Optically programmable controller
First Claim
1. An optically programmable controller comprising:
- first means for receiving data transmitted in a first format as pulses of light; and
second means, coupled to said first means, for transmitting data in a second format as pulses of light.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A programmable controller includes a photodetector for receiving data as pulses light from a video display and infra-red emitting diodes for transmitting pulses of light in a format recognized by the device to be controlled. The light from the video display is produced by generating a series of vertically displaced, horizontal lines on the screen of the display. Each line corresponds to a pulse of light and to one bit of information and one or more bytes are displayed per frame on the display. The display produces two initial lines that define a timing window for receiving the remaining data and produces a terminal line that toggles for error detection. The controller produces pulses in the format required by the controlled device by executing a sub-set of primitives from a set stored in the controller. The primitives are executed in a sequence determined by the data from the video display.
108 Citations
32 Claims
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1. An optically programmable controller comprising:
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first means for receiving data transmitted in a first format as pulses of light; and second means, coupled to said first means, for transmitting data in a second format as pulses of light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for operating a remotely controlled device responsive to infra-red signals transmitted in a particular format, said method comprising the steps of:
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transmitting command data to a programmable controller as a plurality of pulses of light from the video display by producing a series of vertically displaced, horizontal lines on the video display; converting the command data into a command sequence in said format; and transmitting the command sequence to the device as a plurality of pulses of light. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for optically transmitting data, said method comprising the steps of:
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producing a series of vertically displaced, horizontal lines on a display, wherein the first two lines on the display provide timing information for receiving the data; and transmitting data as the presence or absence of a luminous line at a location corresponding to the timing information given by the first two lines. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for optically transmitting data, said method comprising the steps of:
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producing a series of vertically displaced, horizontal lines on a video display, wherein the first two lines on the video display provide timing information for receiving the data; and transmitting data as the width of a line at a location corresponding to the timing information given by the first two lines. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. An optically programmable controller comprising:
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a photodetector for converting pulses of light into electrical pulses; a photoemitter for producing pulses of light; a microcontroller interconnecting said photodetector and said photoemitter, said microcontroller being programmed to convert said electrical pulses into command data; a memory coupled to said microcontroller for storing a set of primitives and said command data; wherein said microcontroller executes a sub-set of said primitives in a sequence determined by said command data. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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Specification