System and method for enrollment of a remotely controlled device in a trainable transmitter

• US 8,760,267 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Bos, Jeremy, Shearer, Carl L., Blaker, David A., Spencer, John D., Witkowski, Todd R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, QUANG
• Application Number:
  US12/438,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20100007516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,493 Days
• Field of Search: 340/12.5, 340/12.51, 340/13.25, 340/13.26
• US Class Current: 340/12.5
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control

Abstract

A wireless control system is configured to be trainable to control any number of remotely controlled devices. The system can be configured to gather and learn information relating to a signal transmitted by the original transmitter in a manner that is blind to a user of the system. The system can be designed to learn signals automatically such that fewer steps are necessary for a user to train the system to control a particular remotely controlled device. The system can train to remotely controlled devices in this manner with little or no user action required.

Claims

1. A wireless control system in a vehicle for controlling a remotely operated electronic device, the remotely operated electronic device controllable by an original transmitter, the system comprising:

a processing circuit configured to wirelessly receive information including control data for the remotely operated electronic device via a receiver from a signal transmitted by the original transmitter, the processing circuit configured to automatically learn the information to control the remotely operated device without a prior input from a user causing the wireless control system to enter a learning mode, without the user providing control information other than the signal transmitted by the original transmitter, and without first sending a transmission that results in the processing circuit initiating the process of acquiring the information, wherein the automatic learning of the information comprises temporarily storing the information in a memory of the wireless control system in response to an activation of the original transmitter in proximity to the wireless control system without sending a prior transmission to the original transmitter that stored the information, wherein the information is automatically learned when the wireless control system is in an operating mode and not required to be in the learning mode, and wherein the processing circuit is configured to store the control data for the remotely operated electronic device in a non-volatile memory based on the temporarily stored information in response to a user interaction;

wherein the wireless control system is configured to provide a prompt to the user to receive a user input to accept the stored control data; and

a transmitter circuit coupled to the processing circuit, the transmitter circuit configured to transmit a wireless control signal having the accepted control data based on the information automatically learned by the processing circuit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to limit when the prompt is provided based on monitored criteria.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit further comprises criteria configured to limit conditions under which the received information is learned.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processing circuit is configured to limit learning of the information based on vehicle speed.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to learn the information based on whether a power of the signal transmitted by the original transmitter at the receiver of the the processing circuit meets pre-determined criteria.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising the receiver configured to receive the signal transmitted by the original transmitter and provide information to the processing circuit, the receiver further configured to receive signals from a remote keyless entry transmitter.

7. A wireless control system in a vehicle for controlling a remotely operated electronic device, the remotely operated electronic device controllable by an original transmitter, the system comprising:

a location determining device configured to determine a location of the wireless control system;

a processing circuit configured to learn information including control data for the remotely operated electronic device via a receiver from a signal to control the remotely operated electronic device transmitted by the original transmitter, the processing circuit configured to automatically learn the information to control the remotely operated electronic device without a prior input from a user causing the wireless control system to enter a learning mode, without the user providing control information other than the signal transmitted by the original transmitter, and without first sending a transmission that results in the processing circuit initiating the process of acquiring the information, wherein the automatic learning of the information comprises temporarily storing the information in a memory of the wireless control system in response to an activation of the original transmitter in proximity to the wireless control system without sending a prior transmission to the original transmitter that stored the information, wherein the information is automatically learned when the wireless control system is in an operating mode and not required to be in the learning mode, wherein the processing circuit is configured to store the control data for the remotely operated electronic device in a non-volatile memory based on the temporarily stored information in response to a user interaction; and

wherein the wireless control system is configured to provide a prompt to the user to receive a user input to accept the stored control data wherein the processing circuit is configured to store the accepted control data in the non-volatile memory based on the learned information when prompted to learn the signal by the user and to associate the accepted control data with the location; and

a transmitter circuit coupled to the processing circuit, the transmitter circuit configured to transmit a wireless control signal having the accepted control data based on the signal learned by the processing circuit when the system is at the location.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit is configured to learn the information relating to the signal to control the remotely operated device based on whether the processing circuit has been trained to remotely control the device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit is configured to learn the information relating to the signal to control the remotely operated device based on whether information similar to the received information is received a plurality of times.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the system is installed in the vehicle having a passenger cabin, wherein signals can be automatically learned from original transmitters in at least about 20% of the passenger cabin.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine whether a code is at least one of a fixed code and a rolling code based on the learned information.

12. A method for operating a wireless control system in a vehicle for controlling a remotely operated electronic device, the remotely operated electronic device controllable by an original transmitter, the method comprising:

obtaining wirelessly, using a receiver of the system, information including control data for the remotely operated electronic device from a signal transmitted by the original transmitter, wherein the processing circuit is configured to automatically learn the information to control the remotely operated electronic device without a prior input from a user causing the wireless control system to enter a learning mode, without a user providing control information other than the signal transmitted by the original transmitter, and without first sending a transmission that results in the processing circuit initiating the process of acquiring the information, wherein the automatic learning of the information comprises temporarily storing the information in a memory in response to an activation of the original transmitter in proximity to the wireless control system without sending a prior transmission to the original transmitter that stored the information, wherein the information is automatically learned when the wireless control system is in an operating mode and not required to be in a learning mode, and wherein the processing circuit is configured to store control data for the remotely operated electronic device in a non-volatile memory based on the temporarily stored information in response to a user interaction;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to provide a prompt to the user to receive a user input to accept the stored control data;

receiving, using a location determining device of the system, a location of the system;

storing the accepted control data in the wireless control system, the accepted control data configured to allow the system to send a wireless control signal that controls the remotely operated electronic device, wherein the accepted control data is stored in the non-volatile memory in response to the user input, wherein the accepted control data is based on the information relating to the signal transmitted by the original transmitter, and wherein the accepted control data is associated with the received location; and

transmitting, from a transmitter, the wireless control signal having the accepted control data that controls the remotely operated device when the system is at the location.