JP2009038419A - Remote controller and electronic equipment system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote controller which can reduce the number of buttons being operated by a user as compared with prior art. <P>SOLUTION: The remote controller has operation buttons, and a plurality of sections which transmits signals for operating electronic equipment by operating the operation buttons. The signals being transmitted from the plurality of transmitting sections have different directions. Furthermore, the plurality of transmitting sections transmit signals different from each other. In order to make the user recognize the direction of the remote controller, the remote controller may be painted or it may be recognized by the profile. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) for operating an electronic device, and more particularly to a remote controller capable of reducing operation buttons.

  Conventionally, an invention for reducing the number of operation buttons of a remote controller has been proposed in order to eliminate the complexity of operation by a user. As an example, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a remote controller that switches a signal transmitted from each button to an electronic device by providing a mode switching button. Note that mode switching according to the invention described in this document refers to switching of an electronic device to be operated by a remote controller, and a signal transmitted by pressing each button by the mode switching is a signal corresponding to the switched mode. Become.

JP-A-3-53798

  By the way, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, a mode switching button is eventually necessary, and there is still room for eliminating the complexity of remote control operation by the user depending on the number of buttons.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a remote controller that can reduce the number of buttons compared to the invention described in Patent Document 1.

  The first remote controller of the present invention includes an operation button and a plurality of transmission units that transmit signals for operating the electronic device by operating the operation button, and signals transmitted from the plurality of transmission units It is characterized by different directions.

  The second remote controller of the present invention is characterized in that a signal for causing the electronic device to perform different operations is transmitted from a plurality of transmission units by operating one operation button.

  The third remote controller of the present invention is characterized in that a signal for causing a plurality of electronic devices to perform different operations is transmitted from a plurality of transmission units by operating one operation button.

  The first electronic device system of the present invention includes an operation button and a plurality of transmission units that transmit signals for operating the electronic device by operating the operation button, and signals transmitted from the plurality of transmission units. Remote controllers having different directions, and an electronic device that determines that the signal received first among the signals transmitted from the plurality of transmission units is a signal corresponding to an operation desired by the user. Features.

  The second electronic device system of the present invention includes an operation button and a plurality of transmission units that transmit signals for operating the electronic device by operating the operation button, and signals transmitted from the plurality of transmission units. Remote controllers having different directions, and an electronic device that determines that the signal received first among the signals transmitted from the plurality of transmission units is a signal corresponding to an operation desired by the user. Features.

  According to a third electronic device system of the present invention, a remote controller is characterized in that a signal for causing a plurality of transmitters to perform different operations is transmitted from a plurality of transmission units by operating one operation button. And an electronic device that determines that a signal received first among the signals transmitted from the plurality of transmitting units is a signal corresponding to an operation desired by the user.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the remote control which can reduce the complexity of operation of a remote control by a user by reducing the number of buttons compared with the past can be provided.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view for explaining a remote controller 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the remote controller 10 according to the present embodiment. In order to simplify the description, the present embodiment will be described with a single operation button of the remote controller, but the operations described below are the same even if there are a plurality of buttons.

  First, an outline of the remote controller according to the present embodiment will be described. In the remote control of the present invention, a plurality of transmission units are provided, and when a button on the remote control is pressed, a separate signal is transmitted from each transmission unit. Of course, the direction of the signal transmitted from each transmitter is different. This will be described in detail below.

  1 and 2, the remote controller 10 includes a button 11, a first transmission unit 12, a second transmission unit 13, and a transmission control unit 14. When the button 11 is pressed, the first transmission unit 12 and the second transmission unit 13 transmit different signals under the control of the transmission control unit 14. Here, the signals transmitted from the transmission unit 12 and the transmission unit 13 are different signals, and are signals associated with the buttons 11, for example, infrared rays.

  Here, an example of signals transmitted from the transmission unit 12 and the transmission unit 13 will be described. The transmission unit 12 transmits a signal for operating the TV, for example, a signal for channel switching, from the transmission unit 13. A signal for operating the video, for example, a signal for fast-forwarding is transmitted.

  In such a case, when operating the TV, the user operates the remote controller 10 with the transmitter 12 facing the TV, and when operating the video, the user operates the remote controller 10 with the transmitter 13 facing the video. To do. In this way, although two signals are transmitted, the device to be operated is specified depending on the direction of the remote controller 10, and the desired device operates.

  A single device can also be operated by the remote controller 10. For example, when the device operated by the remote controller 10 is a video, when the button 11 is pressed, for example, a fast-forward signal is sent from the transmitter 12 and a rewind signal is sent from the transmitter 13. In this way, although two signals themselves are transmitted, it is possible to cause the video to perform a desired operation depending on the direction of the remote controller 10.

  Further, the remote controller 10 shown in FIG. 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and this makes it difficult for the user to know which direction the remote controller is directed to operate a desired device. In view of this, there is a method of visually informing the user by simply indicating an arrow indicating the direction on the remote control, or by color-coding (shaded area is a different color) as shown in FIG. Of course, depending on the shape, for example, the height of the remote controller 10 can be changed in the direction of the transmission unit 11 and the direction of the transmission unit 12, so that the user can be notified tactilely.

  Here, referring to FIG. 3, the remote controller 20 has a triangular prism shape (a top view in the figure), and a transmission unit 22 and a transmission unit 23 are provided at the apex and in the vicinity of opposite sides, respectively. Of course, the direction of the signal transmitted from the transmission unit 22 when the user presses the button 21 is different from the direction of the signal transmitted from the transmission unit 23. This example is an example of tactilely telling the user the direction of the remote controller 20.

  Next, although two examples of signals transmitted by pressing one button have been described so far, three or more signals may be transmitted from three or more transmitters by one button. For example, FIG. 4 is a view of the remote controller 30 formed on the hexagonal column as viewed from the top. However, referring to FIG. 4, there is a transmission unit at each vertex, and different signals are generated by the user pressing one button. Is sent. In order to make the user recognize the direction of the remote controller 30, a visual method such as color coding may be employed, or a method of tactilely conveying the direction to the user by changing the shape depending on the orientation may be employed. . Signals transmitted from the six transmission units are transmitted in different directions.

  Here, when there is one electronic device operated by the above-described remote controller, it is assumed that an unintended signal among signals transmitted from a plurality of transmission units may be input to the electronic device due to reflection on a wall or the like. The In that case, the signal that first arrived at the electronic device, that is, the signal that was first received by the electronic device is determined as the signal desired by the user.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the number of buttons on the remote control can be reduced as compared with the conventional case.

  The button may be a mechanical device such as a membrane switch or an electronic device such as a touch panel.

It is an external view for demonstrating the remote control 10 of this Embodiment. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the remote control 10 of this Embodiment. It is an external view for demonstrating a triangular prism-shaped remote control. It is an external view for demonstrating a hexagonal column-shaped remote control.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Remote control 11 Button 12 1st transmission part 13 2nd transmission part 14 Transmission control part 20 Remote control 21 Button 22 1st transmission part 23 2nd transmission part 30 Remote control

Claims (10)

  It has an operation button and a plurality of transmission units that transmit signals for operating the electronic device by operating the operation button, and directions of signals transmitted from the plurality of transmission units are different from each other. Remote controller.   The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein signals transmitted from the plurality of transmission units are different from each other.   The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the remote controller is colored so that the user can recognize the direction of the remote controller so that the user can recognize the direction of the remote controller.   The remote controller according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the remote controller has a shape that allows the user to recognize the direction of the remote controller so that the user can recognize the direction of the remote controller. A remote controller having an operation button and a plurality of transmission units that transmit signals for operating the electronic device by operating the operation button, and different directions of signals transmitted from the plurality of transmission units,
An electronic apparatus system comprising: an electronic apparatus that determines that a signal received first among signals transmitted from the plurality of transmission units is a signal corresponding to an operation desired by a user.   A remote controller, wherein a signal for causing a plurality of transmitters to perform different operations is transmitted from a plurality of transmission units by operating one operation button.   A remote controller, wherein a signal for causing a plurality of electronic devices to perform different operations is transmitted from a plurality of transmission units by operating one operation button.   The remote controller according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of transmission units corresponds to the plurality of electronic devices on a one-to-one basis. The remote controller according to claim 6, wherein directions transmitted from the plurality of transmission units are different from each other.
A remote controller characterized by transmitting signals for performing different operations to the electronic device from a plurality of transmission units by operating one operation button;
An electronic apparatus system comprising: an electronic apparatus that determines that a signal received first among signals transmitted from the plurality of transmission units is a signal corresponding to an operation desired by a user.

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