WO2006097861A2

WO2006097861A2 - Two-way remote control of an electronic device.

Info

Publication number: WO2006097861A2
Application number: PCT/IB2006/050637
Authority: WO
Inventors: Irshad Ahamed
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date: 2005-03-16
Filing date: 2006-03-01
Publication date: 2006-09-21
Also published as: WO2006097861A3

Abstract

A wireless communications system (1) wherein a mobile telephone (5) can be used to remotely control one of a plurality of controllable electronic devices (2,3,4) across a short- range wireless communication link (6); status information relating to a function being controlled can be transmitted across by the wireless communication link (6) to the mobile telephone (5) for display thereby. The invention supports the creation of User Interface (UIF) resources dictated by the electronic device (3) being controlled. For example, where the electronic device (3) comprises the amplifier, tuner and CD player combination referred to above, when a CD is being played, it may be desirable to display information relating to the music being played and the time remaining on the mobile telephone (5) acting as a remote control in respect of the electronic device (3). The present invention provides for two-way communication with a highly interactive user interface on the screen of the mobile telephone (5) to make it act as a two-way remote control. A principal advantage is that the remote control does not need to be pre-programmed, and the electronic device being controlled can decide what data should be displayed, together with the latest status (e.g. time remaining in respect of a movie title being played).

Description

TWO-WAY REMOTE CONTROL OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a wireless communication system with a number of controllable electronic devices and a mobile station for remotely controlling such electronic devices through a short-range wireless communication link such as a radio link, an infrared link, or any other suitable wireless link. The mobile station can be dedicated to such remote control iunctionality or it can be a multifunctional device combining remote control functionality and other functionality such as cellular or cordless functionality, or the like. The present invention further relates to a method of remotely controlling a controllable electronic device, to a mobile station and to a controllable electronic device in such a system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

International Patent Application No WO01/20572A1 describes a mobile telephone arranged and configured to operate as a remote control for controlling a number of electronic devices through a short-range wireless communication link. The mobile telephone has a display and a user input interface comprising a keypad, a cursor control means including up, down, left and right control arrows, and a left soft-key, a right soft-key, and dedicated function keys. A WAP (for Wireless Access Protocol) browser is used to download control information to the mobile telephone in respect of a selected electronic device to be controlled thereby. This control information provides a menu and control options for the selected electronic device, from which a user can select using the user input interface of the mobile telephone. In response to such user selection, control signals are transmitted across the short- range wireless communication link to the respective electronic device to effect the desired control thereof.

However, data communication between the mobile station and the electronic device being controlled is unidirectional in the sense that the only information relating to the current status and settings of the electronic device that can be displayed (or otherwise provided to the user) via the mobile telephone is that information which is discernible from the control options selected by the user. For example, the channel number selected by the user may be displayed, in the case that the electronic device being controlled is a television, or the selected track number may be displayed in the case where the electronic device being controlled is a stereo system. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wireless communication system with one or more controllable electronic devices and a mobile station for remotely controlling such one or more electronic devices through a short-range wireless communication link, wherein data relating to the current operation status of an electronic device being controlled can be determined and displayed by the mobile station. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a corresponding method of remotely controlling a controllable electronic device, a mobile station and a controllable electronic device in such a system.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication system comprising at least one controllable electronic device and a mobile station for communicating with said at least one controllable device via a short-range wireless communication link, said mobile station comprising a display screen, said at least one electronic device and said mobile station being arranged and configured for wireless data communication therebetween in a first direction from said mobile station to said at least one electronic device so as to control one or more functions thereof, and in a second direction from said at least one electronic device to said mobile station, wherein said at least one electronic device is arranged to transmit data in said second direction across said wireless communication link representative of status information relating to a controlled function of said at least one electronic device, and said mobile station is arranged and configured to display said information relating to said controlled function of said at least one electronic device.

Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling at least one controllable electronic device by means of a mobile station for communicating with said at least one electronic device via a short-range communication link, said mobile station comprising a display screen, said at least one electronic device and said mobile station being arranged and configured for wireless data communication therebetween in a first direction from said mobile station to said at least one electronic device so as to control one or more functions thereof, and in a second direction from said at least one electronic device to said mobile station, wherein said method comprises said at least one electronic device transmitting data in said second direction across said wireless communication link representative of status information relating to a controlled function of said at least one electronic device while said function is being performed, and said mobile station displaying said information relating to said controlled function of said at least one electronic device.

The present invention also extends to a mobile station and a controllable electronic device for use in the above-defined wireless communication system. Thus, the present invention provides two-way communication with a highly interactive and configurable user interface on the screen of a mobile station (such as a mobile phone) so as to make it act as a two-way remote control.

The wireless communication link may be a communication link based on the Remote Control Multimedia Fast Protocol. In an embodiment of the invention, the mobile station is arranged to request, across said wireless communication link, said at least one electronic device to download data representative of a control interface representative of a control interface associated with said at least one electronic device. The mobile station may then comprise an access protocol browser and, in response to the above-mentioned request, the at least one electronic device downloads data, in a data format interpretable by said access protocol browser, representative of a control interface associated with said at least one controllable electronic device, said data being displayed on said display screen as control interface menu pages representative of said control interface.

In another embodiment, the mobile station is arranged and configured to communicate with a plurality of controllable electronic devices, and the system comprises means for setting up a wireless communications link between the mobile station and a selected controllable electronic device. The status information is preferably transmitted to the mobile station from the respective controllable electronic device in response to receipt of a control signal from said mobile station for controlling a function of said electronic device. Beneficially, the status information comprises information relating to one or more tracks of a playable media being played by a controllable electronic device. Means may be provided on the mobile station to selectively display on, or remove from, the display screen, the status information. Means may be provided in the mobile station for enabling a user to navigate the status information displayed on the display screen. These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from, and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of examples only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system with a number of controllable electronic devices and a mobile station; Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of a mobile station in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic front view of a mobile station;

Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of a first controllable electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of a second controllable electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 illustrates schematically the basic operation of a mobile station as a remote control device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the data transfer profile stack of a mobile station and electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of a typical playback panel provided on a mobile station according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 shows a wireless communication system 1 with a number of controllable electronic devices 2, 3, 4, and a mobile station 5. As illustrated, the mobile station 5 communicates with the controllable electronic devices 2, 3, 4 through a short-range wireless communication link 6. In addition to communication with the controllable electronic devices 2, 3, 4, the mobile station 5 can be configured to communicate with a wireless network 7, such as a cellular or cordless telephony and/or data network. The mobile station 5 can also be configured to only communicate with the controllable electronic devices 2, 3, 4. Then, the mobile station's main functionality is a universal remote control terminal, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The wireless network 7 may be coupled to a public switched telephony network 8.

The mobile station 5, in its capacity to communicate with the devices 2, 3, 4, forms a local network 9 with the devices 2, 3, 4. The short-range wireless communication link 6 can be a radio link, an infrared link, or any other suitable wireless link. The mobile station 5 may be configured to support both a short-range radio and a short-range infrared link so as to communicate with controllable electronic devices capable of transmitting through only a radio link or only an infra-red link.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of a mobile station 5 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The mobile station 5 comprises a cellular radio transceiver 20, a radio transceiver 21, and an infra-red transceiver 22 with a light emitting diode (LED) 23 for transmitting and receiving modulated infrared signals. The transceivers 20, 21 and 22 comprise receive and transmit circuitry, including mixers, modulators, demodulators, analog-to-digital converters and digital-to-analog converters so that the transceivers transmit digital signals generated by processing means 24 and provide digital signals to the processing means 24. Such transceiver circuitry is well known and is not shown in detail herein. The mobile station 5 further comprises a random access memory (RAM) 25 for storing volatile data with a memory part 25A for storing non- volatile data, a ROM memory 26 comprising a wireless access protocol browser (WAP) 27, a display 28, and a user input interface 29, the RAM 25, the ROM 26, the display 28, and the user input interlace 29 being coupled to the processing means 24. The transceivers 20, 21 and 22 respectively comprise received signal strength measurement means 2OA, 21 A and 22 A.

Figure 3 is a schematic front view of the mobile station 5 which comprises the display 28, and the user input interface 29 comprising a keypad 30, a cursor control means 31 including up, down, left and right control arrows 32, 33, 34 and 35, a left soft-key 36, a right soft-key 37, and dedicated function keys 38, 39, 40. The dedicated function key 38 can be used to invoke the remote control functionality of the mobile station 5. The dedicated function keys 39, 40 can be assigned to invoke control of often-used devices, such as a television set or stereo apparatus.

Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of a controllable electronic device 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The controllable electronic device 2 is a television set with TV circuitry 50 coupled to a television screen 51, and with a television antenna 52 and processing means 53. The television set 2 further comprises an infrared transceiver 54 with a LED 55, a ROM 56, and a RAM 57 including a non-volatile RAM 58, the IR-transceiver 54, the ROM 56 and the RAM 57 being coupled to the processing means 53. The non-volatile RAM 58 is intended to store control settings of the television set 2, such as a selected channel, volume, brightness, contrast and color. To this end, the non-volatile RAM 58 has storage locations for storing these control settings, the TV set being controlled in accordance with current settings.

Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of another controllable electronic device 3 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The controllable electronic device 3 is a tuner, amplifier and compact disc (CD) player combination, comprising tuner and amplifier and CD circuitry 60 coupled to a radio antenna 61. The circuitry 60 is coupled to processing means 62. The combination 3 further comprises a transceiver 63 coupled to an antenna 64, a ROM 65, and a RAM 66 including a non- volatile RAM 67, the transceiver 63, the ROM 65 and the RAM 66 being coupled to the processing means 62. The non- volatile RAM 67 is intended to store control settings of the device 3 such as selected channel, volume, bass, treble, play, stop, pause, fast forward, etc. To this end, the non- volatile RAM 67 has storage locations for storing these control settings, the device 3 being controlled in accordance with current settings. It will be appreciated that the controllable electronic devices according to the present invention include all kinds of devices, such as the illustrated television set 2 and the tuner, amplifier and CD combination 3, and also (but not limited to) domestic appliances such as a microwave oven, or any other controllable electronic device implementing the features of the present invention. Bi-directional wireless communication is provided between the mobile station 5 and the electronic device 3 being controlled, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the invention and provide a highly interactive user interface. In this exemplary embodiment, the 2-way point-to-point communication protocol employed will be RCMM(for Remote Control MultiMedia)-Fast also referred to as RC-Fast. RCMM-Fast is a point-to-point infrared protocol for wireless multimedia applications (where the RC-Fast protocol is internally converted to IR), which offers high speed and very low power consumption to maximize remote usage and device performance. In the case of the present invention, the RCMM protocol is employed in the two-way mode to provide bi-directional communication between the mobile station 5 and the electronic device 3 being controlled, and the use of this protocol provides the additional advantage that a relatively long range (> 10m) is supported. RC-Fast is the combination of a physical two-way IR transmission system with a universal 2- way user interface (UIF) protocol specially designed to maximally exploit the possibilities offered by the physical IR system and to overcome as much as possible its power and bandwidth limitations. However, it will be appreciated that there are other 2-way wireless communications protocols which could be employed in the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily intended to be limited in this regard.

Figure 6 illustrates the basic operation of the mobile station 5 as a remote control device. Block 70 shows the mobile station 5 as an RCMM-Fast master and block 71 shows the controllable electronic device 3, that is the tuner, amplifier and Compact Disc (CD) reader/writer combination 3, as a RCMM-Fast server or slave. Thus, in terms of the RCMM- Fast protocol, the electronic device 32 and the mobile station 5 form a Master/Slave relationship. In the Master/Slave relationship, the Master sends requests to the Slave, and the Slave responds to such requests.

In the first instance, a communications link 6 is set up between the mobile station 5 and the electronic device 3 to be controlled. Upon link setup (and service discovery), the mobile station 5 automatically opens the browser 27 and, using the URL (for Uniform Resource Locator) or text string cd/index.wml, requests the server 71 to download the file to which cd/index.wml refers in the server 71. The browser 27 is used to navigate the downloaded menu pages. When more menu pages or other information are needed, the mobile station 5 requests the server 71 to provide such pages or information. The menu pages, which are displayed by the mobile station 5, can be used to select commands, such as track selection, and commands selected on the menu pages are sent to the server 71 in the form of requests. The server 71 interprets such requests, acts accordingly and then responds to such requests by confirming the action taken.

As explained above, RCMM-Fast is a point-to-point protocol for wireless multimedia applications and provides a User Interface (UIF) profile, i.e. containing information to present a dedicated user interface at the mobile station 5 that is within the capabilities of the mobile station 5 and the server 71, for control, content scrolling and status messaging, and a data transfer profile to support data transfer between the mobile station 5 and the server 71.

Referring to Figure 7 of the drawings, the data transfer profile stack architecture of the mobile station 5 and the consumer device 3 comprises an RCMM-Fast physical layer 100, an RCMM-Fast data-link layer 102, and RCMM-Fast transport layer 104 and an application layer 106. The physical layer 100, in each case, defines the physical means of sending data across the short-range wireless communication link 6 set up between the mobile station 5 and the electronic device 3, interfaces between the link medium and the devices 5,3 and defines optical, electrical and mechanical characteristics of the respective devices 5,3. The data-link layer 102 defines procedures for operating the communications link 6, frames packets and detects and corrects packet-transmit errors. The transport layer 104 manages end-to-end delivery across the link 6, and provides reliable and sequential connectionless packet delivery through error recovery and flow control mechanisms. Finally, the application layer 106 defines interface-to-user processes for communication and data transfer across the communications link 6, and effectively provides an interface or link between the application software on one of the devices to applications on the other device.

The User Interface (UIF) profile in accordance with this exemplary embodiment of the invention (RCMM-Fast Mode IA) supports applications with a user interface composed of various controls enabling the user of the mobile station 5, not only to send commands to an electronic device 3 but also to receive information and events from it. In the UIF profile, all the electronic device 3 being controlled does form a 2-way IR point-of-view, in response to short requests 108 transmitted by the mobile station 5 (which is why the latter is referred to herein as the "master", whereas the electronic device 3 is referred to as the "slave" or "server"). The data transfer profile (RCMM-Fast Protocol Mode IB) and its stack is intended for applications where the mobile station 5 (master) request a data upload 110 to or a data download 112 from the electronic device 3 (slave). The electronic device 3 (slave) acts upon the request by sending the data to/receiving the data from the handheld device 5 (master). The user interface panel can consist of a set of classic Graphical User Interface (GUI) controls such as a list box, label, progress bar, (soft or hard) push button, etc. The layout of the panel, i.e the way in which the controls interact with the server application, and the switching between the panels is totally determined by the way in which the server application prefers. In the context of the UIF profile, the master just acts as a GUI rendering device. Some master GUI events (button pushes, screen touches) are directly consumed by the master, others are transmitted to the server.

Thus, the present invention supports the creation of a User Interface dictated by the electronic device 3 being controlled. For example, where the electronic device 3 comprises the amplifier, tuner and CD player combination referred to above, when a CD is being played, it may be desirable to display information relating to the music being played and the time remaining on the mobile station 5 acting as a remote control in respect of the electronic device 3. Referring to Figure 8 the electronic device 3 according to this exemplary embodiment of the invention is arranged and configured to provide data to the mobile station 5 enabling it to create a panel (including width and height), create a scroll bar (horizontal and/or vertical, and including width and height) and where to position the index. The resultant panel, as shown in Figure 8 of the drawings, consists of five label controls (song name 81, artist name 82, playback status 83, song elapsed time 84 and song total time 85) and one progress bar control 86 for the elapsed time. The electronic device 3 callbacks, registered with respective controls, provide the text savings and cursor position to be shown by the controls. The hard buttons that are active during playback (e.g. start/pause, stop, volume up, volume down, etc) on the mobile station 5 or remote control can also be thought of as being part of the panel, and event handling for these buttons is also through callbacks associated with the panel. Thus, the present invention provides a universal two-way remote control with a highly interactive and user configurable user interface (controls grouped in panels) created by a server (the electronic device) at the moment connection is made between mobile device and server. Key features of the above exemplary embodiment include content navigation (i.e. details of content of, for example, a CD or DVD are communicated by the electronic device being controlled to the mobile station for display to, and navigation by, a user) and status message feedback (e.g. track name or movie title) from the electronic device being controlled. The features can be extended, based on the availability of memory on the portable device to Auto Detect devices, Learn Mode, Punch through, macros, etc.

As explained above, the invention is based on a 2-way protocol, which enables the range to be enhanced from 1 meter (as in prior art arrangements) to more than 10 meters. By providing this two-way support, activating (say) a menu associated key present on the mobile telephone results in the fetching and displaying contents on the telephone and, similarly, pressing a soft/hard key may result in content showing display status. Using, for example, the four scroll keys and "OK" present on the exemplary embodiment of the mobile telephone described above, the user can navigate through the contents fetched from the electronic device being controlled. The selected item is highlighted and <up/down> keys can be used for scrolling the list while <left> might move to a previous screen and <right> might be interpreted as "enter" or "move cursor to the right", say. The principal advantage is that the mobile station 5 does not need to be preprogrammed, and the electronic device being controlled can decide what data should be displayed, together with the latest status (e.g. time remaining in respect of a movie title being played); in contrast, in the communication supported by prior art arrangements, the display can only show the actions resulting from the pressing of keys thereon (e.g. pressing 1 key, displays "1", pressing play key displays "pkey", whereas in the present invention, the results of pressing those keys can be shown. An available soft/hard key on the mobile section may be used as the on-screen display ON/OFF key so that the on-screen display can be selectively displayed or not, for the convenience of the user.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be capable of designing many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed in parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" and "comprises", and the like, does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in any claim or the specification as a whole. The singular reference of an element does not exclude the plural reference of such elements and vice- versa. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Claims

1. A wireless communications system (1) comprising at least one controllable electronic device (2,3,4) and a mobile station (5) for communicating with said at least one controllable device (2,3,4) via a short-range wireless communication link (6), said mobile station (5) comprising a display screen (28), said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) and said mobile station (5) being arranged and configured for wireless data communication therebetween in a first direction from said mobile station (5) to said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) so as to control one or more functions thereof, and in a second direction from said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) to said mobile station (5), wherein said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) is arranged to transmit data in said second direction across said wireless communication link (6) representative of status information relating to a controlled function of said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) while said controlled function is being performed, and said mobile station (5) is arranged and configured to display said information relating to said controlled function of said at least one electronic device (2,3,4).

2. A system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication link may be a communication link based on the Remote Control Multimedia Fast protocol.

3. A system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the mobile station (5) is arranged to request, across said wireless communication link (6), said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) to download data representative of a control interface associated with said at least one electronic device (2,3,4).

4. A system (1) according to claim 3, wherein the mobile station (5) comprises an access protocol browser (27) and, in response to said request, the at least one electronic device (2,3,4) downloads data, in a data format interpretable by said access protocol browser (27), representative of a control interface associated with said at least one controllable electronic device (2,3,4), said data being displayed on said display screen (28) as control interlace menu pages representative of said control interface.

5. A system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the mobile station (5) is arranged and configured to communicate with a plurality of controllable electronic devices (2,3,4) and the system (1) comprises means for setting up a wireless communications link (6) between the mobile station (5) and a selected controllable electronic device (2,3,4).

6. A system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the status information comprises information relating to one or more tracks of a playable media being played by a controllable electronic device (3).

7. A system (1) according to claim 1, comprising means in the mobile station (5) to selectively display on, or remove from, the display screen (28), the status information.

8. A system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the mobile station (5) comprises means for enabling a user to navigate said status information displayed on said display screen (28).

9. A method of controlling at least one controllable electronic device (2,3,4) by means of a mobile station (5) for communicating with said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) via a short-range communication link (6), said mobile station (5) comprising a display screen (28), said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) and said mobile station (5) being arranged and configured for wireless data communication therebetween in a first direction from said mobile station (5) to said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) so as to control one or more iunctions thereof, and in a second direction from said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) to said mobile station (5), wherein said method comprises said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) transmitting data in said second direction across said wireless communication link (6) representative of status information relating to a controlled function of said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) while said controlled function is being performed, and said mobile station (5) displaying said information relating to said controlled function of said at least one electronic device (2,3,4).

10. A mobile station (5) for remotely controlling at least one controllable electronic device (2,3,4) via a short-range wireless communication link (6) in a wireless communication system (1), said mobile station (5) comprising a display screen (28), said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) and said mobile station (5) being arranged and configured for wireless data communication therebetween in a first direction from said mobile station (5) to said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) so as to control one or more functions thereof, and in a second direction from said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) to said mobile station (5), wherein said mobile station (5) is arranged and configured to display on said display screen (28) information relating to a controlled function of said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) while said controlled function is being performed, said information being received by said mobile station (5) across said wireless communication link (6) from said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) in the form of data representative of status information relating to the controlled function of said electronic device (2,3,4).

11. A controllable electronic device (2,3,4) arranged to be remotely controlled by a mobile station (5) via a short-range wireless communications link (6) in a wireless communication system (1), said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) and said mobile station (5) being arranged and configured for wireless data communication therebetween in a first direction from said mobile station (5) to said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) so as to control one or more functions thereof, and in a second direction from said at least one electronic device (2,3,4) to said mobile station (5), wherein said electronic device (2,3,4) is arranged and configured to transmit data across said wireless communication link (6) representative of status information relating to a controlled function of said electronic device (2,3,4) for display by said mobile station (5) while said controlled function is being performed.