Adaptive capacitor section for fan speed control

Abstract

A fan controller for a ceiling fan is provided. The fan controller includes one or more switching devices configured to selectively couple the ceiling fan to a power source. The fan controller includes a first capacitor having a first capacitance and a second capacitor having a second capacitance greater than the first capacitance. The fan controller includes a power meter circuit and one or more control devices. The one or more control devices are configured to obtain, via the power meter circuit, data indicative of electrical power drawn by a fan motor of the ceiling fan from the power source. The one or more control devices are configured to determine a size of the fan motor based on the data. The one or more control devices are configured to select the first capacitor or the second capacitor as a selected capacitor based on the determined size of the fan motor.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to co-pending, earlier-filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 968,382, filed January 31, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates generally to ceiling fans, and more specifically to fan controllers for ceiling fans. Background Technology

[0004] A ceiling fan may include multiple fan blades and a fan motor. The fan motor may be configured to drive the rotation of the fan blades to circulate air within a space. A fan controller may be used to control the operation of the fan motor. For example, the fan motor may be selectively coupled to a power source via one or more capacitors of the fan controller to control the speed of rotation of the fan motor. In this way, the fan motor can operate at several different speed settings (e.g., low speed, medium speed, high speed). Summary of the Invention

[0005] Aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, or may be learned from the description or from practical examples.

[0006] In one aspect, a fan controller for a ceiling fan is provided. The fan controller includes one or more switching devices configured to selectively couple the ceiling fan to a power source. The fan controller includes a first capacitor having a first capacitance and a second capacitor having a second capacitance greater than the first capacitance. The fan controller includes a power meter circuit and one or more control devices. The one or more control devices are configured to obtain data via the power meter circuit indicating the electrical power drawn by the fan motor of the ceiling fan from the power source. The one or more control devices are configured to determine the size of the fan motor based on the data. The one or more control devices are configured to select either the first capacitor or the second capacitor as the selected capacitor based on the determined size of the fan motor. Furthermore, in response to the one or more control devices obtaining data indicating a user request to operate the fan motor at the lowest speed setting among a plurality of speed settings of the fan motor, the one or more control devices are configured to couple the fan motor to the power source via the selected capacitor.

[0007] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the various embodiments will be better understood by referring to the following description and the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the relevant principles. Attached Figure Description

[0008] This specification provides a detailed discussion of embodiments for those skilled in the art, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 A ceiling fan according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted;

[0010] Figure 2 The components of a ceiling fan according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are depicted;

[0011] Figure 3 A bottom view of a ceiling fan according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted;

[0012] Figure 4 A ceiling fan with an input device configured to control the operation of one or more electrical loads, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, is depicted.

[0013] Figure 5 A fan system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted;

[0014] Figure 6 An example in-wall controller for a fan system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is described;

[0015] Figure 7 An example canopy controller for a fan system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted;

[0016] Figure 8 A fan controller circuit associated with the speed control of the fan motor of a ceiling fan, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, is depicted;

[0017] Figure 9 The illustration depicts the operation of a fan motor at its highest speed setting according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 The circuit configuration, in order to;

[0018] Figure 10 The illustration depicts operation of a fan motor at an intermediate speed setting according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 The circuit configuration;

[0019] Figure 11 The illustration depicts operation of a fan motor at its lowest speed setting according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 The circuit configuration;

[0020] Figure 12 The illustration depicts operation of a fan motor at its lowest speed setting according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 Another configuration of the circuit; and

[0021] Figure 13 A flowchart is depicted of a method for selecting a capacitor for coupling a fan motor to a power supply when the fan motor is operating at the lowest speed setting among a plurality of speed settings, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the embodiments and not as a limitation thereof. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of this disclosure. For example, features shown or described as part of one embodiment may be used in conjunction with another embodiment to produce yet another embodiment. Therefore, aspects of this disclosure are intended to cover such modifications and variations.

[0023] Typical fan controllers for ceiling fan capacitors can be selectively coupled to the ceiling fan motor to facilitate speed control of the fan motor. For example, a typical fan controller couples a single capacitor to the fan motor to operate at the lowest speed setting among several speed settings of the fan motor. Furthermore, a typical fan controller selects a capacitor with a small capacitance to operate the fan motor at the lowest speed setting. This approach (e.g., coupling the fan motor to a capacitor with a small capacitance) is desirable for small fan motors. However, this same approach is less ideal for larger fan motors (e.g., a 90-watt motor) because doing so would cause the larger fan motor to rotate at a slower speed than it would be designed to operate at the lowest speed setting.

[0024] An exemplary aspect of this disclosure relates to a fan controller for a ceiling fan. The fan controller may include a power meter circuit. The power meter circuit may be configured to monitor the power consumption of the fan motor of the ceiling fan. The fan controller may include a first capacitor and a second capacitor. The capacitance of the second capacitor may be greater than the capacitance of the first capacitor. In some embodiments, the capacitance of the first capacitor and the capacitance of the second capacitor may each be in the range of about 4 microfarads to about 10 microfarads. For example, the capacitance of the first capacitor may be about 5 microfarads, and the capacitance of the second capacitor may be about 6 microfarads or about 7 microfarads. However, it should be understood that the first capacitor and the second capacitor may have any suitable capacitance, as long as the capacitance of the second capacitor is greater than the capacitance of the first capacitor. As used herein, the term "about" in conjunction with numerical values ​​is intended to mean within 10% of said value.

[0025] A fan controller may include one or more control devices. These control devices may be configured to obtain data via a power meter circuit indicating the electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the ceiling fan's power supply. In some embodiments, the data indicating electrical power may include data indicating active power and / or apparent power. In some embodiments, the data indicating electrical power may include one or more parameters associated with the electrical power. For example, in some embodiments, one or more parameters may include a power factor associated with the electrical power. Alternatively and / or additionally, one or more parameters may include voltage and / or current values.

[0026] One or more control devices may be further configured to determine the size of the fan motor based at least in part on data indicating electrical power. In some embodiments, the one or more control devices may compare the amount of electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the power source with a first value range and a second value range different from the first value range. The first value range may indicate a first fan motor having a first size. The second value range may indicate a second fan motor having a second size different from the first size. When the one or more control devices determine that the amount of electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the power source falls within the first value range, the one or more control devices may be configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to a first fan motor (e.g., a small fan motor). Conversely, when the one or more control devices determine that the amount of electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the power source falls within the second value range, the one or more control devices may be configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to a second fan motor (e.g., a large fan motor).

[0027] Alternatively and / or additionally, one or more control devices may be configured to determine the size of the fan motor based at least in part on one or more parameters associated with electrical power (e.g., power factor, current, voltage, etc.). For example, in such an embodiment, one or more control devices may be configured to compare one or more parameters with a first value range and a second value range. The first value range may be associated with a first fan motor having a first size (e.g., a small fan motor). The second value range may be associated with a second fan motor having a second size (e.g., a large fan motor). When the value associated with one or more parameters falls within the first value range, one or more control devices may be configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to the first fan motor (e.g., a small fan motor). Conversely, when the value associated with one or more parameters falls within the second value range, one or more control devices may be configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to the second fan motor (e.g., a large fan motor).

[0028] One or more control devices are further configured to select a first capacitor or a second capacitor as the selected capacitor based at least in part on the determined size of the fan motor. For example, one or more control devices may be configured to select the first capacitor as the selected capacitor in response to one or more control devices determining that the fan motor corresponds to a first fan motor having a first size. Alternatively, one or more control devices may be configured to select the second capacitor as the selected capacitor in response to one or more control devices determining that the fan motor corresponds to a second fan motor having a second size larger than the first size (e.g., a large fan motor).

[0029] In some implementations, one or more control devices may obtain data indicating a user request to operate the fan motor at the lowest speed setting among a plurality of speed settings for the fan motor. Furthermore, in response to obtaining the data indicating the user request, one or more control devices may be configured to couple the fan motor to a selected capacitor (e.g., a first capacitor or a second capacitor).

[0030] The fan controller according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provides numerous technical benefits. For example, the power meter circuit can obtain data (e.g., power consumption data) that one or more control devices can use to determine the size of the ceiling fan's fan motor. Furthermore, the fan controller can select a first capacitor or a second capacitor as the selected capacitor based at least in part on the determined size of the fan motor. In this way, the fan motor can operate more efficiently when operating at the lowest speed setting among a plurality of speed settings, because the fan motor is coupled to the power supply via the selected capacitor, as discussed above, at least in part based on the determined size of the fan motor.

[0031] Now refer to the attached diagram, Figures 1 to 4 A ceiling fan 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. The ceiling fan 100 may be detachably mounted to a ceiling 110 that separates a first space 112 (e.g., positioned below the ceiling 110) from a second space 114 (e.g., positioned above the ceiling 110). In some embodiments, the ceiling fan 100 may include a plurality of fan blades 130. As shown, each of the plurality of fan blades 130 may be coupled to an impeller hub 132 of the ceiling fan 100. More specifically, each of the fan blades 130 may be coupled to the impeller hub 132 via a blade arm 134 such that the fan blades 130 are spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction C. It should be understood that any suitable type of fastener (e.g., screws) may be used to couple the blade arm 134 to the impeller hub 132 and the corresponding fan blade.

[0032] As shown, the ceiling fan 100 may include a fan motor 140. The fan motor 140 may be configured to receive input power from a power source (e.g., alternating current (AC) power, direct current (DC) power) for the ceiling fan 100. Furthermore, the fan motor 140 may be operatively coupled to the fan blades 130 via a blade hub 132. In this way, the fan motor 140 can convert the input power received from the power source into the mechanical energy required to drive the fan blades 130. In some embodiments, the fan motor 140 may be configured to drive the fan blades 130 to rotate along a first direction D1 or a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1. For example, when the fan motor 140 drives the fan blades 130 to rotate along the first direction D1, the plurality of fan blades 130 may move air in the first space 112 toward the ceiling 110. Conversely, when the fan motor 140 drives the fan blades 130 to rotate along the second direction D2, the fan blades 130 may remove air away from the ceiling 110 (e.g., downwards).

[0033] In some embodiments, the ceiling fan 100 may include a housing 150 configured to house a fan motor 140. As shown, the fan motor 140 may be positioned within a cavity 152 defined by the housing 150. In some embodiments, the ceiling fan 100 may include a cover 154 that may be removably mounted to the housing 150 via one or more fasteners (e.g., screws). In some embodiments, the fan motor 140 may be hidden from view when the cover 154 is mounted to the housing 150 via one or more fasteners.

[0034] In some embodiments, the ceiling fan 100 may include a downrod 160 having a first end 162 and a second end 164, the second end 164 being spaced apart from the first end 162 along a length L of the downrod 160. The first end 162 of the downrod 160 may be coupled to a support (e.g., a mounting bracket) positioned within a ceiling 110 or a second space 114. The second end 164 of the downrod 160 may be coupled to a housing 150. In this way, the ceiling fan 100 can be suspended from the ceiling 110.

[0035] In some embodiments, the ceiling fan 100 may include an input device 180 physically located on the ceiling fan 100. For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments, the input device 180 may be a zipper switch. As will be discussed below, the input device 180 may be operated (e.g., pulled) by a user to control the operation of the fan motor 140 of the ceiling fan 100.

[0036] Input device 180 can be manipulated (e.g., pulled) by a user to switch between multiple modes of fan motor 140. For example, a user can manipulate input device 180 to switch fan motor 140 from a first mode in which fan motor 140 is disconnected from power to ceiling fan 100 to a second mode in which fan motor 140 is coupled to power such that fan motor 140 rotates fan blades 130 at a first speed (e.g., low speed). As will be discussed in more detail below, in some embodiments, input device 180 may be used to switch between multiple speed settings of fan motor 140.

[0037] In some embodiments, the user can again manipulate the input device 180 to switch the fan motor 140 from a second mode to a third mode, in which the fan motor 140 is coupled to the power supply for the ceiling fan 100, causing the fan motor 140 to rotate the fan blades 130 at a second speed (e.g., medium speed) faster than a first speed (e.g., low speed). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the user can again manipulate the input device 180 to switch the fan motor 140 from the third mode to a fourth mode, in which the fan motor 140 is coupled to the power supply for the ceiling fan 100, causing the fan motor 140 to rotate the fan blades at a third speed (e.g., high speed) faster than the second speed (e.g., medium speed). In some embodiments, the user can again manipulate the input device 180 to switch the fan motor 140 from the fourth mode back to the first mode, so that the fan motor 140 is no longer coupled to the power supply for the ceiling fan 100. However, it should be understood that in alternative embodiments, the fan motor 140 can be configured in more or fewer modes.

[0038] Now for reference Figure 5 According to an example embodiment of this disclosure, components of a fan system 300 are provided. As shown, the fan system 300 may include a ceiling fan 100 and a fan controller 310. In some embodiments, the fan controller 310 may include an in-wall controller 400 and a ceiling controller 500. The in-wall controller 400 may be positioned in a first space 112 defining the location of the ceiling fan 100. Figure 1 The ceiling fan 100 is housed within the wall. The ceiling fan controller 500 can be positioned within the housing 150 of the ceiling fan 100. Figure 2 )Inside.

[0039] Although the recessed controller 400 and the overhead controller 500 are described as being located in separate locations, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the recessed controller 400 and the overhead controller 500 may be positioned in the same location. For example, in some embodiments, both the recessed controller 400 and the overhead controller 500 may be positioned within the first space 112 defining the location of the ceiling fan 100. Figure 1 The wall can be recessed. Alternatively, both the wall-mounted controller 400 and the ceiling controller 500 can be positioned within the housing 150 of the ceiling fan 100.

[0040] As shown in the figure, the wall-mounted controller 400 can receive power from a power source (e.g., a circuit breaker, panel, circuit, etc.) via conductors 115 and 117. Conductor 115 can be a load conductor. Conductor 117 can be a neutral conductor. Furthermore, the wall-mounted controller 400 can be configured to supply electrical power to the overhead controller 500 via electrical conductors 215 and 217. Electrical conductor 215 can be a load conductor and conductor 217 can be a neutral conductor. The overhead controller 500 can supply fan motor power 315 to the fan motor 140. Figure 2 ).

[0041] The wall-mounted controller 400 can communicate with the ceiling controller 500 via a first communication link 220. In this way, the wall-mounted controller 400 can send one or more control commands 220 to the ceiling controller 500 via the first communication link to control the operation of the ceiling fan 100. In some embodiments, the first communication link 220 can be a wireless communication link based on any suitable wireless communication protocol. For example, in some embodiments, the wireless communication link can be based on the Bluetooth Low Energy wireless communication protocol.

[0042] In some implementations, the wall-mounted controller 400 can communicate with one or more remote devices 600, such as one or more computing devices, user equipment, servers, cloud computing devices, etc., via a second communication link 280. In some implementations, the second communication link 280 can be a wireless communication link based on any suitable wireless communication protocol. For example, in some implementations, the wireless communication link can be based on the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol.

[0043] Now for reference Figure 6This document provides a block diagram of the components of a wall-mounted controller 400 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the wall-mounted controller 400 may include interface circuitry 410 configured to process and / or manage various input and output devices associated with the wall-mounted controller 400. For example, the interface circuitry 410 may process input from a user, provided via buttons or other interface elements 412 on the wall-mounted controller 400 (e.g., touchpad, contactless gestures, joystick buttons, toggle switches, dimmer knobs, etc.). In this way, a user can interact with the interface element 412 to control the operation of the fan motor 140 of the ceiling fan 100. For example, a user can interact with the interface element 412 to select the speed at which the fan motor 140 rotates the fan blades 130 of the ceiling fan 100 (e.g., low speed, medium speed, high speed).

[0044] In some embodiments, interface circuitry 410 may also include one or more drivers or other circuitry for controlling the illumination of indicators (e.g., LED indicators) on the wall-mounted controller 400. For example, interface circuitry 410 may include an LED driver for powering LED 414 to provide a visual indicator to the user.

[0045] In some embodiments, the wall-mounted controller 400 may include one or more control devices 420, which may be used to implement various functions of the wall-mounted controller 400, such as any of the functions described herein. For example, one or more control devices 420 may control communication of data and / or control commands from the wall-mounted controller 400. One or more control devices 420 may control the processing of input received via interface circuitry 410. One or more control devices 420 may control the delivery of outputs (e.g., indicators) via interface circuitry 410. In some embodiments, interface circuitry 410 may be part of or included within one or more control devices 420.

[0046] One or more control devices 420 may include one or more processors 424 and one or more memory devices 426. The one or more processors 424 may be any suitable processing device, such as a microprocessor, integrated circuit (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit), field-programmable gate array, etc., which performs operations to control components (e.g., any components described herein). The one or more memory devices 426 may be any suitable medium for storing computer-readable instructions and data. For example, the one or more memory devices 426 may include random access memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), or other volatile memory. Furthermore, and / or alternatively, the one or more memory devices may include non-volatile memory, such as ROM, PROM, EEPROM, flash memory, optical memory, magnetic memory, etc.

[0047] One or more memory devices 426 may store computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors 424, cause one or more processors 424 to perform operations, such as any operations described herein. The instructions may be software written in any suitable programming language or may be implemented in hardware. One or more memory devices 426 may also store data that can be acquired, received, accessed, written, manipulated, created, and / or stored.

[0048] In some embodiments, the wall-mounted controller 400 may include a communication interface 470. The communication interface 470 may allow data communication via, for example, one or more links using one or more antennas (e.g., antennas 482 and 484). In some embodiments, the communication interface 470 may include, for example, one or more of the following: a communication controller, receiver, transceiver, transmitter, port, conductor, software, and / or hardware for transmitting data.

[0049] As shown in the figure, the communication interface 470 may include a first circuit 472 for transmitting data via an antenna 482. In some embodiments, the first circuit 472 may be configured to use Bluetooth Low Energy communication technology to transmit data and other information, such as to another fan controller. The communication interface 470 may include a second circuit 474 for transmitting data and other information (e.g., control commands) via the antenna 484. For example, the second circuit 474 may be configured to use IEEE 802.11 communication technology to transmit data and other information, such as to a router or other device.

[0050] In some embodiments, the wall-mounted controller 400 may include a power meter circuit 430 configured to determine one or more parameters associated with the electrical power flowing through the wall-mounted controller 400. The power meter circuit 430 may measure voltage and / or current flowing through conductor 115. For example, a sense resistor may be used to measure the current. A voltage divider may be used, for example, to measure the voltage. The power flowing through conductor 115 may be calculated based on the measured current and voltage, using one or more processors 424 located on and / or remotely from the wall-mounted controller 400, for example. In some embodiments, the power meter circuit 430 may be an STPM32 metering circuit manufactured by STMicroelectronics.

[0051] In some implementations, the wall-mounted controller 400 may include an AC-to-DC converter 440. The AC-to-DC converter 440 can convert AC power from conductors 115 and 117 into DC power suitable for powering various components of the wall-mounted controller, such as communication interface 470, control device 420, interface circuit 410, etc.

[0052] In some embodiments, the wall-mounted controller 400 may include one or more switching devices 450 (e.g., relays, power transistors, contactors, thyristors, etc.) for controlling the delivery of AC power from the wall-mounted controller 400 via electrical conductors 215 and 217 to one or more electrical loads of the ceiling fan 100. In some embodiments, the one or more switching devices 450 may function as airgap switches to disconnect power connections from one or more electrical loads of the ceiling fan 100.

[0053] Now for reference Figure 7 A block diagram of the components of a dome controller 500 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The dome controller 500 can be connected to a wall-mounted controller 400 via electrical conductors 215 and 217. Figure 5 It receives AC power. In some embodiments, the hood controller 500 may include an AC-to-DC converter 510. The AC-to-DC converter 510 may be configured to convert AC power supplied via electrical conductors 215 and 217 into DC power suitable for powering various components of the hood controller 500, such as the communication interface 520 and the fan motor controller 530.

[0054] Communication interface 520 may allow data communication via, for example, one or more wireless links using one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 522). For example, communication interface 520 may include one or more components to facilitate communication via a first communication link 220 ( Figure 5 ) and wall-mounted controller 400 ( Figure 5Communication with the wall-mounted controller 400. In this way, the communication interface 520 can be configured to receive one or more control commands from the wall-mounted controller 400.

[0055] The fan motor controller 530 can be configured to control the operation of the fan motor 140. Figure 2 For example, the fan motor controller 530 can be configured to process data from the wall-mounted controller 400. Figure 5 ) received and in conjunction with the operation of the control fan motor 140 Figure 2 One or more control commands may be associated with controlling the fan motor 140 to rotate the fan blades 130 of the ceiling fan 100. Figure 1 The direction of the fan motor 140 (e.g., first direction D1 or second direction D2) may be associated with the speed at which the fan blades 130 are rotated. Alternatively or additionally, one or more control commands may be associated with controlling the speed at which the fan motor 140 rotates the fan blades 130 (e.g., low speed, medium speed, high speed).

[0056] In some embodiments, the ceiling controller 500 may include a power meter circuit 532 configured to measure one or more parameters (e.g., current, voltage, power factor, etc.) associated with the fan motor power 315 (e.g., electrical power), the fan motor 140 drawing power 315 from a power supply for the ceiling fan 100. Figure 1 For example, a sensor resistor can be used to measure current. A voltage divider can be used, for example, to measure voltage. The fan motor power 315 can be calculated based on the measured current and / or voltage (e.g., using one or more processors of the shroud controller 500 and / or one or more processors remote from the shroud controller 500). As will be discussed in more detail below, the fan controller 310 may include a capacitor that can be selectively coupled to the fan motor 140 to regulate the rotational speed of the fan motor 140.

[0057] Now for reference Figures 8-12 The fan controller 310 may include switching devices 700, 702, and 704, which can be configured in a first configuration or an off configuration. Figure 8 ) and a second configuration or closed configuration to selectively couple the fan motor 140 to a power supply (e.g., AC power) for the ceiling fan 100. Figure 1Furthermore, the fan controller 310 may include a first capacitor 710 and a second capacitor 720, each of which may be selectively coupled to the fan motor 140 via switching devices 730, 732. As will be discussed below, the operation of switching devices 700, 702, 704 may be controlled to configure the fan motor 140 to operate at a desired speed setting among a plurality of speed settings of the fan motor 140 (e.g., low speed, medium speed, high speed).

[0058] It should be understood that the capacitance of the second capacitor 720 is different from the capacitance of the first capacitor 710. More specifically, the capacitance of the second capacitor 720 is greater than the capacitance of the first capacitor 710. In some embodiments, the capacitance of the first capacitor 710 and the capacitance of the second capacitor 720 can each range from about 4 microfarads to about 8 microfarads. For example, the capacitance of the first capacitor 710 can be about 5 microfarads, and the capacitance of the second capacitor 720 can be about 6 microfarads. As another example, the capacitance of the first capacitor 710 can be about 5 microfarads, and the capacitance of the second capacitor 720 can be about 7 microfarads.

[0059] Fan motor controller 530 ( Figure 7 The switching devices 700, 702, and 704 can be configured to control operation based at least in part on one or more control commands associated with operating the fan motor 140 at one of a plurality of speed settings (e.g., low, medium, and high speed). For example, as Figure 9 As shown, the operation of switching devices 700, 702, and 704 can be controlled to the highest speed setting among multiple speed settings of the fan motor 140. Figure 9 The fan motor 140 is operated under these conditions. Specifically, the operation of switch 700 can be controlled to place switch 700 in a closed configuration. In this way, the fan motor 140 can be coupled to the power supply via switch 700. Furthermore, the operation of switches 702 and 704 can be controlled so that each of switches 702 and 704 is in an open configuration. In this way, when the fan motor 140 operates at its highest speed setting among a plurality of speed settings, the first capacitor 710 and the second capacitor 720 can each be decoupled from the power supply. As will be discussed below, when the fan motor 140 operates at speed settings other than the highest speed setting, at least one of the first capacitor 710 and the second capacitor 720 can be coupled to the power supply via switches 702 and 704, respectively.

[0060] like Figure 10As shown, the operation of switching devices 700, 702, and 704 can be controlled to operate the fan motor 140 at an intermediate speed setting (e.g., medium speed) among multiple speed settings of the fan motor 140. For example, the operation of switching device 700 can be controlled so that switching device 700 is in an open configuration. Furthermore, the operation of switching devices 702 and 704 can be controlled so that each of switching devices 702 and 704 is in a closed configuration. In this way, when the fan motor 140 operates at an intermediate speed setting among multiple speed settings of the fan motor 140, the fan motor 140 can be coupled to the power supply via the first capacitor 710 and the second capacitor 720. As will be discussed in more detail below, when the fan motor 140 operates at the lowest speed setting among multiple speed settings of the fan motor 140, only one capacitor (e.g., the first capacitor 710 and the second capacitor 720) can be coupled to the power supply.

[0061] like Figure 11 and 12 As shown, the operation of switching devices 700, 702, and 704 can be controlled to operate the fan motor 140 at the lowest setting among multiple speed settings of the fan motor 140. For example, in some embodiments, the operation of switching devices 700 and 704 can be controlled so that switching devices 700 and 704 are in an open configuration. Furthermore, the operation of switching device 702 can be controlled so that switching device 702 is in a closed configuration. In this way, in some embodiments, when the fan motor 140 operates at the lowest speed setting among multiple speed settings of the fan motor 140, the fan motor 140 can be coupled to the power supply via the first capacitor 710.

[0062] In alternative embodiments, the operation of switching devices 700 and 702 can be controlled to be in an open configuration. Furthermore, the operation of switching device 704 can be controlled to be in a closed configuration. In this way, in some embodiments, when fan motor 140 operates at the lowest speed setting among a plurality of speed settings of fan motor 140, fan motor 140 can be coupled to the power supply via second capacitor 720. As will be discussed below, fan controller 310 according to this disclosure can be configured to determine the size of fan motor 140 and select either first capacitor 710 or second capacitor 720 as the selected capacitor, at least in part based on the determined size of fan motor 140. In this way, the operation of fan motor 140 when operating at the lowest speed setting can be improved because fan motor 140 is coupled to the power supply via a selected capacitor (e.g., first capacitor 710 or second capacitor 720) selected at least in part based on the determined size of fan motor 140.

[0063] In some embodiments, the fan controller 310 may be configured to obtain data indicating the electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the power supply of the ceiling fan 100 via power meter circuits 430, 532. For example, in some embodiments, the data indicating electrical power may include data indicating active power and / or apparent power. Alternatively and / or additionally, the data indicating electrical power may include one or more parameters associated with the electrical power. For example, in some embodiments, one or more parameters may include a power factor associated with the electrical power. The fan controller 310 may also be configured to determine the size of the fan motor 140 based at least in part on the data indicating electrical power.

[0064] In some embodiments, the fan controller 310 may compare the amount of electrical power drawn by the fan motor 140 from the power source with a first value range and a second value range different from the first value range. The first value range may indicate a first fan motor having a first size. The second value range may indicate a second fan motor having a second size larger than the first size. When the fan controller 310 determines that the amount of electrical power drawn by the fan motor 140 from the power source falls within the first value range, the fan controller 310 may determine that the fan motor 140 corresponds to a first fan motor (e.g., a small fan motor). Conversely, when the fan controller 310 determines that the amount of electrical power drawn by the fan motor 140 from the power source falls within the second value range, the fan controller 310 may determine that the fan motor 140 corresponds to a second fan motor (e.g., a large fan motor).

[0065] The fan controller 310 may be further configured to select either the first capacitor 710 or the second capacitor 720 as the selected capacitor based at least in part on a determined size of the fan motor 140. For example, the fan controller 310 may be configured to select the first capacitor as the selected capacitor in response to the fan controller 310 determining that the fan motor 140 corresponds to a first fan motor having a first size (e.g., a small fan motor). Alternatively, the fan controller 310 may be configured to select the second capacitor as the selected capacitor in response to the fan controller 310 determining that the fan motor 140 corresponds to a second fan motor having a second size larger than the first size (e.g., a large fan motor).

[0066] In some embodiments, the fan controller 310 may obtain data instructing a user request to operate the fan motor at the lowest speed setting among a plurality of speed settings for the fan motor 140. For example, in some embodiments, user input may be provided via an interface element 412 of a wall-mounted controller 400. As another example, user input may be provided via an input device 180 physically located on the ceiling fan 100. As yet another example, user input may be provided via user interaction with a graphical user interface displayed on one of remote devices 600 communicatively coupled to the fan controller 310.

[0067] Furthermore, in response to receiving data indicating a user request, the fan controller 310 can be configured to couple the fan motor 140 to a power supply via a selected capacitor. In this way, the operation of the fan motor 140 can be improved when operating at the lowest speed setting among a plurality of speed settings, because the selected capacitor (e.g., the first capacitor 710 or the second capacitor 720) is selected at least in part based on the determined size of the fan motor 140.

[0068] Now for reference Figure 13 A flowchart is provided according to an example embodiment of this disclosure for selecting which capacitor (e.g., a first capacitor and a second capacitor) of a fan controller is used to couple the fan motor to a power supply method 800 when the fan motor is operating at the lowest speed setting among a plurality of speed settings. Method 800 may, for example, use the above reference... Figures 5-7 The fan system 300 discussed is implemented here. For illustrative and discussion purposes, Figure 13 The steps are described in a specific order. Anyone skilled in the art who uses the disclosure provided herein will understand that the individual steps of any method described herein can be adjusted, extended, omitted, rearranged, performed concurrently, and / or modified in various ways without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0069] At (802), method 800 may include obtaining data by one or more control devices of a fan controller indicating that the ceiling fan motor is drawing electrical power from a power source. In some embodiments, the data may indicate active power and / or apparent power. Alternatively or additionally, the data may indicate one or more parameters associated with the electrical power. For example, in some embodiments, one or more parameters may include a power factor associated with the electrical power.

[0070] In some implementations, when one or more control devices obtain data indicating the electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the power source, the fan motor can operate at a speed setting different from the minimum speed setting of the fan motor. For example, in some implementations, the fan motor can operate at the highest speed setting among a plurality of speed settings of the fan motor. Alternatively, the fan motor can operate at an intermediate speed setting among a plurality of speed settings of the fan motor.

[0071] At (804), method 800 may include determining the size of a fan motor by one or more control devices based at least in part on data obtained at (802). For example, in some embodiments, one or more control devices may determine the size of a fan motor by comparing the amount of electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the power source with a first value range and a second value range different from the first value range. The first value range may indicate a first fan motor having a first size. The second value range may indicate a second fan motor having a second size different from (e.g., larger than) the first size. When one or more control devices determine that the amount of electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the power source falls within the first value range, one or more control devices may determine that the fan motor corresponds to a first fan motor having the first size (e.g., a small fan motor). Conversely, when one or more control devices determine that the amount of electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the power source falls within the second value range, one or more control devices may determine that the fan motor corresponds to a second fan motor (e.g., a large fan motor).

[0072] Alternatively and / or additionally, one or more control devices may be configured to determine the size of the fan motor based at least in part on one or more parameters associated with electrical power (e.g., power factor, current, voltage, etc.). For example, in such an embodiment, one or more control devices may be configured to compare one or more parameters with a first value range and a second value range. The first value range may be associated with a first fan motor having a first size (e.g., a small fan motor). The second value range may be associated with a second fan motor having a second size (e.g., a large fan motor). When the value associated with one or more parameters falls within the first value range, one or more control devices may be configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to the first fan motor (e.g., a small fan motor). Conversely, when the value associated with one or more parameters falls within the second value range, one or more control devices may be configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to the second fan motor (e.g., a large fan motor).

[0073] At (806), method 800 may include selecting a first capacitor or a second capacitor as the selected capacitor based at least in part on the determined size of the fan motor. For example, one or more control devices may be configured to select the first capacitor as the selected capacitor when it is determined that the fan motor corresponds to a first fan motor having a first size (e.g., a small fan motor). Alternatively, one or more control devices may be configured to select the second capacitor as the selected capacitor when it is determined that the fan motor corresponds to a second fan motor having a second size greater than the first size (e.g., a larger fan motor).

[0074] At (808), method 800 may include obtaining data from one or more control devices indicating a user request to operate the fan motor at the lowest speed setting among a plurality of speed settings. Method 800 may proceed to (810) in response to obtaining the user request data indicating operation of the fan motor at the lowest speed setting among the plurality of speed settings.

[0075] At (810), method 800 may include coupling a fan motor to a power source by one or more control devices via a selected capacitor (e.g., a first capacitor or a second capacitor) determined at (804). For example, when the selected capacitor corresponds to a first capacitor, one or more control devices may be configured to couple the fan motor to the power source via the first capacitor. Alternatively, when the selected capacitor corresponds to a second capacitor, one or more control devices may be configured to couple the fan motor to the power source via the second capacitor.

[0076] Although this subject matter has been described in detail with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that those skilled in the art, upon gaining an understanding of the foregoing, can readily generate changes, variations, and equivalents to such embodiments. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is by way of example rather than limitation, and this subject matter disclosure does not exclude the inclusion of such modifications, variations, and / or additions to the subject matter, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A fan controller for a ceiling fan, the fan controller comprising: One or more switching devices, the one or more switching devices being configured to selectively couple the ceiling fan to a power source; A first capacitor, which has a first capacitance; A second capacitor has a second capacitance, which is greater than the first capacitance; Power meter circuit; and One or more control devices, the one or more control devices being configured to: Data indicating the electrical power drawn by the ceiling fan motor from the power source is obtained via the power meter circuit; The size of the fan motor is determined at least in part based on the data; The first capacitor or the second capacitor is selected as the selected capacitor based at least in part on the determined size of the fan motor; Obtain user-requested data instructing the fan motor to operate at the lowest speed setting among multiple speed settings of the fan motor; and In response to data indicating the user's request, the fan motor is coupled to the power source via the selected capacitor.

2. The fan controller according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more control devices are further configured to compare the amount of electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the power source with a first value range and a second value range different from the first value range to determine the size of the fan motor.

3. The fan controller according to claim 2, wherein, When the amount of electrical power falls within a first value range, the one or more control devices are configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to a first fan motor having a first size; and When the amount of electrical power falls within the second value range, the one or more control devices are configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to a second fan motor having a second size that is larger than the first size.

4. The fan controller according to claim 1, wherein, When the one or more control devices obtain data indicating the electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the power source, the fan motor operates at a speed setting different from the minimum speed.

5. The fan controller according to claim 4, wherein, The speed setting corresponds to the highest speed setting among the multiple speed settings of the fan motor.

6. The fan controller according to claim 4, wherein, The speed setting corresponds to the middle speed setting among the multiple speed settings of the fan motor.

7. The fan controller according to claim 1, wherein, Data indicating electrical power includes data indicating one or more parameters associated with electrical power.

8. The fan controller according to claim 7, wherein, When the value associated with the one or more parameters falls within a first value range, the one or more control devices are configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to a first motor having a first size; and When the value associated with the one or more parameters falls into a second value range that is different from the first value range, the one or more control devices are configured to determine that the size of the fan motor corresponds to a second motor having a second size that is larger than the first size.

9. The fan controller according to claim 8, wherein, The one or more parameters include the power factor, which is associated with electrical power.

10. The fan controller according to claim 1, wherein, Data indicating electrical power includes data indicating at least one of active power and apparent power.

11. The fan controller according to claim 1, wherein, The capacitance of the first capacitor and the capacitance of the second capacitor are each in the range of 4 microfarads to 10 microfarads.

12. The fan controller according to claim 11, wherein, The capacitance of the first capacitor is 5 microfarads; and The capacitance of the second capacitor is 6 microfarads.

13. The fan controller according to claim 11, wherein, The capacitance of the first capacitor is 5 microfarads; and The capacitance of the second capacitor is 7 microfarads.

14. A fan system, comprising: A ceiling fan, the ceiling fan including a fan motor, the fan motor being configurable to operate at multiple speed settings; A fan controller configured to control the power delivery to the ceiling fan, the fan controller comprising: One or more switching devices, the one or more switching devices being configured to selectively couple the ceiling fan to a power source; First capacitor; A second capacitor has a capacitance greater than that of the first capacitor; Power meter circuit; and One or more control devices, the one or more control devices being configured to: Data indicating the electrical power drawn by the ceiling fan motor from the power source is obtained via the power meter circuit; The size of the fan motor is determined at least in part based on the data; The first capacitor or the second capacitor is selected as the selected capacitor based at least in part on the determined size of the fan motor; Obtain user-requested data instructing the fan motor to operate at the lowest speed setting among multiple speed settings; and In response to data indicating the user's request, the fan motor is coupled to the power source via the selected capacitor.

15. The fan system according to claim 14, wherein, The one or more control devices are further configured to compare the amount of electrical power drawn by the fan motor from the power source with a first value range and a second value range different from the first value range to determine the size of the fan motor.

16. The fan system according to claim 15, wherein, When the amount of electrical power falls within a first value range, the one or more control devices are configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to a first fan motor having a first size; and When the amount of electrical power falls within the second value range, the one or more control devices are configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to a second fan motor having a second size that is larger than the first size.

17. The fan system according to claim 14, wherein, Data indicating electrical power includes data indicating one or more parameters associated with electrical power.

18. The fan system according to claim 17, wherein, When the value associated with the one or more parameters falls within a first value range, the one or more control devices are configured to determine that the fan motor corresponds to a first motor having a first size; and When the value associated with the one or more parameters falls into a second value range that is different from the first value range, the one or more control devices are configured to determine that the size of the fan motor corresponds to a second motor having a second size that is larger than the first size.

19. The fan system according to claim 18, wherein, The one or more parameters include the power factor, which is associated with electrical power.

20. The fan system according to claim 14, wherein, Data indicating electrical power includes data indicating at least one of active power and apparent power.

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