JP2010193144A - Remote control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote control device which has a novel structure considering operability and convenience. <P>SOLUTION: A remote control accessory 100 which remote controls information terminals has a polyhedron housing that recognizes a plurality of surfaces, and detects which surface of the housing turns upward in the perpendicular direction. Then, the remote control accessory 100 performs communication for an instruction operation based on a function assigned to a current top surface to a specified information terminal 200. In addition, incoming information of telephone and e-mail that are received from the information terminal 200 is outputted through LEDs provided on the surface without depending on the current top surface. If the posture of the accessory 100 is inclined, it is determined to be a carrying mode and an operation output is suppressed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote operation device for remotely operating an information terminal.

  Conventionally, headsets and wristwatch-type accessories have been developed as tools for remotely operating information terminals such as mobile phone terminals. For example, by using a short-range wireless communication means such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), it is possible to perform a remote operation wirelessly.

  There has also been proposed a polyhedral remote control unit in which a plurality of switches are provided on a predetermined surface of a polyhedron, a predetermined switch is turned on based on the posture / state of the polyhedron, and this is emitted as a predetermined control signal (patent) Reference 1). This is for determining and transmitting a random signal not intended by the operator in a karaoke system, an audio system, a game, or the like.

  Patent Document 2 also proposes a wireless dice configured to wirelessly transmit the eyes of the dice to a receiver.

JP-A-9-84145 Special table 2008-517644

  Conventional headsets and wristwatch-type accessories are limited to applications such as conversation and music appreciation.

  Moreover, it is troublesome to always wear the headset when going out, and there is a problem that the headset does not function when it is housed in a bag or the like.

  Further, in the case of a wristwatch type, there is a problem that operability is poor because importance is attached to functionality and downsizing.

  In the prior arts described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above, a series of operations of stopping → shaking the dice → stopping is necessary, and the conventional dice is only digitized.

  The present invention has been made in such a background, and provides a remote control device having a novel configuration in consideration of operability and convenience.

  The remote operation device according to the present invention is a remote operation device for remotely operating an information terminal, and a polyhedral housing capable of recognizing a plurality of surfaces, and which surface of the housing faces upward in the vertical direction. An upper surface detecting means for detecting the information, a communication means for performing wireless communication with a specific information terminal, an output means for outputting information received from the specific information terminal by the communication means, and a plurality of surfaces of the information terminal. And a control unit that assigns a plurality of functions and performs communication of an instruction operation by the function assigned to the surface via the communication unit according to the current upper surface detected by the upper surface detection unit. .

  When the user operates the polyhedral housing to change its upper surface, the upper surface change is detected by the upper surface detecting means, and the current upper surface is recognized. By assigning a plurality of functions of the information terminal to a plurality of surfaces of the housing, the user changes the top surface of the housing, thereby performing an instruction operation communication using the functions assigned to the surface. Thereby, it becomes possible to instruct the function remotely to the information terminal.

  The information terminal accessory according to the present invention can be attached to the outside of a bag or the like and carried in a form that can be seen by the user, and improves the operability and convenience as a remote control means of the information terminal. Can do.

It is the perspective view which showed the external appearance of the outline of the apparatus for remote control in embodiment of this invention with the mobile telephone terminal. It is the figure which showed the specific structural example of the apparatus for remote control. It is the figure which showed the example of the allocation of the function to 6 surfaces of the accessory in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed a mode that the strap was passed through the accessory in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the touch sensor provided in the small housing | casing part in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram showing the hardware constitutions of the small housing | casing part in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram showing the hardware constitutions of the large housing | casing part in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram showing the hardware constitutions of the mobile telephone terminal in embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed transmission / reception of the signal for both for operation of the mobile telephone terminal by the accessory in embodiment of this invention, and each schematic internal process for it. It is the flowchart which showed the additional process in the accessory of embodiment of this invention. 10 is a flowchart in which part of the processing is added to the processing in FIG. 9. It is a figure for demonstrating the form of the transmission of the operation instruction | indication from the accessory of embodiment of this invention to a mobile telephone terminal, and the form of the production | generation of an operation signal. It is the figure which showed the specific example of the data showing the upper surface of the accessory of embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the transmission signal waveform of the transmission code shown in FIG. 13, and its received signal waveform. It is the figure which showed the example of a process in which the mobile telephone terminal which received the received signal shown in FIG. 14 decodes the received signal. It is the figure which showed the more general-purpose signal form of the transmission signal from an accessory corresponding to FIG.12 (b) (c) to a mobile telephone terminal. It is the figure which showed the process example in which the mobile telephone terminal which received the received signal shown in FIG. 16 decodes the received signal. It is the figure which showed the modification of allocation of the function to the small housing | casing part in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the other example of external appearance of the apparatus for remote control in other embodiment of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline appearance of a remote operation accessory 100 as a remote operation device according to the present embodiment, together with a mobile phone terminal 200. In this example, a cubic housing is shown. However, the remote operation device of the present invention does not necessarily assume a usage method such as a dice, and any shape that can grasp the upper surface in the vertical direction is sufficient. Therefore, it may be a rectangular parallelepiped instead of a cube, and need not be a hexahedron. The marks (squares, triangles, stars, etc.) shown on each surface 10a, 10b, 10c show the functions assigned to the surfaces with different marks for convenience. Actually, a mark or a letter indicating the function is marked. Other functions not shown in FIG. 1 can be assigned other functions.

  In the present embodiment, the instruction operation information of the function assigned to the upper surface is wirelessly transmitted to the adjacent mobile phone terminal 200 depending on which surface of the remote operation accessory 100 is directed to the upper surface by a predetermined operation by the user. The mobile phone terminal 200 is remotely operated.

  In addition, with a certain face up, you can perform certain actions (such as shaking horizontally or vertically) to move to the next action (for example, moving to the next song by shaking while playing music). I do. Furthermore, by using another sensor such as a distance sensor, a further function such as volume adjustment can be added.

  FIG. 2 shows a specific configuration example of the remote operation accessory 100 in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the remote operation accessory is also simply referred to as an accessory. The accessory 100 includes a small casing 100a having a cubic shape and a large casing 100b having a hollow portion into which the small casing 100a is fitted. A combined body of the small housing portion 100a and the large housing portion 100b has a single cubic shape. Communication means for performing wireless communication with a specific information terminal is included in each of the large casing 100b and the small casing 100a. The output means is also included in each of the large casing portion 100b and the small casing portion 100a, but the types thereof can be different as will be described later.

  The small casing 100a is a small size that is easy to carry and functions independently as an accessory for remote operation. The large casing 100b is used indoors or the like, and functions as a remote operation accessory together with the small casing 100a. In the present embodiment, the “upper surface detection means” is provided in the small casing 100a. Further, the small casing 100a is provided with an LED 106 as a light emitting element on a specific surface as an output means. The large casing 100b is provided with an LCD 114 as a display device on one side as output means, and a speaker 115 on the other side. The display device is not limited to the LCD, and any available device such as an organic EL can be used. The light emitting element is not limited to the LED.

  In the present embodiment, the small housing portion 100a is always mounted in the same direction relative to the large housing portion 100b. Therefore, although not shown in the drawing, it is possible to provide a convex portion on one side and a concave portion on the other side so that the two are engaged during normal mounting, and the mounting is inhibited without engaging in other directions. The convex portion and the concave portion can also serve as connectors that are coupled to each other. The connector is a connection detection unit that detects that the small casing 100a and the large casing 100b are coupled to each other. In the present embodiment, communication between the small casing unit 100a and the large casing unit 100b is not performed.

FIG. 3 shows an example of function assignment to the six surfaces of the accessory 100. The correspondence between each surface and function is as follows.
First surface 10a: Music reproduction: The small casing unit 100a can start music reproduction and instruct to move a song to the mobile phone terminal 200 by an operation with the first surface as an upper surface. The large casing 100b can output the music information received from the mobile phone terminal 200 from the speaker 115.
Second surface 10b: Telephone: The small casing unit 100a causes the LED 106b on the second surface 10b to emit light (turn on or blink, etc.) when an incoming call is received regardless of the current upper surface. The large casing 100b can perform voice communication for a call with the mobile phone terminal 200 via the microphone 116 and the speaker 115 by an operation with the second surface as an upper surface. Even in the small casing unit 100a alone, it is possible to start a conversation with the called party on the mobile phone terminal 200 using a headset (not shown) by an operation with the second surface as an upper surface. The headset can be connected to the mobile phone terminal 200 through a wireless interface such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).
Third surface 10c: Mail (e-mail): The small casing unit 100a causes the LED 106c on the third surface 10c to emit light (light on or blink) regardless of the current upper surface. The large casing 100b receives at least information on the title of the mail from the mobile phone terminal 200 and displays it on the LCD 114. Even in the small casing 100a alone, a predetermined simple message can be transmitted to the other party by an operation with the third surface as the upper surface.
Fourth surface 10d: Simplified data display (Web): The large casing 100b receives simple data received by the mobile phone terminal 200 from the mobile phone terminal 200 by an operation with the fourth surface as an upper surface, and the LCD 114 To display.
Fifth surface 10e: initial screen: The small casing 100a returns the initial function to the initial screen for the currently selected function by an operation with this surface as the upper surface. Even in the small casing unit 100a alone, a function (for example, music playback) that is currently operating can be stopped or the conversation can be ended by an operation with the fifth surface as an upper surface.
6th surface 10f: Schedule: The large casing unit 100b receives a schedule (for example, a thing that has not passed today) received from the mobile phone terminal 200 by an operation with this surface as the upper surface, Displayed on the LCD 114. Even in the small casing 100a alone, it is possible to read out the schedule for the day by an operation with the sixth surface as the upper surface, or to shift to the schedule for the next day by a predetermined operation of the small casing. .

  In the present embodiment, the functions of each surface of the accessory 100 are the same in the small casing 100a and the large casing 100b. (A different example will be shown later.)

  In this example, LEDs 106a, 106b, and 106c are provided on the first surface 10a, the second surface 10b, and the third surface 10c, respectively. The first LED 106a lights or blinks when the music playback function is activated (when activation is accepted). The LEDs 106b and 106c on the second and third surfaces output incoming calls whose contents of the telephone and mail are unconfirmed, for example, by periodically flashing.

  As described above, the small casing 100a does not necessarily need to be able to use the functions of all six surfaces when it is carried independently. For example, a function that requires display of simple information may be disabled.

  A through hole 11 is provided in the vicinity of a common corner of the first surface 10a, the third surface 10c, and the fifth surface 10e (see FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 4, straps 12 can be passed through these through holes 11. The strap 12 can be attached to the outside of the user's carry-on item such as a bag so as to be visible to the user.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the small casing 100a is provided with a touch sensor 13 on a pair of opposing surfaces. (In FIG. 5, the illustration of each surface is omitted for convenience.) Which facing surface is not particularly limited. Moreover, you may provide the touch sensor as a touch detection means in several sets of opposing surfaces. The touch sensor 13 provided on the facing surface is provided at a position where both fingers can come into contact with each other when the user pinches the small casing 100a with the thumb of one hand and the index finger or middle finger. The touch sensor 13 is a means for canceling the carry mode when a touch on the touch sensor 13 is detected after shifting to the carry mode described later. By making such a simultaneous touch on the opposite surface a condition for canceling the carry mode, the possibility of malfunction can be reduced compared to a single touch.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the small housing unit 100a.

  The small housing unit 100a includes a CPU 101, a touch sensor 102, an acceleration sensor 103, a battery 104, a short-range wireless communication unit 105, an LED 106, and a connector 107.

  The CPU 101 is a control unit that controls each part of the small casing 100a and performs necessary data processing and the like. In this example, it is assumed that the CPU 101 includes a ROM and a RAM. The touch sensor 102 is means for detecting a touch by the user described with reference to FIG. The acceleration sensor 103 is a means for detecting the posture and movement of the small casing 100a, and constitutes the upper surface detection means of the present invention. The battery 104 is a battery that supplies operating power to each part of the small casing 100a. The short-range wireless communication unit 105 includes a transmitter 105a and a receiver 105b, and is means for performing short-range wireless communication with the mobile phone terminal 200. As the short-range wireless communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), a wireless LAN, or the like can be used. Of course, when two persons who want to communicate are separated beyond a predetermined distance, communication between the two persons becomes impossible. The LED 106 is a light emitting element such as the LEDs 106a, 106b, and 106c described above. The connector 107 is a means for detecting whether or not the small casing 100a is connected to the large casing 100b (in a coupled state). For the connection, a switch or a connection terminal by any method such as electrical, magnetic, optical, etc. can be used.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the large casing 100b.

  The large casing 100b includes a CPU 110, a distance sensor 111, a battery 112, a short-range wireless communication unit 113, an LCD 114, a speaker 115, a microphone 116, and a connector 117.

  The CPU 110 is a control unit that controls each unit of the large casing 100b and performs necessary data processing and the like. In this example, it is assumed that the CPU 110 includes a ROM and a RAM. The distance sensor 111 is a sensor that is provided on a specific surface of the large casing 100b and detects a distance to an object (for example, a user's hand) facing the surface. In the present embodiment, the distance sensor 111 is provided on the first surface to which the music playback function is assigned. The battery 112 is a battery that supplies operating power to each part of the large casing 100b. The near field communication unit 113 includes a transmitter 113a and a receiver 113b, and is a communication unit that performs near field communication with the mobile phone terminal 200. As described above, the LCD 114 is a display device having a display screen arranged on the first surface of the large casing 100b in the present embodiment. Information relating to each function is displayed on this display screen. For example, the mail function is a title (or header information), the telephone function is the other party's telephone number, the simple data display function is simple data such as news and weather forecast, and the schedule function is schedule data. Such information is basically information on the currently selected function (the face is facing up), but events that occur due to external factors such as incoming calls and emails. It is preferable to display the information regarding the information regardless of the current upper surface. The speaker 115 and the microphone 116 are disposed on a predetermined surface of the large casing 100b, and are used to play music and perform telephone conversations in the large casing 100b. The surface on which the speaker 115 and the microphone 116 are arranged is not limited to the surface shown in FIG. The connector 117 is a means for detecting whether or not the large casing 100b is connected to the small casing 100a (in a coupled state).

  Note that the display of the LCD 114 and the function of the microphone 116 may be suppressed in a state where the small casing 100a is not attached to the large casing 100b. Even in such a state, the music playback function may not be inhibited.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the mobile phone terminal 200.

  The mobile phone terminal 200 includes a control unit 201, a communication unit 203, a display unit 204, an operation unit 205, a storage unit 206, a voice processing unit 210, a short-range wireless communication unit 213, and a music playback unit that are connected to each other via a bus 216. 214, and a calendar / clock unit 215.

  The control unit 201 includes a CPU and the like, and controls each unit of the mobile phone terminal 200. The communication unit 203 includes an RF unit, a modulation circuit, and the like, and performs wireless communication for calls, mails, WEB data, and the like with the base station via the antenna 202.

  The display unit 204 includes a display device such as an LCD or an organic EL that displays information on a display screen, and a driver thereof.

  The operation unit 205 has various keys such as a control key and a numeric keypad, and accepts an instruction and data input by a user.

  The storage unit 206 includes a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and stores programs and data such as an OS and various applications executed by the CPU. The ROM may include a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory.

  The audio processing unit 210 includes a speaker 211 and a microphone 212 connected to the audio processing unit 210, and further includes an audio encoder, decoder, DA converter, AD converter, and the like. Perform voice input.

  The short-range wireless communication unit 213 is a means for performing short-range wireless communication with the short-range wireless communication units of the small casing unit 100a and the large casing unit 100b described above.

  The music playback unit 214 is means for playing back music data in a predetermined format. The music data can be stored in the storage unit 206, but a dedicated removable external memory (not shown) for storing the music data may be provided.

  The calendar / clock unit 215 presents the current date and time information and the calendar function based on the RTC (real time clock).

  In addition, although not shown, the mobile phone terminal 200 includes functional units included in a normal mobile phone terminal, such as a power supply unit, a light emitting unit, and a vibrator. You may further provide a camera part and a non-contact IC card function part.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing signal transmission / reception between the two for operation of the mobile phone terminal 200 by the accessory 100 and schematic internal processing for each. In this flowchart, it is not distinguished whether or not the small casing unit 100a and the large casing unit 100b are combined and in which casing unit each step is executed. Wherever it is necessary to distinguish between the two, it will be explained each time.

  When there is a change in the upper surface of the housing (S11), this change is detected by the acceleration sensor 103 of the small housing portion 100a (S12). This sensor output is processed by the CPU 101 of the small casing 100a (S13). As a result, the upper surface of the housing is specified, and the current upper surface is known. As a result, the function to be used by the user is determined. The fact that the upper surface of the housing is a specific surface can be detected by a certain surface being used as the upper surface for a predetermined time. When the current upper surface is not a specific one surface, that is, when the housing is slanted or continuously changing, the upper surface of the housing is treated as not determined. Further, the vibration of the housing can be detected based on the output of the acceleration sensor 103 and used as additional operation information.

  As a result of the sensor output process, operation information for the mobile phone terminal 200 is generated. This operation information is transmitted to the mobile phone terminal 200 by the transmitter of the short-range wireless communication unit 105 (S14).

  The cellular phone terminal 200 receives the operation information by the receiver of the short-range wireless communication unit 213 (S21). Further, the control unit 201 of the mobile phone terminal 200 processes the received signal (S22), and generates an operation signal for operating the mobile phone terminal itself (S23). Further, the cellular phone terminal is controlled by this operation signal (S24). Thereby, the mobile phone terminal is remotely operated in accordance with the operation information from the accessory 100.

  If the operation result is, for example, activation of a music playback function, the music playback unit 214 is controlled to play back music. Whether to start playback of music data (for example, the entire music data or the first music data of a specific playlist or previously played music data) immediately after starting the music playback function, or to start playback after waiting for the next operation It doesn't matter. When the reproduction of the music data is started, the reproduction signal is input to the short-range wireless communication unit 213 (S25), and is transmitted from there to the short-range wireless communication unit 113 of the large casing 100b of the accessory 100 ( S26). Further, the short-range wireless communication unit 113 receives this signal (S15). This received signal is output as an audio signal to the speaker 115 (S16). The receiver 113b, the CPU 110, and the speaker 115 correspond to audio signal receiving / reproducing means for receiving and reproducing an audio signal from the mobile phone terminal. At this time, whether or not the same sound is output from the speaker 211 on the mobile phone terminal side can be set in advance.

  When the setting is such that sound is output from the speaker 211 on the mobile phone terminal side, it is possible to listen to the reproduced sound through the earphone (including headphones) while the terminal is in the bag. Audio output may be suppressed when no earphone is set in the mobile phone terminal in the carrying mode. Thereby, for example, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that music is suddenly output from the mobile phone terminal in the bag on the train.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing additional processing in the accessory 100.

  This process is a process executed by the CPU 101 in the small casing 100a. The CPU 101 of the small casing 100a can recognize that the small casing 100a has been removed from the large casing 100b by detecting a change in the connection state of the connector 107 (S31b). Thereby, the small housing | casing part 100a transfers to carrying mode (S32). The carrying mode is a mode in which the small casing 100a is being carried, and the detection of the upper surface at that time, and consequently the operation output of the mobile phone terminal based on the upper surface is suppressed. Once the user moves to the carrying mode, when the user tries to perform an operation using the small casing unit 100a, when it is detected that the two touch sensors 13 are touched (S33), the carrying mode is canceled. (S34). After the carrying mode is canceled, the user can operate the mobile phone terminal by using the small housing portion 100a. When such an operation is performed, the user inevitably holds the small casing 100a with his / her finger, and thus the release of the carry mode is not particularly troublesome.

  In this way, after the small casing 100a is moved to the non-carrying mode and operated, it should be returned to the carrying mode when it is hung on the bag again. Here, based on the output of the acceleration sensor 103, it is continuously detected for a predetermined time (for example, several seconds) that the small casing 100a is in an oblique state (a state in which any surface does not face the upper surface). (S31a), it shifts to the carrying mode. In this carrying mode, the operation output by any function assigned to the plurality of surfaces is suppressed. However, even when such operation output is suppressed, when incoming information on the terminal phone or mail is received, the incoming information is output by LED light emission.

  Note that when the small casing 100a is removed, the posture of the large casing 100b cannot be detected, so that the large casing 100b does not operate the cellular phone terminal. In addition, the function of the large casing 100b may be suppressed so that no processing is performed on a signal received from the mobile phone terminal. Alternatively, in such a case, notification of an incoming signal from the mobile phone terminal may be accepted.

  FIG. 11 is obtained by adding some processes (S17, S18) to the process of FIG. In this flowchart, the same processing steps as those shown in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  As shown in the large casing 100b in FIG. 7, the large casing 100b is provided with a distance sensor 111 on the upper surface thereof. This distance sensor 111 can detect the distance from the top surface of the housing to the hand when the user holds his palm above the large housing portion 100b. Therefore, when there is such a change in distance (S17), the distance is detected based on the output of the distance sensor 111 (S18). The detected distance is processed by the CPU and used for a predetermined operation of the mobile phone terminal. For example, it can be used to adjust the volume during music playback.

  With reference to FIG. 12, a mode of transmission of an operation instruction from the accessory 100 to the mobile phone terminal 200 and a mode of generation of an operation signal will be described.

  FIG. 12A shows a signal form suitable for the case where it is sufficient to notify the mobile phone terminal only of information indicating which surface is the current upper surface of the accessory 100. When the accessory 100 detects a change in the upper surface in the non-carrying mode (S41), the accessory 100 transmits an upper surface identification code, which is data indicating what the current upper surface is, to the mobile phone terminal by short-range wireless communication (S42). The mobile phone terminal interprets the received code (S51) and executes an operation associated with the code in advance.

  FIG. 12B shows a signal form suitable for transmitting not only the information indicating the current upper surface of the accessory 100 but also the accompanying information. The accessory 100 detects various operations performed on the accessory 100 by the user (S43). These various operations include not only designation of a function to be operated by changing the upper surface of the accessory but also specific operations related to the function. Specific operations related to the function include adjusting the volume in the music playback function and moving to the next song. Corresponding codes are assigned in advance to these various operations, and the accessory 100 transmits the codes to the mobile phone terminal by short-range wireless communication (S44). The mobile phone terminal interprets the received code (S52) and executes an operation associated with the code in advance.

  FIG. 12C shows a signal form suitable for transmitting not only the information indicating the current upper surface of the accessory 100 but also the information accompanying it, as in the case of FIG. 12B. ing. However, a code corresponding to various operations is not prepared in advance, but the operation is converted into a key code string corresponding to the mobile phone terminal. When the accessory 100 detects various operations performed on the accessory 100 by the user (S45), the accessory 100 temporarily converts the operation into a key code string of the mobile phone terminal corresponding to the operation (S46). This key code string is transmitted to the mobile phone terminal by short-range wireless communication (S47). The mobile phone terminal uses the received key code string as an input key code string (S53). Thereby, an operation associated with the input key code string is executed.

  FIG. 13 shows a specific example of data representing the upper surface of the accessory 100. The “upper surface” in the figure corresponds to each surface of the small housing portion 100a in FIG. X, Y, and Z indicate output codes for each axis of the three-dimensional acceleration sensor. In each axis, output codes “10” and “01” indicate that the axis is oriented in the vertical direction. In this example, both “10” and “01” output codes indicate the case where the surface orthogonal to the X axis is the upper surface and the lower surface. The output code “00” indicates that the plane perpendicular to the axis is oriented in the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. Therefore, in FIG. 13, the output code is shown only when one of the surfaces faces the upper surface. In an “inclined” state in which no surface faces the upper surface, combinations of code values (code strings) other than those shown in the figure are obtained. “Transmission code” is data converted into an upper surface identification code corresponding to the combination of the six XYZ output codes shown in FIG. In this example, since a single "1" appears in the XYZ code string, all the bits higher than "1" are set to "1" and all lower bits are set for the convenience of processing on the receiving side. It is set to “0”.

  Note that this transmission code corresponds to the signal form of FIG. 12A described above, and when another signal form is adopted, the transmission code does not need to be as shown in FIG. For example, an XYZ code string may be used as a transmission code as it is.

  FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a transmission signal waveform of the transmission code illustrated in FIG. 13 and a reception signal waveform thereof. At the head of the transmission signal, “1” is transmitted as a header for one clock, and thereafter, data bits of the transmission code are transmitted every clock.

  FIG. 15 shows a processing example in which the mobile phone terminal that has received the received signal shown in FIG. 14 decodes the received signal.

  First, a variable Dout indicating a transmission code and a repetition variable n are initialized (S71). Here, Dout is set to “0” and n is set to “1”.

  When the rising edge of the transmission signal is detected (S72), it waits for 1 clock and 0.5 clock of the header (S73). The reason for waiting for 0.5 clock is to detect the level at the approximate center of the 1-bit waveform to ensure data detection. Therefore, the repeating process of S74 to S78 is executed until n = 7. In the repetitive processing, first, it is checked whether or not the input is “1” (S75). If it is not “1”, the process proceeds to step S77, and if it is “1”, Dout is incremented (S76). Thereafter, one clock is waited (S77), n is incremented (S78), and the process returns to step S74. If n = 7 has not been reached in step S74, the processing from step S75 is executed again. When n = 7 is reached, Dout is output (S79), and this process ends. By this processing, the six types of 6-bit transmission codes shown in FIG. 13 are obtained as values “1” to “6”, respectively.

  FIG. 16 shows a more general signal form of a transmission signal from the accessory to the mobile phone terminal corresponding to FIGS. 12 (b) and 12 (c). This transmission signal is not a signal form in which a falling edge appears only once in the transmission waveform of one data as shown in FIG. 14, but a form in which “1” can occur at an arbitrary bit. In the example of FIG. 14, one data is 6 bits, but in the example of FIG. 16, it is 7 bits (or 8 bits).

  FIG. 17 shows a processing example in which the mobile phone terminal that has received the received signal shown in FIG. 16 decodes the received signal.

  First, a variable Dout indicating a transmission code and a repetition variable n are initialized (S81). Here, Dout is set to “” (NULL), and n is set to “1”. In this example, Dout is assumed to be a 7-bit binary number.

  When the rising edge of the transmission signal is detected (S82), as in the above case, it waits for 1 clock and 0.5 clock of the header (S83). Therefore, the repetition processing of S84 to S89 is executed until n = 8. In the repetitive processing, first, it is checked whether or not the input is “1” (S85). If it is “1”, a bit of value “1” is added to the LSB of Dout (S86). If it is not “1”, a bit of value “0” is added to the LSB of Dout (S87). Thereafter, the system waits for one clock (S88), increments n (S89), and returns to step S84. If n = 8 has not been reached at step S84, the processing after step S85 is executed again. When n = 8 is reached, Dout is output (S90), and this process ends. By this processing, a 7-bit transmission code is obtained. If one data is 8 bits, it is sufficient to change n = 8 to n = 9 in S74.

  In the above description, the case where the same function is assigned to each of the six surfaces of the small housing portion 100a and the large housing portion 100b has been described. In that case, as described above, there may be a specific surface of the small casing 100a that does not function by the small casing alone. For example, although the surface 10f shown in FIG. 3B is assigned to the schedule function, the small casing unit alone shows an example assigned to the transition to the manner mode as shown in FIG. 18B. The manner mode is an operation mode in which the mobile phone terminal suppresses at least output of ringtones for telephone calls and mails. Since this surface 10f is hidden in the recess of the large casing 100b when mounted on the large casing 100b, it is considered that the user is less likely to be confused. In addition, the state where the user is in the large casing 100b is when the user is at home or the like, and the need for the manner mode setting is considered to be low. The manner mode setting can be canceled by a specific operation of the accessory 100, but the accessory 100 may be configured to be performed on the mobile phone terminal side without assuming the operation for that purpose.

  FIG. 19 shows another external appearance example of the remote control accessory according to another embodiment of the present invention. The accessory has a spherical shape, but may have such a shape as long as the upper surface can be recognized. When placing on a desk, table, or the like, a pedestal having a concave portion curved on the upper surface may be used to ensure stability.

  From the above, the lack of functions of the operation target, which has been a problem in the past, can be achieved by using more polyhedrons, detecting distances using a distance sensor, and detecting motions such as “shake” using an acceleration sensor. Is possible. In addition, handling is easy because visual operation is possible instead of button operation. Furthermore, if a plurality of devices are installed indoors, it is not necessary to carry accessories indoors, and the information terminal can be easily operated.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various modifications and changes other than those mentioned above can be made. For example, a mobile phone terminal has been described as an example of the information terminal, but is not limited to a mobile phone terminal. The LCD is provided only on the large housing part side, but may be provided on the small housing part side. The small housing part 100a and the large housing part 100b may be integrated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Strap, 13 ... Touch sensor, 100 ... Remote operation accessory, 100a ... Small housing part, 100b ... Large housing part, 102 ... Touch sensor, 103 ... Acceleration sensor, 104 ... Battery, 105 ... Short-distance wireless communication 105a ... Transmitter, 105b ... Receiver, 107 ... Connector, 111 ... Distance sensor, 112 ... Battery, 113 ... Short-range wireless communication unit, 113a ... Transmitter, 113b ... Receiver, 115 ... Speaker, 116 ... Microphone DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 117 ... Connector, 200 ... Mobile phone terminal, 201 ... Control part, 202 ... Antenna, 203 ... Communication part, 204 ... Display part, 205 ... Operation part, 206 ... Memory | storage part, 210 ... Sound processing part, 211 ... Speaker, 212 ... Microphone, 213 ... Short-range wireless communication unit, 214 ... Music playback unit, 215 ... Calendar / clock unit, 216 ... Bus

Claims (10)

A remote operation device for remotely operating an information terminal,
A polyhedral housing capable of recognizing a plurality of surfaces;
Upper surface detection means for detecting which surface of the housing is facing upward in the vertical direction;
A communication means for performing wireless communication with a specific information terminal;
Output means for outputting information received from the specific information terminal by the communication means;
A plurality of functions of the information terminal are allocated to the plurality of surfaces, and an operation output is communicated by the function allocated to the surface via the communication unit according to the current upper surface detected by the upper surface detecting unit. A remote control device comprising a control means.   If the control means determines that one of the plurality of faces is not maintained as the upper face continuously for a predetermined time or more based on the output of the upper face detection means, the carrying mode The apparatus for remote operation according to claim 1, wherein operation output by any of the functions assigned to the plurality of surfaces is suppressed in the carrying mode.   The information terminal has at least one of a telephone function and a mail function, and the output means outputs the incoming information when receiving the incoming information of the telephone or mail of the information terminal even while the operation output is suppressed. Item 3. The remote control device according to Item 2.   The remote operation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising means for canceling the carrying mode.   Touch detection means for detecting touches to a plurality of locations of the housing by a user is further provided, and the control means switches the carry mode when a touch to the plurality of locations is detected after shifting to the carry mode. The remote control device according to claim 4 to be released.   The remote operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit includes a display device having a display screen provided on at least one of the plurality of surfaces.   The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit includes a plurality of light emitting elements provided on the plurality of surfaces. The housing includes a large housing portion and a small housing portion that fits into a recess provided in the large housing portion, and the upper surface detection means and the control means are included in the small housing portion, The communication means and the output means are included in each of a large housing portion and a small housing portion,
It further comprises a connection detection means for detecting the connection between the large casing part and the small casing part,
2. The remote control according to claim 1, wherein the control unit shifts to a carry mode when connection by the connection detection unit is not established, and the operation output by any function assigned to the plurality of surfaces is suppressed in the carry mode. Operation device.   The remote according to claim 8, comprising: a display device having a display screen disposed on one surface of the large housing portion and a plurality of light emitting elements disposed on a plurality of surfaces of the small housing portion as the output means. Operation device.   9. The remote operation device according to claim 8, wherein an audio signal receiving / reproducing means for receiving and reproducing an audio signal from the information terminal is provided in the large casing.