Portable remote control unit for home automation components

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable remote control unit (10) for home automation components. The portable remote control unit (10) comprises: - a housing (22) which contains: - a wireless communication unit (24) with an associated antenna (26), configured to send command signals to a home automation component (11); - an electric energy source (28); - at least one non-volatile memory unit (32); - a processing unit (34) configured to control the wireless communication unit (24) by means of execution of a series of instructions stored in said at least one non-volatile memory unit (32); - a command input interface (36) connected to the processing unit (34) and configured to transfer, during use, to said processing unit (34) at least one command imparted by a user. In accordance with the invention, said housing (22) is composed of two half-shells (22A, 22B) joined together inseparably.

Description

[0001] “Portable remote control unit for home automation components’

[0002] *****

[0003] Field of application

[0004] The present invention relates to a portable remote control unit for home automation components such as: devices for operating movable barriers, such as roller shutters or blinds, hinged shutters, curtains, heavy-duty shutters, doors or gates, small electric household appliances, lighting devices, alarm systems, irrigation systems or air-conditioning devices, etc.

[0005] Prior art

[0006] The control of home automation components of the type described above is becoming increasingly more complex.

[0007] As illustrated for example in FR3001098, which describes a portable remote control unit for controlling a movable barrier, the latest generation remote control units not only are required to provide quick and efficient operation of the device connected to them, but must also be equipped with intuitive interfaces, for example displays, so as to provide the user with a whole series of additional information regarding operation of said device.

[0008] Furthermore, the possibility of connecting the remote control unit to smartphones or other portable devices, as well as to a local network or an external cloud, is becoming increasingly necessary.

[0009] The need to manage these additional functions results in a greater consumption of electrical energy with obvious consequences as regards the size of the battery of portable remote control unit.

[0010] These batteries, in fact, are designed with dimensions able to ensure a suitable range of the radio signal and an acceptable working life, without the need for frequent replacement thereof or the need to remove them from their housing in order to charge them using an external battery charger.

[0011] Differently from smartphones or tablets, the batteries in normal remote control units cannot in fact be recharged whilst they are still inside the remote control unit.

[0012] In order to meet these needs, larger size batteries are therefore required, but this obviously results in an increase in the dimensions of the remote control unit, which thus becomes bulky and impractical to use.

[0013] An increase in the size of the battery furthermore also results in an increase in the size of the seat inside which the battery is inserted and of the connections by means of which the battery is connected to the electronic board.

[0014] At the same time, the current safety standards (viz. in particular the standard IEC 62368-1 , edition 3) require the batteries to be inserted inside a compartment of the remote control unit which is closed by a cover. In particular, such a cover must not be prone to accidental opening, for example if dropped, and must not be able to be easily opened by children, so as to avoid the risk of ingestion of any removable parts by them.

[0015] In detail, the aforementioned standard stipulates that the cover of the battery compartment should be able to be opened by means of two separate and simultaneous movements.

[0016] However, despite research into the subject and the precautions taken, the risk of accidental opening cannot be excluded a priori, precisely because the cover of the battery compartment is in fact separate from the rest of the remote control unit structure.

[0017] Summary of the invention

[0018] The main object of the present invention is to provide a portable remote control unit for home automation components able to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks.

[0019] A further task of the present invention is to provide a portable remote control unit of the type described above which consumes a smaller amount of electric energy, without its functional performance being affected.

[0020] Another task of the present invention is to provide a portable remote control unit of the type described above which has a greater degree of autonomy.

[0021] A further task of the present invention is to provide a portable remote control unit of the type described above which is safe and easy to use.

[0022] The object and main tasks described above are achieved with a portable remote control unit according to Claim 1 .

[0023] Brief description of the drawings

[0024] In order to illustrate more clearly the innovative principles of the present invention and its advantages compared to the prior art, a portable remote control unit for home automation components will be described below with the aid of the attached figures. In particular:

[0025] - Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a portable remote control unit according to the present invention, in combination with the home automation component associated with it;

[0026] - Figure 1A shows a connection diagram for the various components of a command unit of the home automation component which can be operated by means of the portable remote control unit according to the present invention;

[0027] - Figure 2 shows a perspective front view of a second embodiment of the portable remote control unit according to the present invention;

[0028] - Figure 3 shows a rear perspective view of a portable remote control unit according to the invention; - Figure 4 shows a view, similar to that of Figure 2, in which the cover of the portable remote control unit has been partially removed so that the internal components are visible;

[0029] - Figure 5 shows a connection diagram for the various components of the portable remote control unit according to the present invention;

[0030] - Figure 6 shows an enlarged view of a possible embodiment of the detail of Figure 5 indicated by the letter A.

[0031] Detailed description

[0032] The present invention relates to a portable remote control unit 10 for home automation components.

[0033] By way of a non limiting example, the portable remote control unit 10 allows the control of movable barriers, such as roller shutters or blinds, hinged shutters, curtains, sectional shutters, doors or gates. Advantageously, the portable remote control unit 10, referred to below for the sake of simpler description as “control unit”, may be used to open or close a door, a main entrance or a window, or to operate a lighting device or system or an irrigation system

[0034] Finally, the control unit 10 may also be used to manage a heating or air-conditioning plant or a generic electric control system.

[0035] As shown for example in Figure 1 , the control unit 10 may be designed to control the opening or closing of a gate 11 with two leaves 12.

[0036] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , each leaf 12 is configured to be operated by a drive unit 13.

[0037] In a known manner, each drive unit 13 may comprise an electric motor intended to operate a reduction gearing unit. By means of this reduction unit it is possible to cause the rotation of an operating screw configured to transmit the movement to the leaf 12 connected to it.

[0038] A command unit 14 may be fixed to one of the supports 15 on which the leaves 12 are hinged.

[0039] Said command unit 14 is connected to the motor units 13 so as to command operation thereof. Moreover, said command unit 14 may be connected to a pair of photocells 16, intended to indicate the presence of objects or persons within the movement range P of the leaves 12, and to a flashing lamp 17.

[0040] Therefore, in addition to the motors 13, the photocells 16 and the flashing lamp 17 may also be controlled by means of the command unit 14.

[0041] Advantageously, as schematically shown in Figure 1A, the command unit 14 may comprise an electronic board 14A connected to a radio-receiver section 18 for receiving an actuating radio signal. Said radio-receiver section 18 is preferably provided with a receiving antenna 19 and a corresponding reception circuit. Said circuit will not be described in detail since it is well-known to the person skilled in the art.

[0042] Advantageously, the electronic board 14A may also be provided with a low-power radio transmitter 20.

[0043] The command unit 14 may also comprise a non-volatile memory unit 21 for storing identification certificates and / or recognition codes both of the gate 11 and of the portable remote control unit 10 by means of which the gate 11 may be remotely operated.

[0044] With reference now to Figures 1 , 2, 3 and 4, the portable remote control unit 10 according to the present invention, by means of which a gate of the type shown in Figure 1 may for example be remotely controlled, comprises a housing 22.

[0045] The housing 22 contains a wireless communication unit 24 with an associated antenna 26 configured to send command signals to a home automation component

[0046] 11.

[0047] With reference to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , the wireless communication unit 24 may be configured to send command signals to the command unit 14 of the gate 11.

[0048] The housing 22 also contains:

[0049] - an electric energy source 28;

[0050] - at least one non-volatile memory unit 32;

[0051] - a processing unit 34 configured to control the wireless communication unit 24 by means of execution of a series of instructions stored in said at least one non-volatile memory unit 32;

[0052] - a command input interface 36 connected to the processing unit 34 and configured to transfer, during use, to said processing unit 34 at least one command imparted by a user.

[0053] In accordance with the invention, said housing 22 is composed of two half-shells 22A, 22B joined together inseparably.

[0054] As will become clear from the description below, the provision of a housing 22 of the type described above ensures that, in the event of being accidentally dropped, no components, and in particular a battery, may come out of the control unit 10.

[0055] At the same time, it is ensured that there is no possibility of children being able to open the housing 22 and accidentally ingesting any of its components, for example the batteries, removed from the control unit.

[0056] The control unit 10 is therefore in compliance with the aforementioned safety standards, for example IEC 62368-1 , edition 3.

[0057] Moreover, as will be clear from the description below, the provision of a housing 22 as described above also results in simplification of the structure of the control unit 10. Said control unit 10, for example, must no longer be provided with a seat for housing a removable battery and the associated electrical contacts.

[0058] As already mentioned, the housing 22 is composed of two half-shells 22A, 22B which are joined together inseparably.

[0059] Advantageously, said half-shells 22A, 22B are joined together along a perimetral joining surface 38.

[0060] Preferably, the two half-shells 22A, 22B are joined together hermetically so as not to allow fluids or dust to enter inside the housing 22.

[0061] Advantageously, the two half-shells 22A, 22B are made of polymer material of biological origin with a high biodegradability.

[0062] The wireless communication unit 24, in turn, preferably comprises a communication module with Bluetooth technology, preferably with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology.

[0063] The wireless communication unit 24 therefore operates in a frequency range of 2.400 to 2.4835 GHz so as to transmit via the antenna 26 a radio command signal to the home automation component associated with the control unit 10. Said radio signal will be transmitted within a dedicated band to the home automation component controlled by the control unit 10.

[0064] In particular, the wireless communication unit 24 may use 40 channels and within each channel the data constituting the signal may be transmitted using MSK (Minimum Shift Keying) digital modulation with a Gaussian input filter having a bit rate of 2 Mbit / s.

[0065] Advantageously, the use of the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol is able to provide the control unit 10 with a radius of action of more than 200 metres in an open space, with a low energy consumption.

[0066] At the same time, the use of the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol allows the Bluetooth Channel Sounding function to be used in order to improve the precision in detection of the position of the control unit 10 with respect to the component 11 to be controlled.

[0067] In detail, the wireless communication unit 24 may comprise a communication module with Bluetooth Channel Sounding technology.

[0068] In particular, by means of the Bluetooth Channel Sounding communication module, the wireless communication unit 24 is able to send a command signal to the home automation component 11 once the control unit 10 is located in the proximity of the home automation component 11.

[0069] In this case, therefore, the command imparted by the user at the interface 36 consists of a movement of the wireless communication unit 24 towards the component to be controlled.

[0070] For example, by means of the Bluetooth Channel Sounding function, in the case where the component to be operated is a gate 11 , it is possible to open the gate by moving the control unit 10 towards the command unit 14.

[0071] As is known, the Bluetooth Channel Sounding function may use two different methods for measuring the distance between two devices, i.e. initiator device and reflector device. In the present case, the initiator device is the wireless communication unit 24 and the reflector device is the radio-receiver section 18 of the command unit 14.

[0072] The first method is the PBR (Phase-Based Ranging) method.

[0073] In the PBR method, the initiator device sends a signal to the reflector device, which returns the signal. Once the returned signal is received, the distance between the devices is calculated on the basis of the phase difference between the transmitted and received signals. This process is repeated over several frequencies in order to improve the measurement precision of the distance.

[0074] The second method is the RTT (Round-Trip Time) method, which represents a secondary measurement method, intended to check the measurement performed by the PBR method.

[0075] In the RTT method, the initiator device sends packets which have been cryptographically encrypted to the reflector device, which returns the packets. The distance between the two devices is then calculated on the basis of the time taken by the packets to be sent out and back again.

[0076] The RTT method therefore provides an independent measurement of the distance for checking the PBR measurement.

[0077] By combining the PBR method and the RTT method, the Bluetooth Channel Sounding function therefore ensures reliable and accurate measurements of the distance between the control unit 10 and the component 11 to be controlled.

[0078] As will become clear from the description which follows, the use of the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol also allows alternative power supply sources to be used for the control unit 10, compared to the conventional button batteries, such that the possibility of having a hermetically sealed housing 22 does not represent a drawback for use of the control unit 10.

[0079] As shown schematically in Figure 4, the wireless communication unit 24 may be mounted on an electronic board 40, for example a PCB (Printed Circuit Board).

[0080] In a known manner, the wireless communication unit 24 is connected to the processing unit 34 by means of a track of the electronic board 40 or by means of a cable. Advantageously, with reference again to Figure 4, the antenna 26 may consist of one or more tracks of the electronic board 40 so as to reduce the thickness of the housing 22.

[0081] An electric energy source 28 is also contained inside the housing 22.

[0082] Preferably, said electric energy source 28 is a micropower betavoltaic energy source. As schematically shown in Figure 6, said electric energy source 28 may comprise a beta particle source 42 and a p-n junction semiconductor 44.

[0083] In Figure 6, the p zone and the n zone of the semiconductor 44 are indicated respectively by the reference numbers 45 and 46.

[0084] The beta particle source 42 and the semiconductor 44 are arranged inside a container which has the function of screening the radiation.

[0085] The operation of the electric energy source 28 of the betavoltaic type is such that the beta particles emitted by the source 42 bombard the semiconductor 44 so as to create electron-gap pairs by means of impact ionization so as to allow the conduction of electric current via suitable electrical contacts 47, 48.

[0086] Preferably, the beta particle source 42 consists of tritium (3H), an isotope of hydrogen.

[0087] Since the average lifespan of tritium is 12 years, advantageously the betavoltaic energy source 28 allows the operation of the control unit 10 for a period of 12 years, without having to replace said energy source 28 or necessarily providing an additional energy source.

[0088] Alternatively, the beta particle source 42 may consist of promethium-147 (Pm-147) or nickel-63 (Ni-63).

[0089] Alternatively or in addition to the micropower betavoltaic energy source described above, the electric energy source 28 may comprise one or more photovoltaic cells 29 positioned on an external surface of the housing 22.

[0090] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the photovoltaic cells 29 may be positioned in the front part of the housing 22.

[0091] In addition or alternatively, photovoltaic cells 29 may also be provided on the rear part of the housing 22 (see Figure 3).

[0092] Additional photovoltaic cells may also be provided on the side surfaces of the housing 22.

[0093] In this case, the entire housing 22 is substantially designed to recover solar energy.

[0094] Preferably, the photovoltaic cells 29 are organic photoelectrochemical cells, for example of the Gratzel type.

[0095] These cells consist of two glass conductor electrodes which are separated by a layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2), by an active material and by an electrolytic solution.

[0096] The active material preferably consists of a photosensitive organic dye which transfers electrons to the titanium dioxide following the absorption of photons.

[0097] Advantageously, these photovoltaic cells allow the recovery of energy also in the case of low light emission, for example inside a house, where the light is provided mainly by artificial light sources, such as LED lamps.

[0098] As an alternative or in addition to the micropower betavoltaic energy source or the photovoltaic cells described above, the electric energy source 28 may comprise a piezoelectric transducer, for example arranged at the command input interface 36.

[0099] Said transducer, if subjected to mechanical deformation forces following compression of the commands 36, may generate an electric potential able to power the processing unit 34.

[0100] Alternatively or in addition to the above-described types of electric sources, the electric energy source 28 may comprise a thermoelectric generator able to make use of the temperature difference between the surface of the user’s hand and the external surface of the housing 22 in order to produce, for example by means of the Seeback effect, electric energy sufficient to power the processing unit 34.

[0101] Preferably, the control unit 10 also comprises an electric energy accumulator 30, preferably contained inside the housing 22. Said accumulator 30 is advantageously configured to be charged with the electric energy produced by the electric energy source 28 to which it is connected.

[0102] In detail, the accumulator 30 powers the processing unit 34.

[0103] Preferably, said accumulator 30 comprises a supercapacitor 31 able to store a greater amount of energy in a small-size volume.

[0104] As shown for example in Figure 4, the supercapacitor 31 may be incorporated permanently and inseparably inside the control unit 10. In particular, the supercapacitor 31 may be irremovably fixed to the electronic board 40 since the electric energy sources 28 described above ensure a power supply for a long period of time, without the need to recharge or replace the accumulator 30.

[0105] In this way, the control unit 10 has a simplified structure since there is no need to provide a seat and the associated electrical contacts for connecting together the processing unit 34 and the accumulator 30 in order to make the latter extractable.

[0106] Advantageously, the control unit 10 may comprise a PMIC (Power management integrated circuit) unit 50. Preferably, said unit 50 consists of an integrated circuit designed to control the flow and the direction of the electric energy produced by the source 28 and directed towards the accumulator 30.

[0107] As already mentioned, the housing 22 of the control unit 10 contains at least one non-volatile memory unit 32.

[0108] The instructions which can be carried out by the processing unit 34 are stored in said memory 32.

[0109] In addition, the memory 32 may store an identification certificate and / or a recognition code of the control unit 10 by means of which it is possible to identify in a unique manner the control unit 10.

[0110] Said certificate and / or code preferably is a numerical code which is stored in the memory 32 of the control unit 10 at the time of manufacture.

[0111] The identification certificate and / or the recognition code of the control unit 10 may advantageously be inserted in the command signal sent from the wireless communication unit 34 to the home automation component to be operated.

[0112] Only if the identification certificate and / or the recognition code received coincide (s) with the identification certificate or the recognition code stored in the command unit 14 of the home automation component 11 to be remotely operated, will the operation required by the control unit 10 be authorized.

[0113] Advantageously identification certificates and / or recognition codes of other control units 10 which have been previously authorized to operate the home automation component 11 may also be stored in the memory 32.

[0114] These codes, as well as the identification codes received from the home automation component 11 , may be received by the control unit 10 via a receiver 52, also equipped with an antenna 53, and connected to the processing unit 34 (see Figure 5).

[0115] Alternatively, the wireless communication unit 24 may act as a transceiver.

[0116] The certificates and / or identification codes of the control unit 10 and the home automation component 11 may be encrypted in different ways well-known to person skilled in the art.

[0117] The processing unit 34, in turn, may advantageously be a DSP (digital signal processor), a CPU (central processing unit), GPU (graphic processing unit) or any other electronic processing component for processing algorithms on the basis of the input data received.

[0118] Finally, the command input interface 36 may comprise one or more pushbuttons 37 connected to the electronic board 40. These pushbuttons are arranged so as to project from the electronic board 40.

[0119] Advantageously, the pushbuttons 37 may comprise a switch 39 provided with a so- called micro electromechanical system (MEMS) or a nano electromechanical system (NEMS).

[0120] The MEMS or NEMS switches have advantageously small dimensions and a low weight and have a lower energy consumption.

[0121] The interface 36 may comprise MEMS or NEMS switches 39 of the inertial type, able to detect accelerations and variations in the inclination of the control unit 10.

[0122] By means of this type of switch it is therefore possible to detect any movements imparted by the user to the control unit 10.

[0123] For example, in the case where the home automation component 11 to be operated is a curtain, the user may give the input command to move the curtain from left to right by moving the control unit from left to right.

[0124] At the same time, the user may adjust the opening speed of a gate, for example, by shaking the control unit 10.

[0125] In an alternative embodiment, the interface 36 may comprise pushbuttons 37 of the touch screen type by means of which it is possible to impart command signals to the home automation device 11 (for example opening direction and speed) with the movements of a finger by the user.

[0126] In a further embodiment, the interface 36 may comprise in combination or alternatively a biometric data detector, by means of which the user may be identified, or a microphone for voice commands.

[0127] In a further embodiment, the control unit 10 may be provided with a display 54 on which information relating to the operation of the control unit 10 or the home automation component 11 associated with it may be displayed.

[0128] From the above description it is now clear how the control unit 10 according to the present invention is able to achieve advantageously the predefined objects.

[0129] In particular, the control unit 10, since it is provided with a housing 22 composed of two inseparable half-shells 22A, 22B, prevents accidental opening and avoids all the risks associated with this possibility.

[0130] Moreover, the provision of a wireless communication interface 24 of the Bluetooth type, in particular of the Bluetooth Low Energy type, reduces the energy consumption of the control unit 10 with obvious advantages in terms of the dimensions of the housing, which may be small, since it no longer must contain large-size batteries.

[0131] Furthermore, the use of a betavoltaic energy source 28 ensures a high degree of autonomy for the control unit 10.

[0132] Obviously, the above description of embodiments applying the innovative principles of the present invention is provided by way of example of these innovative principles and must therefore not be regarded as limiting the scope of the rights claimed herein.

Claims

Claims1. Portable remote control unit (10) for home automation components, said portable remote control unit (10) comprising:- a housing (22) which contains:- a wireless communication unit (24) with an associated antenna (26), configured to send command signals to a home automation component (11);- an electric energy source (28);- at least one non-volatile memory unit (32);- a processing unit (34) configured to control the wireless communication unit (24) by means of execution of a series of instructions stored in said at least one non-volatile memory unit (32);- a command input interface (36) connected to the processing unit (34) and configured to transfer, during use, to said processing unit (34) at least one command imparted by a user; characterized in that said housing (22) is composed of two half-shells (22A, 22B) joined together inseparably.

2. Portable remote control unit (10) according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the two half-shells (22A,22B) are joined together hermetically.

3. Portable remote control unit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said half-shells (22A,22B) are made of polymer material of biological origin.

4. Portable remote control unit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said wireless communication unit (24) comprises a communication module with Bluetooth technology, preferably with BLE (BluetoothLow Energy) technology.

5. Portable remote control unit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electric energy source (28) is a micropower betavoltaic energy source comprising a beta particle source (42) and a p-n junction semiconductor (44).

6. Portable remote control unit (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said beta particle source (42) consists of tritium (3H).

7. Portable remote control unit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electric energy source (28) comprises one or more photovoltaic cells (29), said photovoltaic cells (29) being positioned on an external surface of said housing (22).

8. Portable remote control unit (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said photovoltaic cells (29) are organic photoelectrochemical cells.

9. Portable remote control unit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electric energy source (28) comprises a piezoelectric transducer arranged at the command input interface (36).

10. Portable remote control unit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electric energy source (28) comprises a thermoelectric generator which produces electric energy by making use of the temperature difference between a surface of the user’s hand and an external surface of the housing (22).

11. Portable remote control unit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an electric energy accumulator (30); said electric energy accumulator (30) being configured to be charged with the electric energy produced by the electric energy source (28) to which it is connected.

12. Portable remote control unit (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said electric energy accumulator (30) comprises a supercapacitor (31) permanently and inseparably incorporated in the portable remote control unit (10).

13. Portable remote control unit (10) according to Claim 11 or Claim 12, characterized in that it comprises a PMIC (power management integrated circuit) unit (50) for controlling the flow and the direction of the electric energy produced by the electric energy source (28) and directed towards the electric energy accumulator (30).

14. Portable remote control unit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an identification certificate and / or a recognition code of the portable remote control unit (10) is / are stored in said at least one non-volatile memory unit (32).

15. Portable remote control unit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the command input interface (36) comprises one or more pushbuttons (37) connected to an electronic board (40) of the portable remote control unit (10); said pushbuttons (37) comprising a switch (39) provided with a micro electromechanical system (MEMS) or a nano electromechanical system (NEMS).

16. Portable remote control unit (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said MEMS or NEMS switch (39) is of the inertial type.

17. Portable remote control unit (10) according to Claim 4, characterized in that said wireless communication unit (24) comprises a communication module with Bluetooth Channel Sounding technology.

18. Portable remote control unit (10) according to Claim 17, characterized in that, by means of the Bluetooth Channel Sounding communication module, the wireless communication unit (24) is able to send a command signal to the home automationcomponent (11) once the control unit (10) is located in the proximity of the home automation component (11).

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