AU2020103257A4 - Multi-gear capacitive speed regulator - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a multi-gear capacitive speed regulator, including a substrate, a gear switch attached to the substrate, a gear circuit board and a speed regulating capacitor. The gear circuit board carries a 5 plurality of speed control gear contacts in a surface-mounted configuration, and a plurality of capacitor ports connected to the capacitor respectively, so that when the gear switch is in different gear positions, the contacts of the gear switch can contact with different gear contacts to connect different capacitors in the speed control circuit. The multi-gear capacitive speed 10 regulator eliminates the tedious and error-prone manual wiring operation. Moreover, through the proper design of the gear circuit board, a simple connection between the speed control circuit and the capacitor is achieved, and the miniaturization of the overall size of the capacitive speed regulator is realized. 15 4/6 16b 130 111C 16 18 111B 18 122 16a Fig. 4 PH1P12 P13 P 1 B2 P14 Fig. 5

Description

4/6

16b 130

111C 16 18

111B

18 122

16a

Fig. 4

PH1P12 P13

P 1 B2 P14

Fig. 5

MULTI-GEAR CAPACITIVE SPEED REGULATOR TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi-gear capacitive speed regulator. More specifically, it relates to a knob-type capacitive speed regulator with multiple gear positions for a ceiling fan, including a knob-type capacitive speed regulator with three speed control gear positions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Multi-speed ceiling fans usually use a capacitive speed regulator to control speed of their gears. Chinese Utility Model Patent No. ZL 200920054102.6 proposed a reduced capacitance use of capacitive speed regulator for forwarding and reversing gear rotation in 360 degrees. However, in the capacitive speed regulator, its overall size is large, and both the capacitor module and the gear switch module are designed with separate components, which need to be installed one-by-one onto the working bottom plate. In addition, the installation is not convenient since each gear and stator needs to be wired separately by hand to the capacitor module, and the possibility for wiring errors and poor contact is high.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need to provide a capacitive speed regulator that eliminates the need for wiring manually of individual components and avoids the problems of poor wiring and possible loosening of wires caused by the manual wiring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology, and to achieve the above-mentioned objects, an aspect of the present invention provides an improved knob-type multi-gear capacitive speed regulator.

[0005] In an exemplary embodiment, the multi-gear capacitive speed regulator of the present invention includes a substrate, a gear shift switch attached to the substrate, a gear circuit board and a speed regulating capacitor that includes first, second and third capacitors. The gear shift switch further includes a moving plate which is capable of switching positions among high-speed, medium-speed, low-speed and disconnection gears. The moving plate also has first and second contacts. The gear circuit board is provided with high-speed, medium-speed and low-speed gear contacts, along with a center gear contact. The gear circuit board further includes first, second and third capacitor ports along with live-wire and neutral ports. The first, second, and third capacitor ports are electrically connected to the first, second and third capacitors, respectively.

[0006] In the gear circuit board of the exemplary embodiment, the high-speed, medium-speed, and low-speed gear contacts are electrically connected to the first, second, and third capacitor ports, respectively. When the gear switch is in the high-speed gear position, the second contact of the moving plate is electrically connected to the first capacitor via the gear circuit board. When the gear switch is in the medium-speed gear position, the second contact of the moving plate is electrically connected to the second capacitor via the gear circuit board. When the gear switch is in the low-speed gear position, the second contact of the moving plate is electrically connected to the third capacitor via the gear circuit board. The first contact of the moving plate makes contact with the central gear contact.

[00071 According to the exemplary embodiment for the capacitive speed regulator, the capacitance of the third capacitor is less than the capacitance of the second capacitor, and the capacitance of the second capacitor is less than the capacitance of the first capacitor.

[0008] Yet according to the exemplary embodiment for the capacitive speed regulator, the substrate further includes a rotatable shaft, and the moving plate is operably attached to the rotatable shaft so as to follow the rotation of the rotatable shaft, causing the moving plate to switch among the high-speed, medium-speed, low-speed and disconnection gear positions.

[0009] In the exemplary embodiment, the substrate has top and bottom surfaces, with a supporting member provided at the bottom surface. A first groove provided at the center portion of the supporting member, and a second groove formed around the first groove. The first groove is shaped and sized to engage with a base of the rotatable shaft, with the moving plate fixedly connected to the base. The second groove is polygonal in shape, and the width of which is adapted for the installation of restraints for restraining the moving plate in the different gear positions. The restraints are confined at an angle as defined by the adjacent side walls of the second groove.

[0010] On the gear circuit board of the exemplary embodiment, the various contacts on the gear circuit board are mounted using a surface-mounting technology (SMT). Preferably, each contact mounted by the surface-mounting technology is composed from a copper sheet.

[0011] According to the capacitive speed regulator of the exemplary embodiment, the speed control circuit is pre-constructed on a circuit board (e.g., PCB board) using the surface-mount technology, and the electrical connection is made by contact connection, which eliminates tedious and error-prone manual wiring operations. In addition, the rational design of the gear circuit board in the capacitive speed regulator of the invention achieves a simple connection between the speed control circuit and the capacitor, as well as the miniaturization of the overall size of the capacitive speed regulator.

[0012] By reading the invention, the ordinarily skilled in the art will better understand the features and contents of these technical solutions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to the ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a capacitive speed regulator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bottom surface of the substrate of the capacitive speed regulator as shown in FIG. 1, with the rotatable shaft and the circuit board of the substrate removed;

[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the substrate and the moving plate as shown in FIG. 1 after installation;

[0017] FIG. 4 shows a structural relationship among the supporting member, the rotatable shaft and the moving plate as shown in FIG. 3, illustrating a mounting position of the moving plate on the rotatable shaft;

[0018] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the gear circuit board of the capacitive speed regulator as shown in FIG 1, showing connections for the contacts, ports and circuits;

[0019] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the gear circuit board illustrating the contact relationship between the moving plate of the gear switch, and the contacts of the gear circuit board when the capacitive speed regulator as shown in FIG. 1 is set to the medium-speed gear position;

[0020] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the rotatable shaft according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

[0021] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a front panel of the housing for the capacitive speed regulator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, showing three speed control gear positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

[0022] An exemplary embodiment according to the present invention of a capacitive speed regulator will be described below with references to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the dimensions of the various portions in the drawings are not depicted to scale and are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the true dimensions of the product of the present invention.

[0023] An example of the capacitive speed regulator as applied to a ceiling fan will be described in detail below.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the exemplary embodiment of the multi-gear capacitive speed regulator of the present invention includes a substrate S2, a gear switch A2, a gear circuit board B2, and a speed regulating capacitor C. The gear switch A2, the substrate S2, and the gear circuit board B2 are subsequently stacked together, while the speed regulating capacitor C is disposed on one side of the above-mentioned cascading structure. The speed regulating capacitor C can also be stacked on top of the cascading structure, so that the components are stacked one on top of the other in the cascaded manner to make the overall structure more compact.

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a structure for the substrate S2 and a moving plate 16 is shown schematically. As illustrated, the substrate S2 has a top surface 110, a bottom surface 120, and a supporting member 130 which is provided on the bottom surface 120. Specifically, the supporting member 130 is removably mounted on, attached to, or integrally formed with the bottom surface 120. A body of the supporting member 130 is approximately rectangular in shape, with a first groove 121 formed at the supporting member 130. The first groove 121 has a through hole 123 at the center of the first groove 121. The supporting member 130 further has a second groove 122 which is formed around the first groove 121.

[0026] A rotatable shaft 111 extending through the center of the substrate S2 and the through hole 123 of the supporting member 130 is provided on the substrate S2. The rotatable shaft 111 has a base 11lB and a pillar lIlA that extends from the base 111B. FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the rotatable shaft 111. The moving plate 16 is seated in a slot 11IC, which is formed on the bottom surface of the base 11lB (see FIG. 4). The shape and size of the first groove 121 are suitable for engaging the base 111B of the rotatable shaft 111. In the exemplary embodiment, the base 111B is configured to fit just right and firmly over the groove wall of the first groove 121 to completely receive the base 11lB. The base 11lB of the rotatable shaft 111 is provided with an inner cavity 111D that runs transversely through the base 111B, whereby an elastic member (not shown) is disposed within the inner cavity. A circular ball 18 is elastically loaded at each end of the elastic member, i.e. the elastic member always exerts an outward force on the circular ball 18 at each end thereof. The circular ball 18 is configured, when its outer surface is pressed, to overcome the elastic member to retract into the inner cavity 111D of the base 111B.

[00271 The second groove 122 is quadrilateral in cross-section, and the width of the second groove is suitable for constraining the circular balls 18, which are elastically loaded at both ends of the elastic member, to the angle defined by the adjacent side walls of the second groove 122 after the base 111B of the rotatable shaft 111 has been set in a proper position. A gap defined by the four side walls of the second groove 122 and the base 111B allows the circular ball 18, when subject to the pressure, to retract into the inner cavity of the base 11lB. In this manner, the moving plate 16 is maintained in a corresponding gear position (see FIG. 4).

[0028] The gear switch A2 includes the moving plate 16 and a gear knob 161 (see FIG. 8) capable of rotating and operating the moving plate 16 from an exterior of the housing. As described above, the moving plate 16 is fitted into the slot 111C formed in the base 111B of the rotatable shaft 111 such that the moving plate 16 rotates by following the rotation of the shaft 111, as illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 4. The gear knob 161 is attached to the shaft 111A of the rotatable shaft 111 on the outside of the housing to drive the rotatable shaft 111, and then to drive and control the rotation of the moving plate 16 so that the moving plate 16 can switch among the high-speed gear position III, medium-speed gear position II, low-speed gear position I, and disconnection gear position OFF.

[0029] In the exemplary embodiment, the moving plate 16 is of a slender and long shape having a first contact 16a and a second contact 16b that are at opposite ends to each other. The second contact 16b makes connection with a predetermined one of speed control contacts arranged on the periphery of the gear circuit board B2 in different gear settings, or does not make connection with the predetermined speed control contact, so as to enable switching among the high-speed gear position III, the medium-speed gear position II, the low-speed gear position I, and the disconnection gear position OFF. The first contact 16a makes connection with the center gear contact located at the gear circuit board B2 (see FIGS. 4 to 6).

[0030] The gear circuit board B2, which may employ a printed circuit board (PCB) or other suitable circuit board, is loaded on a cover plate 140. The cover plate 140 is configured to just covering the circuit board B2, and snapped onto the supporting member 130 through, for example, a snap closure 131. The cover plate 140 is provided to protect the circuit board B2 received in the substrate S2. As shown in FIG. 5, the gear circuit board B2 is equipped with a surface-mounted configuration for a high-speed gear contact 14, a medium-speed gear contact 13, a low-speed gear contact 12, and a center gear contact 11, which are used in connection with the first contact 16a and the second contact 16b of the moving plate 16 for gear position adjustment. The surface mount technology is a conventional technology for mounting electronic components on the surface of a printed circuit board (PCB) or on the surface of other substrates. In this invention, each of the above-mentioned gear contacts 14, 13, 12, 11 is composed of a copper sheet, and is installed on the gear circuit board B2 through the surface mount technology.

[0031] More specifically, the first contact 16a connects with the center gear contact 11, and the second contact 16b separately connects, at different gear positions, with the high-speed gear contact 14, the medium-speed gear contact 13, the low-speed gear contact 12 or no gear contact. When the circular ball 18 is constrained to one of the angles as defined by two adjacent side walls of the second groove 122 of the supporting member 130, the second contact 16b connects precisely with one of the gear contacts, thereby switching on the corresponding capacitor, and at which point the regulator is set to one of the speed control gear positions.

[0032] Preferably, the moving plate 16 is integrally formed from a single, complete copper sheet in one piece. In order to enhance the electrical connection with each individual gear contact, the two contacts 16a, 16b of the moving plate 16 are slightly raised towards the gear circuit board B2, so that when the moving plate 16 is rotated, the first contact 16a and the center gear contact 11 are always connected, and the second contact 16b is in connection with the different speed gear contacts 14, 13, 12 in different gear positions, or is not in connection with the speed gear contacts at the OFF position.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, one edge of the gear circuit board B2 is provided with a first capacitor port p11, a second capacitor port p12, and a third capacitor port p13, and the other edge is provided with a live-wire port p14 and a neutral port p15. The aforementioned ports are used to make electrical connections with components other than the gear circuit board B2. These ports can use conventional ports for electrical connections, such as wire sockets with bolts as an example.

[0034] The speed regulating capacitor C comprises a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a third capacitor. The first capacitor, the second capacitor and the third capacitor are electrically connected in sequence to the first capacitor port p 1 1, second capacitor port p12 and third capacitor port p13 of the gear circuit board B2.

[0035] The high-speed gear contact 14, the medium-speed gear contact 13, and the low-speed gear contact 12 of the gear circuit board B2 are also electrically connected to the first capacitor port p11, the second capacitor port p12, and the third capacitor port p13, respectively. By properly positioning each gear contact in the gear circuit board B2, the second contact 16b can be connected to the corresponding gear contacts when the moving plate 16 is located at the different gear positions, thereby connecting the different capacitors in the speed control circuit in order to adjust the capacitance of the speed control circuit.

[0036] Specifically, when the gear switch A2 is in the high-speed gear position III, the second contact 16b of the moving plate 16 is in contact with the high-speed gear contact 14. When the gear switch A2 is in the medium-speed gear position II, the second contact 16b of the moving plate 16 is in contact with the medium-speed gear contact 13. When the gear switch A2 is in the low-speed gear position I, the second contact 16b of the moving plate 16 is in contact with the low-speed gear contact 12. In operation, when the gear switch A2 is in the high-speed gear position III, the second contact 16b of the moving plate 16 is electrically connected to the first capacitor via the gear circuit board B2 and the first capacitor port p11. When the gear switch A2 is in the medium-speed gear position II, the second contact 16b of the moving plate 16 is electrically connected to the second capacitor via the gear circuit board B2 and the second capacitor port p12. When the gear switch A2 is in the low-speed gear position I, the second contact 16b of the moving plate 16 is electrically connected to the third capacitor via the gear circuit board B2 and the third capacitor port p 13 .

[0037] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 8, one can see that when the gear switch A2 is in the high-speed gear position III, the second contact 16b of the moving plate 16 is in contact with the high-speed gear contact 14, and the first capacitor is connected in parallel between the ceiling fan and the power line. When the gear switch A2 is in the medium-speed gear position II, the second contact 16b of the moving plate 16 is in contact with the medium-speed gear contact 13, and the second capacitor is connected in parallel between the ceiling fan and the power line. When the switch A2 is in the low-speed gear position I, the second contact 16b of the moving plate 16 is in contact with the low-speed contact 12 and a third capacitor is connected in parallel between the ceiling fan and the power line.

[0038] In order to increase the rotational speed of the ceiling fan from the low-speed gear position I to the high-speed gear position III in sequence, the electrical capacitance within each gear position should also be increased in sequence. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment, the capacitance of the third capacitor is smaller than the capacitance of the second capacitor, and the capacitance of the second capacitor is smaller than the capacitance of the first capacitor.

[0039] According to the conventional method of connecting the switch to the electrical apparatus, the live-wire of the AC utility is connected to the live-wire port p14, and the neutral wire of the AC utility, after being connected to the ceiling fan, use other line of the ceiling fan to connect with the neutral port p15. In addition, for wiring convenience, the output of the speed regulating capacitor C is connected to the neutral port p15.

[0040] The speed regulating capacitor C can be attached to the substrate S2 by various conventional methods, such as adhesion to the bottom surface 120 of the substrate S2 with glue, or fixed to the substrate S2 by mechanical means (e.g., by a pin clamping method). In this way, the stacked structure formed by the substrate S2, the gear circuit board B2, and/or the speed regulating capacitor C does not require the use of accessories such as screws/bolts. Such snap-in design can simplify the assembly process of the capacitive speed regulator without affecting the durability of the capacitive speed regulator, and has the characteristics of a compact structure and small size. The capacitive speed regulator in the exemplary embodiment does not need any working bottom plate, and can be directly installed on the substrate S1 attached to the housing.

[0041] The capacitive regulator of the present invention further includes a housing for attachment with the substrate S2 of the exemplary embodiment. The housing of the capacitive regulator can be of various sizes, as long as it can accommodate the internal components. Compared to the conventional apparatus, the size of the capacitive speed regulator of the present invention is significantly reduced due to the compact structure.

[0042] One of the key advantages of the present invention is that the electrical connection of the electrical components with each capacitor is simplified through the design of the gear circuit board B2, and the overall size of the regulator is reduced by appropriately disposing the gear circuit board B2 and other components on the substrate.

[0043] The above describes the capacitive speed regulator of the present invention in detail by describing the exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but is limited by the accompanying claims. Without departing from the object and spirit of the present invention, various modifications to the embodiment are possible, but they remain within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (5)

1. WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A multi-gear capacitive speed regulator, comprising: a substrate (S2); a gear switch (A2) attached to the substrate (S2); a gear circuit board (B2); and a speed control capacitor having first, second and third capacitors, wherein the gear switch (A2) includes a moving plate (16) for switching among high-speed, medium-speed, low-speed and neutral-speed gear positions, and the moving plate (16) further includes a first contact (16a) and a second contact (16b), wherein the gear circuit board (B2) includes a high-speed gear contact (14), a medium-speed gear contact (13), a low-speed gear contact (12) and a center gear contact (11), along with a first capacitor port (p11), a second capacitor port (p12), a third capacitor port (p13), a live-wire port (p14) and a neutral port (p15), wherein the first capacitor port (p11), the second capacitor port (p12) and the third capacitor port (p13) are electrically connected to the first capacitor, the second capacitor, and the third capacitor, respectively, wherein the high-speed gear contact (14), the medium-speed gear contact (13), and the low-speed gear contact (12) in the gear circuit board (B2) are electrically connected to the first capacitor port (p 1 1), the second capacitor port (p12), and the third capacitor port (p13), respectively, such that when the gear switch (A2) is in the high-speed gear position, the second contact (16b) of the moving plate (16) is electrically connected to the first capacitor via the gear circuit board (B2), when the gear switch (A2) is in the medium-speed gear position, the second contact (16b) of the moving plate (16) is electrically connected to the second capacitor via the gear circuit board (B2), and when the gear switch (A2) is in the low-speed gear position, the second contact (16b) of the moving plate (16) is electrically connected to the third capacitor via the gear circuit board (B2), and wherein the first contact (16a) of the moving plate (16) is electrically connected with the central contact (11).
2. 2. The multi-gear capacitive speed regulator according to claim 1, wherein the substrate (S2) has a rotatable shaft (111), and the moving plate (16) being operably attached to the rotatable shaft (111) so as to follow rotation of the rotatable shaft (111), causing the moving plate (16) to switch among the high-speed, medium-speed, low-speed and neutral-speed gear positions.
3. 3. The multi-gear capacitive speed regulator according to claim 1, wherein the substrate (S2) further includes: a top surface (110) and a bottom surface (120); a supporting member (130) provided on the bottom surface (120); a first groove (121) provided at a center portion of the supporting member (130); and a second groove (122) formed around the first groove (121), wherein the first groove is shaped and sized to engage with a base (111B) of the rotatable shaft (111), with the moving plate (16) attached to the base (111B), wherein the second groove (122) is polygonal in shape, and has a groove width that accommodates restraints for restraining the moving plate (16) to the different gear positions, and wherein each of the restraints is confined to an angle defined by walls of adjacent sides of the second groove (122).
4. 4. The multi-gear capacitive speed regulator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the high-speed gear contact (14), the medium-speed gear contact (13), the low-speed gear contact (12) and the center gear contact (11) are mounted on the gear circuit board (B2) using a surface mounting technology.
5. 5. The multi-gear capacitive regulator according to claim 4, wherein the high-speed gear contact (14), the medium-speed gear contact (13), the low-speed gear contact (12) and the center gear contact (11) mounted using the surface mount technology are made from one or more copper sheets.