WO1992001968A1

WO1992001968A1 - Multi-mode remote control system

Info

Publication number: WO1992001968A1
Application number: PCT/US1991/005204
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alexander Leon; Kenneth J. Franco
Original assignee: Alexander Leon; Franco Kenneth J
Priority date: 1990-07-23
Filing date: 1991-07-23
Publication date: 1992-02-06
Also published as: AU8330291A

Abstract

A multi-mode remote control system (10) that allows an electrical load (50) such as a lamp, a fan, or the like to be operated and controlled remotely from different locations. Four distinct and independently operated system control means may be utilized to provide the desired control signal: an infrared remote control (14) such as are currently used to operate a television set; a manual control (16) such as a touch surface (16a) or a momentary SPST switch (16b); a conventional a-c wall switch (18) which could be controlling an a-c wall receptacle (54) or a power switch (20) located on the electrical load (50). The output signals produced by each of the system control means are applied to an electronics control unit (12) where the signals are processed in order to determine the amount of power applied to control the electrical load (50). Operation of any one system control means does not render any of the others inoperable.

Description

MULTI-MODE REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention pertains to the general field of electrical/electronic remote controllers and more particularly to a multi-mode remote control system that utilizes three methods of control to operate an electrical load from up to four different locations using a different system control means at each location and where each location operates independently of the others and without disabling the others.

BACKGROUND ART

The use of a remotely located device to control the application of power to an electrical load, such as a lamp, a fan, an appliance, and the like is well known and accepted. The most common and most used method of remote control is the conventional a-c wall switch which utilizes the electrical wiring in a home or building to remotely operate an electrical load. Also, widely used is an infrared remote control which is primarily employed to turn a television set ON and OFF and to change channels and audio levels.

The typical wiring system in most homes and buildings consists of two wires plus a protective ground, The wiring may be used in combination with the wall switch, which is typically a single-pole single throw (SPST) switch, to control power to an a-c wall receptacle to which the electrical load is connected, in this configuration the electrical load may only be operated from the location of the load itself through its built-in power switch or remotely from the wall switch. The drawback of this wiring system is that control is typically disabled at the load power switch or at the remote wall switch when the other switch is set to the OFF position. For example, if a table lamp is connected to a switched a-c wall receptacle that is controlled by a wall switch and the wall switch is turned OFF, the lamp cannot be turned ON by its own switch until the wall switch is also placed in the ON position.

A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention however, the following U.S. patents were considered related:

PATENT NO . I NVENTOR I SSUED

4,850,040 Teich 18 July 1989

4,673,911 Yoshida 16 June 1987

4,632,490 Von Gunten 30 December 1986 4,211,959 Deavenport 8 July 1980

The Teich patent discloses an infrared remote control system for allowing a console to activate and deactivate the operation of one or more devices all situated in a single enclosed space such as a hotel room. The console includes several simultaneouslyoperated infrared transmitters where each transmitter is aimed in a different direction. The remote devices respond to respective codes, but some also re-transmit received, radiation so that the console can gain access even to remote devices which are not along a line of sight.

The Yoshida patent discloses an elevator remote-control apparatus that allows a call registration of an elevator to be accessed remotely. The remote-control apparatus includes a transmitter that transmits a coded signal that corresponds to the elevator registration. A receiver, which is disposed within the hall button of the elevator, receives and encodes the transmitted signal and turns on the elevator response lamp corresponding to the call registration.

The von Gunten patent discloses a self-contained touch control connector for lamps that is screwed directly into the lamp socket. The connector is designed with a socket into which is screwed a light bulb. The connector also includes an internally located electronics unit that functions in response to variation in capacitance. The unit allows turning ON the bulb, increasing its brilliance in steps, and turning the bulb OFF, A sensor bracket is attached to the connector that incorporates a finger connected at one end with the electronic unit and that extends outwardly from the unit. The finger includes a set screw that when turned in against the lamp socket a positive electrical contact is made and that also aids in mechanically clamping the connector to the lamp.

The Deavenport patent discloses a touch-control adaptor for electric lamps. The adaptor operates as either a three-way light controller when three successive touchings of the lamp will cause the lamp to reach full brightness; or a dimmer controller where the brightness increases at a constant rate while the lamp is being touched. Both embodiments include an electronic circuit that senses when a person is touching these exterior parts and in response thereto, passes predetermined portions of power to control the lamp.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The multi-mode remote control system is designed allow an electrical load, such as an electrical lamp, appliance or other electrical equipment to be operated and controlled from up to four different locations using a different system control means at each location, and where each location operates independently of the others, and without disabling the others. The system is comprised of two basic elements: at least one system control means and an electronics control unit. The electronics control unit utilizes up to three different methods to allow control from the four different system control means. Each of the methods utilized receives signals from the following system control means: method 1) an infrared remote control of the type in current use to remotely operate television sets and video cassette recorders, method 2) a manual control device which may consist of a momentary SPST switch or a touch surface of the capacitive type and method 3) from a conventional a-c wall switch and the power switch located on the load.

As stated, method three detects and processes signals from two different system control means.

One of the features of the system design allows any one of the system control means to be used independently from any of the others. In other words, one system control means may be used for control without disabling or affecting the operational availability of the other system control means. The system may also be designed and packaged as a stand-alone unit or alternatively it can be built into a wall switch, wall receptacles, a lamp base or other electrical loads having sufficient space to allow the enclosing of the system.

In view of the above disclosure, it is the primary object of the invention to provide a system that can operate an electrical load from several locations where the operation from one location does not affect or disable the operation of any other. in addition to the primary object, it is also an object of the invention to provide a system that:

o can be implemented without any modification to the electrical wiring found in most homes and commercial buildings,

o allows the implementation of two-way power switches, such as those used at the ends of hallways and stairways without special wiring,

o does not require that the electrical load be modified,

o does not require a special infrared remote control

o will operate with infrared remote controls used to control audio, video or other equipment,

o eliminates the potential hazard, of having to walk into a dark room to find and turn ON a lamp that has its power switch set to the OFF position,

o makes it easier for elderly and physically challenged persons to control the operation of lamps and appliances,

o can be built from discrete off-the-shelf components or incorporated into one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC),

o can be operated in a room where multiple lamps or appliances are located where the operation of any one lamp or appliance will not preclude the operation of the other, o will sense when power is interrupted to the system from a wall switch or the power switch on the load itself and use these as alternate system control means,

o has a high mean-time-between-failure (MTBF), o is cost effective from both a manufacturer and consumer point of view,

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is a block diagram of the multi-mode remote control system showing the electronics control unit and the four system control means which can be used to control an electrical load.

FIGURE 2 is a block diagram showing an electronics control unit enclosure having three infrared detection windows.

FIGURE 3A, B is a block diagram of the electronics control unit showing the interfaces between the four system control means and the electrical load.

BEST MODE FOR PARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The best mode for carrying out the multi-mode remote control system is presented in terms of a preferred embodiment that is primarily designed to allow a user to control the operation of an electrical load from four different locations, where the operation of one location does not interfere with the operation of any of the other locations. The electrical load may consist of an electrical lamp, a fan, a motor or any other suitable load.

The preferred embodiment, as shown m FIGURES 1 through 3A,B is comprised of an electronics control unit (ECU) 12 and a system control means that may consist of an infrared remote control 14, a manual control device 16 located at the ECU which may consist of a touch surface 16a or a momentary SPST switch 16b, a conventional a-c wall switch 18, the power switch 20 located on the controlled electrical load 50, or any combination thereof.

The electronic control unit (ECU) 12 functions as the control center for the system 10. The ECU can be designed as a stand-alone unit as shown in FIGURE 1, or it can be incorporated into an electrical load 50 such as a lamp base. A lternat ively the ECU can also be incorporated into a wall switch 18 or an a-c wall receptacle 54. For the purpose of describing the system operation, the stand-alone unit which is housed in an enclosure 12a will be used and a lamp will constitute the controlled electrical load 50. The electrical load is connected into an ECU receptacle 12X which may be attached to the ECU enclosure or to a cable assembly 12Z as shown in FIGURE 1. Before covering the operation of the electronics control unit 12, the four system control means are described. The first system control means is the infrared remote control 14 which may consist of any of the existing infrared remote controls that are used to operate televisions sets, video cassette recorders and the like. Many of these current infrared remote controls are required to operate in environments where other light sources exist. Therefore, they operate utilizing discrete encoding and decoding of binary bit streams that are applied over a carrier. The streams represent different functions such as volume control, channel selection, play and rewind, etc. The encoding and decoding also allows valid signals to be distinguished over signals that may be triggered by unwanted noise such as which might result from lights or remote controllers intended for other equipment.

Thus, the encoding functions as a filter and allows a large number of commands to be transmitted over a single carrier and allows one TV set to be distinguished from another.

The practice of encoding and decoding for this type of control typically uses a fairly narrow carrierband. This narrow band is used to advantage by the instant invention, in that "band discrimination" can be utilized. Additionally, infrared light functions with two properties: 1) it travels in a straight path and 2) its power is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the emitting source. These two properties of infrared light are also used to advantage by the invention in that when used in combination, "directional discrimination" is achieved.

The preferred method for implementing the first component of directional discrimination is accomplished by providing, as shown in FIGURE 2, a small opening at the front center of the enclosure 12a which will provide what is referred to as a first infrared detection window or conic like volume 24 and recessing the infrared detector 12b behind the enclosure opening 24a at a sufficient distance to provide an optimum detection window size. If an infrared detector is used that has a wide detection angle, one or more infrared detection windows can be added by providing the necessary openings to the enclosure 12a. FIGURE 2 illustrates an arrangement where three distinct infrared detection windows are provided, a first detection window 24, a second detection window 26 and a third detection window 28. The shape of the windows is determined by the shape of the openings i.e., their cross-sectional shape and their size by their cross-sectional area.

In summary, the system 10 uses a combination of band discrimination, directional discrimination, signal strength and noise filtering to allow an existing infrared remote control to optimally control the operation of the electrical load 50 while preventing undesired switching of the controlled load from noise or when the intent is to control a TV, VCR or another load.

The second system control means is a manual control device 16 which may consist of either a touch surface 16a or a momentary SPST switch 16b as shown in FIGURE 3A,B. In either case, the second means is preferably incorporated into the enclosure 12a of the ECU as shown in FIGURE 1. The use and the various designs for touch surfaces and switches are well known in the art and therefore are not covered. Generally a touch surface functions when its surface is touched. For example, with an initial touch a lamp may be turned ON, a second touch varies the brightness of the lamp and a third touch turns the lamp OFF. If the ECU was incorporated into a lamp, a conductive surface of the lamp could be used as the touch surface itself.

The third system control means is a standard electrical a-c wall switch 18 which controls a switched a-c wall receptacle 54.

The fourth system control means is the power switch 20 located at the electrical load 50.

The wall switch 18 and the load power switch 20 are related in that they both affect the behavior of the power interrupt detector I2y located, inside the ECU 12. in this implementation, any device or switch that can momentarily interrupt power between the utility a-c source and the utility a-c return and that is in line with the ECU and the load, can be used as a controlling means. The requirement is that power be restored to the system even when the intent is to remove power to the load altogether. Thus, any switch here must be toggled from ON to OFF and back to ON in quick succession. The switches 18 or 20 when toggled act ivate the power interrupt detector 12y that in turn, provides two signals which depend on the durations of the power interruption. The processing of these signals are described infra.

The signals generated by the infrared remote control 14, the manual control on the ECU 16a, or 16b, and the a-c power interrupt device be it the a-c wall switch 18 or the load switch 20 are applied to the electronics control unit 12 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3A,B. AS shown in FIGURE 3A,B, the ECU 12 contains all the necessary circuits to receive and process at least one of the control signals emitted from at least one of the system control means and to deliver the desired amount of a-c power to the electrical load 50.

The signal from the infrared remote control 14 is initially generated and projected within and through one of the detection windows 24, 26, or 28 as previously described and is subsequently received by the infrared detector 12b which consists of a Photodiode that has its peak sensitivity set in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. From the detector 12b the signal is amplified by an amplifier 12c having its gain set to provide a threshold level above which the infrared signal will be further detected and processed. The threshold level is set so that it can be exceeded only when the infrared remote control 14 is within the detection window, at a distance less than the maximum range and aimed directly at the ECU 12. The threshold level constitutes the second component of directional discrimination.

The net effect of directional discrimination is that only signals originating from an infrared source which is physically located within the detection window and of sufficient strength to be above the threshold will be accepted by the ECU for further processing. Thus, the infrared source must not only be within the limits of the detection window, but it must also point directly at the ECU and be within the allowable maximum distance. Thereby, undesirable switching of the electrical load from reflected infrared light is prevented.

The filtering of visible light noise is partially accomplished by the use of an off-the-shelf infrared detector 12b that uses a dye on its translucent casing for this purpose. Such filtering however, is insufficient to filter out all noise since most light sources also emit a certain amount of energy in the infrared region. Therefore, in order to further reject this unwanted infrared noise, a bandpass filter 12e that has a center frequency set at the carrier frequency most commonly used for the remote control of video and audio equipment is used. This center frequency setting is provided with as wide a bandwidth as possible in order to accommodate the largest number of different carriers used by the audio and video equipment manufacturers while still maintaining adequate noise filtering. The actual implementation of the bandpass filter 12e can be accomplished by using combinations of passive, active or digital filters, as well as phase-lock-loop techniques, or any other state-of-the-art filtering technique. The center frequency and bandwidth can also be made adjustable if desired. In all cases, it is the object of the filtering to eliminate any signals which are not a modulated carrier with a frequency within the pass band of the filter. This is not unlike the prior art which makes use of a bandpass filter centered at the carrier frequency being used for transmission. Thus, bandpass discrimination is one more technique used by the system 10 to prevent undesirable switching of the controlled electrical load 50 by ambient noise in the infrared region.

The remaining components in the electronics control unit 12 for processing the infrared signal perform as follows. The demodulator 12f strips out the carrier signal leaving only the transmitted binary code, while the limiter 12d, integrator 12g and comparator 12h function as waveshaping circuits. The bit stream output of the comparator which constitutes the final stage of the infrared section is applied as the first input to a 3-input system logic 12i which logically OR's its three inputs. All the circuit functions required to receive and process the infrared signal as well as infrared detector signal amplification and bandpass filtering may be accomplished by off-the-shelf components used for discrete decoding applications in the video and audio consumer electronics industry. However, the components may be tailored and customized to better suit the discrimination requirements of this system 10.

The touch surface 16a or momentary SPST switch 16b, functions as the second system control means and functions m combination with a manual control input circuit 12j, as shown in FIGURE 3A,B, to provide the built-in manually activated load control signal. The manual control input circuit 12j produces an output that is applied as the second input to the system logic 12i whenever the manual control 16a,l6b is activated.

The a-c wall switch 18 is the third means for providing the third system control signal. When the switch 18 is toggled, as previously described, either of two output signals may be produced by the power interrupt detector 12y depending on the duration of the power interruption, if a-c power to the system 10 is interrupted for about one second or less a first power interrupt signal from the power interrupt detector 12y is applied as the third input to the system logic 12i. if power to the unit 12 is interrupted for about two seconds or more, a second power interrupt signal is applied to the memory circuit 12m. The actual implementation of the power interrupt detector 12y consists of a circuit that quickly responds to a drop in the power supply voltage in excess of a certain percentage for the first output signal and a power ON reset for the second output signal, The memory circuit 12m and the system logic 121 are preferably implemented using CMOS semiconductors, which are able to maintain their operation even under considerable voltage fluctuations. The load switch 20 functions in the same manner as described for the a-c wall switch 18.

The system logic 12i logically ORs the three input signals received from the infrared detector 12b, the manual control input circuit 12j and the power interrupt detector 12y and provides an output signal which is used as an input to the peak detector 12k whenever one or more of the system logic input signals are active. The peak detector in turn, converts the input into a single pulse which is applied as one of the inputs to the memory circuit 12m.

The memory circuit receives two inputs: one when power is first applied to the system 10 that sets the memory to the desired power on state and the other which makes the memory step through the cycle of states. The first signal causes the memory to reset to the desired power ON state, such as full power, and is derived from the second output of the power interrupt detector. The second signal is the pulse output from the peak detector 12k and causes the memory circuit 12m to step through the cycle of all the memory states to determine the power level that is to be delivered to the controlled electrical load 50. The number of operating states can be as few as two, such as ON/OFF, or as many as are required for providing a continuously variable a-c power control to the load 50.

The triac control circuit I2n which is controlled by the memory circuit 12m, fires the triac 12p by driving its gate, and thereby allowing power to be applied to the controlled load 50. Thus in accordance with the current memory state, the triac control circuit, in combination with the memory circuit 12m determine the amount of power applied to the controlled load. Power can be switched ON, OFF or set to some intermediate state between zero and maximum power. The intermediate states may be accomplished by either phase control firing or zero point switching of the triac 12p in accordance with well known practices. The triac control circuit 12n requires one more input in order to synchronize its driving of the triac gate with the a-c. This input is provided by an a-c synchronizing circuit 12t, Relays, SCR's, Mosfets or other power control devices with their respective driving circuitry may be used in place of the triac and the triac control circuit, The power supply 12U may consist of either a unipolar or bipolar design depending on the required implementation. The power supply is designed to maintain a sufficient voltage to keep the CMOS memory 12m and system logic 12i functional for at least one second after a-c power to the system is interrupted. This condition is necessary so that the device logic may pass the signal pulse from the power interrupt detector 12y to cycle the memory 12m to the next state. The a-c input to the power supply 12u may be derived either in parallel to the load or in series with the load. The parallel system is implemented by connecting the power supply a-c return to the a-c return of the load as shown in connection 40. The series system is implemented by connecting the power supply return to the opposite main terminal of the triac as shown by connection 38. A parallel load implementation increases power supply efficiency but precludes activating the power interrupt detector 12y from the load power switch 20. This problem could be overcome by installing the ECU 12 directly into the lamp or appliance thus eliminating the need for the manual control 16a or 16b on the ECU or for the load power switch 20. A series load implementation decreases power supply efficiency and phase angle range in order to allow the power supply to store enough energy shortly after the a-c power reverses polarity. This is done once or twice every a-c cycle and for the shortest possible time so that delivering maximum power to the controlled load 50 is minimally affected. The benefit of a series load implementation is that it allows activation of the power interrupt detector directly from a power switch that is installed directly on the controlled electrical load, such as a lamp or appliance, thereby allowing the cycling of the memory states directly from the electrical load power switch. Neither series or parallel load implementation disables the operation of the power interrupt detector from any other switches in line with the a-c power to the system 10 and the controlled load 50 such as a wall switch. in addition to the above-described functionsprovided by the design of the basic system 10, several options may be added to enhance system operation. For example, the operation of the triac control 12n and triac 12P may be enhanced by using an optional phase adjust 12q as shown in FIGURE 3A,B, when more than ON/OFF states are desired. The optional phase adjust controls the delay angle when phase control firing is used for accomplishing the intermediate states. The implementation of this option may have one or more preset delay angles, or allow continuously variable control of the phase angle. The continuously variable control may be accomplished by a mechanical means such as a trimpot 12r, or electronically as indicated by signal line 12s in FIGURE 3A,B. When the signal from line 12s is longer than a preset time, it forces the unit into the intermediate state. Then, it affects the amount of delay used for the intermediate state, thereby allowing the setting for this state to sweep from near zero power to almost maximum power or vice versa while allowing the person effecting the sweep to monitor its progress so that the sweeping process may be stopped at the intermediate state desired. This sweeping function would not be available through the power interrupt detector 12y.

The a-c synchronizing circuit 12t provides a time reference for synchronizing the phase control firing or the zero point switching of the triac to the a-c power.

Although a triac 12P is used to switch power to the controlled load 50 and provide more flexibility than simple ON/OFF states, the circuitry could be modified to allow the use of a relay (not shown) for higher power loads which only require ON/OFF states. Other power control semiconductors or devices may also be used as previously mentioned.

As also shown m FIGURE 3A,B, an optional infrared identification transmitter 12V may be included to provide a modulated infrared carrier output that is used to program a universal programmable remote control transmitter, such as that referred to in United states patent number 4,802,114. The transmitter 12V allows infrared control of the system 10 to be assigned to an unused, available button in the universal programmable remote control. The optional identification transmitter 12V can be set to transmit one out of several different codes sc that more than one system 10 may be installed within the same room with enhanced lack of interference.

The optional identification decoder 12W, as also shown in FIGURE 3A.B, may be of two kinds; one decodes the infrared signal from a universal programmable remote control transmitter, such as the one mentioned in the previous paragraph which had a button previouslyprogrammed by the signal from the infrared identification transmitter 12V. The second optional identification decoder 12w is a programmable type. This programmable decoder, when placed in a learn mode, will decode and store in non-volatible memory the code which during normal operation will cause the memory 12m to cycle states in order to control power to the load. The code can be derived from any button on a transmitter which preferably has no other usable function in a particular setting. For example, if in a room there is a TV set of brand X which has a remote control that also incorporates remote control functions for a VCR of the same brand X, but there is no brand X VCR in that room, then the function codes for the VCR control of the brand X transmitter could be used to program the second type of optional identification decoder. The output of either type of decoder would be used as the first input of the system logic.

A delay-turn-off circuit (not shown) that provides an optional function that allows the ECU 12 to maintain power to the controlled load 50 for a preset amount of time in order to, for example, allow safe exit from an otherwise dark room or young children to fall asleep with some light still ON may also be included. At the end of the preset time power would be removed from the controlled, load, automatically. This option can also be made to gradually reduce the light intensity until the lamp is turned OFF.

A safety-light circuit (not shown) that provides an optional function that automatically turns a lamp ON at dusk, keep it ON for a preset time (e.g., three hours) and then turns it OFF automatically may also be included. This would give the impression that a home is occupied even when its inhabitants were not present.

AS previously disclosed, the ECU 12 could also be designed as a self-contained unit that includes on one end a standard light bulb male threaded contact and on the other end a standard light bulb female threaded socket. This would allow installation of the ECU directly into a lamp between the light bulb socket of the lamp and the light bulb. The infrared mode of remote control would be provided by using a fiber optic cable, having one end of the cable terminated so that it provides a predetermined diameter detection window, and the other end coupled directly to the infrared detector. The end of the fiber optic cable that provides the detection window is inconspicuously attached to the edge of the lamp shade or to the lamp body pointing in the direction from where infrared control is desired. The system 10 would also provide the lamp with the ability to be cycled through all of its states from a standard a-c wall switch 18 via the power interrupt detector 12 when connected to a switched a-c wall outlet. Also, in a manner similar to the prior art, the lamp would operate through hand touch in order to cycle through all of its states. As with the stand alone unit, all modes of control remain enabled at all times independent of which was used last.

While the invention has been described in complete detail and pictorial ly shown in the accompanying drawings it is not to be limited to such details, since many changes and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and the scope thereof. For example, the system could be incorporated into a lamp which had no conductive materials on its body to provide a touch surface. In such case, the lamp could be equipped with a momentary SPST switch to either activate the power interrupt detector or to provide an input to the manual control input circuit of the ECU. Hence, it is described to cover any and all modifications and forms which may come within the language and scope of the claims.

Claims

1 . multi-mode remote control system comprising:

a) an electrical load,

b) at least one system control means for producing a control signal, and

c) an electronics control unit having the means to receive and process the control signals emitted from at least one of said system control means and to deliver the desired amount of a-c power to said electrical load.

2. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein one of said system control means comprises an infrared remote control.

3. The system as specified in claim 2 wherein said infrared remote control is comprised of the type used to control audio and video equipment.

4. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein one of said system control means comprises a manual control device located on said electronic control unit.

5. The system as specified in claim 4 wherein said manual control device further comprises a momentary SPST switch.

6. The system as specified in claim 4 wherein said manual control device further comprises a touch surface.

7. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein one of said control means comprises a standard a-c wall switch that controls the power to said system through the building wiring or via an a-c wall receptacle into which said system is connected.

8. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein one of said control means comprises a power switch located on said electrical load.

9. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein said electronics control unit comprises:

a) an infrared detector having means to receive the infrared signal from said infrared remote control,

b) an amplifier having a gain set to provide a threshold level above which the signal from said infrared detector will be detected and further processed,

c) a bandpass filter that receives the amplified infrared signal and that has a center frequency set at the carrier frequency most commonly used for the remote control of video and audio equipment,

d) an electronics circuit that functions as the system logic,

e) a wave shaping circuit that after receiving and processing the signal from said bandpass filter applies the processed signal as a first input to said system logic,

f) a manual control input circuit that upon detecting an input from said manual control device, such as from said touch surface, produces an output signal that is applied as a second input to said system logic,

g) a power interrupt detector that upon detecting that the a-c power to said system has been interrupted produces either a first power interrupt signal derived from a power interruption of about one second or less or a second power interrupt signal derived from a power interruption of about two seconds or more, where the first interrupt signal is applied as a third and final input to said system logic, and the second signal functions as a power ON reset for said system;

h) a memory circuit,

i) a peak detector that converts the output from said system logic into a single pulse that is applied as one of the inputs to said memory circuit which causes said memory to cycle through all its memory states to determine the power level that is to be applied to the controlled electrical load,

j) a power control means that responds to an input signal from said memory circuit thereby allowing the desired amount of power to be applied to said electrical load, and

k) a power supply designed to maintain a sufficient voltage to keep said memory and system logic functional for at least one second after the a-c power is interrupted to said system so that said system logic may pass the signal pulse from said power interrupt detector to cycle said memory to the next state.

10. The system as specified in claim 9 wherein said electronics control unit further comprises:

a) an enclosure,

b) a limiter circuit that receives and shapes the signal from said amplifier before applying the processed signal to said bandpass filter,

c) a demodulator that upon receiving the signal from said bandpass filter strips out the carrier signal leaving only the binary code where the processed signal is then applied successively through an integrator and comparator for further signal shaping and application as a first input to said system logic,

d) an a-c synchronization circuit, e) a power control means comprising a triac control circuit that upon receiving an input from said memory and said a-c synchronizing circuit fires a triac, by driving its gate, to thereby allow the desired amount of power to be applied to said electrical load,

f) a delay turn-off circuit that allows said electronics control unit to maintain power to said controlled load for a preset time, g) a safety light circuit that allows said electrical control unit to automatically turn ON a lamp and keep it ON for a preset time,

h) said amplifier further comprising an adjustable gain to provide a variable threshold level, and i) said bandpass filer further comprising:

(1) an adjustable center frequency, and

(2) an adjustable band width.

11. The system as specified in claim 10 wherein said infrared detector is located in said enclosure so that it provides a highly directional response which in combination with said amplifier gain provides directional discrimination.

12. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein the operation of any one system control means does not interfere or affect the operation of any other system control means.

13. The system as specified in claim 2 wherein said electronics control unit utilizes a combination of band discrimination, directional discrimination, noise filtering and signal strength discrimination to allow said infrared remote control to selectively control the operation of said electrical load.

14. The system as specified in claim 10 wherein said electronics control unit further comprises at least one opening located on said enclosure that produces an infrared detection window that further enhances directional discrimination.

15. The system as specified in claim 10 wherein said infrared detector is comprised of a photodiode having its peak sensitivity set in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

16. The system as specified in claim 10 wherein said electronics control unit is designed to be configured as a stand-alone unit.

17. The system as specified in claim 9 wherein said electronics control unit is designed to be incorporated into the structure of said electrical load.

18. The system as specified in claim 9 wherein said electronics control unit allows the electrical load to be controlled with a number of operating states which can be as few as two, such as ON/OFF, or as many as are required to provide a continuously variable a-c power to said, electrical load.

19. The system as specified in claim 2 wherein said ECU further comprises:

a) an infrared identification programming transmitter having the means to program an infrared universal remote control, and b) an identification decoder circuit that allows the programmed identification signal from said, infrared universal remote control to be decoded.

20. The system as specified in claim 2 wherein said electronics control unit further comprises a programmable identification decoder.

21. The system as specified in claim 2 wherein the infrared mode of remote control is accomplished by using a fiber optic cable having one of its ends terminated to provide a detection window and the other end coupled directly to said infrared detector.

22. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein said system control means for producing a control signal is accomplished with a combination comprising:

a) an infrared remote control, and b) a manual control device located on said electronics control unit.

23. The system as specified, in claim 22 wherein said manual control device comprises a momentary SPST switch or a touch surface.

24. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein said system control means for producing a control signal is accomplished with a combination comprising:

a) an infrared remote control, and b) a standard a-c wall switch that controls the power to said system through the building wiring or via an a-c wall receptacle into which said system is connected.

25. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein said system control means for producing a control signal is accomplished with a combination comprising:

a) an infrared remote control, and b) a power switch located on said electrical load.

26. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein said system control means for producing a control signal is accomplished with a combination comprising:

a) a manual control device located on said electronics control unit, and b) a standard a-c wall switch that controls the power to said system through the building wiring or via an a-c wall receptacle into which said system is connected.

27. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein said system control means for producing a control signal is accomplished with a combination comprising:

a) a manual control device located on said electronics control unit, and b) a power switch located on said electrical load,

28. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein said system control means for producing a control signal is accomplished with a combination comprising:

a) a standard a-c wall switch that controls the power to said system through the building wiring or via an a-c wall receptacle into which said system is connected, and.

b) a power switch located on said electrical load.

29. The system as specified in claim : wherein said system control means for producing a control signal is accomplished with a combination comprising:

a) an infrared remote control,

b) a manual control device located on said. electronics control unit, and c) a standard a-c wall switch that controls the power to said system through the building wiring or via an a-c wall receptacle into which said system is connected,

30. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein said system control means for producing a control signal is accomplished with a combination comprising:

a) an infrared remote control,

b) a manual control device located on said electronics control unit, and c) a power switch located on said electrical load.

31. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein said system control means for producing a control signal is accomplished with a combination comprising:

a) an infrared remote control,

b) a standard a-c wall switch that controls the power to said system through the building wiring or via an a-c wall receptacle into which said system is connected, and.

c) a power switch located on said electrical load.

32. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein said system control means for producing a control signal is accomplished with a combination comprising:

a) a manual control device located on said electronics control unit,

b) a standard a-c wall switch that controls the power to said system through the building wiring or via an a-c wall receptacle into which said system is connected, and

c) a power switch located, on said electrical load.

33. The system as specified in claim 1 wherein said, system control means for producing a control signal is accomplished with a combination comprising: a) an infrared remote control,

b) a manual control device located on said electronics control unit,

c) a standard a-c wall switch that controls the power to said system through the building wiring or via an a-c wall receptacle into which said system is connected, and

d) a power switch located on said electrical load.

34. The system as specified in claim 10 wherein said electronics control unit is incorporated into an a-c wall receptacle.

35. The system as specified in claim 10 wherein said electronics control unit is incorporated into an a-c wall switch,

36. The system as specified m claim 10 wherein said electronics control unit is incorporated into a modified enclosure comprising a light bulb male contact on one end and a light bulb socket on the other end where said, modified enclosure is installed between the light bulb socket of a lamp and a light bulb.

37. The system as specified in claim 9 wherein said electronics control unit further comprises a phase adjust circuit that controls the delay angle when phase control firing is used for setting the intermediate states of said electrical load.

38. The system as specified in claim 9 wherein said electronics control unit further comprises circuitry which allows zero-point switching of the power control device.

39. The system as specified in claim 9 wherein said electronics control unit further comprises the means to control the a-c power delivered to said electrical load when said power supply is connected in series with said, electrical load.

40. The system as specified in claim 9 wherein said electronics control unit further comprises the means to control the a-c power delivered to said electrical load, when said power supply is connected in parallel with said electrical load.