BE1024728B1 - Double dimmer antenna configuration - Google Patents

Abstract

A dimmer device (100) comprising a first dimmer (110), a second dimmer (120) and an RF block (130). The first dimmer (110) is adapted to power the RF block (130) and the first dimmer (110) and second dimmer (120) are adapted to communicate with the RF block (130), the first dimmer, the second dimmer and the RF block are galvanically isolated.

Description

(73) Holder (s):

NIKO NV

9100, SAINT-NICOLAS Belgium (72) Inventor (s):

THE BRABANDER Peter 9100 NIEUWKERKEN-WAAS Belgium (54) Double dimmer antenna configuration (57) A dimmer device (100) comprising a first dimmer (110), a second dimmer (120) and an RF block (130). The first dimmer (110) is adapted to power the RF block (130) and the first dimmer (110) and second dimmer (120) are adapted to communicate with the RF block (130), the first dimmer, the second dimmer and the RF block are galvanically isolated.

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BELGIAN INVENTION PATENT

FPS Economy, K.M.O., Self-employed & Energy

Publication number: 1024728 Filing number: BE2016 / 5844

Intellectual Property Office

International Classification: H05B 33/08 H05B 37/02 Date of Issue: 12/06/2018

The Minister of Economy,

Having regard to the Paris Convention of 20 March 1883 for the Protection of Industrial Property;

Having regard to the Law of March 28, 1984 on inventive patents, Article 22, for patent applications filed before September 22, 2014;

Having regard to Title 1 Invention Patents of Book XI of the Economic Law Code, Article XI.24, for patent applications filed from September 22, 2014;

Having regard to the Royal Decree of 2 December 1986 on the filing, granting and maintenance of inventive patents, Article 28;

Having regard to the application for an invention patent received by the Intellectual Property Office on 09/11/2016.

Whereas for patent applications that fall within the scope of Title 1, Book XI, of the Code of Economic Law (hereinafter WER), in accordance with Article XI.19, § 4, second paragraph, of the WER, the granted patent will be limited. to the patent claims for which the novelty search report was prepared, when the patent application is the subject of a novelty search report indicating a lack of unity of invention as referred to in paragraph 1, and when the applicant does not limit his filing and does not file a divisional application in accordance with the search report.

Decision:

Article 1

NIKO NV, Industrial Park West 40, 9100 SAINT-NICOLAS Belgium;

represented by

HERTOGHE Kris, Hundeigemsesteenweg 1116, 9820, MERELBEKE;

a Belgian invention patent with a term of 20 years, subject to payment of the annual fees as referred to in Article XI.48, § 1 of the Economic Law Code, for: Double dimmer antenna configuration.

INVENTOR (S):

DE BRABANDER Peter, Uilenstraat 38, 9100, NIEUWKERKEN-WAAS;

PRIORITY:

BREAKDOWN:

Split from basic application:

Filing date of the basic application:

Article 2. - This patent is granted without prior investigation into the patentability of the invention, without warranty of the Merit of the invention, nor of the accuracy of its description and at the risk of the applicant (s).

Brussels, 12/06/2018,

With special authorization:

BE2016 / 5844

DOUBLE DIMMER AERIAL CONFIGURATION

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of electric dimmers. More specifically, it relates to the field of dimmers that can be controlled via a radio frequency (RF) interface.

Background of the invention

There are currently dimmers according to the state of the art, which can be controlled via RF. When only one dimmer needs to be controlled, the RF design for such dimmers is simple. However, when more than one electric dimmer has to be designed to fit in a flush-mounting box, this becomes less simple. Dimension problems and power problems then play a role. Regarding the dimensions, it is not recommended to place 2 antennas in one flush-mounted box. Also with regard to power, it is better to have only one RF antenna.

Especially when the dimmer is connected in 2-wire mode, power problems can become important. In 2-wire mode, the neutral terminal of the dimmer is not connected to the neutral wire of an AC voltage source. In that case, the requested power for controlling the dimmer ensures that a current flows through the load connected to the dimmer. When this load is an LED, even small currents can cause unwanted illumination of the LED. That is why it is important to limit the power consumption of the dimmer as much as possible.

EP2624666B1 describes two dimmers that are controlled via an RF interface over a serial link, one of the dimmers being used to drive the RF module and the other dimmer being galvanically isolated from the RF module.

In view of the space and power limitations described above, optimizations are possible for dimmer devices with more than one dimmer and which are controlled via an RF interface.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of embodiments of the present invention to provide a good dimmer device comprising more than one dimmer, the dimmers being controlled via an RF interface.

B E2016 / 5844

The above object is achieved by a method and apparatus according to the present invention.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a dimmer device comprising a first dimmer, a second dimmer and an RF block. The first dimmer is adapted to power the RF block. The first and second dimmers are adapted for communication with the RF block. The first dimmer, the second dimmer and the RF block are all galvanically isolated from each other.

Dimmer devices according to embodiments of the present invention, especially dimmers connected in 2-wire mode, have only a limited power budget. Therefore, it is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that an RF block is shared between two dimmers. Thus, there is only one power-consuming RF block instead of two power-consuming RF blocks. To further reduce power consumption, the first and second dimmers are galvanically isolated from the RF block. This is done for both the communication connections and for the power supply. Although extra space is required for the galvanic insulators, which is often difficult in the limited space of a dimmer (for example, a flush-mounted box), this has the great advantage that the voltage over the RF antenna can be controlled in such a way that a user can control the can touch safely without being injured. It is possible to position the RF antenna to optimize the antenna range with which it can send or receive data. This is because the antenna can be placed where a user could touch it. Due to the galvanic isolation, the user is not at risk of injuries when touching the RF antenna. For example, the antenna can be placed under the cover of the dimmer. The further the antenna is placed away from the wall, the better the signal becomes. Therefore, it is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that, for a comparable range, a lower power can be applied than to a prior art dimmer without galvanic isolation of the RF antenna.

A dimmer device according to embodiments of the present may include a first communication link between the first dimmer and the RF block, the first communication link comprising a first galvanic isolator for galvanically isolating the first dimmer from the RF block and a second communication link between the second dimmer and the RF block, the second communication link comprising a second galvanic isolator for isolating the second dimmer from the RF block.

BE2016 / 5844

In a dimmer device according to embodiments of the present invention, the first dimmer may comprise a power supply, the power supply being connected to the RF block over a first connection, for transferring the power to the RF block and the power supply and / or the first connection so that the power supply of the first dimmer is galvanically isolated from the RF block.

, The power supply of the first dimmer can be connected to the second dimmer over a second connection, for transferring power to the second dimmer, and the power supply of the first dimmer and / or the second connection can be adjusted so that the power supply of the first the dimmer is galvanically isolated from the second dimmer. In this concept, the galvanic isolation is advantageous since each dimmer has its own reference (its grounding) to independently check its error signals (e.g. short circuit) and to have a simple control circuit of the dimmer's mosfets. Another example concept is to use only one microcontroller for both dimmers. In this concept, the complexity of the different groundings / references has shifted to the control circuits of the mosfets. The advantage of using separate microcontrollers for both dimmers is the reuse of single dimmer code. In principle, only the RF communication link needs to be added, the base code of the dimmer remains the same.

In a dimmer arrangement according to embodiments of the present invention, the power supply may include a primary transformer coil and a secondary transformer coil per element to be powered. It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the galvanic separation between the power supply of the first dimmer and the RF block can be realized by the transformer of the power supply. It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the galvanic separation between the power supply of the first dimmer and the second dimmer can be realized by the transformer of the power supply.

In a dimmer device according to embodiments of the present invention, the RF block may comprise a microcontroller. It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that, through a microcontroller, various data can be processed and forwarded to the corresponding dimmer. The input data can, for example, be a data stream received by the RF antenna, but the input data can also come from the push of a button or the turning of a rotary knob.

B E2016 / 5844

In a dimmer device according to embodiments of the present invention, the power supply of the first dimmer may be a switched power supply. It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that this switched power supply allows efficient conversion of alternating current to direct current.

In a dimmer device according to embodiments of the present invention, the first dimmer and / or the second dimmer can be connected in 2 and / or 3 wire mode. Connectivity in 2-wire mode offers the advantage that such a dimmer can be installed in electrical installations where no neutral wire is available. For this 2-wire mode, the power consumption of the dimmer is a major problem. Therefore, it is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the RF block is shared between dimmers and that there is a galvanic separation between the dimmers and the RF block. The connection in 3-wire mode has the advantage, for example, that the power requirement is less stringent.

The accompanying independent and dependent claims set forth certain and preferred aspects of the invention. Features of the dependent claims may be combined as desired with features of the independent claims and features of other dependent claims and not solely as expressly set out in the claims.

These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and explained with reference to the embodiment (s) described below.

Brief description of the drawings

FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview of a dimmer device according to embodiments of the present invention.

The reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection.

In the different drawings, like reference numerals refer to like or like elements.

Extensive description of illustrative embodiments

The present invention will be described with respect to certain embodiments and with reference to a drawing, but the invention is not limited thereto, but only by the claims. The drawing described is only schematic and

BE2016 / 5844 non-limiting. For illustrative purposes, the size of some elements in the drawing may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale. The dimensions and relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions according to the practice of the invention.

The terms first, second and the like in the description and in the claims are used to distinguish between similar elements and not necessarily for describing an order, whether temporary, spatial, ordered or in any other way. It is to be appreciated that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable in certain instances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein may operate in sequences other than those described or illustrated herein.

It is to be noted that the term including, which is used in the claims, should not be construed as limiting the aforementioned means; it does not exclude other elements or steps. Thus, it is to be interpreted as specifying the presence of said features, numbers, steps or parts to which it refers, but does not exclude the presence of one or more other features, numbers, steps or parts, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the term a device comprising means A and B should not be limited to devices consisting exclusively of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.

The reference in this specification to one embodiment or an embodiment means that a particular feature, structure or property described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the terms in one embodiment or in an embodiment at different locations in this specification may not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, but they may. In addition, the particular features, structures or properties may be combined in any suitable manner, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art of this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.

Likewise, it should be understood that in the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention have sometimes been combined into one embodiment, figure or description thereof, for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and helping to understand one or more of the various

B E2016 / 5844 inventive aspects. However, this disclosure method should not be construed as an intention that the claimed implementation requires more features expressly stated in each claim. Instead, as the following claims indicate, the inventive aspects lie in less than all of the features of a single previous disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, each claim standing alone as a separate embodiment of this invention.

In addition, while some of the embodiments described herein contain some but not other features described in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the invention and to form various embodiments as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

Various specific details are set forth in the description herein. However, it is to be understood that embodiments of the invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of this description.

Embodiments of the present invention pertain to dimmer devices that include more than one dimmer and can be controlled via an RF interface. Dimmer devices according to embodiments of the present invention include a first dimmer, a second dimmer and an RF block. The RF block is shared between the first dimmer and the second dimmer. In embodiments of the present invention, the RF block is powered from the power supply of the first dimmer. In a dimmer device according to embodiments of the present invention, the dimmers and the RF block are galvanically isolated from each other. Therefore, the power supply of the first dimmer and / or the connection connecting the power supply to another dimmer or to the RF block are designed so that there is galvanic isolation between the connected components. The communication links between the dimmers and the RF block also include galvanic isolators. Although it is difficult to introduce galvanic insulators in a confined space such as a junction box, in embodiments of the present invention this is done to reduce the power consumption of the RF block. In embodiments

B E2016 / 5844 of the present invention is the galvanic isolation between the RF block and the dimmers such that restrictions due to required safety distances between the RF block (e.g. the RF antenna) and the user are reduced or even eliminated. For example, the voltage breakdown of the galvanic isolation can be designed so that the RF block becomes a SELV system (very low safety voltage, defined by IEC). Since, in embodiments of the present invention, the required safety distances between the user and the RF block are reduced or even eliminated, freedom of RF antenna design and placement is increased. For example, the RF antenna can be placed very close to the outside of the junction box or even outside the junction box. This leads to an improved range of the RF antenna and because of this improved range, the RF power can be decreased.

A possible implementation of a dimmer device 100 according to embodiments of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. This figure schematically shows a first dimmer 110, a second dimmer 120 and an RF block 130. The RF block is connected to an RF antenna 131.

The dimmer device 100 includes a first communication link 118 between the first dimmer 110 and the RF block 130. The communication link includes a first galvanic isolator 119 for galvanic isolation of the first dimmer 110 of the RF block 130.

The dimmer device 100 includes a second communication link 128 between the second dimmer 120 and the RF block 130. The communication link includes a second galvanic isolator 129 for galvanically isolating the second dimmer 110 of the RF block 130.

For example, the first and second communication links 118, 128 may be serial communication links. The first and second galvanic insulators 119,129 are shown in FIG. 1, as two coils over which the coupling is performed. However, other galvanic isolators are also possible, such as optical couplers. The galvanic isolators can also be realized using an optical communication connection, such as, for example, a digital optical coupler.

In FIG. 1, the first dimmer 110 comprises a power supply 112. Such a power supply may, for example, be a switched power supply. This power supply is connected by a first connection 139 to the RF block 130. Via this connection it is possible to supply power to the RF block 130. In embodiments of the present invention, the power supply 112 is of the first dimmer and / or the first connection

BE2016 / 5844

139 adapted so that the power supply 112 of the first dimmer is galvanically isolated from the RF block 130. In the example of FIG. 1, the galvanic isolation is implemented by a transformer in the power supply 112. Therefore, the transformer includes a primary transformer coil 113 and two secondary transformer coils 114, 115. The first secondary transformer coil 114 is for supplying power to the first dimmer itself. The second secondary transformer coil 115 is for supplying current to the RF block 130. For example, the transformer may be designed such that the secondary transformer coils generate an output voltage of 3 V in operation. The transformer must be carefully selected / designed. For example, to ensure SELVs, the transformer must pass a high voltage test (3750 V for 1 minute). The primary transformer coil 113 and the second secondary transformer coil 115 are connected to the rest of the circuit through circuits 124, 125; usually, for example, a diode and a capacitor as in a conventional power supply with flyback switch mode. If a lower voltage ripple is required on the output voltage (usually required for RF), an additional filter (eg additional induction coil and capacitor, ...) or even an LDO (low dropout) regulator can be fitted.

In the dimmer device illustrated in FIG. 1, the second dimmer 120 includes a power supply 122. In other embodiments of the present invention, the power supply 112 of the first dimmer 110 is connected to the second dimmer over a second connection to transfer power to the second dimmer. In that case, the power supply 122 of the second dimmer 120 is not necessary because no power can be drawn from the power supply 112 of the first dimmer

110. In that case, the power supply of the first dimmer and / or the second connection is adjusted so that the power supply of the first dimmer is galvanically isolated from the second dimmer. For example, the power transfer to the second dimmer can be performed by adding a third secondary coil to the transformer of the power supply 112 of the first dimmer 110, this coil being connected to the primary coil 113.

Due to the galvanic isolation, the first dimmer, the second dimmer and the RF block have three separate ground conductors. The first dimmer 110 has a first ground conductor 117 shown in FIG. 1 on one side of the first galvanic isolator 119 and on the first dimmer itself. The second dimmer 120 has a second ground conductor 127 shown in FIG. 1 on one side of the second galvanic isolator 129 and on the second dimmer

BE2016 / 5844 itself. The RF block has a third ground conductor 137 shown in FIG. 1 on the other side of the first and second galvanic isolators 119,129 and the RF block itself.

The dimmers illustrated in FIG. 1 can be connected in 2-wire mode or in 3-wire mode. In this example, each dimmer includes a switched line terminal 161,165, a wired control terminal 162,166, a line terminal 163, and a zero terminal 164. In this example, the line terminals are connected together at node 163 and the zero terminals are connected together at node 164. The zero terminals need not necessarily to be connected to the zero line or an AC voltage source. If the neutral terminal is not connected, this corresponds to a dimmer connected in 2-wire mode. If the neutral terminal is connected, this corresponds to a dimmer connected in 3-wire mode.

The dimmers can be, for example, phase cut-off dimmers. To control the dimmers, they can include a microcontroller (see microcontrollers 111 and 121 in FIG. 1).

In embodiments of the present invention, the RF block 130 includes a microcontroller 132. This microcontroller can be adapted to process incoming data from the RF antenna 131 and forward the corresponding commands to the respective dimmer over the communication links 118, 128. Control of dimmers 110, 120 can also be switched on via microcontroller 132 via push buttons or rotary devices. The rectangle 141 in FIG. 1 represents a possible push button or rotary knob for controlling the first dimmer 110. The rectangle 142 in FIG. 1 represents a possible push button or rotary knob for controlling the second dimmer 120. The microcontroller in the RF block can also enable monitoring of the status of the first and second dimmer.

Dimmer devices of the present invention can be used to implement a home automation system. For example, this can be implemented by combining them with a smartphone application. The RF block therefore enables communication with the smartphone application.

BE2016 / 5844

Claims (8)

CONCLUSIONS A dimmer device (100) comprising a first dimmer (110), a second dimmer (120) and an RF block (130), the first dimmer (110) being adapted to power the RF block (130) and wherein the first dimmer (110) and second dimmer (120) are adapted for communication with the RF block (130) and wherein the first dimmer, the second dimmer and the RF block are all galvanically isolated from each other. A dimmer device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the dimmer device comprises a first communication link (118) between the first dimmer (110) and the RF block (130), the first communication link (118) a first galvanic isolator (119 ) for galvanically isolating the first dimmer (110) from the RF block (130), the dimmer device comprising a second communication link (128) between the second dimmer (120) and the RF block (130), the second communication link (128) includes a second galvanic isolator (129) for galvanically isolating the second dimmer (120) from the RF block (130). A dimmer device (100) according to any preceding claim, wherein the first dimmer comprises a power supply (112), the power supply being connected to the RF block (130) over a first connection (139) for transmitting the current to the RF block (130) and the power supply (112) and / or the first connection (139) being adapted so that the power supply (112) of the first dimmer (110) is galvanically isolated from the RF block (130 ). A dimmer device (100) according to claim 3, wherein the power supply (112) of the first dimmer (110) is connected to the second dimmer (120) via a second connection for transferring power to the second dimmer and wherein the power supply (112) of the first dimmer and / or the second connection is adapted so that the power supply (112) of the first dimmer (110) is galvanically isolated from the second dimmer. BE2016 / 5844 A dimmer device (100) according to any of claims 3 or 4, wherein the power supply (112) includes a primary transformer coil (113) and a secondary transformer coil (114,115) per element to be powered. 5 A dimmer device (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the RF block (130) comprises a microcontroller (132). A dimmer device (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the power supply (112) of the first dimmer (110) is a switched power supply. A dimmer device (100) according to any preceding claim, wherein the first dimmer and / or the second dimmer can be connected in 2 and / or 3 wire mode. BE2016 / 5844