# US 2021/0242715 A1 · Load Control System Having Independently-Controlled Units Responsive To A Broadcast Controller > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0242715 A1 - Document ID: US20210242715A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/232,933 - Filed: 2021-04-16 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-28 - Assignees: Lutron Technology Company LLC - Applicants: Lutron Technology Company LLC - Inventors: Walter S. Zaharchuk; Timothy S. Majewski; Christopher Buck; Daniel Vander Valk; John H. Bull; Joel S. Spira - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210242715A1 ## CPC - H02J 13/1333: {by means of mobile telephony} - H02J 3/00: Circuit arrangements for AC mains or AC distribution networks - H02J 3/14: by switching loads on to, or off from, the networks, e.g. progressively balanced loading - H02J 4/00: Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as AC or DC; Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks combining AC and DC sections or sub-networks (arrangements using intermediate DC-AC-DC conversion H02J1/002; arrangements using high-voltage DC [HVDC] links H02J3/36) - H02J 13/1331: {using wireless data transmission} - H02J 13/1335: {involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi®, ZigBee® or Bluetooth®} - H02J 13/14: the power network being locally controlled, e.g. home energy management systems [HEMS] - H02J 50/80: involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices - H04B 7/04: using two or more spaced independent antennas - H04B 7/0608: {Antenna selection according to transmission parameters} - H04H 20/00: Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast - H04L 12/2816: {Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities (arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00)} - H05B 47/10: Controlling the light source - H05B 47/17: Operational modes, e.g. switching from manual to automatic mode or prohibiting specific operations - H05B 47/19: via wireless transmission - H05B 47/1965: {using handheld communication devices} - G08C 17/02: using a radio link - H02J 2105/12: supplying households or buildings - H02J 2105/42: Home appliances - H02J 2105/52: for limitation of the power consumption in the networks or in one section of the networks, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving - H05B 47/165: following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC] - H05B 47/197: {Sound control or voice control} - Y02B 70/30: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level - Y02B 70/3225: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y02B 90/20: Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector (smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00) - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - Y04S 20/20: End-user application control systems - Y04S 20/222: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y04S 20/244: the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units - Y04S 20/246: the system involving the remote operation of lamps or lighting equipment - Y04S 40/00: Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them - Y04S 40/126: using wireless data transmission - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04H: BROADCAST COMMUNICATION (multiplex communication H04J; pictorial communication aspects of broadcast systems H04N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - 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) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## 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 independent units responsive to a broadcast controller. Each independent unit includes at least one commander and at least one energy controller for controlling at least one of the electrical loads in response to a control signal received from the commander. The independent units are configured and operate independent of each other. The broadcast controller transmits wireless signals to the energy controllers of the independent units. The energy controllers do not respond to control signals received from the commanders of other independent units, but the energy controllers of both independent units respond to the wireless signals transmitted by broadcast controller. The energy controller may operate in different operating modes in response to the wireless signals transmitted by the broadcast controller. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A load control system, comprising: a broadcast controller including: broadcast control circuitry to generate a plurality of signal types, including a first signal type and a second signal type; broadcast transmitter circuitry to broadcast the first signal type and the second signal type; a plurality of independent units, each of the plurality independent units communicatively couplable to the broadcast circuitry, each of the plurality of independent units including: at least one energy controller, each of the least one energy controllers including: receiver circuitry; and energy controller circuitry having a unique address associated therewith, the energy controller circuitry to adjust one or more electrical parameters of a load device operably coupled to the respective energy controller circuitry; wherein: the energy controller circuitry to adjust at least one of the one or more electrical parameters of the operably coupled load device responsive to receipt, by the receiver circuitry, of the first signal type that includes information representative of the unique address associated with the respective energy controller; the energy controller circuitry to maintain at least one of the one or more electrical parameters of the operably coupled load device responsive to receipt, by the receiver circuitry, of the first signal type that includes information representative of a unique address associated with a different energy controller; and the energy controller circuitry to adjust at least one of the one or more electrical parameters of the operably coupled load device responsive to receipt, by the receiver circuitry, of the second signal type. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The load control system of claim 1 wherein the broadcast controller further includes broadcast receiver circuitry communicatively couplable to each of at least a portion of the plurality of independent units. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The load control system of claim 2: wherein each of the independent units includes commander circuitry; wherein the commander circuitry generates at least one output signal to adjust the at least one of the one or more electrical parameters of the operably coupled load device responsive to receipt of the first signal type that includes information representative of the unique address associated with the respective energy controller; and wherein the energy controller circuitry adjusts the at least one of the one or more electric parameters in response to receipt of the at least one output signal generated by the commander circuitry. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The load control system of claim 3 wherein the commander circuitry includes commander transmitter circuitry, the commander transmitter circuitry to communicate, to the broadcast receiver circuitry, data representative of at least one of the one or more electrical parameters of a load device communicatively coupled to the at least one energy controller included in the respective independent unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The load control system of claim 1 wherein the broadcast controller further includes: network interface circuitry to bi-directionally communicate with a remote handheld device. ### Claim 6 A broadcast controller to independently control one or more electrical parameters of each of a plurality of communicatively coupled independent units, the broadcast controller including: broadcast control circuitry to generate a plurality of signal types, including a first signal type and a second signal type; wherein the first signal type to cause energy controller circuitry included in each respective one of the plurality of communicatively coupled independent units to: adjust at least one electrical parameter of an operably coupled load device responsive to receipt of the first signal type that includes information representative of a unique address associated with the respective energy controller; and maintain the at least one electrical parameter of the operably coupled load device responsive to receipt of the first signal type that includes information representative of a unique address associated with a different energy controller; and wherein the second signal type to cause energy controller circuitry included in each respective one of the plurality of communicatively coupled independent units to: adjust the at least one electrical parameter of the operably coupled load device responsive to receipt, by the receiver circuitry of the second signal type; and broadcast transmitter circuitry to broadcast the first signal type and the second signal type. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The broadcast controller of claim 6 wherein the broadcast controller includes controller receiver circuitry to receive data representative of electrical load parameters associated with one or more operably coupled load devices in each of at least some of the plurality of independent units. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The broadcast controller of claim 6 wherein the broadcast controller includes network interface circuitry to communicate information to a remote device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The broadcast controller of claim 6 wherein the remote device includes at least one of: a handheld computing device, a network server, a cloud-based server, or an input layer of a neural network. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device that includes instructions that, when executed by a broadcast controller, cause the broadcast controller to: generate a plurality of signal types associated with control of one or more parameters in an electrical load control system, the plurality of signal types including a first signal type and a second signal type; wherein the first signal type to cause energy controller circuitry included in each respective one of a plurality of independent units communicatively coupled to the broadcast controller to: adjust at least one electrical parameter of an operably coupled load device responsive to receipt of the first signal type that includes information representative of a unique address associated with the respective energy controller; and maintain the at least one electrical parameter of the operably coupled load device responsive to receipt of the first signal type that includes information representative of a unique address associated with a different energy controller; and wherein the second signal type to cause the energy controller circuitry included in each respective one of the plurality of independent units communicatively coupled to the broadcast controller to: adjust the at least one electrical parameter of the operably coupled load device responsive to receipt, by the receiver circuitry of the second signal type. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 10 wherein the instructions further cause the broadcast controller to: cause commander circuitry in each of at least some of the plurality of independent units to communicate data representative of electrical load parameters associated with one or more operably coupled load devices included in the respective independent unit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 10 wherein the instructions further cause the broadcast controller to: communicate, via network interface circuitry, the received load device electrical parameters information to one or more remote devices. ### Claim 13 An electrical load control method, comprising: upon receipt of a first signal type from a communicatively coupled broadcast controller: determining, by an energy controller communicatively coupled to one or more independent units, whether a unique identifier included in the first signal type matches a unique identifier associated with the respective energy controller; responsive to a determination that the unique identifier included in the first signal type matches the unique identifier, adjusting at least one electrical parameter in one or more load devices operably coupled to the energy controller; responsive to a determination that the unique identifier included in the first signal type does not match the unique identifier, maintaining the at least one electrical parameter in one or more load devices operably coupled to the energy controller; and upon receipt of a second signal type from the communicatively coupled broadcast controller: adjusting at least one electrical parameter in one or more load devices operably coupled to the energy controller. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The electrical control method of claim 13, further comprising: measuring the at least one electrical parameter in each of the one or more communicatively coupled load devices; and communicating the measured at least one electrical parameter for each of the one or more communicatively coupled load devices to commander circuitry communicatively coupled to the energy controller. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The electric load control method of claim 14, further comprising: communicating, by the commander circuitry, the measured at least one electrical parameter for each of the one or more communicatively coupled load devices to the broadcast controller.