JP2011077744A - Remote control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote control device which has a simple structure, reduces switching of one hand to hold to minimize moving distance of the thumb, and is suitable for a blind operation. <P>SOLUTION: One surface of the widest surface of a longitudinal body case 10 with long depth dimensions is considered as an operation arrangement surface 11 of an operation button, a case surface on both sides and rear surface side of the operation arrangement surface is considered as a grip surface 12, the operation arrangement surface 11 is formed by raising a first operation arrangement surface 18 in the back of a level difference part 20 upward from a second operation arrangement surface 19 in front of the level difference part 20 by forming the level difference part 20 to be formed by an inclined surface 17 approximately at the center of its longitudinal direction, a content list button group 110 is arranged on the inclined surface 17, a television basic operation button group 130 including a volume button 131 and a channel selection button 132 is arranged on the first operation arrangement surface 18 adjacent to the inclined surface 17, and a cursor button group 120 is arranged on the second operation arrangement surface 19 adjacent to the inclined surface 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote control device that performs remote control such as a television receiver and a recording / recording / playback device, and more particularly to a portable remote control device that can be operated by holding a casing with one hand. .

  Information devices such as television receivers and recording / recording / playback devices that are widely used in homes are mainly operated by remote control devices connected cordlessly via infrared signals. These remote control devices hold a rod-shaped main body housing having a transmission window for transmitting an infrared signal on one end in the longitudinal direction with one hand, and hold a plurality of operation keys provided on the operation panel of the main body housing. The information device main body can be operated by operating with the thumb of one hand.

  However, in recent years, remote operation devices have many operation groups such as a television operation button group, a recording / playback operation button group, a cursor operation button group, and a digital broadcast operation button group in addition to a basic operation group such as a power button. Must be placed. Further, since the plurality of operation groups are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the remote operation device, the longitudinal direction of the remote operation device is long. For example, in an array of operation buttons of a very general remote control device, from the front end to the rear end, basic operation buttons such as a power button and a screen display button, broadcast selection buttons such as BS broadcast and CS broadcast, Numeric keypads for selecting a TV channel, volume and channel up / down buttons, digital broadcast 4-color buttons, buttons for program guides and programs, circular cursor buttons, recording / playback buttons, etc. is doing.

  For this reason, when the user holds the remote control device with one hand, the main operation group cannot be operated with the thumb or the like of the held one hand, so the user must change the hand or perform the operation with both hands.

  In order to solve these problems, an arrangement in which an annular operation button group is arranged around the cursor operation group has been proposed.

JP 2007-36508 A

  According to the conventional example, since a plurality of annular operation keys are arranged around the cursor operation group, the above-described problems can be reduced by assigning frequently used operation functions to these operation keys. . However, this conventional example collects and arranges frequently used operation keys in one place, so the problem is reduced, but on the other hand, the operation is difficult to understand and the desired operation button is selected from the dense operation buttons. There are problems such as troublesome to do. Moreover, the structure is complicated and the cost is also an issue.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device that has a simple structure, minimizes the movement of the thumb by reducing the number of holdings with one hand, and is suitable for blind operation. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above object, a remote control device according to the present invention includes an operation board, a battery, and a communication unit therein, and has a width dimension larger than the height dimension and a length dimension longer than the width dimension. One side of the widest surface of the main body housing is used as an operation placement surface for the operation buttons, and the housing surfaces on both sides and the back side thereof are used as grip portions, and the operation placement surface is formed as an inclined surface at substantially the center in the longitudinal direction. By forming the stepped portion, the first operation placement surface behind the stepped portion is raised above the second operation placement surface ahead of the stepped portion, and the content list button is formed on the inclined surface. A group of televisions is arranged, a basic operation button group including a volume button and a channel selection button is arranged on the first operation arrangement surface adjacent to the inclined surface, and a cursor button is arranged on the second operation arrangement surface adjacent to the inclined surface. A group is placed To.

  According to the present invention, a group of frequently used operation buttons is concentrated and arranged near the inclined surface that is the home position, so that the frequency of switching is reduced during the operation, and the thumb is placed around the home position of the thumb. Further, it is possible to arrange the operation buttons that are easy to perform the blind operation and are frequently used in the operation range of the thumb.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a remote control device according to the present invention. External view of remote control device according to this invention It is a use condition figure of the remote control device concerning this invention. It is an external view of the remote control device which concerns on the other application example which concerns on the other application example of this invention.

  The remote control device according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the remote control device. 2A and 2B are external views of the remote control device, in which FIG. 2A is a plan view, FIG. 2B is a right side view, and FIG. 2C is a front view. FIG. 3 is a usage state diagram of the remote control device. 4A and 4B are external views of a remote control device according to another application example. FIG. 4A is a perspective view, FIG. 4B is a right side view, and FIG. 4C is a side view in an installed state. is there.

  First, the schematic structure of the remote control device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, a remote operation device generally indicated by reference numeral 1 is a remote operation device capable of transmitting operation signals for a television broadcast operation system and a recording / reproduction system. Of course, the remote control device 1 according to this embodiment is not limited to the operation of the television broadcasting system and the recording / reproducing system, and can be applied to various other electronic devices. In addition, the remote operation device 1 can transmit an operation instruction to an electronic device to be controlled via an infrared signal. However, the operation signal to be transmitted is not limited to the infrared signal, and can also be applied to wireless communication. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to transmission but also to a remote control device capable of transmission / reception.

  The remote control device 1 includes a vertically long main body housing 10 having a width dimension W larger than a height dimension H and a depth dimension D longer than the width dimension W. The main body case 10 has one of the widest surface of the main body case 10 as an operation arrangement surface 11 on which operation buttons are centrally arranged, and the case surface on both sides and the back side as a grip portion 12. The main body housing 10 is configured by connecting a thin upper cover 13 having the operation arrangement surface 11 and a thick lower cover 14 constituting the grip portion 12 with screws (not shown).

  Further, in terms of the external shape, the main body housing 10 has a thin plate-like first housing 10a having the operation arrangement surface 11 and a step portion 15 on the back side of the first housing 10a. The second housing 10b is formed so as to protrude so as to protrude. The first housing 10a incorporates an operation button board (not shown) having a communication function and an operation function, and the second housing 10b contains a plurality of batteries (not shown) connected in series along the longitudinal direction. . Then, the upper cover 13 and the lower cover 14 form an outer appearance of the main body casing 10 so that a coupling groove 16 for coupling the upper cover 13 and the lower cover 14 is formed around the first casing 10a. ing.

  In this embodiment, an infrared transmission / reception unit 21 is provided at the end of the main body housing 10 in the longitudinal direction. When the user holds the main body housing 10 for operation, as shown in FIG. 1, one end in the longitudinal direction where the infrared transmission / reception unit 21 is disposed is directed to a television receiver (not shown). Hold with one hand. This holding posture is a posture in which the thumb is supported by the other finger on the operation arrangement surface 11.

  The operation arrangement surface 11 includes an inclined surface 17 formed at the center in the longitudinal direction, a first operation arrangement surface 18 formed so as to protrude behind the inclined surface 17, and a first operation on the front portion of the inclined surface 17. The second operation arrangement surface 19 is formed lower than the arrangement surface 18. In this embodiment, a television broadcast operation button group is mainly arranged on the first operation arrangement surface 18, and a recording / reproduction system operation button group is mainly arranged on the second operation arrangement surface 19.

  One of the major features of this embodiment is that a step is formed in the central portion of the operation placement surface 11, and an inclined surface 17 on which frequently used operation buttons are placed is formed on the step portion. The inclined surface 17 is used as a home position of one thumb for holding the main body housing 10.

  That is, in the conventional remote control device, the main body housing 10 is formed in an elongated shape, and one surface of the housing is a continuous flat operation arrangement surface. And this operation arrangement surface is divided into the longitudinal direction, and many operation buttons are divided and arranged according to function. However, many of these operation buttons have a problem of causing an erroneous operation unless they are visually confirmed.

  In this embodiment, by forming the step portion 20 formed by the inclined surface 17 in the center portion of the operation arrangement surface 11, this step portion 20 can be confirmed by the tactile sensation of the thumb of one hand holding the main body housing 10. I am doing so. As a result, the stepped portion 20 can be used as the home position of the thumb, and the operation buttons can be searched and operated with the tactile sense of the thumb with the home position as a base point. it can.

  Further, in the conventional remote control device, since the operation arrangement surface 11 that is long in the back is formed in a substantially flat shape, the front end portion is further away from the user's line of sight and the viewing angle becomes smaller. For this reason, the operation buttons arranged at the front end have problems in visibility and operability. In particular, in a multi-function remote operation device, there are many operation buttons arranged on the operation arrangement surface, and inevitably these operation buttons have a small shape, and the visibility thereof becomes lower.

  However, in this embodiment, the first operation arrangement surface 18 behind the stepped portion 20 formed by the inclined surface 17 is formed so as to be raised above the second operation arrangement surface 19 on the front side. Can be reduced.

  Moreover, since the step part 20 used as the thumb home position can be supported by the thumb, the retainability of the main body housing 10 can also be improved.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the operation buttons arranged on the inclined surface 17 are used as frequently used operation buttons, and the operation buttons are recorded at the same time as the electronic program button 111 for displaying at least the electronic program guide and the electronic program guide. The content list button group 110 includes a “view” button (recording list button 112) for displaying the list. In addition, in this embodiment, the back program button 113 is arranged on the inclined surface 17 in consideration of the fact that recent television receivers and recording / reproducing apparatuses are multi-tuners.

  Another major feature of this embodiment is that a frequently used cursor button group 120 and television basic operation button group 130 are arranged adjacent to the inclined surface 17.

  That is, it can be said that the volume button 131 and the channel selection button 132 are frequently used operation buttons in the operation buttons of the television broadcasting system. Recently, since there are many broadcasting systems such as BS broadcasting, CS broadcasting, and terrestrial digital broadcasting, the input switching button 133 for selecting these is also frequently used.

  On the other hand, in recent television receivers and recording / playback apparatuses, an electronic program guide and an operation menu screen are displayed on the television receiver, and the cursor displayed on this screen is moved by a cursor button to perform a selection operation. It has become mainstream. The cursor button group 120 used in these operations includes a center determination key 121, a ring-shaped cross cursor key 122 surrounding the center determination key 121, and a plurality of menu-related buttons 123 arranged around the cross cursor key 122. Is done.

  In recent terrestrial digital broadcasting, a color button group 140 to which a specific function is assigned and a data button 141 for selecting data broadcasting are frequently used.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the TV basic operation button group 130 including the volume button 131 and the channel selection up / down button 132 is arranged on one side of the first operation arrangement surface 18 adjacent to the inclined surface 17 and adjacent to the inclined surface 17. A cursor button group 120 is arranged on one side of the second operation arrangement surface 19. Further, the color button group 140 is arranged at a position facing the inclined surface 17 with the cursor button group 120 interposed therebetween.

  In other words, in this embodiment, when the color button group 140 and the content list button group 110 are arranged before and after the various cursor button groups 120, various menus are displayed on the display screen of the television receiver for operation. The video operation group 100 used frequently is centrally arranged. In addition, a television basic operation button group 130 that is frequently used in the television broadcast system operation group is arranged adjacent to the content list button group 110 including the electronic program button 111 and strongly related to the television broadcast system operation group. is doing. Moreover, in order to improve the operability of these operation systems, the content list button group 110 is arranged on the inclined surface 17 that can be the home position of the thumb, thereby realizing a feeling of blind touch operation.

  Next, the external appearance of the remote control device 1 according to this embodiment will be further described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 2, the main body housing 10 is composed of a thin first housing 10 a that is rounded on both sides, and a second housing 10 b that is formed to protrude slightly smaller than the first housing 10 a. . Due to this external shape, the first housing 10a is formed so as to protrude to the periphery, so that the second housing 10b is concealed from the first housing 10a, and the thin and compact external appearance of the main body housing 10 is realized. .

  A transmission / reception window 22 covered with a transparent resin material is formed at the distal end of the first housing 10 a, and the infrared transmission / reception unit 21 is disposed in the transmission / reception window 22.

  The main body case 10 is formed such that the end on the transmission / reception window 22 side is thicker (thickness is larger) than the other end in the longitudinal direction, so that when the main body case 10 is placed on a table or the like, Since the transmission / reception window 22 is formed to face obliquely forward, the transmission / reception efficiency can be increased. Moreover, the fall at the time of holding | maintenance is reduced by making one side of the longitudinal direction of the main body housing | casing 10 thick.

  In this embodiment, the operation arrangement surface 11 that is the upper surface of the main body housing 10 is a concave, gently curved surface. That is. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the operation arrangement surface 11 is formed with a gently curved surface such that the front side and the front end rise along the longitudinal direction of the main body housing 10, thereby With respect to P, the visibility and operability of the operation buttons arranged at the front and front ends are improved. In particular, in this embodiment, since the inclined surface 17 on which the content list button group 110 is arranged can be directly opposed to the user's eyes, the visibility and operability can be further improved. In addition, the first operation arrangement surface 18 behind the inclined surface 17 is formed so as to be raised one step higher than the second operation arrangement surface 19 and is formed with a gently curved surface. Can be improved.

  Therefore, according to the arrangement of this embodiment, the frequently used operation button group is concentratedly arranged adjacent to the stepped portion 20 serving as the home position, so that the frequency of holding it during the operation is reduced. In addition, since it is arranged around the home position of the thumb, it is easy to perform a blind operation, and operation buttons that are frequently used can be arranged in the operation range of the thumb.

  Returning to FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the cursor button group 120 is arranged at substantially the center in the longitudinal direction of the operation arrangement surface 11, and the content list button group 110 is arranged on the inclined surface 17 adjacent to the rear thereof. The first operation arrangement surface 18 adjacent to the rear side of the inclined surface 17 is mainly provided with television broadcast operation buttons, and the second operation arrangement surface 19 adjacent to the front side of the inclined surface 17 includes a cursor. Operation buttons other than the television broadcasting system including the button group 120 are mainly arranged.

  A power button 150 and a television broadcast system sub-operation button group 151 are arranged at the rearmost part of the first operation arrangement surface 18, and a television basic operation button group 130 is placed in front of the first operation arrangement surface 18 facing the power button 150. A numeric keypad group 160 for selecting individual channels is arranged between the sub operation button group 151 and the television basic operation button group 130.

  In this embodiment, in order to reduce erroneous operations, the power button 150 is provided at the tip that is most difficult to operate, and this is accompanied by a direct use such as screen display, voice switching, BS broadcasting, CS broadcasting, etc., which is less frequently used. A sub operation button group 151 including selection buttons for selecting a broadcasting system is arranged. Further, by arranging the numeric keypad group 160 occupying a large area in the center of the first operation layout surface 18 and dividing the TV basic operation button group 130 and the sub operation button group 151 that are frequently used, the operation can be easily understood. And operability and visibility are improved.

  The TV basic operation button group 130 includes a volume button 131 and a channel selection button 132 that are frequently used on the left and right, and an input switching button 133 that sequentially changes a method method such as BS and CS and a recording / playback unit. The mute button 134 is arranged.

  In the content list button group 110, an electronic program button 111, a recording list button 112, and a back program button 113 are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction of the inclined surface 17.

  The cursor button group 120 includes a center determination key 121, a ring-shaped cross cursor key 122 arranged around the center key 121, and a menu-related button 123 including four operation buttons arranged in four directions of the cross cursor key 122. Consists of including. In this embodiment, the menu related button 123 is a system link button 124 that calls a link screen of a system that can be operated by the remote operation device 1, a network link button 125 that links to a network, and a menu button 126 that calls a menu screen. , And a return button 127.

  In this embodiment, the color button group 140 is arranged adjacent to the front side of the cursor button group 120, and further, the data button 141 and the two-screen button 142 are arranged in front of it.

  The recording / playback operation button group 180 arranged on the front side of the second operation layout surface 19 is composed of a playback button 181, a pause button 182, a stop button 183, and a recording button 184, and includes fast forward and skip buttons. .

  Thus, according to this embodiment, with a simple structure, it is possible to minimize the moving distance of the thumb by reducing the holding with one hand to be held. A remote control device suitable for blind operation can be provided.

  Next, another application example of the remote control device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 4A and 4B are external explanatory views of a remote control device according to another embodiment, FIG. 4A is an external perspective view of the remote control device, FIG. 4B is a side view of the remote control device, and FIG. c) is a side view of a state in which the remote control device is placed on the table surface.

  In FIG. 4, the main body housing 50 of the remote operation device 1 according to this embodiment is characterized in that protrusions 51 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the operation arrangement surface 11 that is the upper surface of the main body housing 50. is there. Other components are the same as those in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the description thereof is omitted.

  That is, the operation arrangement surface of the conventional remote operation device 1 is formed to be substantially flat. For this reason, many operation buttons arranged on the operation arrangement surface protrude from the flat operation arrangement surface. For this reason, as shown in FIG.4 (c), when the operation arrangement surface of the remote control device 1 is placed so as to contact the table surface, the protruding operation button comes into contact with the table surface. For this reason, when the remote control device 1 is pressed against the table surface in the state of FIG. 4C, the operation button is operated, and there is a problem of transmitting an error signal.

  Therefore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the operation arrangement surface 11 is greatly curved in a concave shape along the longitudinal direction to reduce the number of operation buttons from touching the table surface. However, with this structure, the operation buttons arranged at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the operation arrangement surface 11 are strongly pressed.

  Therefore, the remote operation device 50 according to this embodiment forms protrusions 51 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the operation arrangement surface 11, and even if the operation arrangement surface 11 is pressed against the table surface or the like, the operation button remains on the table surface. It is mitigated that it is pushed by and mistakenly operated.

  In this embodiment, the projecting portion 51 is provided in a strip shape at the end of the operation arrangement surface 11 in the longitudinal direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Remote operation apparatus, 10 ... Main body housing | casing, 10a ... 1st housing | casing, 10b ... 2nd housing | casing, 11 ... Operation arrangement surface, 12 ... Grip part, 13 ... Upper cover, 14 ... Lower cover, 15 ... Level difference , 16 ... coupling groove, 17 ... inclined surface, 18 ... first operation arrangement surface, 19 ... second operation arrangement surface, 20 ... stepped portion, 21 ... infrared transmission / reception unit, 22 ... transmission / reception window, 50 ... remote operation device, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 51 ... Projection part, 100 ... Video system operation group, 110 ... Content list button group, 111 ... Electronic program button, 112 ... Recording list button, 113 ... Back program button, 120 ... Cursor button group, 121 ... Decision key, 122 ... Cross cursor key, 123 ... menu related button, 124 ... system link button, 125 ... network link button, 126 ... menu button, 127 ... return button, 130 ... basic TV operation Button group 131 131 Volume button 132 Channel selection button 133 Input switching button 140 Color button group 141 Data button 142 Two-screen button 150 Power button 151 Sub-operation button group 160 ... Numeric keypad group 161 ... Play button 162 ... Pause button 163 ... Stop button 164 ... Record button 180 ... Record / play operation button group 181 ... Play button 182 ... Pause button 183 ... Stop button 184 ... Record button, H ... Height dimension, W ... Width dimension, D ... Depth dimension, P ... Gaze.

Claims (4)

Inside it is an operation board, battery, and communication unit, and one of the widest surfaces of the vertically long main body casing that has a width dimension larger than the height dimension and a depth dimension larger than the width dimension is defined as the operation placement surface of the operation panel. In the remote control device having the grip surfaces on the housing surfaces on both sides and the back side,
The operation arrangement surface is formed with a stepped portion formed by an inclined surface at substantially the center in the longitudinal direction thereof, so that the first operation arrangement surface behind the stepped portion and the second operation arrangement in front of the stepped portion are arranged. Formed to rise above the surface,
A content list button group is arranged on the inclined surface,
A television basic operation button group including a volume button and a channel selection button is arranged on the first operation arrangement surface adjacent to the inclined surface,
A remote operation device, wherein a cursor button group is arranged on a second operation arrangement surface adjacent to the inclined surface. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein
A remote control device, wherein a color button group and a content list button group are arranged adjacent to each other before and after the cursor button group. The remote control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The remote control device, wherein the content list button group includes an electronic program button and a recording list button. In the remote control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The cursor button group includes a determination key arranged at the center, a ring-shaped cross cursor key formed around the determination key, and a plurality of menu-related buttons arranged around the cross cursor key. A remote control device characterized by that.