JPH04212598A - Remote manipulator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To present the remote manipulator having high operability concerning the remote manipulator to be used for a television receiver or the like. CONSTITUTION:Plural light receiving elements 4 provided at a manipulation part receive light from a light source 1 provided on the side of a device to be controlled, and a received light intensity detector 6 successively detects and measures the light while switching this received optical signal by a switching circuit 5. Then, a judging means 7 detects the direction of the manipulation part to the light source 1 according to which light receiving element 4 receives the light most strongly. A data corresponding to this direction is converted to a remote control code by a remote control code generating means 8 and transmitted to the side of the device to be controlled as an optical signal, and this signal is judged on the side of the device to be controlled. Then, a cursor is displayed on a television screen in a direction where the manipulation part is directed, and by pushing a selection switch in the state of matching the cursor to an objective function on the menu of the television screen, the function is executed. Therefore, remote manipulation is enabled while observing the screen without observing the manipulation part on the side of an operator.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control device used in a television receiver or the like.

0002

[Background Art] In recent years, television receivers have tended to become larger, and in order to meet the demand for even larger screens, images are projected from equipment installed on the ceiling onto a screen on the wall instead of from a cathode ray tube. Projection type receivers are also becoming popular.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] With this projection type receiver, it is necessary to view the video in a darkened room, just like with movies. However, if the room is darkened, the characters written on the remote control device necessary for operation become difficult to read, making operation difficult.

[0004] As a way to deal with this, a method has been adopted in which lighting is built into the conventional remote control device, but even in this case, it is necessary to operate the remote control device at hand and compare it with the image in front of the device. There were problems with ease of use, such as having to move around a lot, and the text on the remote control device being too small and difficult to read.

[0005] Furthermore, not only projection type receivers but also direct-view receivers using ordinary cathode ray tubes have the same problem as described above in that they must be operated by comparing the image on the receiver with the display on the remote control device.

The present invention solves these problems and provides a remote control device that is more convenient to use.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the remote control device of the present invention includes: (1) an optical diaphragm that limits the range of incident light from the outside to a small area; , at least two or more light-receiving elements that receive incident light through this optical diaphragm and are arranged so that the area hit by each light changes depending on the angle of incidence of the incident light, and selectively select only the necessary light-receiving elements. A switching circuit to be activated, a received light intensity detection means for quantitatively detecting the amount of received light, and which of the at least two light receiving elements the strongest light is incident on based on the results measured by the received light intensity detection means. This configuration includes a determining means for determining whether or not. (2) The configuration includes a lens instead of an optical diaphragm. (3) a remote control code generating means for generating a remote control code corresponding to the output data of the determining means; a light receiving element driven by a signal generated by the remote control code generating means;
a light-receiving element that receives the light emitted by the light-receiving element;
The device is configured to include a remote control code determining means for determining a received signal, a light emitting element for emitting light to at least two or more light receiving elements, and a light modulating means for driving the light emitting element by applying light intensity modulation. . (4) Two or more light-receiving elements that have directivity and are arranged at a slight angle to each other, a switching circuit that selectively operates only the necessary light-receiving elements, and a quantitative method for measuring the amount of light received. The structure includes a received light intensity detecting means for detecting the received light intensity, and an arithmetic means for calculating the ratio of the amounts of light received by the light receiving elements based on the light intensity measured by the received light intensity detecting means. (5) a remote control code generating means for generating a remote control code corresponding to the output data of the calculation means; a light emitting element driven by a signal generated by the remote control code generating means;
a light-receiving element that receives the light emitted by the light-emitting element;
remote control code determining means for determining the received signal;
This configuration includes a light emitting element that emits light to three or more light receiving elements, and a light modulating means that modulates the light intensity and drives the light emitting element.

[0008]

[Operation] With the above-described configuration, the present invention (1) receives light from an external light source through an optical diaphragm provided in the operating section by at least two light receiving elements, and receives a light receiving signal emitted by each light receiving element. The switching circuit sequentially detects and measures the received light intensity with the detection means, and the determination means detects the orientation of the operating unit relative to the light source based on which light receiving element receives the strongest light. It is possible to configure a remote control device in which changing the direction at an angle within and pointing in a specific direction instructs to operate a specific function. (2) It is equipped with a lens in place of the optical diaphragm used in item (1), and has the same effect as item (1). (3) If a light-emitting element is provided on the side of an operated device such as a television receiver, and the operating section is turned toward the operated device and shaken at a slight angle, the light from this light-emitting element can be used as an external light source. The direction of the operating unit with respect to the light source is detected by the same action as in item (1), and the remote control code generating means converts the data corresponding to this direction into a remote control code and transmits it as an optical signal by the light emitting element. By receiving the information with a receiving element installed in the device and determining the content using the remote control code determining means, the operated device can know the direction in which the operating section is pointing, and this allows the operating section to be positioned within a certain range relative to the light source. It is possible to configure a remote control device that instructs the operated device to operate a specific function by changing the direction at an angle within the range and pointing it in a specific direction. (4) Light from an external light source is received by two or more light-receiving elements with sensitivity directionality that are arranged at a slight angle to each other provided on the operation unit, and the light-receiving signals emitted by each light-receiving element are detected. While being switched by the switching circuit, the received light intensity detection means sequentially detects and measures the received light intensity, and the calculation means calculates the difference in received light intensity between the light receiving elements, thereby detecting the orientation of the operating unit with respect to the light source. It is possible to configure a remote control device in which changing the direction at an angle within a range and pointing in a specific direction instructs a specific function operation. (5) If a light-emitting element is provided on the side of an operated device such as a television receiver, and the operating section is turned toward the operated device and shaken at a slight angle, the light from this light-emitting element can be used as an external light source. The direction of the operating unit with respect to the light source is detected by the same action as in item (1), and the remote control code generating means converts the data corresponding to this direction into a remote control code and transmits it as an optical signal by the light emitting element. By receiving the information with a receiving element installed in the device and determining the content using the remote control code determining means, the operated device can know the direction in which the operating section is pointing, and this allows the operating section to be positioned within a certain range relative to the light source. This constitutes a remote control device that instructs the operated device to operate a specific function by changing its direction at a certain angle and pointing it in a specific direction.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The contents of claims (1) to (3) are substantially the same, and the embodiments thereof will first be described.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
1 is an infrared light emitting diode which is a light emitting element; 2 is a light modulating means for driving this light emitting element 1 by applying amplitude modulation of 455 kHz; together with a light receiving element 10, a remote control code determination means 11 and a control means 12, which will be described later; , for example, is installed on the side of an operated device such as a television receiver.

[0012] The subsequent parts from the optical diaphragm 3 to the light emitting element 9 are placed in the operating section of the remote control device. Reference numeral 3 denotes an optical diaphragm, which allows light from a light emitting element 1, which will be described later, to pass through only a very small area. 4a to 4i are light-receiving elements, and these light-receiving elements have relatively large light-receiving areas.
They are arranged in a 3x3 format immediately after.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a switching circuit to which the output signals of the nine light receiving elements 4a to 4i are connected, and which selects a necessary one of the nine light receiving elements and sends the light receiving signal to the next stage. Reference numeral 6 denotes a received light intensity detection means that is connected to the output of the switching circuit 5 and quantitatively detects the intensity of light received by the light receiving element. Reference numeral 7 denotes a determining means for comparing the output results of the received light intensity detecting means 6 and determining which one has the strongest received light intensity. Reference numeral 8 denotes remote control code generating means for generating different remote control codes depending on the calculation results of the determining means 7. Reference numeral 9 denotes an infrared light emitting diode driven by the output of the remote control code generating means 8.

10 is a light emitting element that receives the optical signal from the light emitting element 9; 11 is a remote control code determining means for determining the remote control code of the received signal; 12 is a combination of the light modulating means 2 and the remote control code determining means 11; It is a control means for controlling.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a specific circuit of the main part. The determining means 7 and the remote control code generating means 8 are controlled by the microcomputer 22, and the remote control code determining means 1
1. The control means 12 is constituted by a microcomputer 25. The microcomputer 22 and microcomputer 25 shown here include a CPU, ROM, and RAM.
It is a one-chip microcontroller that includes all input and output sections. Further, 26 is a CRT controller that displays characters on-screen, 27 is an RGB video input terminal into which a signal converted from a composite video signal to RGB by a signal processing circuit (not shown) is input, and 28 is this RGB signal. This is an RGB video output terminal to which a signal on which characters and the like are superimposed by the CRT controller 27 is output.

In the circuit on the operated device side, the amplitude modulator 24
drives the light emitting element 1 and transmits a modulated optical signal to the operating section, and the light receiving element 10 receives the signal emitted from the light emitting element 9 of the operating section, and the microcomputer 25 reads it. These operations are controlled by the microcomputer 25 according to predetermined procedures.

On the other hand, in the operating section, an optical diaphragm 3 is placed immediately in front of the light receiving element 4. Here, if the operation unit in which the optical diaphragm 3 and the light receiving element 4 are integrated is placed directly opposite the light emitting element 1 at a position several meters away from the light emitting element 1, the light from the light emitting element 1 will pass through the optical diaphragm 3. The light passes through and hits the light receiving element 4e. Furthermore, if the direction of the entire operation unit is rotated within a range of about ±30° vertically and horizontally with respect to the light emitting element 1, the direction of arrival of light from the light emitting element 1 will move relatively, causing the light emitting element to move. The position at which the light from the light receiving element 4 hits the light receiving element 4 changes, and the light hits any of the light receiving elements 4a to 4i.

The optical signals received by each element of the light receiving element 4 are as follows:
One of the elements of the light receiving element 4 is selected by the switching circuit 5, and sequentially converted into digital data by the A/D converter 20. Note that an automatic gain adjustment circuit 19 is inserted in front of the A/D converter 20 in order to correct changes in light intensity due to changes in the distance between the operated device and the operating section. The microcomputer 22 reads the digital data of the received light intensity of each element, which the A/D converter 20 sequentially outputs. The microcomputer 22 determines which of the nine light-receiving elements 4 is receiving the strongest light, and based on this determines the direction in which the operating unit faces within a range of approximately ±30° relative to the light-emitting element 1. Know what's going on. Reference numeral 21 denotes a switch used for instructing the start of remote control operations and selection of items, and is connected to the microcomputer 22 to determine whether it has been pressed.

The microcomputer 22 generates information on the direction in which the operating unit is facing as a remote control code, and drives this signal output through the transistor 23 to cause current to flow through the light emitting element 9 and transmit light.

The transmitted information regarding the direction of the operating section is received by the light receiving element 10 provided on the operated device side. This signal is connected to the microcomputer 25, and by interpreting the transmitted remote control code, the orientation of the operating section can be determined. The CRT controller 26 displays a menu of operation functions such as image quality adjustment and audio adjustment on the screen, and also displays a cursor on the screen based on a signal from the operation section indicating the orientation of the operation section.

FIG. 3 shows an example of an actual screen and an example of an operation method when this function is applied to the operation of a television receiver. In FIG. 3, (A) is a screen of a television receiver corresponding to the operated device. First, by pressing the switch 21 on the operation section, an operation menu as shown in FIG. 3(A) is displayed superimposed on the normal image. If you change the direction of the operation unit, the information about the orientation of the operation unit sent from the operation unit to the operated device will also change, but at this time, the operated device will display the cursor on the screen along with the operation menu as shown in Figure 3(B). The position of the cursor is changed by changing the transmission signal indicating the direction of the operating section, so that the cursor is always displayed at a position on the screen corresponding to the direction of the operating section. By doing so, it is possible to realize an operational feeling in which the cursor follows the movement of the operation unit by appropriately waving it toward the screen. Furthermore, it is possible to add a function that allows a desired operation item to be selected by pressing the switch 21 again while the cursor is placed on the desired operation item on the menu.

Next, the operation of the remote control device configured as described above will be explained using a flowchart.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer on the operation section side. When the operating section is not used, the state of the switch 21 of the operating section is detected in step 31, and the device waits at this step until the switch 21 is pressed.

When the switch 21 on the operating section is pressed, the process moves to step 32, and a remote control code meaning "switch has been pressed" is transmitted once. The operation of the operated device side will be explained in detail later, but when the operated device side receives a signal from the operating section side, the operated device side sends light for a certain fixed time as a response signal to the operating section within a certain period of time. It is supposed to transmit a pulse train. The time for continuing the transmission is set to be longer than the time required to complete the reception and processing of the optical pulse train from step 34 to step 43, which will be described later.

[0025] In the next step 33, the process waits to determine whether the response signal is received within a certain period of time. If the response signal from the operated device cannot be received within the predetermined time, the process returns to step 31 and the process returns to the standby state. This is to prevent the battery from being depleted by meaningless actions such as pressing a switch on a control unit facing in a direction completely different from that of the operated device. If a response signal is received from the operated device, the process moves to step 34.

In step 34, first, the switching circuit 5 is connected so that all outputs of the light receiving element 4 are connected to the A/D converter 20, and in step 35, the automatic gain adjustment circuit 19 is connected to the A/D converter 20.
Wait for a while until the operation becomes stable.

Next, from step 36 onwards, the intensity of light received by each of the light receiving elements 4 is measured. In step 36, the light receiving element 4a
The switching circuit 5 is operated so that the signal is connected to the A/D converter 20, and in step 37, the light intensity is measured, that is, the output data of the A/D converter 20 is read by the microcomputer 22, and the i1 This operation is performed to hold the data as . Next, in step 38, as before, the received light intensity of the light receiving element 4b is changed to i2 by operating the switching circuit 5 and measuring the light intensity in step 39.
The data is retained as .

Thereafter, similar operations are repeated to obtain the received light intensities of the nine light receiving elements 4a to 4i as data i1 to i9, respectively.

Next, in step 40, the light receiving elements 4a to 4i
The one with the maximum value is determined, and it is thereby determined whether the operating section is oriented vertically or horizontally with respect to the light emitting element 1 in units of 3×3 vertically and horizontally.

Next, in step 41, it is determined again whether the switch 21 on the operating section is pressed. However, if the button continues to be pressed from the state determined to have been pressed in step 31, it is assumed that the button is not pressed at this point, and only when the switch 21 is pressed again after releasing the switch 21.
shall be deemed to have been pressed.

If the switch 21 is not pressed, the process moves to step 43. 1 for each of the nine locations mentioned above.
One remote control code is assigned so that the nine remote control codes represent the position information of nine places, and in this step the code indicating the position is sent out. switch 21
If the button is pressed, the process moves to step 42, and a remote control code meaning "switch has been pressed" is transmitted once. This corresponds to the operation when selecting the function where the cursor appears on the screen. After transmitting this code, the process returns to step 33 and waits for a response signal to be returned from the operated section in response to the code transmission. After that step 3
The same operation is repeated from the operation explanation in 3.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the microcomputer on the operated device side.

First, in step 61, it is checked whether a remote control code is currently being received, and if it is not received, step 6
Move on to 2. Here, it is checked whether the menu is currently displayed, and if it is not displayed, it is assumed that it is in a normal operation standby state, and the process returns to step 61 to wait for the reception of a remote control code again. If a menu is currently being displayed, the process moves to step 63 and the menu display on the screen disappears, and the process returns to step 61 to enter a standby state. This is because as long as the control unit is facing the screen, the control unit and the operated device are always connected for transmission and response, so if the remote control cord is interrupted, for example, the control unit must be turned in a direction completely different from the screen, i.e., the control unit cannot be operated. This is because it can be seen as the end of the will to do so.

If a remote control code has been received in step 61, the process moves to step 64, where the contents of the code are interpreted, and in step 65, it is checked whether it is a code indicating nine cursor positions on this remote control device. If so, the process moves to step 66 to check whether the menu is currently displayed. If it is not displayed, it is meaningless even if the cursor position information reaches even though there is no menu, and the process returns to step 61. If the menu is displayed, first, in step 67, a signal modulated at a constant frequency is transmitted as a response signal for a certain period of time to the operating section, and then, in step 68, a cursor is actually displayed at the cursor position indicated by the code. Thereafter, the process returns to step 61 and waits for the next remote control code.

If it is determined in step 65 that the remote control code is not indicative of the cursor position, the process moves to step 69, and a check is made to see if it is a remote control code for "pressing a switch". If so, proceed to step 70. Here, check whether the menu screen is currently displayed. If the menu screen is not displayed, the process moves to step 71. If this "switch press" remote control code is received when the menu is not displayed, this code will perform the action of "displaying the menu", displaying the menu in step 71, and then responding in step 72. The signal is transmitted and the process returns to the standby state of step 61. If a "switch press" code is received while a menu is being displayed, it means "execute the menu command at the current cursor position," and a response signal is sent to the operation unit in step 73. Thereafter, in step 74, the contents of the menu at the cursor position are executed. After executing this, the process returns to the standby state of step 61 again.

Next, claims (4) and (5) are also substantially the same, and examples thereof will be described below.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is an infrared light emitting diode which is a light emitting element, and 2 is a light modulating means for driving this light emitting element 1 by applying amplitude modulation of 455 kHz. , a light receiving element 10, a remote control code determination means 11, and a control means 12, which will be described later, are installed on the side of an operated device such as a television receiver.

The subsequent light-receiving element 4 to light-emitting element 9 are placed in the operating section of the remote control device. 4, a to d, are light receiving elements, which are respectively attached to four surfaces of a pyramid-shaped pedestal and are arranged at an angle to each other.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a switching circuit to which the output signals of the four light receiving elements 4 are connected, and which selects one or more of the four light receiving elements and sends the light receiving signal to the next stage. Reference numeral 6 denotes a received light intensity detection means that is connected to the output of the switching circuit 5 and quantitatively detects the intensity of light received by the light receiving element. Reference numeral 13 denotes calculation means for processing the output result of the received light intensity detection means 6. Reference numeral 8 denotes remote control code generation means for generating different remote control codes depending on the calculation results of the calculation means 13. Reference numeral 9 denotes an infrared light emitting diode driven by the output of the remote control code generating means 8.

10 is a light receiving element that receives the optical signal from the light emitting element 9; 11 is a remote control code determining means for determining the remote control code of the received signal; 12 is a combination of the light modulating means 2 and the remote control code determining means 11; It is a control means for controlling.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a specific circuit of the main part. The calculation means 13 and the remote control code generation means 8 are constituted by a microcomputer 22, and the remote control code determination means 11 and the control means 12 are constituted by a microcomputer 25. These microcomputers are also shown in Figure 2.
It is a one-chip microcontroller similar to the one explained in . Further, 26 is a CRT controller, 27 is an RGB video input, and 28 is an RGB video output, and each operation is the same as that explained in FIG.

The operation on the operated device side is the same as that explained with reference to FIG. 2, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0043] If the operating section is placed several meters away from the light-emitting element 1 and directly facing the light-emitting element 1, the light from the light-emitting element 1 will equally hit the four light-receiving elements 4a to 4d. . Further, if the direction of the entire operation section is changed in the range of about ±30 degrees up, down, left and right with respect to the light emitting element 1, the direction of arrival of light from the light emitting element 1 will be moved relative to the light emitting element 1. Each light-receiving element uses one with directional light-receiving sensitivity, and each is placed on a pyramid-shaped pedestal, so the light-receiving elements 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d respond to Differences occur in detection signal strength.

Thereafter, in the same way as explained using FIG. The corresponding digital data is read. From this data, the ratio of the received light intensity between the elements arranged vertically, horizontally, and horizontally is calculated, and from this it is possible to know in what direction the operating unit is oriented within a range of about ±30° with respect to the light emitting element 1. can.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a switch, and its purpose and connection are the same as in the example shown in FIG. The transmission of information about the direction in which the operating unit is facing, the reception of this information by the operated device, and the subsequent processing are also the same as in the example shown in FIG.

The effect when this function is applied to the operation of a television receiver is the same as that described above using FIG. 3, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

Next, the operation of the remote control device configured as described above will be explained using a flowchart.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer on the operation section side. When the operating section is not used, the state of the switch 21 of the operating section is detected in step 80, and the device waits at this step until the switch 21 is pressed.

When the operating section switch 21 is pressed, the process moves to step 81, and a remote control code meaning "switch has been pressed" is transmitted once. The operation of the operated device side will be explained in detail later, but when the operated device side receives a signal from the operating section side, the operated device side sends light for a certain fixed time as a response signal to the operating section within a certain period of time. It is supposed to transmit a pulse train. The time for continuing the transmission is set to be longer than the time required to complete the reception and processing of the optical pulse train from step 83 to step 101, which will be described later.

The next step 82 is to wait to determine whether the response signal is received within a certain period of time. If the response signal from the operated device cannot be received within the predetermined time, the process returns to step 80 and the process returns to the standby state. If a response signal is received from the operated device, the process moves to step 83.

In step 83, first, the switching circuit 5 is set so that all outputs of the abcd of the light receiving element 4 are connected to the A/D converter 20, and in step 84, the operation of the automatic gain adjustment circuit 19 becomes stable. Wait a little while. The light intensity is then measured in step 85, i.e. A/
The output data of the D converter 20 is read by the microcomputer 22, and i1 is stored inside the microcomputer 22.
It is retained as data.

Next, in step 86, the switching circuit 5 switches all the outputs a, b, c, and d of the light receiving element 4 to the A/D converter 2.
0, and the light intensity is measured in step 87, that is, the output data of the A/D converter 20 is read by the microcomputer 22 and held as data i2. This is the amount of noise generated by the automatic gain adjustment circuit 19 when the circuit adjusts the gain to be appropriate for the input intensity of light at that time, and this is used in later calculation processing.

Next, the intensity of the light from the light emitting element 1 that is being received by the light receiving element 4a is measured. In step 88, the switching circuit 5 connects the output a of the light receiving element 4 to the A/D converter 20, and in step 89, the light intensity is measured, and this is set as i3.

Similar measurements are carried out from step 90 to step 9.
5, and the outputs of the light receiving elements 4b, 4c, 4d are i4, i
5. Microcomputer 22 as data i6
hold it.

Next, in step 96, i1~
From the data of i6, determine which of the x directions the orientation of the operating section is using the following calculation formula.

[0056] When i3>i4

[0057]

[Math 1]

[0058] When i4>i3

[0059]

[Math 2]

Next, in step 97, the deviation in the y direction is similarly calculated using the following formula.

[0061]

[Math 3]

[0062]

[Math 4]

Here, x and y are rounded down to the nearest whole number. According to the above equations, the positions in the x direction and the y direction are each represented by numbers from 0 to 15. Then, in step 98, the height and width are 3.
It is determined where in the area divided into x3 areas the operation unit is directed. In advance, the program has a correspondence table that determines when the value of x is 0 to 3, the left side, 4 to 11 is the center, and 12 to 15 is the right side. 1
5 corresponds to the left, center, or right on the screen of the television receiver. Similarly, find the top, center, and bottom in the y direction.

Next, in step 99, it is determined again whether the switch 21 on the operating section is pressed. However, if the button continues to be pressed from the state determined to have been pressed in step 80, it is assumed that the button is not pressed at this point, and only when the switch 21 is pressed again after releasing the switch 21.
shall be deemed to have been pressed.

If the switch 21 is not pressed, the process moves to step 101. One remote control code is assigned to each of the nine locations mentioned above so that the nine remote control codes represent the location information of the nine locations, and in this step the code indicating the location is transmitted. switch 2
If 1 is being pressed, the process moves to step 100, and a remote control code meaning "switch has been pressed" is transmitted once. This corresponds to the operation when selecting the function where the cursor appears on the screen. After transmitting this code, the process returns to step 82 and waits for a response signal to be returned from the operated section in response to the code transmission. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated from the operation explanation in step 80.

Note that the flowchart and operation of the microcomputer on the operated device side are the same as those explained using FIG. 5, so the explanation will be omitted here.

According to the configuration of the above embodiment, when the present invention is applied to a television receiver, a desired operation item is selected on the operation menu by shaking the operation unit itself, and the switch 21 is pressed to select the operation item. It is possible to create a remote control device that is intuitive and easy to use, can be operated without looking at the control unit itself, and can be easily operated even in the dark. .

[0068]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the remote control device of the present invention has the following features:
For example, on the side of a controlled device such as a television receiver, a cursor can be displayed on the screen in the direction in which the operating section is facing, and the cursor on the screen can be moved by shaking the operating section. Furthermore, if you install a selection switch on the control panel and set the cursor to the desired function on the menu and press the selection switch to execute that function, you can view the screen without looking at the remote control device at hand. It is extremely advantageous in practical terms because it can be operated without changing the position, the movement of the line of sight is reduced, and the operation is easier, and the operability can be improved even when the room is dark.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Circuit diagram of the main parts of the same embodiment

[Figure 3] An example of the screen display of the device and an explanatory diagram of the operating procedure in the example

[Fig. 4] Flowchart showing an example of a program of the operation unit for operation of the device.

[Fig. 5] Flowchart showing an example of a program on the operated device side for operation of the device.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 7]
Circuit diagram of main parts of other embodiments

[Fig. 8] Flowchart showing an example of a program of the operation unit for operation of the device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Light emitting element 2. Light modulation means 3. Light aperture 4 Photo-receiving element 5 Switching circuit 6 Received light intensity detection means 7 Judgment means 8. Remote control code generation means 9 Light emitting element 10 Photo receiving element 11 Remote control code determination means 13 Arithmetic means

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An optical diaphragm that limits the range of incident light from the outside to a small area; and an optical diaphragm that receives incident light through the optical diaphragm, and the area of light that is irradiated changes depending on the incident angle of the incident light. At least two or more light receiving elements arranged to A remote control device comprising a determining means for determining which of the at least two light receiving elements the strongest light has entered, based on the results measured by the means. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, further comprising a lens in place of the optical diaphragm. 3. A remote control code generating means for generating a remote control code corresponding to the output data of the determining means; and a light emitting element driven by a signal generated by the remote control generating means.
a light-receiving element that receives the light emitted by the light-emitting element;
A remote control code determining means for decoding and determining the signal received by the light receiving element, a light emitting element for emitting light to at least two or more light receiving elements, and a light modulating means for driving the light emitting element by applying light intensity modulation. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, further comprising a remote control device. [Claim 4] Two or more light-receiving elements having directivity and arranged at a slight angle to each other, a switching circuit that selectively operates only necessary light-receiving elements, and quantifying the amount of received light. 1. A remote control device comprising: a received light intensity detection means for detecting a received light intensity; and an arithmetic means for calculating a ratio of received light amounts between the light receiving elements based on the light intensity measured by the received light intensity detection means. 5. A remote control code generating means for generating a remote control code corresponding to output data of the calculation means, a light emitting element driven by a signal generated by the remote control code generating means, and a light emitting element driving the light emitted by the light emitting element. a remote control code determining means for decoding and determining a signal emitted by the light receiving element; a light emitting element for emitting light to at least two or more light receiving elements; 5. The remote control device according to claim 4, further comprising driving light modulation means.