JP2006185163A - Method and apparatus for controlling digital electronic product - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and apparatus for controlling digital electronic products. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus 1 for controlling digital home electric appliances 4 by means of a control signal transmitter 1 and a signal receiver 3 is connected to a gate system 2 for controlling the digital home electric appliances 4. Start/stop operations of the gate system 2 are remote-controlled by the control signal transmitter 1. While the gate system 2 is stopped, a BIOS for executing start/stop switching is used to detect whether an external connection port 20 is connected to the signal receiver. While the gate system 2 is stopped, power supply to the signal receiver 3 is maintained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for controlling digital electronic products. More particularly, the present invention relates to a computer remote control device that is coupled to a digital home appliance gating system and that can be switched on or off by a control signal transmitter.

  The rapid arrival of the digital age digitizes various household appliances and centrally controls their operation. In other words, the computer system becomes the control center and control gate system for all digital home appliances. Therefore, the start / stop control becomes more in number, more impersonal and easier.

  Currently, start / stop operations for computer systems are still quite different from start / stop operations for household appliances. Since the computer system must execute an operation system to start / stop, the start / stop operation of the computer cannot be executed simply by pressing the power switch. That is, the BIOS stored and set in the computer system must be executed for the start / stop operation of the computer system. Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a system for integrating and centrally controlling electric appliances by connecting the electric appliances that are electrically controllable with a host computer by a wired or wireless connection via a predetermined communication line. . However, the centralized control system described in Patent Document 1 does not consider the start / stop operation of the host computer itself.

  In addition, various application programs must be activated to start / stop the computer system. As a result, the start / stop operation of a computer system is generally more time consuming than a digital home appliance. Therefore, it is difficult to introduce a common control mechanism for digital home appliances and computers.

Many computer manufacturers make certain modifications to the computer system hardware to allow the computer system to be switched on / off by a remote control device that controls the start / stop state of the digital home appliance. . However, this type of hardware modification includes modification of the RS232 interface, COM PORT interface, and PS2 interface. All these interfaces require special equipment for the application. As a result, the hardware structure is complicated and the cost is greatly increased. Thus, control devices that integrate the control of computer systems and household appliances are not yet commonly used by consumers.
JP 2003-235086 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for integrally controlling a digital electronic product and a computer system.

  The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

  A control method for a digital electronic product according to the present invention comprises a control signal transmitter for outputting a control signal and a gate system for controlling a digital home appliance to constitute a system activation / deactivation means, and the gate A signal receiver that continues to receive power from the system activation / deactivation means in a system shutdown state, and a digital electronic product control method that controls the household appliance by using the gate system according to a shutdown command The basic input / output system detects whether the external connection port of the gate system is connected to the signal receiver, and the setting of the basic input / output system of the gate system. Therefore, the signal receiver is activated by the control signal transmitter, and the signal receiver is activated. When the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitter is received, the step of changing the pin state of the external connection port of the gate system and the system start signal are generated according to the pin state of the external connection port, and the start The method includes a step of inputting a signal to execute an activation operation of the gate system, and a step of controlling an operation of the household appliance by controlling the control signal transmitter.

  The starting operation and the stopping operation of the gate system are started by pressing the power button of the control signal transmitter.

  The signal receiver includes a signal communication element that receives a signal transmitted from the control signal transmitter.

  When the state of the external connection port is changed from the stop state to the start state, the signal level of the first data pin of the external connection port is high, and the signal level of the second data pin of the external connection port is When the external connection port is at a low level, the signal level of the first data pin is low and the signal level of the second data pin is high.

  The gate system includes a south bridge circuit that continues to supply power to the signal receiver, and the external connection port is connected to the signal receiver having a predetermined identification code when the gate system is stopped. If detected, the south bridge circuit provides power to the signal receiver to maintain normal operation of the signal receiver.

  The predetermined identification code includes a product identification code for identifying a product or a voltage identification code for setting a voltage.

  A control apparatus for a digital electronic product of the present invention includes a gate system for controlling a plurality of digital home appliances, a signal receiver connected to the gate system, a control signal transmitter for transmitting a control signal, The gate system supplies power to the signal receiver, and is activated or deactivated according to the control signal received by the signal receiver.

  The gate system includes a computer system unit, a server system unit, and a control system unit having a digital control function. The gate system includes at least one external connection port coupled to the signal receiver for signal transmission. Including.

  The signal receiver includes an access point for connecting an electrical digital product and the gate system.

  Even when the gate system is stopped, the gate system continues to supply power to the signal receiver.

  The control signal transmitter includes a portable remote control unit having a one-way signal transmission function, at least one power button, and a plurality of control buttons.

  When either the power button or the control button is selected, the control signal transmitter generates a control signal and transmits it to the signal receiver.

  According to the present invention, a gate system for controlling household appliances is connected to a signal receiver that can receive a system activation control signal in a stopped state. As a result, when the control signal transmitter transmits a system activation control signal, the gate system is automatically activated and can control the operation of the home appliance.

  A method and apparatus for controlling a digital electronic product employs a control signal transmitter and a signal receiver. The signal receiver is connected to a gate system for controlling the digital home appliance and constitutes a system activation / deactivation means. When a gate system shutdown operation is performed, the signal receivers are detected as interconnected. The gating system continuously supplies power to the signal receiver. As a result, the system activation control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitter can always be received. When a control signal is received, the signal level state of the signal receiver is changed. The gate system is then automatically activated. Thus, the user can remotely control the operation of the digital home appliance via the gate system by controlling the control signal transmitter.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an apparatus for controlling a digital electronic product according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the control apparatus of the digital electronic product of the present embodiment includes a control signal transmitter 1 on the user side, a gate system 2 for controlling the digital home appliance 4, and a gate system 2 Concatenated signal receiver transmitter 3 is included.

  The control signal transmitter 1 includes a signal control unit (remote control unit) and an input unit for signal transmission in one direction. In the present embodiment, the control signal transmitter 1 is, for example, a portable device disposed in front of the gate system 2 and the computer system or at other positions. That is, the control signal transmitter 1 controls the operation of the gate system 2. Start / stop operation and functional operation of the home appliance 4 by connecting the gate system 2 to a signal receiver 3 connected to an external connection port (connection port) 20 such as a USB port of various types of computers or servers. Can be remotely controlled by the control signal transmitter 1.

  The signal control unit is, for example, a portable or handheld wireless remote control unit. At least one power button 11 and a plurality of control buttons 12 (input unit) are formed on the surface of the control signal transmitter 1, and the user performs start / stop operation of the home appliance 4 and control of the function operation. enable. Specifically, when either the power button 11 or the control button 12 is selected, the control signal transmitter 1 generates a control signal and transmits it to the signal receiver 3. In addition, the start and stop operation of the gate system 2 is started by pressing the power button 11 of the control signal transmitter 1.

  The gate system 2 includes, for example, a computer system unit having a function as a computer, a server system unit having a function as a server, and a digital control system unit having other digital control functions. The gate system 2 includes at least one external connection port 20 (for example, a USB interface connection port) for signal transmission. The gate system 2 is activated or deactivated according to a control signal received by the signal receiver 3. The computer system unit, the server system unit, and the control system unit are a general computer system unit, a server system unit, and a control system unit, respectively.

  A predetermined identification code such as a product identification code (PID) for identifying a product or a voltage identification code (VID) for setting a voltage during an operation for stopping the gate system 2 (hereinafter referred to as a stop operation). When it is detected that the external connection port 20 is connected to the signal connection unit (signal receiver 3) having the gate system 2, the gate system 2 continues to supply power to the internal south bridge circuit via the external connection port 20. . As a result, the normal operating state of the signal connection unit can be maintained.

  The signal receiver 3 is an example of the signal connection unit connected to the external connection port 20 of the gate system 2. The signal receiver 3 includes a signal communication element that receives a signal transmitted from the control signal transmitter 1. The signal receiver 3 is connected to the gate system 2 of the household appliance 4 to constitute a system activation / deactivation unit, and supplies power from the system activation / deactivation unit when the gate system 2 is stopped. Continue to receive. Furthermore, the signal receiver 3 includes, for example, an access point (for example, a wireless access point) for connecting the home appliance 4 and the gate system 2.

  As described above, the gate system 2 continuously supplies power to the signal receiver 3. As a result, the signal receiver 3 receives the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitter 1 and changes the pin state. That is, when the gate system 2 continues to supply power in the stopped state, the pin state of the external connection port 20 is set to the J state. More specifically, the signal level of the DATA + pin (first data pin) is low level (Low Level), and the signal level of the DATA− pin (second data pin) is high level (High Level). .

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a change in signal level of the signal receiver in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, after receiving the control signal, the external connection port 20 is switched to the K state in the activated state. That is, the signal level of the DATA + pin is switched from the low level to the high level. On the other hand, the signal level of the DATA- pin is switched from a high level to a low level. As a result, a system activation signal (hereinafter referred to as an activation signal) is generated. The activation signal is input to the gate system 2 via the external connection port 20, and the activation operation of the gate system 2 is executed. In the activated state, the signal receiver 3 receives a control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitter 1 for activation / stop switching of the home electric appliance 4 or a function operation.

  According to the structure of the control apparatus for digital electronic products described above, the gate system 2 can be connected to a plurality of household appliances via the control communication means, and the signal receiver 3 via the external connection port 20. By connecting to the control signal, the control signal can always be received from the control signal transmitter 1. As a result, the gate system 2 can execute real-time control of the home appliance 4. The control communication means here is, for example, a general home LAN (including a wireless LAN) according to a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or IEEE1394, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The flow of the start / stop operation of the gate system 2 in the control apparatus of the digital electronic product of the present embodiment configured as described above is shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process for controlling the gate system.

  In step 600, the gate system 2 prepares for a system stop operation according to a stop control command (stop command), and executes the stop operation. During the stop operation, the basic input / output system (hereinafter referred to as BIOS) starts the detection operation. The stop control command is, for example, a control signal from the control signal transmitter 1.

  In step 602, the BIOS detects that the gate system 2 is connected to the signal receiver 3 through the external connection port 20. As a result, the BIOS sets a permission control signal that enables the control signal transmitter 1 to activate the signal receiver 3, and continues the operation of stopping the gate system 2 (step 604). When the stop operation of the gate system 2 is completed, power is continuously output from the internal south bridge circuit to the signal receiver 3 via the external connection port 20, and the normal operating state of the signal receiver 3 in step 604 To maintain.

  According to the signal for starting the signal receiver 3 from the control signal transmitter 1, the signal receiver 3 detects whether or not the control signal is transmitted from the control signal transmitter 1. When the control signal is received, the signal state (pin state) of the pin of the external connection port 20 is switched from the J state that is the stopped state to the K state that is the activated state (step 606). In the stop state of the gate system 2 and the J state of the external connection port 20, the signal level of the DATA + pin is low and the signal level of the DATA− pin is high.

  When a system activation control signal for activating the system from the control signal transmitter 1 is received by the signal receiver 3, for example, when the user presses the power button 11, the pin state of the external connection port 20 is: Switching from the J state to the K state, the signal level of the DATA + pin is switched from a low level to a high level. On the other hand, the signal level of the DATA- pin is switched from a high level to a low level. As a result, an activation signal is generated and input from the external connection port 20. Therefore, in step 608, the gate system 2 is in the activated state.

  When the gate system 2 is activated, the user can control the functional operation of the home appliance by pressing the control button 12 of the control signal transmitter 1.

  When the user presses the power button 11 of the control signal transmitter 1, the stop operation of the gate system 2 is started by the control signal from the control signal transmitter 1, and the process of step 600 is executed. The pin state of the external connection port 20 is switched from the K state to the J state, the signal level of the DATA + pin is switched to a low level, and the signal level of the DATA− pin is switched to a high level.

  By the above operation, the gate system 2 as well as the computer system can provide convenient control of household appliances. The structure of the control device is simple. Further, since the USB connection interface is common to the computer system, the home appliances are integrated through the gate system and the computer system in addition to each computer having a plurality of USB ports. Remote control becomes easier.

  More specifically, for example, since the signal receiver can be attached to and detached from the gate system, even if the computer or server used as the gate system fails, the signal receiver is connected to another computer or server. By doing so, the control of the home appliance can be easily resumed. In addition, since a plurality of household appliances can be controlled by pressing a control button of the control signal transmitter, there is no need to connect a signal receiver to each of the plurality of household appliances. Furthermore, the start / stop state of the gate system can be changed simply by changing the pin state of the data pin.

  The invention has been described with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof. However, it will be appreciated that changes in form and detail may be made by those having ordinary knowledge in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. That is.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the apparatus for controlling the digital electronic product in one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the change of the signal level of the signal receiver shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process which controls the gate system shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 control signal transmitter,
2 Gate system,
3 Signal receiver,
4 household appliances,
11 Power button,
12 control buttons,
20 External connection port.

Claims (12)

A control signal transmitter for outputting a control signal;
A signal receiver which is connected to a gate system for controlling a digital home appliance and constitutes a system activation / deactivation means, and continues to be supplied with power from the system activation / deactivation means when the gate system is stopped And a method of controlling a digital electronic product for controlling the household appliance,
Performing a stop operation of the gate system according to a stop command, and detecting by a basic input / output system whether or not an external connection port of the gate system is connected to the signal receiver;
In accordance with the setting of the basic input / output system of the gate system, when the signal receiver is activated by the control signal transmitter and the signal receiver receives a control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitter, Changing the pin state of the external connection port of the gate system;
Generating a system activation signal according to the pin state of the external connection port, and inputting the activation signal to execute the activation operation of the gate system;
Controlling the operation of the household appliance by controlling the control signal transmitter. A method for controlling a digital electronic product, comprising:   The method according to claim 1, wherein the starting operation and the stopping operation of the gate system are started by pressing a power button of the control signal transmitter.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the signal receiver includes a signal communication element that receives a signal transmitted from the control signal transmitter. When the state of the external connection port is changed from the stop state to the start state, the signal level of the first data pin of the external connection port is high, and the signal level of the second data pin of the external connection port is Low level,
The signal level of the first data pin is low and the signal level of the second data pin is high when the state of the external connection port is stopped. the method of.   The gate system includes a south bridge circuit that continues to supply power to the signal receiver, and the external connection port is connected to the signal receiver having a predetermined identification code when the gate system is stopped. The method of claim 1, wherein if detected, the south bridge circuit provides power to the signal receiver to maintain normal operation of the signal receiver.   6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined identification code includes a product identification code for identifying a product or a voltage identification code for setting a voltage. A gate system for controlling a plurality of digital household appliances;
A signal receiver coupled to the gate system;
A control signal transmitter for transmitting the control signal,
The control apparatus for a digital electronic product, wherein the gate system supplies power to the signal receiver, and is activated or deactivated according to the control signal received by the signal receiver. The gate system includes a computer system unit, a server system unit, and a control system unit having a digital control function,
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the gating system includes at least one external connection port coupled to the signal receiver for signal transmission.   8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the signal receiver includes an access point for connecting the home appliance and the gate system.   8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the gate system continues to supply power to the signal receiver even when the gate system is in a stopped state.   The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control signal transmitter includes a portable remote control unit having a one-way signal transmission function, at least one power button, and a plurality of control buttons.   12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein when either the power button or the control button is selected, the control signal transmitter generates a control signal and transmits it to the signal receiver.