US 5,455,487 AGranted

Moveable desktop light controller

AssigneeThe Watt Stopper, Inc.

InventorsJerome M. Mix, Charles C. Hu, James C. Sprout

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Abstract

A device for controlling power to an electrical load. The device has two components: a portable desktop detector unit and a wall-mounted receiver unit. The desktop detector detects the presence of a human in a room and the ambient light level and sends signals to the receiver unit to supply power to or withhold power from an electrical load such as a fluorescent light and to adjust the brightness of the light. Since the detector is portable, it can be positioned and repositioned at different locations in a room to maximize its ability to detect the presence of a human and to sense the level of ambient light in various room locations. Each detector and receiver pair have matching addresses so that a receiver will operate an electrical load only in response to its mated detector, thus allowing multiple devices to be used to control multiple lights without interfering with each other. The device can also operate with a third component that acts as a master key and controls the maximum brightness, at which lights may be operated.

Claims32

Dependent claims

An apparatus for controlling power to a light, said apparatus comprising:

(a) a remote sensing device, including:
i) detecting means for detecting the presence of a person;
ii) timing means, coupled to said detecting means, for timing periods when no person is detected by said detecting means;
iii) signal generating means, coupled to said detecting means and to said timing means, for generating a control signal indicating the presence of a person or the absence of a person for a predetermined time period;
iv) address selecting means for selecting an address signal to be transmitted with said control signal;
and
v) photo sensing means for sensing the level of ambient light in a room;
vi) intensity calculating means, coupled to said photo sensing means, for calculating a particular light output intensity level based on the sensed ambient light level and generating an intensity signal indicating said particular output light intensity level;
and
vii) transmitting means, coupled to said signal generating means and to said address setting means, for transmitting a wireless transmission of said control signal, said address signal, and said intensity signal;
and
(b) a control unit, separate from said remote sensing device, including:
i) signal receiving means for receiving said wireless transmission of said control signal, said address signals, and said intensity signal;
ii) address assigning means for assigning an address to said control unit;
iii) address comparing means, coupled to said address assigning means and to said signal receiving means, for comparing said assigned address to said received address signal;
iv) power switching means, coupled to said signal receiving means, for switching power to said light in response to said control signal when said received address signal matches said assigned address;
and
v) brightness adjusting means, coupled to said signal receiving means and to said light, for adjusting the brightness level of said light in response to said intensity signal when said received address signal matches said assigned address;
and
wherein said remote sensing device further comprises brightness selecting means, coupled to said signal generating means, for enabling a user to select a particular brightness level to which said brightness adjusting means will adjust said light to.

17 more elements

An apparatus for controlling power to a light, said apparatus comprising:

(a) a remote sensing device, including:
i) detecting means for detecting the presence of a person;
ii) timing means, coupled to said detecting means, for timing periods when no person is detected by said detecting means;
iii) signal generating means, coupled to said detecting means and to said timing means, for generating a control signal indicating the presence of a person or the absence of a person for a predetermined time period;
iv) address selecting means for selecting an address signal to be transmitted with said control signal;
and
v) photo sensing means for sensing the level of ambient light in a room;
vi) intensity calculating means, coupled to said photo sensing means, for calculating a particular light output intensity level based on the sensed ambient light level and generating an intensity signal indicating said particular output light intensity level;
and
vii) transmitting means, coupled to said signal generating means and to said address setting means for transmitting a wireless transmission of said control signal, said address signal, and said intensity signal;
and
(b) a control unit, separate from said remote sensing device, including:
i) signal receiving means for receiving said wireless transmission of said control signal, said address signals, and said intensity signal;
ii) address assigning means for assigning an address to said control unit;
iii) address comparing means, coupled to said address assigning means and to said signal receiving means, for comparing said assigned address to said received address signal;
iv) power switching means, coupled to said signal receiving means, for switching power to said light in response to said control signal when said received address signal matches said assigned address;
and
v) brightness adjusting means, coupled to said signal receiving means and to said light, for adjusting the brightness level of said light in response to said intensity signal when said received address signal matches said assigned address;
and
wherein said remote sensing device further comprises power management means, coupled to said photo sensing means, for controlling when said photo sensing means senses the level of ambient light in the room.

17 more elements

An apparatus for controlling power to a light, said apparatus comprising:

(a) a remote sensing device, including:
i) detecting means for detecting the presence of a person;
ii) timing means, coupled to said detecting means, for timing periods when no person is detected by said detecting means;
iii) signal generating means, coupled to said detecting means and to said timing means, for generating a control signal indicating the presence of a person or the absence of a person for a predetermined time period;
iv) address selecting means for selecting an address signal to be transmitted with said control signal;
and
v) photo sensing means for sensing the level of ambient light in a room;
vi) intensity calculating means, coupled to said photo sensing means, for calculating a particular light output intensity level based on the sensed ambient light level and generating an intensity signal indicating said particular output light intensity level;
and
vii) transmitting means, coupled to said signal generating means and to said address setting means, for transmitting a wireless transmission of said control signal, said address signal, and said intensity signal;
and
(b) a control unit, separate from said remote sensing device, including:
i) signal receiving means for receiving said wireless transmission of said control signal, said address signals, and said intensity signal;
ii) address assigning means for assigning an address to said control unit;
iii) address comparing means, coupled to said address assigning means and to said signal receiving means, for comparing said assigned address to said received address signal;
iv) power switching means, coupled to said signal receiving means, for switching power to said light in response to said control signal when said received address signal matches said assigned address;
and
v) brightness adjusting means, coupled to said signal receiving means and to said light, for adjusting the brightness level of said light in response to said intensity signal when said received address signal matches said assigned address;
and
wherein said remote sensing device further comprises power management means, coupled to said detecting means, to said photo sensing means, and to said timing means, for controlling when said photo sensing means senses the level of ambient light in the room and for controlling when said timing means times periods when no person is detected by said detecting means in response to signals generated by said detecting means and said timing means.

17 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.