Method for configuring a home automation installation and tool for implementing same

• US 9,665,082 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2008
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Somfy Sas (Somfy SA)
• Original Assignee: Somfy Sas (Somfy SA)
• Inventors: Fournet, Michel, Maraval, Frdric, Dupielet, Norbert, Neuman, Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): MA, KAM WAN
• Application Number:
  US12/527,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20100097238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,387 Days
• Field of Search: 340 43- 437, 340 522- 525, 340 1223- 1229, 340 1321
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405

Abstract

Method of configuring equipment in a home automation installation, each item of equipment being identified thanks to an identifier recorded in memory and duplicated on an accessible medium so as to be visible, the configuring method using a configuring tool comprising an inputting means, a signal transmission means and at least a first memory and a second memory, the method comprising several iterations of the following steps:

• • the step of generating, in the configuring tool, a message comprising the content of the first memory intended for receiving, after an input, the identifier of an item of equipment and the content of the second memory intended for receiving, after an input, information of a first type;
  • the step of transmitting, by the radio signal transmission means, the message in the form of an electromagnetic signal; and
  • the step of carrying out, in the item of equipment, an action at least partially determined by the information of the first type.

Claims

1. A method of configuring at least one command receiver comprised in an item of equipment in a home in a home automation installation, the command receiver of the item of equipment being uniquely identified by an identifier recorded in a memory of the command receiver and duplicated on a medium accessible so that the identifier of the command receiver is visible, the configuring method using a configuring tool comprising an inputting means, a radio signal transmission means and at least a first memory and a second memory, the method comprising at least one iteration of the following steps:

a first step of inputting the identifier of the command receiver in the first memory of the configuring tool;

a step of presenting to an installer a plurality of set-up functions written on a notice;

a second step of inputting, by the installer, information of a first type in the second memory of the configuring tool, the information of the first type being distinct from the identifier of the command receiver, wherein the information of the first type is scanned by the configuring tool from amongst the plurality of set-up functions written on the notice;

a step of generating, in the configuring tool, a message comprising the identifier of the command receiver in the first memory and the information of the first type in the second memory;

a step of determining a type of an action based on at least the information of the first type;

a step of transmitting to the command receiver, by the radio signal transmission means, the message in the form of an electromagnetic signal, wherein the information of the first type does not include the identifier of the command receiver;

a step of carrying out, in the item of equipment, the action, which is at least partially determined by the information of the first type.

2. The configuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message is transmitted by the configuring tool to the command receiver of the item of equipment.

3. The configuring method as claimed in claim 1, which includes an additional step of allowing the information contained in the first and second memories of the configuring tool to be modified.

4. The configuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determined action is the start of a configuring function and/or the recording of operating parameters of the item of equipment.

5. The configuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first type of information is characteristic of a command transmitter and wherein the action is the creation of a pairing link between the command transmitter and the command receiver, the pairing link being recorded in the command receiver.

6. The configuring method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the pairing link is a temporary link.

7. The configuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first type of information is characteristic of a configuring function and wherein the action is an execution of this configuring function and a storing of parameters relating to this configuring function.

8. The configuring method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the message generation step comprises the use of the content of a third memory of the configuring tool, this third memory being intended to receive, after an input, information of a second type, the use being such that the message comprises the content of the third memory and the second type of information being characteristic of a parameter of the configuring function.

9. The configuring method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the message generation step comprises the use of the content of a third memory of the configuring tool, this third memory being intended to receive, after an input, information of a second type, the use being such that the message comprises the content of the third memory and the second type of information being characteristic of an object of a command transmitter type.

10. The configuring method as claimed in claim 1, which comprises, prior to the message generation step, a visual information step in the configuring tool in order to indicate whether or not the inputting steps have been correctly carried out.

11. The configuring method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the identifiers and/or the information of the first type and/or the information of a second type are in the form of a barcode.

12. A tool for configuring a home automation installation, comprising hardware and software for implementation of the configuring method as claimed in claim 9.

13. The configuring tool as claimed in claim 12, wherein the hardware comprises an inputting means, an electromagnetic signal transmission means, memories and an electronic processing unit.

14. The configuring tool as claimed in claim 13, wherein the inputting means comprises an optical scanner.

16. The configuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identifiers and/or the information of the first type and/or the information of a second type are in the form of a barcode.

17. The configuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of set-up functions comprises at least one set-up function selected from the group consisting of (i) a high end-of-travel set-up function and (ii) a sensitivity threshold set-up function and (iii) an automatic low end-of-travel set-up function.

15. The configuring tool as claimed in 12, wherein the software means comprise programs stored in memory for governing the operation of the configuring tool.