JP2005175887A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily perform an operation at a high speed without generating a level difference between a remote controller body and a keyboard part and without opening and closing a lid every time character input is performed. <P>SOLUTION: Without separately providing the keyboard part on a remote controller, an operation part itself is provided with a keyboard function. To put it concretely, the remote controller is provided with a plurality of operation modes and provided with a plurality of buttons to which different functions are allocated depending on the respective operation modes and function display for indicating the functions of the buttons by characters or symbols, the function display of the respective buttons in a normal operation mode and the function display of the respective buttons in a keyboard operation mode are provided within the same operation surface, and the directions of the two of the function display are made roughly perpendicular. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote controller used for operating an electronic device such as a television receiver, and more particularly to a remote controller capable of inputting in a keyboard format.

  In recent years, electronic devices such as television receivers have been digitized and highly functionalized, and functions such as the Internet and mail have been installed. Along with this, there are an increasing number of scenes where characters and numbers such as Internet addresses, mail addresses, and mail contents are entered. In order to quickly input many characters in these scenes, remote controllers have been equipped with keyboard functions.

Conventionally, as a remote controller of this type, as described in Patent Document 1, the entire remote control has a two-layer structure having a lid, and a television receiver is usually operated by pressing a button with the lid closed. When inputting characters, there are those that input characters by opening the lid and pressing a button dedicated to character input.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-174178 JP-A-62-212715

  However, in the remote controller described in Patent Document 1, the keyboard button group is not provided on the front surface for normal use, but the keyboard button group is provided inside the remote controller with the lid opened. It takes time to open and close the lid each time a character is entered. Further, when the lid is opened, there is a disadvantage that a step is generated between the remote controller main body and the keyboard portion, and the buttons are difficult to press.

  Today, as opportunities for character input increase, this drawback is a major obstacle to input operability. Specifically, when the operation of the television receiver and character input are performed alternately, the effort required to open and close the lid is very troublesome for the user, and this unnecessary troublesome operation is required. However, there is a problem that, because a step is generated and the button is difficult to press, it is necessary to make a mistake in inputting characters or to correct the mistaken characters.

  The remote controller of the present invention does not separately provide a keyboard unit in the remote controller, but allows the operation unit itself to have a keyboard function.

  Specifically, each button in the first operation mode is provided with a plurality of buttons having a plurality of operation modes and assigned with different functions depending on each operation mode, and a function display indicating the function of the button with characters or symbols. The first function display and the second function display of each button in the second operation mode are provided in the same operation surface, and the direction of the second function display with respect to the direction of the first function display, They are provided in different directions, preferably at approximately right angles.

  According to the present invention, characters can be input without opening and closing the lid of the remote controller body. Therefore, there is no step between the main body and the button portion, and the operator can input characters simply by switching the mode by operating the button, and the operation can be performed easily and at high speed.

(Embodiment 1)
An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are plan views showing the appearance of a remote controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  Buttons 24 for instructing various operations are arranged on at least one surface of the remote controller. In the drawing, since drawing of codes is complicated, only a part of the buttons 24 are indicated, but all of the buttons displayed in the figure are shown. The entire button 24 is detected by an internal circuit which button is pressed by the user. The entire button 24 is arranged, and a portion for detecting which button is pressed is defined as the operation unit 2.

  The remote controller according to the present invention has, as a plurality of operation modes, an operation mode (hereinafter referred to as a normal mode) for giving an instruction to a television receiver for changing a channel which is the first operation mode, switching screen display or sound. And an operation mode (hereinafter referred to as a keyboard mode) for inputting characters such as an Internet homepage address, which is the second operation mode.

  Rather than providing different buttons for the two operation modes, even if the same button is pressed, each button 24 indicates a different function depending on the operation mode at that time. For this purpose, two types of function display are provided on the same button. This function display is a display of an operation instruction, which is transmitted from the remote controller to the device when the button is pressed, in characters or symbols. For example, a button displaying “1” on the button 24 in FIG. 1 instructs the television receiver to switch to one channel in the normal mode.

  Further, in the remote controller of the present invention, a function display “Z” is displayed next to the button displaying the function “1” in FIG. In the keyboard mode, when this button is pressed, the device is instructed to input the letter “Z” as a different function depending on the operation mode even though the button is the same button.

  Further, these two function displays are provided on the same operation surface, and in FIG. 1, the direction of the function display of “1” is such that when the remote controller is viewed in a vertically long position, the upper and lower characters are correct. The direction of the function display of “Z” is different from the direction of the function display for displaying different functions of the same button so that the vertical direction of the character is correct when the remote controller is viewed in the landscape position. Is set in a substantially perpendicular direction.

  Similarly, in the figure, “X” is assigned to the button displaying the function “4”, and “C” different functions are assigned to the button displaying the function “7”, and the direction of the function display is the same as described above. Are provided at a substantially right angle. The same applies to the other buttons.

  In the normal mode, the button 24 is provided with a button group used for switching television channels, a button for operating a display on the screen, and the like, and a function display corresponding to these functions is provided. Further, for buttons assigned with a character input function in the keyboard mode, the buttons are arranged so as to be arranged in a keyboard of a personal computer or the like when the orientation is changed, and a function display corresponding to the input character is provided.

  Next, the operation of the remote controller of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of this configuration. In FIG. 3, the operation unit 2 includes a button 24 pressed by the user and a mode switching unit 22 which is a button switch for switching an operation mode. When the user presses the button unit 24, the operation unit 2 outputs button information indicating which button is pressed. In response to the user's pressing, the mode switching unit 22 notifies the mode storage means 12 that the operation mode switching has been instructed.

  The mode storage means 12 stores the current operation mode, receives information on mode switching from the mode switching unit 22, changes the currently stored operation mode to the other mode, and stores it. The mode display unit 14 receives a notification that the operation mode has been switched from the mode storage unit 12 and determines whether the operation mode in operation stored in the mode storage unit 12 is the normal mode or the keyboard mode. Display another. The notification that the operation mode has been switched may be received from the mode switching unit 22 to update the display.

  The button information indicating which button has been pressed is input to the signal generation unit 4, and the signal generation unit 4 encodes and generates a button code signal corresponding to the pressed button. The signal generation unit 4 receives an operation mode signal output from the mode storage unit 12 for determining the operation mode in operation, and the signal generation unit 4 corresponds to the operation mode currently in operation. Generate a button code signal.

  For example, when the function display in the normal mode is “1” and the function display in the keyboard mode is “Z”, and the operation mode currently being operated is the normal mode, the channel is set to the television receiver. A button code signal for switching to “1” is generated. In the keyboard mode, a button code signal for instructing character input “Z” is generated.

  The function switching unit 6 receives the operation mode signal output from the mode storage unit 12, and based on the current operation mode stored in the mode storage unit 12 based on this, from either of the two signal transmission units. Switches whether to send a signal. When the operation mode currently being operated is the normal mode which is the first operation mode, the button code signal output from the signal generation unit 4 is transmitted from the first signal transmission unit 8 to the main device by infrared rays or the like. In the case of the keyboard mode, which is the second operation mode, the second signal transmission unit 10 transmits to the main device.

  A method of using the remote controller configured as described above and the operation accompanying it will be described. In the present embodiment, for example, it is assumed that a homepage is browsed using an Internet browser function built in a television.

  First, the case where the operation mode of the remote controller is the normal mode will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the user holds the remote controller in a vertically long position with respect to the television and presses the Internet browser activation button among the buttons 24. The operation unit 2 notifies the signal generation unit 4 that the browser activation button has been pressed. Since the current operation mode stored in the flash memory of the mode storage unit 12 is the normal mode, the signal generation unit 4 generates a button code signal for instructing browser activation, which is a button code signal in the normal mode. At this time, the mode display unit 14 is lit with a vertical arrow-shaped LED indicating that the currently operating operation mode is the normal mode. Since the current operation mode stored in the mode storage unit 12 is the normal mode, the function switching unit 6 receives a button code signal for browser activation from the first signal transmission unit 8 which is a transmission unit for the normal mode. Send.

  Next, the operation when inputting the address of the homepage to be browsed to the activated browser will be described. As an example, assume that a character string “http://panasonic.jp” is input.

  First, the operation mode of the remote controller is switched from the normal mode to the keyboard mode. The user presses a mode switching button that is the mode switching unit 22 of the operation unit 2. The mode storage means 12 stores that the operating mode being operated is the keyboard mode, and the mode display unit 14 switches the direction of the arrow displayed by the lighting of the LED. As shown in FIG. 2, the user holds the remote controller in a horizontally long position with respect to the television and operates the buttons. At this time, in the normal mode, a button used for inputting a channel is input as if it were a keyboard key of a personal computer or the like in the keyboard mode. Since each button corresponds to which key on the keyboard is displayed on the operation unit so that it can be seen at the normal position, the user looks at that and inputs characters.

  Subsequently, “h” as the first character is input. The user presses the 5th button of the channel number corresponding to the “h” key. Since the current operation mode stored in the mode storage means 12 is the keyboard mode, the signal generator 4 generates a button code signal of “h” on the keyboard instead of the channel number 5. Since the current operation mode stored in the mode storage unit 12 is the keyboard mode, the function switching unit 6 transmits a signal such as an infrared ray from the second signal transmission unit 10 which is a transmission unit for the keyboard mode to the television body. . On the television main body, the letter “h” is displayed in the address input field. Thereafter, input the remaining characters in the same procedure as in the case of “h”.

  A case where the cursor is moved within the displayed home page will be described. The remote controller is provided with a cursor direction key 25 for instructing the up / down / left / right directions of the television screen. In the normal mode, when the remote controller is held vertically as shown in FIG. 1, the directions of the up / down / left / right cursor direction keys 25 coincide with the up / down / left / right directions of the screen. In the case of the keyboard mode in which the remote controller is horizontally long as shown in FIG. 2, the button code signal is generated so that the top, bottom, left and right when the remote controller is held coincide with the top, bottom, left and right of the screen.

  Specifically, when operating the remote controller in the normal mode as shown in FIG. 1, when the “right” key is pressed with respect to the TV direction among the cursor direction keys 25, the “right” direction is indicated. Even if the same key is pressed, in the keyboard mode, the remote controller is operated as shown in FIG. 3, and the key is in the same direction as the TV. A signal indicating the direction is transmitted.

  As described above, since the remote controller of the present invention employs the above-described switching method, the operation direction of the remote controller is changed corresponding to a plurality of different operation modes, and the function is displayed in the direction corresponding to the operation direction. By setting the direction of the TV, you can operate the TV in a general TV remote control format, and character input can be performed in a format similar to a general keyboard on a PC, etc. There is an effect that can be done.

  In addition, it has two transmitters, and the operation direction, function display direction, and transmission direction are aligned in correspondence with a plurality of different operation modes, so that even a transmission means with a narrow transmission angle can be operated more reliably. Therefore, the above effect can be ensured.

  Furthermore, if a display that suggests the operation direction to the user is performed, there is no mistake in performing the operation easily and at high speed. Similarly, the cursor direction key 25, which is a means for instructing the up / down / left / right directions, corresponds to a plurality of different operation modes, so that the operation direction and the function display direction coincide with the up / down / left / right directions. It is possible to prevent misdirection of the user.

  In addition, although the example of flash memory was described about the structure of the mode memory | storage means 12, it is not limited to this, The mode memory | storage means 12 should just be what is a non-volatile memory.

  In addition, although the mode display unit has been described as an example in which the direction is lit with an arrow-shaped LED, it is sufficient that the operation mode can be distinguished by any display such as symbols, pictograms, characters, and the display form can be recognized vertically If an object such as an arrow indicating the direction is used, the operation direction can be recognized simultaneously with the switching of the operation mode. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above example in order to achieve the above effect.

  In addition, the signal generation unit 4 is described as converting the button code signal in accordance with the current operation mode stored in the mode storage unit 12, but the main device that receives the signal without changing the button code signal. It may be converted into a button code signal corresponding to the current operation mode.

  Moreover, although the example which uses infrared rays for a transmission part transmitting a signal was described, the signal which the 1st signal transmission part 8 and the 2nd signal transmission part 10 generate | occur | produce may be signals other than infrared rays.

  In addition, the function switching unit 6 has been described as transmitting a signal from one of the first signal transmitting unit 8 and the second signal transmitting unit 10, but it is sufficient that the function switching unit 6 transmit a signal from at least a transmission unit corresponding to each operation mode. Alternatively, the signal may be transmitted from both sides. Further, if a transmission means capable of generating a signal with a wide angle range can be used, the first signal transmission unit 8 and the second signal transmission unit 10 are combined into one component, and a signal is transmitted to the television regardless of the direction of the remote controller. It may be something that can be transmitted. Of course, in this case as well, if the first signal transmission unit 8 and the second signal transmission unit 10 are used, the above effect can be further achieved.

  In the above configuration, as the plurality of operation modes, the first operation mode is a normal mode which is an operation mode for giving an instruction to a television receiver for changing channels, switching screen display and sound, and the like. The second operation mode has been described with respect to the keyboard mode, which is an operation mode for inputting characters such as an Internet homepage address, but the two operation modes are not limited to the normal mode and the keyboard mode. For example, an operation mode for operating other AV devices such as a VTR and a DVD is assumed.

  Furthermore, the plurality of operation modes is not limited to two, and may have three or more operation modes. For example, an operation mode for operating the other AV device can be added. In this case, any one of the operation modes may be the first and second operation modes, and if the direction of the second function display is different from the direction of the first function display, the present invention is exceptional. The function and effect can be achieved.

  In the embodiment, the case where the two directions are substantially perpendicular has been described. However, for example, the same effect can be obtained even if the directions are 180 degrees opposite to each other.

(Embodiment 2)
An example of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same constituent elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate when the description is duplicated.

  4 and 5 are plan views showing the appearance of the remote controller according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 2 has a slide unit 28 having a movable structure. Each button is divided into a first button part 26 arranged in a fixed part and a second button part 27 arranged in a slide part 28 which is a movable part. Further, a slide switch 29 is provided as a slide position detecting means for detecting the position of the slide portion 28 and outputting position information.

  In the normal mode, which is the first operation mode, the second button unit 27 has a group of buttons used for operations such as changing the TV channel, and is oriented so as to be horizontally long as shown in FIG. In other words, in the keyboard mode, which is the second operation mode, the operation buttons for inputting characters are arranged so as to be arranged in a keyboard of a personal computer or the like.

  Usually, the keyboard layout of a personal computer or the like is arranged in about 3 to 6 rows in the vertical direction. For example, the letters “Q”, “W”, “E”, “R” and the like are arranged in the same line. With this one step as one block, it has a movable structure that slides on the groove left and right in the keyboard direction in units of blocks.

  Each block is connected by a rod-shaped connecting plate (not shown), and the center of the connecting plate is fixed at a central step. As a result, the blocks cannot move randomly. For example, when the upper stage slides to the left, the lower stage automatically slides to the right. This structure can be easily realized by using a link mechanism.

  The slide position of the slide portion 28 has two locked states: a state where all the slide portions are aligned as shown in FIG. 5 and a state where the slide portion 28 is slid left or right as shown in FIG. Keep it. This can be easily realized by adding a lock mechanism to the link mechanism.

  The slide switch 29 is installed between the fixed part of the main body and the movable part of the slide part 28. When the slide part 28 slides to the left or right, it is turned on by contacting it, and the left and right positions of the blocks are aligned. It is off in the state. As a result, position information of the slide portion 28 can be detected and output.

  Note that other configurations such as the function display, the first and second signal transmission units, and the mode display unit are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the operation of the remote controller of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram of this configuration. In FIG. 6, the operation unit 2 having the user pressed the first button unit 26 or the second button unit 27 outputs button information indicating which button has been pressed. The mode switching unit 22 is instructed to switch the operation mode to the mode storage means 12 by changing the position of the slide unit 28 when the slide unit 28 slides and the slide switch 29 is turned on or off. Tell them. In the present embodiment, it is determined that the normal mode is selected when the slide switch 29 is off, and the keyboard mode is selected when the slide switch 29 is on.

  The mode storage means 12 stores the current operation mode, receives information on mode switching from the mode switching unit 22, changes the currently stored operation mode to the other mode, and stores it. The mode display unit 14 receives a notification that the operation mode has been switched from the mode storage unit 12, and determines whether the operation mode in operation stored in the mode storage unit 12 is the normal mode or the keyboard mode. Display another. The notification that the operation mode has been switched may be received from the mode switching unit 22 to update the display, or if the slide switch 29 is used as the slide position detecting means as in this embodiment. The difference between the on and off states may be displayed.

  Since the operation is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description is simplified.

  Button information indicating which button has been pressed is input to the signal generation unit 4, and the signal generation unit 4 encodes and generates a button code signal corresponding to the pressed button. The signal generation unit 4 receives an operation mode signal output from the mode storage unit 12 for determining the operation mode in operation, and the signal generation unit 4 corresponds to the operation mode currently in operation. Generate a button code signal.

  The function switching unit 6 receives the operation mode signal output from the mode storage unit 12, and based on the current operation mode stored in the mode storage unit 12 based on this, from either of the two signal transmission units. Switches whether to send a signal. When the operation mode currently being operated is the normal mode, the button code signal output from the signal generation unit 4 is transmitted from the first signal transmission unit 8 to the main device by infrared rays or the like. In the keyboard mode, the second signal transmission unit 10 transmits to the main device.

  A method of using the remote controller configured as described above and the operation accompanying it will be described. In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is assumed that a homepage is browsed using, for example, an Internet browser function built in a television.

  First, the case where the operation mode of the remote controller is the normal mode will be described. At this time, the slide portion 28 is in a state where the left and right positions of the respective blocks are aligned as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the operation for starting the browser is the same as that in the first embodiment.

  Next, the operation when inputting the address of the homepage to be browsed to the activated browser will be described. As an example, assume that a character string “http://panasonic.jp” is input.

  First, the operation mode of the apparatus is switched from the normal mode to the keyboard mode. This switching is performed by sliding the slide portion 28 and locking the slide portion 28 to the left or right slide state as shown in FIG. By this operation, the slide switch 29 is turned on, and it is detected that the position information of the slide portion 28 corresponds to the keyboard mode. And the direction of the arrow currently displayed by lighting of LED in the mode display part 14 switches by said circuit operation | movement.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the user holds the remote controller in a horizontally long position with respect to the television and operates the buttons. At this time, a button used for inputting a channel in the normal mode is input as if it were a keyboard key of a personal computer or the like in the keyboard mode. The function is displayed on the operation unit so that each button corresponds to which key of the keyboard is in a normal position, so the user inputs characters by looking there.

  Thereafter, the character input operation is the same as in the first embodiment.

  Also in this embodiment, the television can be operated in a general television remote control format, and the character input can be performed in a format very close to a general keyboard format on a personal computer or the like. There is an effect that it can be performed at high speed. In particular, as described above, since the user operation in the keyboard mode is performed with the slide portion slid left or right, the button arrangement at that time is further in the same state as a keyboard of a general personal computer or the like. It becomes easy to operate in input.

  Although the second button portion 27 is described as sliding around the center step, it may be centered on other steps or may not have a center. Further, the central step may not have a movable structure. In addition, since the user can determine the current operation mode in the sliding state of the second button portion 27, the mode display portion 14 is not necessarily required.

(Embodiment 3)
In the present embodiment, an example in which three or more functions are given to the same button will be described. Since the configuration and operation are the same as those in the first and second embodiments, the description thereof will be omitted, and only the part where three functions are displayed on the same button, which is a characteristic part, will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the numeral “3” on the button 32 on the operation surface 31 is a function display indicating a channel number when operating the television receiver. “Q” written in a direction perpendicular to the number is a function display for instructing the input of the character “Q” when inputting the character. Further, “cue” written in a direction opposite to the number by 180 degrees is a function display for instructing the operation in a VTR or DVD.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the same button can be provided with three or more functions, and the function can be switched and the operation direction can be changed by switching the operation mode. In each operation mode, the operation can be performed easily and at high speed simply by switching the mode and changing the remote controller.

  In this case, it is needless to say that the first, second, and third signal transmission units are provided, and the mode display can be made to display three different displays. Further, since the operation is the same as in the first and second embodiments, the description is omitted.

  The remote controller according to the present invention is multifunctional and excellent in operability, and is useful in other remote controlled devices such as television receivers, AV devices such as VTRs and DVDs.

1st top view which shows the external appearance of the remote controller which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention 2nd top view which shows the external appearance of the remote controller which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention The block diagram which shows the structure of Embodiment 1 of this invention. 1st top view which shows the external appearance of the remote controller which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention Second plan view showing the appearance of a remote controller according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention The block diagram which shows the structure of Embodiment 2 of this invention. The top view which shows an example of the function display which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention

Explanation of symbols

2 Operation section 4 Signal generation section 6 Function switching section 8 First signal transmission section 10 Second signal transmission section 12 Mode storage means 14 Mode display section 22 Mode switching section 24 Button 25 Cursor direction key 26 First button section 27 Second button Section 28 Slide section 29 Slide switch 31 Operation surface 32 Button

Claims (7)

A first function of each button in the first operation mode, comprising a plurality of buttons having a plurality of operation modes and assigned with different functions depending on each operation mode, and a function display indicating the function of the button with characters or symbols. The display and the second function display of each button in the second operation mode are provided in the same operation surface, and the direction of the second function display is provided in a direction different from the direction of the first function display. Features a remote controller. A first signal transmission unit configured to transmit a signal when the operating mode in operation is at least the first operation mode; and a second signal transmission unit configured to transmit a signal when the operation mode is at least the second operation mode. The transmission direction of the first signal transmission means is set to be substantially the same as the direction of the first function display, and the transmission direction of the second signal transmission means is substantially the same as the direction of the second function display. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the remote controller is installed to be 3. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein a direction of the first function display and a direction of the second function display are substantially perpendicular. 4. The remote controller according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising mode display means for displaying different operation modes during operation. The mode display means displays an arrow indicating a direction substantially the same as the direction of the first function display when the operating mode being operated is the first operation mode, and the second function when the mode is the second operation mode. The remote controller according to claim 4, wherein an arrow indicating a direction substantially the same as a display direction is displayed. 6. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein at least one operation mode is a mode for inputting characters, and function display of the operation mode is a keyboard layout. A slide unit having a plurality of buttons arranged and slidably held on the main body, and a slide position detection unit that detects the position of the slide unit and outputs position information, and switches the operation mode based on the position of the slide unit. The remote controller according to claim 6.

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