U.S. patent application number 14/832798 was filed with the patent office on 2016-02-25 for load control system responsive to location of an occupant 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, John H. Bull, William Bryce Fricke, Sriram Gopalakrishnan, Jeffrey Karc, Jason C. Killo, Galen Edgar Knode, Sanjeev Kumar, Timothy Mann, Sean R. Pearson, Daniel Curtis Raneri, Greg Edward Sloan, Daniel L. Twaddell, James Mathias Weber.
Application Number | 20160056629 14/832798 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54012333 |
Filed Date | 2016-02-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160056629 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Baker; Rhodes B. ; et
al. |
February 25, 2016 |
LOAD CONTROL SYSTEM RESPONSIVE TO LOCATION OF AN OCCUPANT AND
MOBILE DEVICES
Abstract
A load control system may control an electrical load in a space
of a building occupied by an occupant. The load control system may
include a controller configured to determine the location of the
occupant, and a load control device configured to automatically
control the electrical load in response to the location of the
occupant. The load control system may also include a mobile device
adapted to be located on or immediately adjacent the occupant and
configured to transmit and receive wireless signals. The load
control device may be configured to automatically control the
electrical load when the mobile device is located in the space. The
load control system may further comprise an occupancy sensor and
the load control device may automatically control the electrical
load when the occupancy sensor indicates that the space is occupied
and the mobile device is located in the space.
Inventors: |
Baker; Rhodes B.;
(Bethlehem, PA) ; Bull; John H.; (Coplay, PA)
; Fricke; William Bryce; (Bethlehem, PA) ; Killo;
Jason C.; (Emmaus, PA) ; Knode; Galen Edgar;
(Macungie, PA) ; Kumar; Sanjeev; (Harleysville,
PA) ; Pearson; Sean R.; (Allentown, PA) ;
Weber; James Mathias; (Allentown, PA) ; Twaddell;
Daniel L.; (Allentown, PA) ; Raneri; Daniel
Curtis; (Orefield, PA) ; Mann; Timothy;
(Quakertown, PA) ; Gopalakrishnan; Sriram;
(Bethlehem, PA) ; Karc; Jeffrey; (Danielsville,
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: |
54012333 |
Appl. No.: |
14/832798 |
Filed: |
August 21, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62040828 |
Aug 22, 2014 |
|
|
|
62094213 |
Dec 19, 2014 |
|
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62201504 |
Aug 5, 2015 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
700/276 ;
315/307; 700/291; 700/295 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02J 2310/14 20200101;
H05B 47/105 20200101; G05B 15/02 20130101; Y02B 70/30 20130101;
G05B 2219/2642 20130101; Y04S 20/00 20130101; Y04S 20/20 20130101;
H05B 47/19 20200101; Y04S 20/246 20130101; H04W 4/029 20180201;
H02J 13/00026 20200101; H02J 13/00024 20200101; Y04S 40/126
20130101; H02J 13/00004 20200101; H02J 13/0075 20130101; H02J 3/14
20130101; Y04S 20/222 20130101; Y02B 90/20 20130101; Y02B 70/3225
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H02J 3/14 20060101
H02J003/14; H05B 37/02 20060101 H05B037/02; G05B 15/02 20060101
G05B015/02; H04W 4/02 20060101 H04W004/02 |
Claims
1. A load control system for controlling an electrical load, the
load control system comprising: a mobile device configured to
transmit and receive wireless signals; a system controller
configured to determine a location of the mobile device; and a load
control device configured to control the electrical load in
response to the location of the mobile device.
2. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the system
controller is configured to automatically transmit a command to the
load control device to control the electrical load when the system
controller determines that the mobile device is near the load.
3. The load control system of claim 2, wherein the mobile device is
configured to receive a beacon signal indicating the location of
the mobile device.
4. The load control system of claim 3, wherein the beacon signal
includes a unique identifier.
5. The load control system of claim 4, wherein the mobile device is
configured to transmit the unique identifier to the controller, and
the controller is configured to determine the location of the
mobile device in response to the unique identifier.
6. The load control system of claim 3, wherein the load control
device is configured to transmit the beacon signal.
7. The load control system of claim 6, wherein the load control
device comprises a wall-mounted dimmer switch.
8. The load control system of claim 3, further comprising: a beacon
transmitting device configured to transmit the beacon signal.
9. The load control system of claim 8, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device for controlling an
intensity of a lighting load, the lighting control device
configured to control the intensity of the lighting load as a
function of a distance between the mobile device and the beacon
transmitting device.
10. The load control system of claim 3, wherein the beacon signal
is transmitted via a short-range communication link.
11. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the load control
device is configured to control the electrical load according to an
occupant control parameter stored on the mobile device when the
mobile device is located near the load.
12. The load control system of claim 11, wherein the load control
device is configured to receive the occupant control parameter from
the mobile device when a command to control the load is
received.
13. The load control system of claim 12, wherein the load control
device comprises a button for receiving a user input, the load
control device configured to control the load according to the
occupant control parameter stored on the mobile device when the
button is actuated.
14. The load control system of claim 11, further comprising: an
occupancy sensor configured to detect an occupancy or vacancy
condition in a space, the occupancy sensor configured to transmit a
digital message in response to detecting an occupancy or vacancy
condition in the space; and wherein the load control device is
configure to control the load according to the occupant control
parameter stored on the mobile device when the occupancy sensor
detects an occupancy or vacancy condition in the space.
15. The load control system of claim 11, wherein the occupant
control parameter is at least one of a preset setting for the
electrical load, biometric data measured by the mobile device, a
user input received by the mobile device, and an environmental
characteristic measured by the mobile device.
16. The load control system of claim 1, further comprising:
multiple mobile devices located on or adjacent to the respective
occupants and configured to store occupant control parameters of
the respective occupants, each mobile device configured to transmit
and receive wireless signals; and wherein the system controller is
configured to determine the location of each of the multiple mobile
devices to determine that the multiple mobile devices are all
located in a single space, the system controller configured to
transmit a digital message to the load control device to control
the load according to the occupant control parameters stored on the
mobile devices of the occupants.
17. The load control system of claim 16, wherein the system
controller is configured to control the electrical load according
to the occupant control parameter of one of the multiple mobile
devices, where the one of the multiple mobile devices is either the
mobile device having a highest priority, a first mobile device to
enter the space, or the mobile device closest to a location within
the space.
18. The load control system of claim 16, wherein the system
controller is configured to control the electrical load according
to an average of the occupant control parameters of the multiple
mobile devices.
19. The load control system of claim 16, wherein the system
controller is configured to count the number of mobile devices in
the single space and to store the number in memory.
20. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the system
controller is configured to transmit a location-based control
element associated with the determined location to the mobile
device.
21. The load control system of claim 20, wherein the mobile device
comprises a visual display and is configured to display the
location-based control element on the visual display.
22. The load control system of claim 20, wherein the load control
device is configured to control the load in response to a selection
of at least one of the displayed location-based control
element.
23. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the system
controller is configured to determine a predicted future location
of an occupant and to control the electrical load according to the
predicted future location of the occupant.
24. The load control system of claim 23, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device for controlling an
intensity of a lighting load, the system controller configured to
learn a pathway taken by an occupant by monitoring the movements of
the occupant over a period of time, detect that the occupant is
moving along the pathway, and illuminate multiple lighting loads
along the pathway.
25. 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.
26. The load control system of claim 25, wherein the lighting
control device is configured to control the intensity of the
lighting load according to the location of the mobile device.
27. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the load control
device comprises a motorized window treatment configured to
automatically adjust an amount of daylight entering a space in
response to the location of the mobile device.
28. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the load control
device comprises a temperature control device configured to
automatically adjust a temperature of a space in response to the
location of the mobile device.
29. The load control system of claim 1, further comprising: at
least three control devices located at fixed locations around a
building, each control device configured to transmit and receive
wireless signals; and wherein each of the control devices is
configured to measure a signal strength of the wireless signals
received from the mobile device and to transmit the signal strength
to the controller, and wherein the controller configured to
determine a location of an occupant in response to the signal
strengths received from the control devices.
30. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device
comprises a smart phone, a tablet, a smart watch, or other personal
computing device.
31. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device
comprises an activity tracker, a smart wrist band, a smart watch,
smart glasses, or other wearable wireless device.
32. A load control system for controlling an electrical load, the
load control system comprising: a mobile device configured to
transmit and receive wireless signals; and a system controller
configured to determine a location of the mobile device, the system
controller configured to transmit a location-based control element
associated with the determined location to the mobile device; and
wherein a subsequent selection of the location-based control
element allows for control of the electrical load.
33. The load control system of claim 32, wherein the mobile device
comprises a visual display and is configured to display the
location-based control element on the visual display.
34. The load control system of claim 33, wherein the mobile device
is configured to receive a plurality of location-based control
elements from the system controller, and to reconfigure a way in
which the location-based control elements are displayed on the
visual display in response to the location of the mobile
device.
35. The load control system of claim 32, wherein the location-based
control element comprises an identifier of an area, a group, a
load, an electrical load, a lighting load, a control device, a load
control device, an input device, a preset, or a scene.
36. A load control system for controlling an electrical load, the
load control system comprising: a mobile device configured to
transmit and receive wireless signals, the mobile device configured
to transmit a digital message including a selected control element;
a system controller configured to determine a location of the
mobile device and to receive the digital message including the
selected control element from the mobile device; and a load control
device configured to control the load in response to the selected
control element according to the determined location of the mobile
device.
37. The load control system of claim 36, wherein the system
controller is configured to transmit a location-based control
element associated with the determined location to the mobile
device, the mobile device configured to display the location-based
control element on a visual display, the load control device
configured to control the load in response to a selection of at
least one of the displayed location-based control element.
38. The load control system of claim 36, wherein the mobile device
comprises a visual display and is configured to display a generic
control element on the visual display.
39. The load control system of claim 36, wherein the mobile device
comprises an actuator and is configured to transmit a digital
message in response to an actuation of the actuator, the system
controller configured to control the load in response to the
digital message in a manner depending upon the determined location
of the load control device.
40. A load control system for controlling an electrical load
located in a space, the load control system comprising: a load
control device configured to control the electrical load; and a
mobile device configured to transmit and receive wireless signals;
and wherein the load control device is configured to control the
electrical load according to an occupant control parameter stored
on the mobile device when the mobile device is located near the
load.
41. The load control system of claim 40, wherein the load control
device is configured to receive the occupant control parameter from
the mobile device when a command to control the load is
received.
42. The load control system of claim 41, wherein the load control
device comprises a button for receiving a user input, the load
control device configured to control the load according to the
occupant control parameter stored on the mobile device when the
button is actuated.
43. The load control system of claim 42, wherein the load control
device is configured to adjust an amount of power delivered to the
load to a desired amount in response to an actuation of the button,
the mobile device is configured to store the desired amount in
response to the actuation of the button.
44. The load control system of claim 41, further comprising: an
input device configured to transmit a digital message including the
command to control the load.
45. The load control system of claim 41, wherein the mobile device
is configured to transmit a digital message in response to
receiving a user input, the digital message including the command
to control the load.
46. The load control system of claim 41, further comprising: an
occupancy sensor configured to detect an occupancy or vacancy
condition in the space, the occupancy sensor configured to transmit
a digital message in response to detecting an occupancy or vacancy
condition in the space; and wherein the load control device is
configure to control the load according to the occupant control
parameter stored on the mobile device when the occupancy sensor
detects an occupancy or vacancy condition in the space.
47. The load control system of claim 41, further comprising: a
system controller configured to determine a location of the mobile
device; and wherein the system controller is configured to
determine when the mobile device is located in the space of the
load, the system controller configured to retrieve the occupant
control parameter from the mobile device and to transmit a digital
message including the occupant control parameter and the command to
control the load to the load control device when the mobile device
is located in the space of the load.
48. The load control system of claim 41, wherein the load control
device is configured to transmit a beacon signal, the mobile device
configured to receive the beacon signal and to transmit a digital
message including the occupant control parameter and the command to
control the load to the load control device in response to receive
the beacon signal.
49. The load control system of claim 40, wherein the occupant
control parameter is at least one of a preset setting for the
electrical load, biometric data measured by the mobile device, a
user input received by the mobile device, and an environmental
characteristic measured by the mobile device.
50. A load control system for controlling an electrical load
located in a space, the load control system comprising: a load
control device configured to control the electrical load; a mobile
device configured to transmit and receive wireless signals; and a
system controller configured determine if the mobile device is
located near the space, the system controller configured to receive
a digital message indicating the presence of an occupant in the
space; and wherein the load control device is configured to
automatically control the electrical load in response to the
controller determining that the mobile device is located near the
space and receiving the digital message indicating the presence of
the occupant in the space.
51. The load control system of claim 50, further comprising: an
occupancy sensor configured to determine an occupancy or vacancy
condition in the space.
52. The load control system of claim 51, wherein the system
controller is configured to receive a signal from the occupancy
sensor indicating that the space is occupied, and to transmit a
command to the load control device for controlling the electrical
load when the system controller determines that the mobile device
is located in the space and the occupancy sensor indicates that the
space is occupied.
53. The load control system of claim 51, wherein the load control
device is configured to automatically control the electrical load
when the occupancy sensor indicates that the space is occupied and
the mobile device is located in the space.
54. The load control system of claim 50, wherein the load control
device is configured to control the electrical load according to an
occupant control parameter stored on the mobile device in response
to the system controller determining that the mobile device is
located near the space and receiving the digital message indicating
the presence of the occupant in the space.
55. The load control system of claim 50, wherein the controller is
configured to receive the digital message indicating the presence
of the occupant in the space from at least one of an occupancy
sensor, a vacancy sensor, a motion sensor, a proximity sensor, a
door entrance sensor, a door movement sensor, a keycard
door-opening device, and a camera.
56. A load control system for controlling an electrical load in a
space of a building occupied by multiple occupants, the load
control system comprising: a load control device configured to
control the electrical load; and a system controller configured to
determine at least one occupant control parameter of each of the
multiple occupants in the space; and wherein the system controller
is configured to transmit a digital message to the load control
device to control the load according to the at least one occupant
control parameter associated with each of the occupants.
57. The load control system of claim 56, further comprising:
multiple mobile devices located on or adjacent to the respective
occupants, each mobile device configured to transmit and receive
wireless signals; and wherein the system controller is configured
to determine the location of each of the multiple mobile devices to
determine that the multiple mobile devices are all located in the
space.
58. The load control system of claim 57, wherein the system
controller is configured to control the electrical load according
to a function of the occupant control parameters of the multiple
mobile devices.
59. The load control system of claim 58, wherein the function
comprises an average of the occupant control parameters of the
multiple mobile devices.
60. The load control system of claim 57, wherein the system
controller is configured to determine the location of each mobile
device within the space, to choose a first one of the multiple
mobile devices based on the location of the first mobile device
within the space, the system controller configured to control the
electrical load according to the at least one occupant control
parameter associated with the first one of the multiple mobile
devices.
61. The load control system of claim 60, wherein the first one of
the mobile devices is located closest to at least one of the
electrical load, the load control device, an input device, a door
of the space, and a window of the space.
62. The load control system of claim 57, wherein the system
controller is configured to determine that a first one of the
multiple mobile devices has a highest priority of the multiple
mobile devices, the system controller configured to control the
electrical load according to the at least one occupant control
parameter associated with the first one of the multiple mobile
devices.
63. The load control system of claim 57, wherein the system
controller is configured to determine that a first one of the
multiple mobile devices of the multiple mobile devices was the
first mobile device to enter the space, the system controller
configured to control the electrical load according to the at least
one occupant control parameter associated with the first one of the
multiple mobile devices.
64. The load control system of claim 57, wherein the system
controller is configured to receive a digital message including a
request to control the electrical load from a first one of the
multiple mobile devices of the multiple mobile devices, the system
controller configured to control the electrical load according to
the at least one occupant control parameter associated with the
first one of the multiple mobile devices.
65. The load control system of claim 57, wherein the system
controller is configured to count the number of mobile devices in
the space and to store the number in memory.
66. The load control system of claim 57, wherein each mobile device
is configured to store the respective at least one occupant control
parameter.
67. A load control system for controlling an electrical load in a
space of a building occupied by an occupant, the load control
system comprising: a load control device configured to control the
electrical load; and a system controller configured to determine a
location of the occupant and to determine a predicted future
location of the occupant, the system controller configured to
control the electrical load according to the predicted future
location of the occupant.
68. The load control system of claim 67, wherein the load control
device comprises a lighting control device for controlling an
intensity of a lighting load.
69. The load control system of claim 68, wherein the lighting load
is located at the predicted future location and the system
controller is configured to illuminate the lighting load before the
occupant arrives at the predicted future location.
70. The load control system of claim 68, wherein the system
controller is configured to learn a pathway taken by the occupant
by monitoring the movements of the occupant over a period of time,
detect that the occupant is moving along the pathway, and
illuminate multiple lighting loads along the pathway.
71. The load control system of claim 67, wherein the system
controller is configured to determine a direction of movement of
the occupant, and to determine the predicted future location based
on the direction of movement.
72. The load control system of claim 67, wherein the system
controller is configured to learn the predicted future location by
monitoring the movements of the occupant over a period of time.
73. The load control system of claim 67, wherein the system
controller is configured to turn the electrical load on before the
occupant arrives at the predicted future location.
74. The load control system of claim 67, further comprising: a
mobile device adapted to be located on or immediately adjacent the
occupant, the mobile device configured to transmit and receive
wireless signals; and wherein the system controller is to determine
a location of the mobile device and to control the electrical load
according to a predicted future location of the mobile device.
75. A load control system for controlling an electrical load in a
space of a building occupied by an occupant, the load control
system comprising: an input device fixedly mounted in the space; a
system controller configured to determine a location of the
occupant in response to the input device; and a load control device
configured to automatically control the electrical load in response
to the location of the occupant.
76. The load control system of claim 75, wherein the input device
comprises a camera, and the system controller is configured to
determine a location of the occupant using facial recognition.
77. The load control system of claim 75, wherein the input device
comprises a microphone, and the system controller is configured to
determine a location of the occupant using voice recognition.
78. The load control system of claim 75, wherein the input device
comprises a fingerprint recognition device.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/040,828, filed Aug. 22, 2014, U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/094,213, filed Dec. 19, 2014, and U.S.
Provisional Application No. 62/201,504, filed Aug. 5, 2015, 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 the location
of a control device and/or an occupant.
[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 configured to determine the
location of the occupant, and a load control device configured to
control (e.g., automatically control) the electrical load in
response to the location of the occupant. The load control system
may further comprise a mobile device adapted to be located on or
immediately adjacent the occupant and configured to transmit and
receive wireless signals. The system controller may be configured
to determine the location of the mobile device, for example, using
a unique identifier of a beacon signal received by the mobile
device. The system controller may transmit one or more
location-based control elements associated with the determined
location to the mobile device, and the mobile device may display
the location-based control elements on a visual display. The system
controller may be configured to receive a selected control element
from the mobile device and may control the load control device to
thus control the electrical load in response to the selected
control element according to the determined location of the mobile
device.
[0006] The load control device may comprise a lighting control
device for controlling the intensity of a lighting load, for
example, to a preset intensity that is dependent upon a unique
identifier of the mobile device. The load control device and/or the
controller may be configured to learn the preset intensity for the
mobile device. The load control system may further comprise an
occupancy sensor and the load control device may automatically
control the electrical load when the occupancy sensor indicates
that the space is occupied and the mobile device is located in the
space. The load control device may be configured to automatically
control the electrical load when the mobile device is located in
the space.
[0007] A load control system for controlling an electrical load may
comprise a load control device configured to control the electrical
load, a mobile device configured to transmit and receive wireless
signals, and a system controller configured to receive the wireless
signals from the mobile device and to determine the location of the
mobile device. The system controller may be configured to
automatically transmit a command to the load control device for
controlling the electrical load when the controller determines that
the mobile device is in a space.
[0008] A load control system for controlling an electrical load may
comprise a load control device configured to control the electrical
load, and a mobile device configured to transmit a wireless signal
including a command for controlling the electrical load. The mobile
device may be configured to determine its location within the
building and to adjust its operation in response to the
location.
[0009] A mobile device for use in a control system having a
plurality of control devices located at fixed locations around a
building is also described herein. The mobile device may comprise a
wireless communication circuit for receiving wireless signals from
the plurality of control devices, and a controller responsive to
the wireless communication circuit. The controller may be
configured to measure signal strengths of the wireless signals
received from the plurality of control devices and to store a set
of measured signal strengths at a first location as a first signal
strength signature. The controller may be configured to
subsequently measure the signal strengths of the wireless signals
received from the plurality of control devices and to determine
that the mobile device is at the first location by comparing the
measured signals strengths with the first signal strength
signature.
[0010] 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
[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example load control system for
controlling one or more electrical loads.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example control procedure for
controlling electrical loads in response to the location of a
mobile device and/or an occupant.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example button press procedure
that may be executed by a remote control device.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example control procedure for
controlling (e.g., automatically controlling) electrical loads in
response to the location of a mobile device and/or an occupant.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example control procedure for
controlling 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.
[0016] FIG. 6 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.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a simplified block diagram of an example network
device.
[0018] FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram of an example system
controller.
[0019] FIG. 9 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example
load control device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] FIG. 1 is a simple 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 and/or a control-target device (e.g., as both a
control-source device 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. Pat.
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 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 for example, 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 (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 (such as Google Glass.RTM. eyewear). In addition, the
system controller 110 may be configured to communicate via the
network with one or more other control systems (e.g., a building
management system, a security system, etc.).
[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 180. 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,
user input data received from the occupant 180 via the mobile
device 182, and/or an environmental characteristic measured by the
mobile device 182 (e.g., an ambient light level).
[0043] One or more of the control devices of the load control
system 100 may transmit beacon signals, for example, RF beacon
signals transmitted using a short-range and/or low-power RF
technology, such as Bluetooth.RTM. technology (e.g., via a
short-range communication link). The load control system 100 may
comprise one or more beacon transmitting devices 184 for
transmitting the beacon signals (e.g., dedicated beacon
transmitting devices). The beacon transmitting devices 184 may be
battery-powered (e.g., including a battery for powering the beacon
transmitting device). The beacon transmitting device 182 may also
be plugged into a receptacle to receive AC power and/or may be
connected to an external power supply for receiving DC power. Any
fixed-location control device of the load control system 100 (e.g.,
any of the load control devices, such as the dimmer switches 120,
the LED drivers 130, the motorized window treatments 150, and/or
the temperature control devices 160) may be also be configured to
transmit the beacon signals (e.g., to operate beacon transmitting
devices).
[0044] The mobile device 182 may be configured to receive a beacon
signal when located near a control device that is presently
transmitting the beacon signal. 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
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 control data (e.g., the determined location
and/or names of an area, groups, zones, electrical loads, control
devices, load control devices, input devices, presets, and/or
scenes associated with the location) back to the mobile device 182
and/or control (e.g., automatically control) the load control
devices in response to the location of the mobile device.
[0045] 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.
[0046] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine the
location of the occupant 180 without the need to track the location
of the mobile device 182. For example, the system controller 110
may be configured to determine the location of the occupant 180 in
response to one or more input device fixedly mounted in one or more
of the rooms 102, 104, 106, for example, a camera device 176, a
microphone 192, or a fingerprint detection device 194. The load
control system 100 may comprise one or more camera devices 176 for
recording video surveillance of the rooms 102, 104, 106. Each
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, for example, using facial recognition technology.
[0047] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine the
location of the occupant 180 using a microphone 192. For example,
the system controller 110 may be configured to determine an
occupant of a space based on matching voice patterns of the
occupant 180 to a database of stored voice patterns, for example,
in addition to a determined location of the occupant's mobile
device 182. 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.
[0048] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine an
occupant of a space based on fingerprint detection. The load
control system 100 may include one or more fingerprint scanners
194. Though the fingerprint scanner 192 is illustrated as an
external device, the fingerprint scanner 192 may be included in a
control-source device. For example, a control-source device (e.g.,
a dimmer switch) may comprise a fingerprint scanner 194. Upon
receiving information relating to an occupant's fingerprint, the
control-source device may transmit this information to the system
controller 110, which may cross-reference the occupant's
fingerprint information with a database to determine the occupant
of the space. 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.
[0049] The system controller 110 may be configured to use location
information determined by the mobile device 182 to supplement
occupancy sensor information. For example, an occupancy sensor may
be unable to detect the presence of an occupant in a space due to a
lack of line of sight between the sensor and the occupant 180. The
system controller 110 may detect the presence of the occupant 180
based on the presence of the occupant's mobile device 182. The
system controller 110 may use location information based on a
mobile device 182 to enhance occupancy sensor zone control. For
example, the location information relating to the mobile device 182
may be used to determine and/or confirm zoning information as
determined by an occupancy sensor.
[0050] 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 182, 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 182 is located, and/or to transmit a command (e.g.,
instructions) 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). The system controller 110 may also be
configured to determine the location of the mobile device 182 is
occupied in response to a motion sensor, a proximity sensor, a door
entrance sensor, a door movement sensor, a keypad door-opening
device, or the camera device 176, and may control (e.g.,
automatically control) the load control devices when the location
of the mobile device 182 is indicated as occupied.
[0051] 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
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 180, while the system controller 110
may set the lighting to the preset of the occupant 180 based on the
detection of the occupant's mobile device 182 within the space of
the control-target device.
[0052] A sensor (e.g., an occupancy sensor) may be configured to
control the status of a control-target device in one direction
(e.g., turn lights on/off, raise/lower shades, etc.) and the system
controller 110 may be configured to control the status of the
control-target device in the other direction. For example, the
system controller 110 may turn lighting of a space on based on
determining that an occupant is present in the space (e.g., via
their mobile device 182) and the sensor may be configured to turn
the lighting of the space off based on a detected vacancy situation
in the space.
[0053] 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. The mobile device
182 may be configured to determine its location in response to the
beacon signals received when located near a control device that is
presently transmitting the beacon signal. The mobile device 182 may
also be configured to use the unique identifier of the beacon
signal to retrieve the location of the mobile device 182 via the
Internet. The mobile device 182 may be configured to transmit the
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 182. The mobile device 182 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 a global positioning system (GPS)
receiver.
[0054] 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.
[0055] 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 device. The mobile device 182 may be configured to
display a control screen (e.g., on a visual display) that allows
for control of the electrical loads located near the location of
the mobile device 182. The control screen may be displayed when a
control application on the mobile device 182 is opened. The control
screen may be displayed without opening the control application,
for example, on a lock screen, a notification screen, or a "glance"
screen. The system controller 110 may be configured to transmit
location-dependent control elements (e.g., the determined location
and/or names of an area, groups, zones, electrical loads, control
devices, load control devices, input devices, presets, and/or
scenes associated with the location) to the mobile device 182. The
mobile device 182 may display the location-dependent control
elements on the display screen (e.g., as "soft" buttons), and may
transmit selected control elements to the system controller 110.
For example, if the mobile device 182 is located in a conference
room, the control screen may display the name of the conference
room, one or more scenes for the conference room, and/or specific
zones of the conference room. The mobile device 182 may also
display generic control elements on the control screen (e.g.,
without the need for the system controller to transmit
location-dependent control elements to the mobile device 182). For
example, in an open office area, the generic control elements for
each cubicle may be the same (e.g., an on control element, an off
control element, a raise control element, and a lower control
element). The mobile device 182 may transmit the selected control
element to the system controller 110, which may determine the
appropriate command to transmit to the appropriate load control
devices depending upon the determined location of the mobile device
182. The system controller 110 may have stored an association of
locations identifiers to load control device identifiers for
reference to control the load control devices associated with a
given location.
[0056] When the control application on the mobile device 182 is
opened, the mobile device may also be configured to display a home
screen that is dependent upon the location of the mobile device
182. For example, the mobile device 182 may be configured to
display a "living room" home screen when the mobile device 182 is
presently located in the living room. The mobile device 182 may be
configured to launch a particular application and/or screen of an
application based on the location of the mobile device 182. For
example, if the mobile device 182 detects that it is in a
conference room, the mobile device 182 may launch a particular
application and/or screen of an application that allows for control
of the particular loads of the conference room (e.g., HVAC,
lighting, blinds, etc.).
[0057] 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
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 182 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.
[0058] 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 182 and
may provide the display, lists, and/or warnings to the mobile
device 182 for display on the mobile device.
[0059] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example control procedure 200
for controlling electrical loads in response to the location of the
mobile device 182. At 202, the example control procedure 200 may
start. At 204, the location of the mobile device 182 may be
determined. For example, the location of the mobile device 182 may
be determined at 204 by the mobile device 182 receiving a beacon
signal, the mobile device 182 transmitting a unique identifier of
the beacon signal (e.g., a beacon ID) to the system controller 110,
and the system controller 110 determining the location of the
mobile device 182 using the beacon ID. In addition, the system
controller 110 may determine a location of a mobile device 182
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.
[0060] If the location-based control elements are determined to be
transmitted to the mobile device 182 at 206 (e.g., in order to
provide control of the electrical loads at the location of the
mobile device 182), the system controller 110 may transmit control
data associated with the mobile device and the location of the
mobile device to the mobile device 182 at 208. For example, the
system controller 110 may transmit the location-based control
elements (e.g., the determined location and/or names of areas,
groups, zones, electrical loads, control devices, load control
devices, input devices, presets, and/or scenes associated with the
location) to the mobile device 182 at 208. The location-based
control elements may be requested or required by the mobile device
182 or transmitted based on the location of the mobile device 182.
The mobile device 182 may receive the location-based control
elements and display the location-based control elements on the
visual display of the mobile device 182 at 210 to allow for control
of the electrical loads near the location of the mobile device 182.
For example, if the mobile device 182 is located in a conference
room, the control screen may display the name of the conference
room, one or more scenes for the conference room, and/or specific
zones of the conference room.
[0061] At 212, the occupant may select one or more of the
location-based control elements on the visual display of the mobile
device 182. For example, the occupant may press a button to turn
the load on or off, or select a preset or scene on the visual
display of the mobile device 182 at 212. In addition, the occupant
may actuate a virtual slider on the visual display of the mobile
device 182 to adjust the amount of power delivered to the
electrical load (e.g., to adjust an intensity of a lighting load)
at 212. At 214, the mobile device 182 may transmit the selected
control element (e.g., a command to control the electrical load) to
the system controller 110. At 216, the system controller 110 may
transmit a digital message to one or more of the load control
devices near the location of the mobile device 182 to control the
electrical loads, before the control procedure 200 exits at 218.
The digital message transmitted at 216 may include a command (e.g.,
instructions) to control the electrical load according to the
determined location of the mobile device 182 and/or the occupant
control parameters stored in the mobile device 182.
[0062] If the location-based control elements are not to be
transmitted at 206 (e.g., based on the location of the mobile
device 182, or a request or requirement of the mobile device 182),
the mobile device 182 may simply display the generic control
elements on the visual display of the mobile device 182 at 210 to
allow for control of the electrical loads near the location of the
mobile device 182. For example, if the mobile device 182 is located
in an open office, the control screen may display the same generic
control elements for each cubicle. The occupant may select one or
more of the generic control elements on the visual display of the
mobile device 182 at 212, and the mobile device 182 may transmit
the selected control element to the system controller 110 at 214.
At 216, the system controller 110 may determine an appropriate
command (e.g., instructions) in response to the selected control
elements and the location of the mobile device 182 and then
transmit a digital message including the command to one or more of
the load control devices near the location of the mobile device
182, before the control procedure 200 exits at 218.
[0063] The battery-powered remote control devices 170 and/or the
system controller 110 may be configured to transmit different
digital messages in response to the actuation of a button or
buttons on the remote control devices 170 depending upon the
location of the remote control devices 170. For example, actuation
of a preset button of one of the remote control devices 170 may
select a first preset when the remote control devices 170 are
located in a first room and may select a second preset when the
remote control device is located in a second room. The remote
control devices 170 may be configured to identify a location (e.g.,
by identifying a beacon, etc.) and transmit different digital
messages (e.g., to different devices and/or including different
commands) to the control-target devices based on the location. The
system controller 110 may identify the location of the remote
control devices 170 (e.g., by identifying a beacon, etc.) and
transmit different digital messages (e.g., to different devices
and/or including different commands) to the control-target devices
based on the location.
[0064] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example button press procedure
300 that may be executed by the remote control devices 170, the
mobile device 182, and/or the system controller 110. At 302, a
button on a remote control device 170 or a mobile device 182 may be
actuated. At 304, 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 306, 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 or buttons 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 308, the example button
press procedure 300 may end.
[0065] 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. As previously mentioned, the system controller 110
may be configured to control the load control devices according to
the occupant control parameters associated with the occupant 180.
The occupant control parameters may be the occupant's predetermined
or preset settings that may be stored on the mobile device 182
and/or on the system controller 110, the occupant's biometric data
that may be sensed by the mobile device 182 (e.g., when the mobile
device 182 is a wearable device), the occupant's input data that
may be received via the mobile device 182, and/or data measured by
the mobile device 182 (e.g., an ambient light level). 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.
[0066] The system controller 110 may control the load control
devices in the rooms according to the occupant control parameters
as the occupant 180 moves around the building (e.g., to "follow"
the occupant around the building). The occupant control parameters
may be "universal" parameters (e.g., the preset settings may be the
same for each room of the building), or may be room parameters
(e.g., the preset settings may be different for each room). The
occupant control parameters 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 occupant control parameters may be different for
different occupants of the rooms.
[0067] The occupant control parameters may be stored in memory on
the mobile device 182 and/or in memory on the system controller
110. The load control device being controlled may receive the
occupant control parameters when a command to control the
electrical load is received by the load control device. The load
control device may retrieve the occupant control parameters from
the mobile device 182 (e.g., using a short-range and/or low-power
RF technology, such as Bluetooth.RTM. technology) and/or from the
system controller 110 (e.g., via the RF signals 108). For example,
the load control device may receive a digital message (e.g., via
the RF signals 108) that includes the command to control the load
along with the occupant control parameter. The load control device
may comprise a button and may be configured to retrieve the
occupant control parameters from the mobile device 182 when the
button is actuated. For example, if the load control device is a
dimmer switch having a toggle button, the load control device may
be configured to retrieve a preset intensity for a lighting load
from the mobile device 182 when the toggle button is actuated to
turn the lighting load on.
[0068] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example control procedure 400
for controlling (e.g., automatically controlling) 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. At 402, the example control
procedure 400 may start. At 404, 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.
[0069] At 406, 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 408, 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 410, the example
control procedure 400 may end.
[0070] When there are multiple occupants in a single room, the
system controller 110 may be configured to determine an identity of
each of the multiple occupants and to control (e.g., automatically
control) one or more of the load control devices according to the
occupant control parameters associated with each of the multiple
occupants. For example, the system controller 110 may be configured
to control (e.g., automatically control) one or more of the load
control devices using a priority (e.g., a predetermined priority,
such as a tiered hierarchy) of occupants to determine which
occupant's preset settings get priority. For example, the system
controller 110 may control the load control devices to an occupant
control parameter (e.g., a preset setting) of the mobile device 182
and/or occupant 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
may be assigned the highest priority, the occupant closest to the
load control device may be assigned the highest priority, the
occupant closest the to load may be assigned the highest priority,
the occupant closest to a presentation area (e.g., a podium or a
white board), etc. The priority may be based on the order in which
the occupants entered the space. For example, the system controller
110 may control one or more of the load control devices using the
preset data and/or user input received from the mobile device 182
of the first occupant to enter the space. The priority may be based
on a job title (e.g., tiered based on levels or seniority in the
company). The priority may be determined from a manual request to
control the loads of the room, for example, using the mobile device
182 of the occupant. In addition, an occupant may relinquish
control of the loads in the room using the mobile device 182 (e.g.,
manually select an input to relinquish control).
[0071] 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).
[0072] The system controller 110 may be configured to control the
load control devices according to a function of two or more of the
occupant control parameters of the mobile devices 182 and/or
occupants in the room. The function may be, for example, an average
of the occupant control parameters of the mobile devices 182 and/or
occupants in the room. For example, the system controller 110 may
be configured to average preset settings (e.g., desired setpoint
temperatures) stored on the mobile devices 182 in the room to
determine an average setpoint temperature to which the setpoint
temperature of the room will be set. The system controller 110 may
also be configured to count the number of mobile devices 182 in the
room and to store the number of mobile devices in memory. The
system controller 110 may be configured to report the number of
mobile devices located in the room over time for use in determining
the utilization of the room.
[0073] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example control procedure 500
for controlling (e.g., automatically controlling) 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 500
may be executed by the system controller 110. At 502, the example
control procedure 500 may start. At 504, 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 506, 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, a sensor, etc. If
the system controller 110 determines that there is one occupant 180
in the space, then at 508 the system controller 110 may recall
preset settings for the mobile device 182 and/or the occupant 180
accordingly, for example, as described herein.
[0074] If the system controller 110 determines that there are
multiple occupants 180 in the space at 506, then at 510 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 512, 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 514, the example
control procedure 500 may end.
[0075] Though FIG. 5 describes the system controller 110
controlling one or more electrical loads when one or more occupants
are detected in a space, the system controller 110 may determine
the absence of occupants and may control the one or more electrical
loads based on the absence of the occupants. For example, if no
occupants are detected in a space, the system controller 110 may
control the electrical loads in the space according to an "away"
preset, which may control the electrical loads in a manner to save
electricity (e.g., decrease dimming level, open/close shades,
increase/decrease temperature, etc.).
[0076] The system controller 110 may control the one or more
electrical loads based on a combined presence of multiple
occupants. The system controller 110 may identify the combined
presence of specific occupants (e.g., occupant identifiers) and may
set a preset when the combined presence of the occupants are
identified. For example, a "night" preset may be triggered when a
husband and wife are identified in a bedroom (e.g., but not when
one of the occupants is present). Different presets may be
triggered when a combined total number of occupants (e.g., less
than five, less than ten, etc.) are identified by the system
controller 110 in a space.
[0077] The system controller 110 may identify an occupant as a
visitor or guest. Visitors or guests may be identified generally
when the identifier of the occupant and/or the occupant's mobile
device is not stored at the system controller 110 or is associated
with guest privileges. When the occupants are identified as
visitors or guests, default guest preset settings and/or control
elements may be implemented by the system controller 110 and/or the
mobile device.
[0078] The system controller 110 may be configured to control
(e.g., automatically control) the load control devices differently
in response to the input devices of the load control system 100
depending upon the location of the mobile device 182. For example,
the operation of the system controller 110 in response to actuation
of the buttons of a remote control device (e.g., a wall-mounted
keypad or visual display device) may depend upon the mobile device
182 (e.g., the occupant control parameters of the mobile device
182) located near the remote control device when the button is
actuated. The system controller 110 may control the load control
devices according to an occupant's predetermined set of scenes in
response to actuations of the buttons of the remote control device
when the mobile device 182 is located near the remote control
device when the button is actuated. Further, the remote control
device may display a predetermined user interface according to the
occupant's preferences and/or occupant control parameters when the
mobile device 182 located near (e.g., within a predefined range)
the remote control device when the button is actuated.
[0079] The system controller 110 may be configured to automatically
control the load control devices according to the occupant control
parameters 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 in is occupied.
[0080] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example control procedure 600
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 600
may be executed by the system controller 110. The example control
procedure 600 may start at 602. At 604, the system controller 110
may determine the location of one or more mobile devices 182 and/or
occupants 180. At 606, 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
606, then the example control procedure 600 may end at 612.
[0081] If the system controller 110 determines that the space is
occupied at 606, then at 608 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 610. 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 182 and/or occupant 180 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 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).
[0082] 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 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).
[0083] 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 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 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'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 (i.e., 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's mobile device 182 enters the
room of the dimmer switch (e.g., without required actuation of the
button of the dimmer switch).
[0084] The system controller 110 may be configured to control
(e.g., predicatively control) one or more load control devices
and/or electrical loads in response to detecting movement of an
occupant 180. 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 detecting 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 180 to the occupant's preset settings before the
occupant 180 arrives at the destination. The system controller 110
may be configured to learn the intended destination of the occupant
180 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.
[0085] 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 be configured
to increase the intensity of lights along a predicted path of an
occupant 180. For example, if the system controller 110 determines
that an occupant 180 usually (e.g., more than a predetermined
number of times) leaves his office and walks down the hall to a
colleague's office, then the system controller 110 may control the
intensity of the lights to be greater when that occupant leaves
their office and their direction of movement is determined. The
system controller 110 may also use time of day to adjust the
intensity of the predicted path.
[0086] The system controller 110 may be configured to determine the
velocity and/or momentum of the mobile device 182 and/or occupant
180, and control (e.g., automatically control) one or more load
control devices and/or electrical loads in response to determining
the velocity and/or momentum of the mobile device 182 and/or
occupant 180. For example, the system controller 110 may be
configured to turn lighting loads on or off quicker if an occupant
is moving quickly through a building. In addition, the system
controller 110 may be configured to determine that an occupant is
running (e.g., an emergency condition may be occurring) and turn
all of the lighting loads on to full intensity.
[0087] 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.
[0088] The system controller 110 may be configured to track
occupants in restricted areas using their mobile device 182. For
example, if the system controller 110 determines that an occupant
has entered 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.
[0089] The system controller 110 may be configured to track
occupants 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. As such, the system controller 110 may
be configured to confirm whether or not all occupants are out of a
space during an emergency situation.
[0090] 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 spaces of 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 required, whether particular
spaces are being underutilized, etc.
[0091] 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 hotels 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.
[0092] 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 could 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.
[0093] As previously mentioned, the mobile device 182 may comprise
one or more sensing devices for sensing biometric data that defines
the physical condition (e.g., behavior, movement, comfort, and/or
health) of the occupant 180 when the mobile device 182 is a
wearable wireless device. The system controller 110 may be
configured to automatically control the 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 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.
[0094] The system controller may control the load control devices
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, the system controller 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. If the system controller 110
determines that the occupant 180 is quickly moving around the
space, the system controller may be configured to increase the
intensity of the lighting loads 122, and/or decrease the setpoint
temperature of the HVAC system 162.
[0095] The amount that each load control device and/or electrical
loads is controlled 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 system
controller 110 may also 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, 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.
[0096] 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 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.
[0097] 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. For example,
the system controller 110 may be configured to determine that the
occupant has just fallen asleep 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., such as turning off the lighting
loads 122, the television 144, a radio, etc.) The system controller
110 may be configured to adjust the setpoint temperature of the
HVAC system 162 in response to the body temperature of the occupant
180 to ensure comfort of the occupant while sleeping. The system
controller 110 may determine that the occupant 180 is asleep and is
starting to wake up in response to the parameters measured by the
sensing devices of the mobile device 182 and to then slowly
increase the intensity of the lighting loads 122, adjust the color
temperature of the LED light sources 132, and/or raise the
motorized window treatments 150 to improve the experience of the
occupant 180 while waking up.
[0098] The system controller 110 may be configured to control
(e.g., automatically control) the load control devices and/or
electrical loads to provide an alarm or 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 and/or generate an alarm with the
speaker 146 in the vicinity of the occupant 180 and/or a caregiver
of the occupant 180. For example, the system controller 110 may be
configured to determine an abnormal condition with the occupant 180
while sleeping, and to blink the lighting loads 122 and/or generate
an alarm 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.
[0099] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example network
device 700. The network device 700 may be a mobile device, such as
the mobile device 182 shown in FIG. 1 for example, or another
computing device. The network device 700 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
700 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 700 may perform the
functions of a control-source device (e.g., input device) in the
load control system 100.
[0100] The network device 700 may comprise a control circuit 702,
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 702 may perform signal coding, data
processing, power control, image processing, input/output
processing, and/or any other functionality that enables the network
device 700 to perform as described herein.
[0101] The control circuit 702 may store information in and/or
retrieve information from the memory 708. The memory 708 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 702 may access the memory 708 for executable instructions
and/or other information that may be used by the network device
700. The control circuit 702 may access instructions in the memory
708 for performing as described herein.
[0102] The network device 700 may comprise a network communication
circuit 704, 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 700. The
network communication circuit 704 may be a wireless communication
circuit, for example, including an RF transceiver coupled to an
antenna 712 for transmitting and/or receiving RF signals. The
network communication circuit 704 may communicate using Wi-Fi, a
proprietary protocol (e.g., the ClearConnect.RTM. protocol),
Bluetooth.RTM., or any other RF communications. The control circuit
702 may be coupled to the network communication circuit 704 for
transmitting and/or receiving digital messages via the RF signals,
for example. The network communication circuit 704 may transmit
and/or receive digital messages. The digital messages may include a
beacon signal, as described herein. The control circuit 702 may
cause the network communication circuit 704 to communicate
short-range communications to transmit beacons.
[0103] The network device 700 may comprise an actuator 706. The
control circuit 702 may be responsive to the actuator 706 for
receiving a user input. For example, the control circuit 702 may be
operable to receive a button press from a user on the network
device 700 for making a selection or performing other functionality
on the network device 700. The control circuit 702 may be
responsive to receiving other user input (e.g., via software and/or
actuation of a soft button on a display).
[0104] The network device 700 may comprise a display 710. The
control circuit 702 may be in communication with a display 710 for
displaying information to a user. The communication between the
display 710 and the control circuit 702 may be a two way
communication, as the display 710 may include a touch screen module
capable of receiving information from a user and providing such
information to the control circuit 702.
[0105] The control circuit 702 may sense information using the one
or more sensing devices 716. The sensing devices 716 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 716 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 708. The control circuit 702 may transmit digital messages
including the parameters and/or data regarding the parameters
measured by the sensing devices 716 via the network communication
circuit 704.
[0106] The network device 700 may comprise a power supply 714 for
generating a DC supply voltage V.sub.CC for powering the control
circuit 702, the network communication circuit 704, the memory 708,
the display 710, the one or more sensing devices 716, and/or other
circuitry of the network device 700. The power supply 714 may be a
battery or another source of power for the network device 700.
[0107] FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram of an example system
controller 800, which may be deployed as, for example, the system
controller 110 of the load control system 100 shown in FIG. 1. The
system controller 800 may comprise a control circuit 810, 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 810 may perform signal coding, data processing, power
control, input/output processing, and/or any other functionality
that enables the system controller 800 to perform as described
herein.
[0108] The system controller 800 may comprise a network
communication circuit 812 that may be capable of performing wired
and/or wireless communications. The network communication circuit
may be coupled to a network connector 814 (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 810 to communicate with network
devices on a network. The network communication circuit 812 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.
[0109] The system controller 800 may comprise a wireless
communication circuit 816, for example, including an RF transceiver
coupled to an antenna for transmitting and/or receiving RF signals.
The wireless communication circuit 816 may communicate using a
proprietary protocol (e.g., the ClearConnect.RTM. protocol). The
control circuit 810 may be coupled to the wireless communication
circuit 816 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 812. The control circuit 810 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 816.
[0110] The control circuit 810 may be responsive to an actuator 820
for receiving a user input. For example, the control circuit 810
may be operable to associate the system controller 800 with one or
more control devices of the load control system 100 in response to
actuations of the actuator 820 during a configuration procedure of
the load control system 100. The system controller 800 may comprise
additional actuators to which the control circuit 810 may be
responsive.
[0111] The control circuit 810 may store information in and/or
retrieve information from the memory 818. The memory 818 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 810 may access the memory 818 for executable instructions
and/or other information that may be used by the system controller
800 to perform as described herein.
[0112] The control circuit 810 may illuminate a visual indicator
822 to provide feedback to a user of the load control system 100.
For example, the control circuit 810 may blink or strobe the visual
indicator 822 to indicate a fault condition. The control circuit
810 may be operable to illuminate the visual indicator 822
different colors to indicator different conditions or states of the
system controller 800. The visual indicator 822 may be illuminated
by, for example, one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The
system controller 800 may comprise more than one visual
indicator.
[0113] The system controller 800 may comprise a power supply 824
for generating a DC supply voltage V.sub.CC for powering the
control circuit 810, the network communication circuit 812, the
wireless communication circuit 816, the memory 818, the visual
indicator 822, and/or other circuitry of the system controller 800.
The power supply 824 may be coupled to a power supply connector 826
(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.
[0114] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example load
control device 900. The load control device 900 may be a
control-source device and/or a control-target device for example.
The control-source device may be an input device, for example. The
load control device 900 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 900 may include a communication circuit 902. The
communication circuit 902 may include a receiver, an RF transceiver
or other communication module capable of performing wired and/or
wireless communications. The communication circuit 902 may transmit
and/or receive digital messages. The digital messages may include a
beacon signal, as described herein, and/or the load control device
900 may include a separate short-range communication circuit 922
for transmitting a beacon signal. The control circuit 904 may cause
a short-range communication circuit 922 to transmit beacons. The
short-range communication circuit 922 may communicate beacons via
RF communication signals, for example. The wireless communications
may be sent/received via an antenna 916.
[0115] The communication circuit 902 may be in communication with a
control circuit 904. The control circuit 904 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 904 may perform signal coding, data
processing, power control, input/output processing, or any other
functionality that enables the load control device 900 to perform
as described herein.
[0116] The control circuit 904 may store information in and/or
retrieve information from a memory 906. For example, the memory 906
may maintain device identifiers of associated devices and/or
instructions that may be executed by the control circuit 904 for
performing as described herein. The memory 906 may include a
non-removable memory and/or a removable memory. The load control
circuit 908 may receive instructions from the control circuit 904
and may control the electrical load 910 based on the received
instructions. The load control circuit 908 may receive power via
the hot connection 912 and the neutral connection 914 and may
provide an amount of power to the electrical load 910. The
electrical load 910 may include any type of electrical load. The
control-source device may or may not include the load control
circuit 908 for controlling an electrical load.
[0117] The control circuit 904 may illuminate a visual indicator
918 to provide feedback to a user. For example, the control circuit
904 may blink or strobe the visual indicator 918 to indicate a
fault condition. The control circuit 904 may be operable to
illuminate the visual indicator 918 different colors to indicator
different conditions or states of the load control device 900. The
visual indicator 918 may be illuminated by, for example, one or
more light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The load control device 900 may
comprise more than one visual indicator. The control circuit 904
may receive audio signals via the microphone 924.
[0118] 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).
* * * * *