Radio Receiver and Transmitter Apparatus for Radio-Controlled Automation Systems for Opening/Closure

• US 20090251280A1
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nice S.p.A. (Nice Group SpA)
• Original Assignee: Nice S.p.A. (Nice Group SpA)
• Inventors: Fregonese, Stefano, Campagnaro, Paolo, Bortolan, Bruno, Marchetto, Oscar
• Granted Patent: US 8,228,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.700
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/62 Rolling code

Abstract

An apparatus for radio-controlled automation systems for opening/closing curtains, entrance doors, rolling shutters, gates, barriers, electrical switches or the like, comprising a radio receiver which is coupled to an electric motor or to an electrical switch and comprising at least one radio transmitter for the remote actuation. The radio receiver comprises means for actuating the electric motor or the electrical switch on the basis of the content of an actuation radio signal which originates from the radio transmitter. The radio receiver comprises a memory storing a certificate which identifies the radio receiver and is adapted to provide an authorization for any operation at the radio receiver. The actuation means comprise stored instructions to perform the operation if the actuation signal comprises, in encoded form, the certificate in addition to a recognition code of the radio transmitter and a control code which corresponds to the operation to be performed.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. An apparatus for radio-controlled automation systems for opening/closing curtains, entrance doors, rolling shutters, gates, barriers, electrical switches or the like, comprising a radio receiver which is coupled to an electric motor or to an electrical switch for operating said opening/closure and comprising at least one radio transmitter for the remote actuation of said opening/closure, the radio receiver comprising actuation means for actuating said electric motor or said electrical switch on the basis of the content of an actuation radio signal which originates from said at least one radio transmitter, wherein said radio receiver comprises a nonvolatile memory which stores a certificate which identifies the radio receiver and is adapted to provide an authorization to perform any operation at said radio receiver, said actuation means comprising stored instructions to perform said operation if the actuation signal that originates from said at least one radio transmitter or from an external programming unit comprises, in encoded form, said certificate in addition to the identifying recognition code of the radio transmitter and a control code which corresponds to the operation to be performed.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said actuation means further contain stored instructions to perform the operation associated with the control code even if said actuation signal does not contain said certificate but contains the recognition code of said radio transmitter or of said external programming unit already stored in the nonvolatile memory of the radio receiver.

26. The apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising a programming unit which is external to said radio receiver and said radio transmitter, said programming unit comprising a radio transceiver which is adapted to communicate with said radio receiver and/or with said at least one radio transmitter and comprising an input device for receiving update commands on the part of the user, said programming unit being adapted to transmit said update commands by means of said transceiver, said radio receiver and/or said radio transmitter being adapted to modify the content of the respective memory on the basis of the content of said update commands sent and transmitted by radio by said programming unit.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said update commands comprise said certificate and/or recognition codes of radio transmitters.

28. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the actuation means of the radio receiver further comprise stored instructions for storing said recognition code in the memory of the radio receiver if it has not already been stored previously.

29. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said control encoded within said control code consists of any operation chosen among the actuation of the electric motor or of the electric switch or the updating of the content of the memory of the radio receiver.

30. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said radio receiver comprises a low-power radio transmitter section which is connected to said actuation means, said actuation means further comprising stored instructions to receive a request for transmission of the stored recognition codes, said request being encoded within said control code, and for radio transmission, in reply, of the content of said nonvolatile memory by means of said radio transmitter section.

31. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said certificate is a code which can be read by a user and is written or printed on a removable label or tag which is present on the radio receiver and/or on the radio transmitter.

32. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said actuation signal is encrypted.

33. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said certificate comprises completely or partially the recognition code of the radio transmitter.

34. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the certificate is a code which can be entered in the memory of each device by means of a button of the device.

35. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said memory of the radio receiver comprises a plurality of certificates in association with respective users, said memory further comprising at least one stored instruction which is uniquely associated with each certificate of said plurality of certificates, said radio receiver being adapted to perform the operation associated with said instruction if said recognition signal comprises the certificate associated with said instruction.

36. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said certificate is uniquely associated with a group which contains a plurality of actuation means and/or a plurality of radio receivers, so that an actuation signal which contains said certificate is adapted to control only the actuation means and/or the radio receivers that belong to the group with which said certificate is associated.

37. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein said radio receiver comprises a stored plurality of certificates associated with respective groups of actuation means and/or radio receivers.

38. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said radio transmitter comprises a plurality of buttons, with each of which it is possible to associate a different certificate so that one or more presses of one of said plurality of buttons corresponds to the transmission of a respective certificate.

39. A radio receiver for the apparatus according to claim 24, comprising a receiver means for receiving an actuation radio signal and an actuation means for actuating, on the basis of the content of the actuation radio signal, an electric motor or an electrical switch which can be connected to said actuation means, wherein said radio receiver comprises a nonvolatile memory which stores an identification certificate of the radio receiver which is adapted to provide an authorization to perform an operation at said radio receiver, said actuation means comprising stored instructions to perform said operation if the actuation signal comprises, in encoded form, said certificate in addition to a recognition code of the radio transmitter and a control code which corresponds to the operation to be performed.

40. The radio receiver according to claim 39, wherein that said actuation means further comprise stored instructions to perform the operation associated with the control code that is received even if said actuation signal does not contain said certificate but contains a recognition code of a radio transmitter which is already stored in said nonvolatile memory.

41. A radio transmitter for the apparatus according to claim 24, comprising a memory which stores the identifying recognition code of said radio transmitter and transmitter means which are connected to said memory in order to assemble and transmit, in reply to a manual command on the radio transmitter, an actuation radio signal which comprises at least said recognition code and the control code, wherein said radio transmitter comprises, stored in said memory, at least one identification certificate, which is adapted to provide an authorization to perform an operation on said remote radio receiver or on another radio transmitter, the transmission means being adapted to include said certificate in the actuation signal in addition to said recognition code and said control code.

42. The radio transmitter according to claim 41, wherein it further comprises a radio receiver section for receiving and storing the certificate transmitted by another radio transmitter and/or by an external programming unit.

43. The radio transmitter according to claim 41, wherein the transmitter means of said radio transmitter contain stored instructions to include said certificate in the actuation signal only a preset number of times.

44. The radio transmitter according to claim 41, wherein said certificate is associated uniquely with a single button of the device.

45. The radio transmitter according to claim 41, wherein said certificate can be stored in said transceiver only on the basis of a preset succession of presses of at least one button of said transceiver on the part of the user.

46. The radio transmitter according to claim 41, wherein said memory can contain, in addition to its own, the certificate of any one of the devices that compose the apparatus according to the invention.