JPH04267696A - Remote control preset method and preset remote control unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To preset a code to a remote controller with a simple operation and to easily confirm the preset content. CONSTITUTION:A pattern of a preset mode is displayed on a display section 42 at the preset. While the pattern is referenced, the content desired to be preset is selectively set by operating an item selection key 21 and a set key 22. After the preset content is set, when an enter key 24 is depressed, a code corresponding to the display content of the display section 42 is transferred to a preset remote controller 50 as a preset data and the code is preset. The preset content is stored in a memory 16 as a preceding preset code 26 and displayed on the display section 42 in the preset mode.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention is applicable to remote control units (such as televisions and video tape recorders).
The present invention relates to a preset method for setting a code for an arbitrary operation and improvements to the preset remote control unit.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Various remote control units for remotely controlling the operations of televisions, video tape recorders, etc. have already been proposed and put into practical use. However, these remote control units generally differ depending on the product and model, and can only be used with the same model of the same product. Therefore, recently, a learning remote control unit or a preset remote control unit that can be used even between different types has been proposed.

For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-94799 discloses a learning method that simplifies the learning function by automatically distributing code data indicating operation functions to a large number of operation keys or buttons on a remote control. A remote control unit with functions is disclosed.

There are two types of such preset remote control units as follows. (1) First, as shown in FIG. 4(A), the preset remote controller 100 itself has a light receiving section 102, and a key 108 to be preset is pressed on the remote controller 106 of another device. Then, the code data defined for that key 108 is transferred to the preset remote controller 100 side. In the preset remote control 100, when this is received by the light receiving section 102 and the key 104 to be preset is pressed, the transfer code is preset to that key 104. That is, the definition code of the key 108 of the other remote controller 106 is defined for the key 104 of the preset remote controller 100. Other keys (not shown) are also preset by similar operations.

(2) As shown in FIG. 2B, a memory such as a ROM (not shown) is provided inside the preset remote control 200, and a memory (not shown) such as a ROM is provided in the preset remote control 200.
The remote control codes of various companies such as ... are stored in advance. Then, by operating the preset key 202 and the selection key 204 indicating one of the companies, the preset mode is designated and the company is set. Then, the corresponding code will be output from the memory.

[0006]

However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques have the following disadvantages. (1) First, in the configuration shown in FIG. 2A, it is necessary to provide the light receiving section 102 and the light receiving circuit in the preset remote control 100, which complicates the configuration and is disadvantageous in terms of power consumption and cost. Further, although a preset operation is performed for each key, as the same operation is repeated, it becomes unclear which key has been preset. (2) Next, the device shown in FIG. 2B can only preset company codes that have been previously set in the memory, and cannot support special remote control codes. There is also the inconvenience of not knowing which company's code has been preset.

The present invention has focused on this point, and provides a remote control presetting method and a preset remote control unit that are advantageous in terms of power consumption and cost, allowing presetting to be performed with a simple operation and allowing easy confirmation of preset contents. Its purpose is to provide.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] One aspect of the present invention is a remote control presetting method for presetting a code for a desired operation to an operation key in a preset remote control, in which contents to be preset are selected on a display means. and presetting a code corresponding to the selected content in the remote control. Another invention provides a preset remote control unit that presets a code for a desired operation to an operation key in a preset remote control, including a display means, a memory means for storing preset contents, and a display means for displaying a preset mode on the display means. and a display instruction means for displaying the contents stored in the memory means, a selection means for sequentially switching between preset items and their contents on the display on the display means and selecting a desired one, and a presetting means for presetting the displayed contents in the preset remote control. It is characterized by comprising means.

[0009]

According to the present invention, the contents to be preset are selected and set while referring to the display of the preset mode on the display means. After that, it is preset to the preset remote control. The preset contents can be displayed on the display means even after being preset, so that the preset contents can be checked at any time.

0010

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the remote control presetting method and preset remote control unit according to the present invention will be explained.
This will be explained with reference to the attached drawings. <Configuration of Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a preset remote control unit according to this embodiment. In the figure, inside the VTR main body 10, a control section 12, a key input section 1
4, a memory 16, and an input/output section 18 are provided, respectively.
The key input section 14, memory 16, and input/output section 18 are the control section 1
Connected to 2. Of these, the control section 12 is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer, and is used to control key operation reading and data input/output, which will be described later. The key input section 14 includes a mode switching key 2 for instructing an operation mode such as preset.
0, Item selection key 21 for selecting preset instruction items,
Set key 2 for selecting the content you want to preset
2. Execution keys 24 are provided for presetting the remote controller.

Next, the memory 16 stores the contents of each item selected in the preset operation (previous preset code) 26, menu screen data 28 at the time of the preset operation,
Codes defined by each company and model for items to be preset and their item contents 30 are stored. The input/output section 18 is also provided with a remote control light receiving section 32 , and the output side of the remote control light receiving section 32 is connected to one input side of a NAND gate 34 having two inverting input terminals, and the input side of the control section 12 . Switch 3 that opens and closes by
8. And this switch 38
The other end is connected to the preset code output side of the control section 12 and the output terminal 40, respectively. Further, the preset code output side of the control section 12 is connected to the other input side of the NAND gate 34, and the output side of the NAND gate 34 is connected to the remote control input side of the control section 12.

Next, a display section 42 such as a CRT is connected to the output side of the control section 12, and a preset remote control 50 is connected to the output terminal 40 of the input/output section 18. . This preset remote control 50 is capable of remote control operation for both television and video.For example, for the television side, keys 52 and 54 are used.
, 56, 58, and extra keys E1, E2, and E3, respectively. A plurality of keys are also provided on the video side. Then, when presetting, the VTR body 1
It is connected to the output terminal 40 on the 0 side by a wire 44, and when a predetermined preset instruction signal, for example, a signal whose logical value is "L" for a certain period of time, is input, the following code data is preset. It has become so.

The preset remote controller 50 normally performs remote control operations using infrared rays or wires. For example, an infrared code signal is output in negative logic and received by the remote control light receiving section 32, and the code signal photoelectrically converted here is input to the control section 12 via the NAND gate 34. The control unit 12 controls the VTR to perform operations according to the input code. This operation is similar to a normal remote control. In addition, V
The TR main body 10 also has the function of a normal VTR, and the display section 42 has the function of a television (both not shown).

<Operation of the Embodiment> Next, a presetting method in the embodiment configured as above will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the operation, and FIG. 3 shows an explanatory diagram of the operation. In addition, in the following explanation, the preset remote control 5
The case where desired codes are preset for the keys 52 to 58 and the extra keys E1 to E3 on the television side of No. 0 will be described as an example. Further, it is assumed that there is no particular previous preset code 26.

When a remote control preset operation is desired, the mode switching key 20 in the key input section 14 is operated, and the VTR body 10 is placed in the remote control preset mode (step S1 in FIG. 2). Then, the control section 12 reads out the previous preset code 26 and the preset menu screen data 28 from the memory 16, and outputs them to the display section 42 (step S2). In addition,
In this example, as mentioned above, it is assumed that there is no preset code 26, so only the menu screen is displayed.

[0016] Here, item instruction key 21, set key 2
2 are operated in sequence, the memory 16 is controlled by the control unit 12.
The item contents 30 are read out in order and output to the display unit 42. For example, use the item instruction key 21 to specify the item "1. Television manufacturer," and then press the set key 22 to select the item "1. TV manufacturer."
Whenever is pressed, as shown in Figure 3 (B), Company A→
The manufacturer name changes in order like Company B→…→…. The preset operator selects a desired manufacturer by operating the set key 22 (step S3). For example, if the television to be operated by remote control is made by Victor Company, the control will be as shown in FIG.

When the contents to be preset for the item "1. TV Manufacturer" are determined, the item instruction key 21 is pressed.
The extra keys E1 to E3 are designated by , and preset content selection for each is performed in turn. That is, each time the set key 22 is operated, the display shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the display contents change in the order of mark → erase →...→.... This example includes keys that can be defined as single keys and keys that can be defined as composite keys. The operator selects the desired content in the same manner as described above.

In the example shown in FIG. 3A, "Victor" is selected as the television manufacturer, and the extra keys E1 and E are selected.
2. As E3, "Mark", "Playback mode (2ch)"
” and “Dedicated code” are selected. Note that the dedicated code is used when defining content that does not exist in the memory 16. This will be discussed later.

After selecting the contents of the preset items as described above, the VTR main body 10 and the preset remote controller 50 are connected by the wire 44 (step S4). and,
When the execution key 24 is operated in this state, codes corresponding to the contents of each item displayed on the display section 42 are read out from the memory 16 by the control section 12 and supplied to the preset remote control 50 via the wire 44. (Step S5).

Specifically, first, a logical "L" level signal is input from the control section 12 to the preset memory 50 for a certain period of time. As a result, the preset remote controller 50 side enters a preset state, and the code data that is input subsequently is preset. Note that the code data may be the remote control data itself, or may be any other serial code. In the above example, the keys 52 and 54 are preset with a code for changing the channel of a Victor television, and the keys 56,
58 is preset with a code for changing the volume of a Victor television. Furthermore, extra key E1
, E2, codes for "mark" and "reproduction mode (2ch)" are preset, respectively. Further, these preset codes are also stored in the memory 16 as the previous preset code 26 by the operation of the control unit 12. Note that at the same time as the above preset operation, the remote control preset operation mode is also canceled.

Next, regarding the extra key E3, the content specified for presetting is a "dedicated code" (see FIG. 3(A)). Therefore, the operator operates the mode switching key 20 to enter the dedicated code input mode (steps S6 and S7). The control unit 12 detects this and turns on the switch 38 of the input/output unit 18 (step S8). On the other hand, the operator prepares a remote controller 60 for another device having a key in which a desired code is defined, and operates the corresponding key 62 thereof. Then, a corresponding code signal is output from the other device's remote control 60, received by the remote control light receiving section 32 of the VTR main body 10, and photoelectrically converted (step S9). The code, which has become an electrical signal, is input to the preset remote controller 50 via the switch 38 and the wire 44, respectively.

On the other hand, on the preset remote controller 50 side, the operator presses the extra key E3 (step S10). As a result, the code defined in the key 62 of the other remote controller 60 is transferred to the preset remote controller 50.
is preset to the extra key E3. Note that the preset remote controller 50 notifies you of the end of code transfer by emitting light or ringing.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the contents of each item to be preset are selected on the display section 42, and then transferred to the preset remote control 50 and preset. Further, special codes are also preset by key operations using the remote controller 60 for other devices.

By the way, after the above preset,
If you have forgotten the contents, operate the mode switching key 20 in the key input section 14 again to
The R main body 10 may be set to remote control preset mode. Then, the control section 12 reads out the previous preset code 26 and the preset menu screen 28 from the memory 28, and outputs them to the display section 42. For example, in the example described above, the content shown in FIG. 3(A) is displayed on the display unit 42 again. Thereby, the preset contents of the preset remote control 50 can be checked very easily.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and includes, for example, the following embodiments. (1) The connection terminal of the wire 44 that connects the VTR body and the preset remote control 50 may also be used as another terminal that is not used during the preset operation, such as a telephone reservation terminal. (2) In the above embodiment, the main circuits for presetting are provided in the VTR, but they may be combined into a dedicated presetting device. Also,
It may also be provided in other devices, such as a television. The preset data may be exchanged using either negative logic or positive logic. (3) As the display section 42, various devices such as a liquid crystal display section of a VTR can be used in addition to a CRT, and any of them may be used.

(4) In the above embodiment, the content of the dedicated code is not stored in the memory 16 as the previous preset code, but if it is also stored, it will be easier to confirm. (5) In the above embodiment, keys such as the item selection key 21 and the set key 22 are provided for presetting operations, but other keys or switches may also be used. Also,
Definition of key operation is also arbitrary, for example, set key 22
It may be set as appropriate, such as so that when is operated twice in succession, it acts as the item selection key 21. (6) Although the above embodiment deals with a preset operation for a television, the same applies to other devices such as a VTR.

[0027]

As explained above, the remote control preset method and preset remote control unit according to the present invention have the following effects. (1) The content to be preset can be selected on the display means, and the preset operation is greatly simplified. (2) Since the preset contents are displayed on the display means, they can be easily confirmed. (3) It is advantageous in terms of power consumption and cost, as there is no need to provide a light receiving circuit in the preset remote control.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a preset remote control unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a remote control presetting method according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... VTR body, 12... Control section (display instruction means, selection means, preset means), 14... Key input section, 16... Memory (memory means), 18... Input/output section, 20... Mode switching key (display instruction means) ), 21...Item selection key (selection means), 22...Set key (selection means), 24...Execution key (preset means), 26...Previous preset code, 2
8...Preset menu screen data, 30...Item content,
32...Remote control light receiving section, 42...Display section (display means), 4
4... Wire, 50... Preset remote control, 60... Other device remote control, 62... Key.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A remote control presetting method for presetting a code for a desired operation to an operation key on a preset remote control, the method comprising: selecting content to be preset on a display means; A method for presetting a remote control, comprising the step of presetting a corresponding code in a remote control. 2. A preset remote control unit that presets a code for a desired operation to an operation key in a preset remote control, comprising: a display means, a memory means for storing preset contents, and a display for a preset mode on the display means. and a display instruction means for displaying the contents stored in the memory means, a selection means for sequentially switching between preset items and their contents on the display on the display means and selecting a desired one, and a presetting means for presetting the displayed contents in the preset remote control. A preset remote control unit characterized by comprising means.