Wireless control device

• US 9,742,580 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2017
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Camden, Richard S., Mosebrook, Donald R., Shivell, William Taylor, Miller, Amy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Neyzari, Ali
• Application Number:
  US15/399,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20170126422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 228 Days
• Field of Search: 340 125
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/15117 Radio link, wireless
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1221 onto a wall
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

A wall-mountable wireless control device may include an antenna (e.g., a slot antenna or a hybrid slot-patch antenna) for transmitting and/or receiving radio-frequency signals. The wireless control device may comprise a user interface, an antenna, a radio-frequency communication circuit, a control circuit, and/or a conductive faceplate. The radio-frequency communication circuit may be configured to transmit or receive radio-frequency signals via the antenna. The user interface may be configured to receive a user input. The conductive faceplate may be configured to operate as a radiating element of the antenna when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the wireless control device and the user interface is received in the opening of the conductive faceplate. The conductive faceplate may comprise a conductive material arranged over a plastic carrier, for example, the conductive material may be provided adjacent to greater than or equal to approximately 85% of the front surface.

Claims

1. A load control device for controlling power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load, the load control device comprising:

a controllably conductive device adapted to be electrically coupled between the AC power source and the electrical load;

a user interface configured to receive a user input;

a conductive faceplate defining an opening for receiving the user interface;

an antenna configured to communicate radio-frequency signals;

a radio-frequency communication circuit configured to communicate the radio-frequency signals via the antenna; and

a control circuit responsive to the user input and the radio-frequency communication circuit, the control circuit configured to control the controllably conductive device to control the power delivered to the electrical load; and

wherein the conductive faceplate is configured to operate as a radiating element of the antenna when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the control device and the user interface is received in the opening of the conductive faceplate.

2. The load control device of claim 1, further comprising:

a yoke configured to mount the load control device to an electrical wallbox; and

a bezel attached to the yoke, the bezel configured to provide the user interface through the opening of the conductive faceplate;

wherein the antenna comprises a driven element located between the bezel and the yoke and capacitively coupled to the conductive faceplate.

3. The load control device of claim 2, wherein the conductive faceplate comprises a conductive material arranged over a plastic carrier.

4. The load control device of claim 3, wherein the conductive faceplate comprises a conductive backer that is attached to a rear surface of the plastic carrier and is electrically coupled to the yoke via a single electrical connection when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the load control device.

5. The load control device of claim 2, wherein the conductive faceplate is electrically coupled to the yoke via a single electrical connection when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the load control device, the conductive faceplate configured to operate as a patch antenna when the conductive faceplate is electrically coupled to the yoke via the single electrical connection.

6. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises a slot antenna.

7. The load control device of claim 6, wherein the conductive faceplate defines an elongated opening for receiving the user interface, and the slot antenna comprises a driven element capacitively coupled to the conductive faceplate, the driven element defining a slot that is substantially the same size as and substantially aligned with the opening of the conductive faceplate when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the load control device and the user interface is received in the opening of the conductive faceplate.

8. The load control device of claim 7, wherein the radio-frequency communication circuit is directly electrically coupled to the conductive faceplate via two drive points located on opposite sides of the elongated opening at approximately the middle of the elongated opening when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the load control device.

9. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the radio-frequency communication circuit is configured to be directly electrically connected to the conductive faceplate when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the load control device.

10. The load control device of claim 1, wherein the conductive faceplate is made entirely of metal.

11. A control device, comprising:

a yoke configured to mount the control device to an electrical wallbox;

a front surface anterior to the yoke;

a user interface provided at the front surface, the user interface configured to receive a user input;

an antenna having a driven element located between the front surface and the yoke;

a radio-frequency communication circuit electrically coupled to the driven element of the antenna and configured to communicate radio-frequency signals via the antenna; and

a control circuit configured to be responsive to the radio-frequency communication circuit and the user input received by the user interface;

wherein the front surface comprises a conductive material that covers 85% or more of the front surface and is capacitively coupled to the driven element of the antenna.

12. The control device of claim 11, wherein the front surface is a faceplate.

13. The control device of claim 12, wherein the faceplate comprises a plastic carrier and the conductive material is arranged over the plastic carrier.

14. The control device of claim 12, wherein the faceplate is a metal faceplate.

15. The control device of claim 11, wherein the front surface has an opening and the user interface protrudes through the opening.

16. The control device of claim 11, wherein the antenna is a slot antenna.

17. The control device of claim 11, wherein the conductive material is configured to operate as a radiating element of the antenna.

18. A wall-mountable multi-gang wireless control system comprising:

a plurality of wireless control devices adapted to be mounted in a multi-gang electrical wallbox, each wireless control devices comprising a respective antenna configured to communicate radio-frequency signals; and

a conductive faceplate configured to be mounted to the wireless control devices, the conductive faceplate comprising a single conductive material that is configured to operate as a radiating element for the respective antenna of each one of the plurality of wireless control devices when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the plurality of wireless control devices.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein each wireless control device comprises a respective yoke configured to mount the wireless control device to the multi-gang electrical wallbox.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the yoke of at least one of the control devices is coupled to the conductive material via a single electrical connection when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the plurality of wireless control devices.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein each wireless control device comprises a respective user interface configured to receive a user input, the conductive faceplate defining a plurality of openings configured to receive the respective user interface of the wireless control devices when the conductive faceplate is mounted to the plurality of wireless control devices.