Light dimmer with touch-sensitive control and display of adjustment mode change

• US 10,642,401 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Long Zhang
• Original Assignee: Long Zhang
• Inventors: Zhang, Long, Chen, Xiaofeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Snyder, Adam J
• Application Number:
  US15/918,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20190235684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/242 the contact forming a part of a coil spring
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 15/107 actuating conventional selfcontained microswitches H01H15/105 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/044 Elastic part on actuator or casing
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/03 Application domotique, e.g. for house automation, bus connected switches, sensors, loads or intelligent wiring
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/054 Application timeslot: duration of actuation or delay between or combination of subsequent actuations determines selected function
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/167 Circuits for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/18 Printed circuits structurally associated with non-printed electric components H05K1/0201, H05K1/023, H05K1/0243, and H05K1/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10113 Lamp
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10121 Optical component, e.g. opto-electronic component
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10136 Liquid Crystal display [LCD]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10151 Sensor
• 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 touch-sensitive dimmer, configured to be electrically coupled to an illumination load to adjust an illuminance of the illumination load. It includes a hollow body, a power source printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) disposed inside the body, a control PCBA, and a touch-sensitive display panel, touch-sensing components and a display element disposed on the control PCBA. The display element displays changes of illumination load adjustment modes based on trigger signals generated by the touch-sensing components. The touch-sensitive display panel includes touch keys which correspond to the touch-sensing components and a display window which corresponds to the display element, and is assembled with the control printed circuit board assembly. The touch-sensitive dimmer combines touch-sensing functions and display screen functions to achieve intelligent control. By incorporating a wireless communication module, the dimmer can further achieve remote by a remote control device.

Claims

1. A touch-sensitive dimmer, configured to be electrically coupled to an illumination load to adjust an illuminance of the illumination load, comprising:

a hollow body;

a power source printed circuit board assembly disposed inside the body;

a control printed circuit board assembly;

a touch-sensitive display panel;

touch-sensing components and a display element disposed on the control printed circuit board assembly;

wherein the display element is configured to display changes among multiple different illumination load adjustment modes based on trigger signals generated by a first one of the touch-sensing components, wherein the different illumination load adjustment modes define different amounts of illuminance adjustment of the illumination load corresponding to a predefined action of a second one of the touch-sensing components, and wherein the control printed circuit board assembly is configured to, in response to each predefined action of the second one of the touch-sensing components, adjust the illuminance of the illumination load by an amount that is defined by a currently displayed one of the multiple different illumination load adjustment modes; and

wherein the touch-sensitive display panel includes touch keys which correspond to the touch-sensing components and a display window which corresponds to the display element, and is assembled with the control printed circuit board assembly.

2. The touch-sensitive dimmer of claim 1, wherein the display element comprises a liquid crystal display screen and a backlight plate.

3. The touch-sensitive dimmer of claim 1, wherein the control print circuit board assembly includes a touch-sensing control circuit, wherein the touch-sensing components include at least one touch spring, and wherein the touch keys and the touch spring are configured to cooperate with each other to generate a pressure which controls conductive states of the touch-sensing control circuit.

4. The touch-sensitive dimmer of claim 1, wherein the control printed circuit board assembly includes a microswitch, wherein the touch-sensitive display panel further includes an on/off button which is configured to trigger the microswitch.

5. The touch-sensitive dimmer of claim 1, wherein the power source printed circuit board assembly includes a mechanical switch which is configured to be triggered to turn off power supply to the illumination load.

6. The touch-sensitive dimmer of claim 1, further comprising a faceplate and a grounding frame, wherein the touch-sensitive display panel and the control printed circuit board assembly are assembled together via the faceplate to form a first assembly, the power source printed circuit board assembly, the body and the grounding frame are assembled together to form a second assembly, and the first assembly and the second assembly are assembled to form the touch-sensitive dimmer.

7. A touch-sensitive dimmer, configured to be electrically coupled to an illumination load to adjust an illuminance of the illumination load, comprising:

a power source module;

a microcontroller unit (MCU) control module;

a display module;

a touch-sensing control circuit module; and

an illuminance control circuit module;

the power source module, the MCU module, the display module, the touch-sensing control circuit module and the illuminance control circuit module being coupled to each other;

wherein the display module is configured to display, based on a first trigger signal generated by the touch-sensing control circuit module, changes among multiple different illumination load adjustment modes, wherein the different illumination load adjustment modes define different amounts of illuminance adjustment of the illumination load corresponding to a second trigger signal generated by the touch-sensing control circuit module, and wherein the MCU control module is configured to, in response to each second trigger signal, control the illuminance control circuit module to adjust the illuminance of the illumination load by an amount that is defined by a currently displayed one of the multiple different illumination load adjustment modes.

8. The touch-sensitive dimmer of claim 7, further comprising a wireless communication module configured to cooperate with remote control device to remotely control the dimmer.

9. The touch-sensitive dimmer of claim 7, further comprising a zero crossing detection module configured to detect zero crossings of a power supply inputted to the illumination load.