JP4568634B2 - Remote controller and remote control system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote controller and a remote control system for remotely operating electronic equipment such as video equipment and audio equipment.

A conventional remote controller that remotely controls an electronic device such as a video device or an audio device has a substantially strip-shaped appearance. The input unit for remotely operating the electronic device is a so-called push button type (see, for example, Patent Document 1), a display screen is provided on the remote controller, the operation menu is displayed three-dimensionally, and the touch sensor is operated. The thing (for example, refer patent document 2) etc. are mentioned.
JP-A-9-271080 (2nd page, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-282412 (page 3, FIG. 2)

By the way, in recent electronic equipment such as video equipment and audio equipment, most of various selection items are remotely controlled by a remote controller.
In particular, TVs, which are one of the video equipment, have various selections such as power ON / OFF, switching of broadcasting types such as terrestrial, CS, BS, channel switching, image settings (color adjustment, contrast adjustment, etc.), etc. Most of the items are remotely controlled by a remote controller.

  Conventionally, however, these various selection items have been operated while watching both the push button of the remote controller and the television screen on which the various selection items are displayed, and there has been a problem that it is complicated and troublesome. .

  In particular, the arrangement pattern of various selection items displayed on the television screen is different from the arrangement pattern of input units such as push buttons arranged on the remote controller. Therefore, while watching various information displayed on the TV screen, for example, the operation of confirming the push button of the remote controller such as ← ↑ → ↓ etc., it is impossible to immediately and intuitively operate Also had.

  Furthermore, the external shape of the remote controller is formed in a substantially strip shape as described above. However, in order to hold a remote controller of such a shape with one hand and operate a push button, etc., it is never easy to operate. It could not be said that it was excellent, and the external shape was likely to be an inorganic design, and there was a limit to entertainment and decoration that increased purchase motivation.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a remote controller and a remote control system that can solve the above problems.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, a remote controller and a remote control system according to the present invention employ the following technical means.
That is, the remote controller according to claim 1 is a remote controller for remotely operating an electronic device such as a video device or an audio device, the pad-shaped input unit for remotely operating the electronic device by a tap operation, and the tap operation. At the same time, it has a hammering sound generating section that generates a pseudo hammering sound, and has a lower portion provided with a mounting surface, and projects upward from one end of the lower portion so as to be swingable in the lower direction. And the input unit is provided on the upper surface of the upper part, and the sound generation unit is configured so that the upper part is directed toward the lower part by the tap operation. The pseudo hitting sound is generated simultaneously with the rocking motion.

According to the present invention, by adopting a pad-shaped input unit for remotely operating an electronic device by a tap operation, it is possible to obtain various feedbacks such as sound and rocking without looking at the hand (remote controller). Intuitive and sensory operability can be achieved while viewing the screen on which the selection items are displayed.
Further, the external shape of the remote controller is formed in a substantially V-shape in a side view by projecting the upper part upward so as to be folded back from one end of the lower part provided with the mounting surface. As compared with a remote controller having an inorganic design, entertainment and decoration can be improved.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  A remote controller 1 according to the present embodiment remotely controls a video device 2 (attached to a DVD recorder or HDD recorder) such as a liquid crystal television, a cathode ray tube television, or a plasma television, and includes a case unit 11, an input unit 12, And a sound generator 13.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the case portion 11 is formed in a horizontal platen surface 11 a and has a belt-plate shape in which an electronic circuit board and a battery (both not shown) for functioning as a remote controller are provided. The lower part 111 and the strip-shaped upper part 112 projecting upward so as to be folded back from one end of the lower part 111 are formed in a substantially V shape in a side view.

  The folded portion 11b between the lower portion 111 and the upper portion 112 is formed in a convex curve with a required thickness thinner than the thickness of the lower portion 111 and the upper portion 112. The folded portion 11b is elastically deformed, so that the upper portion 112 becomes the lower portion 111. It swings in the direction. A transmitter 14 for transmitting remote operation information is provided in the vicinity of the folded portion 11b at the center of the upper surface of the upper portion 112.

  In the present embodiment, the folded portion is integrally formed with the upper portion 112 and the lower portion 111, but may be formed as a separate member with spring steel or the like.

  The input unit 12 is composed of a pad member such as an electrostatic pad or a piezoelectric pad capable of inputting information by a tap operation, and is laid in a substantially rectangular shape on the upper surface of the upper part 112 provided in an inclined manner as shown in the figure. The electronic circuit board is electrically connected.

  The input unit 12 is assigned various functions that can be remotely operated in accordance with the tap operation position. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the input unit 12 is connected to a substantially rectangular input unit 12 on a diagonal line (two-dot chain line). Various functions that can be remotely controlled are assigned to the four divided regions X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 that are partitioned and formed in a cross shape in the figure. In addition, various functions that can be remotely operated are also assigned to the circle region C illustrated by a two-dot chain line in the center of the input unit 12.

In this case, various functions assigned to each area are not fixed, and various functions that can be remotely operated in accordance with a tap operation are assigned. An example of the operation will be described later.
Further, the input unit 12 is assigned various functions that can be remotely operated even in accordance with the number of taps, and an example of the operation will be described later.
Further, the input unit 12 may assign various functions that can be remotely operated according to the strength of the tap operation. In this case, the input unit 12 is configured by a piezoelectric pad, and can be implemented by, for example, distributing a tap operation that is lightly touched and a tap operation that feels like a tap by a change in current.

  The sound generation unit 13 is configured by an IC, a speaker, and the like so as to generate a pseudo sound, and is disposed in the lower portion of the speaker hole 11c provided in the vicinity of the open end of the upper surface of the lower portion 111. When the tap operation is performed with the index finger or the like on the input unit 12, the sound generation unit 13 generates a pseudo sound at the same time as the upper part 112 swings in the lower part 111 direction. The user of the remote controller 1 is notified of whether or not it has been received.

  In this case, it is extremely possible to change the sound quality of the simulated sound for each of the regions X1, X2, Y1, Y2, and C so that the user of the remote controller 1 can determine whether or not the input has been normally performed in the desired region. Is preferred. In this way, by changing the sound quality of the pseudo hitting sound for each of the regions X1, X2, Y1, Y2, and C, not only operability but also entertainment can be improved.

  In addition, the sound generation unit 13 can be switched ON / OFF of the pseudo sound by a changeover switch (not shown), and can be switched as desired by the user of the remote controller 1.

In this embodiment, the above-described sound generation unit is illustrated as being provided in the remote controller 1, but it is provided only in the video equipment 2 (electronic equipment), or the remote controller 1 and the video equipment 2 are provided. You may provide in both.
When both the remote controller 1 and the video equipment 2 are provided, it is preferable to be able to select from which of the pseudo-sounding sounds is generated.

Further, these sound generation units may be configured to vary the volume of the pseudo sound.
In addition, when various functions that can be remotely controlled are assigned according to the strength of the tap operation, it is preferable that the sound generation unit 13 is configured to change the timbre according to the strength of the tap operation.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the remote controller 1 according to the present embodiment configured as described above has a substantially V-shaped outer appearance, and is extremely suitable for both entertainment and decoration. The remote control 1 is transmitted by simply tapping the input unit 12 with the index finger of the case unit 11 placed on a desk or the like by the user of the remote controller 1. Intuitive and sensory operability is realized without checking the remote controller 1 each time.

  In the present embodiment, the outer shape is formed in a substantially V shape in a side view by the strip-shaped lower portion 111 and the upper portion 112, but is not limited to this, and the lower portion 111 and the upper portion 112 are substantially omitted. It may be formed into a disc shape and a so-called castanet shape. Further, the arrangement of the sound generation unit 13, the position of the speaker hole 11c, the presence or absence of the speaker hole 11c, and the like are arbitrary, and are not limited to the present embodiment.

Next, a remote control system using the remote controller 1 will be described.
This remote control system is constructed by the above-described remote controller 1 and video equipment 2 (attached to a DVD recorder or HDD recorder) such as a liquid crystal television, a cathode ray tube television, and a plasma television.

  The video equipment 2 further includes screen display means for displaying various functions that can be remotely operated with the same positional relationship with respect to various functions that can be remotely operated assigned to each position of the input unit 12. Yes. Various functions displayed on the screen display means will be described later.

  Next, specific operation examples of the remote control system using the remote controller 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, TV viewing will be described.
When the circle area C of the input unit 12 of the remote controller 1 is tapped toward the video device 2 in the standby state, the upper portion 112 swings toward the lower portion 111 and a pseudo sound is emitted. The remote control information for energizing the TV screen 21 is transmitted from the TV screen 21, and the TV screen 21 is energized to enter the TV viewing mode (see FIG. 2: FIG. 2 shows an example in which 6 terrestrial channels are displayed). Note that when a tap operation is performed on each region, the upper portion 112 swings toward the lower portion 111 and a pseudo-sounding sound is produced. However, since this operation is also common in the operations described below, such description is omitted.

  It should be noted that even if a pseudo sound is emitted from a speaker provided in the video equipment 2 in accordance with the remote operation information transmitted from the remote controller 1, it is possible to notify the user of the remote controller 1 whether or not the input has been performed normally. . Therefore, as described above, the sound generation unit 13 may be provided in any form, which is provided only in the remote controller 1, provided only in the video equipment 2 (electronic equipment), and provided in both the remote controller 1 and the video equipment 2. .

  Then, when the horizontal operation, that is, the region X1 or the region X2 is tapped among the four divided regions, the image is switched within the currently displayed image category. For example, in FIG. 3, six channels of terrestrial broadcasting are displayed on the television screen 21, but when one of the areas X1 and X2 is tapped, the channels are sequentially switched to adjacent channels.

  That is, if the area X1 is tapped only once, the channel is switched to 5 channels, if the area X1 is tapped twice, the channel is switched to 4 channels. Similarly, if the area X2 is tapped only once, the channel is switched to 6 channels. Tap twice to switch to channel 7. That is, when the area X1 or X2 is tapped n times, the channel is sequentially switched to n times.

  When switching video categories such as terrestrial, BS, CS, library (for example, recorded on a DVD recorder or HDD recorder), external input, etc., it is switched by tapping either one of the areas Y1 and Y2.

  When TV viewing is stopped, that is, the television screen 21 is turned off, the television screen 21 is turned off by performing a tap operation on the circle area C shown in FIG. 2 three times in succession.

  Next, it consists of “setting” such as image quality setting and sound quality setting such as gamma adjustment, contrast adjustment, hue setting, etc., “program guide” which is a call of electronic program guide P, and “volume” (volume adjustment). Menu mode call and various settings will be described. The display of the menu mode described below and the display of “setting”, “program guide”, and “volume”, which are lower than the menu mode, are displayed by the screen display means.

  First, in the TV viewing mode state (the TV screen 21 is ON), the circle area C is tapped only once to shift to the menu mode. As shown in FIG. The menu screen M assigned with the same positional relationship as the various remotely operable functions assigned for each position in the unit 12 is displayed.

  For example, when the area X1 of the input unit 12 is tapped, the mode is switched to the “setting” mode, and the setting item A (for example, gamma adjustment) currently settable in the focus F displayed at the center as shown in FIG. Is displayed.

  Other setting items A (image quality settings such as contrast adjustment, hue setting, and sound quality settings) are arranged in order in the horizontal direction across the focus F, and one of the areas X1 and X2 is set only once. When the tap operation is performed, the setting item A that can be currently set moves within the focus F, and the adjacent setting item A moves into the focus F to become a setting item A that can be set.

  Further, the detailed setting for the setting item A that can be set at this time is the detailed setting for the setting item A in the focus F by performing a tap operation only once in either of the areas Y1 and Y2 in this state. A pull-down menu is displayed (see FIG. 6).

  In this state, by tapping the area Y1 only once, the detailed setting on the lower side in the focus F (in the case of gamma adjustment, a number or symbol indicating the adjustment amount, or a sub-screen showing the gamma adjustment) Moves up and moves into the focus F. On the other hand, when the area Y2 is tapped only once, the detailed settings above the focus F are displayed, and at the same time, the detailed settings above the focus F are moved down into the focus F and moved into the focus F.

  When the detailed setting for the desired setting item A is determined, the detailed setting for the setting item A is determined by tapping the circle region C only once, and the “setting” mode display as shown in FIG. Return to. If necessary, detailed settings are selected and determined for other setting items A (image quality settings such as contrast adjustment, hue setting, and sound quality settings) in the same procedure as described above.

  The transition from the “setting” mode display to the menu screen M or TV viewing is performed by tapping the circle area C only once in the above state to return to the menu screen M, and further, the circle area C is tapped once. By doing so, it shifts to the TV viewing state. It should be noted that the circle area C is tapped twice in succession, so that the display changes from the “setting” mode to the TV viewing state.

  To call and set the electronic program guide P, first, as described above, in the TV viewing state, the circle area C is tapped only once to move to the menu mode, and the area X2 is tapped only once. Move to “program guide” mode (see FIG. 7).

The called electronic program guide P is shown in FIG.
The electronic program guide P displays a program program part P1 in which a program for each station of each station is described, and details of a portion focused on by the program program part P1, and at the time of reservation, a display for confirming the reservation content is displayed. It consists of a detail display part P2.

  The program with focus F in the program program part P1 is displayed with a thick frame, and the program reserved for viewing or recording in the program program part P1 is highlighted in a predetermined color. Or the back display (part A in FIG. 7).

  The focus F immediately after the activation of the electronic program guide P is the program that has been viewed until immediately before (the program currently being received). Therefore, the detailed display part P2 is a detailed display of the program that was being viewed until just before the focus F was given in the program program part P1.

  In addition, the display of the program program section P1 immediately after starting the electronic program guide P displays the program guide of each station that is broadcast from the current time onward. When the focus F is moved by the tap operation to select the program to be reserved, the content displayed on the detail display portion P2 changes.

  When making a viewing reservation or a recording reservation, the area X1, X2, Y1, Y2 of the input unit 12 is tapped to move each program displayed in a divided manner to a desired program. At this time, each time a tap operation is performed, the focus F displayed in a thick frame is sequentially moved so that the state can be grasped.

  At this time, the tap operation positions of the regions X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 and the moving direction of the focus F are the same direction. That is, if the area X1 is tapped, the focus F moves to the left, and conversely, if the area X2 is tapped, the focus F moves to the right. The same applies to the regions Y1 and Y2.

  In this way, when the focus F is positioned on a desired program for which viewing reservation or recording reservation is to be made and a candidate for viewing reservation or recording reservation is selected, the program is determined by tapping the circle area C only once. A selection screen for selecting either viewing reservation or recording reservation is displayed (see FIG. 8).

Next, either one of the areas X1 and X2 is tapped to select a viewing reservation or a recording reservation (the viewing reservation or the recording reservation selected as a selection candidate is displayed in a thick frame so that it can be grasped). . Then, by tapping the circle area C only once, the electronic program guide P is displayed again. In the “program guide”, the word “recording” or “viewing” is displayed in the E column and the reservation is made at the same time. The program is displayed in reverse video or in a predetermined color.
The above-described electronic program guide P and display examples such as back display with focus and color are merely examples, and are not particularly limited to this expression method.

  The transition from the “program guide” mode display to the menu screen M or TV viewing is performed by tapping the circle area C only once in the above state, and then the circle area C is tapped once. By operating, it shifts to the TV viewing state. It should be noted that the circle area C is tapped twice in succession, so that the display changes from the “setting” mode to the TV viewing state.

  In addition, “volume” adjustment (volume adjustment) is performed by tapping the circle area C only once in the TV viewing mode state (the TV screen 21 is ON) to shift to the menu mode. Then, by tapping the area Y1 or the area Y2, the schematic picture V indicating the volume level is displayed on the television screen 21, and at the same time, the volume is adjusted according to the tap operation.

  That is, the volume level is raised by tapping the area Y1, and conversely, the volume level is lowered by tapping the area Y2. When the desired volume level is reached, the tap operation is stopped and the device is simply left for a while. The schematic picture V indicating the volume level disappears from the television screen 21 and the volume adjustment is completed. Even if the circle area C is tapped only once, the schematic diagram showing the volume level disappears from the television screen 21 and the volume adjustment is completed.

  As described above, the remote control system according to the present embodiment transmits the remote operation information only by tapping the input unit 12 with an index finger or the like, so that it is possible to intuitively confirm the remote controller 1 at hand without checking each time. Realizes intuitive and sensory operability.

The remote controller and the remote control system according to this embodiment have been described above. However, the above-described embodiment shows an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. However, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, the shape of the remote controller is illustrated as a folded shape, but is not limited thereto, and may be any of a substantially strip shape, a substantially disk shape, and other arbitrary shapes. Therefore, the present invention can be easily applied to a remote controller of any design.

It is a perspective view of the remote controller concerning this Embodiment. It is the schematic diagram 1 which shows the operation example of the remote control system concerning this Embodiment. It is the schematic diagram 2 which shows the operation example of the remote control system concerning this Embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram 3 illustrating an operation example of the remote control system according to the present exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram (part 4) illustrating an operation example of the remote control system according to the present exemplary embodiment. It is the schematic diagram 5 which shows the operation example of the remote control system concerning this Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a sixth schematic diagram illustrating an operation example of the remote control system according to the present embodiment. It is the schematic diagram 7 which shows the operation example of the remote control system concerning this Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram 8 illustrating an operation example of the remote control system according to the present embodiment;

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Remote controller 11 Case part 11a Placement surface 11b Folding part 11c Speaker hole 111 Lower part 112 Upper part 12 Input part 13 Sound generation part 14 Transmission part 2 Video equipment 21 Television screen X1, X2, Y1, Y2 area C Circle area F Focus M Menu screen A Setting item P Electronic program guide V Schematic picture

Claims (1)

A remote controller for remotely operating electronic equipment such as video equipment and audio equipment,
A pad-like input unit for remotely operating the electronic device by a tap operation ;
A sound generation unit that generates a pseudo sound simultaneously with the tap operation,
A case portion having a lower portion provided with a mounting surface and an upper portion provided so as to be folded upward from one end of the lower portion and provided so as to be swingable in the lower direction;
The input unit is provided on the upper surface of the upper part,
The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the sound generation unit generates the pseudo sound at the same time as the upper part swings in the lower direction by the tap operation.

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