Home automation system

• US 20040138768A1
• Filed: 10/30/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Murray, Christopher, Sorice, Cory, Martin, Carolyn M., Raskin, James R., Frederick, William H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,092,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 25/00 Models for purposes not provided for in G09B23/00, e.g. full-sized devices for demonstration purposes model vehicles, tracks therefor, models in the nature of toys A63H

Abstract

An improved home automation system that permits the user of the system to remotely control the operation of various devices including garage doors and powered entry gates. The system is packaged in a manner that “walks” the user through the initialization process to thereby reduce or eliminate errors associated with the initialization and set-up of the system. Furthermore, the configuration permits the user to initialize the system without the use of tools, such as screwdrivers. The system is configured with improved functionality that permits the user to readily control individual devices and/or selected groups of devices with a powerful hand-held universal remote transmitter.

Claims

1. A home automation system comprising:

a plurality of remotely controlled switches, each of the remotely controlled switches being settable to a selected device address;

a messenger hub that is configured to transmit messages through an electrical power line for controlling the remotely controlled switches; and

a hand-held remote transmitter for selectively transmitting commands to the messenger hub and one or more home electronic devices through electromagnetic wave signals, the messenger hub being responsive to a corresponding portion of the commands to activate one or more of the remotely controlled switches, the home electronic devices being responsive to another corresponding portion of the commands to selectively operate the home electronic devices, the hand-held remote transmitter including;

a first switch having a plurality of zones, each of the zones being associated with a set of device addresses, the first switch being selectively positionable into a desired zone, the set of device addresses including one or more of the device addresses to which the remotely controlled switches may be set;

at least one second switch, each second switch being associated with a single device address in the set of device addresses in response to the positioning of the first switch into a desired zone such that operation of one of the second switches causes the hand-held remote transmitter to generate a command that causes the messenger hub to generate a message to activate any remotely controlled switch that has been set to a device address corresponding to the single device address;

a plurality of mode selector buttons each corresponding to an associated one of the home electronic devices; and

a plurality of feature control buttons, wherein operation of one of the mode selector button associates at least a portion of the feature control buttons with a given one of the home electronic devices to thereby permit a user to operate the given home electronic device.

2. The home automation system of claim 1, wherein changing the first switch to another desired zone associates each second switch with a different set of device address.

3. The home automation system of claim 1, wherein the first switch is a rotary switch.

4. The home automation system of claim 1, wherein a maximum quantity of device addresses that may be included in the set of device addresses is equal to a quantity of the second switches.

5. The home automation system of claim 1, wherein the set of device addresses associated with the desired zone includes only one device address and each of the second switches is associated with the only one device address.

6. The home automation system of claim 1, wherein the hand-held remote transmitter further comprises a zone switch, the zone switch being associated with each of the device addresses in the set of device addresses such that operation of the zone switch causes the hand-held remote transmitter to generate a command that causes the messenger hub to generate at least one message to activate any remotely controlled switch that has been set to a device address corresponding to one of the device addresses in the set of device addresses.

7. The home automation system of claim 1, wherein the home electronic devices include at least one of a television, a stereo, a video cassette recorder, a video cassette player, a digital video disc player, a digital video disc recorder, a satellite television controller, a cable television controller, digital recorder and playback devices, a phonograph, and a pre-recorded audio/video playback device.

8. The home automation system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of mode selector buttons corresponds to at least one of the home electronic devices.

9. The home automation system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of feature control buttons selectively control a plurality of controllable features associated with each of the home electronic devices.

10. The home automation system of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of remotely controlled switches is configured to connect to a garage door controller device, such that the hand-held remote transmitter is operable to open and close a garage door.

11. The home automation system of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of remotely controlled switches is configured to connect to a gate door controller device, such that the hand-held remote transmitter is operable to open and close a gate door.

12. A home automation system comprising:

a messenger hub having a power input portion and a controller, the power input portion of the messenger hub including a pair of terminals that are adapted for coupling to an electrical power line, the controller of the messenger hub being configured to selectively generate an electronic message that is transmitted through the electrical power line; and

a remotely controlled outdoor switch having a power input portion, a power output portion, a controller and a sealed housing, the power input portion of the remotely controlled outdoor switch including a pair of terminals that are adapted for coupling to an electrical power line and receiving the electronic message, the controller of the remotely controlled outdoor switch being coupled to the power input portion of the remotely controlled outdoor switch and configured to selectively enable or disable transmission of electrical power between the power input portion of the remotely controlled switch and the power output portion in response to the electronic message, wherein the controller address and device address of the outdoor switch are programmed by the electronic message.

13. The home automation system of claim 12, wherein the housing is unitarily formed.

14. The home automation system of claim 12, wherein the housing includes an overmold that forms a seal about an exterior surface of the housing.

15. The home automation system of claim 12, wherein the power input portion includes a length of electrical cord that space the pair of terminals apart from the housing.

16. The home automation system of claim 12, wherein the power output portion includes a length of electrical cord that space a pair of female thermals apart from the housing.