JP2007258984A - Radio communication system and radio communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio communication apparatus and a radio communication method which improve the operability of the user. <P>SOLUTION: When a power-on button is depressed (Yes in S302), an infrared communication unit sends a control signal of a power-on signal to a contents reproducer (S303), and a Bluetooth communication unit also starts bootstrapping. A CPU decides whether the Bluetooth communication unit starts communication (S304), and, if a user gives an operation input (Yes in S305) before the Bluetooth communication unit starts the communication (No in S304), the infrared communication unit sends a control signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication apparatus and a wireless communication method for performing wireless communication with other apparatuses.

In recent years, devices equipped with a plurality of wireless communication functions have been considered (for example, Patent Document 1).
reference). Patent Document 1 describes a wireless communication device that includes an infrared communication module and a reflected wave module, and transmits start and stop information of the reflected wave module using the infrared communication module.
JP 2005-333169 A

However, in the wireless communication device described in Patent Document 1, the infrared communication module only sends data indicating the transmission start and transmission stop of the reflected wave module, and does not assume sending other data. Usually, the communication module requires a predetermined time until communication can be started. With the method described in Patent Document 1, the user cannot operate until communication is started with a module other than the infrared communication module. There was a possibility.

SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a wireless communication device capable of improving user operability.

In order to achieve the above object, the wireless communication apparatus of the present invention is a power supply O for turning on the power of another apparatus.
A first wireless communication unit that transmits a control signal including an N signal to the other device by a first wireless communication method; and the second device and a second wireless device after the first wireless communication unit starts wireless communication. A second wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication using a communication method and transmits at least a control signal other than an internal power ON signal of a control signal transmitted by the first wireless communication unit; and the second wireless communication unit A control unit that causes the first wireless communication unit to transmit a control signal to the other device until the communication unit is capable of wireless communication.

The wireless communication method of the present invention is a wireless communication method in which a wireless communication device wirelessly communicates with another device, and a power supply that transmits a power ON signal as a control signal to the other device by a first wireless communication method. After the ON step and the power ON step, between the wireless connection step for establishing a wireless connection with the other device by the second wireless communication method and until the wireless connection by the second wireless communication method is established A first wireless communication step of transmitting a control signal to the other device by the first wireless communication method; and after establishing a wireless connection by the second wireless communication method, the other by the second wireless communication method And a second wireless communication step of transmitting a control signal to the apparatus.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the radio | wireless communication apparatus and radio | wireless communication method which can improve a user's operativity can be provided.

Hereinafter, a wireless communication apparatus and a wireless communication method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication system in which a remote controller that is an embodiment of the wireless communication apparatus of the present invention is used. The wireless communication system is a controlled device, and includes a content reproduction device 1 such as a television and a remote controller 2 that is operated by a user to control the content reproduction device 1.

The content playback apparatus 1 receives control from the remote controller 2 and displays a video on a display screen by receiving a broadcast, or plays back video data stored in a built-in HDD (Hard Disk Drive) to display the video on the display screen. It is an AV device having a display function.

The content reproduction apparatus 1 communicates with the remote controller 2 by two types of wireless communication methods, infrared communication and Bluetooth communication. In other words, the content reproduction apparatus 1 performs infrared communication and Bl.
A control signal (command) from the remote controller 2 is received at least in one of the uote communication.

Normally, it takes about 10 to 20 seconds for the Bluetooth communication to start, such as an inquiry for acquiring a Bluetooth address and processing such as aligning the communication timing. On the other hand, for example, when the content reproduction apparatus 1 is a television, the normal content reproduction apparatus 1 completes the activation process in a few seconds or less and displays a video.

Therefore, the remote control 2 starts the content reproduction device 1 by transmitting a power-on signal (which is also included in the control signal) to the content reproduction device 1 and then starts Bluetooth communication with the content reproduction device 1. At least, a control signal is transmitted to the content reproduction apparatus 1 by infrared communication.

The control signal in this embodiment includes power on / off, channel switching, volume up / down, playback, pause, fast forward, rewind, next content, previous content, etc. C command is included.

The AV / C command is a standardized group, 1394 Trade Associate.
is a command defined to control AV devices, and is widely spread and used as a general infrared remote control command. The AV / C command is Bluetooth
AVRCP (Audio Video Remote), which is a profile of oth communication
It is also used for Control Profile. That is, the content playback apparatus 1
The remote controller 2 supports Bluetooth communication by AVRCP.

Each AV / C command has a 3-bit label called a transaction label. The transaction label is an identifier given to determine whether or not the commands are the same, and is incremented by 1 for each operation input (that is, the transaction label of the AV / C command corresponding to a certain operation input is If it is 000, the transaction label of the AV / C command corresponding to the next operation input by the user is 001. However, 1
Next to 11, 000) is assigned.

As will be described later, in this embodiment, Bluetooth is applied to a single operation input by the user.
When transmitting a control signal by both communication and infrared communication, the remote controller 2 transmits a control signal having the same transaction label.

Further, the control signal in this embodiment includes a signal accompanying an operation with a pointing device or a keyboard from the remote controller 2. That is, the control signal is accompanied by the amount of movement of the cursor and the key code. This is a profile of Bluetooth communication, HID (Hum
an interface device) (that is, the content playback device 1 and the remote controller 2 support Bluetooth communication using HID). The remote controller 2 transmits a control signal accompanied by the movement of the cursor and a key code to the content reproduction apparatus 1.

That is, the remote controller 2 of the present embodiment can transmit signals related to the AV / C command, the pointing device, and the keyboard as control signals to the content reproduction apparatus 1 by both infrared communication and Bluetooth communication. In other words, the remote controller 2 can transmit all control signals that can be transmitted by infrared communication by Bluetooth communication.

The remote control 2 includes a power button 201, a display unit 202, a high function button 203, a channel button 204, a play button 205, a stop button 206, a fast forward button 207,
It has a rewind button 208, a pause button 209, a next content button 210, a previous content button 211, a volume button 212, and a touch pad 213.

The power button 201 is a button operated by the user when the content reproduction apparatus 1 is turned on (power is turned on) or turned off (power is turned off). The remote control 2 is connected to the power source O.
A control signal (power ON signal) related to N is always transmitted to the content reproduction apparatus 1 by infrared communication. When the power is turned off, it does not matter whether the remote controller 2 transmits a control signal by infrared communication or Bluetooth communication.

The display unit 202 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and presents character information or the like to the user. For example, FTP (File Transfer)
Information) is received from the content reproduction apparatus 1 by Bluetooth communication using a profile, etc., and a message is displayed (in the example of FIG. 1, the display unit 202 displays a message “message is displayed”).

The display unit 202 also displays a function display 202a. The remote controller 2 receives information related to the state of the content reproduction device 1 (hereinafter referred to as status information) by Bluetooth communication that is bidirectional communication, and assigns a function to the high function button 203 in accordance with the state of the content reproduction device 1.

For example, when a screen for selecting content data to be played back by the content playback device 1 is displayed, the remote controller 2 displays a “menu” for displaying a menu screen or “edit” for editing the content data. If the content playback apparatus 1 is viewing a program, the remote controller 2 displays “program description” for displaying the program description of the playback content, “chapter” for editing the chapter, and the like. Assigned to the high function button 203.

That is, the high function button 203 serves as a kind of shortcut key corresponding to the state of the content reproduction apparatus 1.
The function display 202a displayed by the display unit 202 displays a function assigned to the high function button 203. In the example of FIG. 1, among the high function buttons 203, “F1” indicates “menu” and “F2”. "List" and "F3" are assigned to "Edit", respectively.

In addition, since the infrared communication is a one-way communication from the remote controller 2 to the content reproduction device 1, the remote controller 2 cannot acquire status information by the infrared communication 2. Therefore, if the Bluetooth communication with the content reproduction apparatus 1 has not yet started, the remote control 2
Does not assign a function to the high function button 203. Accordingly, the display unit 202 does not display the function display 202a.

That is, the remote control 2 does not transmit the signal related to the high function button 203 by infrared communication, and Blu
The content is transmitted to the content reproduction apparatus 1 through the eu communication. For example, the remote controller 2 transmits such a control signal to the content reproduction apparatus 1 as a vendor-dependent extended command approved by AVRCP.

The channel button 204 is a button operated by the user when the content playback apparatus 1 switches the channel for receiving the TV broadcast.
The playback button 205 and the stop button 206 are buttons that the user operates when the user causes the content playback apparatus 1 to play back and stop the content.
The fast forward button 207 and the rewind button 208 are buttons operated by the user when the user causes the content reproduction apparatus 1 to fast forward and rewind the content, respectively.
The pause button 209 is a button operated by the user when the content playback apparatus 1 pauses content playback.
The next content button 210 and the previous content 211 are buttons that the user operates when moving the playback position to the next chapter or the previous chapter, for example, during content playback by the content playback device 1.

The volume button 212 is a button operated by the user when the output volume of the content playback apparatus 1 is increased or decreased.
As described above, the power button 201, the channel button 204, the play button 205, the stop button 206, the fast forward button 207, the rewind button 208, the pause button 209, the next content button 210, the previous content button 211, and the volume button 212. The remote control 2 uses infrared communication or Bl as a control signal associated with the user's operation input as an AV / C command.
It transmits to the content reproduction apparatus 1 by uote communication. B to send AV / C command
The profile of the Bluetooth communication is AVRCP as described above.

The touch pad 213 is a pointing device operated by the user when moving a cursor displayed on the content reproduction apparatus 1. As a pointing device,
In addition to the touch pad, for example, a mouse, a tracking ball or the like may be used.

Note that, as described above, the remote controller 2 also transmits a control signal associated with a pointing device such as the touch pad 213 or a keyboard operation input to the content reproduction apparatus 1 by infrared communication or Bluetooth communication. The Bluetooth communication profile for transmitting these control signals is HID as described above.

Next, the configuration of the content reproduction apparatus 1 and the remote controller 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the content reproduction apparatus 1 and the remote controller 2.
The content playback apparatus 1 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit).
) 11, information storage unit 12, operation input unit 13, output unit 14, infrared communication unit 15,
It has the Bluetooth communication part 16 and the tuner part 17 as a component.

The CPU 11 is a central processing unit, reads a program (not shown) from the information storage unit 12, and stores the information storage unit 12, the information input unit 13, and the output unit 14 that constitute the content reproduction device 1.
The infrared communication unit 15, the Bluetooth communication unit 16, and the tuner unit 17 are controlled.

More specifically, for example, the CPU 11 transmits the broadcast video received by the tuner unit 17 to the display device and speaker as the output unit 14 in accordance with the control signal from the remote controller 2 received by the infrared communication unit 15 or the Bluetooth communication unit 16. The content data stored in the information storage unit 12 is reproduced and output to the display device and the speaker as the output unit 14.

The information storage unit 12 is specifically a flash memory, an HDD, or the like, and stores a program (not shown) executed by the CPU 11, video data and audio data that are content data reproduced by the CPU 11, user settings, and the like. .

The operation input unit 13 is a part that receives an operation input from a user, and specifically includes a power button, a touch panel, and the like.
The output unit 14 is specifically a display device, a speaker, and the like, and outputs video and audio to be viewed by the user. The output unit 14 also presents the device status and menu screen to the user.

The infrared communication unit 15 receives a control signal from the remote controller 2 by infrared communication. IrD
A module. Infrared communication is characterized in that the time until the start of communication is shorter than that in Bluetooth communication, the protocol is simple, and the communication is one-way communication. Also, the communicable range is narrower than that of Bluetooth communication.

The Bluetooth communication unit 16 is a two-way wireless communication with the remote controller 2 for blue communication.
Performs tooth communication. Bluetooth communication requires a longer time to start communication after performing communication connection than infrared communication, and the protocol is complicated. Bluetooth
h Communication has a higher transmission speed than infrared communication and a wider communication range. Also Bluetooth
The oth communication can transmit a wide variety of data depending on the type of profile to be connected.

Note that the Bluetooth communication unit 16 of this embodiment supports HID, AVRCP, and FTP profiles.
The remote controller 2 includes a CPU 21, an information storage unit 22, an operation input unit 23, an output unit 24,
An infrared communication unit 25 and a Bluetooth communication unit 26 are included as components.

The CPU 21 is a central processing unit, reads a program from the information storage unit 22, and controls the information storage unit 22, the information input unit 23, the output unit 24, the infrared communication unit 25, and the Bluetooth communication unit 26 that constitute the remote controller 2. .

More specifically, for example, the CPU 21 sends a control signal to the content reproduction device 1 according to an operation input from the user to the operation unit 23, at least one of the infrared communication unit 25 and the Bluetooth communication unit 26. Send to.

Further, the CPU 21 displays the function display 202 a on the display unit 202 that is the output unit 24 in accordance with the status information of the content reproduction device 1 received by the Bluetooth communication unit 26.

The information storage unit 22 is specifically a flash memory, an HDD, or the like, and stores a program executed by the CPU 21, function information assigned to the high function button 203 in accordance with the status information received from the content reproduction apparatus 1, and the like. .

The operation input unit 23 is a part that receives input from the user. Specifically, the operation input unit 23 is the power button 2.
01, high function button 203, channel button 204, play button 205, stop button 20
6, fast forward button 207, rewind button 208, pause button 209, next content button 210, previous content button 211, volume button 212, and touch pad 213.

Specifically, the output unit 24 is a display unit 202, a speaker, or the like. The output unit 24 notifies the user of the function display 202a, the message received by FTP from the content reproduction apparatus 1, battery information, and the connection state with the content reproduction apparatus 1. In this embodiment, the display unit 202 which is an LCD is used as the output unit 24, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The user may be notified by lighting, blinking, beep sound of a speaker, or the like.

The infrared communication unit 25 is an IrDA module that transmits a control signal to the infrared communication unit 15 of the content reproduction apparatus 1 that is a controlled device.
The Bluetooth communication unit 26 performs Bluetooth communication that is bidirectional wireless communication with the content reproduction apparatus 1. The Bluetooth communication unit 26 transmits a control signal to the command playback device 1 as described above, and receives status information and the like from the content playback device 1.

Note that the Bluetooth communication unit 26 of this embodiment supports HID, AVRCP, and FTP profiles.
Next, a processing flow of the remote controller 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the flow of processing of the remote controller 2. Note that at the start of the flowchart of FIG. 3, power is not supplied to the Bluetooth communication unit 26 of the remote controller 2, and Bluetooth communication with the content reproduction apparatus 1 is not performed. The content playback apparatus 1 is in a state where the main power supply is OFF, but the infrared communication unit 15 is supplied with power and is in a standby state.

In addition, information such as a Bluetooth device address necessary for Bluetooth communication is set in advance, and the connection is made after both the Bluetooth communication unit 16 and the Bluetooth communication unit 26 are activated.

First, the CPU 21 places the infrared communication unit 25 in a standby state (S301). On the other hand, as described above, the Bluetooth communication unit 26 does not receive power.
Next, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the user has performed an operation input for pressing the power button 201 (S302). If the user has not pressed the power button 201 (No in S302), the infrared communication unit 25 continues in a standby state.

If the user presses the power button 201 (Yes in S302), the infrared communication unit 25 transmits a control signal, which is a command for turning on the power of the content reproduction apparatus 1, by the infrared communication unit 25 (S303). At the same time, the CPU 21 starts and activates power supply to the Bluetooth communication unit 26.

Further, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the communication with the content reproduction device 1 by the Bluetooth communication unit 26 has started, that is, the B of the Bluetooth communication unit 26 and the content reproduction device 1.
It is determined whether or not a connection with a profile such as AVRCP or HID has been established with the Bluetooth communication unit 16 (S304).

When the Bluetooth communication by the Bluetooth communication unit 26 has not started yet (No in S304), the CPU 21 determines whether or not there has been an operation input to the operation input unit 23 (S305). If there is no operation input to the operation input unit 23 (N in S305)
o) The CPU 21 returns to the process of S304.

If there is an operation input to the operation input unit 23 in S305 before starting communication by the Bluetooth communication unit 26 (Yes in S305), the infrared communication unit 25 transmits an operation signal to the content reproduction device 1 (S306). Thereby, even before the Bluetooth communication unit 26 starts communication, the user can perform operations such as channel switching and content playback,
The content reproduction apparatus 1 can be controlled.

In S304, the Bluetooth communication unit 26 communicates with the content reproduction apparatus 1 via Bluetooth.
h When communication has been started (Yes in S304), the CPU 21 determines whether or not there has been an operation input to the operation input unit 23 (S401 in FIG. 4). Here, at the time of the determination in S401, the Bluetooth communication unit 26 is in the normal mode Bl that is not in the Sniff mode (described later).
Performs uote communication.

If there is an operation input to the operation input unit 23 in S401 (Yes in S401), B
The Bluetooth communication unit 26 transmits a control signal to the content reproduction apparatus 1 (S402),
The CPU 21 returns to the process of S401.

If there is no operation input to the operation input unit 23 in S401 (No in S401), the CPU 2
1 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the last operation input (S403). When the predetermined time has not yet elapsed since the last operation input (No in S403), the CPU 21 performs S4.
Return to the 01 process.

When a certain time has passed since the last operation input to the operation input unit 23 (S403)
The CPU 21 changes the communication mode of the Bluetooth communication unit 26 from the normal mode to the Sniff mode (S404). At this time, the Bluetooth communication unit 2
6 transmits a request for shifting to the Sniff mode to the content reproduction apparatus 1.

Note that the Sniff mode (power saving mode) refers to the Bluetooth communication unit 26 and the Blu-ray.
In this mode, communication is intermittently performed at a longer cycle than that during normal communication (normal mode) while maintaining a connection with the etoth communication unit 16. Since the communication cycle is long, the Bluetooth communication unit 16 and the Bluetooth communication unit 26 are more in the Sniff mode than in the normal mode.
The power consumption at is reduced.

That is, when the user does not perform an operation for a certain time or longer, the communication of the Bluetooth communication unit 26 shifts to the Sniff mode, which is a power saving mode, so that power consumption is reduced.

The CPU 21 determines whether or not there has been an operation input to the operation input unit 23 (S405).
When there is no operation input to the operation input unit 23 (No in S405), the operation input is awaited in the Sniff mode.

When there is an operation input to the operation input unit 23 in S405 (Yes in S405), a control signal is transmitted to the content reproduction apparatus 1 by both the infrared communication unit 25 and the Bluetooth communication unit 26 (S406). At this time, in order to inform the content reproduction apparatus 1 that the control signals are for the same operation input, the CPU 21 applies the same transaction label to the control signal transmitted from the infrared communication unit 25 and the control signal transmitted from the Bluetooth communication unit 26. Give.

Since infrared communication is always possible, there is an advantage that the time required to transmit a control signal to the content reproduction apparatus 1 is short. On the other hand, infrared communication has higher directivity than Bluetooth communication and has a short communication distance. Therefore, if the control signal is transmitted only by the infrared communication unit 25, the content reproduction apparatus 1 may not receive the control signal. is there.

Bluetooth communication not only has the advantage of having a smaller directivity and longer communication distance than infrared communication, but also retransmits the control signal over and over until the control signal reaches the content reproduction device 1, so that the control signal is reproduced by content. The certainty of reaching the device 1 is high. On the other hand, Blue
The root communication unit 26 performs the communication in S406 in the Sniff mode having a long communication cycle, and in some cases, the time required for the content reproduction apparatus 1 to receive the control signal may be long.

Therefore, by transmitting the same control signal in both the infrared communication unit 25 and the Bluetooth communication unit 26, it is possible to compensate for each other's problems.
Further, the CPU 21 causes the infrared communication unit 25 and the Bluetooth communication unit 26 to transmit control signals, and causes the Bluetooth communication unit 26 to shift to normal mode communication (
S406). At this time, the Bluetooth communication unit 26 transmits a normal mode communication request to the content reproduction apparatus 1. By shifting to the normal mode, the responsiveness of the operation by the user can be improved after the transition is completed.

The CPU 21 determines whether or not the transition to the normal mode of the Bluetooth communication unit 26 is completed (S407). If the transition is completed (Yes in S407), the process returns to S401.

If the transition to the normal mode is not yet completed in S407 (No in S407), the CPU
21 determines whether or not there is an operation input by the user (S408). If there is no operation input, the CPU 21 returns to the process of S407.

If there is an operation input from the user before the transition to the normal mode (Yes in S408),
Similar to S406, both the infrared communication unit 25 and the Bluetooth communication unit 26 transmit a control signal to the content reproduction apparatus 1 (S409). At this time, in order to inform the content reproduction apparatus 1 that the control signals are for the same operation input, the CPU 21 applies the same transaction label to the control signal transmitted from the infrared communication unit 25 and the control signal transmitted from the Bluetooth communication unit 26. Give.

After transmitting the control signal, the CPU 21 returns to the process of S407.
Next, a processing flow of the content reproduction apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the flow of processing of the content reproduction apparatus 1. At the start of the flowchart of FIG. 5, the power of the content playback apparatus 1 is OFF, but the infrared communication unit 15 is supplied with power, and the remote control 2 is connected to the light receiving unit (not shown) of the infrared communication unit 15. Is waiting to receive an infrared signal from (S501).

First, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the infrared communication unit 15 has received a control signal (power ON signal) indicating power ON from the remote controller 2 (S502). If the power ON signal is not received from the remote controller 2 (No in S502), the infrared communication unit 15 continues in the standby state.

When the infrared communication unit 15 receives a control signal that is a power ON signal, the CPU 11 turns on the main power source of the content reproduction apparatus 1, for example, outputs the video received by the tuner unit 17 to the output unit 14.
The processing such as displaying on the display device is performed. At the same time, the CPU 11 is connected to the Bluetooth.
The ot communication unit 16 is activated to set the Bluetooth communication unit 16 in a searchable mode, and further, a communication connection process is started in response to a connection request from the remote controller 2 (S503). As described above, the communication connection process generally requires about 10 to 20 seconds.

Further, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the Bluetooth communication unit 16 has started communication with the remote controller 2, that is, whether or not a connection has been established between the Bluetooth communication unit 16 and the remote controller 2 using a profile such as AVRCP or HID. (S504).

If the communication by the Bluetooth communication unit 16 has not started (No in S504), the CPU 11 determines whether the infrared communication unit 15 has received a control signal that is a command (S505). If the infrared communication unit 15 has not received a control signal (S5
05, No), the CPU 11 returns to the process of S504.

When the control signal is received by the infrared communication unit 15 (Yes in S505), the CPU 11 performs processing according to the received control signal, for example, reproduction of content data stored in the information storage unit 12, channel received by the tuner unit 17 Is switched (S506). As a result, Bl
Even before the start of communication by the uote communication unit 16, the CPU 11 can perform various controls using control signals received from the remote controller 2.

If the Bluetooth communication unit 16 has started Bluetooth communication with the remote controller 2 in S504 (Yes in S504), the CPU 11 determines that the Bluetooth communication unit 1
6 determines whether a control signal has been received (S601 in FIG. 6). Here, at the time of the determination in S601, the Bluetooth communication unit 16 is in the normal mode B which is not the Sniff mode.
It is assumed that Bluetooth communication is performed with the remote controller 2.

If the control signal is received in S601 (Yes in S601), the CPU 11 looks at the transaction label assigned to the control signal and determines whether the control signal has been processed (S602). . As described above, the remote control 2 is connected to infrared communication and Bluetooth.
A control signal corresponding to the same operation input may be transmitted for both oth communication and CP.
By seeing this transaction label, U11 can avoid performing processing corresponding to the same operation input twice.

If the process for the control signal has been completed (that is, the control signal for the same operation input is received by the infrared communication unit 15 and the process corresponding to the control signal is completed by the CPU 11) (in S602) No), the CPU 11 does not do anything with the received control signal.
Return to 601.

If the process for the control signal received by the Bluetooth communication unit 16 has not been completed (Yes in S602), the CPU 11 performs a process according to the received control signal (S603).
), The process returns to S601.

In S601, if the Bluetooth communication unit 16 has not received a control signal from the remote control 2 (No in S601), whether or not the Bluetooth communication unit 16 has received a request for switching to the Sniff mode from the remote control 2 Is determined (S604). Sniff
As described above, the mode is a mode in which the communication cycle is longer than that in the normal mode and communication is performed intermittently. The remote controller 2 can suppress power consumption required for communication by switching to the Sniff mode.

As described above, if there is no operation input from the user for a certain period of time, the remote controller 2 transmits a request for shifting to the Sniff mode to the content reproduction apparatus 1.
If the Bluetooth communication unit 16 has not received a request for shifting to the Sniff mode (No in S604), the CPU 11 returns to the process of S601.
When the Bluetooth communication unit 16 receives a request for switching to the Sniff mode from the remote control 2 and the Bluetooth communication unit 16 is performing communication in the Sniff mode (
In step S604, the CPU 11 determines whether the infrared communication unit 15 has received a control signal (step S605).

The remote controller 2 of this embodiment transmits a control signal only by Bluetooth communication in the normal mode, but transmits a control signal by both infrared communication and Bluetooth communication in the Sniff mode.
It is necessary to confirm whether or not a control signal is received at 5.

When the control signal is received by the infrared communication unit 15 (Yes in S605), the CPU 11 performs processing according to the control signal (S606).
After the process of S606, or when a control signal has not been received in S605 (S
In step S607, the CPU 11 determines whether the Bluetooth communication unit 16 has received a request for shifting to the normal mode from the remote controller 2. If the request for transition to the normal mode has not been received (No in S607), the CPU 11 returns to the processing of S605 while maintaining the Sniff mode for communication in the Bluetooth communication unit 16.

If the Bluetooth communication unit 16 receives a request for shifting to the normal mode from the remote controller 2 (Yes in S607), the Bluetooth communication unit 16 returns the communication cycle to the normal mode, and the CPU 11 returns to the process of S601.

As described above, in this embodiment, at least until the Bluetooth communication becomes possible, the remote controller 2 transmits control signals for channel switching, content playback, etc. to the content playback apparatus 1 by infrared communication. Compared to the Bluetooth communication unit 26, the infrared communication unit 25 has a smaller standby power and a simple communication procedure. Therefore, the infrared communication unit 25 takes less time to start communication with the content reproduction apparatus 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, the user can control the content reproduction apparatus 1 by operating the remote controller 2 even before the communication with the Bluetooth communication unit 26 becomes possible.

In addition, after the start of Bluetooth communication, the remote controller 2 transmits the control signal through Bluetooth communication having a higher communication speed than infrared communication and having a low directivity and a wide communication range, so that it is possible to improve user convenience. .

In recent years, AV devices including the content playback apparatus 1 have become multifunctional, and many have a GUI (Graphical User Interface) with command selection by a menu. In order to improve the operability with such a complicated GUI, in this embodiment, the remote controller 2 has a touch pad 213 as a pointing device, and a control signal corresponding to an operation input to the touch pad 213 is transmitted via Bluetooth communication or Since it transmits by infrared communication, a user's operativity can be improved.

In particular, a television or the like that can browse web pages on the Internet is preferable because the same operability as a PC can be obtained.
Note that the content playback apparatus 1 that is a controlled apparatus may be a digital TV, a PC with an AV function, a DVD player / recorder, an HDD recorder, or the like. The remote controller 2 may be equipped with a keyboard function.

In addition, the remote controller 2 is not only a remote controller unique to the content reproduction apparatus 1,
It may be a remote control that can be shared with other devices or a mobile phone that can transmit control signals.

In this embodiment, the remote controller 2 and the content playback apparatus 1 are connected to each other by infrared communication and Bluetooth.
Although oth communication is performed, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a wireless communication system such as wireless LAN such as 802.11x series, UWB, ZigBee, or NFC can be used.

However, the communication method (hereinafter referred to as the first communication method) replacing the infrared communication according to the present embodiment takes a longer time until the start of communication than the communication method (hereinafter referred to as the second communication method) replacing the Bluetooth communication according to the present embodiment. It is desirable to have a short and simple protocol. More specifically, for example, the first communication method is preferably a wireless communication method that can be connected in a non-procedure manner or is one-way communication.

In addition, it is desirable that the second communication method has a higher function than the first communication method. More specifically, as the second communication method, for example, a wireless communication method having features such as a wider communication range than the first communication method, a higher communication speed, and a rich variety of data that can be transmitted. Is preferred.

The figure which shows the structure of the radio | wireless communications system in which the remote control which concerns on Example 1 of this invention is used. The figure which shows the structure of the remote control and content reproduction apparatus which concern on Example 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the flow of a process of the remote control which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the flow of a process of the remote control which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the flow of a process of the content reproduction apparatus which communicates with the remote control which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the flow of a process of the content reproduction apparatus which communicates with the remote control which concerns on Example 1 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Content reproduction apparatus 2 ... Remote control 11 ... CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Information storage part 13 ... Operation input part 14 ... Output part 15 ... Infrared communication part 16 ... Bluetooth communication part 17 ... Tuner part 21 ... CPU
22 ... Information storage unit 23 ... Operation input unit 24 ... Output unit 25 ... Infrared communication unit 26 ... Bluetooth communication unit 201 ... Power button 202 ... Display unit 202a ... Function display 203 ... High function button 204 ... Channel button 205 ... Play button 206 ... Stop button 207 ... Fast forward button 208 ... Rewind button 209 ... Pause button 210 ... Next content button 211 ... Previous content button 212 ... Volume button 213 ... Touchpad

Claims (15)

A first wireless communication unit for transmitting a control signal including a power ON signal for turning on the power of the other device to the other device by a first wireless communication method;
Control signals other than the internal power ON signal of the control signal that is wirelessly communicated with the other device by the second wireless communication method after the wireless communication of the first wireless communication unit is started and transmitted by the first wireless communication unit are A second wireless communication unit for transmitting to at least the other device;
A wireless communication device comprising: a control unit that causes the first wireless communication unit to transmit a control signal to the other device until the second wireless communication unit becomes capable of wireless communication. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication unit takes less time to start communication than the second wireless communication unit. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication unit consumes less power than the second wireless communication unit and has higher directivity than the second wireless communication unit. 2. The second wireless communication unit can transmit a control signal other than a control signal that can be transmitted to the other device by the first wireless communication unit to the other device. Wireless communication device. The second wireless communication unit starts a wireless connection process with the other device in response to the first wireless communication unit transmitting a power ON signal to the other device. The wireless communication device according to 1. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein
It further includes an operation unit that receives operation input from the user
The second wireless communication unit shifts from a normal mode to a power saving mode according to an operation status to the operation unit,
The first wireless communication unit transmits a control signal to the other device when the second wireless communication unit receives an input to the operation unit during the power saving mode. Wireless communication device. When the second wireless communication unit receives an input to the operation unit while the second wireless communication unit is in the power saving mode, the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit send the same control signal to the other device. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, wherein the wireless communication device transmits to the wireless communication device. Each control signal transmitted from the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit to the other device is provided with an identifier for determining whether or not they are the same control signal. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 7. The first wireless communication unit performs infrared communication with the other device,
The second wireless communication unit performs Bluetooth (registered trademark, the same applies hereinafter) communication with the other device,
The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the power saving mode is a Sniff mode. 10. The first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit transmit an AV / C command control signal to the other device, respectively. Wireless communication device. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit transmit a control signal accompanying an operation by a pointing device to the other device. A wireless communication method in which a wireless communication device wirelessly communicates with another device,
A power ON step of transmitting a power ON signal as a control signal to the other device by a first wireless communication method;
After the power ON step, a wireless connection step of wirelessly connecting to the other device by a second wireless communication method;
A first wireless communication step of transmitting a control signal to the other device in the first wireless communication method until a wireless connection by the second wireless communication method is established;
A wireless communication method comprising: a second wireless communication step of transmitting a control signal to the other device by the second wireless communication method after establishing a wireless connection by the second wireless communication method. The wireless communication method according to claim 12, wherein the first wireless communication system takes less time to start communication than the second wireless communication system. The wireless communication method according to claim 12, wherein the first wireless communication method is infrared communication. The second wireless communication method is Bluetooth communication,
15. The control signal as an AV / C command is transmitted to the other device in the first wireless communication step and the second wireless communication step, respectively. The wireless communication method described.

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