IP Library Granted Patent US 11,588,500
Granted Patent B2
US 11,588,500 · App. 17/740,195 · Granted Feb 21, 2023

Detecting actuations of buttons of a control device

Inventor: Jaykrishna A. Shukla (Mays Landing, NJ)
Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
H03M11/003G05B19/0423H02J13/00004H02J13/00022H02J13/00036H05B47/19G05B2219/25196G05B2219/2642H01H2300/03H01H2300/04H02J3/14H02J13/00026H02J2310/14
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,588,500
App. No.
17/740,195
Granted
Feb 21, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A load control device may be used to control and deliver power to an electrical load. The load control device may comprise a control circuit for controlling the power delivered to the electrical load. The load control device may comprise multiple actuators, where each of the actuators is connected between a terminal of the control circuit and a current regulating device. The number of the actuators may be greater than the number of the terminals. The control circuit may measure signals at the terminals and determine a state configuration for the actuators based on the measured signals. The control circuit may compare the state configuration to a predetermined dataset to detect a ghosting condition.

Claims (48)

1. A charlieplex method, comprising:

for each of a plurality of I/O connections, each of the plurality of I/O connections conductively coupled to a plurality of actuator circuits, each of the plurality of actuator circuits including an actuatable element coupled in electrical series with at least one current limiting device:

providing, by control circuitry, a supply voltage at the I/O connection; and

for each of the remaining plurality of I/O connections:

measuring, by the control circuitry, a voltage at the respective I/O connection;

comparing the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection with a first voltage threshold and a second voltage threshold, and a third voltage threshold; and

responsive to the determination that the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection is greater than the first voltage threshold and less than the second voltage threshold, returning, by the control circuitry, a logical value indicative of a ghosting condition that includes an activated first actuator circuit and an activated second actuator circuit.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: identifying, by the control circuitry, the activated first actuator circuit and the activated second actuator circuit.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to the determination that the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection is greater than the second voltage threshold and less than the third voltage threshold, returning, by the control circuitry, a logical value indicative of a ghosting condition that includes an activated first actuator circuit, an activated second actuator circuit, and an activated third actuator circuit.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

identifying, by the control circuitry, the activated first actuator circuit, the activated second actuator circuit, and the activated third actuator circuit.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to the determination that the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection is less than the first voltage threshold, returning, by the control circuitry, a logical value indicative of a single activated first actuator circuit.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

identifying, by the control circuitry, the single activated actuator circuit.

7. A charlieplex controller, comprising:

a plurality of actuator circuits, each of the plurality of actuator circuits including an actuatable element coupled in electrical series with at least one current limiting device; and

control circuitry having a plurality of I/O connections, each of the plurality of I/O connections conductively coupled to a plurality of actuator circuits, the control circuitry to, for each of the plurality of I/O connections:

provide a supply voltage at the respective I/O connection; and

for each of the remaining plurality of I/O connections:

measure a voltage at the respective I/O connection;

compare the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection with a first voltage threshold and a second voltage threshold, and a third voltage threshold; and

responsive to the determination that the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection is greater than the first voltage threshold and less than the second voltage threshold, return a logical value indicative of a ghosting condition that includes an activated first actuator circuit and an activated second actuator circuit.

8. The controller of claim 7 , the control circuitry to further: identify the activated first actuator circuit and the activated second actuator circuit.

9. The controller of claim 7 , the control circuitry to further:

responsive to the determination that the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection is greater than the second voltage threshold and less than the third voltage threshold, return a logical value indicative of a ghosting condition that includes an activated first actuator circuit, an activated second actuator circuit, and an activated third actuator circuit.

10. The controller of claim 9 , the control circuitry to further:

identify the activated first actuator circuit, the activated second actuator circuit, and the activated third actuator circuit.

11. The controller of claim 7 , the control circuitry to further:

responsive to the determination that the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection is less than the first voltage threshold, return a logical value indicative of a single activated first actuator circuit.

12. The controller of claim 11 , the control circuitry to further:

identify the single activated actuator circuit.

13. A non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device that includes instructions that, when executed by charlieplex controller control circuitry having a plurality of I/O connections, causes the control circuitry to:

provide a supply voltage at respective ones of the plurality of I/O connections, each of the plurality of I/O connections conductively coupled to a plurality of actuator circuits, each of the plurality of actuator circuits including an actuatable element coupled in electrical series with at least one current limiting device; and

for each of the remaining plurality of I/O connections:

measure a voltage at the respective I/O connection;

compare the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection with a first voltage threshold and a second voltage threshold, and a third voltage threshold; and

responsive to the determination that the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection is greater than the first voltage threshold and less than the second voltage threshold, return a logical value indicative of a ghosting condition that includes an activated first actuator circuit and an activated second actuator circuit.

14. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the charlieplex controller control circuitry, further cause the control circuitry to: identify the activated first actuator circuit and the activated second actuator circuit.

15. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the charlieplex controller control circuitry, further cause the control circuitry to:

responsive to the determination that the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection is greater than the second voltage threshold and less than the third voltage threshold, return a logical value indicative of a ghosting condition that includes an activated first actuator circuit, an activated second actuator circuit, and an activated third actuator circuit.

16. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the charlieplex controller control circuitry, further cause the control circuitry to:

identify the activated first actuator circuit, the activated second actuator circuit, and the activated third actuator circuit.

17. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the charlieplex controller control circuitry, further cause the control circuitry to:

responsive to the determination that the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection is less than the first voltage threshold, return a logical value indicative of a single activated first actuator circuit.

18. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 17 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the charlieplex controller control circuitry, further cause the control circuitry to:

identify the single activated actuator circuit.

Continuity (4)
Continuation 17215016 · Mar 29, 2021
Continuation 15977657 · May 11, 2018
Provisional Application 62504653 · May 11, 2017
Related Publication 20220376705A1 · Nov 24, 2022