User-assisted programmable appliance control

• US 20050026602A1
• Filed: 09/11/2003
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Rudnick, Kenan R., Chuey, Mark D., Harwood, Jody K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,050,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• 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: G08C 2201/31 Voice input
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/62 Rolling code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1016 Telecontrol
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00

Abstract

A universal remote control interacts with a user to assist in training to one or more appliances. If the appliance is activated by a rolling code activation signal, a sequence of different rolling code activation signals is transmitted until the user indicates a successful rolling code transmission. If the appliance is activated by a fixed code activation signal, a fixed code word is used to generate and transmit each of a sequence of different fixed code activation signals until the user indicates a successful fixed code transmission. In response to an activation input, an activation signal is generated and transmitted based on data stored following user indication of a successful transmission.

Claims

1-30. -30. (cancelled).

31. A programmable control for an appliance, the appliance responding to one of a plurality of transmission schemes, the programmable control comprising:

a transmitter operative to transmit a radio frequency activation signal based on any of the plurality of transmission schemes;

a user programming input; and

control logic in communication with the transmitter and the user programming input, the control logic implementing a rolling code programming mode, a fixed code programming mode and an operating mode, the control logic in rolling code programming mode generating and transmitting a sequence of rolling code activation signals until user input indicates a successful rolling code transmission scheme, the control logic in fixed code programming mode receiving a fixed code from the user programming input then generating and transmitting a sequence of fixed code activation signals until user input indicates a successful fixed code transmission scheme, the control logic pausing for a preset amount of time between the transmission of each activation signal in at least one of the sequence of rolling code activation signals and the sequence of fixed code activation signals, the preset amount of time sufficiently long to permit the user to respond and, if the user has not responded by the end of the preset amount of time, the control unit transmitting the next activation signal in the transmitted sequence of activations signals.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the user responds by selecting one of a plurality of activation inputs.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the control unit stores characteristics of the last transmitted activation signal in association with the selected one of the plurality of activation inputs.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the control logic in the operating mode determines which one of the plurality of activation inputs has been asserted and transmits an activation signal based on the stored characteristics associated with the asserted activation input.

35. A method of activating an appliance, the appliance controlled by a radio frequency activation signal, the method comprising:

if a user indicates that the appliance is activated by a rolling code activation signal, transmitting a sequence of different rolling code activation signals, each rolling code activation signal in the sequence of rolling code activation signals separated from a next rolling code activation signal in the sequence of rolling code activation signals by a preset amount of time, the sequence of rolling code activation signals transmitted until the user indicates a successful rolling code transmission, then storing data representing a rolling code scheme used to generate the successful rolling code transmission;

if the user indicates that the appliance is activated by a fixed code activation signal, using a fixed code word to generate and transmit each of a sequence of different fixed code activation signals, each fixed code activation signal in the sequence of activation signals separated from a next fixed code activation signal in the sequence of fixed code activation signals by the preset amount of time, the sequence of fixed code activation signals transmitted until the user indicates a successful fixed code transmission, then storing data representing the fixed code word and a fixed code scheme used to generate the successful fixed code transmission; and

in response to an activation input, generating and transmitting an activation signal based on stored data.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the activation input is one of a plurality of activation inputs, the user associating data representing one of either the rolling code scheme used to generate the successful rolling code transmission or the fixed code scheme used to generate the successful fixed code transmission associated with one of the plurality of activation inputs.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein the activation input is one of a plurality of activation inputs, the user associating data representing the rolling code scheme used to generate the successful rolling code transmission with one of the plurality of activation inputs by indicating the successful rolling code transmission.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein the activation input is one of a plurality of activation inputs, the user associating data representing the fixed code word and the fixed code scheme used to generate the successful fixed code transmission with one of the plurality of activation inputs by indicating the successful fixed code transmission.

39. A method of programming a programmable remote control, the remote control programmable to one of a plurality of appliance activation schemes, the method comprising:

receiving user type input specifying activation signal type;

if the user type input specifies variable code type, transmitting variable code activation signals spaced apart by a preset amount of time until receiving user success input indicating a target appliance has been activated;

if the user type input specifies fixed code type, receiving user fixed code input providing a fixed code and transmitting fixed code activation signals spaced apart by the preset amount of time until receiving user success input indicating the target appliance has been activated; and

storing information specifying an activation signal for activating the target appliance based on the received user success input;

wherein the preset amount of time is sufficiently long enough to permit a user to generate the user success input.

40. The method of claim 39 further comprising associating the stored information with one of the plurality of activation inputs.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the one of the plurality of activation inputs is determined by the received user success input.

42. A system for wirelessly activating an appliance, the appliance responding to one of a plurality of transmission schemes, the system comprising:

a radio frequency transmitter;

memory holding data describing the plurality of transmission schemes; and

control logic in communication with the transmitter and the memory, the control logic operative to

(a) store a fixed code,

(b) if a fixed code is stored, transmit a sequence of fixed code activation signals, based on the fixed code and data held in the memory, until input indicating activation of the appliance is received, each transmission of a fixed code activation signal in the sequence of fixed code activation signals followed by a fixed code sequence time period without transmission long enough to permit a user to enter the input indicating activation of the appliance,

(c) if no fixed code is stored, transmit a sequence of rolling code activation signals, based on data held in the memory, until input indicating activation of the appliance is received, each transmission of a rolling code activation signal in the sequence of rolling code activation signals followed by a rolling code time period without transmission long enough to permit the user to enter the input indicating activation of the appliance,

(d) store an indication as to which activation scheme activated the appliance based on the received input indicating activation of the appliance, and

(e) generate an activation signal based on the stored indication and a received activation input.

43. A method of programming a programmable remote control, the remote control programmable to one of a plurality of appliance activation schemes, the method comprising:

transmitting a test activation signal based on one of the plurality of appliance activation schemes;

if user input indicating appliance activation is received during a preset amount of time following transmission of the test activation signal, storing characteristics of the activation scheme used to transmit the test activation signal;

otherwise, transmitting a different activation signal as the test activation signal based on another of the plurality of appliance activation schemes if any of the activation schemes in the plurality of activation signals has not been used to transmit an activation signal.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the user input is one of a plurality of activation inputs.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the characteristics of the activation scheme used to transmit the test activation signal are stored in association with the one activation input.