Protocol translation with delay

• US 10,673,989 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2019
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Blankenburg, Garrett, Duggan, Michael, Hernandez, Andres
• Primary Examiner(s): Cors, Nathan M
• Application Number:
  US16/252,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20190158633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/90 Additional features
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1141 One-way transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• 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

This document relates to protocol translation for remote control of various devices. One example is a technique that includes identifying a controlled device that has a controlled device communication protocol for controlling the controlled device. The technique also includes obtaining translation data that conveys translations of commands from another protocol into the controlled device protocol. The technique also includes configuring a delay for transmitting the translated commands, and performing translation between the another protocol and the controlled device protocol using the translation data and the configured delay.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a receiver;

a transmitter;

processing resources; and

memory or storage resources storing instructions which, when executed by the processing resources, cause the processing resources to;

receive, via the receiver, a first infrared signal that conveys a first packet encoding a command in a first protocol;

translate the first packet into a second packet that conveys the command in a second protocol;

initiate a timer; and

responsive to expiration of the timer, cause the transmitter to transmit the second packet via a second infrared signal that is at least 10 times stronger than the first infrared signal.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the second infrared signal is at least 0.5 watts.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the second infrared signal is approximately 0.5 watts.

4. The computing device of claim 3, the transmitter being pointed at a downward angle relative to a horizontal plane defined by a top or bottom surface of the computing device.

5. A method comprising:

identifying a controlled device, the controlled device having a controlled device protocol for controlling the controlled device;

obtaining translation data for the controlled device, the translation data conveying translations from another protocol into the controlled device protocol;

performing translation processing of a first command in the another protocol to a second command in the controlled device protocol;

determining a duration of the translation processing;

configuring a delay period based at least on a duration of the translation processing from the another protocol to the controlled device protocol; and

delaying for the delay period before transmitting the second command to the controlled device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining resource utilization of one or more hardware resources used to perform the translation processing; and

determining the duration of the translation processing based at least on the resource utilization of the one or more hardware resources.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

accessing a model that maps resource utilization to translation processing durations; and

determining the duration of the translation processing based at least on the model.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating the model.

9. The method of claim 6, the resource utilization comprising one or more of core utilization or memory utilization.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

configuring the delay period based at least on a specific constraint associated with the controlled device.

11. The method of claim 10, the specific constraint relating to a recovery period for the controlled device.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the translation processing is performed by a processor and the delaying is performed by a microcontroller.

13. A computing device comprising:

a receiver;

a transmitter;

processing resources; and

memory or storage resources storing instructions which, when executed by the processing resources, cause the processing resources to;

receive, via the receiver, a first signal that conveys a first packet encoding a command in a first protocol;

identify a controlled device to control via the command, the controlled device having an associated recovery time after receiving malformed communications;

translate the first packet into a second packet that conveys the command in a second protocol used by the controlled device;

determine a specified delay period for the controlled device, the specified delay period being based at least on the associated recovery time for the controlled device;

delay for the specified delay period; and

after the specified delay period, cause the transmitter to transmit the second packet via a second signal.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing resources, cause the processing resources to:

determine another specified delay period for another controlled device, the another specified delay period being based at least on another associated recovery time for the another controlled device; and

delay for the another specified delay period before causing the transmitter to transmit other translated packets to the another controlled device.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the specified delay period is at least 50 milliseconds longer than the another specified delay period.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the processing resources include a processing unit and a microcontroller.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein:

the processing unit is configured to translate the first packet into the second packet, determine the specified delay period, and provide the second packet and the specified delay period to the microcontroller, and

the microcontroller is configured to control the receiver and the transmitter, and delay for the specified delay period received from the processing unit before controlling the transmitter to transmit the second packet.

18. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the command comprises an instruction to adjust at least one of a volume, a brightness, a color, a contrast, or a channel of the controlled device.

19. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the receiver is an infrared receiver, the transmitter is an infrared transmitter, and the first and second signals are infrared signals.

20. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the receiver is a radio-frequency receiver, the transmitter is a radio-frequency transmitter, and the first and second signals are radio-frequency signals.