Remotely activated electrical control arrangement
US5973608A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 29, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 26, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 29, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH05B39/085
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An arrangement for controlling the activation of an electrical appliance. The arrangement utilizes a capacitive sensor to recognize the physical proximity of a user (e.g., a hand) to an internal capacitive sensing means. The capacitive change is applied as an input to an electrical control circuit so as to ultimately provide an electrical control signal to an associated electrical appliance. The arrangement does not require direct physical contact to activate any appliance, and may be used to control various power levels associated with a particular electrical appliance (e.g., light intensity for a "dimmer" switch, sound volume for an audio system, activation and trigger signals to an alarm system). The arrangement may be embedded within the wall of a structure (i.e., not visible) and still provide the capacitively-activated control function.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.