US 12,438,543 B2 · Load control device having a capacitive touch surface

Load control device having a capacitive touch surface

AssigneeLutron Technology Company LLC

InventorsQuinn Brogan, Graham L. Christensen, Chris Dimberg, Jonathan H. Ference, Matthew V. Harte, Matthew Philip McDonald, Dinesh Sundara Moorthy, Matthew W. Nuhfer, Michael W. Pessina, James P. Steiner, Daniel L. Twaddell

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Abstract

A control device configured for use in a load control system to control an electrical load external to the control device may comprise an actuation member having a front surface defining a capacitive touch surface configured to detect a touch actuation along at least a portion of the front surface. The control device includes a main printed circuit board (PCB) comprising a control circuit, a tactile switch, a controllably conductive device, and a drive circuit operatively coupled to a control input of the controllably conductive device for rendering the controllably conductive device conductive or non-conductive to control the amount of power delivered to the electrical load. The control device also includes a capacitive touch PCB that comprises a touch sensitive circuit comprising one or more receiving capacitive touch pads located on the capacitive touch PCB and arranged in a linear array adjacent to the capacitive touch surface.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A control device configured to control an electrical load, the control device comprising:

an actuation member having a front surface defining a touch sensitive surface along at least a portion of the front surface, the actuation member configured to move in response to a tactile actuation of the actuation member;
a touch sensitive device configured to detect a touch actuation along the touch sensitive surface;
and
a control circuit configured to determine a position of the touch actuation along the length of the touch sensitive surface in response to the touch actuation along the touch sensitive surface, the control circuit configured to prioritize inputs received in response to tactile actuations of the actuation member over the inputs received from the touch sensitive device in response to touch actuations of the touch sensitive surface;
wherein an amount of power delivered to the electrical load is controlled in response to the position of the touch actuation along the length of the touch sensitive surface.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

18/089,364Filed 27 Dec 2022 · continuation

Priority

31 May 2019

Published

US 2023/0133984 A14 May 2023

Granted

7 Oct 2025

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification20 codes

H03K 17/962
Touch switches: capacitive touch switches
G06F 3/044
Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means: by capacitive means
H01H 23/145
Having a generally flat elongated shape: the actuating surface having two slightly inclined areas extending from the middle outward
H03K 17/951
Using a magnetic detector: measures for supplying operating voltage to the detector circuit

Family

Application62/855,463Us provisional application · filed 31 May 2019

Application62/885,062Us provisional application · filed 9 Aug 2019

Application62/910,932Us provisional application · filed 4 Oct 2019

Application62/929,742Us provisional application · filed 1 Nov 2019

Application62/968,421Us provisional application · filed 31 Jan 2020

Application16/888,510Parent of this continuation · filed 29 May 2020

US 2023/0133984 A1Pre-grant publication · published 4 May 2023

US 11,569,818 B2Parent of this continuation

US 2020/0382120 A1Published application

US 12,438,543 B2This patent

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