Patent Application
20230288889
A user environment, such as a residence or an office building for example, may include a load control system that may be installed therein for controlling electrical loads. The load control system may include various types of load control devices for controlling the electrical loads. The load control devices include lighting control devices (e.g., dimmer switches, ballasts, or light-emitting diode (LED) drivers) for controlling an amount of power provided to lighting loads, motorized window treatments for controlling the position of covering materials that may be mounted in front of windows or openings, thermostats for controlling heating and cooling systems, and alternating-current (AC) plug-in load control devices for controlling an amount of power provided to floor lamps, table lamps, or an electrical load of an appliance or other device that is plugged in to the AC plug-in load control device. The load control system includes a system controller, such as a server or similar computing device for example, that is used to send messages to the load control devices for controlling the electrical loads in response to information received from various input devices, such as a daylight sensor that senses the amount of natural daylight in the load control environment, an occupancy sensor that senses an occupancy status in the load control environment, a radio window sensor that senses the amount of daylight being received from outside of the load control environment, or a remote control device that is used for manually controlling the load control devices.
In current load control systems, the system controller maintains automated control information that is used to perform automated control of the motorized window treatments. The automated control of the motorized window treatments is coordinated with the control of the other electrical load control devices, such as the lighting control devices and the control devices of the heating and cooling systems, to conserve energy and increase comfort to occupants. The automated control information indicates various positions to which the covering material should be adjusted throughout the course of a day. The system controller overrides the automated control of the motorized window treatments when the amount of daylight in the load control environment rises above or below predefined thresholds to decrease or increase, respectively, the amount of daylight in the load control environment.
A user of the load control system, such as a building manager, resident, or occupant of the load control environment, may access the system controller via a workstation (e.g., desktop or laptop computer) to access and configure settings for controlling load control devices in the load control system. For example, the user may access the settings for automated control of the motorized window treatments and the settings for overriding the automated control of the motorized window treatments.
Though users may be able to access and configure settings for controlling load control devices in the load control system, the users may be unaware of the adjustments to be made. Additionally, information about the load control system cannot be easily accessed or configured. For example, the user may be unaware of the proper changes to make to the settings for the automated control of the motorized window treatments or the settings for overriding the automated control of the motorized window treatments. This may be due to a lack of useful information regarding the system operation and/or a presentation of the information in a useful format (e.g., too many settings being displayed causing confusion and difficulty to the user). As a result, system configuration is not easily performed and, when performed, may not accurately reflect the user’s desired configuration.
As described herein, a load control system may be used to control one or more electrical loads therein. The electrical loads may include motorized window treatments that may each adjust a position of a covering material, such as a window shade, to allow light into a space in a building. The motorized window treatments may be controlled according to one or more control states. The control states may include an automated control state and one or more override states that may override the automated control state. The override states may include a bright override state, a manual override state, a hold visor override state, and/or a dark override state.
Control information may be stored that logs the control of the motorized window treatments over a period of time. The control information may be accessed for display to a user to show the operation of the motorized window treatments over a time period. The control information may indicate the control states and/or the position of the motorized window treatments over the time period. The position of the covering material may correspond to a covering material position of the control state.
The motorized window treatment control information may be displayed to a user in a manner that allows the user to determine how the motorized window control treatments are operating to control the position of a covering material. For example, the position of the motorized window treatment and the daylight intensity may be provided to the user to show the shade position for a given daylight intensity over a period of time. The control state that is being used to control the position of the covering material may also be provided to the user. The motorized window treatment control parameters that are used by each control state to control the position of the covering material may also be displayed to the user.
The motorized window treatment control parameters may include automated control parameters for controlling the motorized window treatments during the automated control state and/or override parameters for controlling the motorized window treatments during the override states. The automated control parameters may include a maximum daylight penetration distance into a space, a height of a workstation in the space, a minimum amount of time between movements of the covering material for the motorized window treatments, a visor position for the covering material, a facing direction for a building façade, shade heights for the motorized window treatment, a start of the day automated control behavior (e.g., behavior at and/or after sunrise), and/or an end of the day automated control behavior (e.g., behavior at and/or before sunset). The override parameters for the bright override state, the hold visor override state, and the dark override state may include an override threshold at which the override state may be entered, an override position for the covering material, an override delay time period for which the override state may be performed, and/or an override hysteresis. The dark override state may include a morning ramping period and/or an evening ramping period for the override threshold.
The motorized window treatment control information, the daylight intensity, and/or the motorized window treatment control parameters may be displayed a graphical display. The graphical display may include indications of each movement of the position of the motorized window treatment. A user may select the indications to obtain detailed information about the movements, such as the time at which the movement occurred and/or the reason for the movement. The graphical display may allow adjustment to the motorized window treatment control parameters being displayed. Recommended adjustments to the motorized window treatment control parameters may also, or alternatively, be provided on the graphical display.
Recommended adjustments to the motorized window treatment control parameters may be determined based on input from the user. The user may indicate a perceived problem with an operation of the motorized window treatments, a time period in which the problem occurred, and/or a location in which the problem occurred. Based on the time period and/or the location in which the problem occurred, the motorized window treatment control parameters used to control the motorized window treatment during the problem may be determined. A recommended adjustment may be made to adjust the motorized window treatment control parameters to avoid the indicated problem under similar conditions. For example, if a user indicates that too much light is being provided in a space, a recommended adjustment may be provided to decrease the bright override threshold, such that the position of the motorized window treatments may be lowered at a lower daylight intensity.
The recommended adjustments to the motorized window treatment control parameters may be accepted by a user and may be stored for being accessed and/or edited. The adjustments to the motorized window treatment control parameters may be undone or edited once accessed by a user. If the adjustments are undone, the motorized window treatment control parameter that is undone may revert back to a previous value or a default value.
While various examples are provided herein for providing motorized window treatment control information and/or recommending adjustments to motorized window treatment control parameters, the examples are not meant to be limiting.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description, may be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. The drawings are shown for purposes of illustration and are non-limiting.
The load control system 100 may comprise a load control device, such as a dimmer switch 120, for controlling a lighting load 122. The dimmer switch 120 may be adapted to be wall-mounted in a standard electrical wallbox. Alternatively, the dimmer switch 120 may comprise a tabletop or plug-in load control device. The dimmer switch 120 may comprise a toggle actuator 124 (e.g., a button) and/or an intensity adjustment actuator 126 (e.g., a rocker switch). Successive actuations of the toggle actuator 124 may toggle, e.g., turn off and on, the lighting load 122. Actuations of an upper portion or a lower portion of the intensity adjustment actuator 126 may respectively increase or decrease the amount of power delivered to the lighting load 122 and thus increase or decrease the intensity of the lighting load from a minimum intensity (e.g., approximately 1%) to a maximum intensity (e.g., approximately 100%). The dimmer switch 120 may further comprise a plurality of visual indicators 128, e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which may be arranged in a linear array and/or may be illuminated to provide feedback of the intensity of the lighting load 122. Examples of wall-mounted dimmer switches are described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,919, issued Sep. 28, 1993, entitled LIGHTING CONTROL DEVICE, and U.S. Pat. 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 dimmer switch 120 may be configured to receive digital messages from the system controller 110 via the RF signals 106 and to control the lighting load 122 in response to the received digital messages. Examples of dimmer switches operable to transmit and receive digital messages is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2009/0206983, published Aug. 20, 2009, entitled COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL FOR A RADIO-FREQUENCY LOAD CONTROL SYSTEM, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The dimmer switch 120 may also, or alternatively, be coupled to the wired digital communication link 104.
The load control system 100 may further comprise one or more remotely-located load control devices, such as light-emitting diode (LED) drivers 130 for driving respective LED light sources 132 (e.g., LED light engines). The LED drivers 130 may be located remotely, for example, in the lighting fixtures of the respective LED light sources 132. The LED drivers 130 may be configured to receive digital messages from the system controller 110 via the digital communication link 104 and to control the respective LED light sources 132 in response to the received digital messages. The LED drivers 130 may be coupled to a separate digital communication link, such as an Ecosystem® or digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) communication link, and the load control system 100 may include a digital lighting controller coupled between the digital communication link 104 and the separate communication link. The LED drivers 132 may include internal RF communication circuits or be coupled to external RF communication circuits (e.g., mounted external to the lighting fixtures, such as to a ceiling) for transmitting and/or receiving the RF signals 106. The load control system 100 may further comprise other types of remotely-located load control devices, such as, for example, electronic dimming ballasts for driving fluorescent lamps.
The load control system 100 may further comprise a plurality of daylight control devices, e.g., motorized window treatments 140, such as motorized roller shades, to control the amount of daylight entering the building in which the load control system may be installed. Each motorized window treatment 140 may comprise a covering material (e.g., a shade fabric). The covering material may be wound around a roller tube for raising and/or lowering the shade fabric. Each motorized window treatment 140 may comprise an electronic drive unit (EDU) 142. If the motorized window treatment is a motorized roller shade, the EDU 142 may be located inside the roller tube of the motorized roller shade. The electronic drive units 142 may be coupled to the digital communication link 104 for transmitting and/or receiving digital messages. The electronic drive units 142 may include a control circuit that may be configured to adjust the position of a window treatment fabric in response to digital messages received from the system controller 110 via the digital communication link 104. Each of the electronic drive units 142 may include memory for storing association information for associations with other devices and/or instructions for controlling the motorized window treatments 140. Each electronic drive unit 142 may also, or alternatively, comprise an internal RF communication circuit or be coupled to an external RF communication circuit (e.g., located outside of the roller tube for motorized roller shades) for transmitting and/or receiving the RF signals 106. While the motorized window treatments 140 are illustrated in
The load control system 100 may comprise one or more other types of load control devices, such as, for example, a screw-in luminaire including a dimmer circuit and an incandescent or halogen lamp; a screw-in luminaire including a ballast and a compact fluorescent lamp; a screw-in luminaire including an LED driver and an LED light source; an electronic switch, a controllable circuit breaker, or other switching device for turning an appliance on and off; a plug-in load control device, controllable electrical receptacle, or controllable power strip for controlling one or more plug-in loads; a motor control unit for controlling a motor load, such as a ceiling fan or an exhaust fan; a drive unit for controlling a motorized window treatment or a projection screen; motorized interior or exterior shutters; a thermostat for a heating and/or cooling system; a temperature control device for controlling a setpoint temperature of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system; an air conditioner; a compressor; an electric baseboard heater controller; a controllable damper; a variable air volume controller; a fresh air intake controller; a ventilation controller; hydraulic valves for use radiators and radiant heating system; a humidity control unit; a humidifier; a dehumidifier; a water heater; a boiler controller; a pool pump; a refrigerator; a freezer; a television or computer monitor; a video camera; an audio system or amplifier; an elevator; a power supply; a generator; an electric charger, such as an electric vehicle charger; and/or an alternative energy controller.
The load control system 100 may comprise one or more input devices, e.g., such as a wired keypad device 150, a battery-powered remote control device 152, an occupancy sensor 154, a daylight sensor 156, and/or a radio window sensor 158. The wired keypad device 150 may be configured to transmit digital messages to the system controller 110 via the digital communication link 104 in response to an actuation of one or more buttons of the wired keypad device. The battery-powered remote control device 152, the occupancy sensor 154, the daylight sensor 156, and/or the radio window sensor 158 may be wireless control devices (e.g., RF transmitters) configured to transmit digital messages to the system controller 110 via the RF signals 106 (e.g., directly to the system controller). For example, the battery-powered remote control device 152 may be configured to transmit digital messages to the system controller 110 via the RF signals 106 in response to an actuation of one or more buttons of the battery-powered remote control device 152. The occupancy sensor 154 may be configured to transmit digital messages to the system controller 110 via the RF signals 106 in response to detection of occupancy and/or vacancy conditions in the space in which the load control system 100 is installed. The daylight sensor 156 may be configured to transmit digital messages to the system controller 110 via the RF signals 106 in response to detection of different amounts of natural daylight intensity. The radio window sensor 158 may be configured to transmit digital messages to the system controller 110 via the RF signals 106 in response to detection of an exterior daylight intensity coming from outside the space in which the load control system 100 is installed. The system controller 110 may be configured to transmit one or more digital messages to the load control devices (e.g., the dimmer switch 120, the LED drivers 130, and/or motorized window treatments 140) in response to the received digital messages, e.g., from the wired keypad device 150, the battery-powered remote control device 152, the occupancy sensor 154, the daylight sensor 156, and/or the radio window sensor 158. While the system controller 110 may receive digital messages from the input devices and/or transmit digital messages to the load control devices for controlling an electrical load, the input devices may communicate directly with the load control devices for controlling the electrical load.
The load control system 100 may comprise a wireless adapter device 160 that may be coupled to the digital communication link 104. The wireless adapter device 160 may be configured to receive the RF signals 106. The wireless adapter device 160 may be configured to transmit a digital message to the system controller 110 via the digital communication link 104 in response to a digital message received from one of the wireless control devices via the RF signals 106. For example, the wireless adapter device 160 may re-transmit the digital messages received from the wireless control devices on the digital communication link 104.
The occupancy sensor 154 may be configured to detect occupancy and/or vacancy conditions in the space in which the load control system 100 is installed. The occupancy sensor 154 may transmit digital messages to the system controller 110 via the RF signals 106 in response to detecting the occupancy and/or vacancy conditions. The system controller 110 may be configured to turn one or more of the lighting load 122 and/or the LED light sources 132 on and off in response to receiving an occupied command and a vacant command, respectively. The occupancy sensor 154 may operate as a vacancy sensor, such that the lighting loads are turned off in response to detecting a vacancy condition (e.g., not turned on in response to detecting an occupancy condition). 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 156 may be configured to measure a total light intensity in the space in which the load control system may be installed. The daylight sensor 156 may transmit digital messages including the measured light intensity to the system controller 110 via the RF signals 106. The digital messages may be used to control an electrical load (e.g., the intensity of lighting load 122, the motorized window treatments 140 for controlling the position of the covering material, the intensity of the LED light sources 132) via one or more control load control devices (e.g., the dimmer switch 120, the electronic drive unit 142, the LED driver 130). 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 158 may be configured to measure an exterior light intensity coming from outside the space in which the load control system 100 is installed. The radio window sensor 158 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 158 may detect when direct sunlight is directly shining into the radio window sensor 158, is reflected onto the radio window sensor 158, 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 158 may transmit digital messages including the measured light intensity to the system controller 110 via the RF signals 106. The digital messages may be used to control an electrical load (e.g., the intensity of lighting load 122, the motorized window treatments 140 for controlling the position of the covering material, the intensity of the LED light sources 132) via one or more control load control devices (e.g., the dimmer switch 120, the electronic drive unit 142, the LED driver 130). The radio window sensor 158 may also be referred to as a shadow sensor, a cloudy-day sensor, a sun sensor, or another sensor that may measure an external light intensity coming from outside of a space.
The load control system 100 may comprise other types of input device, such as, for example, temperature sensors; humidity sensors; radiometers; pressure sensors; smoke detectors; carbon monoxide detectors; air-quality sensors; motion sensors; security sensors; proximity sensors; fixture sensors; partition sensors; keypads; 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 (such as power meters, energy meters, utility submeters, utility rate meters); central control transmitters; residential, commercial, or industrial controllers; or any combination of these input devices. These input devices may also transmit digital messages to the system controller 110 via the RF signals 106. The digital messages may be used to control an electrical load (e.g., the intensity of lighting load 122, the motorized window treatments 140 for controlling the position of the covering material, the intensity of the LED light sources 132) via one or more control load control devices (e.g., the dimmer switch 120, the electronic drive unit 142, the LED driver 130).
The system controller 110 may be operable to be coupled to a network 170, such as a wireless or wired local area network (LAN) via a network communication bus 162 (e.g., an Ethernet communication link), e.g., for access to the Internet. The system controller 110 may be connected to a network switch 164 (e.g., a router or Ethernet switch) via the network communication bus 162 for allowing the system controller 110 to communicate with other system controllers. The system controller may be configured to communicate via the network 170 with a remote computing device 168 for controlling other electrical loads. The remote computing device 168 may be a network server or other computing device capable of storing instructions or other information for controlling one or more electrical loads in the load control system 100. The system controller may be wirelessly connected to the network 170, e.g., using Wi-Fi technology. The system controller 110 may also be configured to communicate via the network 170 with one or more network devices, such as the network device 166 for example. The network device 166 may be a smart phone (e.g., an iPhone® smart phone, an Android® smart phone, a Windows® smart phone, or a Blackberry® smart phone), a personal computer, a laptop, a tablet device, (e.g., an iPad® hand-held computing device), a Wi-Fi or wireless-communication-capable television, and/or any other suitable wireless or wired communication device (e.g., an Internet-Protocol-enabled device). The network device 166 may be operable to transmit digital messages to and/or receive digital messages from the system controller 110 and/or the remote computing device 168 in one or more Internet Protocol packets. The network device 166 may be operable to transmit digital messages directly to and/or receive digital messages directly from the load control devices and/or the input devices. Examples of load control systems operable to communicate with network devices on a network are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2013/0030589, published Jan. 31, 2013, entitled LOAD CONTROL DEVICE HAVING INTERNET CONNECTIVITY, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The system controller 110 may be configured to automatically control the load control devices (e.g., the dimmer switch 120, the LED drivers 130, and/or the motorized window treatments 140). For example, the system controller 110 may control the load control devices according to a timeclock schedule, which may be stored in a memory in the system controller 110, and/or based on the sensed daylight intensity that may indicate the amount of daylight in one or more spaces in which the load control system 100 is installed. The system controller 110, the may store instructions for performing the automated control of the load control devices locally, or may receive similar instructions from one or more other computing devices, such as the network device 166 and/or the remote computing device 168 for example. The control of the lighting loads may be coordinated with the control of motorized window treatments 140 to save energy and/or improve the comfort of the occupants of the space in which the load control system 100 is installed. For example, motorized window treatments 140 may be controlled to allow more daylight into the space in which the load control system may be installed, which may allow the amount of energy provided to the lighting loads 122, 132 to be reduced. The motorized window treatments 140 may also control the amount of glare within the space in which the load control system 100 is installed to provide comfort to occupants. Examples of a load control systems for automatically controlling one or more motorized window treatments 140 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, and commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,508,169, issued Aug. 13, 2013, entitled METHOD OF AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING A MOTORIZED WINDOW TREATMENT WHILE MINIMIZING OCCUPANT DISTRACTIONS, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The operation of the load control system 100 may be programmed, configured, and/or controlled using the network device 166 or other network device. The network device 166 may execute a graphical user interface (GUI) configuration software for allowing a user to program how the load control system 100 may operate. The configuration software may generate load control information (e.g., a load control database) that defines the operation and/or performance of the load control system 100. For example, the load control information may include information regarding the different load control devices of the load control system (e.g., the dimmer switch 120, the LED drivers 130, and/or the motorized window treatments 140). The load control information may include information regarding associations between the load control devices and the input devices (e.g., the wired keypad device 150, the battery-powered remote control device 152, the occupancy sensor 154, the daylight sensor 156, and/or the radio window sensor 158), and/or how the load control devices may respond to input received from the input devices. Examples of configuration procedures for load control systems are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,391,297, issued Jun. 24, 2008, entitled HANDHELD PROGRAMMER FOR LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM; U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2008/0092075, published Apr. 17, 2008, entitled METHOD OF BUILDING A DATABASE OF A LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM; and U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2014/0265568, published Sep. 18, 2014, entitled COMMISSIONING LOAD CONTROL SYSTEMS, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The load control system 100, or portions thereof, may be used for automated and/or manual control of the motorized window treatments 140 to increase or decrease the amount of natural daylight in a space, such as the same building; the same floor or floors in a building; the same room or rooms in a building; a portion of a room in a building; or a space or spaces sharing the same façade of a building for example.
The amount of daylight entering the space 200 may be controlled to conserve the amount of energy that may be provided to other load control devices in the space 200. If the space 200 includes lighting loads (not shown) for lighting the space 200, the amount of daylight entering the space 200 may be controlled to conserve the amount of power provided to the lighting loads. The amount of daylight entering the space may be controlled to conserve the amount of energy that may be provided for heating and/or cooling the space 200. For example, the amount of power provided to an HVAC system (not shown) may be reduced by increasing the amount of daylight allowed into the space to naturally increase the temperature of the space 200, or by blocking the daylight from entering the space to naturally decrease the temperature.
Where the covering material of the motorized window treatments 140 is a roller shade, the shades may be set to any position between a fully-open shade position 206 and a fully-closed shade position 208. The fully-open shade position 206 may allow a maximum amount of daylight (e.g., 99% or 100%) into the space 200 through the window 202. The fully-closed shade position 208 may allow a minimum amount of daylight (e.g., 1% or 0%) into the load control environment through the window 202. The shades may be set to a visor position 210. The visor position 210 may be the highest position to which the shades may be controlled during the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140. The visor position 210 may be lower than or equal to the fully-open position 206.
The motorized window treatments 140 may be used to limit the daylight to a defined area in the space 200. The penetration of the daylight may be limited to a maximum sunlight penetration distance 212 into the space 200 from the window 202 and/or the façade 204 in which the window 202 may be installed. The amount of daylight entering the space 200 may be controlled to limit the amount of glare that may be caused by the daylight directly entering the space. For example, the amount of daylight may be maximized to reduce the amount of power provided to load control devices, but may also be limited to an area that prevents glare from bothering occupants in the space.
The sunlight penetration distance may be the distance from the window 202 and/or the façade 204 at which the daylight may shine directly into the space 200. The sunlight penetration distance may be a function of a height of the window 214 and an angle of the façade 218 (as shown in
The maximum sunlight penetration distance 212 may be a distance to a work station 220, such as a table, a network device 166 location, or other work space. The amount of daylight entering the space 200 may be limited to prevent glare on the surface of the work station 220 or the network device 166. To prevent the glare on the surface of the work station 220, a height 222 of the work station 220 may be considered. For example, the sunlight penetration distance may be limited to a distance that prevents the daylight from reaching the surface of the work station 220 at the height 222 (e.g., the maximum sunlight penetration distance 212). The distance of the daylight penetration to the surface of the work station 220 may be determined by considering a triangle formed by the length of the deepest penetrating ray of the daylight (which may be parallel to the path of the ray), the difference between the height of the window 214 and the height 222 of the work station 220, and the maximum sunlight penetration distance 212 between the work station 220 and the window 202 or the wall of the façade 204 (e.g., the sunlight penetration distance).
One or more of the motorized window treatments 140 may be controlled based on motorized window treatment control parameters. The motorized window treatment control parameters may include automated control parameters for performing automated control of the motorized window treatments 140 during an automated control state. The motorized window treatment control parameters may also include override parameters for overriding the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140 and/or controlling the motorized window treatments 140 during an override state. The motorized window treatment control parameters may be stored at and/or used by the system controller 110, the network device 166, and/or the remote computing device 168 for controlling of the motorized window treatments 140 during different control states. The motorized window treatment control parameters may be different for different groups of motorized window treatments. For example, the motorized window treatments on each façade of the building may be controlled according to different automated control parameters.
The automated control parameters for the space 200 may be used to adjust the shade position of one or more motorized window treatments 140 over the course of the day. The automated control parameters may include the height 222 of the work station 220 (e.g., thirty inches), the maximum sunlight penetration distance 212 (e.g., twenty-four inches), a minimum amount of time between movements of the covering material for the motorized window treatment 140 (e.g., thirty minutes), a visor position 210 for the covering material, a facing direction for the façade 204 (e.g., forty-five degrees from due north), shade heights for the motorized window treatment 140 (e.g., the distance of the hembar from the floor when the shade is in the fully-closed position and/or the fully-open position), the start of the day automated control behavior (e.g., behavior at sunrise), and/or the end of the day automated control behavior (e.g., behavior at sunset). The automated control parameters may be used to calculate one or more preset shade positions or any finite point for the shade to travel to throughout the day based on the sun position. The shade heights may be, or may be otherwise determined from, the fully-open position 206 (e.g., one hundred and twenty inches for some shades) and the fully-closed position 208 (e.g., zero inches).
The override parameters may include parameters for controlling the motorized window treatments 140 during various override states. The override states may include a dark override state, a bright override state, a hold visor override state, and/or a manual override state. The dark override state may override the automated control of the motorized window treatment 140 when the amount of daylight in the space 200 is at or below the dark override threshold. The bright override state may override the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140 when the amount of daylight in the space 200 is at or above the bright override threshold. A direct bright override threshold may be used for a façade that is receiving daylight directly. An indirect bright override threshold may be used for a façade that is not receiving daylight directly. The override states may include a manual override state for overriding the automated control of the motorized window treatments by manual control of the motorized window treatment via one or more input devices, e.g., such as a button press or sequence of button presses on the wired keypad device 150 and/or the battery-powered remote control device 152, a timeclock event, and/or control of the motorized window treatment via the network device 166. The hold visor override state may override the automated control of the motorized window treatment 140 when the amount of daylight in the space 200 is at or below a hold visor override threshold. The override parameters may be stored at and/or used by the system controller 110, the network device 166, and/or the remote computing device 168 for overriding the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140.
The start of the day automated control behavior and/or the end of the day automated control behavior may be programmed astronomically based on a time before/after sunrise and sunset, or may be programmed at fixed times of day. The start of day behavior and/or end of day behavior may be to position each shade at a predetermined shade level (e.g., open each shade, close each shade, etc.) or to leave the shades where they are prior to the start of day/end of day control period. In the morning and/or evening there may be a period of time after sunrise or prior to sunset (e.g., when the sun is about fifteen degrees of solar elevation and below) in which the shades may be controlled with a ramping dark override threshold. Because the sun may be low in the sky during morning and/or evening, the overall brightness detected by a sensor may be reduced. During the periods in which the sun is lower in the sky, the sensors may be more sensitive and may determine a cloudy day condition or the presence of a building blocking direct sunlight using less light than during mid-day between the morning and evening. Examples for changing the dark override threshold around sunrise and sunset are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0156079, published Jun. 5, 2014, entitled METHOD OF CONTROLLING A MOTORIZED WINDOW TREATMENT, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The override parameters for the dark override state may include an indication of whether the dark override is enabled, a dark override threshold (e.g., 300 foot candles), a dark override shade position (e.g., 100%), a dark override delay time period, and/or a dark override hysteresis (e.g., 100 foot candles). The dark override state may be used to override the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140 when the intensity of the daylight is at or below the dark override threshold. The dark override state may cause the covering material of the motorized window treatments 140 to be opened to the dark override shade position to allow more of the daylight in the space 200. The dark override state may be entered when the daylight level is at or below the dark override threshold for the dark override delay time period, which may be a predetermined period of time (e.g., thirty minutes). The dark override delay time period may prevent the dark override state from being entered each time the daylight level is at or below the dark override threshold for a short period of time (e.g., a short passing of a cloud or the like). The dark override shade position may be maintained for as long as the light level stays at or below the dark override threshold and/or the dark override hysteresis. The dark override hysteresis may indicate a threshold amount the intensity the daylight may rise above the dark override threshold before the automated control of the motorized window treatment may return to the automated control state or otherwise leave the dark override state. The dark override hysteresis may prevent the dark override state from being entered into and exited frequently when the intensity of the daylight is about the same intensity as the dark override threshold, or the intensity of the daylight is otherwise rising slightly above the dark override threshold frequently.
The override parameters for the bright override state may include an indication of whether the bright override is enabled, a bright override threshold (e.g., 5000 foot candles), a bright override shade position (e.g., 0%), a bright override delay time period, and/or a bright override hysteresis (e.g., 1000 foot candles). The bright override state may be used to override the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140 when the intensity of the daylight is at or above the bright override threshold. The bright override state may cause the covering material of the motorized window treatments 140 to be lowered to the bright override shade position to allow less of the daylight in the space 200. The control of the motorized window treatments may return to the automated control state when the daylight level is at or below the bright override threshold and/or the bright override hysteresis for the bright override delay time period, which may be a predetermined period of time (e.g., thirty minutes). The bright override delay time period may prevent the bright override state from being exited each time the daylight level is at or below the bright override threshold for a short period of time (e.g., a short passing of a cloud or the like). The bright override shade position may be maintained for as long as the daylight level stays at or above the bright override threshold and/or the bright override hysteresis. The bright override hysteresis may indicate a threshold amount the intensity of the daylight may fall below the bright override threshold before the automated control of the motorized window treatment may return to the automated control state or otherwise leave the bright override state. The bright override hysteresis may prevent the bright override state from being entered into and exited frequently when the intensity of the daylight is about the same intensity as the bright override threshold, or the intensity of the daylight is otherwise falling slightly below the bright override threshold frequently. The bright override threshold may be different when the motorized window treatments 140 are on a façade that is receiving the daylight directly (e.g., direct bright override threshold) than when the motorized window treatments 140 are on a façade that is receiving the daylight indirectly or that is not receiving the daylight directly (e.g., indirect bright override threshold).
The bright override state may include a direct bright override and/or an indirect bright override. The direct bright override may be used for motorized window treatments that are on a façade that is receiving daylight directly. The indirect bright override may be used for motorized window treatments that are on a façade that is receiving daylight indirectly or is not receiving direct daylight. The direct bright override and the indirect bright override may have shared and/or respective override parameters. The override parameters for the direct bright override state may include an indication of whether the direct bright override is enabled, a direct bright override threshold (e.g., 5000 foot candles), a direct bright override shade position, a direct bright override delay time period, and/or a direct bright override hysteresis (e.g., 1000 foot candles). The override parameters for the indirect bright override state may include an indication of whether the indirect bright override is enabled, an indirect bright override threshold (e.g., 2500 foot candles), an indirect bright override shade position, an indirect bright override delay time period, and/or an indirect bright override hysteresis (e.g., 500 foot candles). The direct bright override and the indirect bright override may share a bright override shade position (e.g., 0%) and/or a bright override delay time period (e.g., thirty minutes). The direct bright override threshold may be greater (e.g., twice a great, or another multiple greater) than the indirect bright override threshold.
The override parameters for the hold visor override state may include an indication of whether the hold visor override state is enabled, a hold visor threshold (e.g., 1500 foot candles), a visor position (e.g., thirty-five percent closed), a hold visor override delay time period (e.g., thirty minutes), and/or a hold visor override hysteresis (e.g., 300 foot candles). The hold visor override state may be used to position the motorized window treatments to the visor position 210 when the intensity of the daylight is at or below the hold visor override threshold. The hold visor override threshold may be below the bright override threshold and above the dark override threshold. The hold visor override state may cause the covering material of the motorized window treatments 140 to be opened to the visor position 210 (e.g., 80%) to allow more of the daylight in the space 200. For example, the visor position 210 may be utilized when the space 200 is in a position to receive the daylight directly (e.g., at a façade that is directly facing the sun), but the intensity of the daylight is at or below the hold visor override threshold (e.g., due to the daylight being blocked by cloud cover or a building).
The control of the motorized window treatments 140 may return to the automated control state when the daylight level is at or above the hold visor override threshold and/or the hold visor override hysteresis for the hold visor override delay time period, which may be a predetermined period of time. When the hold visor override threshold is between the bright override threshold and the dark override threshold, the control of the motorized window treatments may change to the dark override state when the daylight level is at or below the dark override threshold and/or the hold visor override hysteresis for the hold visor override delay time period, which may be a predetermined period of time. The hold visor override hysteresis may have an upper bound and a lower bound. The hold visor override delay time period may prevent the hold visor override state from being exited each time the daylight level is at or above the hold visor override threshold, or at or below the dark override threshold, for a short period of time. The hold visor override hysteresis may indicate a threshold amount the intensity of the daylight may rise above the upper-bound hold visor override threshold (e.g., 500 foot candles), or fall below the lower-bound visor override threshold (e.g., 100 foot candles), before the control of the motorized window treatment may change to another control state. The hold visor override hysteresis may prevent the hold visor override state from being entered into and exited frequently when the intensity of the daylight is about the same intensity as the hold visor override threshold or the dark override threshold or is entering and exiting the hold visor override state parameters multiple times within the hold visor override delay time period.
A determination may be made as to whether the daylight is being received directly at the space 200 or a façade at which the space 200 may be located. The determination may be based on a facing angle of the façade and/or the real-time position of the sun in the sky. The time of day, the location of the building in which the space 200 may be located, and/or the angle of the façade at which the space 200 may be located may be used to detect whether the space 200, or the façade at which the space may be located, is directly receiving the daylight. The intensity of the light received at the daylight sensor 156 and/or the radio window sensor 158 may be used to determine whether the space 200 is receiving direct daylight.
The manual override state may be caused by an adjustment of the shade position received from one or more input devices, e.g., such as a button press or sequence of button presses on the wired keypad device 150 and/or the battery-powered remote control device 152, a timeclock event, and/or control of the motorized window treatment via the network device 166. The manual adjustment of the position of the covering material for the motorized window treatments 140 may last for a predetermined duration of time. The duration of time maybe calculated from the first manual adjustment or from the last manual adjustment by a user. For example, the manual override state may last for 30 minutes from a user adjustment of the motorized window treatment via a remote control device
The motorized window treatments 140 may be included in a group of motorized window treatments. A group of motorized window treatments may include one or more motorized window treatments. Each group of motorized window treatments may be in the same space, such as the same building, the same floor or floors in a building, the same room or rooms in a building, a portion of a room in a building, or a space or spaces sharing the same façade of a building for example. Different groups of motorized window treatments may be controlled according to different motorized window treatment control parameters. For example, the thresholds, shade positions, delay periods, and/or hysteresis for the control states may be different based on the façade of each motorized window treatment group.
As shown in
At 304, the daylight intensity may be determined. For example, the daylight intensity may be at the system controller 110, the network device 166, and/or the remote computing device 168 based on the amount of daylight being sensed (e.g., by the daylight sensor 156 and/or the radio window sensor 158), the time of day, the position of the sun, and/or other parameters that may be used to determine the daylight intensity at a space. The determination may include whether the daylight is being received directly or indirectly at a space based on the direction of the façade, the position of the sun, and/or the time of day.
The motorized window treatments 140 may be controlled at 306 according to the motorized window treatment control parameters and/or the daylight intensity. In an automated control state, the automated control parameters and the daylight intensity may be used to determine a position of the covering material for the motorized window treatments 140. In an override state, the override parameters and the daylight intensity may be used to determine a position of the covering material for the motorized window treatments 140. In an override state that is entered based upon inputs other than the daylight intensity (e.g., the manual override state), the daylight intensity may not be used for control, but may still be tracked for the time period in which the motorized window treatments 140 are controlled.
The motorized window treatment control information and/or the daylight intensity may be stored at 308 for access at 310. The motorized window treatment control information and/or the daylight intensity may be accessed at 310 based on a user request for such information (e.g., at the network device 166 and/or the remote computing device 168). The user request may indicate a period of time and/or one or more motorized window treatments for which the motorized window treatment control information is desired. The indication of the one or more motorized window treatments may include a location and/or an identification of a group of motorized window treatments. The motorized window treatment control information may include the control state (e.g., automated control state and/or override states) for controlling the motorized window treatment and/or the position of the covering material for the indicated period of time. The motorized window treatment control information and/or the daylight intensity may be displayed at 312. The motorized window treatment control information and/or the daylight intensity may be displayed for the indicated period of time. Solar angle information (e.g., solar altitude angle and/or an indication of whether the sun is on a facade) may also be determined and displayed for the indicated period of time.
The daylight intensity 404 may be based on the amount of daylight being received at a space or on a façade. The daylight intensity 404 may be sensed using one or more sensors, such as the daylight sensor 156 and/or the radio window sensor 158 shown in
The daylight intensity 404 may be used to control one or more shades (e.g., a group of shades). A single sensor may sense the daylight intensity 404 that may be used to control one or more shades in a group of shades. When multiple sensors are used to control one or more shades in a group of shades, the daylight intensity 404 may reflect the highest sensor value (e.g., the highest sensor value of a predetermined or dynamically determined group of sensors). In other examples, the daylight intensity 404 may be based on an average or a weighted average of the data collected from each sensor. The information from one or more sensors may be provided in the user interface 400. The daylight intensity 404 may be based on the amount of daylight being sensed, the time of day, the position of the sun, and/or other parameters that may be used to determine the daylight intensity at a space.
The graph 402 may indicate motorized window treatment control information for one or more motorized window treatments in a space, such as a building, a floor or floors in a building, a room or rooms in a building, a portion of a room in a building, or a space or spaces sharing the same façade of a building for example. The motorized window treatment control information may include a shade position 406 and/or a control state associated with the shade position 406. The daylight intensity 404 and the shade position 406 may be indicated with different colors, patterns, symbols, and/or other indicators for differentiation. The shade position 406 may be indicated by a percentage of the window that may be covered by a window shade. While the graph 402 illustrates a shade position 406, any indication of the amount of daylight allowed by a covering material of a motorized window treatment may be provided, such as a hem bar position or any other indicator of the amount of a window that may be covered by a covering material, for example.
The shade position 406 may be controlled based on the daylight intensity 404 at a corresponding time. The shade position 406 may be adjusted when the daylight intensity 404 is at different levels to control the amount of daylight entering a space. As shown at 408, as the daylight intensity 404 may increase for a space that is receiving daylight (e.g., based on the time of day, cloud cover, etc.) the shade position 406 may be lowered or set at a position allowing less daylight into the space. The shade position 406 may be adjusted based on the slope or the rate of change of the daylight intensity 404 in the graph 402. The shade position 406 may increase or set at a position allowing less daylight into the space as the daylight intensity 404 decreases, as shown at 410. Though the daylight intensity 404 may increase or decrease, the shade position 406 may respectively increase or decrease, as the daylight intensity 404 may be based on the total daylight intensity level 404 and/or the amount of daylight allowed into a space. The shade position 406 may have a greater amount of change or may change more frequently when the slope of the daylight intensity 404 is greater. The frequency of change in the shade position 406 may also be considered to avoid moving the shade more than a predetermined amount over a period of time.
The shade position 406 may be communicated from the motorized window treatments, such as the motorized window treatments 140 for example, or otherwise determined from information communicated from the motorized window treatments 140. The system controller 110, the network device 166, and/or the remote computing device 168 may use the communications from the motorized window treatments 140 to control the shade position 406 and/or display the shade position 406 to a user.
The graph 402 may include various types of motorized window treatment control parameters. For example, the graph 402 may include one or more thresholds that may be used for controlling the shade position 406. The graph 402 may include a bright override threshold 412 and/or a dark override threshold 414. The bright override threshold 412 and the dark override threshold 414 may be indicated with different colors, patterns, and/or symbols from each other for differentiation. The colors, patterns, and/or symbols of the bright override threshold 412 and the dark override threshold 414 may also be different from the daylight intensity 404 and the shade position 406. The bright override threshold 412 and/or the dark override threshold 414 may be set by a user or may be a predetermined value. The graph 402 may indicate other motorized window treatment control parameters, such as the bright override delay time period, the bright override hysteresis, the dark override delay time period, the dark override hysteresis, the hold visor override threshold, the hold visor override delay time period, the hold visor override hysteresis, and/or the like.
The shade position 406 may be adjusted using the bright override threshold 412 and/or the dark override threshold 414. As shown in graph 402, the shade position 406 may be increased when the daylight intensity 404 is at the dark override threshold 414 or lower. The shade position 406 may be adjusted to prevent the daylight intensity 404 from reaching the dark override threshold 414 or lower. As shown in graph 402, the shade position 406 may be decreased when the daylight intensity 404 is at the bright override threshold 412 or higher. The shade position 406 may be decreased to prevent the daylight intensity 404 from reaching the bright override threshold 412 or higher.
The dark override threshold 414 may include a morning ramping period 416 and/or an evening ramping period 418. The morning ramping period 416 may run from a low threshold (e.g., zero daylight) to the dark override threshold 414 over a period of time. The evening ramping period 418 may run from the dark override threshold 414 to the low threshold (e.g., zero daylight) over a period of time. The morning ramping period 416 and the evening ramping period 418 may track the rise and fall of the sun during the morning and evening, respectively. The morning ramping period 416 and/or the evening ramping period 418 may change based on the date and/or time of year, or may be set to a predefined ramping period. The morning ramping period 416 and/or the evening ramping period 418 may be configured to have a greater or lesser slope. The configuration of the morning ramping period 416 and/or the evening ramping period 418 may be based on user input. A user may view a ramping profile that may be provided based on the surroundings of the space. A more dense environment, such as a city environment, may be given less of a slope than a less dense environment, such as a suburban or rural area. The gradient of the slope may be increased or decreased a predetermined amount to fit the environment.
The user interface 400 may include a system state indicator pane 420 that may track the control state for the motorized window treatments 140. Where the motorized window treatments 140 are controlled by the system controller 110, the network device 166, and/or the remote computing device 168, the system state indicator pane 420 may track the control state of the device that is controlling the motorized window treatments 140. The system state indicator pane 420 may indicate the state of the motorized window treatments 140 over a period of time. For example, the system state indicator pane 420 may follow the time axis of the graph 402 and/or may indicate the state of the motorized window treatments 140 over different periods of time represented in the graph 402. The system state indicator pane 420 may be on the top or bottom of the graph 402 to track the time axis. The various states that are illustrated in
The automated control state 426 may indicate when the motorized window treatments 140 are automatically controlled according to an automated control function. The automated control of the motorized window treatments 140 may be based on the automated control parameters and/or the daylight intensity 404. The automated control state 426 may be entered during predetermined periods of time, such as during daylight hours for example. The automated control state 426 may be entered when a predefined amount of daylight is sensed. For example, the automated control state 426 may be entered when the daylight intensity 404 is at or above the dark override threshold 414. The automated control state 426 may be maintained until being overridden by another control state or until disabled.
The automated control disabled state 422 may indicate when the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140 is disabled. The automated control disabled state 422 may be entered at the end of the day or the night time and may cause the shade position 406 to be adjusted to an end of day or nighttime position. The end of day or nighttime position may be configured by a user. During the automated control disabled state 422, the motorized window treatments 140 may be manually controlled. For example, during the automated control disabled state 422, an occupant or another user may adjust one or more of the motorized window treatments 140 via one or more input devices, e.g., such as a button press or sequence of button presses on the wired keypad device 150 and/or the battery-powered remote control device 152, a timeclock event, and/or control of the motorized window treatment via the network device 166. The automated control disabled state 422 may be entered during predetermined periods of time, such as before and/or after daylight hours for example. The automated control disabled state 422 may be entered when a predefined amount of daylight is sensed. For example, the automated control disabled state 422 may be entered when the daylight intensity 404 is at or below a threshold, such as the dark override threshold 414 or another low threshold that may be lower than the dark override threshold 414. The automated control disabled state 422 may be entered before the morning ramping period 416 and/or after the evening ramping period 418.
The dark override state 428 may indicate an override of the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140. The dark override state 428 may be entered during the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140 when the daylight intensity 404 is at or below the dark override threshold 414 for the dark override delay time. In another example, the dark override state 428 may be entered to prevent the daylight intensity 404 from reaching the dark override threshold 414 or from going below the dark override threshold 414. During the dark override state 428, the shade position 406 may be raised to increase the daylight intensity 404 and allow more daylight into the space in which the lighting control system 100 is installed. The motorized window treatments 140 may be adjusted to a predetermined shade position 406 or the shade position 406 may be raised a predetermined amount during the dark override state 428. The motorized window treatments 140 may raise the shade position 406 based on the daylight intensity 404 to allow the daylight intensity 404 to increase to a predetermined amount (e.g., at or above the dark override threshold 414) or to increase for a predetermined period of time. The dark override state 428 may be entered into for predetermined period of time or until the daylight intensity 404 reaches a predetermined threshold.
The bright override state 430 may indicate an override of the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140. The bright override state 430 may be entered during the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140 when the daylight intensity 404 is at or above the bright override threshold 412. In another example, the bright override state 430 may be entered to prevent the daylight intensity 404 from reaching the bright override threshold 412 or from going above the bright override threshold 412. During the bright override state 430, the shade position 406 may be lowered to lower the daylight intensity 404 and allow less daylight or daylight glare into the space in which the lighting control system 100 is installed. The shade position 406 may be lowered to a predetermined position or the shade position 406 may be lowered a predetermined amount during the bright override state 430. The shade position 406 may be lowered based on the daylight intensity 404 to allow the daylight intensity 404 to decrease to a predetermined amount (e.g., at or below the bright override threshold 412) or to decrease for a predetermined period of time. The bright override state 430 may be entered into for predetermined period of time or until the daylight intensity 404 reaches a predetermined threshold.
The manual override state 432 may indicate an override of the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140. The manual override state 432 may be entered during the automated control of the motorized window treatments 140 when an occupant or other user manually changes the shade position 406 from the shade position 406 in the automated control state 426. The manual override state 432 may be entered when a user raises or lowers the shade position 406 via one or more input devices, e.g., such as a button press or sequence of button presses on the wired keypad device 150 and/or the battery-powered remote control device 152, a timeclock event, and/or control of the motorized window treatment via the network device 166. The manual override state 432 may be entered into for a manual override timeout period. The manual override timeout period may be a predetermined period of time (e.g., thirty minutes). In another example, the manual override state may stay enabled until the user activates the automated control state 426 or another control state.
The override disabled state 424 may indicate a period of time in which one or more overrides of the automated control state 426 may be disabled. The override disabled state 424 may be entered during predefined periods of the automated control state 426 to disable override of the automated control state 426. The override disabled state 424 may be entered at the beginning and/or end of the automated control state 426 to allow the shade position 406 and/or the daylight intensity 404 to reach a predefined level while starting and/or ending the automated control state 426. For example, the override disabled state 424 may be entered at the beginning of the morning ramping period 416 (e.g., at a predetermined portion of the ramping period) and/or the end of the evening ramping period 418 (e.g., at a predetermined portion of the ramping period). The override disabled state 424 may prevent the dark override state 428 from being entered when the sun is rising in the morning or falling in the evening. The morning and evening may include predetermined periods of time before and after noon, respectively. The morning and evening time period may also, or alternatively, be indicated by the solar elevation angle. When the solar elevation angle is below a predetermined threshold (e.g., fifteen degrees) before noon, it may be morning. When the solar elevation angle is below a predetermined threshold (e.g., fifteen degrees) after noon, it may be evening. The override disabled state 424 may be entered into for a predetermined period of time or until the shade position 406 or the daylight intensity 404 reach a predetermined level.
The user interface 400 may indicate the reasons for which the shade position 406 has been moved. For example, as shown in
As shown in
The movement indicators may be interactive to display information to a user about the change in shade position 406. The reason for the change in shade position 406 and/or the time of the change may be provided to a user upon selection of a movement indicator, such as when the user taps on a movement indicator, hovers the mouse icon over the movement indicator, or performs another selection of the movement indicator. For example, upon selection or hovering a mouse icon over the movement indicator 434, the user interface 400 may display detail information 436 that may indicate that the shade position 406 was moved, the time at which the shade position 406 was moved, the reason the shade position 406 was moved, and/or the system state to which the system moved. The detail information 436 may include a button 466 that may allow the user to adjust system settings, such as the motorized window treatment control parameters, for example. The button 466 may link to another interface to allow adjustments to user settings or that may prompt the user for information that indicates the user’s problems with the system.
The graph 402 and the system state indicator pane 420 may illustrate other motorized window treatment control parameters that may be implemented in the load control system. As shown in
The dark override state 428 may be exited after the dark override hysteresis is reached. The daylight intensity 404 may be raised above the dark override threshold 414 at 442 and the dark override state 428 may be exited at 444 after the daylight intensity 404 reaches the dark override hysteresis. The dark override hysteresis may be a predetermined amount above the dark override threshold 414. The dark override hysteresis may prevent the dark override state 428 from being exited when the daylight intensity 404 goes above the dark override threshold 414 by less than the dark override hysteresis.
As the level of brightness in a space may be more noticeable or bothersome to a user, the bright override state 430 may be entered at 446 when the bright override threshold 412 may be crossed by the daylight intensity 404. The bright override threshold 412 may also implement a bright override delay period (not shown). The daylight intensity 404 may be lowered to or below the bright override threshold 412 at 448 and the bright override state 430 may be exited at 450 after the bright override hysteresis is reached. The bright override hysteresis may be a predetermined amount below the bright override threshold 412. The bright override hysteresis may prevent the bright override state 430 from being exited when the daylight intensity 404 goes below the bright override threshold 412 by less than the bright override hysteresis.
The user interface 400 may include a legend 452. The legend 452 may define the information that may be provided in the graph 402 and/or the system state indicator pane 420. For example, the legend 452 may define the representations in the graph 402 that indicate the daylight intensity 404, the motorized window treatment control information (e.g., the shade position 406 and/or the control states), the motorized window treatment control parameters (e.g., the bright override threshold 412 and/or the dark override threshold 414), and/or the movement indicators. The representations may be defined by different colors, patterns, line weights, symbols and/or other representations that may be used to distinguish the information in the graph 402.
The display of the information in the graph 402 may be enabled/disabled. The legend 452 may be used to enable/disable the daylight intensity 404, the motorized window treatment control information (e.g., the shade position 406 and/or the control states), the motorized window treatment control parameters (e.g., the bright override threshold 412 and/or the dark override threshold 414), and/or the movement indicators. The system state information may be indicated in a separate section 454, which may be a subsection of the legend 452.
The graph 402 may provide information for various numbers of motorized window treatments and/or over different periods of time. The graph 402 may display information for one or more motorized window treatment groups 456. A motorized window treatment group 456 may include one or more motorized window treatments. The motorized window treatment group 456 may include motorized window treatments located in the same building, the same floor or floors in a building, the same room or rooms in a building, a portion of a room in a building, or a space or spaces sharing the same façade of a building, for example.
The information in the graph 402 may be displayed over one or more timeframes. The timeframes may include one or more dates 458 that may be selected by a user. The graph 402 may provide information over selected time periods 460 within the one or more dates 458. The time periods 460 may include the range of time 462 and/or the event increments 464 for which information may be provided. For example, the range of time 462 may allow for viewing daily information in a twenty-four hour view, information from sunrise to sunset, or information in hour or minute increments. The event increments 464 may indicate the increments of time for which the changes to the shade position 406 may be displayed. Events may be displayed to the closest minute, the closest hour, or the closest day. The motorized window treatment group 456, the date(s) 458, and/or the time periods 460 may be user selected or may be predetermined. Using the motorized window treatment group 456, the date(s) 458, and/or the time periods 460, users may go back in time to view and/or track control information for one or more motorized window treatments.
The user interface 400 allows for tracking the system health of the motorized window treatment control information. The more often motorized window shades in a space are manually overridden, the less healthy the space may be. The motorized window treatment control information may be accessed, by the system controller 110, the network device 166, and/or the remote computing device 168 for example, to automatically adjust the motorized window control parameters based on the manual overrides. For example, if the number of manual overrides in a predefined time period exceed a threshold, an adjustment of one or more motorized window control parameters may be recommended or automatically implemented. The adjustments may be to the motorized window control parameters that are causing the manual adjustment, such as a low threshold that may cause a user to manually increase the shade level 406, for example. Adjustments may similarly be recommended or performed for other motorized window control parameters based on a number of other overrides that occur within a predefined period of time. For example, the bright override threshold 412 or the dark override threshold 414 may be adjusted to compensate for manual adjustments. The number of manual overrides and/or the health of the system may be provided to the user in a report. The report may be provided to the user automatically as an alert or upon request.
Adjustments to the motorized window treatment control may be made in user interface 400. The adjustments may be received, e.g., by the system controller 110, the network device 166, and/or the remote computing device 168, and may be implemented for controlling the motorized window treatment. For example, the bright override threshold 412, the dark override threshold 414, and/or other motorized window control parameters may be adjusted in the user interface 400. The user may perform the adjustments by dragging and dropping the thresholds and/or other motorized window control parameters or by making the adjustments in another user interface.
The adjustments to the motorized window treatment control parameters and/or predicted changes to the control of the motorized window treatments based on the adjustments may be reflected in the user interface 400. As shown in
The adjustments to the motorized window treatment control parameters may be stored, e.g., by the system controller 110, the network device 166, and/or the remote computing device 168, and may be implemented for controlling the motorized window treatment. The changes to the motorized window treatment control parameters may be stored upon selection of a save button (not shown) or other indication for storing the motorized window treatment control parameters. Prior implementations of or adjustments to the motorized window treatment control parameters may be viewed in the user interface 400. Before implementing recommended or user-defined changes, the interface 400 may show how the changes may affect the system operation by displaying the system operation with the changes being implemented on the graph 402 over the selected time period. The current implementations or adjustments may be undone and/or deleted from storage and the motorized window treatment control may revert to prior motorized window treatment control parameters for implementing the system.
Though the user interface 400 illustrates various control parameters, control states, and information, other control parameters and information may be displayed in the user interface 400. For example, the user interface 400 may indicate when there is a transition in a space from receiving daylight directly to receiving daylight indirectly or not receiving daylight directly. When there is a transition between direct daylight on a façade, the bright override threshold line may automatically adjust to, or appear at, the appropriate value. When there is direct daylight received at the space, the hold visor threshold may appear. If the daylight is being received indirectly or is not being received directly, the hold visor threshold may disappear.
The user interface 400 may be displayed on the network device 166 for displaying information to and/or obtaining input information from a user. The user interface 400 may be displayed via a local application or a remote application, such as a web interface provided by the system controller 110 or the remote computing device 168 for example.
Recommendations may be provided to the user for changing the motorized window treatment control parameters based on user input.
As shown in
The user interface 500 may request information 506 that may indicate a problem with the operation of the motorized window treatment and/or a type of adjustment to be made. For example, the user may indicate that the control of the motorized window treatments is allowing too much daylight in a space, too little daylight in a space, or if the frequency of the shade movements by the motorized window treatments is distracting. The types of problems or adjustments may be recommended, as indicated in the user interface 500, or may otherwise be provided by the user, such as through a text box or a voice command for example. The user interface 506 may allow the user to indicate a level of severity associated with the problem. For example, the user interface 506 may allow a user to indicate a level of brightness or darkness (e.g., between 1 and 5). The information 506 that may indicate the problem may be indicated in gradations, to request the user to indicate whether the daylight is bothering the user a little or a lot, for example. This information may be used to adjust the motorized window treatments more or less.
The user interface 500 may request a user to indicate whether the user has attempted to make a similar adjustment to the motorized window treatments before. This information may be used to determine whether an appropriate adjustment was previously made to the motorized window treatments. This information may also be combined with the gradation of the problem indicated by the user each time they report the problem to determine whether the problem is getting better and/or how much to adjust the problem.
The time period 502 and/or the location information 504 may be provided from other user interfaces, such as the user interface 400 illustrated in
The user interface 500 may request additional information. For example, the user interface 500 may request the control state that the system was in at the indicated time. The control state may be determined independently from the date and/or time information. The user interface 500 may request the type of day (e.g., cloudy, hazy, clear, stormy, etc.). The type of day information may be considered to determine a proper recommended adjustment to the motorized window treatment control parameters. The type of day information may indicate that the problem was due to an irregular or temporary condition that may not be cause for changes to the motorized window treatment control parameters. The recommendation may indicate the type of adjustment that would be recommended to the user without the type of day information and/or the recommendation based on the type of day information. For example, the user interface 500 may indicate that based on the indicated problem it would recommend increasing one or more thresholds, but due to the type of day information indicating that it was cloudy at the time of the problem there are no recommended adjustments to the parameters.
The user interface 500 may be displayed on the network device 166 for obtaining input information from a user. The user interface 500 may be displayed via a local application or a remote application, such as a web interface provided by the system controller 110 or another remote computing device for example. The input information received from the user may be used to determine a recommendation for adjusting the control of the motorized window treatments, e.g., the system controller 110, the network device 166, and/or the remote computing device 168 for example. The input information may be received (e.g., via email, text, or other format) by an operator of the motorized window treatments (e.g., a building manager, etc.) that may decide whether to make the adjustment. In another example, the decision to make the adjustments may be automatically determined.
Based on the indicated problem with one or more motorized window treatments at the indicated time period, one or more recommended motorized window treatment control parameters may be determined for adjustment at 604. For example, a user may indicate that too little or too much light is received at a time period. The user may also indicate the control state that the system was in at the indicated time period or the control state may be determined independently from the date and/or time information. To determine the recommended motorized window treatment control parameters to adjust at 604 to solve the problem indicated at 602, the settings of various motorized window treatment control parameters may be compared. The daylight intensity level and/or a number of transitions into an override state may also be considered when determining the recommended motorized window treatment control parameters to adjust at 604.
At 606, the amount to adjust the one or more recommended motorized window treatment control parameters may be determined. The amount to adjust the one or more recommended parameters may be based on a predetermined value or may be determined dynamically. For example, each parameter may be assigned a predetermined amount to adjust the parameter based on the problem indicated by the user at 602, the time of day, and/or the location of the problem. The amount to increase a parameter value may be different from the amount to decrease the parameter. For example, the recommended adjustment for increasing the bright override threshold may be to increase the threshold 1000 foot candles, while the recommended adjustment for lowering the dark override threshold may be to decrease the threshold 100 foot candles.
For motorized window treatment control parameters that are based on a daylight intensity value (e.g., thresholds), the value for the recommended adjustments may be determined dynamically at 606 based on the daylight intensity determined for an indicated time period and/or location of the indicated problem. The value of the recommended adjustment may be increased or decreased to the daylight intensity or further to prevent the problem from occurring again under similar conditions. For example, where the daylight intensity for a given time period reaches 6000 foot candles, a bright override threshold of 5000 foot candles may be increased to 6500 foot candles. The amount that the recommended value is adjusted to exceed the daylight level may be a predefined amount that may correspond to each motorized window treatment control parameter.
The one or more recommended motorized window treatment control parameters and/or the amount to adjust each parameter may be provided at 608. For example, the one or more recommended motorized window treatment control parameters and/or the amount to adjust each parameter may be provided (e.g., from the system controller 110, the remote computing device 168, or internal storage) for display to a user.
To compare the motorized window treatment control parameters, each motorized window treatment control parameter may be assigned a value or weight (e.g., for determining the control parameters that have the greatest impact in the problem). The value or weight may be assigned based on a rule that may correspond to the motorized window treatment control parameter and/or the problem indicated by the user. The motorized window treatment control parameters may be weighted differently based on the user’s selection of the indicated problem with the motorized window treatments.
A recommended change to the motorized window treatment control parameters may also be determined in an attempt to fix the identified problem. For example, the recommended change may be provided in an attempt to prevent the user from reporting the same problem under the same conditions. Based on the rules for each motorized window treatment control parameter, possible recommendations may be determined as well as a value (e.g., weight values 1 through 5) for each recommendation. A lower value (e.g., a weight value of 1) may indicate that a motorized window treatment control parameter may be less likely to improve system performance and may be less likely to be recommended. The lowest value may be a recommendation to make no adjustments. A higher value (e.g., a weight value of 5) may indicate that a motorized window treatment control parameter may be more likely to improve system performance and may be more likely to be recommended.
TABLE 1 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various visor positions when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 1, visor positions within various ranges may be given different weights based on the visor position setting on a window at an identified time. The weights for the visor positions may be based on the current visor position setting or a visor position setting at an otherwise identified time (e.g., time identified in graph 402 or otherwise selected by a user). Examples of recommended changes to the visor position are also included in TABLE 1 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 2 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various dark override threshold values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 2, the dark override threshold may be given different weights based on the daylight intensity level rising above or falling below the dark override threshold by a predetermined amount. The daylight intensity level may be the current daylight intensity level, the daylight intensity level over a period of time (e.g., a day, a month, a year, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user), the daylight intensity level over a predefined period of time from the current time, or another intensity level that may be indicated by a user. Examples of recommended changes to the dark override threshold are also included in TABLE 2 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 3 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various dark override positions when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 3, dark override positions within various ranges may be given different weights based on the dark override position setting on a window at an identified time (e.g., current time, a time identified in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user). Where the weighted values are unavailable for a given motorized window treatment control parameter, the weighting may be limited to the available values. For example, the dark override position may be assigned a weight of one or two when a user indicates that too much light is entering the space. These lower values may give the dark override position a lower priority than other motorized window treatment control parameters that may have larger values available. Examples of recommended changes to the dark override position are also included in TABLE 3 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 4 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various dark override delay values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 4, the dark override delay may be given different weights based on the dark override delay value at an identified time (e.g., current time, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user), the number of transitions into dark override state over a period of time (e.g., since the beginning of a day), the daylight intensity level over a period of time, and/or the dark override threshold. The dark override delay value and/or the number of transitions into dark override state over a period of time may be used to determine the weight when the user indicates that too much light is being received in a space. The period of time over which the number of transitions is accumulated to determine the weight may be a predefined period of time (e.g., an hour, a day, a month, a year, etc.), a predefined amount of time prior to the current time, or an amount of time otherwise selected by the user (e.g., a time displayed in graph 402). The daylight intensity level and/or the dark override threshold may be used to determine the weight when the user indicates that not enough light is being received at a space. The amount of time over which the daylight intensity level is measured may be a predefined period of time (e.g., an hour, a day, a month, a year, etc.), a predefined amount of time prior to the current time, or an amount of time otherwise selected by the user (e.g., a time displayed in graph 402). Examples of recommended changes to the dark override delay are also included in TABLE 4 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 5 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various dark override hysteresis values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 5, the dark override hysteresis may be given different weights based on the dark override hysteresis value at an identified time (e.g., current time, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user) and/or the number of transitions into dark override state over a period of time (e.g., since the beginning of a day). The period of time over which the number of transitions is accumulated may be a predefined period of time (e.g., an hour, a day, a month, a year, etc.), a predefined amount of time prior to the current time, or an amount of time otherwise selected by the user (e.g., a time displayed in graph 402). Examples of recommended changes to the dark override hysteresis are also included in TABLE 5 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 6 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various direct bright override threshold values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 6, the direct bright override threshold may be given different weights based on the daylight intensity level rising above or falling below the direct bright override threshold by a predetermined amount. The daylight intensity level may be the current daylight intensity level, the daylight intensity level over a period of time (e.g., a day, a month, a year, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user), the daylight intensity level over a predefined period of time from the current time, or another intensity level that may be indicated by a user. Examples of recommended changes to the direct bright override threshold are also included in TABLE 6 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 7 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to indirect bright override thresholds when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 7, the indirect bright override threshold may be given different weights based on the daylight intensity level rising above or falling below the indirect bright override threshold by a predetermined amount. The daylight intensity level may be the current daylight intensity level, the daylight intensity level over a period of time (e.g., a day, a month, a year, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user), the daylight intensity level over a predefined period of time from the current time, or another intensity level that may be indicated by a user. Examples of recommended changes to the indirect bright override threshold are also included in TABLE 7 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions). Where the bright override threshold is a single threshold, rather than the direct bright override threshold and the indirect bright override threshold, a similar weighting may be given to the bright override threshold as is indicated in TABLE 6 or TABLE 7.
TABLE 8 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various bright override positions when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 8, bright override positions within various ranges may be given different weights based on the bright override position setting on a window at an identified time (e.g., current time, a time identified in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user). Examples of recommended changes to the bright override position are also included in TABLE 8 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 9 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various hold visor override threshold values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space that receives direct sunlight.
As shown in TABLE 9, the value of the hold visor override threshold may be given different weights based on the daylight intensity level rising above or falling below the hold visor override threshold by a predetermined amount. The daylight intensity level may be the current daylight intensity level, the daylight intensity level over a period of time (e.g., a day, a month, a year, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user), the daylight intensity level over a predefined period of time from the current time, or another intensity level that may be indicated by a user. Examples of recommended changes to the hold visor override threshold are also included in TABLE 9 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 10 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various bright override delay values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 10, the bright override delay may be given different weights based on the bright override delay value at an identified time (e.g., current time, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user), the number of transitions into bright override state over a period of time (e.g., since the beginning of a day), the daylight intensity level over a period of time, and/or the bright override threshold. The bright override delay value and/or the number of transitions into bright override state over a period of time may be used to determine the weight when the user indicates that too much light is being received in a space. The period of time over which the number of transitions is accumulated to determine the weight may be a predefined period of time (e.g., an hour, a day, a month, a year, etc.), a predefined amount of time prior to the current time, or an amount of time otherwise selected by the user (e.g., a time displayed in graph 402). The daylight intensity level and/or the bright override threshold may be used to determine the weight when the user indicates that not enough light is being received at a space. The amount of time over which the daylight intensity level is measured may be a predefined period of time (e.g., an hour, a day, a month, a year, etc.), a predefined amount of time prior to the current time, or an amount of time otherwise selected by the user (e.g., a time displayed in graph 402). Examples of recommended changes to the bright override delay are also included in TABLE 10 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 11 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various direct bright override hysteresis values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 11, the direct bright override hysteresis may be given different weights based on the direct bright override hysteresis value at an identified time (e.g., current time, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user) and/or the number of transitions into the bright override state over a period of time (e.g., since the beginning of a day). The period of time over which the number of transitions is accumulated may be a predefined period of time (e.g., an hour, a day, a month, a year, etc.), a predefined amount of time prior to the current time, or an amount of time otherwise selected by the user (e.g., a time displayed in graph 402). Examples of recommended changes to the direct bright override hysteresis are also included in TABLE 11 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 12 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various indirect bright override hysteresis values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 12, the indirect bright override hysteresis may be given different weights based on the indirect bright override hysteresis value at an identified time (e.g., current time, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user) and/or the number of transitions into the bright override state over a period of time (e.g., since the beginning of a day). The period of time over which the number of transitions is accumulated may be a predefined period of time (e.g., an hour, a day, a month, a year, etc.), a predefined amount of time prior to the current time, or an amount of time otherwise selected by the user (e.g., a time displayed in graph 402). Examples of recommended changes to the indirect bright override hysteresis are also included in TABLE 12 in an attempt to fix the identified problems.
TABLE 13 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various start of day and/or end of day ramping period slopes when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space. Examples of recommended changes to the various start of day and/or end of day ramping period slopes are included in TABLE 13 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 14 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various depth of maximum daylight penetration values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 14, the depth of maximum daylight penetration may be given different weights based on the depth of maximum daylight penetration values at an identified time (e.g., current time, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user). Examples of recommended changes to the depth of the maximum daylight penetration are also included in TABLE 14 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 15 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various hold visor override delay values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 15, the hold visor override delay may be given different weights based on the hold visor override delay value, the number of hold visor override state transitions within a period of time, the daylight intensity value at a period of time (e.g., current time, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user), and/or the hold visor override threshold. Examples of recommended changes to the hold visor override delay are also included in TABLE 15 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 16 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various hold visor override hysteresis values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 16, the hold visor override hysteresis may be given different weights based on the hold visor override hysteresis values at an identified time (e.g., current time, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user) and/or the number of hold visor override state transitions. Examples of recommended changes to the hold visor override hysteresis are also included in TABLE 16 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 17 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to work surface height values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 17, the work surface height may be given different weights based on the work surface height values at an identified time (e.g., current time, a time displayed in graph 402, or a time otherwise selected by a user). The work surface height may be set to a default value (e.g., thirty inches). Examples of recommended changes to the work surface height are also included in TABLE 17 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
TABLE 18 illustrates example weights and recommendations that may be given to various manual override timeout period values when a user indicates that too much light or not enough light is entering a space.
As shown in TABLE 18, the manual override timeout may be given different weights based on whether the system is in a manual override state and/or the length of the manual override timeout period. Examples of recommended changes to the manual override timeout are also included in TABLE 18 in an attempt to fix the identified problems (e.g., to prevent the user from reporting the same problems under the same conditions).
The value of various motorized window treatment control parameters may be compared against one another to determine the recommended motorized window treatment parameter to adjust (e.g., at 604). The value assigned to each parameter may be different for each indicated problem. The motorized window treatment control parameters may be given an additional priority value that may assign priority of each recommendation when multiple parameters have the same weight value. The priority level of each parameter may be different for each indicated problem.
The weight values assigned to each motorized window treatment control parameter may also be used to recommend the amount to adjust the parameter. Based on the type of problem indicated by the user, the recommendation may include an amount to adjust that would move the assigned weight value of the parameter to a setting that would give the parameter a higher or lower weight value. The weight value may be increased when an increased adjustment may solve the problem and/or the weight value may be decreased when a decreased adjustment may solve the problem. When the recommended adjustment is to a higher or lower weight value that includes a range of values, the recommended adjustment value may be at the upper limit of the range, the lower limit of the range, and/or the middle value in the range. The recommended adjustment may also, or alternatively, put the control parameter in the same respective position in the higher or lower weight range as the control parameter resides in a weight range prior to adjustment.
The value may be increased or decreased by a single value in the weighting system or by multiple values. The recommended adjustment may also be based on the current daylight intensity level for parameters that are weighted based on the daylight intensity level. The recommended parameters for adjustment may be adjusted to a setting that may avoid a future adjustment based on the daylight intensity level at an identified time. There may be a cap on the daylight intensity level to avoid making too large of an adjustment.
Though the weight values provided herein for each motorized window treatment control parameter from range from one to five, any other values or scoring system may be implemented. Additionally, though example recommended values of adjustment for the parameters may be provided, other recommended values may be provided. The rules provided for determining each parameter value are also provided as examples, as other rules may be provided for determining the value assigned to each parameter.
The method 700 may be used to determine one or more parameters that may be adjusted or recommended to the user for adjustment based on an indicated problem with the control of the motorized window treatments, a time of day, and/or the system state at the indicated time of day. The system state may be determined by the system based on the time of day at which the problem occurred. Based on the system state and the indicated problem at the time of day, the method 700 may be used to identify a subset of one or more parameters that may be recommended for adjustment. The recommended adjustment may include an amount to adjust each of the parameters to prevent the indicated problem from occurring again. If the subset of parameters selected includes more than one parameter, each of the parameters may be provided to the user as a recommended adjustment or each of the selected parameters may be weighted to select one or more of the parameters for being recommended to a user. For example, each of the parameters that are selected for recommended adjustment may be weighted using the weighting tables described herein and the parameter with the highest weight value may be recommended for adjustment. If multiple parameters have the same weight, the parameter with the highest priority may be recommended for adjustment.
As shown in
The subset of control parameters that may be used to determine the recommended adjustment to the motorized window treatment control parameters may include a decrease to the visor position, as indicated at 726. The subset of control parameters may be determined based on whether the time of day is the morning, the evening, or mid-day (e.g., between morning and evening). The morning and evening time periods may be predefined time periods based on the time of day or the angle of elevation of the sun. If the indicated period of time in which the problem occurred is determined to be during morning or evening at 736, the method 700 may move to 734 to determine whether daylight was being received directly at the indicated time period. If daylight was being received directly at the indicated time period, a decrease to the work surface height and/or a decrease to the depth of the maximum daylight penetration into the space may be included in the subset of control parameters at 724 and 722, respectively. If the time of day is determined to be mid-day at 736, the method 700 may proceed to 744.
At 744, the subset of control parameters may be determined based on whether the space in which the daylight is being received is receiving daylight directly (e.g., located at a façade that is facing the sun). When the daylight is directly received in the space at 744, the subset of control parameters may include a decrease to the direct bright override threshold at 742, a decrease in the depth of the maximum daylight penetration at 750, a decrease in the work surface height at 750, and/or an increase to the direct bright override hysteresis at 756. When the daylight is not being directly received in the space at 744 (e.g., when the sun is on the other side of the building), the subset of control parameters may include a decrease to the indirect bright override threshold at 752 and/or an increase to the indirect bright override hysteresis at 758.
If, at 710, the motorized window treatment control state is determined to be a control state other than the automated control state, the recommended adjustment may include adjustments that may affect the override control parameters. If the motorized window treatment control state is determined at 714 to be the dark override state, the subset of control parameters that may be used for determining the recommended adjustment may include a decrease to the dark override position at 728 and/or an increase to the dark override delay at 738. If the indicated period of time is determined to be during the morning or evening at 746, the subset of control parameters may include a decrease in the slope of the morning ramping period and/or the evening ramping period at 748. If the indicated period of time is determined to be during mid-day at 746, the subset of control parameters that may be used for determining the recommended adjustment may include a decrease to the dark override threshold at 754 and/or a decrease to the dark override hysteresis at 760.
If the motorized window treatment control state is determined to be the bright override state at 716, the subset of control parameters that may be used for determining the recommended adjustment may include a decrease to the bright override position at 730. The bright override position may be to the direct bright override position if the daylight is being received directly (e.g., directly on the façade) at the indicated time or to the indirect bright override position if the daylight is not being received directly (e.g., not directly on the façade).
When the motorized window treatment control state is determined to be the hold visor override state at 718, the subset of control parameters that may be used for determining the recommended adjustment may include a decrease to the visor position at 720, a decrease to the hold visor override threshold at 720, a decrease to the hold visor override hysteresis at 732, and/or an increase to the hold visor override delay at 740. The motorized window treatment control state may be in the hold visor override state when the daylight is being directly received (e.g., at a façade) and/or during mid-day.
Referring again to
If, at 770, the motorized window treatment control state at the time the problem occurred includes the automated control state, the recommended adjustment may include an adjustments that may affect the automated control parameters. The subset of control parameters that may be used for determining the recommended adjustment may be based on whether the problem occurred during the morning, evening, or mid-day, as shown at 782. If the indicated period of time in which the problem occurred is determined at 782 to be during the morning or evening, the subset of control parameters may include an increase to the morning ramping slope of the dark override state, an increase to the evening ramping slope of the dark override state, and/or an increase to the visor position at 780. The subset may include the increase to the morning or evening ramping slope of the dark override state based on whether the indicated period of time is in the morning or evening, respectively. In another example, the morning and evening ramping slope may both be included in the subset of control parameters when the indicated period of time is in the morning or evening.
The control parameters included in the subset for adjustment may be determined based on whether the space is receiving daylight directly at 786. If daylight is being received directly at the time of the indicated problem, the subset of control parameters may include an increase to the depth of the maximum daylight penetration and/or an increase to the work surface height at 794.
If the indicated period of time in which the problem occurred is determined at 782 to be during mid-day, the subset of control parameters that may be used for determining the recommended adjustment may include an increase to the dark override threshold at 788, an increase to the dark override hysteresis at 788, and/or a decrease to the dark override delay at 796. The control parameters included in the subset may be determined based on whether the space is receiving daylight directly at 804. If, at 804, the space is determined not to be receiving daylight directly (e.g., façade is not facing the sun), the subset of control parameters may include an increase in the visor position at 802. The visor position may be increased at 802 based on whether the motorized window treatments are in the visor position. For example, the visor position may be increased at 802 when it is determined that the motorized window treatments are in the visor position at the time of the indicated problem. If, at 804, the space is determined to be receiving daylight directly (e.g., façade is facing the sun), the subset of control parameters may include an increase in the depth of the maximum daylight penetration distance at 808, an increase to the hold visor override threshold at 808, an increase to the hold visor override hysteresis at 810, an increase to the work surface height at 810, and/or a decrease to the hold visor override delay at 812.
The subset of control parameters that may be used to determine the recommended adjustment may be based on the shade position of one or more shades in the space. If, at 816, the shade position is determined to be below the visor position, the subset of control parameters may include an increase to the hold visor override threshold at 814. If, at 816, the shade position is at the visor position, the subset of control parameters may include an increase to the visor position at 818.
If, at 772, the motorized window treatment control state at the indicated time the problem occurred is determined to be the bright override state, the subset of control parameters that may be used for determining the recommended adjustment may include a decrease to the bright override delay and/or an increase to the bright override position at 784. When the space is determined at 790 to be receiving daylight directly (e.g., façade is facing the sun), the subset of control parameters may include an increase to the direct bright override threshold at 792 and/or a decrease to the direct bright override hysteresis at 800. When the space is determined at 790 not to be receiving daylight directly (e.g., façade is not facing the sun), the subset of control parameters may include an increase to the indirect bright override threshold at 798 and/or a decrease to the bright override hysteresis at 806. If the motorized window treatment control state is determined at 774 to be the dark override state, the subset of control parameters that may be used for determining the recommended adjustment may include an increase to the dark override position at 776.
Referring again to
Though
One or more of the adjustments to the motorized window treatment control parameters in the subset determined using the method 700 may be provided to a user or implemented automatically. For example, each of the adjustments in the subset may be provided to a user or implemented or one or more of the adjustments in the subset may be selected for being provided to a user or implemented. If there are multiple adjustments in the subset of parameters determined using the method 700, each of the adjustments may be given a priority such that the determined adjustment, or set of adjustments, with the highest priority may be recommended or implemented. The recommended adjustments may be prioritized according to a weight that is assigned to the parameters in the subset. The weight values and/or recommendations may be assigned to each variable using the TABLES 1-18 provided herein, for example. The control parameters may be given a priority value relative to the other control parameters, such that adjustments to control parameters with the same weight value may be recommended or implemented. The control parameter, or set of control parameters, with the highest weight value and/or priority may be recommended for adjustment or automatically adjusted. The set of control parameters may be a predetermined number of control parameters or may be determined dynamically based on the weight value and/or priority of each of the control parameters. For example, the control parameters with the same weight and/or priority value may be recommended for adjustment or automatically adjusted. The amount to adjust the recommended parameters may be predetermined or may be based on the weight that is assigned to the parameters (e.g., increase or decrease by an amount according to the weight value).
The recommended adjustments to the motorized window treatment control parameters may be provided to the user via a user interface.
The user interface 850 may display assumptions or defaults used in determining the recommended adjustment. For example, the user interface 850 may indicate an assumed state, whether the space is believed to be in the direct sunlight, a daylight intensity level, and/or the like. The user interface 850 may also, or alternatively include a description of the motorized window treatment control parameter that is being recommended for adjustment.
While the user interface 850 may be provided for a single motorized window treatment control parameter, multiple recommendations may be made using the interface 850. When the user agrees with the recommended adjustments in the user interface 850, the user may preview the adjustments by pressing the preview adjustments button 860 and/or submit the adjustments for implementation using the make adjustments button 862. The adjustments may be previewed on another user interface, such as the user interface 400 as shown in
The adjustment rating 904 may indicate, or be based on, the weight value assigned to the control parameter. The recommended adjustments 902 may be listed in a recommended order of priority. The priority may be in the order of the rating 904 for each recommended adjustment. The recommended adjustment with the highest priority may be indicated to the user, such as with an asterisk 912, highlighting, or other identifier.
The user interface 900 may include system events 912 that occurred prior to the indicated problem. The system events 912 may assist the user in deciding whether to make a recommended adjustment. The user interface 900 may display the system events 912 that occurred within a predefined period of time prior to the time the indicated problem occurred. The period of time may be set by the system or indicated by the user. The system events may include changes to the position of the window treatment, a reason for each change of the position of the window treatment, changes to the automated control state, changes to a sensed amount of daylight, changes to the sun being on or off of a façade, changes to the direct bright override threshold, changes to the indirect bright override threshold, changes to the dark override threshold, changes to the visor override threshold, and/or other changes to the control parameters prior to the indicated problem. The user interface 900 may indicate the most recent change to one or more of the system events that occurred within the predefined period of time (e.g., current day).
A user may select one or more of the recommended adjustments 902 for being previewed and/or implemented. The user may preview the adjustments by pressing the preview adjustments button 914 and/or submit the adjustments for implementation using the make adjustments button 916. The adjustments may be previewed on another user interface, such as the user interface 400 as shown in
While the user interface 850, 900 includes a recommended adjustment to the motorized window treatment control parameters, the user interface 850, 900 may indicate that based on the current system settings, no adjustment to the current value 854, 908 or no adjustment is recommended. For example, as shown in the user interface 900, no change to the current value 908 may be recommended for a control parameter when the control parameter already has the highest or lowest rating and the recommended change would be to increase or decrease the current value, respectively. In another example, no change to the current value 854, 908 may be recommended when the user indicates that the space is receiving too much light or not enough light and it is determined that the shades were already fully-opened or fully-closed, respectively, at the time of the indicated problem. The reason for the problem indicated by the user may be determined to be due to a temporary condition (e.g., a passing cloud) that may not be used to adjust the control parameters. As a result, no adjustment may be recommended. When no recommended adjustment to the control parameters is made, the user interface 850, 900 may indicate that no adjustment is recommended and/or inform the user as to the reason why no adjustment is recommended.
The user interface 850, 900 may provide adjustments other than to the motorized window treatment control parameters. For example, when the user indicates that the space is receiving too much light at an identified time and it is determined that the shades were already closed or lower than a predetermined threshold at that time, the user interface 850, 900 may recommend a change in the covering material. The recommendation may include a covering material with a lower transmittance fabric than the fabric currently being used.
The user interface 850, 900 may be displayed on the network device 166 for providing recommended adjustments to the user. The user interface 850 may be displayed via a local application or a remote application, such as a web interface provided by the system controller 110 or the remote computing device 168, for example.
The control circuit 1002 may store information in and/or retrieve information from the memory 1008. The memory 1008 may include a non-removable memory and/or a removable memory for storing computer-readable media. 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 1002 may access the memory 1008 for executable instructions and/or other information that may be used by the computing device 1000. The control circuit 1002 may store the unique identifiers (e.g., serial numbers) of the control devices to which the computing device 1000 may be associated in the memory 1008. The control circuit 1002 may access instructions in the memory 1008 for controlling and/or configuring control of one or more load control devices.
The computing device 1000 may comprise a network communication circuit 1004, which may be adapted to perform wired and/or wireless communications (e.g., with the system controller device 110 or another device over a network) on behalf of the computing device 1000. The network communication circuit 1004 may be a wireless communication circuit, for example, including an RF transceiver coupled to an antenna 1012 for transmitting and/or receiving RF signals (e.g., the RF signals 106 shown in
The computing device 1000 may comprise an actuator 1006. The control circuit 1002 may be responsive to the actuator 1006 for receiving a user input. For example, the control circuit 1002 may be operable to receive a button press from a user on the computing device 1000 for making a selection or performing other functionality on the computing device 1000.
The computing device 1000 may comprise a display 1010. The control circuit 1002 may be in communication with a display 1010 for displaying information to a user. The communication between the display 1010 and the control circuit 1002 may be a two way communication, as the display 1010 may include a touch screen module capable of receiving information from a user and providing such information to the control circuit 1002.
The computing device 1000 may comprise a power supply 1014 for generating a DC supply voltage Vcc for powering the control circuit 1002, the network communication circuit 1004, the memory 1008, the display 1010, and/or other circuitry of the computing device 1000. The power supply 1014 may be a battery or another source of power for the computing device 1000.
The system controller device 110 may comprise a wireless communication circuit 1116, for example, including an RF transceiver coupled to an antenna for transmitting and/or receiving RF signals (e.g., the RF signals 106 shown in
The control circuit 1110 may be responsive to an actuator 1120 for receiving a user input. For example, the control circuit 1110 may be operable to associate the system controller device 110 with one or more control devices of the load control system 100 in response to actuations of the actuator 1120 during a configuration procedure of the load control system 100. The system controller device 110 may comprise additional actuators to which the control circuit 1110 may be responsive.
The control circuit 1110 may store information in and/or retrieve information from the memory 1118. The memory 1118 may include a non-removable memory and/or a removable memory for storing computer-readable media. 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 1110 may access the memory 1118 for executable instructions and/or other information that may be used by the system controller device 110. The control circuit 1110 may store the unique identifiers (e.g., serial numbers) of the control devices to which the system controller device 110 is associated in the memory 1118.
The control circuit 1110 may illuminate a visual indicator 1122 to provide feedback to a user of the load control system 100. For example, the control circuit 1110 may blink or strobe the visual indicator 1122 to indicate a fault condition. The control circuit 1110 may be operable to illuminate the visual indicator 1122 different colors to indicator different conditions or states of the system controller device 110. The visual indicator 1122 may be illuminated by, for example, one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The system controller device 110 may comprise more than one visual indicator.
The system controller device 110 may comprise a power supply 1124 for generating a DC supply voltage Vcc for powering the control circuit 1110, the network communication circuit 1112, the wireless communication circuit 1116, the memory 1118, and/or other circuitry of the system controller device 110. The power supply 1124 may be coupled to a power supply connector 1126 (e.g., a USB port) for receiving a supply voltage (e.g., a DC voltage) and/or for drawing current from an external power source.
Although features and elements have been described in a particular order or 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 methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), removable disks, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks (DVDs). The disclosure herein may not be limited by the examples provided.
This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application No. 17/855,846, filed Jul. 1, 2022; which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application No. 16/906,360 filed Jun. 19, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,378,925 issued Jul. 5, 2022; which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application No. 16/197,627 filed Nov. 21, 2018 now U.S. Pat. No. 10,691,086 issued Jun. 23, 2020; which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application No. 14/820,420, filed Aug. 6, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,139,791 issued Nov. 27, 2018; which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/034,117, filed Aug. 6, 2014, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/054,089, filed Sep. 23, 2014, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties as if fully set forth.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62054089 | Sep 2014 | US | |
| 62034117 | Aug 2014 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17855846 | Jul 2022 | US |
| Child | 18313594 | US | |
| Parent | 16906360 | Jun 2020 | US |
| Child | 17855846 | US | |
| Parent | 16197627 | Nov 2018 | US |
| Child | 16906360 | US | |
| Parent | 14820420 | Aug 2015 | US |
| Child | 16197627 | US |
