Method and device for learning and playing back electromagnetic signals

• US 9,257,040 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flirc, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flirc, Inc.
• Inventors: Kotzin, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam V
• Application Number:
  US13/174,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20130004178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.01, 600/300, 702/160, 702/19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared

Abstract

Methods and device for learning electromagnetic signals, saving the signals, and pairing the signals with commands interpreted by a processor. The methods comprise the steps of detecting an electromagnetic signal transmitted from an external device; converting the detected electromagnetic signal into a numerical representation; placing the numerical representation into an array; associating the array with a reference or transforming the array with an algorithm and adding the reference or transformation into a memory table; and associating the reference or transformation with a computer command or combination of computer commands and adding the associated computer command or combination of commands into the memory table.

Claims

1. A method for learning electromagnetic signals comprising:

detecting an electromagnetic signal transmitted from an external device by measuring the pulse width of the electromagnetic signal;

converting the detected electromagnetic signal into a numerical representation by assigning a multi-bit value to the pulse width;

placing the numerical representation into an array;

transforming the array with an algorithm;

storing the resulting transformation into a memory table; and

associating the resulting transformation with a computer command or combination of computer commands and adding the associated computer command or combination of commands into the memory table.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transformation of the array comprises:

encoding the numerical representations in the array using an algorithm with multiple inputs producing a single output.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic signal is an infrared signal.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the infrared signal is detected by an infrared receiver.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein converting the detected electromagnetic signal into a numerical representation comprises:

detecting an edge of an infrared signal;

waiting for either a subsequent edge of the infrared signal or the expiration of a predetermined amount of time; and

recording the time between the previous edge of the infrared signal and the subsequent edge of the infrared signal into an array of values.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic signal is one chosen from a group consisting of:

a WiFi signal, an electrical signal, and an optical signal.

7. A method for playing back a previously recorded electromagnetic signal comprising:

detecting an electromagnetic signal transmitted from an external device by measuring the pulse width of the electromagnetic signal;

converting the detected electromagnetic signal into a numerical representation by assigning a multi-bit value to the pulse width;

placing the numerical representation into an array;

transforming the array with an algorithm;

searching a previously constructed memory table for a matching transformation of the array; and

outputting an associated computer command or combination of commands if a matching transformation of the array is found in the memory table.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the transformation of the array comprises:

encoding the numerical representations in the array using an algorithm with multiple inputs producing a single output.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the electromagnetic signal is an infrared signal.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the infrared signal is detected by an infrared receiver.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the electromagnetic signal is one chosen from a group consisting of:

a WiFi signal, an electrical signal, and an optical signal.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the previously constructed memory table is stored in memory in a computer or peripheral device.

13. A device for learning electromagnetic signals comprising:

a microcontroller component comprising an arithmetic logic unit and a memory component;

an electromagnetic signal detecting component coupled to the microcontroller component wherein the microcontroller component and electromagnetic signal detecting component are associate detected electromagnetic signals dynamically with commands or groups of commands wherein both the detected electromagnetic signal and the commands or groups of commands are uniquely written into the memory component of the microcontroller component; and

a port coupled to the microcontroller component for communicating with a computer.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the microcontroller further comprises:

a native Universal Serial Bus stack that does not include an RS232 to Universal Serial Bus converter.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein the port is a Universal Serial Bus port.

16. The device of claim 13 wherein the port is either a serial port or an RS232 port.

17. The device of claim 13 wherein the port is coupled directly to a memory module.

18. The device of claim 13 wherein the electromagnetic signal is an infrared signal.

19. The device of claim 13 wherein the electromagnetic signal is one chosen from a group consisting of:

a WiFi signal, an electrical signal, and an optical signal.