IP Library Granted Patent US 12,153,790
Granted Patent B2
US 12,153,790 · App. 17/953,049 · Granted Nov 26, 2024

Communicating with and controlling load control systems

Inventors: Shilpa Sarode (Bethlehem, PA); Jennifer Wong (Brenigsville, PA)
Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
G06F3/0488G06F3/0482H02J3/14H04L12/2812H04L12/282H04L12/2827H02J2310/14
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,153,790
App. No.
17/953,049
Granted
Nov 26, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus may display a home dashboard screen. The home dashboard screen may include a rooms function that when selected, causes display of a rooms screen. The rooms screen may list rooms. The rooms screen may present a back button that when selected, causes display of the home dashboard screen. When one of the rooms is selected, a room dashboard screen may be displayed. The room dashboard screen may list selectable functions, and may present a back button and a “Go To Rooms” button either of which when selected may cause display of the rooms screen. When a selectable function is selected, a control screen may be displayed. The control screen may present controls for receiving a control input, and may present a back button that when selected, causes display of the room dashboard screen, and a “Go To Rooms” button that when selected, causes display of the rooms screen.

Claims (69)

1. A graphical user interface apparatus to operate and configure an electric load control system that includes one or more electric load control devices disposed in each of a plurality of rooms, the apparatus comprising:

a display device;

a communications circuit; and

at least one processor circuit operatively coupled to the display device and the communication circuit, the at least one processor circuit to:

cause a display of a “ROOMS” screen that includes a plurality of user selectable room icons, each of the plurality of room icons corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of rooms;

responsive to selection of one of the user selectable room icons, cause a display of a sub-menu screen that includes an ENERGY icon, a CONTROL icon, and a DEVICE & SETTINGS icon, wherein the sub-menu screen includes:

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen;

responsive to selection of the ENERGY icon, cause a display of an energy data screen for the selected room, wherein the energy data screen includes:

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen; and

responsive to selection of the CONTROL icon, cause a display of a control data screen for one or more electric load devices in the selected room, wherein the control data screen includes;

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen; and

responsive to selection of the DEVICE & SETTINGS icon, cause a display of a sequence of N graphical user interface (GUI) device configuration screens (GUL i , where i is an integer value between 1 and N), wherein common user-selectable icons displayed on each of the N GUI i device configuration screens include:

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen; and

a “BACK” arrow icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of an immediately preceding screen.

2. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein the display device comprises one of: a tablet computer display device, a smartphone display device, or a wearable display device.

3. The graphical user interface of claim 2 wherein to cause the display output that includes the sequence of N GUI screens, the at least one processor circuit to further:

cause the display output to display a sequence of N, full-screen, GUI screens (GUL i , where i is an integer value between 1 and N).

4. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein to cause the display output to display the sequence of N graphical user interface (GUI) screens (GUI;), the at least one processor circuit to further:

cause the display output to display a sequence of N, full-screen, electrical load control device configuration GUI screens.

5. The graphical user interface of claim 4 :

wherein to cause the display output to display the sequence of N, full-screen, electrical load control device configuration GUI screens, the at least one processor circuit to further:

cause the display output that includes the sequence of N, full-screen, electrical load control device configuration GUI screens, wherein each of the N GUI screens includes at least one user-selectable electrical control system configuration parameter.

6. The graphical user interface of claim 1 , the at least one processor circuit to further:

cause a display of a “FLOOR SELECTION” GUI screen that includes a respective user-selectable icon for each floor included in a structure.

7. A method to operate and configure an electrical load control system that includes one or more electric load control devices disposed in each of a plurality of rooms, the method comprising:

causing, by at least one processor circuit, a display output on a communicatively coupled display device of a “ROOMS” screen that includes a plurality of user selectable room icons, each of the plurality of room icons corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of rooms;

responsive to selection of one of the user selectable room icons, display a sub-menu screen that includes an ENERGY icon, a CONTROL icon, and a DEVICE & SETTINGS icon, wherein the sub-menu screen includes:

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen;

responsive to selection of the ENERGY icon, cause a display of an energy data screen for the selected room, wherein the energy data screen includes:

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen; and

responsive to selection of the CONTROL icon, cause a display of a control data screen for one or more electric load devices in the selected room, wherein the control data screen includes;

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen; and

responsive to selection of the DEVICES icon, cause a display that includes a sequence of N graphical user interface (GUI) device configuration screens (GUL), where i is an integer value between 1 and N;

wherein common user-selectable icons displayed on each of the N GUI i device configuration screens include:

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen; and

a “BACK” arrow icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of an immediately preceding GUI screen.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein causing a display output on a communicatively coupled display device further comprises:

causing, by the at least one processor circuit, the display output on one of: a communicatively coupled tablet computer display device, a communicatively coupled smartphone display device, or a communicatively coupled wearable computer display device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein causing the display output that includes the sequence of N graphical user interface (GUI) screens, further comprises:

causing, by the at least one processor circuit, the display output to display a sequence of N, full-screen, GUI screens (GUI i , where i is an integer value between 1 and N).

10. The method of claim 7 wherein causing the display output to display the sequence of N, full-screen, GUI screens further comprises:

causing, by the at least one processor circuit, a display output to display a sequence of N, full-screen, electrical load control device configuration GUI screens.

11. The method of claim 10 :

wherein causing the display output to display the sequence of N, full-screen, electrical load control device configuration GUI screens, further comprises:

causing, by the at least one processor circuit, the display output that includes a sequence of N, full-screen, electrical load control device configuration GUI screens, wherein each of the N GUI screens includes at least one user-selectable electrical control device configuration parameter.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

causing, by the at least one processor circuit, a display of a “FLOOR SELECTION” GUI screen that includes a respective user-selectable icon for each floor included in a structure.

13. A non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device that includes instructions to operate and configure an electrical load control system that includes one or more electric load control devices disposed in each of a plurality of rooms that, when the instructions are executed by a processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to:

cause a display output on a communicatively coupled display device of a “ROOMS” screen that includes a plurality of user selectable icons, each of the plurality of icons corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of rooms;

responsive to selection of one of the user selectable room icons, display a sub-menu screen that includes an ENERGY icon, a CONTROL icon, and a DEVICE & SETTINGS icon, wherein the sub-menu screen includes:

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen;

responsive to selection of the ENERGY icon, cause a display of an energy data screen for the selected room, wherein the energy data screen includes:

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen; and

responsive to selection of the CONTROL icon, cause a display of a control data screen for one or more electric load devices in the selected room, wherein the control data screen includes;

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the at least one processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen; and

responsive to selection of the DEVICES icon, cause a display of a sequence of N graphical user interface (GUI) device configuration screens (GUI i ), where i is an integer value between 1 and N;

wherein common user-selectable icons displayed on each of the N GUI i device configuration screens consist of:

a “GO TO ROOMS” icon that causes the processor circuit to cause the display of the “ROOMS” screen; and

a “BACK” arrow icon that causes the processor circuit to cause the display of an immediately preceding GUI screen.

14. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 13 wherein the instructions that cause the processor circuit to cause the display output on the communicatively coupled display device further cause the processor circuit to:

cause the display output on one of: a communicatively coupled tablet computer display device, a communicatively coupled smartphone display device, or a communicatively coupled wearable computer display device.

15. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 14 wherein the instructions that cause the processor circuit to cause the display output that includes the sequence of N graphical user interface (GUI) screens, further cause the processor circuit to:

cause the display output to display a sequence of N, full-screen, GUI screens (GUI i , where i is an integer value between 1 and N).

16. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 15 wherein the instructions that cause the processor circuit to cause the display output to display the sequence of N, full-screen, graphical user interface (GUI) screens, further cause the processor circuit to:

cause the display output to display a sequence of N, full-screen, electrical load control device configuration GUI screens.

17. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 16 wherein the instructions that cause the processor circuit to cause the display output to display the sequence of N, full-screen, graphical user interface (GUI) screens, further cause the processor circuit to:

cause the display output to display a sequence of N, full-screen, electrical load control device configuration GUI screens, wherein each of the N, full-screen, electrical load control device configuration GUI screens includes at least one user-selectable electrical control device configuration parameter.

18. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 13 wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to:

cause a display of a “FLOOR SELECTION” GUI screen that includes a respective user-selectable icon for each floor included in a structure.