Self-powered remote control device, electrical apparatus and installation comprising same

• US 20020190610A1
• Filed: 06/12/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries Sa (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries Sa (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Moussanet, Roland, Almosnino, Patrick, Cortese, Gilles, Andre, Philippe, Rousset, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 6,861,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/339
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/112 Mechanical energy, e.g. vibration, piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/076 Key stroke generating power
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/03 Application domotique, e.g. for house automation, bus connected switches, sensors, loads or intelligent wiring
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/18 producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators for measurement devices G01
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/14 Protecting elements, switches, relays or circuit breakers
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

The invention concerns a self-powered remote control device comprising transmitting means, a feeder circuit connected to said transmitting means, a generator supplying electric power connected to the feeder circuit, and control means associated with the electric power generator. The generator comprises at least a piezoelectric element receiving mechanical stresses produced by actuating the control means and supplying electric power to the feeder circuit. The invention also concerns an apparatus comprising at least a self-contained control device actuated by a mechanical action member. The invention further concerns an electric installation comprising means for receiving signals transmitted by at least a self-powered control device.

Claims

1. A self-powered remote control device comprising:

transmission means (8, 9, 10),

a feeder circuit (6, 7) connected to the transmission means,

a generator comprising at least one piezoelectric element (1, 17, 18) receiving mechanical stresses produced by actuation of the control means and supplying electric power to the feeder circuit, and

control means (3) associated to the electric power generator,

a device characterized in that the control means comprise means (5) for calibrating mechanical energy to strike the piezoelectric element (1, 17, 18) with a predetermined impact.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the feeder circuit comprises electric power storage means (7) to store electric power supplied by the piezoelectric element (1, 17, 18).

3. The device according to one of the claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the means (5) for calibrating mechanical energy strike the piezoelectric element (1, 17, 18) according to a predetermined mechanical travel.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the means (5) for calibrating mechanical energy comprise at least one spring leaf (24) having two stable states (25, 26) to command a calibrated movement of a striker (22, 23) when a changeover position is passed.

5. The device according to any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the piezoelectric element (1) comprises a flexible metal support (17) and a pad (18) made of piezoelectric material arranged on one face of said support.

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the control means (5, 22, 23) strike the piezoelectric element on the opposite side from the pad (18).

7. The device according to one of the claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the flexible metal support (17) is held freely in a housing (20) designed to receive it.

8. The device according to one of the claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the flexible metal support is secured by means of a seal (27) arranged on a rim directed towards the face of said support comprising the pad (18).

9. The device according to any one of the claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the piezoelectric material of the pad (18) is essentially composed of ceramic or copolymer.

10. The device according to any one of the claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the piezoelectric element has a mechanical resonance to increase the duration of electric power supply to the feeder circuit (6, 7).

11. The device according to any one of the claims 2 to 9, characterized in that the means (7) for storing electric power comprise at least one electric capacitor, the capacity of the storage means being between 0.4 and 50 microfarads.

12. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that the capacity of the storage means (7) has a value between 2 and 10 microfarads.

13. The device according to any one of the claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it comprises electric power management means (8) connected to the feeder circuit (6, 7) to control an initialization and encoding phase (32) and a transmission phase (33).

14. The device according to any one of the claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the transmission means comprise emitter means (10) and receiver means.

15. The device according to any one of the claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the transmission means comprise emitter means (10, 36-44) supplied by an output port (35) of an integrated circuit (34).

16. The device according to any one of the claims 1 to 14, characterized in that it comprises storage means (46) connected to the transmission means (8, 9, 10).

17. The device according to any one of the claims 1 to 14, characterized in that it comprises counting means (47) connected to the transmission means (8, 9, 10).

18. The device according to any one of the claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the transmission means comprise transmission condition checking means (45).

19. An apparatus comprising a mechanical actuating means (4, 52) characterized in that it comprises a self-powered remote control device according to any one of the claims 1 to 18, said means being able to actuate the control means (3) associated to the power generator (1).

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that the apparatus is an electrical switchgear apparatus (50) comprising mechanical actuating means (52) to actuate the control means (3) according to the state of said switchgear apparatus.

21. The apparatus according to one of the claim 19 or 20, characterized in that the transmission means (8, 9, 10) emit signals usable to perform logic selectivity.

22. The apparatus according to any one of the claims 19 to 21, characterized in that the transmission means (8, 9, 10) emit signals usable to perform differentiated annunciation.

23. The apparatus according to any one of the claims 19 to 22, characterized in that the transmission means (8, 9, 10) emit signals representative of a number of operations of said apparatus.

24. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that the apparatus is an electrical control apparatus (55, 56, 57, 62) comprising mechanical actuating means able to be actuated by an operator.

25. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that the apparatus is an electrical control apparatus (61) comprising mechanical actuating means able to be actuated by a movement of a mechanical device.

26. An electrical installation comprising high-frequency receiver means (12-15, 58-59, 63) characterized in that it comprises at least one self-powered remote control device according to any one of the claims 1 to 18, said receiver means being designed to receive signals emitted by said at least one self-powered device.

27. The electrical installation according to claim 26 characterized in that it comprises at least one electrical cabinet (54) containing at least one self-powered remote control device according to any one of the claims 1 to 18 and an automatic control circuit (60) connected to the receiver means (58).

28. The electrical installation according to one of the claim 26 or 27 characterized in that it comprises at least one apparatus (50, 55, 56, 57, 61, 62) according to any one of the claims 19 to 24.