Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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COMMISSIONING A CONFIGURABLE USER CONTROL DEVICE
FOR A LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material which is
subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the
facsimile
reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United
States
Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves
all copyright
rights whatsoever.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
Application No. 15/357,900,
filed November 21, 2016 (Atty. Docket No. RABL-503-US), which claims the
benefit of
U.S. Application No. 14/823,560, filed August 11, 2015 (Atty. Docket No. RABL-
501-
US), which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/035,558,
filed
August 11, 2014 (Atty. Docket No. RABL-501-P), and which also claims the
benefit of
U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/257,908, filed November 20, 2015 (Atty.
Docket No.
RABL-503-P), the entireties of which are hereby incorporated herein by
reference. Any
disclaimer that may have occurred during the prosecution of the above-
referenced
application(s) is hereby expressly rescinded.
FIELD
[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to control devices,
and more
particularly to configurable user controls for wireless lighting control
systems.
BACKGROUND
[0004] Various devices are known for wirelessly controlling or
automating operation
of electrical devices. For example, wireless lighting control systems
facilitate control and
automation of lighting fixtures. That is, various electrical devices may be
configured to
operate according to predetermined schedules or events, such as in response to
time or
other user selections and preferences. Remote monitoring or wireless control
of certain
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electrical devices is also offered, including the monitoring or controlling of
electrical
devices over a network using a mobile device. As the automation and control,
including
wireless control, of electrical devices becomes more popular and as the
desired control
becomes more complex, there is a need for robust device control systems that
are
relatively straightforward to install, configure, and use. Although some
relatively
sophisticated systems are available, they typically require extensive wiring
and other
installation steps by technicians specially trained in such systems and are
expensive
and complex to install and maintain. One such device configuration is user
control
devices. For example, wireless wall switches. One such prior art wireless wall
switch
requires the installer to physically access a pairing switch on each of a
wireless wall
switch and a wireless controller that switches/dims the light fixture to be
associated with
the wall switch. Such physical access is often not convenient or practical
depending on
the physical locations of the devices involved.
[0005] The present disclosure is directed to one or more of the
problems or issues
set forth above.
SUMMARY
[0006] In one aspect, the present disclosure includes a wireless
lighting control
system. The wireless lighting control system includes a cloud-based or other
remote
server system connected to a wide area network and having control software for
configuring, monitoring, and controlling lighting fixtures at an
organization's installation
site. The wireless lighting control system also includes a wireless gateway
located at the
site and configured to communicate with the remote server via the wide area
network.
Wireless devices are in communication with the gateway via a local wireless
network,
for example, a mesh network, and at least some of the wireless devices are
configured
to control one or more lighting fixtures, including a configurable user
control device
having user interface elements that are configurable to be associated with an
activating
specific lighting effects, such as power, dimming, and scene control. A mobile
or other
user computer device is connected to the wide area network and has a graphical
user
interface enabling a user to access the server control software to control and
configure
the lighting fixtures associated with wireless devices at the site according
to the user's
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granted permissions, including virtually mapping user interface elements of
user control
devices to specific lighting effects. By using a user computer device to
configure user
control devices, configuration can advantageously be done without physical
access to
either the user control device or to the lighting controllers, lighting
fixtures, or other
devices at the installation site to be associated with the user control
device.
[0007] Installation, commissioning, and configuration of a wireless
gateway and
wireless devices at the system installation site can be completed by a
qualified electrical
contractor without requiring training specific to the wireless lighting
control system.
Additionally, reconfiguration of user control devices can be completed by a
user. The
site wireless devices can include user control devices such as wall dimmers
and
touchscreens, occupancy/vacancy and other condition sensors, daylight
harvesting
sensors, and lighting controllers. A lighting controller may include an
actuator and can
be configured to switch power on and off, dim, and monitor power and other
conditions
of a lighting fixture and other lighting devices, for example, a motorized
window shade.
A controller can also be configured as a trigger that will monitor a non-
system device or
third-party sensor which is not part of the mesh network and relay data from
the device
or sensor to the lighting control system. User control devices can be
configured to
control lighting controllers, for example, associating a user interface
element with one or
more lighting controllers. User control devices, lighting controllers and
certain other
wireless devices can also act as a mesh network repeater to extend the area
encompassed by the installation site.
[0008] Once commissioned, the system enables easy configuration and
control of
sensing, dimming, automations, schedules, scenes, and monitoring of the site's
lighting
fixtures and associated devices. One or more light fixtures that will all
behave in a like
manner form a "zone" and are associated with a single or a common wireless
device.
An "area" can be formed by a grouping of zones which are configured to respond
together to a single event or command, for example, a schedule. A "scene"
provides a
collection of state change requests, for example, preset saved illumination
levels for a
zone or area. Monitoring can include real-time and/or archived measurement of
status
and power consumption reported from wireless devices to the remote server.
Control,
monitoring, and configuration changes can be easily made by users via a
graphical user
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interface accessible using touchscreen control devices coupled to the wireless
mesh
network or a user computer device, for example, a mobile device, in
communication
with the remote server via a wide area network (WAN) such as the internet.
[0009] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved cloud-
based
wireless lighting control systems and methods.
[0010] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of the
concepts that are
described in further detail in the detailed description and drawings contained
herein.
This summary is not intended to identify any primary or essential features of
the claimed
subject matter. Some or all of the described features may be present in the
corresponding independent or dependent claims, but should not be construed to
be a
limitation unless expressly recited in a particular claim. Each embodiment
described
herein does not necessarily address every object described herein, and each
embodiment does not necessarily include each feature described. Other forms,
embodiments, objects, advantages, benefits, features, and aspects of the
present
disclosure will become apparent to one of skill in the art from the detailed
description
and drawings contained herein. Moreover, the various apparatuses and methods
described in this summary section, as well as elsewhere in this application,
can be
expressed as a large number of different combinations and subcombinations. All
such
useful, novel, and inventive combinations and subcombinations are contemplated
herein, it being recognized that the explicit expression of each of these
combinations is
unnecessary.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Some of the figures shown herein may include dimensions or
may have been
created from scaled drawings. However, such dimensions, or the relative
scaling within
a figure, are by way of example, and not to be construed as limiting.
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of an exemplary wireless
device control system,
including a user control device according to the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary wireless device control
system, according to
the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary user
control device;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a flowchart representing an exemplary method for
commissioning a
site system of the exemplary wireless device control system of FIGS. 1 and 2;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a flowchart representing an exemplary method for
configuring a user
control device of the exemplary wireless device control system of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a
user control
device for use with the wireless device control system of FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the user control device of FIG.
6;
[0019] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating installation of the
user control device
of FIG. 6 configured for dimming control;
[0020] FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the user control
device of FIG. 6 as
installed and configured for scene selection;
[0021] FIG. 10 is an exemplary communication flow for device-to-
device control in
the site system of the wireless device control system of the present
disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 11 is an exemplary screen capture of the graphical user
interface
illustrating a list of connected user control devices and a selection of a
user control
device for configuring;
[0023] FIG. 12 is an exemplary screen capture of the graphical user
interface
illustrating the user control device settings and "switch" mode selection of a
user control
device;
[0024] FIG. 13 is an exemplary screen capture of the graphical user
interface
illustrating the user control device "zone" selection;
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
[0025] FIG. 14 is an exemplary screen capture of the graphical user
interface
illustrating the user control device settings and "scenes" mode selection of a
user
control device;
[0026] FIG. 15 is an exemplary screen capture of the graphical user
interface
illustrating the user control device scene selection;
[0027] FIG. 16 is an exemplary screen capture of the graphical user
interface
illustrating the user control device scene selection, with the "All Off" and
"All On" scenes
selected;
[0028] FIG. 17 is an exemplary screen capture of the graphical user
interface
illustrating the user control device of FIG. 16 allowing a user to associate
the selected
scenes with each user interface element;
[0029] FIG. 18 is an exemplary screen capture of the graphical user
interface
illustrating the user control device of FIG. 16 allowing a user to configure
automations
for a user interface element;
[0030] FIG. 19 is an exemplary screen capture of an alternative touch-
enable
embodiment of a user control device including graphical user interface
elements;
[0031] FIG. 20 is an exemplary screen capture of the graphical user
interface
illustrating configuration of a touch-enabled user control device;
[0032] FIG. 21 is an exemplary screen capture of the graphical user
interface
illustrating a touch-enabled user control device "zone" selection;
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
[0033] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the
principles of the
disclosure, reference will now be made to one or more embodiments, which may
or may
not be illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to
describe the
same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of
the disclosure
is thereby intended; any alterations and further modifications of the
described or
illustrated embodiments, and any further applications of the principles of the
disclosure
as illustrated herein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled
in the art
to which the disclosure relates. At least one embodiment of the disclosure is
shown in
great detail, although it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant
art that some
features or some combinations of features may not be shown for the sake of
clarity.
[0034] Any reference to "invention" within this document is a
reference to an
embodiment of a family of inventions, with no single embodiment including
features that
are necessarily included in all embodiments, unless otherwise stated.
Furthermore,
although there may be references to benefits or advantages provided by some
embodiments, other embodiments may not include those same benefits or
advantages,
or may include different benefits or advantages. Any benefits or advantages
described
herein are not to be construed as limiting to any of the claims.
[0035] Likewise, there may be discussion with regards to "objects"
associated with
some embodiments of the present invention, it is understood that yet other
embodiments may not be associated with those same objects, or may include yet
different objects. Any advantages, objects, or similar words used herein are
not to be
construed as limiting to any of the claims. The usage of words indicating
preference,
such as "preferably," refers to features and aspects that are present in at
least one
embodiment, but which are optional for some embodiments.
[0036] Specific quantities (spatial dimensions, temperatures,
pressures, times, force,
resistance, current, voltage, power, concentrations, wavelengths, frequencies,
heat
transfer coefficients, dimensionless parameters, etc.) may be used explicitly
or implicitly
herein, such specific quantities are presented as examples only and are
approximate
values unless otherwise indicated. Discussions pertaining to specific
compositions of
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matter, if present, are presented as examples only and do not limit the
applicability of
other compositions of matter, especially other compositions of matter with
similar
properties, unless otherwise indicated.
SYSTEM
[0037] FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of an exemplary wireless device
control system
10, according to the present disclosure. The exemplary system 10 generally
includes a
server, or backend system 12, one or more site systems 14, and various
clients, also
referred to throughout as user computer devices 16. The server system 12 may
communicate with the site system 14 and the user computer devices 16 over a
wide
area network (WAN) such as Internet 20 or a cellular network 22, and/or via a
local area
network (LAN).
[0038] Each site system 14 may generally include at least one gateway, or
base
station 24, lighting controllers 37, sensors 38, user control devices 43, and
a mesh
network 28, or other local wireless network, that facilitates communication
among site
system 14. The gateway 24 serves as the manager/coordinator for site system 14
and
mesh network 28, and provides connectivity to server system 12. The lighting
controllers 37 may include an actuator providing dimming and/or on/off control
for light
fixtures 40. User control device 43, such as a touch-screen or wall dimmer,
may be
associated with one or more controllers 37 to provide user selection of a
desired lighting
effect, for example, on/off, dimming, and/or scene selection. Sensors, for
example, an
occupancy sensor 38 or a daylight harvester, can be used to provide
automations for
the site system 14, including for example, a change to the lighting effect
provided by the
user control device 43 depending on the state of the sensor 38.
[0039] FIG. 2 is a more detailed illustration of an exemplary wireless
device control
system 10, according to the present disclosure. Although a wireless lighting
control
system will be described, it should be appreciated that the systems and
methods
described herein are applicable to the automation, monitoring, and/or control
of a variety
of devices or components in a variety of environments. Exemplary site systems
14 may
include all or portions, including indoor and/or outdoor portions, of a home,
business,
parking garage, street, worksite, or other location that include a predefined
set of
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components, such as electrical devices or circuits, including, for example,
light fixtures,
to be monitored or controlled.
[0040] The server system 12 may include one or more servers, or
computers 18
including typical computer components, such as a processor, memory, storage,
display,
network interface, and input/output device, for example. The processor, or
processors,
may execute unique sets of instructions, which may be implemented as computer
readable program code, stored in memory or storage, such that the server
system 12 is
configured as a special purpose system. In particular, hardware, software, and
particular sets of instructions may transform the server system 12, or
portions thereof,
into a lighting control server system, as described herein. As should be
appreciated by
those skilled in the art, the server system 12 may also include any
combination of
computer hardware and software that facilitates communication with the site
systems 14
and user computer devices 16, and performance of the functions described
herein.
[0041] According to a specific implementation, all or portions of
the server system 12
may be cloud-based virtual servers, including a virtual private cloud-based
service. That
is, for example, the one or more servers 18 of the server system 12 may reside
on the
Internet, for example, rather than on a local computer. To be clear, the
server system 12
may be remote from the site systems 14 and/or the user computer devices 16.
For
example, Digi Device Cloud, offered by Digi International, Inc., is a public
cloud
platform for device network management that may be used for all or portions of
the
server system 12. The server system 12 may communicate with the site systems
14
and the user computer devices 16 over a wide area network (WAN), such as the
Internet 20 or a cellular network 22, and/or via a local area network (LAN),
for example.
Some embodiments in particular use cellular communication. Cellular
communication
may be quicker to set-up, more secure and/or more reliable than other
available
communications means, such as an installation site's broadband internet
connection. By
using a cellular network, embodiments of the present disclosure are able to
keep out of
the organization's corporate network, which can assist in mitigating
accidental creation
of back doors through firewalls and into the user's corporate network that
could
potentially be used to create a security breach in the organization's
corporate network.
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[0042] Each site system 14 may generally include at least one
gateway, or base
station, 24, and one or more wireless devices 26, or device nodes, which are
configured
to communicate over a mesh network 28, or other similar local wireless
network.
[0043] The gateway 24 may include a communications module 30 that
facilitates
communication between the mesh network 28, or other wireless network, and the
WAN
network, such as the Internet 20 or a cellular network 22. As such, the
gateway 24 can
facilitate communication between the devices 26 of the site system 14 and the
server
system 12. The gateway 24 may also include an operations module 32 for
processing
and/or communicating instructions (e.g., to devices 26) received from the
server system
12, as will be described in greater detail below. The operations module 32 may
also
receive and/or process information from the devices 26. That is, the gateway
24 may
run applications locally while also interfacing across the mesh network 28 for
WAN
connectivity to the server system 12. An exemplary gateway device may be, for
example, the XBee Zigbee Gateway provided by Digi International, Inc,
configured
as a coordinator.
[0044] Each device 26 may include a communications module 34,
facilitating
communication between the device 26 and the gateway 24 over a local wireless
network, such as the mesh network 28. For example, the devices 26 may each
include
a radio transceiver, such as a XBee radio module for communicating using the
ZigBee protocol, which is related to IEEE standards, including 802.15.4. The
devices
26 may also include at least one control module 36 for facilitating
interaction between
the device 26 and an associated electrical component, such as, for example, an
electrical circuit. Devices 26 may also each be configured to act as a router
or end
device, such that it can also forward messages to other devices 26 and/or the
gateway
24.
[0045] Each site 14 may include a variety of different devices 26
managed by the
gateway 24 and connected to the mesh network 28. For example, according to one
implementation, a site 14 may include lighting controllers 37, sensors, such
as
occupancy sensors, 38, daylight harvesters, and user control devices, such as
touchscreens and wall dimmers, 43. In addition to controlling lighting devices
40, for
example, light fixtures, Controllers 37 may additionally or alternatively
provide a power
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usage measurement, and may be configured to act an event trigger by detecting
voltage
and/or current to determine the state of a device, such as, for example, a
room light
switch or a light fixture having its own motion sensor, or other sensor, to
activate it.
Sensors 38 that are part of the system 10 may be configured to detect and
report the
state of motion sensors, for example occupancy/vacancy sensors, while daylight
harvesters may include a light sensing circuit for measuring light and
reporting
measurements and other data to the system 10.
[0046] Each of the user computer devices, or clients, 16 may include
a computing
device, such as, for example, a personal computer, laptop computer, netbook
computer,
tablet device, mobile device, portable electronic device (PED), smart device,
or cell
phone configured to communicate with the server system 12 via WAN 20 or 22, or
possibly with the gateway 24, for example, via mesh network 28, to permit a
user 42 to
configure, monitor, and/or control devices 26 for a particular site system 14.
That is, a
user 42 may access a control program, or control logic, on the server system
12 through
an appropriate user interface, such as a graphical user interface 1000, using
user
computer device 16, which may have web-browsing abilities or may have a
control
application installed thereon. For example, upon requesting a Uniform Resource
Locator (URL) address corresponding to a website hosted by the server system
12, a
web page may be loaded in a web browser of one of the client devices 16. That
is, one
of the servers 18 may be or may include a web server for delivering web
content to the
user 42 through one of the user computer devices 16 described above.
Thereafter, the
user 42 may be provided with an option of registering for or accessing an
account.
[0047] The system 10 or, more specifically, the server system 12 may
include a
plurality of modules useful in carrying out the control and other strategies
disclosed
herein. For example, the server system 12 may include or utilize functionality
expressed
with reference to an organization account registration module 44, a user
manager
module 46, a device manager module 48, and a communications module 50, to name
a
few. It should be appreciated that the term "modules," as used herein, is for
ease of
explanation, rather than limitation, and is intended to represent certain
related aspects
or functionality of the wireless device control system 10. Each of the modules
may
represent a set of computer instructions, or computer readable program code,
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representing processes for performing specific tasks of the wireless device
control
system 10. The tasks may be performed using a processor, or processors, and
may
require the access or manipulation of data stored in a data repository 52.
[0048] The account registration module 44, which will be discussed in
greater detail
below, may facilitate the creation of accounts for organizations and/or users,
such as
users 42, within the system 10. For example, the registration module 44 may be
used to
collect data input by users 42 and/or authorized administrators and/or
customer service
representatives accessing the wireless device control system 10 through one of
various
user computer devices 16. According to some embodiments, the various user
computer
devices 16 may include any suitable electronic communication devices and/or
workstations, such as, for example, personal computers, laptop computers,
netbook
computers, tablet devices, mobile devices, PEDs, smart devices, and cell
phones, as
mentioned above. The account registration module 44 may be used to collect
various
information, including, for example, personally identifiable information, such
as, for
example, name, address, and phone number.
[0049] The user manager module 46 may include and/or implement rules
pertaining
to the various users 42, or user types, of the system 10. For example, when
one of the
users 42 is registered, a user profile including user credentials, such as a
username and
password, may be created for the user 42 and stored in the data repository 52.
The user
manager module 46 may be configured to ensure that each user 42, as identified
using
the unique credentials, is provided with appropriate access and/or
capabilities with
regard to the system 10, as will be discussed in greater detail below. For
example, the
user manager module 46 may include an association of each user 42 to one or
more
sites, and may define appropriate permissions for each user 42 relative to
respective
organization and/or respective site systems 14.
[0050] The wireless device control system 10 or, more specifically, the
server system
12 may include a database management system including one or more databases,
such
as data repository 52. The data repository 52 may store data, including the
account and
user data described above and installation and configuration data for site
system 14,
useful in carrying out the strategies disclosed herein. Although the data
repository 52 is
illustrated as a component within the server system 12, it should be
appreciated that the
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server system 12 may include any number of separate components or systems,
including separate database(s), configured to communicate with one another in
a
manner consistent with the teachings disclosed herein.
[0051] The device manager module 48 may provide the main functionality of
the
server system 12. For example, after account registration is completed and
appropriate
organizations and/or users are established in the system 10, the device
manager
module 48 may be programmed and/or configured to permit users 42 to remotely
control and manage specific associated site systems 14. The device manager
module
48 may also monitor and process data from the data repository 52, and/or
acquired
data, to facilitate identification configuration, monitoring, and control of
the site systems
14, as will be described below. According to a specific example, the device
manager
module 48 may receive control information from users 42 via user computer
devices 16,
store the information in the data repository 52, and mirror the information to
the
appropriate gateway 24 for implementation. According to some embodiments, the
data
repository 52 may be initially populated with at least some default control
data.
DEVICES
[0052] As stated above, devices 26 of the wireless control system 10 and
associated
site lighting fixtures 40 may be controlled, monitored, and managed by users
42, via
user computer devices 16 and user control devices 43. Generally speaking,
devices 26
can act as actuators, causing changes in the environment (e.g., turning lights
on or off),
user controls, detecting and responding to user interactions, and/or sensors,
detecting
and/or responding to some input from the environment, such as movement or
light, at
the respective sites. Although not an exhaustive list, some exemplary devices
26 are
described further below and can include user control devices 43,
occupancy/vacancy
and other condition sensors 38, daylight harvesting sensors, and lighting
controllers 37.
Standard color coding of wires is used in some embodiments to facilitate ease
of
installation by electrical technicians.
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USER CONTROL DEVICES
[0053] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 10, exemplary user control devices 43, e.g.
mechanical and touch-activated interfaces such as wall dimmer switches and
touchscreens, reside at the site 14, for example, mounted to or recessed
within a wall at
a convenient location for the areas and zones controlled by the device. The
user
control device 43 may communicate directly with and control the devices 26 of
the site
system 14 via the mesh network 28, or communicate with the gateway 24. For
example,
lighting effects such as on/off or dimming control of one or more controllers
37
associated with a user control device 43 may utilize transmission of messages
by
device 43 addressed to specific controllers 37. Alternatively, lighting
effects such as
scene control may utilize transmission of a messages by device 43 addressed to
the
gateway 24 indicating the user interaction with device 43 and/or the desired
scene,
resulting in gateway 24 initiating control of appropriate controllers 37.
Directly
communicating through the mesh network 28 in addressing the devices 26 will
reduce
latency that might otherwise occur if the user 42 is accessing the devices 26
through the
WAN 20 or 22 and through the gateway 24, as described above.
[0054] As such, the user control device 43 may additionally include a radio
module
746 (FIG. 3), such as an XBee radio module, for example, XBP24CZ7 available
from
Digi International of Minnetonka, MN, for communicating using the ZigBee
protocol, as
described above, and may serve as a repeater for the mesh network 28. The user
control device 43 may include an integrated radio module, or may include an
external
radio module. If configuration or control of one or more devices 26 is
affected from the
user control device 43, the gateway 24 and ultimately the server system 12 and
the user
interface on a user computer device 16 may be updated accordingly with the new
configuration and/or status of the devices 26, either by the user control
device 43 or by
the devices 26 themselves.
[0055] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, one embodiment of a user control device
43 is a
dimmer switch 700. The dimmer switch 700 may include a rocker switch 706 with
two
programmable user interface (e.g. pressure or mechanically activated)
elements, 726
and 728. Although two user interface elements are shown and described, it
should be
appreciated that a dimmer switch 700 and other forms of user control devices
43 may
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include more or less than two user interface elements and the additional
design
characteristics described herein are not intended to be limiting. The
illustrated
embodiment of the exemplary dimmer switch 700, as shown in FIG. 7, includes a
housing/enclosure 724 which can be recessed in a wall-mounted electrical box
similar
to a common household single-gang light switch. The mounting plate 712 and
faceplate
bracket 704 secure the dimmer switch 700 to the wall surface or electrical box
and are
covered by the faceplate 702. Within the exemplary dimmer switch 700, the main
electrical components providing the functionality of the dimmer switch 700 are
the
control board 718, to provide a processor 740 and the functions of the radio
module 746
as described above, and the power supply board 722, including for example an
AC/DC
power supply module 750. Processor 740 may be, for example, an MSP430
microcontroller available from Texas Instruments of Dallas, TX. The dimmer
switch 700
may also include external memory, for example CAT24C128 I2C serial EEPROM
available from ON Semiconductor of Phoenix, AZ, to provide additional memory,
including, for example, to provide a rollback copy of firmware during firmware
updates of
the dimmer switch.
[0056] According to exemplary functionality, the rocker switch 706 may be
configured to perform various different functions depending on the user
interaction with
the rocker switch, for example, the length and/or number of times a user
interface
element 726 or 728 is depressed. For example, the dimmer switch 700 may be
configured such that pressing one user interface element, for example, upper
element
726, closes momentary contact switch 714 (FIGS. 3 and 7), while pressing the
second
user interface element for example, lower element 728, closes a second
momentary
contact switch 716. In another configuration, while similarly pressing the
elements once
may toggle the connected circuit both ON/OFF, pressing the same user interface
elements two or more times within a predetermined amount of time, or pressing
and
holding the element may initiate a different lighting effect of the same or a
different
lighting controller 37, for example, dimming one or more lighting devices 40
up or down
for the duration the element is pressed. Other configurations of the user
interface
elements may include, but are not limited to, initiating certain behaviors
associated with
schedules, automations, or scenes for individual devices 26 or groupings of
devices
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
,
,
within specific areas and zones. These various combinations of lighting
effects and/or
behaviors can be programmed, or virtually mapped, by a user 42 through a user
computer device 16, or more specifically through the graphical user interface
1000 (e.g.,
FIG. 11) of the user computer device 16. The process of commissioning and
virtually
mapping user control devices 43 is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 and is
described in
greater detail below.
[0057] As shown in FIGS. 6-9, the exemplary dimmer switch 700 may
include
several LEDs 710, 730, 732, and 734 providing indications of various features.
One or
more LED drivers may be used to interface the LEDs with MCU 740, for example,
TLC59208F I2C Bus LED drivers available from Texas Instruments of Dallas, TX.
Dimming LEDs 710 (FIGS. 3 and 6) which can be seen by a user illuminating from
the
rocker frame 708, for example, via optical pipes 711, will illuminate based
upon the
configuration of the dimmer switch 700, user actuation of the rocker 706, and
optionally,
confirmation of the status of the desired control via controller 37 and/or
gateway 24. In
this embodiment, the upper ten LEDs 710 along the right side of rocker switch
706 are
green LEDs and have variable illumination patterns which are generally
representative
of the mode and status of the dimmer switch 700 and/or user actuation of the
rocker
706. A power/indicator LED 732 is a white LED located at the bottom right and
indicates
the device 43 is powered and can also provide other indications, for example,
flashing,
upon selection of the device 43 for self-indication, for example, by user 42
via graphical
user interface 1000.
[0058] As a first example of the configurable control functionality
of dimmer switch
700 and varying illumination patterns of the dimming LEDs 710, when using the
dimmer
switch in a dimmer mode, the ten variable dimming LEDs 710 will illuminate
such that a
user is able to view the contemporaneous dim level. As a user increases the
power
level from 0% to 100%, for example, by pressing and holding the upper user
interface
element 726, one additional dimming LED will illuminate from the lower end of
the
dimmer switch 700 upward for each power increase of 10% until all ten dimming
LEDs
710 are illuminating once the power level reaches 100%. FIG. 8 illustrates a
dimmer
switch 700 being operated in dimming mode wherein the power level is 30%,
wherein
the lowest three of the variable dimming LEDs 710 are illuminated. Additional
examples
16
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
of configurable or nonconfigurable control functionality associated with
various user
interactions with user control elements that may be incorporated into dimmer
switch 700
include: touch and release of the bottom element 728 turns off and stores the
prior dim
level setting; when off, touch and release of the top element 726 turns on and
restores
the dim level to the stored dim level; double tap of the top element 726 or
bottom
element 728 sets the dim level to the maximum or minimum, respectively; and
press
and hold of the top element 726 or bottom element 728 slowly increases or
decreases
the dim level until released.
[0059] As a second example of the configurable control functionality of
dimmer
switch 700 and varying illumination patterns of the dimming LEDs 710, the ten
variable
dimmer LEDs 710 may illuminate differently when the dimmer switch 700 is
operated in
scene selection mode. More specifically, when the upper user interface element
726 is
pressed, the five upper dimmer LEDs 710 may illuminate continuously or for a
predefined period of time before turning back off indicating selection of a
scene
associated with the upper element 726. Alternatively, when the bottom user
interface
element 728 is pressed, the five lower dimmer LEDs 710 may illuminate
continuously or
for a predefined period of time before turning back off. FIG. 9 illustrates a
dimmer switch
700 being operated in scene selection mode wherein the upper interface element
726
has been pressed. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the user
interface
elements 726 and 728 may be used to selectively index through and select from
a
series of different scenes, for example, several different scenes, providing
selection
from among more scenes than there are elements associated with the dimmer
switch
700.
[0060] As a third example of the configurable control functionality of the
dimmer
switch 700 or other user control devices 43, the device may be selectively
configured to
control both the power/dim settings for one or more control devices 37 AND
scene
control selection. For example, use of a particular user interactions with a
user control
element, use of a particular user control elements, or satisfaction of
conditions for a
particular automations (discussed further below) could be used to distinguish
between
power/dim control and scene control selection.
17
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[0061] With reference to FIGS. 3 and 8, the exemplary dimmer switch may
also
include a network connectivity status indicator 730 and plurality of network
signal LEDs
734 which can be seen by a user during installation and hidden during
subsequent use.
In the exemplary embodiment, the network signal LEDs 734 are blue LEDs located
on
the control board 718 and are covered by the faceplate 702 upon completion of
installation. The plurality of network LEDs 734 may be provided to function as
a signal
strength indicator, providing a visual indication of signal strength to, for
example, the
nearest device 26 in the mesh network 28. For example, three illuminated LEDs
may
represent strong signal strength, two illuminated LEDs may represent
acceptable signal
strength, and one illuminated LED may represent unacceptable signal strength.
It
should be appreciated that the particular means for accomplishing this manual
functionality and the particular visual indications described are for
exemplary purposes
only; variations may be implemented without deviating from the scope of the
present
disclosure. The network connectivity status indicator 730 may include a
multicolor LED.
For example, illumination of a green LED may indicate device 43 is joined with
mesh
network 28, for example, also registered with and recognized by gateway 24. A
red LED
of status indicator 730 may indicate the device 43 is not joined with mesh
network 28.
[0062] Another embodiment of a user control device 43 is a touchscreen
device 701
(FIG. 2), such as a tablet computing device, that functions like one of the
user computer
devices 16, having a user interface application or software installed directly
thereon,
facilitating the system configuring, monitoring, and controlling as described
herein, for
example, the exemplary user interface screen as shown in FIG. 19 that provides
configurable touch-activated user interface elements 1010, 1012, and 1014.
[0063] The touchscreen control device 701 may include other radio modules,
as
tablet computing devices typically do, that are disabled to limit
communication to the
mesh network, which increases security of the wireless device control system
10. Since
the mesh network 28 is the only wireless communications available to the user
control
device 43, a problem arises in how to install and updating software for the
device, and,
in particular, the user interface application. Advantageously, a user
interface application
can be deployed to the user control device 43 via server 12, WAN 20 or 22,
gateway 24,
and mesh network 28.
18
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
,
LIGHTING CONTROLLERS
[0064] An exemplary lighting controller 37, or lighting control
device, may switch
mains power to circuits, such as, for example, circuit 41 of FIG. 2, as well
as provide a
dimming interface for dimmable drivers and ballasts. As an example, the
controller 37
may provide a 0-10V dimming interface. The remotely controlled controller
device 37
may, thus, provide ON/OFF control, as well as dimming, for light fixtures
installed on the
same circuit. As used herein, "mains power" broadly refers to power delivered
to a site
or location, such as a house or building, from a utility company, and power
distributed
throughout the site or location, such as from a circuit breaker to a number of
branch
circuits, for example, 120 VAC power.
POWER LOSS DETECTION
[0065] According to some embodiments, devices 26, including
controllers 37, user
control devices 43, and occupancy sensors 130, may be configured to provide a
power
loss message/notification. For example, these devices 26 are configured to,
upon
detection of the loss of mains power, send a packet to the gateway 24
indicating such.
To do so, capacitive circuits of the devices 26 maintain sufficient power to
send this last
message to the gateway 24, indicating power loss. For example, the dimmer
switch 700
power loss detection circuit 744 can provide such detection and sufficient
capacitive
storage to provide momentary power for the processor 740 and the radio module
746 to
send a power loss message. If the gateway 24 does not receive this message, it
can be
presumed that any loss of communication from the device 26 is due to a loss of
reception rather than a loss of power.
[0066] AC power loss can be detected by the power loss detection
circuit 744 in
various ways known in the art, including in two illustrative ways. First, AC
power loss is
detected by monitoring zero voltage crossing of the AC supply power of the
device 26.
The processor receives the AC power line and signals through the power monitor
at the
AC input pins and enable the processor to measure instantaneous AC voltage.
The
processor triggers an AC power loss notification upon an absence of zero
crossings
detected over a specified period of time, for example, two or more zero
voltage
19
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
,
crossings during the period of time expected for 60Hz AC power, for example
about 20
msec.
[0067] The second way AC power loss is detected or confirmed is by
determining
that DC voltage at a first DC voltage output is lost. The device 26 processor
can include
an input/output port coupled to the first DC voltage output to monitor whether
the
voltage level at a junction between a first DC stage and a second DC stage
reflects that
AC power is provided (if the first DC voltage level is detected) or if AC
power is lost (if a
lower and/or declining DC voltage level is detected). To aid the detection of
power loss
at the first DC voltage output, a capacitor is coupled across the node between
the
output and the anode of the diode and ground. Upon loss of AC power, the
capacitor
will discharge through the associated resistive voltage divider, which also
provides a
voltage detection level across the capacitor that is scaled appropriately for
the port of
the processor. To aid the speed with which power loss can be detected by the
process
via the port, it has been found advantageous to set the port as an output
port, set the
output low, for example, for a few milliseconds, then set the port to input in
order to
catch the rising side of the port threshold rapidly if the voltage across the
capacitor is
already low. In contrast, if the port is always an output and the capacitor is
discharging,
it can take about 100 milliseconds or longer to detect a low voltage state at
the
descending side of the port threshold.
[0068] An additional feature is an optional power supply split of the
controller circuitry
powered by the second DC stage so that upon detection of power loss, power can
be
disconnected from part of the controller circuit and power from a capacitive
supply can
continue to power only the portion of the control circuitry needed to transmit
a power
loss data message.
GATEWAY
[0069] At least one gateway, such as gateway 24 above, is installed
to communicate
with devices 26 at a site 14. With continued reference to the system 10 of
FIG. 2, the
gateway 24 serves as the coordinator of and manages the mesh network 28 and
communicates with the server system 12. As will be described below, the
gateway 24
ultimately controls the devices 26, with control information mirrored from the
server
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
system 12, with which users 42 and user computer devices 16 directly interact.
According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the gateway 24
communicates with the server system 12 via cellular or, in some particular
embodiments, machine-to-machine cellular. As such, the gateway 24 may be
provided
with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card for facilitating communication
over a
cellular network, for example, private, encrypted 3G cellular connection
independent of
any site networks. This connection may be maintained while the gateway 24 is
powered
on, and, by avoiding the use of an Ethernet, WiFi, or other shared internet
connection,
may be more secure than alternative communications means, also avoiding
providing a
possible inadvertent intrusion pathway through a firewall of the site 14.
[0070] Embodiments for packet routing through mesh network 28 include ad
hoc
network routing where the shortest path from a device 26 to the gateway 24 is
continually updated and used for communications. Still other embodiments
utilize
source routing where a routing path from a device 26 to the gateway is
initially set and
remains unchanged until the routing path is updated at a later (typically
predetermined)
time. Still other embodiments will utilize ad hoc routing when there are a
particular
number of nodes in the mesh network 28 (e.g., 40 or less) and will utilize
source routing
when there are a different number of nodes in the mesh network (e.g., >40
nodes).
ILLUMINATION PROTOCOLS
[0071] Referring to FIG. 10, other embodiments of the present disclosure
can
address illumination latency issues by using a point-to-point (device-to-
device) control
scheme in which packets containing commands are sent directly from one device
26 to
another device 26, rather than having to route through the gateway 24, which
may
sometimes result in appreciable and undesirable delays between user control
interaction and changes in lighting effects in the site 14. For example, a
user control
device 43 associated with the mesh network 28 provides instructions in a
messaged
addressed directly to the controller 37 for the light fixture 40. The user
control device 43
will send the command (e.g., on, off and/or dim) packet directly to the
controllers 37 for
the light fixtures, i.e., bypassing the gateway 24, then each controller 37
can send a
response to the gateway 24 and the/or the user control device 43 to inform the
gateway
21
=
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
that the command was received and/or a change in status of the controller (or
light
fixture) had occurred. Other devices such as occupancy sensors 130 and
controllers 37
that are configured in site system 14 to control another device 26 can
similarly employ
point-to-point packet routing and control.
DEPLOYMENT PLAN
[0072] The process of deployment and commissioning of system 10 is
illustrated in
process 400 of FIG. 4 and is as described further below. In embodiments where
the
gateway 24 communicates via a cellular network, the gateway 24 is typically
installed at
a location having a good cellular signal. The devices 26 are also typically
installed such
that they communicate with the gateway 24, either directly or indirectly (such
as through
other devices 26 of the wireless mesh network 28). With the devices 26 powered
on, the
installer can ensure that the devices have a "good" signal indication to
ensure good
communication with gateway 24, for example, using the indicators 714 and 730
on the
dimmer switch 700. If the signal is unacceptable, the devices 26 may be
relocated or
additional devices may be added between the particular device 26 and the
gateway 24.
COMMISSIONING
[0073] Once the hardware has been mounted and powered on, it may be
commissioned, during which the device enters the network and is identified by
the
server system 12. In at least one embodiment, the devices being mounted and
powered
on will self-commission, greatly simplifying installation. For example, in at
least one
example embodiment, the gateway 24 self-commissions by automatically
identifying
itself to the device control system 10 and with a user organization account.
[0074] Once one or more items of hardware of site system 14 (e.g.,
gateway 24, any
device 26, sensors 38 and/or any user control device 43) is mounted (or
positioned) in
the appropriate location and powered on, such hardware will self-commission by
automatically initiating communications with the server system 12 (which for a
device 26
will typically do so by communicating and registering with the gateway 24
which in turn
registers the device with server system 12) and identifying itself to the
server system 12,
which may occur over a cellular telephone network as previously described.
22
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
[0075] When the devices 26 are powered on, they can wirelessly and
automatically
attempt to communicate with the gateway 24 via the mesh network 28. In
particular, the
devices 26 can identify themselves to the gateway 24 and the gateway 24 can
inform
the server system 12 of the devices 26 (see, e.g., step 414 of FIG. 4).
According to
some embodiments, a proprietary link key may be used to secure communications
between the gateway 24 and devices 26, even during initial commissioning.
[0076] Once the hardware of site system 14 has been installed, the hardware
can be
associated with a user organization account for the device control system 10,
which
may be accomplished automatically, such as if an account has already been
established, or by an administrator of the server system 12.
[0077] Embodiments including hardware that self-commission greatly enhances
the
usability of these systems. The user need only power on the hardware
(typically after
mounting and wiring with the light fixtures 40) to have the hardware
communicate with
the server system 12 and have the server system 12 identify which specific
device self-
commissioned. As such, no special training may be required, other than
potentially
having an electrician's certification depending on local laws, to have one or
more
devices fully integrated into the network and into an operational system. In
situations
where the user does not have a user organization account, the self-
commissioning
process speeds the installation process. In some embodiments, a user without
an
organization account can have an account established and have the device
(e.g., a
wireless dimmer switch 700) fully integrated into the network within minutes
(e.g., less
than 1 minute in some embodiments, and less than 5 minutes in other
embodiments).
[0078] If registration has not yet occurred, it can occur at this point in
the process. To
reiterate, the gateway 24 may be associated with an account, such as, for
example, by
a user or administrator accessing or creating an account over the Internet.
Alternatively,
a user may call a customer service representative to assist in establishing a
user
account and/or the commissioning process. Yet alternatively, an interactive
voice
response system may be integrated with the device control system 10 to assist
in the
registration and/or commissioning process. Ultimately, a gateway
identification code for
the gateway 24 is typically associated with a particular organization account
and site,
such as site system 14.
23
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
=
[0079] A flowchart 400 representing an exemplary method of
commissioning and/or
configuring a site, such as site system 14, is shown in FIG. 4. The method
begins at a
START, step 402, and proceeds to a first step, shown at step 404, in which
registration
occurs. In particular, a user, such as one of users 42, may access the server
system 12
using an appropriate interface, such as a web-based or native application, to
register
and/or create an organization account and add users and/or administrators.
Alternatively, an administrator may register users 42 and create user
accounts. After
registration, a gateway, such as gateway 24, may be associated with an
organization
account, at step 406. This may be accomplished by entering a unique gateway
identification number through the application, or other appropriate interface,
or the
gateway 24 may be pre-configured with an association to an existing account.
[0080] With the association in place, when the gateway 24 is powered
on, at step
408, the gateway 24 may appear on a user interface, such as a graphical user
interface
1000, of a user device, such as one of the user computer devices 16. Devices
26 may
be designed such that upon power up they automatically attempt to register
with the
gateway 24 after they are powered on, at steps 410 and 412. That is, when a
device 26
such as a user control device 43 is powered on, it wirelessly and
automatically attempts
to communicate with the gateway 24. In particular, the device 26 identifies
itself to the
gateway 24 and the gateway 24 informs the server system 12 of the device 26,
at step
414. In some embodiments, the gateway 24 may prevent new devices 26 from using
the
proprietary link key to join the mesh network 28 unless a customer service
representative and/or organization administrator has set the site system 14
and
gateway 24 to allow new devices to join, for example, by selecting an "add
devices
mode" on the graphical user interface 1000.
[0081] After devices 26 have joined the mesh network and registered
with gateway
24 and server system 12, the user 42 may then be able to manage devices 16
through
the user interface, at step 416, as will be discussed below for flowchart 500
for the user
control devices 43. Users 42 may have various levels of access and control
with regard
to a particular site and/or particular device 26. After configuration, the
server system 12
communicates control instructions to the gateway 24, at step 418, and the
gateway 24
may execute the instructions, at step 420. Updates provided by the user 42 may
be
24
µ=
. CA 2964915 2017-04-20
,
forwarded from the server system 12 to the gateway 24. In addition, the
gateway 24
may receive various information from the device 26, and may send, or relay,
various
updates to the server system 12. Ultimately, the method proceeds to an END, at
step
422.
[0082] After the device 26 communicates with the gateway 24 and the gateway 24
communicates information about the device 26 to the server system 12, the
device 26
may be managed within a user interface as provided by a user computer device
16.
That is, with continued reference to FIGS. 1-2, representations, such as, for
example,
graphical and/or textual representations, of the device 26 may be displayed on
a
graphical user interface 1000 of one of the user computer devices 16, as shown
for
example in FIGS. 11-21. Additionally, when a user 42, particularly an
organizational
administrator, logs into their account, all sites, or site systems 14,
associated with the
user 42 may be visible through the user interface.
[0083] Referring again to FIGS. 11-21, when the user 42 selects one
of the sites, or
site systems 14, entries 1002 representative of actual devices 26 are visible
through the
user interface and include information, such as unique device identifiers. The
user 42
may enter additional information about each device 26, such as a device
location,
description, and zone, using the user interface. To ascertain which entry 1002
in the
graphical user interface 1000 represents which physical device 26, a user
input, such as
an indicate selection button 1004 associated with a specific one of the
entries 1002
displayed on the graphical user interface 1000 may be actuated, as illustrated
in FIG.
12. As a result, an indicator on the physical device 26 represented by that
entry 1002
may be modified in some predetermined way to assist the user 42 in matching
each
entry 1002 to the physical device 26 it represents. For example, an indicator,
such as
the power indicator LED 732 (FIG. 8) of the dimmer switch 700, may illuminate
using a
predetermined duration and/or pattern, or the load (e.g. light fixture 40)
controlled by the
device may be repeatedly switched on/off or dimmed/undimmed.
[0084] An additional and/or alternative device identification may
include the user 42
actuating a physical switch or pushbutton, such as pushbutton 720 (FIG. 8) of
the
exemplary dimmer switch 700, of one of the devices 26. This actuation may
generate a
communication sent by the radio module 746 (FIG. 3) of the dimmer switch 700
and be
=
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
, =
received by the gateway 24 of the site system 14 and communicated, along with
the
unique device identifier of the selected device 26, e.g. of the dimmer switch
700, to the
server system 12. In addition, this actuation my change a state of a status
indicator on
the device 26, for example, one or more LEDs may blink for a period of time or
other
condition satisfied subsequent to a physical switch being actuated. An example
of this
function is the status indicator LED 730 of the exemplary dimmer switch 700.
In
response to this device identification procedure, the device entries 1002 as
shown in
FIG. 11, or other representation, in the user interface may be changed to
identify which
device entry 1002 corresponds to the selected device 26. For example, the
particular
device entry 1002 corresponding to the selected device 26 may be moved up to
the top
of the list, highlighted, or otherwise indicated, and may be pre-selected in
preparation
for the user 42 to continue the commissioning process. As such, the user 42
may be
assisted in adding useful and accurate information about the device 26 via the
graphical
user interface 1000.
CONFIGURATION AND USE
[0085] When the site system 14 is deployed and the devices 26 are
properly
commissioned, the user 42 may begin remotely managing and controlling the
devices
26, for example, by initiating manual actions through a graphical user
interface 1000 or
creating automations and schedules to be carried out by the server system 12
and/or
gateway 24. As described above, users 42 may have various levels of access and
control with regard to a particular site 14 and/or particular devices 26.
After
commissioning, the server system 12 communicates control instructions to the
gateway
24 (and/or devices 26 via gateway 24), and the gateway 24 (and/or devices 26)
may
execute the instructions. Updates provided by the user 42 may be forwarded
from the
server system 12 to the gateway 24, and to devices 26. In addition, the
gateway 24 may
receive information from the devices 26, and may send, or relay, various
updates to the
server system 12.
[0086] As described above, the devices 26 may accomplish some
function, such as
detecting changes in the environment or causing changes in the environment.
That is,
for example, some devices 26 may switch power to a lighting fixture and/or
control a
26
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
dim level of the lighting fixture(s). According to some embodiments, a trim
level,
representing a maximum illumination level of the lighting fixture, may be set
or modified
through the graphical user interface 1000. For example, as an energy savings
feature, a
user may set a trim level for a particular light by lowering the maximum
illumination level
for the light so that a user may not increase the illumination level/output
beyond the
newly selected maximum level. In addition to a maximum dim level, a minimum
dim
level may be set and/or adjusted through the application user interface. As
another
example, the device 26 (e.g., an occupancy sensor) can restrict the maximum
illumination of the fixture when the sensor detects a person, e.g., when the
light is
turned on the light illuminates to only 80% of its maximum illumination.
Although
illumination can be less than 100% when using trim levels, the wall switch can
be
configured to indicate the fixture is at 100% illumination while the user
interface (cell
phone, iPad, etc.) can show the actual illumination level (e.g., 80%).
[0087] During commissioning, or sometime thereafter, each of the devices 26
may
be associated with or may correspond to a particular zone. For example, a zone
may
represent an electrical circuit having one or more lighting fixtures installed
thereon.
Zones may be grouped into areas, which may represent, for example, rooms,
locations,
or other designated areas of the site 14. This organization may logically
group circuits
into common areas to facilitate appropriate monitoring and control. Turning to
FIG. 13, a
screen capture depicts the creation of an area and selection of zones to group
within
the area via an exemplary user interface.
[0088] To improve lighting control relative to daylight hours, sunset and
sunrise times
are used by the system 12, for example, to control when different "scenes" are
configured as depicted in FIGS. 14-16; during commissioning of a gateway 24 or
later
during configuration, a user or administrator enters the zip code where the
site system
14, including the gateway 24, is located and the server system 12 uses the zip
code to
determine an approximate latitude and longitude of the site system 14 for
sunrise/sunset calculations. Determining the latitude and longitude based on
only the
zip code and calculating and storing that information at the server system 12
adds an
extra layer of security to assist in obscuring the precise physical location
of the site
system 14.
27
. '
CA 2964915 2017-04-20
[0089] The flowchart 500 of FIG. 5 represents the exemplary method for
configuring
a user control device 43, such as the exemplary dimmer switch 700, of the
wireless
device control system 10. The method begins at a START, step 502, and proceeds
to a
first step, shown at step 504, for commissioning of the system devices 26.
Once the site
system 14 is planned and deployed, and the device 26 is properly commissioned
at step
504 (for example, according to flowchart 400 of FIG. 4), the user 42 may begin
remotely
managing and controlling the device 26. When a user 42 logs into their
account, all
sites, or site systems 14, associated with the user 42 may be visible through
the
graphical user interface 1000 as depicted in step 506 and in the screenshots
of FIGS.
11-21, and particularly the user control devices 43 shown as entries 1002 in
FIG. 11.
[0090] At step 508, and with continued reference to FIG. 11, the user 42
may select
one of the sites or site systems 14, wherein entries 1002 representative of
connected
devices 26 are visible through the graphical user interface 1000 and include
information
such as unique device identifiers, as shown in FIG. 11. Once an entry 1002 is
selected,
the user 42 is presented with a set of configurable options specific to the
device
associated with that entry 1002. More specifically, if the entry 1002
represents the
exemplary wall dimmer switch 700, the graphical user interface 1000 will
present a list
of configurable options similar to those shown in FIG. 11, which is based upon
the
properties and capabilities of the wall dimmer switch 700, including for
example based
upon the properties and capabilities of the particular firmware update for the
wall
dimmer switch 700. For example, as shown in graphical user interface 1000 of
FIG. 11,
the user 42 can select to edit mode and other INFO and CONTROL ZONES and
AUTOMATIONS associated with the selected dimmer switch 700. If a touchscreen
device 701 is selected, a customized set of configurable options would be
presented by
the graphical user interface 1000 at step 508, for example, INFO, CONTROL
ZONES,
and CONTROL SCENES selectable for editing as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21.
[0091] At step 510, and with reference to FIG. 12, the user 42 can enter
into the
device settings screen of the selected entry 1002. A user may configure the
device
mode, for example, "dimmer" mode, "switch" mode, or "scenes" mode, to
virtually map
to the selected device. Depending on the type of user control device 43, the
mode
selection provides a set of general functional features and advantageously
allows for
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one type of physical device to be virtually reconfigured to operate in any one
of several
different functional operating modes. For example, in "dimmer" mode, the
selected wall
dimmer switch 700 of FIG. 12 would allow the user 42 to configure the user
interface
elements 726 and 728 as dimming pushbuttons, wherein a press or press/hold of
the
upper pushbutton 726 would incrementally increase the lighting output while a
press or
press/hold of the lower pushbutton 728 would incrementally decrease the
lighting
output. Additionally, this mode can provide ON/OFF control in response to a
different
user interaction with the user interface elements 726 and 728, for example, a
momentary press and release interaction rather than a press and hold
interaction. In
"switch" mode for the selected wall dimmer switch 700, a user 42 could assign
the user
interface elements 726 and 728 to operate only as ON/OFF pushbuttons.
Additionally,
in "scene" mode, a user could configure the user interface elements to
generate a
configurable scene output as described further below. This step also allows a
user 42 to
virtually actuate the "indicate" function from the graphical user interface
1000 via the
"Indicate" pushbutton 1004.
[0092] At step 512, and with reference to FIGS. 13-16 and 20-21, the user
42 can
select zones, scenes, or other lighting effects to associate with the selected
user control
device 43. Referring to FIG. 13, a listing of areas (e.g. CONFERENCE and
SHOWROOM) and zones within each area (e.g. SPOTLIGHTS and CONFERENCE
ROOM for the CONFERENCE area) are displayed and can be selected (or
deselected)
for virtual mapping to and association with the selected user control device
43. For
example, for the exemplary dimmer switch 700 having two user interface
elements 726
and 728, one or more zones can be selected to be simultaneously controlled in
switch
or dimmer mode. Alternatively, if in step 510 scene mode is selected for the
dimmer
switch 700, as shown in FIG. 14, then in step 512 the illustrative graphical
user interface
screen of FIG. 15 will be displayed. The displayed scenes available for
selection, for
example, for each area "All Off," "25%," "50%," and "All On," are those scenes
earlier
configured for site 14 using user computer device 16 as discussed further
below. For
example, as shown in FIG. 16, two scenes, "All Off" and "All On," are selected
to be
associated with dimmer switch 700 and available to virtually map to user
interface
elements 726 and 728.
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[0093] At step 512, if the selected user control device 43 is a touchscreen
device
701 (FIG. 19), then at the graphical user interface screen of FIG. 20 ZONES
and
CONTROL SCENES can be selected for editing, i.e., selecting the user interface
elements, e.g., zone on/off 1010, zone dimmer sliders 1012, and scenes
selectors
1014, that will be displayed for touch-activation as shown in FIG. 19. For
example, after
selecting ZONES, FIG. 21 illustrates a graphical user interface screen for
selecting
which zones of site 14 to associate with device 701 and provide touch-
activated
graphical user interface elements for display.
[0094] At step 514, and with reference to FIG. 17, after selecting scenes
in step 512
to be associated with wall dimmer 700, the scenes, e.g. "All Off' and "All
On," can be
virtually mapped to the available user interface elements, e.g., "top" user
interface
element 726 and "bottom" user interface element 728, as shown to the right of
the
selected scene. In the example shown in FIG. 17, the list of scenes to the
left can be
reordered to change the virtual mapping with the user interface elements 726
and 728
to the right by touching and dragging a particular scene to reposition it in
the list,
thereby changing the virtual mapping to what is then displayed. For
embodiments of a
user control device 43 for which fewer or more user interface elements are
provided, the
list of available elements to the right for virtual mapping will be
automatically populated
to be shorter or longer in accordance with the particular device as recognized
by the
gateway 24 and/or the remote server system 12.
[0095] At step 516, and with reference to FIG. 18, automations, including
schedules,
can be optionally associated with one or more user interface elements of the
user
control device 43. Automations are behaviors performed in accordance with a
set of
rules and based on conditions defined within the rules and are discussed
further below.
For example, an illustrative example for an automation associated with the
dimmer
switch 700 selected to operate in scene mode is to condition the scene
selected based
on the time of day and day of week. For example, during normal working
hours/days
the upper user interface element 726 is automated to select the "50%" scene
and the
lower user interface element 728 is automated to select the "25%" scene, and
during
non-working hours/days the upper element 726 is automated to select the "All
On"
scene and the lower element 728 is automated to select the "All Off" scene.
Other
,
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CA 2964915 2017-04-20
,
,
automations based on other conditions, including those discussed further below
may
also be used as part of the association and virtual mapping for user control
devices 43,
including the dimmer switch 700 and touchscreen device 701.
[0096] At step 518 the configurations selected are saved to the
server system 12,
gateway 24, and for some embodiments, the user control device 43. At END step
520
the process of flowchart 520 is completed.
[0097] Optionally, if configurations are saved to the user
control device 43, the
gateway 24 may then be decommissioned or disconnected from the site system 14.
More specifically, the gateway 24 may either be powered off and removed from
the site
system 14 or disabled from network connectivity and the user control device 43
may
then communicate and execute configured lighting effects independently and
without
communication to or from the gateway 24. In this mode of operation, the user
control
device 43 may still communicate directly with multiple devices 26 of the site
system 14
to accomplish the configured lighting effects. Alternatively, after
commissioning and
configuration is complete, the gateway 24 may be disconnected from the server
system
12 and the site system 14 may operate independent of any communication or
device
outside of the site system. For example, gateway 24 may continue to operate as
the
controller of the mesh network 28; however, the gateway 24 may not require
ongoing
communication with the server system 12 to operate. For example, optionally,
the WAN
20, 22 is used for commissioning and configuration, but not used to
communicate
between gateway 24 and server system 12 for subsequent operation of the site
system
14.
MESH NETWORK SECURITY
[0098] Although other mesh networks can be used, the illustrative
mesh network 28
uses ZigBee, an open global standard for low-power, low-cost, low-data-rate,
wireless
mesh networking based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. Through its mesh and
routing
capabilities, networks such as ZigBee allows the transmission of data over
long
distances by passing the data through a mesh network of intermediate nodes to
reach
more distant ones. It represents a network layer above the 802.15.4 layers to
support
advanced mesh routing capabilities. The ZigBee specification is developed by a
growing
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consortium of companies that make up the ZigBee Alliance. ZigBee Smart Energy
Standard, ZigBee Profile: 0x0109, Revision 19, Version 1.2a, Document 07-5356-
19,
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes device high-level
communication protocols used to create personal area networks with small, low-
power
digital radios, including the installation and use of security keys.
[0099] Each ZigBee network must be formed by one, and only one,
coordinator,
which is the gateway 24 in the illustrative embodiment of control system 10.
The
devices 26 of the wireless device control system 10 can be a router type or an
end type
device; however, for typical installations, most devices 26 will be a router.
A router is a
full-featured ZigBee node and perform various functions including join
existing networks
and send, receive, and route information (routing involves acting as a
messenger for
communications between other devices that are too far apart to convey
information on
their own). A network may have multiple router devices. An end device is
essentially a
reduced version of a router. The end device cannot act as messenger between
any
other devices but is capable of receiving messages intended for it and
transmitting
messages initiated by it.
AUTOMATIONS
[00100] Automations, also referred to as behaviors, may represent sets of
rules, or
if/then conditions that bind input events into output events or actions. An
action is a
command that is enacted when a condition is fulfilled, for example, commanding
a zone
state or commanding a scene. An action can also be a system notification
provided via
a user interface of a user computer device 16.
[00101] For example, with regard to controllers 37, some input events
satisfying a
condition/event that triggers an automation may include power measurements,
such as
voltage or wattage, exceeding or falling below a predetermined threshold, and
the
detection that particular circuits have opened or closed, such as a
controller's zone
being switched on with a wall switch, and schedules, as discussed further
below, for
example, expiration of a delay time or a particular time of the day and/or day
of the
week. With regard to occupancy sensors 130, some exemplary conditions may
include
motion detection and motion timeout expiration. Some conditions pertaining to
daylight
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harvesters may include detected light levels exceeding or falling below
predetermined
thresholds.
[00102] Exemplary actions responsive to those exemplary behaviors may
include
switching a device and/or zone on or off, setting or changing a dim level, and
activating
a particular scene, which is described further above for user control devices.
Some
actions may trigger upon the satisfaction of multiple conditions. For example,
a certain
condition may automatically occur if a particular sensor state change is
detected AND it
is within a certain time period of the day. Automations can save energy, for
example, by
switching off particular zones when the occupancy sensor 130 detects
expiration of a
motion timeout period, or dimming or switching off particular zones responsive
to light
levels detected by the daylight harvester. An automation configuration view of
the
graphical user interface 1000 is depicted in FIG. 18 and includes a list of
devices having
the associated conditions. The addition of conditions to a device is shown in
in FIG.
24C.
SCENES
[00103] Scenes describe a set of state change requests, such as an area or
set of
zones and each of their dimming level presets. Scenes, which are essentially a
group of
light settings, may be activated manually or at specific times defined in a
schedule. For
example, a "presentation mode" may have some lights on, some lights off, and
some
lights dimmed to 50%. Illustrations of scene configuration views on the
graphical user
interface 1000 are shown in a screen captures of FIGS. 14-17.
SCHEDULES
[00104] Schedules allow you to set the lights to come on and off at
specific times
with optional repetition. For example, a schedule can define a week's worth of
events.
Schedules can apply to one or more devices, zones or areas. An event could be
a
scene selection. Time segments throughout the day may be associated with
different
scenes.
[00105] In some embodiments, control for automations, scenes, and
schedules
reside in the gateway, so loss of connection to the cellular network (and,
therefore, the
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server system) does not affect use of these functions. Taking automations as
an
example, a dimmer switch can have an on/off/dim as a primary function, but may
also
have automations such as (i) once the light is on, the light dims or goes off
after a
particular time, or (ii) after the light is turned off, the lights in the
parking lot turn on for a
particular time. In this example, items (i) and (ii) can be automations whose
functionality
resides at the gateway.
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