FR3086477A1 - MANAGEMENT OF THE POWER SUPPLY OF A REMOTE CONTROL. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing the operation of a remote control (TCD) capable of controlling a playback device (STB) capable of rendering content, the remote control having an electrical state passing from a first electrical state and a second electrical state beyond a period of inactivity, characterized in that the period of inactivity varies depending on the type of content returned

Description

Management of the power supply of a remote control.

Technical area

The invention relates to a method for managing the power supply of a remote control.

A remote control is a device used to operate another device, remotely, by cable, infrared, radio waves, etc. the manipulation is carried out by means of a set of commands available on the remote control.

The remote control can be a physical and / or software resource. A physical remote control is typically a box able to control a device illustrated by means of a data receiver in the following description. A software remote control is for example a human-machine interface offered by means of a computer application; this type of interface is available for viewing content on a computer; more and more content (VOD, TVOD) can be played on a computer, tablet, or similar devices.

The receiver is also a physical and / or software resource. A physical receiver is for example a decoder, a gateway, a television, a Hi-Fi system, etc. A software receiver is for example a computer application of the video on demand, television on demand, etc. type.

The targeted remote control is electrically powered by a power source such as batteries, etc.

State of the art

Current connected remote controls (Bluetooth, Radio Frequency, etc.) consume a lot of electricity. It is therefore important to manage the electrical consumption of the circuits of this type of remote control in a very fine manner in order to guarantee an optimal lifespan of the energy source.

One solution to increase the lifespan of an energy source is to vary its electrical state. The best known electrical states are for example

- a normal state (ON) in which all the circuits are supplied; this state consumes electrical energy;

- a standby state in which only part of the circuits is supplied; in this standby state, the remote control consumes less than in the normal state.

To save energy, a management module in the remote control switches the remote control, assuming the remote control is in a normal state, in a standby state the remote control beyond a period of inactivity on the remote control, for example 30 seconds. However, it is necessary not to set a too short duration of inactivity so as not to modify the electrical state of the remote control from the normal state to the standby state too quickly, in particular at a time when the user will probably use the remote control to control the playback device. Indeed, when the remote control is in standby and the user presses a button on the remote control to transmit a command, a communication session between the remote control and the controlled device is automatically established (or restored); this session establishment requires an exchange of messages between the remote control and the controlled device; this may take a few seconds (in the case of a Bluetooth remote control, establishing a session may require up to 3 seconds); it is only after the session is established that the remote control transmits the command referred to above. As a result, the delay between pressing the button and carrying out the action can take a noticeable time for the user. In addition, this establishment entails a significant electrical consumption. A session establishment is therefore not only costly in time but also consumes electrical energy. Defining a duration of inactivity is therefore not simple, a duration that is too short can be counterproductive for the user experience and for energy consumption.

The invention improves the situation.

The invention

To this end, the invention relates to a method of managing the operation of a remote control capable of controlling a playback device capable of rendering content, the remote control having an electrical state passing from a first electrical state and a second electrical state beyond a period of inactivity, characterized in that the period of inactivity varies depending on the type of content returned.

According to the invention, the duration of inactivity is variable over time, unlike the state of the art in which the duration of inactivity is constant. Thanks to the invention, the instant of passage from the first electrical state to the second electrical state is judiciously achieved without being counterproductive for the user.

According to a first particular embodiment of the invention, the duration is more or less long if the content is a desired content or an unwanted content. In the example shown below, the idle time is short when the content is desired and long when the content is unwanted. Indeed, there is a good chance that a user viewing unwanted content requests that the playback be stopped; for example in the case of a television, the stop may be caused by a change of television channel or by switching off the television. According to a variant of this second particular embodiment of the invention, unwanted content is content including at least one advertisement.

Note here that in this text, unwanted content refers to content of which at least part is unwanted. In particular, unwanted content targets content not requested by the user or which is imposed on him; as noted above, unwanted content is typically advertising content. Unwanted content is likely to cause the remote control to be manipulated in order to reproduce other content.

Conversely, desired content targets content that is unlikely to cause manipulation of the remote control.

According to a second particular embodiment of the invention, which can be implemented alternately or cumulatively with the previous ones, the first state is a normal electrical state and the second state a standby state.

According to yet a third particular mode of implementation of the invention, which can be implemented alternately or cumulatively with the previous ones, a database stores a user profile including at least one unwanted content.

According to a first hardware aspect, the invention relates to an entity for managing the operation of a remote control capable of controlling a playback device capable of rendering content, the remote control having an electrical state passing from a first electrical state and a second electrical state beyond a period of inactivity, characterized in that it comprises a module for determining the duration of inactivity as a function of the type of content restored

According to a second material aspect, the invention relates to a remote control characterized in that it comprises a management entity.

According to a third hardware aspect, the invention relates to a computer program capable of being implemented in a management entity as defined above, said program comprising code instructions which, when the program is executed performs the step defined in the process defined above.

According to a fourth hardware aspect, the invention relates to a recording medium readable by a data processor on which a program is recorded comprising program code instructions for the execution of the steps of the method defined above.

Note here that the data medium can be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, the support may include a storage means, such as a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a microelectronic circuit ROM, or else a magnetic recording means, for example a floppy disc or a disc. hard. On the other hand, the information medium can be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which can be routed via an electrical or optical cable, by radio or by other means. The program according to the invention can in particular be downloaded from a network of the Internet type. Alternatively, the information medium can be an integrated circuit in which the program is incorporated, the circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the process in question.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given by way of example and made with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents a computer system on which an exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

Figure 2 is a schematic view of the circuits present in a remote control.

Figure 3 is a schematic view of the steps implemented according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the invention:

FIG. 1 represents a SYS system comprising a remote control TCD capable of controlling a DISP device capable of rendering content.

The content can be stored in a memory of the DISP controlled device or on a data medium such as a DVD inserted in the controlled device.

The content can also be stored in a remote device connected to the device controlled for example via an Internet network RES2. In this configuration, the controlled device accesses the requested content via the Internet. The controlled device can in this case be a television connected to TV. This TV connected TV accesses the RES2 Internet network either directly or indirectly via a GTW router or gateway. The connection between the TV television and the GTW gateway is arbitrary, that is to say wired or non-wired. In our example, the connection is for example via an Ethernet cable or a Wi-Fi network. An STB decoder can also be inserted between the television and the home gateway. The connection with the decoder is indifferent; for example, the connection between the decoder and the television is an HDMI cable and the connection between the STB decoder and the GTW gateway is an Ethernet link or a Wi-Fi network.

In the example chosen, the STB decoder is connected by a CBL cable to the TV television. The cable is for example an HDMI cable, an ETHERNET cable or any other equivalent cable. The invention is obviously not limited to this example, for example a wireless link could have been used in place of the cable.

In our example, the GTW gateway is a home gateway which provides communication between a home network RES1 and the Internet network RES2. The GTW gateway is typically a domestic gateway of the Livebox® type. The STB decoder and the GTW gateway have a hardware architecture equivalent to a computer; they will not be described in detail here to simplify the description of the invention.

In our example, the content is multimedia content stored remotely on a PF service platform which, for example, delivers multimedia content such as television channels, television on demand films (VOD), etc.

In our example, the TCD remote control is able to control the STB decoder directly without an intermediary. To do this, the TCD remote control communicates with the STB decoder via a RES3 network of the short-range type, such as a Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi connection, etc. For this purpose, the TCD remote control and the STB decoder are equipped with respective communication modules. Recall that Zigbee is a low power wireless radio technology.

As will be explained below, sending a command from the TCD remote control to the STB decoder requires that a session be established between the TCD remote control and the STB decoder before a command is transmitted from the remote control and the STB decoder. In general, a communication session is cut off in a standby state. Sending a command from the remote control requires session recovery in this standby state.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the circuits present in the TCD remote control according to one embodiment.

The TCD remote control includes a CPU processor, a MEM storage module for data storage and at least one control element. A control element can be either one of the following elements: a GRS gyroscope; an ACC accelerometer; control keys (also called CT key codes) for example located on one side of the remote control; a CLV keyboard for example located on a face opposite to the previous one.

The modules and controls, as well as the processor, are powered by an ALIM electrical power source such as a battery. The installed modules and control elements are interconnected via a bus. Recall that a bus has the function of ensuring the transfer of digital data between the different circuits of a computer. In our example, the bus in question includes a data bus and a control bus.

It should also be noted that, in our example, the storage module described above comprises a permanent memory, for example of the ROM type (English acronym for Read Only Memory) and a respective random access memory used to store non-durable data from calculation used in particular during the implementation of the process.

In order to optimize the lifespan of the ALIM energy source, several electrical states are provided. A determination module present in the remote control has the function of determining a period of inactivity which will determine the instant of passage of the electrical state of the remote control from a first state to a second, for example from a normal state to a waking state.

According to the invention, the duration of inactivity is determined as a function of the type of content restored by the rendering device, namely television TV in our example.

A first phase PH1 consists in creating correspondences between types of content and respective periods of inactivity.

These matches can be created manually by a user. These matches can take the following form for "n >> types of content:

content type 1-> duration 1 content type 2 -> duration 2 content type n -> duration n

Any number of "n" content types

These correspondences can also be created by learning thanks to an APP learning module. The location of the APP learning module in the SYS system is arbitrary; in our example, this APP learning module is located outside the remote control, for example in the STB decoder, to avoid power consumption in the remote control.

In this configuration, the APP learning module has the function of automatically discovering what the uses of the remote control are based on the type of content watched or listened to.

For example, the APP learning module detects that the user uses his remote control less when watching ad-free content, for example video on demand VOD content; in this configuration, the learning module sets a short inactivity time, of the order of 10 seconds.

Conversely, the learning module can detect that the user uses his remote control more often on a live television program with advertising. In this configuration, the learning module fixes a longer inactivity time of the order of 10 minutes.

Similarly, the learning module APP can detect that when the user watches a film on a television channel during a time slot dedicated to the broadcasting of films, for example between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., and that the film is broadcast on a channel without advertising, the learning module can conclude that the remote control will probably not be used, and that in fact the user will not change channels, that he will not lower the volume, etc. In this configuration, the duration chosen for the change of state is short; the remote control will enter a standby state quickly to save power. If the user is playing an online game, it can also be assumed that the remote control will not be used.

More generally, when a content or a part of it includes unwanted content such as an advertisement, a long duration is fixed; thus the remote control remains in an active state with an active communication session so as to be ready, since the user will probably use the remote control, to receive a command and to transmit this latter without the need to establish a communication session between the remote control and the controlled device.

Conversely, when the content is a desired content, the duration of inactivity will be chosen short because the probability of being used is low over a given period. Indeed, assuming that the user views content without advertising, manipulation of the remote control is unlikely during the duration of the program. In this configuration, the remote control enters a standby state more quickly so as to save electrical energy.

The created matches are stored in a database. This database can also counter all types of unwanted content.

The type of content can be determined in several ways.

In a first way, the content sender, in our example the PF platform, transmits information on the type of content transmitted.

In a second way, the STB decoder can be responsible for determining the type of content. The decoder can for example deduce the type of content by learning the content already restored and analyzed in the past.

In a third way, a request for access to content is followed by a reception by the decoder of at least one URL address. The decoder then accesses the content using the URL address received or the URL addresses received if there are several. In this configuration, the decoder can analyze the URLs and deduce the type of content. For example, if at least one URL received corresponds to advertising content, the decoder sets the duration of inactivity accordingly.

A second phase PH2 aims to access content and to implement the determination of a period of inactivity as a function of the content as explained above using the created correspondences stored in the database. This phase is carried out PH2 by a DET determination module.

Note that the two phases can be executed one after the other or in parallel.

Note that the different embodiments described above can be carried out individually or in combination.

For the implementation of the invention, the management entity MNG comprises a DET determination module capable of deciding the moment of transition from a first state to the second state as a function of the type of content restored. In our example, this MNG management entity is ideally located in the 5 TCD remote control.

Finally, it should be noted here that, in the present text, the term "module" can correspond as well to a software component as to a hardware component or a set of hardware and software components, a software component corresponding itself to one or several computer programs or subroutines or more generally any element of a program capable of implementing a function or a set of functions as described for the modules concerned. In the same way, a hardware component corresponds to any element of a hardware (or hardware) assembly capable of implementing a function or a set of functions for the module concerned (integrated circuit, smart card, memory card, etc.).

Claims (7)

Resale 1. Method for managing the operation of a remote control (TCD) capable of controlling a rendering device (STB) capable of rendering content, the remote control having an electrical state passing from a first electrical state and a second electrical state au- beyond a period of inactivity, characterized in that the period of inactivity varies depending on the type of content returned. 2. Management method according to claim 1, characterized in that the duration is more or less long if the content is a desired content or an unwanted content. 3. Management method according to claim 2, characterized in that unwanted content is content including at least one advertisement. 4. Management entity (MNG) for the operation of a remote control capable of controlling a rendering device capable of rendering content, the remote control having an electrical state passing from a first electrical state and a second electrical state beyond a period of inactivity, characterized in that it comprises a module for determining (DET) the duration of inactivity as a function of the type of content restored 5. Remote control characterized in that it comprises a management entity (MNG) as defined in claim 4. 6. A computer program capable of being implemented in a management entity as defined in claim 4, said program comprising code instructions which, when the program is executed performs the step defined in claim 1. 7. Recording medium readable by a data processor on which a program is recorded comprising program code instructions for the execution of the steps of the method defined in one of claims 1 to 3.