Method of setting the output power of a pager to aid in the installation of a wireless system

• US 20050215237A1
• Filed: 03/24/2004
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Archacki, Raymond J. Jr., Smyth, Michael S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,167,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of setting up a remotely controlled wireless thermostat system for regulating heating and cooling a building. A radio equipped pager is connected to the programmable controller of the thermostat and a self test is conducted to determine if the system can successfully communicate with the service providers network at a first low power pager output. If not, the power output of the pager is incrementally increased within an acceptable output power range until such time that successful communication is established with the network. This power setting is placed in memory for use thereafter in communicating with the network.

Claims

1. A method of setting up a remotely controlled wireless thermostat system that includes the steps of:

providing a radio equipped pager for transmitting and receiving messages;

connecting the pager to a programmable controller of a remotely controllable thermostat system, said controller containing an algorithm for adjusting the power output of the pager;

transmitting a message from the pager to a local service provider network at an initial low power setting;

determining if the message has been successfully transmitted and if not, increasing the power output of the pager to a next high increment; and

retransmitting said message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said algorithm is arranged to incrementally adjust the power output of the pager within a given power range.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein each increment some percentage of the power range.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said power range is between 1 and 2 watts.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the power is incrementally increased from the lowest power increment until such time as a message is successfully transmitted to the network.

6. The method of claim 1 that includes the further step of preventing the power output of the pager from being further incremented once it is determined that a message has been successfully transmitted.

7. The method of claim 6 that includes the further step of locking the power setting at which a message is successfully transmitted in memory and thereafter operating the pager at the store power setting.

8. A method of setting up a remotely controlled wireless thermostat having a programmable controller for connecting the thermostat to a radio pager for transmitting and receiving messages from a local service provider network, the method including:

providing a coverage verification unit for transmitting and receiving messages from the wireless network within the power output range of the pager;

transmitting a message from the thermostat site to a local wireless network at the lowest power output of said range;

determining if the message has been successfully transmitted and if not, increasing the power output of the unit by an increment within said range; and

retransmitting the message.

9. The method of claim 8 of incrementally increasing the output power of the unit within said range until such time as a message is successfully transmitted to the network;

and

programming the system controller to transmit messages to the network at the increment power output setting at which a message was first successfully transmitted to the network.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said incremental power output setting is manually programmed into the system controller and locked in memory whereby further increased in the power output are prevented.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the message transmitted to the network by the unit demands a response back from the network.