Programmable transmitter and receiver including digital radio frequency memory

• US 20040100391A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Guthrie, Warren E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,116,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.69
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/664 by radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control

Abstract

A vehicular programmable transceiver includes a digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) having at least one register configured to sample and hold a radio frequency input signal in response to a clock signal and to generate an output signal having a carrier frequency generated in response to the sampled and held input signal.

Claims

1. A vehicular programmable transceiver comprising:

a digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) having at least one register configured to sample and hold a radio frequency input signal in response to a clock signal, and to generate an output signal having a carrier frequency generated in response to the sampled and held input signal.

2. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein the transceiver is configured to sample and hold the input signal in response to at least one control signal during a programming operation.

3. The transceiver of claim 2 wherein the transceiver comprises an output circuit configured to generate the output signal in response to a carrier signal having the carrier frequency and an output control signal during a transmit operation.

4. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein the clock signal has an over-sampling frequency compared to the input signal.

5. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein the DRFM comprises circuitry which outputs a square wave signal having a fundamental frequency substantially the same as a radio frequency input signal carrier frequency.

6. The transceiver of claim 5 wherein the DRFM stores at least one binary sequence representing the square wave signal.

7. The transceiver of claim 6 wherein the output signal is based on a combination of a plurality of binary sequences stored in the DRFM.

8. The transceiver of claim 3 wherein the DRFM comprises a plurality of registers connected in parallel and each register is connected to a combiner configured to present the carrier signal.

9. The transceiver of claim 3 wherein the transceiver further comprises a baseband recovery circuit configured to generate a baseband data signal in response to the input signal.

10. The transceiver of claim 9 wherein the transceiver further comprises a controller configured to generate the at least one control signal in response to at least one user interface signal.

11. The transceiver of claim 9 comprising a controller configured to generate the output control signal in response to the baseband data signal.

12. The transceiver of claim 10 wherein the transceiver further comprises an interface circuit configured to present the at least one user interface signal.

13. The transceiver of claim 11 wherein the controller generates an intermediate control signal that corresponds to an inverse of the duty cycle of the baseband data signal and generates the output control signal in response to the intermediate control signal.

14. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein the output signal is filtered to adjust output power based on spectral characteristics of the output signal.

15. For use in a home appliance remote control, a programmable transceiver comprising:

a digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) configured to hold samples of an input signal during a programming operation, and to generate an output signal having a carrier during a transmit operation, wherein the carrier is shifted out of the DRFM in response to a clock signal.

16. The transceiver of claim 15 wherein the transceiver is configured to generate the output signal in response to the carrier and an output control signal.

17. The transceiver of claim 15 wherein the clock signal has an over-sampling frequency compared to the input signal.

18. The transceiver of claim 16 wherein the DRFM comprises a plurality of registers connected in parallel and each register is connected to a combiner configured to present the carrier.

19. The transceiver of claim 16 wherein the transceiver comprises a baseband recovery circuit configured to generate a baseband data signal in response to the input signal and an output circuit configured to generate the output control signal in response to the baseband data signal.

20. For use in a programmable transceiver, a method for generating an output signal, the method comprising:

sampling a radio frequency input signal received from a remote control transmitter;

holding the sampled signal in at least one buffer;

shifting from the buffer a carrier signal; and

controlling an amplitude of the carrier signal to generate the transceiver output signal.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein on-off keyed signaling is generated by turning on and off the shifting from the buffer.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein sampling comprises over-sampling compared to a frequency of the input signal.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the buffer comprises a plurality of registers connected in parallel and each register is connected to a combiner configured to generate the carrier signal.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the method comprises generating a baseband data signal in response to the input signal, generating an output control signal in response to the baseband data signal, and controlling an amplitude of the carrier signal with the output control signal.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the method comprises controlling the amplitude the carrier signal in response to an inverse of a duty cycle of the input signal.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein the method comprises determining an output power level of the output signal by filtering the output signal.

27. A method of remotely controlling a garage door opener that is remotely controlled by an existing transmitter, the existing transmitter transmitting a signal comprising a carrier modulated by a code, the method comprising:

receiving the signal;

detecting the code;

sampling the signal at a time determined by the detected code;

storing the sampled signal;

receiving a request to remotely control the garage door opener;

generating a carrier approximation by playing the stored sampled signal;

controlling an amplitude of the carrier approximation; and

transmitting the generated carrier approximation.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising storing the detected code.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the carrier amplitude is controlled based on the stored detected code.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein storing the sampled signal comprises storing the sampled signal in at least one shift register.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein generating a carrier approximation comprises shifting data out of the at least one shift register.

32. A programmable remote garage door opener comprising:

a receiver for receiving a received signal comprising a received carrier modulated with a received code;

a detector for detecting the received code in the received signal;

a transmitter for transmitting an output signal;

at least one register for holding a plurality of samples of the received signal; and

control logic operative to

(a) determine when the received code is detected,

(b) signal the at least one register to sample and store the received signal based on detecting the received code,

(c) receive a request to transmit a remote control command,

(d) signal the at least one register to present the stored signal to the transmitter, and

(e) signal the transmitter to control an amplitude of the stored signal presented by the at least one register thereby generating the output signal.

33. A programmable remote garage door opener as in claim 32 wherein the control logic is further operative to store the detected received code.

34. A programmable remote garage door opener as in claim 33 wherein the control logic signals the transmitter based on the stored code.

35. A programmable remote garage door opener as in claim 32 wherein the generated signal operates a garage door opener.

36. A programmable remote garage door opener as in claim 32 wherein the generated signal operates at least one light.

37. A programmable remote garage door opener as in claim 32 wherein the generated signal operates at least one appliance.