Modular garage door opener

• US 10,157,538 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2018
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TTi (Macao Commercial Offshore) Limited (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: TTi (Macao Commercial Offshore) Limited (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Inventors: McNabb, William, Huggins, Mark, Whitmire, J. Porter
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brian E
• Application Number:
  US15/964,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20180247523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 235 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00857 where the code of the data carrier can be programmed
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control

Abstract

A modular garage door opener system includes an accessory device including a first electronic processor, a first memory, and a load, and includes a garage door opener including an accessory port, a second memory, and a second electronic processor. The accessory port is configured to be removably coupled to the accessory device. The second electronic processor receives new status data from the accessory device indicating a change in a status of the accessory device to a new status, sends the new status data to a remote server to update an accessory data set, receives new settings data from the remote server indicating a requested change in a setting of the accessory device, and sends the new settings data to the accessory device to update the setting of the accessory device. The first electronic processor controls the load of the accessory device based on the new settings data.

Claims

1. A modular garage door opener comprising:

a motor configured to drive a garage door to open and close;

an accessory port, the accessory port configured to be removably coupled to an accessory device such that the garage door opener is in electrical communication with the accessory device via the accessory port;

a controller including an electronic processor coupled to a memory having instructions executable by the electronic processor, the controller configured to;

receive new status data from the accessory device indicating a change in a status of the accessory device to a new status;

send the new status data to a remote server to update an accessory data set;

receive new settings data from the remote server indicating a requested change in a setting of the accessory device; and

send the new settings data to the accessory device to update the setting of the accessory device for controlling a load of the accessory device.

2. The modular garage door opener of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive, from the accessory device in response to coupling of the accessory device to the accessory port, an initial data set including a unique identifier for the accessory device, an initial status indicating the status of the accessory device, and an initial setting indicating the setting of the accessory device, and

send the initial data set, to the remote server, for storage as the accessory data set.

3. The modular garage door opener of claim 1, wherein the accessory device is at least one selected from the group of a speaker, a fan, an extension cord reel, an environmental sensor, a park-assist laser, a light, an inflator, and an inflator cord reel.

4. The modular garage door opener of claim 1, wherein the load of the accessory device is at least one selected from the group of a speaker circuit, a motor, a power relay, a park-assist laser light, a light, and a compressor.

5. The modular garage door opener of claim 1, wherein:

a second accessory device is removably coupled to the accessory port in the absence of the accessory device such that the second accessory device is in electrical communication with the accessory port; and

the controller is further configured to;

receive from the second accessory device a second initial data set including a second unique identifier for the second accessory device, a second initial status indicating a second status of the second accessory device, and a second initial setting indicating a second setting of the second accessory device;

send the second initial data set to the remote server for storage as a second accessory data set;

receive second new status data from the second accessory device indicating a change in the second status of the second accessory device to a second new status;

send the second new status data to the remote server to update the second accessory data set;

receive second new settings data from the remote server indicating a second requested change in the second setting of the second accessory device; and

send the second new settings data to the second accessory device to update the second setting of the second accessory device.

6. The modular garage door opener of claim 1, wherein the initial data set is stored in a memory of the accessory device.

7. The modular garage door opener of claim 1, wherein the garage door opener further includes a second accessory port that removably receives the accessory device and the controller is further configured to:

receive, from the accessory device via the second accessory port, the initial data set; and

send the initial data set to the remote server.

8. The modular garage door opener of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive, from the accessory device via the second accessory port, a further status data set indicating that the status of the accessory device is a further status;

send the further status data set to the remote server;

receive, from the remote server, a further settings data set; and

send, to the accessory device via the second accessory port, the further settings data set to update the setting of the accessory device and, thereby, control the load of the accessory device.

9. An accessory device for a garage door opener, the accessory device comprising:

a mechanical interface configured to be removably coupled to an accessory port of a garage door opener;

an electrical interface configured to be in electrical communication with the garage door opener via the accessory port, wherein the electrical interface receives power from the garage door opener via the accessory port upon being coupled to the accessory port;

a load;

a controller including an electronic processor and a first memory, the controller being coupled to the load, and wherein the controller is configured to;

send, to the garage door opener via the electrical interface, an initial data set including a unique identifier for the accessory device, an initial status indicating a status of the accessory device, and an initial setting indicating a setting of the accessory device;

receive new settings data from the garage door opener to update the setting of the accessory device;

control the load of the accessory device in response to the new settings data; and

send new status data to the garage door opener, the new status data indicating a change in the status of the accessory device to a new status.

10. The accessory device of claim 9, wherein:

the electrical interface receives power from a second accessory port of the garage door opener upon being decoupled from the accessory port and coupled to the second accessory port; and

the controller is configured to;

send the initial data set to the garage door opener;

receive second settings data from the garage door opener to update the setting of the accessory device;

control the load of the accessory device in response to the second settings data; and

send second status data to the garage door opener indicating a change in the status of the accessory device to a second status.

11. The accessory device of claim 9, wherein the accessory device is at least one selected from the group of a speaker, a fan, an extension cord reel, an environmental sensor, a park-assist laser, a light, an inflator, and an inflator cord reel.

12. The accessory device of claim 9, wherein the load of the accessory device is at least one selected from the group of a speaker circuit, a motor, a power relay, a park-assist laser light, a light, and a compressor.

13. A communication method for a garage door opener including an accessory port configured to receive an accessory device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the garage door opener, the accessory device in the accessory port;

receiving, by an electronic processor of the garage door opener, status data from the accessory device indicating a change in status of the accessory device to a new status;

sending, by the electronic processor, the status data to a remote server to update an accessory data set;

receiving, by the electronic processor, settings data from the remote server indicating a requested change in a setting of the accessory device; and

sending, by the electronic processor, the settings data to the accessory device to update the setting of the accessory device.

14. The communication method of claim 13, wherein a unique identifier is received, by the electronic processor, with the status data from the accessory device, the unique identifier indicating a type of the accessory device.

15. The communication method of claim 13, wherein the accessory device is at least one selected from the group of a speaker, a fan, an extension cord reel, an environmental sensor, a park-assist laser, a light, an inflator, and an inflator cord reel.

16. The communication method of claim 13, wherein the settings data received from the remote server is received in response to user input received by a peripheral device in communication with the remote server.

17. The communication method of claim 13, further comprising controlling, by an electronic processor of the accessory device, a load of the accessory device in response to the new settings data.

18. The communication method of claim 13, further including:

receiving, by the garage door opener, a second accessory device in a second accessory port;

receiving second status data from the second accessory device indicating a change in the second status of the second accessory device to a second new status;

sending the second status data to the remote server to update a second accessory data set;

receiving second settings data from the remote server indicating a second requested change in a second setting of the second accessory device; and

sending the second settings data to the second accessory device to update the second setting of the second accessory device.

19. The communication method of claim 18, wherein:

the accessory device is selected from the group of a speaker, a fan, an extension cord reel, an environmental sensor, a park-assist laser, a light, an inflator, and an inflator cord reel, and

the second accessory device is different from the first accessory device, wherein the second accessory device is selected from the group of a speaker, a fan, an extension cord reel, an environmental sensor, a park-assist laser, a light, an inflator, and an inflator cord reel.

20. The communication method of claim 18, further comprising:

after the second accessory device is disconnected from the second accessory port and the accessory device is disconnected from the accessory port;

receiving the accessory device in the second accessory port and receiving the second accessory device in the accessory port,

receiving, from the accessory device via the second accessory port, an initial data set;

receiving, from the second accessory device via the accessory port, a second initial data set; and

sending the initial data set and the second initial data set to the remote server.