Patents by Inventor Jordan H. Crafts
Jordan H. Crafts has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11303471Abstract: A load control system may include control devices for controlling power provided to an electrical load. The 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. The control devices may include a load control discovery device capable of sending discovery messages configured to discover control devices within a location. The discovered control devices may be organized by signal strength and may be provided to a network device to enable association of the discovered control devices within a location. The discovery messages may be transmitted within an established discovery range. The discovery range may be adjusted to discover different control devices. Different control devices may be identified as the load control discovery device for discovering different control devices.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2020Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Kyle Thomas Barco, Bryan Robert Barnes, Erica L. Clymer, Brian Michael Courtney, Jordan H. Crafts, William Bryce Fricke, Galen Edgar Knode, Sanjeev Kumar, Jonathan T. Lenz, Stephen M. Ludwig, Jr., Sandeep Mudabail Raghuram, Richard M. Walsh, III
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Publication number: 20220046780Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2021Publication date: February 10, 2022Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Jordan H. Crafts, William Bryce Fricke, Stephen M. Ludwig, JR., Jonathan T. Lenz, Bryan Robert Barnes, Kyle Thomas Barco
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Patent number: 11229106Abstract: A faceplate remote control device may be attached to a wall-mounted mechanical light switch that has a toggle actuator. The faceplate remote control device may include a toggle indicator that detects operation of the toggle actuator of the mechanical switch. The toggle indicator may cause the generation of an indication of detected operation of the toggle actuator. The toggle indicator may comprise a sliding member that is configured to move with the toggle actuator. The toggle indicator may comprise an obstruction detection device that includes an infrared (IR) transmitter and an IR receiver. The faceplate remote control device may include a control circuit and a wireless communication circuit. The control circuit may be configured to cause the wireless communication circuit to transmit one or more messages in response to detecting operation of the toggle actuator of the mechanical switch.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2020Date of Patent: January 18, 2022Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Jeffrey Karc, Jamie Steffie, Jordan H. Crafts
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Publication number: 20220014041Abstract: A load control system may include multiple devices capable of communicating with one another to enable load control via a network. Devices communicating in the load control system may be powered by a lower power supply (e.g., a battery). These devices may be power-conservative control devices. A device may transmit an indication that it is a power-conservative control device. The device may be assigned a multicast slot. The multicast slot may occur periodically and may be associated with a multicast phase. An indication of the device's assigned multicast slot may be transmitted to other devices in the load control system. Messages may be transmitted to the device from one or more other devices during its configured multicast slot.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2021Publication date: January 13, 2022Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Galen Edgar Knode, Jordan H. Crafts
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Publication number: 20210400793Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 19, 2021Publication date: December 23, 2021Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: 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
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Publication number: 20210360761Abstract: A control module for a lighting fixture may include an input circuit (e.g., a wireless communication circuit) that may be susceptible to noise generating by a noise-generating source (e.g., a lighting control device in the lighting fixture). The control circuit may execute a self-test procedure to determine if the magnitude of the noise is acceptable or unacceptable for normal operation of the control module. During the self-test procedure, the control circuit may measure a noise level at a connection of the input circuit and determine if the noise level causes the self-test procedure to fail. The control circuit may control the lighting load to multiple intensities, measure noise levels of the output signal at each intensity, and process the noise levels to determine if the test has passed or failed. The control circuit may illuminate a visual indicator to provide an indication that the self-test procedure has failed.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 30, 2021Publication date: November 18, 2021Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Richard S. Camden, Jordan H. Crafts, Vidur Garg, Kevin L. Gascho, Alexander F. Mosolgo, Dragan Veskovic, Sean R. Pearson
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Patent number: 11160154Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 1, 2020Date of Patent: October 26, 2021Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Jordan H. Crafts, William Bryce Fricke, Stephen M. Ludwig, Jr., Jonathan T. Lenz, Bryan Robert Barnes, Kyle Thomas Barco
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Patent number: 11153956Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 8, 2018Date of Patent: October 19, 2021Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: 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
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Publication number: 20210307137Abstract: Devices of a load control system may communicate with each other via a network. The load control system may include different control devices, such as load control devices, input devices, or other devices capable of communicating with each other to perform load control. These control devices may be capable of providing feedback to a user that indicates different network information that may be used for network diagnostics and/or configuration. For example, a lighting control device may be capable of providing feedback via a corresponding lighting load that indicates network information that may be used in network diagnostics and/or configuration.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2021Publication date: September 30, 2021Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Ankit Bhutani, Richard S. Camden, Jordan H. Crafts, Vidur Garg, Galen Edgar Knode, Prasad P. Kulkarni, Craig Alan Casey, John F. Yamrick
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Patent number: 11079421Abstract: A control module for a lighting fixture may include an input circuit (e.g., a wireless communication circuit) that may be susceptible to noise generating by a noise-generating source (e.g., a lighting control device in the lighting fixture). The control circuit may execute a self-test procedure to determine if the magnitude of the noise is acceptable or unacceptable for normal operation of the control module. During the self-test procedure, the control circuit may measure a noise level at a connection of the input circuit and determine if the noise level causes the self-test procedure to fail. The control circuit may control the lighting load to multiple intensities, measure noise levels of the output signal at each intensity, and process the noise levels to determine if the test has passed or failed. The control circuit may illuminate a visual indicator to provide an indication that the self-test procedure has failed.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2019Date of Patent: August 3, 2021Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Richard S. Camden, Jordan H. Crafts, Vidur Garg, Kevin L. Gascho, Alexander F. Mosolgo, Dragan Veskovic, Sean R. Pearson
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Publication number: 20210194766Abstract: A load control system may include control devices configured to communicate via a network. The network may include router devices for enabling communication of messages throughout the network. A control device may operate as a router device in the network. The control device may receive advertisement messages from a leader device in the network. When the leader device fails to communicate advertisement messages within a predefined period of time to other control devices that are operating as router devices in the network, one or more router devices may be identified as backup-leader devices to take over operation as the leader device in the network. When a control device that has the role of a leader device or router device is intentionally deactivated, the control device may perform a deactivation process that is specific to the role of the control device on the network.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 18, 2020Publication date: June 24, 2021Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Jordan H. Crafts, Jason A. King, Galen Edgar Knode
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Publication number: 20210183236Abstract: A load control system may include devices for performing communications for controlling an amount of power provided to an electrical load. The devices may include load control devices that may communicate by transmitting digital messages. A user device having an adjustable wireless communication range may be used for discovering devices, configuring devices, and/or diagnosing devices in the load control system. The user device may detect whether devices are within an established wireless communication range of one another for performing communications. The user device may detect digital messages transmitted from a device and/or digital messages received at a device to determine whether the digital messages are correctly communicated in the load control system. The user device may provide an indication to a user indicating whether a digital message is correctly transmitted or received by a device in the load control system.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 1, 2021Publication date: June 17, 2021Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Jordan H. Crafts, Kyle Thomas Barco, Bryan Robert Barnes, David J. Dolan, William Bryce Fricke, Joel Hnatow, Jonathan T. Lenz
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Publication number: 20210082280Abstract: A load control system may include multiple control devices that may send load control messages to load control devices for controlling an amount of power provided electrical loads. To prevent collision of the load control messages, the load control messages may be transmitted using different wireless communication channels. Each wireless communication channel may be assigned to a load control group that may include control devices and load control devices capable of communicating with one another on the assigned channel. A control device may send load control messages to a load control device within a transmission frame allocated for transmitting load control messages. The transmission frame may include equal sub-frames and load control messages may be sent at a random time within each sub-frame. Control devices may detect a status event within a sampling interval to offset transmissions from multiple control devices based on detection of the same event.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2020Publication date: March 18, 2021Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: John H. Bull, Jordan H. Crafts, James P. Steiner
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Patent number: 10937307Abstract: A load control system may include devices for performing communications for controlling an amount of power provided to an electrical load. The devices may include load control devices that may communicate by transmitting digital messages. A user device having an adjustable wireless communication range may be used for discovering devices, configuring devices, and/or diagnosing devices in the load control system. The user device may detect whether devices are within an established wireless communication range of one another for performing communications. The user device may detect digital messages transmitted from a device and/or digital messages received at a device to determine whether the digital messages are correctly communicated in the load control system. The user device may provide an indication to a indicating whether a digital message is correctly transmitted or received by a device in the load control system.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2019Date of Patent: March 2, 2021Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Jordan H. Crafts, Kyle Thomas Barco, Bryan Robert Barnes, David J. Dolan, William Bryce Fricke, Joel Hnatow, Jonathan T. Lenz
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Publication number: 20210037633Abstract: A faceplate remote control device may be attached to a wall-mounted mechanical light switch that has a toggle actuator. The faceplate remote control device may include a toggle indicator that detects operation of the toggle actuator of the mechanical switch. The toggle indicator may cause the generation of an indication of detected operation of the toggle actuator. The toggle indicator may comprise a sliding member that is configured to move with the toggle actuator. The toggle indicator may comprise an obstruction detection device that includes an infrared (IR) transmitter and an IR receiver. The faceplate remote control device may include a control circuit and a wireless communication circuit. The control circuit may be configured to cause the wireless communication circuit to transmit one or more messages in response to detecting operation of the toggle actuator of the mechanical switch.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2020Publication date: February 4, 2021Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Jeffrey Karc, Jamie Steffie, Jordan H. Crafts
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Publication number: 20210021133Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2020Publication date: January 21, 2021Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Jordan H. Crafts, William Bryce Fricke, Stephen M. Ludwig, JR., Jonathan T. Lenz, Bryan Robert Barnes, Kyle Thomas Barco
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Publication number: 20200403866Abstract: A control device may be configured to form a network at a unique coordinated startup time. The control device may identify a role assigned to the control device in a previously-formed network that the control device was attached to. The control device may determine a unique coordinated startup time for the control device based on the role assigned to the control device in the previously-formed network. The control device may initiate a network formation procedure at the unique coordinated startup time for the device. For example, the network formation procedure may cause the control device to attach to another control device in the network. The network formation procedure is configured to enable the control device to assume the role assigned to the control device in the previously-formed network in the new network.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2020Publication date: December 24, 2020Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Jeffrey S. Hayes, Galen Edgar Knode, Ankit Bhutani, Richard S. Camden, Jordan H. Crafts, Jason A. King, Prasad Pramod Kulkarni
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Publication number: 20200404513Abstract: A control device may communicate messages with devices in a network through a parent device, and receive messages from auxiliary parent devices. The control device may store a respective communication metric associated with each of the parent device and the one or more auxiliary parent devices. The control device may set an auxiliary parent device of the one or more auxiliary parent devices as the parent device of the control device, e.g., when a respective communication metric of the auxiliary parent device determined to be set as the parent device indicates a stronger communication link than the parent device. The control device may determine that the respective communication metric of the auxiliary parent device indicates a stronger potential communication link than the parent device when the average received signal strength indicator of auxiliary parent device is greater than the average received signal strength indicator of the parent device.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2020Publication date: December 24, 2020Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Jeffrey S. Hayes, Galen Edgar Knode, Ankit Bhutani, Richard S. Camden, Jordan H. Crafts, Jason A. King
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Patent number: 10854070Abstract: A load control system may include multiple control devices that may send load control messages to load control devices for controlling an amount of power provided electrical loads. To prevent collision of the load control messages, the load control messages may be transmitted using different wireless communication channels. Each wireless communication channel may be assigned to a load control group that may include control devices and load control devices capable of communicating with one another on the assigned channel. A control device may send load control messages to a load control device within a transmission frame allocated for transmitting load control messages. The transmission frame may include equal sub-frames and load control messages may be sent at a random time within each sub-frame. Control devices may detect a status event within a sampling interval to offset transmissions from multiple control devices based on detection of the same event.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2017Date of Patent: December 1, 2020Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: John H. Bull, Jordan H. Crafts, James P. Steiner
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Publication number: 20200310371Abstract: A load control system may include control devices for controlling power provided to an electrical load. The 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. The control devices may include a load control discovery device capable of sending discovery messages configured to discover control devices within a location. The discovered control devices may be organized by signal strength and may be provided to a network device to enable association of the discovered control devices within a location. The discovery messages may be transmitted within an established discovery range. The discovery range may be adjusted to discover different control devices. Different control devices may be identified as the load control discovery device for discovering different control devices.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2020Publication date: October 1, 2020Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLCInventors: Kyle Thomas Barco, Bryan Robert Barnes, Erica L. Clymer, Brian Michael Courtney, Jordan H. Crafts, William Bryce Fricke, Galen Edgar Knode, Sanjeev Kumar, Jonathan T. Lenz, Stephen M. Ludwig, JR., Sandeep Mudabail Raghuram, Richard M. Walsh, III