Assigning Scenarios to Command Buttons

• US 20110208359A1
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Somfy Sas (Somfy SA)
• Original Assignee: Somfy Sas (Somfy SA)
• Inventors: LaGarde, Eric, Mugnier, Mickaël, Duchene, Isabelle
• Application Number:
  US13/035,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20110208359A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/21 Programming remote control devices via third means
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/33 Remote control using macros, scripts
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/61 Password, biometric
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A method of controlling an installation formed by a plurality of home automation equipment items linked to a building, and handling therein, depending on the type of home automation equipment item, thermal and visual comfort functions, such as heating and air conditioning, natural ventilation, lighting, solar protection functions, and/or security functions, such as closure and/or alarm functions, the home automation equipment items communicating over one and the same home automation network. A programmable remote control implementing the control method.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an installation formed by a plurality of home automation equipment items linked to a building, and handling therein, depending on the type of home automation equipment item, thermal and visual comfort functions, such as heating and air conditioning, natural ventilation, lighting, solar protection functions, and/or security functions, such as closure and/or alarm functions, the home automation equipment items communicating over one and the same home automation network, wherein it comprises:

a step for connecting, to a programming tool, a programmable remote control provided with a means of communication with the home automation network and provided with a command interface comprising only one or more mechanical keys, including at least one scenario execution key,

an installation discovery step, in which identifiers of the home automation equipment items of the installation are supplied to the programming tool,

a step for defining, in the programming tool, a control scenario involving a number of home automation equipment items, called scenario equipment items,

a step for assigning the control scenario to a scenario execution key,

a step for the standalone use of the programmable remote control, in which control commands defined in the control scenario are sent, from the programmable remote control to the scenario equipment items, following a press on the scenario execution key

and in that, in the step for standalone use of the programmable remote control, commands to stop execution of the control scenario are sent, from the programmable remote control to the home automation equipment items of the scenario, in the event of a stop press on a mechanical key taking place during a scenario execution duration (T0).

2. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the discovery step, the programming tool uses the communication means of the programmable remote control to send a discovery request and to receive the identifiers of the home automation equipment items supplied by the home automation equipment items of the installation.

3. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the programmable remote control has a specific key, dedicated to the sending of stop commands, the stop press on this key causes stop commands to be sent, including after the scenario execution duration.

4. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scenario execution stop commands are stop commands when they relate to a movement actuator of a home automation equipment item, and are state change commands when they relate to a lighting actuator of a home automation equipment item.

5. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scenario execution stop commands are adapted according to the time (T1) separating an execution start and a stop press and/or according to the duration (T2) of the stop press.

6. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step for defining the control scenario comprises:

the display, on a graphical user interface of the programming tool, of equipment and/or equipment group icons, each equipment icon being representative of one of the home automation equipment items for which the programming tool has received the identifiers and each equipment group icon being representative of a predefined group of home automation equipment items of the same type for which the programming tool has received the identifiers,

the selection of a control command,

the selection of an equipment icon, or of several equipment icons, or of an equipment group icon,

the formation of a control instruction comprising both the control command and the identifier of the home automation equipment item associated with the equipment icon or the identifiers of the home automation equipment items associated with the equipment or equipment group icons,

the storage of the control instruction in a list of control instructions involving several equipment items and constituting the control scenario.

7. The control method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the scenario definition step also includes the display, on the graphical user interface, of a scenario icon assigned to the list of instructions constituting the scenario.

8. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step for assigning the control scenario to one of the scenario execution keys comprises:

the transfer, from the programming tool to the programmable remote control, of the control scenario, and

the storage of the control scenario in a scenario memory of the programmable remote control,

this transfer also including an identifier of the scenario execution key and this storage using the identifier of the scenario execution key to address the scenario memory, when the programmable remote control has more than one scenario execution key.

9. The control method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the transfer of the control scenario is preceded by a virtual assignment of the control scenario to the scenario execution key, comprising:

the display of a representation of the scenario execution keys on the graphical interface, in addition to the scenario icon, a graphical interface software button corresponding to each representation of a scenario execution key,

a common selection of the scenario icon and of a software button.

10. The control method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a step for connecting to a programming tool includes the transfer of a control scenario from the programmable remote control to the programming tool when a programmable remote control has already undergone a step for assigning the control scenario to one of the scenario execution keys.

11. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein it includes a preliminary step for transferring an authentication key, common to all the home automation equipment items of the installation, from a remote control already present in the installation to the programmable remote control.

12. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the programmable remote control has at most two scenario execution keys.

13. A programmable remote control provided with a means of communication with a home automation network of an installation formed by a plurality of home automation equipment items linked to a building, and handling therein, depending on the type of home automation equipment item, thermal and visual comfort functions, such as heating and air conditioning, natural ventilation, lighting, solar protection functions and/or security functions, such as closure and/or alarm functions, said remote control implementing the method as claimed in claim 1 and being provided with:

means for connecting with a programming tool,

means for transmitting over the home automation network control commands originating from the programming tool,

means for storing a control scenario in a scenario memory, following receipt of the control scenario from the programming tool,

wherein it is provided with a control interface comprising only one or more mechanical keys including at least one scenario execution key, related to the scenario memory, and in that it comprises processing logic means able to provoke the sending over the home automation network of control commands contained in the scenario memory related to a scenario execution key in the event of a press on a scenario execution key and in that the processing logic means are, in addition, such that a press on a mechanical key provokes the sending over the home automation network of stop commands terminating the execution of the scenario, in the event of a stop press on a mechanical key taking place during a scenario execution duration (T0).

14. The programmable remote control as claimed in claim 13, wherein the stop commands terminating the execution of the scenario are movement stop commands addressed specifically to the movement actuators defined in the scenario or addressed to all the actuators known to the programmable remote control.

15. The programmable remote control as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processing logic means are, in addition, such that the stop commands terminating the execution of the scenario are state change commands when they are sent to lighting home automation equipment items.

16. The programmable remote control as claimed in claim 13, wherein the scenario execution stop commands are adapted according to the duration (T1) separating a start of execution and a stop press and/or according to the duration (T2) of the stop press.

17. The programmable remote control as claimed in claim 13, wherein it has at most two scenario execution keys.

18. The programmable remote control as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processing logic means are, in addition, such that a press on a scenario execution key provokes the sending over the home automation network of a specific command, as long as no control commands have been stored in the scenario memory.

19. The control method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transfer of the control scenario is preceded by a virtual assignment of the control scenario to the scenario execution key, comprising:

the display of a representation of the scenario execution keys on the graphical interface, in addition to the scenario icon, a graphical interface software button corresponding to each representation of a scenario execution key,

a common selection of the scenario icon and of a software button.