JP4071433B2 - Remote control device and in-vehicle electronic device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a remote control device for remotely controlling a vehicle-mounted electronic device such as a vehicle-mounted navigation device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a vehicle-mounted navigation device or the like, a remote controller (hereinafter abbreviated as a remote controller) is used in order to improve inconvenience of providing a large number of operation buttons on the device and operability in a narrow vehicle interior. When the remote controller presses a predetermined operation button, the code signal assigned to the operation button is converted into an infrared signal that is an optical signal and output. By using such a remote control, for example, a user seated in the driver's seat does not tilt the body toward the navigation device body mounted on the dashboard or center console, or extend his / her hand. Can be controlled.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the transmission distance of the optical signal by the remote controller is limited, and if there is a shield, the optical signal from the remote controller may not reach the apparatus body. For example, due to design issues, a cover may be provided on the front of the main unit. In such cases, the remote control cannot be operated without opening the cover. Sometimes you want to.
[0004]
An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and to provide a remote control device capable of always transmitting a signal from a remote controller to the device main body.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A remote control device according to the present invention controls an apparatus main body by transmitting an optical signal and has an output terminal for outputting an electric signal to the outside, and an input that contacts the output terminal when the remote control is placed. And a remote control cradle for connecting an electrical signal from the remote control to the device main body via a signal line, and when the optical signal does not reach the electrical signal, It can be reliably transmitted to the apparatus main body.
[0006]
In the remote control device according to the present invention, the device main body can receive both the optical signal from the remote control and the electrical signal from the remote control cradle at the same time, and turns on when only one signal is on. It is characterized in that when both signals are turned on, it is judged as a single on signal, and when both signals are off, it is judged as off. Even if it is congested, it can be correctly recognized by the apparatus body.
[0007]
In the remote control device according to the present invention, the device main body can simultaneously receive both an optical signal from the remote controller and an electrical signal from the remote controller cradle, and both signals are turned on. Is determined to be an ON signal only for the signal that was turned ON first, and even if the optical signal and the electric signal are congested, it can be correctly recognized by the apparatus main body.
[0008]
The remote control device according to the present invention comprises means for stopping transmission of an optical signal from the remote control when the remote control is placed on the remote control cradle. The remote control is placed on the remote control cradle. In this case, since only the electric signal from the remote control cradle is used, processing on the apparatus main body side can be simplified.
[0009]
Also, the remote control device according to the present invention is characterized in that the optical signal is an infrared signal, and a remote control device using infrared light that is generally used can be realized.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a remote control apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the remote controller 10 includes an operation input unit 11 having a plurality of operation buttons, a signal generation unit 12 that generates a predetermined code signal based on a signal from the operation input unit 11, and a signal generation unit 12. An optical signal conversion unit 13 that converts an electrical signal into an optical signal and modulates it, a light emitting unit 14 that emits an LED that emits the modulated optical signal as infrared rays, a control unit 15 that includes a microcomputer that controls these units, and a signal generator And an output terminal 16 for outputting the electrical signal generated by the unit 12 to the outside. The remote control cradle 20 for placing the remote control 10 includes an input terminal 21 that contacts the output terminal 16 of the remote control 10 when the remote control 10 is placed, and a switch 22 that is pressed by the placed remote control 10 and turned on. It has. On the other hand, the apparatus main body 30 includes a light receiving unit 31 that is a phototransistor that receives an infrared light signal from the light emitting unit 14 of the remote controller 10, and a signal conversion unit 32 that demodulates the received optical signal and converts it into a predetermined code signal. A main body processing unit 33 that performs processing of a predetermined function of the apparatus main body 30; a control unit 34 that includes a microcomputer that controls these units; and an input unit 35 that inputs an electrical signal from the remote control cradle 20 via a signal line 40. And.
[0011]
Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. When the user controls the apparatus main body 30 using only the remote controller 10, when the remote controller 10 is detached from the remote control cradle 20 and a necessary operation button is pressed from the operation input unit 11, a signal from the operation button is used. The signal generation unit 12 generates a code signal assigned to the operation button in advance, the optical signal conversion unit 13 converts and modulates the code signal into an optical signal, and the light emitting unit 14 emits the optical signal. This optical signal is received by the light receiving unit 31 of the apparatus main body 30, demodulated by the signal conversion unit 32 and converted into a predetermined code signal, and the control unit 34 controls the main body processing unit 33 according to the code signal.
[0012]
In the control using only the remote controller 10, the user touches the remote controller 10 and the output terminal 16 thereof contacts the input terminal 21 of the remote control cradle 20 when the signal is not transmitted to the apparatus main body 30 or when it feels difficult to transmit. As described above, when the remote control cradle 20 is placed at a predetermined position, the switch 22 is pushed by the remote control 10 and the switch 22 connects the input terminal 21 and the signal line 40. When an operation similar to the above is performed in this state, an optical signal is output from the light emitting unit 14 and the control unit 15 outputs the electrical signal generated by the signal generating unit 12 to the output terminal 16. A signal is input to the input unit 35 of the apparatus main body 30 through the input terminal 21, the switch 22 and the signal line 40.
[0013]
In the apparatus main body 30, the optical signal received by the light receiving unit 31 and the electric signal input to the input unit 35 are congested. In this case, since there may be a difference in transmission time between the optical signal and the electric signal, the control unit 34 may determine that the signals are different. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, when the same code signal A is detected by both an optical signal and an electrical signal, that is, the same code signal is detected by overlapping the optical signal and the electrical signal. If so, it is determined as one code signal. At that time, only a signal that is turned on first is determined as an on signal, and a signal that is turned on later is ignored. When the optical signal and the electrical signal do not overlap, the respective signals are detected individually. However, even if they overlap, they are detected separately if they are different code signals. As described above, even if the optical signal and the electric signal are congested, the control unit 34 reliably determines the software control, so that the code signal assigned to the operation button of the remote controller 10 can be definitely detected.
[0014]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, even when the optical signal does not reach or is difficult to reach, the remote controller 10 is placed on the remote control cradle 20, and the signal from the remote controller 10 is reliably transmitted by the electric signal. 30. Further, when the remote controller 10 is operated after being removed from the remote controller cradle 20, the switch 22 of the remote controller cradle 20 is turned off, so that noise input from the exposed input terminal 21 can be blocked.
[0015]
(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that a signal line or a power line supplied from the control unit 15 to the light emitting unit 14 when the remote control 10 is placed on the remote control cradle 20 is different. The switch 17 to be disconnected is provided in the remote controller 10 and the remote controller cradle 20 is not provided with a switch. According to the second embodiment, when the remote controller 10 is placed on the remote controller / cradle 20 and operated, the electrical signal generated by the signal generator 12 is transmitted from the output terminal 16 to the remote controller / cradle 20 through the controller 15. The optical signal is output to the input terminal and further sent to the apparatus main body 30 through the signal line 40. The optical signal converted by the optical signal conversion unit 13 is disconnected by the switch 17 from the signal line or the power line to the light emitting unit 14. Therefore, it is not sent to the apparatus main body 30. Therefore, the apparatus main body 30 is not congested between the electrical signal and the optical signal, and software control in the control unit 34 is facilitated.
[0016]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, even when the optical signal does not reach or is difficult to reach, the remote controller 10 is placed on the remote control cradle 20 and the signal from the remote controller 10 is reliably transmitted by the electric signal. 30. Further, when the remote controller 10 is placed on the remote controller cradle 20 and operated, the switch 17 of the remote controller 10 is turned off, so that no optical signal is sent from the remote controller 10 and only the electric signal is transmitted from the apparatus body 30. Since the processing only has to be performed, the processing in the control unit 34 can be simplified.
[0017]
In the second embodiment, when the remote control 10 is placed on the remote control cradle 20 and operated, the optical signal conversion unit 13 may be deactivated when the optical signal is blocked. Alternatively, when the remote controller 10 is placed on the remote control cradle 20, the light emitting window of the light emitting unit 14 may be blocked by the wall of the remote control cradle 20. Alternatively, even when an optical signal is output from the light emitting unit 14, a signal indicating that the remote controller 10 is placed on the remote control cradle 20 is sent to the apparatus main body 30 through the signal line 40, and the control unit 34 of the apparatus main body 30 is Based on the signal, the light emitting unit 31 or the signal converting unit 32 may be controlled to be inactive.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even when the optical signal is not to or difficult to reach reach from the remote controller, the electrical signal from the remote controller, it is possible to reliably transmit the signal to the in-vehicle electronic device Rutotomoni, even if the light signal and an electric signal is congested, it has the effect that the Ru can be correctly recognized by the vehicle electronics.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a remote control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a timing diagram showing processing when an optical signal and an electric signal are congested in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a remote control device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Remote control 11 Operation input part 12 Signal generation part 13 Optical signal conversion part 14 Light emission part 15 Control part 16 Output terminal 17 Switch 20 Remote control cradle 21 Input terminal 22 Switch 30 Device main body 31 Light emission part 32 Signal conversion part 33 Main body processing part 34 Control unit 35 Input unit 40 Signal line

Claims (4)

While controlling an in- vehicle electronic device by sending an optical signal, and having a remote controller having an output terminal for outputting an electrical signal to the outside, and having an input terminal that contacts the output terminal when the remote controller is placed, A remote controller cradle for connecting an electrical signal from the remote controller to the in- vehicle electronic device via a signal line , the in-vehicle electronic device from the optical signal from the remote controller and the remote controller cradle If both signals are ON, it is determined to be ON, and if both signals are ON, it is determined as a single ON signal, and both signals are OFF. A remote control device characterized in that it is determined to be off in the case of . The in-vehicle electronic device can receive both the optical signal from the remote controller and the electrical signal from the remote controller cradle at the same time, and when both signals are turned on, it is turned on first. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device determines that the signal is an ON signal only . The remote controller cradle having an input terminal that comes into contact with the output terminal when a remote controller for controlling an in-vehicle electronic device is mounted with an output terminal for transmitting an optical signal and outputting an electrical signal to the outside. An in-vehicle electronic device connected to an electric signal from a controller via a signal line, and can receive both an optical signal from the remote controller and an electric signal from the remote controller cradle at the same time. It is judged as ON when only the signal is ON, it is determined as a single ON signal when both signals are ON, and it is determined as OFF when both signals are OFF Electronics. Both the optical signal from the remote controller and the electrical signal from the remote controller cradle can be received at the same time, and if both signals are turned on, it is determined that only the signal that was turned on first is the on signal. The vehicle-mounted electronic device according to claim 3, wherein:

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