Patent Application
20240163998
A user environment, such as a residence or an office building, for example, may include various types of load control systems that may be installed therein for controlling electrical loads. A load control system may include various types of load control devices for controlling electrical loads. For example, the load control system may include lighting control devices, motorized window treatments, heating/cooling devices, or other load control devices capable of controlling an electrical load in the user environment. A user of the load control system may access the load control system via a workstation to configure, maintain, and/or access information about the load control system.
The user interface 100 includes a control pane 110 for controlling window treatments within the load control environments 104, 106 via motorized window treatments. The control pane 110 may be accessed via one of a number of tabs 112 for controlling different load control devices within the load control system. The shades tab may be selected to view window treatment information and/or control the window treatments in the load control environments 104, 106. The user has to select different radio buttons 150 for displaying status information, setting shade presets, and setting shade positions for the motorized window treatment. A window treatment position may be set in the load control environments 104, 106 by configuring presets for the load control environments in the table 116 and applying the preset configuration. Individual shade groups in the load control environments 104, 106 may also be configured by selecting at least one of the load control environments 104, 106, selecting a shade group in the selected load control environments 104, 106, and adjusting the shade position to a certain level using the shade controls 114. The shade position may be applied by the user selection of the button 118. The table 116 and/or the shade controls 114 may reflect the current status of selected shades based on feedback information from the motorized window treatments.
The user interface 120 includes a control pane 130 for controlling lighting load intensities within the load control environments 124, 126. The control pane 130 may be accessed via one of the number of tabs 112 for controlling different load control devices within the load control system. The lights tab may be selected to view lighting information and/or control the lighting loads in the load control environments 124, 126 in the load control system. The user has to select different radio buttons 152 for displaying status information, setting light presets, and setting light intensity for the lighting loads. The intensity of lighting loads may be set by configuring a for the load control environments in the table 134 and applying the preset configuration. Lighting intensity levels in individual areas in the load control system may also be configured by selecting an area in the load control system, such as load control environments 124, 126 for example, and adjusting the lighting intensity to a certain level using the lighting adjustment controls 132. The lighting intensity level may be applied by the user selection of the button 136.
As illustrated in the user interface 100 and the user interface 120, monitoring and/or controlling a load control system using current systems may be difficult and unintuitive. The current systems may not be sophisticated enough for a user's purpose. The current systems may be inefficient, as they may be unable to display information for different load control devices at the same time, or allow a user to control the devices while viewing the status of the devices in the load control environment. For example, a user may not easily determine the status of a load control environment, or the electrical loads or load control devices therein. Instead, a user may have to navigate through multiple tabs 112 to obtain and read the status of the load control environment, the status of loads, and/or the status load control devices in the load control environment. A novice user may not understand the meaning of texts in a tabs 112, such as the meaning of Select Shade Preset displayed next to a radio button 150 in the control panel 110 shown in
The current systems also do not provide load control information in detail. For example, the current systems do not allow a user to easily navigate between loads, load control devices, or portions of a load control environment. In the current systems, areas and tabs that are unnecessary to the user's purpose are continuously displayed, consuming screen space and thus unnecessarily consuming battery power. For example, a user of a load control system may wish to access only load control information for one room at the south west corner, but the current systems consistently display the other areas of the floor plan such as 124, and Center in the table 134, thus making the display of the system inefficient.
A user of a load control system may also wish to monitor a load control system by accessing historical energy usage data from different periods of time. The energy usage data at different times in the year may be compared to recognize changes in energy usage or changes that may need to be made to the load control system. Current systems for monitoring historical energy usage data also fail to provide information to users in a format that can be easily understood for the user's purposes.
The system shown in
The current systems also lack an alert mechanism to warn the user of a load control system any issues in the building and/or buildings such that the user may fix the issues before energy is wastefully consumed. Thus, it would be beneficial to provide the user with additional historical energy usage data and allow the user to control the data in a manner that is beneficial and efficient to the user.
A load control system may comprise an electrical load control device and/or a computing device. The electrical load control device may control, for example, motorized window treatments (e.g., shades), lighting controls, and/or sensors (e.g., occupancy, radio window, daylight, etc.). For example, a load control device comprising a motorized window treatment may control the position of a covering material in the window treatment. The computing device may comprise a processor and/or a graphical user interface (GUI). The computing device may be a server and/or a user device, such as a wireless user device (e.g., a cellular phone, tablet, or laptop computer). The computing device may be configured to provide graphical representations that may be displayed on a GUI based on load control information.
A computing device may be configured to receive load control information from a load control device associated with an electrical load control device, such as a motorized window treatment system (e.g., shades). Load control information may also comprise information from input devices, such as sensors (e.g., occupancy, radio window, daylight, etc.) or remote control devices. Sensors may be utilized in the load control system as load control devices and/or input devices.
The computing device may be configured to determine, based on the load control information, an amount of natural light allowed in a load control environment. Load control information may also include radio window sensor information that indicates that amount of natural light directly received at the window, weather information, GPS information associated with the load control environment, date, time, etc. The computing device may be configured to provide a graphical representation of the amount of natural light allowed in the load control environment.
The computing device may be configured to determine, based on the load control information, the status of a lighting load in the load control environment. The computing device may be configured to display and/or provide a graphical representation indicating the status of the lighting load. The computing device may be configured to determine, based on the load control information, the occupancy status of the load control environment. The graphical representation may indicate the occupancy status.
The graphical representation may indicate the level of the load control of a plurality of levels of load control associated with the load control environment. The levels of load control may be multiple buildings, multiple floors of a building, multiple rooms of a floor, etc. Load control information may include information associated with each load control of multiple buildings, multiple floors of a building, multiple rooms of a floor, etc. The computing device may provide a graphical representation for each load control device for each level of load control. The computing device may receive indications from a user to transition to another level of load control (e.g., zoom in or out of a floorplan) and may provide different information in the graphical representation.
The computing device may be configured to determine, based on the load control environment, such as a floor of a building, a status of the natural light outside of the load control environment. The computing device may be configured to provide a graphical representation of the status of the natural light outside of the load control environment. For example, the load control device may use the determined level of natural light outside of the load control environment to determine whether a bright override mode or dark override mode may be activated. The load control device may be configured to detect the override of the automatic control of the window treatments (e.g., or any load control device) that may be caused by a digital message from a radio window sensor. A radio window sensor may indicate and/or sense the amount of natural light directly received at the window through which the natural light is allowed. The load control system may be configured to provide a graphical representation of the override caused by the digital message from the radio window sensor. The override of the automatic control may be based on an indication that an amount of cloud cover has caused the natural light to fall below a predefined threshold (e.g., dark override mode). The override of the automatic control may be based on an indication that an amount of direct sunlight has caused the natural light to rise above a predefined threshold (e.g., bright override mode).
A computing device may be configured to access a historical record of load control information. The load control information may include the status of the electrical load, the status of the load control device (e.g., motorized window treatments, lights, etc.), or the status of an input device (e.g., sensors) in the load control environment. For example, historical records of lighting control, occupancy information, window treatment information, and/or natural light information may be displayed on the graphical representation. The computing device may be configured, for example, to receive an indication of a time or time period associated with occupancy sensor activity in the historical record of the load control information. The computing device may display a graphical representation depicting lighting load activity based on the occupancy sensor activity in the load control environment at the time or over the time period.
A load control system may comprise electrical load control devices for controlling one or more electrical loads. The electrical load control devices may be, for example, motorized window treatments for controlling covering materials (e.g., shades), lighting control devices for controlling lighting loads (e.g., florescent lamps, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), etc.), temperature control devices for controlling a heating/cooling system, and/or other electrical load control devices. The load control system may include input devices, such as sensors (e.g., occupancy sensors, radio window sensors, daylight sensors, etc.). The load control devices may control the electrical loads in response to input (e.g., measurements) from the sensors.
A computing device may be implemented for displaying information to a user about the electrical load control devices and for enabling control of the electrical load control devices in the load control system. The computing device may comprise a processor and/or a display for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI). The computing device may comprise a wireless user device, such as a laptop, a tablet, a mobile phone, etc. The computing device may be configured to provide graphical representations to the wireless user device, such as may be displayed on a GUI. For example, the computing device may be a remote device, such as a remote server or system controller, that may be capable of generating and providing a graphical representation to the wireless user device via an application (e.g., web browser) executing locally on the wireless user device. The computing device may be configured to receive load control information from a load control device associated with an electrical load control device, such as a motorized window treatment (e.g., shades). Load control information may comprise information from input devices, such as sensors (e.g., occupancy, radio window, daylight, etc.). Sensors may be utilized in the load control system as load control devices and/or input devices.
Control devices (e.g., load control devices and/or input devices) may communicate with each other and/or other devices via a wired and/or a wireless signal. For example, the load control devices may receive communications from the input devices via wired and/or wireless communications. The control devices may communicate via a radio frequency (RF) signals 372. The RF signals 372 may be presented via any known RF communication (e.g., near field communication (NFC); BLUETOOTH®; WI-FI®; a proprietary communication channel, such as CLEAR CONNECT™, etc.). A control device may be a one-way communication device capable of transmitting or receiving digital messages via the RF signals 372, or a two-way communication device capable of transmitting and receiving digital messages via the RF signals 372. A control device may be both a control-target and a control-source device.
The load control devices may include a lighting control device 304 (e.g., a dimmer switch, a ballast, or a light-emitting diode (LED) driver) for controlling an amount of power provided to a lighting load 306, a motorized window treatment 312 for controlling the position of a covering material 314, a thermostat 320 for controlling an HVAC system, and/or an alternating-current (AC) plug-in load control device 322 for controlling an amount of power provided to a floor lamp, a table lamp, or an electrical load of another device that is plugged in to the AC plug-in load control device 322. The lighting control device 304, the motorized window treatment 312, the thermostat 320, and/or the AC plug-in load control device 322 may be load control devices that may be capable of receiving and/or implementing control instructions based on load control messages received from one or more input devices. The input devices may include a daylight sensor 308, an occupancy sensor 310, a radio window sensor 316, and/or a remote control device 318.
The remote control device 318 may be wireless devices capable of controlling a load control device via wireless communications. The remote control device 318 may be attached to the wall or detached from the wall. Examples of remote control devices are described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,919, issued Sep. 29, 1993, entitled LIGHTING CONTROL DEVICE; U.S. Pat. No. 8,471,779, issued Jun. 25, 2013, entitled COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL FOR A RADIO-FREQUENCY LOAD CONTROL SYSTEM; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0132475, published May 15, 2014, entitled WIRELESS LOAD CONTROL DEVICE, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The occupancy sensor 310 may be configured to detect occupancy and/or vacancy conditions in the load control environment 302 in which the load control system 300 is installed. The occupancy sensor 310 may transmit digital messages to load control devices via the RF communication signals 372 in response to detecting the occupancy or vacancy conditions. The occupancy sensor 310 may operate as a vacancy sensor, such that digital messages are transmitted in response to detecting a vacancy condition (e.g., digital messages may not be transmitted in response to detecting an occupancy condition). The occupancy sensor 310 may enter an association mode and may transmit association messages via the RF communication signals 372 in response to actuation of a button on the occupancy sensor 310. Examples of RF load control systems having occupancy and vacancy sensors are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,009,042, issued Aug. 30, 2011, entitled RADIO-FREQUENCY LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM WITH OCCUPANCY SENSING; U.S. Pat. No. 8,199,010, issued Jun. 12, 2012, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONFIGURING A WIRELESS SENSOR; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,228,184, issued Jul. 24, 2012, entitled BATTERY-POWERED OCCUPANCY SENSOR, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The daylight sensor 308 may be configured to measure a total light intensity in the load control environment 302 in which the load control system 300 is installed. The daylight sensor 308 may transmit digital messages including the measured light intensity via the RF communication signals 372 for controlling load control devices in response to the measured light intensity. The daylight sensor 308 may enter an association mode and may transmit association messages via the RF communication signals 372 in response to actuation of a button on the daylight sensor 308. Examples of RF load control systems having daylight sensors are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,410,706, issued Apr. 2, 2013, entitled METHOD OF CALIBRATING A DAYLIGHT SENSOR; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,451,116, issued May 28, 2013, entitled WIRELESS BATTERY-POWERED DAYLIGHT SENSOR, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The radio window sensor 316 may be configured to measure an exterior light intensity coming from outside the load control environment 302 in which the load control system 300 is installed. The radio window sensor 316 may be mounted on a façade of a building, such as the exterior or interior of a window, to measure the exterior natural light intensity depending upon the location of the sun in sky. The radio window sensor 316 may detect when direct sunlight is directly shining into the radio window sensor 316, is reflected onto the radio window sensor 316, or is blocked by external means, such as clouds or a building, and may send digital messages indicating the measured light intensity. The radio window sensor 316 may transmit digital messages including the measured light intensity via the RF communication signals 372. The digital messages may be used to control an electrical load via one or more load control devices. The radio window sensor 316 may enter an association mode and may transmit association messages via the RF communication signals 372 in response to actuation of a button on the radio window sensor 316.
The load control environment 302 may include other types of input devices, such as, for example, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, radiometers, cloudy-day sensors, shadow sensors, pressure sensors, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, air-quality sensors, motion sensors, security sensors, proximity sensors, fixture sensors, partition sensors, keypads, multi-zone control units, slider control units, kinetic or solar-powered remote controls, key fobs, cell phones, smart phones, tablets, personal digital assistants, personal computers, laptops, timeclocks, audio-visual controls, safety devices, power monitoring devices (e.g., power meters, energy meters, utility submeters, utility rate meters, etc.), central control transmitters, residential controllers, commercial controllers, industrial controllers, or any combination of input devices.
A system controller 324 may be used to configure, maintain, and/or store information about the load control system 300. The system controller 324 may be, for example, a server or other computing device capable of configuring, maintaining, and/or storing information about the load control system 300. A user 326 of the load control system 300, such as a building manager, resident, or occupant of the load control environment 302, for example, may access the system controller 324 via a user device 328 to configure, maintain, and/or access information about the load control system 300.
The system controller 324 may be operable to transmit and/or receive digital messages via wired and/or wireless communications. For example, the system controller 324 may be configured to transmit and/or receive the RF communication signals 372, to communicate with one or more control devices (e.g., load control devices and/or input devices). The system controller 324 may be coupled to one or more wired control devices (e.g., load control devices and/or input devices) via a wired digital communication link. The system controller 324 may be on-site at the load control environment 302 or at a remote location. Though the system controller 324 is shown as a single device, the load control system 300 may include multiple system controllers and/or the functionality thereof may be distributed across multiple devices.
The system controller 324 may also, or alternatively, communicate via RF communication signals 370 (e.g., NFC; BLUETOOTH®; WI-FI®; cellular; a proprietary communication channel, such as CLEAR CONNECT™, etc.). The system controller 324 may communicate over the Internet, or other network, using RF communication signals 370. The RF communication signals 370 may be transmitted using a different protocol and/or wireless band than the RF communication signals 372. For example, the RF communication signals 370 may be transmitted using WI-FI® or cellular signals and the RF communication signals 372 may be transmitted using another RF communication protocol, such as BLUETOOTH® or a proprietary communication protocol. The RF communication signals 370 may be transmitted using the same protocol and/or wireless band than the RF communication signals 372. For example, the RF communication signals 370 and the RF communication signals 372 may be transmitted using WI-FI® or a proprietary communication protocol.
The system controller 324 may be configured to transmit and receive digital messages between control devices. For example, the system controller 324 may transmit digital messages to the load control devices in response to the digital messages received from the input devices. The digital messages may include association information for being stored at the control devices and/or control instructions for controlling an electrical load. The control instructions may be used to control the electrical load of a load control device or to control the electrical load according to control configuration information. The system controller 324 may receive control instructions from an input device and may perform a lookup of the load control devices associated with the input device. The system controller 324 may generate the control instructions based on digital messages (e.g., measurements) received from the input devices. The system controller 324 may send digital messages that include the control instructions to the associated load control devices for controlling electrical loads.
Once an input device is associated with a load control device, the input device may send digital messages to the load control device to cause the load control device to control an amount of power provided to an electric load. For example, the associated remote control device 318 may instruct the lighting control device 304 to increase or decrease the lighting level of the lighting load 306, instruct the motorized window treatment 312 to raise or lower the covering material 314, instruct the AC plug-in load control device 322 to raise or lower the lighting level of the floor lamp 324, and/or instruct the temperature control device 320 to raise or lower the temperature in the load control environment 302. The associated occupancy sensor 310 may send similar instructions to a load control device based on the detection of movement or occupancy within the load control environment 302. The daylight sensor 308 may send similar instructions to a load control device based on the detection of a level of natural light within the load control environment 302. The radio window sensor 316 may send similar instructions to a load control device based on the detection of a level of natural light detected at the radio window sensor 316.
The control devices may perform association with the system controller 324. The control devices may send an association message to the system controller 324 and/or the system controller 324 may send an association message to the control devices. An identifier of the system controller 324 may be stored at the control devices for detecting communications from the system controller 324. An identifier of the control devices may be stored at the system controller 324 for detecting communications from the control devices.
The system controller 324 may include control configuration information according to which one or more load control devices may be controlled. For example, control configuration information may include preset configurations. The system controller 324 may generate digital messages according to the preset configurations to set a dimming level of the lighting load 306 to a predefined level, to set a level of the covering material 314 to a predefined level, to set a dimming level of the lamp 324 to a predefined level, and/or to set a temperature of the temperature control device 320 to a predefined level. Different presets may be configured to control different load control devices to control a corresponding electrical load differently. Example preset configurations may include bedtime preset for when the user 326 is going to bed, a movie watching preset for when the user 326 is watching television or a movie, an away preset for when the user 326 is away from the load control environment 302, a home preset for when the user 326 is in the load control environment 302, or other preset configurations the user 326 may define for an occasion.
The control configuration information may include zone configurations. The zone configurations may define one or more zones in which a load control device is defined for being controlled. The load control devices in different zones may be separately controlled by sending digital messages having control instructions for controlling each zone. Different zones may be identified by a zone identifier that may be stored at the system controller 324 and/or the load control devices in the zone. Each zone may be defined as a location having a zone identifier that is a location identifier. Though the zone may be described herein as a location having a location identifier, other zone configurations may be similarly implemented as described herein for locations.
The load control system 300 may include a user device 328. The user device 328 may perform wired and/or wireless communications. Examples of the user device 328 may include a wireless phone, a tablet, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearable device (e.g., a watch, glasses, etc.), or another computing device. The user device 328 may be a network device operated by the user 326. The user device 328 may communicate wirelessly by sending digital messages on RF communication signals 370 (e.g., WI-FI® signals, WI-MAX® signals, cellular signals, Bluetooth signals, etc.). The user device 328 may communicate digital messages in response to a user actuation of one or more buttons on the user device 328. Examples of load control systems having WI-FI®-enabled devices, such as smart phones and tablet devices, are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0030589, published Jan. 31, 2013, entitled “Load Control Device Having Internet Connectivity,” and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0177469, published Jun. 26, 2014, entitled “Network Access Coordination Of Load Control Devices,” the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The user device 328 may communicate with the system controller 324 using digital messages transmitted via RF communication signals (e.g., WI-FI® signals, WI-MAX® signals, cellular signals, Bluetooth signals, etc.) to allow the user device 328 to configure, maintain, and/or store information about the load control system 300. The user device 328 may generate an application locally for displaying information received from the system controller 324 and/or receiving user input for communicating information to the system controller 324. The system controller 324 may be accessed from the user device 328 via a web interface (e.g., accessible via a web browser or other application at the user device 328), for example.
The GUI 400 may include a floor selection menu 430 allowing a user to select a floor of a multi-floor building. The GUI 400 may include a display selection menu 436 allowing the user to select the status of load control devices and/or input devices to be displayed on the GUI 400. For example, the user may select lights, window treatments, lights and window treatments, occupancy sensor, radio window sensor, daylight sensor, or any combination of load control devices and/or input devices (e.g., sensors or other devices for providing input for controlling load control devices).
The GUI 400 may include information windows for displaying load control information. Load control information may include radio window sensor information that indicates that amount of natural light directly received at the window, weather information, GPS information associated with the load control environment, date, time, etc. The information windows may display information regarding rooms or areas of the floor plan 434, such as light status, window treatment status, occupancy status, daylight level within a room (e.g., from a daylight sensor), daylight level from outside of a building (e.g., from a radio window sensor), etc. The computing device may receive load control information from an input device and/or a load control device and may display the load control information on the GUI 400.
Load control information displayed in information windows may comprise a load control message. The load control message may be configured to control the electrical load via an electrical load control device. The information windows may additionally allow the user to adjust controls for the electrical load control devices. For example, an information window 432 may appear when a user clicks on or selects a room in the floor plan 434. The information window 432 indicates the status of the lights in the Corner Office. The information window 432 allows the user to adjust the window treatment position and lighting control. The information window 432 may provide the user with an option to select an Area Dashboard or Advanced Lights. Advanced Lights may allow the user to dim lights, turn on or off a subset of lights, and/or otherwise control the amount of energy provided to the lighting loads in the Corner Office. The Area Dashboard may allow the user to view and/or control occupancy sensors, radio window sensors, daylight sensors, and/or other load control devices or input devices located in the selected room. The computing device may be configured to determine, based on the load control information, the status of a lighting load in the load control environment. The computing device may be configured to display and/or provide a graphical representation indicating the status of the lighting load.
The computing device may be configured to determine, based on the load control information, the occupancy status or other input device status of the load control environment. The graphical representation may indicate the occupancy status or other input device status. The graphical representation may indicate a level of the load control of a plurality of levels of load control associated with the load control environment. The levels of load control may be identified for multiple buildings, multiple floors of a building, multiple rooms of a floor, etc. Load control information may include information associated with the load control devices or input devices of multiple buildings, multiple floors of a building, multiple rooms of a floor, etc. For example, the computing device may provide a graphical representation for load control devices or input devices for each level of load control.
On the GUI 450, the occupancy sensor 410, radio window sensor 416, daylight sensor 408, thermostat 420, lighting load 406, lighting control 404, or remote control device 418 may be selected, for example, by clicking on the icon on the GUI 450 in the room or by clicking the corresponding button in selection window 440. By selecting an option, the user may be able to view information related to the selected option, such as status history or current status, or control features of the selected option. For example, if the occupancy sensor 410 option is selected, the user may be given the further option of viewing the status history of the occupancy sensor 410, viewing the current status of the occupancy sensor 410, or adjusting the controls of the occupancy sensor 410. If the status history for the occupancy sensor option is selected, the user may view a list of when the occupancy sensor 410 identified an occupancy condition or a vacancy condition for a given time period. The status of the occupancy sensor 410 may include the current status of the battery power and/or whether the occupancy sensor 410 is currently sensing occupancy in a room. If the lighting control device 404 option is selected, the user may be given the option to adjust the dimming level of the lighting control device, view the status history of the dimming level of the lighting control, or view the current status of the lighting control device. Though the lighting control device 404 and the occupancy sensor 410 are provided as examples, similar options may be provided for any load control device or input device.
The GUI 450 may include an option to zoom out to the floor plan 434, such as by selecting a button on the GUI 450, scrolling a mouse or other device within a portion of the floor plan, using a gesture recognized by the computing device (e.g., performing a multi-finger gesture on the display of the computing device) in a portion of the floor plan, or otherwise zooming out to the floor plan 434 displayed on the GUI 400. A multi-finger gesture on the display of the computing device may be recognized at the computing device when a user pinches their fingers together and separates them on the display of the computing device to zoom in. A computing device may similarly recognize a user moving their fingers closer together on the display to zoom out.
A computing device may be configured to receive load control information from load control devices and input devices to enable display of the status and/or enable control of motorized window treatments (e.g., shades) in the load control environment. The motorized window treatments may be controlled according to an automated system. An example of a load control system for controlling one or more motorized window treatments automatically according to a timeclock schedule is described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,288,981, issued Oct. 16, 2012, entitled METHOD OF AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING A MOTORIZED WINDOW TREATMENT WHILE MINIMIZING OCCUPANT DISTRACTIONS, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The computing device may be configured to determine, based on the load control information, an amount of natural light allowed in a load control environment. Load control information may also include radio window sensor information that indicates that amount of natural light directly received at the window, weather information, GPS information associated with the load control environment, date, time, etc. The computing device may be configured to provide a graphical representation of the amount of natural light allowed in the load control environment based on the load control information. The computing device may be configured to display the graphical representation on a graphical user interface.
The GUI 500 may indicate the position of the window treatments in each room, as well as the amount of natural light received by each room. For example, the graphical depiction of the natural light in each room may indicate the representative distance of the natural light into the room. The graphical depiction in each room may indicate the representative distance of the natural light into a room by a number of dashed lines in a gradient, but the distance of the natural light may similarly be indicated with a solid color or other pattern. As the dashed lines go further into the room, the width of the lines is shortened on each side to simulate the distance of actual natural light into a room and the amount of natural light in each portion of the room.
The length of the gradient into the room represents the amount and/or distance of the natural light into the room (e.g., the penetration distance of the direct sunlight in the room) as well as the position(s) of the motorized window treatment(s) in the room. For example, in room 520, the gradient extends entirely into the room, depicting that the window treatment is fully open, whereas in room 530, the gradient extends partially into the room, depicting that the window treatment is partially closed. The length of the gradient may be based on status information received from the window treatment, other input devices (e.g., daylight sensors indicating amount of daylight into the room, radio window sensors indicating the amount of daylight being received, etc.), and/or automated window treatment control information (e.g., the time of day, the shade level at the time of day, the location of the sun at the time of day, etc.).
The position of the covering material of a motorized window treatment may be represented by the amount of free space or white space in a room. For example, if the room is blank or is a single color, then a motorized window treatment may be fully closed. The room 540 may represent a room in which the motorized window treatment may be in the fully-closed position (e.g., which may be consistent with the bright override mode). In room 530, the shades may be at approximately 50% closed.
The graphical depiction of the natural light in a room may indicate the representative intensity of the natural light in the room. For example, the thickness of the lines in the gradient in each room in
The computing device may be configured to determine, based on information from one or more devices in the load control environment (e.g., a floor of a building, a location of the sun, a time of day, sensor information, etc.) a status of the automated window treatment control and may indicate the status of the automated window treatment control (e.g., at the system controller) in the GUI 500. For example, the automated window treatment control system may enter a bright override mode when the room is receiving direct daylight from the sun above a predefined threshold. In the bright override mode, the automated window treatment control system may set the window treatments in a room to a predefined level (e.g., half way down) to prevent direct glare and/or allow daylight to enter the room. The automated window treatment control system may set enter a dark override mode when the room is determined to be receiving daylight below a minimum threshold and is not directly receiving daylight from the sun (e.g., in a shadow). In the dark override mode, the automated window treatment control system may set each of the window treatments in a room to a predefined level (e.g., a fully-open position) to allow more daylight in the room, as a user may not receive direct sunlight glare. When a user manually overrides the automated window treatment control system (e.g., by pressing a button on a remote control or physically adjusting the level of the window treatment), the automated window treatment control system may enter a manual override mode.
The user may manually override the automated window treatment control system by controlling the motorized window treatments in a space manually (e.g., via a remote control device or on the user device). The user may manually override the automated window treatment control system by selecting a location within the rooms to which the user would like the shades to be controlled. For example, the user may move the shades in the room 530 to the fully-open position by selecting the wall to the far right. The user may move the shades in the room 530 to the fully-open position by selecting the wall to the left right. The user selections between the fully-open position and the fully-closed position may be identified within a predefined location between the far left wall and the far right wall (e.g., a predefined segment surrounding the gradient positions).
The computing device may be configured to provide a graphical representation of the status of the automated window treatment control system. The computing device may be configured to detect the override of the automatic control of the window treatments (e.g., or any load control device) and may provide a graphical representation on GUI 500 of an override. For example, based on the determined status of the automated window treatment control system, the GUI 500 may depict in which rooms bright override mode is activated. Bright override mode may activate when the level of brightness in a room reaches a predefined threshold, thereby causing the window treatments to lower to a predetermined point (e.g., to a fully-closed position). A bright override icon may indicate the room in which bright override mode is activated. For example, the bright override icon 542 (e.g., sun icon) in GUI 500 may indicate that bright override mode is activated in the room 540. The computing device may also be configured to detect the manual override of the automatic control of the window treatments. The GUI 500 may depict in which room a manual override of the window treatment position has occurred. This manual override may be depicted by a manual override icon 552 (e.g., remote control device icon), such as shown in room 550. The GUI 500 may depict in which room dark override mode is activated. A dark override icon may indicate the room in which dark override mode is activated. For example, the dark override icon 562 (e.g., cloud icon) in GUI 500 may indicate that dark override mode is activated in room 560.
A computing device may be configured to access a historical record of load control information. The load control information may include the status of the electrical load, the status of the load control device (e.g., motorized window treatments, lights, etc.), and/or the status of an input device (e.g., sensors, remote control device, etc.) in the load control environment. For example, historical records of lighting control and occupancy information may be displayed on the graphical representation. The computing device may be configured, for example, to receive an indication of a time or time period associated with occupancy sensor activity in the historical record of the load control information. The computing device may display a graphical representation depicting lighting load activity based on the occupancy sensor activity in the load control environment at the time or over the time period.
The GUI 600 may include a legend 610 that defines the representation of different colors, patterns, icons, and/or other differentiating indicators on the floorplan 602. As shown in GUI 600, the legend 610 defines the patterns for spaces that are occupied and vacant in the floorplan 602. If the lights tab is selected in the display selection menu 624, in addition to or as an alternative to the occupancy tab, lighting indicators may be included in the legend 610 and the floorplan 602.
The GUI 600 may be operable to allow playback of the status of selected load control devices and/or input devices at a selected time or time period. For example, a user may select a specific time 616 on timeline 612 for which the occupancy information will be displayed for the floor plan 602. As shown in
In
In
The historical record of the status of the load control devices and/or input devices may be stored at the computing device from status information received from the devices. Though
The GUI 700 may include a date selection menu 772 that may be operable to allow selection of the date for which the floor plan 702 may be displayed. For example, in
The GUI 700 may include a control panel 738 that includes controls for controlling the playback of the status of the motorized window treatment information. The controls in the control panel 738 may include a rewind button 742 to allow a user to rewind, a fast-forward button 748 to allow the user to fast-forward, a skip forward button 750 to allow the user to skip ahead a predefined period of time, and/or a skip back button 740 to allow the user to skip back a predefined period of time to show the status of the motorized window treatment information at different times. The control panel 738 may include a play button 746 that may allow a user to play back the status of the motorized window treatment information. The control panel 738 may include a pause button 744 that may allow a user to pause the playback of the motorized window treatment information being shown or select a time on the timeline 762 at which the user would like to display the motorized window treatment information.
In
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As shown in
In
The GUI 800 may be operable to allow for the selection of a floor 844 from the building icon 840 displayed on screen 810b to view a more detailed version of the load control environment in the selected floor or floors 844. For example, a property manager or user may select a floor 844 or perform a multi-finger gesture (e.g., pinch) to zoom into a floor of the building. Once a floor 844 is selected, the GUI 800 may switch from screen 810b in
In
In
The screens 810a, 810b, 810c, and 810d in the GUI 800 may be different screens or different views within the GUI 800. For example, the screens 810a, 810b, 810c, and 810d may depict different levels of detail when a user zooms in and out of a load control environment (e.g., by selection or pinching to zoom in and out). As a user zooms into an area, additional load control devices, electrical loads, and/or input devices may come into view in the GUI 800. As a user zooms out of an area, less load control devices, electrical loads, and/or input devices be within view in the GUI 800. At each level, predefined devices may be displayed to the user.
The alert window 902 may allow the user to select a remedy for the cause of the alert and the system may apply that remedy. The alert window 902 may provide general notifications regarding the activity of the system. For example, the alert window 902 may display that an occupancy sensor is malfunctioning or low on battery, the alert window 902 may display that a heating or cooling system is triggering HVAC in a room, that a location is using more than a predefined amount of energy, etc. The information displayed in the alert window 902 may be sent electronically to a system manager, as well as being displayed in GUI 900. The alert window 902 may be utilized for security or energy savings. For example, the system may send a notification that an occupancy sensor was triggered during an hour in which a room is not normally occupied. Similarly, the system may send a notification that lights are on in an area of the building despite the area being unoccupied, and provide the option to turn the lights off when prompted with the notification.
The load control device 1000 may communicate with other devices (e.g., input devices) via the communication circuit 1002. The communication circuit 1002 may be in communication with controller 1004. The communication circuit 1002 maybe capable of performing wired and/or wireless communications. The communication circuit 1002 may include an RF transceiver for transmitting and receiving RF signals via an antenna, or other communications module capable of performing wired and/or wireless communications. For example, the communication circuit 1002 may be capable of communicating via WI-FI®, WIMAX®, BLUETOOTH®, near field communication (NFC), a proprietary communication protocol, such as CLEAR CONNECT™, ZIGBEE®, Z-WAVE, or the like.
The control circuit 1004 may store information in and/or retrieve information from the memory 1006. The memory 1006 may include a non-removable memory and/or a removable memory. The non-removable memory may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of non-removable memory storage. The removable memory may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory card, or any other type of removable memory. The control circuit 1004 may access control instructions in the memory 1006 for controlling the electrical load 1010 and performing other functions.
The load control circuit 1008 may receive instructions from the control circuit 1004 and may control the electrical load 1010 (e.g., by controlling the amount of power provided to the load) based on the received instructions. The load control circuit 1008 may receive power via a hot connection 1012 and a neutral connection 1014. While the load control device 1000 includes four terminals as shown in
The control circuit 1102 may store information in and/or retrieve information from the memory 1104. The memory 1104 may include a non-removable memory and/or a removable memory. The non-removable memory may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, and/or any other type of non-removable memory storage. The removable memory may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a memory card (e.g., a digital camera memory card), and/or any other type of removable memory. The control circuit 1102 may access executable instructions in the memory 1104 for performing as described herein.
The computing device 1100 may include a communication circuit 1108 for transmitting and/or receiving information via wired and/or wireless signals. For example, the communications circuit 1108 may include an RF transceiver for transmitting and receiving RF signals via an antenna, or other communications module capable of performing wired and/or wireless communications. Communications circuit 1108 may be in communication with the control circuit 1102. The control circuit 1102 may also be in communication with a display 1106 for providing information to a user. The communication between the display 1106 and the control circuit 1102 may be a two way communication, as the display 1106 may include a touch screen module capable of receiving indications from a user and providing such indications to the control circuit 1102. Each of the modules within the computing device 1100 may be powered by a power source 1110. The power source 1110 may include an AC power supply or DC power supply, for example. The power source 1110 may generate a DC supply voltage VCC for powering the modules within the computing device 1100.
The control circuit 1202 may store information in and/or retrieve information from a memory 1204. The memory 1204 may include a non-removable memory and/or a removable memory. The non-removable memory may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of non-removable memory storage. The removable memory may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory card, or any other type of removable memory.
The input device 1200 may include a communication circuit 1206 for transmitting and/or receiving information from other devices. The communication circuit 1206 may perform wireless or wired communications. Communication circuit 1206 may be in communication with control circuit 1202 for transmitting and/or receiving information. The communication circuit 1206 may include an RF transceiver for transmitting and receiving RF signals via an antenna, or other communications module capable of performing wired and/or wireless communications. For example, the communication circuit 1206 may be capable of communicating via WI-FI®, WIMAX®, BLUETOOTH®, near field communication (NFC), a proprietary communication protocol, such as CLEAR CONNECT™, ZIGBEE®, Z-WAVE, or the like.
The control circuit 1202 may be in communication with an input circuit 1208. The input circuit may include a display (e.g., a visual display, such as an LED display) or another input device (e.g., keyboard or one or more other buttons) for providing information to the control circuit 1202. Each of the modules of the input device 1200 may be powered by a power source 1212. The power source 1212 may include an AC power supply or DC power supply, for example. The power source 1212 may generate a supply voltage VCC for powering the modules within the wireless communication device 1200.
Although features and elements have been described in relation to particular embodiments, many other variations, modifications, and other uses are apparent from the description provided herein. For example, while various types of hardware and/or software may be described for performing various features, other hardware and/or software modules may be implemented. The disclosure herein may not be limited by the examples provided. The functionality of the computing devices herein may be included in a single computing device or distributed across multiple computing devices, such as a server or a system controller and another computing device. The server or system controller may display the user interface on the other computing device via a web browser or other application.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/186,256, filed Mar. 20, 2023; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/197,239, filed Mar. 10, 2021, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,638,342, issued Apr. 25, 2023; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/542,756, filed Aug. 16, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,962,944, issued Mar. 30, 2021; which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/143,156, filed Apr. 29, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,429,809, issued Oct. 1, 2019; which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/155,936, filed May 1, 2015, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62155936 | May 2015 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 18186256 | Mar 2023 | US |
| Child | 18514003 | US | |
| Parent | 17197239 | Mar 2021 | US |
| Child | 18186256 | US | |
| Parent | 16542756 | Aug 2019 | US |
| Child | 17197239 | US | |
| Parent | 15143156 | Apr 2016 | US |
| Child | 16542756 | US |
