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Method and apparatus for controlling electrical appliances by remote control transmitters

  • US 6,198,408 B1
  • Filed: 04/09/1998
  • Issued: 03/06/2001
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method of controlling an electrical appliance by means of a command signal transmitted by a particular remote control transmitter, comprising:

  • providing a converter device which includes a receiver for receiving said command signal, a microprocessor for converting said command signal, according to a predetermined conversion process comparable with various types of command signals, to a code unique to that particular remote control transmitter, and a storage device for storing said unique code;

    transmitting to said converter device a command signal from said particular remote control transmitter while said microprocessor is programmed in a Learn Mode to convert said command signal according to said predetermined conversion process to said unique code, and to store said unique code in said storage device;

    and subsequently transmitting to said converter device another command signal from said particular remote control transmitter, while said microprocessor is programmed in an Operational Mode, to convert said latter command signal to a code according to said predetermined conversion process, to compare said latter code with the code produced and stored during said Learn Mode, and to effect said control of the electrical device when a match is found to be present between the code produced and stored during the Learn Mode and the code produced during the Operational Mode;

    wherein said command signal is a pulse-width-modulated signal, and said predetermined conversion process senses the rising points, the falling points, and the width of the pulse in said pulse-width-modulated signal to convert the command signal to said unique code;

    wherein said microprocessor is programmed to execute said Learn Mode in at least two stages, including a first stage in which it detects the widths of the pulses and spaces in the command signal, and a second stage in which it detects the rising points and the falling points of the pulses in the command signal;

    wherein said microprocessor is programmed to execute said Learn Mode in an additional third stage, said third stage being a repetition of said second stage but applicable to process a second command signal transmitted by a remote control transmitter immediately subsequently to the transmission of the command signal processed in said second stage.

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