Motion detector module

• US 7,544,941 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alexandra Block, ANDREW KALANI NIHEU & JAY DEEP CHITNIS, Andrew M. Jenkins, Anne M. Mahoney, Baker Ken, Baum Family Trust, Binkley Family Trust, Bonnie Austin, Brandon Dinoto, Brandon Moore Utma, BRIAN DRISCOLL AND/OR DRISCOLL INVESTMENTS INC., Bruce Johnson, BRUCE & LORENE BOWERS, BRUCE & SANDY BRANDENBURG, CARL A LARSON, TRUSTEE LARSON 1995 REVOCABLE TRUST DTD 11/17/1995, CARL KOBAYASHI & MISHELLE NISHIDA, Chea Chung, CHRISTOPHER MOORE INDIVIDUALLY & AS TRUSTEE MOORE FAMILY TRUST DTD 10/3/2006, Christy L. Hendrickson Trust, CLAUDE KORDUS TRUSTEE KORDUS FAMILY TRUST, CLIFF & MAKOTO MCQUEEN, Court Wilson, Craig Hillegas, Daniel Allen, Daniel C. Serpe, DANIEL & KIMBERLY DOTSON, Daniel White, Dan Way, DAVID & BONNIC AUSTIN INDIVIDUALLY AND AS TRUSTEES AUSTIN FAMILY TRUST DTD 10/1/1999, David Caldwell, David L. Lyon, Dominique Pandolfi, DONALD D. LEARNED, TRUSTEE DONALD LEARNED TRUST C/O SCOTT LEARNED, DONALD & MARY SPENCER, Don Farris Inc Retirement Trust, Doug Cox, Elizabeth Willis, Eric Rawa, Estate Of Gary W. Dixon, GARY & BARBARA A. GENTZKOW AND/OR BARBARA GENTZKOW'S IRA, GARY & LINDSEY BLOCK, George Block, Glenn Frieder, Gloria Marie Gammill, GREG A. JIRAK & LORI HUBBART, GREG BLOCK, TRUSTEE, BLOCK FAMILY TRUST DTD 6/22/1990, Greg MacDonald, Gregory A. Block, Gregory Bernett, HARDEY, JULIE E. AKA JULIE HELLUM FBO BREE DIXON, Hardie David, Howard Brian Malloy, Ian Nausner, IVAN & LORI MENDELSON, James Clifford, James Gammill, JAMES GEVARGES & DOMINIQUE BEITKANOUN, JAMES & KIM WEINBERGER, JAMES & ROBYN CARBAUGH, JANELL SKOMER AKA JANELL SOHMER-BLOCK C/O GREGORY BLOCK, Jeffrey Lubin, Jeffrey Teza, Jeff Schott, Jerry E. Jageman, John Chu, John F. Zolezzi, JOHN & LAUARIE DEWITT AND/OR THIEIR IRAS, JOHN & LYNN BOWEN, TRUSTEES BOWN FAMILY TRUST DTD 11/21/1985, Jon Hillegas, JULIUS & MARRIETTA ZOLEZZI, KASHAN PIRACHA (KPN, LLC), Katherine Williams, KENNETH & JANET SHANER, Ken Rubin, Kevin Thomas Dinoto, Kristopher Dinoto, Laura Lewis, Laurence Balter, LINDA MOORE INDIVIDUALLY & AS TRUSTEE LINDA B. MOORE PERSONAL TRUST, Lisa Odenweller, Lori Shook, MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS LIMITED C/O SMC MULTI-MEDIA, Man-Ling Lai, Marc Cahal, Marc Odenweller, MARION J. BAUER ROSIDUARY TRUST C/O BLOCK, GAUNCE & ASSOCIATES, MARK & DIANA KENNEY, TRUSTEES KENNEY FAMILY TRUST DTD 11/29/1996, Mark McDonald, Marview Holdings, Inc., Maui Preparatory Academy, Megan Molloy, Melody Kitchens, MICHAEL & ANASTASIA FARRELL AND/OR STERLING TRUST CO. FBO MICHAEL FARRELL, Michael Bosworth, Michael Dewitt, MICHAEL MCLOUGHLIN, TRUSTEE MCLOUGHLIN FAMILY TRUST DTD 3/22/1994, Milton F. Damerow, NGUYEN, PETER (KPN, LLC), Nicholas Block, Nicole Cox, Norman M. Estin Trust, Parvis Nabavi, Paul Block, Persis Hataria, PHILIP BURKHARDT, TRUSTEE BURKHARDT 2005 FAMILY TRUST AND/OR THEIR IRAS, Phillip Moore, PHYLLIS ORNDORFF, TRUSTEE PHYLLIS ORNDORFF TRUST DTD 12-30-2010, RANDY & LONA KENT, R/Com Retail Services, LLC, Richard Babcock, RICHARD & DEBRA MYTKO, RICHARD & JACQUELINE SMITH, Robert C. Albrow, Robert M. Skomer, Robert W. Dudley Trust, Ronald S. Chapman, RYAN & SUSAN BOWERS, Ryota Komaru, Samantha Carroll, Scot Hall, Sean Mundy, Shaochong Yan, SMC Multi-Media Products Company Limited (SMC Multi-Media Limited), S Steven Podstreleny, Steve Benshoof, Steve Marlette, Steven Purves, Steven Sreb, STUART & KAREN SHAFER, Sydney Block, TERRENCE E. LEE, TRUSTEE TERRENCE E. LEE TRUST, Terrill Stewart, Terry Davis, THOMAS DINOTO, TRUSTEE DINOTO FAMILY TRUST DTD 1/11/1993, Thomas Goergen, Thomas H. Zolezzi, Timothy Karis Sirak LLC, TIM WALKER, TRUSTEE WALKER FAMILY TRUST DTD 7/21//2009, Valeo Partners LLC, Vincent Guzzetta Vascular Associates Co., WALTER & REBECCA HICKEL C/O CALWEST PROPERTIES, WARREN & ROBIN COHEN, Wendy Frieder, William Orndorff
• Original Assignee: Protectconnect Incorporated
• Inventors: Yan, Frank S., Gorman, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta; David P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taningco; Marcus H
• Application Number:
  US11/961,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20080093552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 250/338.1, 439/608
• US Class Current: 250/338.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/193 using focusing means

Abstract

A motion detector comprises a housing having a front side and a back side. Conductors are disposed on the back side so as to electrically connect to a wiring module installed within an electrical box. An infrared (IR) sensor is mounted within the housing and configured to receive IR radiation focused from a lens disposed on the front side. The IR sensor generates a sensor signal in response to motion across the field-of-view of the lens. A controller is responsive to the sensor signal so as to generate a switch signal. A relay is responsive to the switch signal so as to switch an electrical power source connecting to an electrical power load via the conductors and the wiring module.

Claims

1. A motion detector comprising:

a housing having a front side and a back side;

a plurality of shielded plugs disposed on said back side and configured to removably electrically connect to a separate wiring module installed within an electrical box without accessing electrical wiring routed to said electrical box;

a sensor mounted within said housing and configured to generate a sensor signal in response to motion;

a controller responsive to said sensor signal to generate a switch signal so as to connect an electrical power source to an electrical power load via said wiring module.

2. The motion detector according to claim 1 further comprising:

a tap in electrical communication with said electrical power source so as to provide said controller an AC signal,

said controller configured to generate said switch signal in temporal proximity to a zero crossing of said AC signal.

3. The motion detector according to claim 1, wherein said shielded plugs comprise walls disposed around the peripheries of one or more outwardly extending prongs, said walls being configured to interlock with complementary channels of said wiring module.

4. A motion detector comprising:

a housing having a front side and a back side;

a plurality of shielded plugs disposed on said back side and configured to electrically connect to a wiring module installed within an electrical box without accessing electrical wiring routed to said electrical box;

a sensor mounted within said housing and configured to generate a sensor signal in response to motion;

a controller responsive to said sensor signal to generate a switch signal so as to connect an electrical power source to an electrical power load via said wiring module

a first circuit board and a second circuit board retained within said housing, said second circuit board mounted on said first circuit board; and

a relay driver configured to actuate a relay in response to said switch signal,

wherein said sensor and said controller are mounted on said first circuit board and said relay and said relay driver are mounted on said second circuit board.

5. A motion detector comprising:

an electrical box configured to accept a plurality of electrical conductors in communication with a power source and a power load;

a wiring module comprising a wiring side and a functional side, said wiring module being mounted within said electrical box; and

a motion detector module, separate from said wiring module, being removably mounted to said functional side of said wiring module via a plurality of shielded plugs,

wherein said wiring side of said wiring module comprises terminations for said electrical conductors,

wherein said functional side of said wiring module comprises shielded sockets in electrical communication with said terminations, wherein said shielded sockets are configured to receive said shielded plugs of said motion detector module and to prevent exposure of a user to said plurality of electrical conductors, and

wherein said motion detector module comprises a detector for receiving radiation that is indicative of motion, said motion detector module being responsive to motion so as to connect said power source with said power load via said motion detector module contacts.

6. The motion detector according to claim 5, wherein said motion detector module is configured to connect said power source with said power load only in temporal proximity to zero-crossings of said power source.

7. The motion detector according to claim 6, wherein said shielded plugs comprise walls disposed around the peripheries thereof, said shielded sockets comprise recessed channels disposed around peripheries thereof, and wherein said walls are configured to mate with said channels.

8. A motion detector method comprising the steps of:

routing conductors for an electrical power source and an electrical power load to an electrical box;

mounting a wiring module within said electrical box;

terminating said conductors at said wiring module;

physically mounting and electrically connecting a motion detector module to said wiring module, without accessing said conductors, so as to place said motion detector module in electrical communication with said electrical power source and said electrical power load via said wiring module; and

switching said electrical power source to said electrical power load in response to motion.

9. The motion detection method according to claim 8 comprising the further steps of:

receiving infrared radiation into said motion detector module;

detecting motion based at least in part on said infrared radiation;

detecting a zero-crossing of said electrical power source corresponding to a change in AC voltage polarity; and

switching said electrical power source to said electrical power load in response to said detected motion and said detected zero-crossing.

10. The motion detection method according to claim 9 comprising the further step of:

interchangeably plugging said motion detector module and a switch module into said wiring module,

wherein said switch module is configured to manually connect and disconnect said electrical power source and said electrical power load.