Patent · US Expired

Moveable desktop light controller

US5455487A · kind A · utility

168Cited by
5References
32Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 22, 1993
Grant dateOct 3, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 22, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02B20/40
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A device for controlling power to an electrical load. The device has two components: a portable desktop detector unit and a wall-mounted receiver unit. The desktop detector detects the presence of a human in a room and the ambient light level and sends signals to the receiver unit to supply power to or withhold power from an electrical load such as a fluorescent light and to adjust the brightness of the light. Since the detector is portable, it can be positioned and repositioned at different locations in a room to maximize its ability to detect the presence of a human and to sense the level of ambient light in various room locations. Each detector and receiver pair have matching addresses so that a receiver will operate an electrical load only in response to its mated detector, thus allowing multiple devices to be used to control multiple lights without interfering with each other. The device can also operate with a third component that acts as a master key and controls the maximum brightness, at which lights may be operated.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.