The present application claims priority to Italian patent application No. RM2008A000628 filed on Nov. 26, 2008, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure concerns the field of electronic apparatuses for controlling and adjusting and, more specifically, it refers to an electronic manually controllable adjustment device.
With particular reference to the field of applications in civil buildings, such as houses and the like, it is known and ever more widespread to use electronic adjustment devices which are manually controllable, commonly called “dimmers”, which are used to adjust the power absorbed by an electric load associated with it. Such devices are, for example, normally used for adjusting the light intensity of one or more lamps electrically connected to the devices themselves.
Dimmers have control systems including respective control members which the user can act upon manually to control and adjust the power to be provided to the load. Known control systems are made in various ways. For example, some types of dimmers use control systems in which the control member is made through a button or tilting key which can rotate around a respective rotation axis. Other types of dimmers adopt sliding control systems, in which the control member is a slider that slides along a respective sliding axis, or they adopt rotary systems, in which the control member is a rotatable handle, or systems that use a combination of the two previous systems. Yet other types of dimmers include touch sensitive control systems instead.
According to a first aspect, an electronic manually controllable adjustment device for adjusting electric power provided to an electric load connectable to the device is provided, wherein the device comprises: first switching elements including a first switching device and a second switching device; a tilting control button adapted to interact with said first switching elements; first hinge elements, for defining a first hinge axis for allowing the control button to rotate around said first hinge axis, between a first operating position and a second operating position angularly spaced therebetween, the control button adapted to interact with said first switching elements for respectively actuating the first switching device and the second switching device when reaching the first operating position and the second operating position; second switching elements; and second hinge elements for defining a second hinge axis perpendicular to first hinge axis, said second hinge elements adapted to allow rotation of the control button around the second hinge axis, between a third operating position and a fourth operating position angularly spaced therebetween, for actuation of the second switching elements.
Further aspects of the disclosure are provided in the specification, claims and drawings of the present application.
The present disclosure shall become clearer from the following detailed description of embodiments, given as an example and not as a limitation, in which:
a is a view in which some components of the electronic device of
b is a view which schematically represents the components of
c is a view which schematically represents the components of
With initial reference to
With reference to the exemplary illustration of
With reference to the exemplary illustration of
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the acquisition circuit 35 can be a printed circuit suitable for being housed in a respective housing seat 63 provided in the support frame 40. In particular, such a circuit comprises electric connecting elements (not represented in the figures) suitable for sending the control signals to the adjustment circuit 50 provided in response to the operative positions taken on by the control button 25. In the present example, the electric connecting elements are connection pins (not represented in the figures) suitable for passing through the through openings 64A, 64B (
With reference to the representation of
In accordance with an embodiment of the dimmer 20, the first hinge elements 65, 67 include a pair 65 of opposite pins (only one of which can be seen in
As a consequence of the aforementioned first hinge elements, the control button 25 may interact with the micro-switches 57, 59 for actuating the first micro-switch 57 and the second micro-switch 59, respectively, when the control button 25 is in the respective D_UP and D_DOWN positions.
In accordance with one embodiment, when the control button 25 is in such positions D_UP, D_DOWN, the control button is suitable for adjusting the power to be provided to the load R, represented, for example, by a single lamp. However, in a different case, not represented in the figures, the electric load could also be represented, for example, by many lamps, such as an incandescent lamp and a fluorescent lamp. In such a case, the power provided to the incandescent lamp could be adjusted, for example, when the control button 25 is in the D_UP position, whereas the power provided to the fluorescent lamp could be adjusted, for example, when the control button is in the D_DOWN position.
Together with micro-switches 57, 59 the dimmer can also include second switching elements including, in the embodiment of the example, a pair of electrical contact elements or electrical contacts 68A, 68B schematically represented in
With reference to the exemplary embodiments of
The second hinge elements 69, 71 allow the control button 25 to rotate around the disconnection axis YY from a third to a fourth operating position, which are angularly spaced apart to allow the actuation of the second switching elements 68A, 68B (
In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the rotatable connection member 30 is suitable for being operatively interposed between the support frame 40 and the control button 25. In particular, the control button is hinged, through the first hinge elements 65, 67, to the rotatable connection member to rotate around the adjustment axis XX, whereas the rotatable connection member 30 is hinged, through the second hinge elements 69, 71, to the support frame 40, to rotate around the disconnection axis YY. In particular, the control button 25 is mounted to overlap the connection member 30.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the disclosure, the control button 25 is suitable for taking up a further intermediate operating position (
In this connection, the micro-switches 57, 59 are arranged on the same side with respect to the disconnection axis YY. In the embodiment of the example, such micro-switches are, in particular, aligned with respect to one another along an axis which is substantially parallel to the disconnection axis YY. Moreover, the micro-switches 57, 59 are also arranged on two opposite sides with respect to the rotatable connection member 30.
With reference to the exemplary embodiment of
In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, the control arm 75 is arranged on the rotatable connection member 30 (
In accordance with the embodiment of
More in particular, with reference to
On the other hand, when the control button is in the connection position D_CON (
In this regard, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, the control button 25 has a tapered end portion 79 (
In this regard, the strips 68A, 68B are arranged in a backwards position with respect to the micro-switches 57, 59. In other words, the strips 68A, 68B and the micro-switches 57, 59 are spaced away from one another along a transverse direction, for example perpendicular, with respect to the control wall 84. In other words, the dimmer 20 includes a first circuit layer, in the example substantially corresponding to the acquisition circuit 35, where the micro-switches 57, 59 are located, and a second circuit layer, where the strips 68A, 68B are arranged, which second layer is positioned backwards towards the housing box 55 with respect to the first layer and which, in the example, substantially corresponds to the adjustment circuit 50.
With reference to
In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, the return arm is made as a single piece with the connection member 30.
In the example of
Elastic caps 61A, 61B are suitable for elastically reacting in contrast with the control button when they are pressed by such button. For example, when the control button 25 is in the intermediate operating position (
With further reference to
A mode of operating the electronic manually controllable adjustment device is hereafter described in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
With reference to
On the other hand, if full pressure is applied to the control button 25, in the example, on the tapered portion 79, in order to rotate the button around the disconnection axis YY until when the button reaches the disconnection position D_DIS, it is possible to carry out the electric disconnection of the load. In order to reconnect the load from the disconnection position, it is sufficient to apply pressure on the button 25 on the opposite side with respect to the tapered portion, thus allowing the button to rotate in a rotation direction opposite the disconnecting direction.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the disclosure, it is also possible to apply pressure on the control button 25 in a way analogous to that for disconnecting the load, but without fully pressing the button. In particular, it is possible to apply pressure on the control button until the aforementioned intermediate position has been reached and then keep the button in such a position, for example, for a few seconds. In this way it is possible to enter the configuration mode of the dimmer i.e., to choose the adjustment curve of the dimmer (not represented), according to the specific requirements. By interrupting the pressure on the control button from the intermediate position (
As shown in some of the above embodiments and examples, by virtue of a control button suitable for rotating around two axes perpendicular to one another, the adjustment device allows to carry out a plurality of different functions by exclusively acting upon the control button.
Moreover, through provision of control arm (e.g., control arm 75) it is possible, acting upon the single control button, to carry out both the adjustment and the disconnection of the load, the latter occurring, for example, in case of maintenance operations.
Provision of a rotatable connection member including at least one control arm and at least one return arm, makes it possible to obtain an improved practicality of use of the device by using, at the same time, a reduced number of mechanical components.
The examples set forth above are provided to give those of ordinary skill in the art a complete disclosure and description of how to make and use the embodiments of the electronic manually controllable adjustment device of the disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of what the applicants regard as their disclosure. Modifications of the above-described modes for carrying out the disclosure may be used by persons of skill in the art, and are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.
It is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to particular devices, products, methods or systems, which can, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. The term “plurality” includes two or more referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosure pertains.
A number of embodiments of the disclosure have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
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