JP2001086576A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the operability of a remote controller at a dark place and to reduce the cost. SOLUTION: In the remote controller, an operation panel 26 of a remote controller body 20 is colored in fluorescent ink. Operating buttons 24 are made of rubber or resin or the like with which a fluorescent substance is mixed. Respective function indications 18 for the respective operation buttons 24 are printed in conventional ink on the fluorescent ink on the operation panel 26 adjacent to the buttons 24. An ultraviolet or near ultraviolet ray LED 48 is placed on a folded part 64 of a case 22. Emitting the operation panel 26 with the ultraviolet or near ultraviolet ray LED 48 causes secondary emission to the fluorescent ink and the fluorescent substance to allow a user to visually recognize the positions of the buttons 24 and the function indications 28 at a dark place so as to enhance the operability and to reduce the cost.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control device for electric equipment and the like, and realizes a remote control device that can be operated in a dark place and that can reduce costs.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 2 shows a conventional remote controller for electric equipment. FIG. 2A is an overall perspective view of the remote control device, and FIG. 2B is a longitudinal sectional view of the remote control device. An operator 6 is provided on the upper surface of the case 8 of the remote controller main body 2, and an operation panel 4 on which function displays 16 of the respective operators 6 are printed is provided. The operation element 6 projects through the hole of the case 8 and is formed of a light-transmitting resin such as silicone rubber.
The printed circuit board 10 provided in the case 8 is provided with an LED 12 at a position below each of the operators 6. An illumination switch 14 is provided on a side surface of the case 8. When the illumination switch 14 is turned on, the LED 12 is turned on. When the LED 12 was turned on, the operating element 6 formed of the light-transmitting resin glowed by the transmitted light from the LED 12, and the position of the operating element 6 could be confirmed and operated even in a dark place.

In another conventional remote control device, LE
There was a structure using a molded body in which a phosphorescent material was kneaded into the material of the operation element 6 without providing D12. In this remote control device, the operator 6 emits light in a dark place by the light storage material, and the position of the operator 6 can be confirmed and operated.

[0004]

The conventional remote controller shown in FIG. 2 has a structure in which the operating element 6 itself is illuminated by light transmitted through the LED 12. However, the light quantity of the operator 6 does not illuminate the operation panel 4 sufficiently brightly, and does not make the function display 16 displayed on the operation panel 4 visible. For this reason, it was not possible to know what function each control element 6 has. Therefore, in order to realize a desired function, each operator 6
Had to memorize the position, and he made a mistake before he could learn the position. Therefore, in order to reliably operate the remote control device, it is necessary to illuminate the remote control device with a lighting device installed in the room.

Further, in the conventional remote control device, it is necessary to provide a plurality of LEDs 12 in order to illuminate each of the operating elements 6, thereby increasing the cost.

Further, in the conventional remote control device, since the LED 12 is arranged inside the remote control device main body 2,
The thickness of the remote control device main body 2 is increased, and there are restrictions on design and the like.

[0007] In the other conventional remote control device,
Instead of using an LED, a molded body in which a phosphorescent material was kneaded into an operator was used. However, similar to a remote control device using LEDs and light-transmitting resin controls, it is difficult to visually recognize the function display displayed on the operation panel, so it is not possible to know what function each control has and erroneous operation. Was invited.

Further, since the phosphorescent material is expensive, the cost has been increased. Further, the light emission color of the light storage material in a dark place can be only the color of the light storage material itself, and the function display is monotonous. Further, as a property of the phosphorescent material, it was necessary to irradiate the phosphorescent material in advance to emit light, and when the light was not sufficiently irradiated, the light emission was weak and it was difficult to visually recognize the light.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has a remote control device which can be operated at a low cost by improving the operability by enabling the function display of each operation element to be visually recognized in a dark place. The purpose is to provide.

[0010]

According to the present invention, an LED that emits ultraviolet light or near-ultraviolet light is mounted on a remote control device main body, and ultraviolet light or near-ultraviolet light emitted from the LED is transmitted to an operation panel. Alternatively, irradiation is performed diagonally from above, and the function display of each operation element is displayed on the operation panel or the operation panel adjacent to each operation element with a fluorescent substance or a hollow frame of a fluorescent substance (the function display itself does not emit light, but the function display does not emit light. (In which the function display can be recognized by emitting light from a frame shaped like a symbol). According to this, the function display displayed on each operation element or the operation panel adjacent to each operation element or the outline frame thereof emits light, so that the function display of each operation element can be visually recognized even in a dark place, The position of each operator is known, and the operability of the remote control device can be improved. Further, since the LEDs are radiated toward the operation panel from above or obliquely above, the number of LEDs can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, and the power consumption can be reduced.

According to the present invention, for example, the operation element is formed of a rubber such as silicon rubber or a synthetic resin molded body into which a fluorescent substance is kneaded, and the function display is provided with the fluorescent ink on the operation panel adjacent to each operation element. It may be displayed as a hollow frame by printing or printing with fluorescent ink. According to this, the position of the operation element is known by the operation element being illuminated, and the function of each operation element is known by the function display printed on the operation panel adjacent to each operation element or the hollow frame thereof being illuminated. .

According to the present invention, for example, the respective operators are grouped into related ones, and the operators belonging to the same group are surrounded by a fluorescent ink which emits fluorescent light of a specific color printed on the operation panel. An operation group belonging to the same group is surrounded by a fluorescent ink that emits fluorescence of another specific color printed on the operation panel, and a region of the operation panel is color-coded with a fluorescent ink that emits fluorescence of a different color. can do. According to this, the grouped operation panels emit secondary light by ultraviolet light or near-ultraviolet light emitted from the LEDs, and separate colors are emitted in one group and another group. Thereby, the position of the operator to be operated at a glance can be determined, and the operability can be improved.

In this case, the fluorescent ink that emits the fluorescent light of the specific color and the fluorescent ink that emits the fluorescent light of the other specific color may have different ground colors under visible light. According to this, even in a normal bright place, similar to a dark place, the color of each group is set, and by distinguishing the colors, the position of the operator to be operated at a glance can be determined. Performance can be improved.

According to the present invention, for example, the remote control device main body has a portion folded upward from a front end thereof, and
An ED may be embedded and disposed obliquely downward at the front end of the folded portion, and may irradiate the operation panel with the ultraviolet light or the near ultraviolet light from an obliquely upward direction. According to this, it is possible to irradiate appropriate ultraviolet light or near-ultraviolet light to the operation element and the entire operation panel, and it is possible to obtain clear light emission and improve operability. In addition, L is applied to a portion of the remote control device body folded upward from the front end.
Since the ED is mounted, it is possible to design the remote control device so that it does not interfere with the operation of the remote control device by hand.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a remote control device main body 20 of the present invention. The case 22 is formed of resin or the like, and has a portion 64 whose front end is folded upward. Folded part 6
An ultraviolet LED 48 is buried and arranged at the end of 4. The ultraviolet LED 48 is provided obliquely downward so as to illuminate the operation panel 26 and the operation element 24 provided on the upper surface of the case 22. An infrared LED 40 for transmitting a remote control signal to the audio device main body 42 is provided at a distal end portion of the case 22. An illumination switch 46 for turning on an ultraviolet LED 48 is provided on a side surface of the case 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the circuit of the remote control device main body 20 is provided with a remote control block 32 and an ultraviolet LED block 34, which are driven by a power supply 30 (a dry battery or the like). The remote control block 32 will be described. A printed wiring board 36 is provided in the case 22. Above the printed wiring board 36, there is disposed an operator formed body 23 formed by kneading a fluorescent substance into silicon rubber, synthetic resin or the like, and each of the operator formed bodies 24 is formed on this operator formed body 23. I have. A conductive rubber 44 is provided below each operation element 24. The printed wiring on the printed wiring board 36 is connected to the IC 38. When the operator 24 is pressed, the conductive rubber 44 disposed below the operator 24 turns on the contacts of the printed wiring, and a corresponding signal is output from the IC 38 to output the infrared light LE.
D40 is driven, and an infrared command signal is emitted. The infrared command signal is transmitted to the audio device main body 42, and the audio device main body 42 executes the commanded function.

The ultraviolet LED block 34 will be described. When the lighting switch 46 is turned on, the power supply 30
Drive current through the current limiting resistor 52 from the ultraviolet LED
, And the ultraviolet LED 48 is turned on. In addition,
In order to prevent power loss of the power supply 30, the ultraviolet LED 48 is automatically turned on after a certain period of time after the lighting switch 46 is turned on (or after the last operation of the operator 24).
A timer circuit may be provided so that is turned off.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the main body 20 of the remote controller. An operation panel 26 is provided on the upper surface of the case 22. The operation panel 26 is provided with
4 are protrudingly provided. The operation panel 26
Indicates that each operator 24 is a first operator group 54 and a second operator group 5
6, the third operation group 58, the fourth operation group 60, and the fifth operation group 62 are divided into groups composed of operation groups of mutually related functions, and each group is color-coded. I have. This coloring is performed by using a fluorescent ink that has a different ground color under visible light and emits a different color of fluorescence even when irradiated with ultraviolet light in a dark place. Group area 54, 5
6, 58, 60, and 62 are painted by printing these different colors of fluorescent ink. On the printing of the fluorescent ink, the function display 28 of each operation element 24 is printed with a normal black ink or the like. According to this, the function display 28 is recognized by printing itself of black ink or the like under visible light, and shines around the portion printed with black ink or the like on the operation panel 26 under ultraviolet irradiation in a dark place. , Are recognized as hollow frames.

As shown in FIG. 5, the function indicator 28 can be printed on the operator 24 formed by kneading a fluorescent substance into rubber, resin, or the like, using ordinary black ink or the like. In this case, the function display 28 is recognized by the printing itself of black ink or the like under visible light, and under ultraviolet irradiation in a dark place, the periphery of the portion printed with the black ink or the like on the operation element 24 shines, so that It is recognized as a blank frame. Conversely, the function display 28 can be printed on the surface of the operator 24 formed by kneading a fluorescent substance into rubber, resin, or the like using a normal ink hollow frame. In this case, the function display 28 is recognized by a hollow frame of normal ink under visible light, and is recognized by illuminating the function display 28 surrounded by a hollow frame of normal ink under ultraviolet irradiation in a dark place. Is done. In any case, similarly to FIG. 4, the operation panel 26 may be color-coded with fluorescent ink of different ground color and fluorescent color for each operator group of the same function group.

As shown in FIG. 6, the operator 24 is colored and colored with a fluorescent ink of a different fluorescent color for each operator group of the same function group, and the function display 28 is printed on the operator with normal ink. Alternatively, it may be configured by printing a hollow frame with normal ink. In this case, function display 2
Reference numeral 8 is recognized by printing itself in ordinary black or the like under visible light, and is recognized by shining around the portion printed with black ink or the like on the operating element 24 under ultraviolet irradiation in a dark place. Further, since the operation group is grouped with different fluorescent colors for each of the same function groups, the position of the operator to be operated at a glance can be determined by distinguishing the fluorescent colors. Instead of coloring the operation element 24 with fluorescent ink, a fluorescent substance that emits a different fluorescent color for each group may be kneaded into the material itself such as rubber or resin constituting the operation element 24. In addition, the function display 28
The operation panel adjacent to each operation element 24 may be displayed with a hollow frame formed by printing of fluorescent ink or printing of fluorescent ink. In addition, as the fluorescent ink or fluorescent substance that color-codes the operation element 24, not only those that emit mutually different fluorescent colors under ultraviolet irradiation in a dark place but also those that have mutually different ground colors under visible light may be used.

In the above embodiment, the ultraviolet LED is used.
Although one 48 is arranged, a plurality of 48 may be arranged. Also,
A near ultraviolet LED may be used instead of the ultraviolet LED 48. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the ultraviolet LED 48 itself is disposed in the folded portion 64 above the operation panel 26. However, the ultraviolet LED 48 is disposed in another portion (for example, behind the operation panel 26), and the mirror, the prism, and the like. Control panel 2 using a light guide member such as an optical fiber
It is also possible to configure so as to irradiate the operation panel 26 by guiding the operation panel 26 upward. In the above-described embodiment, the function display 28 is configured by printing with normal ink or printing a hollow frame with normal ink. However, the function display 28 may be configured by printing with fluorescent ink.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a remote control device main body of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view and a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a conventional remote control device.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the remote controller of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the remote control device main body of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial front view showing another example of the function display of the remote controller of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a partial front view showing another example of the function display of the remote controller of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference numeral 20: remote control device main body, 24: operator, 26: operation panel, 28: function display, 48: ultraviolet LED (LED for emitting ultraviolet light or near ultraviolet light), 54: first operator group (printing of fluorescent ink) Area), 56 ... second operator group (fluorescent ink print area), 58 ... third operator group (fluorescent ink print area), 60 ... fourth operator group (fluorescent ink print area), 62 ... Fifth operator group (print area of fluorescent ink), 64...

Claims (5)

[Claims] An LED for emitting ultraviolet light or near-ultraviolet light is mounted on a main body of a remote control device, and ultraviolet light or near-ultraviolet light emitted from the LED is irradiated on an operation panel from above or obliquely above. A remote control device in which a function display of an operator is displayed on each of the operators or the operation panel adjacent to each of the operators with a fluorescent substance or a hollow frame of the fluorescent substance. 2. The operation element is formed of a rubber or synthetic resin molded body into which a fluorescent substance is kneaded, and the function display is performed by printing fluorescent ink or printing fluorescent ink on the operation panel adjacent to each of the operation elements. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device is displayed in a hollow frame. 3. The control elements are grouped into related groups, and the control elements belonging to the same group are surrounded by a fluorescent ink that emits a fluorescent light of a specific color printed on the operation panel. 2. An operation panel belonging to the operation panel is surrounded by a fluorescent ink which emits a fluorescent light of another specific color printed on the operation panel, and an area of the operation panel is color-coded by a fluorescent ink which emits a fluorescent light of a different color. Or the remote controller according to 2. 4. The remote control device according to claim 3, wherein the fluorescent ink that emits the fluorescent light of the specific color and the fluorescent ink that emits the fluorescent light of the other specific color have different ground colors under visible light. 5. The remote control device main body has a portion folded upward from a front end thereof, and the LED is buried diagonally downward at the front end of the folded portion, and the ultraviolet light or the near ultraviolet light is disposed. The remote control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control panel irradiates the operation panel obliquely upward.