FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to electrical switches. More specifically, the
present invention is related to architecture and operation of wirelessly operated
electrical switches.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to
be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a
problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter
of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously
recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely
represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also correspond
to implementations of the claimed technology.
Home automation solutions have eased life of consumers. One such home
automation solution that finds myriad of uses include wireless or smart switches.
These wireless switches receive user instruction wirelessly from a user operated
device to change their power state (ON/OFF condition), and thus control power
state of the electrical appliances connected with them.
Conventional wireless switches utilize wireless transceivers for receiving and
transmitting data for controlling their power state. For each wireless switch present
in a switchboard, a wireless transceiver is used that adds to overall cost of the
switchboards, making these switchboards very expensive. Thus, there remains a
need for a mechanism using which the number of wireless transceivers used for
each switchboard could be reduced, to bring down the overall cost of such
switchboards.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
A general objective of the invention is to provide wirelessly operable electrical
switchboards at a reduced cost.
Another objective of the invention is to reduce the number of wireless transceivers
used for a wirelessly operable electrical switchboard.
Yet another objective of the invention is to provide a system using which a user
could control wireless switches present at a distant location from the user.
Still another objective of the invention is to provide a system using which the user
could control a group of appliances in a predefined manner, using a single user
instruction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This summary is provided to introduce aspects related to wirelessly operable
electrical switchboards and system for controlling operation of electrical switches,
and the aspects are further described below in the detailed description. This
summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter
nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the claimed subject
matter.
In one embodiment, the wirelessly operable electrical switchboard comprises a
plurality of switches. The plurality of switches could exist in groups, such as groups
of 2, 3, and so on, within the electrical switchboard. The wirelessly operable
electrical switchboard further comprises a wireless transceiver configured to
receive a user instruction wirelessly from a user device. The wirelessly operable
electrical switchboard further comprises a plurality of microcontrollers connected
with each other. One microcontroller is present for each of the plurality of switches.
The plurality of microcontrollers control operations of the plurality of switches,
based on the user instruction.
In one embodiment, one microcontroller of the plurality of microcontrollers is
connected to the wireless transceiver for receiving the user instruction. The one
microcontroller of the plurality of microcontrollers transmit the user instruction to
another microcontroller of the plurality of microcontrollers that controls a switch
indicated by the user instruction.
In one embodiment, the plurality of switches are implemented using relays,
Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs), or Silicon Controlled Rectifiers
(SCRs). The plurality of switches could also receive manual input through push
button switches, touch based switches, or pressure based switches. Status of the
plurality of switches is communicated to the user device through the wireless
transceiver.
In one embodiment, the wireless transceiver can operate using one of Wireless
Fidelity (Wi-Fi™), Wi-Fi direct™, Wi-Fi EasyMesh™, Z-wave™, Bluetooth™,
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE™), Long Range (LoRa®), Narrowband Internet of
Things (NB-IoT™), and Zigbee™ communication techniques. The wireless
transceiver can also transmit instructions wirelessly to the user device. The plurality
of microcontrollers could be connected in a sequence using wires. Multiple
switches of the plurality of switches could be grouped to produce predefined
illumination patterns. Operation of the multiple switches could be controlled
through a single user instruction.
In another embodiment, a system for controlling operation of electrical switches
comprises a plurality of electrical switchboards. Each electrical switchboard
comprises a plurality of switches. In one implementation, the plurality of switches
may exist in pairs. The system further comprises a wireless transceiver configured
to receive user instructions wirelessly from a user device and a plurality of
microcontrollers connected with each other. One microcontroller is present for each
of the plurality of switches. The plurality of microcontrollers control operations of
the plurality of switches, based on the user instructions. One microcontroller of the
plurality of microcontrollers is connected to the wireless transceiver for receiving
the user instructions. The one microcontroller of the plurality of microcontrollers
transmit the user instruction to at least one other microcontroller of the plurality of
microcontrollers that controls at least one switch indicated by the user instructions.
In one embodiment, one or more wireless transceivers of one or more switchboards
present nearest to a user receive a user instruction to control operation of a switch
belonging to the one or more switchboards present nearest to the user or another
switch belonging to another switchboard present away from the user. The one or
more wireless transceivers of the one or more switchboards present nearest to the
user broadcasts the user instruction to all wireless transceivers of neighboring
switchboards while the user instruction is meant for controlling operation of the
another switch belonging to the another switchboard present away from the user.
In one embodiment, the plurality of switches could be implemented using relays,
Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs), or Silicon Controlled Rectifiers
(SCRs). The plurality of switches may receive manual input through push button
switches, touch based switches, or pressure based switches. Status of the plurality
of switches could be communicated to the user device through the wireless
transceiver of the switchboard present nearest to the user. The wireless transceivers
can operate using one of Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi™), Wi-Fi EasyMesh™, Wi-Fi
direct™, Z-wave™, Bluetooth™, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE™), Long Range
(LoRa®), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT™), and Zigbee™
communication techniques. The wireless transceiver can transmit instructions
wirelessly to the user device.
In one embodiment, the plurality of microcontrollers could be connected in a
sequence. Further, the plurality of microcontrollers may be connected using wires.
Multiple switches of the plurality of switches could be grouped to produce
predefined illumination patterns. Operation of the multiple switches can be
controlled through a single user instruction. Further, operation of the plurality of
switches can be controlled based on ambient conditions, or a schedule defined by
the user.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the
following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings constitute a part of the description and are used to
provide a further understanding of the present invention.
Figure 1 illustrates a communication scheme for transfer of data from a user device
to switchboards, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of a master-partner arrangement in a wirelessly
operable electrical switchboard, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention
Figure 3a illustrates a block diagram of a master circuit in a wirelessly operable
electrical switchboard, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3b illustrates a block diagram of a partner circuit in a wirelessly operable
electrical switchboard, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 illustrates a block diagram of a master-partner arrangement in a wirelessly
operable electrical switchboard, in accordance with another embodiment of the
present invention
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings
is intended as a description of various embodiments of the present invention and is
not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention may
be practiced. Each embodiment described in this disclosure is provided merely as
an example or illustration of the present invention, and should not necessarily be
construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The detailed
description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough
understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled
in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
The present invention pertains to wirelessly operable electrical switchboards and a
system for controlling operation of electrical switches present on the wirelessly
operable electrical switchboards. More specifically, the present invention reduces a
number of wireless transceivers utilized to provide wireless connectivity to the
electrical switches.
Referring now to Figure 1, an exemplary representation of communication scheme
for transfer of data from a user device to switchboards is explained. As shown in
Figure 1, several switchboards could be installed in different locations, such as
different rooms of a house. The different rooms are labelled as areas, namely area
1, area 2, area 3, area 4, area 5, area 6, and area 7. A switchboard SB#1 is present
in the area 1, switchboard SB#2 is present in the area 2, switchboard SB#3 is present
in the area 5, switchboard SB#4 is present in the area 6, and switchboard SB#5 is
present in the area 7.
In one scenario, a user operating a user device (102) may be present in the area 1.
The user device (102) may be any of a mobile device, a tablet, a laptop, a personal
computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a network device, and the like. Using
an interface of the user device (102), the user may try to transmit an instruction
wirelessly, to power ON a switch 3 of the switchboard SB#5 present in the area 7.
As an alternative, instead of providing the instruction manually using the interface
of the user device (102), the user may speak up the instruction that could be captured
by a microphone of the user device (102) or other voice enabled devices such as
Alexa™ and Google home™. Upon picking up the user's voice, the user device
(102) or the voice enabled devices may identify that the user's instruction is to
power ON the switch 3 of the switchboard SB#5.
It may not be possible for the user device (102) to communicate the instruction to
the switchboard SB#5, for the switchboard SB#5 being present outside a range of
communication of the user device (102), for example at a distance greater than 20
meters. In one case, the switchboard SB #1 and the switchboard SB #2, for being
present in vicinity of the user device (102) i.e. within the range of communication
of the user device (102), may receive the instruction transmitted by the user device
(102). It should be understood that it is wireless transceivers present within
switchboards that receive the instruction, either from the user device (102) or from
each other. The wireless transceivers may operate using one of Wireless Fidelity
(Wi-Fi™), Wi-Fi direct™, Wi-Fi EasyMesh™, Z-wave™, Bluetooth™, Bluetooth
Low Energy (BLE™), Long Range (LoRa®), Narrowband Internet of Things (NBIoT)
™, and Zigbee™ communication protocols.
Upon receiving the instruction, the switchboard SB#1 and the switchboard SB#2
may process the instruction to determine a destination address of the instruction.
Destination of the instruction may be determined by identifying a unique identifier
present in the instruction. Each of the switchboards SB#1 through SB#5 and
switches of the switchboards may be associated with a unique identifier. The user
device (102), the user operating the user device (102), or an operator installing the
switchboards for wireless operation may assign such unique identifiers.
Upon processing the instruction, the switchboard SB#1 and the switchboard SB#2
may determine that the instruction is destined for switchboard SB#5, and may
broadcast the instruction to all other switchboards present within their range of
communication. All the switchboards, SB#1 through SB#5, may be connected with
each other to form a mesh network. Broadcasting of the instruction is illustrated in
Figure 1, using double headed arrows, wherein each switchboard can transmit as
well as receive instructions from other switchboards. Through such broadcasting,
the instruction may be received by the switchboard SB#5. As illustrated in current
scenario, the switchboard SB#5 may receive the instruction from the switchboard
SB#3 and/or the switchboard SB#4.
Before explaining the manner in which the switchboard SB#5 processes the
instruction, a master-partner arrangement in a wirelessly operable electrical
switchboard is explained, with reference to Figure 2. Several switches may be
present on a switchboard and each switch may be connected with a microcontroller.
In order to reduce the number of microcontrollers utilized, multiple switches may
be paired together, within each switchboard. In one implementation, as illustrated
in Figure 2, two consecutive switches may be paired together. Although a pair of
two switches is considered for explanation, the switches may exist in groups of 3,
4, and so on.
It would be best to pair consecutive switches for simpler wiring connections;
however, the switches could be paired in any order. Switch SI (202) and switch S2
(204) may be a part of a first switch group called a master circuit (206). The master
circuit (206) may further comprise a microcontroller 1 (208) for changing power
status (ON/OFF) of the switch SI (202) and the switch S2 (204). The
microcontroller 1 (208) may receive instruction to change the power status of the
switch SI (202) and the switch S2 (204) from a wireless transceiver (210) i.e. a
wireless communication module connected to the microcontroller 1 (208) using a
wired connection. The wireless transceiver (210) may receive instructions to control
any switch of the switchboard from the user device (102).
Switch S3 (212) and switch S4 (214) may be a part of a second switch group called
a first partner circuit (216). The first partner circuit (216) may further comprise a
microcontroller 2 (218) for changing power status (ON/OFF) of the switch S3 (212)
and the switch S4 (214). The microcontroller 2 (218) may receive instruction to
change the power status of the switch S3 (212) and the switch S4 (214) from the
microcontroller 1 (208) of the master circuit (206).
Switch S5 (220) and switch S6 (222) may be a part of a third switch group called a
second partner circuit (224). The second partner circuit (224) may further comprise
a microcontroller 3 (226) for changing power status (ON/OFF) of the switch S5
(220) and the switch S6 (222). The microcontroller 3 (226) may receive instruction
to change the power status of the switch S5 (220) and the switch S6 (222) from the
microcontroller 2 (218) of the first partner circuit (216). Similarly, other switches
of a switchboard may be paired to form other partner circuits.
Referring now to Figure 3a illustrating a block diagram of a master circuit (300)
and Figure 3b illustrating a block diagram of a partner circuit (350), arrangement
and connection of components is explained first, and subsequently the manner in
which the switchboard SB#5 handles the instruction is explained.
As illustrated in Figure 3a, the master circuit (300) of the switchboard SB#5 may
comprise a power supply unit (302) receiving an Alternating Current (A.C.) supply
through A.C. power lines. The A.C. power lines may comprise a neutral wire (304)
and a live wire (306). The power supply unit (302) may include a rectifying circuit
to convert the A.C. supply into a Direct Current (D.C.) supply suitable to power
other electronic elements present on the master circuit (300). In one case, voltage
regulator Integrated Circuits (I.C.s) of 78XX series could be used to provide a stable
D.C. supply. The D.C. supply sufficient to power the electronic elements may be
3.3V, 5V, or 12V, and may be supplied through D.C. power lines (308) and (310).
The electronic elements present on the master circuit may include a microcontroller
1 (312) and a wireless transceiver (314) i.e. a wireless communication module.
In one embodiment, the master circuit (300) may include current control elements,
such as relays, Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs), Silicon Controlled
Rectifiers (SCRs), or the like, to function as switches. In one implementation, relays
are used as the current control elements. A relay 1 (316) may indicate a switch 1
and a relay 2 (318) may indicate a switch 2. The relay 1 (316) and the relay 2 (318)
may be connected with the live wire (306) carrying the A.C. supply. The relay 1
(316) and the relay 2 (318) may be controlled by the microcontroller 1 (312) through
control lines (320) and (322) respectively. Although not illustrated, it should be
understood that current driver Integrated Circuits (I.C.s), such as MAX232, could
be used to step up or step down current and/or voltage levels of signals produced
by microcontrollers, for driving the relays.
In one embodiment, the instruction received by the wireless transceiver (314) of the
switchboard SB#5 may be provided to the microcontroller 1 (312). The
microcontroller 1 (312) may process the instruction and may identify that the
instruction is designated to power ON the switch 3 of the switchboard SB#5. Upon
determining that the switch 3 is not a part of the master circuit (300), the
microcontroller 1 (312) may forward the instruction, through line (324), to a first
partner circuit (350).
In one embodiment, visual indicators such as Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) may
be present in the master circuit (300), the first partner circuit (350), and other partner
circuits, for indicating power status (ON/OFF) of switches, to the user. LED 1 (326)
may be connected with the line (320) to indicate power status of the switch 1 i.e.
the relay 1 (316) and LED 2 (328) may be connected with the line (322) to indicate
power status of the switch 2 i.e. the relay 2 (318).
As illustrated in Figure 3b, a microcontroller 2 (352) of the first partner circuit (350)
may be powered by the D.C. power lines (308) and (310). A relay 3 (354) may
indicate the switch 3 and a relay 4 (356) may indicate a switch 4. The relay 3 (354)
and the relay 4 (356) may be connected with the live wire (306) carrying the A.C.
supply. The relay 3 (354) and the relay 4 (356) may be controlled by the
microcontroller 2 (352) through control lines (358) and (360) respectively.
The microcontroller 2 (352) upon receiving the instruction to control the switch 3,
may power ON the relay 3 (354) through the control line (358). Upon being
powered ON, the relay 3 (354) may act as a closed switch, transferring the A.C.
supply of the live wire (306) to an output line (362). Further, an LED 3 (364) may
be connected with the line (358) to indicate power status of the switch 3 i.e. the
relay 3 (354) and an LED 4 (366) may be connected with the line (360) to indicate
power status of the switch 4 i.e. the relay 4 (356).
In one embodiment, multi-color LEDs may be used for indicating the power status
(ON/OFF) of the switches. For example, while the switch 3 i.e. the relay 3 (354) is
turned ON, the LED 3 (364) present around the switch 3 may turn red, and while
the switch 3 is turned OFF, the LED3 (364) may turn green or may stop glowing.
In one embodiment, manually operable switches may also be present to allow
mechanical operation by the user, without using the user device (102). Upon being
operated manually, by the user, the switches may send instructions to the
microcontroller 1 (312) of the master circuit (300) for activating a suitable relay.
The manually operable switches may comprise push button switches, touch based
switches, and pressure based switches. While the switches are operated manually,
details of such action may be sent wirelessly to the user device (102), and an exact
status of an operated switch is reflected in the interface of the user device (102).
Further, such details could also be presented on a mobile application installed on
the user device (102).
In another scenario, while the instruction is destined for switch 5 or switch 6, the
microcontroller 2 (352) would transmit the instruction to a second partner (368)
through line (370).
Transmission of the instruction from the user device (102) to a destined switch
could take time while the number of switches present in a switchboard are too high,
such as 8, 10, or more. While the destined switch is last switch of a switchboard,
the instruction will traverse across all the microcontrollers, which may result in a
delay in controlling the destined switch. Such delay could be avoided using the
master-partner arrangement of switches described henceforth with reference to
In a switchboard (400), a master circuit (402) may comprise a microcontroller 1
(404) that may receive an instruction from a wireless transceiver (406) i.e. a
wireless communication module. To control switch SI (408) or switch S2 (410),
the microcontroller 1 (404) may forward the instruction to a microcontroller 2 (412)
of a first partner circuit (414). Further, to control switch S3 (416) or switch S4 (418),
the microcontroller 1 (404) may forward the instruction to a microcontroller 3 (420)
of a second partner circuit (422). Further, to control switch S5 (424) or switch S6
(426), the microcontroller 1 (404) may forward the instruction to a microcontroller
4 (428) of a third partner circuit (430). Further, to control switch S7 (432) or switch
S8 (434), the microcontroller 1 (404) may forward the instruction to a
microcontroller 5 (436) of a fourth partner circuit (438).
In this manner, the microcontroller 1 (404) of the master circuit (402) could send
instructions directly to a microcontroller of a corresponding partner circuit,
avoiding traversing of the instruction through microcontrollers of all partner
circuits. This may allow in prompt execution of the instruction, as soon as it is
provided by the user device (102).
In one embodiment, multiple switches may be grouped to produce predefined
illumination patterns where operation of such multiple switches could be controlled
through a single user instruction. In one case, during a dinner time, lights around a
dining area may be turned ON, study lights may be turned OFF, and power status
of other appliances may remain unaffected. Similarly, multiple other illumination
patterns could be configured for operating other appliances such as Lights, Fans,
Refrigerator, Washing Machine, Air Conditioner etc.
In one embodiment, the user could control any of the switches remotely. In such
case, at least one of the switchboards may be connected to Internet for providing
accessibility of the switches from any remote location, through the Internet. In such
condition, the user could also set schedules for switching ON/OFF certain
appliances after or for a defined time interval. For example, the user could power
ON a geyser while he is out of home, so that the geyser could warm water before
the user reaches home. Further, the user could also set a time for which he wishes
to power ON the geyser.
In one embodiment, the switchboards could be connected with sensors, such as
temperature sensors, humidity sensors, sound sensors, light sensors, air quality
sensors, or motion sensors. Operation of certain appliances may be defined based
on certain parameters sensed by the sensors. For example, switches controlling
power to lights may be automatically turned ON during the night. Further, the
switches controlling power to the lights may automatically turn OFF after 10PM,
unless instructed otherwise by the user.
In one case, a calling bell may be connected wirelessly to a mesh of switchboards
connected wirelessly. While a switch to turn ON the calling bell is pushed, an alert
may be sent to the user device (102). During such instance, other actions could also
be triggered automatically, such as balcony lights may turn ON. An instruction
could also be received from the user, such as to activate other systems like video
door entry or a smart lock installed at home. In this manner, the above described
arrangement and operation of wireless switches provides a plethora of possibilities
to operate appliances connected with the wireless switches.
In view of the above provided embodiments and their explanations, it is evident that
the present invention reduces the number of wireless transceivers i.e. wireless
communication modules required for operating all switches of a switchboard.
Instead of the conventional approach, where each wireless switch of a switchboard
utilize a separate transceiver, current invention utilizes a single transceiver to
wirelessly control all the switches of a switchboard, therefore reducing overall cost
of a switchboard comprising wirelessly operable switches.
Although implementations of wirelessly operable electrical switchboard and system
for controlling operation of electrical switches have been described in language
specific to structural features and/or methods, it is to be understood that the
appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods
described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as examples of
implementations of wirelessly operable electrical switchboard and system for
controlling operation of electrical switches.

We Claim:
1. A wirelessly operable electrical switchboard comprising:
a plurality of switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418,
424, 426, 432, 434);
a wireless transceiver (210; 314; 406) configured to receive a user
instruction wirelessly from a user device (102); and
a plurality of microcontrollers (208, 218, 226; 312,352; 412, 420, 428, 436)
connected with each other, wherein one microcontroller is present for each of the
plurality of switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426,
432, 434), and wherein the plurality of microcontrollers (208, 218, 226; 312,352;
412, 420, 428, 436) control operations of the plurality of switches (202, 204, 212,
214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426, 432, 434), based on the user
instruction,
wherein one microcontroller (208; 404) of the plurality of microcontrollers
(208, 218, 226; 312, 352; 412, 420, 428, 436) is connected to the wireless
transceiver (210; 314; 406) for receiving the user instruction,
and wherein the one microcontroller (208; 404) of the plurality of
microcontrollers (208, 218, 226; 312, 352; 412, 420, 428, 436) transmit the user
instruction to another microcontroller of the plurality of microcontrollers (208,
218, 226; 312, 352; 412, 420, 428, 436) that controls a switch indicated by the
user instruction.
2. The wirelessly operable electrical switchboard as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the plurality of switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416,
418, 424, 426, 432, 434) exist in groups (206, 216, 224; 414, 422, 430, 438) and
one microcontroller is present for each group of the plurality of switches (202,
204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426, 432, 434), and wherein
each group comprises two or more switches.
3. The wirelessly operable electrical switchboard as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the plurality of switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416,
418, 424, 426, 432, 434) are implemented using relays (316, 318, 354, 356),
Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs), or Silicon Controlled Rectifiers
(SCRs).
4. The wirelessly operable electrical switchboard as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the plurality of switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416,
418, 424, 426, 432, 434) receive manual input through push button switches,
touch based switches, or pressure based switches.
5. The wirelessly operable electrical switchboard as claimed in claim 1,
wherein status of the plurality of switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408,
410, 416, 418, 424, 426, 432, 434) is communicated to the user device (102)
through the wireless transceiver (210; 314; 406).
6. The wirelessly operable electrical switchboard as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the wireless transceiver (210; 314; 406) operates using one of Wireless
Fidelity (Wi-Fi™), Wi-Fi direct™, Wi-Fi EasyMesh™, Z-wave™, Bluetooth™,
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE™), Long Range (LoRa®), Narrowband Internet of
Things (NB-IoT™), and Zigbee™ communication techniques.
7. The wirelessly operable electrical switchboard as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the wireless transceiver (210; 314; 406) transmits instructions wirelessly
to the user device (102).
8. The wirelessly operable electrical switchboard as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the plurality of microcontrollers (208, 218, 226; 312, 352; 412, 420, 428,
436) are connected in a sequence.
9. The wirelessly operable electrical switchboard as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the plurality of microcontrollers (208, 218, 226; 312, 352; 412, 420, 428,
436) are connected using wires.
10. The wirelessly operable electrical switchboard as claimed in claim 1,
wherein multiple switches of the plurality of switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220,
222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426, 432, 434) are grouped to produce predefined
illumination patterns, and wherein operation of the multiple switches is controlled
through a single user instruction.
11. A system for controlling operation of electrical switches, the system
comprising:
a plurality of electrical switchboards with each electrical switchboard
comprising:
a plurality of switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416,
418,424,426,432,434);
a wireless transceiver (210; 314; 406) configured to receive user
instructions wirelessly from a user device (102); and
a plurality of microcontrollers (208, 218, 226; 312,352; 412, 420, 428,
436) connected with each other, wherein one microcontroller is present for
each of the plurality of switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416,
418, 424, 426, 432, 434), and wherein the plurality of microcontrollers (208,
218, 226; 312,352; 412, 420, 428, 436) control operations of the plurality of
switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426, 432,
434), based on the user instructions,
wherein one microcontroller (208; 404) of the plurality of
microcontrollers (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426,
432, 434) is connected to the wireless transceiver (210; 314; 406) for
receiving the user instructions,
and wherein the one microcontroller (208; 404) of the plurality of
microcontrollers (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426,
432, 434) transmit the user instruction to at least one other microcontroller of
the plurality of microcontrollers (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416,
418, 424, 426, 432, 434) that controls at least one switch indicated by the user
instructions,
wherein one or more wireless transceivers of one or more switchboards
present nearest to a user receive a user instruction to control operation of a switch
belonging to the one or more switchboards present nearest to the user or another
switch belonging to another switchboard present away from the user,
and wherein the one or more wireless transceivers of the one or more
switchboards present nearest to the user broadcasts the user instruction to all
wireless transceivers of neighbouring switchboards while the user instruction is
meant for controlling operation of the another switch belonging to the another
switchboard present away from the user.
12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of switches (202,
204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426, 432, 434) exist in groups
(206, 216, 224; 414, 422, 430, 438) and one microcontroller is present for each
group of the plurality of switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416,
418, 424, 426, 432, 434), and wherein each group comprises two or more
switches.
13. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of switches (202,
204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426, 432, 434) are implemented
using relays (316, 318, 354, 356), Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs), or
Silicon Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs).
14. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of switches (202,
204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426, 432, 434) receive manual
input through push button switches, touch based switches, or pressure based
switches.
15. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein status of the plurality of
switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426, 432, 434) is
communicated to the user device through the one or more wireless transceivers of
the one or more switchboards present nearest to the user.
16. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the wireless transceiver (210;
314; 406) operates using one of Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi™), Wi-Fi direct™, Wi-
Fi EasyMesh™, Z-wave™, Bluetooth™, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE™), Long
Range (LoRa®), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT™), and Zigbee™
communication techniques.
17. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the wireless transceiver (210;
314; 406) transmits instructions wirelessly to the user device (102).
18. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of microcontrollers
(208, 218, 226; 312, 352; 412, 420, 428, 436) are connected in a sequence.
19. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of microcontrollers
(208, 218, 226; 312, 352; 412, 420, 428, 436) are connected using wires.
20. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein multiple switches of the
plurality of switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426,
432, 434) are grouped to produce predefined illumination patterns, and wherein
operation of the multiple switches is controlled through a single user instruction.
21. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein operation of the plurality of
switches (202, 204, 212, 214, 220, 222; 408, 410, 416, 418, 424, 426, 432, 434) is
controlled based on ambient conditions, or a schedule defined by the user.