Patent Grant
10855488
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present disclosure relates generally to control devices, and more particularly to configurable associations for wireless lighting control systems.
Various devices are known for wirelessly controlling or automating operation of electrical devices. For example, wireless lighting control systems facilitate control and automation of lighting fixtures. That is, various electrical devices may be configured to operate according to predetermined schedules or events, such as in response to time or other user selections and preferences. Remote monitoring or wireless control of certain electrical devices is also offered, including the monitoring or controlling of electrical devices over a network using a mobile device. As the automation and control, including wireless control, of electrical devices becomes more popular and as the desired control becomes more complex, there is a need for robust device control systems that are relatively straightforward to install, configure, and use. Although some relatively sophisticated systems are available, they typically require extensive wiring and other installation steps by technicians specially trained in such systems and are expensive and complex to install and maintain. One such device configuration is user control devices. For example, wireless wall switches. One such prior art wireless wall switch requires the installer to physically access a pairing switch on each of a wireless wall switch and a wireless controller that switches/dims the light fixture to be associated with the wall switch. Such physical access is often not convenient or practical depending on the physical locations of the devices involved.
The present disclosure is directed to one or more of the problems or issues set forth above.
In one aspect, the present disclosure includes a wireless lighting control system. The wireless lighting control system includes a cloud-based or other remote server system connected to a wide area network and having control software for configuring, monitoring, and controlling lighting fixtures at an organization's installation site. The wireless lighting control system also includes a wireless gateway located at the site and configured to communicate with the remote server via the wide area network. Wireless devices are in communication with the gateway via a local wireless network, for example, a mesh network, and at least some of the wireless devices are configured to control one or more lighting fixtures, including wireless devices having sensors or user interface elements that are configurable to be associated with an activating specific lighting effects, such as power, dimming, and scene control, and for which the association can be dependent on scheduling events such as one or more of a time of day, day of week, and time delay.
A mobile or other user computer device is connected to the wide area network and has a graphical user interface enabling a user to access the server control software to control and configure the lighting fixtures associated with wireless devices at the site according to the user's granted permissions, including virtually mapping specific lighting effects. By using a user computer device to configure the lighting control system, configuration can advantageously be done without physical access to either the system control devices or to the lighting controllers, lighting fixtures, or other devices at the installation site.
Installation, commissioning, and configuration of a wireless gateway and wireless devices at the system installation site can be completed by a qualified electrical contractor without requiring training specific to the wireless lighting control system. Additionally, reconfiguration of user control devices can be completed by a user. The site wireless devices can include system control devices such as wall dimmers and touchscreens, occupancy/vacancy and other condition sensors, daylight harvesting sensors, and lighting controllers. A lighting controller may include an actuator and can be configured to switch power on and off, dim, and monitor power and other conditions of a lighting fixture and other lighting devices, for example, a motorized window shade. A controller can also be configured as a trigger that will monitor a non-system device or third-party sensor which is not part of the mesh network and relay data from the device or sensor to the lighting control system. User control devices can be configured to control lighting controllers, for example, associating a user interface element with one or more lighting controllers. User control devices, lighting controllers and certain other wireless devices can also act as a mesh network repeater to extend the area encompassed by the installation site.
Once commissioned, the system enables easy configuration and control of sensing, dimming, automations, schedules, scenes, and monitoring of the site's lighting fixtures and associated devices. One or more light fixtures that will all behave in a like manner form a “zone” and are associated with a single or a common wireless device. An “area” can be formed by a grouping of zones which are configured to respond together to a single event or command, for example, a schedule. A “scene” provides a collection of state change requests, for example, preset saved illumination levels for a zone or area. Monitoring can include real-time and/or archived measurement of status and power consumption reported from wireless devices to the remote server. Control, monitoring, and configuration changes can be easily made by users via a graphical user interface accessible using touchscreen control devices coupled to the wireless mesh network or a user computer device, for example, a mobile device, in communication with the remote server via a wide area network (WAN) such as the internet.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved cloud-based wireless lighting control systems and methods.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of the concepts that are described in further detail in the detailed description and drawings contained herein. This summary is not intended to identify any primary or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Some or all of the described features may be present in the corresponding independent or dependent claims, but should not be construed to be a limitation unless expressly recited in a particular claim. Each embodiment described herein does not necessarily address every object described herein, and each embodiment does not necessarily include each feature described. Other forms, embodiments, objects, advantages, benefits, features, and aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent to one of skill in the art from the detailed description and drawings contained herein. Moreover, the various apparatuses and methods described in this summary section, as well as elsewhere in this application, can be expressed as a large number of different combinations and subcombinations. All such useful, novel, and inventive combinations and subcombinations are contemplated herein, it being recognized that the explicit expression of each of these combinations is unnecessary.
Some of the figures shown herein may include dimensions or may have been created from scaled drawings. However, such dimensions, or the relative scaling within a figure, are by way of example, and not to be construed as limiting.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to one or more embodiments, which may or may not be illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended; any alterations and further modifications of the described or illustrated embodiments, and any further applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustrated herein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates. At least one embodiment of the disclosure is shown in great detail, although it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that some features or some combinations of features may not be shown for the sake of clarity.
Any reference to “invention” within this document is a reference to an embodiment of a family of inventions, with no single embodiment including features that are necessarily included in all embodiments, unless otherwise stated. Furthermore, although there may be references to benefits or advantages provided by some embodiments, other embodiments may not include those same benefits or advantages, or may include different benefits or advantages. Any benefits or advantages described herein are not to be construed as limiting to any of the claims.
Likewise, there may be discussion with regards to “objects” associated with some embodiments of the present invention, it is understood that yet other embodiments may not be associated with those same objects, or may include yet different objects. Any advantages, objects, or similar words used herein are not to be construed as limiting to any of the claims. The usage of words indicating preference, such as “preferably,” refers to features and aspects that are present in at least one embodiment, but which are optional for some embodiments.
Specific quantities (spatial dimensions, temperatures, pressures, times, force, resistance, current, voltage, power, concentrations, wavelengths, frequencies, heat transfer coefficients, dimensionless parameters, etc.) may be used explicitly or implicitly herein, such specific quantities are presented as examples only and are approximate values unless otherwise indicated. Discussions pertaining to specific compositions of matter, if present, are presented as examples only and do not limit the applicability of other compositions of matter, especially other compositions of matter with similar properties, unless otherwise indicated.
System
Each site system 14 may generally include at least one gateway, or base station 24, lighting controllers 37, sensors 38, user control devices 43, and a mesh network 28, or other local wireless network, that facilitates communication among site system 14. The gateway 24 serves as the manager/coordinator for site system 14 and mesh network 28, and provides connectivity to server system 12. The lighting controllers 37 may include an actuator providing dimming and/or on/off control for light fixtures 40. User control device 43, such as a touch-screen or wall dimmer, may be associated with one or more controllers 37 to provide user selection of a desired lighting effect, for example, on/off, dimming, and/or scene selection. Sensors, for example, an occupancy sensor 38 or a daylight harvester, can be used to provide automations for the site system 14, including for example, a change to the lighting effect provided by the user control device 43 depending on the state of the sensor 38.
The server system 12 may include one or more servers, or computers 18 including typical computer components, such as a processor, memory, storage, display, network interface, and input/output device, for example. The processor, or processors, may execute unique sets of instructions, which may be implemented as computer readable program code, stored in memory or storage, such that the server system 12 is configured as a special purpose system. In particular, hardware, software, and particular sets of instructions may transform the server system 12, or portions thereof, into a lighting control server system, as described herein. As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the server system 12 may also include any combination of computer hardware and software that facilitates communication with the site systems 14 and user computer devices 16, and performance of the functions described herein.
According to a specific implementation, all or portions of the server system 12 may be cloud-based virtual servers, including a virtual private cloud-based service. That is, for example, the one or more servers 18 of the server system 12 may reside on the Internet, for example, rather than on a local computer. To be clear, the server system 12 may be remote from the site systems 14 and/or the user computer devices 16. For example, Digi® Device Cloud, offered by Digi® International, Inc., is a public cloud platform for device network management that may be used for all or portions of the server system 12. The server system 12 may communicate with the site systems 14 and the user computer devices 16 over a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet 20 or a cellular network 22, and/or via a local area network (LAN), for example. Some embodiments in particular use cellular communication. Cellular communication may be quicker to set-up, more secure and/or more reliable than other available communications means, such as an installation site's broadband internet connection. By using a cellular network, embodiments of the present disclosure are able to keep out of the organization's corporate network, which can assist in mitigating accidental creation of back doors through firewalls and into the user's corporate network that could potentially be used to create a security breach in the organization's corporate network.
Each site system 14 may generally include at least one gateway, or base station, 24, and one or more wireless devices 26, or device nodes, which are configured to communicate over a mesh network 28, or other similar local wireless network.
The gateway 24 may include a communications module 30 that facilitates communication between the mesh network 28, or other wireless network, and the WAN network, such as the Internet 20 or a cellular network 22. As such, the gateway 24 can facilitate communication between the devices 26 of the site system 14 and the server system 12. The gateway 24 may also include an operations module 32 for processing and/or communicating instructions (e.g., to devices 26) received from the server system 12, as will be described in greater detail below. The operations module 32 may also receive and/or process information from the devices 26. That is, the gateway 24 may run applications locally while also interfacing across the mesh network 28 for WAN connectivity to the server system 12. An exemplary gateway device may be, for example, the XBee® Zigbee® Gateway provided by Digi® International, Inc, configured as a coordinator.
Each device 26 may include a communications module 34, facilitating communication between the device 26 and the gateway 24 over a local wireless network, such as the mesh network 28. For example, the devices 26 may each include a radio transceiver, such as a XBee® radio module for communicating using the ZigBee® protocol, which is related to IEEE standards, including 802.15.4. The devices 26 may also include at least one control module 36 for facilitating interaction between the device 26 and an associated electrical component, such as, for example, an electrical circuit. Devices 26 may also each be configured to act as a router or end device, such that it can also forward messages to other devices 26 and/or the gateway 24.
Each site 14 may include a variety of different devices 26 managed by the gateway 24 and connected to the mesh network 28. For example, according to one implementation, a site 14 may include lighting controllers 37, sensors, such as occupancy sensors, 38, daylight harvesters, and user control devices, such as touchscreens and wall dimmers, 43. In addition to controlling lighting devices 40, for example, light fixtures, Controllers 37 may additionally or alternatively provide a power usage measurement, and may be configured to act an event trigger by detecting voltage and/or current to determine the state of a device, such as, for example, a room light switch or a light fixture having its own motion sensor, or other sensor, to activate it. Sensors 38 that are part of the system 10 may be configured to detect and report the state of motion sensors, for example occupancy/vacancy sensors, while daylight harvesters may include a light sensing circuit for measuring light and reporting measurements and other data to the system 10.
Each of the user computer devices, or clients, 16 may include a computing device, such as, for example, a personal computer, laptop computer, netbook computer, tablet device, mobile device, portable electronic device (PED), smart device, or cell phone configured to communicate with the server system 12 via WAN 20 or 22, or possibly with the gateway 24, for example, via mesh network 28, to permit a user 42 to configure, monitor, and/or control devices 26 for a particular site system 14. That is, a user 42 may access a control program, or control logic, on the server system 12 through an appropriate user interface, such as a graphical user interface 1000, using user computer device 16, which may have web-browsing abilities or may have a control application installed thereon. For example, upon requesting a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address corresponding to a website hosted by the server system 12, a web page may be loaded in a web browser of one of the client devices 16. That is, one of the servers 18 may be or may include a web server for delivering web content to the user 42 through one of the user computer devices 16 described above. Thereafter, the user 42 may be provided with an option of registering for or accessing an account.
The system 10 or, more specifically, the server system 12 may include a plurality of modules useful in carrying out the control and other strategies disclosed herein. For example, the server system 12 may include or utilize functionality expressed with reference to an organization account registration module 44, a user manager module 46, a device manager module 48, and a communications module 50, to name a few. It should be appreciated that the term “modules,” as used herein, is for ease of explanation, rather than limitation, and is intended to represent certain related aspects or functionality of the wireless device control system 10. Each of the modules may represent a set of computer instructions, or computer readable program code, representing processes for performing specific tasks of the wireless device control system 10. The tasks may be performed using a processor, or processors, and may require the access or manipulation of data stored in a data repository 52.
The account registration module 44, which will be discussed in greater detail below, may facilitate the creation of accounts for organizations and/or users, such as users 42, within the system 10. For example, the registration module 44 may be used to collect data input by users 42 and/or authorized administrators and/or customer service representatives accessing the wireless device control system 10 through one of various user computer devices 16. According to some embodiments, the various user computer devices 16 may include any suitable electronic communication devices and/or workstations, such as, for example, personal computers, laptop computers, netbook computers, tablet devices, mobile devices, PEDs, smart devices, and cell phones, as mentioned above. The account registration module 44 may be used to collect various information, including, for example, personally identifiable information, such as, for example, name, address, and phone number.
The user manager module 46 may include and/or implement rules pertaining to the various users 42, or user types, of the system 10. For example, when one of the users 42 is registered, a user profile including user credentials, such as a username and password, may be created for the user 42 and stored in the data repository 52. The user manager module 46 may be configured to ensure that each user 42, as identified using the unique credentials, is provided with appropriate access and/or capabilities with regard to the system 10, as will be discussed in greater detail below. For example, the user manager module 46 may include an association of each user 42 to one or more sites, and may define appropriate permissions for each user 42 relative to respective organization and/or respective site systems 14.
The wireless device control system 10 or, more specifically, the server system 12 may include a database management system including one or more databases, such as data repository 52. The data repository 52 may store data, including the account and user data described above and installation and configuration data for site system 14, useful in carrying out the strategies disclosed herein. Although the data repository 52 is illustrated as a component within the server system 12, it should be appreciated that the server system 12 may include any number of separate components or systems, including separate database(s), configured to communicate with one another in a manner consistent with the teachings disclosed herein.
The device manager module 48 may provide the main functionality of the server system 12. For example, after account registration is completed and appropriate organizations and/or users are established in the system 10, the device manager module 48 may be programmed and/or configured to permit users 42 to remotely control and manage specific associated site systems 14. The device manager module 48 may also monitor and process data from the data repository 52, and/or acquired data, to facilitate identification configuration, monitoring, and control of the site systems 14, as will be described below. According to a specific example, the device manager module 48 may receive control information from users 42 via user computer devices 16, store the information in the data repository 52, and mirror the information to the appropriate gateway 24 for implementation. According to some embodiments, the data repository 52 may be initially populated with at least some default control data.
Devices
As stated above, devices 26 of the wireless control system 10 and associated site lighting fixtures 40 may be controlled, monitored, and managed by users 42, via user computer devices 16 and user control devices 43. Generally speaking, devices 26 can act as actuators, causing changes in the environment (e.g., turning lights on or off), user controls, detecting and responding to user interactions, and/or sensors, detecting and/or responding to some input from the environment, such as movement or light, at the respective sites. Although not an exhaustive list, some exemplary devices 26 are described further below and can include user control devices 43, occupancy/vacancy and other condition sensors 38, daylight harvesting sensors, and lighting controllers 37. Standard color coding of wires is used in some embodiments to facilitate ease of installation by electrical technicians.
User Control Devices
Referring to
As such, the user control device 43 may additionally include a radio module 746 (
Referring to
According to exemplary functionality, the rocker switch 706 may be configured to perform various different functions depending on the user interaction with the rocker switch, for example, the length and/or number of times a user interface element 726 or 728 is depressed. For example, the dimmer switch 700 may be configured such that pressing one user interface element, for example, upper element 726, closes momentary contact switch 714 (
As shown in
As a first example of the configurable control functionality of dimmer switch 700 and varying illumination patterns of the dimming LEDs 710, when using the dimmer switch in a dimmer mode, the ten variable dimming LEDs 710 will illuminate such that a user is able to view the contemporaneous dim level. As a user increases the power level from 0% to 100%, for example, by pressing and holding the upper user interface element 726, one additional dimming LED will illuminate from the lower end of the dimmer switch 700 upward for each power increase of 10% until all ten dimming LEDs 710 are illuminating once the power level reaches 100%.
As a second example of the configurable control functionality of dimmer switch 700 and varying illumination patterns of the dimming LEDs 710, the ten variable dimmer LEDs 710 may illuminate differently when the dimmer switch 700 is operated in scene selection mode. More specifically, when the upper user interface element 726 is pressed, the five upper dimmer LEDs 710 may illuminate continuously or for a predefined period of time before turning back off indicating selection of a scene associated with the upper element 726. Alternatively, when the bottom user interface element 728 is pressed, the five lower dimmer LEDs 710 may illuminate continuously or for a predefined period of time before turning back off.
As a third example of the configurable control functionality of the dimmer switch 700 or other user control devices 43, the device may be selectively configured to control both the power/dim settings for one or more control devices 37 AND scene control selection. For example, use of a particular user interactions with a user control element, use of a particular user control elements, or satisfaction of conditions for a particular automations (discussed further below) could be used to distinguish between power/dim control and scene control selection.
With reference to
Another embodiment of a user control device 43 is a touchscreen device 701 (
The touchscreen control device 701 may include other radio modules, as tablet computing devices typically do, that are disabled to limit communication to the mesh network, which increases security of the wireless device control system 10. Since the mesh network 28 is the only wireless communications available to the user control device 43, a problem arises in how to install and updating software for the device, and, in particular, the user interface application. Advantageously, a user interface application can be deployed to the user control device 43 via server 12, WAN 20 or 22, gateway 24, and mesh network 28.
Lighting Controllers
An exemplary lighting controller 37, or lighting control device, may switch mains power to circuits, such as, for example, circuit 41 of
Power Loss Detection
According to some embodiments, devices 26, including controllers 37, user control devices 43, and occupancy sensors 130, may be configured to provide a power loss message/notification. For example, these devices 26 are configured to, upon detection of the loss of mains power, send a packet to the gateway 24 indicating such. To do so, capacitive circuits of the devices 26 maintain sufficient power to send this last message to the gateway 24, indicating power loss. For example, the dimmer switch 700 power loss detection circuit 744 can provide such detection and sufficient capacitive storage to provide momentary power for the processor 740 and the radio module 746 to send a power loss message. If the gateway 24 does not receive this message, it can be presumed that any loss of communication from the device 26 is due to a loss of reception rather than a loss of power.
AC power loss can be detected by the power loss detection circuit 744 in various ways known in the art, including in two illustrative ways. First, AC power loss is detected by monitoring zero voltage crossing of the AC supply power of the device 26. The processor receives the AC power line and signals through the power monitor at the AC input pins and enable the processor to measure instantaneous AC voltage. The processor triggers an AC power loss notification upon an absence of zero crossings detected over a specified period of time, for example, two or more zero voltage crossings during the period of time expected for 60 Hz AC power, for example about 20 msec.
The second way AC power loss is detected or confirmed is by determining that DC voltage at a first DC voltage output is lost. The device 26 processor can include an input/output port coupled to the first DC voltage output to monitor whether the voltage level at a junction between a first DC stage and a second DC stage reflects that AC power is provided (if the first DC voltage level is detected) or if AC power is lost (if a lower and/or declining DC voltage level is detected). To aid the detection of power loss at the first DC voltage output, a capacitor is coupled across the node between the output and the anode of the diode and ground. Upon loss of AC power, the capacitor will discharge through the associated resistive voltage divider, which also provides a voltage detection level across the capacitor that is scaled appropriately for the port of the processor. To aid the speed with which power loss can be detected by the process via the port, it has been found advantageous to set the port as an output port, set the output low, for example, for a few milliseconds, then set the port to input in order to catch the rising side of the port threshold rapidly if the voltage across the capacitor is already low. In contrast, if the port is always an output and the capacitor is discharging, it can take about 100 milliseconds or longer to detect a low voltage state at the descending side of the port threshold.
An additional feature is an optional power supply split of the controller circuitry powered by the second DC stage so that upon detection of power loss, power can be disconnected from part of the controller circuit and power from a capacitive supply can continue to power only the portion of the control circuitry needed to transmit a power loss data message.
Gateway
At least one gateway, such as gateway 24 above, is installed to communicate with devices 26 at a site 14. With continued reference to the system 10 of
Embodiments for packet routing through mesh network 28 include ad hoc network routing where the shortest path from a device 26 to the gateway 24 is continually updated and used for communications. Still other embodiments utilize source routing where a routing path from a device 26 to the gateway is initially set and remains unchanged until the routing path is updated at a later (typically predetermined) time. Still other embodiments will utilize ad hoc routing when there are a particular number of nodes in the mesh network 28 (e.g., 40 or less) and will utilize source routing when there are a different number of nodes in the mesh network (e.g., >40 nodes).
Illumination Protocols
Referring to
Deployment Plan
The process of deployment and commissioning of system 10 is illustrated in process 400 of
Commissioning
Once the hardware has been mounted and powered on, it may be commissioned, during which the device enters the network and is identified by the server system 12. In at least one embodiment, the devices being mounted and powered on will self-commission, greatly simplifying installation. For example, in at least one example embodiment, the gateway 24 self-commissions by automatically identifying itself to the device control system 10 and with a user organization account.
Once one or more items of hardware of site system 14 (e.g., gateway 24, any device 26, sensors 38 and/or any user control device 43) is mounted (or positioned) in the appropriate location and powered on, such hardware will self-commission by automatically initiating communications with the server system 12 (which for a device 26 will typically do so by communicating and registering with the gateway 24 which in turn registers the device with server system 12) and identifying itself to the server system 12, which may occur over a cellular telephone network as previously described.
When the devices 26 are powered on, they can wirelessly and automatically attempt to communicate with the gateway 24 via the mesh network 28. In particular, the devices 26 can identify themselves to the gateway 24 and the gateway 24 can inform the server system 12 of the devices 26 (see, e.g., step 414 of
Once the hardware of site system 14 has been installed, the hardware can be associated with a user organization account for the device control system 10, which may be accomplished automatically, such as if an account has already been established, or by an administrator of the server system 12.
Embodiments including hardware that self-commission greatly enhances the usability of these systems. The user need only power on the hardware (typically after mounting and wiring with the light fixtures 40) to have the hardware communicate with the server system 12 and have the server system 12 identify which specific device self-commissioned. As such, no special training may be required, other than potentially having an electrician's certification depending on local laws, to have one or more devices fully integrated into the network and into an operational system. In situations where the user does not have a user organization account, the self-commissioning process speeds the installation process. In some embodiments, a user without an organization account can have an account established and have the device (e.g., a wireless dimmer switch 700) fully integrated into the network within minutes (e.g., less than 1 minute in some embodiments, and less than 5 minutes in other embodiments).
If registration has not yet occurred, it can occur at this point in the process. To reiterate, the gateway 24 may be associated with an account, such as, for example, by a user or administrator accessing or creating an account over the Internet. Alternatively, a user may call a customer service representative to assist in establishing a user account and/or the commissioning process. Yet alternatively, an interactive voice response system may be integrated with the device control system 10 to assist in the registration and/or commissioning process. Ultimately, a gateway identification code for the gateway 24 is typically associated with a particular organization account and site, such as site system 14.
A flowchart 400 representing an exemplary method of commissioning and/or configuring a site, such as site system 14, is shown in
With the association in place, when the gateway 24 is powered on, at step 408, the gateway 24 may appear on a user interface, such as a graphical user interface 1000, of a user device, such as one of the user computer devices 16. Devices 26 may be designed such that upon power up they automatically attempt to register with the gateway 24 after they are powered on, at steps 410 and 412. That is, when a device 26 such as a user control device 43 is powered on, it wirelessly and automatically attempts to communicate with the gateway 24. In particular, the device 26 identifies itself to the gateway 24 and the gateway 24 informs the server system 12 of the device 26, at step 414. In some embodiments, the gateway 24 may prevent new devices 26 from using the proprietary link key to join the mesh network 28 unless a customer service representative and/or organization administrator has set the site system 14 and gateway 24 to allow new devices to join, for example, by selecting an “add devices mode” on the graphical user interface 1000.
After devices 26 have joined the mesh network and registered with gateway 24 and server system 12, the user 42 may then be able to manage devices 16 through the user interface, at step 416, as will be discussed below for flowchart 500 for the user control devices 43. Users 42 may have various levels of access and control with regard to a particular site and/or particular device 26. After configuration, the server system 12 communicates control instructions to the gateway 24, at step 418, and the gateway 24 may execute the instructions, at step 420. Updates provided by the user 42 may be forwarded from the server system 12 to the gateway 24. In addition, the gateway 24 may receive various information from the device 26, and may send, or relay, various updates to the server system 12. Ultimately, the method proceeds to an END, at step 422.
After the device 26 communicates with the gateway 24 and the gateway 24 communicates information about the device 26 to the server system 12, the device 26 may be managed within a user interface as provided by a user computer device 16. That is, with continued reference to
Referring again to
An additional and/or alternative device identification may include the user 42 actuating a physical switch or pushbutton, such as pushbutton 720 (
Configuration and Use
When the site system 14 is deployed and the devices 26 are properly commissioned, the user 42 may begin remotely managing and controlling the devices 26, for example, by initiating manual actions through a graphical user interface 1000 or creating automations and schedules to be carried out by the server system 12 and/or gateway 24. As described above, users 42 may have various levels of access and control with regard to a particular site 14 and/or particular devices 26. After commissioning, the server system 12 communicates control instructions to the gateway 24 (and/or devices 26 via gateway 24), and the gateway 24 (and/or devices 26) may execute the instructions. Updates provided by the user 42 may be forwarded from the server system 12 to the gateway 24, and to devices 26. In addition, the gateway 24 may receive information from the devices 26, and may send, or relay, various updates to the server system 12.
As described above, the devices 26 may accomplish some function, such as detecting changes in the environment or causing changes in the environment. That is, for example, some devices 26 may switch power to a lighting fixture and/or control a dim level of the lighting fixture(s). According to some embodiments, a trim level, representing a maximum illumination level of the lighting fixture, may be set or modified through the graphical user interface 1000. For example, as an energy savings feature, a user may set a trim level for a particular light by lowering the maximum illumination level for the light so that a user may not increase the illumination level/output beyond the newly selected maximum level. In addition to a maximum dim level, a minimum dim level may be set and/or adjusted through the application user interface. As another example, the device 26 (e.g., an occupancy sensor) can restrict the maximum illumination of the fixture when the sensor detects a person, e.g., when the light is turned on the light illuminates to only 80% of its maximum illumination. Although illumination can be less than 100% when using trim levels, the wall switch can be configured to indicate the fixture is at 100% illumination while the user interface (cell phone, iPad, etc.) can show the actual illumination level (e.g., 80%).
During commissioning, or sometime thereafter, each of the devices 26 may be associated with or may correspond to a particular zone. For example, a zone may represent an electrical circuit having one or more lighting fixtures installed thereon. Zones may be grouped into areas, which may represent, for example, rooms, locations, or other designated areas of the site 14. This organization may logically group circuits into common areas to facilitate appropriate monitoring and control. Turning to
To improve lighting control relative to daylight hours, sunset and sunrise times are used by the system 12, for example, to control when different “scenes” are configured as depicted in
The flowchart 500 of
At step 508, and with continued reference to
At step 510, and with reference to
At step 512, and with reference to
At step 512, if the selected user control device 43 is a touchscreen device 701 (
At step 514, and with reference to
At step 516, and with reference to
At step 518 the configurations selected are saved to the server system 12, gateway 24, and for some embodiments, the user control device 43. At END step 520 the process of flowchart 520 is completed.
Optionally, if configurations are saved to the user control device 43, the gateway 24 may then be decommissioned or disconnected from the site system 14. More specifically, the gateway 24 may either be powered off and removed from the site system 14 or disabled from network connectivity and the user control device 43 may then communicate and execute configured lighting effects independently and without communication to or from the gateway 24. In this mode of operation, the user control device 43 may still communicate directly with multiple devices 26 of the site system 14 to accomplish the configured lighting effects. Alternatively, after commissioning and configuration is complete, the gateway 24 may be disconnected from the server system 12 and the site system 14 may operate independent of any communication or device outside of the site system. For example, gateway 24 may continue to operate as the controller of the mesh network 28; however, the gateway 24 may not require ongoing communication with the server system 12 to operate. For example, optionally, the WAN 20, 22 is used for commissioning and configuration, but not used to communicate between gateway 24 and server system 12 for subsequent operation of the site system 14.
Mesh Network Security
Although other mesh networks can be used, the illustrative mesh network 28 uses ZigBee, an open global standard for low-power, low-cost, low-data-rate, wireless mesh networking based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. Through its mesh and routing capabilities, networks such as ZigBee allows the transmission of data over long distances by passing the data through a mesh network of intermediate nodes to reach more distant ones. It represents a network layer above the 802.15.4 layers to support advanced mesh routing capabilities. The ZigBee specification is developed by a growing consortium of companies that make up the ZigBee Alliance. ZigBee Smart Energy Standard, ZigBee Profile: 0x0109, Revision 19, Version 1.2a, Document 07-5356-19, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes device high-level communication protocols used to create personal area networks with small, low-power digital radios, including the installation and use of security keys.
Each ZigBee network must be formed by one, and only one, coordinator, which is the gateway 24 in the illustrative embodiment of control system 10. The devices 26 of the wireless device control system 10 can be a router type or an end type device; however, for typical installations, most devices 26 will be a router. A router is a full-featured ZigBee node and perform various functions including join existing networks and send, receive, and route information (routing involves acting as a messenger for communications between other devices that are too far apart to convey information on their own). A network may have multiple router devices. An end device is essentially a reduced version of a router. The end device cannot act as messenger between any other devices but is capable of receiving messages intended for it and transmitting messages initiated by it.
Automations
Automations, also referred to as behaviors, may represent sets of rules, or if/then conditions that bind input events into output events or actions. An action is a command that is enacted when a condition is fulfilled, for example, commanding a zone state or commanding a scene. An action can also be a system notification provided via a user interface of a user computer device 16.
For example, with regard to controllers 37, some input events satisfying a condition/event that triggers an automation may include power measurements, such as voltage or wattage, exceeding or falling below a predetermined threshold, and the detection that particular circuits have opened or closed, such as a controller's zone being switched on with a wall switch, and schedules, as discussed further below, for example, expiration of a delay time or a particular time of the day and/or day of the week. With regard to occupancy sensors 130, some exemplary conditions may include motion detection and motion timeout expiration. Some conditions pertaining to daylight harvesters may include detected light levels exceeding or falling below predetermined thresholds.
Exemplary actions responsive to those exemplary behaviors may include switching a device and/or zone on or off, setting or changing a dim level, and activating a particular scene, which is described further above for user control devices. Some actions may trigger upon the satisfaction of multiple conditions. For example, a certain condition may automatically occur if a particular sensor state change is detected AND it is within a certain time period of the day. Automations can save energy, for example, by switching off particular zones when the occupancy sensor 130 detects expiration of a motion timeout period, or dimming or switching off particular zones responsive to light levels detected by the daylight harvester. An automation configuration view of the graphical user interface 1000 is depicted in
Scenes
Scenes describe a set of state change requests, such as an area or set of zones and each of their dimming level presets. Scenes, which are essentially a group of light settings, may be activated manually or at specific times defined in a schedule. For example, a “presentation mode” may have some lights on, some lights off, and some lights dimmed to 50%. Illustrations of scene configuration views on the graphical user interface 1000 are shown in screen layouts of
Schedules
Schedules allow you to set the lights to come on and off at specific times with optional repetition. For example, a schedule can define a week's worth of events. Schedules can apply to one or more devices, zones or areas. An event could be a scene selection. Time segments throughout the day may be associated with different scenes.
In some embodiments, control for automations, scenes, and schedules reside in the gateway, so loss of connection to the cellular network (and, therefore, the server system) does not affect use of these functions. Taking automations as an example, a dimmer switch can have an on/off/dim as a primary function, but may also have automations such as (i) once the light is on, the light dims or goes off after a particular time, or (ii) after the light is turned off, the lights in the parking lot turn on for a particular time. In this example, items (i) and (ii) can be automations whose functionality resides at the gateway.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/492,373, filed Apr. 20, 2017, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/357,900, filed Nov. 21, 2016, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/823,560, filed Aug. 11, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/035,558, filed Aug. 11, 2014; and which also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/257,908, filed Nov. 20, 2015, the entireties of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Any disclaimer that may have occurred during the prosecution of the above-referenced application(s) is hereby expressly rescinded.
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| Parent | 15357900 | Nov 2016 | US |
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