GB2250118A

GB2250118A - Programming device for programming a remote control transmitter

Info

Publication number: GB2250118A
Application number: GB9117218A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Herbert Keller; Gunter Jakel
Original assignee: Wilhelm Ruf KG
Current assignee: Wilhelm Ruf KG
Priority date: 1990-08-09
Filing date: 1991-08-09
Publication date: 1992-05-27
Also published as: IT1251000B; GB9117218D0; FR2665777A1; DE4025302C2; ITMI912217A1; DE4025302A1; ITMI912217A0

Description

1 Programming device for programming a remote control transmitter

Description this programmable infrared receiver 22301,418 The invention relates to a programming device for programming a remote control transmitter, in particular an infrared (IR) remote control transmitter.

US-PS 4,623,887 discloses a programmable remote control transmitter which is able to learn, store and then resend any desired remote control code. For this purpose,' remote control transmitter contains an a microprocessor, a memory and an infrared transmitter unit. The remote control codes to be learned are sent by radiation from any desired external transmitter, are received by the infrared receiver and, controlled by the microprocessor, are analysed, decoded and then stored in the memory as decoded or compressed codes, whereby the remote control transmitter is programmed.

During the learning process a particular code is allocated to each operating key or key combination of the remote control transmitter which code is later, in the "transmiC operating mode, re-called from the memory on operation of the corresponding key or key combination and used to trigger the transmitter unit.

Generally, it should be noted that infrared remote control transmitters nowadays us.e a great variety of 2 codings, some of which are described in Fig. 1 of US-PS 4,623,887.

Since nowadays very many technical devices have infrared remote control units, for example television sets, video recorders, record players, cable converters, etc., which are nowadays frequently available in the home and thus should not interfere with one another, a large number of different codes have become current on the market. At the moment, there are approximately 4000 differently coded types of remote control transmitters. This plethora of different systems is complicated from a production point of view, since only relatively small runs are produced; it constrains manufacturers and dealers to relatively large-scale storage; it constrains the repair workshops to keep service and measurement devices corresponding to most systems available, and finally, in the case of the end user, results in his having to keep at hand a plurality of different remote control transmitters and learn how they are operated. For all these reasons, a universal programmable IR remote control in accordance with US-PS 4,623,887 or US-PS 4,626,848 is highly advantageous.

On the other hand, these known remote controls are very complicated, since they must be able to analyse and decode virtually all the codes used on the market. The components-and/or microprocessor programs required for this are complicated and require a large amount of memory, which in turn increases the expense. If account is taken of the 1 3 fact that each individual remote control transmitter is normally only programmed once and then the functional groups for "learning" and "storing" are no longer required (or only required in exceptional cases), then it will be seen that such a system is too complicated for normal use.

For this reason, a universal IR remote control unit is available on the market (cf. company brochure of the company Nedis, remote control with the name 'lone for all") which can be programmed by an external pr. ogramming device. Here, the compressed and in some cases also still encoded codes are written to a memory as a command sequence or program. Admittedly, this remote control is universally programmable inasmuch as it can store any known code, but this has the pre-condition that the corresponding compressed and in some cases also encoded: code is known, which in practice is often not the case, partly because the manufacturers do not publish the codes. To this extent, this IR remote control is not universal, in that it cannot produce a copy of an available original of which only the transmitted IR signals but not the processor codes required for programming are known.

It is thus the object of the invention to provide a programming device for programming a remote control transmitter, which.. while having a simple construction of the remote control transmitter, is nonetheless universally usable and can also program the remote control transmitter for codings whose transmitted signals are known but whose 4 processor code is unknown, in which case the program for programming the processor is to be generated automatically on the basis of the transmitted signals.

Claims

In the case of the generic programming unit, this object is achieved by

the features specified in the characterizing part of 'Claim 1. An preferred construction and further development of the invention are to be found in the subclaims.

The invention is described below in more detail with reference to an example embodiment in connection with the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a programming device and of a programmable remote control transmitter.

A programmable remote control transmitter 10 contains the following basic components: a microprocessor 11 is electrically connected to a nonvolatile memory 12 which may for example be an EPROM. The remote control codes allocated to the individual keys or key combinations, one code to each key or key combination, are stored in the memory 12. The remote control transmitter 10 has two receiving interfaces, namely a first interface 13 for the connection of an electrical line and a second interface 14 which in this case is constructed as an infrared receiver. Both interfaces 13 and 14 are connected to the microprocessor 11. Furthermore, the remote control transmitter 10 has an operating unit or keyboard 15 which is connected to the microprocessor 11. Also connected to 1 1 1 the microprocessor 11 is an output interface 16 which activates a transmitter unit 17. The transmitter unit 17 has an infrared LED as its transmitter element. Further functional units, such as the power supply, the clock generator, etc., have been left out for the sake of clarity.

The important feature is that there is stored in coded form in the memory 12 a program with codes for activating the transmitter unit 17. A code may be constructed in any way and contains all the information about the signal to be transmitted, such as type of modulation, frequency, pulse and/or space length, pulse duty cycle, pulse frequency, etc. If, in the "transmit" operating mode, a particular key or a particular key combination is pressed, then, controlled by the microprocessor 11, the associated code is read out of the memory 12, converted by the microprocessor 11 into activation signals for the transmitter unit 17 and passed via the interface 16 to the transmitter unit 17, which then transmits an infrared signal.

The remote control transmitter 10 is programmed by a programming device 20. This programming device 20 is constructed as follows: the central part is a computer unit 21 which is for example a conventional personal computer which is connected via a first input interface 22 to a data source 23, for example a floppy disk drive, a fixed disk or a modem. Operation of the computer unit 21 is via a keyboard 24. Connected to the computer unit 21 is an 6 output interface 25 which has two different output channels 26 and 27. A first output channel 26 provides, via an electrical line, a connection to the first input interface 13 of the remote control transmitter 10, while a second output channel 27 contains an infrared transmitter whereof the infrared signal reaches the second input interface 14 of the remote control transmitter 10. The user can choose one of the two output channels 26 or 27 by way of the keyboard 24 or in some cases also by way of a separate selector switch. In principle, it is also possible to operate both output channels constantly, in parallel.

The elements of the programming unit described above provide a first possibility of programming the remote control transmitter in that the program or the codes which are stored in the data source 23 are transmitted unchanged in their compressed form via one of the two output channels 26 or 27 to the remote control transmitter 10 and are written to the memory 12 there. Here, the coding can also contain the allocation of the individual codes to the respective keys of the keyboard 15, which-may for example be effected in that the memory address is also transmitted. Signals which are compressed as a code or program and which differ completely from the signals sent in the form of radiation by the transmitter unit 17 on later operation of the keyboard 15 are thus transmitted via the infrared channel 27. The output interface 25 of the programming device and the second input interface 14 of the t 1 i i 1 i i 1 7 remote control transmitter are matched to one another as regards the type of modulation, it being possible for this type of modulation to be completely different from that of the transmitter unit 17 of the remote control transmitter 10.

The described first type of programming of the remote control transmitter Is based on the fact that the code of the remote control signals is made available from the data source 23.

A second possibility of programming is effected by the assemblies described below. The programming unit 20 has a second input interface 28, which is constructed as an infrared receiver here and receives the infrared signals from a second transmitter 29. The second transmitter 29 can in this case be set up as a "master" transmitter whereof the functions are to be,learned" by the remote control transmitter 10. Downstream of the second input interface 28 is an analyser 30 which analyses the IR signals received. Here, the type of modulation, the frequency of modulation, the pulse duration, space duration, etc., are analysed. The results of this analysis are then coded in a coding unit 31, as a result of which the code to be written to the memory 12 of the remote control transmitter 10 is then established. The individual codes are-allocated to corresponding keys or key combinations, controlled by the keyboard 24. If for example the key for "increase volume" of the second 8 transmitter 29 is pressed, then via the keyboard 24 the code generated by the coding unit 31 can additionally be combined with a memory address which produces the association between a key 'In!' of the keyboard 15 of the remote control transmitter 10 and the corresponding code.

In this way, by sequentially operating all the keys of the transmitter 29, the corresponding signals can be interrogated and, after analysis and coding, transmitted via one of the two output channels 26 and 27 to the remote control 10. In addition, it is possible to store the thus obtained codes of the transmitter 29 in the data source 23, so that these codes are also available for further programming procedures.

A modification of the invention provides for the interface 13 of the remote control transmitter to be connected directly to the memory 12, so that the codes can be written directly to the memory 12 without the microproces.sor 11 being used during this procedure. As a result of this, program sections for controlling the microprocessor can be shortened and thus memory space is again saved.

By means of the invention, the advantage is achieved that a universal and nevertheless simply constructed remote control, which is thus inexpensive to produce, can be produced in large runs, and then can be programmed individually in accordance with one of the many codes available. The programming device according to the 1 1 i i 1 i 1 9 invention makes it possible not only to program those codes which are known in their coded form but also to program "blanks" of the remote control transmitter on a master transmitter whereof the program or code are unknown but of which a sample is available. In general, it is then adequate to produce one type of remote control "blank". In practice, primarily as a result of different requirements of customers as regards possible functions and thus possible numbers of operating keys, a small number of different remote controls will be constructed which however differ only externally and as regards the number of keys but which are identical in construction as regards the electronic components. Manufacturers, dealers or service points then need only keep a small number of "blanks" stored and can then program these to any desired code using the programming device.

Claims 1. A programming device for programming a remote control transmitter, wherein the remote control transmitter (10) comprises a microprocessor (11) and at least the following functional groups in active connection with the microprocessor (1l): an input interface (13, 14),-an output interface (16), an operating unit (15) and a memory (12) to which said memory compressed codes allocated to individual keys or key combinations of the operating unit (15) can be written, these codes being re-called from said memory on operation of the respective keys or key combinations and used to activate a transmitter unit (17), and wherein the programming device comprises a computer unit (21) having a first input interface (22) and an output interface (25), an operating unit (24) and a data source (23) for compressed codes, the output interface (25) of the programming device (20) being in active connection with the input interface (13, 14) of the remote control transmitter during the programming procedure, the programming device being characterized in that it further comprises a second input interface (28) for direct reception of remote control signals; in that there is provided downstream of the second input interface (28) an analyser (30) which analyses the signals received as regards their characteristics (such as frequency, type of modulation, mark/space ratio, S 1 1 11 time-related behaviour etc.); and in that there is provided downstream of the analyser (30) a coding unit (31) which in dependence on the output signal of the analyser (30) automatically produces a code for programming the remote control transmitter (10) which, controlled by the computer unit (21), may be output via the output interface (25).
2. A programming device according to claim 1, wherein said remote control transmitter (10) is an infrared remote control transmitter.
3. A programming device according-to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the output interface (25) of the programming device (20) has two output channels (26, 27), of which one may be connected via a line to a first input interface (13) of the remote control transmitter (10) and the second may be connected via an infrared path to a second input interface (14) of the remote control transmitter (10).