Remote control device with appliance power awareness

• US 6,642,852 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2002
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Dresti, Mauro, Hayes, Patrick H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, CLARA I
• Application Number:
  US10/087,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20030164787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825, 340/825.71, 340/825.72, 340/310.01, 340/310.08, 340/825.52, 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 713/1
• US Class Current: 340/12.24
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/33 Remote control using macros, scripts
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers

Abstract

A controlling device having programming which ensures an appliance will be placed into a desired power state. The controlling device transmits a query message to a power monitor associated with the appliance to obtain the current power state of the appliance. If the current power state does not correspond to the desired power state, the controlling device transmits a command to the appliance to effect a change in the current power state of the appliance.

Claims

1. In a remote control, a method of commanding at least one of a plurality of appliances to enter into a desired power state, the method comprising:

accepting input into the remote control to associate commands with each of the plurality of appliances and to associate at least one power monitor with at least one of the plurality of appliances;

receiving a message at the remote control, the message including data indicative of a current power state of the one of the plurality of appliances associated with the at least one power monitor;

storing within a memory of the remote control the current power state for the one of the plurality of appliances associated with the at least one power monitor; and

in response to activation of a predetermined key of the remote control, automatically performing within the remote control, for each of the plurality of appliances which is to be transmitted a command to place the appliance in a desired power state, the further steps of;

determining if the appliance is responsive to discrete power commands or power toggle commands;

if the appliance is responsive to discrete power commands, transmitting from the remote control to the appliance a discrete power command, the discrete power command being selected as the discrete power command to which the appliance is adapted to respond to enter the desired power state; and

if the appliance is responsive to power toggle commands, further determining if the current power state of the appliance as stored within the memory of the remote control corresponds to the desired power state and, if the current power state does not correspond to the desired power state, transmitting from the remote control to the appliance a power toggle command, the power toggle command selected as the power toggle command to which the appliance is adapted to respond to change power states.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the remote control is adapted to transmit commands to each of the plurality of appliances via an IR communications link.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of appliances are powered via a power strip and the at least one power monitor corresponds to an outlet of the power strip.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the predetermined key comprises a programmed macro key which is programmed with at least one command to place at least one of the plurality of appliances in the desired power state.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising suppressing the transmission of the power toggle command if the power state of the appliance is determined to be unknown.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the memory of the remote control stores for each of a plurality of device modes, a first data element containing data indicative of whether the remote control has been configured to transmit commands to one of the plurality of appliances when the remote control is placed in the device mode, a second data element containing data indicative of an association between a power monitor and one of the plurality of appliances, and a third data element containing data indicative of the current power state of one of the plurality of appliances as reported by its associated power monitor.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising transmitting a query communication from the remote control in response to activation of the predetermined key of the remote control to invoke the at least one power monitor to transmit the message.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising transmitting a query communication from the remote control at predetermined times to cause the at least one of the power monitors to send the message.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the predetermined key is assigned to command each of the plurality of appliances to enter a predetermined power state.

10. A system for controlling the operation of a plurality of appliances, the system comprising:

a plurality of power monitors each associated with one of the plurality of appliances, each power monitor having a unique address, circuitry for determining the current power state of its associated appliance, and a first wireless module; and

a remote control having a library of commands, a second wireless communication module for transmitting one or more commands selected from the library to each of the plurality of appliances, and a third wireless communication module for exchanging communications with each of the plurality of power modules;

wherein

the remote control has programmig for;

accepting input into the remote control to associate commands with each of the plurality of appliances and to associate at least one power monitor with at least one of the plurality of appliances;

receiving at the remote control a message transmitted by the at least one power monitor, the message including data indicative of a current power state of the one of the plurality of appliances associated with the at least one power monitor;

storing within a memory of the remote control the current power state for the one of the plurality of appliances associated with the at least one power monitor; and

in response to activation of a predetermined key of the remote control, automatically performing within the remote control, for each of the plurality of appliances which is to be transmitted a command to place the appliance in a desired power state, the further steps of;

determining if the appliance is responsive to discrete power commands or power toggle commands;

if the appliance is responsive to discrete power commands, transmitting from the remote control to the appliance a discrete power command, the discrete power command being selected as the discrete power command to which the appliance is adapted to respond to enter the desired power state; and

if the appliance is responsive to power toggle commands, further determining if the current power state of the appliance as stored within the memory of the remote control corresponds to the desired power state and, if the current power state does not correspond to the desired power state, transmitting from the remote control to the appliance a power toggle command, the power toggle command selected as the power toggle command to which the appliance is adapted to respond to change power states.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein, in response to a query communication transmitted by the remote control, the at least one of the plurality of power monitors waits a predetermined time corresponding to its address before responding to the remote control with the message including the data indicative of the power state of its associated appliance to thereby avoid communication collisions at the remote control.

12. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the first communication module and the third module each comprise an RF communication module.

13. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the second communication module comprises an IR communication module.

14. In a remote control having a plurality of device modes, a method of commanding at least one of a plurality of appliances to enter into a desired power state, the method comprising:

accepting input into the remote control to associate commands and one of the plurality of device modes with each of the plurality of appliances and to associate at least one power monitor with at least one of the plurality of appliances;

receiving at the remote control a message transmitted by the at least one power monitor, the message including data indicative of a current power state of the one of the plurality of appliances associated with the at least one power monitor;

using the input and the data in the message to store in memory of the remote control for each of the plurality of device modes a first data element containing data indicative of whether the remote control has been configured to transmit commands to an appliance when the remote control is placed in that device mode, a second data element containing data indicative of an association between a power monitor and an appliance associated with that device mode, and a third data element containing data indicative of a current power state of an appliance associated with that device mode as reported by its associated power monitor; and

in response to activation of a predetermined key of the remote control, automatically performing within the remote control, for each of the plurality of appliances which is to be transmitted a command to place the appliance in a desired power state, the further steps of;

determining if the appliance is responsive to discrete power commands or power toggle commands;

if the appliance is responsive to discrete power commands, transmitting from the remote control to the appliance a discrete power command, the discrete power command being selected as the discrete power command to which the appliance is adapted to respond to enter the desired power state; and

if the appliance is responsive to power toggle commands, further determining if the current power state of the appliance as stored within the memory of the remote control corresponds to the desired power state and, if the current power state does not correspond to the desired power state, transmitting from the remote control to the appliance a power toggle command, the power toggle command selected as the power toggle command to which the appliance is adapted to respond to change power states.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising transmitting a query communication from the remote control in response to activation of the predetermined key to cause the at least one power monitor to transmit the message.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising transmitting a query communication from the remote control at predetermined times to cause the at least one power monitor to transmit the message.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the predetermined key comprises a programmed macro key which is programmed with at least one command to place at least one of the plurality of appliances in the desired power state.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the predetermined key is assigned to command appliances assigned to each one of the plurality of device modes to enter a predetermined power state.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising skipping the steps automatically performed within the remote control for each of the plurality of appliances to which a command is to be transmitted to place the appliance in a desired power when the first data element has data that indicates that the remote control has not been configured to transmit commands to an appliance when the remote control is placed in a corresponding one of the plurality of device modes.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising suppressing the transmission of the power toggle command if the third data element has data that indicates that the power status of the appliance associated with one of the plurality of device modes is unknown.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, further comprising placing data indicative of an unknown power status into the third data element in connection with a failure to receive the response from the at least one power monitor.

22. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein determining if the appliance is responsive to discrete power commands or power toggle commands comprises examining the commands associated with the appliance.