JP2002223486A - Remote commander and voice support device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote commander and a voice support device that automatically interrupts power to a voice reception circuit and a voice amplifier circuit so as to prevent useless power consumption. SOLUTION: The remote commander 1 is provided with a reception circuit 4 that receives a voice signal of a television monitor 11, an operation button 6 that controls ON/OFF of a power of the television monitor 11. A caption 17 is a switching transistor(TR) that applies ON/OFF control to a current flowing through a relay coil 15a of the relay circuit 15. A detection circuit 18 and a waveform shaping circuit 19 are connected to a voice demodulation section 9, the detection circuit 18 detects a voice signal received by the reception circuit 4, a capacitor C1 holds the detected output for a prescribed time and the waveform shaping circuit 19 rectifies the detection output, and a voice detection signal is fed to an input terminal IN1 of a microcomputer 7, which can detect the presence of the voice signal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote commander and a voice support device which can be remotely operated in correspondence with an electronic device such as a television receiver. The present invention relates to a device in which the power of a circuit of an audio signal receiving unit and an audio amplifying unit is automatically turned off upon detection of such a situation to prevent unnecessary power consumption.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Remote commanders capable of transmitting command signals by wireless transmission using infrared rays or radio waves have become widespread in correspondence with various audio electronic devices such as television receivers, VTRs, and CD players. Such a remote commander has an advantage that a user can remotely control an electronic device by an operation of the user and easily turn on / off a power switch of the electronic device. Particularly, for example, in volume adjustment of a television receiver (hereinafter, simply referred to as a television), a viewer can operate the receiver output at hand by using a remote commander, which is very convenient. ing.

[0003] By the way, when a plurality of people are watching one television together, if a certain person operates to a desired volume, the volume is not always comfortable for another person. In particular, if a person with weak hearing raises the volume to an appropriate level for himself, the volume will be too loud for a person with normal hearing. Also, when watching TV in an environment where the volume cannot be raised much, such as at night, the sound becomes difficult to hear.
You cannot enjoy comfortable viewing. There is also a method of connecting and listening to earphones or headphones, but in that case, the user must be in a position where the earphones or headphones are located, which is often inconvenient.

In order to solve such a problem, a remote commander with a speaker has been developed as a support device for listening to TV sound at hand. By using this remote commander, you can remotely control the power switch of the TV and turn it on and off, and at the same time, receive the sound from the TV as an infrared sound signal and have it at your hand or at the ear with the required volume. You can listen clearly. Therefore, for example, when the user wants to watch television at midnight, not only does it not disturb the neighborhood even in the one-room room, but can also watch the television without connecting the earphones or headphones even in the home where the examinees and infants are.

[0005] In addition, it becomes easy to listen even in an environment where surrounding sounds are noisy, such as during washing in a kitchen or during construction in a neighborhood. In addition, even if the hearing is reduced, the user can select the optimum volume for himself, so that there is an advantage that he can enjoy one TV with his family.

[0006]

However, in a conventional voice support device, a remote commander having an internal power supply such as a dry battery usually needs to operate a power switch to turn on / off a speaker. there were. However, once the user forgets to turn off the power switch, after turning off the power of the television, the audio output of the television from the remote commander is lost, so that even if the remote commander is in the power-on state, it is not noticed. Therefore, useless power is consumed by the amplifier circuit of the speaker.

As described above, when the power of the television is turned off by hand using the remote commander, there is a disadvantage that the speaker at hand is not turned off automatically even though the infrared sound signal from the television is lost. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to detect the disappearance of an audio signal from an electronic device such as a television and automatically cut off the power supply to an audio receiving circuit and an audio amplifying circuit to prevent unnecessary power consumption. Another object of the present invention is to provide a remote commander and a voice support device.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a receiving circuit for receiving an audio signal of an electronic device, and an operation button for controlling power on / off of the electronic device are provided. A remote commander that can be used at the location is provided. The remote commander includes amplifying means for amplifying the audio signal received by the receiving circuit, speaker means for converting the audio signal amplified by the amplifying means into audio and outputting the audio, and audio received by the receiving circuit. Detecting a signal, detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of an audio signal by rectifying, and current control means for interrupting and controlling power supply to the amplifying means when an audio signal is not detected for a predetermined time by the detecting means. Consists of

[0010] Further, such a remote commander,
An audio transmitting device is provided, which is provided on the electronic device side and includes an infrared transmitting unit that transmits a voice signal of the electronic device as an infrared audio signal.

In the remote commander and the audio support device, when the audio signal from the television is lost, the power supply to the receiving circuit and the audio amplifying circuit is controlled so as to reduce the power consumption.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The remote commander according to the present embodiment transmits an infrared command signal to a television receiver, for example, and is a remote commander with a speaker used for a voice support device.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration inside the remote commander. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a configuration of the entire remote commander, 2 denotes a window for transmitting a command signal by infrared rays, 3 denotes a remote control circuit,
Is a receiving circuit for receiving a television audio signal.

The remote control circuit 3 includes an infrared light emitting section 5 for emitting an infrared signal from the transmission window 2, an on button 6a for turning on / off the television power, an off button 6b, a channel selection key (not shown), a volume up / down key, and the like. And a microcomputer 7 (hereinafter, referred to as a microcomputer). The audio signal receiving circuit 4 includes an infrared light receiving section 8 and an audio demodulating section 9.

Reference numeral 10 denotes an audio transmitter for transmitting infrared rays to the outside, and transmits the sound of the television monitor 11 as an infrared signal. The audio transmitter 10 is configured to transmit a television audio signal obtained by being connected to a television audio circuit via a microphone or directly to the outside as an infrared signal, for example.

In the remote commander 1, a TV audio signal is received as an infrared signal by the infrared light receiving section 8 of the receiving circuit 4, and is demodulated into an audio signal by the audio demodulating section 9, and the output terminal OU
Output from T2. The demodulated television audio signal is amplified by the audio amplifier 12 and converted from the speaker 13 into audio of a predetermined volume and output. Further, in the remote commander 1, when the ON button 6a of the remote control circuit 3 is operated, a signal for turning on the television power is supplied to the microcomputer 7.
Via the transmission window 2 and output to the television monitor 11 as an infrared command signal. Similarly, by operating the off button 6b of the remote control circuit 3 to the television monitor 11, a signal for turning off the television can be output as an infrared command signal.

This voice support apparatus is further characterized in that the remote commander 1 with the speaker 13 has the following configuration. That is, the battery 14 as a power source inside the remote commander 1 is connected to the power terminal (+ B) of the remote control circuit 3 and to the relay circuit 15. The relay circuit 15 includes a relay contact 15b that is turned on when a current flows through the relay coil 15a. The battery 14 is connected to the audio amplifier 1 via the relay contact 15b.
2 and the power supply terminal (+ B) of the receiving circuit 4.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a power switch connected in parallel with the relay contact 15b. When the power switch 16 is turned on, the audio amplifier 12 and the receiving circuit 4 are connected to the battery 14 in the remote commander 1, and power is supplied thereto. Supplied. Reference numeral 17 denotes a switching transistor that controls on / off of a current flowing through the relay coil 15a of the relay circuit 15.

The remote control circuit 3 of the remote commander 1 is controlled by a microcomputer 7, and various operation signals are supplied from operation buttons 6. The microcomputer 7 has input terminals IN1 and IN2 and an output terminal OUT1. When the power switch 16 is turned on and the power supply to the audio amplifier 12 is started, a detection signal to that effect is supplied to the input terminal IN2. From the output terminal OUT1, a signal for turning on and off the switching transistor 17 is output via a current control resistor R1.
The power switch 16 is turned on only when pressed,
Once the power switch 16 is turned on, the microcomputer 14 keeps the switching transistor 17 turned on, so that the battery 14, the audio amplifier 12, and the receiving circuit 4 can be continuously connected. Note that the resistor R2 is a resistor for adjusting the audio level.

A detection circuit 18 and a waveform shaping circuit 19 are connected to the audio demodulation section 9 of the remote commander 1. The detection circuit 18 detects the audio signal received by the reception circuit 4, and the detection output is held by the capacitor C 1 for a predetermined time and rectified by the waveform shaping circuit 19. That is, the audio signal demodulated by the audio demodulation unit 9 is supplied to a detection circuit 18 that rectifies the signal current,
The rectified signal of the detection circuit 18 is smoothed by the waveform shaping circuit 19. Then, the audio detection signal is supplied to the input terminal IN1 of the microcomputer 7, and the presence or absence of the audio signal can be detected.
Note that power is supplied to the detection circuit 18 and the waveform shaping circuit 19 from the battery 14 via the relay contact 15b.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the receiving circuit 4. Reference numeral 21 denotes a photodiode that receives a 2.3 MHz infrared signal, and 22 denotes a band-pass filter (BP) that passes only the received 2.3 MHz infrared signal.
F) and 23 are RFs for amplifying a 2.3 MHz infrared signal.
An amplifier 24, an FM demodulation circuit for demodulating an audio signal;
Is an audio output circuit for outputting a demodulated audio signal.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the remote commander 1. Hereinafter, a method of using the above-described remote commander 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the present invention, the method of using the remote commander 1 on the television monitor 11 is the same as that of a normal one. By operating the operation button 6 at hand, for example, the operation of the television monitor 11 can be remotely controlled.

First, when the television power is turned on by operating the ON button 6a of the remote control circuit 3 (step 1), the input terminal IN2 of the microcomputer 7 of the remote control circuit 3 is switched to the H level. The receiving circuit 4 receives the infrared audio signal from the audio transmitter 10 and outputs the audio signal from the output terminal OUT2 of the audio demodulation unit 9. Therefore, the H-level signal is input from the waveform shaping circuit 19 to the input terminal IN1 of the microcomputer 7. Is entered.

As a result, the process proceeds from step 2 to step 3, where the output terminal OUT1 of the microcomputer 7 is changed from L level to H level.
Switch to level. As a result, the switching transistor 17 is turned on, a current flows through the relay coil 15a of the relay circuit 15, and the relay contact 15b is turned on. Therefore, even if the power switch 16 is off, power supply to the receiving circuit 4, the detection circuit 18, the waveform shaping circuit 19, and the audio amplifier 12 via the relay contact 15b is continued. Thus, the sound of the television monitor 11 can be heard at a predetermined volume from the speaker 13 of the remote commander 1 placed at hand.

Thereafter, when the infrared sound signal to the remote commander 1 is lost due to the power off of the sound transmitter 10 or the like, no sound current is input to the detection circuit 18 and the charge accumulated in the capacitor C1 is lost. Then, the H level signal is not input from the waveform shaping circuit 19 to the input terminal IN1 of the microcomputer 7. Therefore, the process proceeds from step 2 to step 5, where the output terminal OUT1 of the microcomputer 7 is output.
Becomes L level. Therefore, the switching transistor 17 is turned off, the relay contact 15b is turned off, and the power supply to the receiving circuit 4 and the audio amplifier 12 is stopped (step 6).

Also, the remote commander 1 to the off button 6
Even if the TV power is turned off by pressing b (step 4), the output terminal OUT1 of the microcomputer 7 goes low (step 5), so that the switching transistor 17 is turned off, the relay contact 15b is turned off, and the receiving circuit is turned off. 4
And the power supply to the audio amplifier 12 disappears (step 6). Therefore, at the same time as the sound output from the television monitor 11 is stopped, the sound output from the speaker 13 is also stopped.
Useless power consumption in the audio amplifier 12 of the remote commander 1 is eliminated. Note that a similar circuit can be configured using a transistor instead of the relay circuit 15.

In step 1, when the power switch 16 of the remote commander 1 is turned on, the remote control circuit 3
The microcomputer 7 is supplied with an H-level detection signal at its input terminal IN2, so that the power supply is started in conjunction with the audio amplifier 12. In addition, even if the power switch 16 is turned off, the receiving circuit 4,
Detection circuit 18, waveform shaping circuit 19, and audio amplifier 12
The power supply to is continued. As a result, the process proceeds from step 2 to step 3, where the output terminal OUT1 of the microcomputer 7 is switched from L level to H level. Therefore,
Not only when the TV power is turned on by operating the ON button 6a of the remote control circuit 3 but also when the TV monitor 11 is already in the ON state, the TV monitor 11 is turned on by the speaker 13 of the remote commander 1 placed at hand. Can be heard at a predetermined volume.

In the above, the remote commander with a speaker has been described. However, the present invention can be variously modified in addition to the above. In remote commanders corresponding to various electronic devices other than television receivers,
It goes without saying that the remote commander with a speaker according to the present invention can be employed. For example, remote commanders for devices such as VTRs, CD players, and radios, and various AV
A general-purpose remote commander or a remote commander for home electric appliances such as an air conditioner can be applied to a device provided with sound collecting / amplifying / outputting means.

The present invention is also applicable to a remote commander that transmits a command signal by radio waves, and a wired remote commander that is connected to an electronic device by wire and transmits the command signal by an electric signal, in addition to a wireless remote commander using infrared rays. May be adopted. In particular, in the case of a remote commander of a form such as a table-top type, there is no problem even in a wired system.

Further, although the remote commander 1 has the battery 14 as a power source inside the remote commander 1, it may be a remote commander operated by an external power source.

As described above, when the infrared audio signal from the audio transmitter 10 is lost, the remote commander of the present invention detects that the audio signal has been lost,
The power supply to the receiving circuit 4 and the audio amplifier 12 of the remote commander 1 can be automatically cut off.

When the television power supply is turned off by remote control from the remote commander 1, even if there is an infrared sound signal from the sound transmitter 10 due to a sound other than the television, the reception circuit 4 and the sound amplifier 12 are not transmitted. The power supply is cut off to reduce power consumption. In addition, when the on button 6a of the television monitor 11 is subsequently operated, after the infrared sound signal is received by the receiving circuit 4,
Power can be continuously supplied to the receiving circuit 4 and the audio amplifier 12.

Although the operation of turning off the television power supply has been described here, the same effect can be obtained with a remote commander for operating video equipment and audio equipment.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is detected that there is no sound signal from an electronic device such as a television, and the power supply of the sound receiving circuit and the sound amplifying circuit is automatically performed. It is possible to provide a remote commander and a voice support device that are cut off to prevent useless power consumption.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration inside a remote commander of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a receiving circuit.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the remote commander according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Remote commander, 2 ... Sending window, 3 ... Remote control circuit, 4 ... Receiving circuit, 5 ... Infrared light emitting part, 6 ... Operation button, 6
a on button, 6b off button, 7 microcomputer, 8 infrared receiver, 9 audio demodulator, 10 external infrared audio transmitter, 11 television monitor, 12 audio amplifier, 13 speaker, 14 Battery, 15 relay circuit, 16 power switch, 17 switching transistor, 18 detection circuit, 19 waveform shaping circuit

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A remote commander, comprising: a receiving circuit for receiving an audio signal of an electronic device; and an operation button for controlling on / off of a power supply of the electronic device, wherein the remote commander can be used at a location remote from the electronic device. Amplifying means for amplifying the audio signal received by the above; speaker means for converting the audio signal amplified by the amplifying means into audio and outputting the audio; detecting and rectifying the audio signal received by the receiving circuit; Detection means for detecting the presence or absence of an audio signal by the detection means, and current control means for interrupting power supply to the amplification means when the audio signal is not detected for a predetermined time by the detection means. Remote commander. 2. The remote commander according to claim 1, wherein said current control means cuts off power supply to said receiving circuit when no audio signal is detected for a predetermined time by said detection means. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said current control means includes a relay circuit for controlling a power supply to said amplifying means to be cut off, and a microcomputer for controlling on / off of said relay circuit. Remote commander. 4. The remote commander according to claim 1, wherein said current control means starts power supply to said amplification means in conjunction with a power-on operation by said operation button. 5. A power supply switch for turning on and off power supply to said amplifying means.
The described remote commander. 6. The remote commander according to claim 1, wherein:
An audio transmitting unit disposed on the electronic device side and transmitting an audio signal of the electronic device as an infrared audio signal.