This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No. 109143184, filed on Dec. 8, 2020.
The disclosure relates to a switch control device, and more particularly to a switch control device that is remotely operable.
A conventional switch control device is mounted on a mounting surface such as a wall surface of a building for controlling a switch that is disposed on the mounting surface.
As shown in
Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a switch control device that can alleviate the drawback of the abovementioned prior art.
According to an aspect of the disclosure, the switch control device is adapted for controlling a switch that is disposed on a mounting surface. The switch control device includes a casing, a motor, a control unit, and a push arm. The casing includes a first mounting wall that is adapted to be mounted on the mounting surface, and a surrounding wall that extends transversely from a periphery of the first mounting wall. The motor is disposed in the casing, and has a rotary shaft that extends transversely through the surrounding wall. The control unit is disposed in the casing, and is electrically connected to the motor for controlling operation of the motor. The push arm is disposed outside of the surrounding wall, and is coupled to the rotary shaft of the motor such that rotation of the rotary shaft drives the push arm to rotate relative to the casing, without touching the casing, between a pushing state, where the push arm is adapted to push the switch, and a release state, where the push arm is adapted to be separated from the switch, thereby controlling the switch.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, the switch control device is adapted for controlling a switch that is disposed on a mounting surface. The switch control device includes a casing, a motor, and a push arm. The casing includes opposite first and second mounting walls, and a surrounding wall. One of the first and second mounting walls is adapted to be mounted on the mounting surface so as to secure the casing on the mounting surface. The surrounding wall extends transversely from the first mounting wall and is connected transversely to the second mounting wall. The surrounding wall has two first wall parts that are opposite to each other, and two second wall parts that are arranged alternately with the first wall parts. The motor is disposed in the casing, and has a rotary shaft that extends transversely through one of the second wall parts of the surrounding wall. The push arm is disposed outside of the surrounding wall, and has a coupling end that is coupled to the rotary shaft of the motor, and a distal end that is opposite to the coupling end, such that rotation of the rotary shaft drives the push arm to rotate relative to the casing for pushing the switch without touching the casing. A distance between one of the first wall parts and an intersection of the rotary shaft and the coupling end of the push arm is different from a distance between the other one of the first wall parts and the intersection of the rotary shaft and the coupling end of the push arm.
According to still another aspect of the disclosure, the switch control device is adapted for controlling a switch that is disposed on a mounting surface. The switch control device includes a casing, a motor, and a push arm. The casing includes a first mounting wall that is adapted to be mounted on the mounting surface, and a surrounding wall that extends transversely from a periphery of the first mounting wall. The motor is disposed in the casing, and has a rotary shaft that extends transversely through one of the second wall parts of the surrounding wall. The push arm is disposed outside of the surrounding wall, and has a coupling end that is coupled to the rotary shaft of the motor, and a distal end that is opposite to the coupling end, such that rotation of the rotary shaft drives the push arm to rotate relative to the casing for pushing the switch without touching the casing. An intersection of the rotary shaft and the coupling end of the push arm is adjacent to a corner of the casing where the first mounting wall is connected to the surrounding wall.
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The mounting member 2 is provided on one of first and second mounting walls 11, 13 for mounting the one of the first and second mounting walls 11, 13 on the mounting surface 92 so as to secure the casing 1 on the mounting surface 92. In this embodiment, the mounting member 2 is configured as an adhesive tape and is provided on the first mounting wall 11 for securing the first mounting wall 11 to the mounting surface 92. As shown in
Referring to
The control unit 4 is disposed in the casing 1, and includes a control module 41, a wireless communication module 42, a power supply module 43, and a control switch 44.
The control module 41 is electrically connected to the motor 3 for controlling operation of the motor 3. Specifically, the control module 41 has a circuit board and a control chip (not shown) mounted on the circuit board.
The wireless communication module 42 is electrically connected to the control module 41, and is configured to output a control signal to the control module 41 upon receiving a wireless control signal from the external device via a wireless network such as, but not limited to, infrared communication, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth®. The control module 41 controls operation of the motor 3 according to the control signal received from the wireless communication module 42.
The power supply module 43 is electrically connected to the control module 41 for supplying electrical power to the motor 3 via the control module 41. The power supply module 43 may be implemented as a battery, a power converter, or other appropriate device to match a particular application.
The control switch 44 is electrically connected to the control module 41 and is operable for outputting a control signal to the control module 41. The control module 41 is further configured to control operation of the motor 3 according to the control signal received from the control switch 44. The control switch 44 may be configured as, but not limited to, a push button or a touch switch that outputs the control signal upon being operated.
Referring to
The push arm 7 is disposed outside of the surrounding wall 12 and coupled to the rotary shaft 31 of the motor 3 such that rotation of the rotary shaft 31 drives the push arm 7 to rotate relative to the casing 1, without touching the casing 1, between a pushing state, where the push arm 7 is adapted to push the switch 91, and a release state, where the push arm 7 is adapted to be separated from the switch 91, thereby controlling the switch 91. The push arm 7 is bidirectionally rotatable in a 360 degree angle when the switch control device 100 is not mounted on the mounting surface 92.
In this embodiment, the push arm 7 is coupled to the rotary shaft 31 of the motor 3 via the coupling member 6. Specifically, as shown in
The coupling member 6 includes a base portion 61 that is formed with a third engaging hole 611, and a protruding portion 62 that protrudes from the base portion 61, that is inserted into the first engaging hole 711 of the arm body 71, and that is formed with a fourth engaging hole 621 being registered with the second engaging hole 712 of the arm body 71. The rotary shaft 31 of the motor 3 engages with the third engaging hole 611 of the base portion 61 of the coupling member 6, and the securing member 72 of the push arm 7 is inserted into the second engaging hole 712 and engages with the fourth engaging hole 621 of the protruding portion 62 of the coupling member 6, thereby detachably coupling the push arm 7 to the rotary shaft 31 of the motor 3.
In this embodiment, the securing member 72 is configured as a bolt, and the fourth engaging hole 621 of the protruding portion 62 of the coupling member 6 is configured as a threaded hole. The arm body 71 is configured as a straight stick, and extends beyond the casing 1 when viewing along the first direction (X).
Besides, as shown in
It should be noted that, the configuration of the push arm 7 is not limited to the present embodiment and various modifications can be made. For example, the arm body 71 of the push arm 7 may be configured to have an L-shape or other bent shape in other embodiments for applying to various types of switches. Moreover, the position where the rotary shaft 31 extends through the one of the second wall parts 122 may be located right in the middle of the one of the second wall parts 122 between the first wall parts 121 in other embodiments. Furthermore, when the switch control device 100 is used for controlling a rotary switch having a gear, the arm body 71 of the push arm 7 may be further configured to have a gear that meshes with a gear of the switch 91 for rotating the switch 91.
It should be further noted that, the coupling member 6 is omittable in other embodiments of the present disclosure. In such embodiments, the rotary shaft 31 of the motor 3 may be inserted directly into the first engaging hole 711 of the arm body 71 of the push arm 7.
Referring to
As shown in
As shown in
It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the arm body 71 of the push arm 7 may not belong enough to extend beyond the one of the first wall parts 121 of the surrounding wall 12 while in the pushing state, but can still function as long as the casing 1 is positioned at an appropriate position on the mounting surface 92 where the distal end of the arm body 71 can push the switch 91.
As shown in
Besides, the switch control device 100 of the present embodiment can also be mounted between two switches (not shown) disposed on the mounting surface 92 for controlling both of the switches, since the push arm 7 is able to rotate to opposite directions to push the switches alternately.
In yet another embodiment, the intersection of the rotary shaft 31 and the coupling end of the push arm 7 is adjacent to a corner 14 (as shown in
In summary, the push arm 7 is disposed outside of the surrounding wall 12 and is capable of rotating relative to the casing 1 without touching the casing 1, so that the rotation of the push arm 7 is not limited by the casing 1, and so that the push arm 7 has a wide range of rotation. Specifically, according to the present invention, the push arm 7 is bidirectionally rotatable in a 360 degree angle when the switch control device 100 is not mounted on the mounting surface 92, so as to be capable of pushing different places on the mounting surface 92. As a result, the switch control device 100 can be mounted at various location on the mounting surface 92 in the vicinity of the switch 91 for controlling the switch 91. Therefore, for example, even if there is an obstacle at a side of the switch 91, the switch control device 100 can still be mounted on another side of the switch 91 and control the switch 91. Besides, as stated above, since the push arm 7 is capable of pushing different places on the mounting surface 92, the switch control device 100 of the present invention can be used for controlling various types of switches, including on switches where it is necessary to push toward two different directions or to push two different positions thereon for controlling on and off, such as tumbler switches and toggle switches. In addition, by virtue of the detachability of the push arm 7, for example, even if there is an obstacle around the switch 91 on the mounting surface 92 so that the casing 1 is only able to be mounted at a position only slightly away from the switch 91, by replacing the push arm 7 with another one of a suitable length or shape, it can still reach the switch 91 and allow the switch control device 100 to work.
In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects.
While the disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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109143184 | Dec 2020 | TW | national |