Abstract:
The present invention provides a multi-purpose control device with a remote controller and a sensor. The multi-purpose control device includes a detecting body, a remote controller for controlling the detecting body, and a receiver connected to a light. The detecting body is positioned at an entry way to form a sensing region, thereby the detecting body is not only able to receive a remote control signal emitted from the remote controller but also to sense human bodies entering the sensing region. After the detecting body receives the remote control signal or senses a human body entering the sensing region, the detecting body emits a signal to the receiver to actuate a light. The control device does not require reconfiguration of wiring. The present invention can sense a human body entering a sensing region in the dark to actuate a light automatically. The remote controller associated with the detecting body can provide multiple remote functions, including a lux level setting and a time setting.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a multi-purpose control device with a remote controller and a sensor. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-purpose control device that utilizes a remote controller and a human body sensor to actuate a load. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     At present, almost all families utilize electric power. Generally, to distribute indoor electric power, a fixed system of electric lines is used. The fixed system of electric lines requires that point to point electric lines be installed inside walls, ceilings or floors prior to the completion of construction of a building. For most fixed light fixtures, e.g. pendent lights, ceiling lights and chandeliers, electric lines between the lights and their switches are installed along a predetermined path inside walls and ceilings. Once the installation of the electric lines is completed, the paths of electric lines are fixed. This is the technique used for most fixed lighting fixtures. As electrical and electronic control techniques have improved, alternatives to the conventional hard-wired ON/OFF switch used for fixed light fixtures have become available. In fact, wireless remote controllers are utilized in controlling televisions, stereo apparatus and air conditioners, etc. Remote controllers are becoming more prevalent in controlling electronic equipment. However, remote controllers are not widespread in controlling non-electronic devices such as fixed light fixutes. This is partly because the addition of remote controllers may result in the problem of reconfiguration of wiring, and partly because in certain cases, utilizing remote controllers is not practical. For example, when entering a house at night, it is necessary to locate a remote controller in the dark first, then the remote controller is used to turn on the light. In this sense, it is not convenient to use remote controllers to turn on or off fixed light fixtures. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a control device that not only receives a remote control signal emitted from a remote controller but also senses human bodies entering an indoor region. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose control device utilizing a remote controller and a human body sensor to actuate a load, thereby the conventional problem of searching for a remote controller in the dark to turn on a light is solved. 
     To this end, the present invention provides a multi-purpose control device with a remote controller and a sensor, which comprises: 
     a detecting body; 
     a remote controller for controlling the detecting body by emitting a remote control signal; and 
     a receiver connected to a light and receiving the signal emitted from the detecting body; 
     wherein the detecting body is positioned at an entry way to form a sensing region, thereby the detecting body is able not only to receive a remote control signal emitted from the remote controller but also to sense human bodies entering the sensing region, after the detecting body receives the remote control signal or senses a human body entering the sensing region, the detecting body emits a signal to the receiver to actuate a light. 
     The control device in accordance with the present invention does not require reconfiguration of the wiring. In addition, the present invention can sense a human body entering a sensing region in the dark to actuate a light automatically, thereby resolving the problem of searching for a remote controller in the dark. 
     The remote controller in accordance with the present invention comprises a processor, a modulation circuit and an infrared emitter. The processor has three input terminals, each of which is connected to buttons of “ON ”, “OFF ” and “AUTO ” respectively. The “AUTO ” button is used to emit a signal to switch the detecting body to actuate a light by sensing a human body. 
     The remote controller in accordance with the present invention further comprises a display connected to an output terminal of the processor, a “TIME ” button and a “LUX ” button, wherein said “TIME ” button and said “LUX ” buttons are connected to the input terminals of the processor. The display is used to display the function of all settings. The “TIME ” button is used to set the duration that the light is turned-on. The “LUX ” button utilizes the human body sensing function of the detecting body to control the ON/OFF of the light. The “LUX ” button can set the time when the detecting body is working. When the brightness inside is above a predetermined brightness level, the detecting body will not emit a signal to turn on the light. 
     The detecting body comprises a processor, an encoder and an emission circuit, in which the processor has two input ports, one connected to a remote control detecting device and the other to a human body sensing device. The remote control detecting device comprises an infrared receiver, an amplifying circuit and a decoder. When the infrared signal is received, the received infrared signal is amplified and decoded and sent to the processor. 
     The human body sensing device comprises a passive infrared sensor, an amplifying circuit and a determining circuit. The passive infrared sensor covers an infrared sensing region. When a human body enters the infrared sensing region, the passive infrared sensor senses the heat of the human body and creates a signal. The created signal is amplified by the amplifying circuit. After the amplified signal is corrected by the determining circuit, the signal is output to the processor. 
     The receiver comprises a receiving circuit, a wireless amplifying circuit, a decoder and a relay, wherein the relay is connected to the light to control the light. 
     The detecting body further comprises a time-and-lux setting circuit and a buzzer. The time-and-lux setting circuit is controlled by the human body sensing device and the “TIME ” button and “LUX ” buttons in the remote controller and comprises a time-setting element and a lux-setting element. The time-setting element sets the working time duration of the light after the human body sensing device senses a human body. The lux-setting element turns on the light when the brightness in an indoor region is below a predetermined brightness level. Therefore, the lux-setting element can reduce energy consumption. 
     The forgoing and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-purpose control device in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the circuit of the detecting body of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a detailed circuit diagram of the detecting body of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the circuit of the remote controller of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a detailed circuit diagram of the remote controller of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the circuit of the receiver of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 7 is a detailed circuit diagram of the receiver of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a multi-purpose control device in the present invention provides a detecting body  10  at an entrance. The detecting body  10  has a human body sensing device  40  and a remote control detecting device  30 . The human body sensing device  40  (FIG. 2) can sense a human body entering a passive infrared sensing region near an entry way  110 . The remote control detecting device  30  can receive a remote control signal from a remote controller  20 . 
     After receiving a remote control signal or sensing a human body entering the sensing region, the detecting body  10  emits a signal to a receiver  50  near a light  100 . The receiver  50  can turn the light  100  on or off. Therefore, the light  100  is controlled by a remote controller  20  or the human body sensing device  40 . 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the detecting body  10  comprises a human body sensing device  40 , a remote control detecting device  30 , a processor  11 , an encoder  12 , an emission circuit  13 , a time-and-lux setting circuit  14  and a power saving circuit  16 . The processor  11  has two input ports, one is connected to a remote control detecting device  30  and the other to a human body sensing device  40 . 
     The detailed circuit diagram of the detecting body of the present invention is shown in FIG.  3 . The remote control detecting device  30  comprises an infrared receiver  31 , an amplifying circuit  32  and a decoder  33 . When the infrared signal is received, the received infrared signal is amplified and decoded, and is then sent to the processor  11 . 
     The decoder  33  comprises three output terminals connected to the processor  11  the time-and-lux setting circuit  14  and a buzzer  15 . After the infrared receiver  31  receives an infrared signal from the remote controller  20  and the received infrared signal is amplified and decoded, the decoded signal is sent to the processor  11 , the time-and-lux setting circuit  14  and a buzzer  15 . The buzzer  15  may generate a sound that can be heard by the user to confirm that the emitted signal has been received. 
     The human body sensing device  40  comprises a passive infrared sensor  41 , an amplifying circuit  42  and a determining circuit  43 . The passive infrared sensor  41  covers an infrared sensing region. When a human body enters the infrared sensing region, the passive infrared sensor  41  senses the heat of the human body and creates a signal. The created signal is amplified by the amplifying circuit  42 . After the amplified signal is corrected by the determining circuit  43 , the signal is output to the processor  11 . The determining circuit  43  comprises a comparator to confirm whether the sensed signal is created by a human body. 
     The time-and-lux setting circuit  14  is used to control the duration that the light is turned on and the brightness level in the indoor area in which the human body sensing device  40  needs to function. The time-and-lux setting circuit  14  comprises a first comparator  141 , a second comparator  142 , an optical device  143  and a capacitor  144 . The negative input terminal of the first comparator  141  is connected to an output terminal of the encoder  33 , and the positive input terminal of the first comparator  141  is connected to the processor  11  and the optical device  143 . The positive input terminal of the second comparator  142  is connected to the output terminal of the first comparator  141 , the capacitor  144  and an output pin of the processor  11 , and the output terminal of the second comparator  142  is connected to the processor  11 . 
     When the remote control detecting device  30  receives a lux level setting signal from the remote controller  20 , the decoder  33  sends a signal to the time-and-lux setting circuit  14  and the processor  11 . At this time, the processor  11  changes the resistance of the inner resistor connected to the first comparator  141  based on the input signal from the decoder. Because the resistance of the optical device  143  changes according to the brightness level in the indoor region, the changed resistance of the optical device  143  associated with the resistance of the inner resistor of the output pin of the processor  11  may generate various reference voltage levels in the positive input terminal of the first comparator  141 . Thereby the time-and-lux setting circuit  14  determines at what brightness level in the indoor region that the first comparator  141  outputs a high voltage. The output high voltage is sent to the processor  11  through the second comparator  142  to make the processor  11 , through the encoder  12  and the emission circuit  13 , actuate the light  100 . Therefore, the user may determine below what brightness level in the indoor region that the human body sensing device  40  needs to function to avoid wasting power. 
     When the remote control detecting device  30  receives a time setting signal emitted from the remote controller  20 , the decoder  33  sends a signal to the time-and-lux setting circuit  14  and the processor  11 . The processor  11  changes the resistance of the inner resistor connected to the positive input terminal of the second comparator  142  according to the input signal. At this time, the inner resistor of the processor  11  and the capacitor  144  constitute a RC charging/discharging circuit. The time constant of the RC charging/discharging circuit is determined by the inner resistance of the inner resistor of the processor  11 . Therefore, the processor  11  may change the time constant of the RC charging/discharging circuit by changing the resistance of the inner resistor of the processor  11 . The resistance of the inner resistor of the processor  11  may be changed by the emitted signal from the remote controller  20 . 
     When the human body sensing device  40  senses the heat of the human body and sends a signal to the processor  11 , the processor  11  continuously sends a signal to actuate the emission circuit  13  to emit a signal to a receiver  50 . Then the light  100  is turned on. At this time, the capacitor  144  is charged. When the capacitor  144  is saturated and begins to discharge, a high voltage is created at the positive input terminal of the second comparator  142 , and then a high voltage is output from the output terminal of the second comparator  142  to the processor  11 . Upon receiving the signal from the second comparator  142 , the processor  11  ceases to output the signal to actuate the light  100 , and the light  100  is turned off. 
     The power saving circuit  16  can be used when the detecting body  10  utilizes a dry battery as the power source. The power saving circuit  16  comprises a comparing circuit. A reference voltage is obtained from two resistors for dividing a voltage. The comparing circuit is connected to the processor  11  and the emission circuit  13  to detect the voltage level of the dry battery. When the voltage of the battery is below a predetermined voltage level, the processor  11  and the emission circuit  13  are turned off to reduce power consumption of the battery. 
     As shown in FIG.  4  and FIG. 5, the remote controller  20  in accordance with the present invention comprises a processor  21 , a modulation circuit  22 , an infrared emitter  23  and a display  29 . The processor  21  has five input terminals, which are connected to “ON ”, “OFF ”, “AUTO ”, “TIME ” and “LUX ”  24 ,  25 ,  26 ,  27 ,  28  buttons. The “ON ” button  24  is used to turn on the light  100 . The “OFF ” button  25  is used to turn off the light  100 . The “AUTO ” button  26  is used to emit a signal to switch the detecting body to actuate a light  100  by sensing a human body. The “TIME ” button  27  cooperates with the time-and-lux setting circuit  14  of the detecting body  10 . The “TIME ” button  27  is used to set the duration that the light  100  is turned on after the detecting body  10  senses a human body and the light is turned on. The “LUX ” button  28  also cooperates with the time-and-lux lux setting circuit  14  of the detecting body  10 . The “LUX ” button  28  controls the implementation of the human body sensing function of the detecting body  10  only when the brightness level in an indoor region is below a predetermined level. The display  29  displays the set or selected contents. 
     As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a receiver  50  comprises a receiving circuit  51 , a wireless amplifying circuit  52 , a decoder  53  and a relay  54 . The relay  54  is connected to the light  100  to control the light  100 . 
     The detecting body  10  can turn the light  100  on or off by signals from either the remote controller  20  or the human body sensing device  40 . When a user is inside the entrance of a room, he can utilize the “ON ” and “OFF ” buttons  24 ,  25  on the remote controller  20  to turn the light  100  on or off. When the user presses either “ON ” or “OFF ” button  24 ,  25 , a signal is emitted from the remote controller  20  toward the detecting body  10 . After the detecting body  10  receives the emitted signal from the remote controller  20 , the emission circuit  13  in the detecting body  10  emits a control signal to the receiver  50  near the light  100 . After the receiver  50  receives the control signal from the detecting body  10 , the receiver  50  amplifies the control signal and decodes the amplified signal. The receiver  50  utilizes the decoded signal to turn the light  100  on or off by the relay driving circuit  54 . 
     When the user goes outdoors, he can use the remote controller  20  to emit a control signal to turn off the light  100 . In the meantime, he can press the “AUTO ” button  26  on the remote controller  20  to switch the controlling pattern of the detecting body  10  to the pattern of sensing a human body by the human body sensing device  40 . The passive infrared sensor  41  in the human body sensing device  40  covers an infrared sensing region. When a human body enters the infrared sensing region, the passive infrared sensor  41  senses the heat of the human body and creates a signal. The created signal is amplified by the amplifying circuit  42 . After the amplified signal is corrected by the determining circuit  43 , the signal is output to the processor  11 . Then the detecting body  10  utilizes the emission circuit  13  to emit a signal to the receiver  50  to turn on the light  100 , thereby resolving the problem of searching for a remote controller in the dark. 
     Because the user can utilize the “TIME ” and “LUX ” buttons  27 ,  28  of the remote controller  20  to set “time ” and “lux ”, when the brightness in an indoor region is above a predetermined level, even though a human body passes through the sensing region, the detecting body  10  will not emit a signal to turn on the light  100 . Therefore, the present invention can reduce energy consumption. Furthermore, when the human body sensing function of the detecting body  10  is used, the duration that the light  100  is turned on can be set to determine when the light  100  can be actuated. 
     From the above, the present invention mainly provides a multi-purpose control device, which utilizes both of a remote controller and a human body sensor to control the ON/OFF state of a load. When a light is controlled, the present invention not only uses a remote controller to control the ON/OFF state of a light for convenience, but also uses a sensor to sense a human body in the dark. Therefore, the present invention can obviate the inconvenience of searching for a remote controller in the dark. 
     It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.