Patent Grant
11284494
Aspects of the embodiments relate to wall mounted control devices, and more specifically to an apparatus, system and method for an automatic dimming and color adjusting backlight for wall mounted control devices.
The popularity of home and building automation has grown in recent years partially due to increases in affordability, improvements, simplicity, and a higher level of technical sophistication of the average end-user. Automation systems integrate various electrical and mechanical system elements within a building or a space, such as a residential home, commercial building, or individual rooms, such as meeting rooms, lecture halls, or the like. Examples of such system elements include heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting control systems, audio and video (AV) switching and distribution, motorized window treatments (including blinds, shades, drapes, curtains, etc.), occupancy and/or lighting sensors, and/or motorized or hydraulic actuators, and security systems, to name a few.
One way a user can be given control of an automation system, is through the use of one or more control devices, such as keypads. A keypad is typically mounted in a recessed receptacle in a building wall, commonly known as a wall or a gang box, and comprises one or more buttons or keys each assigned to perform a predetermined or assigned function. Assigned functions may include, for example, turning various types of loads on or off, or sending other types of commands to the loads, for example, orchestrating various lighting presets or scenes of a lighting load.
Typically, the various buttons are printed with indicia to either identify their respective functions or the controlled loads. These buttons may include backlighting via light emitting diodes (LEDs). Giving the customer the ability to change backlight color of these buttons to any desired color or color temperature of white is an added feature. For example, different button backlight colors may be used for indication, to distinguish between buttons, load types (e.g., emergency load), or the load state (e.g., on or off), or button backlight colors may be chosen to complement the surroundings or to give a pleasing visual effect. This can be achieved via multicolor LEDs, such as Red-Green-Blue (RGB) LEDs, to produce different colored backlighting. Each RGB LED comprises red, green, and blue LED emitters in a single package. Almost any color can be produced by independently adjusting the intensities of each of the three RGB LED emitters. Backlight may be provided using a single color that changes in brightness based on ambient light levels in the room. Achieving optimal backlight brightness via dimming is preferred so the backlight is not too bright when the room is dark or too dim when the room is bright. If the backlight is too bright for the ambient light level it could be a nuisance or it could cause light bleed around buttons. However, while one color backlight may be pleasantly perceived during the day, the same color may be too bright or disturbing during the night. Additionally, some colors are more optimal in backlighting text during the day while others are more optimal in backlighting text during the night.
Accordingly, a need has arisen for an apparatus, system, and method for an automatic dimming and color adjusting backlight for wall mounted control device buttons.
It is an object of the embodiments to substantially solve at least the problems and/or disadvantages discussed above, and to provide at least one or more of the advantages described below.
It is therefore a general aspect of the embodiments to provide an apparatus, system, and method for an automatic dimming and color adjusting backlight for wall mounted control device buttons.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Further features and advantages of the aspects of the embodiments, as well as the structure and operation of the various embodiments, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the aspects of the embodiments are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. Such embodiments are presented herein for illustrative purposes only. Additional embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein.
The above and other objects and features of the embodiments will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the following figures. Different aspects of the embodiments are illustrated in reference figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered to be illustrative rather than limiting. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the aspects of the embodiments. In the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
The embodiments are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the inventive concept are shown. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. The scope of the embodiments is therefore defined by the appended claims. The detailed description that follows is written from the point of view of a control systems company, so it is to be understood that generally the concepts discussed herein are applicable to various subsystems and not limited to only a particular controlled device or class of devices.
Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the embodiments. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification is not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, the particular feature, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
The following is a list of the major elements in the drawings in numerical order.
The following is a list of the acronyms used in the specification in alphabetical order.
For 40 years Crestron Electronics, Inc. has been the world's leading manufacturer of advanced control and automation systems, innovating technology to simplify and enhance modern lifestyles and businesses. Crestron designs, manufactures, and offers for sale integrated solutions to control audio, video, computer, and environmental systems. In addition, the devices and systems offered by Crestron streamlines technology, improving the quality of life in commercial buildings, universities, hotels, hospitals, and homes, among other locations. Accordingly, the systems, methods, and modes of the aspects of the embodiments described herein can be manufactured by Crestron Electronics, Inc., located in Rockleigh, N.J.
The different aspects of the embodiments described herein pertain to the context of wall mounted control devices, but are not limited thereto, except as may be set forth expressly in the appended claims. Particularly, the aspects of the embodiments are related to an apparatus, system, and method for an automatic dimming and color adjusting backlight for wall mounted control device buttons.
Referring to
In an illustrative embodiment, the control device 100 may be configured to receive control commands from a user via buttons 102a-e and either directly or through a control processor transmit the control command to a load (such as a light, fan, window blinds, etc.) or to a load controller (not shown) electrically connected to the load to control an operation of the load based on the control commands. In various aspects of the embodiments, the control device 100 may control various types of electronic devices or loads. The control device 100 may comprise one or more control ports for interfacing with various types of electronic devices or loads, including, but not limited to audiovisual (AV) equipment, lighting, shades, screens, computers, laptops, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), security, appliances, and other room devices. The control device 100 may be used in residential load control, or in commercial settings, such as classrooms or meeting rooms.
Each button 102a-e may comprise indicia 110 disposed thereon to provide clear designation of each button's function. Each button 102a-e may be backlit, for example via light emitting diodes (LEDs), for visibility and/or to provide status indication of the button 102a-e. For example, buttons 102a-e may be backlit by white, blue, or another color LEDs. In addition, different buttons 102a-e may be backlit via different colors, for example, to distinguish between buttons, load types (e.g., emergency load), or the load state (e.g., on, off, or selected scene), AV state (e.g., selected station or selected channel), or button backlight colors may be chosen to complement the surroundings or to give a pleasing visual effect. Buttons 102a-e may comprise opaque material while the indicia 110 may be transparent or translucent allowing light from the LEDs to pass through the indicia 110 and be perceived from the front surface 103 of the button 102a-e. The indicia 110 may be formed by engraving, tinting, printing, applying a film, etching, and/or similar processes.
Reference is now made to
Referring now to
The printed circuit board 304 of the control device 100 may include a controller 701 comprising one or more microprocessors, such as “general purpose” microprocessors, a combination of general and special purpose microprocessors, or application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Additionally, or alternatively, the controller 701 can include one or more reduced instruction set (RISC) processors, video processors, or related chip sets. The controller 701 can provide processing capability to execute an operating system, run various applications, and/or provide processing for one or more of the techniques and functions described herein.
The PCB 304 of the control device 100 can further include a memory 702. Memory 702 can be communicably coupled to the controller 701 and can store data and executable code. The memory 702 can represent volatile memory such as random-access memory (RAM), but can also include nonvolatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) or Flash memory. In buffering or caching data related to operations of the controller 701, memory 702 can store data associated with applications running on the controller 701.
The PCB 304 can further comprise one or more communication interfaces 703, such as a wired or a wireless communication interface, configured for transmitting control commands to various connected loads or electrical devices, and receiving feedback. A wireless interface may be configured for bidirectional wireless communication with other electronic devices over a wireless network. In various embodiments, the wireless interface can comprise a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, an infrared (IR) transceiver, or other communication technologies known to those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, the wireless interface communicates using the infiNET EX® protocol from Crestron Electronics, Inc. of Rockleigh, N.J. infiNET EX® is an extremely reliable and affordable protocol that employs steadfast two-way RF communications throughout a residential or commercial structure without the need for physical control wiring. In another embodiment, communication is employed using the ZigBee® protocol from ZigBee Alliance. In yet another embodiment, the wireless communication interface may communicate via Bluetooth transmission. A wired communication interface may be configured for bidirectional communication with other devices over a wired network. The wired interface can represent, for example, an Ethernet or a Cresnet® port. In various aspects of the embodiments, control device 100 can both receive the electric power signal and output control commands through the PoE interface.
The control device 100 may further comprise a user interface 704. Particularly, the front surface of the PCB 304 may comprise a plurality of micro-switches or tactile switches 305. For example, the PCB 304 may contain fifteen tactile switches 305 arranged in three columns and five rows to accommodate various number of button configurations. However, other number of switches and layouts may be utilized to accommodate other button configurations. The tactile switches 305 are adapted to be activated via buttons 102a-e to receive user input.
The control device 100 may also comprise a switch 712 configured for switching a connected load on or off, such as a lighting load, an HVAC, or the like. According to one embodiment, switch 712 may comprise an electromechanical relay, which may use an electromagnet to mechanically operate a switch. In another embodiment, switch 712 may comprise a solid-state relay (SSR) comprising semiconductor devices, such as thyristors (e.g., TRIAC) and transistors.
In addition, the control device 100 may comprise a dimmer 713 configured for providing a dimmed voltage output to a connected load, such as a lighting load. The dimmer 713 may comprise a solid-state dimmer for dimming different types of lighting loads, including incandescent, fluorescent, LED, or the like. According to an embodiment, the dimmer 713 may comprise a 0-10V DC dimmer to provide a dimmed voltage output to an LED lighting load, a fluorescent lighting load, or the like. The dimmer 713 of the control device 100 may reduce its output based on light levels reported by the light sensor 317.
The PCB 304 of the control device 100 may further comprise a plurality of light sources 705 configured for providing backlighting to corresponding buttons 102a-e. Each light source 705 may comprise a multicolored light emitting diode (LED) 311a-e, such as a red-green-blue LED (RGB LED), comprising of red, green, and blue LED emitters in a single package. Each red, green, and blue LED emitter can be independently controlled at a different intensity. Although a white LED emitter or LED emitters of other colors can be instead or additionally included. The plurality of LEDs 311a-e may be powered using LED drivers located on PCB 304. According to an embodiment, each red, green, and blue LED emitter can be controlled using pulse width modulation (PWM) signal with a constant current LED driver with output values ranging between 0 and 65535 for a 16-bit channel—with 0 meaning fully off and 65535 meaning fully on. Varying these PWM values of each of the red, green, and blue LED emitters on each LED 311a-e allows the LED 311a-e to create any desired color within the device's color gamut. According to an embodiment, a pair of LEDs 311a-e may be located on two opposite sides of each row of tactile switches 305.
The PCB 304 may further comprise a light sensor 317 configured for detecting and measuring ambient light. According to an embodiment, light sensor 317 can comprise at least one closed-loop photosensor having an internal photocell with 0-65535 lux (0-6089 foot-candles) light sensing output to measure light intensity from natural daylight and ambient light sources. Light sensor 317 may be used to control the intensity of the load that is being controlled by the control device 100. In addition, light sensor 317 may be used to control the intensity levels of LEDs 311a-e based on the measured ambient light levels, as further described below. According to an embodiment, light sensor 317 may impact the intensity levels of LEDs 311a-e to stay at the same perceived brightness with respect to the measured ambient light levels. A dimming curve may be used to adjust the brightness of LEDs 311a-e based on measured ambient light levels by the light sensor 317. According to another embodiment, ambient light sensor threshold values may be used to adjust the LED intensity. According to yet another embodiment, light sensor 317 may impact the color of the LEDs 311a-e based on the measured ambient light levels, as further discussed below. Referring to
Referring back to
The front housing portion 301 is adapted to be secured to the rear housing portion 302 using screws 307 such that the PCB 304 and light bars 315a-e are disposed therebetween. The front housing portion 301 comprises a front wall 308 with a substantially flat front surface. The front wall 308 may comprise a plurality of openings 309 extending traversely therethrough that are aligned with and adapted to provide access to the tactile switches 305 as shown in
Referring to
Referring to
The wall-mounted control device 100 can be configured in the field, such as by an installation technician, in order to accommodate many site-specific requirements. Field configuration can include selection and installation of an appropriate button configuration based on the type of load, the available settings for the load, etc. Advantageously, such field configurability allows an installation technician to adapt the electrical device to changing field requirements (or design specifications). Beneficially, the buttons are field replaceable without removing the device from the wall. After securing the buttons 102a-e on the control device 100, the installer may program the button configuration through tapping all of the placed buttons. The configured buttons can then be assigned to a particular load or function.
Referring back to
According to a further embodiment, as discussed below in greater detail, the control device 100 may set different LED backlight colors for indication mode, backlight mode, based on detected light level conditions in the room where the control device 100 is installed, and/or in response to other conditions. For example, at night the LED color may be set to red and during the day the LED color may be set to blue. Alternatively, the LED may be set to different color temperatures during the day mode and the night mode—for example, night mode backlighting may be set to a warmer color temperature and day mode backlighting may be set to a cool color temperature. Different colors may be also used for indication and backlight modes in combination with day and night modes. For example, at night during indication mode the LED backlight color may be set to red, at night during backlight mode the LED backlight color may switch to orange, then at daytime during indication mode the LED backlight color may be set to green, and at daytime during backlight mode the LED backlight color may be set to blue or it may be turned off in its entirety. Of course other colors may be chosen for indication mode, backlight mode, day mode, and/or night mode. In addition, different colors may be chosen for different state options. For example, one color may be chosen for an audio source and a separate color may be chosen for a video source or a lighting source. The control device 100 may further dim these LED backlight colors based on ambient light level conditions as determined by the light sensor 317.
Referring to
Initially, in step 802 the controller 701 of the control device 100 receives a command to set backlight color and intensity settings for LEDs 311a in button zone 415a. According to one embodiment, the backlight LED color and intensity settings may be selected and preset at the factory to a default setting. According to another embodiment, the backlight LED color and intensity settings may be selected by the user, after installation at the installation site, to a desired color for day mode and desired color for night mode.
In step 804, the control device 100 may receive a color selection 1022 (
In step 812, the control device 100 may receive a selection of a maximum intensity limit 1012 for the indication-day mode, for example at 100%, and in step 814 the control device 100 may receive a selection of a maximum intensity limit 1014 for the backlight-day mode, for example at 60%. Similarly, in step 816 the control device 100 may receive a minimum intensity limit 1011 for the indication-night mode, for example at 4%, and in step 818 the control device 100 may receive a minimum intensity limit 1013 for the backlight-night mode, for example at 2%. As discussed above, during the indication mode it is desired that the maximum brightness of the backlighting is higher than during the backlight mode.
In step 820, the color and intensity settings received by the control device 100 in steps 804-818 are stored in memory 702. The color settings can be stored as color values that represent color in a color space, as is known in the art, such as but not limited to RGB (Red-Green-Blue), HSV (hue, saturation, value), HSL (hue, saturation, lightness), XYZ, and xyY color values, or the like.
According to one embodiment, the above selections may be accomplished using buttons 102a-e on the control device 100. According to another embodiment, the selections may be instead made by a user or an installer via a user interface of an automation setup or control application or app running on a computer, a browser, a mobile computing device, or the like. Referring to
In step 822, the control device 100 determines a plurality of diming curves using the intensity settings, including the indication-night mode dimming curve 1001, indication-day mode dimming curve 1002, backlight-night mode dimming curve 1003, and backlight-day mode dimming curve 1004. The control device 100 stores these curves in memory 702 in step 824. Although the present embodiments are described using four dimming curves 1001-1004, other number of dimming curves may be utilized, such as for example one continuous dimming curve for the indication mode and another continuous dimming curve for the backlight mode.
According to various embodiments, the dimming curves may be linear curves, logarithmic curves, exponential curves, irregular curves, or the like, or any combinations thereof. According to various embodiments, the dimming curves may be represented using a slope, an equation, a lookup table, or the like, or any combinations thereof. For example, the control device 100 may determine slopes and offsets or y-intercepts to represent each dimming curves 1001-1004 as follows:
Slope_Indication-Day=(Max_Intensity_Indication-Day−Min_Intensity_Indication-Night)/(Max_Sensor_Reading−Min_Sensor_Reading)
Offset_Indication-Day=Min_Intensity_Indication-Night
Slope_Indication-Night=(Max_Intensity_Indication-Day−Min_Intensity_Indication-Night)/(Max_Sensor_Reading−Min_Sensor_Reading)
Offset_Indication-Night=Min_Intensity_Indicatione-Night
Slope_Backlight-Day=(Max_Intensity_Backlight-Day−Min_Intensity_Backlight-Night)/(Max_Sensor_Reading−Min_Sensor_Reading)
Offset_Backlight-Day=Min_Intensity_Backlight-Night
Slope_Backlight-Night=(Max_Intensity_Backlight-Day−Min_Intensity_Backlight-Night)/(Max_Sensor_Reading−Min_Sensor_Reading)
Offset_Backlight-Night=Min_Intensity_Backlight-Night
In this illustrative embodiment, the same dimming curve slope and offset is used for indication-day mode and indication-night mode. Similarly, the same dimming curve slope and offset is used for backlight-day mode and backlight-night mode. Although according to another embodiment, different curves may be used. According to an embodiment, the minimum sensor reading value may be set to zero and the maximum sensor reading value may be set to 65535 for a 16-bit working light level range.
Referring to
When button 102a is in a backlight mode, the LEDs 315a associated with button 102a will be set to backlight mode operation. When the light sensor 317 receives low light levels, below the day/night threshold 1005, the LEDs 315a would be set to the night color 1023 and intensity pursuant to the backlight-night mode dimming curve 1003. As the light levels detected by the light sensor 317 increase, the intensity of the LEDs 315a would gradually increase following the backlight-night dimming curve 1003 from the selected minimum backlight-night intensity 1013 until reaching the intensity corresponding to the day/night threshold 1005. When the detected light level exceeds the day/night threshold 1005, the LEDs 315a would transition to the day color 1024 and as the detected light levels continue to increase, the intensity of the LEDs 315a would increase following the backlight-day dimming curve 1004 until reaching the selected maximum backlight-day mode intensity 1014.
While the embodiments discussed above were described using an indication mode and a backlight mode, the control device 100 may operate the LEDs 315a-e using a single operating mode (irrespective whether the control device 100 is in an indication state or an idle state) and using a single dimming curve. Alternatively, the control device 100 may operate the LEDs 315a-e using more than two operating modes. In addition, instead of selecting four end points 1011-1014 of LED intensity, the control device 100 may interpolate one or more of these points 1011-1014 based on a selection of at least one point. For example, the user may select the desired minimum indication-night intensity 1011 and the desired maximum indication-day intensity 1012, and the control device 100 may interpolate minimum backlight mode intensity 1013 and maximum backlight mode intensity 1014 by reducing the intensity levels in both cases by some predetermined rate.
According to another embodiment, the user may select the LEDs 315a to be turned off during the indication-day mode, or during any other mode, thereby setting the slope and the offset of the indication-day mode to zero as represented by line 1006 in
According to an embodiment, the day/night threshold 1005 may comprise a predetermined light level value, for example a value between zero and 65535 for a 16-bit working light level range. According to another embodiment, the day/night threshold 1005 may be automatically selected based on the ambient light sensor feedback range detected. According to another embodiment, the day/night threshold 1005 may be chosen by the user. According to a further embodiment, two or more light level thresholds may be utilized with additional color settings such that control device 100 may transition over a plurality of colors depending on light level conditions.
Referring to
Then in step 918, the control device 100 determines the LED intensity level using received sensor light level reading (I) and the selected dimming curve. For example, using the slope and intercept formulas discussed above, the control device 100 may determine the LED intensity levels for the various selected modes using the following formulas:
Dim_Intensity_Indication-Day=(Slope_Indication-Day*Sensor_Reading)+Offset_Indication-Day
Dim_Intensity_Backlight-Day=(Slope_Backlight-Day*Sensor_Reading)+Offset_Backlight-Day
Dim_Intensity_Indication-Night=(Slope_Indication-Night*Sensor_Reading)+Offset_Indication-Night
Dim_Intensity_Backlight-Night=(Slope_Backlight-Night*Sensor_Reading)+Offset_Backlight-Night
According to an embodiment, the above determined LED intensity levels may be rescaled or remapped from a value off of a linear curve to a value off of a logarithmic curve. For example, referring to
Then in step 920, the control device 100 drives the LEDs 311a using the selected color setting and the determined LED intensity level. Particularly, for each LED emitter color of LEDs 311a, the control device 100 may determine the pulse width modulation (PWM) intensity at which to drive the respective LED emitter color based on a selected color and the determined intensity value. For example, the control device 100 may use substantially the same systems and methods to drive the LED's 311a-e described in U.S. application Ser. No. 16/787,935, filed on Feb. 11, 2020, and titled “LED Button Calibration for a Wall Mounted Control Device”, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The control device 100 then returns to step 902 to determine whether to change its operation mode.
The disclosed embodiments provide an apparatus, system, and method for an automatic dimming and color adjusting backlight for wall mounted control device buttons. It should be understood that this description is not intended to limit the embodiments. On the contrary, the embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, which are included in the spirit and scope of the embodiments as defined by the appended claims. Further, in the detailed description of the embodiments, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a comprehensive understanding of the claimed embodiments. However, one skilled in the art would understand that various embodiments may be practiced without such specific details.
Although the features and elements of aspects of the embodiments are described being in particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone, without the other features and elements of the embodiments, or in various combinations with or without other features and elements disclosed herein.
This written description uses examples of the subject matter disclosed to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the same, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the subject matter is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims.
The above-described embodiments are intended to be illustrative in all respects, rather than restrictive, of the embodiments. Thus the embodiments are capable of many variations in detailed implementation that can be derived from the description contained herein by a person skilled in the art. No element, act, or instruction used in the description of the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the embodiments unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items.
Additionally, the various methods described above are not meant to limit the aspects of the embodiments, or to suggest that the aspects of the embodiments should be implemented following the described methods. The purpose of the described methods is to facilitate the understanding of one or more aspects of the embodiments and to provide the reader with one or many possible implementations of the processed discussed herein. The steps performed during the described methods are not intended to completely describe the entire process but only to illustrate some of the aspects discussed above. It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the steps may be performed in a different order and that some steps may be eliminated or substituted. For example, step 822 of
All United States patents and applications, foreign patents, and publications discussed above are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the different aspects of the embodiments.
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