JP2003219200A - Unit for evaluating command signal transmitted from remote control oscillator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for confirming transmission of a remote control transmitter in which a user can make a decision conveniently whether a command signal transmitted from the remote control transmitter is suitable for being received by a remote control receiver or not. <P>SOLUTION: In the remote controller a radio command signal (Sc) superposed with a control command is received at a receiving section (RR) and an operation defined by the control command is carried out. A command signal evaluation mark (S) provided in the vicinity of the receiving section (RR) and indicating the strength of the received command signal (Sc) has a mark layer (LS) emitting light in response to the command signal (Sc), and a command signal transmission layer (LA) provided on the upper surface of the mark layer (LS) and transmitting the command signal (Sc) at a specified ratio. Suitability of the command signal (Sc) is indicated by emission of light from the mark layer (LS). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention simply determines whether a remote control oscillator for transmitting a wireless signal such as infrared rays or radio waves on which commands for controlling electric equipment or devices connected thereto are transmitted normally or abnormally. And a device therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in order to further improve the convenience of operability of devices, various devices (hereinafter referred to as "devices to be operated") are not limited to home appliances such as AV devices. In addition, a remote control device using a wireless signal is provided. The remote control device is roughly classified into a remote control oscillator provided independently of the operation target device and a remote control receiver provided directly connected to the operation target device. The remote control transmitter transmits a command signal for instructing the operation of the operation target device according to the operation of the user. Remote control receiver,
Receives the command signal transmitted from the remote control oscillator,
Based on the command signal, the operation of the operation target device is controlled as instructed by the user.

A remote control device is provided for each of home appliances such as a television, a video, an air conditioner, and a stereo, which are typical examples of the devices to be operated. The so-called malfunction of the remote controller in which the operation target device does not operate properly even if the user operates the remote control oscillator properly is caused by the remote control oscillator, the remote control receiver, or the operation target device.

When there is a cause in the device to be operated or the remote control receiver, it is almost impossible to solve the problem by the user due to the device failure or the like, and repair by the manufacturer or the like is required. However, if there is a cause for the remote control oscillator, there are two types, one is due to wiring damage due to aging after purchase and the other is due to battery exhaustion.
There is a street.

In the former case, since the remote control oscillator itself is out of order, it is practically impossible for the user to solve it, and repair by a manufacturer or the like is required. In the latter case, the cause is that the battery is exhausted to such an extent that infrared rays or radio waves transmitted as a command signal from the remote control oscillator cannot obtain sufficient strength for reception by the remote control receiver. In this case, since the remote control receiver is not out of order, repair by a manufacturer or the like is unnecessary, and the user can solve the problem by simply replacing the exhausted battery with a new one.

In fact, most remote controller malfunctions are caused by the remote controller oscillator, and moreover, battery consumption is the main cause. Therefore, when the remote control malfunctions,
If it is easy to know whether the command signal is properly transmitted from the remote control oscillator, the user can determine whether the malfunction can be solved by himself or if it needs to be repaired by the manufacturer. Appropriate measures can be taken.

[0007]

However, since infrared rays and radio waves used in the remote control device are invisible, the user cannot easily know whether or not the command signal is properly transmitted from the remote control oscillator. . Even if the command signal is visible, it is difficult to judge whether it is appropriate for reception by the remote control receiver. Therefore, the measures taken by the user when the remote controller malfunctions are roughly classified into the following three patterns.

In pattern 1, it is judged that the battery is exhausted, and the battery is replaced with a new one. In pattern 2, it is determined that the remote control oscillator is out of order, and a manufacturer or the like is requested to repair it. Since the cause of the pattern 3 cannot be specified, the manufacturer or the like is requested to repair the operation target device itself including the remote control device. Each of these three patterns also has the following problems.

In pattern 1, there is no problem if the cause of the malfunction of the remote controller is only the consumption of the battery of the remote controller oscillator. However, as described above, the mood of the user who has replaced the battery is extremely offended when the failure (including the exhaustion of the battery) of the remote control device or the operation target device is the cause.

In pattern 2, the malfunction of the remote controller causes no problem because it is a normal repair work by the manufacturer when the cause of the malfunction of the remote controller or the device to be operated is. However, when the battery is exhausted, the manufacturer performs the normal maintenance work, which should be performed by the user, such as battery replacement, via the agency. The load on the user, the agency, and the manufacturer, which is required for this, is so great that it is not worth the battery replacement work. Therefore, the cost for the agency and the manufacturer to recover the burden is inevitably higher than the cost required for battery replacement, and it is very difficult to get the user's consent to bear the cost. is there.

Even if the user obtains the consent to bear the cost, if the user pays the entire cost, it will make the user extremely uncomfortable and hinder future sales. Therefore, it is necessary to collect some of the expenses instead of the total amount, or to abandon the collection itself. As described above, the burden of the uncollected cost is not preferable for the user because it imposes pressure on the manufacturer side and eventually passes it on to the future product price.

The pattern 3 has the same problem as the pattern 2. That is, when the cause of the malfunction of the remote controller is the exhaustion of the battery, it is difficult to recover the burden on the manufacturer or the like.

Thus, pattern 2 and pattern 3
In the above, it is clear that if the user is requested to pay the burden of the manufacturer or the like that does not match the battery replacement itself, the user will be offended more than in the pattern 1. The user may not purchase the product of the same manufacturer in the future. In order to avoid such a risk, manufacturers etc.
In some cases, the actual cost required for battery replacement will have to be abandoned, the burden at that time cannot be ignored, and it will be passed on to another user in the future. Thus, the malfunction of the remote control device is a factor that hinders a good relationship for both the user and the manufacturer.

However, if the user can easily determine whether or not the command signal issued from the remote control oscillator is sufficient for reception by the remote control receiver, most of the above problems can be avoided in advance. Therefore, the present invention is
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for confirming transmission of a remote control oscillator that allows a user to easily determine whether a command signal transmitted from the remote control oscillator is appropriate for reception by a remote control receiver.

[0015]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote control device in which a receiving section receives a wireless command signal on which a control command is superimposed and which executes an operation defined by the control command. , A command signal evaluation indicator provided in the vicinity of the receiving section and indicating the intensity of the received command signal, the indicator layer emitting light in response to the command signal and the command layer provided on the upper surface of the indicator layer, And a command signal transmission layer that transmits at a predetermined ratio.

As described above, in the first invention, the strength of the command signal received by the remote control device can be visually confirmed.

A second aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the command signal transmitting layer transmits the command signal at a different rate for each part.

As described above, in the second aspect of the invention, the degree of strength of the command signal received by the remote control device can be visually confirmed.

A third invention is characterized in that, in the second invention, each portion has a different thickness in a transmission direction of a command signal.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, a material that absorbs a command signal is added to each of the portions at a predetermined concentration different in the transmission direction of the command signal. Characterize.

In a fifth aspect based on the first aspect, the command signal is infrared rays, and the marker layer is at least an organic nonlinear optical material, rare earth-containing fluoride glass, infrared visible wavelength conversion glass material, and infrared rays. It is characterized in that it is selected from the group of infrared sensitive materials composed of visible wavelength up-converting materials.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a remote control device that receives a wireless command signal on which a control command is superimposed by a receiving section and executes an operation defined by the control command, the command signal received by the receiving section is appropriate. Is a command signal evaluation device that indicates the sample signal, the sampling unit that samples the received command signal at a predetermined interval to generate sample data, and accumulates the sample data for a predetermined period to obtain the sample waveform data. A buffer part to generate,
A sample waveform display unit that displays the sample waveform of the received command signal as an image based on the sample waveform data.

As described above, in the sixth aspect, the strength and quality of the command signal received by the remote control device can be objectively confirmed.

A seventh invention is the sixth invention, further comprising a standard waveform data storage section for storing standard waveform data of the command signal.

An eighth invention is characterized in that, in the seventh invention, the sample waveform display section displays an image of the standard waveform of the command signal on the background of the sample waveform based on the standard waveform data.

As described above, in the eighth aspect, it is possible to objectively confirm whether or not the command signal received by the remote control device is within the proper range.

A ninth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the seventh aspect, the sample waveform display section compares and calculates the standard waveform data and the sample waveform data to evaluate the quality of the received command data.

As described above, in the ninth aspect, the performance of the command signal received by the remote control device can be objectively confirmed.

[0029]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION First, the basic concept of a transmission confirmation method for a remote control oscillator according to the present invention will be described. In the present invention, confirmation of the command signal transmitted from the remote control oscillator is classified into three levels. Level 1
Is a visual confirmation of the command signal strength by the user. Level 2 is a user's visual confirmation of command signal strength and quality. Level 3 is the confirmation of the strength and quality of the command signal by the manufacturer.

(First Embodiment) A command signal confirmation method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The present embodiment proposes a method in which the user visually confirms the strength of the command signal at the level 1 described above. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, a material (hereinafter, referred to as "command signal reaction material") that generates visible light when receiving a wireless command signal Sc emitted from a remote control transmitter RT is used. The command signal evaluation indicator S is preferably provided near the remote control receiver RR.

Examples of the command signal reaction material include organic nonlinear optical materials disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-173208, rare earth-containing fluoride glasses disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-133135, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-318998. Infrared visible wavelength conversion glass material disclosed and JP-A-07-
Any material typified by the infrared / visible wavelength up-conversion material disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 318998 can be used.

In the present embodiment, the user transmits a command signal Sc from the remote control transmitter RT to the remote control receiver RR provided on the television. Then, the user determines the appropriateness of the intensity of the command signal Sc based on the light emission degree of the command signal evaluation mark S provided near the remote control receiver RR. This is to confirm whether or not the strength of the command signal Sc transmitted from the remote control transmitter RT is appropriate in a state as close as possible to the actual use condition.

That is, since the radio signal such as infrared rays or radio waves used for the command signal Sc has directivity, even if the remote control transmitter RT sends the command signal Sc of an appropriate intensity, Remote control receiver R
It is considered that the remote controller may malfunction if it is used improperly such that there is a shield or a scatterer between R. Specifically, when the user operates the remote control transmitter RT to transmit the command signal Sc to the remote control receiver RR in a normal use state but the command signal evaluation mark S does not emit light, the command signal It can be said that the strength of the command signal Sc reaching the evaluation mark S (remote control receiver RR) is insufficient. Then, the cause is either insufficient strength of the command signal Sc itself due to battery exhaustion or failure of the remote control transmitter RT, or that the command signal Sc has not properly arrived at the remote control receiver RR due to shielding or scattering. .

Therefore, when the command signal evaluation mark S does not emit light in the normal use state of the remote control transmitter RT,
The user causes the command signal Sc to be transmitted by changing the position of the remote control transmitter RT. As a result, the user can determine whether the cause of the malfunction of the remote controller is the insufficient strength of the command signal Sc or the improper operation. If it is determined that the strength is insufficient, it is determined whether the cause of the malfunction of the remote controller is the exhaustion of the battery by transmitting the command signal Sc again to the remote controller receiver RR after replacing the battery. You can judge whether or not.

The command signal evaluation mark S may be provided on the back cover of the switch box Bg provided near the remote control receiver RR. In this case, the lid of the switch box Bg is opened and the command signal Sc is exposed to the command signal Sc at the time of confirming the reception of light, whereby the deterioration of the sensitivity of the command signal evaluation mark S can be prevented.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the command signal evaluation marker S. The command signal evaluation marker S is preferably composed of a base layer LB, a marker layer LS, and a command signal absorption layer LA. The marker layer LS is formed of the above-mentioned command signal reaction material in a shape (characters, marks, etc.) that is easily recognized by the user, and is provided on the base layer LB. The command signal absorption layer LA is formed of a material that transmits the command signal Sc while absorbing or reflecting the command signal Sc at a predetermined rate, and is provided on the marker layer LS or on the base layer LB with the marker layer LS sandwiched therebetween. The material of the command signal absorbing layer LA can be easily realized by mixing a dye in a transparent resin at a predetermined ratio.

The command signal absorption layer LA is formed so that the absorption amount or reflection amount of the command signal Sc is different in the extending direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it is formed so as to have different thicknesses in the stretching direction, or it is formed so as to have different content densities of the pigment and the reflecting material powder. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the command signal absorption layer LA is composed of eight unit absorption layers La0 to La7 having different thicknesses (transmittance / absorbance). The command signal Sc has different signal intensities when it reaches the marker layer LS through the unit absorption layers La0 to La7 having different thicknesses (transmittance / absorbance). In addition,
The number of unit absorption layers La is arbitrarily determined. Also, FIG.
As shown by the dotted line in FIG.
Can also be configured, for example, by stacking a predetermined number of unit absorption layers La1.

That is, the command signal Sc radiated to the command signal evaluation mark S is converted into the command signal absorption layer L.
The intensity at the time of reaching the marker layer LS differs depending on the location of A. As a result, only the portion of the marker layer LS where the command signal Sc having a sufficient intensity arrives emits light, and the command signal S transmitted from the remote control transmitter RT is emitted.
The difference in intensity of c is displayed. Thus, the marker layer LS
Depending on which part of the unit absorption layers La0 to La7 emits light, the user can confirm the difference in the intensity of the command signal Sc, that is, the degree of battery consumption.

The command signal absorption layer LA is kept constant as indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 2 by adjusting the concentration of the dye added so as to correspond to the transmittance / absorption of the unit absorption layers La0 to La7. Can be configured in thickness.

(Second Embodiment) A command signal confirmation method and apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. In this embodiment, a method and apparatus for visually confirming the command signal strength and quality by the user side and the manufacturer side at the level 2 and level 3 described above are proposed.

FIG. 4 shows a television receiver incorporating the command signal confirmation device according to the present embodiment. The television receiver TVp is an audio / video signal processor AVr that reproduces an audio / video signal from a television broadcast wave provided by wire or wirelessly.
, The monitor D, and the remote control receiver RRp. The audio / video signal processor AVr is similar to that conventionally used in televisions.

The audio / video signal processor AVr includes a tuner 2,
It has a decoder 4, a video signal processing unit 6, an on-screen display unit (hereinafter abbreviated as “OSD”) 8, and a mixer 10. The tuner 2 selectively extracts a broadcast wave of an arbitrary channel from a plurality of channels multiplexed with the television broadcast wave supplied from an external television broadcast wave source. The decoder 4 decodes the channel broadcast wave extracted by the tuner 2 into content data. The video signal processing unit 6 converts the decoded content data into an analog audio / video signal Sav. The OSD 8 generates and outputs a message signal Sm that informs the user of the state of the television receiver TV or a message that prompts the user to operate. The mixer 10 mixes the audio / video signal Sav output from the OSD 8 and the message signal Sm output from the OSD 8 and outputs the mixed signal to the monitor D.

The remote control receiver RRp includes a light receiving section 22, a waveform shaping section 24, a decoder 26, a control section 28, and an amplifier 3.
0, sampling circuit 32, sampling indicator 34,
A buffer memory 36 and a mode signal generator 38 are included. Light receiving unit 22, waveform shaping unit 24, and decoder 26
Is exactly the same as in the conventional remote control receiver RR. The control unit 28 is basically the same as that of the conventional remote control receiver RR, but the function described later is added. The amplifier 30, the sampling circuit 32, the buffer memory 36, the sampling display 34, and the mode signal generator 38 form a command signal evaluation unit Wr unique to the remote control receiver RRp of the present invention.

That is, the light-receiving unit 22 has the wireless command signal Sc issued from the remote-control transmitter RT as in the conventional case.
Is received and converted into an electric command signal Ec. The command signal Ec is waveform-shaped by the waveform shaping section 24, and then decoded by the decoder 26 to reproduce the user command superimposed on the command signal Sc. The control unit 28 controls the operation of the audio / video signal processor AVr based on the command reproduced by the decoder 26.

The operation of each element of the command signal evaluation section Wr will be described with further reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents time t, and the vertical axis represents the magnitude i of each signal. Then, in order from the top, the light receiving section 2
2 based on the command signal Sc, the command signal Eca obtained by amplifying the command signal Ec by the amplifier 30, the sample data Ds output from the sampling circuit 32, and the sample data Ds (sample waveform data Dsw). The evaluation waveform IcW of the generated evaluation waveform signal Ic is represented.

In the command signal evaluation section Wr, first, the amplifier 30 is operated by the command signal E generated by the light receiving section 22.
Amplifies c to generate the command signal Eca. The sampling circuit 32 samples the command signal Eca at a predetermined timing to generate sample data Ds. Note that in FIG. 4, what is indicated by the alternate long and short dash line is the command signal Eca, and the black circles are the sample data Ds.
Is shown. The sampling circuit 32 sequentially outputs the sample data Ds to both the sampling display 34 and the buffer memory 36.

The sampling indicator 34 is preferably L
It is composed of a light emitting means such as an ED and emits light to eat when the sample data Ds is input, and the command signal evaluation unit W
The r informs the user that the command signal Sc is being sampled for evaluation. It should be noted that the sampling indicator 34 may be composed of sounding means.

The buffer memory 36 accumulates the sample data Ds sequentially output from the sampling circuit 32 for a predetermined time. And the accumulated sample data D
s is output to the control unit 28 as sample waveform data Dsw.

The mode signal generator 38 controls the remote control receiver RRp in a normal manner in response to the user's operation when the user desires to confirm the strength or quality of the command signal transmitted from the remote control transmitter RT. A mode signal Sms for switching from the mode to the confirmation mode or vice versa is output to the control unit 28. The mode signal Sms
Is a binary signal that puts the control unit 28 in the command signal confirmation mode in the ON state and puts the control unit 28 in the normal control mode in the OFF state.

The control unit 28 responds to the turning on of the mode signal Sms input from the mode signal generator 38, and outputs the sample waveform data Dsw input from the buffer memory 36.
The evaluation waveform signal Ic is generated based on the above, and is output to the audio / video signal processor AVr. The evaluation waveform signal Ic is output to the mixer 10 as a part of the on-screen message by the OSD 8 of the audio / video signal processor AVr. As a result, the evaluation waveform IcW illustrated in FIG. 4 is displayed on the monitor.

Next, the command signal confirmation method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As described above, when the user operates the mode signal generator 38 and the mode signal Sms is turned on. The command signal confirmation operation is started. Then, first, in the sampling subroutine of step # 100, the sample data Ds output from the amplifier 30 is accumulated in the buffer memory 36 for a predetermined time (for example, 1 second), and the sample waveform data Dsw is generated. The generated sample waveform data Dsw is input to the control unit 28. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 200.

In the evaluation waveform display subroutine of step # 200, the control unit 28 controls the sample waveform data Dsw.
Based on the above, the evaluation waveform signal Ic is generated and output to the audio / video signal processor AVr. O of audio / video signal processor AVr
SD8 is a message signal S representing the evaluation waveform IcW of the received command signal Sc based on the evaluation waveform signal Ic.
m is generated and output to the mixer 10. Result, monitor D
The evaluation waveform IcW is displayed at. Then, the process proceeds to the next S
Proceed to 300.

In step S300, the mode signal S
It is determined whether ms is on. If YES, that is, if the mode signal Sms is on, the process proceeds to step # 400.

In the evaluation waveform erasing subroutine of step # 400, the control unit 28 controls the audio / video signal processor AVr.
For (OSD8), the evaluation waveform Icw currently being output
Control signal Cn for stopping the output of the message signal Sm indicating
Output t. As a result, the evaluation waveform IcW displayed on the monitor D is erased. Then, the process returns to step # 100 described above.

Then, through step # 200 described above, in step S300, NO, that is, the mode signal Sm.
If s is off, the command signal confirmation processing ends.

As shown in FIG. 4, the evaluation waveform IcW
Shows the intensity and waveform of the command signal Sc at the time of being received by the remote control receiver RRp (light receiving unit 22). Therefore, as compared with the first embodiment, the strength of the command signal Sc can be determined more accurately and objectively without being affected by the factors caused by the unfamiliarity of the user. Further, by displaying a practically acceptable waveform including an ideal waveform on the background of the evaluation waveform IcW, the appropriateness of the command signal Sc as well as the appropriateness of the signal can be evaluated more accurately. That is, the evaluation waveform signal Ic
Can be objectively evaluated depending on whether or not is within the range of the allowable waveform.

Furthermore, by displaying a waveform of a state that can occur in the remote control transmitter RT as a background, it helps to judge the state of the remote control transmitter RT.
Further, the command signal Sc is stored by previously storing the waveform data serving as a reference for the appropriateness of the command signal Sc in the control unit 28 and performing a comparison calculation with the waveform data.
, The state of the remote control transmitter RT can be diagnosed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a command signal confirmation method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a command signal evaluation marker shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a television receiver incorporating a command signal evaluation section according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram showing various signals observed in a command signal evaluation section shown in FIG.

5 is a flowchart showing an operation of a command signal evaluation section shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

TV, TVp TV receiver AVr audiovisual signal processor 2 tuner 4 decoder 6 Video signal processor 8 OSD 10 Mixers D monitor D RR, RRp remote control receiver 22 Light receiving part 24 Wave shaping section 26 Decoder 28 Control unit Wr command signal evaluation unit 30 amps 32 sampling circuit 34 Sampling indicator 36 buffer memory 38-mode signal generator S command signal evaluation indicator LA command signal absorption layer La0 to La7 unit absorption layer LS marking layer LB base layer Bg switch box RT remote control transmitter

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A remote control device for receiving a wireless command signal on which a control command is superimposed at a receiving section and performing an operation defined by the control command, the command being provided near the receiving section and received. A command signal evaluation sign indicating signal strength, the sign layer emitting light in response to the command signal, and a command signal transmitting layer provided on the upper surface of the sign layer and transmitting the command signal at a predetermined ratio. A command signal evaluation indicator comprising and. 2. The command signal evaluation mark according to claim 1, wherein the command signal transmission layer transmits a command signal at a different rate for each part. 3. The command signal evaluation mark according to claim 2, wherein each of the portions has a different thickness in a transmission direction of the command signal. 4. The material, which absorbs the command signal, is added to each of the parts at a predetermined concentration different in each part with respect to the transmission direction of the command signal. Command signal evaluation indicator described in. 5. The command signal is infrared light, and the marker layer is composed of at least an organic nonlinear optical material, a rare earth-containing fluoride glass, an infrared visible wavelength conversion glass material, and an infrared visible wavelength up conversion material. The command signal confirmation mark according to claim 1, wherein the command signal confirmation mark is selected from the group of infrared sensitive materials. 6. A remote control device that receives a wireless command signal on which a control command is superposed on a receiving section and executes an operation defined by the control command, to check the adequacy of the command signal received by the receiving section. In the command signal evaluation device shown, sampling means for sampling the received command signal at a predetermined interval to generate sample data, and accumulating the sample data for a predetermined period to obtain sample waveform data. A command signal evaluation device comprising: a buffer unit that generates the sample waveform; and a sample waveform display unit that displays the sample waveform of the received command signal as an image based on the sample waveform data. 7. The command signal evaluation device according to claim 6, further comprising standard waveform data storage means for storing standard waveform data of the command signal. 8. The command according to claim 7, wherein the sample waveform display means displays an image of the standard waveform of the command signal on the background of the sample waveform based on the standard waveform data. Signal evaluation device. 9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the sample waveform display means evaluates the quality of the received command data by comparing and calculating the standard waveform data and the sample waveform data. Command signal evaluation device.