Wireless Control Device and Methods Thereof

• US 20170011621A1
• Filed: 07/07/2016
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ilumi Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ilumi Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Bora, Swapnil, Egan, Corey, Tang, Qinghui
• Granted Patent: US 10,339,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2205/126 Monitoring of intermediate fill level, i.e. with additional means for monitoring the fill level, e.g. half full flag, almost empty flag
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/452 Instruction code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0652 Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30101 Special purpose registers
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/12 Power saving techniques of remote control or controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00019 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A wireless control device includes a power source, one or more sensors, one or more switches, a wireless transceiver circuit, an antenna connected to the wireless transceiver circuit, and a processor communicably coupled to the power source, the one or more sensors, the one or more switches, and the wireless transceiver circuit. The processor receives a data from the one or more sensors or the one or more switches, determines a pre-defined action associated with the data that identifies one or more external devices and one or more tasks, and transmits one or more control signals via the wireless transceiver circuit and the antenna that instruct the identified external device(s) to perform the identified task(s).

Claims

1. A wireless control device comprising:

a power source;

one or more sensors;

one or more switches;

a real time clock;

a wireless transceiver circuit;

an antenna connected to the wireless transceiver circuit;

a processor communicably coupled to the power source, the one or more sensors, the one or more switches, the real time clock and the wireless transceiver circuit, wherein the processor receives a data from the one or more sensors or the one or more switches, determines a pre-defined action associated with the data that identifies one or more external devices and one or more tasks, and transmits one or more control signals via the wireless transceiver circuit and the antenna that instruct the identified external device(s) to perform the identified task(s).

2. The wireless control device as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise an air quality sensor, an ambient light sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a proximity sensor, a motion sensor, a sound sensor or a combination thereof.

3. The wireless control device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a memory and one or more LED indicators communicably coupled to the processor.

4. The wireless control device as recited in claim 1, further comprising an external control device communicably coupled to the processor of the wireless control device via the wireless transceiver circuit and antenna, wherein the external control device provides one or more user interface screens that create and store the pre-defined actions.

5. The wireless control device as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor further executes a time division multiplexing or pulsed sense mechanism to activate and deactivate the one or more sensors.

6. The wireless control device as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more switches comprise a push pull switch, a toggle switch, a push button switch, a rotary switch, a resistive/capacitive switch, or a combination thereof.

7. The wireless control device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a housing in which the power source, the one or more sensors, the one or more switches, the wireless transceiver circuit, the antenna and the processor are disposed.

8. The wireless control device as recited in claim 7, wherein the housing is substantially square having rounded corners, sloped sides and a substantially flat top having rounded sides.

9. The wireless control device as recited in claim 8, wherein the one or more switches comprise four switches, each switch is disposed below the substantially flat top proximate to each rounded corner, and each switch is activated by touching or depressing an area of the substantially flat top proximate to the switch.

10. The wireless control device as recited in claim 8, wherein the housing comprises:

a base plate;

an outer ring attached to the base plate;

an electronic board disposed within the outer ring and attached to the base plate;

a top cover disposed over the outer ring and attached to the base plate; and

wherein the power source, the one or more sensors, the one or more switches, the wireless transceiver circuit, the antenna and the processor are attached to the electronic board.

11. A method for controlling one or more external devices comprising:

providing a wireless control device comprising a housing, a power source disposed in the housing, one or more sensors disposed on or within the housing, one or more switches disposed on or within the housing, a wireless transceiver circuit disposed within the housing, an antenna disposed on or within the housing and connected to the wireless transceiver circuit, a processor disposed within the housing and communicably coupled to the power source, the one or more sensors, the one or more switches, and the wireless transceiver circuit;

receiving a data from the one or more sensors or the one or more switches;

determining a pre-defined action associated with the data that identifies the one or more external devices and one or more tasks using the processor; and

transmitting one or more control signals via the wireless transceiver circuit and the antenna that instruct the identified external device(s) to perform the identified task(s).

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising defining the one or more switches and the pre-defined action associated with the data that identifies the one or more external devices and one or more tasks using the processor.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising reducing a power consumption by time multiplexing an activation and deactivation of the one or more sensors.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein time multiplexing the activation and deactivation of the one or more sensors comprises:

(a) activating the one or more sensors for a first time period and reading the data from the one or more sensors;

(b) deactivating the one or more sensors for a second time period; and

repeating steps (a) and (b).

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising adjusting the first timer period, the second time period or both time periods.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising activating the one or more sensors whenever a command is received via the wireless transceiver circuit and the antenna.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising activating the one or more sensors based an input received from the one or more switches.

18. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least a first sensor and a second sensor, and further comprising activating the second sensors based an input received from the first sensor.

19. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising configuring the one or more switches to recognize one or more patterns.

20. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising activating the one or more sensors based on a real time clock or clock/timer based program.

21. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising configuring the one or more switches using a user interface communicably coupled to the processor, wherein the user interface is displayed on the device or on anther device communicably coupled to the device.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising a graphical representation of the one or more switches along with one or more program parameters and the pre-defined action using the user interface.

23. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising setting the pre-defined action associated with the data, and identifying the one or more external devices and the one or more tasks using a user interface communicably coupled to the processor.

24. The method as recited in claim 23, further comprising displaying the pre-defined action, the identified external devices and the one or more tasks using the user interface.

25. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the data comprises a time, a time period, a day of a week, a specific date and/or a sensor data.

26. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more external devices comprise a lighting device, and further comprising measuring an ambient light intensity and/or color using the one or more sensors, and the identified task(s) comprise changing a light intensity and/or color from the lighting device.

27. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising sending a date and/or time update to the one or more external devices via the wireless transceiver circuit and the antenna.

28. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the date and/or time update synchronizes a clock in the one or more external devices with the wireless control device.

29. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a clock and at least one of a GPS sensor, an occupancy sensor, a light and/or color sensor or a sound sensor, and the pre-defined action comprises a computer program that causes the processor to send one or more commands to the one or more external devices via the wireless transceiver circuit and the antenna.

30. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising resetting the wireless control device using a timer and memory functions.

31. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising turning a computer program ON using a timer and memory functions.

32. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein one or more sensors comprise an air quality sensor, an ambient light sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a proximity sensor, a motion sensor, a sound sensor, or a combination thereof.

33. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising a real time clock, a memory and one or more LED indicators communicably coupled to the processor.

34. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising an external control device communicably coupled to the processor of the wireless control device via the wireless transceiver circuit and antenna, wherein the external control device provides one or more user interface screens that create and store the pre-defined actions.

35. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the processor further executes a time division multiplexing or pulsed sense mechanism to activate and deactivate the one or more sensors.

36. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more switches comprise a push pull switch, a toggle switch, a push button switch, a rotary switch, a resistive/capacitive switch, or a combination thereof.

37. A method for resetting a device comprising:

providing the device having a counter or timer, a memory and a processor communicably coupled to the counter or timer and the memory;

(a) determining a count based on the counter or a time based on the timer;

(b) flagging a first defined memory location when the count or time reaches a first milestone;

(c) un-flagging the first defined memory location when the count or time reaches a second milestone;

(d) turning the device OFF and then ON again;

(e) repeating steps (a) through (d) when the first defined memory location is not flagged;

(f) determining the count based on the counter or the time based on the timer;

(g) flagging a second defined memory location when the count or time reaches the first milestone;

(h) un-flagging the second defined memory location when the count or time reaches the second milestone;

(i) turning the device OFF and then ON again;

(j) repeating steps (a) through (i) when the first defined memory location is not flagged or the second defined memory location is not flagged;

(k) determining the count based on the counter or the time based on the timer;

(l) flagging a third defined memory location when the count or time reaches the first milestone;

(m) un-flagging the third defined memory location when the count or time reaches the second milestone;

(n) turning the device OFF and then ON again;

(o) repeating steps (a) through (n) when the first defined memory location is not flagged or the second defined memory location is not flagged or the third defined memory location is not flagged; and

(p) resetting the device.

38. The method as recited in claim 37, further comprising repeating the determining, flagging, un-flagging, turning an repeating steps for one or more additional defined memory locations.

39. A method for resetting a device comprising:

providing the device having a counter or timer, a memory and a processor communicably coupled to the counter or timer and the memory;

selecting a first milestone, a second milestone, one or more defined memory locations or other operational parameters using a user interface communicably coupled to the device;

for each of the defined memory locations;

(a) determining a count based on the counter or a time based on the timer;

(b) flagging the defined memory location when the count or time reaches the the first milestone;

(c) un-flagging the first defined memory location when the count or time reaches the second milestone;

(d) turning the device OFF and then ON again;

(e) repeating steps (a) through (d) when the defined memory location is not flagged or any previous defined memory locations are not flagged;

repeating steps (a) through (e) until all the defined memory locations have been used and are flagged; and

(p) resetting the device.

40. A method for turning a program ON comprising:

providing a device having a counter or timer, a memory and a processor communicably coupled to the counter or timer and the memory, wherein the program causes the processor to perform execute one or more commands when the program is ON;

(a) determining a count based on the counter or a time based on the timer;

(b) flagging a first defined memory location when the count or time reaches a first milestone;

(c) un-flagging the first defined memory location when the count or time reaches a second milestone;

(d) repeating steps (a) through (v) when the first defined memory location is not flagged;

(e) determining the count based on the counter or the time based on the timer;

(f) flagging a second defined memory location when the count or time reaches the first milestone;

(g) un-flagging the second defined memory location when the count or time reaches the second milestone;

(h) turning the device OFF and then ON again;

(i) repeating steps (a) through (h) when the first defined memory location is not flagged or the second defined memory location is not flagged; and

(p) turning the program ON.

41. The method as recited in claim 40, further comprising repeating the determining, flagging, un-flagging, turning an repeating steps for one or more additional defined memory locations.

42. A method for turning a program ON comprising:

providing a device having a counter or timer, a memory and a processor communicably coupled to the counter or timer and the memory, wherein the program causes the processor to perform execute one or more commands when the program is ON;

selecting the program, a first milestone, a second milestone, one or more defined memory locations or other operational parameters using a user interface communicably coupled to the device;

for each of the defined memory locations;

(a) determining a count based on the counter or a time based on the timer;

(b) flagging the defined memory location when the count or time reaches the the first milestone;

(c) un-flagging the first defined memory location when the count or time reaches the second milestone;

(d) turning the device OFF and then ON again;

(e) repeating steps (a) through (d) when the defined memory location is not flagged or any previous defined memory locations are not flagged;

repeating steps (a) through (e) until all the defined memory locations have been used and are flagged; and

(p) turning the program ON.