Programmable remote control transmitter

• US 4,802,114 A
• Filed: 12/15/1986
• Issued: 01/31/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RCA Licensing Corporation
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Sogame, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Heckler, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US06/941,468
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 340/825.57, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 358/194.1, 455/603, 455/608
• US Class Current: 703/23
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31174 Load, use different protocols, formats, emulators for different systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code

Abstract

A programmable remote control transmitter receives, in a learning mode, remote control codes for remote-controlling various devices and remote-controls the devices according to the received remote control codes by emulating their respective transmitters. The transmitter includes a first repetition pattern discriminator for compressing the remote control codes into first compressed data representing the pulse burst component and the pulse off component a second repetition pattern discriminator for converting pairs of the first compressed data into second compressed data, and a memory for storing the second compressed data. The transmitter also includes circuitry for use in a remote control mode of operation for reconverting the stored compressed data back into codes suitable for transmission to a particular device to be controlled.

Claims

1. A programmable remote control transmitter having learning mode of operation for receiving remote control signals used for remote-controlling various electrical devices and having a remote control mode of operation for remote-controlling said electric devices according to the received remote control signals, comprising:

a detector for receiving, when said transmitter is in said learning mode of operation, said remote control signals from a given transmitter to be emulated, said remote control signals including a pulse burst component and a pulse off component;

a first repetition pattern discriminator for receiving electrical pulses corresponding to said remote control signals detected by said remote control signals into first compressed data comprising a first plurality of pulse burst codes and a second plurality of pulse off codes, wherein each pulse burst code defines a type of said pulse burst component and each pulse off code defines a type of said pulse off component and wherein a code pair comprises a pulse burst code and the pulse off code generated immediately thereafter;

a second repetition pattern discriminator for receiving said first compressed data from said first repetition pattern discriminator and further compressing said first compressed data to form second compressed data by examining said code pairs of said first compressed data for corresponding to predetermined patterns and converting said code pairs corresponding to said predetermined patterns to a third plurality of codes different from said first and second pluralities of codes, wherein a single code of said third plurality of codes represents said code pair of said second plurality of codes;

a memory for storing the second compressed data received from said second repetition pattern discriminator;

a third repetition pattern discriminator for receiving when said transmitter is in said remote control mod®

of operation said second compressed data from said memory to control a selected electric device and converting said second compressed data into a corresponding code pair constituting said first compressed data;

a fourth repetition pattern discriminator for receiving said first compressed data from said third repetition pattern discriminator and for converting said first compressed data into said electrical pulses of said remote control signals corresponding to said electric device to be controlled; and

a signal output device for receiving said electric pulses and transmitting a control signal to the electric device to be controlled.

2. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein said first to fourth repetition pattern discriminators are constituted by a microcomputer including a central processing unit and a memory for storing a processing sequence of said central processing unit.

3. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein said first and fourth repetition pattern discriminators comprise a common reference pattern memory.

4. A transmitter according to claim 3, wherein said first compressed data comprise bin codes.

5. A transmitter according to claim 3, wherein said second and third pattern discriminators comprise a memory setting circuit for storing a common reference adjacent code pattern.

6. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein said second compressed data comprise bin pair codes.

7. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein said first compressed data comprise bin codes.

8. A transmitter according to claim 7, wherein the second compressed data comprise bin pair codes.

9. A remote control transmitter for controlling various devices each of which may utilize a different one of a plurality of control code transmission formats, comprising:

keyboard means for entering control data for controlling one of said devices;

memory means for storing twice compressed data comprising bin pair codes, wherein each of said bin pair codes is a single code corresponding to a pair of bin codes, said pair of bin codes comprising a first code representing a type of pulse burst component of a remote control signal and a second code representing a type of pulse off component of said remove control signal, said signal having a given one of said transmission formats;

addressing means for addressing an area of said memory means containing said twice compressed data which corresponds to said one of said plurality of control code transmission formats utilized by said devices to be controlled;

means for expanding said twice compressed data to once compressed data by converting said bin pair codes to pairs of bin codes;

means for expanding said once compressed data by converting said bin codes to fully expanded data representative of pulse burst and pulse off components of said one of said control code transmission formats; and

transmitting means for receiving said fully expanded data and for transmitting said data in said one of said plurality of transmission formats for controlling said devices to be controlled.

10. Apparatus for programming a memory for a remote control transmitter with control codes received from various other remote control transmitters which may utilize different ones of a plurality of control code transmission formats, comprising:

data entry means for entering an indication of a control code to be received;

detector means for receiving signals having a pulse burst component and a pulse off component from one of said transmitters and converting said signals to data representative of said signals;

control means for receiving said data from said detector means and for compressing said data by examining said data, classifying said data by type of pulse burst and pulse off components, and by converting said classified data to bin codes representative of said pulse burst type and pulse off type;

said control means further compressing said data by examining pairs of said bin codes for correspondence to a predetermined pattern and converting bin code pairs having said correspondence to twice compressed data having a code indicative of said bin code pair; and

wherein

said control means programs said memory means with said twice compressed data.