Household or industrial device including programmable controller and method, device and system for use in configuring same

• US 10,433,135 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gecko Alliance Group Inc.
• Original Assignee: Gecko Alliance Group Inc.
• Inventors: Brochu, Christian, Laflamme, Benoit
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duy Khuong T
• Application Number:
  US15/464,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20170257734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/00 Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A programmable controller for operating a system is provided as well as a method and devices of configuring such controller. The controller includes firmware storing instructions for controlling operations of the system, the firmware including a passive memory component and a processing unit programmed for operating the system at least in part based on the instructions of the firmware. The firmware is responsive to a signal carrying firmware update information received from an external device for drawing energy from the signal to activate the passive memory component and causing a firmware update process to be performed. Advantageously, the proposed controller can be configured in the absence of electrical power being supplied by an external source and in, some embodiments, using the signal carrying the firmware update information as the sole source of electrical energy in order to perform at least part of the firmware update process.

Claims

1. A household appliance comprising:

a) one or more electrically powered components forming part of the household appliance;

b) a housing holding a programmable controller for operating the one or more electrically powered components, said programmable controller comprising;

i) a memory module having stored thereon firmware including instructions for controlling operations of the one or more electrically powered components, said memory module including a memory component on which at least a portion of the firmware is stored, the memory component of the memory module being configured to be responsive to a signal carrying firmware update information received over a short range radio frequency (RF) wireless communication link from a device external to the household appliance for;

(1) drawing energy from the signal carrying firmware update information to activate the memory component; and

(2) causing a firmware update process to be performed to modify the instructions of the firmware based on the update information carried by the signal, at least part of said firmware update process being performed while the memory component remains activated using energy drawn from said signal as a source of electrical energy;

ii) a processing unit in communication with said memory module, said processing unit being programmed for operating the one or more electrically powered components at least in part in accordance with the instructions of the firmware.

2. The household appliance as defined in claim 1, wherein said memory component is configured to be responsive to the signal carrying firmware update information received from the external device for causing at least part of the firmware update process to be performed in the absence of electrical power being supplied to the programmable controller.

3. The household appliance as defined in claim 1, wherein at least part of the firmware update process is performed while the memory component remains activated using the energy drawn from said signal as its sole source of electrical energy.

4. The household appliance as defined in claim 1, wherein the firmware update information includes program code implementing a set of configurations, said set of configurations includes at least a first configuration and a second configuration.

5. The household appliance as defined in claim 4, wherein the household appliance is a bathing unit system and wherein the one or more electrically powered components include a pump, wherein said processing unit is programmed for:

a) controlling operational settings associated with the pump in a first manner when operating the bathing unit system in accordance with the first configuration; and

b) controlling operational settings associated with the pump in a second manner different from the first manner when operating the bathing unit system in accordance with the second configuration.

6. The household appliance as defined in claim 1, wherein the firmware update information conveys an access code and:

a) wherein the instructions stored on said memory module implement a set of configurations including at least a first configuration and a second configuration, the access code being associated with a specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration; and

b) wherein the processing unit is programmed for operating the household appliance in accordance with the specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration associated with the access code.

7. The household appliance as defined in claim 6, wherein the processing unit is programmed for selecting the specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration at least in part by processing the access code to select a portion of the instructions stored on the memory module, where the selected portion of the instruction implements the specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration.

8. The household appliance as defined in claim 6, wherein the one or more electrically powered components of the household appliance include multiple electrically powered components, said programmable controller being for operating the multiple electrically powered components of the household device, said processing unit being programmed for:

a) operating a first set of electrically powered components of the household appliance when operating the household appliance in accordance with the first configuration; and

b) operating a second set of electrically powered components when operating the household appliance in accordance with the second configuration.

9. The household appliance as defined in claim 8, wherein said second set of electrically powered components includes at least one component absent from said first set of electrically powered components.

10. The household appliance as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) said instructions for controlling operations of the household appliance include program code implementing a set of configurations including at least a first configuration and a second configuration, and wherein the memory module stores said program code; and

b) wherein the firmware update information carried by the signal received from the device external to the household appliance is associated with a specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration.

11. The household appliance as defined in claim 10, wherein:

a) the firmware update process includes storing the firmware update information carried by the signal on the memory component of the memory module; and

b) wherein the processing unit of the programmable controller is programmed for;

i) selecting a specific configuration from the set of configurations implemented by the program code stored in the memory module at least in part by processing the firmware update information stored on the memory component of the memory module; and

ii) operating the one of more electrically powered components of the household appliance in accordance with the selected specific configuration implemented by the program code stored in the memory module of the programmable controller.

12. The household appliance as defined in claim 1, wherein the memory component is configured for communicating with the device external to the household appliance over the short range radio frequency (RF) communication link established between the memory component and the device external to the household appliance.

13. The household appliance as defined in claim 1, wherein the memory component includes a near field communication memory (NFC memory).

14. The household appliance as defined in claim 1, wherein the household appliance is one of a stove, a blender, a pump, a motor and a restaurant appliance.

15. The household appliance as defined in claim 1, wherein the household appliance is a bathing unit system and wherein the one or more electrically powered components include a pump.

16. An auxiliary device programmed for configuring a household appliance having one or more electrically powered components and a programmable controller, the programmable controller comprising a memory module having stored thereon firmware including instructions for controlling operations of the one or more electrically powered components of the household appliance, said memory module including a memory component on which at least a portion of the firmware is stored, the programmable controller being programmed for operating the electrically powered components of the household appliance at least in part in accordance with the instructions stored on the memory module, said auxiliary device comprising:

a) a communication interface suitable for communicating with the programmable controller of the household appliance over a short range radio frequency (RF) wireless communication link;

b) a processing unit in communication with the communication interface programmed for transmitting a signal over the short range radio frequency (RF) wireless communication link to the programmable controller carrying firmware update information associated with the household appliance, the signal being configured for;

i) causing the memory component of the programmable controller to be activated at least in part by drawing energy from said signal; and

ii) causing a firmware update process to be performed by the programmable controller to update the instructions of the firmware based on the update information carried by the signal, at least part of said firmware update process being performed by the programmable controller while the memory component remains activated using energy drawn from said signal as a source of electrical energy.

17. The auxiliary device as defined in claim 16, wherein the auxiliary device is embodied in an NFC enabled computing device and wherein the memory component of the programmable controller includes an NFC memory.

18. The auxiliary device as defined in claim 17, wherein the NFC enabled computing device is a smartphone.

19. The auxiliary device as defined in claim 16, wherein the firmware update information carried by the signal includes program code implementing a specific configuration associated with a specific variation of the household appliance, and wherein the firmware update process causes the program code implementing the specific configuration to be stored on the memory module of the programmable controller to enable the programmable controller to operate the household appliance based on the specific configuration implemented by the program code implemented by the firmware update information.

20. The auxiliary device as defined in claim 16, wherein the memory module of the programmable controller stores program code implementing a set of configurations including at least a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein the firmware update information carried by the signal conveys an access code associated with a specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration, and wherein the firmware update process causes the access code to be stored on the memory component of the memory module to configure the programmable controller to select the specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration to which the access code is associated and to operate the household appliance in accordance with the selected specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration.

21. The auxiliary device as defined in claim 16, wherein the firmware update information carried by the signal includes program code implementing a set of configurations, said set of configurations including at least a first configuration and a second configuration.

22. A method for configuring a household appliance having one or more electrically powered components and a programmable controller, the programmable controller comprising a memory module having stored thereon firmware including instructions for controlling operations of the one or more electrically powered components of the household appliance, said memory module including a memory component on which at least a portion of the firmware is stored, the programmable controller being programmed for operating the electrically powered component of the household appliance at least in part in accordance with the instructions of the firmware, said method comprising:

a) using an auxiliary device, obtaining firmware update information associated with the household appliance;

b) using the auxiliary device, transmitting a signal carrying the firmware update information associated with the household appliance to the programmable controller over a short range radio frequency (RF) wireless communication link, the signal being configured for;

i) causing the memory component of the programmable controller to be activated at least in part by drawing energy from said signal; and

ii) causing a firmware update process to be performed by the programmable controller of the household appliance to update the instructions of the firmware based on the update information carried by the signal, at least part of said firmware update process being performed by the programmable controller while the memory component remains activated using energy drawn from said signal as a source of electrical energy.

23. The method as defined in claim 22, wherein the auxiliary device is embodied in an NFC enabled computing device and wherein the memory component of the programmable controller includes an NFC memory.

24. The method as defined in claim 23, wherein the NFC enabled device is a smartphone.

25. The method as defined in claim 22, wherein the firmware update information carried by the signal includes program code implementing a specific configuration associated with a specific variation of the household appliance, and wherein the firmware update process causes the program code implementing the specific configuration to be stored on the memory module of the programmable controller to enable the programmable controller to operate the household appliance based on the specific configuration implemented by the program code implemented by the firmware update information.

26. The method as defined in claim 22, wherein the memory module of the programmable controller stores program code implementing a set of configurations including at least a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein the firmware update information carried by the signal conveys an access code associated with a specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration, and wherein the firmware update process causes the access code to be stored on the memory component of the memory module to configure the programmable controller to select the specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration to which the access code is associated and to operate the household appliance in accordance with the selected specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration.

27. The method as defined in claim 22, wherein the firmware update information carried by the signal includes program code implementing a set of configurations, said set of configurations including at least a first configuration and a second configuration.

28. A manufacturing process for a household appliance, said household appliance having one or more electrically powered components and a programmable controller, said programmable controller comprising a memory module for storing thereon firmware, said memory module including a memory component on which at least a portion of the firmware is stored, the programmable controller being configurable for operating said one or more electrically powered components of the household appliance in dependence of instructions of the firmware, said manufacturing process comprising:

a) using an auxiliary device, obtaining firmware update information associated with the household appliance;

b) in an assembly line, bringing the auxiliary device in proximity to the programmable controller and using the auxiliary device to transmit a signal carrying the firmware update information to the programmable controller over a short range radio frequency (RF) wireless communication link, the signal being configured for;

i) causing the memory component of the programmable controller to be activated at least in part by drawing energy from said signal carrying firmware update information; and

ii) causing a firmware update process to be performed by the programmable controller to modify the instructions of the firmware based on the update information carried by the signal, at least part of said firmware update process being performed by the programmable controller while the memory component remains activated using energy drawn from said signal as a source of electrical energy.

29. A bathing unit system comprising:

a) a set of electrically powered components forming part of the bathing unit system, said set of electrically powered components including at least a pump and a heater;

b) a controller housing holding a programmable controller for operating the one or more electrically powered components of the bathing unit system, said controller housing protecting said programmable controller from external elements and components of said set of electrically powered components being connected to respective ports of said controller housing to receive electrical power therefrom, said programmable controller comprising;

i) a memory module having stored thereon firmware including instructions for controlling operations of the one or more electrically powered components, said memory module including a memory component on which at least a portion of the firmware is stored, the memory component of the memory module being configured to be responsive to a signal carrying firmware update information received over a short range radio frequency (RF) wireless communication link from a device external to the bathing unit system for;

(1) drawing energy from the signal carrying firmware update information to activate the memory component; and

(2) causing a firmware update process to be performed to modify the instructions of the firmware based on the update information carried by the signal, at least part of said firmware update process being performed while the memory component remains activated at least in part using energy drawn from said signal as a source of electrical energy;

ii) a processing unit in communication with said memory module, said processing unit being programmed for operating the one or more electrically powered components including the pump and the heater at least in part in accordance with the instructions of the firmware.

30. The bathing unit system as defined in claim 29, wherein the firmware update information conveys an access code and:

a) wherein the instructions stored on said memory module implement a set of configurations including at least a first configuration and a second configuration, the access code being associated with a specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration; and

b) wherein the processing unit is programmed for operating the bathing unit system in accordance with the specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration associated with the access code.

31. The bathing unit system as defined in claim 30, wherein:

a) the firmware update process includes storing the firmware update information carried by the signal on the memory component of the memory module; and

b) wherein the processing unit of the programmable controller is programmed for;

i) selecting the specific configuration from the set of configurations implemented by the program code stored in the memory module at least in part by processing the firmware update information stored on the memory component of the memory module; and

ii) operating the one of more electrically powered components of the bathing unit system in accordance with the selected specific configuration implemented by the program code stored in the memory module of the programmable controller.

32. The bathing unit system as defined in claim 29, wherein:

a) said instructions for controlling operations of the bathing unit system include program code implementing a set of configurations including at least a first configuration and a second configuration, and wherein the memory module stores said program code; and

b) wherein the firmware update information carried by the signal received from the device external to the system is associated with a specific one of the first configuration and the second configuration.