Detecting actuations of buttons of a control device
AssigneeLutron Technology Company LLC
InventorJaykrishna A. Shukla
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A load control device may be used to control and deliver power to an electrical load. The load control device may comprise a control circuit for controlling the power delivered to the electrical load. The load control device may comprise multiple actuators, where each of the actuators is connected between a terminal of the control circuit and a current regulating device. The number of the actuators may be greater than the number of the terminals. The control circuit may measure signals at the terminals and determine a state configuration for the actuators based on the measured signals. The control circuit may compare the state configuration to a predetermined dataset to detect a ghosting condition.
Claims18
A charlieplex method, comprising:
- for each of a plurality of I/O connections, each of the plurality of I/O connections conductively coupled to a plurality of actuator circuits, each of the plurality of actuator circuits including an actuator coupled in electrical series with at least one current limiting device:
- providing, by control circuitry, a supply voltage at the I/O connection;
- and
- for each of the remaining plurality of I/O connections:
- measuring, by the control circuitry, a voltage at the respective I/O connection;
- determining, by the control circuitry, whether the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection is less than a first voltage threshold;
- responsive to the determination that the measured voltage at the respective I/O connection is less than the first voltage threshold, returning, by the control circuitry, a logical value indicative that the actuator circuit presently conductively coupled between the voltage supply I/O connection and the respective I/O connection is in an electrically CLOSED state;
- and
- uniquely identifying the actuator circuit based on the voltage supply I/O connection and the respective I/O connection.
A load control device to control power delivered to one or more electrical loads, the load control device comprising:
- a plurality of actuator circuits, each of the plurality of actuator circuits including an actuator connected in electrical series with a current regulating device;
- and
- a control circuit comprising a plurality of I/O connections, each of the plurality of I/O connections conductively coupled to each of at least a portion of the plurality of actuator circuits, the control circuit to:
- for each of a plurality of I/O connections, provide a supply voltage at the respective I/O connection;
- and
- for each of the remaining plurality of I/O connections:
- measure an input voltage at the respective I/O connection;
- determine whether the measured input voltage at the respective I/O connection is less than a first voltage threshold;
- and
- responsive to the determination that the measured input voltage at the respective I/O connection is less than the first voltage threshold, return a logical value indicative that the actuator included in the actuator circuit presently conductively coupled between the voltage supply I/O connection and the respective input I/O connection is in an electrically CLOSED state.
A non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device that includes instructions that, when executed by control circuitry conductively coupled to each of a plurality of I/O connections, each of the plurality of I/O connections conductively coupled to a plurality of actuator circuits, each of the plurality of actuator circuits including an actuator coupled in electrical series with at least one current limiting device, cause the control circuitry to:
- for each of the plurality of I/O connections, provide a supply voltage at the respective I/O connection;
- and
- for each of the remaining plurality of I/O connections:
- measure an input voltage at the respective I/O connection;
- determine whether the measured input voltage at the respective I/O connection is less than a first voltage threshold;
- and
- responsive to the determination that the measured input voltage at the respective I/O connection is less than the first voltage threshold, return a logical value indicative that the actuator included in the actuator circuit presently conductively coupled between the voltage supply I/O connection and the respective input I/O connection is in an electrically CLOSED state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.