System and method for implementing internet of things (IOT) remote control applications

• US 9,933,768 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2015
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Afero, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Afero, Inc.
• Inventors: Britt, Joe, Lee, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Vincent
• Application Number:
  US14/590,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20160195881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared

Abstract

A system and method for Internet of Things (IoT) Implementations for controlling electronic equipment. One embodiment of a system includes: an IoT hub that includes a network interface to couple the IoT hub to an IoT service over a wide area network (WAN), and at least one IoT device communicatively coupled to the IoT hub over a wireless communication channel. The IoT device includes an infrared (IR) or radio frequency (RF) blaster to control environmental control equipment via IR or RF communication with the environmental control equipment, at least one sensor to measure current environmental conditions capable of being controlled by the environmental control equipment, the IoT device to transmit an indication of the current conditions to the IoT hub over the wireless communication channel; and the IoT hub includes a remote control code database to store remote control codes usable to control the environmental control equipment.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an Internet of Things (IoT) hub comprising a network interface to couple the IoT hub to an IoT service over a wide area network (WAN), and

at least one IoT device communicatively coupled to the IoT service by connecting with the IoT hub over a wireless communication channel, the IoT device comprising an infrared (IR) or radio frequency (RF) blaster to control environmental control equipment via IR or RF communication with the environmental control equipment, the IoT device further comprising at least one sensor to measure current environmental conditions capable of being controlled by the environmental control equipment, the IoT device to transmit an indication of the current conditions to the IoT service over the wireless communication channel; and

the IoT service comprising a master remote control code database to store remote control codes usable to control the environmental control equipment, the IoT service further comprising control logic to generate remote control commands using the remote control codes, the remote control commands selected by the control logic in response to the current environmental conditions measured by the sensor and configuration data from an end user provided via an IoT app installed on a user device indicating a desired environmental condition, the IoT hub to receive the remote control commands from the IoT service and transmit the remote control commands to the IoT device over the wireless communication channel;

the IoT device to responsively transmit the remote control commands to the environmental control equipment using the infrared (IR) or radio frequency (RF) blaster to control the environmental control equipment;

wherein the IoT service is configured to continually or periodically monitor the current environmental conditions measured by the sensor and wherein, if the desired environmental condition is not achieved after a specified period of time, then the IoT service is to generate a notification to the IoT app on the user device indicating that the environmental control equipment may not be functioning properly; and

in response to the notification the IoT app on the user device to display a graphical user interface comprising user selectable graphical buttons or other control elements which, upon selection by the user, manually control the environmental control equipment.

2. The system as in claim 1 wherein the environmental control equipment comprises an air conditioner and/or heater, the sensor comprises temperature sensor, the current environmental conditions comprises a first temperature, and the desired environmental condition comprises a second temperature different from the first temperature.

3. The system as in claim 2 wherein the IoT hub is configured to store a portion of the master remote control code database, the IoT hub to transmit remote control commands retrieved from the portion of the master remote control database to the IoT device to cause the IoT device to control the environmental control equipment.

4. The system as in claim 3 wherein if the desired environmental condition is not achieved after the specified period of time, the IoT hub or IoT service are further configured to transmit one or more remote control commands to turn off the environmental control equipment.

5. The system as in claim 1 wherein the IoT hub comprises a remote control code learning logic to retrieve remote control codes from a master control code database on the IoT service responsive to the user entering information identifying the environmental control equipment.

6. The system as in claim 5 wherein the remote control code learning logic is communicatively coupled to an IR/RF interface integrated on the IoT hub, the remote control code learning logic to learn remote control codes directly from original remote controls designed for operation with the environmental control equipment by capturing the remote control codes from the original remote controls via the IR/RF interface.

7. The system as in claim 6 wherein the remote control code learning logic is to store the captured remote control codes in the remote control code database on the IoT hub.

8. The system as in claim 1 wherein the input from the user is provided to the IoT hub through the IoT service.

9. The system as in claim 1 wherein the wireless communication channel comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) communication channel.

10. The system as in claim 1 wherein the IoT hub is communicatively coupled to the IoT service over a cellular network connection coupling the IoT hub to the WAN.

11. The system as in claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of additional IoT devices communicatively coupled to the IoT service via the IoT hub, each of the IoT devices comprising an IR or RF blaster to control different types of environmental control equipment via IR or RF communication with the environmental control equipment, each IoT device further comprising at least one sensor to detect current conditions associated with the operation of the different environmental control equipment, each IoT device to transmit an indication of the current conditions to the IoT hub over the wireless communication channel.

12. A method comprising:

communicatively coupling an Internet of Things (IoT) hub to an IoT service over a wide area network (WAN), and

communicatively coupling at least one IoT device to the IoT service by connecting with the IoT hub over a wireless communication channel, the IoT device comprising an infrared (IR) or radio frequency (RF) blaster to control environmental control equipment via IR or RF communication with the environmental control equipment, the IoT device further comprising at least one sensor to measure current environmental conditions capable of being controlled by the environmental control equipment, the IoT device to transmit an indication of the current conditions to the IoT service over the wireless communication channel; and

storing remote control codes usable to control the environmental control equipment in a master remote control database of the IoT service,

generating remote control commands using the remote control codes, the remote control commands selected by control logic of the IoT service in response to the current environmental conditions measured by the sensor and input from an end user provided via an IoT app installed on a user device indicating a desired environmental condition,

transmitting remote control commands from the IoT service to the IoT device over the wireless communication channel established between the IoT device and the IoT hub;

responsively transmitting the remote control commands from the IoT device to the environmental control equipment using the infrared (IR) or radio frequency (RF) blaster to control the environmental control equipment;

wherein the IoT service is configured to continually or periodically monitor the current environmental conditions measured by the sensor and wherein, if the desired environmental condition is not achieved after a specified period of time, then generating a notification from the IoT service to the IoT app on the user device indicating that the environmental control equipment may not be functioning properly; and

in response to the notification the IoT app on the user device to display a graphical user interface comprising user selectable graphical buttons or other control elements which, upon selection by the user, manually control the environmental control equipment.

13. The method as in claim 12 wherein the environmental control equipment comprises an air conditioner and/or heater, the sensor comprises temperature sensor, the current environmental conditions comprises a first temperature, and the desired environmental condition comprises a second temperature different from the first temperature.

14. The method as in claim 13 wherein the IoT hub is configured to store a portion of the master remote control code database, the IoT hub to transmit remote control commands retrieved from the portion of the master remote control database to the IoT device to cause the IoT device to control the environmental control equipment.

15. The method as in claim 14 wherein if the desired environmental condition is not achieved after the specified period of time, the IoT hub or IoT service are further configured to transmit one or more remote control commands to turn off the environmental control equipment.

16. The method as in claim 12 wherein the IoT hub comprises a remote control code learning logic to retrieve remote control codes from a master control code database on the IoT service responsive to the user entering information identifying the environmental control equipment.

17. The method as in claim 16 wherein the remote control code learning logic is communicatively coupled to an IR/RF interface integrated on the IoT hub, the remote control code learning logic to learn remote control codes directly from original remote controls designed for operation with the environmental control equipment by capturing the remote control codes from the original remote controls via the IR/RF interface.

18. The method as in claim 17 wherein the remote control code learning logic is to store the captured remote control codes in the remote control code database on the IoT hub.

19. The method as in claim 12 wherein the input from the user is provided to the IoT hub through the IoT service.

20. The method as in claim 12 wherein the wireless communication channel comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) communication channel.

21. The method as in claim 12 wherein the IoT hub is communicatively coupled to the IoT service over a cellular network connection coupling the IoT hub to the WAN.

22. The method as in claim 12 further comprising:

communicatively coupling a plurality of additional IoT devices to the IoT service via the IoT hub, each of the IoT devices comprising an IR or RF blaster to control different types of environmental control equipment via IR or RF communication with the environmental control equipment, each IoT device further comprising at least one sensor to detect current conditions associated with the operation of the different environmental control equipment, each IoT device to transmit an indication of the current conditions to the IoT hub over the wireless communication channel.