CA1293767C - Programmable multicircuit wall-mounted controller - Google Patents
Programmable multicircuit wall-mounted controllerInfo
- Publication number
- CA1293767C CA1293767C CA000507312A CA507312A CA1293767C CA 1293767 C CA1293767 C CA 1293767C CA 000507312 A CA000507312 A CA 000507312A CA 507312 A CA507312 A CA 507312A CA 1293767 C CA1293767 C CA 1293767C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- lighting
- switches
- circuit controller
- circuits
- lighting circuits
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B39/00—Circuit arrangements or apparatus for operating incandescent light sources
- H05B39/04—Controlling
- H05B39/041—Controlling the light-intensity of the source
- H05B39/044—Controlling the light-intensity of the source continuously
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B41/00—Circuit arrangements or apparatus for igniting or operating discharge lamps
- H05B41/14—Circuit arrangements
- H05B41/36—Controlling
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B41/00—Circuit arrangements or apparatus for igniting or operating discharge lamps
- H05B41/14—Circuit arrangements
- H05B41/36—Controlling
- H05B41/38—Controlling the intensity of light
- H05B41/39—Controlling the intensity of light continuously
- H05B41/392—Controlling the intensity of light continuously using semiconductor devices, e.g. thyristor
- H05B41/3921—Controlling the intensity of light continuously using semiconductor devices, e.g. thyristor with possibility of light intensity variations
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B47/00—Circuit arrangements for operating light sources in general, i.e. where the type of light source is not relevant
- H05B47/10—Controlling the light source
- H05B47/155—Coordinated control of two or more light sources
Landscapes
- Circuit Arrangement For Electric Light Sources In General (AREA)
- Programmable Controllers (AREA)
- Storage Device Security (AREA)
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure A programmable lighting circuit controller for controlling a plurality of household lighting circuits includes a microprocessor and an electronically erasable programmable read only memory for programming the house-hold lighting circuits for a variety of loads. The lighting circuits may be configured as a combination of incandescent and fluorescent loads by designating one output of the controller as a heater circuit for any of the fluorescent loads. The microprocessor is controlled by a set of nonlatching pushbuttons on a front panel which raise and lower lighting levels, set lighting levels in memory and recall preset levels from memory.
Combination of to pushbuttons simultaneously pushed may initiate special programming features such as heater designation of one channel for fluorescent lighting.
Combination of to pushbuttons simultaneously pushed may initiate special programming features such as heater designation of one channel for fluorescent lighting.
Description
1~937~7 Backaround of the Invention The present invention relates to a wall-mounted switch box for controlling a plurality of household AC lighting circuits and more particularly to a system of lighting circuits in which one or more of the circuits may include fluorescent lighting.
Typical household wiring usually includes a panel of lighting switches located in a hallway or foyer for controlling a plurality of lighting circuits in the hallway and in adjoining rooms. Sometimes dimmers are included along with the light switches for controlling the level of power supplied to each one of the lighting circuits. These dimmers usually take the form of reostats which are manually set to the desired level of brightness.
A single line programmable dimmer for one of such circuits is shown in our U.S. Patent No. 4,649,323 dated March 10, 1987 and entitled MICROCOMPUTER-CONTROLLED LIGHT SWITCH. That patent describes a programmable dimmer actuated by a pair of single pole, single throw switches. This device is capable of operating a single load containing an incandescent light.
It is not suitable for operating a fluorescent light because a fluorescent light requires an additional input to operate a heater. Moreover, ordinary di~mer switches cannot be connected to fluorescent lights because of the ballast requirements for the heater circuits.
31b`
3 ~,7 Summary of the In~entlon The preaQnt lnventlon provldeo a multlgang wall-mounted llghtlng olrcult controller uhlch may be programmed to operate a plurallty of llghtlng clrcult~
some of whlch may lnclude fluoreJcent llghtlng.
Accordlng to the preferred embodlment, four llghtlng clrcult~ may be controlled and there may be a~
many a~ four preset brlghtneos level~ for the four llghtlng clrcult~. The pre~etJ may be entered lnto memory and eraaed from memory by the use of a learn moae ~hlch 1J lnltlated from the front panel of the control-ler by depre~lng a ~learn~ pushbutton. Apart from the pre-seta, the four lndlvldual clrcult~ may be controlled by dlmmer JwltcheJ comprlJlng a palr of non-latchlng lS pushbuttons. One Juch swltch la deslgnated an ~up~
Jwltch and the other 1~ dealgnated a ~down~ awitch JO
that preaslng the up owltch ralaes the level of brlght-neJJ and converJely pr~JJlng the down Jwltch lowers the level of brlghtnea~.
The controller lnclude~ a mlcroprocesaor and an erasable programmable read only memory. Each of the front panel ~wltchea provldea an lnput to th~ mlcro-proceasor whlch la programmed to sense the closlng of the contact~ of each of the owltcheJ and provlde the functlon that 1J called for by the closlng of the par-tlcular owltch. There are four load llne outputa uhlch may under normal condltlonJ be connected to four lncan-deJcent llghtlng clrcultJ. However, If deJlred, one of the clrculta, channel 4, may be connected to the heatlng clrcultJ of one or more fluoreacent llghtlng fl~ture~ on channela 1, 2 or 3. The mlcroproceJaor may be pro-grammed to designate channel 4 aa a heater clrcult upon the depreaslon of certaln predetermlned awltcheJ on the front panel. In thls conflguratlon the 4th channel proYldeo power to the heatlng clrculta of one or more fluoreJcent llghta dependlng upon whether those fluor-escent llghts are on or off. Thus thla channel wlll no longer functlon ln a dlmmer mode but wlll only aupply power to the clrculta containlng the fluorescent llghta of those circulta that are actlvated.
It i8 a prlmary ob~ect of thls lnventlon to - provlde a multlgang wall-mounted programmable light clr-cult controller capable of assumlng dlfferlng configura-tlons dependlng upon whether lncande~cent or fluorescentllqhtlng lo to be utlllzed.
A further ob~ect of thla lnvention i8 to pro-vlde a multlchannel programmable dlmmer ln whlch varlouo comblnatlons of llghtlng levelo may be atored ln ~emory and may be inatantly recalled from memory by depre~alng a front panel swltch.
A stlll further ob~ect of thla lnventlon la to provlde a multlchannel lightlng clrcult controller under the control of a m~croprocesaor whlch 1~ responsl~e eO
the cloalng of contacts of a plurality of non-latching slngle pole, aingle throw awltchea for lnltlatlng varloua control functlon~.
The foregolng and othe~ o~ectlve~, feature~
and advantages of the present lnventlon wlll be more 1~9;~'767 readlly under~tood upon conalderatlon of the follo~lng detalled dQ~crlptlon of the lnventlon ta~en ln con~unc-tlon ~lth the accompanying drawlngJ.
Brief De~crlptlon of the Dra~ln~
FIG. 1 la a bloc~ ~chematlc dlagram of a multichannel function controller aho~lng the layout of the front panel of the controller.
FIG. 2 i~ a block schematlc dlagram of the function controller of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 i8 a flo~ chart diagram deplctlng the prPgrammlng of the mlcroproces~or shown ln FIG. 2 for fluore~cent and incandeacent llghting clrcuit conflguratlon~.
Detailed De~crlptlon of the Inventlon A multlchannel llght. clrcult controller 10 lncludea a front panel 12 ~hlch l~ connected to the houJehold ~irlng vhlch conalJts of a llne ~lre 9, a neutral wire 11 and A ground ~lre 13. The controller 18 phyJically lncorporated behind the front panel and includes four output~ on output linea 14, 16, 18 and 20, reJpectively. Sho~n in dotted outllne are alternate conflguratlon~ for the output llneJ 18a and 20a. Llne 14 drlveJ an lncande~cent load 22, line 16 drlveJ an lncande~cent load 24, and llneJ 18 and 20, reJpectlvely, driYe a fluoreJcent load 26. In the alternatlve, llneJ
18 and 20, reepectlvely, ~ould drlve t~o other lncan-de~cent load~ lndlcated a~ lncande~cent load number 3 nt ~3'7~7 bloc~ 28 and lncandeacent load number 4, bloc~ 30. In yet another conflguratlon ~not ahown) the loada at bloc~ 22 and 24 could both be fluoreacent loads and llne 20 would then be connected ln parallel to the heater clrculta of both fluorescent llghts. That la, channel 4 may drlve the heater clrcult~ of a~ many fluorescent llghts ~8 are connected to the controller 10. The four circulta are ahown by way of lllustratlon only, lt belng underatood that, dependlng upon the mlcroproce~sor employed, any number of e~ternal clrcults could be controlled.
The front panel 12 lncludes 4 pre-set awltches labeled A, B, C and D. There la alJo an ~off~ awltch and a ~learn~ switch. All of these switcheJ are slngle-pole, alngle-throw non-latching pushbuttons. The depres-slon of each of the awltchea grounda a voltage avallable from a local power Jupply and provldea the mlcropro-ceaaor ~lth a loglcal ~zero~ lnput. The mlcroproceasor recognlzes the loglcal zero aa a algnal that the Jwitch haa been depreaoed. Other conflguratlona of the a~ltchea are poaalble, lt belng lmportant only that the awltch have an operatlve and a non-operatlve posltlon ln order to provlde loglc algnala to the mlcroprocessor.
Each channel lncludea a palr of ~up~ and ~do~n~ swltches labeled aa 1, ?~ 3 and 4 on front panel 12. Channel 1 lnclude~ up button 34A and down button 34B: channel 2 lncludea up button 36A and down button 36B, channel 3 lncludea up button 38A and do~n button 38B, and channel 4 lnclude~ up button 40A and down button 40B.
1~3~7~7 Referring now to FIG. 2, the controller 10 includes a microprocessor 42 and an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) 44. Each of the line outputs 14, 16, 18 and 20 include buffer amplifiers 46, 48, 50 and 52. The front panel 12 is connected to the microprocessor 42 via a series of busses. The up-down switches for channels one through four are connected to 8 inputs of microprocessor 42 on bus 54. The preset lines are connected to four inputs of microprocessor 42 on bus 56. The off switch is connected on line 58 and the learn switch is connected on line 60. An oscillator 62 provides internal timing for the microprocessor 42.
The microprocessor 42 provides firing commands to thyristors (not shown) which are included in each of the load circuits 22, 24 and 26. The manner of opera-tion of such circuits is well-known in the art and is described in more detail in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 4,649,323. In order to synchronize the firing commands for the aforementioned loads a power supply and zero crossing detector 64 is provided. The line voltage and the neutral line are connected to each of the loads 22, 24 and 26 and the firing commands from the microprocessor 42 close a thyristor which makes the line voltage available to the load for a chosen portion of each half cycle of the alternating current wave form, corresponding to the degree of brightness desired. In channel 4, if configurated as a heater circuit, the thyristor is maintained . . . . . . .
1~3~7~7 in a closed condition whenever the load of channel 3 is turned on regardless of what the brightness setting might be. This is because the power requirements for the heater circuits are constant.
The controller 10 further includes remote switch means 47 connected in parallel with the programmable circuit controller for controlling power levels in the AC lighting circuits from a remote location.
Referring now to FIG. 3, upon power up of the unit data is read in from the EEP~ON 44. If the off button on the front panel 12 is pushed in conjunction with certain other pushbuttons, the microprocessor 42 is placed in a special mode which enables it to reprogram the external channels for fluorescent loads or to program channel 4 as a non-dim channel. A non-dim channel, that is, one that is either full-off or full-on but which is never operated at less than full power, is useful when running an appliance such as a projector, a television and the like. Thus, if the off button is pushed upon power up and the D pre-set button is also pushed, the microprocessor 42 performs a keyboard diagnostic to determine if the front panel 12 is fully operational.
The details of such a test program are well-known to those skilled in the art of microprocessor programming.
If the A preset button is pushed while the off button is pushed, all four channels are reset as incandescent dimmers. This information is saved in the EEPROM if it represents a change from the last existing condition.
If, instead of the A or D preset the 1, 2 or 3 up buttons 34A, 36A or 3~A are pushed, these channels are marked as fluorescent lighting circuits and channel 4 is marked as a heater. From this point, channel 4 will not function in a dimmer mode but will only either . . . . . . . . .
~ 7 be full-off or full-on dependlng upon ~hether the fluore~cent llghtlng cltcutJ to ~hich lt la connected are turned on. If a change la to be made JeJlgnatlng elther channel l, 2 or 3 a~ an ln~andescent llghtlng S clrcult (ln the event that lt may have prevlously been a fluorescent llghtlng clrcuit), the approprlate do~n but-tona of channels l, 2 or 3 are pushed, that la, button~
34~, 36B and 38B. If all of channela 1, 2 and 3 are to be lncandescent, channel 4 la automatl~ally mar~ed a~ an ~ncandeJcent channel. If no fluoreacent llghtlng clr-cult~ are dealgnated and the up button for channel 4, button 40A 18 pushed, channel 4 18 mar~ed aa a non-dlm llghting clrcuit. If the channel 4 do~n button 40B ~a puahed, channel 4 ia mar~ed ao an lncande0cent clrcult.
Theae deslgnations are then wr~tten lnto the EEPROM by meana of a dlgltal code generated by mlcroprocesJor 42 and ~11 remaln as a part of the operatlng program for the mlcroproceaaor 42 untll a subseguent change. After th~a programmlng ha~ been accompllJhed, the mlcropro-ce~sor automatlcally setJ a po~er up blt and start~ atlmer to enable a tlmer lnterrupt program to begln runnlnq. The mlcroprocessor 42 then ldlea to ~alt for the tlmer lnterrupt.
The tlmer lnterrupt program 1~ a conventlonal program to flre the thyrlator for each of the four chan-nel~ at a predetermlned phase angle. Thls program may eun, for e~ample, 140 tlme~ each l/2 cycle of the 60-cycle A~ po~er lnput waveform. The manner ln ~hch ~uch a program 1J constructed la ~ell ~no~n ln the art 1~3'~
and may be found, for example, in the aforementioned U.S.
Patent No. 4,649,323.
In actual operation the controller 10 is pro-grammed for differing lighting levels by first adjusting the levels of brightness by utilizing the up-down switches for channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 on front panel 12. Then when the desired levels have been established they may be stored in memory by pressing the appropriate preset button along with the learn button. As many as four different pre-sets may thus be stored in the EEPROM 44. To recall a preset lighting level from memory, it is necessary only to press one of the preset buttons A, B, C or D. To adjust lighting levels on any of the four channels at any time it is nec-essary only to press either the up or down button for each of the channels 1 through 4. Pressing the off button alone will cause all of the lighting levels to drop to zero.
As part of its internal programming, the mic-roprocessor periodically interrogates the front panel 12 to determine the position of the various pushbuttons. If any of the up or down buttons for channels 1-4 are de-pressed, the microprocessor will alter the amount of power provided to that channel in increments as long as the par-ticular button is depressed. That is, each time the front panel is interrogated the microprocessor will increment-ally increase or decrease the power to a channel dependingupon which buttons are depressed. If at any time the learn button is depressed while the front panel 12 is interro-gated, the current power levels will . . . . . . . O . . .
'7t,7 be aavQd ln memory. Thereafter, ~henever one of the preaet A, B, C or D buttona 1~ preaaed the mlcropro-ceaJor ~111 extract the learned pouer level from me~ory and aet that level on the partlcular channel. Methods of programmlng mlcroprocesaoro to pro~lde the above-deacrlbed functlona are ~ell wlthln the ordlnary a~lll ln thla art.
The term~ and e~preaslona ~hl~h have been employed ln the foreqolng apeclflcatlon are uaed therein aJ term~ of descrlptlon and not of llmltatlon, and there la no lntentlon, in the uJe of auch termq and e~prea-alon~, of e~cludlng equlvalenta of the features aho~n and de~cribed or portlon~ thereof, lt belng recognlzed that the scope of the lnventlon 18 deflned and llmlted only by the clalms ~hlch follo~.
Typical household wiring usually includes a panel of lighting switches located in a hallway or foyer for controlling a plurality of lighting circuits in the hallway and in adjoining rooms. Sometimes dimmers are included along with the light switches for controlling the level of power supplied to each one of the lighting circuits. These dimmers usually take the form of reostats which are manually set to the desired level of brightness.
A single line programmable dimmer for one of such circuits is shown in our U.S. Patent No. 4,649,323 dated March 10, 1987 and entitled MICROCOMPUTER-CONTROLLED LIGHT SWITCH. That patent describes a programmable dimmer actuated by a pair of single pole, single throw switches. This device is capable of operating a single load containing an incandescent light.
It is not suitable for operating a fluorescent light because a fluorescent light requires an additional input to operate a heater. Moreover, ordinary di~mer switches cannot be connected to fluorescent lights because of the ballast requirements for the heater circuits.
31b`
3 ~,7 Summary of the In~entlon The preaQnt lnventlon provldeo a multlgang wall-mounted llghtlng olrcult controller uhlch may be programmed to operate a plurallty of llghtlng clrcult~
some of whlch may lnclude fluoreJcent llghtlng.
Accordlng to the preferred embodlment, four llghtlng clrcult~ may be controlled and there may be a~
many a~ four preset brlghtneos level~ for the four llghtlng clrcult~. The pre~etJ may be entered lnto memory and eraaed from memory by the use of a learn moae ~hlch 1J lnltlated from the front panel of the control-ler by depre~lng a ~learn~ pushbutton. Apart from the pre-seta, the four lndlvldual clrcult~ may be controlled by dlmmer JwltcheJ comprlJlng a palr of non-latchlng lS pushbuttons. One Juch swltch la deslgnated an ~up~
Jwltch and the other 1~ dealgnated a ~down~ awitch JO
that preaslng the up owltch ralaes the level of brlght-neJJ and converJely pr~JJlng the down Jwltch lowers the level of brlghtnea~.
The controller lnclude~ a mlcroprocesaor and an erasable programmable read only memory. Each of the front panel ~wltchea provldea an lnput to th~ mlcro-proceasor whlch la programmed to sense the closlng of the contact~ of each of the owltcheJ and provlde the functlon that 1J called for by the closlng of the par-tlcular owltch. There are four load llne outputa uhlch may under normal condltlonJ be connected to four lncan-deJcent llghtlng clrcultJ. However, If deJlred, one of the clrculta, channel 4, may be connected to the heatlng clrcultJ of one or more fluoreacent llghtlng fl~ture~ on channela 1, 2 or 3. The mlcroproceJaor may be pro-grammed to designate channel 4 aa a heater clrcult upon the depreaslon of certaln predetermlned awltcheJ on the front panel. In thls conflguratlon the 4th channel proYldeo power to the heatlng clrculta of one or more fluoreJcent llghta dependlng upon whether those fluor-escent llghts are on or off. Thus thla channel wlll no longer functlon ln a dlmmer mode but wlll only aupply power to the clrculta containlng the fluorescent llghta of those circulta that are actlvated.
It i8 a prlmary ob~ect of thls lnventlon to - provlde a multlgang wall-mounted programmable light clr-cult controller capable of assumlng dlfferlng configura-tlons dependlng upon whether lncande~cent or fluorescentllqhtlng lo to be utlllzed.
A further ob~ect of thla lnvention i8 to pro-vlde a multlchannel programmable dlmmer ln whlch varlouo comblnatlons of llghtlng levelo may be atored ln ~emory and may be inatantly recalled from memory by depre~alng a front panel swltch.
A stlll further ob~ect of thla lnventlon la to provlde a multlchannel lightlng clrcult controller under the control of a m~croprocesaor whlch 1~ responsl~e eO
the cloalng of contacts of a plurality of non-latching slngle pole, aingle throw awltchea for lnltlatlng varloua control functlon~.
The foregolng and othe~ o~ectlve~, feature~
and advantages of the present lnventlon wlll be more 1~9;~'767 readlly under~tood upon conalderatlon of the follo~lng detalled dQ~crlptlon of the lnventlon ta~en ln con~unc-tlon ~lth the accompanying drawlngJ.
Brief De~crlptlon of the Dra~ln~
FIG. 1 la a bloc~ ~chematlc dlagram of a multichannel function controller aho~lng the layout of the front panel of the controller.
FIG. 2 i~ a block schematlc dlagram of the function controller of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 i8 a flo~ chart diagram deplctlng the prPgrammlng of the mlcroproces~or shown ln FIG. 2 for fluore~cent and incandeacent llghting clrcuit conflguratlon~.
Detailed De~crlptlon of the Inventlon A multlchannel llght. clrcult controller 10 lncludea a front panel 12 ~hlch l~ connected to the houJehold ~irlng vhlch conalJts of a llne ~lre 9, a neutral wire 11 and A ground ~lre 13. The controller 18 phyJically lncorporated behind the front panel and includes four output~ on output linea 14, 16, 18 and 20, reJpectively. Sho~n in dotted outllne are alternate conflguratlon~ for the output llneJ 18a and 20a. Llne 14 drlveJ an lncande~cent load 22, line 16 drlveJ an lncande~cent load 24, and llneJ 18 and 20, reJpectlvely, driYe a fluoreJcent load 26. In the alternatlve, llneJ
18 and 20, reepectlvely, ~ould drlve t~o other lncan-de~cent load~ lndlcated a~ lncande~cent load number 3 nt ~3'7~7 bloc~ 28 and lncandeacent load number 4, bloc~ 30. In yet another conflguratlon ~not ahown) the loada at bloc~ 22 and 24 could both be fluoreacent loads and llne 20 would then be connected ln parallel to the heater clrculta of both fluorescent llghts. That la, channel 4 may drlve the heater clrcult~ of a~ many fluorescent llghts ~8 are connected to the controller 10. The four circulta are ahown by way of lllustratlon only, lt belng underatood that, dependlng upon the mlcroproce~sor employed, any number of e~ternal clrcults could be controlled.
The front panel 12 lncludes 4 pre-set awltches labeled A, B, C and D. There la alJo an ~off~ awltch and a ~learn~ switch. All of these switcheJ are slngle-pole, alngle-throw non-latching pushbuttons. The depres-slon of each of the awltchea grounda a voltage avallable from a local power Jupply and provldea the mlcropro-ceaaor ~lth a loglcal ~zero~ lnput. The mlcroproceasor recognlzes the loglcal zero aa a algnal that the Jwitch haa been depreaoed. Other conflguratlona of the a~ltchea are poaalble, lt belng lmportant only that the awltch have an operatlve and a non-operatlve posltlon ln order to provlde loglc algnala to the mlcroprocessor.
Each channel lncludea a palr of ~up~ and ~do~n~ swltches labeled aa 1, ?~ 3 and 4 on front panel 12. Channel 1 lnclude~ up button 34A and down button 34B: channel 2 lncludea up button 36A and down button 36B, channel 3 lncludea up button 38A and do~n button 38B, and channel 4 lnclude~ up button 40A and down button 40B.
1~3~7~7 Referring now to FIG. 2, the controller 10 includes a microprocessor 42 and an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) 44. Each of the line outputs 14, 16, 18 and 20 include buffer amplifiers 46, 48, 50 and 52. The front panel 12 is connected to the microprocessor 42 via a series of busses. The up-down switches for channels one through four are connected to 8 inputs of microprocessor 42 on bus 54. The preset lines are connected to four inputs of microprocessor 42 on bus 56. The off switch is connected on line 58 and the learn switch is connected on line 60. An oscillator 62 provides internal timing for the microprocessor 42.
The microprocessor 42 provides firing commands to thyristors (not shown) which are included in each of the load circuits 22, 24 and 26. The manner of opera-tion of such circuits is well-known in the art and is described in more detail in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 4,649,323. In order to synchronize the firing commands for the aforementioned loads a power supply and zero crossing detector 64 is provided. The line voltage and the neutral line are connected to each of the loads 22, 24 and 26 and the firing commands from the microprocessor 42 close a thyristor which makes the line voltage available to the load for a chosen portion of each half cycle of the alternating current wave form, corresponding to the degree of brightness desired. In channel 4, if configurated as a heater circuit, the thyristor is maintained . . . . . . .
1~3~7~7 in a closed condition whenever the load of channel 3 is turned on regardless of what the brightness setting might be. This is because the power requirements for the heater circuits are constant.
The controller 10 further includes remote switch means 47 connected in parallel with the programmable circuit controller for controlling power levels in the AC lighting circuits from a remote location.
Referring now to FIG. 3, upon power up of the unit data is read in from the EEP~ON 44. If the off button on the front panel 12 is pushed in conjunction with certain other pushbuttons, the microprocessor 42 is placed in a special mode which enables it to reprogram the external channels for fluorescent loads or to program channel 4 as a non-dim channel. A non-dim channel, that is, one that is either full-off or full-on but which is never operated at less than full power, is useful when running an appliance such as a projector, a television and the like. Thus, if the off button is pushed upon power up and the D pre-set button is also pushed, the microprocessor 42 performs a keyboard diagnostic to determine if the front panel 12 is fully operational.
The details of such a test program are well-known to those skilled in the art of microprocessor programming.
If the A preset button is pushed while the off button is pushed, all four channels are reset as incandescent dimmers. This information is saved in the EEPROM if it represents a change from the last existing condition.
If, instead of the A or D preset the 1, 2 or 3 up buttons 34A, 36A or 3~A are pushed, these channels are marked as fluorescent lighting circuits and channel 4 is marked as a heater. From this point, channel 4 will not function in a dimmer mode but will only either . . . . . . . . .
~ 7 be full-off or full-on dependlng upon ~hether the fluore~cent llghtlng cltcutJ to ~hich lt la connected are turned on. If a change la to be made JeJlgnatlng elther channel l, 2 or 3 a~ an ln~andescent llghtlng S clrcult (ln the event that lt may have prevlously been a fluorescent llghtlng clrcuit), the approprlate do~n but-tona of channels l, 2 or 3 are pushed, that la, button~
34~, 36B and 38B. If all of channela 1, 2 and 3 are to be lncandescent, channel 4 la automatl~ally mar~ed a~ an ~ncandeJcent channel. If no fluoreacent llghtlng clr-cult~ are dealgnated and the up button for channel 4, button 40A 18 pushed, channel 4 18 mar~ed aa a non-dlm llghting clrcuit. If the channel 4 do~n button 40B ~a puahed, channel 4 ia mar~ed ao an lncande0cent clrcult.
Theae deslgnations are then wr~tten lnto the EEPROM by meana of a dlgltal code generated by mlcroprocesJor 42 and ~11 remaln as a part of the operatlng program for the mlcroproceaaor 42 untll a subseguent change. After th~a programmlng ha~ been accompllJhed, the mlcropro-ce~sor automatlcally setJ a po~er up blt and start~ atlmer to enable a tlmer lnterrupt program to begln runnlnq. The mlcroprocessor 42 then ldlea to ~alt for the tlmer lnterrupt.
The tlmer lnterrupt program 1~ a conventlonal program to flre the thyrlator for each of the four chan-nel~ at a predetermlned phase angle. Thls program may eun, for e~ample, 140 tlme~ each l/2 cycle of the 60-cycle A~ po~er lnput waveform. The manner ln ~hch ~uch a program 1J constructed la ~ell ~no~n ln the art 1~3'~
and may be found, for example, in the aforementioned U.S.
Patent No. 4,649,323.
In actual operation the controller 10 is pro-grammed for differing lighting levels by first adjusting the levels of brightness by utilizing the up-down switches for channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 on front panel 12. Then when the desired levels have been established they may be stored in memory by pressing the appropriate preset button along with the learn button. As many as four different pre-sets may thus be stored in the EEPROM 44. To recall a preset lighting level from memory, it is necessary only to press one of the preset buttons A, B, C or D. To adjust lighting levels on any of the four channels at any time it is nec-essary only to press either the up or down button for each of the channels 1 through 4. Pressing the off button alone will cause all of the lighting levels to drop to zero.
As part of its internal programming, the mic-roprocessor periodically interrogates the front panel 12 to determine the position of the various pushbuttons. If any of the up or down buttons for channels 1-4 are de-pressed, the microprocessor will alter the amount of power provided to that channel in increments as long as the par-ticular button is depressed. That is, each time the front panel is interrogated the microprocessor will increment-ally increase or decrease the power to a channel dependingupon which buttons are depressed. If at any time the learn button is depressed while the front panel 12 is interro-gated, the current power levels will . . . . . . . O . . .
'7t,7 be aavQd ln memory. Thereafter, ~henever one of the preaet A, B, C or D buttona 1~ preaaed the mlcropro-ceaJor ~111 extract the learned pouer level from me~ory and aet that level on the partlcular channel. Methods of programmlng mlcroprocesaoro to pro~lde the above-deacrlbed functlona are ~ell wlthln the ordlnary a~lll ln thla art.
The term~ and e~preaslona ~hl~h have been employed ln the foreqolng apeclflcatlon are uaed therein aJ term~ of descrlptlon and not of llmltatlon, and there la no lntentlon, in the uJe of auch termq and e~prea-alon~, of e~cludlng equlvalenta of the features aho~n and de~cribed or portlon~ thereof, lt belng recognlzed that the scope of the lnventlon 18 deflned and llmlted only by the clalms ~hlch follo~.
Claims (17)
1. A programmable lighting circuit controller for controlling a plurality of household lighting circuits comprising a microprocessor and an erasable and programmable electronic memory, and including control means for selectively designating one of said household lighting circuits as a heater circuit for at least a second one of said lighting circuits when said second one of said lighting circuits includes a fluorescent light.
2. The lighting circuit controller of claim 1 wherein said control means includes switch means in communication with said microprocessor for programming said electronic memory.
3. The lighting circuit controller of claim 2 wherein said switch means comprises at least one non-latching push button switch.
4. The lighting circuit controller of claim 3 wherein said switch means comprises a combination of at least two non-latching push button switches wherein simultaneous depression of both of said switches actuates said control means.
5. A programmable circuit controller adapted to replace a bank of household AC wall-mounted switches for controlling a plurality of lighting circuits comprising:
(a) learn mode means for storing in a memory preset signals representing predetermined power levels to be supplied to each of said AC lighting circuits;
(b) level adjust means for adjusting the levels of power supplied to each of said AC lighting circuits, comprising a pair of switches for each of said AC circuits, one of said switches being operative to increase the power level in one of said AC circuits and the other of said switches being operative to decrease the power level in said one of said AC circuits; and (c) preset means for recalling said preset signals from memory to establish said predetermined power levels in said AC circuits.
(a) learn mode means for storing in a memory preset signals representing predetermined power levels to be supplied to each of said AC lighting circuits;
(b) level adjust means for adjusting the levels of power supplied to each of said AC lighting circuits, comprising a pair of switches for each of said AC circuits, one of said switches being operative to increase the power level in one of said AC circuits and the other of said switches being operative to decrease the power level in said one of said AC circuits; and (c) preset means for recalling said preset signals from memory to establish said predetermined power levels in said AC circuits.
6. The programmable circuit controller of claim 5, including programming means for converting one of said AC
lighting circuits to a heater circuit for use in conjunction with a fluorescent light connected to another of said AC lighting circuits.
lighting circuits to a heater circuit for use in conjunction with a fluorescent light connected to another of said AC lighting circuits.
7. The programmable circuit controller of claim 5 wherein each of said pair of switches in said level adjust means comprise non-latching push-button switches.
8. The programmable circuit controller of claim 6 wherein said programming means is initiated by the simultaneous depression of two switches, one of said switches including at least one of said level adjust means.
9. The programmable circuit controller of claim 5 further including remote switch means connected in parallel with said programmable circuit controller for controlling power levels in said AC lighting circuits from a remote location.
10. A programmable circuit controller connected to a source of AC power for controlling a plurality of AC
lighting circuits, comprising:
(a) level adjustment switch means for controlling the levels of AC power provided to each of said AC lighting circuits, respectively;
(b) learn switch means for storing signals representing power levels established by said level adjustment switch means in a memory;
(c) preset switch means for designating a plurality of power levels established by said level adjustment switch means stored in a memory as a predetermined set when said preset switch means is actuated simultaneously with the activation of said learn switch means; and (d) wherein said preset switch means comprises a plurality of switches, each switch representing one predetermined set of lighting levels to be recalled from said memory and established as current lighting levels when one of said switches is actuated independently of said learn switch means.
lighting circuits, comprising:
(a) level adjustment switch means for controlling the levels of AC power provided to each of said AC lighting circuits, respectively;
(b) learn switch means for storing signals representing power levels established by said level adjustment switch means in a memory;
(c) preset switch means for designating a plurality of power levels established by said level adjustment switch means stored in a memory as a predetermined set when said preset switch means is actuated simultaneously with the activation of said learn switch means; and (d) wherein said preset switch means comprises a plurality of switches, each switch representing one predetermined set of lighting levels to be recalled from said memory and established as current lighting levels when one of said switches is actuated independently of said learn switch means.
11. The programmable circuit controller of claim 10 further including incremental change means for incrementally changing from one level of AC power to a next level of AC power.
12. A programmable circuit controller connected to a source of AC power for controlling a plurality of AC
lighting circuits comprising:
(a) a control panel including a plurality of input switches; and (b) a microprocessor responsive to a predetermined combination of signals from certain ones of said input switches for designating one or more of said AC lighting circuits as fluorescent lighting circuits, and for designating one other of said AC lighting circuits as a heating circuit, and storing said designations in a memory, such that whenever at least one of said fluorescent lighting circuits is turned, said heater circuit is automatically turned on at full power.
lighting circuits comprising:
(a) a control panel including a plurality of input switches; and (b) a microprocessor responsive to a predetermined combination of signals from certain ones of said input switches for designating one or more of said AC lighting circuits as fluorescent lighting circuits, and for designating one other of said AC lighting circuits as a heating circuit, and storing said designations in a memory, such that whenever at least one of said fluorescent lighting circuits is turned, said heater circuit is automatically turned on at full power.
13. The programmable circuit controller of claim 12 wherein said control panel includes a plurality of preset switches for establishing preset lighting levels for each of said AC lighting circuits.
14. The programmable circuit controller of claim 13 wherein said control panel further includes a plurality of level adjustment switches for establishing the levels of light intensity in each of said AC lighting circuits.
15. The programmable circuit controller of claim 13 further including an off switch for providing one of said signals in said predetermined combination of signals when said off switch is actuated simultaneously with one of said preset switches.
16. The programmable circuit controller of claim 10 further including microprocessor means for periodically interrogating the states of said level adjustment switch means, said learn switch means, and said preset switch means, and for initiating AC lighting circuit control functions based upon the said states of said switches.
17. The programmable circuit controller of claim 16 wherein said microprocessor means includes a timer responsive to an AC power input waveform for periodically causing said microprocessor to compare the instantaneous phase angle of said AC lighting circuits, and for turning on each respective one of said AC lighting circuits when said signal corresponds to said phase angle.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US80482785A | 1985-12-05 | 1985-12-05 | |
| US804,827 | 1985-12-05 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1293767C true CA1293767C (en) | 1991-12-31 |
Family
ID=25189947
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000507312A Expired - Fee Related CA1293767C (en) | 1985-12-05 | 1986-04-23 | Programmable multicircuit wall-mounted controller |
Country Status (15)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS62136796A (en) |
| CN (1) | CN1010651B (en) |
| BE (1) | BE904876A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1293767C (en) |
| CH (1) | CH670025B (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3622660A1 (en) |
| DK (1) | DK508186A (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2591411B1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2183867B (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1197103B (en) |
| MX (1) | MX164851B (en) |
| NL (1) | NL8601439A (en) |
| NO (1) | NO862007L (en) |
| SE (1) | SE8602720L (en) |
| ZA (1) | ZA863379B (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE19521087B4 (en) * | 1995-06-09 | 2005-04-14 | Abb Patent Gmbh | Remote control unit that enables control of a load in conjunction with wireless signals |
| DE29617553U1 (en) * | 1996-10-09 | 1997-01-02 | Gövert, Ulrich, 48167 Münster | Circuit for touch dimmer |
| US6380696B1 (en) * | 1998-12-24 | 2002-04-30 | Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. | Multi-scene preset lighting controller |
| CN101754512B (en) * | 2010-03-09 | 2012-06-27 | 深圳市中电照明股份有限公司 | Control circuit of light-dimming assembled lamp |
Family Cites Families (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3766431A (en) * | 1967-10-23 | 1973-10-16 | Thorn Electrical Ind Ltd | A lighting control system including an analogue to digital converter |
| US4240011A (en) * | 1978-07-17 | 1980-12-16 | Frank Dinges | Keyboard operated controller |
-
1986
- 1986-04-23 CA CA000507312A patent/CA1293767C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1986-05-06 ZA ZA863379A patent/ZA863379B/en unknown
- 1986-05-21 NO NO862007A patent/NO862007L/en unknown
- 1986-06-03 MX MX2682A patent/MX164851B/en unknown
- 1986-06-04 NL NL8601439A patent/NL8601439A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1986-06-05 BE BE2/60988A patent/BE904876A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1986-06-06 CN CN86103870A patent/CN1010651B/en not_active Expired
- 1986-06-13 GB GB8614410A patent/GB2183867B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1986-06-18 SE SE8602720A patent/SE8602720L/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1986-06-23 CH CH252086A patent/CH670025B/fr unknown
- 1986-06-23 JP JP61145039A patent/JPS62136796A/en active Pending
- 1986-07-05 DE DE19863622660 patent/DE3622660A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1986-08-21 IT IT21506/86A patent/IT1197103B/en active
- 1986-08-29 FR FR868612254A patent/FR2591411B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1986-10-23 DK DK508186A patent/DK508186A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPS62136796A (en) | 1987-06-19 |
| IT8621506A1 (en) | 1988-02-21 |
| NO862007L (en) | 1987-06-09 |
| GB2183867B (en) | 1990-05-30 |
| CN86103870A (en) | 1987-06-10 |
| IT1197103B (en) | 1988-11-25 |
| FR2591411B1 (en) | 1992-04-03 |
| MX164851B (en) | 1992-09-29 |
| DK508186D0 (en) | 1986-10-23 |
| CH670025B (en) | 1989-04-28 |
| AU5846986A (en) | 1987-06-11 |
| FR2591411A1 (en) | 1987-06-12 |
| SE8602720L (en) | 1987-06-06 |
| ZA863379B (en) | 1987-01-28 |
| DK508186A (en) | 1987-06-06 |
| DE3622660A1 (en) | 1987-06-11 |
| SE8602720D0 (en) | 1986-06-18 |
| NL8601439A (en) | 1987-07-01 |
| GB8614410D0 (en) | 1986-07-16 |
| GB2183867A (en) | 1987-06-10 |
| IT8621506A0 (en) | 1986-08-21 |
| CN1010651B (en) | 1990-11-28 |
| AU580168B2 (en) | 1989-01-05 |
| BE904876A (en) | 1986-12-05 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKLA | Lapsed |