System and method for providing wireless control on an electronic device

• US 9,552,721 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2009
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philips Lighting BV (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Lighting BV (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Feng, Lei, Chen, Zhigang, Yang, Daiqin
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): AKKI, MUNEAR T
• Application Number:
  US13/130,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20110285514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,623 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.34, 340/12.5, 340/5.74, 340/825.72, 340/10.33, 340/10.1, 307/126, 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/12 Power saving techniques of remote control or controlled devices

Abstract

The invention provides a system 100 for providing wireless control on an electronic device 30. The system 100 comprises a control station 10 and a wireless device 20. The control station 10 is configured to send a wireless exciting signal and a wireless control command. The wireless device 20 comprises an exciter module 201 and a processor module 210, wherein the exciter module 201 is configured to collect power from the wireless exciting signal and subsequently change a state of the processor module 210 from an inactive state to an active state, and the processor module 210 is configured to receive the control command and adjust functions of the electronic device 30 in accordance with the control command. The invention also provides a method and a wireless device.

Claims

1. A method of providing wireless control on an electronic device comprising an exciter module, a wireless command receiving module, and a processor module, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the exciter module, a wireless exciting signal from a first wireless module of a control station, wherein the wireless exciting signal comprises a polling message;

collecting power from the wireless exciting signal at the exciter module, wherein the exciter module comprises a receiving antenna, a transformer, and a capacitor, a primary winding of the transformer coupled to the receiving antenna and a secondary winding of the transformer coupled to the capacitor;

upon the exciter module collecting power to a pre-set level, changing a state of a processor module from an inactive state to an active state and powering the wireless command receiving module with the collected power;

sending, once the processor module is powered, a wireless signal comprising an acknowledgement of the received polling message;

receiving, at the control station, the acknowledgement, wherein the acknowledgment indicates that the powered wireless command receiving module is ready to receive a wireless control signal comprising a wireless control command;

transmitting, by a second wireless module of the control station after the acknowledgement is received, a wireless control signal comprising a wireless control command and an auxiliary wireless control command directing the powered wireless command receiving module and the processor module to return to the inactive state after adjusting a function of the electronic device in accordance with the wireless control command;

receiving, at the powered wireless command receiving module, the wireless control signal comprising the wireless control command from the control station;

transmitting the wireless control command to the processor module; and

adjusting a function of the electronic device in accordance with the wireless control command;

returning, based on the received auxiliary command, the wireless command receiving module and the processor module to the inactive state after adjusting the function of the electronic device in accordance with the wireless control command.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of changing the state of the processor module comprises turning on the processor module via the exciter module.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of changing the state of the processor module comprises supplying an interrupt signal so as to activate the processor module from a sleep mode, via the exciter module.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a lighting device and the step of adjusting comprises adjusting brightness and/or color of light emitted from the lighting device.

5. A wireless device comprising an exciter module, a wireless command receiving module, and a processor module, wherein the exciter module comprises a receiving antenna, a transformer, and a capacitor, a primary winding of the transformer coupled to the receiving antenna and a secondary winding of the transformer coupled to the capacitor, and wherein the exciter module is configured to collect power from a wireless exciting signal comprising a polling message and subsequently change a state of the processor module from an inactive state to an active state and to power the wireless command receiving module with the collected power, and further wherein the active processor is configured to cause the wireless device to send a wireless signal comprising an acknowledgement of the polling message, wherein the control station is configured to receive the acknowledgement and, after the acknowledgement is received, transmit a wireless control signal comprising a wireless control command and an auxiliary wireless control command directing the powered wireless command receiving module and the processor module to return to the inactive state after adjusting a function of the electronic device in accordance with the wireless control command, and further wherein the powered wireless command receiving module is configured to receive the wireless control signal comprising the control command and transmit the received control command to the processor module, and further wherein the processor module is configured to adjust a function of an electronic device in accordance with the received control command, and further wherein the processor module is configured to return to the inactive state after adjusting a function of the electronic device in accordance with the wireless control command.

6. The wireless device according to claim 5, wherein the exciter module is configured to supply the power to an electronic switch unit, said electronic switch unit being configured to turn on/off the processor module.

7. The wireless device according to claim 5, wherein the exciter module further comprises an interrupt generation unit, said interrupt generation unit being configured to generate an interrupt signal so as to wake up the processor module from a sleep mode.

8. A system for providing wireless control on an electronic device, said system comprising:

a control station configured to send a wireless exciting signal comprising a polling message, and further configured to send a wireless control command, wherein the control station is configured to send the wireless control command only if an acknowledgement of the polling message is received; and

a wireless device comprising an exciter module, a wireless command receiving module, and a processor module, wherein the exciter module comprises a receiving antenna, a transformer, and a capacitor, a primary winding of the transformer coupled to the receiving antenna and a secondary winding of the transformer coupled to the capacitor, and wherein the exciter module is configured to collect power from the wireless exciting signal and subsequently change a state of the processor module from an inactive to an active state and to power the wireless command receiving module with the collected power, and further wherein the active processor is configured to cause the wireless device to send a wireless signal comprising the acknowledgement of the polling message, and further wherein the powered wireless command receiving module is configured to receive, from the control station, the sent wireless control signal comprising the control command and an auxiliary wireless control command directing the powered wireless command receiving module and the processor module to return to the inactive state after adjusting a function of the electronic device in accordance with the wireless control command, and further wherein the powered wireless command receiving module is configured to transmit the received control command to the processor module, and further wherein the processor module is configured to adjust a function of an electronic device in accordance with the received control command, and further wherein the processor module is configured to return to the inactive state after adjusting the function of the electronic device in accordance with the wireless control command.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the electronic device includes a lighting device and the processor module is configured to adjust brightness and/or color of light emitted from the lighting device.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the exciter module comprises an electronic switch unit configured to turn on/off the processor module.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the exciter module comprises an interrupt generation unit configured to generate an interrupt signal so as to wake up the processor module from a sleep mode.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the exciting signal is a radio-frequency signal.