(12) United States Patent
`Ben-Ze’ev
`
`USOO6791467B1
`(10) Patent No.:
`US 6,791,467 B1
`45) Date of Patent:
`Sep. 14, 2004
`
`9
`
`(54) ADAPTIVE REMOTE CONTROLLER
`
`(75) Inventor: Yuval Ben-Ze'ev, Tel Aviv (IL)
`
`(*) Notice:
`
`(73) Assignee: Flextronics Semiconductor, Inc.,
`Sunnyvale, CA (US)
`-
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/533,250
`22) Filled:
`Mar 23, 2000
`(22)
`C
`a 4.
`(51) Int. Cl. ................................................ G08C 19/00
`(52) U.S. Cl. ............................ 340/825.69; 340/825.72;
`340,825.22; 340,755,340,756; 348,734;
`345/169; 34.5/173; 398/106; 398/107; 398/108
`(58) Field of Search ....................... 340/825.69, 825.72,
`340/825.22, 7.55, 7.56; 348/734; 34.5/169,
`173; 359/142, 145, 146; 341/176; 700/83;
`398/106, 107, 108
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`4,746,919 A * 5/1988 Reitmeier .............. 340/825.56
`
`Complementary Appliance Unit
`
`4,769,643 A 9/1988 Sogame ................. 340/825.69
`5,528,229 A
`6/1996 Mehta ........................ 340/3.4
`5,646,608 A * 7/1997 Shintani ................ 340/825.52
`6,097,309 A * 8/2000 Hayes et al. ........... 340/825.69
`6,127,941. A * 10/2000 Van Ryzin ............. 340/825.69
`6,133,847 A * 10/2000 Yang ..................... 340/825.22
`6,204,796 B1
`3/2001 Chan et al. ................. 341/176
`6,377,861 B1
`4/2002 York ........................... 700/83
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`Primary Examiner Michael Harabik
`ASSistant Examiner-Yves DaLencourt
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm Mark M. Friedman
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`A method and System for the remote controlling of appli
`ances includes an adaptive remote controller that adapts
`itself automatically to its environment So as to remotely
`control a plurality of appliances. The adaptive remote con
`troller is RF based and has the capability of two way
`communication with appliances. The adaptive remote con
`troller provides information, alerts and help to a user.
`
`44 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets
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`Chandelier
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`Kichen Stove
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`4.
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`Microwave
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`3
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`Light Bulb
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`
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`Second TV
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`7
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`s
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`Refrigerator
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`7
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`Stereo
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`Master Remote Control Unit
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`APPL-1007 / Page 1 of 18
`Apple v. Uniloc
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`t Second TV
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`5
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`Kettle
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`Refrigerator
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`to
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`Stereo
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 14, 2004
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`Sheet 1 of 6
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`US 6,791467 B1
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`Complementary Appliance Unit
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`11
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`Chandelier
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`(2)
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`Kichen Stove
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`4.
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`MicroWave
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`3 st
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`Light Bulb
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`2
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`First TV
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`Master Remote Control Unit
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`FIG.1
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`APPL-1007 / Page 2 of 18
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 14, 2004
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`Sheet 2 of 6
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`US 6,791467 B1
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`Antenna
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`21
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`17
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`26 Transmitter
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`Processing Unit
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`22
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`Receiver
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`FIG.2
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`Data Base
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`33 Processing Unit
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`
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`32
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`Receiver
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`- - - -
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`LOud Speaker
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`
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`FG.3
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`Internal Ram
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`Man-machine
`Interaction
`Mechanism
`Element
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`APPL-1007 / Page 3 of 18
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 14, 2004
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`Sheet 3 of 6
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`US 6,791467 B1
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`50
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`41
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`42
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`43
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`45
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`46
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`Appliance loentification Section
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`Front Panel Section
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`Action Format Section
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`General Section
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`Application Section
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`Help Section
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`FIG.4
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`APPL-1007 / Page 4 of 18
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`U.S. Patent
`US. Patent
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`Sep. 14, 2004
`Sep. 14, 2004
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`Sheet 4 of 6
`Sheet 4 0f 6
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`US 6,791,467 B1
`US 6,791,467 B1
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`
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`202
`202
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`206
`206
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`207
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` 207
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`209
`209
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`4:.»mmmmcnmmcnmmAooooooooocooowcncr-Aww
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`5“
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`D.)
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`AN
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`250
`250
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`250
`250
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`250
`250
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`250
`250
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`FIG.5
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`APPL-1007 / Page 5 of 18
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`APPL-1007 / Page 5 of 18
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 14, 2004
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`Sheet 5 of 6
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`US 6,791467 B1
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`
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`First LD
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`MicroWave
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`APPL-1007 / Page 6 of 18
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 14, 2004
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`Sheet 6 of 6
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`US 6,791467 B1
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`135
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`136
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`APPL-1007 / Page 7 of 18
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`

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`1
`ADAPTIVE REMOTE CONTROLLER
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`US 6,791467 B1
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`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`The field of the invention relates in general to means for
`remotely controlling appliances. More particularly, the
`invention relates to an adaptive universal remote controller,
`that can adapt itself to any new environment, for example,
`while its operator is moving from one environment into
`another, or while the environment itself is modified by the
`introduction of a new appliance in it. The invention further
`relates to an adaptive-interactive remote controller that can
`further interact with appliances, for providing the user of the
`remote controller help guidance, and/or options that are
`Specific to an appliance, or to a situation.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`Remote controllers for electrical and electronic appli
`ances are well known, and are widely used. In recent years,
`as home appliances have been improved to include more and
`more new features, more products for home use are being
`provided with remote controllers. Generally, although most
`of the newer remote controllers apply infrared rays for
`transmission, there is no one Standard for remote controllers,
`and each company provides its appliances and remote con
`trollers with its specific protocol of communication. In many
`cases, companies change the communication protocol even
`from one model to another in the same type of appliance.
`This problem is well known, and the prior art has exten
`sively tried to provide a so-called “universal' remote con
`troller that is capable of controlling one or more different
`appliances, although the So-called universal remote control
`ler has not been Specifically designed for controlling them.
`Such a universal remote controller is generally provided
`with means for “learning” the control features of the
`device/S and the control signals for carrying them out, and
`with means for generating Such signals, when desired.
`There are known Some types of universal remote
`controllers, these generally differing in their manner of
`programming. More particularly, the universal remote con
`trollers of the prior art differ in the manner of teaching them
`the Specific signals to be transmitted by each key, the
`location of the relevant keys for operating each appliance,
`and the keys functionality.
`One known type of a universal remote controller e.g., as
`disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,643 is designed to learn the
`Said relevant information from one or more original, dedi
`cated remote controller/S that are provided by the manufac
`turer with each relevant appliance. This type of universal
`remote controller Suffers from the drawback that the teach
`ing procedure of the universal remote controller requires
`having the original remote controller of each appliance,
`which is not always available. Furthermore, the teaching
`procedure is tedious, as it requires the carrying out of the
`teaching procedure Separately for each appliance, and for
`each specific key of the remote controller.
`A Second type of a universal remote controller e.g., as
`disclosed in EP 907,156 is provided with a special interface
`for downloading the relevant information into the remote
`controller from an external Source. Such an information
`Source may be, for example, the manufacturer's Internet Site,
`a Smart Card, a plugged in ROM card, etc. A drawback of
`this type of universal remote controller is that the Source of
`the relevant information is in many cases not readily
`available, particularly if the site (when this is the informa
`tion Source) is not updated for all the manufacturers’ models.
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`Moreover, there is the need for a special plugged-in card that
`has to be programmed, or for a special interface. A Second
`drawback of this type of remote controller is that the
`procedure of programming (or downloading) in any case
`requires Special skills by the one who carries out the
`programming procedure.
`There are some other variations to the above types of
`universal remote controllers. However, they all suffer from
`Similar drawbackS.
`Moreover, the existing universal remote controllers are
`designed for handling Some “Standard” appliances, Such as
`a TV, a Stereo receiver, a Video recorder, a tape recorder, a
`CD player, etc. Their keyboards are generally not provided
`with keys for handling newly available features in new
`models of the above “standard' appliances, and definitely
`not with keys for handling new appliances that are being
`provided with remote controllers for the first time.
`Moreover, there are some remote controlled outdoor
`appliances, Such as a garage door, or a car alarm System that
`are provided with remote controllers using encrypted Sig
`nals. The existing universal remote controllers are not
`capable of learning from the dedicated remote controllers
`with encrypted Signals of Such appliances.
`Furthermore, the remote controllers of the prior art are
`generally uni-directional, capable only of Sending Signals to
`the appliances, in order to carry out Some of their specific
`operations. They are not capable of receiving information
`from the appliances, and do not comprise a graphic man
`machine interface (MMI) for easing and extending their
`operations, and for providing more friendly operation.
`Moreover, most of the existing remote controllers are based
`on infrared signal transmission, that generally requires a line
`of Sight between the remote controller and the appliance.
`The remote controller of the invention also overcomes this
`drawback, as it is RF based, and is provided with a non
`directional antenna.
`It is therefore one object of the invention to overcome the
`above-mentioned drawbacks of the existing universal
`remote controllers.
`It is another object of the invention to provide a remote
`controller that can handle any remote controlled appliance,
`of any type, model, and with any type of feature, even a new
`OC.
`It is still another object of the invention to provide the said
`remote controller with the ability to easily handle a plurality
`of remote controlled appliances.
`It is still another object of the invention to provide the said
`remote controller with the capability of adapting itself
`immediately and automatically to any remote controlled
`appliance with any features whatsoever, and in any
`environment, with no need for any programming procedure
`to be carried out by the operator.
`It is still another object of the invention to provide the said
`remote controller with the capability of adapting itself
`immediately to handle the addition of a new appliance in its
`existing environment.
`It is still another object of the invention to provide the said
`remote controller with the capability to adapt itself imme
`diately and automatically to any movement of the operator
`with the remote controller into a new environment that
`includes appliances different from the previous environ
`ment. Such a new environment can be, for example, another
`apartment, a new room in the same apartment, another floor
`in the same apartment, or an outdoor environment Such as a
`parking lot paying-entering device, a control device for
`automatic payment machine in toll way, a control of an ATM
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`APPL-1007 / Page 8 of 18
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`3
`machine for withdrawal of cash, an industrial environment
`Such as an automatic warehouse, or a manufacturing plant
`where machines can be “wirelessly controlled”, etc.
`It is still another object of the invention to provide to said
`adaptive remote controller the capability to adapt itself
`immediately to handle any new feature of any new or
`existing appliance, by displaying on the display a descriptive
`Symbol or text that is directly connected to a relevant key for
`activating the new feature.
`It is still another object of the invention to provide the said
`remote controller with the capability of adapting its opera
`tions based on the current or past Status of appliances with
`whom contact has been made.
`It is still another object of the invention to provide said
`remote controller with a new type of display that clearer for
`Viewing and determining the function of each key.
`It is still another object of the invention to provide an
`adaptive remote controller that is much more user-friendly,
`particularly due to its new manner of teaching and operating.
`For example, a remote controller that is with a graphic
`Man-Machine Interface (MMI).
`It is still another object of the invention to provide such
`advantages that will encourage manufacturers to produce
`more and more appliances with the capability of being
`remote controlled. Such appliances may be, for example, an
`electrickettle, a light bulb Socket, a washing machine, etc.,
`for which providing a dedicated remote controller was not
`economic.
`It is still another object of the invention to notify the user
`of the remote controller about all the appliances in its close
`environment that can be remote controlled.
`It is a further object of the invention to provide the remote
`controller of the invention with Sound operating, informing,
`and guiding capabilities, Suitable particularly for the Visually
`impaired.
`It is still a further object of the invention to provide with
`the remote controller of the invention the capability of
`providing a HELP and assisting guidance, Specific for the
`operation of each appliance.
`It is still another object of the invention to provide a
`remote controller that can run a full application that is
`received from an appliance, the application may include an
`interactive capabilities for handling different Situations.
`It is still another object of the invention to provide a
`System comprising a plurality of appliances in an
`environment, and an adaptive remote controller for operat
`ing Said appliances.
`It is still another object of the invention to providescripts
`to manage the appliances in an environment. For example,
`the remote controller user may define a Script that turns
`lights on and off, turns on the heating System or Starts the
`action of a Washing machine according to specific event or
`time Stamps.
`Other objects and advantages of the invention will
`become clear as the description proceeds.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`The invention relates to a method for remote controlling
`of appliances by a remote controller the method comprising:
`I. In each appliance:
`a. providing a receiver for receiving Signals from the
`remote controller;
`b. providing a transmitter for transmitting Signals to the
`remote controller;
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`c. providing a memory containing a set-up file, Said Set-up
`file including a functional Section containing informa
`tion for a remote controller regarding the various Signal
`formats that should be sent by the remote controller in
`order to activate corresponding various features of the
`appliance and information for assigning each of Said
`features to a button of the remote controller, and
`optionally an identification Section containing data
`regarding the model identification of the appliance;
`d. providing decoding means for decoding Signals Sent by
`the remote controller, and accordingly either: (a) acti
`Vating a feature of the appliance; or (b) transmitting at
`least a portion of Said Set-up file to the remote control
`ler.
`II. In the remote controller:
`a. providing a plurality of buttons,
`b. providing a receiver for receiving Signals Sent from at
`least one appliance;
`c. providing a transmitter for transmitting Signals to at
`least one appliance, each of Said Signals being either:
`(a) a signal for activating a feature of the appliance; or
`(b) a signal instructing the appliance to transmit at least
`a portion of its Said Set-up file;
`d. providing a memory Storage for Storing a portion or
`entirety of at least one Set-up file;
`e. when the Signal received from an appliance is a Set-up
`file or a portion thereof, Storing the same in Said
`memory Storage of the remote controller;
`f. providing means in the remote controller for Selecting
`a set-up file or a portion thereof to be an active one; and
`g. using the content of said active set-up file for associ
`ating each feature of the corresponding appliance with
`a button in the remote controller for activating that
`feature.
`Preferably, the appliances are home appliances or Outdoor
`appliances. The range of communication between each
`appliance and the remote controller is generally up to about
`100 meters. The communication between the appliances and
`the remote controller of the invention and Vice versa is
`multidirectional, and is carried out in the RF range.
`Preferably, the remote controller of the invention further
`comprises a display Screen. The display Screen is preferably
`a touch Screen on which Virtual buttons are displayed, and
`Saidbuttons are activated by means of pressing their location
`on the screen. Preferably on the screen of the remote
`controller displays the virtual buttons for operating those
`appliances for which Set-up files are active.
`Preferably, each appliance transmits the identification
`Section of its Set-up file periodically, and the functional
`portion of its Set-up file upon receipt of an acquiring
`command from a remote controller. Alternatively, the iden
`tification portion of each Setup file is sent periodically by the
`appliance to the remote controller.
`Preferably, the remote controller displays on its Screen an
`identification Symbol for any appliance for which it contains
`in its memory Storage an identification portion of the appli
`ance Set-up file. The remote controller marks on its Screen as
`“existing and available' any identification Symbol of an
`appliance for which it contains in its memory Storage a
`functional portion of the appliance Set-up file. The Said
`identification Symbol is an icon or a text representing a
`corresponding appliance. The acquiring command for
`acquiring a functional portion of an appliance Set-up file is
`transmitted from the remote controller to a Specific appli
`ance upon pressing the appliance Symbol on the Screen of the
`remote controller.
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`Preferably, the set-up file of the appliance further com
`prises a status portion, indicating the current Status of the
`appliance.
`Preferably, the functional section of the set-up file of the
`appliance further comprises data regarding the graphic
`image of the remote controller of the appliance, and of each
`of its buttons.
`Preferably, the set up file further includes a HELP section,
`for providing the user of the remote controller with help
`regarding on how to control and operate the appliance. The
`invention further relates to a remote controller for control
`ling at least one appliance in an environment, characterized
`in that it acquires from each appliance in the Said environ
`ment a set-up file containing a functional portion of at least
`information regarding the various Signal formats that should
`be sent by the remote controller for activating various
`features of the appliance and information for assigning each
`of Said features to a button of the remote controller, and
`optionally, an identification information regarding the iden
`tification of the Said appliance.
`Preferably, the remote controller comprises:
`a. a plurality of buttons,
`b. a receiver for receiving Signals from at least one
`appliance;
`c. a transmitter for transmitting Signals to at least one
`appliance, each said Signal being either: (a) a signal for
`activating a feature of the appliance; or (b) an acquiring
`command instructing the appliance to transmit at least
`a portion of its Set-up file;
`d. a memory Storage for Storing at least one set-up file that
`is received from an appliance;
`e. means for Selecting a Set-up file to be defined as an
`active one; and
`f. means for associating each feature of the appliance with
`a button of the remote controller for activating that
`feature.
`Preferably, the remote controller of the invention is fur
`ther provided with means for displaying on the display
`Screen identifications of all appliances of which an identi
`fication portion is received by the remote controller. The
`remote controller of the invention preferably further com
`prises means for Sending an acquiring command to a specific
`appliance, for acquiring from the appliance the functional
`portion of its Set-up file, and for Storing Said functional
`portion in the remote controller memory.
`Preferably, the remote controller is further provided with
`means for acquiring a status Section of a set-up file from the
`appliance. Such means includes, for example, a Status
`acquiring command that is Sent from the remote controller to
`the appliance, asking it to transmit its Status portion. After
`receipt of the Status Section of the Set-up file of the appliance,
`the remote controller can display the current Status of the
`appliance who sent the Status Section.
`The remote controller is preferably also provided with
`means for determining from a received Status Section of a
`Set-up file of an appliance a current Status of that appliance.
`Preferably, the remote controller is further provided with
`indicating and alerting means, for informing the user of the
`remote controller according to the determining of a received
`status section. The remote controller preferably further
`includes Safety means and Security means Such as user
`authentication means.
`The remote controller of the invention preferably marks
`the identification Symbols of all appliances in the environ
`ment for which their functional portion of their set-up file is
`Stored in the memory Storage of the remote controller as
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`“existing and available', the remaining identification Sym
`bols of the rest of the appliances, for which a functional
`portion has not been acquired by the remote controller
`remain marked as “existing but not available'. Preferably,
`remote controller further includes means for deleting from
`the memory Storage of the remote controller a Setup file of
`an appliance or its identification portion, if the identification
`portion of the Set-up file is not received during a predeter
`mined time period.
`The invention also relates to a System for remote control
`ling of appliances in an environment, Said environment
`including at least one appliance and at least one remote
`controller, each appliance in Said environment having its
`Specific features and its predefined signals for remotely
`activating Said features, the System comprising,
`I. at least one appliance, comprising:
`a. a set-up file containing a functional portion of infor
`mation on how to remotely activate features of Said
`appliance, and optionally, an identification portion
`identifying the appliance;
`b. a receiver for receiving commands from a remote
`controller;
`c. a transmitter for transmitting information from the
`appliance to the remote controller, and
`d. a logic circuit for decoding commands from a remote
`controller and:
`d.1 when a command is found as an activating
`command, activating a corresponding feature of the
`appliance; and
`d.2 when a command is decoded as an acquiring
`command, transmitting at least a portion of Said
`set-up file to the remote controller who sent the
`acquiring command;
`II. at least one remote controller for controlling at least
`one appliance in an environment, characterized in that it
`acquires from each appliance in the environment a Set-up file
`containing a functional portion of at least information
`regarding the various signal formats that should be sent by
`the remote controller for activating various features of the
`appliance and information for assigning each of the features
`to a button of the remote controller, and optionally an
`identification information regarding the identification of the
`Said appliance;
`and III.a wireleSS communication protocol in each appli
`ance and remote controller for managing communication in
`the environment between the at least one remote controller
`and the at least one appliance in Said environment.
`The communication protocol between each appliance and
`the remote controller and Vice versa is a wireleSS commu
`nication protocol for appliances, Such as Home-RF
`(HomePNA)”, “Wireless LAN”, “Bluetooth”, or similar.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`FIG. 1 shows a System including the remote controller,
`according to one embodiment of the invention;
`FIG. 2 shows the structure of a part that is added to each
`appliance to be controlled, according to one embodiment of
`the invention;
`FIG. 3 shows the basic structure of the remote controller,
`according to one embodiment of the invention;
`FIG. 4 shows the structure of the set-up file in the
`appliance;
`FIG. 5 shows the structure of the memory database at the
`remote controller that contains a plurality of Set-up files,
`FIG. 6 shows a remote controller according to one
`embodiment of the invention, with a display Screen showing
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`the existence of Several appliances in the vicinity of the
`remote controller; and
`FIG. 7 shows the display of the remote controller oper
`ating as a TV remote controller.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS
`A remote control System according to one embodiment of
`the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The adaptive remote
`controller 1 is provided with means for bi-directionally
`communicating with a plurality of electrical or electronic
`appliances in its vicinity. For example, a typical home may
`comprise the following remote controlled appliances: a main
`TV 2, a first light bulb 3 in the bedroom, an oven 4, a kettle
`5, a refrigerator 6, a Stereo System 7, a living room chan
`delier 11, a second TV set 9, etc.
`AS mentioned hereinabove, according to the prior art each
`of Said appliances is provided with its dedicated remote
`controller, for activating any available feature in that specific
`appliance. The most common remote controllers of the prior
`art are provided with an infrared transmitter for Sending
`remote controlling Signals to the appliance. The So-called
`universal remote controllers of the prior art are provided
`with a RAM or ROM, or EPROM, or EEPROM internal
`database, to which Set-up information regarding the key
`map and Signal format of at least one apparatus to be
`controlled is entered. Such information can be commonly
`provided to the internal database from various Sources, Such
`as from a Smart card, from an Internet database, from a
`plugged-in card, etc. According to another existing method,
`the remote controller is provided with Said information by
`carrying out a “learning procedure, by which it learns the
`Set-up information from each appliance dedicated,
`manufacturer-provided remote controller. Furthermore, the
`infrared communication between prior art remote controllers
`and the appliances is relatively directional, and a line of
`Sight between them is generally required. Moreover, the
`remote controllers of the prior art are capable of only
`transmitting to the appliances, not of receiving information
`from the appliances.
`FIG. 2 shows the structure of an additional part that is
`added to each appliance, according to one embodiment of
`the invention. Each appliance in the system 20 (of FIG. 1)
`(i.e., each controllable appliance) is provided with a non
`directional antenna 21, a receiver 22, a transmitter 26, a
`Small database 24, and a processing unit 23. The processing
`unit preferably also includes a memory unit that Stores, for
`example, the program required for the operation of the
`processing unit, and Some I/O ports 25 for delivering updat
`ing information between the appliance and the processing
`unit. For example, Via one I/O port, updating information
`regarding the current Status of the appliance may be trans
`ferred from the appliance to database 24. Alternatively,
`another I/O port 25 may be used for externally loading,
`when desired, updated Set-up information to database 24,
`e.g., from a PC computer (not shown) via plug 19. Such
`updated information may be, for example, new control
`Signal formats, or a new graphic of the remote controller of
`the appliance, or a reloading of the Set-up file, due to any
`malfunction.
`The Small database 24 in the appliance contains Set-up
`data (hereinafter, “the set-up data') that can be transmitted
`by transmitter 26 to the remote controller providing it all the
`information it needs in order to control the appliance. For
`example, Such information may include at least the format of
`all various signals that have to be sent by the remote
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`US 6,791467 B1
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`controller to the appliance in order to activate different
`features of that appliance, and information connecting each
`of these Signals to a corresponding key of remote controller.
`Optionally, in a most preferred embodiment of the invention,
`and as will be elaborated later, the Set-up data may further
`include a full graphic and text description of each key, a
`HELP assisting portion, a Status information about the
`appliance, a specific application to be run at the remote
`controller, etc.
`FIG. 3 shows a basic structure of an adaptive remote
`controller 1, according to one embodiment of the invention.
`The adaptive remote controller 1 comprises a non
`directional antenna 31, a receiver 32, a transmitter 30, an
`internal RAM 34 for storing set-up data of a plurality of
`appliances, and a display 35. The display 35 is preferably an
`interactive-type display, which can display virtual keys that
`can be activated by pressing on their display location. Such
`a display is commonly known, and is used, e.g., in PDAS
`(Personal Digital Assistance) such as the 3Com's PalmPi
`lot'TM product. Alternatively, the display may be a conven
`tional display that is not touch-Sensitive, and in that case, a
`set of keys 36 is also included in the remote controller. The
`remote controller may optionally also include a ROM/
`PROM/EEPROM database 38, containing set-up informa
`tion for a plurality of the most commonly used appliances
`models, and/or an interface for enabling adding Set-up
`information of prior art appliances. The remote controller
`also comprises a processing unit 33 and conventional
`peripherals (memory bank, I/O ports, etc.), for carrying out
`its operation. The memory bank, of course, Stores the basic
`application that operates the remote controller. The remote
`controller is preferably also provided with a loudspeaker 40
`for Sounding a warning and/or any Sound message. When
`audio messages are desired, a Sound card 61 (with a
`Synthesizer) is also provided in the remote controller of the
`invention.
`The processing unit 23 and 33 of each appliance and/or a
`remote controller according to the invention may be of any
`kind known in the art, Such as a micro-controller, a
`microprocessor, etc.
`Lately, new Radio Frequency (RF) communication pro
`tocols in the unlicensed Industrial Scientific Medical, here
`inafter ISM (2.4 GHz) band are emerging, enabling appli
`ances to communicate by means of wireleSS propagated
`radio Signals instead of by means of a directional infrared
`based communication, as is the case between remote con
`trollers and appliances of the prior art. The new communi
`cation protocol for appliances includes the “Home-RF
`(HomePNA“Wireless LAN”, and “Bluetooth”. The system
`20 of the application preferably operates in one of Said
`protocols, however any other Suitable communication pro
`tocol or frequency range may be used instead. The trans
`mitters and receivers of the remote controller, as well as of
`each one of the appliances, are intentionally designed to
`enable communication over a short range, generally of no
`more than about 100 meters, in order to limit the commu
`nication to a close range, thereby not interfering with other
`environment/S operating in the same ISM band. In Some
`cases, the operator of the remote controller may even be
`provided with means for adjusting the Sensitivity of the
`remote controller, for example, to abut the range boundaries
`of an apartment, when Such a range limitation is desired. In
`other cases, control points can be added to increase the
`range.
`According to the present invention, each appliance is
`provided with a unique device code. All appliances in one
`location are preferably grouped to one local network, which
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`receives a network-unique code, So that the remote control
`ler can identify each appliance and local network. Each
`appliance in the System, as well as the remote controller, is
`provided with a wireless communication protocol (including
`its related software) such as Bluetooth, Home-RF
`(HomePNA), Wireless LAN, etc., that manages the com
`munication between all components in the network, includ
`ing at least the