AU2019100181A4 - An electronic apparatus for remotely controlling wall switches. - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract An electronic apparatus for remotely controlling a wall switch is disclosed. The elec tronic apparatus is mounted on the wall switch and comprises: a housing including a top panel (1), a top frame (2) and a bottom housing (13), a circuit board (5) which supports wireless communication, charging and touch detection, a backlight board (3) for transmitting both light and touch signals, a magnet (12), a motor (8) with a flexible arm which consists of an upper part (9), a spring (10) and a lower part (11), a battery (16), and fixing parts for fixing a motor cover (7). (Fig. 1) Drawings Figure 1: Explosion view of the invention.

Description

ELECTRONIC APPARATUS FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING WALL SWITCHES.

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to the field of electronic devices, and more particularly, to an electronic apparatus for remotely controlling wall switches.

BACKGROUND [0002] In many houses, people have to walk certain distance to reach the wall switches. When the disabled or elderly arc about to sleep, unless the switch is nearby the bed, they need to firstly turn off the light switch and then go to bed. The darkness after turning off the light can cause unexpected injuries due to falling for example. Currently there arc various smart wall switches in the market which supports wireless control. However, for people who use traditional wall switches with buttons, it is usually very troublesome to replace the old switch by installing a smart one. Therefore, there is a need to provide a function for enabling a traditional wall switch to support remote control/wirclcss communication.

SUMMARY [0003] The present invention can enable a traditional wall switch to support remote control/wirclcss communication by providing an electronic apparatus for remotely controlling a wall switch. The electronic apparatus can be mounted on the panel of a traditional wall switch so that user can remotely control the traditional wall switch, which avoids the trouble of replacing the old switch with a smart one.

[0004] The electronic apparatus for remotely controlling a wall switch comprises: a housing including a top panel, a top frame and a bottom housing, a circuit board which supports wireless communication, charging and touch detection, a backlight board for transmitting both light and touch signals, a magnet, a motor with a flexible arm which consists of an upper part, a spring and a lower part, a battery, and fixing parts for fixing a motor cover.

[0005] The electronic apparatus is characterized in that: after receiving a wireless communication signal from an external device or a touch signal, the circuit board controls the motor to rotate the flexible arm to toggle the switch button of the wall switch.

[0006] Alternatively, the battery is a rechargeable or non-rcchargcablc battery.

2019100181 19 Feb 2019 [0007] Alternatively, the motor is a servo motor or a direct-current motor.

[0008] Alternatively, the flexible arm for toggling the switch button may be implemented in various ways.

[0009] Alternatively, the magnet may be replaced by other fixing members, such as a buckle or a hook for fixing the electronic apparatus on the panel of the wall switch.

[0010] Preferably, four magnets arc provided.

[0011] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BACKGROUND [0012] The accompanying drawings, which arc incorporated in and constitute a part of the description, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description thereof, serve to explain the principles of the present invention, it should be noted that the drawings may not be made according to the actual scales.

[0013] Fig. 1 is an exploded view of the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing the working principle of the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a motor with an arm of the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] The reference signs represent the following components: 1-glass panel; 2-top frame; 3-backlight board; 4-scrcw; 5-PCB; 6-fixcd piece; 7-motor cover; 8- motor; 9-uppcr part of an arm; 10-spring; 11-lowcr part of an arm; 12-magnct; 13-bottom housing; 14-platc; 15-magnct; 16- battery.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0018] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be noted that the relative arrangement, numerical expressions and numerical values of the components and steps set forth in these examples do not limit the scope of the invention unless otherwise specified.

[0019] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is in fact merely illustrative and is in no way intended as a limitation to the present invention and its application or use.

[0020] Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail but where appropriate, the techniques, methods, and apparatus should be considered as part of the description.

[0021] Among all the examples shown and discussed herein, any specific value should be construed as merely illustrative and not as a limitation. Thus, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0022] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the accompanying drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in a drawing, and there is no need for further discussion in the subsequent accompanying drawings.

[0023] As illustrated in Figure 1, an electronic apparatus for remotely controlling a wall switch is mounted on the panel of the wall switch and comprises: a housing including a top panel (1), a top frame (2) and a bottom housing (13), a circuit board (5) which supports wireless communication, charging and touch detection, a backlight board (3) for transmitting both light and touch signals, a magnet (12), a motor (8) with a flexible arm which consists of an upper part (9), a spring (10) and a lower part (11), a battery (16), and fixing parts for fixing a motor cover (7). The base board consists of a plate (14) and a magnet (15). The number of the magnets (15) is four in this embodiment, and may be set as required, which will not be limited herein. Alternatively, the magnet (15) may be replaced by other fixing members, such as a buckle or a hook for fixing the electronic apparatus on the panel of the wall switch. The battery (16) may be a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery.

[0024] As the only step of installation, the base board needs to be glued on the switch plate. As illustrated in Figure 2, when using the electronic apparatus, user can easily place the electronic apparatus on the base board and it will be attracted by magnets (14). When the

2019100181 19 Feb 2019 user docs not need to use it, the electronic apparatus can be easily removed. The switch and its plate will not be damaged in daily use.

[0025] A remote controller is developed as well for controlling the electronic apparatus, so that people can remotely control the wall switch. When the user wants to change the status of the switch, they can use the remote controller to send a signal to the electronic apparatus and control it to push the switch button.

[0026] If a signal is received, the circuit board (5) will activate the motor (8) to rotate its flexible arm (9, 10, 11) in a corresponding direction. It will push the switch button to change the its status from on (off) to off (on), as illustrated in Figure 3. During the use, the indicator light-emitting diode in the PCB (5) will flash correspondingly to indicate an electronic apparatus status (e.g. working, low power and charging). The backlight board (3) can evenly transmit the light to the top panel (1). As a result, users can remotely control and switch the target appliances (e.g. lights).

[0027] As sometimes user still wants to directly turn the switch without a remote control, a touch pad is mounted on the circuit board (5) which can receive a touch signal from the top panel (1). As a result, when user click the center of the top panel (1), a touching signal will be transmitted by the backlight board (3) and received by the circuit board (5), which then controls the motor (8) to start working to push the switch button with the arm (9, 10, 11).

[0028] As illustrated in Figure 4, a key component of the invention is the motor (8) and its arm which contains an upper part (9), a spring (10) and a lower part (11). This flexible and adjustable structure makes the electronic apparatus compatible with many kinds of switch buttons in the market that might have dimensional differences. The motor (8) may be a servo motor or a direct-current motor.

[0029] For buttons with lower heights, the spring in the arm will not compress much during the rotation. For those with larger heights, it will compress correspondingly to better contact with the switch button.

[0030] While certain specific embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated by way of example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing examples arc provided for the purpose of illustration and arc not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing embodiments may be modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

The scope of the present invention is subject to the attached claims.

Claims (5)

1. An electronic apparatus for remotely controlling a wall switch, mounted on the wall switch and comprising a housing including a top panel (1), a top frame (2) and a bottom housing (13), a circuit board (5) which supports wireless communication, charging and touch detection, a backlight board (3) for transmitting both light and touch signals, a magnet (12), a motor (8) with a flexible arm which consists of an upper part (9), a spring (10) and a lower part (11), a battery (16), and fixing parts for fixing a motor cover (7), the electronic apparatus being characterized in that: after receiving a wireless communication signal from an external device or a touch signal, the circuit board (5) controls the motor (8) to rotate the flexible arm to toggle the switch button of the wall switch.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the battery (16) is a rechargeable or non-rcchargcablc battery.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the motor (8) is a servo motor or a direct-current motor.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible arm for toggling the switch button may be implemented in various ways.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnet (12) may be replaced by other fixing members, such as a buckle or a hook for fixing the electronic apparatus on the panel of the wall switch.

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Drawings

Figure 1: Explosion view of the invention.

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Figure 2: View of appearance of the invention.

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Figure 4: View of the servo with the arm.