the occupant 180 is sleeping, the occupant 180 is
falling asleep, the occupant 180 is waking up from sleep, the mood
of the occupant 180, a relative stress level of the occupant 180
(e.g., that the stress level of the occupant 180 is increasing or
decreasing), and/or the like in response to one or more of the
parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device
182. The occupant 180 may be determined to be sleeping when the
system controller 110 determines that the occupant 180 has not
moved or has moved less than a predefined amount within a defined
period of time. The occupant 180 may be determined to be sleeping
when the system controller 110 determines that the occupant 180 is
in bed (e.g., for a predetermined period of time). The heart rate
and/or breathing rate of the occupant 180 may also, or
alternatively, be used to determine whether the occupant is
sleeping (e.g., when the heart rate and/or breathing rate is below
a predefined threshold for a defined period of time). The occupant
180 may be determined to be sleeping when the system controller 110
determines that the occupant 180 is snoring. Though specific
indicators are provided for determining when the occupant 180 may
be determined to be sleeping, any combination of these indicators
and/or others may be used to determine the occupant is asleep.
[0084] The system controller 110 may be configured to control
(e.g., automatically control) one or more load control devices
(e.g., the dimmer switch 120, the LED drivers 130, the plug-in load
control devices 140, the motorized window treatments 150, and/or
the temperature control devices 160) and/or electrical loads in
response to the parameters measured by the sensing devices of the
mobile device 182. For example, the system controller 110 may be
configured to turn on or off or adjust the intensity of the
lighting loads 122 and/or the LED light sources 132 in response to
the parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device
182. The system controller 110 may be configured to adjust the
color temperature of the LED light sources 132 in response to the
parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device
182. The system controller 110 may be configured to adjust the
position of the motorized window treatments 150 in response to the
parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device
182. The system controller 110 may also be configured to adjust the
setpoint temperature of the HVAC system 162 and/or turn a fan of
the HVAC system on or off in response to the parameters measured by
the sensing devices of the mobile device 182.
[0085] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example procedure 700 for
controlling electrical loads based on biometric parameters. The
procedure 700, or portions thereof, may be performed by the system
controller 110, the mobile device 182, and/or one or more load
control devices. The procedure 700 may start at 702. At 704,
biometric parameters may be measured. The parameters may be
measured by one or more sensor devices on the mobile device 182, or
an external sensor, for example. The parameters may indicate the
physical condition of an occupant 180. A command (e.g., load
control instructions) may be determined at 706 for controlling one
or more load control devices based on the biometric parameters. The
one or more load control devices themselves may also be determined
for being controlled based on the biometric parameters. The command
and/or the load control devices for being controlled may be stored
at the system controller 110 and/or the mobile device 182 and may
be associated with the measured biometric parameters. The
electrical loads may be controlled to attempt to adjust the
physical condition of the occupant in response to the measured
parameters.
[0086] At 708, the electrical loads may be controlled (e.g.,
automatically controlled) according to the determined command. For
example, the system controller 110 or the mobile device 182 may
send a digital message including the command to the load control
device to automatically control the respective electrical load of
the load control device in response to the measured parameters. The
commands may also, or alternatively, be stored at the load control
devices for being controlled. The load control devices may receive
an indication of the measured parameters (e.g., from the system
controller 110 or directly from the mobile device 182 or other
sensor) and may execute the commands that correspond to the
indicated parameters. The procedure 700 may end at 710.
[0087] The control of a load control device and/or electrical load
may be dependent upon the levels of the parameters measured by the
sensing devices of the mobile device 182 (e.g., the exact stress
level of the occupant 180, the heart rate of the occupant 180,
etc.). The system controller 110 may determine how to control the
load control devices and/or the electrical loads in response to the
unique identifier of the mobile device 182, for example, in
addition to one or more parameters measured by the sensing devices
of the mobile device 182. For example, the unique identifier may
indicate a medical condition of the occupant 180, such that the
system controller 110 is able to appropriately control the load
control devices and/or the electrical loads in response to the
parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device
182. The system controller 110 may associate the unique identifier
with one or more presets (e.g., personalized settings) relating to
lighting loads 122, the HVAC, motorized window treatments 150,
etc.
[0088] The system controller 110 may be configured to control one
or more load control devices and/or electrical loads in response to
the parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device
182 to attempt to adjust the state or physical condition of the
occupant 180. For example, if the system controller 110 determines
that the stress level of the occupant 180 is increasing (e.g., at a
rate greater than a predetermined rate and/or above a predetermined
threshold), the system controller 110 may be configured to decrease
the intensity of the lighting loads 122, adjust the color
temperature of the LED light sources 132 to a cooler color, open
the motorized window treatments 150, decrease the setpoint
temperature of the HVAC system 162, and/or cause the speaker 146 to
play soothing music or sounds. For example, the mobile device 182
may determine the stress level and/or mood of the occupant 180
based on the tone of the occupant's voice, via a user input on the
mobile device 182, the occupant's blood pressure, the occupant's
heart rate, the occupant's body temperature, the occupant's
breathing rate, the occupant's breathing depth, the occupant's
perspiration level, and/or the like.
[0089] The system controller 110 may control one or more load
control devices and/or electrical loads based on movement of the
occupant 180 as determine by the mobile device 182. For example, if
the system controller 110 determines that the occupant 180 is
moving around the space, the system controller 110 may be
configured to increase the intensity of the lighting loads 122
and/or decrease the setpoint temperature of the HVAC system 162.
The system controller 110 may be configured to learn patterns of
movement of the occupant 180. Using the learned patterns of
movement and/or other sensed parameters of the occupant 180, the
system controller 110 may predict the control of one or more load
control devices and/or electrical loads. For example, the system
controller 110 may learn that when waking from sleep at night
(e.g., by identifying movement of the occupant 180 above a defined
threshold after a period without movement), the occupant 180
usually travels to the bathroom, and as such, the system controller
110 may turn on a lighting load (e.g., to a low intensity level) in
the bathroom before the occupant 180 reaches the space. The system
controller 110 may determine that the occupant 180 is heading
towards or away from home (e.g., or work, etc.) and control one or
more loads in the occupant's house accordingly. For example, the
system controller 110 may adjust the HVAC system, adjust the
motorized window treatments to a preset level, turn on or off one
or more loads (e.g., lighting loads), play music, etc.
[0090] The system controller 110 may determine an occupant's action
based on one or more parameters measured by the sensing devices of
the mobile device 182 and control one or more load control devices
and/or electrical loads accordingly. For example, the system
controller 110 may determine that the occupant is reading based on
the mobile device 182 (e.g., based on the occupant's gaze point as
determined by the mobile device 182), and may control one or more
lighting loads 122 and/or motorized window treatments 150 to ensure
proper light levels for reading are provided (e.g., by measuring
the light levels at the surface where the occupant 180 is looking)
The system controller 110 may determine the occupant's gaze point
using a camera located on the mobile device 182 (e.g., smart
glasses), the level of sun glare, the ambient light level, the
color temperature of the light, etc., and adjust one or more load
control devices and/or electrical loads accordingly. For example,
the system controller 110 may use the mobile device 182 to
determine where the occupant 180 is looking (e.g., the direction
the occupant 180 is looking), and determine a load control device
and/or electrical load at which the occupant 180 is looking. The
system controller 110 may configure that load control devices
and/or electrical load accordingly, for example, to configure the
load control device and/or electrical load for the load control
system 100 (e.g., commission the load control device and/or
electrical load into the load control system 100). For example, the
system controller 110 may adjust the intensity of a lighting load
and/or the shade level in the direction an occupant 180 is looking
to decrease or increase the amount of light in the direction the
occupant 180 is looking. The system controller 110 may adjust the
color temperature of a lighting load in the direction the occupant
180 is looking to make the color temperature warmer or cooler in
the direction the occupant 180 is looking. For example, the system
controller 110 may display a cooler color temperature when the
occupant 180 is reading or trying to stay awake, and/or a warmer
color temperature when the occupant 180 is trying to fall asleep.
The presets may be stored at the system controller 110 for being
implemented upon a user indication (e.g., a reading mode, a sleep
mode, or a stay awake mode). The system controller 110 may also
adjust the setpoint temperature of the HVAC unit (e.g., to a lower
temperature) and/or the intensity of the lights (e.g., to an
increased lighting level) when the occupant 180 is trying to stay
awake.
[0091] The system controller 110 may control one or more load
control devices and/or electrical loads based on predefined
movements (e.g., gestures) of the occupant 180 as determine by the
mobile device 182 and/or the system controller 110. For example,
the system controller 110 may determine that the occupant 180 is
moving their hand and/or arm in a particular manner (e.g., waving,
raising, lowering, etc.) and control one or more load control
devices and/or electrical loads accordingly (e.g., turn on/off,
raise the intensity, lower the intensity, etc.).
[0092] The system controller 110 may be configured to control the
load control devices and/or the electrical loads to save energy in
response to the parameters measured by the sensing devices of the
mobile device 182. The system controller 110 may be configured to
determine that the occupant 180 has just fallen asleep (e.g. is
asleep less than a predetermined period of time) in response to the
parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device 182
and to turn off and/or reduce the amount of power delivered to one
or more of the electrical loads (e.g., the HVAC system 162, one or
more lighting loads 122, one or more motorized window treatments
150, an appliance such as a television, and/or the like).
[0093] The system controller 110 may be configured to control the
load control devices and/or electrical loads in response to
determining that the occupant 180 is asleep or awake. The system
controller 110 may be configured to determine whether the occupant
is asleep, is awake, has just fallen asleep (e.g., within a
predetermined period of time), and/or has just awaken from being
asleep based on the parameters measured by the sensing devices of
the mobile device 182, the time of day, and/or the location of the
occupant 180. The system controller 110 may determine that the
occupant is awake when the occupant is determined not to be asleep.
The system controller 110 may determine that the occupant has just
awaken when the occupant 180 has been determined to be asleep
(e.g., for a predetermined period of time) and then is determined
to be awake for a predetermined period of time since being
asleep.
[0094] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine
parameters of the occupant 180 while they are asleep based on the
parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device
182. The system controller 110 may be configured to determine that
the occupant 180 is starting to fall asleep and reduce the amount
of power delivered to one or more of the electrical loads (e.g.,
such as turning off the lighting loads 122, reducing the lighting
level of the lighting loads 122, turning off or turning down the
television 144, turning off or turning down a radio, etc.), adjust
one or more motorized window treatments 150, and/or adjust the
color temperature of one or more lighting loads 122, which for
example, may assist the occupant 180 in falling asleep. For
example, the color temperature of one or more lighting loads 122
may be changed to a warmer color (e.g., more red in color) to
assist the occupant 180 in falling asleep. The system controller
110 may be configured to determine that the occupant 180 has fallen
asleep and to turn off and/or reduce the amount of power delivered
to one or more of the electrical loads (e.g., such as turning off
the lighting loads 122, the television 144, a radio, etc.).
[0095] The system controller 110 may be able to determine that the
occupant 180 is asleep and is starting to wake up and increase
(e.g., slowly increase) the intensity of the lighting loads 122,
adjust the color temperature of the LED light sources 132, raise
the motorized window treatments 150, and/or adjust the HVAC system,
for example, to improve the experience of the occupant 180 while
waking up. For example, the system controller 110 may control one
or more lighting loads 122 and/or motorized window treatments 150
in the vicinity of the occupant 180 based on the circadian rhythm
of the occupant 180, for example, based on ambient light levels
and/or spectral light information gathered via the mobile device
182, based on biometric data of the occupant 180, based on sleep
patterns of the occupant 180, etc. The system controller 110 may be
able to determine that the occupant 180 is in need of sleep based
on the parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile
device 182, and in response, encourage sleep by alerting the user
and/or decreasing the intensity of the lighting loads 122,
adjusting the color temperature of the LED light sources 132 to a
warmer color, lowering the motorized window treatments 150, and/or
adjusting (e.g., lowering or raising) the HVAC system. The system
controller 110 may determine that the occupant 180 is in need of
sleep after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the
occupant 180 was determined to be asleep, when the occupant 180 is
in bed and not determined to be asleep, is determined to fall
asleep for multiple short (e.g., predetermined) periods of time
within a timeframe, is awake after a predetermined time, is awake
after a predetermined time on certain days of the week (e.g.,
weekdays), is awake after a predetermined time with an event on the
calendar of the mobile device 182 the next day, or any combination
thereof.
[0096] The system controller 110 may be configured to adjust the
HVAC system 162 based on the parameters measured by the sensing
devices of the mobile device 182, the time of day, and/or the
location of the occupant 180. The system controller 110 may be
configured to control HVAC system 162 by adjusting the temperature
set point of the HVAC system 162, air flow of the HVAC system 162
(e.g., via damper control), radiant heating of the HVAC system 162,
fans (e.g., ceiling fans, fans of the HVAC system 162, etc.),
motorized window treatments 150, lighting loads 122, and/or the
like. For example, the system controller 110 may be configured to
adjust the HVAC system 162 based on the body temperature of the
occupant 180 to ensure comfort of the occupant (e.g., while the
occupant 180 is sleeping). If the system controller 110 determines
that the occupant 180 has a high heart rate (e.g., based on the
biometric parameters because the occupant was running), the system
controller 110 may turn down the temperature set point of the HVAC
system.
[0097] The system controller 110 may be configured to control
(e.g., automatically control) one or more load control devices
and/or electrical loads based on information from one or more of an
application running on the mobile device 182, one or more
parameters (e.g., biometric data) that define the physical
condition of the occupant 180, the time of day, and/or the location
of the occupant 180. As such, the system controller 110 may
determine what the occupant 180 is currently doing, was doing, or
is about to do, and control one or more load control devices and/or
electrical loads accordingly. For example, the system controller
110 may determine that the occupant 180 initiates an input of a
mobile application running on the mobile device 182 and the
location of the occupant 180. The mobile application may comprise,
for example, a movie/television application (e.g., Netflix.RTM.,
Apple TV.RTM. mobile app, etc.), a workout application, a utility
application, etc. Based on this determination, for example in
combination with a parameter (e.g., biometric data) that defines
the physical condition of the occupant 180, the time of day, and/or
the location of the occupant 180, the system controller 110 may
control one or more load control devices and/or electrical loads
accordingly.
[0098] For example, if the application comprises a movie/television
application and the occupant initiates the play of a movie or
television show, the system controller 110 may adjust an intensity
of one or more lights in the proximity of the occupant 180 to a
movie watching mode (e.g., a low intensity level). If the system
controller 110 determines that the occupant 180 has pressed stop or
pause using the application, the system controller 110 may raise
the light level of the lights and/or a shade level of a motorized
window treatment (e.g., in the same room and/or an adjacent room),
for example, such that the occupant 180 may have more light to get
up and walk around (e.g., in the room or an adjacent room such as
the kitchen or bathroom). The mobile application may comprise a
utility application, such as a flashlight application, for example.
If the system controller 110 determines that the occupant 180 has
initiated a flashlight application on their mobile device 182 at
night, the system controller 110 may not turn on lights it is
otherwise programmed to turn on, for example, because the occupant
180 might not want to wake up a guest.
[0099] The system controller 110 may be configured to control
(e.g., automatically control) one or more load control devices
and/or electrical loads to provide an alert, an alarm, or a warning
in response to the parameters measured by the sensing devices of
the mobile device 182. For example, the system controller 110 may
be configured to blink the lighting loads 122, display a message on
the display of the mobile device 182 of the occupant 180 or the
mobile device 182 of a caregiver, provide an alarm (e.g., audio
alarm, vibration, etc.) using the mobile device 182 of the occupant
180 or the mobile device 182 of the caregiver, and/or generate an
alarm with the speaker 146 in the vicinity of the occupant 180
and/or the caregiver of the occupant 180. For example, the system
controller 110 may be configured to determine and/or predict an
abnormal condition with the occupant 180 (e.g., while the occupant
180 is sleeping), and to blink the lighting loads 122 and/or
generate an alarm (e.g., with the speaker 146 in the vicinity of a
caregiver of the occupant 180). The system controller 110 may be
configured to blink the lighting loads 122 and/or adjust the color
temperature of the LED light sources 132 in the vicinity of the
occupant 180 to indicate the location of the occupant 180 to the
caregiver. The system controller 110 may be configured to blink the
lighting loads 122 and/or generate an alarm in response to a
warning or information received via the Internet. The system
controller 110 may be configured to increase the intensity of a
lighting load 122 to provide a subtle alert to the occupant 180.
The system controller 110 may be configured to blink the lighting
load 122 instead of ringing a doorbell, for example, during certain
times of day (e.g., at night). For example, the system controller
110 may blink the lighting load 122 that is in closest proximity to
the occupant 180.
[0100] If there are multiple occupants in a single room, the system
controller 110 may be configured to control (e.g., automatically
control) one or more load control devices and/or electrical loads
using a predetermined priority (e.g., a tiered hierarchy) of
occupants 180. For example, the system controller 110 may control
(e.g., automatically control) a load control device in response to
the parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device
182 in the room that has the highest priority. The priorities
and/or tiered hierarchy may be determined during a configuration
procedure of the load control system 100 and may be stored in
memory in the system controller 110. The priority and/or tiered
hierarchy may be based on an occupant type and/or individual
occupants within a space.
[0101] The occupant 180 may be a parent, a child, an elderly
person, or a pet, each of which may be assigned with a mobile
device 182. Each occupant 180 may be identified with an occupant
type that indicates the type of occupant and/or a unique occupant
identifier that uniquely identifies the occupant. The system
controller 110 may use the occupant type and/or the occupant
identifier for controlling devices in the vicinity of the occupant
110. As such, the system controller 110 may be configured to
monitor the child, elderly person, or pet based on one or more
parameters measured by the sensing devices of their respective
mobile device 182. For example, the system controller 110 may be
configured to turn on a lighting load 122 (e.g., slowly turn on the
lighting load 122) in proximity to a parent when the child starts
to wake up, for example, to alert the parent. The system controller
110 may be configured to turn on a lighting load 122 in the child's
bedroom, hallway, and/or bathroom if the system controller 110
determines that the child wakes up during the night. The system
controller 110 may be configured to turn on or blink a lighting
load 122 in the parent's bedroom if the system controller 110
determines that the child wakes up during the night. Appliances in
the house may have different alerts based on the system controller
110 determining whether the child is awake or not. For example, if
the doorbell is actuated and the system controller 110 determines
that the child is sleeping, the system controller 110 may blink a
lighting load 122 in proximity to an occupant 180 as opposed to
ringing the doorbell.
[0102] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine one
or more parameters of a pet based on measurements of the sensing
devices of the mobile device 182 of the pet. The system controller
110 may determine that the pet is at a particular location (e.g.,
at a back door and in need of going outside), and alert an occupant
180 (e.g., the owner of the pet) by blinking a lighting load 122 in
proximity to the occupant 180. The system controller 110 may
determine the location of the pet (e.g., based on the pet's mobile
device 182 or the camera device 176), and when the pet is near
(e.g., within a predetermined distance of) a pet door, open the pet
door for the pet. The system controller 110 may determine the
location of the pet (e.g., based on the pet's mobile device 182 or
the camera device 176), and when the pet is near (e.g., within a
predetermined distance of) a window, open the window shades via the
respective motorized window treatment.
[0103] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine
that the occupant 180 is working out too strenuously (e.g., based
on a heart rate above a threshold), and alert the occupant 180, for
example, by blinking a lighting load 122 in proximity to the
occupant 180. For example, the system controller 110 may blink the
lighting loads 122 in a room or a portion of lighting loads in the
room in which the occupant is working out. The threshold may be set
by the occupant 180 or another user.
[0104] The system controller 110 may be configured to collect data
throughout a building based on one or more parameters measured by
the sensing devices of the mobile device 182. The combined
parameters from multiple sensors may be used by the system
controller 110 to provide make a determination and/or provide an
indication. For example, the system controller 110 may collect data
relating to HVAC usage, lighting usage, occupant settings, travel
and/or usage patterns, and/or the like. The system controller 110
may map temperature throughout a building using the sensors of one
or more mobile devices 182 (e.g., mobile devices of a user
traveling throughout the building and/or multiple users throughout
the building). The system controller 110 may identify the current
lighting levels in the rooms throughout the building using the
parameters measured by one or more mobile devices 182. If multiple
microphones hear a sound, the volume of the sound may be used to
determine the location of the source of the sound relative to the
location of the microphones. If multiple temperature sensors detect
a change in temperature, the relative change in temperature and the
location of the temperature sensors may be used to determine the
location of the source of the temperature change relative to the
location of the temperature sensors.
[0105] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example network
device 800. The network device 800 may be a mobile device, such as
the mobile device 182 shown in FIG. 1 for example, or another
computing device. The network device 800 may be a personal computer
(e.g., personal computer 164), a server, a laptop, a tablet, a
smart phone, a control-source device (e.g., an input device),
and/or other suitable network communication device (e.g., an
Internet-Protocol-enabled device), for example. The network device
800 may be a wearable device. Examples of wearable wireless devices
may include an activity tracking device (e.g., such as a
FitBit.RTM. device, a Misfit.RTM. device, and/or a Sony
Smartband.RTM. device), a smart watch, smart clothing (e.g.,
OMsignal.RTM. smartwear, etc.), and/or smart glasses (e.g., such as
Google Glass.RTM. eyewear). The network device 800 may perform the
functions of a control-source device (e.g., input device) in the
load control system 100.
[0106] The network device 800 may comprise a control circuit 802,
which may include one or more of a processor (e.g., a
microprocessor), a microcontroller, a programmable logic device
(PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any suitable processing
device. The control circuit 802 may perform signal coding, data
processing, power control, image processing, input/output
processing, and/or any other functionality that enables the network
device 800 to perform as described herein.
[0107] The control circuit 802 may store information in and/or
retrieve information from the memory 808. The memory 808 may
include a non-removable memory and/or a removable memory for
storing computer-readable media. The non-removable memory may
include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard
disk, and/or any other type of non-removable memory storage. The
removable memory may include a subscriber identity module (SIM)
card, a memory stick, a memory card (e.g., a digital camera memory
card), and/or any other type of removable memory. The control
circuit 802 may access the memory 808 for executable instructions
and/or other information that may be used by the network device
800. The control circuit 802 may access instructions in the memory
808 for performing as described herein.
[0108] The network device 800 may comprise a network communication
circuit 804, which may be adapted to perform wired and/or wireless
communications (e.g., with the system controller 110 or another
device over a network) on behalf of the network device 800. The
network communication circuit 804 may be a wireless communication
circuit, for example, including an RF transceiver coupled to an
antenna 812 for transmitting and/or receiving RF signals. The
network communication circuit 804 may communicate using Wi-Fi, a
proprietary protocol (e.g., the ClearConnect.RTM. protocol),
Bluetooth.RTM., or any other RF communications. The control circuit
802 may be coupled to the network communication circuit 804 for
transmitting and/or receiving digital messages via the RF signals,
for example.
[0109] The network device 800 may comprise an actuator 806. The
control circuit 802 may be responsive to the actuator 806 for
receiving a user input. For example, the control circuit 802 may be
operable to receive a button press from a user on the network
device 800 for making a selection or performing other functionality
on the network device 800. The control circuit 802 may be
responsive to receiving other user input (e.g., via software and/or
actuation of a soft button on a display).
[0110] The network device 800 may comprise a display 810. The
control circuit 802 may be in communication with a display 810 for
displaying information to a user. The communication between the
display 810 and the control circuit 802 may be a two way
communication, as the display 810 may include a touch screen module
capable of receiving information from a user and providing such
information to the control circuit 802.
[0111] The control circuit 802 may sense information using the one
or more sensing devices 816. The sensing devices 816 may sense one
or more parameters (e.g., biometric data) that define the physical
condition (e.g., behavior, movement, comfort, and/or health) of an
occupant. For example, the sensing devices 816 may include an
accelerometer for monitoring the movement of the occupant, devices
for monitoring heart rate, devices for monitoring blood pressure,
devices for monitoring body temperature, devices for monitoring
blood sugar, and/or devices for monitoring perspiration level of an
occupant. The parameters may be stored in and/or retrieved from the
memory 808. The control circuit 802 may transmit digital messages
including the parameters and/or data regarding the parameters
measured by the sensing devices 816 via the network communication
circuit 804.
[0112] The network device 800 may comprise a power supply 814 for
generating a DC supply voltage Vcc for powering the control circuit
802, the network communication circuit 804, the memory 808, the
display 810, the one or more sensing devices 816, and/or other
circuitry of the network device 800. The power supply 814 may be a
battery or another source of power for the network device 800.
[0113] FIG. 9 is a simplified block diagram of an example system
controller 900, which may be deployed as, for example, the system
controller 110 of the load control system 100 shown in FIG. 1. The
system controller 900 may comprise a control circuit 910, which may
include one or more of a processor (e.g., a microprocessor), a
microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), a field
programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated
circuit (ASIC), or any suitable processing device. The control
circuit 910 may perform signal coding, data processing, power
control, input/output processing, and/or any other functionality
that enables the system controller 900 to perform as described
herein.
[0114] The system controller 900 may comprise a network
communication circuit 912 that may be capable of performing wired
and/or wireless communications. The network communication circuit
may be coupled to a network connector 914 (e.g., an Ethernet jack),
which may be adapted to be connected to a wired digital
communication link (e.g., an Ethernet communication link) for
allowing the control circuit 910 to communicate with network
devices on a network. The network communication circuit 912 may be
configured to be wirelessly connected to the network, e.g., using
Wi-Fi technology or other protocols to transmit and/or receive RF
signals.
[0115] The system controller 900 may comprise a wireless
communication circuit 916, for example, including an RF transceiver
coupled to an antenna for transmitting and/or receiving RF signals.
The wireless communication circuit 916 may communicate using a
proprietary protocol (e.g., the ClearConnect.RTM. protocol). The
control circuit 910 may be coupled to the wireless communication
circuit 916 for transmitting digital messages via the RF signals,
for example, to control the load control devices in the load
control system 100 in response to digital messages received via the
network communication circuit 912. The control circuit 910 may be
configured to send/receive digital messages, for example, to/from
the load control devices and/or the input devices via the wireless
communication circuit 916.
[0116] The control circuit 910 may be responsive to an actuator 920
for receiving a user input. For example, the control circuit 910
may be operable to associate the system controller 900 with one or
more control devices of the load control system 100 in response to
actuations of the actuator 920 during a configuration procedure of
the load control system 100. The system controller 900 may comprise
additional actuators to which the control circuit 910 may be
responsive.
[0117] The control circuit 910 may store information in and/or
retrieve information from the memory 918. The memory 918 may
include a non-removable memory and/or a removable memory for
storing computer-readable media. The non-removable memory may
include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard
disk, and/or any other type of non-removable memory storage. The
removable memory may include a subscriber identity module (SIM)
card, a memory stick, a memory card (e.g., a digital camera memory
card), and/or any other type of removable memory. The control
circuit 910 may access the memory 918 for executable instructions
and/or other information that may be used by the system controller
900 to perform as described herein.
[0118] The control circuit 910 may illuminate a visual indicator
922 to provide feedback to a user of the load control system 100.
For example, the control circuit 910 may blink or strobe the visual
indicator 922 to indicate a fault condition. The control circuit
910 may be operable to illuminate the visual indicator 922
different colors to indicator different conditions or states of the
system controller 900. The visual indicator 922 may be illuminated
by, for example, one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The
system controller 900 may comprise more than one visual
indicator.
[0119] The system controller 900 may comprise a power supply 924
for generating a DC supply voltage Vcc for powering the control
circuit 910, the network communication circuit 912, the wireless
communication circuit 916, the memory 918, the visual indicator
922, and/or other circuitry of the system controller 900. The power
supply 924 may be coupled to a power supply connector 926 (e.g., a
USB port) for receiving a supply voltage (e.g., a DC voltage)
and/or for drawing current from an external power source.
[0120] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example load
control device 1000. The load control device 1000 may be a
control-source device and/or a control-target device for example.
The load control device 1000 may be a dimmer switch, an electronic
switch, an electronic ballast for lamps, an LED driver for LED
light sources, a plug-in load control device, a temperature control
device (e.g., a thermostat), a motor drive unit for a motorized
window treatment, or other load control device. The load control
device 1000 may include a communication circuit 1002. The
communication circuit 10002 may include a receiver, an RF
transceiver or other communication module capable of performing
wired and/or wireless communications. The wireless communications
may be sent/received via an antenna 1016.
[0121] The communication circuit 1002 may be in communication with
a control circuit 1004. The control circuit 1004 may include one or
more general purpose processors, special purpose processors,
conventional processors, digital signal processors (DSPs),
microprocessors, integrated circuits, a programmable logic device
(PLD), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or the
like. The control circuit 1004 may perform signal coding, data
processing, power control, input/output processing, or any other
functionality that enables the load control device 1000 to perform
as described herein.
[0122] The control circuit 1004 may store information in and/or
retrieve information from a memory 1006. For example, the memory
1006 may maintain device identifiers of associated devices and/or
instructions that may be executed by the control circuit 1004 for
performing as described herein. The memory 1006 may include a
non-removable memory and/or a removable memory. The load control
circuit 1008 may receive instructions from the control circuit 1004
and may control the electrical load 1010 based on the received
instructions. The load control circuit 1008 may receive power via
the hot connection 1012 and the neutral connection 1014 and may
provide an amount of power to the electrical load 1010. The
electrical load 1010 may include any type of electrical load.
[0123] Although features and elements are described above in
particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone
or in any combination with the other features and elements. The
methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program,
software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium
for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of
computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted
over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage
media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are
not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory
(RAM), removable disks, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and
digital versatile disks (DVDs).
* * * * *