JP2005136874A - Remote control transmitter with power supply voltage detecting circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote control transmitter with a power supply voltage detecting circuit which is simplified and, low in cost and less in power consumption. <P>SOLUTION: A voltage limiter 12 is provided in a serial circuit comprising a light emitting diode 11 for remaining battery capacitance display, a switching element and a resistor 13 to which a power supply voltage is applied, thereby controlling whether or not the light emitting diode 11 for remaining battery capacitance display emits light using a value determined by the voltage limiter 12 as a threshold. A power supply voltage detecting operation is performed by outputting a remaining capacitance display instruction signal from a microcomputer 16 only in a specific key entry. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote control transmitter used for operation of an electronic device or an electric device, and more particularly to a remote control transmitter that includes a voltage detection circuit that detects a remaining battery level and can display the state thereof.

  In remote control transmitters that use a conventionally used battery as a power source, when the battery is depleted, the operation of the remote control transmitter becomes unstable or inoperable. In many cases, the user who uses the remote control transmitter is inconvenienced due to the malfunction. Especially when the operation of the remote control transmitter is unstable due to battery exhaustion, it is difficult to accurately determine whether the remote control transmitter is malfunctioning or malfunctioning due to insufficient battery power. It will also be. Therefore, conventionally, a remote control transmitter having a battery remaining amount display function for notifying these remote control transmitters of the battery replacement time has been used.

  As such a battery remaining amount display device, a conventional technique relating to a battery remaining amount detection circuit of a remote control transmitter of a television receiver is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-187471, which responds to a reduction in the remaining capacity of a primary battery. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-68287 discloses a related art related to a remote control transmitter that displays an appropriate battery replacement time.

  In the prior art disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-187471, a current value flowing through a circuit in a remote control transmitter is detected, a remaining battery level is determined according to the current value by a microcomputer in the remote control transmitter, and the result information is a code signal. And then sent to the television receiver. Receiving this, the television receiver displays battery remaining information on the screen of the television receiver (on-screen display) such as a warning display for the remaining battery power according to the remote control battery remaining amount result information. This notifies the user of the remaining battery level of the remote control transmitter.

  The conventional technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-68287 detects the terminal voltage of the primary battery of the remote control transmitter whenever there is a transmission operation of the remote control transmitter (when the remote controller button is operated). A battery voltage detection unit that outputs a specific output when the terminal voltage is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, and an operation control unit that controls the light emission operation of the battery remaining display LED according to the presence or absence of the specific output. It is characterized by performing. That is, the battery voltage detection unit outputs differently depending on the detected terminal voltage value of the primary battery of the remote control transmitter, and the operation control unit changes the light emission operation of the battery remaining amount display LED according to the output. . When the user operates the buttons on the remote control, the battery level display operation is always performed, and the user recognizes the battery level by visually confirming the light emission state of the battery level display LED. It is something that can be done.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-187471 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-68287

  In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-187471, it is necessary to determine the remaining battery level according to the detected value of the current flowing in the circuit in the remote control transmitter, and to convert it into a code signal, which requires a microcomputer program setting. Furthermore, since the remaining battery level information is displayed on the screen of a video display device such as a TV, in order to check the remaining battery level, processing on a video display device such as a TV separate from the remote control transmitter is required. It is necessary and these video display devices need to be in operation. Therefore, if it is attempted to check the remaining battery level of the remote control when the TV or the like is not turned on, it is necessary to first turn on the TV or the like, which is inconvenient. Also, instead of displaying the battery level information on the screen of a video display device such as a TV, a device that processes and displays the code signal level of the battery level information even if some other display device is used. Necessary.

  In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-68287, a terminal voltage of a primary battery of a remote control transmitter is detected, and a battery voltage detection unit that outputs a specific output when the voltage is below a predetermined value is required, which complicates the circuit. The cost becomes high with it. Further, when there is a transmission operation of the remote control transmitter (when the user performs a button operation on the remote control), a battery remaining amount display operation is always performed. Therefore, even when the user does not intend to check the battery level (for example, when the remote controller button is operated simply to change the TV channel), the battery level display operation is performed together with the code signal transmission operation. This is done, and the battery remaining amount display LED emits light together with the code signal transmission LED, so that useless power is consumed.

  The present invention is for detecting the remaining amount of battery and displaying it to the user. By simplifying the circuit for detecting the remaining amount of battery, the battery is less likely to break down and is versatile at low cost. An object of the present invention is to provide a remote control transmitter including a simple voltage detection circuit capable of determining whether or not there is a remaining amount. In addition, by making it possible to detect the remaining battery level with a single remote control transmitter incorporating the circuit according to the present invention, a part of the function does not depend on other devices such as a video display device such as a television, and the user can If the battery level is desired, the remaining battery level is immediately detected and the display operation is performed, so that it is possible to eliminate unnecessary circuit operation / display operation by other devices and to reduce the power consumption of the entire apparatus.

  The remote control transmitter of the present invention includes a power supply voltage detection circuit in which a voltage limiting element is provided in a series circuit of a light emitting element, a switching element, and a resistor to which a power supply voltage of the power supply of the remote control transmitter is applied by a predetermined operation. It is characterized by that.

  The power supply voltage detection circuit according to the present invention configured as described above is used when the signal output from the microcomputer turns on the switching element and the power supply voltage has a voltage exceeding the predetermined capacity of the voltage limiting element. Only the voltage limiting element is turned on, and the light emitting element emits light. That is, when the power supply voltage exceeds the predetermined capacity of the voltage limiting element, the light emitting element emits light, and when the power supply voltage is lower than the predetermined capacity of the voltage limiting element, the light emitting element does not emit light. A power supply voltage display function using a value determined by an element as a threshold value is realized.

  The remote control transmitter of the present invention is characterized in that a normal remote control operation is performed by a normal key operation, and a power supply voltage can be confirmed by the power supply voltage detection circuit only when a specific key is input.

  Therefore, only when the user inputs a specific key to check the remaining battery level, the light emitting element emits light, and it can be confirmed whether or not the power supply voltage has a certain amount depending on the presence or absence of light emission.

  Regardless of whether the key entered by the user to check the battery level is a dedicated key or not, if the key is also used for another function, the intention to check the battery level is entered when the key is entered. Regardless of the presence or absence of the battery, the remaining battery level is checked along with other functions, so you can check the remaining battery level by selecting rarely used keys, entering multiple keys at the same time, or pressing and holding them. It is effective to set as the operation in order to avoid wasteful power consumption.

  The remote control transmitter of the present invention is formed by joining a plurality of series circuits of a light emitting element, a switching element, a voltage limiting element, and a resistor, to which a power supply voltage of the power source of the remote control transmitter is applied, by a predetermined operation. By making the predetermined capacities of the voltage limiting elements in each series circuit different, each light emitting element performs light emission at different threshold values. Thereby, stepwise voltage detection becomes possible.

  The present invention is not limited to the one applicable only to the remote control transmitter. For example, an electric device provided with an independent power supply circuit, and a voltage limiting element is provided in a series circuit of a light emitting element, a switching element, and a resistor to which a power supply voltage of the power supply of the electric device is applied by a predetermined operation The present invention can also be applied to general electric equipment having a power supply voltage detection circuit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the remote control transmitter provided with the power supply voltage amount detection circuit with the simple circuit structure which provides a voltage limiting element in the series circuit of the light emitting element to which a power supply voltage is applied, a switching element, and resistance is realizable. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a circuit such as a battery voltage detector, and it is not necessary to set a special program for the microcomputer, so that the cost can be reduced.

  By turning on the transistor only when there is a specific key input, it is possible to perform the battery level display operation only when the user performs an operation with the intention of checking the battery level Become. As a result, the battery remaining amount display operation is not performed by a key input other than a specific key input, thereby saving power.

  Since the remote control transmitter equipped with the power supply voltage detection circuit of the present invention has a light emitting diode for displaying the remaining battery power, a device incorporating this circuit can determine the remaining battery voltage depending on whether the light emitting diode is lit or not. Visible. Therefore, the present invention can also be applied to a remote control device or the like for equipment (for example, an air conditioner) that does not include a video display device. In addition, since it does not depend on other devices, there is no burden of setting for other devices.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is one form when the present invention is embodied, and is not intended to limit the present invention within the scope thereof.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an embodiment of a power supply voltage detection circuit of a remote control transmitter according to the present invention. The power supply voltage detection circuit of FIG. 1 includes a light-emitting diode 11 for displaying a remaining battery level as a light-emitting element, and a Zener diode 12 as a voltage limiting element. The series circuit 10 is configured by connecting the cathode of the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11 and the cathode of the Zener diode 12, and connecting the anode of the Zener diode 12 to the collector of the remaining amount display switching element 14 through the resistor 13. Is done.

  The microcomputer 16 is an operation control unit, and inputs a remaining amount display instruction signal to the base of the remaining amount display switching element 14 by a predetermined remote control operation described later. The remaining amount display switching element 14 becomes conductive when a remaining amount display instruction signal from the microcomputer 16 is input to the base. At this time, if the power supply voltage exceeds the predetermined capacity of the Zener diode 12, the Zener diode 12 is turned on, a current I1 flows through the series circuit 10, and the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11 emits visible light. Perform the action. On the other hand, when the power supply voltage is lower than the predetermined capacity of the Zener diode 12, the Zener diode 12 is not turned on, so that the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11 does not emit light. The user can visually check whether or not the battery remaining amount has a constant value determined by the predetermined capacity of the Zener diode 12 depending on whether or not the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11 is turned on.

  For example, when using a power supply in which two dry batteries with a nominal voltage of 1.5V are connected in series, the battery voltage will be 3V, so using a 1.5V Zener diode will give you a remaining battery level with a remaining capacity of 50% as a guide. A display function can be realized. That is, when there is a battery remaining amount display operation instruction signal to the microcomputer 16 by an operation of a specific operation switch (not shown in FIG. 1) of the remote control device, the microcomputer 16 which is an operation control unit displays the remaining amount display instruction signal. Is input to the base of the remaining amount display switching element 14 to turn on the remaining amount display switching element 14. Thereby, a battery voltage is applied to the series circuit 10. At this time, if the battery voltage exceeds 1.5 V, the Zener diode 12 is turned on, a current I1 flows through the series circuit 10, and the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11 emits visible light. On the other hand, when the battery voltage is lower than 1.5V, the Zener diode 12 is not turned on, and the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11 does not emit light. Thus, the user can know that the battery voltage is lower than 1.5 V (the remaining battery level is 50%) when the remaining battery level display light emitting diode 11 does not emit light.

  An appropriate Zener diode can be selected in consideration of the characteristics of the user and the device. For example, in a case where a device that requires reliability in operation is desired to perform a display operation that prompts battery replacement in a state in which the remaining battery level is sufficient (so that the light emitting diode 11 for displaying the remaining battery level is not lit). In addition, it is possible to provide a battery remaining amount display function with a remaining capacity of 60% as a guide, and it is possible to realize a setting for performing a display operation for prompting battery replacement in a state where the battery is used up as much as possible.

  FIG. 2 shows the configuration of another embodiment of a remote control transmitter circuit having a power supply voltage detection circuit. In addition, the part which is common in FIG. 1 shown in Example 1 is shown by attaching a to the numeral, and a detailed description thereof is omitted to avoid duplication. That is, the series circuit 10a has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. The series circuit 20 is configured by connecting the cathode of the remote control signal transmission light emitting diode 21 to the collector of the remote control signal transmission switching element 23 via the resistor 22.

  In the light emitting diode 21 for remote control signal transmission, a code signal output by a key operation such as channel selection is input from the microcomputer 27 which is an operation control unit to the base of the remote control signal transmission switching element 23, and the remote control signal transmission switching element 23 is When it is turned on, it emits light, and a code signal is transmitted to a light receiving unit-equipped device (not shown) such as a television. On the other hand, the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11a outputs a remaining amount display instruction signal from the microcomputer 27 only when a specific key operation set as a battery remaining amount display operation is performed, and thereby a light emitting operation is performed. (This light emitting operation is the same as in Example 1).

  For example, assume that the input of the switch 24 is set as a battery remaining amount display operation. When the switch 25 is pressed, the microcomputer 27 inputs the code signal to the base of the remote control signal transmission switching element 23 but does not output the remaining amount display instruction signal. As a result, the remote control signal transmission switching element 23 is turned on and the remote control signal transmission light emitting diode 21 performs the light emission operation, but the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11a does not perform the light emission operation. Therefore, power saving can be achieved by the amount not performing the remaining amount display operation. On the other hand, when the switch 24 is pressed, the microcomputer 27 inputs the code signal to the base of the remote control signal transmission switching element 23 and simultaneously inputs the remaining amount display instruction signal to the base of the remaining amount display switching element 14a. As a result, the remote control signal transmission switching element 23 is turned on, and the remote control signal transmission light emitting diode 21 performs a light emitting operation, and at the same time, the remaining amount display switching element 14a is turned on, and the battery voltage exceeds the predetermined capacity of the Zener diode 12a. If so, the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11a also performs a light emitting operation. That is, the battery remaining amount display operation is performed even when the user presses the switch 24 not for checking the remaining battery amount but simply for changing the TV channel. Therefore, in order to achieve further power saving, it is desirable to set a low-use key, simultaneous input of a plurality of keys, and the like as a battery remaining amount display operation.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a remote control transmitter having a remote control transmitter circuit according to the present embodiment. When the simultaneous input of the button “2” corresponding to the switch 24 and the button “3” corresponding to the switch 25 is set as the battery remaining amount display operation, only the switch 24 of the button “2” is pressed (that is, When the channel 2 is selected), the microcomputer 27 inputs the code signal to the base of the remote control signal transmission switching element 23 and transmits the channel selection signal, but the remaining amount display instruction signal is transmitted from the remaining amount display switching element 14a. Since it is not input to the base, the remote control signal transmitting light emitting diode 21 performs a light emitting operation, but the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11a does not perform a light emitting operation. Although not shown, if a dedicated key for battery remaining amount display operation is provided on the remote controller, the light emission of the remote control signal transmitting light emitting diode 21 and the light emission of the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11a are completely independent operations. .

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of another embodiment of the power supply voltage detection circuit of the remote control transmitter according to the present invention, and relates to a stepwise power supply voltage detection circuit. FIG. 5 is a front view of a remote control transmitter including the stepped power supply voltage detection circuit. The configurations of the series circuit 10b and the series circuit 10c are the same as those of the series circuit 10 of the first embodiment. The basic operation of the series circuit 10b and the series circuit 10c is the same as that of the series circuit 10 of the first embodiment, but the predetermined capacitances of the Zener diode 12b in the series circuit 10b and the Zener diode 12c in the series circuit 10c are set differently. By doing so, the remaining battery level can be displayed step by step with each value as a threshold value. That is, when the predetermined capacity of the Zener diode 12b is larger than the predetermined capacity of the Zener diode 12c, a remaining amount display instruction signal is output from the microcomputer 32, and the base of the remaining amount display switching element 14b and the base of the remaining amount display switching element 14c are output. When the battery voltage> the predetermined capacity of the Zener diode 12b> the predetermined capacity of the Zener diode 12c, when the remaining amount display instruction signal is input to each of these and the switching elements are turned on, Both the display light emitting diodes 11b and 11c emit visible light. When “the predetermined capacity of the Zener diode 12b> the battery voltage> the predetermined capacity of the Zener diode 12c”, only the remaining battery level display light emitting diode 11c is visible light. "Zener diode 12b predetermined capacity> Predetermined volume> emitting diode 11b and 11c battery level when the battery voltage "of over diode 12c do not emit both visible light. Thereby, the remaining battery level can be displayed in three stages.

  For example, when the battery voltage is 3V, 2V is set for the Zener diode 12b in the series circuit 10b, and 1V is set for the Zener diode 12c in the series circuit 10c. %) And a battery voltage display function of 3 stages with a battery voltage of 1V (remaining capacity 33%) as a guide. That is, when the battery voltage exceeds 2V, both of the battery remaining amount display light emitting diodes 11b and 11c emit light, and when the battery voltage falls below 2V, the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11c emits light, but the remaining battery amount remains. The quantity display light emitting diode 11b does not emit light. Further, when the battery voltage falls below 1V, the battery remaining amount display light emitting diode 11c also does not emit light. As a result, the user can check the remaining battery level in three stages by visually recognizing the light emission state of the remaining battery level display unit 50 in FIG.

Circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention Circuit diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention Circuit diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention The front view of the remote control transmitter which shows another Example of this invention The front view of the remote control transmitter which shows another Example of this invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Light emitting diode 12 for battery remaining amount display ... Voltage limiting element 14 ... Remaining amount display switching element 16 ... Microcomputer 21 ... Light emitting diode 23 for remote control signal transmission ... Remote control signal transmission switching Element 24... Each machine instruction key 25... Each machine instruction key 27... Microcomputer 32.

Claims (4)

  A remote control transmitter comprising a power supply voltage detection circuit in which a voltage limiting element is provided in a series circuit of a light emitting element, a switching element, and a resistor to which a power supply voltage of a power supply of the remote control transmitter is applied by a predetermined operation A remote control transmitter characterized by that.   2. The remote control transmitter according to claim 1, wherein a normal remote control operation is performed in a normal key operation, and the power supply voltage can be confirmed by the power supply voltage detection circuit only when a specific key is input.   Step-by-step voltage detection by having a plurality of series circuits of a light emitting element, a switching element, a voltage limiting element, and a resistor to which a power supply voltage of the power source of the remote control transmitter is applied by a predetermined operation. A remote control transmitter comprising a power supply voltage detection circuit capable of performing the above. A power supply voltage provided with an independent power supply circuit, wherein a voltage limiting element is provided in a series circuit of a light emitting element, a switching element, and a resistor to which a power supply voltage of the power supply of the electric equipment is applied by a predetermined operation An electric device comprising a detection circuit.

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