JP2009038482A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote controller enabling a user with a simple operation to simultaneously controlling a plurality of projectors and individually controlling each of the projectors to be controlled. <P>SOLUTION: The remote controller 1 having a plurality of operation buttons 20, 30 and outputting an optical signal corresponding to each of the operation buttons 20, 30 to control a plurality of projectors is provided with a first transmission section 10 for generating an optical signal and projecting the optical signal to a wide irradiation range, and a second transmission section 11 for generating an optical signal and projecting the optical signal to a small irradiation range. In the remote controller 1, the first transmission section 10 is selected as a transmission section for outputting an optical signal in response to the operation to the common operation button 20, and the second transmission section 11 is selected as a transmission section for outputting an optical signal in response to the operation to the individual operation button 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote controller, and more particularly, to a remote controller that includes a plurality of operation buttons and outputs an optical signal corresponding to each operation button to control a device to be controlled.

  Conventionally, a remote controller that transmits an optical signal to a control target device such as a television to control the control target device is widely known. For example, there is a remote controller that includes a plurality of operation buttons and outputs a modulated optical signal from a light emitting diode or the like (see Patent Document 1).

This type of remote control is used for various purposes, and for example, it is also applied to a projector for projecting an image.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-48470

  By the way, recently, projectors are frequently used in conferences and the like, and it is predicted that conferences are often performed by arranging a plurality of projectors and projecting a plurality of images.

  Therefore, it is desirable that a plurality of projectors can be controlled simultaneously or individually for each projector by an operation with one remote controller.

  In Patent Document 1, a wide directivity infrared light emitting diode with a wide irradiation range and a narrow directivity infrared light emitting diode with a narrow irradiation range are provided, and one of the light emitting diodes is switched and selected by a user's operation. If this remote control is used as a remote control for controlling a projector, a plurality of projectors can be controlled simultaneously or individually for each projector by a directivity switching operation. it can.

  However, the remote control described in Patent Document 1 requires a switching operation by the user, which makes the operation complicated and may cause an operation error.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a remote controller that can simultaneously control a plurality of control target devices or control each control target device individually by a simple operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a remote controller that includes a plurality of operation buttons, outputs a light signal corresponding to each operation button, and controls a plurality of devices to be controlled. A first light emitting unit that generates a signal and projects the optical signal in a wide irradiation range; a second light emitting unit that generates the optical signal and projects the optical signal in a narrow irradiation range; and the operation As a light emitting unit that outputs an optical signal corresponding to a button, a control unit that selects one of the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit is provided for each operation button. To do.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the first light emitting unit is configured by a light emitting diode (LED), and the second light emitting unit is configured by a laser light emitting element. It is characterized by.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the second light emitting unit is a laser pointer that forms a laser spot indicating a specific position by the laser light from the laser light emitting element. It is characterized by functioning.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the third aspect, the control unit is an optical signal that controls the device to be controlled when the second light emitting unit functions as a laser pointer. Different optical signals are output from the second light emitting unit.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of operation buttons are a first operation for simultaneously controlling the plurality of devices to be controlled. Button and a second operation button for individually controlling the device to be controlled, and the control unit is a light emitting unit that outputs the optical signal in response to an operation on the first operation button. A first light emitting unit is selected, and the second light emitting unit is selected as a light emitting unit that outputs the optical signal in response to an operation on the second operation button.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a remote control capable of performing simultaneous operation and individual operation of a plurality of control target devices without performing a switching operation by a user.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, since the first light emitting part is constituted by a light emitting diode (LED) and the second light emitting part is constituted by a laser light emitting element, the light emitting parts having different irradiation ranges are used. Can easily develop a remote control.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, since the second light emitting unit can function as a laser pointer, for example, when the control target device is a projector, the projector is operated while projecting from the projector. The image to be displayed can be pointed with a pointer.

  According to the invention of claim 4, when the control unit causes the second light emitting unit to function as a laser pointer, an optical signal different from the optical signal for controlling the control target device is transmitted from the second light emitting unit. Since it is made to output, when making a remote control function as a laser pointer, it can suppress that an optical signal is irradiated to a control object apparatus, and malfunctioning.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, for example, when the control target device is a projector, the power on / off control can be performed for all projectors at the same time. Since the zoom operation and the image adjustment can be performed, the convenience for the user can be improved.

  A remote controller according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a plurality of projectors will be described as an example of an apparatus controlled by a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as “control target device”). FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a plurality of projectors are remotely controlled using the remote controller according to the present embodiment.

  The remote controller 1 in this embodiment includes a plurality of operation buttons, outputs a light signal that is pulse-modulated in accordance with each operation button, and, as shown in FIGS. 2d is a device that remotely controls the projectors 2a to 2d and can be controlled simultaneously or individually.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1A, the projector 2a to 2d is simultaneously controlled by irradiating an optical signal over a wide range from the remote controller 1. For example, the projectors 2a to 2d are simultaneously turned on. Moreover, as shown in FIG.1 (b), an optical signal is irradiated to the narrow range from the remote control 1, and projector 2a-2d is controlled separately. For example, the brightness of the image projected by the projector 2b is increased.

  In the remote controller 1 according to the present embodiment, whether to project an optical signal in a wide range or to project an optical signal in a narrow range is selected for each operation button, thereby performing a switching operation by a user. Therefore, simultaneous operation and individual operation of a plurality of projectors can be performed, and convenience is improved.

  Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the remote controller 1 and the projectors 2a to 2d in the present embodiment will be specifically described.

  First, the configuration of the remote controller 1 will be described. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the remote controller 1 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of the operation unit and the light emitting unit of the remote controller 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 illustrates the remote controller 1 according to the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows a mode when it uses as a laser pointer.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the remote controller 1 includes a first transmission unit 10, a second transmission unit 11, a common operation button 20, an individual operation button 30, a control unit 40, and the like.

  The 1st transmission part 10 has a light emitting diode (LED), and is a 1st light emission part which has the function to project the optical signal which converted the signal output from the control part 40 in a wide irradiation range.

  The second transmission unit 11 includes a laser light emitting element, and is a second light emitting unit having a function of projecting an optical signal obtained by converting a signal output from the control unit 40 in a narrow irradiation range. A semiconductor laser or the like is used as the laser light emitting element. Here, the irradiation range of the second transmission unit 11 is set to an irradiation range to the extent that a small laser spot is formed by the laser beam to be projected.

  The common operation button 20 is an operation button (corresponding to a first operation button) for simultaneously controlling the plurality of projectors 2a to 2d. As the common operation button 20, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, there are a power ON / OFF button 21, a source switching button 22, a mode switching button 23, keystone correction buttons 24a and 24b, and the like.

  The power ON / OFF button 21 is a button for controlling the power of the projectors 2a to 2d to be ON or OFF, the source switching button 22 is a button for switching images projected by the projectors 2a to 2d, and a mode switching button 23 Is a button for switching the modes of the projectors 2a to 2d, and the keystone correction buttons 24a and 24b are buttons for correcting trapezoidal distortion of images projected by the projectors 2a to 2d.

  The individual operation buttons 30 include operation buttons (corresponding to second operation buttons) for individually controlling the projectors 2a to 2d and operation buttons for functioning as laser pointers. Examples of the individual operation buttons 30 include image position adjustment buttons 31a to 31e, luminance adjustment buttons 32a and 32b, zoom buttons 33a and 33b, and a laser pointer button 34 as shown in FIG.

  The image position adjustment buttons 31a to 31e are operation buttons for changing the projection position of the image, the brightness adjustment buttons 32a and 32b are operation buttons for adjusting the brightness of the projection image, and the zoom buttons 33a and 33b are zoom rates of the projection image. The laser pointer button 34 is an operation button for causing the remote controller 1 to function as a laser pointer.

  The control unit 40 controls the entire remote controller 1, and when detecting that the common operation button 20 or the individual operation button 30 is operated, the optical signal corresponding to the operation button is transmitted to the first transmission unit 10 or the second transmission unit. Output from the transmitter 11.

  In particular, the control unit 40 selects the first transmission unit 10 when the common operation button 20 is operated by the user, and outputs a control signal to the first transmission unit 10 according to the operated operation button. The pulse-modulated optical signal Sw is output from the first transmitter 10 having a wide irradiation range (see FIG. 1A). Therefore, the user can control the plurality of projectors 2a to 2d at the same time. In addition, when the individual operation button 30 (except the laser pointer button 34) is operated by the user, the control unit 40 selects the second transmission unit 11 and outputs a control signal to the second transmission unit 11. The optical signal Sn pulse-modulated according to the operated operation button is output from the second transmitter 11 having a narrow irradiation range (see FIG. 1B). Therefore, the user can individually control the projectors 2a to 2d.

  In this way, the control unit 40 selects for each operation button whether to project the optical signal Sw from the first transmission unit 10 or to project the optical signal Sn from the second transmission unit 11, Accordingly, simultaneous operation and individual operation of a plurality of projectors can be performed without performing a switching operation by the user, and convenience is improved.

  Further, when the laser pointer button 34 is operated, the control unit 40 selects the second transmission unit 11, outputs a control signal to the second transmission unit 11, and narrowly irradiates an optical signal not subjected to pulse modulation. It outputs from the range 2nd transmission part 11, and functions as a laser pointer which forms the laser spot P, as shown in FIG.

  In this manner, the control unit 40 outputs an optical signal that is not subjected to pulse modulation different from the optical signal that has been pulse-modulated to control the projectors 2a to 2d from the second transmission unit 11 having a narrow irradiation range. As a result, the remote controller 1 can function as a laser pointer, and since the pulse modulation is not performed, the projectors 2a to 2d are not erroneously controlled.

  Next, the configuration of the projectors 2a to 2d will be described. The projectors 2a to 2d have the same configuration, and will be described as the projector 2 in the following description. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the projector 2 in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the projector 2 includes a video signal input circuit 111 that inputs a video signal from the outside, a projection unit 112 that projects an image based on the video signal acquired by the video signal input circuit 111, and a remote controller 1. A light receiving unit 113 for receiving a light signal to be projected; a frame memory 114 for temporarily storing data of an image projected by the projection unit 112; an input unit 115 having an operation panel for performing various operations; And a control unit 116 that controls the entire projector 2, and these are connected by a bus 117.

  The video signal input circuit 111 inputs the video signal A and the video signal B from the outside as video signals such as a composite video signal and a component video signal, and the video signal A and the video signal B are controlled by the control unit 116. Either one is selected and output to the projection unit 112.

  The projection unit 112 includes a light source driving circuit 120, a light source 121, an illumination optical system 122, a light modulation element 123, an imaging optical system 124, an image processing circuit 125, and a light modulation element driving circuit 126. Yes. The light source 121 is composed of a lamp or the like, and is driven to be lit to emit light based on a signal output from the light source driving circuit 120 controlled by the control unit 116. The light emitted from the light source 121 is irradiated to the light modulation element 123 as illumination light by the illumination optical system 122. The light modulation element 123 is configured by a transmissive liquid crystal panel or the like, and is driven by the light modulation element driving circuit 126 to display an image on its display surface. The light modulation element driving circuit 126 is controlled by a signal output from the image processing circuit 125. The image processing circuit 125 generates image data based on the video signal output from the video signal input circuit 111, The image data is temporarily stored in the frame memory 114 and then output to the light modulation element driving circuit 126. Thus, the image displayed on the light modulation element 123 becomes image light through the light modulation element 123 by the illumination light from the illumination optical system 122, and is projected onto the screen through the projection lens of the imaging optical system 124. .

  The control unit 116 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, and the CPU reads and executes a program stored in advance in the ROM. Function as. The RAM is used as a working memory.

  When an optical signal from the remote controller 1 is received by the light receiving unit 113, the information is notified from the light receiving unit 113 to the control unit 116 via the bus 117. The control unit 116 demodulates the information of the optical signal received by the light receiving unit 113, analyzes the control request content, and performs control according to the analysis result.

  For example, when the optical signal corresponding to the power ON / OFF button 21 is received by the light receiving unit 113, the control unit 116 determines that it is a control request for power ON / OFF and receives the optical signal from the remote controller 1. While maintaining the remote processing function to be processed, the power supply to each unit is controlled and the operation power of the projector 2 is turned on or off by controlling the power supply to the respective units. When the optical signal corresponding to the source switching button 22 is received by the light receiving unit 113, the control unit 116 determines that it is a source switching control request, and the video signal output from the video signal input circuit 111 is the video signal A. To video signal B or from video signal B to video signal A.

  When the optical signal corresponding to the zoom buttons 33a and 33b is received by the light receiving unit 113, the control unit 116 determines that it is a request for zoom control, and controls the projection unit 112 to change the zoom ratio of the image to be projected. To do. Further, when the light receiving unit 113 receives an optical signal corresponding to the luminance adjustment buttons 32a and 32b, the control unit 116 determines that the request is for luminance adjustment, and controls the projection unit 112 to control the luminance of the image to be projected. To change.

  As described above, each projector 2a to 2d receives the optical signal subjected to pulse modulation according to the common operation button 20 or the individual operation button 30 from the remote controller 1, demodulates it, and performs control according to the control contents. ing.

  Therefore, in the remote controller 1, the first transmitter 10 having a wide irradiation range is assigned as a transmitter that outputs an optical signal in response to an operation on the common operation button 20, and an optical signal is output in response to an operation on the individual operation button 30. By assigning the second transmission unit 11 having a narrow irradiation range as the transmission unit to be performed, as shown in FIG. 1, simultaneous operation and individual operation of a plurality of control target devices can be performed without performing a switching operation by the user. it can.

  In addition, an optical signal that is not subjected to pulse modulation different from the optical signal that has been pulse-modulated to control the projector 2 that is a control target device is output from the second transmitter 11 having a narrow irradiation range. As shown in FIG. 4, the remote controller can function as a laser pointer, and since the pulse modulation is not performed, the projector 2 is not erroneously controlled.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.・ Change is possible.

  For example, when the remote controller functions as a laser pointer, the controller of the remote controller increases the intensity of the optical signal output from the second transmitter so that the laser spot can be seen well, and when the projector is controlled, the second transmitter The intensity of the optical signal output from the projector may be so weak that it can be received by the projector. Thereby, power consumption when individually controlling the projector can be reduced.

  In addition, the control unit of the remote controller may make the output time of the optical signal from the first transmission unit longer than the output time of the optical signal from the second transmission unit. In this way, even when all the projectors are not in the irradiation range of the second transmission unit, the projectors can be controlled simultaneously by moving the projection direction of the remote control within the output time of the optical signal.

  In addition, the power ON / OFF button, the source switching button, the mode switching button, and the keystone correction button have been described as examples of the common operation buttons, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and image position adjustment is an example of the individual operation buttons. Although the button, the brightness adjustment button, and the zoom button have been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be changed as appropriate.

  Further, the common operation button and the individual operation button may be a touch panel type button or a physical push button type button.

  Alternatively, a remote control light receiving element may be provided on the projection lens side of the projector 2 so that the light signal Sn applied to the screen (projection surface) in a narrow range may be detected by the remote control light receiving element. Then, the control unit 116 of the projector 2 may move or exchange an image to be projected (for example, an image for each object) according to the detected light signal Sn. Thereby, the operation of moving or exchanging the projection image of the projector 2 can be performed intuitively.

It is a figure which shows a mode that a some projector is remotely controlled using the remote control which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the remote control which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the operation part and light emission part of a remote control which concern on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode when the remote control which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is used as a laser pointer. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the projector which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Remote control 2a-2d Projector 10 1st transmission part (1st light emission part)
11 Second transmitter (second light emitting unit)
20 Common operation buttons (first operation button)
30 Individual operation buttons (second operation buttons)
40 Control unit

Claims (5)

In a remote control that includes a plurality of operation buttons, outputs a light signal corresponding to each operation button, and controls a plurality of control target devices.
A first light emitting unit that generates the optical signal and projects the optical signal in a wide irradiation range;
A second light emitting unit that generates the optical signal and projects the optical signal in a narrow irradiation range;
As a light emitting unit that outputs an optical signal corresponding to the operation button, a control unit that selects one of the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit is provided for each operation button. Remote control characterized by.   The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the first light emitting unit is configured by a light emitting diode, and the second light emitting unit is configured by a laser light emitting element.   The remote controller according to claim 2, wherein the second light emitting unit functions as a laser pointer that forms a laser spot indicating a specific position by laser light from the laser light emitting element.   The said control part makes an optical signal different from the optical signal which controls the said control object apparatus be output from said 2nd light emission part, when making the said 2nd light emission part function as a laser pointer. The remote control according to 3. The plurality of operation buttons include a first operation button for simultaneously controlling the plurality of control target devices, and a second operation button for individually controlling the control target devices,
The control unit selects the first light-emitting unit as a light-emitting unit that outputs the optical signal in response to an operation on the first operation button, and the light in response to an operation on the second operation button. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the second light emitting unit is selected as a light emitting unit that outputs a signal.

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