JP2010028174A - Method for notifying location of remote controller, electronic apparatus and electronic apparatus system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a location can not be determined even when a remote controller body notifies it with sound or light, in the case that the location of the remote controller is not clear anymore. <P>SOLUTION: When a remote controller search reception part 102 receives a remote controller search instruction from a user, a remote controller position detection part 103 successively switches the direction of a directional antenna 108 using a direction switching part 107, makes transmission remote controller search signals be transmitted from a remote controller search signal transmission part 104 in the respective directions, and defines the direction from which response signals of the strongest reception power measured by a reception strength measuring part 105 are transmitted among the response signals transmitted from the remote controller which has received the remote controller search signals and received by a remote controller response signal reception part 106, as the present position of the remote controller. By making a video display control part 101 display the direction in which the remote controller is present, the location of the remote controller is notified. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for detecting the location of a remote control device, a location detection method, and a program in a system including an electronic device having a display device and a remote control device for remotely operating the electronic device.

  In recent years, functions of AV equipment such as televisions have increased, and not all functions can be executed by the equipment itself, and a remote control device has become indispensable for realizing the functions. In addition, the remote control device is required to be small and have high operability for the purpose of use, and the remote control device is miniaturized in response to such a request.

  However, the remote control device may not be used for a certain period of time after the operation and setting of the electronic device is completed due to the role of the device, and may be downsized, and as a result, the location may not be known. When the location of the remote control device is lost, the user must search for the remote control device for convenience and multi-functionality.

On the other hand, as remote control location detection means, when the remote control device receives a signal transmitted from the electronic device body, the remote control device itself notifies the location by light or sound (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-294905 A

  However, when there is a shield around the remote control device or the operation range of the remote control device is wide, there may be cases where the location is not known only by sound or light.

  In addition, it is difficult to instantly determine the correct direction with only sound and light, and it is necessary to search for a place where the sound or light is generated.

  In order to solve this problem, an electronic device of the present invention has a directional antenna that can be electrically switched to a plurality of directivities, and is directed toward the remote control device in the omnidirectional characteristics of the directional antenna. Transmitting a remote control search signal, measuring the reception strength of the response signal of the remote control device, determining the direction of the directivity characteristic at which the maximum reception strength is measured as the location of the remote control device, and determining the determined direction Is reported as the location.

  In the present invention, since the direction of the remote control device where the location is lost can be specified, the location of the remote control device can be easily known.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an electronic apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

  In FIG. 1, a directional antenna 108 is an antenna that can be electrically switched to a plurality of directivities. Remote control device search reception unit 102 detects that an instruction to search for a remote control device has been issued by the user. The remote control device search accepting unit 102 can be realized by, for example, a switch installed in an electronic device main body or an electronic device installation location (rack or the like). When it is detected that the switch is pressed, it is determined that a remote control search instruction has been issued. . Further, another electronic device or a remote controller of another electronic device may be provided with a function of performing a remote controller search for another electronic device so that a search instruction for a desired remote controller can be performed. Moreover, the remote control search apparatus which registered the identification information of the some remote control which the user has may be sufficient. In the present invention, a case where a remote control device search switch is installed in a TV and a TV remote control is searched will be described as an example.

  When receiving a remote control search notification from remote control device search accepting unit 102, remote control position detecting unit 103 causes directivity switching unit 107 to switch the directivity characteristic of directional antenna 108 with respect to the omnidirectional characteristic, and to change each directivity. The remote control search signal transmission unit 104 transmits a remote control search signal, the reception strength measurement unit 105 measures the reception strength of the response signal from the remote control, and receives the omnidirectional characteristics measured by the reception strength measurement unit 105. The direction in which the reception strength is highest than the strength is determined as the location of the remote control device, and the location of the remote control device is displayed on the video display control unit 101.

  Directivity switching section 107 sequentially switches the directivity characteristics of directional antenna 108 in accordance with an instruction from remote control position detection section 103, and remote control search signal transmission section 104 transmits a remote control search signal in accordance with an instruction from remote control position detection section 103. The request is transmitted via the directional antenna 108, and the reception intensity measuring unit 105 responds to the response signal from the remote control device received by the remote control response signal receiving unit 106 via the directional antenna 108 in accordance with an instruction from the remote control position detecting unit 103. Measure the received intensity. When the electronic device itself has a video display device, the video display control unit 101 displays the video display device on its own, and when connected to another video display device, the video display control unit 101 displays the connected video display device. Display video on the device.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the remote control device.

  In FIG. 2, when receiving a remote control search signal transmitted from the electronic device via the antenna 205, the remote control search signal receiving unit 203 performs a reception process and outputs it to the remote control control unit 202. The remote control control unit 202 determines an electronic device that has transmitted the remote control search signal from information included in the remote control search signal input from the remote control search signal reception unit 203, and creates a remote control response signal for the determined electronic device. The remote control response signal transmission unit 204 transmits a response signal via the antenna 205 and instructs the vibration unit 201 to vibrate the remote control body.

  FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the remote control device position detection process in the present invention. Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  (Step S301) In the electronic device, when the remote control search switch is pressed, the remote control device search accepting unit 102 detects that a remote control device search instruction has been issued by the user, and notifies the remote control position detection unit 103 of the instruction. The process proceeds to S302.

  (Step S302) The remote control position detection unit 103 notifies the directivity switching unit 107 to initialize the directivity characteristic of the directivity antenna 108, and the directivity switching unit 107 determines the directivity characteristic of the directivity antenna 108. Initialization is performed, and the process proceeds to step S303.

  (Step S303) The remote control position detection unit 103 instructs the remote control search signal transmission unit 104 to transmit a remote control search signal for searching for a remote control device of the electronic apparatus. The remote control signal includes an identifier that can identify the electronic device or the remote control device of the electronic device. The remote control search signal transmission unit 104 transmits a remote control search signal via the directional antenna 108 according to the instruction of the remote control position detection unit 103, and proceeds to step S304.

  Here, in the remote control device, the remote control search signal receiving unit 203 receives the remote control search signal via the antenna 205, performs reception processing, and notifies the remote control control unit 202. The remote control control unit 202 determines from the identification information included in the response signal received by the remote control search signal receiving unit 203 that the remote control search signal is transmitted from the electronic device operated by itself, and the remote control response signal transmission unit 204 The remote control response signal addressed to the electronic device that has transmitted the remote control search signal is controlled to be transmitted. At this time, the remote control control unit 202 notifies the vibration unit 201 to vibrate the remote control device main body. The vibration unit 201 vibrates the remote control device main body in accordance with an instruction from the remote control control unit 202.

  Remote control response signal transmission unit 204 transmits a remote control response signal via antenna 205 in accordance with an instruction from remote control control unit 202.

  (Step S304) Upon receiving the remote control response signal via the directional antenna 108, the remote control response signal receiving unit 106 outputs the remote control response signal to the reception intensity measuring unit 105, and proceeds to step S304. If the remote control position detection unit 103 causes the remote control search signal transmission unit 104 to transmit the remote control search signal and the reception strength is not output from the reception strength measurement unit even after a predetermined time has passed, the process proceeds to step S306.

  (Step S305) The reception strength measuring unit 105 measures the reception strength of the response signal received by the remote control response signal receiving unit 106, and notifies the remote control position detecting unit 103 of the measurement result. The remote control position detection unit 103 holds the reception strength measurement result and the antenna directivity characteristic at that time as a pair.

  (Step S306) The remote control position detection unit 103 determines whether or not the measurement of the reception intensity has been completed for all antenna directivity patterns. If not, the process proceeds to step S307. If it has been completed, the process proceeds to step S308.

  (Step S307) The remote control position detection unit 103 instructs the directivity switching unit 107 to switch the directivity characteristic of the directional antenna 108, and the directivity switching unit 107 follows the instruction of the remote control position detection unit 103. The directivity characteristics are switched, and the process returns to step S303.

  (Step S308) The remote control position detection unit 103 determines the direction in which the reception strength (reception power) of the response signal received from the remote control device is highest from the reception strength with respect to the omnidirectionality of the directional antenna 108. The location is determined and notified to the video display control unit 101.

  (Step S309) Upon receiving the notification from the remote control position detection unit 103, the video display control unit 101 displays the position of the remote control device on the video display device. The position of the remote control device may be displayed by any representation method as long as the direction in which the remote control device exists from the electronic device is indicated by an arrow or the direction in which the remote control device exists can be understood by the user.

  The communication means between the electronic device and the remote control device according to the present invention is not limited to existing wireless communication methods such as Bluetooth and wireless LAN, as long as the communication means can perform bidirectional communication. It is easy to guess that it is possible to use.

  In addition, when the remote control device of the present invention receives a remote control position detection signal from an electronic device, it outputs a response signal and vibrates the remote control device main body, but may output light or sound. By adding these functions, the user can easily find a desired remote control device. In addition, other notification functions such as vibration may not be provided.

  In the present invention, the TV has been described as an example. However, all functions having a function of notifying the location of a device connected to the video display device or a remote control device such as an HDD / DVD recorder and a set-top box for a cable TV. It can also be applied to other devices.

  The location detection of the remote control device according to the present invention can notify the location of not only a video display device such as a television but also a device connected to the video display device such as an HDD / DVD recorder or a set-top box for a cable TV or a remote control device. It can be used for all devices with such functions.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an electronic device to which the present invention is applied. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a remote control device to which the present invention is applied. The flowchart which shows the location detection process of the remote control device in this invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Image | video display control part 102 Remote control apparatus search reception part 103 Remote control position detection part 104 Remote control search signal transmission part 105 Reception intensity measurement part 106 Remote control response signal reception part 107 Antenna directivity switching part 108 Directional antenna 201 Vibration part 202 Remote control part 203 Remote Control Search Signal Receiving Unit 204 Remote Control Response Signal Transmitting Unit 205 Antenna

Claims (5)

An electronic device that can be controlled by a remote control,
A directional antenna that can be electrically switched to a plurality of directivities, and in the omnidirectional characteristics of the directional antenna, a remote control search signal is transmitted to the remote controller, and the response intensity of the remote controller response signal An electronic apparatus characterized in that the directionality of the directivity characteristic in which the maximum reception intensity is measured is determined as the location of the remote controller, and the determined direction is notified as the location. An electronic device that is connected to a video display device and can be controlled by a remote control,
A directional antenna that can be electrically switched to multiple directivities;
A directivity switching unit that switches the directivity of the directional antenna;
A remote control search reception unit for receiving a search for the remote control;
A video display control unit for controlling display on the video display device;
A remote control search signal transmitter for transmitting a remote control search signal to the remote control;
A remote control response signal receiving unit for receiving a response signal to the remote control search signal from the remote control;
A reception intensity measurement unit for measuring the reception intensity of the remote control response signal;
Upon receiving the remote control search notification from the remote control search accepting unit, the directivity switching unit switches the directivity characteristic of the directional antenna with respect to the omnidirectional characteristic, and the remote control search signal is set in each directivity characteristic. Transmitting a remote control search signal to the transmission unit, causing the reception strength measurement unit to measure the reception strength of the response signal received by the remote control response signal reception unit, and determining the direction of directivity having the highest reception strength as the location of the remote control device And a remote control position detector that displays the determined location of the remote controller on the video display using the video display controller. The video display control unit displays the location of the remote controller with an arrow starting from the electronic device. A remote control location notification method in an electronic device having a directional antenna and controllable by a remote control,
In the omnidirectional characteristics of the directional antenna, a remote control search signal is transmitted to the remote controller, the reception intensity of the response signal of the remote controller is measured, and the direction of the directivity characteristic in which the maximum reception intensity is measured is A method for notifying a location of a remote control, wherein the location is determined as a location of the remote control and the determined direction is notified as the location of the remote control. An electronic device system comprising a remote control and an electronic device that can be controlled by the remote control,
The electronic device has a directional antenna that can be electrically switched to a plurality of directivities, and transmits a remote control search signal to the remote controller in the omnidirectional characteristics of the directional antenna. Measure the reception strength of the response signal, determine the direction of the directivity characteristic in which the maximum reception strength is measured as the location of the remote controller, and notify the determined direction as the location,
When the remote controller receives a remote controller search signal addressed to itself from the electronic apparatus, the remote controller transmits the response signal and vibrates the remote controller main body.

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