System and method for determining the location and/or relative environment of a controlling device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11380191-B2
Application number	US-202016809281-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2020
Priority date	Mar 4, 2020
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

A radio frequency connection between a controlling device and a one of a plurality of controllable appliances in an environment is used to determine when the controlling device is pointing more towards the one of the plurality of controllable appliances relative to remaining ones of the plurality of controllable appliances. When it is determined that the controlling device is pointing more towards the one of the plurality of controllable appliances relative to remaining ones of the plurality of controllable appliances, the controlling device automatically makes active a command codeset usable to transmit commands to command functional operations of the one of the plurality of controllable appliances.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for adapting a controlling device to control a one of a plurality of controllable appliances in an environment, comprising:
receiving by the controlling device from each of a plurality of controllable appliances a scan request packet;
using a radio frequency connection between the controlling device and the one of the plurality of controllable appliances in the environment to determine that the controlling device is pointing more towards the one of the plurality of controllable appliances relative to remaining ones of the plurality of controllable appliances; and
automatically causing the controlling device to transmit one or more scan response packets having data obtained from the scan request packet received from the one of the plurality of controllable appliances and one or more control codes for commanding a one or more functional operations of the one of the plurality of controllable appliances.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising automatically causing the controlling device to make active a user interface usable for commanding functional operations of the one of the plurality of controllable appliances.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the user interface is stored in a memory of the controlling device before it is determined that the controlling device is pointing more towards the one of the plurality of controllable appliances relative to remaining ones of the plurality of controllable appliances.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the user interface is retrieved from a remote data store by the controlling device in response to it being determined that the controlling device is pointing more towards the one of the plurality of controllable appliances relative to remaining ones of the plurality of controllable appliances.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein using a radio frequency connection between the controlling device and the one of the plurality of controllable appliances in the environment to device to determine that the controlling device is pointing more towards the one of the plurality of controllable appliances relative to remaining ones of the plurality of controllable appliances further comprises using an angle of arrival direction finding methodology.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein using a radio frequency connection between the controlling device and the one of the plurality of controllable appliances in the environment to device to determine that the controlling device is pointing more towards the one of the plurality of controllable appliances relative to remaining ones of the plurality of controllable appliances further comprises using an angle of departure direction finding methodology.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the data obtained from the scan request packet received from the one of the plurality of controllable appliances comprises a device identifier received from the one of the plurality of controllable appliances.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 , further comprising using the device identifier received from the one of the plurality of controllable appliances to determine a user interface to make active on the controlling device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the controlling device and the plurality of controllable appliances communicate via use of a radio frequency, mesh network.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising transmitting by the controlling device a non-connectable advertising packets prior to the controlling device receiving from each of the plurality of controllable appliances the scan request packet.

Assignees

• Universal Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Courtney Michael
• Mickelsen Jeremy
• Nguyen Khanh
• Huang Haiming
• Van Ee Jan
• Penukonda Lokanath
• Perez Jesus

Classifications

• G08C17/02 Primary

  using a radio link · CPC title

• G08C2201/92

  Universal remote control · CPC title

• G08C2201/20

  Binding and programming of remote control devices · CPC title

• G08C2201/70

  Device selection · CPC title

• G08C2201/32

  Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device · CPC title