Wall-mountable wireless remote control device
A wall-mountable remote control device may be installed in place of an existing light switch and may be configured to transmit wireless signals to an electrical load device, such as a screw-in light-emitting diode (LED) lamp, to provide control of the electrical load device. The remote control device may comprise an air-gap switch adapted to be electrically coupled in series between a power source and the controllable light source, but may not comprise a bidirectional semiconductor switch for controlling the amount of power delivered to the electrical load device using a phase-control dimming technique. The remote control device may have a low-profile enclosure that is smaller than an enclosure of a standard dimmer switch, and thus may be easier to install in an electrical wallbox. The remote control device may comprise two parts including an air-gap switch device and a wireless communication device mounted to the air-gap switch device.
1. An electric load control apparatus, comprising:
a wallbox mountable housing;
an air-gap switch disposed in the housing, the air-gap switch to interrupt a power supply to a remote electric load device conductively coupled to the air gap switch; and
a control device that includes:
a plurality of user actuatable elements;
memory circuitry;
communication circuitry; and
control circuitry coupled to the plurality of user actuatable elements, the memory circuitry, and the communication circuitry, the control circuitry to, responsive to receipt of an input from a first of the plurality of user actuatable elements:
retrieve, from operatively coupled memory circuitry, a first command associated with the first of the plurality of user actuatable elements, wherein the first command causes control circuitry disposed in the remote electric load device to adjust the one or more operating parameters of the remote electric load device;
transmit, via the communication circuitry, the retrieved first command to the electric load device.
2. The electric load control apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control device is affixed to the wallbox mountable housing.
3. The electric load control apparatus of claim 1 wherein the air-gap switch further comprises:
an electrically actuated air-gap switch reversibly transitionable between a CONDUCTIVE state and a NON-CONDUCTIVE state;
communication interface circuitry; and
air-gap switch control circuitry communicatively coupled to the electrically actuated air-gap switch.
4. The electric load control apparatus of claim 3 wherein the control device to further, responsive to receipt of an input from a second of the plurality of user actuatable elements:
retrieve, from the memory circuitry, a second command associated with the second of the plurality of user actuatable elements, the second command to cause the reversible transition of the electrically actuated air-gap switch between the CONDUCTIVE state and the NON-CONDUCTIVE state; and
transmit, via the communication circuitry, the retrieved second command to the air-gap switch control circuitry.
5. The electric load control apparatus of claim 1 wherein the air-gap switch further comprises:
a manually actuated air-gap switch reversibly transitionable between a CONDUCTIVE state and a NON-CONDUCTIVE state.
6. The electric load control apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising an adapter plate couplable to the housing.
7. The electric load control apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a member coupled to the manually actuated air-gap switch, the actuation member extending through the adapter plate to permit actuation of the manually actuated air-gap switch after the housing is disposed in a wallbox.
8. The electric load control apparatus of claim 6 wherein the control device comprises a portable control device detachably attachable to the adapter plate.
9. The electric load control apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising an inductive power transfer coil disposed proximate the adapter plate.
10. The electric load control apparatus of claim 9 :
wherein the portable control device further comprises an inductive charging coil operatively coupled to an energy storage device; and
wherein, when attached to the adapter plate, the inductive power transfer coil transfers energy to the inductive charging coil to charge the energy storage device.
11. The electric load control apparatus of claim 10 wherein the energy storage device includes at least one of: a capacitor or a rechargeable battery.
12. The electric load control apparatus of claim 1 wherein, responsive to the receipt of the input from the first of the plurality of user actuatable elements, the control circuitry to further:
retrieve from the memory circuitry, data representative of a unique identifier associated with the control device; and
transmit, via the communication circuitry, the retrieved data representative of the unique identifier associated with the control device to the electric load device.
13. The electric load control apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises:
a yoke extending from the housing to permit mounting of the wallbox mountable air-gap switch in an electrical wallbox.
14. The electric load control apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control device further comprises:
indicator circuitry to provide a visual indication of the transmission of the retrieved first command to the electric load device.
15. The electric load control apparatus of claim 1 wherein to transmit, via the communication circuitry, the retrieved first command to the electric load device, the control circuitry to further:
transmit the retrieved first command to a system controller communicatively coupled to the electric load device.
16. The electric load control apparatus of claim 1 wherein to retrieve from the operatively coupled memory circuitry, the first command, the control circuitry to further:
retrieve, from the operatively coupled memory circuitry, a command to change an operating state of the electric load device between an ON operating state in which the electric load device receives power and an OFF operating state in which the electric load device does not receive power.
17. The electric load control apparatus of claim 1 wherein to retrieve from the operatively coupled memory circuitry, the first command, the control circuitry to further:
retrieve, from the operatively coupled memory circuitry, a command to adjust, over a continuous range, at least one of: a load current supplied to the electric load device or a load voltage supplied to the electric load device.