Method for communicating information by infrared rays between a transmitter and a receiver in a home-automation network

1. A method for communicating information by infrared radiation between a control command transmitter for a motorized product for closure, privacy or solar protection in a building and a control command receiver, the method comprising the transmission of a series of communication frames, wherein each frame in the series includes:

a preamble signal comprising one or more pulses of a first type, the pulses of the first type having a first duration; and

a data signal, the data being translated into the form of pulses of a second type, the pulses of the second type having a second duration which is different than the first duration;

wherein the preamble signal and the data signal are modulated at the same frequency,

wherein the control command receiver includes a first circuit for reception, processing the preamble signal, and waking up, upon reception of a preamble signal, a second circuit for receiving and processing the data signal, and

wherein the data signal is separated from the preamble signal by a signal-free period which has a duration that is greater than twice the maximum duration separating two successive pulses of the second type and greater than twice the duration of processing of the preamble signal up to the waking of the second circuit.

2. The communication method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal-free period has a duration greater than 2.4 times the maximum duration separating two pulses of the second type.

3. The communication method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal-free period has a duration of greater than 2.4 times the duration of processing of the preamble signal up to the waking of the second circuit.

4. A control command transmitter for a motorized product for closure, privacy or solar protection in a building, which comprises hardware means and software for implementing the communication method as claimed in claim 1 .

5. A home-automation installation comprising a control command transmitter as claimed in claim 4 and at least one control command receiver.

6. The home-automation installation as claimed in claim 5 , wherein at least one control command receiver is associated with a motorized and self-powered home-automation product.

7. The home-automation installation as claimed in claim 5 , which also comprises at least one externally-powered motorized home-automation product, associated with a simple-infrared-control command receiver, normally controlled by a preamblefree communication frame, the externally-powered motorized home-automation product being also controllable by the control command transmitter.

8. The home-automation installation as claimed in claim 5 , which comprises a universal remote control comprising a means for learning a communication frame transmitted by the control command transmitter and a means for transmitting infrared rays making it possible to retrieve a signal comprising this communication frame.

9. The home-automation installation of claim 5 , wherein the preamble signal consists of one or two pulses of the first type.

10. The home-automation installation of claim 5 , wherein the preamble signal comprises ten or more pulses of the first type.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulses of the first type are configured to be received by both a first receiver configured to receive signals transmitted at a first frequency and a second receiver configured to receive signals transmitted at a second frequency, wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are different.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first frequency is 1 khz and the second frequency is 38 khz.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preamble signal consists of one or two pulses of the first type.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preamble signal comprises ten or more pulses of the first type.

15. A method for communicating information by infrared radiation between a control command transmitter for a motorized product for closure, privacy or solar protection in a building and a control command receiver, the method comprising the transmission of a series of communication frames, wherein each frame in the series includes:

a preamble signal comprising one or more pulses of a first type, the pulses of the first type having a first duration; and

a data signal, the data being translated into the form of pulses of a second type, the pulses of the second type having a second duration which is different than the first duration;

wherein the preamble signal and the data signal are modulated at the same frequency,

wherein the control command receiver includes a first circuit for reception, processing the preamble signal, and waking up, upon reception of a preamble signal, a second circuit for receiving and processing the data signal,

wherein the data signal is separated from the preamble signal by a signal-free period which has a duration that is greater than twice the maximum duration separating two successive pulses of the second type and greater than twice the duration of processing of the preamble signal up to the waking of the second circuit, and

wherein each communication frame sent by the transmitter is adapted to control a first type of receiver and a second type of receiver, the first type of receiver configured to receive signals at a first frequency, the second type of receiver configured to receive signals at a second frequency.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein one or more of said communication frames are adapted to program a remote controller configured to receive signals at the second frequency.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first frequency is 1 khz.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second frequency is 38 khz.