EP4016580A1 - Dispositif de commutation approprié pour la commande sans fil d'un circuit électrique - Google Patents

Dispositif de commutation approprié pour la commande sans fil d'un circuit électrique Download PDF

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Publication number
EP4016580A1
EP4016580A1 EP20383130.0A EP20383130A EP4016580A1 EP 4016580 A1 EP4016580 A1 EP 4016580A1 EP 20383130 A EP20383130 A EP 20383130A EP 4016580 A1 EP4016580 A1 EP 4016580A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
terminals
switching device
processing unit
power
switch
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP20383130.0A
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German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Pablo Capa Monzón
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to EP20383130.0A priority Critical patent/EP4016580A1/fr
Publication of EP4016580A1 publication Critical patent/EP4016580A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
    • H05B47/00—Circuit arrangements for operating light sources in general, i.e. where the type of light source is not relevant
    • H05B47/10—Controlling the light source
    • H05B47/175—Controlling the light source by remote control
    • H05B47/19—Controlling the light source by remote control via wireless transmission
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2300/00—Orthogonal indexing scheme relating to electric switches, relays, selectors or emergency protective devices covered by H01H
    • H01H2300/03—Application domotique, e.g. for house automation, bus connected switches, sensors, loads or intelligent wiring
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H89/00—Combinations of two or more different basic types of electric switches, relays, selectors and emergency protective devices, not covered by any single one of the other main groups of this subclass
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H9/00—Details of switching devices, not covered by groups H01H1/00 - H01H7/00
    • H01H9/16—Indicators for switching condition, e.g. "on" or "off"
    • H01H9/168—Indicators for switching condition, e.g. "on" or "off" making use of an electromagnetic wave communication

Definitions

  • the technical field of the present invention is framed in that of switching devices, in particular, those that have means to control wirelessly those electrical circuits that also require plugs or manual switches.
  • Wireless DPDT Double-Pole Double-Throw switches suitable for remote control of circuits having two manual SPDT (Single-Pole Double-Throw) switches are known in the state of the art.
  • the Spanish patent application P 201930954 discloses a wireless communication switching system for the control of lighting circuits, configured to be interspersed between the two manual SPDT switches of the circuit and to be able to control the on and off of the light through a Smartphone and without cancelling those manual SPDT switches.
  • This system comprises a pair of relays configured to act as a DPDT (Double-Pole Double-Throw)switch, which is controlled by a processing unit with wireless communication via WIFI. It also has a converter and a battery whose power terminals are connected to one side and another of the DPDT switch, with the intention of powering the processing unit and charging the battery when the lighting circuit is open (i.e.
  • the system interprets that the light is off when these terminals receive power, as well as that it is on when they do not receive it, and sends the corresponding interpretation to that Smartphone via WIFI with the intention of showing the user if the light is on or off.
  • the present invention consists of a switching device for electrical circuits of the type comprising a power supply (such as a electrical outlet for a lighting circuit or a plug circuit) and an electrical load (such as a light bulb or any device connected to a plug), allowing the switching device to wirelessly control the on and off functions of the electrical load, as well as its consumption, while allowing the use of at least one manual SPDT switch (such as two SPDT switches connected to each other).
  • a power supply such as a electrical outlet for a lighting circuit or a plug circuit
  • an electrical load such as a light bulb or any device connected to a plug
  • the present switching device suitable for wireless control of an electrical circuit comprises:
  • the present switching device is characterized in that the power terminals are in electrical connection with the two terminals of the same pair of terminals of the DPDT switch, either the pair of primary terminals or the pair of secondary terminals.
  • this switching device when installed in an electrical circuit with one or more manual switches, whether SPDT switches or DPDT switches, it is possible for the power terminals of the processing unit to be in electrical connection with the output terminals of the same manual switch. As a result, there is no switching combination of the circuit SPDT switches where the power terminals do not receive voltage when the circuit is open. In other words, provided that the circuit is open, the processing unit will be powered and remain in wireless communication with the system from which the user controls the DPDT switch.
  • wireless communication means may consist, for example, of a WIFI or Bluetooth module, with which the processing unit communicates with a control software, which, among other things, allows control of the DPDT switch.
  • This software for example, can be a phone application and/or a web available on an Internet-accessible cloud server. In this way, control can be done remotely from anywhere in the world and at any time.
  • Communication with the processing unit can also be carried out by any voice control device, such as those consisting on Amazon Alexa, IFTTT or Google Home.
  • the software can implement many other functions, such as timing (setting an opening and/or closing time of the circuit) or controlling power consumption.
  • the switching device comprises one primary external connector and one secondary external connector, where one of the primary terminals of the DPDT switch is electrically connected to the primary external connector and one of the secondary terminals is in electrical connection to the secondary external connector.
  • the electrical load of the circuit can consist of a plug where an electrical device is plugged in, making it wirelessly controllable through the switching device.
  • the switching device can also be integrated into the plug, providing savings in manufacturing costs in relation to whether the plug was manufactured separately from the switching device, as well as savings on installation costs, as its installation is as simple and fast as installing a common plug.
  • the switching device comprises one primary external connector, one secondary external connector, and a manual control element, which can include a SPDT switch and/or a dimmer.
  • a manual SPDT switch In the case of a manual SPDT switch, it has an input terminal and two output terminals, where:
  • the switching device comprises both the functionality of opening and closing the circuit wirelessly and manually on a single device.
  • This embodiment provides savings in manufacturing costs in relation to whether the manual SPDT switch is manufactured separately from the switching device, and on the other hand, provides savings in installation costs, as its installation is as simple and fast as the installation of a common manual switch.
  • the switching device also comprises a dimmer, it has two terminals, where one of the two is in electrical connection either to the primary external connector or to the secondary external connector (that is, it is located at one end of the switching device).
  • the switching device comprises two primary external connectors and a secondary external connector, where:
  • this embodiment with a single secondary external connector is suitable for wireless control of circuits that have a single external manual SPDT switch.
  • the primary external connectors of the switching device are arranged to connect to the respective terminal output connectors of the external manual switch, while the secondary external connector is arranged to connect to the cable that closes the circuit (usually the cable that comes from the circuit load, although it could also come from the power source if the installation has been done the other way around).
  • the switching device comprises two primary external connectors and two secondary external connectors, where:
  • This embodiment of the switching device allows it to be installed in both electrical circuits comprising a manual SPDT switch and those comprising two, without losing their functionality.
  • the connection of the present embodiment is the same as the connection of the above-mentioned embodiment, only that one of the two secondary external connectors is left unconnected.
  • the switching device is arranged to be installed interspersed between the two.
  • the processing unit is arranged and configured to switch the DPDT switch in case the power terminals do not receive voltage (the fact that the power terminals do not receive voltage will usually be because a user has switched one of the manual switches).
  • the processing unit is preferably arranged and configured to send a warning to the user(e.g. through the control software) that the circuit has run out of electricity.
  • the device comprises an electronic dimmer, understanding as electronic dimmer as a component capable of being electronically controlled by a processing unit and suitable for regulating the consumption, the current intensity and/or the electrical voltage of an electrical circuit.
  • the electronic dimmer comprises a first connector and a second connector, and has electronic means to carry out such regulation.
  • the first connector is in electrical connection to one of the power terminals and the second connector is in electrical connection to the other of the power terminals.
  • the electronic dimmer is electronically linked to the processing unit, to be controlled by it. Thanks to this, the user can wirelessly regulate the consumption, current and/or voltage that receive the electrical load as long as the circuit remains open.
  • the processing unit comprises means and/or is configured to register the dimming setting the electronic dimmer is at any given moment, which, in combination with the fact that it may be configured and arranged to switch the DPDT switch in case it does not receive power, allows the switching device to always be receiving power and the electronic dimmer be always available to control wirelessly the circuit.
  • the processing unit in order for the processing unit to be able to interpret when the user desires to change the state of the circuit using the manual switch and act accordingly, the processing unit is arranged and configured preferably to, after having carried out the aforementioned switching of the DPDT switch, control the electronic dimmer in at least one of the following ways:
  • the processing unit can be configured to send the registered information to the software management.
  • the management software can calculate the consumption of the electrical circuit and communicate it to the user.
  • the procedure can include a stage at which the processing unit calculates the electrical consumption of the circuit using the information about the electronic dimmer regulation and sends the consumption value to the user.
  • the stage may consist of the processing unit sending the information about electronic dimmer regulation to external software and it calculates the electrical consumption of the circuit and sends it to the user.
  • the switching device comprises a battery linked to the processing unit, designed and arranged to be charged when those power terminals receive voltage, as well as to power the processing unit when the power terminals do not receive voltage.
  • the processing unit can be powered from the battery (for example, being useful in the event that an electronic dimmer is not available, or if it is available, to power the processing unit during the switching process).
  • the processing unit comprises means and/or is configured to determine whether the received power comes from the power terminals or from the battery.
  • it can also be configured to send a signal with such information to the software to make relevant interpretations. Thanks to this, in some of the previously mentioned embodiments, the user will be able to be informed instantly through his Smartphone of whether someone has opened or closed the circuit manually or wirelessly in real time.
  • the switching device preferably comprises a voltage converter interspersed between the two power terminals and the processing unit, being the voltage converter configured and ready to receive the voltage from the power terminals and to convert it into an adequate voltage to provide it to the processing unit.
  • the switching device preferably comprises a second DPDT switch.
  • a pair of terminals of each DPDT switch is in electrical connection between themselves and simultaneously with those power terminals.
  • the second DPDT switch is also linked to the processing unit, and the latter comprises means and/or is configured to detect whether the power source comes in the opposite direction that is needed and, in that case, switch both DPDT switches. In this way, the processing unit is able to reverse the direction of the current if required.
  • at least one terminal of one pair is in electrical connection to the at least one primary external connector and at least one terminal of the other pair is in electrical connection with the at least one secondary external connector.
  • the DPDT switch comprises a double switch or bipolar switch, with two fixed terminals and two pairs of switchable terminals, each pair with a first and a second switchable terminal, where the first switchable terminals of each pair are in contact with the second switchable terminals of the other pair.
  • the DPDT switch comprises a pair of relays as switching elements, which are easily controllable by the processing unit.
  • the switching device comprises means to prevent it from draining.
  • These means to prevent the battery from running out may consist of means to detect whether the load is currently receiving electric current and/or means to determine the remaining battery level.
  • the means to detect whether or not it is receiving electric current in an appropriate option for the case where the electrical circuit charge is a lighting component, the means required comprises a light sensor arranged and configured to detect whether the lighting component of the electrical circuit is on or off mode and, in such case, send the corresponding signal to the processing unit, to allow it to perform accordingly.
  • the means to detect whether the load is receiving electric current include a voltmeter or an ammeter for determining if there is a current flow through the load, while also arranged to provide the processing unit such information in order to allow it to run the appropriate actions.
  • the means to determine the remaining battery level one of the possible options is that the means comprise a timer for counting the elapsed time during which the processing unit has not received power and allowing the unit to estimate the remaining battery time available and perform relevant actions.
  • the means comprise a battery level meter arranged to inform the processing unit with such information and to take appropriate actions.
  • the capacity of the battery is sized to provide power to the processing unit for a defined period, which can be between 12 and 96 hours, although it is preferably 24 hours.
  • An advantage of the previously described embodiments of the switching device is that they can be manufactured to a sufficiently small size so that they can be placed inside the title block of a previously existing manual SPDT switch, in order to keep the existing aesthetical appearance (which usually has the same design in all switches of a home).
  • the system is powered only by the existing connections on a switch, so it is not necessary to install any additional connection or any specific protocol or any other additional device doing the control system's function in order to be coordinated with the other manual switches.
  • the present switching device (10, 10', 10") is suitable for the wireless control of electrical circuits of the type comprising at least one power supply (F) and one electrical load (L), and which also comprises at least one manual switch (i, i').
  • a control software with functions such as, among other things, transmitting the switching instructions of the DPDT switch.
  • This software can be a phone application and/or a web available on an Internet-accessible cloud server.
  • FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the switching device (10) suitable mainly for circuits where it is required to be able to open and close the circuit manually and wirelessly, as well as regulate the consumption of the load (L) at least manually.
  • This embodiment includes:
  • the switching device (10) it is possible to open and close a circuit, as well as to regulate the electrical load consumption, both manually and wirelessly.
  • the fact that it comprises a voltage converter (4) is in order to be suitable for electric AC circuits, although the scope of protection of the invention also encompasses the option without voltage converter (4).
  • the manual dimmer (d) and a manual SPDT switch (i) can be integrated into the switching device housing (10), reducing circuit costs.
  • the scope of the present invention also covers the option that the manual dimmer (d) and the manual SPDT switch (i) are independent of the switching device (10).
  • the manual dimmer (d) can also comprise electronic means to be linked and controllable by the processing unit (2), so that the user can also regulate the consumption of the load (L) wirelessly.
  • FIG 3 shows an embodiment of the switching device (10') suitable mainly for DC electrical circuits which comprise a manual switch (i') external to the switching device (10').
  • This embodiment comprises:
  • this embodiment of the switching device (10') it is possible to open and close a circuit with the manual switch (i') external to the switching device (10'), as well as to change the direction of the electric current received by the processing unit (2).
  • the scope of protection of the invention also covers the option that this embodiment has a second manual switch(i') and/or DPDT switches external to the switching device (10'), as well as other elements described in this memory.
  • the electrical circuit is open and the power terminals (2a, 2b) receive voltage, so the processing unit (2) is powered and the battery (3) is charged.
  • the processing unit (2) is also arranged and configured to determine whether the power it receives comes from the power terminals (2a, 2b) or battery (3), while it is configured to send this information to the control software, in order to inform the user of the changes of status on the electrical circuit as a result or manual operation of the switches (i, i').
  • FIG 4 shows an embodiment of the switching device (10") suitable mainly for circuits where it is required to be able to open and close the circuit manually and wirelessly, as well as regulate the consumption of the load (L) at least wirelessly.
  • This embodiment includes:
  • the electronic dimmer (5) may comprise means to allow to be manually controlled by the user from outside the switching device (10").
  • the electronic dimmer (5) can regulate the current consumption (L), as long as the circuit is open.
  • the processing unit (2) comprises means and is configured to record the status or regulation in which the electronic dimmer is set (5), while configured and arranged to operate the DPDT switch (1) when it is not receiving power (which will usually corresponds of a manual operation of one SPDT switch (i') by a user with the intention of changing the state of the circuit).
  • the electronic dimmer (5) must be controlled accordingly by the processing unit (2) to achieve the state of the circuit that the user has required, being in one of the following ways:
  • the battery is configured and arranged to be charged by the processing unit (2) when such power terminals (2a, 2b) receive voltage, as well as to power the processing unit (2) when the power terminals (2a, 2b) do not receive voltage. While it is true that in the embodiments of Figures 2 and 3 the batteries (3) must have an adequate capacity so that the circuit can be closed and power the processing unit (2) for hours, in the embodiment of Figure 4 the capacity of the battery (3) can be much less, since it will only need to power the processing unit (2) during the period of time that it takes to detect that it have stopped receiving power and switch the DPDT switch (1).

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Circuit Arrangement For Electric Light Sources In General (AREA)
EP20383130.0A 2020-12-21 2020-12-21 Dispositif de commutation approprié pour la commande sans fil d'un circuit électrique Withdrawn EP4016580A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP20383130.0A EP4016580A1 (fr) 2020-12-21 2020-12-21 Dispositif de commutation approprié pour la commande sans fil d'un circuit électrique

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP20383130.0A EP4016580A1 (fr) 2020-12-21 2020-12-21 Dispositif de commutation approprié pour la commande sans fil d'un circuit électrique

Publications (1)

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EP4016580A1 true EP4016580A1 (fr) 2022-06-22

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EP20383130.0A Withdrawn EP4016580A1 (fr) 2020-12-21 2020-12-21 Dispositif de commutation approprié pour la commande sans fil d'un circuit électrique

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Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8269376B1 (en) * 2011-09-06 2012-09-18 Elbex Video Ltd. Method and apparatus for switching on-off a group or all lights or appliances of premises
ES2740598A1 (es) * 2019-10-30 2020-07-24 Asistentes Digitales S L Sistema de interruptor conmutable por comunicación inalámbrica

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8269376B1 (en) * 2011-09-06 2012-09-18 Elbex Video Ltd. Method and apparatus for switching on-off a group or all lights or appliances of premises
ES2740598A1 (es) * 2019-10-30 2020-07-24 Asistentes Digitales S L Sistema de interruptor conmutable por comunicación inalámbrica

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