Speech activated door operator system

• US 7,996,231 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Overhead Door Corporation (Sanwa Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Overhead Door Corporation (Sanwa Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Mays, Wesley M.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEBE, DANIEL DEMELASH
• Application Number:
  US11/700,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20070132413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/275, 704/273, 340/825.29
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/00 Power-operated mechanisms for wings motor-operated accessories in locks for completing closing or initiating opening of a wing E05B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/85 User input means
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/00 Details, accessories and auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/106 for garages
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/31 Voice input
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A barrier operator system, such as a garage door operator system, includes one or more remote control units, such as an inside remote control unit, an external wall mounted remote control unit and portable vehicle disposed remote control units which include speech recognition modules for recognizing spoken command signals to open or close a garage door or energize or de-energize lighting associated with the garage. The speech recognition modules are operably connected to interface or microcontroller circuits for operating a radio frequency transmitter for sending signals to operate lighting, and/or the barrier operator to move a barrier between open and closed positions, and possibly perform other functions.

Claims

1. A garage door system for moving a garage door between open and closed positions, said garage door system comprising:

a lighting system;

a mechanism operably connected to said garage door for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions;

a base controller operably associated with said mechanism for causing said mechanism to move said garage door; and

a wall-mounted controller in wireless communication with said base controller, said wall-mounted controller including a speech recognition module programmable for indicating when acceptable voice communications have been input to said module in order to effect at least one of energizing said lighting system, de-energizing said lighting system, and operation of said mechanism for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions, said acceptable voice communications including an oral reference connoting energizing the lighting system, an oral reference connoting de-energizing the lighting system, or an oral reference connoting a command to open or close said garage door.

2. The garage door system as set forth in claim 1, said wall-mounted controller further comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) transmitter operable to transmit a radio frequency signal to said base controller; and

a microcontroller operably connected to said RF transmitter and to said speech recognition module, said microcontroller operable to transmit a signal to said RF transmitter when acceptable voice communications have been input to said module.

3. The garage door system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said microcontroller is operable to provide a rolling code signal for transmission by said RF transmitter to said base controller.

4. The garage door system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said wall-mounted controller includes a keypad operably connected to said microcontroller and operable to provide a signal to said microcontroller to command operation of said RF transmitter.

5. The garage door system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said speech recognition module includes a microphone for receiving said voice communications.

6. The garage door system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said speech recognition module is operable to respond to said voice communications in a speaker dependent mode.

7. The garage door system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said speech recognition module is operable to continuously listen for one or more of said acceptable voice communications.

8. The garage door system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said wall-mounted controller further includes a manually actuatable switch for effecting operation of said garage door to move between said open and closed positions.

9. The garage door system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said wall-mounted controller includes a multi-digit keypad.

10. The garage door system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said acceptable voice communications further includes one or more gateway words.

11. A garage door system for moving a garage door between open and closed positions, said garage door system comprising:

a lighting system;

a mechanism operably connected to said garage door for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions;

a base controller operably associated with said mechanism for causing said mechanism to move said garage door; and

a remote controller in wireless communication with said base controller, said remote controller including a speech recognition module programmable for indicating when acceptable voice communications have been input to said module in order to effect at least one of energizing said lighting system, de-energizing said lighting system, and operation of said mechanism for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions, said acceptable voice communications including an oral reference connoting energizing the lighting system, an oral reference connoting de-energizing the lighting system, or an oral reference connoting a command to open or close said garage door.

12. A garage door system for moving a garage door between open and closed positions, said garage door system comprising:

a lighting system;

a mechanism operably connected to said garage door for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions;

a base controller operably associated with said mechanism for causing said mechanism to move said garage door; and

a controller in wireless communication with said base controller, said controller including a biometric responsive module programmable for indicating when acceptable communications have been input to said module in order to effect at least one of energizing said lighting system, de-energizing said lighting system, and operation of said mechanism for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions, said acceptable communications including a command to energize the lighting system, a command to de-energize the lighting system, or a command to open or close said garage door.

13. The garage door system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said biometric module comprises a speech recognition module.

14. The garage door system as set forth in claim 12, said controller further comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) transmitter operable to transmit a radio frequency signal to said base controller; and

a microcontroller operably connected to said RF transmitter and to said biometric module, said microcontroller operable to transmit a signal to said RF transmitter when acceptable communications have been input to said module.

15. The garage door system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said acceptable communications further includes one or more gateway words.

16. A garage door system for moving a garage door between open and closed positions, said garage door system comprising:

a lighting system;

a mechanism operably connected to said garage door for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions;

a base controller operably associated with said mechanism for causing said mechanism to move said garage door;

a speech recognition module programmable for indicating when acceptable voice communications have been input to said module; and

a wall-mounted controller in operable communication with said base controller and said speech recognition module, for transmitting access codes to said base controller in response to indication by said module of acceptable voice communications to thereby effect at least one of energizing said lighting system, de-energizing said lighting system, and operation of said mechanism for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions, said acceptable voice communications including an oral reference connoting energizing the lighting system, an oral reference connoting de-energizing the lighting system, or an oral reference connoting a command to open or close said garage door.

17. The garage door system as set forth in claim 16, wherein said access codes are transmitted by radio frequency transmission.

18. The garage door system as set forth in claim 16, wherein said access codes are transmitted by wires.

19. The garage door system as set forth in claim 16, wherein said acceptable voice communications further includes one or more gateway words.

20. A garage door system for moving a garage door between open and closed positions, said garage door system comprising:

a lighting system;

a mechanism operably connected to said garage door for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions;

a base controller operably associated with said mechanism for causing said mechanism to move said garage door;

a speech recognition module programmable for indicating when acceptable voice communications have been input to said module; and

a remote controller in operable communication with said base controller and said speech recognition module, for transmitting access codes to said base controller in response to indication by said module of acceptable voice communications to thereby effect at least one of energizing said lighting system, de-energizing said lighting system, and operation of said mechanism for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions, said acceptable voice communications including an oral reference connoting energizing the lighting system, an oral reference connoting de-energizing the lighting system, or an oral reference connoting a command to open or close said garage door.

21. A garage door system for moving a garage door between open and closed positions, said garage door system comprising:

a lighting system;

a mechanism operably connected to said garage door for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions;

a base controller operably associated with said mechanism for causing said mechanism to move said garage door;

a speech recognition module programmable for generating an actuation signal when acceptable voice communications have been input to said module, said acceptable voice communications including an oral reference connoting energizing the lighting system, an oral reference connoting de-energizing the lighting system, or an oral reference connoting a command to open or close said garage door; and

a wall-mounted controller in operable communication with said base controller and said speech recognition module, for transmitting access codes to said base controller in response to said actuation signal received from said speech recognition module to thereby effect at least one of energizing said lighting system, de-energizing said lighting system, and operation of said mechanism for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions.

22. The garage door system as set forth in claim 21, wherein said access codes are transmitted by radio frequency transmission.

23. The garage door system as set forth in claim 21, wherein said access codes are transmitted by wires.

24. The garage door system as set forth in claim 21, wherein said acceptable voice communications further includes one or more gateway words.

25. A garage door system for moving a garage door between open and closed positions, said garage door system comprising:

a lighting system;

a mechanism operably connected to said garage door for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions;

a base controller operably associated with said mechanism for causing said mechanism to move said garage door;

a speech recognition module programmable for generating an actuation signal when acceptable voice communications have been input to said module, said acceptable voice communications including an oral reference connoting energizing the lighting system, an oral reference connoting de-energizing the lighting system, or an oral reference connoting a command to open or close said garage door; and

a remote controller in operable communication with said base controller and said speech recognition module, for transmitting access codes to said base controller in response to said actuation signal received from said speech recognition module to thereby effect at least one of energizing said lighting system, de-energizing said lighting system, and operation of said mechanism for moving said garage door between said open and closed positions.