Method and a system for remotely switching and/or regulating and monitoring and electrically operated device or an environment by the use of signals generated by a telephone or a modem
First Claim
1. A stand-alone switching system for remotely controlling electrically operated devices or monitoring locations by the use of DTMF code signals generated by a telephone keypad, said system comprising a telephone line input for connection to a telephone network, an input interface circuit connected to said input and having an auto-dialer circuit, a communication circuit connected between said interface circuit and a microcontroller;
- said microcontroller being connected to a switching sub-system for switching said electrically operated devices and/or an analog control and monitoring sub-system, all of which perform predetermined functions implemented by said user through said telephone keypad by using a programming or command access algorithm through a series of option codes punched on said keypad, said communication circuit operating in a DTMF or modulated signals depending on the source of said input signal codes, said input interface circuit having a digitally filtered ring detector for discriminating between true telephone rings and undesirable pulse signals, and a switching device when in a first position connects a telephone ring detector to said telephone line to receive said true telephone rings and to connect them to said microcontroller, said microcontroller causing said switching device to assume a second switch position after said ring detector has received a predetermined number of rings, feedback signals being connected through said second switch position to feed back information to said user, a speech circuit connected to an output of said second position of said switching device, a modem circuit connected between said speech circuit and said microcontroller for two-way communication through modulated signals or a DTMF decoder circuit connected between said microcontroller and said speech circuit for receiving and decoding DTMF function code signals as well as frequency from said speech circuit to feed said microcontroller to execute output or programming commands or to monitor the status of said electrically operated devices, said switching sub-system having a plurality of input and output channels, said output channels being equipped with switches to switch said electrically operated devices, said input channels being connected to feedback signalling elements to verify the operation and to monitor said electrically operated devices which have been switched, said analog control and monitoring sub-system having a plurality of input and output channels, said input channels being monitoring channels and receiving analog signals from a remote industrial device and converting same to a digital signal, said output channels feeding regulating signals to industrial actuator devices to be controlled.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A switching system and method of remote switching and/or regulating an electrically operated device by the use of the DTMF telephone or modem signals. A switching and/or regulating element is actuated and/or controlled by the system upon detecting a specific code generated remotely by telephone or modem. The system allows to remotely monitor environmental sounds, the status of the device and/or the variables controlled by this device by the use of signals generated by the system. The system also allows a bi-directional communication by transmiting sounds or spelling words, spelling data and sentences generated by a voice synthesizer for monitoring outside the premises by the use of a telephone for human understanding. The system may use unlimited types of messages which can also describe the status of any type of physical variable sensed on the premises and/or transmits modulated data of the messages described above for out of the premises computer communication linked by the telephone network via a modem. The system also provides for auto-dialing telephone numbers to reach a human and/or computers after detecting external elements malfunctioning.
51 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A stand-alone switching system for remotely controlling electrically operated devices or monitoring locations by the use of DTMF code signals generated by a telephone keypad, said system comprising a telephone line input for connection to a telephone network, an input interface circuit connected to said input and having an auto-dialer circuit, a communication circuit connected between said interface circuit and a microcontroller;
- said microcontroller being connected to a switching sub-system for switching said electrically operated devices and/or an analog control and monitoring sub-system, all of which perform predetermined functions implemented by said user through said telephone keypad by using a programming or command access algorithm through a series of option codes punched on said keypad, said communication circuit operating in a DTMF or modulated signals depending on the source of said input signal codes, said input interface circuit having a digitally filtered ring detector for discriminating between true telephone rings and undesirable pulse signals, and a switching device when in a first position connects a telephone ring detector to said telephone line to receive said true telephone rings and to connect them to said microcontroller, said microcontroller causing said switching device to assume a second switch position after said ring detector has received a predetermined number of rings, feedback signals being connected through said second switch position to feed back information to said user, a speech circuit connected to an output of said second position of said switching device, a modem circuit connected between said speech circuit and said microcontroller for two-way communication through modulated signals or a DTMF decoder circuit connected between said microcontroller and said speech circuit for receiving and decoding DTMF function code signals as well as frequency from said speech circuit to feed said microcontroller to execute output or programming commands or to monitor the status of said electrically operated devices, said switching sub-system having a plurality of input and output channels, said output channels being equipped with switches to switch said electrically operated devices, said input channels being connected to feedback signalling elements to verify the operation and to monitor said electrically operated devices which have been switched, said analog control and monitoring sub-system having a plurality of input and output channels, said input channels being monitoring channels and receiving analog signals from a remote industrial device and converting same to a digital signal, said output channels feeding regulating signals to industrial actuator devices to be controlled.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
Specification