System controller for controlling electrical loads
A load control system may include control-target devices, control-source devices, and a system controller. The control-target devices may enter an association mode to associate with control-source devices. The control-target device may receive an identifier from the control-source device and store the identifier in memory when the control-target device to associate the control-target device and the control-source device. The system controller may retrieve the association information from the control-target device after integration into the load control system. The system controller may receive association information that is defined using other association procedures, such as an association procedure performed on a network device and uploaded to the system controller. The system controller may maintain the association information defined using the different association procedures after the system controller is integrated into the load control system. The system controller may also maintain control configuration information configured prior to integration of the system controller.
1. A load control system, comprising:
a control-target device configured to control an electrical load associated with one or more of a lighting system, a heating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, or a motorized window shade system;
at least two control-source devices for sending control instructions to the control-target device to control the electrical load, wherein each control-source device has been associated with the control-target device; and
a system controller configured to:
listen for and determine that a message has been sent by at least one of the control-source devices directly to the control-target device;
determine a content of the message; and
determine to update information stored at the system controller based on the content of the message without querying the control-target device.
2. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the message is an association message.
3. The load control system of claim 2 , wherein the message contains a unique identifier of the at least one control-source device.
4. The load control system of claim 2 , wherein the message is updated association information between the at least one of the control-source devices and the control-target device and wherein the system controller locally stores the updated association information.
5. The load control system of claim 4 , wherein the system controller is further configured to broadcast the updated association information as an update message containing a unique identifier of the control-target device.
6. The load control system of claim 5 , wherein the control-target device is further configured to identify the updated association information as corresponding to the control-target device based on the unique identifier of the control-target device in the updated association information, and to store the updated association information.
7. The load control system of claim 5 , wherein the system controller is configured to check for unsupported control-target and/or control-source devices in the load control system by a unique identifier and/or a device type identifier stored in the updated association information, and wherein the system controller is configured to delete the unsupported devices from the updated association information stored at the system controller.
8. The load control system of claim 2 , wherein the system controller is further configured to create an aggregate list of association information for the control-target device by aggregating unique identifiers of the control-source devices associated with the control-target device.
9. The load control system of claim 8 , wherein the system controller is further configured to:
receive association information from a network device and add the association information to the aggregate list;
receive association information from the control-target device and add the association information to the aggregate list;
check for duplicative unique identifiers in the aggregate list, and, if duplicative unique identifiers are found, delete the duplicative unique identifiers from the aggregate list; and
check for inconsistent unique identifiers in the aggregate list, and, if inconsistent unique identifiers are found, the system controller is configured to:
delete one set of the inconsistent unique identifiers from the aggregate list; or
add a unique identifier of a control-source device identified in the association information received from the control-target device to the association information received from the network device to the aggregate list; and
send the reconciled association information to the control-target device.
10. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein the message is a message comprising control instructions.
11. The load control system of claim 10 , wherein the system controller is configured to track a status of the control-target device from the message, wherein the system controller tracking the status of the control-target device from the message avoids a need for the system controller to send requests for status information to the control-target device to update the status information.
12. The load control system of claim 11 , wherein the status is a dimming level of the lighting system, a level of a covering material controlled by the motorized window treatment system, or a temperature produced by the HVAC system.
13. The load control system of claim 1 , wherein, based on the updated information, the system controller is further configured to communicate a control instruction to the control target device.
14. The load control system of claim 13 , wherein the control-target device is further configured to receive the control instruction from the system controller and control the electrical load in response to the control instruction.
15. A load control system, comprising:
a control-target device configured to control an electrical load associated with one or more of a lighting system, a heating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, or a motorized window shade system;
at least two control-source devices for sending control instructions to the control-target device to control the electrical load, wherein each control-source device has been associated with the control-target device; and
a system controller configured to:
determine that a message has been sent by one of the at least two control-source devices directly to the control-target device;
determine that the message is an association message for the one control-source device to control the control-target device;
in response to the determination that the message is an association message, to update association information stored at the system controller to indicate the one control-source device and the control-target device are associated without querying the control-target device;
receive a control instruction from either of the at least two control-source devices to control the control-target device; and
responsive to the control instruction and determining the control-source device that sent the control instruction and the control-target device are associated, communicate the message to the control-target device;
wherein the control-target device is further configured to receive the control instruction and control the electrical load in response to the control instruction.
16. The load control system of claim 15 , wherein the system controller is configured to store the association information in a format that associates a unique identifier and a device type of the control-target device with a unique identifier and a device type of for each of the at least two control-source devices.
17. The load control system of claim 16 , wherein the system controller is configured to:
receive further association information from a network device;
compare the further association information to the stored association information comprising association information received from the control-target device;
check for duplicative unique identifiers and, if duplicative unique identifiers are found, delete the duplicative unique identifiers from the stored association information;
check for inconsistent unique identifiers, and, if an inconsistent unique identifier is found, the system controller is configured to add the inconsistent unique identifier of the control-source device identified in the association information received from the control-target device to the association information received from the network device; and
send the reconciled association information to the control-target device.
18. The load control system of claim 15 , wherein the system controller is further configured to broadcast updated association information as an update message containing a unique identifier of the control-target device.
19. The load control system of claim 18 , wherein the control-target device identifies the updated association information corresponding to the control-target device and stores the updated association information.
20. The load control system of claim 15 , wherein the system controller is configured to track a status of the control-target device from the control instruction.
21. The load control system of claim 20 , wherein the system controller tracking the status of the control-target device from the control instruction avoids a need for the system controller to send requests for status information to the control-target device to update the status of the control-target device.
22. The load control system of claim 20 , wherein the status is a dimming level of the lighting system, a level of a covering material controlled by the motorized window treatment system, or a temperature produced by the HVAC system.