LOAD CONTROL USING AC SIGNALLING WITH UNIQUE SIGNATURES
A load control system includes a controller that modifies an alternating current (AC) signal at a controller input to provide, on a cycle-by-cycle basis, one of a plurality of unique AC signature signals to a controller output. The AC signatures correspond to different selections that a user provides to the system to instruct the system with respect to the particular load characteristic desired. The load circuit receives the plurality of unique AC signal signature signals. The load circuit changes a characteristic of the load circuit in response to the received plurality of unique AC signature signals, thus responding to the user's choice of load characteristic.
This patent application is a continuation of, and claims priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/352,812, filed Mar. 13, 2019, which claims priority to both Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/642,451, filed Mar. 13, 2018, by inventor Keith Bernard Marx and Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/752,529, filed Oct. 13, 2018, by inventor Keith Bernard Marx, the disclosures all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUNDThe disclosures herein relate generally to controlling one or more loads, and more specifically to controlling one or more loads using AC signals.
BRIEF SUMMARYIn one embodiment, a method is disclosed modifying, by a controller, an alternating current (AC) signal at a controller input to provide, on a cycle-by-cycle basis, one of a plurality of unique AC signature signals to a controller output. The method also includes receiving, by a load circuit, the plurality of unique AC signal signature signals. The method further includes changing, by the load circuit, a characteristic of the load circuit in response to the received plurality of unique AC signature signals.
In another embodiment, a load control system is disclosed that includes a controller that modifies an alternating current (AC) signal at a controller input to provide, on a cycle-by-cycle basis, one of a plurality of unique AC signature signals to a controller output. The system also includes a load circuit that receives the plurality of unique AC signal signature signals. The system further includes a load circuit that changes a characteristic of the load circuit in response to the received plurality of unique AC signature signals.
The appended drawings illustrate only exemplary embodiments of the invention and therefore do not limit its scope because the inventive concepts lend themselves to other equally effective embodiments.
In one embodiment, a load control system is disclosed that includes a control panel at which the user may select one or more characteristics that the user desires a load to exhibit. For example, in an embodiment wherein the load circuit includes a load that is an array of light emitting diode (LED) lights, the user may push a control panel button or move a slider switch to indicate a desired 50% of maximum lighting intensity. In response to this user input, the control panel modifies an AC hot input signal to provide a modified AC output signal that includes a unique signature, i.e. or code, on an AC cycle-by-cycle basis. This unique signature corresponds to 50% lighting intensity. The load circuit includes a signal decoder which acts as a detector of the particular unique signature. The signal decoder supplies the unique signature to a microcontroller that instructs the load in the load circuit to exhibit the particular characteristic (e.g. 50% lighting intensity) corresponding to the unique signature, in response to the user's selection. In the very next AC signal cycle, the user may select a variation of the same characteristic (e.g. 25% lighting intensity) or a different characteristic (e.g. a particular color of multiple colors) and the system will encode the unique signature to again modify the AC signal supplied to the load. In response, the load circuit detects this new desired lighting characteristic and changes state to correspond to the new desired lighting characteristic. These state changes are implemented quickly on a cycle-by-cycle basis.
An AC_HOT signal 110 is supplied to control panel section 201, as shown. This AC_HOT signal 110 may be supplied by the power mains. A NEUTRAL line 112 is coupled between control panel section 101 and load circuit 300. A SWITCHED_AC line 114 also is coupled between control panel section 201 and load circuit 300, as shown. The SWITCHED_AC signal is the modified AC signal which incorporates the unique AC signature corresponding to the user's selection of the desired load characteristic.
In one embodiment, control panel section 201 may be situated in the wall cavity typically used for light switches mounted on a wall. Control panel section 202 may be situated at the switch plate typically used for such light switches. Control panel section 101 and 102 may be located at other locations depending on the particular application and mounting space available. As mentioned, control panel sections 101 and 102 may be combined together if a particular application calls for it.
Control panel section 201 includes a bi-directional switching device 400 (e.g. TRIAC) that couples to both the input AC_HOT line 110 and the output SWITCHED_AC line 114, as shown. TRIAC 205 modifies the AC_HOT signal to generate the modified SWITCHED_AC in response to an ENABLE SWITCHED_AC signal provided to its gate input by the ENABLE SWITCHED_AC circuit 212 coupled thereto. The ENABLE SWITCHED_AC circuit 420 is part of the AC_HOT floating subsystem 214 which is discussed in more detail below.
Control panel section 201 includes a current sensing resistor 216 that current sensing circuit 218 monitors to determine the instantaneous current through TRIAC 205. Control panel section 201 also includes a signal shaper circuit 220, for example a comparator circuit, that shapes the AC_HOT signal provided to its input. The output of signal shaper circuit 220 couples to an input of main controller 210 to provide a shaped representation of the AC_HOT signal to main controller 210.
AC_HOT floating subsystem 214 includes a floating voltage source 222, as shown in
Load circuit 300 also includes a power converter 330 that generates a DC voltage from the SWITCHED_AC signal to provide DC power to the elements of load circuit 300. Load circuit 300 includes an optional fan 335, the on or off state of which the user may control as one of the selectable characteristics of the load. Load circuit 300 may include additional user controllable function as well, such as (KEITH—please provide examples here X, Y and Z). Load circuit 300 may also includes 340 sensors (for example a motion sensor, a CO2 sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a smoke sensor) which may report information sensed remotely at load circuit 300 back to control panel section 201 of the load control system 100 shown in
Main controller 210 may include a SWITCHED_AC cycle type detector 401. Main controller 210 may also include a cycle detect/deglitcher 402. Main controller 210 may further includes a load modulator detect block 403 to monitor variations in the load current that indicates particular events or conditions at the load. Main controller 210 also includes a timer 404 for internal functions and a cycle timing points generator 405. Main controller 210 further include a cycle type generator 406 and a floating voltage source generator 407. Main controller 210 also includes a communication interface, such as I2C protocol, as shown.
Microcontroller 230 may include a cycle alignment block 421 as wall as a human interface 422, such as buttons or a slide switch dimmer control, or a touch sensitive display panel. Microcontroller 230 may also include a next cycle type designator 423 that instructs the next cycle type (e.g. the particular AC signature) to be generated according to the users desired load characteristic selection. Microcontroller 230 may further include a current system configuration block 424 as well as an optional motion detector 234. Microcontroller 230 may include a communication interface 425, such as the I2C protocol interface shown in
In another example, referring now to the V (TRIAC ENABLE) signal of
Continuing now in
From 40 ms to 44 ms, the V (TRIAC ENABLE) signal of
Continuing further now to the V (TRIAC ENABLE) signal of
In this manner, TRIAC 205 can generate a large number of unique AC signatures, wherein each AC signal may correspond to a different characteristic that the user desires the load to exhibit. Cycles 3-7 illustrate a sampling of another unique AC signature that may be generated. TABLE 1 below is a representation of some of the many different AC signatures that TRIAC 205 of control panel section 201 may generate to instruct the load regarding which particular characteristic the load should exhibit.
TABLE 1 below shows 10 representative load states that one embodiment of the load circuit may exhibit.
For the purposes of the flowcharts of
It should be noted that multiple control panels may be coupled to a common SWITCHED_AC line 114 that supplies power with unique AC signatures to multiple load circuits 300.
In one embodiment, multiple control panels 200, each with its own bi-directional switching device 400 (e.g. a TRIAC), can reside on the same SWITCHED_AC line to control a plurality of load circuits 300. In other words, multiple control panels 200 and multiple circuits 300 may be coupled to a common SWITCHED_AC line.
In other words, in one embodiment, if a CP issues one instruction, it is for all end fixtures not just an individual one. This approach desirably avoids having to reference or assign a name to each end fixture.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
Claims
1. A method comprising:
- modifying, by a controller, an alternating current (AC) signal at a controller input to provide, on a cycle-by-cycle basis, one of a plurality of unique AC signature signals to a controller output, the controller being configured to operate in a 3-wire AC system;
- receiving, by a load circuit, the plurality of unique AC signal signature signals, the load circuit being configured to operate in a 2-wire AC system; and
- changing, by the load circuit, a characteristic of the load circuit in response to the received plurality of unique AC signature signals.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the load circuit includes a plurality of lighting devices.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the unique AC signature signal instructs at least one of the lighting devices to change brightness.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of lighting devices exhibits different respective colors, the unique AC signature signal instructing at least one of the lighting devices to activate to exhibit a particular color corresponding to the AC signal signature.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller receives a user selection from a user input, the user selection indicating a particular characteristic that the user desires the load circuit to exhibit, and in response to the user input the controller modifies the AC signal to exhibit a unique AC signature signal corresponding to the user selection.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a first controller section and a second controller section.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first controller section is installable in a switch cavity associated with a wall switch.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second controller section is installable as a wall place associated with the wall switch.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein the first controller section and the second controller section are combined in a common structure.
10. The method of claim 1 further comprising an arbitration mechanism to resolve contention among multiple controllers that couple to the 3-wire AC system and the 2-wire AC system.
11. A system comprising:
- a controller that modifies an alternating current (AC) signal at a controller input to provide, on a cycle-by-cycle basis, one of a plurality of unique AC signature signals to a controller output, the controller being configured to operate in a 3-wire AC system;
- a load circuit that receives the plurality of unique AC signal signature signals, the load circuit being configured to operate in a 2-wire AC system; and
- a load circuit that changes a characteristic of the load circuit in response to the received plurality of unique AC signature signals.
12. The system of claim 21, wherein the load circuit includes a plurality of lighting devices.
13. The system of claim 22, wherein the unique AC signature signal instructs at least one of the lighting devices to change brightness.
14. The system of claim 22, wherein the plurality of lighting devices exhibits different respective colors, the unique AC signature signal instructing at least one of the lighting devices to activate to exhibit a particular color corresponding to the AC signal signature.
15. The system of claim 21, wherein the controller receives a user selection from a user input, the user selection indicating a particular characteristic that the user desires the load circuit to exhibit, and in response to the user input the controller modifies the AC signal to exhibit a unique AC signature signal corresponding to the user selection.
16. The system of claim 21, wherein the controller includes a first controller section and a second controller section.
17. The system of claim 26, wherein the first controller section is installable in a switch cavity associated with a wall switch.
18. The system of claim 27, wherein the second controller section is installable as a wall place associated with the wall switch.
19. The system of claim 26, wherein the first controller section and the second controller section are combined in a common structure.
20. The system of claim 29 further comprising an arbitration mechanism to resolve contention among multiple control panels that couple to the 3-wire AC system and the 2-wire AC system.
Type: Application
Filed: May 25, 2020
Publication Date: Jan 14, 2021
Inventor: KEITH BERNARD MARX (RICHARDSON, TX)
Application Number: 16/882,710