Radio wall switch

• US 7,274,117 B1
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Issued: 09/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Watt Stopper Incorporated (Legrand SA)
• Original Assignee: The Watt Stopper Incorporated (Legrand SA)
• Inventors: Viola, Roar, Debever, Betrand, Nishi, Roy, Weidman, Loiua
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen; Shih-Chao
• Assistant Examiner(s): A, MINH D
• Application Number:
  US11/098,900
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 315312-315, 315316-320, 345/170, 345/171, 345/172, 345/173, 307/112, 307/115, 307/137, 307/139, 307140-1418, 307/143, 307/153, 307/157
• US Class Current: 307/112
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/24 the conductive material comprising carbon-silicon compounds, carbon or silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/03 Application domotique, e.g. for house automation, bus connected switches, sensors, loads or intelligent wiring
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• 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

Abstract

A radio wall switch that uses radio signals to control a load through a load circuit is disclosed. The radio wall switch is also configured group or bind electronic devices to operate collectively by responding to the same radio control signals. Preferably, the radio wall switch and electronic devices are grouped or bound to reflect their location in a floor plan architecture. The radio wall switch includes a radio control board is configured to be removable and located outside of a wall receptacle while electrically coupled to the load circuit. The radio control board includes contact switches that are selectively depressed by a switch plate for manually controlling the load. The switch plate is flexible and can be deformed to simultaneously actuate multiple contact switches to place the radio wall switch in a program mode for grouping or binding the other electronic devices.

Claims

1. A switch unit for coupling to a load circuit, the switch unit comprising:

a) a first contact switch and a second contact switch for controlling a load through the load circuit, wherein actuating the first contact switch increases the load through the load circuit and wherein depressing the second contact switch decreases the load through the load circuit; and

b) a flexible switch plate position over the first contact switch and the second contact switch for selectively actuating the first contact switch and the second contact switch by pushing a first side and second side, respectively, and for simultaneously actuating the first contact switch and the second contact switch by simultaneously pushing the first side and the second side to place the switch unit into a program mode.

2. The switch unit of claim 1, further comprising a wireless means for automatically controlling the load circuit in response to remotely transmitted instructions.

3. The switch unit of claim 1, wherein the wireless means comprises a radio control board.

4. The switch unit of claim 3, wherein the radio control board is configured to transmit and receive radio signals having frequencies within a range of 902 MHz to 928 MHz.

5. The switch unit of claim 1, further comprising a micro-processor for processing the radio instructions and to generate output commands therefrom.

6. The switch unit of claim 5, further comprising a load control circuit electrically coupled to the micro-processor for receiving the control commands and controlling the load circuit based on the control commands.

7. The switch unit of claim 6, further comprising a housing for coupling to a wall receptacle and for housing the load control circuit.

8. The switch unit of claim 1, wherein radio control board includes a radio transducer, an antenna, and a micro-processor.

9. The switch unit of claim 8, wherein the first contact switch and the second contact switch comprise micro-switches on the removable radio control board.

10. A light control unit, the light control unit comprising:

a) a housing configured to fit into and secure to a wall receptacle;

b) a load control circuit within the housing for coupling to a load circuit;

c) a radio control board electrically coupled to the load control circuit for controlling the load through load control circuit in response to radio transmitted instructions, wherein the radio control board is configured to be positioned externals to the wall receptacle;

d) contact switches for manually controlling the load through the load control circuit; and

e) a flexible and resilient switch plate positioned over the contact switches for selectively engaging the contact switches to manually adjust the load through the load control circuit, the switch plate being sufficiently flexible to bend and simultaneously actuate the contact switches and place the light control unit in a program mode.

11. The light control unit of claim 10, where the radio control board is electrically coupled to the load control circuit through a connector plug and is removable through the connector.

12. The light control unit of claim 11, wherein the radio control board includes radio transducer and an antenna for receiving the radio transmitted instructions and generating output control signals to the load control circuit.

13. The light control unit of claim 12, the contact switches are micro-switches that mounted on the radio control board and in electrical communication with the load control circuit through the connector plug.

14. The light control unit of claim 10, wherein the flexible and resilient switch plate toggles through a hinge region for selectively engaging the contact switches.

15. The light control unit of claim 10, further comprising load circuit connectors for coupling to the load circuit.

16. A method of grouping electronic devices through a switch unit to respond to radio control commands transmitted with a common Location Descriptor, the method comprising:

a) pushing a first side and a second side of a resilient and flexible switch plate to simultaneously contact a first micro-switch and a second micro-switch to place the switch unit in program mode, wherein flexible and resilient switch plate is configured to selectively and independently contact the first micro-switch and the second micro-switch when a force is applied to the first side and second side, respectively;

b) broadcasting a Location Identifier with a Location Descriptor from the switch unit using a radio waves;

c) receiving the Location Identifier at the each of the electronic devices to be grouped; and

d) storing the common Location Descriptor at each of the electronic devices, thereby grouping the grouping electronic devices.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein storing the Location Descriptor at each of the electronic devices comprises actuating a button on each of the electronic devices.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting electronic devices to be grouped by actuating one or more buttons on each of the electronic devices.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the radio waves have frequencies within a range of 902 MHz to 928 MHz.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the common Location Descriptor corresponds to a physical location of the switch unit.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the common Location Descriptor includes a data field that includes a code for a building.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the common Location Descriptor includes a data field that includes a code for a floor.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the common Location Descriptor includes a data field that includes a code for a room.