| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080246451 | POWER SUPPLY FOR A LOAD CONTROL - A power supply adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between an AC voltage source and an electrical load for generating a DC voltage, the power supply comprising an energy storage capacitor, the DC voltage produced across the capacitor; a charging circuit adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between the source and the load and to conduct a load current from the source to the load, the charging circuit coupled to the energy storage capacitor for charging the energy storage capacitor; a controllably conductive device coupled in parallel electrical connection with the charging circuit and having a control input for rendering the controllably conductive device conductive, the controllably conductive device adapted to carry the load current from the source to the load when the controllably conductive device is conductive; and a triggering circuit coupled to the control input of the controllably conductive device for causing the controllably conductive device to become conductive when the energy storage capacitor has charged to a desired maximum value; wherein the charging circuit is adapted to conduct the load current from the source to the load when the controllably conductive device is non-conductive, the charging circuit imposing a low voltage drop relative to the peak value of an AC voltage of the AC voltage source, such that substantially all of the AC voltage is available to the load during the time when the controllably conductive device is non-conductive. | 10-09-2008 |
| 20080258650 | Multiple Location Load Control System - A multiple location load control system comprises a main device and remote devices, which do not require neutral connections, but allow for visual and audible feedback at the main device and the remote devices. The main device and the remote devices are adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between an AC power source and an electrical load, and to be further coupled together via an accessory wiring. The remote devices can be wired on the line side and the load side of the load control system, such that the main device is wired “in the middle” of the load control system. The main device is operable to enable a charging path to allow the remote devices to charge power supplies through the accessory wiring during a first time period of a half-cycle of the AC power source. The main device and the remote devices are operable to communicate with each other via the accessory wiring during a second time period of the half-cycle. | 10-23-2008 |
| 20080278297 | System for control of lights and motors - A system for independent control of electric motors and electric lights includes a plurality of two-wire wallstations coupled in series via power wires between an alternating-current (AC) source and a light/motor control unit. The light/motor control unit is preferably located in the same enclosure as an electric motor and an electric light and has two outputs for independent control of the motor and the light. The light/motor control unit and the wallstations each include a controller and a communication circuit that is coupled to the power wiring via a communication transformer and communicate with each other using a loop current carrier technique. The light/motor control unit and the wallstations utilize pseudo random orthogonal codes and a median filter in the communication process. | 11-13-2008 |
| 20090072775 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR QUIET FAN SPEED CONTROL - An AC motor speed controller includes a plurality of capacitors that may be selectively switched, by means of controllably conductive switches, into series electrical connection with an AC motor and an AC voltage source to control the speed of the motor. To change the speed of the motor, a control circuit renders a first switch conductive, in response to a first detected AC voltage zero crossing, to charge a first capacitor to a predetermined voltage. The control circuit then renders a second switch conductive, in response to a subsequent second detected AC voltage zero crossing, to charge a second capacitor to the predetermined voltage. The control circuit then renders both switches simultaneously conductive at a predetermined time after a subsequent third detected AC voltage zero crossing. The capacitors will thereby be charged to the same voltage prior to being switched into series with the motor, thereby resulting in reduced acoustic noise when changing motor speeds. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20100052574 | BATTERY-POWERED OCCUPANCY SENSOR - A load control system comprises a load control device and a battery-powered occupancy sensor, which transmits a first wireless signal to the load control device in response to detecting the presence of an occupant in a space. The load control system further comprises a visual indicator for providing a visual indication when the magnitude of a battery voltage of a battery of the occupancy sensor has dropped below a predetermined low-battery voltage threshold. The occupancy sensor may comprise the visual indicator, such that the visual indicator is illuminated when the occupancy detects the presence of the occupant in the space and the magnitude of the battery voltage is less than the predetermined threshold. Alternatively, the load control device may comprise the visual indicator, such that the visual indicator is illuminated in response to receiving a second wireless signal, which is transmitting by the occupancy sensor when the magnitude of the battery voltage is less than the predetermined threshold. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100052576 | RADIO-FREQUENCY LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM WITH OCCUPANCY SENSING - A load control system controls an electrical load provided in a space and comprises a load control device and one or more occupancy sensors. The load control device controls the load in response to the wireless control signals received from the occupancy sensors. Each occupancy sensor transmits an occupied control signal to the load control device in response to detecting an occupancy condition in the space and a vacant control signal to the load control device in response to detecting a vacancy condition. The load control device turns on the load in response to receiving the occupied control signal from at least one of the occupancy sensors, and turns off the load in response to receiving vacant control signals from both of the occupancy sensors. The load control device is operable to determine that no wireless control signals have been received from the occupancy sensors for the length of a predetermined timeout period and to subsequently turn off the load. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100052894 | BATTERY-POWERED OCCUPANCY SENSOR - A battery-powered occupancy sensor for detecting an occupancy condition in a space comprises first and second batteries, an occupancy detector circuit, a controller, and a wireless transmitter for transmitting a first wireless signal in response to the occupancy detector circuit detecting the occupancy condition in the space. The controller and the wireless transmitter are powered by the first battery, while only the occupancy detector circuit is powered by the second battery, such that the occupancy detector circuit is isolated from noise generated by the controller and the wireless transmitter. The occupancy detector circuit draws a current having a magnitude of approximately 5 microamps or less from the second battery. The occupancy sensor transmits a second wireless signal is response to determining that the voltage of one of the batteries has dropped too low. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100109597 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR QUIET FAN SPEED CONTROL - A method for controlling the speed of an AC motor by means of an AC motor speed control having a plurality of capacitors operable to be selectively coupled in parallel electrical connection, the parallel coupled capacitors operable to be coupled in series electrical connection with the AC motor, the method comprising charging the capacitors up to substantially the same predetermined voltage prior to combining the capacitors in parallel electrical connection. | 05-06-2010 |
| 20100244706 | Method of Calibrating a Daylight Sensor - A wireless lighting control system comprises a daylight sensor for measuring a light intensity in a space and a dimmer switch for controlling the amount of power delivered to a lighting load in response to the daylight sensor. For example, the daylight sensor may be able to transmit radio-frequency (RF) signals to the dimmer switch. The system provides methods of calibrating the daylight sensor that allow for automatically measuring and/or calculating one or more operational characteristics of the daylight sensor. One method of calibrating the daylight sensor comprises a “single-button-press” calibration procedure during which a user is only required to actuate a calibration button of the daylight sensor once. In addition, the daylight sensor is operable to automatically measure the total light intensity in the space at night to determine the light intensity of only the electrical light generated by the lighting load. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100244709 | Wireless Battery-Powered Daylight Sensor - A wireless battery-powered daylight sensor for measuring a total light intensity in a space is operable to transmit wireless signals using a variable transmission rate that is dependent upon the total light intensity in the space. The sensor comprises a photosensitive circuit, a wireless transmitter for transmitting the wireless signals, a controller coupled to the photosensitive circuit and the wireless transmitter, and a battery for powering the photosensitive circuit, the wireless transmitter, and the controller. The photosensitive circuit is operable to generate a light intensity control signal in response to the total light intensity in the space. The controller transmits the wireless signals in response to the light intensity control signal using the variable transmission rate that is dependent upon the total light intensity in the space. The variable transmission rate may be dependent upon an amount of change of the total light intensity in the space. In addition, the variable transmission rate may be further dependent upon a rate of change of the total light intensity in the space. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20110074222 | Multiple Location Load Control System - A multiple location load control system comprises a main device and remote devices, which do not require neutral connections, but allow for visual and audible feedback at the main device and the remote devices. The main device and the remote devices are adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between an AC power source and an electrical load, and to be further coupled together via an accessory wiring. The remote devices can be wired on the line side and the load side of the load control system, such that the main device is wired “in the middle” of the load control system. The main device is operable to enable a charging path to allow the remote devices to charge power supplies through the accessory wiring during a first time period of a half-cycle of the AC power source. The main device and the remote devices are operable to communicate with each other via the accessory wiring during a second time period of the half-cycle. | 03-31-2011 |
