Patent ID: 7106019

Claim:
A method for interfacing an electric motor to a controller using an electrical interface circuit, the interface circuit including a controller circuit and a motor control circuit, the controller circuit including a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit, the motor control circuit including a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit, and the interface circuit electrically coupled to the controller and the electric motor, said method comprising the steps of: coupling the motor control circuit directly to the electric motor, wherein the motor control circuit is separate from the controller; adjusting a level of a first signal received from the controller that is separate from a thermostat configured to communicate a temperature to the controller; converting, by the interface circuit, the first signal received from the controller to generate a second signal including a digitally encoded signal and at least one of an infrared signal and a radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein the controller is coupled via the interface circuit to a microcontroller located within the electric motor comprising an electronically commutated motor; outputting the second signal to control the electric motor, wherein said outputting the second signal comprises outputting, by the interface circuit, the digitally encoded signal to the microcontroller within the electronically commutated motor; receiving, by the motor control circuit, a third signal from the electric motor; and transmitting the third signal from the electric motor to the controller.