# US 2020/0288559 A1 · Controlling groups of electrical loads > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0288559 A1 - Document ID: US20200288559A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/881,087 - Filed: 2020-05-22 - Published: 2020-09-10 - Earliest claimed: 2016-10-21 - Assignees: Lutron Technology Company LLC - Applicants: Lutron Technology Company LLC - Inventors: Timothy Mann; Robert C. Newman, JR.; Thomas Lee Olson; Jaykrishna A. Shukla - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200288559A1 ## CPC - G08C 17/02: using a radio link - G05B 15/02: electric - H05B 47/105: in response to determined parameters - H05B 47/11: by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light - H05B 47/115: by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings - H05B 47/196: {characterised by user interface arrangements} - E06B 9/38: Other details - G08C 2201/12: Power saving techniques of remote control or controlled devices - G08C 2201/50: Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices - G08C 2201/70: Device selection - H05B 47/19: via wireless transmission - H05B 47/1965: {using handheld communication devices} - H05B 47/199: {Commissioning of light sources} - Y02A 30/24: Structural elements or technologies for improving thermal insulation - Y02B 20/40: Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection - Y02B 80/00: Architectural or constructional elements improving the thermal performance of buildings - G08C: TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS (fluid pressure transmitting systems F15B; mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member into a different variable G01D5/00; mechanical control systems G05G) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - E06B: FIXED OR MOVABLE CLOSURES FOR OPENINGS IN BUILDINGS, VEHICLES, FENCES OR LIKE ENCLOSURES IN GENERAL, e.g. DOORS, WINDOWS, BLINDS, GATES (shades or blinds for greenhouses A01G9/22; curtains A47H; lids for car boots or bonnets B62D25/10; skylights E04B7/18; sunshades, awnings E04F10/00) - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract A load control system may include control devices for controlling electrical loads. The control devices may include load control devices, such as a lighting device for controlling an amount of power provided to a lighting load, and controller devices, such as a remote control device configured to transmit digital messages for controlling the lighting load via the load control device. The remote control device may communicate with the lighting devices via a hub device. The remote control device may detect a user interface event, such as a button press or a rotation of the remote control device. The remote control device or the hub device may determine whether to transmit digital messages as unicast messages or multicast messages based on the type of user interface event detected. The remote control device, or other master device, may synchronize and/or toggle an on/off state of lighting devices in the load control system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device comprising: a user interface; a communication circuit; a status indicator configured to be illuminated to display feedback; and a control circuit configured to: identify an actuation of the user interface; transmit, via the communication circuit in response to the actuation, a status query message configured to identify a state of at least one lighting device of a group of lighting devices; receive, via the communication circuit, a status message that indicates the state of the at least one lighting device; and display feedback on the status indicator based on the state of the at least one lighting device of the group of lighting devices indicated in the status message. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the actuation is configured to control the state of one or more lighting devices in the group of lighting devices, and wherein the control circuit is further configured to transmit, via the communication circuit, a digital message configured to control the state of the one or more lighting devices in the group of lighting devices based on the state indicated by the status message. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to: receive status messages from multiple lighting devices of the group of lighting devices; and determine a state to indicate as feedback on the status indicator based on the status messages received from the multiple lighting devices of the group of lighting devices. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one lighting device is a first lighting device of the group of lighting devices from which the control circuit receives the status message, and wherein the control circuit is configured to determine a state to indicate as feedback on the status indicator based on the state of the first lighting device of the group of lighting devices from which the control circuit receives the status message. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the group of lighting devices comprises a master lighting device, wherein the at least one lighting device from which the status message is received is the master lighting device, and wherein the control circuit is configured to determine the state to indicate as feedback on the status indicator based on the status message received from the master lighting device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the state comprises an on/off state of the at least one lighting device of the group of lighting devices. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The device of claim 6, wherein the control circuit is configured to: receive status messages from multiple lighting devices of the group of lighting devices; and display feedback on the status indicator to indicate an on state or an off state based on on/off states included in the status messages received from the multiple lighting devices of the group of lighting devices. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The device of claim 6, wherein the group of lighting devices comprises a master lighting device, and the at least one lighting device from which the status message is received is the master lighting device, and wherein the control circuit is configured to determine whether to display feedback on the status indicator to indicate an on state or an off state based on an on/off state included in the status message received from the master lighting device of the group of lighting devices. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The device of claim 6, wherein the at least one lighting device is a first lighting device of the group of lighting devices from which the control circuit receives the status message, and wherein the control circuit is configured to determine whether to transmit an on command or an off command based on an on/off state included in the status message received from the first lighting device of the group of lighting devices from which the control circuit receives the status message. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the state comprises an intensity level of the at least one lighting device of the group of lighting devices. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a rotary knob or a linear control. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is configured to: determine a dynamic starting point for a rotation of the rotary knob based on the state of the at least one lighting control device indicated in the status message; and control the status indicator to indicate the dynamic starting point. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The device of claim 12, wherein the dynamic starting point defines a lighting level from which the lighting control devices may be controlled in response to the rotation of the rotary knob. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit a respective status query message to each of the lighting devices in the group of lighting devices and stop transmitting the respective status query messages when a status message from a particular one of the lighting devices indicates that the particular one of the lighting devices is in a non-preferred state. ### Claim 15 A method of providing feedback of at least one lighting device of a group of lighting devices, the method comprising: identifying an actuation of a user interface of a remote control device; in response to the actuation, transmitting a status query message configured to identify a state of the at least one lighting device of the group of lighting devices; receiving a status message that indicates the state of the at least one lighting device; and displaying feedback on a status indicator of the remote control device based on the state of the at least one lighting device of the group of lighting devices indicated in the status message. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the actuation is configured to control the state of one or more lighting devices in the group of lighting devices, and the method further comprising: transmitting a digital message configured to control the state of the one or more lighting devices in the group of lighting devices based on the state indicated by the status message. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: receiving status messages from multiple lighting devices of the group of lighting devices; and determining a state to indicate as feedback on the status indicator based on the status messages received from the multiple lighting devices of the group of lighting devices. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one lighting device is a first lighting device of the group of lighting devices from which the control circuit receives the status message, the method further comprising: determining a state to indicate as feedback on the status indicator based on a state of the first lighting device of the group of lighting devices from which the control circuit receives the status message. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the group of lighting devices comprises a master lighting device, and the at least one lighting device from which the status message is received is the master lighting device, the method further comprising: determining the state to indicate as feedback on the status indicator based on the status message received from the master lighting device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the state comprises an on/off state of the at least one lighting device of the group of lighting devices. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, further comprising: receiving status messages from multiple lighting devices of the group of lighting devices; and displaying feedback on the status indicator to indicate an on state or an off state based on on/off states included in the status messages received from the multiple lighting devices of the group of lighting devices. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the group of lighting devices comprises a master lighting device, and the at least one lighting device from which the status message is received is the master lighting device, the method further comprising: determining whether to display feedback on the status indicator to indicate an on state or an off state based on an on/off state included in the status message received from the master lighting device of the group of lighting devices. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one lighting device is a first lighting device of the group of lighting devices from which the control circuit receives the status message, the method further comprising: determining whether to transmit an on command or an off command based on an on/off state included in the status message received from the first lighting device of the group of lighting devices from which the control circuit receives the status message. ### Claim 24 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the state comprises an intensity level of the at least one lighting device of the group of lighting devices. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising: determining a dynamic starting point for a rotation of a rotary knob of the user interface based on the state of the at least one lighting control device indicated in the status message; and illuminating the status indicator to indicate the dynamic starting point. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The method of claim 25, further comprising: adjusting a lighting level for controlling the lighting control devices in response to the rotation of the rotary knob based on the dynamic starting point. ### Claim 27 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: transmitting a respective status query message to each of the lighting devices in the group of lighting devices; and stopping transmitting the respective status query messages when a status message from a particular one of the lighting devices indicates that the particular one of the lighting devices is in a non-preferred state.