JP2010159927A - Remote control device and remote control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote control device and a remote control system capable of facilitating hearing of sound regardless of surrounding conditions of a remote control device on the receiver side. <P>SOLUTION: The remote control device 1 includes: a microphone 10 for converting surrounding sound of the remote control device 1 to a sound signal and outputting it; a communication part 2 for transmitting the sound signal received from the microphone 10 to an other remote control device 11 for performing remote control operation of a body device and receiving and outputting a sound signal transmitted from the other remote control device 11; a speaker 9 for emitting sound based on the sound signal received from the communication part 2; and a control part 8 for acquiring information on the surrounding conditions of the remote control device 1 and controlling sound volume emitted by the speaker 9 based on the acquired information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote control device and a remote control system, and more particularly to a remote control device and a remote control system having an intercom function.

  A remote control device for a water heater has an intercom function between remote controllers inside and outside the bathroom, for example. As an example of such a remote control device, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a water heater remote control as follows. In other words, by providing an automatic gain control circuit in the microphone circuit of the remote controller, if the sound input to the microphone of the remote controller is small, increase the amplification factor of the microphone input signal and appropriately listen to the sound heard by the kitchen remote controller. Can be big. In addition, when the sound input to the microphone of the remote controller is loud, the amplification factor of the microphone input signal can be reduced, and the sound heard by the kitchen remote controller can be appropriately reduced.

JP 2007-278598 A

  By the way, in the intercom function mounted on the remote controller for the water heater, there is a problem that it is difficult to hear the sound due to daily noise, for example, watching TV.

  However, since the conventional intercom function such as the hot water remote controller described in Patent Document 1 emits a certain volume without judging the surrounding situation of the remote controller on the receiver side, the above-mentioned problems can be solved. I can't.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device and a remote control system that can make sound easy to hear regardless of the surrounding situation of the remote control device on the receiving side. That is.

  In order to solve the above problems, a remote control device according to an aspect of the present invention is a remote control device for remotely operating a main body device, which converts a surrounding sound of the remote control device into a sound signal and outputs the sound, and the main body device A communication unit that transmits a sound signal received from a microphone to another remote control device that remotely controls the sound signal and receives and outputs a sound signal transmitted from the other remote control device, and a sound signal received from the communication unit A speaker that emits sound, and a control unit that acquires information related to the surrounding situation of the remote control device and controls the volume of the speaker based on the acquired information.

  In order to solve the above problems, a remote control system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a main body device and a plurality of remote control devices for remotely operating the main body device, and the remote control device uses ambient sounds of the remote control device as sound signals. A microphone that converts and outputs, a communication unit that transmits a sound signal received from the microphone to another remote control device that remotely operates the main device, and receives and outputs a sound signal transmitted from the other remote control device; It includes a speaker that emits sound based on a sound signal received from the communication unit, and a control unit that controls the sound volume emitted by the speaker based on the surrounding situation of its own remote control device.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to make it easy to hear the sound regardless of the surrounding situation of the remote controller on the receiving side.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the remote control system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which defined the operation | movement procedure at the time of the microcomputer in the bathroom remote control and kitchen remote control which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention performing volume control. It is a figure which shows the structure of the remote control system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which defined the operation | movement procedure at the time of the microcomputer in the bathroom remote control and kitchen remote control which concern on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention performing volume control. It is a figure which shows the structure of the remote control system which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will not be repeated.

<First Embodiment>
[Configuration and basic operation]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a remote control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 1, remote control system 101 includes bathroom remote control 1, kitchen remote control 11, and water heater 30. The bathroom remote control 1 includes a communication unit 2, a human sensor 6, a call switch 7, a microcomputer (control unit) 8, a speaker circuit 21, and a microphone circuit 22. The speaker circuit 21 includes an amplification control circuit 3 and a speaker 9. The microphone circuit 22 includes an amplifier circuit 5 and a microphone 10.

  The kitchen remote control 11 includes a communication unit 12, a human sensor 16, a call switch 17, a microcomputer (control unit) 18, a speaker circuit 23, and a microphone circuit 24. The speaker circuit 23 includes an amplifier circuit 13 and a speaker 19. The microphone circuit 24 includes an amplifier circuit 15 and a microphone 20.

  In the bathroom remote control 1, the microphone 10, the amplification circuit 5, the speaker 9, the amplification control circuit 3, and the communication unit 2 constitute an interphone function.

  The call switch 7 receives an operation from the user. The microcomputer 8 starts and stops the communication unit 2 based on the operation of the call switch 7 by the user.

  In the kitchen remote controller 11, the microphone 20, the amplification circuit 15, the speaker 19, the amplification control circuit 13, and the communication unit 12 constitute an interphone function.

  The call switch 17 receives an operation from the user. The microcomputer 18 starts and stops the communication unit 12 based on the operation of the call switch 17 by the user.

  The water heater 30 is connected to the bathroom remote controller 1 and the kitchen remote controller 11 and is remotely operated by the bathroom remote controller 1 and the kitchen remote controller 11.

[Operation]
Next, the operation of the remote control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart defining an operation procedure when the microcomputer in the bathroom remote controller and the kitchen remote controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention adjusts the volume. This microcomputer reads and executes a program including each step of the flowchart from a memory (not shown). This program can be installed externally.

  When making a call between the bathroom and the kitchen, the user operates the call switch 17 of the kitchen remote controller 11 or operates the call switch 7 of the bathroom remote controller 1.

  First, a case where the user operates the call switch 17 of the kitchen remote controller 11 will be described. In this case, the microcomputer 18 receives the operation input signal from the call switch 17 and activates the communication unit 12. The communication unit 12 transmits a call request signal to the bathroom remote controller 1.

  In the bathroom remote controller 1, the communication unit 2 receives a call request signal from the communication unit 12 and outputs a call request signal to the microcomputer 8. The microcomputer 8 activates the communication unit 2 in response to the call request signal. The microphone 10 converts the ambient sound of the bathroom remote control 1 into a sound signal and outputs the sound signal to the amplifier circuit 5. The amplification circuit 5 amplifies a sound signal indicating the sound in the bathroom picked up by the microphone 10 and outputs the amplified sound signal to the communication unit 2. The communication unit 2 transmits a sound signal to the kitchen remote controller 11.

  In the kitchen remote controller 11, the communication unit 12 receives the sound signal from the bathroom remote controller 1 (step S1) and outputs the sound signal to the amplification control circuit 13.

  The human sensor 16 detects whether there is a person around the kitchen remote controller 11 (step S2). The microcomputer 18 outputs a control signal to the amplification control circuit 13 based on the detection result of the human sensor 16. The amplification control circuit 13 changes the amplification factor of the sound signal received from the communication unit 12 based on the control signal received from the microcomputer 18 (step S3). More specifically, the amplification control circuit 13 decreases the amplification factor when there is a person around the kitchen remote control 11 and increases the amplification factor when there is no person around the kitchen remote control 11. Thereby, the sound volume emitted by the speaker 19 is controlled.

  The amplification control circuit 13 amplifies the sound signal received from the communication unit 12 and outputs it to the speaker 19. The speaker 19 emits sound based on the sound signal received from the amplification control circuit 13 (step S4). Thereby, it is possible to talk with the bathroom side using the kitchen remote controller 11.

  Next, a case where the user operates the call switch 7 of the bathroom remote controller 1 will be described. In this case, the microcomputer 8 receives the operation input signal from the call switch 7 and activates the communication unit 2. The communication unit 2 transmits a call request signal to the kitchen remote controller 11.

  In the kitchen remote controller 11, the communication unit 12 receives a call request signal from the communication unit 2 and outputs a call request signal to the microcomputer 18. The microcomputer 18 activates the communication unit 12 in response to the call request signal. The microphone 20 converts the ambient sound of the kitchen remote control 11 into a sound signal and outputs the sound signal to the amplifier circuit 15. The amplifier circuit 15 amplifies the sound signal indicating the sound around the kitchen picked up by the microphone 20 and outputs the amplified signal to the communication unit 12. The communication unit 12 transmits a sound signal to the bathroom remote controller 1.

  In the bathroom remote controller 1, the communication unit 2 receives the sound signal from the kitchen remote controller 11 (step S1) and outputs the sound signal to the amplification control circuit 3.

  The human sensor 6 detects whether there is a person around the bathroom remote control 1 (step S2). The microcomputer 8 outputs a control signal to the amplification control circuit 3 based on the detection result of the human sensor 6. The amplification control circuit 3 changes the amplification factor of the sound signal received from the communication unit 2 based on the control signal received from the microcomputer 8 (step S3). More specifically, the amplification control circuit 3 reduces the amplification factor when there is a person around the bathroom remote control 1 and increases the amplification factor when there is no person around the bathroom remote control 1. Thereby, the sound volume emitted by the speaker 9 is controlled.

  The amplification control circuit 3 amplifies the sound signal received from the communication unit 2 and outputs it to the speaker 9. The speaker 9 emits sound based on the sound signal received from the amplification control circuit 3 (step S4). Thereby, it is possible to talk with the kitchen side using the bathroom remote controller 1.

  As described above, in the remote control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the presence sensors 6 and 16 are provided to detect the presence or absence of a person around the receiving remote controller and adjust the output volume. be able to. As a result, even when the user is away from the remote controller, the sound output from the speaker on the receiving side can be adjusted to an optimal volume, and easy-to-listen sound can be output. That is, it is possible to solve the problem that it is difficult to hear the voice.

  In the remote control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the microcomputers 8 and 18 are configured to control the sound volume emitted by the speakers 9 and 19 based on the detection results of the human sensors 6 and 16, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to the human sensor, and may be configured to acquire information related to the surrounding state of the remote controller by other means and control the sound volume emitted by the speaker based on the acquired information.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will not be repeated.

<Second Embodiment>
The present embodiment relates to a remote control system to which a function for grasping a daily noise level is added as compared with the remote control system according to the first embodiment. The contents other than those described below are the same as those of the remote control system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a remote control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 3, remote control system 102 includes bathroom remote controller 51, kitchen remote controller 61, and water heater 30. The bathroom remote controller 51 includes a communication unit 2, a comparator 4, a human sensor 6, a call switch 7, a microcomputer 8, a speaker circuit 21, and a microphone circuit 22. The speaker circuit 21 includes an amplification control circuit 3 and a speaker 9. The microphone circuit 22 includes an amplifier circuit 5 and a microphone 10.

  The kitchen remote controller 61 includes a communication unit 12, a comparator 14, a human sensor 16, a call switch 17, a microcomputer 18, a speaker circuit 23, and a microphone circuit 24. The speaker circuit 23 includes an amplifier circuit 13 and a speaker 19. The microphone circuit 24 includes an amplifier circuit 15 and a microphone 20.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart that defines an operation procedure when the microcomputer performs volume adjustment in the bathroom remote controller and the kitchen remote controller according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This microcomputer reads and executes a program including each step of the flowchart from a memory (not shown). This program can be installed externally. Since steps S11, S12, and S15 shown in FIG. 4 are the same as steps S1, S2, and S4 shown in FIG. 2, detailed description will not be repeated here.

  In the bathroom remote controller 51, the comparator 4 compares the input sound level indicated by the sound signal from the microphone circuit 22 with the output sound level indicated by the sound signal to the speaker circuit 21 (step S13). The microcomputer 8 controls the sound volume emitted by the speaker 9 based on the detection result of the human sensor 6 and the comparison result of the comparator 4. That is, the microcomputer 8 outputs a control signal to the amplification control circuit 3 based on the detection result of the human sensor 6 and the comparison result of the comparator 4. The amplification control circuit 3 changes the amplification factor of the sound signal received from the communication unit 2 based on the control signal received from the microcomputer 8 (step S14). More specifically, the amplification control circuit 3 decreases the amplification factor when there is a person around the bathroom remote controller 51 and increases the amplification factor when there is no person around the bathroom remote controller 51. The amplification control circuit 3 decreases the amplification factor when the output sound level is higher than the input sound level, and increases the amplification factor when the output sound level is lower than the input sound level. Thereby, the sound volume emitted by the speaker 9 is controlled.

  In the kitchen remote controller 61, the comparator 14 compares the input sound level indicated by the sound signal from the microphone circuit 24 with the output sound level indicated by the sound signal to the speaker circuit 23 (step S13). The microcomputer 18 controls the sound volume emitted by the speaker 19 based on the detection result of the human sensor 16 and the comparison result of the comparator 14. That is, the microcomputer 18 outputs a control signal to the amplification control circuit 13 based on the detection result of the human sensor 16 and the comparison result of the comparator 14. The amplification control circuit 13 changes the amplification factor of the sound signal received from the communication unit 12 based on the control signal received from the microcomputer 18 (step S14). More specifically, the amplification control circuit 13 decreases the amplification factor when there is a person around the kitchen remote controller 61 and increases the amplification factor when there is no person around the kitchen remote controller 61. The amplification control circuit 13 decreases the amplification factor when the output sound level is higher than the input sound level, and increases the amplification factor when the output sound level is lower than the input sound level. Thereby, the sound volume emitted by the speaker 19 is controlled.

  Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the remote control system according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

  As described above, in the remote control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, by providing the comparators 4 and 14, the amount of daily noise around the receiving remote controller and the volume output from the microphones 10 and 20 are obtained. In comparison, the output volume can be adjusted. Thereby, both when the user is away from the remote control and when the daily noise is high, it is possible to adjust the sound output from the speaker on the receiving side to an optimal volume and to output sound that is easy to hear. That is, it is possible to solve the problem that it is difficult to hear the voice.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will not be repeated.

<Third Embodiment>
The present embodiment relates to a remote control system having a configuration that does not include a human sensor as compared with the remote control system according to the second embodiment. The contents other than those described below are the same as those of the remote control system according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a remote control system according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 5, remote control system 103 includes bathroom remote control 52, kitchen remote control 62, and water heater 30. The bathroom remote controller 52 includes a communication unit 2, a comparator 4, a call switch 7, a microcomputer 8, a speaker circuit 21, and a microphone circuit 22. The speaker circuit 21 includes an amplification control circuit 3 and a speaker 9. The microphone circuit 22 includes an amplifier circuit 5 and a microphone 10.

  The kitchen remote control 62 includes a communication unit 12, a comparator 14, a call switch 17, a microcomputer 18, a speaker circuit 23, and a microphone circuit 24. The speaker circuit 23 includes an amplifier circuit 13 and a speaker 19. The microphone circuit 24 includes an amplifier circuit 15 and a microphone 20.

  In the remote control system according to the third embodiment of the present invention, unlike the remote control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the bathroom remote controls 52 and 62 do not include human sensors. Even in such a configuration, by providing the comparators 4 and 14, it is possible to compare the amount of daily noise around the receiving remote controller with the volume output from the microphones 10 and 20, and adjust the output volume. Can do. As a result, even when the daily noise is large, it is possible to adjust the sound output from the speaker on the receiving side to an optimum volume and output a sound that is easy to hear. That is, it is possible to solve the problem that it is difficult to hear the voice.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bathroom remote control 2 Communication part 3 Amplification control circuit 4 Comparator 5 Amplification circuit 6 Human sensor 7 Call switch 8 Microcomputer (control part) 9 Speaker 10 Microphone 11 Kitchen remote control 12 Communication part , 13 Amplifying circuit, 14 Comparator, 15 Amplifying circuit, 16 Human sensor, 17 Call switch, 18 Microcomputer (control unit), 19 Speaker, 20 Microphone, 21 Speaker circuit, 22 Microphone circuit, 23 Speaker circuit, 24 Microphone circuit , 30 Water heater, 51 Bathroom remote control, 61 Kitchen remote control, 52 Bathroom remote control, 62 Kitchen remote control, 101-103 Remote control system.

Claims (6)

A remote control device for remotely operating the main unit,
A microphone that converts ambient sound of the remote control device into a sound signal and outputs the sound signal;
A communication unit that transmits the sound signal received from the microphone to another remote control device that remotely operates the main body device, and that receives and outputs the sound signal transmitted from the other remote control device;
A speaker that emits sound based on a sound signal received from the communication unit;
A remote control device comprising: a control unit that acquires information related to a surrounding situation of the remote control device, and that controls a sound volume emitted by the speaker based on the acquired information. The remote control device further includes:
A human sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a person around the remote control device,
The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a sound volume generated by the speaker based on a detection result of the human sensor. The remote control device further includes:
A comparison unit that compares the input sound level indicated by the sound signal from the microphone with the output sound level indicated by the sound signal to the speaker;
The remote control device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls a sound volume generated by the speaker based on a detection result of the human sensor and a comparison result of the comparison unit. The remote control device further includes:
A comparison unit that compares the input sound level indicated by the sound signal from the microphone with the output sound level indicated by the sound signal to the speaker;
The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a sound volume emitted by the speaker based on a comparison result of the comparison unit.   The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device is disposed inside or outside the bathroom and remotely operates the water heater. A main unit;
A plurality of remote control devices for remotely operating the main unit,
The remote control device is
A microphone that converts ambient sound of the remote control device into a sound signal and outputs the sound signal;
A communication unit that transmits the sound signal received from the microphone to another remote control device that remotely operates the main body device, and that receives and outputs the sound signal transmitted from the other remote control device;
A speaker that emits sound based on a sound signal received from the communication unit;
A remote control system including a control unit that controls a sound volume emitted from the speaker based on a surrounding situation of the remote control device of the device;

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