US-12628257-B2 - Light dimmer for smart homes

US12628257B2US 12628257 B2US12628257 B2US 12628257B2US-12628257-B2

Abstract

A light dimmer for smart homes includes a proximity switch for sensing whether a person is approaching a target area, and outputting sensing information in response to the sensing result; a controller connected to the proximity switch for generating a first control signal based on the sensing information; a display coupled to the controller, for generating a display based on the first control signal; a light dimming unit coupled to the controller, for adjusting the brightness of the illumination load based on a second control signal generated by the controller. This system is suitable for use in smart homes. By providing the proximity switch and the display, it can meet multifunctional needs of smart homes and enhance user experience.

Inventors

Ke Ma

Assignees

Chengli Li

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20231213
Priority Date: 20230829

Claims (11)

1 . A light dimmer for smart homes, comprising: a proximity switch, configured to sense whether a person is approaching a target area and outputting sensing information in response to a sensing result; a controller coupled to the proximity switch, configured to generate a first control signal based on the sensing information; a display coupled to the controller, configured to generate a display based on the first control signal; and a dimming unit coupled to the controller, configured to adjust a brightness of a lighting load based on a second control signal generated by the controller, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to a mobile terminal and configured to generate the second control signal based on control information received from the mobile terminal, and wherein in an out-of-home mode, the controller is further configured to send reminder information to the mobile terminal based on the sensing information.
2 . The light dimmer of claim 1 , wherein the display is an information display.
3 . The light dimmer of claim 2 , further comprising: a rotary encoder, configured to generate encoding signals; wherein the controller is coupled to the rotary encoder and configured to generate the second control signal based on the encoding signal.
4 . The light dimmer of claim 3 , wherein the controller includes a timer, and wherein the controller is further configured to light up the information display in response to the encoding signal and reset the timer, and to control the information display to enter energy-saving mode when the timer reaches a preset delay time.
5 . The light dimmer of claim 2 , wherein the controller includes a timer, and wherein the controller is further configured to light up the information display in response to the sensing information and reset the timer, and to control the information display to enter energy-saving mode when the timer reaches a preset delay time.
6 . The light dimmer of claim 2 , wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to a mobile terminal and configured to generate the second control signal based on control information received from the mobile terminal.
7 . The light dimmer of claim 2 , wherein the proximity switch includes an infrared emitter and an infrared receiver.
8 . The light dimmer of claim 2 , wherein the dimming unit includes an analog dimming circuit, a timer dimming circuit, a PWM (pulse width modulation) pulse width dimming circuit, or a thyristor dimming circuit.
9 . The light dimmer of claim 2 , wherein the information display displays information including current brightness information of the load, time information, weather information, and/or network status information.
10 . The light dimmer of claim 2 , further comprising: a wireless communication unit configured wirelessly communicate between the controller and a mobile terminal; an AC-to-DC (alternating current to direct current) converter, configured to convert an input current voltage into a first voltage; and a DC-to-DC (direct current to direct current) converter, coupled to the AC-to-DC converter, configured to convert the first voltage into a second voltage to power the controller and the wireless communication unit.
11 . The light dimmer of claim 2 , wherein the information display is a liquid crystal display (LCD) device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to light illumination, and in particular, it relates to light dimmer device and system for smart homes for adjusting illumination. Conventional dimmers can be divided into press-button type, touch type, and knob type dimming adjustment, etc. They can also be divided based on operating principles into analog dimmer, timer dimmer, PWM (pulse width modulation) pulse width dimmer, thyristor (or silicon-controller rectifier, SCR) dimmer, etc. A common knob type silicon-controller rectifier dimmer changes the resistance value of the adjustable resistor by turning the knob, thereby changing the conduction angle of the SCR and achieving dimming of the lighting load. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary conventional dimmer system 100, which includes a dimming circuit 110, a main control module 120, a signal triggering module 130, and an AC-to-DC (alternating current to direct current) converter circuit 140. The input end of the AC-to-DC converter circuit 140 is connected to the hot line L and the neutral line N of the power source, and the output end is connected to the main control module 120. The main control module 120 is coupled to the signal triggering module 130 and the dimming circuit 110. The input and output terminals of the dimming circuit 110 are connected to the hot line. The dimming system 100 converts the alternating current between the hot and neutral lines into direct current through the AC-to-DC conversion circuit 140 and inputs it into the main control module 120. The main control module 120 receives the trigger signal from the signal triggering module 130 and generates a control signal to control the dimming circuit, thereby changing the brightness of the lighting load 150. However, conventional dimmers have certain shortcomings, such as: limited lifespan of the adjustable resistors and limited number of rotations of knobs; lack of tactile feedback, leading to poor user experience; inability to remotely intelligently set and control the system, for example, inability to set multiple working modes; inability to display current load brightness and weather related information; lack of automatic night compensation function, etc. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To address at least some of the aforementioned issues and defects, the present invention proposes a novel intelligent dimmer. In one aspect, the present invention provides a light dimmer for smart homes, which includes: a proximity switch, configured to sense whether a person is approaching a target area and outputting sensing information in response to a sensing result; a controller coupled to the proximity switch, configured to generate a first control signal based on the sensing information; a display coupled to the controller, configured to generate a display based on the first control signal; and a dimming unit coupled to the controller, configured to adjust a brightness of a lighting load based on a second control signal generated by the controller. The light dimmer is suitable for use in smart homes. In smart home use scenarios, by providing the proximity switch and the display, it can meet multifunctional needs of smart homes and enhance user experience. In some embodiments, the light dimmer further includes: a rotary encoder, configured to generate encoding signals, wherein the controller is coupled to the rotary encoder and configured to generate the second control signal based on the encoding signal. In some embodiments, the controller includes a timer, wherein the controller is further configured to light up the display in response to the encoding signal and reset the timer, and to control the display to enter energy-saving mode when the timer reaches a preset delay time. In some embodiments, the controller includes a timer, and wherein the controller is further configured to light up the display in response to the sensing information and reset the timer, and to control the display to enter energy-saving mode when the timer reaches a preset delay time. In some embodiments, the controller is communicatively coupled to a mobile terminal and configured to generate the second control signal based on control information received from the mobile terminal. In some embodiments, in an out-of-home mode, the controller is further configured to send reminder information to the mobile terminal based on the sensing information. In some embodiments, the proximity switch includes an infrared emitter and an infrared receiver. In some embodiments, the dimming unit includes an analog dimming circuit, a timer dimming circuit, a PWM (pulse width modulation) pulse width dimming circuit, or a thyristor dimming circuit. In some embodiments, the display displays information including current brightness information of the load, time information, weather information, and/or network status information. In some embodiments, the light dimmer further includes: a wireless communication unit configured wirelessly comm