IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0371027
(2009-02-13)
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등록번호 |
US-8199010
(2012-06-12)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Sloan, Greg Edward
- Schmalz, Andrew Peter
- Keagy, Jon M.
- Killo, Jason C.
- Spira, Joel S.
|
출원인 / 주소 |
- Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
55 인용 특허 :
153 |
초록
▼
A wireless sensor for a load control system is adapted to be releasably mounted to a surface, such as a drop ceiling panel, to allow the optimum location of the sensor to be determined. A releasable mounting means of the sensor comprises two posts extending perpendicularly from a rear surface of the
A wireless sensor for a load control system is adapted to be releasably mounted to a surface, such as a drop ceiling panel, to allow the optimum location of the sensor to be determined. A releasable mounting means of the sensor comprises two posts extending perpendicularly from a rear surface of the sensor. Each post has a small diameter and is rigid enough to pierce the panel without creating a large aesthetically-displeasing hole. The sensor may be permanently affixed to the panel by bending the posts at a rear surface of the panel without the use of a tool, such that the panel is captured between the mounting plate and the deformed posts. The sensor further comprises multiple test buttons provided on an outwardly-facing surface of the sensor for separately testing the communications of the load control system and the operation of the sensor. Alternatively, the releasable mounting means may comprise one or more magnets for magnetically coupling the sensor to a grid structure of the ceiling.
대표청구항
▼
1. A control device for a load control system, the control device adapted to be mounted to a ceiling panel, the ceiling panel having a substantially-flat front surface and an opposite rear surface, the control device comprising: a mounting plate comprising a rear surface adapted to be mounted adjace
1. A control device for a load control system, the control device adapted to be mounted to a ceiling panel, the ceiling panel having a substantially-flat front surface and an opposite rear surface, the control device comprising: a mounting plate comprising a rear surface adapted to be mounted adjacent to the front surface of the ceiling panel; andtwo posts, each post extending from the rear surface of the mounting plate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rear surface of the mounting plate, each post has a small diameter and is rigid enough to pierce the ceiling panel without creating a large aesthetically-displeasing hole in the front surface of the ceiling panel;wherein the control device may be temporarily affixed to the ceiling panel by inserting the posts through the front surface and the rear surface of the ceiling panel, such that the posts extend from the rear surface of the ceiling panel, and the control device may be permanently affixed to the ceiling panel by bending the posts at the rear surface of the panel without the use of a tool, such that the ceiling panel is captured between the mounting plate and the deformed posts. 2. The control device of claim 1, wherein the two posts are formed from a single mounting structure and extend through openings in the mounting plate. 3. The control device of claim 2, wherein the mounting structure comprises a non-linear portion between the two posts, the non-linear portion provided in a plane substantially parallel to the rear surface of the mounting plate. 4. The control device of claim 3, wherein the non-linear portion prevents the posts from extending in a non-perpendicular direction from the rear surface of the mounting plate. 5. The control device of claim 3, wherein the non-linear portion comprises a z-shaped portion. 6. The control device of claim 1, wherein the posts are made of Type 302 stainless steel having a temper of ¼ hard. 7. The control device of claim 6, wherein the stainless steel has an elastic modulus of 193 GPa, and a yield strength of 517 MPa. 8. The control device of claim 1, wherein the posts are bent such that the posts are positioned substantially parallel to the rear surface of the ceiling panel. 9. The control device of claim 8, wherein the posts are bent to be flat against the rear surface of the ceiling panel. 10. The control device of claim 1, wherein the two posts are twisted together at the rear surface of the ceiling panel to permanently affix the control device to the ceiling panel. 11. The control device of claim 1, wherein each of the posts has a diameter of approximately 0.040 inch. 12. The control device of claim 1, wherein each of the posts has a length of approximately two inches. 13. The control device of claim 1, wherein the control device comprises a wireless occupancy sensor for detecting an occupancy condition in a space in which the wireless occupancy sensor is located. 14. The control device of claim 1, wherein the ceiling panel comprises a drop ceiling panel. 15. A method of attaching a control device to a ceiling panel having a substantially-flat front surface and a rear surface, the method comprising the steps of: providing two posts extending from a rear surface of the control device in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rear surface of the control device;piercing the front surface of the ceiling panel with the posts, such that the posts do not create large aesthetically-displeasing holes in the front surface of the ceiling panel;temporarily attaching the control device to the front surface of the ceiling panel by inserting the posts through the front surface and the rear surface of the ceiling panel, such that the posts extend from the rear surface of the ceiling panel; andpermanently attaching the control device to the front surface of the ceiling panel by deforming the posts at the rear surface of the ceiling panel without the use of a tool, such that the ceiling panel is captured between the rear surface of the control device and the deformed posts. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of permanently attaching the control device to the front surface of the ceiling panel comprises twisting the posts together at the rear surface of the ceiling panel. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of permanently attaching the control device to the front surface of the ceiling panel comprises bending the posts such that the posts are positioned substantially parallel to the rear surface of the ceiling panel. 18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of: testing the operation of the control device prior to the step of permanently attaching the control device to the front surface of the ceiling panel. 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of: temporarily attaching the control device to a first ceiling panel;testing the operation of the control device while the control device is temporarily attached to the first ceiling panel;detaching the control device from the first ceiling panel by removing the posts from the first ceiling panel;temporarily attaching the control device to a second ceiling panel;testing the operation of the control device while the control device is temporarily attached to the second ceiling panel; andpermanently attaching the control device to the second ceiling panel. 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of: temporarily attaching the control device to a first position on the front surface of the ceiling panel;testing the operation of the control device while the control device is temporarily attached to the first position on the front surface of the ceiling panel;detaching the control device from the first position on the ceiling panel by removing the posts from the ceiling panel;temporarily attaching the control device to a second position on the front surface of the ceiling panel;testing the operation of the control device while the control device is temporarily attached to the second position on the front surface of the ceiling panel; andpermanently attaching the control device to the second position on the front surface of the ceiling panel. 21. An electronics assembly comprising: an electronics housing;an adapter plate releasably coupled to said electronics housing; anda single bendable wire received by said adapter plate, said bendable wire adapted to be manually bent to hold its bent shape under the pressure created by the weight of said electronics housing, said bendable wire comprising a central base section disposed against an interior surface of said adapter plate and first and second parallel legs extending from opposite ends of said central base section and bent perpendicular to the plane of said interior surface of said adapter plate and extending through said adapter plate, said legs being shaped to be able to penetrate the thickness of a support panel without bending and being manually bendable behind said panel in order to bind said adapter plate flat against said panel. 22. The assembly of claim 21, wherein said electronics housing contains a wireless battery-powered occupancy sensor. 23. The assembly of claim 22, wherein said wire is electrically isolated from all electrical circuitry within said electronics housing. 24. The assembly of claim 21, wherein said wire has a circular cross-section. 25. The assembly of claim 24, wherein said wire has a diameter of about 0.40 inch. 26. The assembly of claim 21, wherein said wire is stainless steel. 27. The assembly of claim 21, wherein said base of said wire is bent to a Z-shape which lies in a plane parallel to the plane of said interior surface of said adapter plate. 28. The assembly of claim 21, wherein the ends of said legs are bent toward one another and are twisted together. 29. A process of affixing an electronic device to a ceiling panel, said process comprising the steps of: inserting parallel, spaced legs of a single wire through openings in a flat adapter plate until a base portion of said wire is pressed flat against one surface of said adapter plate;forcing said spaced legs of said wire through respective spaced points on a first surface of said ceiling panel;manually bending said legs against a second surface opposite said first surface of said ceiling panel to press and hold said adapter plate against said first surface of said ceiling panel; andremovably connecting said electronic device to said adapter plate. 30. The process of claim 29, wherein said spaced legs are twisted together to fix said adapter plate against said first surface of said ceiling panel. 31. The process of claim 30, wherein said electronic device is a battery-operated occupancy sensor, which is repositionable on said ceiling panel by removing said wire legs from said panel and repenetrating said panel with said legs at a different location until a desirable result is obtained for said occupancy sensor. 32. A mounting structure for mounting an electrical device to a penetrable thin flat support sheet structure having a front and a rear surface, said electrical device comprising a main housing containing electrical circuitry and a planar mounting plate removably connectable to said main housing, said mounting structure comprising: a pliant member having a central base portion and first and second parallel legs extending from opposite ends of said central base portion, said central base portion being positioned adjacent to and against a rear surface of said mounting plate with said legs extending through said mounting plate and away from said main housing, said first and second legs having ends that are shaped to enable non-destructive penetration of said flat support sheet at spaced locations without distortion of said legs, said legs being manually deformable behind said rear surface of said thin flat sheet structure after penetration of said thin flat sheet structure to attach said mounting plate to said front surface of said thin flat sheet structure. 33. The mounting structure of claim 32, wherein said pliant member is a thin steel wire. 34. The mounting structure of claim 33, wherein said central base of said pliant member has a Z-shape lying in the plane of said rear surface of said mounting plate. 35. The mounting structure of claim 32, wherein said legs are secured together after penetration of said thin flat sheet structure by twisting behind said rear surface of said thin flat sheet structure. 36. The mounting structure of claim 35, wherein said thin flat sheet structure is a ceiling tile panel. 37. The mounting structure of claim 35, wherein said electrical circuitry is a battery operated occupancy sensor and wherein said pliant member is electrically isolated from said electrical circuitry. 38. An occupancy sensor for detecting the presence or absence of an occupant in a space, the occupancy sensor adapted to be mounted to a surface, the occupancy sensor for use in a lighting control system for control of the amount of power delivered to an electrical load in response to detecting the presence or absence of the occupant in the space, the occupancy sensor comprising: an occupancy detector circuit for detecting the presence or absence of the occupant in the space;a controller responsive to the occupancy detector circuit and operable to change to an occupied state in response to the occupancy detector circuit detecting the presence of the occupant in the space, the controller further operable to change to a vacant state at the end of a timeout period after the occupancy detector circuit detecting the absence of the occupant in the space, the timeout period having a first value in a normal mode of operation of the sensor;a wireless transmitter coupled to the controller for transmitting digital messages when the controller changes between the occupied and vacant states;a first communication test button accessible by the occupant when the occupancy sensor is mounted to the surface, the controller operable to transmit a first digital message in response to an actuation of the first communication test button; anda sensor test button accessible by the occupant when the occupancy sensor is mounted to the surface, the controller operable to operate in a test mode in response to an actuation of the sensor test button;wherein when the controller is operating in the test mode, the timeout period has a second value less than the first value used in the normal mode of operation of the sensor. 39. The sensor of claim 38, further comprising: an enclosure having an outwardly-facing surface and sidewalls, the enclosure housing the occupancy detector circuit, the controller, and the wireless transmitter. 40. The sensor of claim 39, further comprising: a visual indicator coupled to the controller, such that the controller is operable to controllably illuminate the visual indicator;wherein the controller illuminates the visual indicator in response to detecting the presence of the occupant in the space and stops illuminating the visual indicator in response to detecting the absence of the occupant in the space when the controller is operating in the test mode. 41. The sensor of claim 40, wherein the detector circuit comprises an infrared detector responsive to infrared energy representative of the occupied state or the vacant state in the space, the sensor further comprising a lens positioned to direct the infrared energy from the space to the infrared detector. 42. The sensor of claim 41, further comprising: a light-emitting diode positioned to illuminate the lens, the light-emitting diode coupled to the controller, such that the controller is operable to controllably illuminate the light-emitting diode;wherein the lens and the light-emitting diode define the visual indicator, the controller operable to illuminate the light-emitting diode to illuminate the lens in response to detecting the presence of the occupant in the space when the controller is operating in the test mode. 43. The sensor of claim 39, further comprising: a mounting plate comprising a rear surface adapted to be mounted adjacent to the surface, the mounting plate positioned at an end of the enclosure opposite the outwardly-facing surface. 44. The sensor of claim 43, wherein the surface comprises a drop ceiling panel having a substantially-flat front surface and an opposite rear surface and the occupancy sensor further comprises: two posts, each post extending from the rear surface of the mounting plate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rear surface of the mounting plate, the two posts each having a small diameter and being rigid enough to pierce the ceiling panel without creating a large aesthetically-displeasing hole in the front surface of the ceiling panel;wherein the occupancy sensor may be temporarily affixed to the ceiling panel by inserting the posts through the front surface and the rear surface of the ceiling panel, such that the posts extend from the rear surface of the ceiling panel, and the occupancy sensor may be permanently affixed to the ceiling panel by bending the posts at the rear surface of the ceiling panel without the use of a tool, such that the ceiling panel is captured between the mounting plate and the deformed posts. 45. The sensor of claim 43, wherein the surface comprises a grid structure for supporting a drop ceiling panel and the occupancy sensor further comprises: a magnet attached to the mounting plate, such that the occupancy sensor may be magnetically attached to the grid structure. 46. The sensor of claim 39, wherein the first communication button and the sensor test button are provided on the outwardly-facing surface of the enclosure. 47. The sensor of claim 39, wherein the first communication button and the sensor test button are provided on the sidewalls of the enclosure. 48. The sensor of claim 38, further comprising: a second communication test button accessible by the occupant when the occupancy sensor is mounted to the surface, the controller operable to transmit a second digital message in response to an actuation of the second communication test button;wherein the first digital message comprises a lights-on digital message and the second digital message comprises a lights-off digital message. 49. A method of commissioning a load control system comprising a load control device for control of the amount of power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load and an occupancy sensor for detecting the presence or absence of an occupant in a space, the method comprising the steps of: releasably mounting the occupancy sensor to a first position on a surface, the occupancy sensor operable to detect the presence or absence of the occupant in the space, such that the occupancy sensor changes to an occupied state in response to detecting the presence of the occupant in the space, and to a vacant state at the end of a timeout period after detecting the absence of the occupant in the space, the timeout period having a first value in a normal mode of operation of the sensor;actuating a first communication test button on the occupancy sensor without detaching the occupancy sensor from the surface;transmitting a first digital message from the occupancy sensor to the load control device in response to the step of actuating a first communication test button;adjusting the amount of power delivered to the electrical load in response to the load control device receiving the first digital message;actuating a sensor test button on the occupancy sensor without detaching the occupancy sensor from the surface;operating the occupancy sensor in a test mode in response to the step of actuating a sensor test button, the timeout period having a second value in the test mode, where the second value is less than the first value used in the normal mode of operation of the sensor;determining if the operation of the occupancy sensor at the first position on the surface is acceptable in response to the steps of the load control device adjusting the amount of power delivered to the electrical load and the occupancy sensor operating in a test mode;removing the occupancy sensor from the first position if the operation of the occupancy sensor at the first position is not acceptable; andpermanently mounting the occupancy sensor to the first position if the operation of the occupancy sensor at the first position is acceptable. 50. The method of claim 49, wherein the step of the load control device adjusting the amount of power delivered to the electrical load in response to receiving the first digital message further comprises the load control device turning on the electrical load in response to receiving the first digital message. 51. The method of claim 50, further comprising the steps of: actuating a second communication test button on the occupancy sensor without detaching the occupancy sensor from the surface;the occupancy sensor transmitting a second digital message to the load control device in response to the step of actuating a second communication test button; andthe load control device turning off the electrical load in response to receiving the second digital message. 52. The method of claim 49, further comprising the step of: detecting the presence of the occupant in the space when the occupancy sensor is operating in the test mode; andilluminating a visual indicator in response to the step of detecting the presence of the occupant in the space. 53. The method of claim 52, further comprising the step of: detecting the absence of the occupant in the space when the occupancy sensor is operating in the test mode; andstopping illuminating the visual indicator in response to the step of detecting the absence of the occupant in the space. 54. The method of claim 52, wherein the step of illuminating the visual indicator comprises illuminating a lens of the occupancy sensor in response to the step of detecting the presence of the occupant in the space. 55. The method of claim 49, wherein the surface comprises a drop ceiling panel having a substantially-flat front surface and an opposite rear surface, and the occupancy sensor further comprises two posts extending from a rear surface of the occupancy sensor in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rear surface of the occupancy sensor; wherein the step of releasably mounting the occupancy sensor to a first position on a surface comprises piercing the front surface of the ceiling panel with the posts, such that the posts do not create large aesthetically-displeasing holes in the front surface of the ceiling panel, and inserting the posts through the front surface and the rear surface of the ceiling panel, such that the posts extend from the rear surface of the ceiling panel; andwherein the step of permanently mounting the occupancy sensor to the first position if the operation of the occupancy sensor at the first position is acceptable comprises deforming the posts at the rear surface of the ceiling panel without the use of a tool, such that the ceiling panel is captured between the rear surface of the sensor and the deformed posts. 56. The method of claim 49, wherein the surface comprises a grid structure for supporting a drop ceiling panel and the occupancy sensor further comprises a magnet, such that the occupancy sensor may be magnetically attached to the grid structure.
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