Abstract:
A pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control comprising a control panel for controlling an object, the control panel having a receptacle; and a pluggable unit having a plug that is suitable to be plugged into the receptacle of the control panel, and being capable of receiving remote wireless control commands, the pluggable unit cooperates with the control panel to control the controlled object in response to the received wireless control commands when said pluggable unit being plugged into said receptacle of said control panel. The pluggable mechanism of this invention enables wireless remote control on a manually controlled panel and reduces the cost for implementing new wireless communication technologies.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to wireless remote control, and particularly, to a pluggable mechanism on a control panel for remote control with wireless communications protocols. 
     TECHNICAL BACKGROUND 
     Due to the conveniences and usability, wireless remote control technologies have been widely used in numerous electrical devices, such as television sets, video cassette recorders, refrigerators and other appliances which are controlled by the infrared remote controllers. By using remote control technologies, people may live more comfortably and save more manpower. 
     Meanwhile, more and more new wireless technologies have emerged and provided more advantages and lower costs than older ones. For example, Bluetooth is a wireless communication technology which has been applied in practice recently. It can be used to control electrical/electronic devices and get the status of the devices. Furthermore, because of the intelligence and scalability, it can manage almost all kinds of devices so as to save energy, increase security and reduce costs. 
     Nevertheless, in the practical life, there are still many devices which do not have wireless remote control function, such as electric light switches. From technology point of view, integration of an embedded wireless system and a mechanical controller is a feasible solution to achieve the wireless remote control to the electric light. However, changing the switching mode from manual control to wireless remote control requires many updates in manufacture and installation and would not be able to utilize the existing facilities and investment properly. Moreover, due to the changes of operation mode and the addition of new functions, users have to study new skills. This may cause some extra costs and inconveniences. As a result, the consumers may not choose a control panel with an integrated remote control module. 
     Another problem is that wireless communication techniques are developing fast. But for the devices which have been produced and used in practice, it is impossible to update them with the new wireless techniques because the wireless communication units have been integrated in those devices already. Thus, the lifetime of the device is limited and the updating cost is increased. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An objective of the present invention is to provide a pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control. Instead of replacing an existing controller, the wireless remote control functions can be enabled by adding a pluggable extension unit into the existing controller. 
     The pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control provided by the present invention includes a control panel for controlling the object, said control panel having a receptacle; a pluggable unit having a plug which is suitable to be plugged into the receptacle of said control panel and being capable of receiving remote wireless control commands, said pluggable unit cooperating with said control panel to control said object in response to said received wireless control commands when said pluggable unit being plugged into said receptacle of said control panel. 
     The present invention also provides a pluggable unit for the above-mentioned pluggable remote control mechanism, and a wireless remote control system including a remote controller device and the above-mentioned pluggable remote control mechanism. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent through following description of the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the following drawings. 
         FIG. 1  shows the configuration of a pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein the pluggable unit is plugged into the control panel. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing the circuit of the control panel of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4A  is a schematic diagram showing the circuit of the pluggable unit of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 4B and 4C  are schematic diagrams showing an AC-DC converter applicable for the present invention. 
         FIG. 4D  is a schematic diagram showing a wireless module for the present invention with a relatively simple structure. 
         FIG. 4E  is a schematic diagram showing a wireless module for the present invention with a relatively complex structure. 
         FIG. 4F  is a schematic diagram showing an (electronic switch of the type of solid state relay) which can be used in the electric control means of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing the circuit of the control panel of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram showing the circuit of the pluggable unit of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram showing the circuit of the control panel of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram showing the circuit of the pluggable unit of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram showing the control panel of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic diagram showing the pluggable unit of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows the configuration of a pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control of the present invention comprises a manual control panel  100  and a pluggable unit  200 , wherein the control panel  100  can be installed on the wall or on other supports. Similar to the conventional control panel, there may be a manual switch  103  on the control panel  100  and at the same time, a receptacle  102  for accommodating the pluggable unit  200  is provided thereon. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the receptacle  102  has three contacts, i.e. contacts  111 ,  112  and  113 . 
     The pluggable unit  200  in  FIG. 1  has a plug corresponding to the receptacle  102  of the control panel  100 . The plug has three pins  211 , 212  and  213 . The pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control of the present embodiment is designed in such a way that said pluggable unit  200  can be plugged into the receptacle  102  of the control panel  100  through the plug so that the pins  211 , 212  and  213  of the pluggable unit  200  can contact with the contacts  111 ,  112  and  113  of the receptacle  102  on the control panel  100 , respectively.  FIG. 2  shows the case where the pluggable unit  200  is plugged into the control panel  100 . 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the appearances of the control panel  100  and the pluggable unit  200  are changeable and the shapes of the receptacle and pins can be changed too. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing the circuit of the control panel  100  of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the control panel  100  is a manual switch control panel for controlling objects, such as an electric lights and so on. The control panel  100  is connected to the live line (L) and the null/ground line (N) of the power supply through two input ends, respectively. The other side of the control panel  100  is connected to the object  800  through two output ends, respectively. A manual switch  103  is installed at the live line. The two ends of the manual switch  103  are further connected to the contacts  112  and  113  respectively. The contact  111  is connected to the null line. The manual switch  103  may be in various forms, for instance, a push switch, a pull switch or a touch switch. 
       FIG. 4A  is a schematic diagram showing the circuit of the pluggable unit of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 4A , the pluggable unit  200  has three pins  211 ,  212  and  213 . When the pluggable unit  200  is plugged into the receptacle  102  of the control panel  100 , the pins  211 ,  212  and  213  contact with the contacts  111 ,  112  and  113  respectively. In the pluggable unit  200 , the pins  211  and  212  are connected to a AC-DC converter  201 , the DC output of the AC-DC converter  201  provides power supply to a wireless module  202 . An electric control means  203  is connected in series between the pin  212  and the pin  213 ; the input of the electric control means  203  is connected to the output of the wireless module  202 . In the following, detailed description will be given to the components of the pluggable unit  200  of the present embodiment, with reference to  FIGS. 4B to 4F . 
       FIGS. 4B and 4C  are schematic diagrams showing the AC-DC converters applicable for the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 4B , the rectifying part of the AC-DC converter for the present embodiment can be constituted of discrete components or a bridge rectifier. Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 4C , said rectifying part can be implemented as a switching power supply to reduce the cost and size. 
       FIG. 4D  is a schematic diagram showing a wireless module for the present invention with a relatively simple structure. As shown in  FIG. 4D , the wireless module  202  includes a microcontroller  1102 , an RF unit  1104 , a control logic interface  1103  and a power supply  1101 , wherein the power supply  1101  represents the DC power supply from the above-mentioned AC-DC converter  201  or batteries. It should be noted that if batteries are used as the power supply, the above-mentioned AC-DC converter in the present embodiment is not necessary. The power supply  1101  supplies to the microcontroller  1102  and the RF unit  1104 . The RF unit  1104  is used to perform the function of radio frequency wireless communications, including modulation and demodulation. The RF unit  1104  transmits the control command received from a remote wireless controller unit (not shown) to the microcontroller  1102 . In response to the control command, the microcontroller  1102  executes preprogrammed instruction programs to generate a control signal. The generated control signal is output from the wireless module  202  through the control logic interface  1103 . The control logic interface  1103  is an interface circuit between the microcontroller  1102  and the external circuit. 
     Here it should be noted that the RF unit in the wireless module shown in  FIG. 4D  can be replaced by the wireless communication devices supporting other wireless communications techniques (e.g. infrared, supersonic, laser, etc.) and receive the remote control commands sent through the corresponding communication techniques. Thus, the pluggable mechanism of the present invention may be applicable to various wireless transmission techniques. 
       FIG. 4E  is a schematic diagram showing a wireless module according to the present invention with a relatively complex structure. The wireless module  202  of the present invention shown in  FIG. 4E  is applicable to advanced radio frequency wireless transmission techniques (especially applicable to the Bluetooth). Differing from the wireless module shown in  FIG. 4D , the microcontroller  1102  is removed and a CPU  1106 , a flash memory  1105  and a microcontroller  1107  are added, wherein the CPU  1106  is used to implement a communication protocol stack, dispatch tasks, interpret the control commands and respond to the requests coming from the controller. The CPU  1106  can send the control protocols to the remote end through negotiation, and the remote end can acquire the status of the controlled device through a request. The CPU  1106  can be either integrated with the flash memory  1105  and the RF unit  1104  together, or standing alone. The microcontroller  1107  can be a microcontroller with multiple inputs and outputs, such as series  51  single chip processor, which is well known in the art. If the CPU  1106  can be connected to the control logic interface directly and the number of output control terminals meets the requirement, then the microcontroller  1107  is not necessary. When the output of the CPU  1106  cannot meet the requirement of the control logic interface, the microcontroller  1107  is needed for the conversion and extension of the control logic interface. The flash memory  1105  is used for storing the wireless communication protocol stack and the software application programs to be provided to the CPU  1106  for execution. It should be understood that the flash memory  1105  may be the memories in other forms, such as EPROM, CMOS, etc. Of course, in addition to that shown in  FIGS. 4D and 4E , the wireless module  202  of the present invention may be in other forms. 
     The electric control means  203  of the present embodiment can be an electronic switch, such as relay switch, silicon-controlled switch or the like. Thus, the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control of the present embodiment can achieve remote switch control to the controlled object. Meanwhile, the electric control means  203  may also be a digital potentiometer, voltage divider or the like, thus, the present embodiment may realize multiple controls to the controlled object, including power control, voltage control, current control, etc. 
       FIG. 4F  is a schematic diagram showing (an electronic switch of the type of solid state relay), which can be used in the electric control means of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 4F , the electronic switch consists of a coupling circuit  1001 , a triggering circuit  1002 , a switching circuit  1003 , an absorption circuit  1004  and a zero-cross control circuit  1005 . A control signal is input from the input terminals A and B, via the coupling circuit  1001  and the triggering circuit  1002 , and finally leading the output terminals C and D controlled by the switching circuit  1003  to be open or closed. The electronic switch in  FIG. 4F  is suitable to control an object in an AC circuit. When the present embodiment is used to control an object in a DC circuit, the absorption circuit  1004  and the zero-cross control circuit  1005  can be removed. Since the structures of the electronic switch, digital potentiometer, voltage divider, etc. are well known to those skilled in the art, detailed description will not be given here. 
     In conjunction with  FIG. 3  and  FIGS. 4A–F , it can be seen that when the pluggable unit  200  is not plugged into the receptacle  102  of the control panel  100 , the control panel  100  is operated just as an conventional switch: when switching on the manual switch  103 , the object  800  (such as an electric light) is in live state and begins to work; when switching off the manual switch  103 , the power supply is cut and the object  800  stops working. 
     When the pluggable unit  200  is plugged into the receptacle  102  of the control panel  100  and the manual switch  103  of the control panel  100  is switched off, the three pins  211 , 212  and  213  of the pluggable unit  200  contact to the contacts  111 ,  112  and  113  of the control panel  100 , respectively. At this time, the AC power line supplies the AC-DC converter  201  through the contacts between pins  211 ,  212  and the contacts  111 ,  112 . By the conversion of the AC-DC converter  201 , DC power supply is provided to the wireless module  202 . The wireless module  202 , in its working state, receives a control command from a remote wireless controller (not shown), and sends a control signal to the electric control means  203  in response to the control command, so that the object  800  is controlled by the electric control means  203 . 
     After the wireless connection between the remote controller device and the wireless module  202  being established, the wireless module  202  will receive commands from the remote controller device, such as “Switch On”, “Switch Off”, “Get Status” and so on. When the wireless module  202  receives a “Switch On” command, it will send an “On” signal to the electric control means  203 , and the electric control means  203  will be turned on accordingly. When the wireless module  202  receives a “Switch Off” command, it will send an “Off” signal to the electric control means  203 , and the electric control means  203  will be turned off accordingly. When the wireless module  202  receives a “Get Status” command, it will read the current status of the electric control means first, then send the status back to the remote controller device. 
     If the above embodiment is applied, because the control panel  100  and the pluggable unit  200  are designed to be separate from each other, the manufacture and installation of the control panel  100  are as same as that of an conventional control panel, and the cost is almost the same. Therefore, the users can install and use them as usual. When it is desired to add remote control function, instead of replacing the existing control panel  100 , the users only need to buy a pluggable unit  200 , whereby the users&#39; initial investment can be protected. On the other hand, when the user does not want to use the remote controller, he/she may use manual switch  103  on the control panel  100  as well. 
     Additionally, when a new wireless communication technique appears, since it is convenient to replace the pluggable unit  200  separately, there is no need to buy and install a control panel  100  again. The user can use the new technique conveniently and economically and take the advantages brought by it. 
     Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in conjunction with  FIGS. 5 and 6 .  FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing the circuit of the control panel of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram showing the circuit of the pluggable unit according to the present embodiment. For simplicity, the same description as that of the first embodiment will be omitted. 
     In the present embodiment, in order to reduce the size of the pluggable unit  200 , the electric control means, the electric control means  504  in the present embodiment, is put into the control panel  100 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , different from the foregoing embodiment, the control panel  100  of the present embodiment has four contacts  511 ,  512 ,  513  and  514 ; correspondingly, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the pluggable unit  200  also has four pins  611 ,  612 ,  613  and  614 . When the pluggable unit  200  is plugged into the receptacle  102  of the control panel  100 , the contacts  511 – 514  of the control panel  100  will contact with the pins  611 – 614  of the pluggable unit  200 , respectively. 
     In the control panel  100 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , the contacts  511  and  512  are connected to the null/ground line (N) and the live line (L) of the power supply, respectively. And the contacts  513  and  514  are connected to the control input ends of the electric control means  504 , respectively. The electric control means  504  is connected with the manual switch  103  in parallel. In the pluggable unit  200 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , the pins  611  and  612  are connected to the input ends of the AC-DC converter  201 , respectively. The pins  613  and  614  are connected to the output ends of the wireless module  202 , respectively. 
     When the pluggable unit  200  is plugged into the receptacle  102  of the control panel  100  and the manual switch  103  of the control panel  100  is in a state of being switched off, the AC-DC converter  201  is provided with the AC power supply through the contacts between the pins  611 ,  612  and the contacts  511 ,  512 . By the conversion of the AC-DC converter  201 , DC power supply is provided to the wireless module  202 . In response to the control command transmitted through wireless communication, a control signal sent by the wireless module  202  is transferred to the control input ends of the electric control means  504  in the control panel  100  through the contacts between the pins  613 ,  614  and the contacts  513 ,  514 . Further, the electric control means  504 , in response to the control signal, performs control to the controlled object  800 . 
     In the present embodiment, due to putting the electric control means  504  into the control panel  100 , the objective of reducing the size of the pluggable unit  200  is achieved. By eliminating the space limitation, the functionality of the electric control means  504  can be enhanced. 
     Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in conjunction with  FIGS. 7 and 8 .  FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram showing the control panel of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram showing the pluggable unit according to the present embodiment. For simplicity, the same description as that of the above embodiments will be omitted. 
     In the present embodiment, the electric control means and the AC-DC converter are both put into the control panel  100 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , there are an AC-DC converter  705 , an electric control means  704  and three contacts  711 ,  712  and  713  in the control panel  100 . The AC input ends of the AC-DC converter  705  are connected to the live line (L) and the null/ground line (N), respectively, of the AC power supply, and the DC output ends are connected to the contacts  711  and  712 , respectively. The electric control means  704  is connected with the manual switch  703  in parallel, and its input end is connected to the contact  713 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the pluggable unit  200  has a wireless module  202  and three pins  811 ,  812  and  813 , wherein the input ends for power supply of the wireless module  202  are connected to the pins  811  and  812 , and the output end of the wireless module is connected to the pin  813 . 
     When the pluggable unit  200  of the present embodiment is plugged into the receptacle  102  of the control panel  100 , the pins  811 – 813  of the pluggable unit  200  contact with the contacts  711 – 713  of the control panel  100 . The AC power coming from the AC power supply is converted into the DC power for the wireless module  202  of the pluggable unit  200  by the AC-DC converter  705  in the control panel  100 . Then the DC power is supplied to the wireless module  202  through the contact between pins  811 ,  812  and the contacts  711 ,  712 . A control signal generated by the wireless module  202  according to the control command transmitted through wireless communication is transferred to the electric control means  704  through the contact between the pin  813  and the contact  713 . Further, the electric control means  704 , in response to the control signal, performs control to the object  800 . 
     In the present embodiment, due to the fact that the electric control means and the AC-DC converter are both located in the control panel, the size of the pluggable unit can be reduced further, and the cost is lower. The replacement of the pluggable unit becomes much easier. 
     The foregoing embodiments are the pluggable mechanisms for wireless remote control that are all used for simple manual switch control panels (i.e. there is only a manual switch on the control panel.). The present invention can also be used for the relatively complex manual control panels, such as a manual control panel of an electric fan that may control the wind speed and the wind direction, or a manual control panel of an air conditioner that may control the temperature, wind speed and operating modes. 
       FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram showing the control panel of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The control panel shown in  FIG. 9  is a manual control panel for an electric fan or an air conditioner. Such a control panel capable of performing complex controls usually has a set of keys (not shown) to allow the operator inputting manual control commands. The set of keys may include a plurality of keys, for example, keys for maximum wind speed or temperature reduction keys for minimum wind speed or temperature raise, etc. The operations on these keys will be converted to corresponding electric signals and transmitted to the microcontroller  1202 . The microcontroller  1202  processes these signals by executing the preprogrammed instruction programs, or processes these signals in cooperation wit a central control CPU (not shown). The processing result may cause the microcontroller  1202  to send a control signal to the control logic interface  1203 , through which the control signal is transmitted to the corresponding electric control means  1204 , for example, a matrix switch, a pulse-width modulation (PWM) power controller, a digital potentiometer, etc., so as to control the object. Supposing that an operator presses a key representing minimum wind speed, this operation would be interpreted into a corresponding electric signal and transmitted to the microcontroller  1202 . After the program&#39;s processing, the microcontroller  202  would generate a control signal for the PWM power controller which controls the motor speed. The control signal is transmitted to the corresponding PWM power controller through the control logic interface  1203 . It results in the reduction of the output power from the PWM power controller to the motor and thus makes the motor speed slower and the wind speed lower. 
     In the present embodiment, a receptacle  1205  connected to the microcontroller  1202 , a DB-9 receptacle  1205  shown in  FIG. 9 , is added into the above-mentioned manual control panel.  FIG. 10  is a schematic diagram of the pluggable unit of the pluggable mechanism for wireless remote control according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the pluggable unit  200  of the present embodiment has a DB-9 plug and a wireless module  202 . 
     In the present embodiment, the definitions of the pins in the DB-9 receptacle  1205  of the manual control panel are shown in Table 1: 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 definitions of the pins of the DB-9 receptacle 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 PIN1 
                 Ground 
               
               
                   
                 PIN2 
                 Receiving data 
               
               
                   
                 PIN3 
                 Sending data 
               
               
                   
                 PIN4 
                 NULL 
               
               
                   
                 PIN5 
                 Ground 
               
               
                   
                 PIN6 
                 NULL 
               
               
                   
                 PIN7 
                 Request to Send (RTS) 
               
               
                   
                 PIN8 
                 Clear to Send (CTS) 
               
               
                   
                 PIN9 
                 Power supply 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Corresponding to the above receptacle  1205 , the definitions of the pins in the DB-9 plug  1302  on the pluggable unit  200  are shown in Table 2: 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 definitions of the pins of the DB-9 plug 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 PIN1 
                 Ground 
               
               
                   
                 PIN2 
                 Sending data 
               
               
                   
                 PIN3 
                 Receiving data 
               
               
                   
                 PIN4 
                 NULL 
               
               
                   
                 PIN5 
                 Ground 
               
               
                   
                 PIN6 
                 NULL 
               
               
                   
                 PIN7 
                 Clear to Send (CTS) 
               
               
                   
                 PIN8 
                 Request to Send (RTS) 
               
               
                   
                 PIN9 
                 Power supply 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     When the pluggable unit  200  of the present embodiment is plugged into the DB-9 receptacle  1205  of the control panel  100  through its DB-9 plug  1302 , the wireless module  202  will receive remote wireless control commands and generate control signals in response to the control command. The generated control signals are transmitted to the microcontroller  1202  in the control panel  100  through the connection between the plug  1302  and the receptacle  1205 . The microcontroller  1202  processes the signals from the pluggable unit by executing preprogrammed instruction programs or processes these signals in cooperation with a central control CPU (not shown). Further, the microcontroller  1202  will send control signals to the corresponding electric control means  1204  through the control logic interface  1203  and the controlled object will be controlled by the electric control means  1204 . 
     It should be noted that the plug  1302  and the receptacle  1205  may be in various forms besides the DB-9 plug, for example, DB-25 or RJ45, etc. And the definition of the electric interface between the receptacle and the plug can be customized. 
     From the above description of the present embodiment, it can be seen that the present embodiment can be used for a relatively complex manual control panel, like the control panel of an electric fan or an air conditioner, to perform remote wireless control. 
     In the above, the present invention has been described in conjunction with a plurality of embodiments. However, it should be understood that these embodiments do not include all implementations of the present invention, and the description in respect to the embodiments should not limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is subject to the appended claims.