GB2238146A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

A remote-control unlocking-device combination includes an electronic transmitter unit (1) (e.g. in the form of a watch) adapted to store at least one set of secret codes for controlling/actuating a predetermined device and to transmit the stored secret codes in the form of an electromagnetic wave, and a receiver unit adapted to be mounted in the predetermined device for receiving the transmitted codes and controlling/actuating the device according to the received codes. The transmitter unit (1) stored secret codes can be altered. <IMAGE>

Description

DESCRIPTION A COMBINATION OF A TRANSMITTER UNIT IN THE FORM OF A WATCH AND A RECEIVER UNIT IN THE FORM OF A CONTROLLER The present invention relates generally to a combination of a transmitter and a receiver and. in particular. to a combination of a transmitter unit in the form of a watch and a receiver unit in the form of a controller.

Nowadavs, when people go out, they usually have to carry a bunch of keys and similar articles with them, for example door keys, car keys, a car remote controller, a garage door remote controller and so on. A large bunch of keys is inconvenient to carry. Furthermore, some people are apt to forget the keys.

There has been a trend to use a magnetic card, a bar code card. an IC card, or similar articles in plare of a conventional unlocking device such as a kev. Users of these ne devices still often forget to carrv them.

Although a different locking device such as a combination lock does not require a user to carry a key, the user ill have to memorize the code combination, While fe" sets of code combinations are easy to be memorized, a number of sets of code combinations will he a heavy burden to the user's memory.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a new unlocking device which may be used in place of a conventional key.

It is the second object. of the present invention to provide a new unlocking device combination which a user may not easily forget to carry with him.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new unlocking device combination which may liberate a user from remembering a number of sets of code combinations.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an unlocking device combination is provided in a form of a remote controller combination.

The remote controller combination includes an electronic transmitter unit adapted to store at least one set of secret codes for controlling/actuatinge a predetermined device and to transmit the stored secret codes in the form of an electromagnetic wave, and a receiver unit adapted to be mounted in the predetermined device for receiving the transmitted electromagnetic wave secret codes and controllin < /actuating the device according to the received codes. The transmitter unit is further programmed so as to allow the stored secret codes to be altered. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transmitter unit is formed in a form which permits the transmitter unit to be worn on a hand of a user of the remote controller combination.

Preferably, the transmitter unit is formed in a form of a watch.

The present invention can be more fully understood by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, which form an integral part of this application: Fig. I shows a plan view of a watch-type transmitter unit of the remote controller combination according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram of the transmitter unit shown in Fig Fig. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram of a receiver unit of the remote controller combination according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the devices which may be controlled/actuated by the receiver unit; Figs. 4A to 4C show the schematic representations of a LCD display of the transmitter unit shown in Fig. 1 in three different operation modes;; Figs. 5 to 8 show the detailed representations of the LCD display of the transmitter unit shown in Fig.

1 in a normal timing operation mode, a normal/secret control code displaying mode, an alarm time setting mode, and a null mode, respectively; Fig. 9A is a shematic plan view of the watchtype transmitter unit shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 9B is a flow chart showing the operational flow of the transmitter unit when it is being used in its normal timing operation mode;; Fig. lOA is a schematic plan view of the watch type transmitter unit in its normal/secret control code displaying mode, Fig. 10B is a flow chart showing the operational flow of the transmitter unit when it is being used in its normalSsecret control code displaying node, and Figs. lOC to lOF show the sequences in which an English character or an Arabic numeral is presented when a related push button is pressed; Fie. 11 is a flow chart showing the operational flow of the receiver unit of the remote controller combination in which the receiver unit receives the normal/secret control codes1 compares the received codes with a set of internal codes, and executes a predetermined operation according to the result of comparison;; Figs. 12A to 12E show the flows of the operations which may be executed by the receiver unit when the received codes correspond to the internal codes; and Fig. 13 is a flow chart showing the flow of the operation which may be executed by the receiver unit when the received codes do not correspond to the internal codes.

Referring now to Fig. 1, a watch-type transmitter unit 1 of the remote controller combination according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated to include a watch body portion 2 and a watchband portion 3. On the top surface of the watch bod portion 2, a liquid crystal display (LCD) 4 is provided to show data such as date, time, and normal/secret control code data uniquely provided by the present invention. On the peripheral portion of the uatch body 2, there are provided with several push buttons, such as the six push buttons S1-S6 shown in Fig. 1, for setting and altering data of the date displaying field, the time displaying field, and the normal/secret control code displaying field of the LCD 4.As described with reference to Figs. 9-13 later herein, at least one of the push buttons S1-S6 is programmed to start the operation in which the set of normal/secret control codes is transmitted. In the present invention, electromagnetic wave is utilized to transmit the unique normal/secret control codes. Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an infrared light emitted diode (IR LED) 5 is arranged at an outer peripheral corner of the watch body 2. The infrared ray emitted by LED 5 is modulated to carry the predetermined normal/secret control code data. A receiver unit described later herein will receive the modulated infrared signal and execute a predetermined control operation according to the received signal. It should be noted that radio frequency wave may be employed instead of infrared ray.

Fig. 2 illustrates the internal circuit architecture of the watch body 2. A 4-Bit microcontroller chip 6 marketed by OKI Co. of Japan under Model No. MSM 6351 is used to serve as a single-chip microcontroller for the watch-type transmitter unit 1. Chip 6 is programmed to provide and execute the operational functions which will be described later herein with reference to Figs. 9-13. LCD 4 is driven by signals received from output pins SEGO-SEG61 of chip 6 to present predeternined data display. Signals on output pin PO.O of chip 6 is connected to control the infrared ray transmission operation of LED 5, while signals on output pin BD of chip 6 is used to drive an alarm buzzer.

The infrared code data signals transmitted by LED 5 will be received by a receiving portion 8 of a receiver unit 7 shown in Fig. 3. The receiving portion 8 includes a photodetector in the type of a photodiode which may receive the infrared signals transmitted by LED 5. The received code data signals are decoded, compared and identified in a 8-Bit microcontroller chip 9 commercially available under Model No. PIC 16C5X. If the received codes correspond to a set of internal codes preset in the microcontroller chip 9, the chip 9 will actuate one of various control operations represented by blocks 11-16 in Fig. 3 through an I/O port 10 thereof.

For example, block 11 may represent a gate lock controlling operation, block 12 may represent a car door lock controlling and engine starting operation, block 13 may represent an entrance controlling operation for recording the time at which a staff member of a company arrives at and leaves every day, block 14 may represent an identification and deposit-withdrawal operation for cash machine, block 15 may represent a luminaire on/off controlling operation, block 16 may represent a television set on/off controlling operation, and so forth. In order to execute a desired control operation, the receiver unit 7 should advantageously be provided in or on the device to be controlled, such as the abovementioned gate lock, car, cash machine, luminaire or other electric appliances.

Fig. 4 illustrates the sequence in which the representations of LCD 4 is switched among three different modes by pressing a push button, for example, the button S5. As shown in Fig. 4A, the first representation mode presented after power-on is a normal timing operation mode 17 in which an alarm mark field 18, a week date field 19, an AM/PM field 20, a month field 21, a date field 22, an hour field 23, a minute field 24, and a second field 25 are displayed. After pressing push button S5, a normal/secret control code displaying mode 26 shown in Fig. 4B is brought out to provide on LCD 4 with a data name field 28 and a code field 29. Under the normal/secret control code displaying mode, the normal/secret control codes shown in the code field 29 can be transmitted by the infrared ray transmission of LED 5 which may be actuated by pressing a push button, for example, S2.It is desired that the normal control codes are used to actuate normal control operations such as electric appliance on/off control operations which normally do not require the control codes to be kept secret, while the secret control codes are used to actuate peciai control operatios such as gate lock, car door and cash machine controlling operations which normally need the control codes to be kept secret. It should be noted that the transmitter unit 1 may store a number of sets of control codes in a corresponding number of code data pages. Each of the sets of control codes is stored in a respective data page and is devoted to the actuation of the control operation of a predetermined device.

Upon pressing the push button S5 once again, an alarm time setting mode 32 shown in Fig. 4C will override the control code displaying mode 26 to provide a present time field 33 and an alarm time setting field 34. To return to the normal timing operation mode 17, the push button S5 may be pressed once again.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate exemplary representations of LCD 4 respectively in the abovementioned normal timing operation mode 17, normal/secret control code displaying mode 26 and alarm time setting mode 32, with Fig. 8 showing a plan view of LCD 4 in a null operation mode. These representations of LCD 4, and the time adjusting and setting operations thereof are similar to those of a LCD display of a conventional electronic watch and, therefore, no further description with regard thereto is provided herein.

The following which will be described with reference to Pigs. 9-13 is the way in which the watchtype transmitter unit 1 and the receiver unit 7 operate.

As shown in Fig. 9, when the push button S5 is pressed under the normal timing operation node 17, the normal control code displaying mode 26 is entered along arrow 27 and the displaying condition of LCD 4 is changed from that as shown in Fig. 9A to that as shown in Fig. 10A.

Under the normal control code displaying mode 26, if the push button S2 is pressed, an operating mode 44 will be assumed along an arrow 30 to transmit the control codes displayed in code field 29 of LCD 4 through the LED 5; if the push button S3 is pressed, an operating mode 46 will be assumed along arrow 45 to bring out a set of control codes stored in a previous code data page; if the push button S4 is pressed, an operating mode 48 will be assumed along arrow 47 to bring out a set of control codes stored in a next code data page; if the push button S5 is pressed, the alarm time setting mode 32 will, as described above, be assumed along arrow 31 to allow the alarm time to be set or reset: if the push button S6 is pressed, an operating mode 51 will be assumed along arrow 50 to allow the control codes being displayed in the code field 29 of LCD 4 to be set or altered; and if the push button S1 is pressed, an operating mode 53 will be assumed along arrow 52 to allow a user to enter a password which will be the only one code combination which the user must remember. If the password entered by the user is correct, a secret control code displaying mode 55 will be assumed along arrow 54 to display in the code field 29 a secret control codes which the user does not want the others to know. The transmitter unit 1 is designed to allow a number of sets of secret control codes to be stored therein.The operations to transmit codes, backward scan code pages, forward scan code pages, enter the alarm time setting mode, and set/alter codes under the secret control code displaying mode 55 are the same as those under the above-mentioned normal control code displaying mode 26 and, therefore, will not be described again. In addition, if the push button S5 is pressed under the normal or secret control code displaying mode 26 or 55, the alarm time setting mode 32 will be assumed as described above to allow a user to set or reset the alarm time. The operation for setting and resetting the alarm time is similar to that used in a conventional electronic watch. Under the alarm time setting mode 32, the operation mode will return to the normal timing operation mode 17 by pressing the push button S5 again.

Figs. iOA-lOF show the way to set or alter a set of normal/secret control codes under the code setting/altering operation mode 51 which is assumed by pressing the push button S6 under the normal/secret control code displaying mode 26. As shown in Fig. 10B, after entering the code setting/altering operation mode block 51 along arrow 50 by pressing the push button S6, a user may press the push button S3 or 54 to enter a backward scan operation mode 57 or forward scan operation mode 59 along an arrow 56 or 58 for bringing out a desired set of normal/secret control codes which will be displayed in the code field 29 of LCD 4 with a corresponding code name being displayed in the data name field 28 as shown in Fig. 10A.Then, the push button S5 may be pressed to enter an operation mode 61 along an arrow 60 for moving a cursor (not shown in the drawings) to a character/numeral position to be set/altered.

Finally, the push button S1 or S2 may be pressed to assume an operation mode 63 or 65 along arrow 62 or 64 for backward selecting or forward selecting an English character or an Arabic numeral.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, if the cursor is moved to a character position in the data name field 28 by pressing the push button S5, then when the push button S1 or S2 is pressed, the English character at that position will change cyclically from Z to A or from A to Z as shown in Figs.

lOC and 10E. If the cursor is moved to a numeral position in the code data field 29 by pressing the push button S5, then when the push button S1 or 52 is pressed, the Arabic numeral at that position will change cyclically from 9 to o or from 0 to 9 as shown in Figs. 10D and 10F.

Accordingly, a predetermined English data name and a predetermined set of numeric normal/secret control codes ay be entered as desired. Depending upon the consideration of a user, the control codes which usually need to be kept secret (i.e. the secret control codes identified above. for example entrance codes for cash machine, gate lock, car door lock and so forth) aay be set and stored into the transmitter unit 1 under the secret control code displaying mode 55, while the control codes which do not need to be kept secret (i.e. the normal control codes identified above, for example the actuating control codes for luminaire and other electric appliances) may be set and stored under the normal control code displaying mode 26.

Fig. 11 shows the flow of the operation executed in the receiver unit 7 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. After starting up at step 66, a set of internal codes corresponding to one of the sets of control codes stored in the transmitter unit 1 is changeably preset into and stored in the receiver unit 7 by using a conventional internal code setting technique at step 67. Then, the receiver unit 7 goes into a standby mode at step 68 where the receiver unit 7 repeatedly checks whether or not an infrared control code signal is received. When the receiver unit 7 detects the receipt of an infrared control code signal, it will store the received code signal at step 69 and then compare the received codes with the preset internal codes at step 70.

If the received codes are the same as the preset internal codes, the receiver unit 7 will execute at step 71 a predetermined controlling operation which will be described in more detail with reference to Figs. 12A-12E.

If the received codes are different from the preset internal codes, the receiver unit 7 will execute at step 72 a predetermined alerting operation which will be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 13.

Figs. 12A-12E show various examples of the controlling operation which the receiver unit 7 executes at step 71 when the received infrared codes are correct.

As shown in Fig. 12A, if the receiver unit 7 is operatively mounted in association with a gate lock mechanism (not shown in the drawings), the receiver unit 7 will enable a lock disengaging circuit by a control pulse at step 73 to disengage the gate lock at step 74.

As shown in Fig. 12B, if the receiver unit 7 is connected in association with an entrance controlling system of a door of a company or a manufactory which has each of its staff members wear a watch-type transmitter unit 1 of the present invention, the receiver unit 7 will actuate a door opening mechanism to open the door at step 75 and then at step 76 enable a recording system to record the time when a staff member who has transmitted a correct infrared code signal passes the door.

Fig. 12C shows the controlling operation when the receiver unit 7 is incorporated into a cash machine.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, since the received set of codes has been identified to be correct at step 71, the receiver unit 7 may directly permit a user to manipulate the cash machine to withdraw money at step 79. Alternatively, the receiver unit 7 may request the user to enter a second set of secret codes through a keyboard of the cash machine at step 77 and determine at step 78 whether or not the second secret codes are correct. If the second secret codes are correct, the receiver unit 7 permits the user to use the cash machine at step 79. If the second secret codes are wrong, the receiver unit 7 will forbid the cash machine to be used at step 80 and generate a warning message and/or an alert signal at step 81.

As shown in Figs. 12D and 12E, if the receiver unit 7 is incorporated into a luminaire or any electric appliance, it will actuate the luminaire or the electric appliance at step 82 or 83. It should be noted that the receiver unit 7 will return to the operation mode at step 68 after the completion of step 74, 76, 79, 81 or 83.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an example of the operation which the receiver unit 7 executes at step 72 (Fig. 11) when the received codes are wrong is shown in Fig. 13. A warning message and/or an alert signal may be generated at step 84. Then, the receiver unit 7 may determine at step 85 whether or not it has received three consecutive sets of codes inconsistent with the preset internal codes. If not, the receiver unit 7 will return to the operation mode at step 68. However, if yes, the receiver unit 7 will adopt at step 86 a mode in which it will not receive any transmitted infrared code signal in a predetermined period of time. At the end of the predetermined period of time, the receiver unit 7 will return to the operation mode at step 68.

In addition to the functions identified above, there are other functions which can be incorporated into the watch-type transmitter unit 1 of the present invention, including, for example, a stopwatch function, a countdown alarm function, a dual time function, calculating functions and the like, which have been conventionally provided in electronic watches. Also, more transmitting push buttons may be provided for various uses.

While the invention has been described in terms of what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention need not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the scope of which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.

Claims (7)

1. A remote controller combination for controlling/actuating at least one predetermined device, comprising: electronic means adapted to be worn on a hand of a user of the combination, for.alterably storing at least one set of codes which is used to control/actuate the predetermined device, and for transmitting said stored codes by an electromagnetic wave; and receiver means adapted to be mounted in association with the predetermined device, for receiving said transmitted codes and controlling/actuating the predetermined device according to said received codes.

2. A remote controller combination as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said electronic means is formed in a form of a watch having a liquid crystal display (LCD) for selectively displaying one of the normal time data, alarm time data and said stored code data.

3. A remote controller combination as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said electronic watch means further has a first switching push button for selectively switching the displaying mode of said LCD to display a selected one of the normal time data, alarm time data and said stored code data; and a transmitting push button for actuating the operation of said electronic watch means to transmit said stored codes.

4. A remote controller combination as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said electronic watch means is further programmed to store a number of sets of codes and to transmit a selected one of said sets of codes, said electronic watch means further having a second switching push button for bringing out said selected one set of codes from said sets of codes when said LCD is switched to the code data displaying mode.

5. A remote controller combination as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said sets of codes include at least one set of normal codes and st least one set of secret codes, said electronic watch means being further programmed so that when said LCD has been switched into said code data displaying mode, said set of secret codes can be brought out only after a password is entered.

6. A remote controller combination as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said electromagnetic wave is one selected from a group consisting of infrared ray and radio frequency wave.

7. A remote controller combination substantially as described referring to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.