Learning method for a device for controlling home automation apparatuses in a building

• US 9,202,365 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2009
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Somfy Activites SA (Somfy SA)
• Original Assignee: Somfy Sas (Somfy SA)
• Inventors: Duchene, Isabelle, Marais, Luc, Loiseau, Jean-Nol
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Xia, Xuyang
• Application Number:
  US13/133,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link

Abstract

The invention relates to a training method for a device for controlling home automation apparatuses in a building, said method including: a display screen on which each home automation apparatus is represented by any apparatus icon or, failing that, by an apparatus-type icon combined with an apparatus name, an information reception means, characterized in that an action at a control means specific to a home automation apparatus results, at the control device, in the initiation of a step for the automatic search for and selection of the apparatus or apparatus-type icon representing said home automation apparatus.

Claims

1. A learning method for a control device for home automation equipment items of a building, comprising:

displaying a dynamic equipment icon or an equipment type icon associated with an equipment name for each home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items on a display screen of the control device, wherein the equipment type icon is a schematic representation of a type of a home automation equipment item that can be activated by an actuator or the dynamic equipment icon is a schematic representation of a home automation equipment item that can be activated by an actuator;

receiving an information item through an information reception means, wherein the information item is transmitted by a home automation equipment item to the information reception means and contains an equipment item'"'"'s identifier,

wherein each home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items can be controlled by an associated specific control means, and wherein an action on the associated specific control means of a home automation equipment item triggers;

sending a message containing its identifier from the home automation equipment item to the control device, and

upon receiving of said message on the control device, automatically searching and selecting on the display screen of the control device the dynamic equipment icon or the equipment type icon representing the home automation equipment item, and

automatically searching and selecting a location icon if the home automation equipment item has been previously associated with a group of equipment items represented by the location icon;

setting the control device in a status awaiting new information concerning actual status of each home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items;

detecting transmission of control commands or control command execution information over a home automation network by the control device;

sending, by the control device to an actuator of a home automation equipment item of the home automation equipment items a request for the actuator to reply with information on its status; and

automatically updating the dynamic equipment icon or the equipment type icon by modification of its appearance according to new status of the home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items, wherein the new status of the home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items is based on the reply from the actuator.

2. The learning method according to claim 1, wherein the action on the specific control means provokes, prior to the automatic search and selection, reception of an information item on the control device, this information item being transmitted by the home automation equipment item or by the specific control means.

3. The learning method according to claim 1, wherein the automatically searching and selecting the dynamic equipment icon or the equipment type icon is followed by modifying the equipment name or modifying the equipment type icon or the association of the home automation equipment item with one or more equipment groups.

4. The learning method according to claim 3, wherein the association of the equipment item whose icon is selected with the group of home automation equipment items causes the equipment item whose icon is selected to be assigned a compound name comprising at least a name attached to the group of equipment items or a predefined equipment name and a serial number.

5. The learning method according to claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting a specific discovery signal from the control device prior to automatically searching and selecting on the display screen of the control device the dynamic equipment icon or equipment type icon representing the home automation equipment item.

6. A control device for home automation equipment items of a building, comprises:

a display screen to display each home automation equipment, wherein each home automation equipment is represented by a dynamic equipment icon or an equipment type icon associated with an equipment name for each home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items on a display screen of the control device, wherein the equipment type icon is a schematic representation of a type of a home automation equipment item that can be activated by an actuator or the dynamic equipment icon is a schematic representation of a home automation equipment item that can be activated by an actuator,

a hardware information reception means to receive an information item, wherein the information item is transmitted by a home automation equipment item to the information reception means and contains an equipment item'"'"'s identifier,

wherein each home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items is controlled by an associated specific control means, and wherein an action on the associated specific control means of a home automation equipment item triggers;

sending a message containing its identifier from the home automation equipment item to the control device,

upon receiving of said message on the control device, automatically searching and selecting on the display screen of the control device the dynamic equipment icon or the equipment type icon representing the home automation equipment item, and

automatically searching and selecting a location icon if the home automation equipment item has been previously associated with a group of equipment items represented by the location icon; and

wherein the control device further comprises hardware and software means to set the control device in a status awaiting new information concerning actual status of each home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items, to detect transmission of control commands or control command execution information over a home automation network by the control device, to send to an actuator of a home automation equipment item of the home automation equipment items a request for the actuator to reply with information on its status, and to automatically update the dynamic equipment icon or the equipment type icon by modification of its appearance according to new status of the home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items, wherein the new status of the home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items is based on the reply from the actuator.

7. A computer program comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having a plurality of computer readable program codes execute by a computer to perform a learning method for a control device for home automation equipment items of a building comprising:

displaying a dynamic equipment icon or an equipment type icon associated with an equipment name for each home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items on a display screen of the control device, wherein the equipment type icon is a schematic representation of a type of a home automation equipment item that can be activated by an actuator or the dynamic equipment icon is a schematic representation of a home automation equipment item that can be activated by an actuator;

receiving an information item through an information reception means, wherein the information item is transmitted by a home automation equipment item to the information reception means and contains an equipment item'"'"'s identifier,

wherein each home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items can be controlled by an associated specific control means, and

wherein an action on the associated specific control means of a home automation equipment item triggers;

sending a message containing its identifier from the home automation equipment item to the control device,

upon receiving of said message on the control device, automatically searching and selecting on the display screen of the control device the dynamic equipment icon or the equipment type icon representing the home automation equipment item, and

automatically searching and selecting a location icon if the home automation equipment item has been previously associated with a group of equipment items represented by the location icon;

setting the control device in a status awaiting new information concerning actual status of each home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items;

detecting transmission of control commands or control command execution information over a home automation network by the control device;

sending, by the control device to an actuator of a home automation equipment item of the home automation equipment items a request for the actuator to reply with information on its status; and

automatically updating the dynamic equipment icon or the equipment type icon by modification of its appearance according to new status of the home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items, wherein the new status of the home automation equipment item of the automation equipment items is based on the reply from the actuator.