Patent Application
20080265804
The present invention relates generally to entering input data to control a controlled device. In particular, a user may enter a stroke through a circular device or perform a movement through a sliding device to control the speed and direction of the controlled device.
With the emerging variable speed motor control technology, many systems that were previously controlled by fixed speed motors can now be controlled by using variable speed motors. As a result, much better performance may be achieved by adjusting the speed of the motor to match the intended usage using different speed in the system. The usage of variable speed motors include a plethora of applications, including window blinds, garage doors, security gates, fans, and any systems related to flow control.
The number of controlled devices with variable speed motors is increasing. Moreover, users typically desire to remotely control the controlled devices. Thus, there is a real market need to facilitate controlling variable speed motors.
The present invention provides apparatuses, computer media, and methods for controlling the speed and direction of a controlled device.
With one aspect of the invention, an input device provides input information. The input information is converted into speed information and direction information. A controlled device is then instructed to operate at a device speed and direction in accordance with the speed information and direction information.
With another aspect of the invention, a controlled device includes a variable speed motor. A remote device controls the speed and direction of the motor in accordance with input information.
With another aspect of the invention, a remote device has a circular input device through which a user draws strokes. The remote device instructs the controlled device to operate at a device speed and a direction in accordance with extracted characteristics of the entered stroke such as the speed of drawing the stroke and the direction of the stroke.
With another aspect of the invention, a remote device transmits a signal with speed information and direction information to control the controlled device.
With another aspect of the invention, a circular input device is partitioned into a plurality of regions. The locations of the start and end points are associated with identifications of the corresponding regions.
With another aspect of the invention, training information is obtained from the input device to configure a maximum speed value and a minimum speed value.
The foregoing summary of the invention, as well as the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, is better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are included by way of example, and not by way of limitation with regard to the claimed invention.
The following is separated by subheadings for the benefit of the reader. The subheadings include: Terms, Architecture of Platform, Exemplary Scenario of Entering Strokes Through an Input Device, and Processing of Entered Strokes to Adjust Speed and Direction of a Controlled Device.
Terms
Stroke—a contiguous (uninterrupted) curve drawn on an input device, e.g., a circular input device. A start point is where the stroke begins and an endpoint is where the stroke ends.
Architecture of Platform
With embodiments of the invention, communications channel 151 may support different transmission media (including wireless, cable, and wire channels) and different frequency spectra (including radio and infra-red).
The speed and direction of the controlled device will vary depending on the speed and direction of the stroke/touch through circular input device 101 (e.g., in order to turn the speed up for a fan in a clockwise/counterclockwise direction or to adjust the speed of opening or closing window blinds in an up/down direction). The user can enter (draw) a stroke on the circular input device 101 with fast speed in a clockwise direction. The speed of the controlled device is adjusted in accordance with the speed of entering the stroke. Processor 103 determines the device speed by relating it to the entry speed of the user executing a movement (e.g., drawing a stroke or moving a sliding lever). For example, a linear relationship may be used:
device_speed=k*entry_speed EQ. 1
where device_speed is the operating speed of the controlled device, entry_speed is the speed at which an input movement is executed by the user, and k is a scaling factor.
The controlled direction of the controlled device corresponds to the direction of the stroke. Typically, entering the stroke in the clockwise/counterclockwise direction controls the controlled device in the clockwise/counterclockwise direction. For some controlled devices (e.g., window blinds), entering a stroke in a clockwise direction may correspond to opening the controlled device and entering a stroke in a counterclockwise direction may correspond to closing the controlled device. The corresponding speeds and directions of the controlled equipment may be preset to an ex-factory setting. As will be discussed, embodiments of the invention may support training apparatus 100 to configure a maximum speed limit and a minimum speed limit by inputting an entered stroke through circular input device 101 when apparatus 100 is in a training mode.
The speed and direction of the controlled device will vary depending on the speed and direction of an executed movement through the sliding input device 201 (e.g., in order to turn the speed up for a fan in a clockwise/counterclockwise direction or to adjust the speed of opening or closing window blinds in an up/down direction). The user can execute a movement on sliding input device 201 with fast speed in an up direction (corresponding to a motor rotating in a clockwise direction) or in a down direction (corresponding to a motor rotating in a counterclockwise direction). The speed of the controlled device is adjusted in accordance with the speed of a user executing the movement. The controlled direction of the controlled device corresponds to the direction of the movement.
Exemplary Scenario of Entering Strokes Through an Input Device
With the exemplary embodiment, circular input device 500 is partitioned into 128 radial regions (e.g., regions 501a-501d), each region being associated with a region identification. Each stroke has a start point and an end point. Stroke 551 has a start point location=15 and an end point location=111, and stroke 553 has a start point location=25 and an end point location=69. The direction of strokes 551 and 553 are counterclockwise and clockwise, respectively.
As will be discussed, the speed information is determined by the speed of entering (drawing) a stroke on circular input device 500. For example, a difference between the start point location and the end point location divided by the time for entering the stroke approximates the speed information.
Processing of Entered Strokes to Adjust Speed and Direction of a Controlled Device
Counters are initialized in steps 601 and 603. (Basic time is a timer for the software to scan the touch interface periodically. Start Basic time count denotes that the timer starts counting.) If basic_time_count overflows, as determined by step 605, the basic_time_count counter is reset in step 607. Step 609 then determines whether the user is entering a stroke. If so, steps 611-617 are executed to determine the speed of entering the stroke in step 617 (designated as Speed). If the user has completed drawing the stroke, as determined by steps 619 and 621, steps 623-631 are executed to set the minimum speed setting and the maximum speed setting, which are subsequently used in flow diagram 700 as shown in
k=(device_speed_max-device_speed_min)/(entry_speed_max-entry_speed_min EQ. 2
Steps 721-727 compare the speed of the motor (corresponding to the speed of drawing the stroke) with maximum and minimum limits of the motor speed. It the requested motor speed exceeds the motor speed limits, the determined motor speed is limited.
Step 729 determines if the requested motor speed has changed since the last update. If so, remote device 100 or 200 sends a message to controlled device 301 or 401 with speed information and direction information as shown in
As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, a computer system with an associated computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling the computer system can be utilized to implement the exemplary embodiments that are disclosed herein. The computer system may include at least one computer such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor, and associated peripheral electronic circuitry.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
