Interference resistant repeater systems including controller units

• US 20050053378A1
• Filed: 09/05/2003
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Core Brands, LLC (Melrose Industries Plc)
• Original Assignee: SpeakerCraft Incorporated (Melrose Industries Plc)
• Inventors: Leggett, Ernest J., Stanchfield, Todd M., Mangler, Edward A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,266,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/115
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission

Abstract

A repeater unit is provided that includes a receiver module and a controller unit. The receiver module is responsive to an infrared signal. The controller unit is adapted to determine whether a signal based on the infrared signal corresponds to a remote control signal.

Claims

1. A repeater unit, comprising:

at least one receiver module responsive to an infrared signal; and

a controller unit adapted to determine whether a signal based on the infrared signal corresponds to a remote control signal.

2. The repeater unit of claim 1, wherein the infrared signal comprises at least one of a noise input and the remote control signal.

3. The repeater unit of claim 2, wherein the controller unit is adapted to distinguish between the noise input and the remote control signal.

4. The repeater unit of claim 3, wherein the controller unit generates an output signal that corresponds to the remote control signal if the controller unit determines that the signal based on the infrared signal corresponds to the remote control signal.

5. The repeater unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one receiver module comprises a first receiver module, tuned to a first carrier frequency, that receives the infrared signal and is configured to generate a first signal based on the infrared signal, and further comprising:

a second receiver module, tuned to a second carrier frequency, that receives the infrared signal and is configured to generate a second signal based on the infrared input signal.

6. The repeater unit of claim 5, wherein the infrared signal comprises at least one of a noise input and the remote control signal.

7. The repeater unit of claim 6, wherein the controller unit is adapted to distinguish between the noise input and the remote control signal.

8. The repeater unit of claim 7, wherein the controller unit generates an output signal that corresponds to the remote control signal if the controller unit determines that at least a portion of the first signal or the second signal corresponds to the remote control signal.

9. An infrared repeater unit of claim 1, wherein the controller unit determines that the signal based on the infrared signal corresponds to the remote control signal by measuring a pulse width of the signal based on the infrared signal, and

determining if the pulse width of the signal based on the infrared signal is greater or less than a predetermined duration that corresponds to a duration of a pulse width of a carrier of one of the remote control signals.

10. The repeater unit of claim 8, wherein the output signal generated by the controller unit comprises at least one of a remote control signal having the first carrier frequency and a remote control signal having the second carrier frequency.

11. The repeater unit of claim 10, wherein the output signal is based on the remote control signal having the first carrier frequency and the remote control signal having the second carrier frequency.

12. The repeater unit of claim 11, wherein the output signal comprises the result of a logical OR operation performed on the remote control signal having the first carrier frequency and the remote control signal having the second carrier frequency.

13. The repeater unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one receiver module comprises a wideband receiver module adapted to generate the signal based on the infrared signal.

14. The repeater unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one receiver module comprises a narrowband receiver module configured to generate a signal that corresponds to a portion of the infrared signal.

15. The repeater unit of claim 5, wherein the first and second receiver modules comprise wideband receiver modules configured to generate signals based on the infrared signal.

16. The repeater unit of claim 5, wherein the first and second receiver modules comprise narrowband receiver modules that are configured to generate a first signal and a second signal that correspond to a portion of the infrared signal.

17. The repeater unit of claim 5, wherein the controller unit:

determines if the first signal based on the infrared signal is a valid remote control signal by determining if the first signal corresponds to one of the remote control signals, or

determines if the second signal based on the infrared signal is a valid remote control signal by determining if the second signal corresponds to one of the remote control signals; and

generates a signal that corresponds to one of the remote control signals, if the controller unit determines that either the first signal or the second signal is a valid remote control signal, by adding either a fixed carrier frequency, or a multi frequency signal to either the first signal or the second signal.

18. The repeater unit of claim 17, wherein the controller unit determines if the first signal corresponds to one of the remote control signals by measuring a pulse width of the first signal, and determining if the pulse width of the first signal is greater or less than a predetermined duration that corresponds to a duration of a carrier of one of the remote control signals.

19. The repeater unit of claim 18, wherein the controller determines that the second signal corresponds to one of the remote control signals by measuring a pulse width of the second signal, and determining if the pulse width of the second signal is greater or less than a predetermined duration that corresponds to a duration of a carrier of one of the remote control signals.

20. The repeater unit of claim 19, wherein the controller unit determines that either the first signal or the second signal corresponds to one of the remote control signals, even though the pulse width of the first output signal or the second signal is less than the predetermined duration, if the first signal and the second signal are simultaneously active.

21. The repeater unit of claim 4, further comprising:

an amplifier that amplifies the output signal generated by the controller unit.

22. The repeater unit of claim 1, wherein the infrared signal is from a control device.

23. The repeater unit of claim 22, wherein the control device is a remote control device.

24. The repeater unit of claim 5, wherein the first carrier frequency is centered about 38 kHz.

25. The repeater unit of claim 24, wherein the second carrier frequency is centered about 56 kHz.

26. The repeater unit of claim 5, further comprising:

a third receiver module, tuned to a third carrier frequency, that receives the infrared signal and is configured to generate a third signal based on the infrared input signal.

27. The repeater unit of claim 26, wherein the third carrier frequency is centered about 455 kHz.

28. An infrared repeater unit comprising a controller unit.

29. An infrared repeater system, comprising:

a remote control device that generates a remote control signal;

a repeater unit, comprising;

at least one receiver module responsive to an infrared signal, wherein the infrared signal comprises at least one of a noise input and the remote control signal,

a controller unit adapted to determine whether a signal based on the infrared signal corresponds to the remote control signal, wherein the controller unit generates an output signal that corresponds to the remote control signal if the controller unit determines that the signal based on the infrared signal corresponds to the remote control signal, and

an amplifier that amplifies the output signal generated by the controller unit; and

at least one component responsive to the amplified output signal from the amplifier.