JP2007043254A - Remote controller and control method of remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote controller for a household electrical appliance with ease of use, whereby the user does not need to pull out the instruction manual and to check it at each operation due to complicated operations, because the operations of the remote controller attached to the household electrical appliance tend to be complicated, accompanying the sophistication of the household electrical appliance. <P>SOLUTION: The remote controller which transmits a control code telegraphic text for causing operation, corresponding to the operation for a control object apparatus, when a user operates an operation unit, such as a button and remotely controls the apparatus includes: a display screen for displaying the state or the like of the apparatus; an explanation display operation unit such as an exclusive button; and a memory means for storing handling information of each operation unit, and the remote controller will not transmit the telegraphic message, when the explanation display operation unit is operated, reads handling explanations corresponding to an operation unit, immediately before or just after the explanation display operation unit is operated from the memory means, and displays the explanation on the display screen so that the user can readily view the explanation of how to use only at a required time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote control device for remotely operating home appliances such as a television and an air conditioner, and a control method thereof.

Currently, many household appliances such as TVs, DVD recorders, stereos, and air conditioners are equipped with remote control devices, and as the performance of home appliances increases, the number of buttons and switches on the remote control increases, making operation more complicated. Is progressing. The complicated operation has become a cause of inconvenience and erroneous operation, and as a countermeasure, a remote control device equipped with a voice guide function has been proposed.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-206799 discloses a remote control device that, when a user performs a remote control operation, notifies the user of how the device is set as a result, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-247670. Discloses a remote control device in which a sensor is installed on a button of a remote control and a guide for using the button is notified when the button is touched.

JP 2002-206799 A JP 2002-247670 A

However, the guide function is troublesome for users who are used to using the remote control. In addition, the remote control device itself is often created in common for several types of equipment from the viewpoint of cost, and is a consumable item for replacement, so the guide function is installed without adding special parts such as sensors in particular. It is desirable.
An object of the present invention is to provide a user-friendly remote control device for home appliances that allows a user to see a usage guide only when necessary, at a low cost.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, in the present invention, a control code for causing a device to be controlled to perform an operation corresponding to the operation when the user operates an operator such as a button or a switch in a predetermined operation procedure. In remote control devices that send telegrams by infrared rays to remotely control devices, display screens such as liquid crystal displays that display the status of devices, and dedicated explanation displays such as dedicated buttons that are operated only when the user requests an explanation of operations Normal remote control operation that has an operation element and memory means for storing handling information of each operation element, and transmits a message that causes the controlled device to operate when the explanation display operation element is operated Instead, the operation instruction corresponding to the operator operated immediately before or immediately before the operation of the explanation display operator or the operation of the explanation display operator was operated almost at the same time. Instructions The corresponding to Sakuko read from said memory means and to be displayed on the display screen.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a remote control device that can easily know a device operation method when necessary without searching for and reading a manual.

Embodiments of the claimed invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external view of a remote control device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware block configuration.
The remote control device includes an input unit 1 on which a large number of operation buttons are arranged, a display unit 2 such as a liquid crystal, and an infrared LED 3 for transmitting a telegram using infrared rays. In addition, in the buttons of the input unit 1, it is clearly indicated that the button has a dedicated function for displaying the usage such as “?” Mark, “Help”, “How to use” on the front surface to input the guide display instruction. The dedicated usage display button 100 is included.

  FIG. 2 shows a CPU (cetral processing unit) 10, a user interface unit 11, a remote control program and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, such as a flash memory for storing data necessary for the control, and a program. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 13 serving as a work area, a system bus 14 that connects the CPU and the memory, a wireless driver unit 15 that performs transmission processing of messages using infrared rays, and a power source unit 16 such as a battery.

  The original function of a general remote control device is that when a user presses any button, a message corresponding to the pressed button is sent to the device using infrared rays, and the device that receives the message is converted into a message. The remote control of the equipment is realized by performing the corresponding operation. In addition to the above-described original operation, this remote control device has a function of notifying the user of how to use the device and the remote control device, but performing the device control operation when the dedicated use display button 100 is pressed. This remote control device may be attached to any home appliance. Examples of general home appliances that are controlled using a remote controller include televisions, videos and DVD recorders, stereos, air conditioners, and lighting. FIG. 1 shows an example of use for air conditioner control.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the control program of the remote control device stored in the ROM 12. Hereinafter, the operation of the remote control device will be described taking the case of operating an air conditioner as an example. When the power supply unit 16 of the remote control device is turned on, the CPU performs a power-on reset, reads out the control program in the ROM 12, executes it, and starts operation. Normally, the display unit 2 of the remote controller displays the current setting state of the air conditioner to be controlled, that is, the operation mode such as the set temperature, humidity, and rough / cooling.
First, in step 1000, information indicating the current setting state is displayed. In step 1001, the process waits for the user to press any button on the input unit 1. When the user presses a certain button, the user interface unit 11 determines which button has been pressed. Each button is assigned an index number, and a call destination of a subroutine program to be executed when the button is pressed is stored in the ROM 12 corresponding to the index number.

  If it is determined in step 1002 that the pressed button is not a dedicated use display dedicated button 100 but a control button that should perform a normal control operation, the process proceeds to step 1003 so that the function corresponding to each index number operates. A subroutine program is called. For example, when a heating operation switching button is pressed, a subroutine program called at 1003 creates telegram data indicating an instruction to change the operation mode to heating, and the created telegram data is sent from the wireless driver unit 15 to the air conditioner. The operation to send to the main body is performed. And it returns to step 1000 and the present heating operation setting is displayed on the display part 2. In the case of an air conditioner control function that is a normal remote control operation, the above flow is repeated.

  If it is determined in step 1002 that the pressed button is the usage display dedicated button 100, the process proceeds to step 1004. In step 1004, it is determined whether or not the current operation of the remote control device is in the middle of a certain series of processing operations. The series of processing operations described here indicates processing for designating a function to be realized by pressing a plurality of buttons in a predetermined order. For example, when the air conditioner operation remote control in Fig. 1 is set to switch the wind speed of the air conditioner, each time the “wind speed switch” button is pressed, the wind speed toggles in the order of automatic, strong, weak, fine, and static. Assume that the operation specification is such that the setting is determined by pressing the “run / stop” button when the desired wind speed is displayed. In this case, in order to change the wind speed that was “automatic” to “fine”, the “wind speed switching” button must be pressed three times, and then the “run / stop” button must be pressed once. Since the remote control device realizes various operations with a limited number of buttons, there are not a few cases where the remote control device is operated by pressing the buttons a plurality of times.

  At the branch of step 1004, when the “wind speed switching” button is pressed in the above example and the guide display dedicated button 100 is pressed while the wind speed display is being switched, that is, when the processing of a certain index number is performed. It is determined whether or not the next button to be pressed is limited. If the next button to be pressed is known during the series of operations, the process proceeds to step 1005. In step 1005, usage display information corresponding to the currently processed index number is read from the ROM 12 and displayed on the display unit 2.

  The display information on how to use is stored in advance in the form of character string code data in a predetermined area for each index number in the ROM 12. The CPU 10 transfers the character string code corresponding to the index number to the display unit 2 in place of the display font, and displays the usage.

  If it is determined in step 1004 that the user has pressed the usage display dedicated button 100 while not in the middle of processing, that is, if it is unclear which function guide should be displayed, the process proceeds to step 1006. In step 1006, the CPU 10 displays “Please press a button that you do not know how to use” on the display unit 2, and waits for the user to press a button of a function that the user wants to know how to use in step 1007. When the input interface unit 11 is notified that the user has pressed the button, the process proceeds to step 1008 and character string data of usage information corresponding to the notified index number is read from the ROM 12 and displayed on the display unit 2. In this remote control device, when the user does not perform any operation for 10 minutes after displaying the guide information in step 1009, it automatically returns to the normal device state display state. Steps 1000 to 1009 are repeated, and usually the remote control originally performed by the remote control device is performed, and a user's guide for use is presented only when necessary.

  In the above example, after pressing the usage display dedicated button, the button you want to know how to use is pressed. For example, when you press the button for the function you want to know, the usage information is displayed and the dedicated button is displayed. When only the button is pressed, the operation specification such as displaying the usage of the dedicated button itself may be used.

  Furthermore, in the example of the remote control device connected to the air conditioner, usage information is displayed on the display screen of the remote control device. However, when the device main body is provided with a display device such as a TV, the remote control device has a display unit. It is common that there is no. In the case of such a device configuration, the usage display information stored in the ROM 12 in the example of FIG. 1 is stored in the storage device of the device main body, and the display control program for the usage in step 1004 and subsequent steps of the program of FIG. Is also mounted on the device main body, and when a message is sent from the remote control device indicating that the dedicated display button 100 has been input, the device main body display device is used in the same way as in the above example. Will be displayed. In the above example, the display information on how to use is a character code, but it is not limited to the character information. Of course, in the case of a device that handles moving images such as a TV, the sound is treated like a stereo as moving image information. In the case of a device, it is stored as audio information, and in steps 1005 and 1008 in FIG. 3, an extra function is attached to the device by reproducing the read video information and audio information instead of displaying a character string. It will be configured without.

  As described above, it is possible to provide a remote control device that can easily and easily understand the operation method of the device at a low cost by simply pressing a dedicated button when necessary without searching for and reading the operation manual of the device. .

The external view of the remote control device which is one Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a hardware block configuration diagram of the remote control device of FIG. Flowchart of the control program of the remote control device of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Input unit 2 ... Display unit 3 ... Infrared LED
10 ... CPU
11 ... User interface unit 12 ... ROM
13 ... RAM
14 ... System bus 15 ... Wireless driver unit 16 ... Power supply unit 100 ... Usage display dedicated button

Claims (4)

In a remote control device that remotely controls a device by sending a control code message that causes an operation corresponding to the operation to a device to be controlled by operating an operator such as a button or a switch in a predetermined operation procedure.
A display screen that displays the status of the device;
Dedicated explanation display operator,
Memory means for storing handling information of each operator,
When the explanation display operator is operated, a message for causing the controlled device to operate is not transmitted, and a handling explanation corresponding to the operator operated immediately after or immediately before the explanation display operator is given. A remote control device, wherein the remote control device reads out from the memory means and displays on the display screen. In a remote control device that remotely controls a device by sending a control code message that causes an operation corresponding to the operation to a device to be controlled by operating an operator such as a button or a switch in a predetermined operation procedure.
A display screen that displays the status of the device;
A dedicated explanation display operator that is operated when the user requests an explanation of the operation;
Memory means for storing handling information of each operator,
When the explanation display operator is operated, a message for causing the control target device to perform an operation is not transmitted, and the handling explanation corresponding to the operator operated almost simultaneously with the operation of the explanation display operator is stored in the memory. A remote control device having a usage display function of reading from the means and displaying on the display screen. A control method of a remote control device for remotely controlling a device by sending a control code message for causing an operation corresponding to the operation to a device to be controlled by operating an operator such as a button or a switch in a predetermined operation procedure Because
When a dedicated explanation display operator is operated, a message that causes the controlled device to operate is not transmitted, and handling instructions corresponding to the operator operated immediately after or immediately before the explanation display operator is operated. Reading from the memory means in which it is stored;
And a step of displaying the read handling instructions on a display screen. A control method of a remote control device for remotely controlling a device by sending a control code message for causing an operation corresponding to the operation to a device to be controlled by operating an operator such as a button or a switch in a predetermined operation procedure Because
When a dedicated explanation display operator is operated, a message that causes the controlled device to operate is not transmitted, and a handling explanation corresponding to the operator operated almost simultaneously with the explanation display operator is given. Reading from the stored memory means;
And a step of displaying the read handling instructions on a display screen.

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