Method and apparatus for providing distributed control of a home automation and control system

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing distributed control of a home automation and control system is provided. Each device participating in a home automation and control system is equipped with control logic for providing distributed control. Through the control logic, each device maintains scene definitions describing the state of the device for each scene in which it participates. When any device in the system receives a request to launch a scene, such as a button press on one of the devices, the device broadcasts a scene state change message to all devices within the home automation and control system. The scene state change message identifies to each device that a particular scene that should be launched. Each device in the system receives the message and determines whether the device is a participant in the scene. If the device is a participant in the scene, the device adjusts its state according to a scene definition stored in the device associated with the scene. The device may adjust a controlled electrical load, such as a light, according to the scene definition by turning the load on, off, or setting the load to some intermediate value. If the device is a not participant in the scene, the device remains unaffected.

1 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the load status of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene comprising a plurality of programmable devices, each of said programmable devices: 
 capable of controlling the load status of an associated product or appliance;    in response to the programmable device receiving an indication to learn a scene, locally storing the programmable device's membership status in the scene and the load status of the associated product or appliance when the scene is launched; and    in response to the programmable device receiving a launch command associated with the learned scene, adjusting the load status of the associated product or appliance to the stored load status associated with the scene.    
   
   
       2 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said programmable devices includes a setup controller that, when actuated, produces said indication to learn a scene.  
   
   
       3 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or devices to create a scene as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the setup controller is manually controlled by the actuation of a button.  
   
   
       4 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein each of said programmable devices also includes a load controller for controlling the adjustment of the load status of the product or appliance associated with the device.  
   
   
       5 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein said load controller is manually controlled by the actuation of a button.  
   
   
       6 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein at least one of said programmable devices also includes one or more triggers the actuation of which produces a scene launch command.  
   
   
       7 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or devices to create a scene as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said trigger is manually controlled by the actuation of a button.  
   
   
       8 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein each of said programmable devices also includes a plurality of triggers the activation of which produces an individual launch command associated with each trigger.  
   
   
       9 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or devices to create a scene as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said triggers are manually controlled by the actuation of buttons.  
   
   
       10 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said programmable devices also includes a load controller for controlling the adjustment of the load status of the product or appliance associated with the device.  
   
   
       11 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein said load controller is manually controlled by the actuation of a button.  
   
   
       12 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said programmable devices also includes a trigger the actuation of which produces a scene launch command.  
   
   
       13 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or devices to create a scene as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein said trigger is manually controlled by the actuation of a button.  
   
   
       14 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said programmable devices also includes a plurality of triggers the activation of which produces an individual launch command associated with each trigger.  
   
   
       15 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or devices to create a scene as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein said triggers are manually controlled by the actuation of buttons.  
   
   
       16 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said programmable devices includes an indicator for indicating the status of the programmable device.  
   
   
       17 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said indication to learn a scene is a command message.  
   
   
       18 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein said command message includes role information.  
   
   
       19 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 18  wherein the presence of valid role information implies the command message is requesting a binding action.  
   
   
       20 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 18  wherein the absence of a valid role implies the command message is requesting an unbinding action.  
   
   
       21 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 18  wherein said command message also includes a resource instance.  
   
   
       22 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 21  wherein the presence of a specific resource instance implies that action requested by the command message is to apply only to the specific resource instance.  
   
   
       23 . A distributed control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 21  wherein the absence of a resource instance implies that action requested by the command message applies to any resource instance capable of carrying out the action.  
   
   
       24 . A programmable device suitable for use in a distributed control system for automatically controlling the load status of an associated product and/or appliance to create a scene, said programmable device including: 
 (a) a storage medium;    (b) a controller for: 
 (i) in response to manual input, adjusting the load status of said associated product or appliance;  
 (ii) receiving an indication that the programmable device is to become a member of a house scene; and  
 (iii) in response to receiving said indication that the programmable device is to become a member of a house scene, storing in said storage medium information regarding the membership status of said programmable device in said house scene and the current load status of said associated product or appliance.  
   
   
   
       25 . A programmable device as claimed in  claim 24 , including a setup button that when actuated places said controller in a state suitable for receiving said indication that said programmable device is to become a member of a house scene.  
   
   
       26 . A programmable device as claimed in  claim 24 , including a load button for adjusting the load status of said associated product or appliance.  
   
   
       27 . A programmable controller as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein said programmable device also includes at least one trigger button that, when actuated, causes said controller to generate a scene launch command that causes programmable devices to adjust the load status of their associated product or appliance to the load status stored in said storage medium of the devices or members of the scene associated with the scene launch command.  
   
   
       28 . A programmable device as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein said programmable device includes a plurality of trigger buttons each of which, when actuated, causes said controller to generate a separate and distinct scene launch command for each unique scene.  
   
   
       29 . A programmable device as claimed in  claim 24 , including an indicator for indicating the status of said programmable device.  
   
   
       30 . A programmable device as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein said status includes whether said set up button has placed said controller in a state suitable for receiving said indication that said programmable device is to become a member of a scene.  
   
   
       31 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene comprising: 
 distributing a plurality of programmable devices, each of said programmable devices associated with a product and/or appliance and capable of adjusting the load status of said product or appliance;    in response to said programmable device receiving an indication to learn a scene, said programmable device locally storing the membership status of the programmable device in the scene and the load status of the product or appliance with which said programmable device is associated; and    in response to said programmable device receiving a launch command associated with a learned scene, adjusting the load status of the product or appliance with which the device is associated to the stored load status.    
   
   
       32 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 31  wherein each of said programmable devices includes a setup controller and wherein said method includes, in response to the actuation of said setup controller, producing said indication to learn a scene.  
   
   
       33 . A method of automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or devices to create a scene as claimed in  claim 32  wherein at least one of said devices includes a load controller and wherein said method includes adjusting the load status of said product or appliance in response to the operation of said load controller.  
   
   
       34 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or devices to create a scene as claimed in  claim 33  wherein at least one of said programmable devices also includes a at least one trigger and wherein said method includes generating a launch command in response to the actuation of said trigger.  
   
   
       35 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 34  wherein at least one of said devices includes a plurality of triggers and wherein said method includes generating a separate and distinct launch command in response to the actuation of each unique scene associated with each one of said plurality of triggers.  
   
   
       36 . A method of automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or devices to create a scene as claimed in  claim 31  wherein at least one of said devices includes at least one load controller and wherein said method includes adjusting the load status of said product or appliance in response to the operation of said load controller.  
   
   
       37 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or devices to create a scene as claimed in  claim 31  wherein at least one of said programmable devices also includes a at least one trigger and wherein said method includes generating a launch command in response to the actuation of said trigger.  
   
   
       38 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 31  wherein at least one of said devices includes a plurality of triggers and wherein said method includes generating a separate and distinct launch command in response to the actuation of each of said plurality of triggers.  
   
   
       39 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or devices to create a scene as claimed in  claim 31  wherein each of said programmable devices includes an indicator for indicating the status of said programmable device and wherein said method includes causing said indicator to produce a predetermined indication in response to the operational status of said programmable device.  
   
   
       40 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 24  wherein said indication to learn a scene is a command message.  
   
   
       41 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 40 , wherein said command message includes role information.  
   
   
       42 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the presence of valid role information implies the command message is requesting a binding action.  
   
   
       43 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the absence of a valid role implies the command message is requesting an unbinding action.  
   
   
       44 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 41  wherein said command message also includes a resource instance.  
   
   
       45 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 44  wherein in the presence of a specific resource instance implies that action requested by the command message is to apply only to the specific resource instance.  
   
   
       46 . A method for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of products and/or appliances to create a scene as claimed in  claim 44  wherein the absence of a resource instance implies that action requested by the command message applies to any resource instance capable of carrying out the action.