Electrical control system

• US 8,115,591 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Fair, James, Malkowski, Mariusz, Goyal, Rahul
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, VERNAL U
• Application Number:
  US11/331,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20070046491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,223 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.69, 340/12.3, 340/12.22, 340/2.26, 174/66
• US Class Current: 340/5.5
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared

Abstract

An electrical control system includes one or more battery-powered RF switches capable of acting as a master or slave or both within the electrical control system. The battery-powered RF switch includes a top housing and a bottom housing. The battery-powered RF switch also includes a printed circuit boar assembly that includes switch sensors, a dimmer button, and an LED indicator. The battery-powered RF switch also includes a manually-operated on/off switch, battery receptacles within the housing, batteries positioned within the battery receptacles and a battery retaining bracket for removably holding the batteries in place within the battery receptacles. The battery-powered RF switch is capable of being mounted to a vertical surface by applying double-sided adhesive to the back side of the housing and pressing the housing against the vertical surface.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wall-mounted electrical switch comprising;

a rear housing section comprising a front side and an opposing back side;

a front housing section comprising a front side and an opposing back side, the back side of the front housing section being disposed along the front side of the rear housing section and removably coupled to the rear housing section to create the housing, the front housing section comprising;

a first aperture configured to receive therethrough a portion of a manually operated switch; and

a second aperture therethrough;

at least one battery receptacle disposed within the housing;

at least one battery disposed within each of the at least one battery receptacles, wherein the battery is the power source for the wall-mounted electrical switch;

a circuit board disposed within the housing and electrically coupled to the at least one battery; and

the manually operated switch at least partially disposed within the housing and operably coupled to the circuit board, wherein the manually operated switch is capable of being manually adjusted to a plurality of positions;

wherein the second aperture provides an access opening from the front side of the front housing section to the battery receptacles within the housing for removably coupling at least one battery.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuit board further comprises a plurality of switch sensors communicably coupled to the circuit board, wherein the position of the manually operated switch is sensed by one of the sensors and communicated to the circuit board.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of switch sensors are disposed on the circuit board.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the electrical switch further comprises a dimmer button at least partially disposed within the housing, wherein the dimmer button is movably adjustable along a range of positions and wherein at least one of the sensors senses the position of the dimmer button.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a transceiver disposed within the housing and electrically coupled to the at least one battery, wherein the transceiver is communicably coupled to the circuit board.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the circuit board receives the position of the manually operated switch, determines an operational state based on the position, and transmits the operational state to at least one slave device with the transceiver.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rear housing comprises the at least one battery receptacle.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a retaining device removably coupled to the front housing and disposed within the second aperture, wherein the retaining device maintains the battery in the battery receptacle.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the front side of the rear housing section comprises the at least one battery receptacle and wherein the back side of the rear housing section comprises an adhesive for removably coupling the housing to a wall surface.

10. An electrical switch for use in a control system comprising one or more master devices and one or more slave devices, comprising:

a manually operated switch;

a communication interface;

a battery power supply operably coupled to the switch and the communication interface;

a memory operably coupled to the battery power supply comprising;

a non volatile memory;

a device database comprising;

node information for the electrical switch;

an association database comprising information representative of one or more communication pathways that the electrical switch is associated with;

a child protection database comprising information representative of a configuration of the electrical switch when operating in a child protection mode of operation;

a delayed off database comprising information representative of a configuration of the electrical switch when operating in a delayed off mode of operation;

a panic database comprising information representative of a configuration of the electrical switch when operating in a panic mode of operation; and

an operational state database comprises information representative of an operational state of the electrical switch immediately prior to a loss of power from the battery;

a scenes database comprising information regarding one or more scenes that the electrical switch is associated with;

an events database comprising information regarding one or more events that the electrical switch is associated with;

an away database comprising information regarding one or more away groups that the electrical switch is associated with; and

a system database comprising information regarding the control system;

a visual display device operably coupled to the battery power supply;

an install button operably coupled to the battery power supply;

an uninstall button operably coupled to the battery power supply;

an associate button operably coupled to the battery power supply;

a controller operably coupled to the manual switch, the communications interface, the memory, the visual display device, the install button, the uninstall button, the associate button, and the battery comprising;

an operating system comprising;

a serial communications driver adapted to control an operation of the communication interface;

a memory driver adapted to control an operation of the memory;

a display driver adapted to control an operation of the visual display device; and

a button input driver adapted to monitor an operation of the switch, the install button, the uninstall button, and the associate button;

application programs comprising;

a state engine comprising;

an installation engine adapted to sense and indicate an installation of the electrical switch within the control system, install the electrical switch into the control system when the install button is depressed, and uninstall the electrical switch from the control system when the uninstall button is depressed;

a change of state engine adapted to sense a change in an operational state of the electrical switch;

an association engine adapted to associate the electrical switch with one or more communication pathways when the associate button is depressed;

a child protection engine adapted to control an operation of the electrical switch in a child protection mode of operation;

a delayed off engine adapted to delay a transition of a slave unit controlled by the electrical switch from an on to an off operational state;

a panic mode engine adapted to control an operation of the electrical switch in a panic mode of operation; and

a loss of power engine adapted to monitor an operational state of the battery and, in the event of a loss of power from the battery, determine an operational state of the electrical switch and store the determined operational state of the electrical switch; and

a boot loader;

wherein the controller is adapted to sense an operational state of the manually operated switch and thereby transmit a control signal to one or more of the slave devices of the control system using the communication interface to thereby control an operational state of the slave devices;

wherein the communication interface comprises a radio frequency communication interface; and

wherein the controller is adapted to receive and transmit control signals to and from one or more of the master devices using the communication interface.

11. A method of controlling an operational state of a slave device using a master device, wherein the slave device is remotely positioned relative to the master device, and wherein the master and slave devices may be installed within a control system that includes other master and slave devices, comprising:

sensing an operational state of a manually operated switch at the master device;

transmitting a radio frequency signal from the master device to the slave device representative of the sensed operational state of the manually operated switch;

powering the sensing and transmitting of the master device using a battery power supply provided within the master device;

controlling the operational state of the slave device as a function of the transmitted radio frequency signal;

providing a first visual indication of supplying battery power to the master device;

providing a second visual indication of installing the master device into the control system, wherein the first and second visual indications are different;

determining if an operational state of the master device has changed;

if the operational state of the master device has changed, transmitting a radio frequency signal to one or more of the other master devices comprising information regarding the master device;

associating the master device with one or more slave devices to provide corresponding communication pathways in the control system;

determining if the master device is associated with a plurality of slave devices;

f the master device is associated with a plurality of slave devices, then transmitting a radio frequency signal by multicasting the signal to all of the slave devices associated with the master device and then single casting the signal to one of the slave devices;

determining if the master device has an enabled child protection mode of operation;

if the master device has an enabled child protection mode of operation, then determining if the child protection mode of operation comprises a sequence control or a remote control;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the master device has remote control, then disabling local manual control of the master device;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the master device has sequence control, then determining if a local user of the master device has depressed the manually operated switch multiple times;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the master device has sequence control and if the local user of the master device depressed the switch multiple times, then permitting local user control of the master device;

determining if the manually operated switch of the master device is positioned in an on position and if the master device does not have remote control protection;

if the manually operated switch of the master device is positioned in an on position and the master device does not have remote control protection, then changing the operational state of the slave device to off with a time delay by depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period;

determining if the master device has sequence control;

if the master device has sequence control, depressing the manually operated switch multiple times prior to depressing the manually operated switch for the predetermined minimum time period;

determining if the manually operated switch has been depressed after depressing the manually operated switch for the predetermined minimum time period;

if the manually operated switch has been depressed after depressing the manually operated switch for the predetermined minimum time period, then changing the operational state of the slave to off without a time delay;

determining if the master device is being controlled by another master device;

if the master device is being controlled by another master device, then controlling the operational state of the slave using the other master device;

if a panic mode of operation is enabled, then operating the master device in the panic mode of operation, wherein the panic mode of operation comprises a duty cycle comprising a first time period in which the operational state of the slave device is on and second time period in which the operational state of the slave device is off;

if the manually operated switch of the master device is depressed, then canceling the panic mode of operation;

if the panic mode of operation of the master device is cancelled by another master device, then canceling the panic mode of operation;

if a loss of battery power is detected by the master device, storing an operational state of the master device in a memory within the master device;

if a restoration of battery power is detected by the master device, retrieving the operational state of the master device from the memory within the master device; and

operating the master device in accordance with the retrieved operational state for the master device.

12. A system for controlling an operational state of a slave device using a master device, wherein the slave device is remotely positioned relative to the master device, and wherein the master and slave devices may be installed within a control system that includes other master and slave devices, comprising:

means for sensing an operational state of a manually operated switch at the master device;

means for transmitting a radio frequency signal from the master device to the slave device representative of the sensed operational state of the manually operated switch;

means for powering the sensing and transmitting of the master device using a battery power supply provided within the master device;

means for controlling the operational state of the slave device as a function of the transmitted radio frequency signal;

means for providing a first visual indication of supplying battery power to the master device;

means for providing a second visual indication of installing the master device into the control system, wherein the first and second visual indications are different;

means for determining if an operational state of the master device has changed;

if the operational state of the master device has changed, means for transmitting a radio frequency signal to one or more of the other master devices comprising information regarding the master device;

means for associating the master device with one or more slave devices to provide corresponding communication pathways in the control system;

means for determining if the master device is associated with a plurality of slave devices;

if the master device is associated with a plurality of slave devices, then means for transmitting a radio frequency signal by multicasting the signal to all of the slave devices associated with the master device and then single casting the signal to one of the slave devices;

means for determining if the master device has an enabled child protection mode of operation;

if the master device has an enabled child protection mode of operation, then means for determining if the child protection mode of operation comprises a sequence control or a remote control;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the master device has remote control, then means for disabling local manual control of the master device;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the master device has sequence control, means for then determining if a local user of the master device has depressed the manually operated switch multiple times;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the master device has sequence control and if the local user of the master device depressed the switch multiple times, then means for permitting local user control of the master device;

means for determining if the manually operated switch of the master device is positioned in an on position and if the master device does not have remote control protection;

if the manually operated switch of the master device is positioned in an on position and the master device does not have remote control protection, then means for changing the operational state of the slave device to off with a time delay by depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period;

means for determining if the master device has sequence control;

if the master device has sequence control, means for depressing the manually operated switch multiple times prior to depressing the manually operated switch for the predetermined minimum time period;

means for determining if the manually operated switch has been depressed after depressing the manually operated switch for the predetermined minimum time period;

if the manually operated switch has been depressed after depressing the manually operated switch for the predetermined minimum time period, then means for changing the operational state of the slave to off without a time delay;

means for determining if the master device is being controlled by another master device;

if the master device is being controlled by another master device, then means for controlling the operational state of the slave using the other master device;

if a panic mode of operation is enabled, then means for operating the master device in the panic mode of operation, wherein the panic mode of operation comprises a duty cycle comprising a first time period in which the operational state of the slave device is on and second time period in which the operational state of the slave device is off;

if the manually operated switch of the master device is depressed, then means for canceling the panic mode of operation;

if the panic mode of operation of the master device is cancelled by another master device, then means for canceling the panic mode of operation;

if a loss of battery power is detected by the master device, means for storing an operational state of the master device in a memory within the master device;

if a restoration of battery power is detected by the master device, means for retrieving the operational state of the master device from the memory within the master device; and

means for operating the master device in accordance with the retrieved operational state for the master device.

13. A manually operable electrical wall switch comprising:

a housing comprising;

a rear portion comprises a front side and an opposing back side;

a front portion removably coupled to the rear portion, wherein coupling the front and rear portions defines a cavity in the housing; and

an adhesive layer disposed along the back side of the rear portion of the housing, the adhesive layer configured to removably couple the housing to a wall surface;

a battery receptacle disposed within the cavity of the housing and accessible from an exterior when the front portion and rear portion are removably coupled;

a battery disposed within the battery receptacle and providing electrical power for the electrical wall switch;

a controller comprising a circuit board, wherein the controller is disposed within the cavity of the housing and electrically coupled to the battery and wherein the battery supplies to the power for the controller;

a manually operated switch at least partially disposed within the housing and operably coupled to the circuit board, wherein the manually operated switch is capable of being manually adjusted to a plurality of positions; and

a transceiver communicably coupled to the controller and electrically coupled to the battery, wherein the battery supplies the power for the transceiver.

14. The switch of claim 13, wherein the controller further comprises a plurality of switch sensors disposed on the circuit board, wherein the position of the manually operated switch is sensed by one of the sensors and communicated to the transceiver.

15. The switch of claim 14, further comprising a dimmer button at least partially disposed within the housing, wherein the dimmer button is movably adjustable along a range of positions and wherein at least one of the sensors senses the position of the dimmer button.

16. The switch of claim 13, further comprising non-volatile memory communicably coupled to the controller and electrically coupled to the battery.

17. The switch of claim 13, further comprising a light emitting diode (LED) disposed within the housing, wherein the LED is operably coupled to controller and electrically coupled to the battery.

18. The switch of claim 13, wherein the front side of the rear housing portion comprises the at least one battery receptacle.

19. The switch of claim 13, wherein the front housing portion further comprises:

a first cut-out portion configured to receive therethrough at least a portion of the manually operated switch; and

a second cut-out portion providing access to the cavity and to the battery receptacles for removably coupling and decoupling the at least one battery.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a battery retaining means removably coupled to the front housing and disposed adjacent the second cut-out, wherein the battery retaining means physically contacts the battery when the battery is positioned in the battery receptacle.

21. The switch of claim 19, wherein the second cut-out portion is configured to provide a pathway for removably coupling and decoupling the battery from the battery receptacle without removing the front portion of the housing from the bottom portion of the housing.

22. The switch of claim 19, wherein the front housing portion comprises a top side and an opposing bottom side and a plurality of edges, and wherein the first and second cut-out portions provide a passageway through the top and bottom side and into the cavity.

23. The switch of claim 13, wherein the bottom rear housing portion comprises the at least one battery receptacle.