Control device having an integral reflecting structure for a sensing circuit
View Patent ↗A wall-mounted keypad may include a light detector circuit located inside the keypad that is configured to measure an ambient light level in a space. The light detector circuit may receive ambient light through an aperture that is hidden from view by the keypad. The keypad may include a reflector for directing ambient light onto the light detector circuit. The keypad may include an enclosure that houses the light detector circuit. The enclosure may define a recess that exposes at least a portion of the light detector circuit. The enclosure may include a reflector that may focus ambient light received through the aperture onto the light detector circuit. The keypad may include a control circuit that may be configured to illuminate the indicia of respective buttons of the control device in response to actuations of the one or more buttons, in accordance with the measured ambient light level.
1. A control device comprising:
a button having an indicia;
a light source that is configured to backlight the indicia of the button;
a light detector circuit that is configured to measure a light level of ambient light that is external relative to the control device;
a control circuit that is configured to, responsive to an actuation of the button, cause the light source to backlight the indicia of the button in accordance with the measured light level; and
an enclosure that houses the light detector circuit, the enclosure including an integral reflector that is configured to direct the ambient light to the light detector circuit.
2. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to adjust the light source in response to a change in the measured light level.
3. The control device of claim 2 , wherein the control circuit is configured to adjust the light source to backlight the button at a first illumination intensity when the button has been selected, and wherein the control circuit is configured to adjust the light source to backlight the button at a second illumination intensity when the button has not been selected.
4. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the button is a first button, the indicia is a first indicia, and the light source is a first light source, the control device further comprising:
a second button having a second indicia; and
a second light source that is configured to backlight the second indicia of the second button, wherein the control circuit is configured to, responsive to an actuation of the second button, cause the second light source to backlight the second indicia of the second button in accordance with the measured light level.
5. The control device of claim 4 , wherein the control circuit is configured to control the first light source at a first illumination intensity and the second light source at a second illumination intensity.
6. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the light detector circuit comprises a photodiode.
7. The control device of claim 6 , further comprising:
a printed circuit board on which the control circuit and the photodiode are mounted,
wherein the enclosure defines a recess that exposes the photodiode.
8. The control device of claim 7 , wherein the reflector comprises a reflective surface that is configured to direct the ambient light onto a light-receiving surface of the photodiode.
9. The control device of claim 8 , wherein the reflective surface comprises as a parabolic reflector that focuses the ambient light onto the light-receiving surface of the photodiode.
10. The control device of claim 8 , wherein the reflective surface is concave.
11. The control device of claim 8 , wherein the reflective surface defines an upper edge that is spaced from a surface of the printed circuit board on which the photodiode is mounted, such that the upper edge extends over a portion of the photodiode.
12. The control device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a faceplate that defines an opening that extends therethrough and that is configured to at least partially receive the button; and
an adapter that is configured to be mounted to a structure, the adapter including an outer wall that defines an aperture through which the light detector circuit receives the ambient light.
13. The control device of claim 12 , wherein the adapter and the faceplate are configured such that the faceplate is removably attachable to the adapter.
14. The control device of claim 12 , wherein an outer perimeter of the faceplate extends beyond the outer wall of the adapter so as to hide the aperture from view.
15. The control device of claim 12 , wherein the enclosure is configured to be attached to an inner surface of the faceplate.
16. The control device of claim 12 , further comprising:
a pair of mounting tabs that are configured for removable attachment to the adapter.
17. The control device of claim 16 , wherein a first mounting tab of the pair comprises a light guide that is configured to guide the ambient light from the aperture to the light detector circuit.
18. The control device of claim 17 , wherein the light guide defines a lower surface, and wherein a portion of the lower surface is configured to align substantially flush with an outer surface of the outer wall when the first mounting tab is attached to the adapter.
19. The control device of claim 17 , wherein the light guide defines a lower surface, and wherein a portion of the lower surface is configured to extend beyond an outer surface of the outer wall when the first mounting tab is attached to the adapter.
20. The control device of claim 17 , wherein the enclosure defines a recess that exposes a portion of the light detector circuit, and wherein the light guide defines a tab that is configured to be received in the recess.
21. The control device of claim 12 , wherein the outer wall is a lower wall of the adapter.