RF remote appliance control/monitoring system

• US 6,275,166 B1
• Filed: 01/19/1999
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Karamelion LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Architron Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: del Castillo, Byron, Ginsburg, Diane L., Parsons, Steven R., Rosen, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bangachon, William L
• Application Number:
  US09/234,968
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.07, 340/825.44, 340/825.53, 340/825.73, 370/335, 370/342
• US Class Current: 340/5.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system for managing a distributed array of appliances includes a headend computer having a low power main transceiver and a distributed array of relay units. Each relay unit includes a low power satellite transceiver, a microcomputer connected to the satellite transceiver, the satellite transceiver being controlled by relay program instructions for detecting communications directed by the headend computer relative to the same relay unit and directing communications to the headend computer relative to the same relay unit, and for retransmitting communications to other relay units. At least some of the relay units are appliance controllers and include an appliance interface for communicating with the appliance, the microcomputer being also connected to the appliance interface and having program instructions for directing communication between the satellite transceiver and the appliance interface. Each of the relay units has a unique address associated therewith, occurrences of the unique address being detected in communications from the headend computer. Each of the transceivers has an effective range of not less than approximately 60 feet or more depending on the frequency, which can be between 66 KHz and 2.6 GHz. The transceiver can selectively operate on one of at least 16 carrier frequencies, or one of several spread spectrum channels. Also disclosed is a method for controlling a distributed array of appliances from the headend computer.

Claims

1. An appliance controller for a distributed appliance system having a headend computer, a multiplicity of appliances, and a plurality of relay units, one of the relay units being the appliance controller and comprising:

(a) a low power satellite radio transceiver having a range being less than a distance to at least some of the appliances;

(b) an appliance interface for communicating with the at least one local appliance;

(c) a microcomputer connected between the satellite radio transceiver and the appliance interface and having first program instructions for controlling the satellite transceiver and second program instructions for directing communication between the satellite transceiver and the appliance interface;

(d) the first program instructions including detecting communications directed by the headend computer relative to the same appliance controller, signaling receipt of the directed communications, and directing communications to the headend computer relative to the same appliance controller; and

(e) the second program instructions including detecting relay communications directed between the headend computer and a different relay unit, transmitting the relay communications, detecting a reply communication from the different relay unit, and transmitting the reply communication to the headend computer,

wherein at least some of the relay units communicate with the headend computer by relay communications using at least two others of the relay units.

2. The appliance controller of claim 1, wherein each of the relay units has a unique address associated therewith, and each communication from the headend computer to the appliance controller includes an address code corresponding to the unique address being selectively a relay address for communications being relayed to other relay units, the address code being a destination address when the appliance controller is the destination of the communication, the appliance controller including means for decoding the address code.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the transceivers has an effective range to another of the relay units being not less than 50 feet and not more than 1 mile.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the satellite radio transceiver has a carrier frequency of between 66 KHz and 2.6 GHz.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the carrier frequency is selectively one of at least four frequencies.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the carrier frequency is selectively in a set of frequencies of one of at least four communication channels.

7. A system for controlling a distributed array of appliances, comprising:

(a) a headend computer having a low power main radio transceiver interfaced thereto, the main radio transceiver having a range being less than a distance to at least some of the appliances; and

(b) a distributed array of relay units, each relay unit comprising;

(i) a low power satellite radio transceiver having a range being less than the distance to at least some of the appliances;

(ii) a microcomputer connected to the satellite radio transceiver and relay program instructions for controlling the satellite transceiver;

(iii) The relay program instructions including first instructions for detecting communications directed by the headend computer relative to the same relay unit and directing communications to the headend computer relative to the same relay unit, and second instructions for retransmitting communications to other relay units;

(c) at least some of the relay units being appliance controllers, each of the appliance controllers being located proximate at least one of the appliances and further comprising;

(i) an appliance interface for communicating with the at least one appliance; and

(ii) the microcomputer being also connected to the appliance interface and having destination program instructions for directing communication between the satellite transceiver and the appliance interface,

wherein at least some of the appliance controllers communicate with the headend computer by relay communications using at least two others of the relay units.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the relay units has a unique address associated therewith and means for detecting occurrences of the unique address in communications from the headend computer, and each communication from the headend computer to an appliance controller includes a destination address being the address of that appliance controller and selectively includes one or more relay addresses being the addresses of relay units to repeat the communication.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the transceivers has an effective range of not less than 50 feet and not more than 1 mile to another of the transceivers.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the transceivers operates at a frequency of between 900 MHz and 1.0 GHz, and has an effective range of not less than 50 feet and not greater than approximately 1000 feet.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the transceivers operates at a frequency of between 2.4 GHz and 2.6 GHz, and has an effective range of not less than 1,000 feet and not greater than approximately 1 mile.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the transceivers transmits at a power not greater than 100 milliwatts.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the satellite radio transceiver has a carrier frequency of between 66 KHz and 2.6 GHz.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the carrier frequency is selectively one of at least four frequencies.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the carrier frequency is selectively in a set of frequencies of one of at least four communication channels.

16. A method for controlling a distributed array of appliances from a headend computer, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a headend computer having a main radio transceiver;

(b) providing a distributed array of relay units, each relay unit having a satellite radio transceiver and a unique serial number, at least some of the relay units being electrically interfaced to a corresponding portion of the appliances;

(c) signaling by the main transmitter from the headend computer the addresses of at least three relay units, one of the addresses being a destination address, the other addresses including first and second relay addresses, and a control signal for an appliance being interfaced to a destination relay unit having a serial number corresponding to the destination address;

(d) decoding the first relay address at a first relay unit having a corresponding serial number;

(e) transmitting the control signal, the second relay address, and the destination address from the first relay unit;

(f) decoding the destination address at the destination relay unit; and

(g) feeding the control signal to the appliance from the destination relay unit.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising the further steps of:

(a) transmitting the destination address, the first and second relay addresses, and an acknowledgment signal from the destination relay unit;

(b) decoding the second relay address at the second relay unit;

(c) transmitting the acknowledgement signal, the first relay address, and the destination address from the second relay unit;

(d) decoding the destination address and receiving the acknowledgement signal at the headend computer.