Device and method for controlling a motor-driven mobile screen having adjustable slats

• US 10,185,293 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Somfy Activites SA (Somfy SA)
• Original Assignee: Somfy Sas (Somfy SA)
• Inventors: Roux, Morgan
• Primary Examiner(s): Everett, Christopher E.
• Application Number:
  US13/995,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20130310984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,588 Days
• Field of Search: 700275
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/32 Operating, guiding, or securing devices therefor operation of tilting bars E06B9/307
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling a motor-driven mobile screen having adjustable slats by means of an electromechanical actuator in a building, the control being implemented from a control interface including at least one control button for extending the screen and an element for assisting in the movement for adjusting the slats. The invention also relates to a control interface for implementing the method.

Claims

1. A method for controlling, in a building, a motor-driven mobile screen having adjustable slats, said slats being drivable by means of an electromechanical actuator in order to be deployed and/or have a change in orientation, the method being implemented through a control interface, wherein said control interface comprises:

a personal computer comprising a keyboard and a display screen with a display zone,

a pointer tool connected to said personal computer,

wherein said pointer tool comprises at least one control button and a scroll-assisting element, and

wherein the scroll-assisting element of the pointer tool causes the scrolling of content of a display in a window of the display screen of the personal computer,

said method comprising;

a. a step of activating a control window on the display screen using the pointer tool;

b. a step of modifying the functionalities of the pointer tool, wherein functionalities of the pointer tool related to the functioning of the computer are changed to control functionalities for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen, wherein the control functionalities for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen include a deployment command or slat orientation command for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen, wherein the change of functionalities from functionalities related to the functioning of the computer to functionalities for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen is based upon whether a cursor associated with the pointer tool is within said control window on the display screen;

c. a step to detect mechanical action on said at least one control button or the scroll-assisting element of the pointer tool connected to said personal computer;

d. a step to directly interpret the detected mechanical action as the deployment command or the slat orientation command.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises a prior activation step of a software element on the computer linked to the pointer tool.

3. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the activation step of the software element comprises an activation step of a graphical control element.

4. The control method according to claim 3, wherein the activation step of the graphical control element comprises positioning of the cursor of the pointer tool on the graphical control element.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises a step of displaying at least in pall, on said display screen, a graphical representation of a remote control with a thumbwheel.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises a step of displaying on said display screen one or more icons representing an item of automated home equipment to be driven, positioned on a plan of the building.

7. The control method according to claim 1, wherein double actuation (double-click) of said at least one control button of the pointer tool causes the transmitting of the deployment command towards a predefined intermediate position.

8. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises a prior step of pairing between the actuator and a command-transmitting device linked to the computer.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein the control device giving commands is a transmitter connected to said computer.

10. The control method according to claim 8, wherein the command-transmitting device is a transmission unit linked via Internet with said computer.

11. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the functionalities of the pointer tool for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen are changed to the functionalities related to the functioning of said computer when said cursor moves from inside said control window to outside said control window.

12. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises a display step on said display screen of one or more icons representing an item of automated home equipment to be driven, positioned on a plan of the building.

13. A control interface for controlling a motor-driven mobile screen having adjustable slats by means of an electromechanical actuator, wherein said control interface comprises:

a personal computer comprising a computer screen and graphical representation of a software element on the screen,

wherein said personal computer comprises a computer pointer tool comprising a main button, a secondary button, and a scroll-assisting element,

wherein the scroll-assisting element of the pointer tool causes the scrolling of content of a display in a window of the computer screen of the personal computer, and

wherein said software element is programmed to execute a method for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen having the adjustable slats by means of the electromechanical actuator, in a building, the method comprising;

a. a prior step of activation of said software element on said personal computer linked to said pointer tool,

b. a step of selecting an object on said computer screen using said pointer tool;

c. a step where functionalities of said pointer tool related to the functioning of said computer are changed to control functionalities for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen, wherein the control functionalities for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen include a deployment command or slat orientation command for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen, wherein the change of functionalities from functionalities related to the functioning of the computer to functionalities for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen is based upon whether a cursor associated with said pointer tool is within said computer screen;

d. a step to detect mechanical action on said at least one control button, or the scroll-assisting element of said pointer tool connected to said personal computer;

e. a step to directly interpret the detected mechanical action as the deployment command or the slat orientation command of said mobile screen so as to set up a functional link between said main and secondary buttons of the pointer tool and the deployment command, and a functional link between said scroll-assisting element and the orientation command.

14. A control interface according to claim 13, wherein the method comprises a wireless command transmitter capable of communicating with the actuator.

15. The control interface according to claim 13, wherein the functionalities of the pointer tool for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen are changed to the functionalities related to the functioning of the computer when said cursor moves from inside the control window to outside said control window.

16. A method for controlling a lighting device with adjustable light intensity, in a building, the method being implemented through a control interface, wherein said control interface comprises:

a personal computer comprising a display screen with a display zone,

a pointer tool with at least one control button and a scroll-assisting element, wherein the pointer tool is linked to a computer,

wherein the scroll-assisting element of the pointer tool causes the scrolling of content of a display in a window of the display screen of the personal computer,

wherein said method comprises;

a. a step of selecting an object on said computer display screen using said pointer tool;

b. a step where functionalities of the pointer tool related to the functioning of said computer are changed to control functionalities for controlling the lighting device, wherein the control functionalities for controlling the lighting device include a switch-on or switch-off command or variation of light intensity command for controlling the lighting device, wherein the change of functionalities from functionalities related to the functioning of the computer to functionalities for controlling the lighting device is based upon whether a cursor associated with the pointer tool is within a control window on the display screen;

c. a step to detect mechanical action on a main button, a secondary button, or the scroll-assisting element of the pointer tool; and

d. a step to directly interpret the detected mechanical action as the switch-on or the switch-off command or the variation of light intensity command.

17. The method for controlling a lighting device according to claim 16, wherein the functionalities of the pointer tool for controlling the lighting device are changed to the functionalities related to the functioning of said computer when said cursor moves from inside the control window to outside said control window.

18. A method for controlling a motor-driven mobile screen having adjustable slats by means of an electromechanical actuator, in a building, the method being implemented through a control interface, wherein said control interface comprises:

a personal computer comprising a display screen with a display zone,

a computer pointer tool connected to said personal computer comprising at least one control button for deployment and a scroll-assisting element for adjusted orientation of the slats, wherein the pointer tool is linked to said personal computer,

wherein the scroll-assisting element of the pointer tool causes the scrolling of content of a display in a window of the display screen of the personal computer,

said method comprising;

a. a step of selecting an object on the display screen using said pointer tool;

b. a step where functionalities of the pointer tool related to the functioning of said computer are changed to control functionalities for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen, wherein the control functionalities for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen include a deployment command or slat orientation command for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen, wherein the change of functionalities from functionalities related to the functioning of the computer to functionalities for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen is based upon activation of a control window or opening of a control program on said display screen;

c. a step to detect mechanical action on a main button, a secondary button, or a scroll-assisting element of said pointer tool linked to said personal computer;

d. a step to directly interpret the detected mechanical action as the deployment command or the slat orientation command.

19. The control method according to claim 18, wherein the method comprises a prior activation step of a software element on said computer linked to said pointer tool.

20. The control method according to claim 19, wherein the activation step of the software element comprises activation of a graphical control element.

21. The control method according to claim 20, wherein the activation of the graphical control element comprises positioning of said cursor of the pointer tool on the graphical control element.

22. The control method according to claim 18, wherein the method comprises a display step on said display screen of a graphical representation at least in part of a remote control with thumbwheel.

23. The control method according to claim 18, wherein double actuation (double-click) of one of the buttons of said pointer tool causes the transmitting of the deployment command towards a predefined intermediate position.

24. The control method according to claim 18, wherein the method comprises a prior pairing step between the actuator and a command-transmitting device linked to said computer.

25. The control method according to claim 24, wherein the control device giving commands is a transmitter connected to said computer.

26. The control method according to claim 24, wherein the command-transmitting device is a transmission unit linked via Internet with said computer.

27. The control method according to claim 18, wherein the functionalities of the pointer tool for controlling the motor-driven mobile screen are changed to the functionalities related to the functioning of said computer when the a key is pressed on a keyboard associated with the computer.