JP2005210576A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem wherein conventional remote controllers require user operation for apparatus selection, when switching a target apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: This remote controller is provided with a reception unit for receiving a signal which is original for an apparatus; a storage unit for storing control codes; and a control unit for resetting to the control code of a target apparatus from the received signal. In this configuration, an apparatus specification request is transmitted to the target apparatus, original signal of the apparatus is received and authenticated, and an operating mode is switched in accordance with the target apparatus, in response to the result of the authentication, thereby obviating the need for target apparatus switching by user operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote controller that operates each device.

  As a conventional remote controller device, when there are multiple devices to be operated, if the device is from the same manufacturer, the user can operate with the same remote control as it is. Because the remote control settings are different, the same remote control cannot be operated as it is, and the user sometimes switches to the remote control setting for each manufacturer.

  Alternatively, a plurality of remote controllers whose remote controller settings are set for each manufacturer's device are prepared, and the user uses the devices properly by properly using them.

Patent Document 1 describes a remote controller that communicates with a control target device in advance, acquires control target device related information, and performs control based on the information.
JP-A-5-316571

  However, since the user cannot directly operate a plurality of devices having different control codes for the remote control, the user needs to perform operations such as pressing a button to set the remote control. Therefore, even if the operation target devices are limited, a plurality of devices having different control codes have a problem that an operation such as button pressing by the user is necessary.

  In addition, in the remote controller described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to acquire control-related information every time the device to be controlled is changed. Was wasting time and power.

  In order to solve the conventional problem, a remote controller device of the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives a device identification signal transmitted from an operation target device, and includes an authentication unit that authenticates the operation target device from the received signal. . With this configuration, a device identification request is transmitted to the operation target device, a device specific signal is received from the operation target device, the operation target device is recognized from the signal, and the remote control setting is currently transferred to the control code of the operation target device. An object of the present invention is to provide a remote controller device that can control a remote controller of a target device by switching to the above.

  According to the remote controller device of the present invention, it is possible to easily set an operation target device without performing a user operation such as pressing a button for device selection for switching the operation target.

  In addition, for the operation target device that has already acquired the information related to the device control mode by performing authentication of the operation target device, it is possible to save the setting time and power by performing the setting without acquiring the information again. Can do.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a remote controller apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the first transmission unit is an infrared light transmission unit 102 for operating the target device, and the second transmission unit is a device identification request signal transmission unit 103 for transmitting a device identification request. . The receiving unit 101 is a part that receives a device-specific signal or the like transmitted from the target device in response to a device identification request transmitted from the second transmission unit 103. The microcomputer 105 receives the device-specific signal received by the receiving unit 101 and switches the control code of the remote controller correspondingly. The memory 104 stores the device specific signal and the control code in association with each other. These are connected by a bus connection or the like (configuration of the first embodiment).

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the remote controller apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  From the configuration shown in FIG. 1, first, in a first step 01, a device specifying request signal by visible light is transmitted from the second transmitter 102 on the remote control side to the operation target device. On the other hand, in the second step 02, the device specifying request signal is received by the receiving unit 109 on the operation target device side. In response, in a third step 03, a device identification signal is transmitted from the transmission unit 108 on the operation target device side to the remote controller. In a fourth step 04, the device specifying signal is received by the receiving unit 101 on the remote control side. In a fifth step 05, the device specifying signal is searched for a match from the device specifying table in the memory 104, and the operation target device is authenticated based on the search result. FIG. 9 is a device identification table. In this case, the device identification signal is device identification information. In a sixth step 06, the control mode in the remote control is switched by referring to the device control mode of the authenticated operation target device from the device identification table (control flow in the first embodiment).

  As described above, in the first embodiment, a request for specifying an operation target by visible light is issued to the operation target device from the remote controller side, and the requested device returns a device-specific signal, By receiving and switching the device control mode on the remote control side, there are multiple devices on the spot, and even when operating a specific device, the remote control side automatically switches to the control mode to be operated Even when the user tries to change the operation target device, the user does not need to perform an operation such as pressing a button for mode switching. When the remote controller is operated, the user does not mistakenly operate the device while remaining in the control mode of the other device.

  In the present embodiment, the second transmission unit 103 for visible light is provided as a part for transmitting the device identification request. However, infrared light, radio waves, sound waves, ultrasonic waves, or the like may be used.

  Hereinafter, only different points from the first embodiment will be described.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, in response to the device identification request signal transmitted from the remote controller, the device transmits only the device identification signal. As a result of authentication using the device identification signal, device control related to the investigation target device is performed in the memory 104. When there is no mode information, it is possible to request transmission of this. Here, the control mode is different for each manufacturer and model, and the information on the device control mode is information for operating the control device from the remote controller after specifying the device.

  This case is also possible by having the same configuration as in the first embodiment.

  The device to be operated is authenticated in the fifth step with respect to the device control mode received by the receiving unit 101 on the remote control side. Before shifting to the sixth step, it is confirmed whether or not the information on the device control mode related to the authenticated device exists in the memory 104, and when it does not exist, this information is obtained from the operation target device. In the sixth step, the control mode inside the remote control is switched to adapt to the authenticated operation target device, and the acquired device control mode information is validated.

  As described above, the second embodiment is effective even when the device control mode information is directly received from the target device and set.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a remote controller apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the same.

  In the first embodiment, the device specifying request signal is transmitted from the second transmission unit. However, in the third embodiment, visible light is transmitted and the operation target device is authenticated by the reflected light.

  In FIG. 2, the second transmission unit is a visible light transmission unit 203 for transmitting visible light, and the reception unit 201 transmits reflected light that identifies a device transmitted from the visible light transmission unit and reflected from the operation target device. It is a device specific light receiving unit for receiving. The reflected light that identifies the device reflected from the operation target device is reflected by the reflecting plate 207 on the device side. The third embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above compared to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 6, unlike the first embodiment, the device side is only reflected by the device-specific reflecting plate. In the third embodiment, in the first step, visible light is transmitted from the visible light transmission unit 203 to the device-specific reflection plate 207 on the device side. In the second step, the visible light irradiated on the device-specific reflecting plate 207 returns to the remote controller as a reflected wave. Here, the device-specific reflecting plate 207 is a reflecting plate unique to the device, and has a device-specific mark such as a barcode. In the third step, the device specific light reflected by the device specific reflection plate 207 on the device side is received by the receiving unit 201 on the remote control side.

  As described above, also in the third embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a remote controller apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the same.

  In the first embodiment, the device specification request signal is transmitted from the second transmission unit. However, in the third embodiment, the image of the operation target device is received by providing the imaging function, and the operation is performed from the image. Authenticate the target device.

  In FIG. 3, a video receiving unit 301 is a video receiving unit that has an imaging function and receives a video of an operation target device. The operation target is recognized from the video of the operation target device. The third embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above compared to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 6, unlike the first embodiment, the remote controller does not transmit a device identification request. Further, the device side does not receive the device identification request signal and transmit the device identification signal.

  In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, in the first step 01, the video of the operation target device is received by the video receiver 301 on the remote control side. In the second step 02, the target device is recognized from the received video. In the third step 03, the recognized target device is searched for a match from the device identification table, and the operation target device is authenticated based on the search result. FIG. 9 is a device identification table. In this case, the recognized video of the target device is the device identification information. In a fourth step 04, the device control mode of the authenticated operation target device is referred to from the device identification table, and the control mode inside the remote control is switched.

  As described above, the fourth embodiment does not require a configuration on the receiver side, so that an effect of circuit reduction can be obtained.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a remote controller apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the same.

  In the fifth step 05 in the first embodiment, there is not always a match when searching for a device identification signal received from the device identification table in the memory 404.

  If there is no match in the device identification table when the received device identification signal is searched, information on the device control mode that is connected to the network by the center communication unit 410 in the seventh step 07 and conforms to the device identification signal is obtained. Get Then, the acquired device control mode information is added to the device identification table in the memory 404 in the eighth step 08.

  An example of the device identification table is shown in FIG.

  As described above, even when there is no control mode of the device to be operated in the device identification table, it can be used without any inconvenience.

  The remote control device according to the present invention has a receiver and is useful as a television remote control or the like. Also applicable to universal design remote control.

1 is a block configuration diagram of a remote controller device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The block block diagram of the remote controller apparatus in Embodiment 3 of this invention Block configuration diagram of a remote controller device in Embodiment 4 of the present invention Block configuration diagram of a remote controller device in Embodiment 5 of the present invention Flowchart of the remote controller device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Flowchart of the remote controller device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention Flowchart of the remote controller device in the fourth embodiment of the present invention Flowchart of the remote controller device in the fifth embodiment of the present invention The figure which shows the table for authenticating the operation target apparatus utilized by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Device specific signal receiver 102 Infrared light transmitter 103 Device specific request signal transmitter 104 Memory 105 Microcomputer 106 Remote control key 107 Microcomputer 108 Device specific signal transmitter 109 Device specific request signal receiver 201 Receiver 202 Infrared light transmitter 203 Visible Light Transmitter 204 Memory 205 Microcomputer 206 Remote Control Key 207 Device Specific Reflector 301 Video Receiver 302 Infrared Light Transmitter 304 Memory 305 Microcomputer 306 Remote Control Key 401 Device Specific Signal Receiver 402 Infrared Light Transmitter 403 Device Specific Request Signal transmission unit 404 Memory 405 Microcomputer 406 Remote control key 407 Microcomputer 408 Device specific signal transmission unit 409 Device specific request signal reception unit 410 Center communication unit

Claims (15)

A remote controller device that authenticates an operation target device and switches to a control mode corresponding to the authenticated device. The remote controller device according to claim 1,
A receiver for receiving a signal from the operation target device;
An authentication unit for authenticating the target device from the received signal;
A control unit for switching to a control mode capable of operating the authenticated target device;
Remote controller device equipped with. A control method for switching the control mode of the remote controller device according to claim 2,
Receiving a signal from the operation target device; and
Authenticating the target device from the received signal;
A step of switching to a control mode in which the authenticated target device can be operated;
A control method. A program for controlling the remote controller device according to claim 2,
Receiving a signal from the operation target device; and
Authenticating the target device from the received signal;
A step of switching to a control mode in which the authenticated target device can be operated;
For causing the remote controller device to execute. The remote controller device according to claim 1,
A receiving unit for receiving a device control code and a control program from the operation target device;
A control unit for switching to the received device control code and control program;
Remote controller device equipped with. A control method for switching the control mode of the remote controller device according to claim 5,
Receiving a device control code and a control program from the operation target device;
Switching to the received device control code and control program;
A control method. A program for controlling the remote controller device according to claim 5,
Receiving a device control code and a control program from the operation target device;
Switching to the received device control code and control program;
For causing the remote controller device to execute. The remote controller device according to claim 1,
A light receiving unit that receives reflected light from a reflector in the operation target device;
An authentication unit for authenticating the target device from the reflected light;
A control unit for switching to a control mode capable of operating the authenticated target device;
Remote controller device equipped with. A control method for switching the control mode of the remote controller device according to claim 8,
Receiving reflected light from a reflector in the operation target device;
Authenticating the target device from the reflected light;
A step of switching to a control mode in which the authenticated target device can be operated;
A control method. A program for controlling the remote controller device according to claim 8,
Receiving reflected light from a reflector in the operation target device;
Authenticating the target device from the reflected light;
A step of switching to a control mode in which the authenticated target device can be operated;
For causing the remote controller device to execute. The remote controller device according to claim 1, comprising an imaging function,
A recognition unit for recognizing the target device from the captured image;
A control unit that switches the control mode corresponding to the recognized device;
The remote controller apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: A control method for switching a control mode of a remote controller device according to claim 1 having an imaging function,
Recognizing the target device from the captured image;
Switching the control mode corresponding to the recognized device;
A control method. A program for controlling a remote controller device according to claim 1, comprising an imaging function,
Recognizing the target device from the captured image;
Switching the control mode corresponding to the recognized device;
A program for causing the remote controller device to execute the program. The remote controller device according to claim 1, comprising a communication function with a center.
When there is no control mode corresponding to the authenticated target device in the storage unit,
It has a communication function part with the center,
A remote controller device that receives control mode information from a center. A control method for switching the mode of the remote controller device according to claim 1, comprising a communication function with a center,
When there is no control mode corresponding to the authenticated target device in the storage unit,
Communicating with the center;
A control method.

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