US 11,387,671 B2Granted

Load control system having a broadcast controller with a diverse wireless communication system

AssigneeLutron Technology Company LLC

InventorsDonald F. Mosebrook, Timothy S. Majewski, Gregory S. Altonen, Benjamin F. Bard

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A load control system for controlling the amount of power delivered from an AC power source to a plurality of electrical load includes a plurality of energy controllers. Each energy controller is operable to control at least one of the electrical loads. The load control system also includes a first broadcast controller that has a first antenna and a second antenna. The first antenna is arranged in a first position and the second antenna is arranged in a second position that is orthogonal to the first position. The broadcast controller is operable to transmit a first wireless signal via the first antenna and a second wireless signal via the second antenna. Each of the energy controllers is operable to receive at least one of the first and second wireless signals, and to control the respective load in response to the received wireless signal.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A controller apparatus for sending a command to a control device to control an electrical load in response to the command, the apparatus comprising:

a first antenna;
a second antenna oriented orthogonal to the first antenna;
at least one communication circuit comprising a transmitter coupled to the first antenna and to the second antenna via a switch, and configured to transmit a first signal via the first antenna and to transmit a second signal via the second antenna;
and
a control circuit coupled to the transmitter and configured to cause the transmitter to transmit the first signal via the first antenna when the switch is in the first position and to transmit the second signal via the second antenna when the switch is in the second position;
wherein the control circuit is configured to cause the at least one communication circuit to transmit the first signal via the first antenna in a first time slot and to transmit the second signal via the second antenna in a second time slot, wherein the first time slot and the second time slot are not overlapping;
and
wherein the control circuit is configured to randomly select the first time slot and the second time slot from a number of non-overlapping time slots.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/923,861Filed 8 Jul 2020 · continuation
Priority: 28 Dec 2011
Published: US 2020/0412125 A131 Dec 2020
Granted: 12 Jul 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification41 codes

H02J 13/1333
Using wireless data transmission: by means of mobile telephony
H02J 3/00
Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
H02J 3/14
Arrangements for adjusting voltage in AC networks by changing a characteristic of the network load: by switching loads on to, or off from, the…
H02J 4/00
Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or

Family

Application61/580,898Us provisional application · filed 28 Dec 2011
Application61/640,241Us provisional application · filed 30 Apr 2012
Application61/654,562Us provisional application · filed 1 Jun 2012
Application13/725,116Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Dec 2012
Application15/093,055Parent of this continuation · filed 7 Apr 2016
US 9,337,943 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 10 May 2016
Application15/845,786Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Dec 2017
US 9,847,638 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 19 Dec 2017
US 2020/0412125 A1Pre-grant publication · published 31 Dec 2020
US 10,734,807 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2014/0001846 A1Published application
US 2016/0226248 A1Published application
US 2018/0109107 A1Published application
US 11,387,671 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.