Barrier Operator Feature Enhancement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022065024-A1
Application number	US-202117523029-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 10, 2021
Priority date	Nov 8, 2012
Publication date	Mar 3, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A barrier operator feature enhancement device is designed to provide one or more features found in modern barrier operator devices and to incorporate those features into a previously installed barrier operator system. To facilitate ease of use, the barrier operator feature enhancement device can communicate with a large variety of barrier operators. Such communication may be wireless or wired, depending on the communication protocol implemented by a particular previously installed barrier operator. To facilitate the ease of installation, the device is designed to configure itself to operate with the communication protocol of the previously installed barrier operator. Once configured to be able to communicate with the previously installed barrier operator, the feature enhancement device works with the barrier operator to provide one or more additional features to enhance the capabilities of the previously installed barrier operator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus comprising:
a communication module configured to communicate with a plurality of garage door operator types that use different communication protocols; an input/output module configured to communicate with a vehicle; control circuitry operatively connected with the communication module and the input/output module, the control circuitry configured to cause the communication module to communicate with a garage door operator of the plurality of barrier operator types to control movement of a garage door associated with the garage door operator; the control circuitry configured to receive a signal indicative of an attempted forced opening of the garage door; and the control circuitry configured to communicate with the vehicle to secure the vehicle in response to the attempted forced opening of the garage door.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a vehicle presence detector operatively connected with the control circuitry; and
wherein the control circuitry is configured to communicate with the vehicle to secure the vehicle in response to the attempted forced opening of the garage door and the vehicle presence detector detecting a presence of the vehicle.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is configured to communicate with the vehicle via the input/output module to secure the vehicle by:
effecting locking of the vehicle;
effecting engagement of a security system of the vehicle;
effecting disabling of a starting mechanism of the vehicle; and/or effect flashing of lights of the vehicle.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the input/output module is configured to communicate with a peripheral device; and
wherein the control circuitry is configured to receive the signal indicative of the attempted forced opening of the garage door from the peripheral device via the input/output module.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is configured to receive the signal indicative of the attempted forced opening of the garage door from the garage door operator via the communication module.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a vehicle presence detector;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to effect a timer to close function including causing the communication module to communicate with the garage door operator to close the garage door in response to passage of time; and
wherein the control circuitry is configured to change a parameter of the timer to close function based at least in part upon the vehicle presence detector detecting a presence of the vehicle.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the control circuitry is configured to change the parameter of the timer to close function by inhibiting the timer to close function in response to the vehicle presence detector detecting the presence of the vehicle.

8 . The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the control circuitry is configured to change the parameter of the timer to close function by enabling the timer to close function in response to the vehicle presence detector not detecting the presence of the vehicle.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication module is configured to communicate with the garage door operator using a wired communication protocol.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication module is configured to communicate with the garage door operator using a wireless communication protocol.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to communicate with a security system in response to the attempted forced opening of the garage door to effect a response of the security system.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the response of the security system includes sounding an alarm, flashing a light, arming a home security system, and/or sending an alert to a mobile computing device.

13 . A method of operating a barrier operator enhancement device comprising a barrier operator communication module configured to communicate with a plurality of barrier operator types that use different communication protocols, an input/output module configured to communicate with a vehicle, and control circuitry operatively connected to the barrier operator communication module and the input/output module and configured to cause the barrier operator communication module to communicate with a garage door operator of the plurality of barrier operator types to control movement of a garage door associated with the garage door operator, the method comprising:
receiving, at the barrier operator enhancement device, a signal indicative of an attempted forced opening of the garage door; and communicating with the vehicle to secure the vehicle in response to the attempted forced opening of the garage door.

14 . The method of claim 13 further comprising detecting a presence of the vehicle via a vehicle presence detector in operative communication with the control circuitry; and
wherein communicating with the vehicle to secure the vehicle comprises communicating with the vehicle in response to the attempted forced opening of the garage door and detecting the presence of the vehicle.

15 . The method of claim 13 wherein communicating with the vehicle to secure the vehicle includes:
effecting locking of the vehicle;
effecting engagement of a security system of the vehicle;
effecting disabling of a starting mechanism of the vehicle; and/or effecting flashing of lights of the vehicle.

16 . The method of claim 13 wherein receiving the signal indicative of the attempted forced opening of the garage door includes receiving the signal from a peripheral device via the input/output module.

17 . The method of claim 13 wherein receiving the signal indicative of the attempted forced opening of the garage door includes receiving the signal from the garage door operator via the communication module.

18 . The method of claim 13 wherein the control circuitry is configured to effect a timer to close function causing the communication module to communicate with the garage door operator to close the garage door in response to passage of time, the method further comprising:
detecting a vehicle presence using a vehicle presence detector in communication with the control circuitry; and
changing a parameter of the timer to close function based at least in part upon the detected vehicle presence.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein changing the parameter of the timer to close function includes inhibiting the timer to close function in response to the detected vehicle presence.

20 . The method of claim 13 wherein the control circuitry is configured to effect a timer to close function causing the communication module to communicate with the garage door operator to close the garage door in response to passage of time, the method further comprising:
determining an absence of a vehicle using a vehicle presence detector in communication with the control circuitry; and
wherein changing the parameter of the timer to close function includes enabling the timer to close function in response to determining the absence of the vehicle

21 . The method of claim 13 further comprising the barrier operator communication module communicating with the garage door operator using a wired communication protocol.

22 . The method of claim 13 further comprising the barrier operator communication module communicating with the garage door operator using a wireless

Assignees

• Chamberlain Group LLC

Inventors

• Cate Casparus
• Fitzgibbon James J
• Keller Jr Robert R
• Pudipeddi Sapta Gireesh
• Sorice Cory Jon

Classifications

• E05Y2400/85

  User input means · CPC title

• E05Y2400/44

  Sensors not directly associated with the wing movement · CPC title

• G05B19/042

  using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05B2219/2628

  Door, window · CPC title

• G08G1/04

  using optical or ultrasonic detectors · CPC title