IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,052,331

Granted Patent B2

US 12,052,331 · App. 17/849,828 · Granted Jul 30, 2024

Multiple network access load control devices

Inventors: Robert C. Newman, Jr. (Emmaus, PA); Lawrence R. Carmen, Jr. (Bath, PA); John H. Bull (Coplay, PA)

Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC

H04L69/18 H04L12/2803 H04L12/2818 H04L12/2836 H04L12/66

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12,052,331
App. No.: 17/849,828
Granted: Jul 30, 2024
Kind: B2

External Links

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Abstract

An apparatus for controlling the power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load may include a controllably conductive device. The apparatus may also include a first wireless communication circuit that may be operable to communicate on a first wireless communication network via a first protocol and the first communication circuit may be in communication with the controller. The apparatus may also include a second communication circuit that may be operable to communicate on a second communication network via a second protocol. The controller may be further operable to control the first wireless communication circuit to communicate configuration data with the first wireless communication network via the first protocol. The controller may also be operable to control the second wireless communication circuit to communicate operational data with the second communication network via the second protocol.

Claims (53)

1. A load control device to control the delivery of power to at least one operatively coupled electrical load device, the load control device comprising:

a controllably conductive device operatively couplable between a power supply and the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device;

first communications interface circuitry to communicate signals using a first bandwidth at a first average data transfer rate;

second communications interface circuitry to communicate signals using a second bandwidth that is less than the first bandwidth at a second average data transfer rate that is less than the first average data transfer rate; and

control circuitry operatively coupled to the controllably conductive device the first communications circuitry and the second communications circuitry, the control circuitry to:

receive, via the first communications interface circuitry, one or more signals that include configuration information associated with the load control device; and

receive, via the second communications interface circuitry, one or more signals that include at least one command to adjust the power delivered from the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device.

2. The load control device of claim 1 , the control circuitry to further:

transmit, via the second communications interface circuitry to one or more other load control devices, one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one electrical load device operatively coupled to the one or more other load control devices.

3. The load control device of claim 1 wherein to receive the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one electrical load device, the control circuitry to further:

receive, from a system controller via the second communications interface circuitry, one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one electrical load device.

4. The load control device of claim 1 wherein to receive the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device, the control circuitry to further:

receive, from at least one other load control device via the second communications interface circuitry, one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device.

5. The load control device of claim 1 , further comprising:

memory circuitry communicatively coupled to the control circuitry.

6. The load control device of claim 5 , the control circuitry to further:

store the configuration information associated with the load control device responsive to receipt of the one or more signals that include the configuration information associated with the load control device.

7. The load control device of claim 1 wherein to receive the one or more signals that include configuration information associated with the load control device, the control circuitry to further:

receive, via the first communications interface circuitry using a TCP/IP communications protocol, the one or more signals that include the configuration information associated with the load control device.

8. The load control device of claim 1 wherein to receive the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device, the control circuitry to further:

receive, via the second communications interface circuitry using a proprietary communications protocol, the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device.

9. A load control method to control the delivery of power to at least one operatively coupled electrical load device, the load control method comprising:

receiving, by control circuitry via communicatively coupled first communications interface circuitry to communicate signals using a first bandwidth at a first average data transfer rate, one or more signals that include configuration information associated with the load control device;

receiving, by the control circuitry via communicatively coupled second communications interface circuitry to communicate signals using a second bandwidth that is less than the first bandwidth and at a second average data transfer rate that is less than the first average data transfer rate, one or more signals that include at least one command to adjust power delivered from a power supply to at least one operatively coupled electrical load device; and

controlling, by the control circuitry via an operatively coupled controllably conductive device, the delivery of power from the power supply to the at least one electrical load device operatively coupled to the controllably conductive device.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

transmitting, by the control circuitry via the second communications interface circuitry, to one or more other load control devices one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered from the power supply to the at least one electrical load device operatively coupled to the one or more other load control devices.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein receiving the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one electrical load device, further comprises:

receiving, by the control circuitry from a system controller via the second communications interface circuitry, the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one electrical load device.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein receiving the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device, further comprises:

receiving, by the control circuitry from at least one other load control device via the second communications interface circuitry, the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

storing, by the control circuitry in communicatively coupled memory circuitry, the configuration information associated with the load control device responsive to receipt of the one or more signals that include the configuration information associated with the load control device.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein receiving the one or more signals that include configuration information associated with the load control device, further comprises:

receiving, by the control circuitry via the first communications interface circuitry using a TCP/IP communications protocol, the one or more signals that include the configuration information associated with the load control device.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein receiving the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device, the control circuitry to further:

receiving, by the control circuitry via the second communications interface circuitry using a proprietary communications protocol, the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device.

16. A non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device that includes instructions that, when executed by load control device control circuitry, cause the control circuitry to:

receive, via communicatively coupled first communications interface circuitry operable to communicate signals using a first bandwidth at a first average data transfer rate, one or more signals that include configuration information associated with the load control device;

receive, via communicatively coupled second communications interface circuitry operable to communicate signals using a second bandwidth that is less than the first bandwidth and at a second average data transfer rate that is less than the first average data transfer rate, one or more signals that include at least one command to adjust power delivered from a power supply to at least one operatively coupled electrical load device; and

control, via an operatively coupled controllably conductive device, the delivery of the power from the power supply to the at least one electrical load device operatively coupled to the controllably conductive device.

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

transmit via the second communications interface circuitry, to one or more other load control devices one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered from the power supply to the at least one electrical load device operatively coupled to the one or more other load control devices.

18. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 16 wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the control circuitry to receive the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one electrical load device, further cause the control circuitry to:

receive, from a system controller via the second communications interface circuitry, the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one electrical load device.

19. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 16 wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the control circuitry to receive the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device, further cause the control circuitry to:

receive, from at least one other load control device via the second communications interface circuitry, the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device.

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

store, in communicatively coupled memory circuitry, the configuration information associated with the load control device responsive to receipt of the one or more signals that include the configuration information associated with the load control device.

21. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 16 wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the control circuitry to receive the one or more signals that include configuration information associated with the load control device, further cause the control circuitry to:

22. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 16 wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the control circuitry to receive the one or more signals that include the at least one command to adjust the power delivered by the power supply to the at least one operatively coupled electrical load device, further cause the control circuitry to: