Methods and apparatus for controlling fan devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12117013-B2
Application number	US-202318210238-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2023
Priority date	Jan 12, 2018
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

Various embodiments are directed to use of RF and WiFi control in a fan device to control fan status and speed and/or fan light on/off status and intensity. A customer premises includes a WiFi router through which WiFi communications can be sent from a WiFi capable device, e.g., a cell phone, to control the fan device and its various functions. While WiFi control is via a WiFi router in the home, the control signals normally do not traverse the Internet or another external network. In addition to WiFi control, control of the fan device can be via an RF control device, e.g., a wall mounted controller. In some embodiments, the fan device reports its state and/or changes in state due to received commands to a server, and the server generates a recommended normal control schedule and an away control schedule and then uses the schedules to control fan device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fan device comprising:
a Direct Current (DC) fan motor;
an Alternating Current (AC) power interface circuit including:
an AC input connection;
an AC filtering circuit; and
AC output connections;

a DC power supply circuit:
connected to the AC output connections of the AC power interface circuit; and
configured to provide power to the DC fan motor;

a mounting base;
a fan motor control circuit;
a processor in electrical communication with the fan motor control circuit;
a first wireless interface configured to receive from a radio frequency (RF) user controller a first signal corresponding to a first user command conforming to a first communications protocol; and
a second wireless interface configured to receive from a WiFi user controller a second signal corresponding to a second user command and configured to receive from an off-premise network server a third signal corresponding to a third user command, the second signal and the third signal conforming to a second communications protocol that is different from the first communications protocol;
wherein:
the fan motor control circuit is configured to cause the fan motor to perform a first operation in response to the first signal, a second operation in response to the second signal and a third operation in response to the third signal; and
the processor is configured to transmit, via the second wireless interface, to the off-premise network server, a first indication corresponding to the first operation, a second indication corresponding to the second operation and a third indication corresponding to the third operation;
the AC power interface circuit and the DC power supply circuit are disposed in the mounting base;
the first wireless interface is an RF interface;
the second wireless interface is a WiFi interface;
the WiFi user controller is a mobile wireless device, to which the fan device is capable of:
(a) without traversing an off-premise network, communicating first information when the mobile wireless device is within the same wireless local network as the fan device, and
(b) via the off-premise network server, communicating second information when the mobile wireless device is not within the same wireless local network as the fan device;

the second signal is sent, when the mobile wireless device is within the same wireless local network as the fan device, from the mobile wireless device, without traversing an off-premise network;
the third signal is sent from the off-premise network server as a result of a communication from the mobile wireless device; and
the first information and the second information correspond to an operation in the group consisting of: fan on, fan off, fan power state change, fan speed-up, fan speed-down, fan direction change, light on, light off, light power state change, light increase, and light decrease.

2. The fan device of claim 1 wherein:
the first signal and the second signal have, respectively, a first frequency and a second frequency; and
the first frequency and the second frequency are in different frequency bands.

3. The fan device of claim 1 further comprising a fan that has a state, and the first indication includes an indication of the state.

4. The fan device of claim 3 wherein the state is a state in the group consisting of: idle, active, fan on, fan off, fan direction, and fan speed level.

5. The fan device of claim 1 configured to be paired to the RF user controller;
wherein:
the fan device is a first fan device; and
the RF user controller is configured to:
be paired to a second fan device; and
transmit a signal corresponding to a group command to the first fan device and the second fan device, wherein the first fan device and the second fan device both perform the same operation in response to the group command.

6. The fan device of claim 1 further comprising:
a light; and
a light control circuit configured to cause the light to perform a lighting operation in response to a lighting signal received by the RF interface or the WiFi interface;

wherein the processor is further configured to transmit to the off-premise network server, via the WiFi interface, a fourth indication corresponding to the lighting operation.

7. The fan device of claim 6 wherein:
the light has a state;
the fourth indication includes an indication of the state; and
the state is a state in the group consisting of: light on, light off, and light intensity level.

8. The fan device of claim 1 further comprising an antenna;
wherein:
the RF interface is configured to transmit and receive via the antenna; and
the WiFi interface is configured to transmit and receive via the antenna.

9. The fan device of claim 1 wherein the second indication includes a device status reporting message.

10. The fan device of claim 9 wherein the device status reporting message reports a change from a previously transmitted device status reporting message.

11. The fan device of claim 10 wherein the change is in response to a control message transmitted by the mobile wireless device.

12. The fan device of claim 1 wherein the WiFi interface is configured to receive the third signal from the off-premise network server in accordance with a schedule.

13. The fan device of claim 12 wherein the schedule is generated by the off-premise network server based on a plurality of indications.

14. The fan device of claim 1 configured to receive an input from an auxiliary device configured to provide data about an environmental condition in a room in which the DC fan motor is located.

15. The fan device of claim 14 wherein:
the auxiliary device is a sensor; and
the condition is a temperature.

16. The fan device of claim 1 wherein the first indication includes a normal operation indicator.

17. The fan device of claim 1 wherein the second signal is communicated to the WiFi interface without traversing the internet.

18. The fan device of claim 1 wherein the AC filtering circuit comprises:
a varistor configured to suppress voltage spikes;
a common mode choke configured to suppress noise;
a first X capacitor:
coupled across a connection to an AC input line and a connection to an AC neutral line; and
configured to suppress high frequency noise;

a first Y capacitor:
connected across a connection to the AC input line and a conductor connected to a ground terminal of the AC power interface circuit; and
configured to suppress high frequency noise by shunting high frequency noise to earth ground; and

a second Y capacitor:
connected across a connection to the AC Neutral line and a conductor connected to the ground terminal; and
configured to shunt high frequency noise to earth ground.

19. The fan device of claim 18 wherein the AC power interface circuit and the DC power supply circuit are connected to a full bridge rectifier.

20. The fan device of claim 19 wherein the DC power supply circuit includes:
a full bridge rectifier;
a capacitor connected in parallel across output connections of the full bridge rectifier;
a DC/DC converter circuit with filtering circuitry; and
a plurality of output connections on which a plurality of different DC output voltages are supplied.

21. The fan device of claim 20 wherein the AC power interface circuit includes a fuse.

22. The fan device of claim 1 wherein:
the WiFi interface is configured to receive a scheduling signal corresponding to a schedule; and
the fan d

Assignees

• Wangs Alliance Corp

Inventors

• Stefankiewicz Eric
• Wald Shelley
• Darrah Kevin

Classifications

• F04D27/008

  Stop safety or alarm devices, e.g. stop-and-go control; Disposition of check-valves · CPC title

• F04D19/005

  reversible fans · CPC title

• F04D13/0693

  Details or arrangements of the wiring · CPC title

• F04D27/001

  Testing thereof; Determination or simulation of flow characteristics; Stall or surge detection, e.g. condition monitoring · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title