JPH03190498A - Remote control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control a relevant station by transferring an infrared ray remote control signal to an object station via an information transmission line when the content of the signal is decoded even while the received signal is a control signal addressed to other station. CONSTITUTION:When a remote control signal is inputted from a light receiving means 101, after the signal is converted into an electric signal and transferred to a system control means 122 of the station and inputted to a data code processing means 103 simultaneously. Then whether the received remote control signal is able to be demodulated, the content is able to be decoded, the signal is addressed to stations other than its own station or the standard command corresponding to the content of the remote control signal exists is checked. When all the conditions above are 'YES', a command frame comprising the relevant standard command is sent to the relevant station via an information transmission line. Thus, a remote control transmitter added to each station is in use to control the basic function for the standard command.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention is a remote control method for wirelessly controlling a plurality of stations (mainly audio/video equipment) connected by an information transmission line using infrared rays or the like. It is related to.

Conventional Technology Conventionally, the following technology has been used to remotely control multiple stations connected via an information transmission path wirelessly using infrared rays or the like.

(1) Each station is individually controlled using a code string of remote control data (hereinafter abbreviated as remote control data) having a code system that can be decoded.

(2) When controlling stations made by multiple manufacturers with one remote control transmitter, by having the remote control transmitter learn the remote control codes of other manufacturers (this is called a remote control with a learning function or a learning remote control). It was compatible.

(3) Each station was controlled using a remote control device connected by an information transmission path and having a dedicated code system for the entire system.

Furthermore, even if a remote control signal receiving section of a certain station receives a remote control data code string addressed to another type of station, the data is discarded without any processing.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The conventional techniques described above have the following problems.

(1) - A single remote control for boat fishing (a remote control that can control multiple types of stations, for example, both a TV and a VTR) A transmitter could basically only control stations made by the same manufacturer.

(2) If you use a learning remote control (a remote control that can learn the remote control signals of other manufacturers and other types of stations) that has been put into practical use in recent years, you can control stations made by other manufacturers. It requires work to learn remote control signals,
The work was difficult for housewives and elderly people who did not have mechanical or electrical knowledge. Additionally, remote control signals from other manufacturers use batteries to back up their memory, so if you leave the remote control unused for a long period of time, the battery will run out.
There were cases in which the content was automatically erased and it was necessary to study again.

(3) When controlling multiple stations using a conventional one-piece remote control or learning remote control, the remote control signal must be sent to the remote control receiver of each station to be controlled. Control could not be achieved if there was an obstacle in front of the target station.

(4) When controlling each station using a remote control device that has a dedicated code system for the entire system connected by an information transmission path, conventionally the remote control attached to each station can only be used for that station. In order to control other stations with one remote control transmitter, it was necessary to purchase a new system-specific remote control transmitter.

The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and includes the following: (1) A remote control transmitter, which has conventionally been attached to each station, can be used to connect multiple stations manufactured by multiple manufacturers connected to an information transmission path. allows you to control basic functions for which standard commands exist.

(2) Stations connected by an information transmission path receive a remote control signal sent using a remote control transmitter attached to each station by the light receiving section of a station other than the controlled station, and transmit information. All functions that can be controlled by the remote control transmitter can be controlled by transmitting the data via the remote control transmitter.

(3) When implementing (2) above, in order to improve processing efficiency, it is determined to which station on the information transmission path the frame is to be transferred 1, and the remote control data is transferred only to the target station.

(4) In order to achieve the purpose of (2) above, frames received via the information transmission path are decoded and necessary processing is performed.

The purpose is to provide a remote control method that can accomplish the above.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, a first remote control method (hereinafter abbreviated as remote control method) according to the present invention is provided.
is connected to an information communication system consisting of one system of information transmission line for data communication and a plurality of stations connected to the information transmission line, and transmits frames sequentially via the information transmission line. a communication processing means for performing data communication; a frame decoding means for decoding the content of a frame received by the communication processing means; and a frame decoding means for configuring a frame to be sent to the information transmission path by the communication processing means. frame generating means; light receiving means for receiving an infrared remote control signal and converting it into an electrical signal; demodulating means for reproducing a remote control data code string from the electrical signal; processing the received remote control data code string and determining subsequent processing. and a data code processing means for generating a command to be transferred onto the information transmission path from the contents of the received remote control data code string, and a format configuring a frame using the command generated by the data code processing means. a step of determining whether the electrical signal is an electrical signal that can be demodulated into logic data "0" or "1"; and when the electrical signal is demodulated into logic data; a step of determining whether the remote control data code string demodulated by the demodulating means is a decipherable remote control data code string; and when it is determined that the remote control data code string is a decipherable remote control data code string, the remote control data code string is a step of determining whether the remote control data code string is addressed to one's own station or another station; and when it is determined that the remote control data code string is addressed to another station, the received remote control is transmitted through the information transmission path. a step of determining whether a standard command corresponding to the contents of the data code string exists; and a standard format using the standard command when it is determined that a standard command corresponding to the contents of the remote control data code string exists; composing a frame, and transmitting the frame to the target station of the remote control data code string via an information transmission path.

Further, a second remote control method according to the present invention is connected to an information communication system including one system of information transmission path for performing data communication and a plurality of stations connected to the information transmission path, communication processing means for performing data communication in sequential frames via the information transmission path; frame decoding means for decoding the contents of frames received by the communication processing means; a frame generating means for configuring a frame to be sent to a transmission path; a light receiving means for receiving an infrared remote control signal and converting it into an electrical signal; a demodulating means for reproducing a remote control data code string from the electrical signal; and received remote control data. Process the code string, decide on further processing,
data code processing means for generating a command to be transferred onto the information transmission path from the contents of the received remote control data code string; and a format for converting the remote control data code string into a format suitable for transmission via the information transmission path. a step of determining whether the electrical signal is an electrical signal that can be demodulated into logic data "O" or "1"; and when the electrical signal is demodulated into logic data; a step of determining whether the remote control data code string demodulated by the demodulating means is a decipherable remote control data code string; Converting to a data string suitable for transfer via an information transmission path, determining the format of the remote control data code string, and configuring a frame by adding data indicating the corresponding format type to the data string. and sending the frame via an information transmission path to all stations connected to the information transmission path.

Further, a third remote control method according to the present invention is connected to an information communication system comprising one system of information transmission path for performing data communication and a plurality of stations connected to the information transmission path, communication processing means for performing data communication in sequential frames via the information transmission path; frame decoding means for decoding the contents of frames received by the communication processing means; a frame generating means for configuring a frame to be transmitted to a transmission path; a light receiving means for receiving an infrared remote control signal and converting it into an electrical signal; a demodulating means for reproducing a remote control data code string from the electrical signal; and a demodulating means for reproducing a remote control data code string from the electrical signal; A data code processing means for generating data to be transferred onto the information transmission path from the contents of a data code string, and a device for searching for a manufacturer code that encodes the address and manufacturer name of a station connected to the information transmission path. The apparatus comprises a search means, an address table storing station addresses and manufacturer codes, and a manufacturer code comparison means for comparing the stored manufacturer code with the manufacturer code extracted from the received remote control data code string. , a step of investigating the addresses and manufacturer codes of all stations connected to the information transmission path and storing them in the address table; ” or “1”, and when the electrical signal can be demodulated into logical data, the remote control data code string demodulated by the demodulating means is converted into an industry standard format ( a step of determining whether the remote controller is in a remote control format recommended by the Home Appliances Association (hereinafter abbreviated as "Kaseikyo format"), and if the received remote control data code string is in "Kaseikyo format", the remote control is extracting a manufacturer code from the code string, comparing it with the manufacturer code stored in the manufacturer code storage means to detect a matching manufacturer code, and determining the party to whom the frame should be transferred; and the received remote control data The method includes the steps of converting the code string into a format suitable for transmission via the information transmission path, and transferring the format-converted frame to all transfer partner stations determined in the step.

Further, a fourth remote control method according to the present invention is connected to an information communication system comprising one system of information transmission path for performing data communication and a plurality of stations connected to the information transmission path, communication processing means for performing data communication in sequential frames via the information transmission path; frame decoding means for decoding the contents of frames received by the communication processing means; A frame generating means for configuring a frame to be sent to a transmission path, a system control means for controlling the entire station, and a system control means for converting the contents of the received frame into a data format that can be operated by the system control means according to the contents of the received frame. A format inverse converter is provided for inversely converting the format, and when receiving various frames including the frame transmitted via the information transmission path by the remote control method according to claim 2, the content of the frame is a command or data. a step of determining whether the content of the received frame is remote control data; and a step of determining whether the information contained in the data is remote control data when it is determined that the content of the received frame is data; a step of determining whether or not the format type is compatible with the own station when it is determined that the format type is compatible with the received data string when it is determined that the format type is compatible with the own station; and a step of transmitting the inversely converted remote control data code string to the system control means of its own station.

Operation According to the method described above, in the first remote control method of the present invention, when a remote control signal is input from the light receiving means, it is converted into an electric signal and then transferred to the system control means of the station, and simultaneously transmitted to the data code processing means. entered,
Is the received remote control signal (a) able to be demodulated? (b) Is the content decipherable? (c) Is it addressed to a stage van other than your own station? (d) Is there a standard command that corresponds to the content of the remote control signal? If all are ``YES'', a command frame composed of the corresponding standard command is sent to the station via the information transmission path.

Furthermore, in the second remote control method of the present invention, when a remote control signal is input from the light receiving means, it is converted into an electrical signal and then transferred to the system control means of the station, and simultaneously input to the data code processing means and received. Is the remote control signal (a) demodulated? (b) Is the content decipherable? If demodulation is possible but the content cannot be deciphered, format conversion is performed so that the data code string of the received remote control signal can be transferred transparently, and the type of format of the remote control signal is sent to the remote control along with the warning information. The data frame of the signal is sent as a data frame via the information transmission path to all stations connected to the information transmission path.

In addition, in the third remote control method of the present invention, the manufacturer of the remote control data code string received when transmitting the data code string as a data frame to another station via the information transmission path by the second remote control method of the present invention Determine the address of the station to be transferred from the code.

Furthermore, in the fourth remote control method of the present invention, when a frame transferred via the information transmission path is received by the second remote control method of the present invention, (a) Is it a data frame? (b) Is it remote control data? (c) Is the format applicable to your own station? If all the results are YES, the content of the received data frame is reversely formatted into a data code string of a remote control signal, and the remote control data code string is sent to the system control means in the station, and the Control stations.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, prior to a detailed explanation of the present invention, an overview of the system will be explained.

(1,1) Definition The system described here is an audio-video system mainly configured with audio-video equipment as stations. The audio-video system consists of a group of audio-video equipment interconnected by a transparent and code-independent communication system. Information is transmitted in variable length units called frames. The physical mechanism that sends and receives information is called a communications controller (or a communications controller when built into audio/video equipment). A communication line that carries information from one communication control device to another is called an information transmission path. Basic terms necessary for understanding the present invention will be briefly explained with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15.

Stations 1002 to 1005: Information transmission path 100I
A device that is connected to a station and has a data communication function with other stations.

Master: A station that has control of this communication system.
hmm.

Slave: A station designated by the master and obligated to respond to the mask.

Transmitter: A station that transmits messages in frames, data in fields.

Receiver: A station that receives messages in frames, data in fields.

Write sequence: A sequence in which a mask serves as a transmitter and transmits commands and data to a slave, and there are two types: a write command sequence and a write data sequence.

Read sequence: A sequence in which the master becomes a receiver and collects data from the slave.

Frame 1110: A unit of information transmitted from one stage to another station, consisting of a header field, master field, slave field, control field, and message field.

Command frame: A frame in which the contents of the message field are composed of commands.

Data frame: A frame whose message field contents consist of data.

Command: A data code string transferred by a command frame, and the processing content to be executed by the station that receives it is uniformly defined for the entire system. On the other hand, the processing content to be executed by the station that receives the data depends on the station that receives the data.

Mode bit l112: Distinguishes the frame transfer speed and the number of message transferable bytes.

Header field 1125: An area for instructing the start of a frame and distinguishing the frame mode.

Master field 112G: Area for presenting the mask address.

Slave field 1127: This is an area for presenting the slave address, and is specified by a mask.

Control field 1128: This is an area where the transmission direction of the message field in the frame, the meaning of the content written in the message field, and lock control are performed.

Message field 1129: A data area for transmitting a message. In this area, 8 bits of data bit 1121, 1 bit of end of data bit 1122, 1 bit of parity bit 1123,
It is possible to continuously transfer a plurality of blocks, with one bit of ACK bit 1124 as one block.

Arbitration: Collision control for determining priority when multiple stations attempt to start frame transmission at the same time. This is executed during the header field 1125 and master field 112G.

Lock control: A function specified by the master to the slave; once the slave is locked, it will no longer be able to accept frames with content that would change the slave's state from other masks until the slave is unlocked. .

Remote control data code string: A data code string that indicates which key on the remote control transmitter was pressed.

(1, 2) Basic structure of the system FIG. 14 shows the basic structure of an audio video system to which the present invention is applied. One system of information transmission path 1
001 is a plurality of stations 10 equipped with a communication control unit
02,1003. ..., 1005 are interconnected. Each station has a VTR.

The main products are audio-video equipment such as TVs and CD players. There is no problem even if a station other than the audio/video equipment itself is connected, such as a telecontrol device for controlling the audio/video system. Furthermore, there is no central control unit in the system that centrally controls the overall operation.

(1, 3) Frame format and basic communication procedure In the embodiment of the present invention, rlnternatlonal Electro
Document “84 (Secretariat) 861” published by T-echnlcal Comm1ssionJ
．． II Draft-Domestic digital
The international standard defined by lBusJ is applied as an example. This section describes the frame format and basic communication procedures defined by the international standard.

The structure of the frame is shown in FIG. The frame has header fields 1125. master field 1126,
Slave field 1127. Control field 1128. It consists of a message field 1129.

The header field 1125 includes a start bit 1111 indicating the start of the frame and a mode bit 1112 for mode transfer. The master field 1126 is composed of 12 mask address bits 1113 and 1 bit parity bit 1114. Slave field 1127 includes 12 slave address bits 1115 and 1 parity bit 1116.
and one ACK bit 1117.

If there is a station designated as a slave, the slave field 1127 ACK pin) 1117
is responsible for sending an acknowledgment back to the master.

The configuration method of mask address bits 1113 and slave address bits 1115 is common: the upper 4 bits are the service type, the middle 5 bits are the device type, and the lower 3 bits are the device number. r84 (Secret
tariat)88 1. II Draft-Dom
In the est1c old digital BusJ, only "rAVC service" is defined as a service type, and its value is rooolJ. Various AV equipment types are assigned to the device type, and some of the assignments are shown in Table 1. Device numbers are used to distinguish between multiple devices of the same type when they exist in the same communication system, and are generally assigned in order starting from rooOJ.

Below is the margin Table 1 - The contents of the field are shown in Table 2.

When the second mask receives an acknowledgment at ACK beep (1117), it continues to transmit the control field 1128 and the following. If a negative response is received, the master stops forwarding the frame. The control field 1128 includes 4 control bits 1118, 1 parity bit 1119, and 1 ACK bit 1120.
The configuration is from. The control bit 1118 is an area for controlling the transmission direction of the message field 1129 in the frame, the meaning of the contents written in the message field, and locking. If the control slave can accept the control specified by the control bit 1118, it returns an acknowledgment to the master with an ACK beep (1120), and if it cannot accept it, it returns a negative response.

When the master receives an acknowledgment in the ACK bit 1120, it proceeds to the area of the message field 1129.

If a negative response is received, the mask stops forwarding the frame. The message field 1129 consists of 8 data bits 1121, 1 end of data bit 1122, which indicates the last data bit of the message field, and 1 parity bit 112.
It is composed of a plurality of blocks each consisting of 3 and 1 ACK bits 1124. The station designated as a receiver by the detection bit 1118 returns an acknowledgment or a negative acknowledgment to the transmitter with an ACK beep (1124) every time it receives one byte of data bits 1121.

A transmitter that receives a negative response then stops transmitting the message field.

In this system, all stations 1002-10
05 has the right to become the master, and can designate a slave to start transmitting the frame 1110 and control the transmission timing. All stations 1002-10
05 has the right to become a master and start transmitting the frame 1110, but only one master can occupy the information transmission path 1001 at the same time. Therefore, when multiple masters attempt to transmit frames at the same time, it is necessary to perform arbitrage and determine priority. The slave is responsible for returning a response 1117 to the master at the one station addressed by the slave bit 1115 in the slave field 1127 of the frame 1110 transmitted by the master. The distinction between transmitter and receiver is defined in control field 1128 in frame 1110. From the standpoint of one station, there are four possibilities for transmitting a certain frame 1110: (a) master transmitter, (b) master receiver, (C) slave transmitter, and (d) slave receiver. It can be considered as

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An overview of the present invention will be described in the order of object, configuration, and operation before detailed description of embodiments corresponding to the contents of each claim of the present invention.

(2,1) Purpose The first to fourth remote control methods of the present invention enable a conventional remote control transmitter to control a plurality of stations (mainly audio/video equipment) connected together by an information transmission path. is the purpose.

(2, 2) Configuration The overall configuration will be explained with reference to the overall configuration diagram shown in FIG. 130 is an information transmission path for connecting each station and transmitting information; 200a to 200n are information transmission paths 130;
Equipment (stations) connected by, 110a to 1
10n is a communication control unit for communicating via an information transmission path; 120a to 120n are device function units to execute the original functions of each device; and 100a to 100n receive signals transmitted from a remote control transmitter. This is an infrared signal receiving section for. At least one of the devices has a remote control receiving section 100a (~100n).

(2, 3) Operation The first remote control method of the present invention demodulates and decodes the remote control data code string received from the remote control transmitter.
If the remote control data format is an in-house format or another company's format, the content can be deciphered, and if the controlled station is the own station, the corresponding control is performed, and if the controlled station is at another stage e, the corresponding control is performed. After converting the content into standard commands, a frame is constructed and sent to the controlled station via the information transmission path. As a result, the infrared signal of the remote control data code string sent from the remote control transmitter does not directly reach the station that the user wants to control (but it is still possible to control the station).

In addition, since it is converted into a standard command and sent out as a frame on the information transmission path, the controlled station can be controlled even if it is a station made by another company that cannot decipher the remote control data code string sent from the remote control transmitter. It becomes possible.

However, the first remote control method of the present invention includes the following problems.

(1) The remote control transmitter and remote control receiver must be made by the same manufacturer. Alternatively, the remote control receiver needs to be able to decode the data code string transmitted from the remote control transmitter.

(2) Only functions for which standard commands of the communication system exist can be transferred to other stations.

Therefore, a method for solving these problems is the second remote control method of the present invention.

The remote control device according to the second remote control method of the present invention demodulates the remote control data code string transmitted from the remote control transmitter and received by the light receiving means, and attempts to decode the code using the data code processing means, and as a result, the data code string cannot be decoded. Transparently displays the data code string of the received remote control signal (such as when receiving a remote control signal made by another manufacturer, or when receiving a signal whose contents are not registered even if it is a remote control signal made by our company). The format is converted so that it can be transferred, and the data code string of the remote control signal is sent as a data frame along with information indicating the format type of the remote control signal to all stations connected to the information transmission path via the information transmission path. However, if the received infrared remote control signal is in the industry standard format in Japan ("Kaseikyo format"), since the manufacturer code is defined in the infrared remote control signal, the third remote control of the present invention cannot be used. This method is used to limit the destination of the data frame and send it onto the information transmission path.

Each station that receives the frame transferred by this method decodes the received data using the fourth remote control method of the present invention and controls the stage by performing predetermined processing. As a result, even if the stage board that receives the remote control data code string sent from the remote control transmitter cannot decode the contents, or even if it can decode the contents but there is no standard command, it will be able to communicate with other stations via the information transmission path. Transparent transfer allows the user to control the desired station.

Hereinafter, details of the remote control method of the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments for each claim.

(Explanation of an embodiment of claim 1) First, an embodiment of the remote control method of claim 1 will be described.

(3,1) Configuration of Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a station in a first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 130 is an information transmission path for connecting the stations making up the AV system and transmitting information.

100 is a remote control signal receiving section, which is the same part as the remote control receiving sections 100a to 100n in the overall configuration diagram shown in FIG. 101 is a light receiving means for converting the received infrared remote control signal into an electrical signal; 102 is a demodulating means for converting the electrical signal converted by the light receiving means 101 into a data code string according to predefined specifications; 10
3 is data for dividing the data code string generated by the demodulating means 102 into meaningful data units, comparing the contents with a predefined data code table, and checking whether there is a standard command corresponding to the received data. Code processing means 104 converts the received command into a format necessary for transferring it to the information transmission path using the standard command when it is determined from the comparison result of data code processing means 103 that there is a standard command. It is a format conversion means.

Reference numeral 110 denotes a communication control section, which is the same part as the communication control sections 110a to IIon in the overall configuration diagram shown in FIG. 111 is a communication control means for performing electrical and physical control for data communication with other stations via the information transmission path 130; 112 is a communication control means for transmitting data on the information transmission path 130 via the communication control means 111; A frame generation means is used to generate a frame in the format required for the purpose of the process.

Reference numeral 120 denotes a device function section, which corresponds to the device function sections 120a to 12On in the overall configuration diagram shown in FIG. 121 is the original function of the station (for example, VT
If it is R, the tuner and deck player part), 122
is a system control means for controlling the functional operation of stage 1.

(3, 2) Operation Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the processing flowchart of FIG. The processing contents described below are executed by the light receiving means 101, the demodulating means 102, the data food processing means 103, and the format converting means 104 in the block diagram of FIG.

The processing routine 1 shown in FIG. 5 is constantly executed, and the first step, step 501, is executed by the light receiving means 101 to check whether an infrared remote control signal has been received. This check is generally performed by checking whether a remote control signal converted from an infrared remote control signal into an electrical signal is output to the output section of the light receiving means 101. If no signal is output from the light receiving means 101, it is determined that no remote control signal has been received, and the process of processing routine 1 is ended and the process returns to the beginning. If any signal is output to the output section of the light receiving means 101, it is determined that an infrared remote control signal has been received, and the process proceeds to step 502.

In step 502, it is determined whether the received remote control signal can be demodulated. Here, "demodulation" means that the remote control signal, which has been received and converted into an electrical signal by the light receiving means 101, is sent to the demodulating means 101 according to a predetermined rule.
02 means converting to a data code string of "0" or "1".

Here, for reference, an example of the stracture of an infrared remote control signal is shown in FIG. 4, and the meaning of demodulation will be briefly explained.

- For boat fishing, infrared remote control signals include a high level signal (+5 volts, taking a TTL level signal as an example) that continues for an integral multiple of a certain unit time rTJ, and a low level signal (TTL
Taking the level signal as an example, it is composed of a combination of O volts). In the example shown in Figure 4, if there is an input of an electrical signal that continues at a high level for a period of "8T" and then continues at a low level for a period of "8T", the infrared remote control signal It is demodulated as a "header" which means the beginning of the frame. Also, if there is an input electrical signal that maintains a high level for a period of 2T and then maintains a low level for a period of 2T, it will be demodulated as bit [O]. . Similarly,
r2T] and remain at a high level for a period of time, then
If an electrical signal that remains low level for 6T is input, it is demodulated as a bit ``1''. Predefined unit time rT as in this example]
If it is possible to convert a received electrical signal into a data code string of the combination of rob and rlJ by combining signals of several times the unit time, it is said to be demodulated. Conversely, if a signal that violates the predefined content is received, it is determined that demodulation is not possible.

In step 502, if a signal that cannot be demodulated is received, it becomes impossible to process the subsequent steps, so the process ends here and returns to the beginning of processing routine 1. If it is determined that demodulation is possible, demodulation processing is performed and the process proceeds to the next step.

In step 503, it is determined whether the content of the signal demodulated by the demodulating means 102 can be decoded. In decoding the contents, the data code string demodulated by the demodulation means 102 is divided into predefined bit units, and the contents of each word (bit string divided into unit bits) match the contents of a predefined data table. In this case, it is said that the contents can be deciphered.

For reference, (a) of the data format example in Figure 3
, (b) shows an example of the remote control format.

Remote control format example 1 in (a) is a signal format used in a certain company's infrared remote control compatible station relatively early on (hereinafter abbreviated as "Company A format").

), and 301 is a header indicating the beginning of the frame.
302 is a 5-bit device code for distinguishing between stations, 303 is a 6-bit data code indicating the content of the control command, 304 is a 5-bit device code inversion bit, which is the same as the device code 302, 5 bits, 30 bits.
5 is the data code inversion bit, which is data code 30.
Similarly to 3, there are 6 bits, and 306 is a 1-bit check bit for detecting data transmission errors using infrared rays.

Example 2 of the remote control format in (b) is the recommended format (hereinafter abbreviated as "Kaseikyo format") stipulated in "Measures to prevent malfunction of infrared remote control home appliances" (published in July 1986) by the Home Appliances Association of Japan. ), and is recommended for use when transmitting remote control signals using infrared rays in order to prevent signals from one company's infrared remote control transmitter from malfunctioning to another company's station. be. 311 is a header representing the beginning of the frame. 312 is a 16-bit manufacturer code for distinguishing manufacturers. 313 is a 4-pit parity code to prevent reception errors of manufacturer code 312. 314 is for distinguishing stations. The 12-bit device code 315 is a command/data code for transmitting control commands and data, and multiple bytes can be transferred in units of 8 bits. 31
6 is a parity code for preventing reception errors of the device code and command/data code 315.

In step 503, after dividing into predefined bit units as in the format example shown above, a check is made to see if the contents corresponding to each code are defined in the table, and if a corresponding table exists. If so, it is determined that it can be deciphered, and in other cases, it is determined that it is not decipherable. In the remote control method of claim 1 of the present invention, if it is determined in step 503 that the content can be deciphered, the process proceeds to the next step 504, and if it is determined that the content is not decipherable, the subsequent process is performed. Since it cannot be executed, the received data is discarded and the process returns to the beginning of the processing routine.

In step 504, the content of the received signal determined to be decipherable in step 503 is checked, and it is determined whether the received infrared remote control signal is a command addressed to the own station or a command addressed to another station. conduct. This determination is based on the “Company A format” and r
In the case of Company A format, the determination is made by referring to the device code 302, and in the case of the "Kaseikyo format", the manufacturer code 3 is used.
12 and the device code 314.

If it is determined in step 504 that the received data is addressed to the own station, the data processing means 103 discards the received data without performing any processing and returns to the beginning of the process. The reason why no processing is performed is that the output of the demodulation means 102 is directly transferred to the system control means 122, so if the command is addressed to the own station, the system control means 12
This is because the process is executed in 2.

In step 505, the contents of the part corresponding to the stage 2 control command in the data code string of the infrared remote control signal determined to be addressed to another station in step 504 are compared with the contents of a predefined standard command table. compare. Then, if there is a corresponding standard command, the process advances to the next step 506. If the corresponding standard command does not exist in the standard command table, it cannot be handled, so the received data code string is discarded and the process returns to the beginning. It should be noted that claim 2 of the present invention can handle processing when there is no standard command.

The part corresponding to the station control command in the data code string is data code 303 or command/data code 3 shown in the remote control format example in FIG.
It is 15.

What is the standard command?r84(Secretariat)8
G1. II Draft-Domestic digi
tal means a command defined in BusJ.

In step 506, (a) command conversion, (b) format conversion, and (c
) Execute the transfer process.

(a) Command conversion The part corresponding to the station control command in the data code string of the infrared remote control data, that is, the data code 303 or command/data code 315 presented in the remote control format example in FIG.
etallat) 881. II Draft-Dom
estlc Performs processing to replace commands defined in Digital BusJ. Generally, in infrared remote control data, a station control command is defined as one word or one byte, but the above-mentioned standard command is composed of a one-byte operation code and one or more bytes of operands.

(b) Format conversion Message field 11 in the frame explained in [(c) Frame format and basic communication procedure] in the first "Explanation of system overview" in the detailed explanation of the present invention
The contents of 29 are r84 (Secre-tariat)8
G +, II Draft-Domestic dig
It is defined in more detail in the ITAL BusJ, and examples thereof are shown in FIGS. 3(C) and 3(d). Message field 1129 in FIG. 15 is the same as message field 1129 in FIG. 3(C), and its contents are defined as in FIG. 3(d). The first thing to be transmitted is (BEGIN>Code 331, (BEGI
N) operand 332.5SDA (SOURCE S
UB DEVICE ADDRESS) 333 and DS
DA (DESTINATION SUB DEV-IC
Routing information (information indicating which subdevice of which station is going to send a command to which subdevice of which station) constituted by the E_ADDRESS) 334 is transmitted. 5S
DA333 is an address indicating the command issuing subdevice, and DSDA334 is an address indicating the subdevice to which the command is sent. Next to this routing information, the actual command is transmitted. Here, the standard command converted in (a) command conversion processing is transmitted in the format of OPC (operation code) 335+OPR (operand) 336. Therefore, commands received as infrared remote control data are converted into OPC+OP.
It is stored in this part in R format and transmitted. Last(
END>Code 337 is a code indicating the end of the command frame. In addition, the slave address 1115 indicating the station address of the command destination and the DSD
A334 has device code 3 in the infrared remote control data.
02 and device code 314 to r84 (Secret).
arlat)811i 1. II Draft-Dom
estlc dlgltal Convert and store the address defined in BusJ. These format conversion processes are executed by the format conversion means 104. In addition,
The data code processing means 103 and format conversion means 104 described above are generally executed by software using a microprocessor.

(c) Transfer processing This process is reconfigured by executing a command conversion process and a format conversion process, and transfers another station control frame to a predetermined other station via the communication control unit 110. Since the transfer destination and transfer contents have already been specified in the above format conversion process, these frames are transferred to the frame generation means 112 and other items (mode pit 1112, master address 1113
, control code 1118, etc.), then
The communication control means 111 transfers the frame to the target station via the information transmission path 130.

Since all the processes of the first embodiment are completed above, the process returns to the beginning of process routine 1 and prepares for reception of the next infrared remote control signal.

(3, 3) Description of a specific example of the embodiment In order to facilitate understanding of the first embodiment described above, a specific example of the case where this embodiment is applied will be explained with reference to FIG. 6. In the following explanation, an example will be explained in which data in rough format from rA company is received.

As an example of the "Company A format", consider the case where the infrared remote control data shown in FIG. 6(a) is received. As a prerequisite for the following explanation, (1) the received infrared remote control signal can be demodulated, (2) the data in the received infrared remote control signal can be decoded, and (3) the data in the received infrared remote control signal can be transmitted to the own station. (4) It is assumed that there is a standard command corresponding to the received infrared remote control signal, which is not the destination command. Therefore, by executing processing routine 1, the process advances to step 506 and the next process is executed. Also, this received data has device code 302>=01011 (B) data code 30
3>=100101 (B) However, (B) means binary representation.

(Hereinafter, the binary representation will be represented as (B) and the hexadecimal representation will be represented as (H).) This device code 302 is rVTRIJ
, 7'-91-1'303 means rPLAYJ. This received data is sent to r84 (Secret)
arlat) 8G 1. II Draft-Don+e
When converted into the formats shown in FIGS. 3(C) and 3(d) according to the contents defined in STICK DIGL-TAL BUSJ, each data is determined as follows.

The mode pit 1112 depends on the function of the communication processing means 111, but is assumed to be "mode 1" here. <Mode pit 1112>=01 (B) Assuming that the own station is "TV 1", <Master address 1113>=100 (H) Since the destination of the transfer is rVTRIJ, slave address 11
15>=120 (H). The method for determining the address is r
84 (Secretariat) 8G +, II Dr
aft-Domestic dldigital BusJ
(see Table 1).

Control code 1118 is determined according to the contents of Table 2.

control code 1118>=1110 (B) Message field 1129 has BEGIN code 33
1 to END code 337 are stored.

Among these, BEGIN code 331 to DSDA334
The method for determining r84 (Secretari-
at) 861. II Draft-Domestic
Applying to the definition of digital BusJ, <BEGIN331>=BD (H) <0PR332 of BEGIN>=54 (H)<5SD
A333>=C8 (H) <DSDA334>=20 (H).

Next, convert 0PC335 and 0PR336 that correspond to the data code of “Company A format” into r84 (Se
cretariat) 86 1. II Draft-
The determination according to the definition of Domestic dlgl-tal BusJ is as follows.

<0PC335>=C3(H) <0PR338>=75 (H) Finally, END337, which means the end of this frame, is <END337>=BE (H) Organizing the contents determined by the above method, the format is The converted frame is as shown in FIG. 6(b), and this frame is transmitted to the target station via the information transmission path.

Description of Embodiments of Claim 2 Next, embodiments of the remote control method of claim 2 will be described.

(4,1) Configuration of the Embodiment The configuration of the station for implementing the remote control method of claim 2 is the same as the configuration of the station for implementing the remote control method of claim 1, so a description thereof will be omitted.

(4,2) Operation Next, regarding the operation of this embodiment, that is, the second embodiment,
This will be explained with reference to the processing flowchart shown in FIG. The processing contents described below are executed by the light receiving means 101, the demodulating means 102, the data code processing means 103, and the format converting means 104 in the block diagram of FIG.

The processing routine 2 shown in FIG. 7 is constantly executed, and the first step, step 601, is executed by the light receiving means 101 to check whether an infrared remote control signal has been received. This checking means and processing method are exactly the same as step 501 (see FIG. 5) in the process of the remote control method shown in the first embodiment, so a description of the processing method etc. will be omitted.

If no remote control signal is received, the process of process routine 2 ends and returns to the beginning.

If remote control signal is received, step 6
Proceed to 02.

In step 602, it is determined whether the received infrared remote control signal can be demodulated. The meanings and determination methods of "demodulation" and "demodulation possible" are exactly the same as the processing (step 502) of the remote control method in the first embodiment, so a description of the processing method etc. will be omitted.

In step 602, if a signal that can be demodulated is received, it becomes impossible to process the subsequent steps, so the process ends here and returns to the beginning of processing routine 2.

If it is determined that demodulation is possible, demodulation processing is performed,
Proceed to next step.

In step 803, it is determined whether the content of the signal demodulated by the demodulating means 102 can be decoded. The meaning of the content decoding and the content decoding method are exactly the same as the processing (step 503) of the remote control method in the first embodiment, so a description of the processing method etc. will be omitted.

In the remote control method of this second embodiment, step 603
If it is determined that the content can be deciphered, the subsequent processing is the same as the processing of the remote control method of the first embodiment, so the explanation will be omitted here.

If it is determined in step 603 that the content cannot be deciphered, the process advances to the next step 604.

In step 604, the content of the received signal determined to be undecipherable in step 803 is subjected to (a) format conversion and (b) transfer processing in order to transfer it to another station as transparent data. I do.

(a) Format conversion Format conversion processing is performed by the format conversion means 104
It is done within. Format conversion procedures are classified into the following five categories.

Step (1): Extraction of data to be transferred Only the data portion to be transmitted to another station via the information transmission path is extracted from the received infrared remote control data. Specifically, the received infrared remote control data 9 header and trailer are deleted.

Step (2): Divide into 8-bit units The code system of the infrared remote control data may be in a format that is not in an 8-bit unit system, such as the device code is 5 bits and the data code is 6 bits, as shown in Figure 8 (a). , formats in 8-bit units (or formats that can be easily subdivided into 8-bit units) are mixed, as shown in FIG. 3(b). However, in the frame on the information transmission path 130, 8
Since the format is to transmit data in bit units, if the code system is not in 8-bit units, it is converted to 8-bit units.

Step (3): Addition of dummy pits If the total number of received infrared remote control data is not an integral multiple of 8 bits, if the data is divided into 8-bit units according to step (2), a missing bit will occur in the last byte. Therefore, dummy bits are added by the number of missing bits, and processing is performed to accurately convert into 8-bit units.

Step (4): Adding data type and format type With the above steps, the creation of the data portion to be transferred transparently is completed. However, the station that receives the data as it is via the information transmission path 130 cannot determine what data it has received. Therefore, a data type identifier is added to identify what kind of data it is, and it is displayed that it is remote control data.

Furthermore, a format type identifier is added to identify the format of the remote control data, and the format type is displayed.

Step (5): Frame configuration The data field portion created by the processing of steps (1) to (4) is transferred to the frame generation means 112 of the communication control unit 110 and transmitted onto the information transmission path 130. Configure the frame. The above process completes the format conversion process.

(b) Transfer Processing Processing that is reconfigured by executing command conversion processing and format conversion processing, and transfers other station control frames to all stations connected to the information transmission path 130 via the communication control unit 110. be.

Since all the processes of the second embodiment are completed above, the process returns to the beginning of process routine 2 and prepares for receiving the next infrared remote control data.

(4, 3) Description of a specific example of the embodiment In order to help understand the second embodiment described above, a specific example in which this embodiment is applied will be explained below with reference to FIG. do. In the following explanation, an example will be explained in which data in "Company A format" is received. As an example of the "Company A format", consider the case where the infrared remote control data shown in FIG. 8(a) is received. As prerequisites for the following explanation, it is assumed that (1) the received infrared remote control signal can be demodulated, and (2) the received infrared remote control data cannot be deciphered. Therefore, by executing processing routine 2, the process advances to step 604 and the next process is executed. In addition, this received data is the device code 30.
2> =01011 (B) Data code 303>
Assume that =100101 (B). A specific example of step 604 is shown below. As described in "(4,2) Operation", step 604 is processed by the following five steps.

Step (1): Extraction of data to be transferred As mentioned in the explanation of the first embodiment, the format of the infrared remote control data is structured as shown in FIG. 3 (a) and (b). In addition to data necessary for control, headers 301 and 311 and trailers 307 and 317 are attached. However, these are attached to recognize the beginning and end of the frame of infrared remote control data, and are unnecessary when transmitting to another station using a frame in a different format.

Therefore, as a first step in format conversion, these headers 301, 311 and trailers 307 and 317 are deleted and the necessary parts (
The device code 302, data code F 303, device code inversion bit 304, data code inversion bit 305, check bit 306) are extracted.

Steps (2) and (3): Divide into 8-bit units and add dummy bits The coding system for infrared remote control data is as shown in Figure 3 (a), where the device code is 5 bits and the data hood is 6 bits. There are formats that are not based on an 8-bit system, as shown in FIG. However, in the frame on the information transmission path 130, 8
Since the format is to transmit data in bit units, if the code system is not in 8-bit units, it must be converted to 8-bit units. In step (2) of Figure 8,
A method of dividing infrared remote control data of the above-mentioned "Company A format" into 8-bit units is illustrated. Here, a method is used in which the device code 302, data code 303, device code inversion bit 304, data code inversion bit 305, and check pit 306 are arranged in one line and divided into 8 bits each starting from the beginning. Generally, the sum of all infrared remote control data is often not a multiple of 8 bits, but in such a case, it is handled by storing dummy bits corresponding to the insufficient number of bits in order to divide the data into 8-bit units. The dummy bit may be rOJ or "1". In this example, the total of all data from device code 302 to check pit 306 is 23 bits,
One bit is insufficient to divide into 8-bit units. Therefore, dummy bits 350 are stored in the missing pits. In this example, the dummy bit 350 part is “0”.
” is stored.

Step (4): Adding data type and format type With the above steps, the creation of the data portion to be transferred transparently is completed. However, the station that receives the data as it is via the information transmission path 130 cannot determine what data it has received. Therefore, a data type identifier 341 is added to identify what kind of data it is. Here, it is tentatively defined as data type>=ooh → remote control data.

Next, even if it is possible to determine that the remote control data is based on the <data type>, it is not possible to determine what format the remote control data is. Therefore, a format type identifier 342 is added to identify the format of the remote control data. Here, <format type> = OOh → "Company A format" 01h → "Kaseikyo format" are tentatively defined. The content explained so far is based on the assumption that it is the "Company A format", so the format type>=ooh.

By performing the above procedure, the creation of the data field portion of the frame to be transmitted on the information transmission path 130 is completed. If you organize this, in the order of <data type> 341 to <data 3> 345, 1”00] [:OO code
[5C [B11] [8A] (all 16
decimal display).

Step (5): Configuring a frame The data field portion created by the processing of steps (1) to (4) is transferred to the frame generation means 112 to perform transfer processing.

These frames are transferred to the frame generation means 112 and other items (mode pit 1112, master address 1
113, slave address 1115, control code 1118, etc.), the communication control means 11
1, the information transmission path 13 is transmitted via the information transmission path 130.
Next, an embodiment of the remote control method according to claim 3 will be described.

(5, 1) Configuration of Embodiment FIG. 9 shows a block configuration diagram of a station to which the remote control method of the third embodiment (claim 3) of the present invention is applied.

Reference numeral 130 denotes an information transmission path for connecting each station making up the AV system and transmitting information.

100 is a remote control signal receiving section, which is the same part as the remote control receiving sections 100a to 100n in the overall configuration diagram shown in FIG. 101 is a light receiving means for converting the received infrared remote control signal into an electrical signal; 102 is a demodulating means for converting the electrical signal converted by the light receiving means 101 into a data code string according to predefined specifications; 10
3 divides the data code string generated by the demodulation means 102 into meaningful data units, compares the contents with a predefined data code table, and checks whether there is a standard command corresponding to the received data. The data code processing means 104 performs format conversion necessary for transferring the received command onto the information transmission path using the standard command when it is determined from the comparison result of the data code processing means that there is a standard command. It is a format conversion means for

140 investigates the station address and manufacturer code of the station connected to the information transmission path 130;
141 is an address table for registering the station address and manufacturer code investigated by the device search means 140; 142 is the manufacturer code and address included in the received infrared remote control data; This is a manufacturer code comparing means for comparing the manufacturer codes registered in the table and passing the station address of the matched one to the frame generating means 112.

110 is a communication control section, which is the same part as the communication control sections 110a to 110n in the overall configuration diagram shown in FIG. 111 is a communication control means for performing electrical and physical control for data communication with other stations via the information transmission path 130; 112 is a communication control means for transmitting data on the information transmission path 130 via the communication control means 111; This is a frame generation means for generating a frame in the format necessary to do so.

Reference numeral 120 denotes a device function section, which corresponds to the device function sections 120a to 12On in the overall configuration diagram shown in FIG. 121 is the original function of the station (for example, VT
If it is R, the tuner and deck player part), 122
is a system control means for controlling the functional operation of the station.

FIG. 10 is an address table for registering station addresses and manufacturer codes of stations connected to the information transmission path 130. 150. 151
．． . . are station address storage areas for storing station address values of stations connected to the information transmission path 130; 180. 161.・
... is a manufacturer code storage area for storing a manufacturer code that encodes the manufacturer of the station connected to the information transmission path 130. Manufacturer codes 160, 161, ... are respectively station addresses 150, 151. It corresponds to...

(5, 2) Operation The remote control method of this third embodiment will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 9, 10, and 11.

The remote control method of this embodiment is processed up to step 604, and in step 605 provides a method for determining the destination station of the frame to be transferred onto the information transmission path 130.

In order to carry out this method, it is necessary to investigate in advance the manufacturer of each station connected to the information transmission path 130 and register it in the address table 143. First, I will explain how to do this.

First, all station addresses of stations connected to the information transmission path 130 are investigated (this process is called
It is called "Device Search". ). A method of setting data for conducting this investigation will be explained with reference to the frame configuration of FIG. 15. The mode bit 1112 of the header field 1125 is set to the highest mode that the station can currently support. Next, the address of the own station is stored in the master address bit 1113 of the master field 1126. Next, the slave address field 1127 (slave address pin) 1115 is set to the lowest value allowed as an address. Next, control bit 1 of control field 1128
118 stores a control code "0000 (B)J..."read slave status" for reading the status of the partner station (see Table 2). With the above settings, frames are sent onto the information transmission path 130. "Read slave status" in control field 1118
is used to avoid any inconvenient effects on the other station due to ``device search''.

Frame sending processing is performed by frame generation means 112 and communication processing means 111. If this frame is acknowledged as an ACK beep (1117) in the slave field 1127, the slave address bit 1
It is determined that the station with the address set in 115 is connected to the information transmission path 130, and the station address storage area 150 of the address table 143 is
(151,...). Next, the value of the address set in the slave address bit 1115 above is incremented by one and the same process is performed. By repeating the above process, the addresses of all stations connected on the information transmission path 130 are stored in the station address storage areas 150, 151, . . . of the address table 143. ...
Next, an inquiry is made for the manufacturer code of the station controller registered in the station address storage area 150 of the address table 143.
The response contents are registered in the manufacturer code storage area 160.

The structure of the frame for querying the manufacturer code is defined separately, so it will not be defined here. The content of the manufacturer code can be defined in any way, but later processing will be easier if you use the manufacturer code defined as part of the ``Kaseikyo Remote Control Format''.

The process of inquiring about the manufacturer code is performed for all stations stored in the station address storage area, and each station is stored in the corresponding manufacturer code storage area.

Now that the investigation of the station addresses and manufacturer codes of all stations connected to the information transmission path 130 has been completed, the processing procedure of the remote control method of this embodiment will be explained next.

Steps 701 to 704 in the processing sequence diagram of FIG. 11 are exactly the same as steps 601 to 604 in the remote control method of the second embodiment, so the explanation will be omitted.

In step 705, a determination is made as to whether the received remote control data is in the "R-made IM remote control format" or in another format. As a result of this determination, if it is not "Kaseikyo remote control format", the following procedure cannot be applied, so the same processing as in the second embodiment is performed. If it is determined that the remote control format is ``r home remote control format'', the process advances to step 706.

In step 706, the frame transfer destination is determined according to the registered contents of the address table 143.

In the case of "R home made TA remote control format", a manufacturer code 312 is defined in the frame content. The contents of this manufacturer code are standardized by the Home Appliances Association. Therefore, the manufacturer code of the received infrared remote control data is compared with the manufacturer code stored in the manufacturer code storage areas 160, 161, . . . of the address table 143, and if they match, the manufacturer code is ．． . . station address storage areas 150, 151 . ...
The station address stored in the slave address bit 1115 is passed to the frame generating means 112 together with the data field created up to step 704. Then, the frame generating means 112
The communication processing means 111 generates a frame to be sent to the
The information is sent out to the information transmission path 130. An embodiment of claim 4, in which this process is executed for all station controllers registered in the address table 143, and a frame having the same data field is created for all stations whose manufacturer code is included. Next, an embodiment of the remote control method according to claim 4 will be described.

(G, I) Configuration of Embodiment FIG. 12 shows a block configuration diagram of a station to which the remote control method of the fourth embodiment (claim 4) of the present invention is applied. Reference numeral 130 denotes an information transmission path for connecting each station making up the AV system and transmitting information.

110 is a communication control section, which is the same part as the communication control sections 110a to 110n in the overall configuration diagram shown in FIG. 111 is a communication control means for performing electrical and physical control for data communication with other stations via the information transmission path; 113 is a communication control means for controlling frames received from the information transmission path 130 via the communication control means 11; , is a frame decoding means for decomposing the frame into a format that can be used by the device function section 12o, which will be described next.

Reference numeral 120 denotes a device function section, which corresponds to the device function sections f20a to 12On in the overall configuration diagram shown in FIG. 121 is the original function of the station (for example, VT
If it is R, the tuner and deck player part), 122
123 is a system control means for controlling the functional operation of the station, and 123 is a format inverse conversion means for converting the frame decomposed by the frame decoding means 113 into a signal that can control the system control means 122.

(6, 2) Operation Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained in detail with reference to the processing flowcharts of FIGS. 12 and 13. The processing contents described below are executed within the format inverse conversion means 123 in the block diagram of FIG. In this embodiment, a station that receives a frame transferred onto the information transmission path 130 using the remote control method of the second embodiment reversely converts the frame into contents that can be operated by the system control means 123 (format reverse conversion). These are the steps to do so.

The processing routine 4 shown in FIG. 13 is constantly executed, and its first step, step 801, checks whether a frame has been received from the information transmission path 130. This check is performed within the frame decoding means 113. If no frame has been received from the information transmission path 130, the process is terminated without doing anything, and the process returns to the beginning of process routine 4. If any frame is received from the information transmission path 130, the process advances to step 802.

The structure of the frame that the frame decoding means 113 receives from the information transmission path 130 is in the format (e) in FIG. At this point, first, control code 325
The content of the received frame is checked to determine whether the received frame is a data frame or another frame.

If the frame is a frame other than a data frame, the process advances to step 807, but the details of the process at step 807 are outside the scope of the present invention, so a description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the frame decoding means 113 extracts only the data field part from the received data frame and transforms it into the format shown in the format (d) of FIG.
Proceed to 03.

In step 803, the content of the frame data type identifier 341 shown in the format (d) of FIG. 8 is checked to determine whether the received data frame is remote control data.

As a result of the check, if it is determined that the data is not remote control data, the process proceeds to step 808, but the details of the processing at step 808 are outside the scope of the present invention, so a description thereof will be omitted.

As a result of the check, if it is determined that the data is remote control data, the process advances to step 804.

In step 804, the content of the frame format type identifier 342 shown in format (d) of FIG. 8 is checked to determine what type of data format the received remote control data frame is. As a result of the determination, if the frame is in a format that can be decoded by the system control means 122 of the station that received the frame, such as the company's own remote control format or the standardized Irre Cooperative format, the process proceeds to step 805. If the content is in a format that cannot be deciphered, the received frame is discarded, the process ends, and the process returns to the beginning of the process routine 4.

In step 805, the received remote control data frame is reconstructed into remote control data according to the format specified by the format type 342.

In step 806, the remote control data reconstructed in step 805 is transferred to the system control means 122. The reason why the signal sent to the system control means 122 is in the remote control data format is that the system control means 122
This is because means such as software for decoding the remote control data and performing the necessary control are prepared within the device, and depending on the case, there is no problem in decoding the contents of the remote control data and directly controlling the functional unit 121. .

Since all the processing is completed above, the received frame is discarded and the process returns to the beginning of processing routine 4.

(6, 3) Description of a specific example of the embodiment To help understand the fourth embodiment described above, a specific example to which this embodiment is applied will be described below.

Here, step 805 and step 8.6, which were not sufficiently explained in "r(Ei, 2) operation", will be explained with emphasis.

In step 805, the received remote control data frame is reconstructed into remote control data according to the format specified by the format type 342.

It is assumed that the currently received remote control data is "Company A format" with <format type 342>=OOOOh.

Also, received data 1 to data 3 (343 to 345)
It is assumed that the actual content of is the content shown in FIG. 8(C).

The first process in this step is to divide the received data 1 to data 3 into bits according to the format specified by <format type> 342. “A” shown in the example
The company format consists of a device code of 5 bits 302, a data code of 6 bits 303, a device code inversion bit of 5 bits 304, a data code inversion bit of 6 bits 305, and a check bit of 1 bit 306. Divide into 5 bits, 6 bits, 5 bits, 6 bits, and 1 bit. When the above re-division is performed, the remaining bits at the end are determined to be dummy bits 350 and are deleted. In this example, one bit is deleted as a dummy bit (see FIG. 8(b)).

Next, a header 301 is added before the device code 302, and a trailer 307 is added after the check bit 306 to complete the remote control data frame in the "Company A format".

Processing in this step: The method of re-dividing the bit string differs depending on the contents specified in Format Type> 342.

Step 806 is as explained in "r(6,2) operation", so the explanation will be omitted.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above explanation, by adopting the invention of claim 1, even if the received infrared remote control signal is a control signal addressed to another station, if the content can be decoded, the information transmission path This has the advantage that it is possible to transfer the data to the target station via the route and control the station.

Further, by adopting the invention of claim 2, even if the received infrared remote control signal is a control signal addressed to another station and the content cannot be deciphered, if it is possible to demodulate the information, the information can be transmitted. This has the effect that it is possible to transfer the information to the target station via the route and control the station.

Moreover, by adopting the invention of claim 3, claim 2
When implementing the invented remote control method, it becomes possible to limit the number of frames sent on the information transmission path to the necessary minimum, making it possible to improve the efficiency of the transfer process, and at the same time reducing the traffic on the information transmission path. This has the effect that it is possible to reduce the

Furthermore, by adopting the invention of claim 4, claim 2
It is possible to decode the transmitted remote control data frame using the remote control method of the invention and perform predetermined stage date control.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration for implementing the remote control method in the first and second embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information communication system to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the format of remote control data and data transmitted on an information transmission path, FIG.
FIG. 5 is a processing flowchart for implementing the remote control method of the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of data conversion when the remote control method of the same embodiment is applied, and FIG.
The figure is a processing flowchart for implementing the remote control method of the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of data conversion when the remote control method of the second embodiment is applied, and FIG. A block diagram showing the configuration for implementing the remote control method of the third embodiment, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a station address table used in the remote control method of the third embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration for implementing the remote control method of the third embodiment. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration for implementing the remote control method of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a process flowchart for implementing the remote control method of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Flowchart, FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the basic structure of a communication system to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the structure of a frame used in the communication system to which the present invention is applied. 100... Remote control signal receiving section, 101... Light receiving means, 102... Demodulating means, 103...
Data code processing means, 104.123... Format conversion means, 110... Communication control unit,
111... Communication processing means, 112... Frame generation means, 113... Frame decoding means, 120
...Equipment functional section, 121... Functional section, 12
2... System control means, 140... Device search means, 141... Address table,
142...Manufacturer code comparison means, 130...
・Information transmission path, 302...equipment code, 30
3...Data code, 304°314...Equipment code inversion bit, 305...Data code inversion bit, 306...Check bit, 312...
・Manufacturer code, 315...Command/data code, 331...<BEGIN> code, 33
3 ・5OURCE 5UB-DEV'[E ADDR
ESS. 334 ・DESTINATION 5UB-DEVI
CE ADDRESS1335...Opcode,
336... Operand, 341... Data type,
342...Format type, 343...Remote control signal data after format conversion, 350...
Dummy bits, 150-151... Station address storage area, 160-161... Manufacturer code storage area.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) Connected to an information communication system consisting of one system of information transmission line for performing data communication and a plurality of stations connected to the information transmission line, and sequentially transmitting frames via the information transmission line. a communication processing means for performing data communication with the communication processing means; a frame decoding means for decoding the content of a frame received by the communication processing means; and a frame for configuring a frame to be sent to the information transmission path by the communication processing means. a frame generating means; a light receiving means for receiving an infrared remote control signal and converting it into an electrical signal; a demodulating means for reproducing a remote control data code string from the electrical signal; data code processing means for determining and generating a command to be transferred to the information transmission path from the contents of the received remote control data code string; and configuring a frame in a format using the command generated by the data code processing means. a step of determining whether the electrical signal is an electrical signal that can be demodulated into logic data "0" or "1"; and when the electrical signal can be demodulated into logic data. a step of determining whether the remote control data code string demodulated by the demodulating means is a decipherable remote control data code string; and when it is determined that the remote control data code string is a decipherable remote control data code string, the remote control data code string is is a remote control data code string addressed to the own station or to another station; and when it is determined that the remote control data code string is addressed to another station, the step of a step of determining whether or not a standard command corresponding to the contents of the received remote control data code string exists during transmission; and when it is determined that a standard command corresponding to the contents of the remote control data code string exists, A remote control method comprising the steps of configuring a frame in a standard format using commands, and transmitting the frame via an information transmission path to a station targeted by the remote control data code string. (2) Connected to an information communication system consisting of one system of information transmission line for performing data communication and a plurality of stations connected to the information transmission line, and sequentially transmitting frames via the information transmission line. a communication processing means for performing data communication with the communication processing means; a frame decoding means for decoding the content of a frame received by the communication processing means; and a frame for configuring a frame to be sent to the information transmission path by the communication processing means. a frame generating means; a light receiving means for receiving an infrared signal and converting it into an electrical signal; a demodulating means for reproducing a remote control data code string from the electrical signal output from the light receiving means; processing the received remote control data code string; data code processing means for determining subsequent processing and generating a command to transfer the remote control data code string to the information transmission path from the contents of the received remote control data code string; a format conversion means for converting into a suitable format, the step of determining whether the electrical signal is a signal that can be demodulated into logic data "0" or "1"; and demodulating the electrical signal into logic data. If possible, determining whether the remote control data code string demodulated by the demodulating means is a decipherable remote control data code string; and when it is determined that the remote control data code string is an undecipherable remote control data code string. Converts the remote control data code string into a data string suitable for transmission via an information transmission path, determines the format of the remote control data code string, and adds data indicating the corresponding format type to the data string. A remote control method comprising the steps of: configuring a frame, and transmitting the frame via an information transmission path to all stations connected to the information transmission path. (3) Connected to an information communication system consisting of an information transmission line for performing data communication and a plurality of stations connected to the information transmission line, and sequentially transmitting frames via the information transmission line. a communication processing means for performing data communication with the communication processing means; a frame decoding means for decoding the content of a frame received by the communication processing means; and a frame for configuring a frame to be sent to the information transmission path by the communication processing means. frame generating means; light receiving means for receiving an infrared signal and converting it into an electrical signal; demodulating means for reproducing a remote control data code string from the electrical signal output from the light receiving means; a data code processing means for generating data to be transferred onto the information transmission path; a device search means for searching for a manufacturer code that encodes the address and manufacturer name of a station connected to the information transmission path; an address table storing addresses and manufacturer codes; and a manufacturer code comparing means for comparing the stored manufacturer code with a manufacturer code extracted from the received remote control data code string; A step of investigating the addresses and manufacturer codes of all connected stations and storing them in the address table, and determining whether the electrical signal is a signal that can be demodulated into logical data "0" or "1". determining whether the remote control data code string demodulated by the demodulating means is in an industry standard format when the electrical signal can be demodulated into logical data; and the received remote control data code If the string is in the industry standard format, extract the manufacturer code from the remote control code string, compare it with the manufacturer code stored in the manufacturer code storage means, detect a matching manufacturer code, and transfer the frame. a step of converting the received remote control data code string into a format suitable for transmission via the information transmission path; and a step of converting the received remote control data code string into a format suitable for transmission via the information transmission path; A remote control method comprising the steps of transmitting converted frames. (4) Connected to an information communication system consisting of one system of information transmission line for performing data communication and a plurality of stations connected to the information transmission line, and sequentially transmitting frames via the information transmission line. a communication processing means for performing data communication with the communication processing means; a frame decoding means for decoding the content of a frame received by the communication processing means; and a frame for configuring a frame to be sent to the information transmission path by the communication processing means. a system control means for controlling the entire station; and a format inversion means for inverting the contents of the received frame into a data format that can be operated by the system control means according to the contents of the received frame. , when receiving various frames including frames transmitted via the information transmission path by the remote control method according to claim 2,
a step of determining whether the content of the frame is a command or data; and, when it is determined that the content of the received frame is data, determining whether information held by the data is remote control data. a step of determining whether the format type is compatible with the own station when it is determined that the content of the received frame is remote control data; and a step of determining whether the format type is compatible with the own station. A remote control comprising the steps of: inversely converting the received data string into a corresponding type of remote control data code string when the determination is made; and sending the inversely converted remote control data code string to the system control means of the own station. Method.