Patent: Remote Control System for Combined Ceiling Fan and Light Fixture

US Patent issued for remote control system for combined ceiling fan and light fixture. Patent 5,041,825

A control unit for a combined ceiling fan and light fixture (ceiling unit) is coupled to a temperature sensor monitoring the temperature of the room containing the ceiling unit, has manual entry keys for controlling fan energization, speed and direction and light energization and intensity and for selecting a mode of operation, and has a first microprocessor for controlling a radio transmitter to transmit a command bit sequence. The transmitted signal is received by the ceiling unit where a second microprocessor responds to the command bit sequence to control the firing of one of several triacs controlling fan energization, speed and direction and to control light energization and intensity. In an “auto-speed” mode, fan speed responds to changes in room temperature. In a “winter mode”, the fan blows upwardly at a slow speed, the speed being momentarily increased periodically to break up stratification. Two control units at different locations in the room may be used to control the ceiling unit, which responds only to the control unit which last transmitted a manual command in response to key activation. An update is transmitted hourly, if all fan and light functions are off, or every ten minutes, if a function is on, the update timer being reset whenever a new command is transmitted.