US 10,455,660 B2Granted

Control device having buttons with multiple-level backlighting

AssigneeLutron Technology Company LLC

InventorsMatthew Philip McDonald, Daniel L. Twaddell, Jason C. Killo

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Abstract

A control device may have a plurality of buttons that may be backlit to multiple levels, such as first, second, and third adjacent buttons positioned in order, and first, second, and third LEDs positioned to illuminate a respective button. The control device may be configured to illuminate the first LED to a first LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to a first surface illumination intensity; illuminate the third LED to a second LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to a second surface illumination intensity; and illuminate the second LED to a third LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to the second surface illumination intensity. The third LED illumination intensity may be less than the second LED illumination intensity, which may be less than the first LED illumination intensity, and the second surface illumination intensity may be less than the first surface illumination intensity.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A control device comprising:

a backlighting circuit including a first light source, a second light source, and a third light source;
a first button having a first indicia configured to be illuminated by the first light source;
a second button having a second indicia configured to be illuminated by the second light source;
a third button having a third indicia configured to be illuminated by the third light source;
and
a control circuit responsive to actuations of the first, second, and third buttons, and electrically coupled to the first, second, and third light sources of the backlighting circuit, the control circuit configured to:
control the first light source to emit light at a first source illumination intensity to illuminate the first indicia on the first button;
control the second light source to emit light at a second source illumination intensity to illuminate the second indicia on the second button;
and
control the third light source to emit light at a third source illumination intensity to illuminate the third indicia on the third button;
wherein the first button is located between the second and third buttons, and the first indicia on the first button is located closer to the second button than the third button;
and
wherein the control circuit is configured to set both of the second and third source illumination intensities to be less than the first source illumination intensity so that the first indicia on the first button is illuminated to a brighter intensity than the respective indicia on the second and third buttons, the control circuit further configured to set the second source illumination intensity to be less than the third source illumination intensity so that the second and third buttons are illuminated to the same intensity.

10 more elements

A method of backlighting buttons of a control device, the control device comprising first, second, and third buttons, and first, second, and third light sources positioned to illuminate a respective one of the first, second, and third buttons, the method comprising:

controlling the first light source to emit light at a first source illumination intensity to illuminate first indicia on the first button;
controlling the second light source to emit light at a second source illumination intensity to illuminate second indicia on the second button;
controlling the third light source to emit light at a third source illumination intensity to illuminate third indicia on the third button;
setting both of the second and third source illumination intensities to be less than the first source illumination intensity so that the first indicia on the first button is illuminated to a brighter intensity than the respective indicia on the second and third buttons;
and
setting the second source illumination intensity to be less than the third source illumination intensity so that the second and third buttons are illuminated to the same intensity, the first indicia on the first button being located closer to the second button than the third button.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/244,556Filed 10 Jan 2019 · continuation
Priority: 10 Sep 2014
Published: US 2019/0150244 A116 May 2019
Granted: 22 Oct 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H05B 47/11
In response to determined parameters: by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
H01H 13/70
Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch:…
H05B 45/12
Controlling the intensity of the light: using optical feedback
H05B 47/10
Circuit arrangements for operating light sources in general, i.e. where the type of light source is not relevant: controlling the light source

Family

Application62/048,658Us provisional application · filed 10 Sep 2014
Application62/166,204Us provisional application · filed 26 May 2015
Application14/850,315Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Sep 2015
Application15/680,516Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Aug 2017
US 9,763,302 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 12 Sep 2017
Application15/952,869Parent of this continuation · filed 13 Apr 2018
US 9,980,335 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 22 May 2018
US 2019/0150244 A1Pre-grant publication · published 16 May 2019
US 10,206,260 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2016/0073467 A1Published application
US 2017/0347420 A1Published application
US 2018/0235050 A1Published application
US 10,455,660 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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