JP4191590B2 - Remote control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote control device for remotely operating electronic equipment such as AV equipment and home appliances.

In recent years, a remote control (remote control) device for remote operation is attached to an electronic device. For example, electronic devices such as a television, a video deck, a CD player, and a DVD player have different remote control devices. These electronic devices are multifunctional, and if an operation key corresponding to all functions is provided in the remote control device, the operation is troublesome due to an increase in size and an increase in operation keys. In addition, if there is a remote control device for each electronic device, it is very troublesome to manage and store the electronic device so that it can be recognized which remote device is the remote control device.
In view of this, a remote control device that can operate a plurality of electronic devices with one remote control device has been proposed. For example, a liquid crystal display panel is provided on the surface of a remote control device, and the display content of the liquid crystal display panel is changed in accordance with the electronic device to be operated to display the electronic device name and operation items (Patent Document 1). .
JP 2000-324573 A

However, since the device described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a liquid crystal display panel on the surface of the remote control device and all the operation keys corresponding to each electronic device are displayed on the liquid crystal display panel, it is possible for users who are used to ordinary hard keys. The appearance and operation were uncomfortable. Furthermore, a touch panel such as a liquid crystal panel is not easy to use because it does not have a click feeling compared to a hard key and has a poor operational feeling, and a blind operation while watching a TV screen or the like is difficult. In addition, a display means for displaying the name of the electronic device is required on the surface of the remote control body so that it can be understood which electronic device is currently operated.
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and has a sense of inconvenient appearance and operation compared to the prior art, is small and excellent in operability, and can remotely control a plurality of electronic devices. A remote control device is provided.

The present invention is a remote control device capable of remotely operating a plurality of electronic devices, wherein a main body member provided with a hard key for remotely operating the electronic devices and functions unique to the electronic devices are remotely controlled. A moving member including a display unit that displays a menu for operation and a switching unit that switches the plurality of electronic devices as operation target devices that are remotely operated by the hard key, and the moving member includes: said body member movably provided in a first position in which said display means is covered by said body member is movable to a second position in which said display means is not covered with the body member, the movable member is the The operable electronic device displayed on the menu when moved from the first position to the second position is the operation target device at the first position before the movement, and the moving member And characterized in that the operation target device by the hard keys when moved to the first position from the second position and the particular of the electronic apparatus.
The operation target device can be set when the moving member is in the second position.
The moving member is provided with a menu operating means for operating the menu.
The menu operation means is exposed from the main body member when the moving member is in the second position.
The operation target device is set by selecting a desired electronic device from the plurality of electronic devices displayed as the menu on the display unit by the menu operation unit.
The display means is configured as a touch panel, and the menu is an operable soft key.
The operation target device is set by selecting a soft key corresponding to a desired electronic device from a plurality of electronic devices displayed as soft keys on the display means .
Before SL body member is composed of at least the upper body and lower body, the moving member, characterized in that it is movable between the lower body and the upper body.
The moving member may be moved to a third position different from the second position where the display means is not covered by the main body member.
The menu is displayed when the moving member is in the second position or the third position.
The moving member is rotatably provided on the main body member.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a remote control device that can be remotely controlled with respect to a plurality of electronic devices in terms of appearance, operation, and feeling of incongruity as compared with the prior art, and is small and excellent in operability.

  Next, the contents of the present invention will be described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state when a liquid crystal panel 9 to be described later is in a position covered by the upper body 1a. FIG. 2 is a side view of the remote control device of FIG. 1 viewed from the right side. As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body is composed of an upper main body 1a and a lower main body 1b, and the operation unit 8 is configured to be sandwiched between the upper main body 1a and the lower main body 1b. The upper body 1a includes a power key 2 for controlling on / off of the power of the electronic device selected or set, a screen operation member 3 for operating a screen displayed on a television, a volume key 4, and a channel selection key. 5 etc. are provided. Similarly, a channel selection key 6 composed of numeric keys “1” to “12” and an AV operation key 7 for performing operations such as reproduction and recording which are common to AV devices are also provided on the upper main body 1a. It has been. In the present invention, the operation keys provided on the above-described upper body 1a are referred to as hard keys, and the operation keys displayed on the liquid crystal panel 9 configured as a touch panel described later are soft keys. That's it.

  3 to 5 show states when the operation unit 8 is moved from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view of the remote control device in the state of FIG. 4 as viewed from the right side. 7 and 8 are configuration diagrams of the state in which the upper body 1a is removed in the state of FIGS. The operation unit 8 is rotatably supported by a rotation support portion 14 on the upper main body 1a and the lower main body 1b. The operation unit 8 can be moved by operating the moving operation unit 10 on the side surface of the operation unit 8 exposed from the upper main body 1a with a finger or the like in the state shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the operation unit 8 is being moved, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the liquid crystal panel 9 is not covered by the apparatus body, that is, a state when the operation unit 8 is in the use position. It is.

  For example, the operation unit 8 can be configured to display a screen on the liquid crystal panel 9 when moved to the use position shown in FIG. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent wasteful power consumption when the operation unit 8 is inadvertently moved when there is no intention to use it (for example, the state shown in FIG. 3). Note that the screen may be displayed on the liquid crystal panel 9 when the operation unit 8 moves to the state of FIG. 4 and any one of the operation keys is operated. If the liquid crystal panel 9 is a touch panel, the liquid crystal panel 9 may be configured to display a screen when the liquid crystal panel 9 is touched. Further, if the screen display is made on the liquid crystal panel 9 and no operation or movement is continued for a predetermined time, the power consumption can be further reduced if the screen display is turned off. In this case, the screen display can be restored by detecting that the remote control device has been lifted or moved by a sensor, or by detecting that an operation key has been operated.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the operation unit 8 is moved in the direction opposite to that in FIG. In this way, by adopting a configuration in which the operation unit 8 can be used even if it is moved in either the left or right direction, it can be used for both right-handed and left-handed, and usability is further improved. When the operation unit 8 takes a plurality of use positions, the screen can be always recognized in the same direction by configuring the screen direction of the liquid crystal panel 9 to change according to the positions.

  According to the present invention, in the normal state, that is, in the state of FIG. 1 in which the operation unit 8 is not used, the operation unit 8 is sandwiched and covered between the upper body 1a and the lower body 1b. The effect of being protected from dirt and the like is exhibited. In the above example, the operation unit 8 is sandwiched between the upper main body 1a and the lower main body 1b. However, as shown in the side view of FIG. 9, the main body is not divided into the upper main body 1a and the lower main body 1b. You may comprise so that the operation unit 8 may be provided in the lower surface of the main body 1. FIG. In FIG. 1, the liquid crystal panel 9 is entirely covered with the upper main body 1a as a state in which the operation unit 8 is not used. However, the liquid crystal panel 9 is not entirely covered with the upper main body 1a and a part thereof is exposed. Even if it is in the state of being, if the state is the storage position of the operation unit 8, it corresponds to the “first position where the display means is covered by the main body member” in the present invention.

  Next, a method for using the remote control device of the present invention will be described. First, an operation using the operation unit 8 will be described. In FIG. 4, a television is selected as a device to be used, and the liquid crystal panel 9 displays the selected device name “TV” and a menu related to the functions and operations of the television such as “program guide”. For example, when a DVD is selected as a device to be used, as shown in FIG. 10, a display of the device name “DVD” and a menu relating to the DVD function and operation are displayed. The operation unit 8 is provided with a joystick 11 for operating the menu displayed on the liquid crystal panel 9. The joystick 11 rotates together with the operation unit 8 and is in an upper position when the operation unit 8 shown in FIGS. It is configured to be exposed and operated from the main body 1a. The menu displayed on the liquid crystal panel 9 can be selected by moving the joystick 11 up / down / left / right, and the selected menu can be determined by pressing the joystick 11. The menu operation may be performed using a cross button or the like instead of the joystick 11. Alternatively, the liquid crystal panel 9 may be configured as a touch panel, and selection / determination may be performed by touching a menu on the screen with a finger as a soft key capable of operating the menu.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, an apparatus key 12 and a setting key 13 for switching the screen displayed on the liquid crystal panel 9 are provided on the side surface of the operation unit 8. 4 and FIG. 5, it can be exposed and operated from the upper body 1a. The screen displayed on the liquid crystal panel 9 can be switched between the remote control mode screen 9a and the device selection mode screen 9b by pressing the device key 12, as shown in FIG. Further, by pressing the setting key 13, it is possible to switch between the remote control mode screen 9a and the setting mode screen 9c as shown in FIG. Note that the screen switching between the device selection mode screen 9b and the setting mode screen 9c may be performed by one operation key. In this case, for example, the configuration may be such that when one operation key is normally pressed, the screen is switched to the device selection mode screen 9b, and when the key is long pressed, the setting mode screen 9c is switched. 9b.fwdarw.9c.fwdarw.9a). On the device selection mode screen 9b, it is possible to select a device to be operated when using the operation unit 8, and on the setting mode screen 9c, various settings can be made.

  As described above, functions and operations peculiar to each electronic device can be switched by being displayed on the liquid crystal panel 9 as a menu, so that it is possible to cope with many devices and functions. Also, the dedicated keys of the liquid crystal panel 9 such as the joystick 11, the device key 12, and the setting key 13 can be exposed and operated only when the liquid crystal panel 9 is in use as shown in FIGS. It is possible to solve the problem that the operation unit 8 shown in FIG. The joystick 11, the device key 12, and the setting key 13 can be arranged at appropriate locations on the operation unit 8. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a device key 15 and a setting key 16 can be provided. The joystick 11, the device key 12, and the setting key 13 may be provided not on the operation unit 8 but on the upper main body 1a. In this case, control is performed so as to be invalid when operated in the state of FIG. do it.

  Next, a case where the operation is performed in the state of FIG. 1 without using the operation unit 8 will be described. For example, if you do not perform complicated operations or operations specific to each electronic device, such as watching television (such as terrestrial analog broadcasting) or viewing playback images on a video deck, you can operate without using the operation unit 8. Can be performed. At this time, the electronic device to be operated is configured to be set using the liquid crystal panel 9. When “when liquid crystal is stored” is selected and determined on the setting mode screen 9c shown in FIG. 12, the menu screen 9d of “setting when liquid crystal is stored” shown in FIG. 14 is displayed. By selecting and determining a desired electronic device from the menu screen 9d with the joystick 11 or the touch panel, it is possible to set an electronic device to be operated when the liquid crystal is stored. If the television is set by this operation, the channel to be viewed is selected by the channel selection key 6 constituted by the numeric keys “1” to “12”, and the volume is changed by the volume key 4. be able to. When a video is set, operations necessary for video recording, reproduction, etc. can be performed by AV operation keys 7 for reproduction, recording, and the like. Once an electronic device to be operated is set, it is not changed until it is newly set. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 1 in which the operation unit 8 is housed, it functions as a remote controller for the electronic device that is always set. It will be. Accordingly, the upper body 1a does not need a display unit such as a liquid crystal for displaying the name of the electronic device to be operated, which contributes to the reduction in the number of parts and the downsizing.

  Also, two electronic devices can be configured as electronic devices that can be operated in the state in which the operation unit 8 of FIG. 1 is housed. As a setting method, for example, two screens for the device A and the device B can be prepared as the liquid crystal storage setting screen 9d shown in FIG. 14, and the two electronic devices can be set respectively. At the time of product shipment, the device A and the device B may be set in advance, for example, to a television and a DVD. The two set electronic devices can be switched by, for example, pressing the device selection key 17 and the device selection key 18 shown in FIG. The device selection key 17 corresponds to the device A, the device selection key 18 corresponds to the device B, and the pressed device selection key (17 or 18) is configured to blink or light for a predetermined time. Which electronic device is selected can be sensed. In addition, when any of the hard keys provided on the upper body 1a is operated, the user operates if the selected device selection key (17 or 18) blinks or lights for a predetermined time. The selected operation target device can be confirmed each time.

  The device selection key 17 and the device selection key 18 are provided in the operation unit 8 and are configured to be exposed and operated from the upper body 1a when the operation unit 8 is stored as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the operation unit 8 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is used, the device selection key 17 and the device selection key 18 are covered with the upper main body 1a, so that it is possible to solve the problem of erroneous operation.

  Furthermore, when the state transitions from FIG. 1 (liquid crystal storage state) to FIG. 4 (liquid crystal use state), the electronic device selected in the state of FIG. 1 becomes the operation target device in the state of FIG. When shifting from the state 4 to the state shown in FIG. 1, the usability can be improved by configuring the electronic device that is always set as the device A to be the operation target device.

  Note that the number of electronic devices that can be operated in the state of FIG. In this case, the same number of device selection keys as the number of electronic devices that can be set may be provided, or a plurality of electronic devices can be set with respect to one device selection key, and each time the device selection key is pressed, It can also be configured to switch.

  Since the hard keys provided on the upper body 1a are frequently used functions and operation keys corresponding to operations, the operation unit 8 is not used when a special function or complicated operation is not performed. The operation can be performed in the same manner as a conventional remote control device composed of hard keys, and the user has no discomfort in appearance and operation and is easy to operate. Furthermore, since these hard keys are operation keys that can be operated blindly, that is, operation keys that can be operated while watching a television screen or switching the screen when operated, the operability is further improved. The operation keys provided on the upper body 1a are not limited to these.

  Although the above configuration has been described as a remote control device corresponding to a plurality of electronic devices, the present invention is naturally applicable to a composite device (for example, a television with a built-in DVD recording / playback device).

  Moreover, although the said structure is a structure to which the operation unit 8 rotates, this invention is not limited to this, For example, the structure which slides to right and left, up and down, etc. may be sufficient.

The figure which shows the external appearance structure of the remote control apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. The side view of the remote control apparatus of FIG. The figure which shows the movement state of the operation unit of the remote control apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the movement state of the operation unit of the remote control apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the movement state of the operation unit of the remote control apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. The side view of the remote control apparatus of FIG. The block diagram which removed the upper main body of FIG. The block diagram which removed the upper main body of FIG. The side view of the remote control apparatus concerning other embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the other display screen of a liquid crystal panel. The figure which shows the transition of a liquid crystal panel. The figure which shows the transition of a liquid crystal panel. The figure which shows the external appearance structure of the remote control apparatus concerning other embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the other display screen of a liquid crystal panel. The figure which shows the external appearance structure of the remote control apparatus concerning other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 1a Upper main body 1b Lower main body 2 Power key 3 Screen operation member 4 Volume key 5 Channel selection key 6 Channel selection key 7 AV operation key 8 Operation unit (moving member)
9 Liquid crystal panel (display means)
10 Movement operation part 11 Joystick (menu operation means)
12 Device key 13 Setting key 14 Rotation support 15 Device key 16 Setting key 17 Device selection key 18 Device selection key

Claims (11)

A remote control device capable of remotely controlling a plurality of electronic devices,
A body member of the electronic device is a hard key for remotely controlling provided,
A moving member comprising: display means for displaying a menu for remotely operating functions unique to the electronic device; and switching means for switching the plurality of electronic devices as operation target devices remotely operated by the hard keys ; Have
The moving member is movably provided on the main body member, and is movable to a first position where the display means is covered by the main body member and a second position where the display means is not covered by the main body member,
The operable electronic device displayed in the menu when the moving member moves from the first position to the second position is the operation target device at the first position before the movement, and the moving member remote control device being characterized in that the said device for operation by the hard keys when moved to the first position from the second position and the particular of the electronic apparatus.   The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the operation target device can be set when the moving member is in the second position.   The remote control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the moving member is provided with a menu operating means for operating the menu.   The remote control device according to claim 3, wherein the menu operation unit is exposed from the main body member when the moving member is in the second position.   5. The operation target device is set by selecting a desired electronic device from the plurality of electronic devices displayed as the menu on the display unit by the menu operation unit. The remote control device described.   The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is configured as a touch panel, and the menu is an operable soft key.   7. The operation target device is set by selecting a soft key corresponding to a desired electronic device from a plurality of electronic devices displayed as soft keys on the display unit. Remote control device. Said body member is composed of at least the upper body and lower body, the moving member can be of any claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it is movable between the upper body and the lower body The remote control device according to the above. The moving member, the second is different from the position, the remote control according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the display means and being movable to a third position which is not covered with the body member apparatus. The menu is a remote control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said moving member is displayed when in the second position or the third position. The moving member is a remote control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that is provided rotatably to the main body member.

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