Patent Application
20170277159
This application is based on and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201610173310.2, filed on Mar. 24, 2016, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure generally relates to wireless remote control and, more particularly, to a remote control device.
Nowadays, appliances, such as televisions, air conditioners, and stereos, are usually provided with remote control devices from the manufacturers. The remote control devices can be used to control the appliances over a short distance.
Existing remote control devices are often powered by dry-cell batteries. Since electric energy stored in a dry-cell battery is limited, a user needs to replace the dry-cell battery periodically, resulting in a waste of resources. Moreover, dry-cell batteries contain heavy metals, such as mercury, manganese, cadmium, and lead. When the outer case of a dry-cell battery corrodes, these heavy metals gradually enter into the soil and groundwater, leading to environmental pollution. Therefore, in order to save resources and protect environment, a new remote control device is needed.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a remote control device, comprising: a housing; a central processor arranged in the housing and configured to control operations of the remote control device; a thermoelectric generator arranged in the housing and coupled to the central processor; a button module arranged in the housing and coupled to the central processor and the thermoelectric generator; and a communication module coupled to the central processor and the thermoelectric generator, wherein: the thermoelectric generator includes an electricity generator having two metal sheets made of different materials, the two metal sheets being connected to each other at two connection points and forming a closed loop circuit via the two connection points, and the electricity generator is configured to generate a thermoelectromotive force based on a temperature difference between the two connection points, and power the central processor, the button module, and the communication module using the thermoelectromotive force.
It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and interpretative only, and are not restrictive of the present disclosure.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description refers to the accompanying drawings in which same reference numbers in different drawings represent same or similar elements unless otherwise described. The implementations set forth in the following description of exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with aspects related to the disclosure as recited in the appended claims.
In order to solve the problems of resource waste and environmental pollution caused by the external power supply (such as a dry-cell battery) for existing remote control devices, a remote control device is provided according to the disclosure. The remote control device is based on the Seebeck effect, including a closed loop circuit formed by connecting two different types of metals. When the temperatures at two connection points of the closed loop circuit are different, a thermoelectromotive force is generated. The remote control device can be powered based on the thermoelectromotive force.
The thermoelectric generator 130 is coupled to each of the central processor 120, the button module 140, and the communication module 150. The thermoelectric generator 130 supplies electric power to the remote control device 100. The central processor 120 is coupled to the button module 140 and the communication module 150. The central processor 120 controls operations of each functional module of the remote control device 100. The button module 140 detects user operations on buttons of the remote control device 100, also referred to hereinafter as “push-button operations,” and sends the detected push-button operations to the central processor 120. The communication module 150 transmits instructions generated by the central processor 120 based on the push-button operations to an appliance paired with the remote control device 100.
According to the disclosure, the button module 140 can include a plurality of buttons. Each of the buttons corresponds to a function of the remote control device 100 for controlling the appliance paired with the remote control device 100, also referred to herein as the “paired appliance,” to perform an operation. For example, if the paired appliance is an intelligent speaker, the button module 140 of the remote control device 110 can include, e.g., a “switch button,” a “state transition button,” and a “volume adjustment button.” The “switch button” controls the intelligent speaker to be turned on or off. The “state transition button” controls the intelligent speaker to change its state. The “volume adjustment button” controls the intelligent speaker to adjust its volume.
In some embodiments, the communication module 150 can be one of a Bluetooth module, a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) module, an infrared module, or a Near Field Communication (NFC) module. Upon reception of an instruction sent by the central processor 120, the communication module 150 transmits the instruction to the paired appliance in the form of a Bluetooth signal, a WiFi signal, or an infrared signal, or via an NFC data channel established with the paired appliance, depending on the type of the communication module 150.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the two metal sheets 311 and 312 in the electricity generator 131 are made of titanium alloys. For example, one of the metal sheets 311 and 312 can be made of the alloy of titanium and a first metal, and the other one of the metal sheets 311 and 312 can be made of the alloy of titanium and a second metal different from the first metal. In some embodiments, the two metal sheets 311 and 312 in the electricity generator 131 are made of aluminum alloys. For example, one of the metal sheets 311 and 312 can be made of the alloy of aluminum and a third metal, and the other one of the metal sheets 311 and 312 can be made of the alloy of aluminum and a fourth metal different from the third metal. The first and third metals may or may not be different. Similarly, the second and fourth metals may or may not be different.
Operating principles of the remote control device 100 are described below.
When a user uses the remote control device 100 to control a paired appliance, the user holds the remote control device 100, for example, at the holding area. Thus, the temperature at the first connection point A within the holding area increases and becomes higher than the temperature at the second connection point B. As a result, a thermoelectromotive force is generated between the first connection point A and the second connection point B, which then powers the central processor 120, the button module 140, and the communication module 150. When the button module 140 detects a push-button operation of the user pressing a button of the remote control device 100, the button module 140 sends a signal indicating the detected push-button operation to the central processor 120. According to the button pressed by the user, the central processor 120 generates a corresponding control command, and sends the control command to the communication module 150. The communication module 150 transmits the control command to the paired appliance, to control the paired appliance.
Sometimes, the electric energy generated by the thermoelectric generator 130 may not be stable. Referring again to
A remote control device consistent with the disclosure uses a built-in thermoelectric generator to power other functional modules, and thus an external power supply, such as a dry-cell battery, is not needed. As a result, resources can be saved. Further, since the electricity generated in the remote control device is pollution free, environmental pollution can be avoided.
Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following the general principles thereof and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art. It is intended that the specification and embodiments should be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.
It will be appreciated that the inventive concept is not limited to the exact construction that has been described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope thereof. It is intended that the scope of the disclosure only is limited by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201610173310.2 | Mar 2016 | CN | national |
