Modular garage door opener

• US 9,978,265 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation (Techtronic Industries Company Limited), TTi (Macao Commercial Offshore) Limited (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: TTi (Macao Commercial Offshore) Limited (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Inventors: McNabb, William, Huggins, Mark, Whitmire, J. Porter
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRIAN E
• Application Number:
  US15/462,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20170294113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00857 where the code of the data carrier can be programmed
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control

Abstract

A modular garage door opener system includes an accessory device including a first electronic processor, a first memory, and a load, and includes a garage door opener including an accessory port, a second memory, and a second electronic processor. The accessory port is configured to be removably coupled to the accessory device. The second electronic processor receives new status data from the accessory device indicating a change in a status of the accessory device to a new status, sends the new status data to a remote server to update an accessory data set, receives new settings data from the remote server indicating a requested change in a setting of the accessory device, and sends the new settings data to the accessory device to update the setting of the accessory device. The first electronic processor controls the load of the accessory device based on the new settings data.

Claims

1. A modular garage door opener system comprising:

an accessory device including a first electronic processor, a first memory, and a load that is controllable by the first electronic processor;

a garage door opener including a motor configured to drive a garage door to open and close, an accessory port, a second memory, and a second electronic processor, the accessory port configured to be removably coupled to the accessory device such that the accessory device is in electrical communication with the accessory port;

wherein the second electronic processor is coupled to the second memory and is configured to execute instructions stored in the second memory to

receive new status data from the accessory device indicating a change in a status of the accessory device to a new status,

send the new status data to a remote server to update an accessory data set,

receive new settings data from the remote server indicating a requested change in a setting of the accessory device, and

send the new settings data to the accessory device to update the setting of the accessory device and, thereby, control the load of the accessory device.

2. The modular garage door opener system of claim 1, wherein the second electronic processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the second memory to

receive, from the accessory device in response to coupling of the accessory device to the accessory port, an initial data set including a unique identifier for the accessory device, an initial status indicating the status of the accessory device, and an initial setting indicating the setting of the accessory device, and

send the initial data set, to a remote server, for storage as the accessory data set.

3. The modular garage door opener system of claim 1, wherein the accessory device is one selected from the group of a speaker, a fan, an extension cord reel, an environmental sensor, a park-assist laser, a light, an inflator, and an inflator cord reel.

4. The modular garage door opener system of claim 1, wherein the load of the accessory device is one selected from the group of a speaker circuit, a motor, a power relay, a park-assist laser light, a light, and a compressor.

5. The modular garage door opener system of claim 1, further comprising a second accessory device that is removably coupled to the accessory port in the absence of the accessory device such that the second accessory device is in electrical communication with the accessory port,

wherein the second electronic processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the second memory to

receive, from the second accessory device, a second initial data set including a second unique identifier for the second accessory device, a second initial status indicating a second status of the second accessory device, and a second initial setting indicating a second setting of the second accessory device;

send the second initial data set to the remote server for storage as a second accessory data set;

receive second new status data from the second accessory device indicating a change in the second status of the second accessory device to a second new status;

send the second new status data to the remote server to update the second accessory data set;

receive second new settings data from the remote server indicating a second requested change in the second setting of the second accessory device; and

send the second new settings data to the second accessory device to update the second setting of the second accessory device.

6. The modular garage door opener system of claim 1, wherein the data set is stored in the first memory of the accessory device.

7. The modular garage door opener system of claim 1, wherein the garage door opener further includes a second accessory port that removably receives the accessory device, and the second electronic processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the second memory to

receive, from the accessory device via the second accessory port, the initial data set;

and

send the initial data set to the remote server.

8. The modular garage door opener system of claim 6, wherein the second electronic processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the second memory to

receive, from the accessory device via the second accessory port, a further status data set indicating that the status of the accessory device is a further status;

send the further status data set to the remote server;

receive, from the remote server, a further settings data set; and

send, to the accessory device via the second accessory port, the further settings data set to update the setting of the accessory device and, thereby, control the load of the accessory device.

9. A communication method for a garage door opener including an accessory port configured to receive an accessory device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the garage door opener, the accessory device in the accessory port;

receiving, from the accessory device, an initial data set including a unique identifier for the accessory device, an initial status indicating a status of the accessory device, and an initial setting indicating a setting of the accessory device;

sending, by an electronic processor of the garage door opener, the initial data set to a remote server for storage as an accessory data set;

receiving, by the electronic processor, new status data from the accessory device indicating a change in the status of the accessory device to a new status;

sending, by the electronic processor, the new status data to the remote server to update the accessory data set;

receiving, by the electronic processor, new settings data from the remote server indicating a requested change in the setting of the accessory device; and

sending, by the electronic processor, the new settings data to the accessory device to update the setting of the accessory device.

10. The communication method of claim 9, wherein the unique identifier indicates a type of the accessory device.

11. The communication method of claim 9, wherein the accessory device is at least one selected from the group of a speaker, a fan, an extension cord reel, an environmental sensor, a park-assist laser, a light, an inflator, and an inflator cord reel.

12. The communication method of claim 9, wherein the new settings data is received from the remote server in response to user input received by a peripheral device in communication with the remote server.

13. The communication method of claim 9, further comprising controlling, by an electronic processor of the accessory device, a load of the accessory device in response to the new settings data.

14. The communication method of claim 9, further including:

receiving, by the garage door opener, a second accessory device in a second accessory port;

receiving, from the second accessory device, a second initial data set including a second unique identifier for the second accessory device, a second initial status indicating a second status of the second accessory device, and a second initial setting indicating a second setting of the second accessory device;

sending the second initial data set to the remote server for storage as a second accessory data set;

receiving second new status data from the second accessory device indicating a change in the second status of the second accessory device to a second new status;

sending the second new status data to the remote server to update the second accessory data set;

receiving second new settings data from the remote server indicating a second requested change in the second setting of the second accessory device; and

sending the second new settings data to the second accessory device to update the second setting of the second accessory device.

15. The communication method of claim 14, wherein the accessory device is selected from the group of a speaker, a fan, an extension cord reel, an environmental sensor, a park-assist laser, a light, an inflator, and an inflator cord reel, and the second accessory device is different from the first accessory device, where the second accessory device is selected from the group of a speaker, a fan, an extension cord reel, an environmental sensor, a park-assist laser, a light, an inflator, and an inflator cord reel.

16. The communication method of claim 14, further comprising:

after the second accessory device is disconnected from the second accessory port and the accessory device is disconnected from the accessory port, receiving the accessory device in the second accessory port and receiving the second accessory device in the accessory port,

receiving, from the second accessory device via the accessory port, the second initial data set;

receiving, from the accessory device via the second accessory port, the initial data set; and

sending the second initial data set and the initial data set to the remote server.

17. A communication method for an accessory device configured to be coupled to an accessory port of a garage door opener, the method comprising:

receiving power, by the accessory device, from the accessory port upon being coupled to the accessory port;

sending to the garage door opener, by an electronic processor of the accessory device, an initial data set including a unique identifier for the accessory device, an initial status indicating a status of the accessory device, and an initial setting indicating a setting of the accessory device;

receiving, by the electronic processor, new settings data, from the garage door opener, to update the setting of the accessory device;

controlling, by the electronic processor, a load of the accessory device in response to the new settings data; and

sending, by the electronic processor, new status data, to the garage door opener, indicating a change in the status of the accessory device to a new status.

18. The communication method of claim 17, further including:

receiving power, by the accessory device, from a second accessory port of the garage door opener upon being decoupled from the accessory port and coupled to the second accessory port;

sending, by the electronic processor, the initial data set to the garage door opener;

receiving, by the electronic processor, second settings data, from the garage door opener, to update the setting of the accessory device;

controlling, by the electronic processor, the load of the accessory device in response to the second settings data; and

sending, by the electronic processor, second status data, to the garage door opener, indicating a change in the status of the accessory device to a second status.

19. The communication method of claim 17, wherein the accessory device is at least one selected from the group of a speaker, a fan, an extension cord reel, an environmental sensor, a park-assist laser, a light, an inflator, and an inflator cord reel.

20. The communication method of claim 17, wherein the new settings data is received from the remote server in response to user input received by a peripheral device in communication with the remote server.