WIRELESS CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20150349973A1
• Filed: 05/28/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Mosebrook, Donald R., Shivell, William Taylor, Miller, Amy E., Camden, Richard S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,578,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/15117 Radio link, wireless
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1221 onto a wall
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

A wall-mountable wireless control device may include an antenna (e.g., a slot antenna or a hybrid slot-patch antenna) for transmitting and/or receiving radio-frequency signals. The wireless control device may comprise a user interface, an antenna, a radio-frequency communication circuit, a control circuit, and/or a conductive faceplate. The radio-frequency communication circuit may be configured to transmit or receive radio-frequency signals via the antenna. The user interface may be configured to receive a user input. The conductive faceplate may be configured to operate as a radiating element of the antenna when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device and the user interface is received in the opening of the conductive faceplate. The conductive faceplate may comprise a conductive material arranged over a plastic carrier, for example, the conductive material may be provided adjacent to greater than or equal to approximately 85% of the front surface.

Claims

1. A wall-mountable wireless control device comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a user input;

an antenna configured to transmit or receive radio-frequency signals;

a radio-frequency communication circuit configured to transmit or receive the radio-frequency signals via the antenna;

a control circuit responsive to the user input and the radio-frequency communication circuit; and

a conductive faceplate defining an opening for receiving the user interface;

wherein the conductive faceplate is configured to operate as a radiating element of the antenna when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device and the user interface is received in the opening of the conductive faceplate.

2. The wireless control device of claim 1, further comprising:

a yoke configured to mount the control device to an electrical wallbox; and

a bezel attached to the yoke, the bezel configured to provide the user interface through the opening of the conductive faceplate;

wherein the antenna comprises a driven element located between the bezel and the yoke and capacitively coupled to the conductive faceplate.

3. The wireless control device of claim 2, wherein the conductive faceplate comprises a conductive material arranged over a plastic carrier.

4. The wireless control device of claim 3, wherein the conductive faceplate comprises a conductive backer attached to a rear surface of the plastic carrier.

5. The wireless control device of claim 4, wherein the conductive backer is electrically coupled to the yoke via a single electrical connection when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device.

6. The wireless control device of claim 2, wherein the conductive faceplate is electrically coupled to the yoke via a single electrical connection when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device.

7. The wireless control device of claim 6, wherein the conductive faceplate is configured to operate as a patch antenna when the conductive faceplate is electrically coupled to the yoke via a single electrical connection.

8. The wireless control device of claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises a slot antenna.

9. The wireless control device of claim 8, wherein the conductive faceplate defines an elongated opening for receiving the user interface.

10. The wireless control device of claim 9, wherein the slot antenna comprises a driven element capacitively coupled to the conductive faceplate, the driven element defining a slot that is substantially the same size as and substantially aligned with the opening of the conductive faceplate when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device and the user interface is received in the opening of the conductive faceplate.

11. The wireless control device of claim 8, wherein the user interface comprises a thin touch sensitive actuator.

12. The wireless control device of claim 8, wherein the radio-frequency communication circuit is directly electrically coupled to the conductive faceplate via two drive points located on opposite sides of the elongated opening at approximately the middle of the elongated opening when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device.

13. The wireless control device of claim 1, wherein the radio-frequency communication circuit is configured to be directly electrically connected to the conductive faceplate when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device.

14. The wireless control device of claim 1, wherein the conductive faceplate is made entirely of metal.

15. A wall-mountable wireless control device comprising:

a front surface comprising a user interface configured to receive a user input;

an antenna configured to transmit or receive radio-frequency signals;

a radio-frequency communication circuit configured to transmit or receive the radio-frequency signals via the antenna;

a control circuit responsive to the user input and the radio-frequency communication circuit; and

a conductive material provided adjacent to greater than or equal to approximately 85% of the front surface.

16. The wireless control device of claim 15, wherein the front surface comprises a faceplate defining an opening for receiving the user interface.

17. The wireless control device of claim 16, further comprising:

a yoke configured to mount the control device to an electrical wallbox; and

a bezel attached to the yoke, the bezel configured to provide the user interface through the opening of the faceplate when the faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device.

18. The wireless control device of claim 17, wherein the conductive material is provided on an outside surface of the faceplate.

19. The wireless control device of claim 18, wherein the faceplate comprises a plastic carrier and the conductive material is arranged over the plastic carrier, the faceplate comprising a conductive backer attached to a rear surface of the plastic carrier, the conductive backer electrically coupled to the yoke via a single electrical connection when the faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device.

20. The wireless control device of claim 17, wherein the conductive material is provided on an inside surface of the faceplate.

21. The wireless control device of claim 20, wherein the conductive material is electrically coupled to the yoke via one of a plurality of screws that attach the bezel to the yoke when the faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device.

22. The wireless control device of claim 16, wherein the conductive material is provided inside of the faceplate.

23. The wireless control device of claim 15, wherein the user interface comprises at least one actuator comprising a surface, and the conductive material is provided on the surface of the actuator.

24. The wireless control device of claim 15, wherein the conductive material is configured to operate as a radiating element of the antenna when the faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device.

25. A wall-mountable multi-gang wireless control system comprising:

a plurality of wireless control devices adapted to be mounted in a multi-gang electrical wallbox, each wireless control device comprising a yoke configured to mount the control device to the multi-gang electrical wallbox, a user interface configured to receive a user input, an antenna configured to transmit or receive radio-frequency signals, and a control circuit responsive to the user input and the radio-frequency signals received by the antenna; and

a conductive faceplate defining a plurality of openings configured to receive the respective user interfaces of the wireless control devices, the conductive faceplate comprising a single conductive material that is configured to operate as a radiating element for the antennas of the wireless control devices when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the plurality of wireless control devices and the user interfaces are received through the respective openings of the conductive faceplate;

wherein the yoke of at least one of the control devices is electrically coupled to the conductive material via a single electrical connection when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the plurality of wireless control devices.

26. The wireless control device of claim 25, wherein the yoke of each of the control devices is electrically coupled to the single conductive material via a respective single electrical connection when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the plurality of wireless control devices.

27. The wireless control device of claim 26, wherein the single electrical connections are located at the same location on each of the load control devices.

28. The wireless control device of claim 26, wherein the single electrical connections are located at different locations on the load control devices.

29. The wireless control device of claim 25, wherein the conductive faceplate comprises a plastic carrier to which the conductive material is attached.

30. The wireless control device of claim 29, wherein the conductive faceplate has a conductive backer attached to a rear surface of the plastic carrier, the conductive backer electrically coupled to the yoke via a single electrical connection when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the plurality of wireless control devices.

31. The wireless control device of claim 25, wherein the antenna of each of the load control devices comprises a driven element capacitively coupled to the single conductive material of the conductive faceplate when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the plurality of wireless control devices.

32. The wireless control device of claim 25, wherein the single conductive material of the conductive faceplate is configured to operate as a patch antenna when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the plurality of wireless control devices.

33. The wireless control device of claim 25, wherein the user interface of each of the load control devices comprises a thin touch sensitive actuator and each of the openings of the conductive faceplate define an elongated opening for receiving the respective touch sensitive actuator.