JP2008160853A - Control system, apparatus to be controlled adapted to the system, and remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control system wherein a relative position detection means comprising an inertia sensor or the like provided to a remote controller recognizes a relative position between the remote controller and a television receiver and moving locus of the remote controller, a user corresponding to the recognition is determined, and selection of contents and adjustment of an acoustic efficiency are attained so as to be adaptive to the determination. <P>SOLUTION: The relative position detection means provided to the remote controller 200 detects the position and the moving locus of the remote controller 200, determines a user from its pattern, and selects contents in a liquid crystal television receiver 100 so as to be adaptive to the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control system including, for example, a television receiver as a controlled device and a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) as a corresponding remote control device, a controlled device compatible with this system, and a remote control device. As an example of a control device, the user who uses it (the viewer of the audiovisual device as a controlled device) is estimated from the characteristics of the movement trajectory of the remote control, and content suitable for it is selected, or there is a remote control It is possible to estimate the position of a highly probable viewer in a location that roughly matches the location to be adjusted, and adjust the sound effect to match the position of the remote control device (and thus the user with the remote control) Applicable control systems, controlled devices and remote control devices compatible with this system also fall under this category.

  A number of techniques have already been proposed for providing various conveniences to the user for handling a system constituted by a remote control device having multiple functions and a remote control device and devices remotely operated thereby. For example, the remote controller uses a GPS algorithm or the like to detect its own position based on radio wave reception from three radio wave sources and the reception time, and the detected position and position information of each device prepared in advance To identify the device closest to itself, obtain information defining the remote control signal and information for constructing the operation image from that device, and display the operation image of the specified device on the display Then, by specifying the remote control signal according to the user operation and causing the remote control signal transmission control unit to control transmission, the user can more accurately specify the device that the user wants to control without increasing the number of button operations by the user. A technique has been proposed that enables the device to be controlled (see Patent Document 1).

  Also, in a system in which a projector is operated by a remote controller, the projector receives the projection area imaging information and orientation information acquired by the remote controller having the image sensor at its own receiver, and looks in advance based on the received information. There has been proposed an image processing system in which a trapezoidal distortion correction value prepared in an up table is selected and the keystone distortion is corrected based on the correction value (see Patent Document 2).

  Furthermore, in a pointing device that points to an arbitrary point on the display screen with a laser pointer, a display screen including a laser spot projected from the remote control is imaged by a CCD camera provided on the remote control side, and raster scanning of the image by this imaging, etc. To calculate the coordinates of the laser spot, wirelessly transmit the data representing the coordinates from the remote control side to the television side, and display the indication point on the screen, thereby enabling pointing from various angles Has been proposed (see Patent Document 3).

  In response to the proposal of Patent Document 3 described above, the coordinates of the three corner positions of the image display surface on the raster imaged by the imaging device provided on the remote control side and the coordinates of the three corner positions of the actual image display surface Based on the comparison, it is possible to perform pointing on the display screen without projecting a laser spot or the like from the remote control side by calculating which coordinate on the actual screen the raster center coordinate of the captured image corresponds to. It has been proposed (see Patent Document 4).

JP 2004-166193 A (paragraphs 0016 to 0018, FIGS. 1 and 2) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-187052 (paragraph 0039 to paragraph 0045, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-236181 (paragraphs 0004 to 0009, FIG. 1) JP 2003-208260 A (paragraphs 0013 to 0021, FIGS. 1 and 2)

  The above-described conventional technology estimates the user (viewer of the audiovisual apparatus as the controlled apparatus) using the movement trajectory of the remote control as the remote control apparatus, for example, and selects content suitable for it. Estimate the position of a highly probable viewer in a location that roughly matches the location of the remote control, and adjust the echo effect to match the location of the remote control (and hence the user with the remote control) From the viewpoint of making things possible, various problems as described below remain.

  That is, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is essential that three radio wave transmission sources are installed in advance as a reference for position detection in principle, so that the position of the remote controller can be configured with a relatively simple configuration. It is difficult to select a device to be detected with sufficient accuracy and suitable for the user's desire as a control target with appropriate accuracy. Also, there is no idea to identify a user (viewer) who is currently using the remote control by paying attention to the movement locus of the remote control.

  Further, the technique proposed in Patent Document 1 is configured to unconditionally select any device closest to the position of the remote control (and therefore the user) as a control target, so that it can be adapted to the original intention of the user. The selected device is not necessarily selected. Therefore, when it is used for actual use, the user himself / herself must approach the device himself / herself, and it cannot be expected that the control target intended for operation is automatically selected literally.

  The technique proposed in Patent Document 2 acquires azimuth information of a remote controller as much as necessary to correct trapezoidal distortion in a projector, and executes correction of trapezoidal distortion based on the acquired azimuth information. There is no suggestive disclosure about recognizing the position of the remote control (and hence the user) relative to the device body and selecting content or adjusting the sound effect to match the recognition.

  Further, in the proposal of Patent Document 3, the display screen including the projected laser spot is imaged by the imaging unit on the remote control side, and the position coordinate data of the laser spot is acquired based on the raster scanning related to the video signal by this imaging. This is different from the technique of recognizing the position of the remote control relative to the device body and selecting content or adjusting the sound effect so as to match the recognition.

  On the other hand, the proposal of Patent Document 4 is limited as long as it enables pointing on the display screen without projecting a laser spot or the like from the remote control side as in Patent Document 3. However, there are no proposals for recognizing the position of the remote control relative to the device body and selecting content or adjusting the sound effect so as to match the recognition.

  The present invention has been made by paying attention to the problems in the prior art as described above, and a relative control, such as a so-called gyro, which detects a relative change in its position on the remote control device side in a non-contact manner. Position detection means is provided so that the movement trajectory and the current position of the remote control device can be recognized from the detection output of the relative position detection means, and as a result, various handling of the related devices is performed based on this recognition. For example, a control system capable of selecting content or adjusting sound effects in a controlled device to match the recognized current position, and a controlled device compatible with the system, and An object is to provide a remote control device.

In order to solve the above problems, the present application proposes the following technologies.
(1) A control system including a remote control device and a controlled device that can be controlled by the remote control device, wherein the remote control device is a housing configured separately from the controlled device. A relative position detecting means for detecting a relative change in the position of the body in a contactless manner, and relative to the position of the controlled device based on the detection output of the relative position detecting means. A current position calculating means for calculating a current position of the remote control device and generating current position information representing the position; and an information transmitting means for transmitting the current position information generated by the current position calculating means to the outside. The controlled device receives the current position information transmitted from the information transmission unit of the remote control device, and selects an operation mode based on the current position information received by the information receiving unit. Control system characterized in that it comprises an operation mode selecting means.

  According to the control system of (1) above, the controlled device side can recognize the position of the remote control device relative to its own position based on the current position information transmitted from the remote control device side. Depending on the selected position, select the operation mode corresponding to the user of the control system (viewer in the case of an audiovisual system) that is likely to occupy that position (in the case of an audiovisual system, select content and Adjustment etc.).

  (2) A controlled device configured to be controlled by a predetermined remote control device configured separately from itself, wherein the remote control device depends on a detection output of its own relative position detection means. Information receiving means for receiving the current position information when calculating the current position of the remote control device relative to the position of the controlled device and transmitting the position information representing the position to the outside as the current position information; An operation mode selection unit that selects an operation mode based on current position information received by the information reception unit.

  According to the controlled device of (2) above, it becomes possible to recognize the position of the remote control device relative to its own position based on the current position information transmitted from the remote control device side, and according to the recognized position. Select the operation mode (selection of content and adjustment of sound effect in the case of an audiovisual system) corresponding to the user of the control system (viewer in the case of an audiovisual system) that has a high probability of occupying the position. be able to.

  (3) A remote control device capable of performing predetermined control on the controlled device and having a housing separate from the controlled device, the relative change of its own position provided in the housing Relative position detecting means for detecting the position of the remote control device in a non-contact manner and a current position representing the position by calculating the current position of the remote control device relative to the position of the controlled device based on the detection output of the relative position detecting means A remote control device comprising: a current position calculating means for generating information; and an information transmitting means for transmitting the current position information generated by the current position calculating means to the outside.

  According to the remote control device of (3) above, the current position information representing the position is calculated by calculating the current position of the remote control device relative to the position of the controlled device based on the detection output of the relative position detection means. In order to generate and supply it to the controlled device, the controlled device receiving the current position information can recognize the position of the remote control device relative to its own position, and depending on the recognized position, It is possible to select an operation mode (selection of contents or adjustment of sound effect in the case of an audiovisual system) corresponding to a user (a viewer in the case of an audiovisual system) who has a high probability of occupying a position. it can.

  (4) The method further comprises detection characteristic adjustment means for adjusting the detection output of the relative position detection means to have characteristics suitable for the current position calculation calculation in the current position calculation means (3). The remote control device described in).

  According to the remote control device of (4) above, in addition to the operation of the remote control device described in (3), the detection characteristics of the relative position detection means are calculated by the detection characteristic adjustment means by the position calculation means by the position calculation means. Sensitivity characteristics and response characteristics required according to the purpose of calculation, or adjustment to match characteristics such as the degree of filtering, a detection output suitable for the purpose is obtained, and as a result, the accuracy of operation as a remote control device, The accuracy is ensured, and the accuracy and accuracy of the operation of the corresponding controlled device are ensured.

  (5) The remote control device according to (3), further comprising cumulative error resetting means for resetting cumulative error included in the current position information generated by the current position calculating means.

  According to the remote control device of (5) above, in addition to the operation of the remote control device described in (3), the accumulated error included in the current position information depending on the detection output of the relative position detection means is at an appropriate time. The accuracy of the position information is maintained because it can be reset by the movement accumulated error resetting means, and as a result, the accuracy and accuracy of the operation as a remote control device are secured at a high level, and the accuracy and accuracy of the operation of the corresponding controlled device are high. Secured to a standard.

  (6) It further comprises a movement trajectory information generating means for generating movement trajectory information relating to the movement trajectory of the remote control device based on the detection output of the relative position detecting means, and the information transmission means is generated by the movement trajectory information generating means. (3) The remote control device according to (3), characterized in that the movement trajectory information is also transmitted to the outside.

  According to the remote control device of the above (6), in addition to the operation in the remote control device described in (3), it is difficult to determine only by the information indicating the current position of the remote control device. It is possible to supply the corresponding controlled apparatus with movement trajectory information that is the basis for various identifications or estimations such as the identification of the user and the estimation of the intention of use based on the behavior of the user.

  (7) The movement locus received by the information receiving means, wherein the information receiving means is also configured to receive movement locus information relating to the movement locus of the remote control device transmitted from the information transmission means of the remote control device. The controlled apparatus according to (2), further comprising user recognition means for recognizing a user based on information.

  According to the controlled device described in (7) above, in addition to the operation by the controlled device described in (2), based on the movement trajectory information regarding the movement trajectory of the remote control device supplied from the remote control device. Thus, the user can be recognized, and as a result, the operation mode corresponding to the recognized user can be selected (in the case of the audiovisual system, the selection of content, etc.).

  (8) Based on the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means that generates movement trajectory information related to the movement trajectory of the remote control device based on the detection output of the relative position detection means. User recognition means for recognizing the user and generating user recognition information representing the recognition, wherein the information transmission means is also configured to transmit the user recognition information generated by the user recognition means to the outside. (3) The remote control device according to (3).

  According to the remote control device of (8) above, in addition to the operation of the remote control device described in (3), the remote control device side recognizes the user and user recognition information representing the recognition is sent to the corresponding controlled device. Therefore, the controlled device can immediately recognize the user based on this user recognition information, and thus select an operation mode corresponding to the recognized user (selection of content in the case of an audiovisual system). Etc.).

  (9) The information receiving means is also configured to receive user recognition information representing the user recognized on the remote control device side transmitted from the information transmission means of the remote control device, and received by the information receiving means. The controlled apparatus according to (2), further comprising an operation mode selection unit that selects an operation mode according to user recognition information.

  According to the controlled device of (9) above, in addition to the operation of the controlled device described in (2), the user can be immediately recognized based on the user recognition information received by the information receiving means, and as a result The operation mode corresponding to the selected user can be selected (content selection in the case of an audiovisual system).

  (10) Based on the detection output of the relative position detection means, the movement trajectory information generation means for generating movement trajectory information related to the movement trajectory of the remote control device, and the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means Specific movement mode information extracting means for extracting the specific movement mode information when the specific movement mode information scheduled as corresponding to the specific behavior of the user is included, and the specific extracted by the specific movement mode information extraction unit Control object identifying means for identifying a controlled apparatus to be controlled based on movement mode information, wherein the information transmission means is adapted to the controlled apparatus to be controlled identified by the control object identifying means. The remote control device according to (3), which is configured to transmit information by a signal.

  According to the remote control device of the above (10), in addition to the action by the remote control device of the above (3), for example, the specification that the user shakes diagonally within a certain range with the remote control device The controlled device to be controlled is identified based on the specific movement mode information generated by performing the behavior of, for example, information on the current position of the remote control device by a signal in a mode suitable for the controlled device by this identification, Information such as a command for performing a desired operation can be reliably transmitted to the controlled device.

  (11) Use purpose recognizing means for recognizing the type of purpose of use based on an operation on its own operation unit, and generating movement locus information related to the movement locus of the remote control device based on the detection output of the relative position detecting means. And when the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means includes specific movement aspect information scheduled to correspond to a user's specific behavior, the specific movement aspect information is Specific movement mode information extracting means for extracting, control target identifying means for identifying a controlled device to be controlled that is suitable for the purpose of use based on the specific movement mode information extracted by the specific movement mode information extracting means, Adjustment is made so that the detection output of the relative position detection means has characteristics that match the identification result by the control object identification means and the purpose of use. Output information adjusting means, wherein the information transmitting means is configured to transmit information by a signal in a mode suitable for the controlled device to be controlled identified by the control target identifying means. The remote control device according to (3).

  According to the remote control device of (11) above, in addition to the operation of the remote control device described in (3), for example, the user selects a purpose of use such as pointing for the initial operation, and this selection is performed. As a premise, the controlled device to be controlled is identified based on the specific movement mode information generated by carrying out a specific behavior such as swinging diagonally within a certain range with the remote control device, and this In order to adjust the detection characteristics of the relative position detection means so as to suit the controlled device as the identification result, the detection characteristics such as the detection sensitivity characteristics can be optimized, and thereafter the relative position in this state Desired detection is performed by the detection output of the detection means, and information such as a command for performing a desired operation is received by the signal in a mode suitable for the controlled device as the identification result. It can be reliably transmitted to the control device.

  (12) Based on the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means and the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means based on the detection output of the relative position detection means. Control target estimating means for estimating a controlled device to be controlled by the control target, and preparation for starting a preparatory operation for operating the controlled device estimated to be the controlled device to be controlled by the control target estimating means Preparatory operation activation information generating means for generating operation activation information, wherein the information transmission means is generated by the preparation operation activation information generation means in the controlled device to be controlled estimated by the control object estimation means The remote control device according to (3), wherein the remote control device is configured to transmit preparation operation activation information.

  According to the remote control device of (12) above, in addition to the operation of the remote control device described in (3), for example, the movement track information of the movement track along the user's flow line toward the specific controlled device Based on this, a controlled device to be controlled is estimated, and preparatory operation activation information for starting a preparatory operation such as supplying power or preparing content to the controlled device thus estimated is generated. . The corresponding controlled device that has received the preparatory operation activation information can activate the preparatory operation as described above, thereby realizing a device with excellent responsiveness.

  (13) Time management means for performing timekeeping operation and outputting time information, movement history holding means for holding movement history information representing movement history of the remote control device so that it can be referred to, and current position calculation means Operation mode selection information that defines an operation mode that the controlled device should take at an arbitrary time point based on position information, time information output from the time management unit, and movement history information held in the movement history holding unit. An operation mode selection information generation unit for generating the operation mode selection information, and the information transmission unit is configured to transmit the operation mode selection information generated by the operation mode selection information generation unit to the outside. The remote control device according to (3).

  According to the remote control device of (13), in addition to the operation of the remote control device described in (3), the operation mode to be taken by the controlled device at a certain managed time (arbitrary time) is The operation mode selection information to be selected in consideration of the information, the movement history information of the remote control device, and the current position information of the remote control device can be generated and transmitted to the controlled device side. Upon receiving this operation mode selection information, the controlled device can select an operation in a mode in which each of the above information is taken into consideration.

  (14) Pointing information generating means for specifying pointing information for performing pointing by specifying the position of the controlled device on the display screen based on the detection output of the relative position detecting means, and the detection output of the relative position detecting means Based on the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means, and the user recognition representing the recognition based on the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means User recognition means for generating information, position detection mode for detecting its own position based on current position information by the current position calculation means, and position on the display screen of the controlled device based on the pointing information A user authentication for recognizing a user based on a pointing mode for performing pointing and the user recognition information. The remote control device according to the mode selecting means for selecting one mode among the modes and mode, further comprising the (3).

  According to the remote control device of (14) above, in addition to the operation of the remote control device described in (3), the position detection mode for detecting its own position and the position of the corresponding controlled device on the display screen Any one of a pointing mode for performing pointing specifically and a user recognition mode for recognizing a user can function selectively.

  (15) The remote control device according to (15), further comprising detection characteristic adjustment means for adjusting detection characteristics by the relative position detection means in accordance with the mode selected by the mode selection means.

  According to the remote control device of (15) above, in addition to the operation of the remote control device described in (14), the detection characteristic by the relative position detection means is adjusted so as to be appropriate according to the selected mode. Is done.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings to be referred to below, for the sake of convenience, the main part that is the subject of the description is exaggerated as appropriate, and other than the main part is appropriately simplified or omitted.
FIG. 1 shows a control system (liquid crystal television) as an embodiment of the present invention including a controlled device (liquid crystal television receiver main body) and a remote control device (remote control corresponding to the liquid crystal television receiver main body). 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a John receiver system). In FIG. 1, a liquid crystal television receiver main body (hereinafter referred to as a liquid crystal television) 100 as a remote control device receives a control signal by infrared light or the like from a remote controller 200 as a remote control device corresponding to the main body. It is configured to be controlled.

  The liquid crystal television 100 has a housing 102 with a screen 102 for projecting images, a left speaker 103 and a right speaker 104 constituting a stereo acoustic device at a position lower than the bottom of the screen 102, and the screen 102. A light receiving window 105 that receives a control signal Sc (illustrated by a two-dot chain line) by infrared light or the like from the remote controller 200 is provided immediately below the bottom right.

On the other hand, the remote controller 200 has an independent casing 201 that can be arranged at a position separated from the liquid crystal television 100 (its casing 101), and a relative position for detecting a relative change in its own position in the casing 201. A control signal projection unit 220 (FIG. 3) provided with a detection means and a light emitting element such as an infrared LED that emits a control signal Sc by infrared light or the like to the liquid crystal television 100 is provided.
And the control system (liquid crystal television system) 100 + 200 of this invention is comprised including the above-mentioned liquid crystal television 100 and the remote control 200. FIG. The control signal Sc using infrared light or the like is used for communication between the liquid crystal television 100 and the remote controller 200 in addition to a control signal representing information itself for controlling the liquid crystal television 100 according to an arbitrary operation of the operator. A signal representing information to do is included.

  In this example, a battery charger 500 for charging a secondary battery, which is an operation power source in the remote controller 200, is provided at a fixed position of the liquid crystal television 100, for example, near the left side toward the screen. When not in use, it is connected to the battery charger 500 to charge an internal secondary battery. As will be described later, the remote controller 200 has current position calculation means for detecting its own position as a relative position with respect to the position of the liquid crystal television 100, but an accumulated error relating to the detected position is connected to the battery charger 500. It is configured to be reset at a time.

  When the remote control 200 is not in use, the remote charger 200 is placed at a position shown by a broken line in the battery charger 500 and connected by a contact portion (not shown) to charge the internal secondary battery. When the liquid crystal television 100 is remotely operated, the tip is directed to the liquid crystal television 100 as shown in FIG. As an example of characteristic handling for the embodiment of the present invention, as will be described later, in the process of resulting in the above-described position / posture, a solid line is intentionally shown through the posture shown by the one-dot chain line. As a result, the user is recognized or authenticated by moving his / her head at a fixed position, such as a white arrow.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the liquid crystal television 100 of FIG. The broadcast wave received by the antenna 110 is demodulated by the demodulation / filtering unit 120, a transport stream is extracted, and filtering is performed to acquire video and audio of the channel selected by the viewer (user) and program information. . The video output of the demodulation / filtering unit 120 is supplied to the video processing unit 130, the audio output is supplied to the audio processing unit 140, and the program information is supplied to the OSD unit 150.

  An image is displayed on the liquid crystal display 160 via the liquid crystal driving unit 131 by the output of the image processing unit 130. Further, based on the output of the OSD unit 150, program information and other information are displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display 160 so as to be superimposed on the above-mentioned video or to occupy one screen in the screen. In addition, pointing described later is also performed by displaying a specific marker or the like at a target position on the screen of the liquid crystal display 160 via the OSD unit 150.

  On the other hand, the output of the audio processing unit 140 is supplied to the corresponding left and right speakers 143 and 144 via the left and right amplifiers 141 and 142 to produce stereo sound. A system controller 170 is provided that includes a microprocessor as a main component that controls the entire system of the liquid crystal television 100 including the demodulation / filtering unit 120, the audio processing unit 140, and the OSD unit 150.

  The system controller 170 is supplied with an output of an operation unit 171 configured to include operation keys for accepting an operation by a viewer (user), and a memory 172 is connected so as to be accessible. Data (information) is stored and read at the timing. The system controller 170 functions as each means as an essential constituent element of the present invention by the function of each corresponding functional unit.

  On the other hand, referring to FIG. 1, the output of the remote control signal receiving unit 181 provided to receive the control signal Sc behind the light receiving window 105 described above is configured to include a signal amplification circuit and the like. The received signal is connected to the system controller 170 via a remote control signal decoding unit 182 that converts the received signal into a signal suitable for handling in the system controller 170.

  Control signals from the system controller 170 are supplied to the left amplifier 141 and the right amplifier 142 described above, respectively, and the amplification factor is adjusted. Thereby, the balance of stereo sound is adjusted. In this example, as will be described in detail later, this balance adjustment can be appropriately performed in accordance with the location (position / direction) of the remote control (and thus the viewer who has the remote control).

  In the above description, the remote control signal receiving unit 181 and the remote control signal decoding unit 182 make the current position of the remote control device (remote control) generated and transmitted on the remote control 200 side as the remote control device relative to the position of the controlled device. Information receiving means for receiving the current position information shown in FIG. 6 is configured, and an operation mode selection means for selecting an operation mode based on the current position information received by the information receiving means by a corresponding functional unit of the system controller 170. Composed.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the remote controller 200 in the control system of FIG. The independent casing 201 described with reference to FIG. 1 is provided with a relative position detecting unit 211 configured by a known inertia sensor or a so-called gyro or the like that detects a relative change in its position without contact. . Detection characteristic adjustment means 212 for adjusting the detection characteristic in the relative position detection means 211 by, for example, filtering processing is provided, and the output is connected to the system controller 230.

  The system controller 230 is configured to include a microprocessor that controls the circuit system of the remote controller 200 in an integrated manner and executes various operations as a main component, and the essential constituent elements of the present invention by the functions of the corresponding functional units. It is made to function as each means. The control signal projection unit 220 including a light emitting element such as an infrared LED that emits a control signal Sc using infrared light or the like described with reference to FIG. 1 performs necessary control in accordance with a command from the system controller 230 described above. A signal Sc is generated.

  The system controller 230 receives an operation signal from an operation unit 231 having an operation key for performing a channel switching operation and the like provided on the casing 201 of the remote controller 200, and further accesses to exchange data. A memory 232 is connected so that it can be performed, and an external device interface 240 for communicating with an external information processing apparatus such as a personal computer is connected.

  The remote controller 200 is provided with a charger connection detection unit 251 that detects that the battery charger 500 is connected, particularly when connected to the battery charger 500 described with reference to FIG. 230 to be input. The reset operation of the accumulated error of the calculated position relating to the remote controller 200 briefly described with reference to FIG. 1 is started in response to the detection output by the charger connection detection unit 251.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the control system (liquid crystal television system) 100 + 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention configured to include the liquid crystal television 100 and the remote controller 200 as described above. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to this flowchart and the above-described drawings as appropriate. Note that the flowchart of FIG. 4 is abstracted to the extent that it is commonly applicable to a plurality of variations.

  4, first, on the remote controller 200 side having the configuration of FIG. 3, after the operation is started, the relative position detecting unit 211 detects a relative change in its own position, and the detection output is appropriately determined by the detection characteristic adjusting unit 212. Is detected and adjusted and supplied to the system controller 230, so that the current position calculation means configured by the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230 is relative to the position of the controlled device (the liquid crystal television 100). A current position of the remote control device (remote controller 200) is calculated to generate current position information representing the position (S201).

  Furthermore, in the detection characteristic adjustment process, the output characteristics of the current position calculation means are adjusted so as to meet the sensitivity characteristics and response characteristics required according to the purpose of the position calculation calculation in the position calculation means, or characteristics such as the degree of filtering. Adjusted. By this detection characteristic adjustment processing, a detection output having characteristics suitable for the purpose is obtained, and as a result, the accuracy and precision of the operation as the remote control device are secured, and the precision and accuracy of the operation of the corresponding controlled device are secured.

  Next, the current position information generated in S201 is converted into a control signal Sc by infrared light or the like and projected by the system controller 230 (the corresponding functional unit) and the control signal projection unit 220 as information transmission means. (S202), the projected signal Sc is received by the remote control signal receiving unit 181 of the liquid crystal television 100 of FIG. 2, and subjected to predetermined signal conversion via the remote control signal decoding unit 182 and supplied to the system controller 170. (S101).

  The remote control signal receiving unit 181, the remote control signal decoding unit 182, and the system controller 170 (corresponding functional unit) constitute information receiving means. The current position information of the remote controller received by the information receiving means as described above is decoded by the system controller 170 (the corresponding functional unit) (S102), and the system is based on the decoded current position information of the microcomputer. The operation mode selection means by the controller 170 (corresponding functional unit) performs selection of the operation mode such as selection of contents and selection of sound directivity by the speakers 143 and 144, for example (S103). Processing ends.

  The selection of content based on the current position information of the remote control means, for example, that a specific viewer who has a high probability of being at that position (for example, if the position is on the side of the screen of the liquid crystal television 100, it is correct to the main and center of the family For example, the content suitable for the wife at the corresponding position and the child at the intermediate position is preferentially selected and displayed. As a specific configuration, for example, information serving as the selection criteria is prepared in advance in a lookup table in the memory 172 of the liquid crystal television 100 described with reference to FIG. By referencing, an appropriate selection can be made.

  In addition, the sound directivity selected by the speakers 143 and 144 is issued from the system controller 170 according to the relative position of the remote control 200 with respect to the liquid crystal television 100, and the location of the remote control 200 (the vicinity of this position is the viewer's position). The direction of sound generation is adjusted by adjusting the amplification factor of the left and right amplifiers 141 and 142 and adjusting the volume of the left and right speakers 143 and 144 so that optimal viewing can be performed at the estimated position. It is done to adjust.

  On the other hand, on the remote controller 200 side, after the current position information is transmitted in step S202, the process to be executed is terminated. However, according to a normal usage method, the remote controller 200 is connected to the battery charger 500 described with reference to FIG. When the battery is connected so that the internal secondary battery is charged, the charger connection detection unit 251 detects that the battery is connected to the battery charger 500 as described with reference to FIG. An output is input to the system controller 230.

  In response to the detection output by the connection detection unit 251, the accumulated error related to the calculated position by the current position calculating unit is reset by the function unit as the accumulated error reset unit of the system controller 230 (S203). That is, when the detection output of the charger connection detection unit 251 is recognized, the value of the current position of the remote controller 200 is adjusted to the coordinate position where the battery charger 500 is arranged. This completes the processing on the remote control side.

  As described above, since the accumulated error related to the calculated position by the current position calculating means can be reset every time the remote controller is returned to the battery charger 500 which is the fixed position and the connection for charging is performed, the calculated position by the current position calculating means. Thus, the accuracy and accuracy of the operation of the remote control device are ensured at a high level, and the accuracy and accuracy of the operation of the corresponding controlled device are ensured at a high level.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of a control system (liquid crystal television system) 100 + 200 as another embodiment of the present invention including the liquid crystal television 100 and the remote controller 200. 5, first, on the remote controller 200 side having the configuration of FIG. 3, after the operation is started, the relative position detecting means 211, the detection characteristic adjusting means 212, and the system are the same as described with reference to FIG. A current position calculation unit configured by a corresponding functional unit of the controller 230 calculates a current position of the remote control device (remote controller 200) and generates current position information representing the position. In this example, the system controller 230 Further, the movement trajectory information generation means by the corresponding functional unit also generates movement trajectory information related to the movement trajectory of the remote controller 200 (S211).

  Next, the current position information and the movement trajectory information generated in step S211 are transmitted to the liquid crystal television 100 as the controlled device by the information transmission means as in step S202 of FIG. 4 (step S212), and the liquid crystal television 100 side Then, the information receiving means receives these pieces of information (S111), and based on the received movement trajectory information, recognizes the user by the user recognition means constituted by the system controller 170 (corresponding functional unit), and further, The current position of the remote control is recognized from the information (S112). There are various methods for recognizing the user, examples of which will be described later.

  An operation mode (contents, sound directing direction, etc.) is selected according to the user recognized in step S112 and the current position of the remote control (S113). This step S113 is an operation such as preferentially selecting and projecting contents suitable for a specific viewer (corresponding to the user in S113) in step S103 of FIG. As a specific configuration, information such as preference tendency for each user is prepared in advance as a look-up table in the memory 172, for example, and appropriate selection is performed by referring to this appropriately. Furthermore, the sound directing direction is adjusted so as to be appropriate depending on the current position of the remote controller.

  In step S112, the user is recognized based on the movement trajectory information, for example, as follows. That is, in FIG. 1, the user picks up the moving path as indicated by a one-dot chain line from a fixed position when the remote controller 200 is connected to the battery charger 500 (not shown) (shown by a broken line). After that, when it is brought to the use position (shown by a solid line), it is executed by a method of determining the user at that time from the feature in the tendency of the movement trajectory.

  After the operation of step S212 on the remote controller side, as in step S203 described with reference to FIG. 4, the accumulated error relating to the calculated position by the current position calculating means is reset (S213), and the process ends. The operation on the liquid crystal television side ends with the execution of step S113 described above. By the way, a single remote controller can be made multifunctional so as to be compatible with a plurality of televisions, stereos, recording devices, and air conditioners.

  FIG. 6 shows that a remote controller is a multi-function device, and in order to control various household electrical appliances, for example, one user among a plurality of users such as family members carries the remote control in the house. It is a figure explaining the method of determining the said user automatically in the case of moving. Now, in the house (home) 1000, when the user goes down the stairs 1001 from a bedroom on the second floor (not shown), it is a flow line until reaching the dining room 1003 in which the liquid crystal television 100 is installed via the watering room 1002. Let the movement locus be L2.

  Further, after reaching the dining room 1003, the movement when moving in the dining room 1003 to take the remote control 200 placed on the battery charger 500 near the left side of the liquid crystal television 100 by bypassing the back of the sofa 1004. Let L3 be a movement trajectory that is a line. Furthermore, a movement locus L4 that is a flow line until the user sits at the home position of the sofa 1004 with the remote controller 200 in hand. The remote controller learns the features such as the movement trajectories L2, L3, and L4 as appropriate by a known method, and the user at that time is determined from the correlation between the actual movement trajectory and the features accumulated by learning.

  Note that, as in this usage example, when the user moves with a remote control via a place where a characteristic acceleration acts, such as the above-described staircase 1001, the location of the staircase 1001 and the place In the battery charger 500, the accumulated error reset described above is mounted on the battery charger 500 using the correspondence relationship with the detection output signal related to the change in the relative position detected with a remarkable feature by the relative position detection unit 211 such as an inertia sensor. Instead of performing at the time of placing and connecting, it may be performed at a specific point such as the staircase 1001.

  Also, paying attention to the fact that the current position of the user carrying the remote control can be accurately grasped relative to such a specific point in the house, for example, it is recognized that the user is in the study on the second floor (not shown). In this case, transmission of control signals related to devices other than the control target devices installed in the study is prohibited, and when it is recognized that the user is in the dining room 1003, control of devices other than those installed there is controlled. It is recommended that the system be configured so as to reduce the occurrence of operations different from the user's intention and useless power consumption, such as prohibiting signal transmission operation.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of a control system (liquid crystal television system) 100 + 200 as another embodiment of the present invention including the liquid crystal television 100 and the remote controller 200. 7, first, on the remote controller 200 side having the configuration of FIG. 3, after the operation is started, the relative position detecting means 211, the detection characteristic adjusting means 212, and the system are the same as described with reference to FIG. A current position calculation unit configured by a corresponding functional unit of the controller 230 calculates a current position of the remote control device (remote controller 200) to generate current position information representing the position, and a corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230 Further, the movement trajectory information relating to the movement trajectory of the remote controller 200 is generated by the movement trajectory information generating means (S221).

  Next, based on the movement trajectory information generated in step S221, the user is recognized by the user recognition unit configured by the system controller 230 (corresponding functional unit) (S222). As in step S202 in FIG. 4, the user recognition information representing the user recognized in step S222 and the current position information already generated in step S221 are displayed by the information transmission means as the liquid crystal television 100. (Step S223), and the liquid crystal television 100 receives the information by the information receiving means (S121).

  Next, the liquid crystal television 100 recognizes the current positions of the user and the remote controller based on the information received in step S121 (S122). The operation mode (contents, sound directing direction, etc.) is selected in the same manner as in step S113 in FIG. 5 depending on the user recognized in step S122 and the current position of the remote control (S123). This step S123 is an operation such as preferentially selecting and projecting contents suitable for a specific viewer (corresponding to the user in S113) in step S103 of FIG.

  As a specific configuration, information such as preference tendency for each user is prepared in advance as a look-up table in the memory 172, for example, and appropriate selection is performed by referring to this appropriately. Furthermore, the sound directing direction is adjusted so as to be appropriate depending on the current position of the remote controller. After the operation of step S223 on the remote controller side, as in step S203 described with reference to FIG. 4, the accumulated error related to the calculated position by the current position calculating means is reset (S224), and the process ends. The operation on the liquid crystal television side ends with the execution of step S123 described above.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of a control system (liquid crystal television system) 100 + 200 as still another embodiment of the present invention including the liquid crystal television 100 and the remote controller 200. 8, first, on the remote controller 200 side having the configuration of FIG. 3, after the operation is started, the relative position detecting means 211, the detection characteristic adjusting means 212, and the system are the same as described with reference to FIG. A current position calculation unit configured by a corresponding functional unit of the controller 230 calculates a current position of the remote control device (remote controller 200) to generate current position information representing the position, and a corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230 Further, the movement trajectory information relating to the movement trajectory of the remote controller 200 is also generated by the movement trajectory information generation means (S231).

  Next, based on the movement trajectory information generated in step S231, when this information includes specific movement mode information scheduled to correspond to the user's specific behavior, the system controller 230 (corresponding to that information) The specific movement mode information is extracted by the specific movement mode information extraction means configured by the functional unit) (S232). Next, the specific behavior and specific movement mode information of the user in the bag will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a situation in which a remote controller recognizes a controlled device by performing a specific behavior with respect to a controlled device to be controlled by a user holding the remote control. The liquid crystal television 100 in FIG. 9 is the same as that described with reference to FIG. 1, and a screen 102 for projecting an image on a casing 101 and a stereo type at a position lower than the bottom of the screen 102. A left speaker 103 and a right speaker 104 that constitute the acoustic device, and a light receiving window 105 that receives a control signal by infrared light or the like from the remote controller 200 are provided immediately below the bottom of the screen 102.

  Now, when a user (not shown) holds the remote control 200 and consciously performs a specific behavior for causing the remote control to recognize the controlled device, a specific movement scheduled to correspond to the specific behavior is performed. Aspect information is generated. That is, the remote controller 200 behaves so as to trace the diagonal line DL, for example, one round trip from a position separated from the screen 102 of the liquid crystal television 100 by a predetermined distance (for example, an appropriate viewing distance) from the upper left end of the screen to the lower right end. To do.

  Current position information as described above generated by the current position calculation means configured by the relative position detection means 211 and the detection characteristic adjustment means 212 configured by the inertial sensor of the remote controller 200 and the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230, In light of the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means by the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230, the above behavior corresponds to the specific movement mode information scheduled in advance as corresponding to the user's specific behavior. When this is the case, the specific movement mode information extraction means by the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230 extracts this specific movement mode information. As the above-mentioned specific behavior, it is only necessary to assign a motion of a specific mode that can be distinguished for each specification of the controlled device scheduled as a control target at the time of initial learning.

  Returning to the flowchart of FIG. If the specific movement mode information is extracted in step S232, then, the controlled device to be controlled is identified as corresponding to the specific movement mode extracted by the control target identification means by the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230 ( S233), information indicating the position and movement trajectory of the control device (remote control) is transmitted by the information transmission means to the controlled device (in this example, the liquid crystal television 100) by a signal in a mode suitable for the controlled device ( S234).

    As described above, in the present embodiment, for example, information on the current position of the remote control device, a command for performing a desired operation, and the like by a signal in a mode suitable for the device identified as the controlled device to be controlled. Information can be reliably transmitted to the controlled device. On the liquid crystal television 100 side as the controlled device in this example, the information transmitted in step S234 is received (S131), and as described with reference to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, or FIG. Based on the received information, an operation mode is selected (S132).

After the operation of step S234 on the remote controller side, as in step S203 described with reference to FIG. 4, the accumulated error relating to the calculated position by the current position calculating means is reset (S235), and the process ends. The operation on the side of the liquid crystal television is ended with the execution of step S132 described above.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of still another embodiment of the present invention. The remote controller 200 as the remote control device has the same configuration as that of FIG. 3 in the block diagram, and the liquid crystal television 100 as the controlled device is also the same as that in FIG. The user performs an operation of selecting the type of purpose of use on the operation unit of the remote controller 200, and the purpose of use recognition by the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230 recognizes this purpose of use (S241).

  The purpose of use is, for example, that the remote controller 200 is used as a pointing device or used for a user's determination. There may be a plurality of devices corresponding to the purpose of use recognized in step S241. For example, even a television that is applied to the same pointing object may be a large liquid crystal television that is suitable for viewing in large numbers, or may be smaller than this.

  Therefore, as described with reference to FIG. 9, for example, the user performs a specific behavior such that the remote controller 200 is directed toward the screen 102 and the diagonal line DL is traced once and again for the liquid crystal television 100 intended to be used. In the same manner as in Steps S231 to S233 of FIG. 8, the remote control 200 is caused to specify the controlled device to be actually used (S242). In the execution of step S242, the same relative position detection means, movement trajectory information generation means, specific movement mode information extraction means, and control object identification means as in the case of FIG. 8 function.

  The remote controller 200 prepares for control such as the type of the control command signal (code) and the definition of the function of the operation key of the operation unit 231 so as to conform to the controlled device specified in step S242 (in this example, the liquid crystal television 100). The operation is executed (S243). Next, the detection characteristic of the relative position detection unit 211 formed of an inertial sensor or the like is recognized by the detection characteristic adjustment unit 212 (and the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230) and the controlled device specified in step S242 and in step S241. Adjustment is made to suit the purpose of use (S244).

  Based on the detection output of the relative position detection means 211 that has been activated according to the detection characteristics adjusted in step S244, position information and movement trajectory information are generated in the same manner as described above (S245). The information transmission unit transmits the signal to the controlled device (the liquid crystal television 100) by a signal in a mode suitable for the controlled device identified as the controlled object identified by the controlled object identifying unit (S246). The liquid crystal television receives the transmitted information (S141), and based on the received information, the intended operation such as pointing can be properly executed (S142).

  After the operation of step S246 on the remote controller side, the accumulated error related to the calculated position by the current position calculating means is reset (S247), as in step S203 described with reference to FIG. 4, and the process ends. The operation on the liquid crystal television side ends with the execution of step S142 described above. According to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 9, for example, detection characteristics such as detection sensitivity characteristics can be optimized according to the purpose of use. Thereafter, detection of the relative position detection means in this state is performed. Desired detection is performed by the output, and information such as a command for performing a desired operation is reliably transmitted to the controlled device by a signal in a mode suitable for the controlled device as the identification result. be able to.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of a control system (liquid crystal television system) 100 + 200 as another embodiment of the present invention including the liquid crystal television 100 and the remote controller 200. 10, first, on the remote controller 200 side having the configuration of FIG. 3, after the operation is started, the relative position detecting means 211, the detection characteristic adjusting means 212, and the system are the same as described with reference to FIG. A current position calculation unit configured by a corresponding functional unit of the controller 230 calculates a current position of the remote control device (remote controller 200) to generate current position information representing the position, and a corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230 Further, the movement trajectory information relating to the movement trajectory of the remote controller 200 is generated by the movement trajectory information generation means (S251).

  Next, based on the movement trajectory information generated in step S251, the controlled device to be controlled is estimated by the control target estimation means by the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230 (S252). Next, the preparatory operation start information generating means by the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230 generates preparatory operation start information for starting the preparatory operation for operating the controlled device that is the control target estimated in step S252 ( S253).

  Furthermore, the preparation operation for operation is, for example, an operation corresponding to preparation of an intended operation such as supplying power or preparing content. Information including the preparatory operation activation information generated in step S253 is transmitted to the controlled device (in this example, the liquid crystal television 100) by the information transmission means described above (S254). The liquid crystal television 100 receives the preparatory operation activation information (S151), and responds to the received preparatory operation activation information to supply the above-mentioned power or prepare the content. An operation corresponding to preparation is executed (S152).

  After the operation of step S254 on the remote controller side, the accumulated error relating to the calculated position by the current position calculating means is reset (S255), as in step S203 described with reference to FIG. 4, and the process ends. The preparation operation on the side of the liquid crystal television is ended with the execution of step S152 described above. According to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 10, for example, the controlled device to be controlled is estimated based on the movement trajectory information of the movement trajectory along the user's flow line toward the specific controlled device. The

  In the example described with reference to FIG. 6 described above, for example, the movement trajectories L2, L3, etc. are courses when the master of the family heads for the battery charger 500 of the remote controller of the liquid crystal television 100 in the dining room 1003. Since it is possible to estimate that the target controlled device is estimated to be the liquid crystal television 100, for example, power is supplied to the estimated controlled device or content is prepared. Preparation operation start information for starting a preparation operation is generated. On the side of the liquid crystal television 100 that has received the preparatory operation activation information, the preparatory operation as described above can be activated accordingly, and a system with excellent responsiveness as viewed from the user side can be realized.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of a control system (liquid crystal television system) 100 + 200 according to still another embodiment of the present invention including the liquid crystal television 100 and the remote controller 200. 12, first, on the remote controller 200 side having the configuration of FIG. 3, after the operation is started, the relative position detecting means 211, the detection characteristic adjusting means 212, and the system are the same as described with reference to FIG. A current position calculation unit configured by a corresponding functional unit of the controller 230 calculates a current position of the remote control device (remote controller 200) to generate current position information representing the position, and a corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230 Further, the movement trajectory information related to the movement trajectory of the remote controller 200 is generated by the movement trajectory information generation means (S261).

  Movement history information which is a time-series form of the movement position or movement locus of the remote controller 200 related to the information obtained in step S261 is held one by one by the movement history holding means by the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230 (S262). The relationship between the current position information generated in step S261 and the operation mode on the controlled device corresponding to the position varies depending on the time. Therefore, the relationship between the two is a one-to-many relationship.

For example, even if a remote control (and therefore a user or a viewer) exists at the same position, if the time is early in the morning on weekdays, news relating to weather forecasts and traffic conditions has a high priority as content, and holidays In the evening hours, content related to art and entertainment is high priority.
Therefore, in this embodiment, while estimating the user based on the movement history information held in step S262, time information is obtained and estimated by performing the time measuring operation by the time management means by the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230. Considering the behavior type according to the user's time, etc., the relationship between the current position information in the one-to-many correspondence relationship as described above and the operation mode on the controlled device side corresponds to the corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230. The operation mode selection information generating means according to (1) executes processing to narrow down to a one-to-one relationship (S263). In other words, the process of step S263 is to generate operation mode selection information that defines the operation mode that the controlled device should take at an arbitrary time.

  The operation mode selection information representing the relationship between the current position information narrowed down to the one-to-one relationship in step S263 and the operation mode on the controlled device side is transmitted to the liquid crystal television 100 side by the above-described information transmission means (S264). . The liquid crystal television 100 side receives the operation mode selection information (S161), and performs operation mode selection such as content selection based on the received operation mode selection information (S162).

  After the operation of step S264 on the remote controller side, as in step S203 described with reference to FIG. 4, the accumulated error relating to the calculated position by the current position calculating means is reset (S265), and the process ends. The operation on the liquid crystal television side ends with the execution of step S162 described above. According to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 11, the operation mode to be taken by the controlled device (liquid crystal television 100) at a certain managed time (arbitrary time) is the time information and the remote control device (remote control). The operation mode selection information can be generated and transmitted to the controlled device side by selecting each of the information of the movement history information 200) and the current position information of the remote controller 200. Upon receiving this operation mode selection information, the controlled device can select an operation in a mode in which each of the above information is taken into consideration.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of still another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the remote control as the remote control device has the configuration shown in FIG. 3 as a block diagram, and the display screen of the controlled device (for example, liquid crystal television) based on the detection output of the relative position detection means 211 The pointing information generating means (corresponding functional part of the system controller 230) for generating pointing information for specifying the position on the (screen 102) and the remote control 200 based on the detection output of the relative position detecting means 211. Based on the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generating means (corresponding functional part of the system controller 230) for generating the movement trajectory information related to the movement trajectory and the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means, the recognition is performed. User recognition means for generating user recognition information to represent (system controller 2 Comprising appropriate functional units) and 0.

  Furthermore, a position detection mode for detecting the position of itself based on the current position information by the current position calculation means, and a pointing mode for performing pointing by specifying a position on the screen 102 of the liquid crystal television 100 based on the pointing information described above. And a mode selection means (corresponding functional unit of the system controller 230) for selecting any one of the three modes of the user recognition mode for recognizing the user based on the user recognition information described above. I have.

  At the beginning of the operation, the remote control device (remote controller 200) determines the operation mode selected and operated by the user's operation on its operation unit 231 (S271). When the determination result in step S271 is the pointing mode, the detection characteristic adjustment unit 212 adjusts the detection characteristic of the relative position detection unit 211 to be compatible with the pointing mode (S272), and the detection characteristic is adjusted in this way. A predetermined pointing operation is executed based on the detection output of the relative position detecting means 211 (S273).

  When the determination result in step S271 is the position detection mode, the detection characteristic adjustment unit 212 adjusts the detection characteristic of the relative position detection unit 211 to match the position detection mode (S274), and the detection characteristic is adjusted in this way. Based on the detected output of the relative position detecting means 211, a predetermined position detecting operation is executed (S275). On the other hand, when the determination result in step S271 is the user recognition mode, the detection characteristic adjustment unit 212 adjusts the detection characteristic of the relative position detection unit 211 to match the user recognition mode (S276). A predetermined user recognition operation is executed based on the detection output of the relative position detection means 211 adjusted for (S277).

  After the pointing operation (S273), the position detecting operation (S275), and the user recognizing operation (S277) are completed, the accumulation related to the calculated position by the current position calculating means is performed as in step S203 described with reference to FIG. The error is reset (S278), and the process ends. In the embodiment of FIG. 12, a position detection mode for detecting the position of itself, a pointing mode for specifying the position on the display screen of the corresponding controlled device and pointing, a user recognition mode for recognizing the user, As a remote control device, any one of the modes can be selectively functioned and the detection characteristics of the relative position detection means are adjusted to be appropriate according to the selected mode. The accuracy and accuracy of the operation are ensured to a high level, and the accuracy and accuracy of the operation on the controlled device side are also secured to a high level.

  FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automatic explanation device for an aquarium. The example shown in the figure is a system in which audio explanations are automatically broadcast at an appropriate timing for a creature in a huge panoramic migratory tank. A facility storage unit EM is formed to cover cables and electrical circuits and other facilities so as to protrude in a band-like manner along the lower side of the transparent screen SR made of acrylic thick plate so as to protrude from the front side. The infrared signal light receiving parts IR1, IR2,... Are further adjacent to the infrared signal light receiving parts IR1, IR2,. Speakers LS1, LS2,...

  Each spectator SP1, SP2,... Carries a remote controller RC1, RC2,. Each remote controller RC1, RC2,... Detects the current position and movement locus as described above based on the detection output of the relative position detection means, and information indicating the detection result is automatically red by a signal by infrared light. The positions of the corresponding remote controllers RC1, RC2,..., And thus the positions of the audience SP1, SP2,. Be recognized.

  When the positions of the spectators SP1, SP2,... (Remote controllers RC1, RC2,...) Are recognized, the spectators SP1, SP2 are respectively connected from the speakers LS1, LS2,. , ... will automatically broadcast a commentary about the creature that is in the field of view or is about to enter. That is, the position of the organism in the aquarium to be explained is determined by detecting the signal generated by the ultrasonic tag attached to each individual by the principle of passive sonar, and using the remote controls RC1, RC2,. The living thing in the visual field is judged according to the position of the audience recognized based on the signal, and the corresponding explanation is broadcast from the speakers LS1, LS2,.

  As shown in the figure, when the audience SP1 on the left hand side of the screen SR operates the corresponding voice activation request button of the operation unit at the timing when the explanation is desired using the remote controller RC1, the position is recognized as described above, and the audience SP1. As for the shark, which is trying to cross the field of view of the spectator SP1, from the speaker LS1 that is closest to the "Snow shark is now trying to cross the front of the customer with the first remote control." , A fish of the Hammerhead family that inhabit the temperate and tropical seas of the world. Some individuals grow up to 6 meters and are the largest species of hammerhead sharks. Broadcast with directivity from LS1 toward the audience SP1.

  Similarly, for the audience SP2 who is on the right side of the screen SR and the green turtle cm is in front of her eyes, “The green turtle is coming to the front of the customer with the second remote control.” “Turtle eyes, sea turtle Reptiles of the family that inhabit the tropical to temperate seas or the Mediterranean Sea, and some that range from 80 centimeters to over 1 meter in length ... "commentary from the speaker LS2 towards the audience SP2 Broadcast with directivity. Even if the explanations as described above are broadcast simultaneously from the speakers LS1 and LS2, the audience SP1 and SP2 are broadcast with the directivity in which the explanations about the objects that they are paying attention to, so there is not much interference. It is possible to watch without worrying.

  Although the above is an example applied to a large panoramic aquarium, depending on the position of the audience, even a relatively small aquarium that bred and displays limited types of creatures. If it is configured to broadcast a commentary that is optimal or adaptive and adapts to the audience's field of view, a comfortable automatic commentary system that is extremely easy to hear even under some background noise can be realized.

  In the embodiment applied to the aquarium described above, the explanation may be displayed on a display provided in the remote control. In particular, in a small aquarium, the range of movement of organisms to be explained is limited, so the signal of the ultrasonic tag affixed to each individual organism in a large aquarium is sent with passive sonar. Equipment to capture can be omitted.

  FIG. 15 shows a control system substantially similar to the control system (liquid crystal television system) 100 + 200 described with reference to FIG. 1, in which the remote control device (remote control 200) communicates with the external device described above with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment in which a cooperative operation with an external information processing apparatus is performed through an interface 240). In FIG. 15, the parts corresponding to those of FIG. 1 described above are shown with the same reference numerals.

  The liquid crystal television 100 is configured such that its operation can be controlled in response to a control signal by infrared light or the like from a remote controller 200 as a corresponding remote control device. The liquid crystal television 100 has a housing 102 with a screen 102 for projecting images, a left speaker 103 and a right speaker 104 constituting a stereo acoustic device at a position lower than the bottom of the screen 102, and the screen 102. A light receiving window 105 that receives a control signal Sc (illustrated by a two-dot chain line) by infrared light or the like from the remote controller 200 is provided immediately below the bottom right.

  On the other hand, the remote controller 200 has an independent casing 201 that can be arranged at a position separated from the liquid crystal television 100 (its casing 101). The internal configuration is the same as that of FIG. 3 on the block diagram. And the control system (liquid crystal television system) 100 + 200 of this invention is comprised including the above-mentioned liquid crystal television 100 and the remote control 200. FIG. The control signal Sc using infrared light or the like includes various information related to communication between the liquid crystal television and the remote controller in addition to a signal representing information itself for controlling the liquid crystal television 100 according to an arbitrary operation of the operator. 1 is also the same as the embodiment described with reference to FIG.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 3, the remote controller 200 includes an external device interface 240 as communication means for performing communication with a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer) 300 as an external information processing apparatus. More precisely, the communication means is configured to include the corresponding functional unit of the external device interface 240 and the system controller 230 to which the external device interface 240 is connected.

  Since the personal computer 300 is further connected to the Internet 400, it is possible to acquire and use various data through the Internet 400 in addition to the data held by the personal computer 300. Therefore, according to the control system of FIG. 15, in addition to the operation of the control system of FIG. 1, by utilizing the function of the external information processing device through this communication means, the burden on the remote control device itself is greatly increased. It becomes possible to perform more advanced control with a simple configuration without any problems.

  In order to perform the operation described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12 in the remote controller 200, it is necessary to perform necessary learning in advance and store the result in the memory 231. In addition, when the layout of the interior of the house is changed due to renovation or the like as described with reference to FIG. 6 or the layout of the interior of the house is not changed, the arrangement of the liquid crystal television and the arrangement of other furniture are not changed. It is necessary to revise the learning contents every time the flow line of the scheduled user of the system is changed.

  The system of FIG. 15 provides a support program for new learning in response to such a change, or the case where the layout of the interior of the house belongs to a predetermined pattern, such as after the revision Various conveniences can be provided for the user, such as obtaining information through the above-described communication means, such as opening a way to obtain a floor plan corresponding to the layout, or receiving a guide or assistance.

  In the above-described system, in the process of recognizing the user (expressed as determination in the description with reference to FIG. 6 and hereinafter referred to as determination), automatic determination is based on the position of the remote control or the movement trajectory. As described above, an interactive man-machine interface method may be adopted for this processing. That is, the processing in step S112 on the controlled device (liquid crystal television 100) side in FIG. 5, the processing in step S222 on the control device (remote control 200) side in FIG. 7, and the control device (remote control 200) side in FIG. In step S277, all of the processes are automatically determined, but an interactive method may be introduced to the user determination process.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining an example in which an interactive method is introduced into the user determination process. In this flowchart, the case where the user determination process is executed on the control device (remote control 200) side and the case where the user determination process is executed on the controlled device (liquid crystal television 100) side are abstracted so as to correspond. Upon entering this process, first, regarding the position of the remote controller 200 as a control device (and hence the user carrying it) and information on the movement locus (hereinafter referred to as movement locus information), the correspondence between the movement locus information and the user is related. Based on the correlation between the acquired information (appropriate so-called default value information is set for the first time) and the newly detected information, the ranking of the most likely user is estimated (S281). The display is recognizable by the user (S282).

  In the case of display by the remote controller 200, a known liquid crystal display unit is provided and displayed here, or a display signal is transmitted to a corresponding liquid crystal television and displayed on the screen. May be. The user visually recognizes this display and waits until there is a response regarding the suitability of the priority order determination (S283), and determines whether there is an instruction to change the displayed priority order from the actual user according to the response content. (S284).

  When the user gives an instruction to change the priority order (in this case, the user name displayed at the top in the display in step S282 is not the actual user, but the actual user wants to make himself the top) A change instruction is issued by an appropriate operation such as moving the cursor and pressing the enter button at the corresponding location), learning information about the degree of accuracy of judgment by updating the information of the default priority (moving trajectory information and The statistical value of the occurrence frequency for each correspondence with the user is updated (S285).

  Subsequent to step S285, the user with the highest priority after the update (that is, the user operated by the real user to make himself the highest) is determined as the determination target (S286). On the other hand, when there is no priority order change instruction from the user (in this case, the real user confirms that the user name displayed at the top in the display of step S282 is the same as the real user and the current judgment is correct). It responds by an appropriate operation such as pressing the decision button), and learns to maintain the information of the predetermined priority order and treat the current priority order as being highly accurate (S287).

  When the information on the default priority is updated as in step S285 and the actual user changes the priority to the highest level, the user with the highest priority in the changed priority is set as the user. On the other hand, if the default priority information is not updated as in step S287, the current highest priority user is determined as the user (S288), and the user determination process is performed. finish.

  By adopting the above-described interactive man-machine interface method for user determination processing, the accuracy of determination can be increased as the number of uses increases, and a system that improves usability as it is used is realized. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to discriminate with high accuracy and make a correct determination even for users with similar sex. In addition, there is a case where one user who has learned a specific movement (operations such as changing the posture of the remote control or shaking) once to learn and determine his / herself can be read by other users. However, it is also possible to protect the privacy by having the system learn different movements and different correspondences between the movement trajectory and the user.

  In the various embodiments of the present invention described above, in a device having an aspect like the above-described remote controller, the user who owns the device or the position of the electronic device to which the device is attached or attached is recognized. Therefore, in the case where the electronic device is a radio wave receiving device, an application may be considered in which an optimum frequency band for reception is selected depending on the position. That is, as an example, when content with the same content is broadcast in a plurality of types of frequency bands, the frequency band to be applied is selected based on the current position information. Or, if you can only receive from the satellite on the south side, such as mobile broadcasting, receive the radio wave from the satellite under the situation that the antenna is located on the south side from the information of the position and direction, and if you are not in this situation For example, it is automatically switched to reception from a gap filler.

  In each of the above embodiments, Bluetooth (registered trademark), IEEE802.11b, IEEE802.11g, or the like can be applied to communication between apparatuses. In addition, a portable information terminal such as a cellular phone is used as the above-mentioned remote controller, and switching to a call using a wireless IP network is performed according to information indicating a relative position, or voice information is provided using Bluetooth (registered trademark). May be equal.

It is a conceptual diagram showing the control system (liquid crystal television system) as embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the liquid crystal television in the control system of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the remote control in the control system of FIG. It is a flowchart showing the outline | summary of operation | movement of the control system as embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing the outline | summary of operation | movement of the control system (liquid crystal television system) as other embodiment of this invention. In other embodiment of this invention, it is a figure explaining the method of determining automatically the user who carries a remote control and moves. It is a flowchart showing the outline | summary of operation | movement of the control system as further another embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing the outline | summary of operation | movement of the control system as further another embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a situation in which a user has a remote control as an embodiment of the present invention and causes the remote control to recognize the controlled device by performing a specific behavior with respect to the controlled device to be controlled. . It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of other embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing the outline | summary of operation | movement of the control system (liquid crystal television system) as other embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing the outline | summary of operation | movement of the control system (liquid crystal television system) as further another embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of other embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram showing embodiment which applied this invention to the automatic description apparatus of the aquarium. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment in which a remote control device performs a cooperative operation with an external information processing device through a communication unit in a control system substantially similar to FIG. 1. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Liquid crystal television, 101 ... Case, 102 ... Screen, 103 ... Left speaker, 104 ... Right speaker, 105 ... Light receiving window, 110 ... Antenna, 120 ... Demodulation / filtering part, 130 ... Video processing part, 140 ... Audio processing 141, left amplifier, 142 ... right amplifier, 143 ... left speaker, 144 ... right speaker, 150 ... OSD unit, 160 ... liquid crystal display, 170 ... system controller, 171 ... operation unit, 172 ... memory , 181 ... Remote control signal receiving unit, 182 ... Remote control signal decoding unit, 200 ... Remote control, 201 ... Housing, 211 ... Relative position detection unit, 212 ... Detection characteristic adjustment unit, 220 ... Control signal projection unit, 230 ... System controller, 231 ... operation unit, 232 ... memory, 240 ... external device interface, 251 ... char Turbocharger connection detection unit, 300 ... PC, 400 ... Internet, 1000 ... Housing, 1001 ... stairs, 1002 ... water around the room, 1003 ... dining room, 1004 ... sofa.

Claims (15)

A control system comprising a remote control device and a controlled device that can be controlled by the remote control device,
The remote control device includes a housing that is configured separately from the controlled device, a relative position detection unit that is provided in the housing and detects a relative change in its own position in a non-contact manner, and the relative position Current position calculation means for calculating the current position of the remote control device relative to the position of the controlled device based on the detection output of the detection means and generating current position information representing the position; and the current position calculation means An information transmission means for transmitting the current position information generated by
The controlled device includes an information receiving means for receiving current position information transmitted from the information transmitting means of the remote control device, and an operation mode for selecting an operation mode based on the current position information received by the information receiving means. And a selection means.   A controlled device configured to be controlled by a predetermined remote control device configured separately from the self, wherein the remote control device depends on a detection output of its own relative position detection means and Information receiving means for receiving the current position information when calculating the current position of the remote control device relative to the position of the control device and transmitting the position information representing the position to the outside as the current position information; and the information reception An operation mode selection means for selecting an operation mode based on the current position information received by the means.   A remote control device capable of performing predetermined control on a controlled device and having a housing separate from the controlled device, provided in the housing without contact with relative changes in its position Relative position detection means that detects the current position of the remote control device relative to the position of the controlled device based on the detection output of the relative position detection means, and generates current position information representing the position A remote control device comprising: a current position calculating means that transmits the current position information generated by the current position calculating means to the outside.   4. The detection characteristic adjusting unit according to claim 3, further comprising a detection characteristic adjusting unit configured to adjust a detection output of the relative position detecting unit to have a characteristic suitable for a current position calculation calculation in the current position calculating unit. Remote control device.   The remote control device according to claim 3, further comprising cumulative error resetting means for resetting cumulative error included in the current position information generated by the current position calculating means.   The information processing means further includes movement trajectory information generation means for generating movement trajectory information related to the movement trajectory of the remote control device based on the detection output of the relative position detection means, and the information transmission means is the movement generated by the movement trajectory information generation means. The remote control device according to claim 3, wherein trajectory information is also transmitted to the outside.   The information receiving means is also configured to receive movement trajectory information relating to the movement trajectory of the remote control device transmitted from the information transmission means of the remote control device, and based on the movement trajectory information received by the information receiving means. The controlled device according to claim 2, further comprising user recognition means for recognizing the user.   Based on the detection output of the relative position detection means, the movement trajectory information generation means for generating movement trajectory information related to the movement trajectory of the remote control device, and the user based on the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means. It further comprises user recognition means for recognizing and generating user recognition information representing the recognition, and the information transmission means is configured to transmit the user recognition information generated by the user recognition means to the outside. The remote control device according to claim 3, wherein   The information receiving means is configured to receive user recognition information representing the user recognized on the remote control device side transmitted from the information transmission means of the remote control device, and the user recognition information received by the information receiving means. The controlled apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an operation mode selection unit that selects an operation mode according to the operation mode.   Based on the detection output of the relative position detection means, the movement trajectory information generation means for generating movement trajectory information related to the movement trajectory of the remote control device, and the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means, Specific movement mode information extraction means for extracting the specific movement mode information when the specific movement mode information scheduled as corresponding to the behavior is included, and the specific movement mode information extracted by the specific movement mode information extraction means Control information identifying means for identifying a controlled device to be controlled based on the information transmission means, wherein the information transmitting means is information by a signal in a mode suitable for the controlled device to be controlled identified by the control object identifying means. The remote control device according to claim 3, wherein the remote control device is configured to transmit a message.   Use purpose recognizing means for recognizing the type of purpose of use based on an operation on its own operation unit, and a movement locus for generating movement locus information related to the movement locus of the remote control device based on the detection output of the relative position detecting means. When the movement path information generated by the information generation unit and the movement path information generation unit includes specific movement mode information scheduled to correspond to the user's specific behavior, the specific movement mode information is extracted. A specific movement mode information extraction unit, a control target identification unit for identifying a controlled device to be controlled that is suitable for the purpose of use based on the specific movement mode information extracted by the specific movement mode information extraction unit, and the relative A detection feature that adjusts the detection output of the position detection means so that it has characteristics that match the identification result of the controlled object identification means and the intended use. Adjusting means, wherein the information transmitting means is configured to transmit information by a signal in a mode suitable for the controlled device to be controlled identified by the control target identifying means. Item 4. The remote control device according to Item 3.   Based on the detection output of the relative position detection means, the movement trajectory information generation means for generating movement trajectory information related to the movement trajectory of the remote control device, and the control object based on the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means Control target estimation means for estimating a controlled device to be controlled, and preparatory operation start information for starting a preparation operation for operating the controlled device estimated to be a controlled device to be controlled by the control target estimation means Preparatory operation activation information generating means for generating the preparatory operation activation information generated by the preliminary operation activation information generating means in the controlled device to be controlled estimated by the control object estimation means 4. The remote control device according to claim 3, wherein the remote control device is configured to transmit information.   Time management means for performing timekeeping operation and outputting time information; movement history holding means for holding movement history information representing the movement history of the remote control device; and position information generated by the current position calculation means; An operation for generating operation mode selection information that defines an operation mode to be taken by the controlled device at an arbitrary time point based on the time information output from the time management unit and the movement history information held in the movement history holding unit. A mode selection information generating unit, wherein the information transmission unit is configured to transmit the operation mode selection information generated by the operation mode selection information generation unit to the outside. 4. The remote control device according to 3.   Based on the detection output of the relative position detection means, the pointing information generation means for specifying the position on the display screen of the controlled device and generating the pointing information for pointing, and the detection based on the detection output of the relative position detection means Movement trajectory information generating means for generating movement trajectory information related to the movement trajectory of the remote control device, and generating user recognition information representing the recognition by recognizing the user based on the movement trajectory information generated by the movement trajectory information generation means. Pointing to the user by identifying the position on the display screen of the controlled device based on the pointing information and the position detection mode in which the user's position is detected based on the current position information obtained by the current position calculating means. User recognition mode for recognizing a user based on a pointing mode and the user recognition information The remote control device according to claim 3, characterized in that the mode selection means for selecting one of the modes, further comprising a of the modes.   15. The remote control device according to claim 14, further comprising a detection characteristic adjusting unit that adjusts a detection characteristic of the relative position detection unit according to a mode selected by the mode selection unit.

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