Patents Assigned to Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
  • Publication number: 20180301909
    Abstract: A load control system may include load control devices for controlling power provided to an electrical load. The load control devices may include a control-source device and a control-target device. The control-target device may control the power provided to the electrical load based on digital messages received from the control-source device. A user device may discover load control devices when the load control devices are within an established range associated with the user device. The user device and the load control devices may communicate via a wireless communications module. The established range may be adjusted based on the configurable transmit power of the user device or the wireless communications module associated with the user device. A discovered control-target device may be associated with a control-source device to enable the control-target device to control the power provided to the electrical load based on digital messages received from the control-source device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Publication date: October 18, 2018
    Applicant: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Jordan H. Crafts, William Bryce Fricke, Stephen M. Ludwig, JR., Johathan T. Lenz, Bryan Robert Barnes, Kyle Thomas Barco
  • Patent number: 10104735
    Abstract: A load control device for an electrical load may operate in a normal mode and a burst mode to adjust the amount of power delivered to the electrical load. The load control device may comprise a control circuit that operates in the normal mode to regulate an average magnitude of a load current conducted through the load between a maximum rated current and a minimum rated current. During the normal mode, the control circuit may control the operating period of a load regulation circuit between a high-end operating period and a low-end operating period. The control circuit may operate in the burst mode to regulate the average magnitude of the load current below the minimum rated current. During the burst mode, the control circuit may adjust the low-end operating period to be less than or equal to a minimum on time of the load regulation circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.
    Inventors: Robert D. Stevens, Jr., Matthew R. Zartman
  • Patent number: 10104748
    Abstract: A load regulation device is adapted to control an electrical load. The load regulation device may be in a low power state, a ready state, and/or an on state. The low power state is characterized by the electrical load being unenergized. The ready state is characterized by a load control device and/or the load regulation device using more power than the low power state and the electrical load being unenergized. The on state is characterized by the electrical load being energized. The load regulation device is configured to receive an indication of a user's presence when the load regulation device is in the low power state. The load regulation device is configured to change from the low power state to the ready state in response to receiving the indication. The load regulation device is configured to wait in the ready state for a change state instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.
    Inventor: Matthew Knauss
  • Patent number: 10104750
    Abstract: A controllable light source is provided that includes a load control circuit and an integrated lighting load. The controllable light source is configured to receive wirelessly communicated commands transmitted by a remote control device associated with the controllable light source, such as a rotary remote control device. The controllable light source may include an actuator for associating the controllable light source with the remote control device, such that the load control circuit is operable to adjust the intensity of the lighting load in response to wireless signals received from the remote control device. The controllable light source may support the actuator such that the actuator may be actuated when the controllable light source is installed in a fixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.
    Inventors: Matthew J. Swatsky, Daniel J. Osle, Robert C. Newman, Jr., Daniel Curtis Raneri
  • Patent number: 10102742
    Abstract: A control device may be configured to control one or more electrical loads in a load control system. The control device may be a wall-mounted device such as dimmer switch, a remote control device, or a retrofit remote control device. The control device may include a gesture-based user interface for applying advanced control over the one or more electrical loads. The types of control may include absolute and relative control, intensity and color control, preset, zone, or operational mode selection, etc. Feedback may be provided on the control device regarding a status of the one or more electrical loads or the control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.
    Inventors: Chris Dimberg, Matthew V. Harte, Matthew Philip McDonald, Daniel L. Twaddell
  • Patent number: 10094169
    Abstract: A battery-powered, motorized window treatment may include a fascia that pivots between a conceal position wherein the fascia covers a window treatment assembly and a battery compartment, and an expose position wherein the fascia does not cover the battery compartment. The fascia may be a two part fascia that includes an arm and a cover that pivots relative to the arm when the battery compartment is operated between respective opened and closed positions. The arm may be attached to the battery compartment such that the arm remains in a fixed orientation relative to the battery compartment. The arm and the cover may define complementary pivotally interlocking connectors that define a pivot axis about which the cover may pivot relative to the arm. The fascia may be configured to generate a perceptible indication when the fascia pivots into the conceal position, and/or when the fascia pivots into the expose position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventor: David A. Kirby
  • Patent number: 10098074
    Abstract: A load control system may include control devices capable of being associated with each other at one or more locations for performing load control. Control devices may include control-source devices and/or control-target devices. A location beacon may be discovered and a unique identifier in the location beacon may be associated with a unique identifier of one or more control devices. Upon subsequent discovery of the location beacon, the associated load control devices may be controlled. The beacons may be communicated via radio frequency signals, visible light communication, and/or audio signals. The visible light communication may be used to communicate other types of information to devices in the load control system. The visible light communication may be used to identify link addresses for communicating with load control devices, load control instructions, load control configuration instructions, network communication information, and/or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: LUTRON ELECTRONIC CO., INC.
    Inventors: Rhodes B. Baker, Kyle Thomas Barco, Bryan Robert Barnes, John H. Bull, Richard S. Camden, Jordan H. Crafts, David J. Dolan, Jason Groller, Sanjeev Kumar, Jonathan T. Lenz, Miguel Aguado Pelaez, Daniel L. Twaddell
  • Patent number: 10095314
    Abstract: A load control system may include load control devices for controlling an amount of power provided to an electrical load. The load control devices may be capable of controlling the amount of power provided to the electrical load based on control instructions received from a gesture-based control device. The gesture-based control device may identify gestures performed by a user for controlling a load control device and provide control instructions to the load control device based on the identified gestures. The gestures may be identified based on images received from a motion capture device. A gesture may be associated with a scene that includes a configuration of one or more load control devices in a load control system. The user may perform one or more gestures to program the gesture-based control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.
    Inventors: Soumya Jain, Michael J. Zizza, John Nill
  • Patent number: 10098196
    Abstract: A load control device for regulating an average magnitude of a load current conducted through an electrical load may operate in different modes. The load control device may comprise a control circuit configured to activate an inverter circuit during an active state period and deactivate the inverter circuit during an inactive state period. In one mode, the control circuit may adjust the average magnitude of the load current by adjusting the inactive state period while keeping the active state period constant. In another mode, the control circuit may adjust the average magnitude of the load current by adjusting the active state period while keeping the inactive state period constant. In yet another mode, the control circuit may keep a duty cycle of the inverter circuit constant and regulate the average magnitude of the load current by adjusting a target load current conducted through the electrical load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.
    Inventor: Steven J. Kober
  • Patent number: 10098208
    Abstract: A load control system may include a load control device for providing power to an electrical load and a control device that may send instructions to the load control device for providing the power to the electrical load. The control device may communicate with the load control device using a link address assigned to the load control device. The load control device may provide power to the electrical load in a manner that causes the electrical load to indicate the link address assigned to the load control device. The link address may be identified by a user or a user device. The identified link address may be associated with a load control device identifier that may identify a physical location of a load control device that is assigned the link address. A user may control a load control device at a physical location by sending instructions via the link address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Rupesh Gajurel, Sandeep Mudabail Raghuram, Rhodes B. Baker, Brian Michael Courtney
  • Patent number: 10098206
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: James P. Steiner, Andrew Peter Schmalz, Andrew Ryan Offenbacher, Adam J. Schrems, Brian Raymond Valenta
  • Publication number: 20180286613
    Abstract: A load control device may control power delivered to an electrical load from an AC power source. The load control device may include a controllably conductive device adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between the AC power source and the electrical load, a zero-cross detect circuit configured to generate a zero-cross signal representative of the zero-crossings of an AC voltage. The zero-cross signal may be characterized by pulses occurring in time with the zero-crossings of the AC voltage. The load control device may include a control circuit operatively coupled to the controllably conductive device and the zero cross detect circuit. The control circuit may be configured to identify a rising-edge time and a falling-edge time of one of the pulses of the zero-cross signal, and may control a conductive state of the controllably conductive device based on the rising-edge time and the falling-edge time of the pulse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Robert W. Lenig, Michael Sizemore, Joshua W. Thaler, Russell L. MacAdam
  • Publication number: 20180287385
    Abstract: A load control system for a building having a lighting load, a window, and a heating and cooling system comprises a lighting control device, a daylight control device, and a temperature control device operable to be controlled so as to decrease a total power consumption of the load control system in an energy-savings mode. The energy-savings mode can be manually overridden in response to actuation of the actuator of an input control device, such that the load control system enters a manual mode for manually adjusting the loads controlled by the lighting control device, the daylight control device, and the temperature control device. The load control system is operable to automatically return to the energy-savings mode at a time after the load control system entered the manual mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory S. Altonen, William B. Fricke, Elliot G. Jacoby, Michael W. Pessina, Walter S. Zaharchuk, Joel S. Spira
  • Publication number: 20180279441
    Abstract: Controlling the color temperature of a composite light source including at least one discrete-spectrum light source is disclosed. For example, the color temperature of a composite light source including at least one discrete-spectrum light source may be determined and/or adjusted based on one or more of the ambient color temperature of a space, the actual temperature of the space, the relative brightness of the space, the occupancy of the space, a time clock, a demand response command (e.g., from an electrical utility), the absolute location of the composite light source, the location of the composite light source relative to other light sources, inputs from a camera or other external devices, the operation of appliances or other machines in the vicinity of the composite light source, media content being utilized in the vicinity of the composite light source, and/or other sensor inputs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Shearer, Arya Abraham, Ethan C. Biery, Timothy P. Gredler, Juha Mikko Hakkarainen
  • Publication number: 20180278056
    Abstract: A load control system may comprise load control devices for controlling respective electrical loads, and a system controller operable to transmit digital messages including different commands to the load control devices in response to a selection of a preset. The different commands may include a preset command configured to identify preset data in a device database stored at the load control device and/or a multi-output command configured to define the preset data for being stored in the device database. The system controller may decide which of the commands to transmit to the load control devices in response to the selection of the preset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Michael Courtney, Timothy Gill, Sriram Gopalakrishnan, Roshni Ashwin Shah, Vidya Sukumar, Mark S. Taipale, Mark Yorgey
  • Publication number: 20180274291
    Abstract: A battery-powered motorized window treatment for covering at least a portion of a window may be adjusted into a service position to allow for access to at least one battery that is powering the motorized window treatment. A headrail of the motorized window treatment may be adjusted to the service position to allow for easy replacement of the batteries without unmounting the headrail and without requiring tools. The motorized window treatment may comprise brackets having buttons that may be actuated to release the headrail from a locked position, such that the head rail may be rotated into the service position. The headrail easily rotates through a controlled movement into the service position, such that a user only needs one free hand available to move the motorized window treatment into the service position and change the batteries.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Edward J. Blair, Samuel F. Chambers, David A. Kirby, Peter W. Ogden, JR., James J. Wilson, Justin M. Zernhelt
  • Patent number: 10082815
    Abstract: A two-wire load control device may be configured to compute an accurate estimate of real-time power consumption by a load that is electrically connected to, and controlled by, the two-wire load control device. The load control device may be adapted to measure a voltage drop across the device during a first portion of a half-cycle of an AC waveform provided to the device. The device may be further configured to estimate a voltage drop across the load during the second portion of the half-cycle. The estimated voltage drop may be based on the measured voltage drop. The device may be further configured to measure a current supplied to the load during a second portion of the half-cycle. The device may be configured to estimate power consumed by the load based on the measured current and the estimated voltage drop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.
    Inventors: Matthew Robert Blakeley, William Zotter
  • Publication number: 20180270063
    Abstract: A load control system may be configured using a graphical user interface (GUI) software. The GUI software may be implemented to collect control devices and add the control devices to the load control system for configuration. Programming data may be automatically determined for the added control devices based on the type of control device, the location of the control device, and/or the load type controlled by the control device. The programming data may include control settings for a scene, a schedule, or an automated control feature. The programming data may be displayed for being viewed and/or adjusted by a user. The programming data may be transmitted to the control devices and/or a system controller for being implemented in performing load control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin F. Bard, Craig Alan Casey, Erica L. Clymer, Christina Evans, Christopher Matthew Jones, Sanjeev Kumar, John Nill, Neil R. Orchowski, Brent Protzman
  • Patent number: D829758
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Ritika Arora, Manisha Dahiya Baluja, John N. Callen, Erica L. Clymer, Sanjeev Kumar, Mark Law, Sandeep Mudabail Raghuram, Anurag Singh, Christopher Spencer
  • Patent number: D830409
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Rhythm Agarwal, Benjamin F. Bard, Erica L. Clymer, Shenchi Tian