Radio receiver and transmitter apparatus for radio-controlled automation systems for opening/closure

• US 8,228,165 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nice S.p.A. (Nice Group SpA)
• Original Assignee: Nice S.p.A. (Nice Group SpA)
• Inventors: Marchetto, Oscar, Bortolan, Bruno, Campagnaro, Paolo, Fregonese, Stefano
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): OTT, FREDERICK R
• Application Number:
  US12/085,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 340/12.5, 340/12.52, 340/5.7, 340/5.71, 340/5, 340/522, 700/90
• US Class Current: 340/5.7
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/62 Rolling code

Abstract

An apparatus for radio-controlled automation systems for opening/closing curtains, entrance doors, rolling shutters, gates, barriers, electrical switches or the like, comprising a radio receiver which is coupled to an electric motor or to an electrical switch and comprising at least one radio transmitter for the remote actuation. The radio receiver comprises means for actuating the electric motor or the electrical switch on the basis of the content of an actuation radio signal which originates from the radio transmitter. The radio receiver comprises a memory storing a certificate which identifies the radio receiver and is adapted to provide an authorization for any operation at the radio receiver. The actuation means comprise stored instructions to perform the operation if the actuation signal comprises, in encoded form, the certificate in addition to a recognition code of the radio transmitter and a control code which corresponds to the operation to be performed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for radio-controlled automation systems for opening/closing curtains, entrance doors, rolling shutters, gates, barriers, electrical switches or the like, comprising

a radio receiver which is coupled to an electric motor or to an electrical switch for operating said opening/closure

and comprising

a plurality of radio transmitters for the remote actuation of said opening/closure, each one of said radio transmitters comprising a nonvolatile memory which stores an identifying recognition code of said each one of said radio transmitters,

the radio receiver comprising actuation means for actuating said electric motor or said electrical switch on the basis of the content of an actuation radio signal which originates from said radio transmitters,

wherein said radio receiver comprises a nonvolatile memory which stores a certificate which identifies the radio receiver and is adapted to provide an authorization to perform any operation at said radio receiver,

a first radio transmitter of said radio transmitters having a first identifying recognition code thereof stored in the nonvolatile memory of said first radio transmitter, and said first radio transmitter receiving and storing in the nonvolatile memory thereof:

said certificate which identifies the radio receiver or a second identifying recognition code of a second radio transmitter of said radio transmitters which is enabled at said radio receiver,

said actuation means comprising stored instructions adapted to check whether said first identifying recognition code is already stored in said nonvolatile memory of the radio receiver and, if not, to store said first identifying recognition code in said nonvolatile memory of the radio receiver, and adapted to perform said operation if the actuation signal that originates from said at least one radio transmitter or from an external programming unit comprises, in encoded form, said certificate or the second identifying recognition code of the second radio transmitter which is enabled at said radio receiver in addition to the first identifying recognition code of the first radio transmitter and a control code which corresponds to the operation to be performed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said actuation means further contain stored instructions to perform the operation associated with the control code even if said actuation signal does not contain said certificate but contains the first recognition code of said first radio transmitter, or a recognition code of said external programming unit, already stored in the nonvolatile memory of the radio receiver.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a said programming unit which is external to said radio receiver and said radio transmitter, said programming unit comprising a radio transceiver which is adapted to communicate with said radio receiver and/or with said radio transmitters and comprising an input device for receiving update commands on the part of the user, said programming unit being adapted to transmit said update commands by means of said transceiver, said radio receiver and/or said radio transmitters being adapted to modify the content of the respective memory on the basis of the content of said update commands sent and transmitted by radio by said programming unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said update commands comprise said certificate and/or recognition codes of radio transmitters.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a control encoded within said control code consists of any operation chosen among the actuation of the electric motor or of the electric switch or the updating of the content of the memory of the radio receiver.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said radio receiver comprises a low-power radio transmitter section which is connected to said actuation means, said actuation means further comprising stored instructions to receive a request for transmission of stored recognition codes, said request being encoded within said control code, and for radio transmission, in reply, of the content of said nonvolatile memory by means of said radio transmitter section.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said certificate is a code which can be read by a user and is written or printed on a removable label or tag which is present on the radio receiver and/or on the radio transmitters.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said actuation signal is encrypted.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said certificate comprises completely or partially the recognition code of the radio transmitters.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the certificate is a code which can be entered in a memory of each device by means of a button of the device.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said memory of the radio receiver comprises a plurality of certificates in association with respective users, said memory of said radio receiver further comprising at least one stored instruction which is uniquely associated with each certificate of said plurality of certificates, said radio receiver being adapted to perform the operation associated with said instruction if said recognition signal comprises the certificate associated with said instruction.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said certificate is uniquely associated with a group which contains a plurality of actuation means and/or a plurality of radio receivers, so that an actuation signal which contains said certificate is adapted to control only the actuation means and/or the radio receivers that belong to the group with which said certificate is associated.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said radio receiver comprises a stored plurality of certificates associated with respective groups of actuation means and/or radio receivers.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said radio transmitters each comprises a plurality of buttons, with each of which it is possible to associate a different certificate so that one or more presses of one of said plurality of buttons corresponds to the transmission of a respective certificate.

15. The radio receiver for the apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a receiver means for receiving the actuation radio signal and the actuation means for actuating, on the basis of the content of the actuation radio signal, the electric motor or the electrical switch which can be connected to said actuation means, wherein said radio receiver comprises the nonvolatile memory which stores the identification certificate of the radio receiver which is adapted to provide the authorization to perform the operation at said radio receiver, said actuation means comprising stored instructions to perform said operation if the actuation signal comprises, in encoded form, said certificate in addition to the recognition code of the radio transmitter and the control code which corresponds to the operation to be performed.

16. The radio receiver according to claim 15, wherein said actuation means further comprise stored instructions to perform the operation associated with the control code that is received even if said actuation signal does not contain said certificate but contains the first recognition code of the first radio transmitter which is already stored in said nonvolatile memory of said radio receiver.

17. The first radio transmitter for the apparatus according to claim 1, comprising the memory of the first radio transmitter which stores the first identifying recognition code of said first radio transmitter and transmitter means which are connected to said memory of the first radio transmitter in order to assemble and transmit, in reply to a manual command on the first radio transmitter, an actuation radio signal which comprises at least said first recognition code of the first radio transmitter and the control code, wherein said first radio transmitter comprises, stored in said memory of the first radio transmitter, at least one said certificate, which is adapted to provide an authorization to perform an operation on said remote radio receiver or on another radio transmitter, the transmission means being adapted to include said certificate in the actuation signal in addition to said first recognition code and said control code.

18. The first radio transmitter according to claim 17, further comprising a radio receiver section for receiving and storing the certificate transmitted by another radio transmitter and/or by the external programming unit.

19. The first radio transmitter according to claim 17, wherein the transmitter means of said first radio transmitter contain stored instructions to include said certificate in the actuation signal only a preset number of times.

20. The first radio transmitter according to claim 17, wherein said certificate is associated uniquely with a single button of the device.

21. The first radio transmitter according to claim 17, wherein said certificate can be stored in a transceiver only on the basis of a preset succession of presses of at least one button of said transceiver on the part of the user.

22. The first radio transmitter according to claim 17, wherein said memory of said firsts radio transmitter contains, in addition to its own, the certificate of any one of the devices that compose the apparatus according to the invention.