JP2001245364A - Communication unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication unit that informs a user about a state of household equipment via a communication channel. SOLUTION: A remote control interface 350 detects on/off of an indicator lamp such as a power supply lamp of equipment 220 to be controlled and informs a main body 101 about the detected result. When a call from a telephone line 10 comes to a line control section 110 in the main body section 101 and a PB signal detector 111 detects the reception of a prescribed command in terms of a PB signal received in the call, a CPU circuit section 310 allows a sounder 112 to transmit a sound signal informing the state of the equipment to be controlled 220 discriminated from the on/off of the indicator informed by the section 350 to the telephone line 10 via the line control section 110.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technology for remotely controlling or monitoring home appliances via a communication line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a technique for remotely controlling home equipment such as a VTR and an air conditioner, a technique using an infrared remote control transmitter attached to the home equipment has been known. According to this technology, various operations of home appliances can be remotely controlled from within a distance of about several meters.

[0003] Further, as a conventional technology for remotely controlling in-home devices, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 8-195823, 9-18974, 10-155029, and 8-107538 have been disclosed. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a technology described in a gazette or the like for remotely controlling a home device from an outside location or the like via a telephone line.

For example, in the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-195823, a device called a remote control device is connected to a telephone line, and a push button signal (PB signal) received by a call received via the telephone line. , The remote control device controls the operation of the home device.

[0005] Here, the control of home appliances by the remote control device is performed as follows. That is, the user actually operates the infrared remote control transmitter attached to the home device, associates the infrared pattern for causing the home device to perform an operation to be controlled by the PB signal with the PB signal, and performs remote control in advance. It is stored in the device. Then, the remote control device transmits an infrared signal of an infrared pattern associated with the PB signal received via the telephone line to the home device.

[0006]

However, the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-195823 does not take into account any remote monitoring of the state of home appliances via a communication line. For this reason, it is not possible to confirm whether or not the home device is operating according to the remote control from an outside location or the like.

[0007] Further, in this technique, a user performs an operation of associating an infrared pattern for causing a home device to perform an operation to be controlled by a PB signal with the PB signal.
The user actually operates the infrared remote control transmitter attached to the home device. For this reason, when the operation to be controlled by the PB signal is a timer reservation of a home device such as a VTR recording reservation, the operation itself for causing the home device to perform the operation using the infrared remote control transmitter is complicated. Because of the variety, the work burden increases.

Further, in each of the above-mentioned prior arts, it is possible to control on / off of the home equipment, but there is no consideration about stopping the consumption of standby power by remotely controlling the power supply itself to the home equipment. It has not been.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable a user to be notified of the state of home appliances via a communication line.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for receiving data via a communication line without having to actually operate a remote control transmitter to store a remote control signal pattern for making a timer reservation. It is an object of the present invention to enable the home device to operate so as to match the user's instruction for timer reservation.

It is another object of the present invention to be able to control the power supply itself to home appliances via a communication line.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object,
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication device for notifying an operation state of a controlled device via a communication line, wherein a display state of an indicator of the controlled device indicating the operation state of the controlled device is optically controlled. Detecting means, and a notifying means for notifying, via the communication line, a signal indicating an operation state of the controlled device, which is determined by a display state of the indicator of the controlled device detected by the detecting means, It is characterized by having.

According to this aspect, the operation state of the controlled device is detected from the display state of the indicator of the controlled device, and this is notified via the communication line. The operation state of the controlled device can be confirmed. In addition, since the display state of the indicator originally provided in many controlled devices (such as home appliances) is used for detecting the operation state of the device, many home devices are used as controlled devices, and Can be applied without any changes.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication device for controlling the operation of a controlled device in accordance with a request received via a communication line, for example, for setting the operation of the controlled device. Remote control content storage means for storing the content of a wireless signal transmitted by a remote control transmitter included in the controlled device; transmitting means for transmitting a wireless signal for setting the operation of the controlled device; and the communication line. Through,
A request receiving unit that receives a request for an operation change of the controlled device at a predetermined time, a request content storing unit that stores the content of the request received by the request receiving unit, and a request stored in the request content storing unit. The content of the wireless signal for causing the controlled device to perform an operation is read from the remote control content storage means, and the wireless signal specified by the read content is transmitted to the transmission means at a predetermined time indicated by the request. And control means.

According to this aspect, the controlled device performs the operation change by transmitting the radio signal for performing the requested operation change at the time indicated by the request. Therefore, it is possible to cause the controlled device to perform the same operation as the timer reservation without setting the timer reservation in the controlled device. Therefore, the user does not need to actually operate the remote control transmitter to store the remote control signal pattern for making the timer reservation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication device for controlling power supply to a controlled device in accordance with a request received via a communication line, and for example, supplying power to the controlled device. Power supply means, a request reception means for receiving a request to change the power supply state to the controlled device via the communication line, and the controlled power supply means according to the request received by the request reception means. Control means for changing a power supply state to the apparatus.

According to this aspect, the power supply itself to the controlled device can be remotely controlled via the communication line.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a communication device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the communication apparatus 100 includes a main body 101 and at least one remote control interface 350 provided for each controlled device 220.

The main unit 101 includes a line control unit 110, a PB signal detection unit 111, a sound generation unit 112, and a remote control signal reception unit 130
, A CPU circuit section 310, a clock timer 311 and an operation section 312.
, A display unit 313, a remote control storage unit 320, a remote control control unit 330, and a reservation content storage unit 340. Where C
The PU circuit section 310 includes a CPU and peripheral circuits such as a ROM and a RAM (not shown). Line control unit 110
Are connected to the telephone line 10 and the attached telephone 20 respectively.

The remote control interface unit 350 includes an indicator light reception detection unit 351 and 352 and a remote control signal transmission unit 353.
And

As shown in FIG. 2A, the remote control interface unit 350 includes an indicator of the controlled device 220 (in the example shown, the power lamp 221 and the recording lamp 222 of the VTR which is the controlled device 220). ), The indicator light receiving detectors 351 and 352 of the remote controller interface section 350 are closely opposed to each other, and the remote controller signal receiving section 223 of the controlled device 220 and the remote controller signal transmitting section 353 of the remote controller interface section 350 are provided.
Are disposed so as to substantially face each other. Note that the structure of the remote control interface unit 350 has a unit structure in which the positions of the infrared light emitting unit 353 and the indicator light receiving units 351 and 352 are variable so that such an arrangement is possible regardless of the type of the controlled device 220. It is preferable that the installation positions of the indicator light detection units 351 and 352 and the remote control signal transmission unit 353 are adjustable, such as a structure in which the infrared light emitting unit 353 and the indicator light receiving units 351 and 352 are separated.

However, the remote control interface unit 350
As shown in FIG. 2B, for example, the light of each indicator of the controlled device 220 (in the illustrated example, A configuration may be provided that includes a lens optical system that forms an image of the power supply lamp 221 and the light of the recording lamp 222 of the VTR that is the controlled device 220 on the indicator light receiving units 351 and 352 of the remote control interface unit 350.

Hereinafter, the operation of the communication apparatus 100 having the above configuration will be described.

First, the operation of the remote control interface unit 350 will be described.

The indicator light receiving detectors 351 and 352 of the remote controller interface unit 350 detect the on / off state of the corresponding indicator of the controlled device 220 and notify the CPU circuit unit 310 via the remote controller controller 330. For example, when the controlled device 220 is a VTR, the indicator light detection unit 351 detects whether the power lamp 221 is turned on or off,
The indicator light receiving detector 352 detects whether the recording lamp 222 is turned on or off.

Remote control signal transmitting section 353 of remote control interface section 350 transmits a remote control signal of the pattern specified by remote control section 330 to remote control signal receiving section 223 of controlled device 220. As the remote control signal, a signal that can be received by the remote control signal receiving unit 223 of the controlled device 220,
For example, an infrared signal or a weak radio signal is used.

Next, the operation of the main body 101 will be described.

The main body 101 has three operation modes: an initial setting mode, a home mode, and an absence mode, which are selected by a user operating the operation unit 312.

First, the main unit 101 in the initial setting mode
The operation of will be described.

In this mode, the CPU circuit unit 310 controls each unit to perform the following operations.

First, the CPU circuit section 310 accepts the setting of a password in response to a user's operation on the operation section 312, and stores it in the inside (for example, the reservation content storage section 340).

The CPU circuit section 310 receives the remote control signal received by the remote control signal receiving section 130 and transmits the remote control signal transmitted from the remote control transmitter 210 according to each operation of the remote control transmitter 210 dedicated to the controlled device 220. It detects a signal pattern (for example, when the remote control signal is an infrared signal, time-series information of infrared on / off). And
These are stored in the remote control storage unit 320 in association with the identification number of the controlled device 220 received in response to a user operation on the operation unit 312.

For example, when the controlled device 220 is a VTR, the CPU circuit unit 310 issues an instruction to the display unit 313 to press the power on / off button of the remote control transmitter 210.
The remote control signal pattern received by remote control signal receiving section 130 is associated with power on / off. Next, on the display unit 313,
An instruction is issued to press the recording start button of the remote control transmitter 210, and the remote control signal pattern received by the remote control signal receiving unit 130 is associated with the start of recording. Next, the display unit 313
Then, an instruction to press the recording end button of the remote control transmitter 210 is issued, and the remote control signal pattern received by the remote control signal receiving unit 130 is associated with the recording end. Then, an instruction is issued to the display unit 313 to sequentially press the channel buttons of the remote control transmitter 210, and the remote control signal patterns sequentially received by the remote control signal receiving unit 130 are associated with the corresponding channels. In this way, if the remote control signal pattern transmitted from the remote control transmitter 210 is received by operating the various buttons of the remote control transmitter 210, the operation unit 31
2 receives the VTR identification number from the user via
This number is stored in the remote control storage unit 320 in association with a remote control signal pattern corresponding to the various operations described above.

The CPU circuit unit 310 also determines the correspondence between each remote controller interface unit 350 and the type of the controlled device 220 corresponding to each remote controller interface unit 350 and the identification number given to the corresponding controlled device 220. Received according to the user's operation on the operation unit 312, the remote control storage unit 3
Remember at 20.

Next, the operation of the main unit 101 in the home mode will be described.

In this mode, the line control unit 110 connects the attached telephone 20 and the telephone line 10. As a result, the attached telephone set 20 can perform communication using the telephone line 10, as in the case where the telephone set 20 is directly connected to the telephone line 10.

Next, the operation of the main unit 101 in the absence mode will be described, assuming that the controlled device 220 is a VTR.

First, a user enters a telephone line
The operation in the case where the recording reservation of the VTR is made via the.

FIG. 3 shows an operation sequence in this case.

As shown in the figure, first, a user originates a call to the communication device 100 from a remote operation source telephone 30 (push phone or dial pulse type telephone having a function of transmitting a PB signal) such as a destination (S1101).

When the line control unit 110 of the communication device 100 detects an incoming call, it receives the call and receives a voice signal received from the remote operation source telephone 30 via the telephone line 10 into the PB signal detection unit 11.
Send to 1 Then, the sound signal output from the sound generator 112 is transmitted to the remote control source telephone 30 via the telephone line 10, and the CPU circuit 310 is notified of the incoming call (S1102). After that, the PB signal detection unit 111 detects the PB signal received from the remote operation source telephone 30, and notifies the CPU circuit 310 of a PB code obtained by decoding the PB signal. Here, the PB code is a number from 0 to 9 of the touch phone and 12 of # and *.
Is a code representing the symbols. The PB signal is generally
This is a DTMF signal associated with this code.

The CPU circuit 310 notified of the incoming call causes the sound generator 112 to output an audio signal for inputting a password (S1103). Then, after that, when the PB code string is notified from the PB signal detection unit 111 (S1104), it is checked whether or not the password matches the password stored therein (S1105).

Here, the user operates the remote control source telephone 30, and for example, as shown in FIG.
The password is transmitted to the communication device 100 by transmitting the PB signal corresponding to the PB code sequence of the numeral string “*” as the password. The CPU circuit unit 310 recognizes the number between # and * in the PB code string notified from the PB signal detection unit 111 as a password and determines whether or not the password matches the password stored inside. Find out.

Now, if the passwords match, the CP
The U circuit unit 310 causes the sound generation unit 112 to output a voice signal requesting transmission of the control content (S1106), and waits for reception of a remote control command from the remote operation source telephone 30.

Here, the remote control command is, for example,
As shown in FIG. 4B, “#, the target device indicating the number of the controlled device, the operation content, the operation start time, the operation end time,
The PB signal detection unit 111 notifies the PB code sequence of the channel “*”. That is, the user operates the remote control source telephone 30 to transmit a PB signal corresponding to such a PB code string, thereby notifying the communication device 100 of a remote control command.

Next, when a remote control command is received (S1107), the CPU circuit section 310 analyzes the content and performs an operation corresponding to the content.

First, the CPU circuit section 310 confirms that the operation content of the remote control command is a recording reservation (in the case where the operation content code is “12” in FIG. 4B), Whether the code is a VTR or not (Fig. 4
(B) whether the target device code is “01” or “02”), and if it is a VTR, the target device code, operation start time code, operation end time code and channel included in the command The recording reservation information including the code is stored in the reservation content storage unit 340 (S1108). next,
The sound generator 112 outputs an audio signal notifying the completion of the recording reservation (S1109), and then the line controller 110 disconnects the call with the remote control source telephone 30 (S1110).

Thereafter, when the CPU circuit 310 detects from the clock information of the clock timer 311 that the time indicated by the operation start time code of the recording reservation information stored in the reservation content storage section 340 has come (S1111), The remote control storage unit 320 is associated with the number indicated by the target device code of the recording reservation information.
Reads the power on / off remote control signal pattern stored in. Then, the remote control signal of the remote control interface unit 350 stored in the remote control storage unit 320 in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the recording reservation information via the remote control control unit 330 via the remote control signal of the read signal pattern. The transmission unit 353 is transmitted (S1112 to S1112).
1113).

Then, the remote controller interface unit 35
The indicator VT for detecting whether the power supply lamp 221 of the VTR corresponding to 0 is turned on / off is detected based on the detection content of the light receiving detector 351.
The lighting of the power lamp of R is confirmed (S1114 to S1116). If not confirmed, the remote control signal of the power-on / off remote control signal pattern is repeatedly transmitted until it can be confirmed.

On the other hand, if it can be confirmed, the remote control signal of the channel indicated by the channel code of the recording reservation information stored in the remote control storage unit 320 in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the recording reservation information. The pattern was read out, and read out to the remote control signal transmission unit 353 of the remote control interface unit 350 stored in the remote control storage unit 320 in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the recording reservation information via the remote control control unit 330. The remote control signal of the signal pattern is transmitted (S1117 to S1118).

In this embodiment, the channel switching (S
Since 1119) is not confirmed, the remote control signal of the remote control signal pattern of the channel indicated by the recording reservation information may be transmitted a plurality of times. However, this communication device is configured to be able to detect channel switching,
Only when the switching of the channel cannot be confirmed, the transmission of the remote control signal may be repeated until the switching is confirmed. For example, when a channel is displayed on the liquid crystal display, a means for optically reading and recognizing the channel number displayed on the liquid crystal panel may be provided to detect the channel switching.

Next, a remote control signal pattern for starting recording stored in the remote control storage section 320 is read out in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the recording reservation information, and the remote control control section 330 reads the remote control signal pattern. The remote control signal transmission unit 353 of the remote control interface unit 350 stored in the remote control storage unit 320 in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the information transmits the read remote control signal of the signal pattern (S1120 to S1121).

Then, the remote controller interface unit 35
Confirm the detection contents of the indicator light receiving detection unit 353 for detecting whether the recording lamp of the VTR corresponding to 0 is turned on / off (S11).
22-S1124). If the lighting of the recording lamp of the VTR cannot be confirmed, the remote control signal of the remote control signal pattern for starting recording is repeatedly transmitted until the operation end time is confirmed.

Next, when the CPU circuit section 310 detects from the clock information of the clock timer 311 that the time indicated by the operation end time code of the recording reservation information stored in the reservation content storage section 340 has come (S1125), The remote control signal pattern of recording end and the remote control signal pattern of power on / off stored in the remote control storage unit 320 are read out in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the recording reservation information, and sequentially read through the remote control unit 330. The remote control signal transmission unit 353 of the remote control interface unit 350 stored in the remote control storage unit 320 in association with the number indicated by the target device code.
(S1127).

Then, the remote controller interface unit 35
It is confirmed that the power supply lamp of the VTR is turned off based on the detection content of the indicator light reception detection unit 351 for detecting whether the power supply lamp of the VTR corresponding to 0 is turned on / off (S1128 to S1130). if,
If you cannot confirm that the power lamp of the VTR has turned off,
The remote control signal of the power on / off remote control signal pattern is repeatedly transmitted until it can be confirmed.

Next, the user enters a telephone line
The operation when the power of the VTR is controlled to be turned off via the switch 10 will be described.

In this case, the CPU circuit section 310 determines that the operation content of the remote control command received after confirming the password is power off (when the operation content code is “12” in FIG. 4B). Is confirmed, immediately read out the remote control signal pattern of power on / off stored in the remote control storage unit 320 in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the command, and via the remote control control unit 330, The remote control signal transmission section 353 of the remote control interface section 350 stored in the remote control storage section 320 in association with the number indicated by the code transmits the read remote control signal of the signal pattern. Then, the turning off of the power supply lamp of the VTR is confirmed based on the detection content of the indicator light reception detection unit 351 for detecting whether the power supply lamp of the VTR corresponding to the remote control interface unit 350 is turned on or off.
If it is not confirmed that the power lamp of the VTR is turned off, the remote control signal of the power on / off remote control signal pattern is repeatedly transmitted until it can be confirmed.

When it is confirmed that the power supply lamp of the VTR is turned off, the audio signal for notifying the completion of the power-off is output to the sound generator 112, and the line controller 110 makes a call between the remote control source telephone 30 and the telephone. Cut.

Next, the user enters a telephone line
The operation in the case of controlling the VTR to be turned on and automatically turned off via 10 will be described.

In this case, the CPU circuit section 310 determines that the operation content code of the remote control command received after confirming the password is power-on and automatic-off (FIG. 4B).
When the operation content code is "01" in
Immediately, the remote control signal pattern of the power on / off stored in the remote control storage unit 320 is read out in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the command, and the number indicated by the target device code is transmitted via the remote control unit 330. And causes the remote control signal transmission unit 353 of the remote control interface unit 350 stored in the remote control storage unit 320 to transmit the read remote control signal. Then, V corresponding to the remote control interface unit 350
The lighting of the power lamp of the VTR is confirmed based on the detection content of the indicator light detection unit 351 for detecting the lighting / off of the power lamp of the TR. If the lighting of the power lamp of the VTR cannot be confirmed, the remote control signal of the power on / off remote control signal pattern is repeatedly transmitted until it can be confirmed.

If the power lamp of the VTR is confirmed to be lit, an audio signal for notifying the completion of power-on is output to the sound generator 112, and the line controller 110 calls the remote operation source telephone 30. Cut. Then, power-off information including a target device code and a power-off time that is a time obtained by adding a predetermined time to the current time is created, and the reservation content storage unit 34
Register to 0.

Thereafter, when the CPU circuit section 310 detects that the power-off time of the power-off information stored in the reservation content storage section 340 has come from the clock information of the clock timer 311,
The power on / off remote control signal pattern stored in the remote control storage unit 320 is read out in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the power off information, and the remote control control unit 33
Via 0, the remote control signal transmitting unit 353 of the remote control interface unit 350 stored in the remote control storage unit 320 in association with the number indicated by the target device code transmits a remote control signal of the read signal pattern.

Then, the remote controller interface unit 35
The turning off of the power supply lamp of the VTR is confirmed based on the detection content of the indicator light reception detection unit 351 for detecting the lighting / off of the power supply lamp of the VTR corresponding to 0. If it is not confirmed that the power lamp of the VTR is turned off, the remote control signal of the power on / off remote control signal pattern is repeatedly transmitted until it can be confirmed.

Next, the user connects to the telephone line
The operation when the power of the VTR is turned on and the start of recording is controlled via 10 will be described.

In this case, almost the same processing as in the case of the above-described recording reservation is performed. However, the CPU circuit unit 310 determines that the operation content code of the remote control command received after confirming the password is power-on and recording start (FIG. 4).
When (b) indicates that the operation content code is "02", it is different in that the processing when the operation start time is reached in the case of the recording reservation is immediately performed.

Next, when the user enters the telephone line
The operation in the case of controlling the power-on and automatic-off reservation via 10 will be described.

In this case, the CPU circuit section 310 determines that the operation content code of the remote control command received after confirming the password is a power-on and automatic-off reservation (in FIG. 4B, the operation content code is " 11), power reservation information including the target device code, the operation start time code, and the operation end time code of the command is stored in the reservation content storage unit 340.

Then, a sound signal for notifying the completion of the power-on reservation is output to the sound generation unit 112, and the line control unit 110 disconnects the call with the remote control source telephone 30.

Thereafter, when the CPU circuit section 310 detects from the clock information of the clock timer 311 that the time indicated by the operation start time code of the power supply reservation information stored in the reservation content storage section 340 has come, the power supply reservation information The power ON / OFF remote control signal pattern stored in the remote control storage unit 320 is read out in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the target device code, and the remote control signal is read through the remote control control unit 330 in association with the number indicated by the target device code. The remote control signal transmitting section 353 of the remote control interface section 350 stored in the remote control storage section 320 transmits the read remote control signal of the signal pattern.

Then, the remote controller interface unit 35
The lighting of the power lamp of the VTR is confirmed based on the detection content of the indicator light detection unit 351 for detecting the lighting / off of the power lamp of the VTR corresponding to 0. If not confirmed, the remote control signal of the power-on / off remote control signal pattern is repeatedly transmitted until it can be confirmed.

Thereafter, when the CPU circuit section 310 detects from the clock information of the clock timer 311 that the time indicated by the operation end time code of the power supply reservation information stored in the reservation content storage section 340 has come, the CPU circuit section 310 reads the power supply reservation information. The remote control signal pattern of power on / off stored in the remote control storage unit 320 is read out in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the target device code, and the remote control signal is read out through the remote control control unit 330 in association with the number indicated by the target device code. The remote control signal transmitting section 353 of the remote control interface section 350 stored in the remote control storage section 320 transmits the read remote control signal of the signal pattern.

Then, the remote controller interface unit 35
The turning off of the power supply lamp of the VTR is confirmed based on the detection content of the indicator light reception detection unit 351 for detecting the lighting / off of the power supply lamp of the VTR corresponding to 0. If it is not confirmed that the power lamp of the VTR is turned off, the remote control signal of the power on / off remote control signal pattern is repeatedly transmitted until it can be confirmed.

Next, the user connects to the telephone line
The operation in the case of controlling the reservation cancellation via 10 will be described.

In this case, the CPU circuit section 310 determines that the operation content of the remote control command received after confirming the password is reservation cancellation (when the operation content code is “30” in FIG. 4B). Then, it works as follows.

That is, when the target device code of the remote control command is a number representing all devices (for example, the target device code is “00” in FIG. 4B), the reservation content storage unit 340
, All the recording reservation information and the power supply reservation information whose operation start time is after the current time are deleted.

If the target device code of the remote control command is a number indicating a specific device and the operation start time and the operation end time are not specified, the reservation content storage unit
All the recording reservation information and the power supply reservation information including the target device code stored in 340 and whose operation start time is later than the current time are deleted.

If the target device code of the remote control command is a number indicating a specific device and the operation start time and the operation end time are specified, the reservation content storage unit 34
0, the recording reservation information and the power supply reservation information including the target device code, the operation start time is later than the current time, and the specified operation start time and operation end time are Then, all information that matches the time indicated by the operation start time code and the operation end time of the remote control command is deleted.

Next, the user enters a telephone line
The operation in the case of confirming whether or not the VTR is recording through 10 will be described.

FIG. 5 shows an operation sequence in this case.

As shown, first, the CPU circuit section 310
Is a procedure S2101 similar to the procedure shown in S1101 to S1105 in FIG.
After confirming the password in steps S2105 to S2105, when a remote control command is received (S2106 to S2107), the operation content code of the command is checked. Then, when it is confirmed that the code is a recording confirmation (when the operation content code is “21” in FIG. 4B), the following operation is performed.

That is, the indicator light receiving detector 351 of the remote controller interface unit 350 stored in the remote controller storage unit 320 in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the remote control command to detect whether the power lamp of the VTR is turned on or off. Of the power supply lamp of the VTR is confirmed from the detected contents (S2108 to S2111). If confirmed, the VT corresponding to the remote control interface unit 350 is further determined.
The lighting of the recording lamp of the VTR is confirmed based on the detection content of the indicator light receiving detector 353 for detecting the lighting / extinguishing of the recording lamp of R (S2112 to S2115). If this is also confirmed, for example, an audio signal such as “the specified device is performing a recording operation” is output to the sound generation unit 112, and then the line control unit 110 transmits a call to the remote operation source telephone 30. Is cut (S2116).

On the other hand, if the lighting of the power lamp cannot be confirmed, a sound signal such as “the specified device is not turned on” is output to the sound generator 112, and then the line controller 110 Causes the remote operation source telephone 30 to disconnect the call. Also, if you can confirm the lighting of the power lamp but not the lighting of the recording lamp,
An audio signal such as "The specified device is turned on but not recording" is output to the sounding unit 112, and then the line control unit 110 disconnects the call with the remote control source telephone 30. Let it.

Next, the user enters a telephone line
The operation in the case of confirming whether or not the power supply of the VTR is ON through 10 will be described.

The operation in this case is the same as that for checking whether or not the VTR is recording. However, the difference is that the object to be checked is only the lighting of the power lamp.

That is, the CPU circuit section 310 determines that the operation content code of the remote control command received after confirming the password indicates that the power is on (in the case where the operation content code is “20” in FIG. 4B). ) Is confirmed, the indicator light receiving detector for detecting whether the power supply lamp of the VTR is turned on / off in the remote controller interface unit 350 stored in the remote controller storage unit 320 in association with the number indicated by the target device code of the remote control command. From 351 detections,
Check the lighting of the VTR power lamp. Then, a sound signal indicating the result of the confirmation is output to the sound generator 112, and then the line controller 110 disconnects the call to the remote operation source telephone 30.

The first embodiment of the present invention has been described.

According to the present embodiment, the operating state of the controlled device 220 is detected from the display state of the indicator of the controlled device 220, and this is notified via the communication line. The operation state of the controlled device 220 can be confirmed. In addition, since the display state of the indicator originally provided in many controlled devices (such as home appliances) is used for detecting the operation state of the device, many home devices are used as the controlled device 220 and the home device is controlled. It can be applied without changing the equipment.

According to the present embodiment, when a timer reservation is requested by the user, a remote control signal pattern for starting operation is transmitted at the operation start time indicated by the request. Then, a remote control signal pattern for ending the operation is transmitted at the operation end time indicated by the request. Therefore, it is possible to cause the controlled device 220 to perform the same operation as the timer reservation without setting a timer reservation in the controlled device 220. Therefore, the user does not need to actually operate the remote control transmitter 210 to store the remote control signal pattern for making the timer reservation.

In this embodiment, the case where the controlled device 220 is a VTR has been described as an example. However, remote control such as the above-mentioned power-off, power-on and automatic-off, and reservation of power-on and automatic-off is described. Is similarly applicable to air conditioners, dryers and other home appliances. Also, the confirmation during power-on can be similarly applied to an air conditioner, a dryer and other home appliances.

In the present embodiment, the recording reservation time zone is specified by specifying the time at which recording is started / finished by a remote control command, but is specified by including a G code in the remote control command. You may make it.

In the present embodiment, a remote control command may be input to the communication device 100 from the attached telephone 20. However, in this case, in the home mode,
The line control unit 110 sends an off-hook (hook up) of the attached telephone set 20 to the line control unit 110, and when the PB signal detection unit 111 detects a predetermined first PB code pattern,
The audio signal output from the sound generator 112 is sent to the attached telephone 20. In addition, the PB signal detection unit 111 determines a second
If the PB code pattern is detected,
Connect 20 to telephone line 10. By doing so, it becomes possible to use the attached telephone 20 as a substitute for the remote control transmitter 210.

In this case, the communication device 100
A plurality of attached telephones 20 may be connected to each other, and a remote control command may be input to the communication device 100 from each attached telephone 20. By doing so, it is possible to operate from another indoor room, for example, to operate the air conditioner in the living room from the attached telephone 20 installed in the bedroom. Further, in this case, the communication device 100 may be provided with a PBX function so that an extension call between the attached telephones 20 can be made.

When such a remote control command is input from the attached telephone set 20 to the communication apparatus 100, the telephone line 10
Since it is not the communication with the outside through the communication, transmission and reception and confirmation of the password may be omitted.

In the present embodiment, the communication device 10
In addition to 0, an additional function such as an answering machine that can be remotely controlled may be added in addition to the power on / off of the controlled device 220 and remote control and monitoring of recording. In this case, whether the target of the remote control is the additional function or the remote control or monitoring of the controlled device 220 may be specified by the target device code of the remote control command. Alternatively, before accepting the remote control command, it accepts the input of a service selection command in a format as shown in FIG. 6, and depending on the contents of the service selection command, whether the control target is an additional function or the remote control of the controlled device 220 You may specify whether it is operation or monitoring.

Further, in the present embodiment, the CPU circuit section 310 accumulates a history of confirmation contents of turning on / off of each indicator of the controlled device 220, and accumulates the contents of the accumulated history according to a predetermined remote control command. The user may be notified by voice. For example, in the case of the above-described recording reservation, a history of confirmation of the lighting of the VTR power lamp and the recording lamp is accumulated, and a voice indicating the contents of the accumulated history is transmitted by a predetermined remote control command transmitted from the remote operation source telephone 30. May be transmitted to the remote operation-source telephone 30 in response to the request. In this way, the user can confirm whether the reservation made from a destination or the like is actually executed.

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 7 shows the configuration of a communication device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the communication device of the present embodiment uses a power line carrier adapter 410 and a power line carrier unit 450 provided in the main body 101 to control the remote controller controller 330 of the communication device of the first embodiment shown in FIG. In addition, the signal transmission between the remote controller interface unit 350 and the remote controller interface unit 350 is performed by a power line carrier technique using a power line 440.

That is, the signal from the remote controller control section 330 is subjected to predetermined signal processing by the power line carrier adapter 410, and then transmitted to the power line 440 via the power supply circuit section 420 and the outlet 430.

As a power line carrier technique for superimposing a data signal on the power line 440, any known method can be applied. Here, a description will be given assuming that a spread spectrum method that is resistant to noise is used.

In this case, the power line carrier adapter 410 performs spread spectrum modulation on the signal to be transmitted from the remote controller control unit 330, further converts the frequency with a carrier having an appropriate frequency, and turns on the electric lamp via a transformer (not shown). Send on line 440. The data signal transmitted to the power line 440 reaches the power line carrier unit 450, and is subjected to inverse frequency conversion and inverse spectrum spreading by the power line carrier adapter 451,
The signal is restored to the original signal transmitted by the remote control controller 330.
Then, it is sent to remote control interface section 350.

The signal from the remote control interface unit 350 is signal-modulated by the power line carrier adapter 451 of the power line carrier unit 450 and transmitted to the power line 440. Then, the signal is restored by the power line carrier adapter 410 and reaches the remote control unit 330.

By using the power line carrier technique as described above, the main body 101 and the remote controller interface 350 can be installed at separate positions.

In this embodiment, the power line carrier unit 450 is provided with a power switch 432 that can be remotely operated from the CPU circuit section 310, and the power circuit section 45 is connected via the switch 432.
We are trying to supply more power than 3.

The second embodiment of the present invention has been described.

According to the present embodiment, the power supplied to the controlled device 220 can be turned off by remote control. Therefore, consumption of standby power of the controlled device 220 can be stopped by remote control. Further, it is possible to more reliably perform remote control of power-off without using a remote control signal.

Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 8 shows the configuration of a communication device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, a network termination unit (DSU) / terminal adapter (TA) circuit 520 for an ISDN line is added to the communication device of the first embodiment shown in FIG.
Are integrated. In this case, the function of the line control unit 110 in the first embodiment can be included as a part of the function of the DSU / TA circuit 520.

The third embodiment of the present invention has been described.

According to the present embodiment, a personal computer 540 and an analog telephone 530 can be accommodated in the main body 101 instead of the attached telephone 20.

This embodiment may be combined with the above-described second embodiment.

Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 9 shows a configuration of a communication device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the present embodiment employs a main body 1
The signal transmission between the remote controller control unit 330 and the remote controller interface unit 350 of the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is performed by wireless communication (radio waves) by the wireless communication unit 610 and the wireless communication unit 620 provided in the wireless communication unit 100. It is like that.

Although various communication technologies in general can be applied as the wireless communication technology, in the present embodiment, PIAFS, which is a standard for PHS, and a short-distance wireless communication standard called Bluetooth are applied to the wireless communication device. Part 101
And the cordless phone 630. Then, the wireless line between the cordless phone 630 is accommodated in the line control unit 110 in the same manner as the communication line with the attached telephone 20, and similarly to the case where the remote control command is input from the attached telephone 20 described above, A cordless phone 630 allows remote control commands to be input.

The fourth embodiment of the present invention has been described.

According to the present embodiment, the cordless phone 630
Using a certain range from anywhere indoors and outdoors,
It is also possible to remotely control the controlled device 220.

This embodiment may be combined with the third embodiment.

[0123]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The user can be notified of the status of the home device via the communication line. In addition, even if the user does not actually operate the remote control transmitter to store the remote control signal pattern for making the timer reservation, the user receives the instruction for timer reservation received via the communication line. The home device can be operated so as to match Further, the power supply itself to the home appliance can be controlled via the communication line.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a remote control interface unit 350 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of the communication device 100 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a format of a password and a remote control command used in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of the communication device 100 illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a format of a service selection command used in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10: Telephone line 20: Attached telephone 100: Communication device 101: Main unit 110: Line control unit 111: PB signal detection unit 112: Sound generation unit 130: Remote control signal reception unit 220: Controlled device 310: CPU circuit unit 311: Clock Timer 312 ... Operation unit 313 ... Display unit 320 ... Remote control storage unit 330 ... Remote control control unit 340 ... Reservation contents storage unit 350 ... Remote control interface unit 351 and 352 ... Indicator light reception detection unit 353 ... Remote control signal transmission unit 410 ... Power line carrier adapter 430 ... Outlet 450 ... Power line carrier unit 520 ... DSU / TA 610 ... Wireless communication unit 620 ... Wireless communication unit 630 ... Cordless phone

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masatoshi Tanaka 24-4 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo F-term inside Nayoyo Communication Equipment Co., Ltd. 5C018 HA10 HA11 5K048 BA04 BA13 DB01 DB04 DC06 DC07 EB02 EB11 EB12 FB11 5K101 KK11 KK17 LL01 UU03

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A communication device for notifying an operation state of a controlled device via a communication line, wherein a detection state for optically detecting a display state of an indicator of the controlled device indicating the operation state of the controlled device. Means, and a notifying means for notifying, via the communication line, a signal indicating an operating state of the controlled device, which is determined by a display state of the indicator of the controlled device detected by the detecting means. Communication device. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein said detection means is configured to be separately disposed from the device main body, and notifies the detection result to the device main body via a transmission path. A communication device characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the remote controller stores the content of a radio signal transmitted by a remote control transmitter included in the controlled device to set an operation of the controlled device. Content storage means, transmitting means for transmitting a wireless signal for setting the operation of the controlled device, request receiving means for receiving a request for operation change of the controlled device via the communication line, and the request The content of the wireless signal for causing the controlled device to change the operation indicated by the request received by the receiving unit is read from the remote control content storage unit, and the wireless signal specified by the read content is transmitted to the transmitting unit. And a control unit for causing the communication device to execute the communication. 4. A communication device for controlling operation of a controlled device in accordance with a request received via a communication line, wherein a remote control transmitter included in the controlled device is provided for setting the operation of the controlled device. Remote control content storage means for storing the content of the wireless signal to be transmitted; transmitting means for transmitting a wireless signal for setting the operation of the controlled device; and the control device at a predetermined time via the communication line. Request receiving means for receiving a request for operation change; request content storing means for storing the content of the request received by the request receiving means; and performing the operation indicated by the request stored in the request content storing means on the controlled device. The content of the wireless signal to be transmitted is read from the remote control content storage means, and the wireless signal specified by the read content is transmitted to the transmitting means at the location indicated by the request Communication apparatus characterized by and a control unit configured to transmit a time. 5. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the transmission unit is configured to be separately disposed from an apparatus main body, and the control unit controls the transmission unit via a transmission path. A communication device characterized by controlling. 6. According to a request received via a communication line,
A communication device that controls power supply to a controlled device, comprising: a power supply unit configured to supply power to the controlled device; and a request to change a power supply state to the controlled device via the communication line. A communication device comprising: a request receiving unit that receives a request; and a control unit that changes a power supply state of the controlled device by the power supply unit in accordance with the request received by the request receiving unit. 7. The communication device according to claim 6, further comprising request content storage means for storing the content of the request received by said request reception means, wherein the request for changing the power supply state to said controlled device is provided. Requesting that the power supply state to the controlled device be changed at a predetermined time, the control unit determines the predetermined time indicated by the request in accordance with the content of the request stored in the request content storage unit. A communication device for changing a power supply state to the controlled device by the power supply unit. 8. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein said power supply means is configured to be arranged separately from an apparatus main body, and said control means is configured to supply said power supply via a transmission line. A communication device for controlling means. 9. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission path is formed by power line carrier via a commercial AC wiring. 10. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission path is a wireless transmission path using infrared rays or weak radio waves. 11. The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
11. The communication device according to 8, 9, or 10, further comprising: means for accommodating a communication terminal; and means for enabling communication of the communication terminal accommodated by the means via the communication line. Communication device. 12. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein said communication line is an ISDN line, and said communication terminal includes at least one of a telephone and a computer.