Electrical appliance control system
First Claim
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1. A system for remotely controlling at least two electrical appliances powered by an AC power source, comprising:
- a series of manually operable switches;
control signal generating means responsive to actuation of the switches for providing a firing delay in the AC sine wave after a zero crossing;
each switch corresponding to a delay signal of predetermined length in a predetermined polarity half of the AC signal distinct from all the other switch signals;
delay signal detecting means connected to said generating means for detecting said delay signals and producing control pulses in response to said delay signals;
said detecting means comprising first control means for detecting the polarity of the delayed half of an input AC signal and producing an output polarity control signal, and second control means for producing a control signal pulse of length dependent on the half cycle length of the input AC signal, each control signal pulse produced by said delay signals having a predetermined length shorter than the standard AC half cycle pulse length; and
programmable control means for controlling operation of said electrical appliances in response to stored program instructions and detection of said polarity control signals and control signal pulse length;
said program instructions including means for associating each shortened control signal pulse length of each polarity with a predetermined control function, said control functions including means for switching each appliance on and off, and means for initiating a series of pre-programmed sequences of operations of said appliances.
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Abstract
A control system for operating at least two electrical appliances, such as a combination ceiling fan and light assembly, from a remotely located multi-position manually operated switch assembly. The system responds to a series of different control signals actuated by the different switch positions to switch either one of the appliances on or off, to control the intensity of the light or the speed of the fan, or to initiate any one of a series of pre-programmed sequences of operations of the appliances.
130 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A system for remotely controlling at least two electrical appliances powered by an AC power source, comprising:
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a series of manually operable switches; control signal generating means responsive to actuation of the switches for providing a firing delay in the AC sine wave after a zero crossing;
each switch corresponding to a delay signal of predetermined length in a predetermined polarity half of the AC signal distinct from all the other switch signals;delay signal detecting means connected to said generating means for detecting said delay signals and producing control pulses in response to said delay signals;
said detecting means comprising first control means for detecting the polarity of the delayed half of an input AC signal and producing an output polarity control signal, and second control means for producing a control signal pulse of length dependent on the half cycle length of the input AC signal, each control signal pulse produced by said delay signals having a predetermined length shorter than the standard AC half cycle pulse length; andprogrammable control means for controlling operation of said electrical appliances in response to stored program instructions and detection of said polarity control signals and control signal pulse length;
said program instructions including means for associating each shortened control signal pulse length of each polarity with a predetermined control function, said control functions including means for switching each appliance on and off, and means for initiating a series of pre-programmed sequences of operations of said appliances. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A system for separately controlling operation of a ceiling fan and light of a combination ceiling fan and light fixture, comprising:
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a manually operable wall control panel including a series of push keys, the push keys including one each for turning the light on and off and one each for turning the fan on and off, a wall control unit including a series of switches each positioned to be actuated by a respective one of said push keys, means for connecting the wall control unit to an AC input current, and means for switching off the positive and negative halves of said AC input current for predetermined time periods in response to actuation of said switches to provide a series of different delay signals on the positive and negative halves of the AC current, each switch being associated with a predetermined positive or negative half delay signal different from all the other switch delay signals, a main control unit mounted at the combination ceiling fan and light fixture, comprising detector means for detecting and distinguishing between said delay signals from said wall control unit and for producing corresponding output control signals and microcomputer means responsive to said output control signals for controlling operation of said fan and light. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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Specification