HK1130389A

HK1130389A - Touch sensitive actuator with sensory feedback

Info

Publication number: HK1130389A
Application number: HK09109355.1A
Authority: HK
Inventors: Jeremy Nearhoof; Gregory Altonen; Joel S. Spira
Original assignee: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
Priority date: 2006-06-20
Filing date: 2007-06-19
Publication date: 2009-12-24

Description

Touch sensitive actuator with sensory feedback

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered from a power source to an electrical load. More particularly, the present invention relates to a touch dimmer (dimmer) having a touch sensitive device.

Background

A conventional two-wire dimmer has two terminals: a "hot" terminal for connection to an Alternating Current (AC) power source and a "dimmed hot" terminal for connection to a lighting load. Standard dimmers use one or more semiconductor switches, such as triacs or Field Effect Transistors (FETs), to control the current delivered to the lighting load and thus the intensity of the light. The semiconductor switch is typically coupled between live and dimmed-live terminals of the dimmer.

Smart wall-mounted dimmers include a user interface, typically having a plurality of buttons for receiving user inputs, and a plurality of status indicators for providing feedback to the user. These smart dimmers typically include a microcontroller or other processing device for providing an advanced set of control features and feedback options to the end user. One example of a smart dimmer is described in great detail in commonly assigned U.S. patent No. 5,248,919, entitled LIGHTING CONTROL DEVICE, published on 28.9.1993, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Fig. 1 is a front view of a user interface of a prior art smart dimmer switch 10 for controlling the amount of power delivered to a lighting load from an AC power source. As shown, the dimmer switch 10 includes a faceplate 12, a bezel (bezel)14, an intensity selection actuator 16 for selecting a desired light intensity level for a lighting load (not shown) controlled by the dimmer switch 10, and a control switch actuator 18. Actuating the upper portion 16A of the intensity selection actuator 16 increases or raises the light intensity of the lighting load, while actuating the lower portion 16B of the intensity selection actuator 16 decreases or lowers the light intensity. The intensity selection actuator 16 may control a rocker switch, two separate push button switches, etc. The control switch actuator 18 may control a push button switch or any other suitable type of actuator and typically provides tactile and audible feedback to the user when pressed.

The smart dimmer 10 also includes an intensity level indicator in the form of a plurality of light sources 20, such as Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). The light sources 20 may be arranged in an array (such as a linear array as shown) that represents a range of light intensity levels of the lighting load being controlled. The intensity level of the lighting load may vary from a minimum intensity level, which is preferably the lowest visible intensity, but may be zero or "fully off" (full off), to a maximum intensity level, which is typically "fully on". The light intensity level is generally expressed as a percentage of full intensity. Thus, when the lighting load is on, the light intensity level may change from 1% to 100%.

By illuminating a selected one of the light sources 20 depending on the light intensity level, the position of the illuminated light source within the array provides a visual indication of the light intensity relative to the range when the lamp or lamps being controlled are on. For example, seven LEDs are shown in fig. 1. Illuminating the uppermost LED in the array will give an indication that the light intensity level is at or near maximum. Illuminating the middle LED will give an indication that the light intensity level is approximately at the midpoint of the range. In addition, when the lamp or lamps being controlled are off, all of the light sources 18 are illuminated at a low illumination level, while in the on state, the LED representing the current intensity level is illuminated at a higher illumination level. This makes the array of light sources more perceptible to the eyes in a darkened environment, which helps the user locate the switch in a dark room, for example, to actuate the switch to control the lights in the room, and which also provides sufficient contrast between the level indicating LED and the remaining LEDs so that the user perceives the relative intensity level at a glance.

Touch dimmers (or "zipper" dimmers) are known in the art. Touch dimmers typically include touch-operated input devices, such as resistive or capacitive touch pads. The touch-operated device responds to the force and position of a point actuation on the surface of the device and in turn controls the semiconductor switches of the dimmer. One example of a TOUCH dimmer is described in great detail in commonly assigned U.S. patent No. 5,196,782 entitled TOUCH-operated power CONTROL, published 3/23 1993, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art touch-operated device 30, specifically, the touch-operated device 30 is a membrane voltage divider. The conductive element 32 and the resistive element 34 are coextensively supported by the spacing frame 36 and are adjacent to each other. Input voltage V_INIs applied across resistive element 34 to provide a voltage gradient across its surface. When pressure is applied at point 38 (by a finger or the like) along the conductive element 32, the conductive element bends downward and electrically contacts a corresponding point along the surface of the resistive element 34, providing an output voltage V_OUTAt a value of the input voltage V_INAnd the ground. When the pressure is released, the conductive element 32 resumes its original shape and becomes electrically insulated from the resistive element 34. The touch-operated device 30 is characterized by a contact resistance R between the conductive element 32 and the resistive element 34_CONTACT. Contact resistance R_CONTACTDepending on the actuation force of the touch-operated device 30 and is generally substantially small for normal actuation forces.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a user interface of a prior art touch dimmer 40. The dimmer 40 includes a touch-operated device 30 located directly behind a panel 42. The panel 42 includes a flexible region 44 directly over the conductive elements 32 of the touch-operated device 30 to allow a user to actuate the touch-operated device through the panel 42. A conventional phase-controlled dimming circuit is located within the housing 46 and controls power from the source to the load according to the pressure applied to a selectable point on the flexible region 44. The panel 42 may include selectable indicia 48, 50, 52 to indicate the position of the flexible zone 44, the lowest achievable light level for the load, and the position of the "off" control, respectively. An optional LED array 54 provides a visual indication of the load light level. When the load is a light source, there is preferably a linear relationship between the number of lit LEDs and the corresponding perceived light level. The flexible region 44 may optionally include an optically transmissive region through which the LED array 54 is visible.

The typical touch-operated device 30 does not provide audible or tactile feedback such as that provided by the control switch actuator 18 of the prior art dimmer 10. When a user actuates an operating region, such as the flexible region 44 of the dimmer 40, some sort of sensory feedback needs to be provided to the user to inform the user that the dimmer 40 has received an input. Some prior art touch dimmers have provided visual feedback, such as the LED array 54, and audible feedback via a speaker. However, prior art touch dimmers still do not provide an acceptable amount of sensory feedback to the user. Accordingly, there is a need for a touch dimmer that provides improved sensory feedback to a user in response to actuation of an operating region.

Disclosure of Invention

In accordance with the present invention, a load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load from an AC power source includes a semiconductor switch, a controller, a touch screen actuator, a visual display, and an audible sound generator. A semiconductor switch is for being electrically coupled in series between the source and the load. The semiconductor switch has a control input for controlling the semiconductor switch between a non-conductive state and a conductive state. A controller is operatively coupled to the control input of the semiconductor switch for controlling the semiconductor switch between a non-conductive state and a conductive state. The touch screen actuator has a touch sensitive front surface that is responsive to a plurality of point actuations. Each point actuation is characterized by a position and a force. The touch screen actuator has an output operatively coupled to the controller for providing a control signal representative of the position of the point actuation. Both a visual display and an audible sound generator are responsive to the controller. The controller is operable to cause the visual display to illuminate and the audible sound generator to produce an audible sound in response to the control signal of the touch screen actuator.

According to a second embodiment of the invention, a load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load from an AC power source, the load control device comprising: a semiconductor switch for being electrically coupled in series between the source and the load, the semiconductor switch having a control input for controlling the semiconductor switch between a non-conductive state and a conductive state; a controller operatively coupled to the control input of the semiconductor switch for controlling the semiconductor switch at the control input between a non-conductive state and a conductive state; a touch screen actuator having a touch sensitive front surface responsive to a plurality of point actuations, each point actuation characterized by a position and a force, the touch screen actuator having an output operably coupled to the controller for providing a first control signal in response to a first point actuation and a second control signal in response to a second point actuation; and an audible sound generator responsive to the controller. The controller is to cause the audible sound generator to produce a first audible sound in response to the first control signal and to produce a second audible sound in response to the second control signal.

According to a third embodiment of the invention, a load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load from an AC power source, the load control device comprising: a semiconductor switch for being electrically coupled in series between the source and the load, the semiconductor switch having a control input for controlling the semiconductor switch between a non-conductive state and a conductive state; a controller operatively coupled to the control input of the semiconductor switch for controlling the semiconductor switch at the control input between a non-conductive state and a conductive state; a touch screen actuator having a touch sensitive front surface responsive to a plurality of point actuations, each point actuation characterized by a position and a force, said touch screen actuator for beginning to provide a control signal to said controller when the magnitude of said force of each said point actuation substantially exceeds a minimum magnitude and ceasing to provide said control signal when the magnitude of said force subsequently falls substantially below the minimum magnitude of said point actuation; and an audible sound generator responsive to the controller. The controller is for causing the audible sound generator to produce a first audible sound in response to the control signal when the magnitude of the force at each of the point actuations substantially exceeds a minimum magnitude, and to produce a second audible sound in response to the control signal when the magnitude of the force subsequently falls substantially below the minimum magnitude of the point actuations.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a user interface of a prior art dimmer;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art touch-operated device;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a user interface of a prior art touch dimmer;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a touch dimmer according to the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a front view of the touch dimmer of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A is a partially assembled cross-sectional view of a bezel and a touch sensitive device of the touch dimmer of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5B is a partially exploded cross-sectional view of the bezel and touch sensitive device of FIG. 5A;

fig. 6 illustrates a force profile of a component and a cumulative force profile of the touch dimmer of fig. 4A;

FIG. 7 is a simplified block diagram of the touch dimmer of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic diagram of a stabilization circuit and a usage detection circuit of the touch dimmer of FIG. 7 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a simplified schematic diagram of an audible sound generator of the touch dimmer of FIG. 7;

fig. 10 is a flow chart of a touch dimmer procedure performed by the controller of the dimmer of fig. 4A;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of an Idle (Idle) procedure of the touch dimmer procedure of FIG. 10;

fig. 12A and 12B are flow diagrams of an active hold (ActiveHold) routine of the touch dimmer routine of fig. 10;

fig. 13 is a flow chart of a Release (Release) procedure of the touch dimmer procedure of fig. 10;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are flow diagrams of an activehold procedure for generating a first sound and a second sound in response to a triggering event and a change-intensity event, respectively;

FIG. 14C is a flowchart of a release routine including additional steps for causing the audible sound generator to generate a release sound;

FIGS. 15A and 15B are simplified schematic diagrams of the circuitry of the four-wire touch sensitive device and controller of the touch dimmer of FIG. 4A in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15C is a simplified schematic diagram of the circuitry of the four-wire touch sensitive device and controller of the touch dimmer of FIG. 4A in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 16A is a perspective view of a touch dimmer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 16B is a front view of the touch dimmer of fig. 16A;

fig. 17A is a bottom cross-sectional view of the touch dimmer of fig. 16B;

FIG. 17B is an enlarged fragmentary view of the bottom cross-sectional view of FIG. 17A;

fig. 18A is a left side cross-sectional view of the touch dimmer of fig. 16B;

FIG. 18B is an enlarged fragmentary view of the left side cross-sectional view of FIG. 18A;

fig. 19 is a perspective view of a display printed circuit board of the dimmer of fig. 16A;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged partial bottom cross-sectional view of a thin touch sensitive actuator in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 21A is a perspective view of a touch dimmer according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 21B is an enlarged right side view of the touch dimmer of fig. 21A; and

fig. 22 is a front view of a touch dimmer according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred, in which like numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed.

Fig. 4A and 4B are a perspective view and a front view, respectively, of a touch dimmer 100 according to the present invention. The dimmer 100 includes a faceplate 102, i.e., a cover plate, having a flat front surface 103 and an opening 104. The opening 104 may define a standard industry-defined opening, such as a conventional opening or a decorative opening, or another uniquely sized opening as shown in fig. 4A. A bezel 106 having a flat touch sensitive front surface 108 extends through the opening 104 of the faceplate 102. The front surface 108 of the bezel 106 is positioned directly over the touch sensitive device 110 (shown in fig. 5A and 5B), i.e., the touch sensitive element, such that a user of the dimmer 100 actuates the touch sensitive element 110 by pressing the front surface 108 of the bezel 106. As shown in fig. 4A, the front surface 108 of the bezel 106 is substantially flush with the front surface 103 of the faceplate 102, i.e., the plane of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106 is in the same plane as the plane of the front surface 103 of the faceplate 102. However, the bezel 106 may extend through the opening 104 of the faceplate 102 such that a front surface 108 of the bezel is disposed in a plane above the front surface 103 of the faceplate 102. The panel 102 is connected to an adapter 109, said adapter 109 being connected to a clamp (yoke) (not shown). The clip is adapted to mount the dimmer 100 to a standard electrical wallbox (electrical wallbox).

The dimmer 100 also includes a visual display, for example, a plurality of status markers 112 arranged in a linear array along the edge of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106. The status indicator 112 is preferably illuminated from behind by a status indicator 114, such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED), located inside the dimmer 100 (see fig. 7). The dimmer 100 preferably includes a light pipe (not shown) having a plurality of light conductors for directing light from status indicators 114 within the dimmer to the markers 112 on the front surface 108 of the bezel 106. The status indicator 114 behind the marker 112 is preferably blue. As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the dimmer 100 includes seven (7) status identifiers 112. However, the dimmer 100 may include any number of status identifiers. Further, the status identifiers 112 may be arranged in a vertical linear array along the center of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106. The markers 112 may include shadows that appear on the front surface 108 due to the spaces behind the front surface.

The front surface 108 of the bezel 106 also includes an icon 116. The icon 116 may be any type of visual identifier, such as a dot. When the lower portion of the front surface 108 surrounding the icon 116 is actuated, the dimmer 100 causes the connected lighting load 208 (fig. 7) to change from on to off (and vice versa), i.e., toggle. Preferably, the blue status indicator and the orange status indicator are located directly behind the icon 116 such that the icon 116 is illuminated with blue light when the lighting load 208 is on and illuminated with orange light when the lighting load is off. Actuating the upper portion of the front surface 108, i.e., over the portion surrounding the icon 116, causes the intensity of the lighting load 208 to change. The status indicators 114 behind the status identifier 112 are illuminated to display the intensity of the lighting load 208. For example, if the lighting load 208 is at 50% light intensity, then the middle status indicator will be illuminated. Preferably, the dimmer 100 does not respond to an actuation in a keepout region 118 of the front surface 108. The keep out zone 118 avoids inadvertent actuation of unwanted portions of the front surface 108 during operation of the dimmer 100.

The dimmer 100 also includes an air gap switch actuator 119. Pulling the airgap switch actuator 119 opens a mechanical airgap switch 219 (fig. 7) within the dimmer 100 and disconnects the lighting load 208 from the connected ac voltage source 204 (fig. 7). The air gap switch actuator 119 extends only sufficiently above the front surface 103 of the faceplate 102 for grasping by a fingernail of a user. The electronics of the dimmer 100 (described in greater detail below) are mounted on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (not shown). The PCB is mounted in a housing (not shown), i.e., an enclosed volume, which is attached to a yoke of the dimmer 100.

Fig. 5A is a partially assembled cross-sectional view and fig. 5B is a partially exploded cross-sectional view of the bezel 108 and the touch sensitive device 110 of the dimmer 100 according to the present invention. The touch sensitive device 110 comprises, for example, a resistive divider and operates in a similar manner to the touch-operated device 30 of the prior art touch dimmer 40. The touch sensitive device 110 includes a conductive element 120 and a resistive element 122 supported by a spacing frame 124. However, the touch sensitive device 110 may include a capacitive touch screen or any other type of touch responsive element. Such touch sensitive devices are often referred to as touch pads or touch screens.

The elastomer 126 is received by an opening in the rear surface of the bezel 106. The elastomer 126 is positioned between the bezel 106 and the touch sensitive device 110 such that pressure on the front surface 108 of the bezel is transmitted to the conductive element 120 of the touch sensitive device 110. Preferably, the elastomer 126 is made of rubber and is 0.040 "thick. The elastomer 126 preferably has a hardness count (durometer) of 40A, but may have a hardness count in the range of 20A to 80A. The conductive and resistive elements 120, 122 and the elastomer 126 of the touch sensitive device 110 are preferably fabricated from a transparent material such that light from the plurality of status indicators 114 within the dimmer 100 can shine through the touch sensitive device 110 and the elastomer 126 to the front surface 108 of the bezel 106.

The position and size of the touch sensitive device 110 is represented by the dashed lines in FIG. 4B. The touch sensitive device 110 has a length L₁And width W₁Which is greater than the length L of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106₂And width W₂. Thus, the first area A of the surface of the touch sensitive device 110₁(i.e., A)₁＝L₁·W₁) A second area A larger than the front surface 108 of the bezel 106₂(i.e., A)₂＝L₂·W₂). Orthogonally projected to a first area A₁Second area A of₂Is covered with the first area A₁The wrap such that a point actuation at any point on the front surface 108 of the bezel 106 is transmitted to the conductive element 120 of the touch sensitive device 110. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the length L of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106₂Is approximately greater than the width W₂Four (4) times. Preferably, the length L of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106₂Is greater than width W₂Four (4) to six (6) times. Alternatively, the front surface 108 of the bezel 106 may be disposed in an opening of the decorative panel.

Fig. 6 illustrates a force profile (forceprofile) of the components of the dimmer 100 illustrated in fig. 5A and 5B and a cumulative force profile of the touch sensitive device 110 of the dimmer 100. Each force profile shows the force required to actuate the touch sensitive device 110 relative to the position of the point actuation. The force profile represents the force required to move the element a given amount. Although the force profile in fig. 6 is shown with respect to the width of the components of the dimmer 100, a similar force profile may be provided along the length of the components.

Fig. 6(a) shows the force distribution of the hood plate 106. The bezel 106 has a relatively thin sidewall 129, e.g., 0.010 "thick, such that the bezel 106 exhibits a substantially flat force distribution. Fig. 6(b) shows a force distribution of the touch sensitive device 110. The force required to actuate the touch sensitive device 110 increases near the edges due to the spacing frame 124. Fig. 6(c) shows the force distribution of the elastic body 126. The force distribution of the resilient body 126 is substantially flat, i.e., the force at any point on the front surface of the resilient body 126 is substantially equal to the force at the corresponding point on the rear surface.

Fig. 6(d) is the total force profile of the touch dimmer 100. The individual force profiles shown in fig. 6(a) -6(c) are added to give an overall force profile. The total force is distributed over a second area A of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106₂Is substantially flat within the range of (a). This means that substantially equal minimum actuation forces f are required at various points of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106_MINThe touch sensitive device 110 is actuated even around the edges. Thus, the dimmer 100 of the present invention provides the largest operating area in the opening of the faceplate, i.e., the second area a, which is essentially the front surface 108 of the bezel 106₂This is an improvement over prior art touch dimmers. Minimum actuation force f_MINSubstantially equal at various points on the front surface 108 of the bezel 106. For example, minimum actuation force f_MINAnd may be 20 grams.

Fig. 7 is a simplified block diagram of a touch dimmer 100 according to the present invention. The dimmer 100 has a hot terminal 202 connected to an ac voltage source 204 and a dimmed hot terminal 206 connected to a lighting load 208. The dimmer 100 uses a bidirectional semiconductor switch 210 coupled between the hot terminal 202 and the dimmed-hot terminal 206 to control the current through the lighting load 208 and thus the intensity of the lighting load 208. The semiconductor switch 210 has a control input (or gate) that is connected to a gate drive circuit 212. The gate input selectively renders the semiconductor switch 210 conductive or non-conductive, which in turn controls the power supplied to the lighting load 208. The gate drive circuit 212 provides a control input to the semiconductor switch 210 in response to a control signal from the controller 214. The controller 214 may be any suitable controller, such as a microcontroller, microprocessor, Programmable Logic Device (PLD), or Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC).

The zero-crossing detection circuit 216 determines the zero-crossing points of the AC source voltage from the AC power source 204. The zero-crossing is defined as the time at which the AC supply voltage transitions from positive to negative polarity or from negative to positive polarity at the beginning of each half-cycle. Zero crossingThe information is provided as input to the controller 214. The controller 214 generates gate control signals to operate the semiconductor switch 210 to provide the voltage from the AC power source 204 to the lighting load 208 at predetermined times relative to the zero-crossing points of the AC waveform. Power supply 218 generates a Direct Current (DC) voltage V_CCE.g., 5 volts, to power the controller 214 and other low voltage circuits of the dimmer 100.

The touch sensitive device 110 is coupled to the controller 214 through the stabilizing circuit 220 and the usage detection circuit 222. The stabilizing circuit 220 is operable to stabilize the voltage output of the touch sensitive device 110. Thus, the voltage output of the stabilizing circuit 220 does not depend on the magnitude of the force of the point actuation on the touch sensitive device 110, but only on the location of the point actuation. The usage detection circuit 222 is operable to detect when a user actuates the front surface 108 of the dimmer 100. The controller 214 is operable to control the operation of and receive control signals from the stabilization circuit 220 and the usage detection circuit 222. Preferably, the stabilization circuit 220 has a slow response time, while the usage detection circuit 222 has a fast response time. Thus, when the usage detection circuit 222 has detected actuation of the touch sensitive device 110, the controller 214 is operable to control the semiconductor switch 210 in response to the control signal provided by the stabilization circuit 220.

The controller 214 is operable to drive a plurality of status indicators 114, such as Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), located behind the markers 112 on the front surface 108 of the dimmer 100. The status indicators 114 also include a blue status indicator and an orange status indicator, which are located just behind the icon 116. The blue status indicator and the orange status indicator may be implemented as separate blue and orange LEDs, respectively, or as a single bi-colored LED.

The dimmer 100 also includes an audible sound generator 224 coupled to the controller 214 such that the controller is operable to cause the sound generator to generate audible sound in response to actuation of the touch sensitive device 110. The memory 225 is coupled to the controller 214 and is operable to store control information for the dimmer 100.

FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic diagram of the circuitry of the touch sensitive device 110 and the controller 214, namely the stabilizing circuit 220 and the usage detection circuit 222, in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. The resistive element 122 of the touch sensitive device 110 is coupled to the DC voltage V of the power supply 218_CCAnd circuit common terminal, so that the DC voltage V_CCA bias voltage is provided to the touch sensitive device. The resistance of the resistive element 122 may be, for example, 7.6k Ω. The location of contact between the conductive element 120 and the resistive element 122 of the touch sensitive device 110 is determined by the location of the point actuation on the front surface 108 of the bezel 106 of the dimmer 100. The conductive element 120 is coupled to the stabilization circuit 220 and the usage detection circuit 222. As shown in fig. 7, the touch sensitive device 110 of the dimmer 100 of the first embodiment is a three-wire device, i.e., the touch sensitive device has three connections or electrodes. The touch sensitive device provides an output that represents the position of the point actuation along the Y-axis, which is the longitudinal axis of the dimmer 100 as shown in fig. 4B.

The stabilizing circuit 220 includes a large-level (chopping-grade) capacitor C230 (i.e., a capacitor having a large capacitance value) and a first switch 232. The controller 214 is operable to control the first switch 232 between a conductive state and a non-conductive state. When the first switch 232 is turned on, the capacitor C230 is coupled to the output of the touch sensitive device 110 such that the output voltage is filtered by the capacitor C230. When there is a touch, the voltage on capacitor C230 will be forced to a steady state voltage representing the location of the touch on the front surface 108. When there is no contact, the voltage on the capacitor will remain at the voltage representing the location of the last touch. The touch sensitive device 110 and the capacitor C230 form a sample and hold circuit. The response time of the sample and hold circuit is determined by the resistance R of the touch sensitive device_D(i.e., resistance R of the resistive element_EAnd contact resistance R_C) And the capacitance of capacitor C230. During typical actuation, the contact resistance R_CAnd R_EThe values are small such that the first charging time constant τ is₁Is approximately equal to R_E·C₂₃₀. This time constant τ₁Preferably 13ms, but can be any value between 6ms and 15 ms.

When lightly or instantaneously pressedWhen applied to the touch sensitive device 110, the capacitor C230 will continue to hold the output at a voltage representing the location of the last touch. During the release of the touch sensitive device 110, a transient event may occur that generates an output voltage that represents a location other than the actual touch location. Shorter than the first charging time constant tau₁Will have no substantial effect on the voltage of capacitor C230 and thus on sensing the position of the last actuation. Second charging time constant tau during light press₂Will be longer than during normal compression, i.e. substantially larger than the first time constant τ₁This is due to the higher contact resistance R_CThe reason for this is. However, the steady state value of the voltage across the capacitor C230 will be the same for a normal press at the same location. Thus, the output of the stabilizing circuit 220 represents only the location of the actuation point of the touch sensitive device 110.

The usage detection circuit 222 includes a resistor R234, a capacitor C236, and a second switch 238, the second switch 238 being controlled by the controller 214. When the switch 238 is turned on, the parallel combination of the resistor R234 and the capacitor C236 is coupled to the output of the touch sensitive device 110. Preferably, the capacitor C236 has a substantially small capacitance C236 such that the capacitor C236 charges substantially quickly in response to all point actuations on the front surface 108. Resistor R234 allows capacitor C236 to discharge quickly when switch 238 is non-conductive. Thus, the output of the usage detection circuit 222 represents the instantaneous usage of the touch sensitive device 110.

The controller 214 controls the switches 232, 238 in a complementary manner. When the first switch 232 is conductive, the second switch 238 is non-conductive, and vice versa. The controller 214 controls the second switch 238 to conduct once every half-cycle of the voltage source 204 for a short period t_USAGETo determine if the user is actuating the front surface 108. Preferably, the short time period t_USAGEApproximately 100 μ sec or 1% of a half cycle (assuming each half cycle is 8.33 msec long). For the remaining time, the first switch 232 is turned on so that the capacitor C230 is operable to charge accordingly. When the first switch 232 is non-conductive and the second switch 238 is conductive, it stabilizesThe large-scale capacitor C230 of the circuit 220 cannot discharge at a significant rate, and therefore the voltage across the capacitor C230 does not change significantly when the controller 214 is determining whether the touch sensitive device 110 is being actuated by using the detection circuit 222.

Fig. 9 is a simplified schematic diagram of the audible sound generator 224 of the dimmer 100. The audible sound generator 224 uses an audio power amplifier Integrated Circuit (IC)240, such as part number TPA721, manufactured by texas instruments, to generate sound from a piezoelectric or magnetic speaker 242. The amplifier IC240 is coupled to the DC voltage V_CC(pin 6) and circuit common (pin 7) to power the amplifier IC. Capacitor C244 (preferably having a capacitance of 0.1 μ F) is coupled at DC voltage V_CCAnd circuit common to decouple the supply voltage and ensure that the output Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is as low as possible.

The audible sound generator 224 receives a sound enable signal 246 from the controller 214. The sound enable signal 246 is provided to an enable pin (i.e., pin 1) on the amplifier IC240 such that the audible sound generator 224 will be operable to generate a sound when the sound enable signal is at a logic high level.

The audible sound generator 224 also receives a sound waveform signal 248 from the controller 214. The sound waveform signal 248 is an audio signal amplified by the amplifier IC240 to generate an appropriate sound in the speaker 242. The sound waveform signal 248 is first filtered by a low pass filter comprising a resistor R250 and a capacitor C252. Preferably, resistor R250 has a resistance of 1k Ω and capacitor C252 has a capacitance of 0.1 nF. The filtered signal is then passed through capacitor C254 to generate the input signal V_IN. Capacitor C254 allows the amplifier IC to couple the input signal V_INBiased to an appropriate DC level for optimum operation and preferably having a capacitance of 0.1 muf. Input signal V_INThrough an input resistor R_ITo the negative input (pin 4) of the amplifier IC 240. The positive input (pin 3) and the bypass pin (pin 2) of the amplifier IC240 are coupled to circuit common through a bypass capacitor C256 (preferably having a capacitance of 0.1 muf).

Output signal V of amplifier IC240_OUTGenerated from the positive output (pin 5) to the negative output (pin 8) and provided to the speaker 242. The negative input (pin 4) passes through an output resistor R_FCoupled to the positive output (pin 5). The gain of the amplifier IC240 is determined by the input resistor R_IAnd a feedback resistor R_FIs arranged that is

Gain is V_OUT/V_IN＝-2·(R_F/R_I).

Preferably, the input resistance R_IAnd an output resistor R_FHave a resistance of 10k omega so that the gain of the amplifier IC240 is negative two (-2).

Fig. 10 is a flow chart of a touch dimmer procedure 300 executed by the controller 214 of the dimmer 100 according to the present invention. Preferably, the touch dimmer procedure 300 is invoked once from the main loop of the software of the controller 214 every half-cycle of the AC voltage source 204. The touch dimmer procedure 300 selectively executes one of three procedures depending on the state of the dimmer 100. If the dimmer 100 is in the "idle" state (i.e., the user is not actuating the touch sensitive device 110) at step 310, the controller 214 executes the idle procedure 400. If the dimmer 100 is in the "active hold" state (i.e., the user is currently actuating the touch sensitive device 110) at step 320, the controller 214 executes the active hold routine 500. If the dimmer 100 is in the "released" state (i.e., the user has recently ceased actuating the touch sensitive device 110) at step 330, the controller 214 executes a release routine 600.

Fig. 11 is a flow diagram of an idle procedure 400 in accordance with the present invention. The controller 114 uses the "sound flag" and the "sound counter" to determine when to cause the audible sound generator 224 to produce audible sound. The purpose of the sound flag is to cause the sound to be generated the first time the controller 214 executes the active hold program 500 after the idle state. If the sound flag is set, the controller 214 will cause a sound to be generated. The sound counter is used to ensure that the controller 214 does not cause the audible sound generator 224 to generate audible sound too frequently. The sound counter preferably has a maximum sound counter value S_MAXFor example approximately 425 milliseconds. Thus, there is a gap of approximately 425 milliseconds between the generation of audible sounds. The sound counter is started during the release procedure 600, as described in greater detail below. Referring to fig. 11, when entering the idle state, if the sound flag is not set at step 402, the controller 214 sets the sound flag at step 404.

The "LED counter" and "LED mode" are used by the controller 214 to control the status indicators 114 (i.e., LEDs) of the dimmer 100. The controller 214 uses the LED counter to determine the predetermined time t since the touch sensitive device 110 was actuated_LEDWhen to expire. When the predetermined time t is_LEDWhen it has expired, the controller 214 will change the LED mode from "active" to "inactive". When the LED mode is "active," the status indicators 114 are controlled such that one or more of the status indicators are illuminated to a bright level. When the predetermined time t is_LEDUpon expiration, the LED mode is changed to "inactive," i.e., the status indicators 114 are controlled such that one or more of the status indicators are illuminated to dim levels. Referring to FIG. 11, if at step 410, the LED counter is less than the maximum LED counter value L_MAXThen the LED counter is incremented at step 412 and the program moves to step 418. However, if the LED counter is not less than the maximum LED counter value L_MAXThen at step 414 the LED counter is cleared and at step 416 the LED mode is set to inactive. Since the touch dimmer procedure 300 is executed once every half-cycle, the predetermined time t_LEDPreferably equal to

t_LED＝T_HALF·L_MAX，

Wherein T is_HALFIs the time of the half cycle.

Next, the controller 214 reads the output of the usage detection circuit 222 to determine whether the touch sensitive device 110 is being actuated. Preferably, the usage detection circuit 222 is monitored once every half cycle of the voltage source 204. At step 418, the controller 214 opens the switch 232 and closes the switch 238 to couple the resistor R234 and the capacitor C236 to the output of the touch sensitive device 110. At step 420, the controller 214 determines the DC voltage using the output of the detection circuit 222, preferably by using an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Next, the controller 214 closes switch 232 and opens switch 238 at step 422.

At step 424, if there is activity on the front surface 108 of the dimmer 100, i.e., if the DC voltage determined at step 420 is above the predetermined minimum voltage threshold, then an "activity counter" is incremented at step 426. Otherwise, the activity counter is cleared at step 428. The activity counter is used by the controller 214 to determine whether the DC voltage determined in step 420 is the result of a point actuation of the touch sensitive device 110 and not noise or other unwanted pulses. The use of activity counters is similar to the software "debounce" procedure for mechanical switches, which is well known in the art. If the activity counter is not less than the maximum activity counter value A in step 430_MAXThen the dimmer state is set to the active hold state in step 432. Otherwise, the process simply ends at step 434.

Fig. 12A and 12B are flow diagrams of an activehold procedure 500 that is performed once every half-cycle when the touch sensitive device 110 is being actuated, i.e., when the dimmer 100 is in an activehold state. First, it is determined whether the user has stopped using, i.e., released, the touch sensitive device 110. In step 510, the controller 214 opens the switch 232 and closes the switch 238, and in step 512 reads the output of the usage detection circuit 222. In step 514, the controller 214 closes the switch 232 and opens the switch 238. If there is no activity on the front surface 108 of the dimmer 100 in step 516, the controller 214 increments the "inactivity counter" in step 518. The controller 214 uses the inactivity counter to ensure that the user has not actuated the touch sensitive device 110 before entering the release mode. If the inactivity counter is less than the maximum inactivity counter value I in step 520_MAXThen the program ends in step 538. Otherwise, the dimmer state is set to the release state in step 522, and then the routine exitsAnd (4) sequencing.

If there is activity on the touch sensitive device 110 at step 516, the controller 214 reads the output of the stabilizing circuit 220, which represents the location of the point actuation on the front surface 108 of the dimmer 100. Since switch 232 is conductive and switch 238 is non-conductive, controller 214 determines the DC voltage at the output of stabilization circuit 220, preferably using an ADC, at step 524.

Next, the controller 214 uses the buffer to "filter" the output of the stabilization circuit 220. When the user actuates the touch sensitive device 110, the capacitor C230 will be at a first time constant τ as previously described₁The charge is to an approximate steady state voltage over a determined period of time, which is indicative of the position of the actuation on the front surface 108. Since the voltage across the capacitor C230, i.e., the output of the stabilizing circuit 220, is increased at this time, the controller 214 delays for a predetermined period of time, preferably approximately three (3) half cycles, at step 525.

When the user's finger is removed from the front surface 108 of the bezel 106, a small change in the force and position of the point actuation occurs, i.e., a "finger slide off" event occurs. Thus, the output signal of the touch sensitive device 110 is no longer representative of the position of the point actuation. To prevent the controller 214 from processing the readings during the finger roll-off event, the controller 214 saves the readings in a buffer and processes the readings delayed, for example, by six half cycles. Specifically, when the delay ends in step 525, the controller 214 rotates the new reading (i.e., from step 524) into the buffer in step 526. If the buffer has at least six readings in step 528, the controller 214 averages the readings for the fifth and sixth locations in the buffer to generate touch location data in step 530. In this manner, when the user stops actuating the touch sensitive device 110, the controller 214 detects this change at step 516 and sets the dimmer state to the release state at step 522 before the controller processes the readings stored in the buffer near the transition time of the touch sensitive device.

In step 532, controller 114 determines that the touch location data from step 530 isOr not in the forbidden area 118 (as shown in figure 4B). If the touch position data is in the disabled area 118, the activehold procedure 500 simply exits at step 538. Otherwise, it is determined in step 534 whether sound should be generated. In particular, if the sound flag is set and if the sound counter has reached the maximum sound counter value S_MAXThen the controller 214 drives the sound enable signal 246 high and provides the sound waveform signal 248 to the audible sound generator 224 to produce sound at step 535. Also, the sound flag is cleared at step 536 so that no sound is generated once the dimmer 100 remains in the active hold state.

If the touch position data is in the trigger region, i.e., the lower portion of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106 surrounding the icon 116 (as shown in FIG. 4A), then at step 540, the controller 214 processes the actuation of the touch sensitive device 110 as a trigger. If the lighting load 208 is currently off at step 542, the controller 214 turns the lighting load on. Specifically, the controller 214 illuminates the icon 116 with a blue status indicator at step 544 and dims the lighting load 208 to a predetermined level, i.e., the desired light intensity of the lighting load, at step 546. If the lighting load is currently on at step 542, the controller 214 turns on the orange status indicator behind the icon 116 at step 548 and dims the lighting load 208 to turn off at step 550.

If the touch position data is not in the trigger area at step 540, the controller 214 scales the touch position data at step 552. The output of the stabilizing circuit 220 is a DC voltage between a maximum value and a minimum value, the maximum value being substantially the DC voltage V_CCThe minimum value corresponds to the DC voltage provided by the touch sensitive device 110 when the user actuates the lower end of the upper portion of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106. The controller 214 scales this DC voltage to a value between off (i.e., 1%) and full intensity (i.e., 100%) of the lighting load 208. In step 554, the controller 214 dims the load 208 to the scaled level generated in step 552.

Next, the controller 214 changes the status indicator 114, which status indicator 114 is located behind the markers 112 on the front surface 108 of the bezel 106. When the user actuates the touch sensitive device 110 to change the intensity of the lighting load 208, the controller 214 decides whether to change the presently illuminated status indicator 114. Since there are seven (7) status indicators to indicate an intensity between 1% and 100%, the controller 214 may illuminate the first, lowest status indicator to indicate an intensity between 1% and 14%, illuminate the second status indicator to indicate an intensity between 15% and 28%, and so on. A seventh status indicator, the highest status indicator, may be illuminated to represent an intensity between 85% and 100%. Preferably, the controller 214 uses hysteresis to control the status indicators 114 such that if a user actuates the front surface 108 at the boundary between the two intensity regions, adjacent status indicators do not toggle back and forth.

Referring to FIG. 12B, it is determined whether a change is required for the status indicator to be illuminated at step 556. If the current LED (resulting from the touch location data of step 530) is the same as the previous LED, then no change to the LED is required. At step 558, the current LED is set to be the same as the previous LED, the hysteresis counter is cleared at step 560, and the routine is exited at step 570.

If the current LED is not the same as the previous LED at step 556, the controller 214 determines if the LED should be changed. Specifically, at step 562, the controller 214 determines whether the current LED has changed if the light level has changed by 2% from the light level indicated by the touch position data. If not, the hysteresis counter is cleared at step 560 and the routine is exited at step 570. Otherwise, the hysteresis counter is incremented at step 564. If the hysteresis counter is less than the maximum hysteresis counter value H at step 566_MAXThen the program is exited at step 570. Otherwise, the LEDs are changed accordingly based on the touch position data at step 568.

Fig. 13 is a flow chart of a release routine 600, which the release routine 600 is executed after the controller 214 sets the dimmer state to the release state at step 522 of the activehold routine 500. First, a save flag is set at step 610. Next, the sound counter is reset at step 612 to ensure that sound is not produced again for, for example, preferably 18 half cycles. At step 618, it is determined whether the dimmer 100 is currently performing a dim-to-off. If not, then the current level is saved as a predetermined level in memory 225 at step 620. Otherwise, the desired light intensity is set to off at step 622, a long fade countdown is started at step 624, and the predetermined level is saved as off in the memory 225.

Alternatively, the controller 214 may cause the audible sound generator 224 to generate different sounds in response to different presses of the touch sensitive device. For example, the audible sound generator may generate a first sound in response to a triggering event, i.e., actuation of a lower portion of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106 surrounding the icon 116, and a second sound in response to a changing intensity event, i.e., actuation of an upper portion of the front surface 108 of the bezel 106.

Fig. 14A and 14B are flow diagrams of an activehold routine 650 for generating a first sound and a second sound in response to a triggering event and a change-intensity event, respectively. Referring to fig. 14B, if the actuation of the touch sensitive member 110 is in the trigger area at step 540, the controller 214 determines whether a sound should be generated at step 652. In particular, if the sound flag is set and if the sound counter has reached the maximum sound counter value S_MAXThen the controller 214 drives the sound enable signal 246 high and provides the first sound wave to the audible sound generator 224 to produce the first sound at step 654. And, the sound flag is cleared at step 656 and the program continues to trigger the lighting load 208. If the actuation is not a triggering event at step 540 and if a sound should be generated at step 658, the controller 214 drives the sound enable signal 246 high and provides a second sound wave to the audible sound generator 224 to generate a second sound at step 660. At step 662, the sound flag is cleared and the program continues to adjust the intensity of the lighting load 208.

Further, the controller 214 is operable to cause the audible sound generator 224 to generate an audible sound in response to depression and release of the touch sensitive device 110 to mimic the sound generated when a tactile switch, such as a switch controlled by the control switch actuator 18 of the prior art dimmer switch 10, is depressed. Fig. 14C is a flow chart of a release routine 680, where the release routine 680 includes an additional step 682 for causing the audible sound generator to generate a release sound. Preferably, the release sound is a different sound than that generated at step 535 of the activehold procedure 500.

Fig. 15A and 15B are simplified schematic diagrams of the circuitry of a four-wire touch sensitive device 710 and a controller 714 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The four-wire touch sensitive device 710 has four connections, i.e., electrodes, and provides two outputs: a first output representing a position of the point actuation along a Y-axis, i.e., a longitudinal axis of the dimmer 100 shown in fig. 4B, and a second output representing a position of the point actuation along an X-axis, i.e., an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The four-wire touch sensitive device 710 is dependent on a DC voltage V_CCHow to connect to the touch sensitive device to provide an output. The stabilization circuit 720 is operably coupled to a first output and the usage detection circuit 722 is operably coupled to a second output.

The controller 714 controls the three switches 760, 762, 764 to connect the touch sensitive device 710 to the DC voltage accordingly. When the switches 760, 762, 764 are connected in position a as shown in fig. 15A, the DC voltage V_CCConnected across the Y-axis resistor and the X-axis resistor provides an output to the stabilization circuit 720. When the switches 760, 762, 764 are connected in position B as shown in fig. 15B, the DC voltage V_CCAcross the X-axis resistor and the Y-axis resistor provides an output to the usage detection circuit 722. The software executed by the controller 714 is the same as the software executed by the controller 214 shown in fig. 10-13, since the controller 714 provides an output signal to control whether the usage detection circuit 722 or the stabilizing circuit 720 is coupled to the touch sensitive device 110.

Fig. 15C is a simplified schematic diagram of the circuitry of the four-wire touch sensitive device 710 and the controller 814 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The controller 814 is operable to read the location of point actuations along the Y-axis and the X-axis on the four-wire touch sensitive device 710. When determining the position along the Y-axis, the controller 814 performs the same operations as the controller 714 shown in fig. 15A and 15B by controlling the switches 760, 762, 764 as described above.

Additional stabilization circuitry 870 is provided to determine the position of the point actuation along the X-axis. The additional stabilization circuit 870 includes a large-scale capacitor C872. The controller 814 controls a switch 874 to selectively switch the output of the X-axis between the usage detection circuit 722 and the additional stabilization circuit 870. The controller 814 controls the switch 874 in a similar manner as how the controller 214 controls the switches 232, 238 (as shown in fig. 8).

Fig. 16A and 16B are a perspective view and a front view, respectively, of a touch dimmer 900 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 17A is a bottom cross-sectional view and fig. 17B is an enlarged partial bottom cross-sectional view of the dimmer 900. Fig. 18A is a left side sectional view and fig. 18B is an enlarged partial left side sectional view of the dimmer 900.

The touch dimmer 900 includes a thin touch sensitive actuator 910 that includes an actuating member 912 that extends through a bezel 914. The dimmer 900 also includes a faceplate 916 having a non-standard opening 918 and mounted to an adapter 920. A bezel 914 is mounted behind the faceplate 916 and extends through the opening 918. The adapter 920 is connected to a clip 922, the clip 922 being adapted to mount the dimmer 900 to a standard electrical wallbox. A main Printed Circuit Board (PCB)924 is mounted within the housing 926 and includes certain circuits of the dimmer 200, such as the semiconductor switch 210, the gate drive circuit 212, the controller 214, the zero-crossing detection circuit 216, the power supply 218, the stabilization circuit 220, the usage detection circuit 222, the audible sound generator 224, and the memory 225 of the dimmer 200. The thin touch sensitive actuator 910 preferably extends beyond the panel 1/16 ", i.e., has a height of 1/16", but may have a height in the range of 1/32 "to 3/32". Preferably, the touch sensitive actuator 910 has a length of 3-5/8 "and has a width of 3/16". However, the length and width of the touch sensitive actuator 910 may be in the range of 2-5/8 "-4" and 1/8 "-1/4", respectively.

The touch sensitive actuator 910 is operable to contact a touch sensitive device 930 within the touch dimmer 900. The touch sensitive device 930 is contained within a base 932. The actuation member 912 includes a plurality of elongated posts 934 that contact the front surface of the touch sensitive device 930 and are arranged in a linear array along the length of the actuation member. The posts 934 act as force concentrators that concentrate the force from the actuation of the actuation member 912 to the touch sensitive device 930.

The plurality of status indicators 936 are arranged in a linear array behind the actuation member 912. The status indicator is mounted on the display PCB938, i.e. a status indicator support plate, which is mounted between the touch sensitive device 930 and the bezel 914. Fig. 19 is a perspective view showing the PCB 938. The display PCB938 includes a plurality of holes 939 through which the long posts 934 extend to contact the touch sensitive device 930. The actuation member 912 is preferably made of a translucent material such that light of the status indicators 936 is transmitted to a surface of the actuation member. A plurality of short posts 940 are provided in the actuation member 912 directly above the status indicators 936 to serve as light pipes for the linear array of status indicators. The display PCB938 includes tabs 952 having connectors 954 on a bottom side for connecting the display PCB938 to the main PCB 924.

The actuation member 912 includes a notch 942 that separates a lower portion 944 and an upper portion 946 of the actuation member. When the lower portion 944 of the actuation member 912 is actuated, the dimmer 900 toggles the connected lighting load from on to off (or vice versa). Preferably, a blue status indicator 948 and an orange status indicator 950 are located behind the lower portion 944, such that the lower portion is illuminated with blue light when the lighting load is on and illuminated with orange light when the lighting load is off. Actuating the upper portion 946 of the actuation member 912, i.e., over the notch 942, changes the intensity of the lighting load to a level responsive to the position of the actuation on the actuation member 912. The status indicators 936 behind the status identifiers 112 are illuminated to display the intensity of the lighting load as with the touch dimmer 100 previously discussed.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged partial bottom cross-sectional view of a thin touch sensitive actuator 960 in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The touch sensitive actuator 960 includes an actuation member 962 having two posts 964 that actuate the touch sensitive device 930. A plurality of status indicators 966 are mounted on a flexible display PCB 968, i.e., a flexible status indicator support plate, and the posts 964 of the actuation member 962 are operable to actuate the touch sensitive device 930 through the flexible display PCB 968. The status indicators 966 are preferably blue LEDs and are disposed along the length of the actuation member 962. Preferably, the actuation member 962 is made of a translucent material so that the light of the status indicators 966 is transmitted to the surface of the actuation member.

Fig. 21A is a perspective view and fig. 21B is an enlarged side view of a touch dimmer 1000 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The dimmer 1000 includes a bezel 1010 having a front surface 1012 and a faceplate 1014 having an opening 1016. The front surface 1012 is actuated to actuate a touch sensitive device (not shown) within the dimmer (in a similar manner as the dimmer 100). The dimmer 1000 also includes a shallow domed protrusion 1018, i.e., a raised region, on the front surface 1012 of the bezel 1010. Actuation of the shallow domed protrusion 1018 causes the dimmer 1000 to toggle a connected lighting load (not shown) from off to on (and vice versa). Actuating the upper portion 1020 of the front surface 1012 of the bezel 1010 above the dome protrusion 1018 causes the dimmer 1000 to vary the intensity of the lighting load. The dimmer 1000 also includes a status indicator, such as an LED, just behind the shallow domed protrusion 1018 to illuminate the protrusion.

Preferably, a forbidden area 1022 is provided between the dome-shaped protrusion 1018 and the upper portion 1020 of the front surface 1012 of the bezel 1010. The dimmer 1000 does not respond to actuation of the keepout region 1022. Thus, the portion of the touch sensitive device just below the dome-shaped protrusion 1018, i.e., the "trigger actuator," and the upper portion 1020 are disabled to provide the keepout region 1022.

Fig. 22 is a front view of a touch dimmer 1100 according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. The dimmer 1100 comprises a touch sensitive device 1110 and a faceplate 1112, the faceplate 1112 having a designer-style (designer-style) opening 1114. The touch sensitive device 1110 is surrounded by a bezel 1116, i.e., a thin escutcheon frame, such that the touch sensitive device 1110 is disposed in a rectangular opening 1118 of the bezel. The plurality of status indicators 1120 are arranged in a linear array on one side of the bezel 1116.

The touch sensitive device 1110 has the marker dots 1122 and separation lines 1124 printed on its front surface. The separation line 1124 is located between the lower portion 1126 and the upper portion 1128 of the touch sensitive device 1110. Actuating the lower portion 1126 around the marker point 1122 will trigger the switching on and off of the connected lighting load. An upper portion 1128 of the touch sensitive device is actuated.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load from an AC power source, the load control device comprising:

a semiconductor switch for being electrically coupled in series between the source and the load, the semiconductor switch having a control input for controlling the semiconductor switch between a non-conductive state and a conductive state;

a controller operatively coupled to the control input of the semiconductor switch for controlling the semiconductor switch between a non-conductive state and a conductive state;

a touch screen actuator having a touch sensitive front surface responsive to a plurality of point actuations, each point actuation characterized by a position and a force, the touch screen actuator having an output operably coupled to the controller for providing a control signal representative of the position of the point actuation;

a visual display responsive to the controller; and

an audible sound generator responsive to the controller;

wherein the controller is to cause the visual display to illuminate and the audible sound generator to produce an audible sound in response to the control signal of the touch screen actuator.

2. A user interface for lighting control, the user interface comprising:

a touch screen actuator having a touch sensitive front surface responsive to a plurality of point actuations, each point actuation characterized by a position and a force, the touch screen actuator having a control signal for providing a signal representative of the position of the point actuation;

a visual display for illuminating in response to the control signal of the touch screen actuator; and

an audible sound generator for generating an audible sound in response to the control signal of the touch screen actuator.

3. A load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load from an AC power source, the load control device comprising:

a touch screen actuator having a touch sensitive front surface responsive to a plurality of point actuations, each point actuation characterized by a position and a force, the touch screen actuator having an output operably coupled to the controller for providing a first control signal in response to a first point actuation and a second control signal in response to a second point actuation; and

an audible sound generator responsive to the controller;

wherein the controller is to cause the audible sound generator to produce a first audible sound in response to the first control signal and to produce a second audible sound in response to the second control signal.

4. A user interface for lighting control, the user interface comprising:

a touch screen actuator having a touch sensitive front surface responsive to a plurality of point actuations, each point actuation characterized by a position and a force, the touch screen actuator having an output responsive to a first point actuation to provide a first control signal and responsive to a second point actuation to provide a second control signal; and

an audible sound generator for producing a first audible sound in response to the first control signal and a second audible sound in response to the second control signal.

5. A load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load from an AC power source, the load control device comprising:

a touch screen actuator having a touch sensitive front surface responsive to a plurality of point actuations, each point actuation characterized by a position and a force, said touch screen actuator for beginning to provide a control signal to said controller when the magnitude of said force of each said point actuation substantially exceeds a minimum magnitude and ceasing to provide said control signal when the magnitude of said force subsequently falls substantially below said minimum magnitude of said point actuation; and

an audible sound generator responsive to the controller;

wherein the controller is to cause the audible sound generator to produce a first audible sound in response to the control signal when the magnitude of the force at each of the point actuations substantially exceeds the minimum magnitude, and to produce a second audible sound in response to the control signal when the magnitude of the force subsequently falls substantially below the minimum magnitude of the point actuations.

6. A user interface for lighting control, the user interface comprising:

a touch screen actuator having a touch sensitive front surface responsive to a plurality of point actuations, each point actuation characterized by a position and a force, said touch screen actuator for beginning to provide a control signal when the magnitude of said force of each said point actuation substantially exceeds a minimum magnitude and ceasing to provide said control signal when the magnitude of said force subsequently falls substantially below said minimum magnitude of said point actuation; and

an audible sound generator for producing a first audible sound in response to said control signal when the magnitude of said force at each said point actuation substantially exceeds said minimum magnitude and producing a second audible sound in response to said control signal when the magnitude of said force subsequently falls substantially below said minimum magnitude of said point actuation.

7. A control structure for an electrical control system for generating a variable output electrical signal for output to an electrical load, the variable output electrical signal being for controllably varying the output of the load, the control structure comprising:

(a) an enclosure containing control electronics;

(b) a cover plate on one surface of the enclosure, the cover plate having a flat front surface and having a rectangular opening therein;

(c) a transparent touch pad disposed in the rectangular opening and coupled to the control electronics and adapted to generate an output signal that is related to a location within an area of the touch pad at which an operator touches the touch pad;

(d) a plurality of vertically disposed markers printed on the touch pad to serve as scale indicators;

(e) a plurality of status indicators coupled to the control electronics for illuminating respective discrete locations on the touch pad that are located on a straight line along the length of the touch pad and in a predetermined alignment with respective ones of the printed markers and that are individually illuminated proximate the location on the touch pad touched by the operator;

(f) a small marker at the bottom of the touch pad and in the center of the width of the touch pad, wherein the control electronics are to trigger the load when the touch pad is touched at the location of the small marker; and

(g) at least a first status indicator connected to the control electronics and positioned to illuminate the marker and turn off the load when the touch pad is touched at the small diameter marker point.

8. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said load is at least one tunable light source.

9. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said control structure is a wall box structure adapted to be mounted on a wall.

10. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said touch pad is substantially coplanar with said planar front surface.

11. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said touch pad is disposed in a plane parallel to and above the plane of said planar front surface.

12. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said rectangular opening has a height of about 4 to about 6 times its width.

13. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said rectangular opening has a height that is about 5 times its width.

14. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said rectangular opening is a designer-style opening having a height that is approximately twice a width.

15. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said rectangular opening occupies substantially the entire area of said cover plate and is surrounded by a thin outer frame of said cover plate.

16. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said plurality of LEDs consists of at least 7 blue LEDs.

17. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said discrete locations illuminated by said plurality of LEDs are disposed along one vertical edge of said touch pad.

18. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said plurality of status indicators comprise a plurality of LEDs.

19. The control structure of claim 18, wherein said discrete locations are vertically disposed along a center of a width of said touch pad, and wherein said LEDs are blue LEDs.

20. The control structure of claim 7, further comprising:

a second status indicator of a different color than the first status indicator, the second status indicator coupled to the control electronics and for illuminating the small marker when the touch screen is touched at any location.

21. The control structure of claim 18, wherein said LEDs extend through said touch screen at said discrete locations.

22. The control structure of claim 18, wherein said LEDs are disposed beneath and spaced apart from a bottom of said touch screen, and further comprising light conductors extending from each of said LEDs to respective ones of said discrete locations behind said touch screen.

23. The control structure of claim 7, further comprising:

an air gap switch in the enclosure; and

a blade of the air gap switch, the blade including a lever having an end that extends substantially through the cover plate only at the bottom of the rectangular opening for grasping by a fingernail of an operator.

24. The control structure of claim 7, further comprising:

a rectangular frame for supporting the touch pad at its periphery, the frame extending through the rectangular opening, the frame including a shallow cup having a flange at its open end, the flange being captured by a cooperating extension from outside the rectangular opening, the touch pad having a width greater than the width of the rectangular opening.

25. The control structure of claim 7, wherein said small markers comprise small marker dots.

26. A control structure for an electrical control system for generating a variable output electrical signal for output to an electrical load, the variable output electrical signal being for controllably varying the output of the load, the control structure comprising:

(a) an enclosure containing control electronics;

(d) a thin escutcheon frame surrounding the rectangular opening;

(e) a plurality of status indicators coupled to the control electronics and disposed along a length of one side of the escutcheon frame and adjacent to the touch pad;

(f) a small marker at the bottom of the touch pad and in the center of the width of the touch pad, wherein the control electronics are to turn off the load when the touch pad is touched at the location of the small marker; and

(g) at least a first LED positioned to illuminate the small marker and connected to the control electronics when the touch pad is touched at the small marker to turn off the load.

27. The control structure of claim 26, wherein said load is at least one tunable light source.

28. The control structure of claim 26, wherein said control structure is a wall box structure adapted to be mounted on a wall.

29. The control structure of claim 26, wherein said touch pad is substantially coplanar with said planar front surface.

30. The control structure of claim 26, wherein said touch pad is disposed in a plane parallel to and below the plane of said planar front surface.

31. The control structure of claim 26, wherein said rectangular opening has a height of about 4 to about 6 times its width.

32. The control structure of claim 26, wherein said plurality of status indicators comprise a plurality of LEDs.

33. The control structure of claim 32, wherein said plurality of LEDs consists of at least 7 blue LEDs.

34. The control structure of claim 26, wherein said small markers comprise small marker dots.

35. The control structure of claim 26, further comprising:

an air gap switch in the enclosure; and

36. A control structure for an electrical control system for generating a variable output electrical signal for output to an electrical load, the variable output electrical signal being for controllably varying the output of the load, the control structure comprising:

(a) an enclosure containing control electronics;

(c) a touch pad disposed in the rectangular opening and coupled to the control electronics and adapted to generate an output signal that is related to a position within a region of the touch pad at which an operator touches the touch pad; and

(d) a manually sensitive area at the bottom of the touch pad, wherein pressing the area performs an on/off operation of the control electronics.

37. The control structure of claim 36, wherein said manually sensible area is a shallow raised area.

38. The control structure of claim 36, wherein said manually sensible area is a shallow domed protrusion.

39. The control structure of claim 36, wherein said rectangular opening has a height that is about 4 to about 6 times its height.

40. The control structure of claim 36, further comprising:

a first status indicator positioned to illuminate the manually sensitive area.

41. The control structure of claim 40, wherein said manually sensible area is a shallow raised area.

42. The control structure of claim 40, wherein said manually sensible area is a shallow domed protrusion.

43. The control structure of claim 36, wherein said load is at least one tunable light source.

44. The control structure of claim 36, wherein said control structure is a wall box structure adapted to be mounted on a wall.

45. The control structure of claim 36, wherein said touch pad is substantially coplanar with said planar front surface.

46. The control structure of claim 36, wherein said touch pad is disposed in a plane parallel to and above the plane of said planar front surface.

47. A system for controlling power from a source to a load, comprising, in combination:

(a) a cover plate having a front surface with a rectangular opening;

(b) a touch pad behind said rectangular opening, said touch pad having an accessible continuous surface area for providing a signal in response to pressure applied anywhere along said accessible continuous surface, said signal having at least one characteristic that is a function of the actual location at which said pressure is applied on said accessible continuous surface area;

(c) circuit means for adjusting the power provided from the source to the load in dependence on the signal, wherein the circuit means comprises electrically adjustable voltage dividing means;

(d) a plurality of vertically disposed indicia printed on the touch pad to serve as a scale indicator;

(e) a plurality of status indicators coupled to the circuit arrangement for illuminating respective discrete locations on the touch pad that are located on a straight line along the length of the touch pad and in a predetermined alignment with respective ones of the printed markers and that are individually illuminated proximate to the location of the touch pad where the touch pad is touched by an operator;

(g) at least a first status indicator connected to the control electronics and positioned to illuminate the small marker and turn off the load when the touch pad is touched at the small marker.

48. The control structure of claim 47, wherein said control structure is a wall box structure adapted to be mounted on a wall.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the touchable continuous surface area of the touchpad is rectangular.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the height of the touchable continuous surface area of the touchpad is about 4 to about 6 times its width.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the height of the rectangle is about 5 times its width.

52. The system of claim 50, wherein the height of the rectangle is about twice its width.

53. The system of claim 47, wherein the plurality of status indicators comprise a plurality of LEDs.

54. The control structure of claim 53, wherein said plurality of LEDs consists of at least 7 blue LEDs.

55. The system of claim 53, wherein the discrete locations illuminated by the plurality of LEDs are disposed along one vertical edge of the touch panel.

56. The system of claim 53, wherein the discrete locations are vertically disposed along a center of a width of the touch pad, and wherein the LEDs are blue LEDs.

57. The system of claim 47, further comprising:

58. The system of claim 53, wherein the LEDs are disposed beneath and spaced apart from a bottom of the touch screen, and further comprising light conductors extending from each of the LEDs to respective ones of the discrete locations behind the touch screen.

59. The system of claim 47, further comprising:

an air gap switch; and

60. The system of claim 47, wherein an area on the touch pad adjacent to the location of the marker is spaced a distance from a lowest one of the locations of the plurality of status indicators to prevent a finger from touching the location of the marker and the location of the lowest LED.

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the control structure is a wall box structure adapted to be mounted on a wall.

62. The system of claim 60, wherein the accessible continuous surface area of the touch pad is rectangular.

63. The system of claim 60, wherein the accessible continuous surface area of the touch pad is rectangular.

64. The system of claim 60, wherein the height of the touchable continuous surface area of the touchpad is about 4 to about 6 times its width.

65. The system of claim 60, further comprising:

66. The system of claim 60, further comprising:

an air gap switch; and

67. The system of claim 60, wherein the area of the touchpad between the marker and the lowest position of the plurality of LEDs is deactivated and unable to produce an output in response to a touch.

68. The system of claim 60, wherein the small marker comprises a small marker dot.

69. A system for controlling power from a source to a load, comprising, in combination:

(a) a cover plate having a front surface with a rectangular opening;

(b) a touch pad behind said rectangular opening, said touch pad having an accessible continuous surface area for providing a signal in response to pressure applied anywhere along said accessible continuous surface area, said signal having at least one characteristic that is a function of the actual location at which said pressure is applied on said accessible continuous surface area;

(c) circuit means for regulating power provided from the source to the load in dependence on the signal;

(d) the rectangular opening having a height of about 4 to about 6 times its width; and

(e) a shallow rising area at a bottom of the touch panel, wherein pressing the rising area performs an on/off operation of the circuit device.

70. The system of claim 69, wherein the height of the rectangular opening is about 5 times its width.

71. The system of claim 69, further comprising a first status indicator positioned to illuminate the elevated area.

72. A control structure for an electrical control system for generating a variable output electrical signal for output to an electrical load, the variable output electrical signal being for controllably varying the output of the load, the control structure comprising:

(a) an enclosure containing control electronics;

(e) a plurality of status indicators coupled to the control electronics for illuminating respective discrete locations on the touch pad that are located on a straight line along the length of the touch pad and in a predetermined alignment with respective ones of the printed markers and that are individually illuminated proximate the location on the touch pad touched by the operator.

73. The control structure of claim 72, where said load is at least one tunable light source.

74. The control structure of claim 72, wherein said control structure is a wall box structure adapted to be mounted on a wall.

75. The control structure of claim 72, wherein said touch pad is substantially coplanar with said planar front surface.

76. The control structure of claim 72, wherein said rectangular opening has a height that is about 4 to about 6 times its width.

77. The control structure of claim 76, wherein said rectangular opening has a height that is about 5 times its width.

78. The control structure of claim 72, wherein said rectangular opening is a designer-style opening having a height that is about twice its width.

79. The control structure of claim 72, wherein said plurality of status indicators comprise a plurality of LEDs.

80. The control structure of claim 79, wherein said plurality of LEDs consists of at least 7 blue LEDs.

81. The control structure of claim 79, wherein said discrete locations illuminated by said plurality of LEDs are disposed along one vertical edge of said touch pad.

82. The control structure of claim 79, wherein said discrete locations are vertically disposed along a center of a width of said touch pad, and wherein said LEDs are blue LEDs.

83. The control structure of claim 79, wherein said LEDs extend across said touch screen at said discrete locations.

84. The control structure of claim 79, wherein said LEDs are disposed beneath and spaced apart from the bottom of said touch screen, and further comprising light conductors extending from each of said LEDs to respective ones of said discrete locations behind said touch screen.

85. The control structure of claim 72, further comprising:

an air gap switch in the enclosure; and

86. A control structure for an electrical control system for generating a variable output electrical signal for output to an electrical load, the variable output electrical signal being for controllably varying the output of the load, the control structure comprising:

(a) an enclosure containing control electronics;

(c) a touch pad disposed in the rectangular opening and coupled to the control electronics and adapted to generate an output signal that is related to a position within a region of the touch pad at which an operator touches the touch pad;

(d) a plurality of status indicators coupled to the control electronics for illuminating respective discrete locations on the touch pad, the discrete locations lying on a straight line along the length of the touch pad; and

(e) and audio circuitry coupled to the touch panel for generating an audible sound in response to the touch of the touch panel and the illumination of any of the plurality of status indicators.

87. The control structure of claim 86, wherein said control structure is a wall box structure adapted to be mounted on a wall.

88. The control structure of claim 86, wherein said rectangular opening has a height that is about 4 to about 6 times its width.

89. The control structure of claim 86, wherein said plurality of status indicators comprise a plurality of LEDs.

90. The control structure of claim 89, wherein said plurality of LEDs consists of at least 7 blue LEDs.

91. The control structure of claim 89, wherein said discrete locations illuminated by said plurality of LEDs are disposed along one vertical edge of said touch pad.

92. The control structure of claim 89, wherein said discrete locations are vertically disposed along a center of a width of said touch pad, and wherein said LEDs are blue LEDs.

93. The control structure of claim 89, wherein said LEDs extend through said touch screen at said discrete locations.

94. The control structure of claim 89, wherein said LEDs are disposed beneath and spaced apart from a bottom portion of said touch screen, and further comprising light conductors extending from each said LED to a respective said discrete location behind said touch screen.

95. The control structure of claim 86, further comprising:

an air gap switch in the enclosure; and

96. The control structure of claim 89, further comprising a delay device coupled to said audio circuit for delaying the generation of said audible sound a predetermined time after illuminating the LED.