Control devices having independently suspended buttons for controlled actuation
First Claim
1. A control device configured for use in a load control system that controls an amount of power delivered to an electrical load, the control device comprising:
- a faceplate that defines an opening that extends therethrough;
a button assembly that includes at least two buttons, a button carrier to which the at least two buttons are attached, the at least two buttons configured to be received within the opening of the faceplate; and
a control module that includes;
a printed circuit board (PCB) having at least two pairs of electrical contacts, each pair of electrical contacts configured to be electrically connected together in response to an actuation of a respective one of the at least two buttons;
at least two electrical shorting pads, each electrical shorting pad corresponding to a respective one of the at least two buttons;
at least one lighting element that is configured to illuminate an inner surface of at least one of the at least two buttons; and
a light guide assembly that is configured to disperse light emitted by the at least one lighting element, the light guide assembly including a carrier layer that has the at least two electrical shorting pads attached thereto,wherein each pair of electrical contacts comprises an open circuit pad on the PCB, each open circuit pad corresponding to one of the at least two electrical shorting pads, andwherein the control module is configured to be attached to the faceplate such that the button assembly is captured by, and floats between, the faceplate and the control module.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A control device includes a button assembly having one or more buttons and a button carrier that includes a plurality of resilient, independently deflectable spring arms. The control device may be configured as a wall-mounted keypad to control a load control device, or as a thermostat to control a temperature regulation appliance. The button carrier may be configured to prevent interference between the buttons during operation of the control device. The button assembly may be captured between a faceplate of the control device and a housing that is attached to a rear side of the faceplate. The control device may include one or more button retainers that are attached to the buttons and that are configured to align respective outer surfaces of the buttons relative to each other, and relative to the faceplate of the control device, when the buttons are in respective rest positions.
37 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A control device configured for use in a load control system that controls an amount of power delivered to an electrical load, the control device comprising:
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a faceplate that defines an opening that extends therethrough; a button assembly that includes at least two buttons, a button carrier to which the at least two buttons are attached, the at least two buttons configured to be received within the opening of the faceplate; and a control module that includes; a printed circuit board (PCB) having at least two pairs of electrical contacts, each pair of electrical contacts configured to be electrically connected together in response to an actuation of a respective one of the at least two buttons; at least two electrical shorting pads, each electrical shorting pad corresponding to a respective one of the at least two buttons; at least one lighting element that is configured to illuminate an inner surface of at least one of the at least two buttons; and a light guide assembly that is configured to disperse light emitted by the at least one lighting element, the light guide assembly including a carrier layer that has the at least two electrical shorting pads attached thereto, wherein each pair of electrical contacts comprises an open circuit pad on the PCB, each open circuit pad corresponding to one of the at least two electrical shorting pads, and wherein the control module is configured to be attached to the faceplate such that the button assembly is captured by, and floats between, the faceplate and the control module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A control device configured for use in a load control system that controls an amount of power delivered to an electrical load, the control device comprising:
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a faceplate that defines an opening that extends therethrough; a button assembly that includes at least two buttons and a button carrier to which the at least two buttons are attached, the at least two buttons configured to be received within the opening of the faceplate; a control module that includes a printed circuit board (PCB) having at least two pairs of electrical contacts, each pair of electrical contacts configured to be electrically connected together in response to an actuation of a respective one of the at least two buttons; and an adapter that is configured to be mounted to a structure, wherein the adapter and the faceplate are configured such that the faceplate is removably attachable to the adapter, and wherein the control module is configured to be attached to the faceplate such that the button assembly is captured by, and floats between, the faceplate and the control module.
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16. A control device configured for use in a load control system that controls an amount of power delivered to an electrical load, the control device comprising:
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a faceplate that defines an opening that extends therethrough; a button assembly that includes at least two buttons and a button carrier to which the at least two buttons are attached, the at least two buttons configured to be received within the opening of the faceplate; and a control module that includes a printed circuit board (PCB) having at least two pairs of electrical contacts, each pair of electrical contacts configured to be electrically connected together in response to an actuation of a respective one of the at least two buttons, wherein the control module is configured to be attached to the faceplate such that the button assembly is captured by, and floats between, the faceplate and the control module, and wherein when the button assembly is captured between the control module and the faceplate, the button carrier is not constrained from moving along a direction that extends parallel to a front surface of the faceplate such that the at least two buttons are moveable between opposed inner surfaces of the opening. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A control device configured for use in a load control system that controls an amount of power delivered to an electrical load, the control device comprising:
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a faceplate that defines an opening that extends therethrough; a button assembly that includes at least two buttons and a button carrier to which the at least two buttons are attached, the at least two buttons configured to be received within the opening of the faceplate; and a housing that is configured to be attached to a rear side of the faceplate such that the button assembly is captured between the faceplate and the housing, wherein when the button assembly is captured between the faceplate and the housing, the button carrier is constrained from moving along a direction that extends perpendicular to a front surface of the faceplate, and is moveable along a direction that extends parallel to the front surface of the faceplate between opposed sides of the opening. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A control device configured for use with a temperature regulation appliance, the control device comprising:
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a button assembly that includes at least two buttons and a button carrier to which the at least two buttons are attached; a printed circuit board (PCB) having at least two pairs of electrical contacts, each pair of electrical contacts configured to be electrically connected together in response to an actuation of a respective one of the at least two buttons; and at least two button retainers, the at least two button retainers configured to, when the at least two buttons are in respective rest positions, abut a rear surface of the PCB such that respective outer surfaces of the at least two buttons are aligned relative to each other, wherein the PCB defines a plurality of apertures that extend therethrough, and wherein each of the at least two buttons includes two pairs of posts that extend in a rearward direction from the button, each post configured to extend through one of the plurality of apertures and to attach to a corresponding one of the at least two button retainers. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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Specification