Multi-frequency radio frequency transmitter with code learning capability

• US 6,181,255 B1
• Filed: 08/08/1997
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Chamberlain Group, Inc. (The Chamberlain Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Chamberlain Group, Inc. (The Chamberlain Group LLC)
• Inventors: Wanis, Paul E., Farris, Bradford L., Crimmins, Terence E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C.
• Application Number:
  US08/907,676
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 340/875.69, 340/825.72, 340/825.22, 340/825.31, 340/825.71, 340/825.57, 340/539, 340/525, 341/176, 455/352, 455/85, 455/151.2, 348/734
• US Class Current: 340/12.28
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/0038 whereby the wake-up circuit is situated in the keyless data carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00492 whereby the code is a rolling code
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00888 programming by learning
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00928 for garage doors
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00857 where the code of the data carrier can be programmed
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code

Abstract

A radio frequency transmitter for use in generating coded commands learned from received coded radio frequency signals. An transceiver circuit including a switching element and a tunable filter tuning element is coupled to a programmable controller, e.g, a microprocessor. The programmable controller operates the switching element of said transceiver circuit in either a first or a second mode for receiving or transmitting coded radio frequency signals, respectively via an antenna coupled to the tuning element. The switching element is operable in the first mode to demodulate received coded radio frequency signals, and the programmable controller learns the received coded radio frequency signals and stores coded commands in memory. In the second mode of operation, an oscillator is modulated by generated coded signals from the programmable controller using the stored coded commands from memory. The generation of plural coded radio frequency commands with the single radio frequency transmitter unit facilitates the learning, responsive to a received radio frequency signal, of an additional coded radio frequency command for additional door and gate operators.

Claims

1. A radio frequency transmitter unit for generating commands learned from received coded radio frequency signals, comprising:

a plurality of transceiver circuits;

a plurality of antennas, one each being coupled to one of said transceiver circuits;

a programmable controller coupled to each of said plural transceiver circuits for selectively operating at least one of said transceiver circuits in a first mode of operation for demodulating received coded radio frequency signals from the antenna coupled thereto, the at least one transceiver circuit being operated as a wide-band receiver;

a memory device connected to said programmable controller, said programmable controller being responsive to the demodulated signals for storing received signals in said memory device;

a user interface with said programmable controller for selectively operating at least one of said transceiver circuits in a second mode of operation for modulating operation of selected transceiver circuits to cause the transceiver circuit to be modulated with signals generated by the programmable controller from said memory device; and

said antenna being operable with the transceiver circuit for radio frequency transmission of the signals generated by the programmable controller from said memory in said second mode of operation, upon which said user interface facilitates user interaction to verify the radio frequency transmission.

2. A radio frequency transmitter unit as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of transceiver circuits comprise resonant circuits operable with one of said antennas for receiving and transmitting coded radio frequency transmissions according to the respective first and second modes of operation.

3. A radio frequency transmitter unit as recited in claim 1, wherein the demodulated received coded radio frequency signals may be determined as being in a fixed code format using said programmable controller, the determined fixed code identified therefrom being stored as coded commands from said memory device.

4. A radio frequency transmitter unit as recited in claim 3, wherein at least one fixed code identified is stored in a register for fixed code storage.

5. A radio frequency transmitter unit as recited in claim 1, wherein the demodulated received coded radio frequency signals are obtained as time-sample data sets using said programmable controller, the time sample being stored in said memory device.

6. A radio frequency transmitter unit as recited in claim 1, wherein said received coded radio frequency signals comprise radio frequency signals generated as coded commands from another of said transmitter units.

7. A radio frequency transmitter unit as recited in claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises an input port and input controls comprising a plurality of user selectable buttons coupled to said input port for initiating the learn mode.

8. A radio frequency transmitter unit as recited in claim 7, wherein said plurality of user selectable buttons coupled to said input port of said programmable controller are used individually as being responsive to the demodulated received coded signals for storage and retrieval of plural received coded radio frequency signals in individual locations of said memory device.

9. A radio frequency transmitter in accordance with claim 7 wherein said user interface facilitates identifying user confirmation of the determined one of a plurality of transceiver circuits comprises user activated operation of the transmitter unit for transmission of the learned radio frequency signal command, and user verification by de-activating the operation of the transmitter unit from transmission of the learned radio frequency signal command.

10. A method of programming a radio frequency transmitter unit capable of learning radio frequency commands corresponding to a received radio frequency signal and capable of generating commands learned from the received radio frequency signals, comprising the steps of:

coupling one of a plurality of transceiver circuits to one of a plurality of antennas;

receiving coded radio frequency signals via the coupled antenna using a programmable controller operable with the one of the plurality of transceiver circuits operated as a wide-band receiver;

learning the received radio frequency signal command by storing representative information in a memory device associated with the programmable controller;

analyzing indicia of the received radio frequency signal representative information to determine which of the plurality of transceiver circuits should be employed for radio frequency transmission from the transmitter unit;

selecting a learned radio frequency signal command for transmission from the transmitter unit using determined ones of the plurality of transceiver circuits;

modulating the operation of the determined one of the plurality of transceiver circuits for generating a radio frequency transmission; and

identifying user confirmation of the determined one of a plurality of transceiver circuits facilitating user interaction to verify the radio frequency transmission.

11. A method of programming a radio frequency transmitter unit as recited in claim 10 wherein said received coded radio frequency signals are radio frequency signals generated as coded commands from another of said transmitter units.

12. A method of programming a radio frequency transmitter unit as recited in claim 10, wherein said step of identifying user confirmation of the determined one of a plurality of transceiver circuits comprises user activated operation of the transmitter unit for transmission of the learned radio frequency signal command.

13. A method of programming a radio frequency transmitter unit as recited in claim 12, wherein said step of identifying user confirmation of the determined one of a plurality of transceiver circuits comprises the user providing verification by de-activating the operation of the transmitter unit from transmission of the learned radio frequency signal command.

14. A method of programming a radio frequency transmitter unit capable of learning radio frequency commands corresponding to a received radio frequency signal and capable of generating commands learned from the received radio frequency signals, comprising the steps of:

coupling one of a plurality of transceiver circuits to one of a plurality of antennas;

receiving coded radio frequency signals via the coupled antenna using a programmable controller operable with the one of the plurality of transceiver circuits operated as a wide-band receiver;

learning the received radio frequency signal command by storing representative information in a memory device associated with the programmable controller;

analyzing indicia of the received radio frequency signal representative information to determine which of the plurality of transceiver circuits should be employed for radio frequency transmission from the transmitter unit;

selecting a learned radio frequency signal command for transmission from the transmitter unit using determined ones of the plurality of transceiver circuits;

modulating the operation of the determined one of the plurality of transceiver circuits for generating a radio frequency transmission; and

identifying user confirmation of the determined one of a plurality of transceiver circuits facilitating user interaction to verify the radio frequency transmission.

15. A method of programming a radio frequency transmitter unit as recited in claim 14, wherein said received coded radio frequency signals are radio frequency signals generated as coded commands from another of said transmitter units.

16. A radio frequency transmitter for transmitting commands learned from received radio frequency signals, comprising:

a plurality of transmitter circuits each for transmitting at a different radio frequency;

at least one wide-band receiver circuit for receiving signals;

means operative in a learn mode for receiving coded signals transmitted at a first radio frequency in an unknown format and for identifying the format of the received coded signals;

means for detecting the code conveyed by the received signals and for determining the detected code from the identified format;

means for selecting a learned radio frequency signal command for transmission from the transmitter unit using determined ones of the plurality of transceiver circuits;

means for modulating the operation of the determined one of the plurality of transceiver circuits for generating a radio frequency transmission; and

means for identifying user confirmation of the determined one of a plurality of transceiver circuits facilitating user interaction to verify the radio frequency transmission.

17. A radio frequency transmitter in accordance with claim 16 wherein said means for identifying user confirmation of the determined one of a plurality of transceiver circuits comprises user activated operation of the transmitter unit for transmission of the learned radio frequency signal command.

18. A radio frequency transmitter in accordance with claim 17 wherein said means for identifying user confirmation of the determined one of a plurality of transceiver circuits comprises the user providing verification by de-activating the operation of the transmitter unit from transmission of the learned radio frequency signal command.

19. A radio frequency transmitter in accordance with claim comprising:

switch means for signaling a desire to transmit the stored detected code; and

means responsive to the switch means for enabling one of the transmitter circuits identified by the stored identity of radio frequency signals.

20. A radio frequency transmitter in accordance with claim 19 comprising means for coupling the stored detected code to the enabled transmitter circuit for transmission thereby.