Barrier operator feature enhancement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9896877-B2
Application number	US-201715587786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2017
Priority date	Nov 8, 2012
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

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 be able to communicate with a plurality of barrier operator types that use different communication protocols by sending communication signals by at least one of wireless and wired communication protocols;
control circuitry configured to use the communication module to communicate with any of the plurality of barrier operator types, the control circuitry configured to use the barrier operator communication module to communicate to at least one pre-installed barrier operator to control operation of at least one feature of the at least one pre-installed barrier operator;
an input/output module operatively in communication with the control circuitry, the input/output module configured to communicate with at least one first peripheral device configured to provide information regarding an operation status of the pre-installed barrier operator or an associated movable barrier, and with at least one second peripheral device configured to effect operation of the pre-installed barrier operator;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to, in response to the communication with the at least one second peripheral device, effect communicating with the pre-installed barrier operator to effect an action or setting change of the pre-installed barrier operator;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the communication module to send communication signals using the different communication protocols to the pre-installed barrier operator;
wherein at least one of the input/output module and the control circuitry are configured to receive an instruction signal through a user interface, wherein the received instruction signal comprises information pertaining to a particular barrier operator type;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to, in response to receiving the instruction signal, access a memory that associates a communication protocol with a barrier operator type among the plurality of barrier operator types, and configure the communication module to use a particular communication protocol that the memory associates with the particular barrier operator type.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the user interface is configured to receive input information that corresponds with a particular barrier operator type among the plurality of barrier operator types, wherein the instruction signal sent through the user interface comprises information pertaining to the particular barrier operator type corresponding to the received input information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a local user interface configured to display a list of barrier operator types and to receive an input signal corresponding to a selection of a particular barrier operator type among the barrier operator types displayed on the list, wherein the instruction signal sent through the user interface comprises information pertaining to the particular barrier operator type corresponding to the received input signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the input/output module is configured to communicate with a remote user interface provided on a mobile device, wherein the remote user interface is configured to display a list of barrier operator types and to receive an input signal corresponding to a selection of a particular barrier operator type among the barrier operator types displayed on the list, and wherein the instruction signal sent through the user interface comprises information pertaining to the particular barrier operator type corresponding to the received input signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the input/output module is configured to communicate with at least one peripheral device comprising a network adaptor to effect a connection to Internet.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the memory comprises an online database, and the control circuitry is configured to communicate with the online database over the Internet via the network adaptor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the input/output module is configured to send communications to and receive communications from devices over the Internet.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the input/output module is configured to receive commands to one or both of operate the pre-installed barrier operator from a mobile computing device over the Internet and send status information regarding the pre-installed barrier operator to the mobile computing device over the Internet.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the input/output module is configured to receive communications from a wireless door position sensor using a protocol different from the particular communication protocol used to communicate with the at least one pre-installed barrier operator.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the input/output module is configured to send status information regarding the pre-installed barrier operator to a mobile computing device over the Internet, wherein the status information includes information based at least in part on the communications received from the wireless door position sensor regarding a detected location of the barrier operated by the pre-installed barrier operator.

11. An apparatus comprising:
a communication module configured to be able to communicate with a plurality of different barrier operator types that use different communication protocols by sending communication signals by wireless or wired communication protocols;
control circuitry configured to use the communication module to communicate with any of the plurality of barrier operator types, the control circuitry configured to use the barrier operator communication module to communicate to at least one pre-installed barrier operator to control operation of at least one feature of the at least one pre-installed barrier operator;
an input/output module operatively in communication with the control circuitry, the input/output module configured to communicate with at least one peripheral device configured to effect operation of the pre-installed barrier operator; and
a local user interface operatively in communication with the control circuitry, the local user interface configured to receive a user interaction comprising information pertaining to a particular barrier operator type among the plurality of different barrier operator types;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the barrier operator communication module to send communication signals using the different communication protocols to the pre-installed barrier operator;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to, in response to receiving a local instruction signal via the user interaction, access a memory that associates a communication protocol with a barrier operator type among the plurality of barrier operator types; and
wherein the control circuitry is configured to configure the communication module to use a particular communication protocol that the memory associates with the particular barrier operator type selected via the user interaction.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the input/output module is further configured to receive a remote instruction signal through a remote user interface provided on a mobile device,
wherein the remote user interface is configured to display a list of barrier operator types and to receive an input corresponding to a selection of a particular barrier operator type among the barrier operator types displayed on the list, and
wherein the received remote instruction signal comprises information pertaining the particular barrier operator type selected via the remote user interface.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the contro

Assignees

• Chamberlain Group Inc

Inventors

• Fitzgibbon James J
• Keller Jr Robert R

Classifications

• G08G1/042

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• G08G1/04

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• E05F15/668

  for overhead wings · CPC title

• G05B2219/25168

  Domotique, access through internet protocols · CPC title

• E05Y2900/106

  for garages · CPC title