JP2011114497A - Remote control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote control system capable of transmitting a remote control signal to a desired device regardless of a user's position without giving burden to communication traffic of a network. <P>SOLUTION: The remote control system includes: a plurality of IR transmitter and receivers 1n which receive a remote control signal including device information about a device Kn to be controlled and control information about control contents from a remote controller R by radio, transmit the received remote control signal to a home network NT1, further receive the remote control signal through the home network NT1, and transmit the received remote control signal to the device Kn by radio; a device arrangement memory 1e which stores device arrangement information with which device information about each device Kn controlled by the remote control signal transmitted by the IR transmitter and receiver 1n for each IR transmitter and receiver 1n is associated beforehand; and a transmission destination determining part 1g which determines an IR transmitter and receiver 1n to be a transmission destination of the remote control signal on the basis of the device information included in the remote control signal with reference to the device arrangement information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote control system using a network.

  Remote control of devices such as televisions, recorders, air conditioners and the like with a remote control device using a wireless signal such as infrared rays is widely performed.

  However, homes such as dwelling units are divided into multiple spaces (rooms, corridors, etc.) by walls, doors, etc. Depending on the type of wireless medium (infrared rays, weak radio waves, etc.) that transmits remote control signals, The device may not reach other space devices, and the user needs to move to a space where the target device is located and perform a remote control operation, or to prepare a remote control device for each space.

  With respect to such a problem, there is a configuration in which each device relays a remote control signal to transmit the remote control signal to a desired device in the home (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, in this configuration, it is necessary to provide a wireless relay device for each device to be controlled, which is disadvantageous in terms of cost and versatility.

  Therefore, a configuration has been proposed in which a remote control signal is transmitted throughout the home using a network (home network) arranged in the home. In this case, a relay transmitter / receiver for remote control signals is provided in each space, and each relay transmitter / receiver is connected to a home network. When the user operates the remote control device in a certain space, a remote control signal is transmitted from the relay transmitter / receiver in the space to the home network, and the remote control signal is transmitted to the relay transmitter / receiver provided in another space through the home network. . The relay transmitter / receiver provided in each space transmits a remote control signal in each space, and a device to be controlled existing in the space is controlled.

JP 2001-16666 A

  However, in a remote control system using a conventional network, the location of the device to be controlled is unknown, so the wireless transceiver that wirelessly receives the remote control signal from the remote control device transmits the remote control signal to all other wireless transceivers on the home network. There is a problem that the communication traffic of the network becomes large.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object of the present invention is to provide a remote control system capable of transmitting a remote control signal to a desired device regardless of the position of the user without imposing a burden on network communication traffic. There is.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided one or more wireless receiving means for wirelessly receiving a remote control signal including device information relating to a device to be controlled and control information relating to control contents from a remote control device and transmitting the received remote control signal to a network. A plurality of wireless transmission means for receiving a remote control signal through a network and wirelessly transmitting the received remote control signal to the equipment, and equipment related to each device controlled by the remote control signal transmitted by the wireless transmission means for each wireless transmission means A device arrangement storage unit that stores device arrangement information associated with information in advance, and a transmission that refers to the device arrangement information and determines a wireless transmission unit that is a transmission destination of the remote control signal based on the device information included in the remote control signal And a predetermination means.

  According to the present invention, the destination wireless transmission means is determined from the plurality of wireless transmission means based on the device information included in the remote control signal. The remote control signal can be transmitted to the desired device.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the transmission destination setting unit includes the remote controller based on an installation location of the wireless reception unit that wirelessly receives the remote control signal and device information included in the remote control signal. It is characterized in that a wireless transmission means as a signal transmission destination is determined.

  According to the present invention, an operation-prohibited device that prohibits remote control operation can be set depending on the installation locations of the wireless transmission unit and the wireless reception unit.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the remote control signal is transmitted to the network based on the installation location of the wireless receiving means that wirelessly received the remote control signal and the device information included in the remote control signal. It is characterized by comprising a determination means for determining whether or not processing is possible.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to set an operation-prohibited device for the wireless receiving means depending on the installation location of the wireless receiving means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the signal storage for acquiring the remote control signal received by the wireless receiving means or the remote control signal transmitted through the network and storing the acquired one or more remote control signals. Means and an operation means for sending each remote control signal stored in the signal storage means to the network by a user operation.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to learn a remote control signal used in the past and arbitrarily perform a remote control operation from the operation means on the network without using a remote control device, thereby improving user convenience.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the remote controller for generating a remote control signal for controlling two or more devices by combining two or more remote control signals from the plurality of remote control signals stored by the signal storage means. And a signal generation unit, wherein the operation unit sends a remote control signal for controlling the two or more devices to a network by a user operation.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of devices can be controlled simultaneously. For example, remote control operations can be simplified by simultaneously turning on / off lighting fixtures in the living room, a television, and a sound system.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the apparatus includes a device information changing unit that changes device information of the remote control signal stored in the signal storage unit, and the operation unit operates the remote control signal that has changed the device information by a user operation. Is sent to the network.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to create a remote control signal for which, for example, a device of another manufacturer is controlled from one remote control signal, and the control range is expanded.

  A seventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the wireless receiving means and the wireless transmitting means are provided integrally.

  According to the present invention, the configuration can be simplified.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the network is configured by a wire.

  According to the present invention, a remote control system can be configured using a home wired network.

  As described above, the present invention has an effect that a remote control signal can be transmitted to a desired device regardless of the position of the user without imposing a burden on network communication traffic.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the remote control system of Embodiment 1. It is a figure which shows an operation | movement flowchart same as the above. It is a figure which shows the data structure of an infrared remote control signal same as the above. It is a figure which shows apparatus arrangement information same as the above. It is a figure which shows the structure of a GUI apparatus same as the above. It is a figure which shows the structure of the remote control system of Embodiment 2. FIG. (A) (b) It is a figure which shows the operation | movement flowchart same as the above. It is a figure which shows apparatus arrangement information same as the above.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a remote control system according to the present embodiment, and there are a plurality of spaces SPn in a house such as a dwelling unit, and an IR transceiver 1n is installed for each space SPn (n = 1, 2, 3, (...) The IR transmitter / receiver 1n (wireless transmission means, wireless reception means) uses the space SPn in which it is installed as an operation area, and transmits a remote control signal using infrared as a medium (hereinafter referred to as an infrared remote control signal). It receives from the remote control device R in the space SPn, and further transmits an infrared remote control signal to the device Kn in the space SPn of its own device. The equipment Kn arranged in each space SPn receives an infrared remote control signal transmitted by the remote control device R and the IR transceiver 1 and is controlled by the received infrared remote control signal in a television, a recorder, an air conditioner, a lighting fixture or the like. is there. The space SPn is composed of rooms separated from each other by walls, doors, etc., corridors, etc., and one room according to the reach of the infrared remote control signal transmitted by the remote control device R or the IR transceiver 1. May be divided into a plurality of spaces.

  In the IR transmitter / receiver 1n, the infrared transmitter / receiver 1a transmits and receives infrared remote control signals to and from the remote controller R and the device Kn in the space SPn of the IR transmitter / receiver 1n. Further, the plurality of IR transmitters / receivers 1n are connected to each other via a home network NT1 so as to be communicable with each other. In this embodiment, the home network NT1 is configured by a wired network using a LAN cable. The network communication unit 1b has an interface function for signal transmission / reception performed with the home network NT1, and a network remote controller that converts the infrared remote control signal received by the infrared transmission / reception unit 1a into the communication protocol of the home network NT1. A signal is generated, the generated network remote control signal is transmitted to the home network NT1, and the network remote control signal received through the home network NT1 is converted into a communication protocol for infrared communication. In addition, when not distinguishing an infrared remote control signal and a network remote control signal, it is called a remote control signal.

  Such an IR transmitter / receiver 1n includes a signal storage unit 1c, a prohibited device storage unit 1d, a device arrangement storage unit 1e, a transmission determination unit 1f, a transmission destination determination unit 1g, a GUI, in addition to the infrared transmission / reception unit 1a and the network communication unit 1b. A data generation unit 1h is provided, and the operation of the remote control system will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3, the infrared remote control signal transmitted by the remote control device R is composed of device information D1 related to a control target device Kn (control target device) and control information D2 related to control contents. The device information D1 is information on the manufacturer, device type, serial number, and the like of the device to be controlled. The device information D1 includes at least device information and is assigned to each device Kn. The control information D2 is information for instructing the device Kn to perform operations such as power on / off, volume adjustment, temperature adjustment, and the like.

  When an infrared remote control signal is transmitted from the remote control device R existing in any space SPn, the infrared light of the IR transceiver 1n that is installed in the same space SPn as the remote control device R and is within the reach of the infrared remote control signal. The transceiver 1a receives the infrared remote control signal (S1). Hereinafter, a case where an infrared remote control signal is transmitted from the remote control device R existing in the space SP1 to the IR transceiver 11 will be described as an example.

  The signal storage unit 1c of each IR transceiver 1n stores remote control signal information such as a data structure and a waveform necessary for reproducing device information D1 and control information D2 of each infrared remote control signal received in the past. The remote control signal information of the infrared remote control signal received this time by the IR transceiver 11 is also stored in the signal storage unit 1c if it is new (S2) and used for the learning remote control function described later.

  Next, the transmission determination unit 1f of the IR transceiver 11 determines whether or not the device information D1 can be extracted from the received infrared remote control signal (S3). If the device information D1 is stored in the infrared remote control signal, and the device information D1 can be extracted, the transmission determination unit 1f further transmits the network remote control signal to the home network NT based on the extracted device information D1. It is determined whether or not processing is possible (S4). Specifically, device information of a device Kn (operation prohibited device) that the own device does not accept a remote control operation is stored in advance in the prohibited device storage unit 1d of the IR transceiver 11, and the transmission determination unit 1f is an infrared remote controller. If the device information D1 extracted from the signal is stored in the prohibited device storage unit 1d, the transmission processing of the network remote control signal to the home network NT is not performed. If the extracted device information D1 is not stored in the prohibited device storage unit 1d, a process of sending a network remote control signal to the home network NT is performed.

  In the IR transmitter / receiver 1n installed in each space SPn, similarly to the above, device information of operation-prohibited devices is stored in advance in the prohibited device storage unit 1d, and a device Kn that does not accept remote control operation for each IR transmitter / receiver 1n. It is possible to set differently, and based on the device information D1 of the infrared remote control signal, it is determined whether or not the process of sending the network remote control signal to the home network NT is possible. For example, when the operation of the TV from the kitchen is prohibited, the IR transceiver 1n installed in the kitchen stores the device information [device type: TV] in the prohibited device storage unit 1d, and the received infrared remote control signal If the device type included in device information D1 is other than TV, network transmission of the remote control signal is permitted. If the device type included in device information D1 of the received infrared remote control signal is TV, the network of the remote control signal is permitted. Do not allow transmission. That is, whether or not the network remote control signal can be sent to the home network NT can be determined based on the installation location attribute of the IR transceiver 1n that wirelessly received the infrared remote control signal and the device information included in the remote control signal. Depending on the installation location of the IR transceiver 1n, the operation-prohibited device of the IR transceiver 1n can be set. Furthermore, by configuring the device information stored in the prohibited device storage unit 1d to include not only the device type but also the manufacturer and serial number, the operation prohibited device can be set in detail.

  Next, in the device arrangement storage unit 1e of each IR transmitter / receiver 1n, device information of a device Kn (device Kn existing in the space SPn of each IR transmitter / receiver 1n) for every IR transmitter / receiver 1n. Is stored in advance (see FIG. 4). Further, in this device arrangement information, transmission target information indicating whether or not the IR transmitter / receiver 1n that has received the infrared remote control signal is a remote control signal transmission target is set for each device information corresponding to each IR transmitter / receiver 1n. Has been.

  This transmission target information is set based on the installation location of the IR transceiver 1n that receives the infrared remote control signal and the device information D1 included in the received infrared remote control signal. For example, when the IR transceiver 1n installed in a living room is a kitchen lighting fixture and the lighting fixture of a bedroom on the second floor is excluded from the control subject, the IR transceiver 1n installed in the kitchen is set in the device arrangement information. Is set to “◯”, and the transmission target information of the luminaire corresponding to the IR transceiver 1 n installed in the bedroom on the second floor is set to “X”. Then, when receiving the infrared remote control signal that lights up, the transmission destination determination unit 1g of the IR transceiver 1n installed in the living room sets only the IR transceiver 1n installed in the kitchen as the transmission destination of the network remote control signal. .

  In addition, the IR transmitter / receiver 1n installed in the living room corresponds to the IR transmitter / receiver 1n installed in the kitchen in the device arrangement information when both the electric curtain in the kitchen and the electric curtain in the bedroom on the second floor are controlled. The transmission target information of the electric curtain to be set is set to “◯”, and the transmission target information of the electric curtain corresponding to the IR transceiver 1n installed in the bedroom on the second floor is also set to “O”. When the transmission destination determination unit 1g of the IR transceiver 1n installed in the living room receives the infrared remote control signal that the electric curtain is closed, the IR transceiver 1n installed in the kitchen and the IR transceiver installed in the bedroom on the second floor Both of the devices 1n are set as transmission destinations of the network remote control signal.

  That is, an operation-prohibited device that prohibits remote control operation can be set according to the installation location of the IR transceiver 1n that receives the infrared remote control signal and the installation location of the IR transceiver 1n that transmits the infrared remote control signal. A plurality of types of devices K are prevented from being inadvertently controlled simultaneously.

  In step S4, when transmission processing of the network remote control signal to the home network NT is permitted, the transmission destination determination unit 1g of the IR transceiver 11 refers to the device arrangement information in the device arrangement storage unit 1e and receives it. If there is an IR transceiver 1n including the device information D1 extracted from the infrared remote control signal in the control target device (S5), the extracted device information D1 is included in the control target device, and the transmission target of the extracted device information D1 is included. The IR transceiver 1n whose information is “◯” is determined as the transmission destination (S6). However, when the transmission destination is the IR transceiver 11, the device K1 in the space SP1 of the IR transceiver 11 can operate by directly receiving the infrared remote control signal from the remote control R, and the network remote control signal is sent to the home network NT1. The process is terminated without sending to.

  Next, the network communication unit 1b of the IR transceiver 11 converts the received infrared remote control signal into a communication protocol for the home network NT1 to generate a network remote control signal. The generated network remote control signal includes device information D1 and control information D2, and adds the address of the destination IR transceiver 1n and the address of the source IR transceiver 11 determined by the transmission destination determination unit 1g. Configured. Then, the network communication unit 1b of the IR transceiver 11 sends the generated network remote control signal to the home network NT1, and unicasts it to the destination IR transceiver 1n (S7).

  Among all the IR transceivers 1n, in the IR transceiver 1n in which the address included in the transmitted network remote control signal matches its own address (in this case, the IR transceiver 12 is set as the transmission destination), the network The communication unit 1b receives the network remote control signal, and converts the received network remote control signal into a communication protocol for infrared communication. Then, the infrared transmitter / receiver 1a of the IR transmitter / receiver 12 transmits the infrared remote control signal into the space SP2, and among the devices K2 existing in the space SP2, the device information D1 included in the received infrared remote control signal is assigned. The control target device is controlled based on the control information D2.

  All IR transceivers 1n can operate in the same manner as the IR transceivers 11 and 12, and IR transceivers that receive infrared remote control signals of the remote control device R, IR transmissions that transmit infrared remote control signals in the space SPn. The machine is not limited to the IR transceivers 11 and 12.

  Thus, in the remote control system of the present embodiment, each IR transceiver 1n recognizes in advance the arrangement of the device Kn to be controlled, and the IR transceiver 1n is included in the infrared remote control signal received from the remote control device R. The receiver IR transceiver 1n is determined from the plurality of IR transceivers 1n based on the device information D1 to be transmitted, and the network remote control signal is unicast-transmitted, so that the user is not burdened with the communication traffic of the home network NT1. A remote control signal can be transmitted to a desired device Kn in the home wherever the computer is.

  Further, in step S3, when the device information D1 of the infrared remote control signal is not stored, the device information D1 cannot be extracted from the infrared remote control signal due to deterioration of the environment of infrared communication, or the received infrared remote control signal in step S5. When the IR transmitter / receiver 1n including the device information D1 extracted from the control target device does not exist in the device arrangement information, the network communication unit 1b sends all IR transmitter / receivers to the destination of the network remote control signal obtained by protocol conversion of the infrared remote control signal. After 1n is set, it is sent to the home network NT1, and a network remote control signal is broadcast to all IR transceivers 1n on the home network NT1 (S8). In this case, all IR transceivers 1n receive the network remote control signal and transmit the infrared remote control signal in the space SPn of the own device.

  In step S4, when the network remote control signal transmission process to the home network NT is not permitted, the process ends.

  Next, the learning remote control function provided in the remote control system of this embodiment will be described.

  First, in the signal storage unit 1c of each IR transceiver 1n, a data structure necessary for reproducing the device information D1 and the control information D2 of each infrared remote control signal as a history of the infrared remote control signal received by the infrared transmission / reception unit 1a. Remote control signal information such as a waveform is stored. Then, the GUI data generation unit 1h creates GUI data including each remote control signal information in the signal storage unit 1c. Furthermore, the GUI data generation unit 1h refers to the device arrangement information in the device arrangement storage unit 1e to determine the IR transmitter / receiver 1n that is the transmission destination of each infrared remote control signal. The address of the destination IR transceiver 1n is associated.

  When there is a GUI data acquisition request from a terminal on the home network NT1, the created GUI data is transmitted to the requesting terminal via the home network NT1. For example, in FIG. 1, the GUI device 2 connected to the home network NT1 is configured by a personal computer or a dedicated terminal having a GUI (Graphical User Interface) function by executing prestored application software. As shown in FIG. 5, the GUI device 2 includes a network communication unit 2a, an operation unit 2b, a GUI image generation unit 2c, a remote control signal generation unit 2d, a device information change unit 2e, and a monitor screen 2f.

  Then, when the user operates the operation unit 2b, a GUI data acquisition request is transmitted from the network communication unit 2a to the one or more IR transceivers Sn through the home network NT1, and the requesting IR transceiver Sn uses the GUI. The data generation unit 1h provides GUI data to the GUI device 2 through the home network NT1.

  In the GUI device 2, the GUI image generation unit 2c visually displays the contents (control target devices, control contents, etc.) of each infrared remote control signal based on the remote control signal information included in the GUI data provided from each IR transceiver 1n. A GUI image (remote control signal presentation image) to be presented is generated and displayed on the monitor screen 2f. The user operates the operation unit 2b to select a remote control signal corresponding to a desired operation from the remote control signal presentation image, and unicasts the network remote control signal to the destination IR transceiver 1n through the home network NT1. be able to.

  That is, each IR transmitter / receiver 1n stores a history of infrared remote control signals transmitted from the remote control device 2, and the GUI device 2 selects a desired remote control signal from the history of past infrared remote control signals and passes through the home network NT1. Send. Therefore, it is possible to learn an infrared remote control signal used in the past and arbitrarily perform a remote control operation from the GUI device 2 on the home network NT1 without using the remote control device R, thereby improving user convenience.

  Next, processing of remote control signals in the GUI device 2 will be described.

  As the first remote control signal processing, the user operates the operation unit 2b to display a remote control signal presentation image on the monitor screen 2f, and selects a plurality of remote control signals from the remote control signal presentation image. The remote control signal generator 2d creates a new remote control signal that includes the device information D1 and the control information D2 of each of the selected plurality of remote control signals in one signal. Then, the new remote control signal (composite remote control signal) including the plurality of control instructions is also displayed on the remote control signal presentation image in the same manner as the other remote control signals, and the user operates the operation unit 2f to operate the composite remote control signal. By selecting and sending to the home network NT1, it becomes possible to simultaneously control a plurality of devices Kn as control objects. For example, by simultaneously turning on / off the lighting equipment, television, and sound system in the living room, Simplification can be achieved.

  As the second remote control signal processing, the user operates the operation unit 2b to display a remote control signal presentation image on the monitor screen 2f and select a desired remote control signal from the remote control signal presentation image. Then, the device information changing unit 2e changes the manufacturer information included in the device information D1 of the selected remote control signal by a user operation of the operation unit 2b. In other words, the manufacturer of the device Kn to be controlled is changed by changing the manufacturer information of the remote control signal. In general, the control information D2 of the remote control signal often has the same data structure regardless of the manufacturer as long as it has the same operation content. Therefore, as described above, by changing only the manufacturer information in the device information D1 of the received remote control signal, it is possible to create a remote control signal for which another manufacturer's device Kn is controlled from one remote control signal. Thus, the control range is expanded.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the home network NT1 is connected to the Internet NTa, which is an external wide area communication network, via the router 3, and can communicate with another home network NT2 connected to the Internet NTa. It is configured. Then, by transmitting the network remote control signal on the home network NT1 to the other home network NT2 via the router 3 and the Internet NTa, the infrared remote control signal is transmitted from the IR transceiver 101 of the home network NT2, and the space SP101. It is possible to control the device K101 existing in the network. Further, the IR transmitter / receiver 101 receives an infrared remote controller signal transmitted from the remote control device R in the space 101 and transmits it from the home network NT2 to the home network NT1 via the Internet NTa and the router 3, whereby the IR of the home network NT1. It is also possible to control the device Kn existing in the space SPn by transmitting an infrared remote control signal from the transceiver 1n.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the remote control system of the present embodiment. The IR transmitter / receiver 1n includes only the infrared transmitter / receiver 1a and the network communication unit 1b, and the controller 4 connected to the home network NT1 includes the network communication unit 4b, the signal A storage unit 4c, a prohibited device storage unit 4d, a device arrangement storage unit 4e, a transmission determination unit 4f, a transmission destination determination unit 4g, and a GUI data generation unit 4h are provided. That is, the controller 4 performs remote control signal transmission control using the home network NT1.

  FIG. 7 (a) shows the operation of the IR transceiver 1n, FIG. 7 (b) shows the operation of the controller 4, and the operation of the remote control system will be described below.

  First, when an infrared remote control signal is transmitted from a remote control device R existing in one of the spaces SPn, it is installed in the same space SPn as the remote control device R, and the infrared ray of the IR transceiver 1n within the reach of the infrared remote control signal. The transmission / reception unit 1a receives the infrared remote control signal (S11), and the network communication unit 1b converts the received infrared remote control signal into a communication protocol of the home network NT1 to generate a network remote control signal, and the network remote control for the controller 4 The signal is unicasted (S12). As shown in FIG. 3, the infrared remote control signal transmitted by the remote control device R is composed of device information D1 related to a device Kn (control target device) to be controlled and control information D2 related to control contents. Further, the network remote control signal that is protocol-converted from the infrared remote control signal includes device information D1 and control information D2, and is configured by adding the address of the transmission destination controller 4 and the address of the transmission source IR transceiver 1n. Yes.

  Hereinafter, a case where an infrared remote control signal is transmitted from the remote control device R present in the space SP1 to the IR transceiver 11 and a network remote control signal is transmitted from the IR transceiver 11 to the controller 4 will be described as an example.

  The signal storage unit 4c of the controller 4 stores remote control signal information such as data structure and waveform necessary for reproducing the device information D1 and control information D2 of each network remote control signal received in the past. If the remote control signal information of the network remote control signal received this time is also new, it is stored in the signal storage unit 4c (S21) and used for the learning remote control function described later.

  Next, the transmission determination unit 4f of the controller 4 determines whether or not the device information D1 can be extracted from the received network remote control signal (S22). If the device information D1 is stored in the network remote control signal and the device information D1 can be extracted, the transmission determination unit 4f of the controller 4 extracts the device information D1 of the network remote control signal and also the network remote control. When the signal is transmitted, the address of the IR transmitter / receiver 11 is recognized. Further, the transmission determination unit 4f determines whether or not the re-transmission processing of the network remote control signal to the home network NT is possible based on the device information D1 of the network remote control signal and the address of the transmission source IR transceiver 11 (S23). Specifically, device information of a device Kn (operation prohibited device) that does not accept remote control operation is stored in advance in the prohibited device storage unit 4d of the controller 4 for each IR transmitter / receiver 1n. If the device information D1 extracted from the remote control signal is set in the operation prohibited device of the IR transceiver 11 that is the transmission source of the network remote control signal, the network remote control signal is not retransmitted to the home network NT. If the device information D1 extracted from the network remote control signal is not set to the operation prohibited device of the IR transceiver 11 that is the transmission source of the network remote control signal, the network remote control signal is retransmitted to the home network NT.

  For example, when it is prohibited to operate the television from the kitchen, the prohibited device storage unit 4d stores device information [device type: television] corresponding to the IR transceiver 1n installed in the kitchen, and the transmission determination unit. 4f permits the re-transmission processing of the network remote control signal to the home network NT if the device type included in the device information D1 of the network remote control signal received from the IR transceiver 1n installed in the kitchen is other than TV. If the device type included in the device information D1 of the infrared remote control signal received from the IR transmitter / receiver 1n installed in the kitchen is a television, re-transmission processing of the network remote control signal to the home network NT is not permitted. That is, whether or not the network remote control signal can be sent to the home network NT can be determined based on the installation location attribute of the IR transceiver 1n that wirelessly received the infrared remote control signal and the device information included in the remote control signal. Depending on the installation location of the IR transceiver 1n, the operation-prohibited device of the IR transceiver 1n can be set. Furthermore, by configuring the device information stored in the prohibited device storage unit 4d to include not only the device type but also the manufacturer and serial number, the operation prohibited device can be set in detail.

  Next, the device arrangement storage unit 4e of the controller 4 corresponds in advance to the device information of the device Kn (device Kn existing in the space SPn of each IR transmitter / receiver 1n) for every IR transmitter / receiver 1n. The attached device arrangement information is stored (see FIG. 8). Further, in this device arrangement information, transmission target information indicating whether or not the IR transmitter / receiver 1n that has received the infrared remote control signal is a remote control signal transmission target is set for each device information corresponding to each IR transmitter / receiver 1n. Has been.

  In step S23, when the re-transmission processing of the network remote control signal to the home network NT is permitted, the transmission destination determination unit 4g of the controller 4 refers to the device arrangement information in the device arrangement storage unit 4e and receives the received network. If there is an IR transceiver 1n including the device information D1 extracted from the remote control signal in the control target device (S24), the IR transceiver 1n including the extracted device information D1 in the control target device and receiving the infrared remote control signal. Therefore, the IR transceiver 1n whose transmission target information of the extracted device information D1 is “◯” is determined as the transmission destination (S25). However, when the transmission destination is the IR transceiver 11, the device K1 in the space SP1 of the IR transceiver 11 can operate by directly receiving the infrared remote control signal from the remote control R, and the network remote control signal is sent to the home network NT1. The process is terminated without re-sending the message.

  Next, the network communication unit 4b of the controller 4 retransmits the network remote control signal received from the IR transceiver 11 to the home network NT1, and unicasts it to the destination IR transceiver 1n (S26). The unicast-transmitted network remote control signal includes device information D1 and control information D2 received from the IR transmitter / receiver 11, and the address and source of the destination IR transmitter / receiver 1n determined by the destination determination unit 4g. The address of the controller 4 is added.

  Among all the IR transceivers 1n, in the IR transceiver 1n in which the address included in the retransmitted network remote control signal matches its own address (in this case, the IR transceiver 12 is set as the transmission destination), The network communication unit 1b receives the network remote control signal, and converts the received network remote control signal into a communication protocol for infrared communication. Then, the infrared transmitter / receiver 1a of the IR transmitter / receiver 12 transmits the infrared remote control signal in the space SP2, and among the devices K2 existing in the space SP2, the device information D1 included in the received infrared remote control signal is assigned. The target device is controlled based on the control information D2.

  All IR transceivers 1n can operate in the same manner as the IR transceivers 11 and 12, and IR transceivers that receive infrared remote control signals of the remote control device R, IR transmissions that transmit infrared remote control signals in the space SPn. The machine is not limited to the IR transceivers 11 and 12.

  As described above, in the remote control system according to the present embodiment, the controller 4 recognizes in advance the arrangement of the device Kn to be controlled, and the controller 4 performs a plurality of operations based on the device information D1 included in the received network remote control signal. Since the IR transmitter / receiver 1n of the destination is determined from the IR transmitter / receiver 1n and the network remote control signal is unicast-transmitted, any desired location in the home can be obtained regardless of where the user is without burdening the communication traffic of the home network NT1. A remote control signal can be transmitted to the device Kn.

  In step S22, if the device information D1 of the network remote control signal is not stored, the device information D1 cannot be extracted from the network remote control signal due to deterioration of the environment of infrared communication, or the received network remote control signal in step S24. When the IR transmitter / receiver 1n including the device information D1 extracted from the control target device does not exist in the device arrangement information, the network communication unit 4b sets all the IR transmitter / receiver 1n as the transmission destination of the network remote control signal and then sets the home network. It retransmits to NT1 and broadcasts a network remote control signal to all IR transceivers 1n on the home network NT1 (S27). In this case, all IR transceivers 1n receive the network remote control signal and transmit the infrared remote control signal in the space SPn of the own device.

  In step S23, when the network remote control signal transmission process to the home network NT is not permitted, the process ends.

  Next, the learning remote control function provided in the remote control system of this embodiment will be described.

  First, in the signal storage unit 4c of each controller 4, the data structure and waveform necessary for reproducing the device information D1 and the control information D2 of each network remote control signal as the history of the network remote control signal received by the network communication unit 4b. The remote control signal information such as is stored. Then, the GUI data generation unit 4h creates GUI data including each remote control signal information in the signal storage unit 4c. Furthermore, the GUI data generation unit 4h refers to the device arrangement information in the device arrangement storage unit 4e to determine the IR transmitter / receiver 1n that is the transmission destination of each network remote control signal. The address of the destination IR transceiver 1n is associated. Then, when there is a GUI data acquisition request from the GUI device 2 on the home network NT1, the created GUI data is transmitted to the requesting GUI device 2 through the home network NT1.

  The GUI device 2 has the configuration shown in FIG. 5 as in the first embodiment. When the user operates the operation unit 2b, a GUI data acquisition request is sent from the network communication unit 2a to the controller 4 through the home network NT1. In the requested controller 4, the GUI data generating unit 4h provides the GUI data to the GUI device 2 through the home network NT1.

  In the GUI device 2, the GUI image generation unit 2 c visually presents the contents (control target equipment, control contents, etc.) of each infrared remote control signal based on the remote control signal information included in the GUI data provided from the controller 4. A GUI image (remote control signal presentation image) to be generated is generated and displayed on the monitor screen 2f. The user operates the operation unit 2b to select a remote control signal corresponding to a desired operation from the remote control signal presentation image, and unicasts the network remote control signal to the destination IR transceiver 1n through the home network NT1. be able to.

  That is, the controller 4 stores the history of the network remote control signal transmitted from each IR transceiver 1n, and the GUI device 2 selects the desired remote control signal from the history of the past network remote control signal and transmits it through the home network NT1. To do. Therefore, it is possible to learn a network remote control signal used in the past and arbitrarily perform a remote control operation from the GUI device 2 on the home network NT1 without using the remote control device R, thereby improving user convenience.

  Further, other operations such as processing of a remote control signal in the GUI device 2 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the first and second embodiments, one wireless receiving unit that transmits the remote control signal received from the remote control device R to the home network NT1 and one wireless transmission unit that wirelessly transmits the remote control signal received through the home network NT1. Although the configuration is simplified by integrally configuring with the IR transmitter / receiver, the wireless reception unit and the wireless transmission unit may be configured separately.

  The home network NT1 may be a wireless network other than a wired network using a LAN cable. Further, the remote control signal transmitted by the remote control device R may be a radio wave signal such as a specific power saving radio other than the infrared signal.

1n IR transceiver 1a Infrared transceiver 1b Network communication unit 1c Signal storage unit 1d Inhibited device storage unit 1e Device arrangement storage unit 1f Transmission determination unit 1g Destination determination unit 1h GUI data generation unit SPn space NT1 In-home network

Claims (8)

One or a plurality of wireless receiving means for wirelessly receiving a remote control signal including device information relating to a device to be controlled and control information relating to control content from a remote control device, and sending the received remote control signal to a network;
A plurality of wireless transmission means for receiving a remote control signal through a network and wirelessly transmitting the received remote control signal to a device;
Device arrangement storage means for storing device arrangement information in which device information relating to each device controlled by a remote control signal transmitted by the wireless transmission device is associated in advance with each wireless transmission device;
A remote control system comprising: a transmission destination determination unit that refers to the device arrangement information and determines a wireless transmission unit that is a transmission destination of the remote control signal based on the device information included in the remote control signal.   The transmission destination setting unit determines a wireless transmission unit as a transmission destination of the remote control signal based on an installation location of the wireless reception unit that wirelessly received the remote control signal and device information included in the remote control signal. The remote control system according to claim 1.   The apparatus further comprises a determination unit that determines whether or not processing for sending a remote control signal to a network is possible based on an installation location of the wireless reception unit that wirelessly receives the remote control signal and device information included in the remote control signal. The remote control system according to claim 1 or 2.   A remote control signal received by the wireless reception means or a remote control signal transmitted through a network is acquired, and a signal storage means for storing the acquired one or more remote control signals, and each remote control signal stored in the signal storage means is operated by a user operation. The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising operation means for sending to a network.   The remote control signal generating means for generating a remote control signal for controlling two or more devices by combining two or more remote control signals from a plurality of remote control signals stored in the signal storage means, 5. The remote control system according to claim 4, wherein a remote control signal for controlling two or more devices is sent to a network by a user operation.   The apparatus includes a device information changing unit that changes device information of a remote control signal stored in the signal storage unit, and the operation unit sends a remote control signal in which the device information is changed to a network by a user operation. 4. The remote control system according to 4.   The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless reception unit and the wireless transmission unit are provided integrally.   The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the network is configured by a wire.

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