Patents Assigned to Somfy SAS
  • Publication number: 20110251720
    Abstract: A method for the automated control of a solar protection installation (INST), comprising: reflecting slats (B1, B2, B3) having parallel longitudinal axes, the slats having a face (F) provided with teeth (D) which flanks (Fl), intended to be exposed to the light rays, called “useful” flanks, lie in parallel planes (P1, P2, P3, P4); means (CPU, CLK, ASUN) for determining a main direction of incidence (ASUN1; ASUN2) of the light rays on the slats; and a motor (MOT) for tilting the slats at least substantially about their longitudinal axis, the method of control including a step of automatically tilting the slats so as to orient the plans of the useful flanks depending on the main direction of incidence of the light rays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Applicant: Somfy SAS
    Inventor: Serge Neuman
  • Publication number: 20110230293
    Abstract: This reduction gear of an electric actuator (1) for driving a home screen, the reduction gear comprises a reduction stage having a sun gear (42) meshing with at least one planet gear (46, 46?) rotating about a respective shaft (47) and positioned in a drum (45), the planet gear meshing with a stationary ring (48) to drive the drum (45) in rotation about an axis of rotation (X4). The reduction gear further comprises first guide means (43) serving both to guide the sun gear (42) in rotation and to guide the drum (45) in rotation about the axis of rotation (X4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Applicant: SOMFY SAS
    Inventor: Jérôme PEZET
  • Patent number: 8009433
    Abstract: A radio control device used to control a motor for driving a mobile screen which includes a printed circuit to control the motor, power supply conductors for the motor and printed circuit, and an aerial which is connected to the printed circuit and coupled electromagnetically, with galvanic insulation, to at least one of the conductors. The device also includes a box in which the printed circuit, aerial and conductors are housed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventor: Claude Ares
  • Patent number: 8008883
    Abstract: A method of adjusting a motorized solar protection installation (1) comprising a screen (3) that can be displaced by activation of an actuator (6) provided with an electronic position counting device (7) and means (9) of detecting an obstacle to the movement, comprising the following steps: storage of a first end-of-travel position, displacement of the screen by activation of the actuator towards the first stored end-of-travel position, continued beyond the first stored end-of-travel position as far as a position that can be assimilated to an end-stop, detected by the means of detecting an obstacle to the movement, measurement of the position difference between the first stored end-of-travel position and the position that can be assimilated to an end-stop, storage of this measurement in memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventors: Laurent Hoff, Eric Guillemot
  • Publication number: 20110208359
    Abstract: A method of controlling an installation formed by a plurality of home automation equipment items linked to a building, and handling therein, depending on the type of home automation equipment item, thermal and visual comfort functions, such as heating and air conditioning, natural ventilation, lighting, solar protection functions, and/or security functions, such as closure and/or alarm functions, the home automation equipment items communicating over one and the same home automation network. A programmable remote control implementing the control method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Applicant: Somfy SAS
    Inventors: Isabelle Duchene, Eric LaGarde, Mickaël Mugnier
  • Publication number: 20110184561
    Abstract: Method of configuring a home automation installation comprising a plurality of mobile screens driven by actuators identified by an identifier, the method comprising the following steps: a) a step of constructing a first list of identifiers of actuators of the installation, b) a step of locating all the locations of the screens that make up the part of the installation to be configured, c) a step of associating a list of possible actuator identifiers with each screen location, d) a step of transmitting a movement control command to each actuator of a group of actuators, e) a step of designating locations that correspond to a group of screens that have reacted to the control command, f) a step of updating the lists of possible actuator identifiers for each location, the steps d) to f) being reiterated as long as at least one list of possible actuator identifiers for a screen location comprises more than one actuator identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Applicant: Somfy SAS
    Inventors: Mattias KLASSON, Samuel Spanberger, Tommy Carlsson, Christian Magnusson
  • Publication number: 20110122010
    Abstract: A remote control device (1, 100, 200) for home automation equipment, of the roaming type, comprising a housing (2) containing an electronic circuit (7) comprising a radiofrequency transmitter (9), said housing (2) being of substantially cylindrical or spherical shape and having an axis of revolution, wherein the device comprises a viscoelastic ring (6, 106, 206), with the same axis of revolution as that of the housing, elastically held against said housing (2) and concealing an opening (16) in said housing (2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicant: Somfy SAS
    Inventor: Olivier Charleux
  • Patent number: 7948195
    Abstract: A method of controlling an electromechanical actuator (ACT) comprising a motor (MOT) for maneuvering a mobile appliance (LD) of a building in a first direction (DIR1) and in a second direction (DIR2) by way of a remote-control unit (RCU) and a unit (MCU) for driving the motor that are placed respectively one upstream of the other on an electrical power line energizing the motor with an alternating voltage, a command to maneuver in the first direction comprising a half-wave rectified signal of positive polarity and a command to maneuver in the second direction comprising a half-wave rectified signal of negative polarity, wherein the maneuver commands furthermore comprise an alternating voltage signal following the half-wave rectified signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventor: Bernard Grehant
  • Patent number: 7941846
    Abstract: A method of securing the learning mode of a device includes an assembly of at least one command transmitter, communicating with a command receiver capable of driving an element providing for the security and/or the comfort of a building and capable of being switched to learning mode by one or more activation functions, wherein one or more actions of which at least one is applied to a particular command transmitter of the assembly, termed secure, causes the disabling of at least one function of activation of the learning mode of the command receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventor: Alain Bejean
  • Patent number: 7923948
    Abstract: A method for adjusting the residual light gap between slats of a motorized blind when oriented in a set closed position of the blind, where at least one closed position of the slats is set by automatic detection using detecting means, comprising the following steps: adjusting a detection criterion of the detecting means, performing anew automatic detection of the closed position with adjusted detection criterion, recording the new value of the detection criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventors: Herbert Rodas, Vyacheslav Baran
  • Publication number: 20110061818
    Abstract: According to the method of the invention, the movement of movable screen ends for a group of motor-driven screens to a common position is controlled in a grouped manner. The method includes a step (E150) consisting of moving the end of a screen when said end becomes the farthest from the common position after moving the end of at least one other screen to said common position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Applicant: SOMFY SAS
    Inventors: Pierre Geriniere, Stephane Lapierre
  • Publication number: 20100326184
    Abstract: Wind safety sensor, comprising a physical device for measuring at least one parameter associated with the action of the wind, comprising a bidirectional radiofrequency communication means, capable of transmitting a signal to at least one mobile home automation element when the parameter exceeds a threshold, comprising an assignment table for at least one first threshold and one second threshold relating to distinct types of mobile home automation elements and such that the transmitted signal comprises an identifier of the type for which the threshold has been exceeded, a code controlling a safety action and/or an identifier of the safety sensor. Home automation installation comprising such a sensor and control device for such a home automation installation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: Somfy SAS
    Inventors: Mickael Mugnier, Cyrille Nguyen Van, Jean-Christophe Deshayes
  • Patent number: 7860481
    Abstract: A low power rf control system includes a controller that operates at a low clock speed when an associated rf receiver is deenergized and a high clock speed when the controller energizes the receiver. The receiver can be on for a short period, off for a short period when no preamble pulses from a remote control device are received, on for a short period, and then off for a longer period until the next cycle. The receiver remains on to process a command signal when a preamble signal is detected. A DC-DC down converter can be used as a power supply for the receiver, and a SAW resonant circuit can be used as an IF oscillator for the receiver. An LC filter can be associated with the receiver for filtering the IF signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventors: Winston Glenn Walker, David A Saar
  • Patent number: 7860679
    Abstract: A method of testing and installing a remote control unit (RCU) for controlling elements (ACT1, ACT2, ACT3) of a home automation network, intended for managing the security or heat or light comfort in a building, comprising the use of software (ALS) emulating the remote control unit in a computer (PCU) to define a virtual remote control unit (VRCU), and the configuring of the virtual remote control unit to enable the elements of the network to be controlled, wherein sending rights are assigned to the virtual remote control unit at the time of that configuration and wherein the cancellation of these sending rights results at least from a step for copying the configuration (CFG) of the virtual remote control unit in the remote control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventors: Valérie Rouhier, Jean-Michel Orsat, Florent Pellarin
  • Publication number: 20100320855
    Abstract: This electric actuator for driving a home-automation screen is provided with a spring brake (105) comprising a helical spring (130), a friction part (140) having a friction surface (141) against which the helical spring (130) bears radially. Said brake further comprises an inlet part (110) suitable for driving the spring in rotation in a direction reducing the contact force between the spring (130) and the friction part (140), and an outlet part (120) connected to the screen. While the screen is being lowered, the inlet part (110; 210) drives the spring (130; 230) in rotation with the contact force being decreased to the extent that the outlet part (120; 220) is released in rotation, without direct contact between the inlet part and the outlet part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2010
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Applicant: SOMFY SAS
    Inventors: Eric LAGARDE, Didier MENETRIER
  • Patent number: 7852765
    Abstract: A synchronized control method for actuators driving a moving device includes the sending of a signal repeating a frame including the code of the control to be executed, inserting into the frame sent a time information item representative of the control generation duration, extracting the time information item and computing at least one of the application start and the application end instant of control, and the reception of the signal for application of the control to the actuator as long as the generation of the control signal lasts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventors: Serge Neuman, Michel Fournet, Florent Pellarin
  • Patent number: 7844353
    Abstract: The method governs the operation of a home automation installation comprising a portable remote control, a relay and home automation appliances, and in which at least some home automation appliances can receive, by wireless channel, control commands sent by the portable remote control. The method is such that control commands can be sent selectively according to a scenario to the home automation appliances over the same communication bearer by the relay when the latter receives a specific command sent by the portable remote control to the relay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventors: Alain Bejean, Denis Maugain, Eric Lagarde
  • Publication number: 20100282890
    Abstract: Tubular actuator (1) for driving a windable element in a building, comprising: in a tube (3) having a longitudinal axis (X-X?), a reduction gear and an output shaft (4) at a first end of the tube and a fixed-point (2) in two portions at a second end of the tube, the fixed-point comprising a first portion (20; 20?) at least partially outside the tube and a second portion (40; 40?) assembled in the tube, wherein the first portion comprises at least one torque and weight-bearing axial extension, this torque and weight-bearing axial extension being capable of being inserted into at least one recess of the second portion and being locked in translation along the longitudinal axis relative to the tube of the actuator by a first locking means (35, 37, 38).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2010
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: Somfy SAS
    Inventors: Béatrice DUCORNETZ, Denis Magli
  • Patent number: D627306
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventor: Olivier Charleux
  • Patent number: D633442
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventor: Olivier Charleux