Battery-powered occupancy sensor
First Claim
1. A battery-powered occupancy/vacancy sensor for control of a lighting load in a room, said sensor comprising:
- a top plate containing a lens;
a bottom plate disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of said top plate, said bottom plate having fastening means for fastening said sensor to a surface of said room;
a generally peripheral wall connecting the peripheries of said top plate and said bottom plate and defining a generally flat, shallow disk-shaped volume;
a PIR detector circuit housed within the interior of said volume, said PIR detector circuit having a PIR detector aligned with said lens, said PIR detector operable to detect an occupancy or vacancy condition in said room;
an RF transmission circuit housed within the interior of said volume and responsive to said PIR detector for transmitting an RF signal to designate the need for a change in the lighting in said room;
a first battery housed within the interior of said volume;
a second battery housed within the interior of said volume;
a battery-removal structure comprising first and second battery supports located at the ends of first and second flexible arms, respectively, for supporting said first and second batteries within the interior of said volume, said battery-removal structure further comprising first and second battery-removal tabs connected to said respective first and second battery supports;
wherein when said first battery-removal tab is pulled away from said sensor, said first flexible arm flexes and said first battery support forces said first battery out of the interior of said volume, and when said second tab is pulled away from said sensor, said second flexible arm flexes and said second battery support forces said second battery out of the interior of said volume.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery-powered occupancy sensor for detecting an occupancy condition in a space comprises first and second batteries, an occupancy detector circuit, a controller, and a wireless transmitter for transmitting a first wireless signal in response to the occupancy detector circuit detecting the occupancy condition in the space. The controller and the wireless transmitter are powered by the first battery, while only the occupancy detector circuit is powered by the second battery, such that the occupancy detector circuit is isolated from noise generated by the controller and the wireless transmitter. The occupancy detector circuit draws a current having a magnitude of approximately 5 microamps or less from the second battery. The occupancy sensor transmits a second wireless signal is response to determining that the voltage of one of the batteries has dropped too low.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A battery-powered occupancy/vacancy sensor for control of a lighting load in a room, said sensor comprising:
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a top plate containing a lens; a bottom plate disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of said top plate, said bottom plate having fastening means for fastening said sensor to a surface of said room; a generally peripheral wall connecting the peripheries of said top plate and said bottom plate and defining a generally flat, shallow disk-shaped volume; a PIR detector circuit housed within the interior of said volume, said PIR detector circuit having a PIR detector aligned with said lens, said PIR detector operable to detect an occupancy or vacancy condition in said room; an RF transmission circuit housed within the interior of said volume and responsive to said PIR detector for transmitting an RF signal to designate the need for a change in the lighting in said room; a first battery housed within the interior of said volume; a second battery housed within the interior of said volume; a battery-removal structure comprising first and second battery supports located at the ends of first and second flexible arms, respectively, for supporting said first and second batteries within the interior of said volume, said battery-removal structure further comprising first and second battery-removal tabs connected to said respective first and second battery supports; wherein when said first battery-removal tab is pulled away from said sensor, said first flexible arm flexes and said first battery support forces said first battery out of the interior of said volume, and when said second tab is pulled away from said sensor, said second flexible arm flexes and said second battery support forces said second battery out of the interior of said volume. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A battery-powered occupancy sensor structure for mounting in a room, said sensor structure comprising:
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a flat top plate defining a shallow plastic cup and having an integral wall extending from the periphery of said top plate; a lens disposed in the center of said top plate; a plastic cup-shaped base having a bottom plate parallel to the plane of said top plate and an integral wall extending from the periphery of said bottom plate of said base cup, said integral wall extending from said base nested partially into said integral wall extending from said top plate; a flat circular support plate disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of said bottom plate of said base cup for connection to a surface of a room receiving said sensor, said support plate being removably connected to said bottom plate of said base; a PIR detector circuit having an PIR detector aligned with said lens; at least one battery coupled to said PIR detector sensor circuit and received within a battery compartment of said base; and a battery-removal structure located between said front plate and said base, said battery-removal structure comprising a battery support located at the end of a flexible arm for supporting said battery within said battery compartment of said base, the battery-removal structure further comprising a battery-removal tab connected to the battery support and extending through the battery compartment, such that when said battery-removal tab is pulled away from said battery compartment, said flexible arm flexes and said battery is forced out of said battery compartment by said battery support. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A battery-operated occupancy sensor for sensing the presence or absence of an occupant in an area, said occupancy sensor comprising:
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a controller circuit; an occupancy detector circuit having an output coupled to said controller for delivering occupancy or vacancy information to said controller; an RF transmitter circuit responsive to said controller to transmit an RF signal related to said output of said occupancy detector circuit; a housing for enclosing said controller circuit, said occupancy detector circuit, and said RF transmitter circuit, said housing having a base portion; a first battery received within a first battery compartment of said base portion; a second battery received within a second battery compartment of said base portion; and a battery-removal structure comprising first and second battery supports located at the ends of first and second flexible arms, respectively, for supporting said first and second batteries within said first and second battery compartments, said battery-removal structure further comprising first and second battery-removal tabs connected to said respective first and second battery supports; wherein when said first battery-removal tab is pulled away from said first battery compartment, said first flexible arm flexes and said first battery support forces said first battery out of said first battery compartment, and when said second tab is pulled away from said second battery compartment, said second flexible arm flexes and said second battery support forces said second battery out of said second battery compartment. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A battery-powered occupancy sensor for detecting an occupancy condition in a space, the occupancy sensor comprising:
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a base portion having an opening and a battery compartment coupled to the opening for receipt of a battery into the battery compartment; a printed circuit board connected to the base portion; an occupancy detector circuit mounted on the printed circuit board; a controller mounted on the printed circuit board and adapted to be powered by the battery, the controller operable to detect the occupancy condition in the space in response to the occupancy detector circuit; and a battery-removal structure having a battery support located at the end of a flexible arm and a battery-removal tab connected to the battery support, the battery-removal structure positioned so that the battery-removal tab extends through the battery compartment and protrudes through the opening of the base portion, the battery support supporting the battery when the battery is installed in the battery compartment; wherein when the battery-removal tab is pulled, the flexible arm flexes and the battery is forced out of the battery compartment by the battery support. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A battery-powered sensor comprising:
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a housing having a front surface; a base portion connected the housing, the base portion having an opening and a battery compartment coupled to the opening for receipt of a battery into the battery compartment; a printed circuit board connected to the base portion; and a multi-functional structure located between the front surface of the housing and the base portion, the multi-functional structure having an actuation post protruding through an opening in the front surface of the housing to allow for actuation of a tactile switch mounted on the printed circuit board, the multi-functional structure further comprising a battery support located at the end of a flexible arm and a battery-removal tab connected to the battery support, the multi-functional structure positioned so that the battery-removal tab extends through the battery compartment and protrudes through the opening of the base portion; wherein when the battery-removal tab is pulled away from the battery compartment, the flexible arm flexes and the battery support forces the battery out of the battery compartment. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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30. A battery-powered sensor comprising:
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a housing having a front surface; a base portion connected the housing, the base portion having an opening and a battery compartment coupled to the opening for receipt of a battery into the battery compartment; a printed circuit board connected to the base portion; and a multi-functional structure located between the front surface of the housing and the base portion, the multi-functional structure having a light pipe for conducting light from a visual indicator mounted on the printed circuit board to the front surface of the housing, the multi-functional structure further comprising a battery support located at the end of a flexible arm and a battery-removal tab connected to the battery support, the multi-functional structure positioned so that the battery-removal tab extends through the battery compartment and protrudes through the opening of the base portion; wherein when the battery-removal tab is pulled away from the battery compartment, the flexible arm flexes and the battery support forces the battery out of the battery compartment. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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Specification