# US 11,910,508 B2 · Digital load control system providing power and communication via existing power wiring > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,910,508 B2 - Document ID: US11910508B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/079,630 - Filed: 2022-12-12 - Published: 2023-04-06 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-14 - Assignees: Lutron Technology Company LLC - Applicants: Lutron Technology Company LLC - Inventors: Mark S. Taipale; Timothy P. Gredler; Akshay Bhat - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11910508B2 ## CPC - H05B 47/11: by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light - H05B 45/10: Controlling the intensity of the light - H05B 45/12: using optical feedback - H05B 45/37: Converter circuits - H05B 45/375: using buck topology - H05B 45/38: using boost topology - H05B 47/105: in response to determined parameters - H05B 47/13: by using passive infrared detectors - H05B 47/185: via power line carrier transmission - H05B 47/19: via wireless transmission - H05B 47/195: the transmission using visible or infrared light - H05B 47/196: {characterised by user interface arrangements} - H05B 47/1965: {using handheld communication devices} - H05B 47/197: {Sound control or voice control} - H05B 47/1985: {Creation of lighting zones or scenes} - Y02B 20/40: Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract A two-way load control system comprises a power device, such as a load control device for controlling an electrical load receiving power from an AC power source, and a controller adapted to be coupled in series between the source and the power device. The load control system may be installed without requiring any additional wires to be run, and is easily configured without the need for a computer or an advanced commissioning procedure. The power device receives both power and communication over two wires. The controller generates a phase-control voltage and transmits a forward digital message to the power device by encoding digital information in timing edges of the phase-control voltage. The power device transmits a reverse digital message to the controller via the power wiring. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A load control system comprising: controller circuitry couplable between a power source and an electric power device, the controller circuitry to: supply a periodic voltage, via electrical wiring, to the electric power device; transmit a forward digital message to the electric power device by encoding digital information in timing edges of the periodic voltage; transmit a short pattern that allows the electric power device to synchronize to a frequency of the periodic voltage prior to the electric power device transmitting a reverse digital message to the controller; perform error detection on the reverse digital message received from the electric power device; transmit a retry pattern to the electric power device responsive to detection of an error in the reverse digital message; and receive a retransmitted reverse digital message from the electric power device responsive to the receipt of the retry pattern by the electric power device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The load control system of claim 1: wherein the controller comprises a controllably conductive device couplable between an alternating current (AC) power supply and the electric power device; and wherein to supply the periodic voltage to the electric power device, the controller circuitry to further: supply a phase-controlled AC voltage to the electric power device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The load control system of claim 2 wherein to transmit a forward digital message to the electric power device, the controller circuitry to further: transmit a forward digital message to the electric power device by encoding digital information in timing edges of the phase-control signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The load control device of claim 1 wherein to transmit the short pattern that allows the electric power device to synchronize to the frequency of the periodic voltage, the controller circuitry to further: transmit a short pattern that allows the electric power device to synchronize to a frequency of the periodic voltage, the short pattern having a short pattern length less than the message length of the forward digital message. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The load control device of claim 1 wherein to transmit the forward digital message to the electric power device by encoding digital information in timing edges of the periodic voltage, the controller circuitry to further: transmit a forward digital message that includes: a four-bit start field; a four-bit channel mask field; a two-bit command field; a five-bit data field; and a five-bit error correction field. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The load control device of claim 2 wherein to supply the phase-controlled AC voltage to the electrical electric power device, the controller circuitry to further: cause a controllably conductive device operatively coupled between the power source and the electric power device to reversibly transition between a CONDUCTIVE state and a NON-CONDUCTIVE state to provide the phase-controlled AC voltage to the electric power device. ### Claim 7 A method to control an electric power device, comprising: supplying, by controller circuitry via electrical wiring, a periodic voltage to an electric power device, the controller circuitry couplable between a power source and the electric power device; transmitting, by the controller circuitry, a forward digital message to the electric power device by encoding digital information in timing edges of the periodic voltage; transmitting, by the controller circuitry, a short pattern that allows the electric power device to synchronize to a frequency of the periodic voltage prior to the electric power device transmitting a reverse digital message to the controller circuitry; performing, by the controller circuitry, error detection on the reverse digital message received from the electric power device; transmitting, by the controller circuitry, a retry pattern to the electric power device responsive to detection of an error in the reverse digital message; and receiving, by the controller circuitry, a retransmitted reverse digital message from the electric power device responsive to the receipt of the retry pattern by the electric power device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein supplying the periodic voltage to the electric power device further comprises: supplying, by the controller circuitry, a phase-controlled AC voltage to the electric power device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein transmitting the forward digital message to the electric power device further comprises: transmitting, by the controller circuitry, a forward digital message to the electric power device by encoding digital information in timing edges of the phase-control signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein transmitting the short pattern that allows the electric power device to synchronize to the frequency of the periodic voltage further comprises: transmitting, by the controller circuitry, a short pattern having a short pattern length less than the message length of the forward digital message to the electric power device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein transmitting the forward digital message to the electric power device by encoding digital information in timing edges of the periodic voltage, further comprises: transmitting, by the controller circuitry to the electric power device, a forward digital message that includes: a four-bit start field; a four-bit channel mask field; a two-bit command field; a five-bit data field; and a five-bit error correction field. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein supplying a phase-controlled AC voltage to the electric power device further comprises: causing, by the controller circuitry, a controllably conductive device operatively coupled between the power source and the electric power device to reversibly transition between a CONDUCTIVE state and a NON-CONDUCTIVE state to provide the phase-controlled AC voltage to the electric power device. ### Claim 13 A non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device that includes instructions that when executed by controller circuitry in an electric power device controller, cause the controller circuitry to: supply, via electrical wiring, a periodic voltage to an operatively coupled electric power device; transmit a forward digital message to the electric power device by encoding digital information in timing edges of the periodic voltage; transmit a short pattern that allows the electric power device to synchronize to a frequency of the periodic voltage prior to the electric power device transmitting a reverse digital message to the controller circuitry; perform error detection on the reverse digital message received from the electric power device; transmit a retry pattern to the electric power device responsive to detection of an error in the reverse digital message; and receive a retransmitted reverse digital message from the electric power device responsive to the receipt of the retry pattern by the electric power device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 13 wherein the instructions that cause the controller circuitry to supply the periodic voltage to the electric power device further cause the controller circuitry to: supply a phase-controlled AC voltage to the electric power device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim method of claim 14 the instructions that cause the controller circuitry to transmit transmitting the forward digital message to the electric power device further cause the controller circuitry to: transmit a forward digital message to the electric power device by encoding digital information in timing edges of the phase-control signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 13 wherein the instructions that cause the controller circuitry to transmit the short pattern that allows the electric power device to synchronize to the frequency of the periodic voltage further cause the controller circuitry to: transmit a short pattern having a short pattern length less than the message length of the forward digital message. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 13 wherein the instructions that cause the controller circuitry to transmit the forward digital message to the electric power device by encoding digital information in timing edges of the periodic voltage, further cause the controller circuitry to: transmitting, by the control circuitry, a forward digital message that includes: a four-bit start field; a four-bit channel mask field; a two-bit command field; a five-bit data field; and a five-bit error correction field. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 13 wherein the instructions that cause the controller circuitry to supply the periodic voltage to the electric power device further cause the controller circuitry to: cause a controllably conductive device operatively coupled between the power source and the electric power device to reversibly transition between a CONDUCTIVE state and a NON-CONDUCTIVE state to provide the phase-controlled AC voltage to the electric power device.