IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,827,576

Granted Patent B2

US 10,827,576 · App. 16/783,682 · Granted Nov 3, 2020

Control device having buttons with multiple-level backlighting

Inventors: Matthew Philip McDonald (Phoenixville, PA); Daniel L. Twadell (Bethlehem, PA); Jason C. Killo (Emmaus, PA)

Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC

H05B45/10 H01H13/70 H05B47/10 H05B47/11 H01H2219/039 H03K17/9631 Y02B20/46

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 10,827,576
App. No.: 16/783,682
Granted: Nov 3, 2020
Kind: B2

External Links

USPTO Patent Center↗ Full Patent PDF↗

Abstract

A control device may have a plurality of buttons that may be backlit to multiple levels, such as first, second, and third adjacent buttons positioned in order, and first, second, and third LEDs positioned to illuminate a respective button. The control device may be configured to illuminate the first LED to a first LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to a first surface illumination intensity; illuminate the third LED to a second LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to a second surface illumination intensity; and illuminate the second LED to a third LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to the second surface illumination intensity. The third LED illumination intensity may be less than the second LED illumination intensity, which may be less than the first LED illumination intensity, and the second surface illumination intensity may be less than the first surface illumination intensity.

Claims (66)

1. A control device comprising:

a backlighting circuit including a first light source, a second light source, and a third light source;

a first button having a first indicia configured to be illuminated by the first light source;

a second button having a second indicia configured to be illuminated by the second light source;

a third button having a third indicia configured to be illuminated by the third light source, the first button located between the second and third buttons; and

a control circuit responsive to actuations of the first, second, and third buttons, and electrically coupled to the first, second, and third light sources of the backlighting circuit, the control circuit configured to:

control the first light source to emit light at a first source illumination intensity to illuminate the first indicia on the first button;

control the second light source to emit light at a second source illumination intensity to illuminate the second indicia on the second button; and

control the third light source to emit light at a third source illumination intensity to illuminate the third indicia on the third button;

wherein the control circuit is configured to detect degradation in at least one of the first source illumination intensity, the second source illumination intensity, or the third source illumination intensity, and

wherein the control circuit further configured to compensate for the degradation in the at least one of the first source illumination intensity, the second source illumination intensity, or the third source illumination intensity so that the second and third source illumination intensities are both less than the first source illumination intensity and the first indicia on the first button is illuminated to a brighter intensity than the respective indicia on the second and third buttons, and

wherein the control circuit further configured to set the second source illumination intensity to be less than the third source illumination intensity so that the second and third buttons are illuminated to the same intensity.

2. The control device of claim 1 , further comprising:

an ambient light detector configured to generate an ambient light detect signal;

wherein the control circuit is configured to receive the ambient light detect signal and to determine an ambient light level in a room in which the control device is installed based on the ambient light detect signal.

3. The control device of claim 2 , wherein the control circuit is configured to turn off the first, second, and third light sources when determining the ambient light level in the room based on the ambient light detect signal.

4. The control device of claim 3 , wherein, when operating in a commissioning mode, the control circuit is configured to:

determine a first baseline illumination intensity for the first light source by turning off the second and third light sources, determine a measured first source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtract the ambient light level from the measured first source illumination intensity;

determine a second baseline illumination intensity for the second light source by turning off the first and third light sources, determine a measured second source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtract the ambient light level from the measured second source illumination intensity; and

determine a third baseline illumination intensity for the third light source by turning off the first and second light sources, determine a measured third source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtract the ambient light level from the measured third source illumination intensity.

5. The control device of claim 4 , wherein the control circuit is subsequently configured to: determine an actual first source illumination intensity for the first light source by turning off the second and third light sources, determine a new measured first source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtract the ambient light level from the new measured first source illumination intensity;

determine an actual second source illumination intensity for the second light source by turning off the first and third light sources, determine a new measured second source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtract the ambient light level from the new measured second source illumination intensity; and

determine an actual third source illumination intensity for the third light source by turning off the first and second light sources, determine a new measured third source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtract the ambient light level from the new measured third source illumination intensity.

6. The control device of claim 5 , wherein the control circuit is configured to:

detect the degradation of the at least one of the actual first source illumination intensity, the actual second source illumination intensity, or the actual third source illumination intensity based on differences between at least one of the first baseline illumination intensity as modified according to a set first source illumination intensity and the actual first source illumination intensity, the second baseline illumination intensity as modified according to a set second source illumination intensity and the actual second source illumination intensity, or the third baseline illumination intensity as modified according to a set third source illumination intensity and the actual third source illumination intensity; and

7. The control device of claim 6 , wherein the control circuit is configured to:

compensate for the degradation of the at least one of the actual first source illumination intensity, the actual second source illumination intensity, or the actual third source illumination intensity by increasing the at least one of the first source illumination intensity to match the first baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set first source illumination intensity, the second source illumination intensity to match the second baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set second source illumination intensity, or the third source illumination intensity to match the third baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set third source illumination intensity.

8. The control device of claim 6 , wherein the control circuit is configured to:

control the first light source to increase the first source illumination intensity to illuminate the first indicia on the first button to emit light at approximately the first baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set first source illumination intensity;

control the second light source to increase the second source illumination intensity to illuminate the second indicia on the second button to emit light at approximately the second baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set second source illumination intensity; and

control the third light source to increase the third source illumination intensity to illuminate the third indicia on the third button to emit light at approximately the third baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set third source illumination intensity.

9. The control device of claim 6 , wherein the control circuit is configured to detect the degradation and compensate for the degradation once every predetermined amount of time.

10. The control device of claim 4 , wherein the control circuit is configured to determine the first, second, and third baseline illumination intensities in the commissioning mode at the time of installation of the control device.

11. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to set both of the second and third source illumination intensities of the second and third buttons, respectively, using one or more correction factors.

12. The control device of claim 1 , further comprising:

first, second, and third tactile switches electrically coupled to the control circuit;

wherein the first tactile switch is configured to be actuated in response to actuation of the first button, the second tactile switch is configured to be actuated in response to actuation of the second button, and the third tactile switch is configured to be actuated in response to actuation of the third button.

13. A method of backlighting buttons of a control device, the control device comprising first, second, and third buttons, and first, second, and third light sources positioned to illuminate a respective one of the first, second, and third buttons, the method comprising:

controlling the first light source to emit light at a first source illumination intensity to illuminate first indicia on the first button;

controlling the second light source to emit light at a second source illumination intensity to illuminate second indicia on the second button;

controlling the third light source to emit light at a third source illumination intensity to illuminate third indicia on the third button;

detecting degradation in at least one of the first source illumination intensity, the second source illumination intensity, or the third source illumination intensity;

compensating for the degradation in the at least one of the first source illumination intensity, the second source illumination intensity, or the third source illumination intensity so that the second and third source illumination intensities are both less than the first source illumination intensity and the first indicia on the first button is illuminated to a brighter intensity than the respective indicia on the second and third buttons; and

setting the second source illumination intensity to be less than the third source illumination intensity so that the second and third buttons are illuminated to the same intensity.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the control device further comprises an ambient light detector configured to generate an ambient light detect signal, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the ambient light detect signal and determining an ambient light level in a room in which the control device is installed based on the ambient light detect signal.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising:

turning off the first, second, and third light sources when determining the ambient light level in the room based on the ambient light detect signal.

16. The method of claim 15 , when operating in a commissioning mode, the method comprising:

determining a first baseline illumination intensity for the first light source by turning off the second and third light sources, determining a measured first source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtracting the ambient light level from the measured first source illumination intensity;

determining a second baseline illumination intensity for the second light source by turning off the first and third light sources, determining a measured second source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtracting the ambient light level from the measured second source illumination intensity; and

determining a third baseline illumination intensity for the third light source by turning off the first and second light sources, determining a measured third source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtracting the ambient light level from the measured third source illumination intensity.

17. The method of claim 16 , comprising:

determining an actual first source illumination intensity for the first light source by turning off the second and third light sources, determining a new measured first source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtracting the ambient light level from the new measured first source illumination intensity;

determining an actual second source illumination intensity for the second light source by turning off the first and third light sources, determining a new measured second source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtracting the ambient light level from the new measured second source illumination intensity; and

determining an actual third source illumination intensity for the third light source by turning off the first and second light sources, determining a new measured third source illumination intensity based on the ambient light detect signal, and subtracting the ambient light level from the new measured third source illumination intensity.

18. The method of claim 17 , comprising:

detecting the degradation of the at least one of the actual first source illumination intensity, the actual second source illumination intensity, or the actual third source illumination intensity based on differences between at least one of the first baseline illumination intensity as modified according to a set first source illumination intensity and the actual first source illumination intensity, the second baseline illumination intensity as modified according to a set second source illumination intensity and the actual second source illumination intensity, or the third baseline illumination intensity as modified according to a set third source illumination intensity and the actual third source illumination intensity; and

19. The method of claim 18 , comprising:

compensating for the degradation of the at least one of the actual first source illumination intensity, the actual second source illumination intensity, or the actual third source illumination intensity by increasing the at least one of the first source illumination intensity to match the first baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set first source illumination intensity, the second source illumination intensity to match the second baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set second source illumination intensity, or the third source illumination intensity to match the third baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set third source illumination intensity.

20. The method of claim 18 , comprising:

controlling the first light source to increase the first source illumination intensity to illuminate the first indicia on the first button to emit light at approximately the first baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set first source illumination intensity;

controlling the second light source to increase the second source illumination intensity to illuminate the second indicia on the second button to emit light at approximately the second baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set second source illumination intensity; and

controlling the third light source to increase the third source illumination intensity to illuminate the third indicia on the third button to emit light at approximately the third baseline illumination intensity as modified according to the set third source illumination intensity.

Assignments (2)

ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 7, 2023

From: MCDONALD, MATTHEW PHILIP; TWADDELL, DANIEL L.; KILLO, JASON C.

To: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.

Reel/Frame 065799/0505 →

ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 7, 2023

From: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.

To: LUTRON TECHNOLOGY COMPANY LLC

Reel/Frame 065818/0523 →

Cited By (1)

US 12,213,227