Load Control Commissioning via Wireless Device Discovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current load control system commissioning procedures are time-consuming and inconvenient, requiring highly-skilled personnel and involve physically actuating buttons on devices in hard-to-reach locations, while less complex methods lack advanced features.
Innovation Solution
A network device is used to configure load control systems efficiently, allowing for the discovery and association of control devices using existing load control devices, eliminating the need for button pressing in hard-to-reach locations and enabling advanced features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional commissioning procedures are used to enable advanced features in load control systems, then the system gains advanced capabilities (demand response, whole building control, energy reporting), but the commissioning process becomes very time-consuming and requires highly-trained commissioning agents
Solution Approach 1:
A commissioning device is introduced as an intermediary between the control devices and the commissioning agent. This device automatically discovers control devices in the environment, retrieves their capabilities, and configures them without requiring highly-trained personnel to manually program each device. The commissioning device mediates the complex interaction between multiple control devices, thereby reducing commissioning time while maintaining advanced system features.
Solution Approach 2:
Control devices are designed to self-configure and self-describe their capabilities. When discovered by the commissioning device, they automatically provide information about their functions and parameters through digital messages. This self-service approach eliminates the need for manual configuration by trained technicians, significantly reducing commissioning time while enabling advanced features.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional commissioning procedures are used, then advanced features can be configured, but highly-skilled personnel are required to complete the commissioning
Solution Approach 1:
The commissioning device serves as an intermediary that handles the complexity of configuring advanced features. It automatically discovers control devices, retrieves their capabilities through digital messages, and performs the configuration without requiring highly-skilled personnel. This intermediary approach makes the commissioning process accessible to personnel with varying skill levels while still enabling advanced system features.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical configuration processes are replaced with automated digital communication. The commissioning device uses digital messages to discover and configure control devices automatically, replacing the need for manual programming and configuration steps that previously required highly-skilled personnel.
3Reliability
If button pressing on control devices is required for association, then devices can be associated with input devices, but devices in hard-to-reach locations make the process inconvenient and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
Physical button-pressing operations are replaced with automated wireless discovery and association processes. The commissioning device uses digital messages to automatically discover and associate control devices without requiring physical access or manual button pressing, making the process convenient even for devices in hard-to-reach locations while maintaining reliable device association.
Solution Approach 2:
Control devices automatically respond to discovery messages and perform self-association with input devices through digital communication. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual button pressing by the commissioning agent, improving convenience while ensuring reliable device association through automated capability matching.
4Loss of time
If simple commissioning procedures are used that avoid button pressing, then commissioning is faster and easier, but the systems lack advanced features
Solution Approach 1:
The commissioning device performs preliminary automatic discovery and capability retrieval of control devices before configuration. By pre-fetching device capabilities through digital messages and automatically matching devices with appropriate input devices, the system prepares the configuration data in advance, enabling both fast commissioning and comprehensive advanced features without trade-offs.
Solution Approach 2:
The commissioning process uses feedback loops where the commissioning device sends discovery messages, receives capability information from control devices, and automatically adjusts the configuration based on the retrieved capabilities. This feedback mechanism ensures that advanced features are properly configured based on actual device capabilities while maintaining a fast, automated commissioning process.
Data Source
AI summary
A load control system may include control devices for controlling power provided to an electrical load. The control devices may include a control-source device and a control-target device. The control-target device may control the power provided to the electrical load based on digital messages received from the control-source device. The control devices may include a load control discovery device capable of sending discovery messages configured to discover control devices within a location. The discovered control devices may be organized by signal strength and may be provided to a network device to enable association of the discovered control devices within a location. The discovery messages may be transmitted within an established discovery range. The discovery range may be adjusted to discover different control devices. Different control devices may be identified as the load control discovery device for discovering different control devices.