JP3186458B2 - Control device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for a plurality of AV devices, such as audio and video recording and reproducing devices, or a composite integrated device thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a control device for operating a plurality of AV devices by one unit, a general-purpose remote control such as a preset remote control specified by a manufacturer of each device and a remote control for learning an infrared control code, and a remote control of an AV device. 2. Description of the Related Art A dedicated remote controller attached to a set product or an integrated AV device product is known.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional control devices, there are many devices in which operation buttons for each device are simply arranged on the operation surface as they are, and as the number of operable devices increases, the number of buttons on the operation surface and the operation number increase. It took a long time to perform or memorize any operation because the number of procedures tended to increase. Therefore, there is an increasing need to operate a plurality of devices more easily without increasing the number of buttons and operation procedures with one control device.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a control device that can easily operate a plurality of devices with one device.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the control device of the present invention, in a control device capable of operating a plurality of devices, a plurality of contacts are independently formed by tilting one operation button in multiple directions. A switchable pad-shaped button is provided on an operation surface, and each operation of at least two or more devices is assigned to one of the operation buttons.

In a second configuration, in the first configuration, a pair of operations and functions are assigned to symmetrical positions of a pad-shaped button in which a plurality of contacts can be independently switched by tilting one operation button in multiple directions. It is a thing.

The third configuration is different from the first configuration in that a plurality of pad-shaped buttons are provided in which contacts for performing operations of a concept common to a plurality of devices are unified in the same inclination direction.

In a fourth configuration, in the first configuration, one of the devices assigned to one of the pad-shaped buttons that can operate a plurality of devices with one operation button is a reproducible package medium, and the other is a tuner that only receives data. What is the media.

In a fifth configuration, in the first configuration, when a plurality of devices can be operated with one operation button, a button printed or stamped with a pattern or character string reminiscent of an image of the composite device is provided. Have

In a sixth configuration, in a control device capable of operating a plurality of devices, when a selection button of a device is pressed, the operation button of the device protrudes to an operation surface to be operable, and a selection button of another device is operated. When the button is pressed, the operation button that was protruding from the previously selected device is retracted from the operation surface and becomes inoperable.At the same time, the operation buttons of another device protrude and operate in tandem so that they can be operated. It has a button.

According to a seventh configuration, in a control device capable of operating a plurality of devices, when an arbitrary operation button is pressed, an image of the device operated by the image imposing device incorporated in the display device is recalled. A simple pattern or character string and the operation content are displayed on the screen of the display device.

[0012]

According to the control device of the first configuration, in the control device capable of operating a plurality of devices, a pad-like button capable of independently switching a plurality of contacts by operating one operation button in multiple directions is operated. Since each operation of at least two or more devices is assigned to one operation button, a plurality of devices can be operated with one operation button, and a plurality of devices can be easily operated. it can.

According to the control device of the second configuration,
By assigning a pair of operations and functions to the symmetric position of a pad-shaped button that can switch multiple contacts independently by tilting one button in multiple directions, any operation of any device can be performed quickly and reliably Can do it.

According to the control device of the third configuration,
Since a plurality of pad-shaped buttons are configured so that the contacts that perform the operation of the concept common to a plurality of devices are unified in the same tilt direction, any common operation can be performed simply by tilting any of the pad-shaped buttons in the same direction. Frequently, it is not necessary to individually memorize the operation of the pad-shaped buttons of each device, and the common operation between the devices can be quickly performed.

According to the control device of the fourth configuration,
One of the devices assigned to one of the pad buttons that can operate a plurality of devices with one operation button is configured such that one of the devices is a reproducible package media and the other is a tuner media for reception only, so that a plurality of devices can be operated by one operation The number of contacts can be reduced when the button is set in the button, and the operation concept is not duplicated as compared with a case where a plurality of similar package media are combined, so that erroneous operations can be reduced.

According to the control device of the fifth configuration,
When a single operation button can operate a plurality of devices, it has a button that prints or imprints a pattern or character string reminiscent of the image of those multifunction devices, so that the button can operate a plurality of devices. Is easily understood by the user, and a plurality of devices can be easily operated.

According to the control device of the sixth configuration,
In a control device capable of operating a plurality of devices, when a selection button of a device is pressed, the operation button of the device protrudes from an operation surface to be operable, and when a selection button of another device is pressed, the device is selected up to that time. When the operation button that was protruding from the device is retracted from the operation surface and operation becomes impossible, the operation button of another device protrudes instead,
Since it is configured to have a plurality of buttons that are linked so that it can be operated, the selection status of each device and the buttons that can be operated can be easily recognized visually and tactilely. There is no possibility of touching, and a plurality of devices can be easily operated.

According to the control device of the seventh configuration,
In a control device that can operate multiple devices, when an arbitrary operation button is pressed, a picture or character string and operation content that reminds the image of the device being operated by the image imposition device incorporated in the display device Since the display is configured to be displayed on the screen of the display device, the user can know what device was operated.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. That is, this control device is an infrared remote controller having seven operation buttons (hereinafter, referred to as buttons) on an operation surface.

In FIG. 1, a button 1, a button 2, and a button 3 each have a mechanism capable of detecting that the button is tilted in eight directions of upward, downward, left, right, upper right, upper left, lower right, and lower left. Button 1 has a video deck (video) and TV tuner (TV), button 2 has an audio cassette deck (cassette) and radio tuner (radio), and button 3 has a CD player (C).
D) and an external input switch (selector) can be operated. Button 4 is assigned to a power on / off button, button 5 is assigned to a video recording button, button 6 is assigned to a cassette recording button, and button 7 is assigned to a volume control button.

The button 1, button 2, and button 3 have contacts in at least four directions having a 90-degree difference in direction, such as up, down, left, and right. By tilting the button, two adjacent contacts are simultaneously contacted. With this configuration, it is possible to detect button inputs in eight directions. For example, if it is diagonally upper right, it can be detected when the upper and right contacts are simultaneously in contact. However, the condition determination is easier with eight contacts. The following description is based on the assumption that each of the buttons 1 to 3 has a total of eight contacts that can be independently switched in the upper, lower, left, right, upper right, lower right, upper left, and lower left directions.

FIG. 3 shows the basic configuration of the remote controller and the main unit of this embodiment. On the remote control side, button 31
An input control unit 32 for selecting an infrared code to be transmitted in accordance with a pressed button, and a transmission unit 33 for actually transmitting the infrared code selected by the input control unit 32.

On the other hand, the main unit receives the infrared code, converts the received infrared code into an operation instruction for the main unit, compares the operation instruction with the state transition information of the main unit, and determines according to the operation instruction. A translation control unit 35 for determining whether to operate the main unit or display an error message or the like on the screen, and a display unit 36 capable of displaying characters and pictures over a television or video image. .

The basic operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Button 1 can be used to operate video and television. Pressing up causes video playback, while pressing down stops video and switches to television. Press right to fast forward while video is stopped, search forward during video playback, press left to rewind while video is stopped, search backwards during video playback, and press upper right to search forward. If you press the upper left corner of the video, the video will be searched in the opposite direction. The number of cueing is determined by the number of times of pressing. Pressing the lower right will select TV forward, and pressing the lower left will select TV reverse.

As described above, the assignment of the button 1 is such that the device can be selected and executed up and down, and the operation is reversed symmetrically.

Next, the button 2 can operate the cassette and the radio, but the operation method is basically the same as that of the button 1.
When the button 2 is pressed, the cassette is reproduced, and when the button 2 is pressed, the cassette is stopped and the mode is switched to the radio. Press the right to fast-forward while the cassette is stopped, search forward for sound during cassette playback, press the left to rewind while the cassette is stopped, search backward for sound during cassette playback, and press the upper right. For example, the beginning of the song is found in the forward direction, and pressing the upper left corner is the beginning of the song in the reverse direction. The number of cueing is determined by the number of times of pressing.
Pressing the lower right will select the radio forward, and pressing the lower left will select the radio reverse.

Next, the button 3 can operate the CD and the selector. Press button 3 to play the CD, press down to C
When D is stopped, images and sounds are switched to those of the external input device. If you press the right button, you can move forward one track while the CD is stopped, and search for a sound in the forward direction while the CD is playing.
When D is stopped, return to one song and during CD playback, search backward for sound, press the upper right to search for the beginning of the song in the forward direction, and press the upper left to search for the beginning of the song in the reverse direction. . The number of cueing is determined by the number of times of pressing. Pressing the lower right will select the external input device in the forward direction, and pressing the lower left will select the external input device in the reverse direction.

FIG. 4 summarizes the contents of the operations performed on the buttons 1 to 3 described above. As is clear from FIG. 4, operations of the same concept are unified in the same direction.

At the center of the button 1, an icon imitating the design of a "televideo" which is a composite device of a television and a video is printed. At the center of the button 2 is also printed an icon imitating a radio and cassette player, which is a composite device of a radio and a cassette. In this way, the multifunction devices are grouped into one button and printed to represent the image. Instead of printing, the icon may be an engraved stamp, or a character string such as "televideo".

In the first embodiment, the external shapes of the buttons 1 to 3 are star-shaped with protrusions in eight directions. However, any shape can be used as long as it is understood that the buttons are pushed in eight directions. Absent. In addition, although the convex portions are provided in the up, down, left, and right directions to make the direction easy to understand, any shape may be used as long as the difference from the adjacent direction is known.

The button 4 is a power on / off button. Even if the user operates the buttons 1 to 3 while the power is off, the power is automatically turned on and the operation is enabled. Even if the power is turned off during recording, the related devices will not be turned off until the recording or recording is finished. No, but easy to use.

Next, the button 5 is a video recording button, and is a square button reminiscent of a cathode ray tube, that is, an image, so that it can be easily distinguished from the button 6 visually and tactilely.

Further, an interface of one-touch recording in which a recording time is set according to the number of times of pressing is adopted. In the one-touch recording, when the recording button 5 is pressed one time, a continuous recording state is set, but the recording time can be set by pressing the recording button again within a certain fixed time.

For example, depending on the number of times of continuous pressing, ∞ (until the end of the tape) → 30 minutes → 60 minutes → 90 minutes → 1
The recording time can be set by toggle from 20 minutes to 0 minutes (stop). In this case, when the recording is stopped, the recording time is set to 0 minute (stop) by pressing the recording button, or the recording is stopped by pressing the button 1 or the video stop button within a predetermined time after pressing the recording button. In the embodiment, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the recording is erroneously stopped.

Button 6 is a cassette recording button.
In order to easily distinguish the button 5 from the button 5, a microphone, that is, a round button reminiscent of voice is used. This is also button 5
It has the same interface as. That is, the recording time can be set by the number of times of pressing.

The button 7 is a volume control button. Pressing the right end or tilting the whole to the right increases the volume,
On the contrary, it is a seesaw-type switch so that pressing the left end or tilting the whole to the left decreases the volume.

Here, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. That is, this control device is a remote control having 31 buttons on the operation surface.

The buttons 21, 22, and 23 are
These buttons have a mechanism that works together so that only one can be pushed. For example, when the button 21 is pressed, the button 21 is fixed in the pressed state. However, when the button 22 is pressed in this state, the button 21 returns to the position before the button is pressed, and the button 22 is in the pressed state. Fixed at. As described above, only one of the buttons is always pressed, and a plurality of buttons cannot be pressed at the same time. Such a mechanism may be realized electrically using an actuator or the like,
It can be easily realized by using a button group having an interlock / release mechanism that is linked.

Further, the buttons 21, 22, and 23 are linked to eight buttons arranged around each of them. For example, when the button 21 is not pressed, the tops of the buttons 211 to 218 are below the operation surface, but when the button 21 is pressed, the buttons 21 and 218 protrude in conjunction. At this time, if the button 21 returns to the original position by pressing the button 22 or the button 23, the buttons 211 to 218 also return to the original position in conjunction. However, by pressing buttons 211 to 218, button 2
1 never returns.

The basic operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When the button 21 is pressed, the buttons 211 to 218 become available, so that video and TV can be operated.
When the button 211 is pressed, the video is played, and when the button 215 is pressed, the video is stopped and switching to the television is performed. Also,
When the button 213 is pressed, fast search is performed during video stop, forward search is performed during video playback, and when the button 217 is pressed, rewind is performed during video stop, and reverse search is performed during video playback. When the button 212 is pressed, forward search is performed. Video cue, button 2
Pressing 18 causes video cueing in the opposite direction. The number of cueing is determined by the number of times of pressing. If the user presses the button 214, the channel is forward-tuned. If the user presses the button 216, the channel is backward-selected.

Next, when the button 22 is pressed, the button 221 is pressed.
To 228 can be used to operate the cassette and the radio, but the operation method is basically based on the button 21. When the button 221 is pressed, the cassette is reproduced, and when the button 225 is pressed, the cassette is stopped and the mode is switched to the radio. When the button 223 is pressed, fast sound search is performed while the cassette is stopped, and forward sound search is performed during cassette playback. When the button 227 is pressed, rewind is performed when the cassette is stopped and reverse sound search is performed during cassette playback. When the user presses the button 222, the music is found in the forward direction, and when the button 228 is pressed, the music is found in the reverse direction. The number of cueing is determined by the number of times of pressing. When the button 224 is pressed, the radio is tuned forward, and when the button 226 is pressed, the radio is tuned backward.

When the button 23 is pressed, the buttons 231 to 238 become usable, and the operation of the CD and the switching of the external input (selector) become possible. When the button 231 is pressed, the CD is played, and when the button 235 is pressed, the image and the sound are switched to those of the external input device together with the stop of the CD. Also, if the button 233 is pressed, the CD advances one track while the CD is stopped.
Pressing button 237 during forward playback during D playback, search backward one track while CD is stopped, reverse playback during playback during CD playback, press cue button 231 to search forward If the user presses the play button 238, playback of the tune in the reverse direction is performed. The number of cueing is determined by the number of times of pressing. By pressing the button 234, the external input device can be selected in the forward direction,
When the button 236 is pressed, the external input device is selected in the reverse direction.

The button 24 is assigned to a power on / off button, the button 25 is assigned to a video recording button, the button 26 is assigned to a cassette recording button, and the button 27 is assigned to a volume control button.

As is common to the first embodiment and the second embodiment, all operation results are displayed on the screen. At this time, the operation content is displayed together with the icon or the name of the device that imitated the operated device. By doing this, you can check which button the user has just pressed without looking at it.

For example, when an operation related to video, such as a video stop button, is performed during recording, a "televideo" icon is displayed as shown in FIG. Please display on the screen. ”In addition to character strings, guidance on what kind of situation the device you tried to operate could not be operated, and how to operate it, By expressing with graphics, an interface that is more intuitive and easy for the user to understand can be realized.

[0046]

As described above, the control device of the present invention has the following excellent effects.

(1) In a control device capable of operating a plurality of devices, a pad-like button is provided on an operation surface, in which a plurality of contacts can be independently switched by tilting one button in multiple directions. Since each operation of at least two or more devices is allocated to a plurality of devices, a plurality of devices can be operated with one button, and there is an effect that a plurality of devices can be easily operated.

(2) By assigning a pair of operations and functions to symmetrical positions of a pad-shaped button capable of independently switching a plurality of contacts by inclining one button in multiple directions, an arbitrary device of any device can be selected. Since the operation can be performed quickly and reliably, an effect of labor saving in selecting a function can be obtained.

(3) Since a plurality of pad-shaped buttons are provided in which the contacts for performing the operation of the concept common to a plurality of devices are unified in the same inclination direction, the same operation is performed for any pad-shaped button as long as the operation is common. It is only necessary to tilt in the direction, and it is not necessary to memorize the operation of the pad-shaped button of each device individually, and the operation common to the devices can be quickly performed.

(4) One of the devices assigned to one of the pad-shaped buttons that can operate a plurality of devices with one button is configured so that one of the devices is a reproducible package media and the other is a tuner media for reception only. One device
When a single button is used, the number of contacts is reduced, and the operation concept is not duplicated as compared with a case where a plurality of similar package media are combined, so that erroneous operations can be reduced.

(5) When a plurality of devices can be operated with one button, a button or a pattern or character string is printed or engraved to remind the user of the image of the composite device. The user can easily understand that the device can be operated, and can easily operate a plurality of devices.

(6) In a control device capable of operating a plurality of devices, when a selection button of a device is pressed, the operation button of the device protrudes from the operation surface to be operable, and when a selection button of another device is pressed, It has a plurality of buttons that work together so that the protruding operation button of the previously selected device is retracted from the operation surface and becomes inoperable, and at the same time, the operation button of another device protrudes and becomes operable. With this configuration, the user can easily and visually recognize the selection status of each device and the buttons that can be operated, and there is no possibility of touching meaningless operation buttons, making it easy to operate multiple devices. It is possible to do.

(7) In a control device capable of operating a plurality of devices, when an arbitrary operation button is pressed, a picture or a pattern reminiscent of the image of the device operated by the image imposing device incorporated in the display device. Since the character string and the operation content are configured to be displayed on the screen of the display device, the user can know what device was operated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration block diagram of a remote controller and a main device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing operation contents assigned to buttons of a remote controller according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display when operating a remote controller according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Video and TV operation buttons 2 Cassette and radio operation buttons 3 CD and selector operation buttons 4 Power button 5 Record button 6 Record button 7 Volume control button

────────────────────────────────────────────────── (5) References JP-A-5-176195 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04Q 9/00-9/16 H01H 25 / 04

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A control device capable of operating a plurality of devices, wherein a pad-shaped button is provided on an operation surface, wherein a plurality of contacts can be independently switched by tilting one operation button in multiple directions. A control device, wherein each operation of at least two or more devices is assigned to one of them. 2. A paired operation / function is assigned to a symmetrical position of a pad-shaped button capable of independently switching a plurality of contacts by inclining one operation button in multiple directions. Control device. 3. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of pad-shaped buttons in which contacts for performing operations of a concept common to a plurality of devices are unified in the same inclination direction. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the devices assigned to one of the pad-shaped buttons capable of operating a plurality of devices with one operation button is a reproducible package medium, and the other is a tuner medium for reception only. 2. The control device according to 1. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a button for printing or engraving a picture or character string reminiscent of an image of the multifunction device when a plurality of devices can be operated with one operation button. Control device.