JPH0457499A - Telecontrol system, and indoor telecontroller and portable controller used therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the error of an operation by providing both an indoor telecontroller which is connected with a telephone circuit and an equipment being an object of the operation, and controls the equipment and a portable telecontroller and operating communication directly between both controllers. CONSTITUTION:This system is equipped with a portable controller 6 which is attached/detached to from a telephone set 4 and can communicate with the indoor telecontroller 1. Further, the controller 1 is equipped with functions to communicate with the controller 6. In this case, a speaker 61 and a microphone 62 of the portable controller 6 are attached to an outdoor telephone transmitter-receiver 4a, and the power source of the controller 6 is turned on. Thus, the message of confirming the connection is displayed at a display part 68. Then, the indoor telephone number is outputted as a DTMF signal by a transmission data generating circuit 66 and a DTMF transmission circuit 63, and transmitted through the speaker 61 and the outdoor telephone set 4 to a telephone circuit 2b. The indoor telecontroller 1 is called by a switchboard 3 responding to the DTMF signal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a telecontrol system that can control the operation of various devices from a remote location, and particularly relates to an improvement in the operating method of the telecontrol system.

[Prior Art] In recent years, with the increase in the number of employed housewives and people living alone, and with the trend toward nuclear families, the amount of time people spend unoccupied at home has increased. This kind of social environment has led to people saying, ``I don't want to go home with the lights out,'' and ``I want to go home with comfortable air conditioning.''
An increasing number of people have requests such as ``I want to take a bath as soon as I get home.''

On the other hand, improvements in the performance of various types of equipment through the adoption of microcomputers have enabled unmanned operation of equipment. Therefore, in order to respond to the above requests from a technical aspect,
Systems that can fulfill the above-mentioned demands are becoming popular. An example of such a system is a telecontrol system that allows you to control the operation of various devices in your home from a remote location.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a telescopic telecontrol system.

Referring to FIG. 6, this system includes an in-home telecontroller 1 connected to a telephone line 2a, lighting 7a, and an air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as "air conditioning") connected to the in-home telecontroller 1 through a home bus 8a, which is a common line. ) equipment 7b,
..., including the bath controller 7x. The telephone line 2a is connected to an external telephone 4 via an exchange 3 and another telephone line 2b.

The telephone 4 is used as an out-of-home telecontroller for controlling the in-home telecontroller 1 from outside the home.

A block diagram of another type of telecontrol system is shown in FIG. The system shown in FIG. 7 is different from the system shown in FIG. 6 in that each device 7a17b1
. . , 7x are connected to the home telecontroller 1 by the star-shaped wiring 8b instead of the home bus 8a. Even with the configuration shown in Figure 7,
Basically, the same operation as the telecontrol system shown in FIG. 6 is realized. In the following, a telecontrol system using a home bus as shown in FIG. 6 will be explained as an example.

FIG. 8 shows a general configuration example of the home telecontroller 1. The home telecontroller 1 is connected to a telephone line 2a, and is connected to a telephone circuit section 11 for separating the signal of the telephone line 2a into transmitting and receiving signals. Receiving unit 2 for converting into data
2, and a control signal generation circuit 18 connected to the receiving section 22 and generating signals for controlling each connected device based on the received signal and a predetermined message to be transmitted to the telephone 4. and a device control circuit 16 which is connected to the control signal generation circuit 18 and the home bus 8a and which directly controls each device based on the control signal given from the control signal generation circuit 18, and a control signal generation circuit 18. a voice synthesis circuit 13 for synthesizing a voice message to be given to the telephone 4 based on a message signal given from the control signal generation circuit 18; including.

The telecontrol system shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 operates as follows. The operator makes a call to his home from the telephone 4 outside the home. The home telecontroller 1 automatically answers after ringing a preset number of times. That is, in response to a calling signal sent from the telephone line 2a to the home telecontroller 1, the control signal generation circuit 18 generates a response message and provides it to the voice synthesis circuit 13. The speech synthesis circuit 13 converts the applied message signal into speech and provides it to the telephone circuit section 11.

The telephone circuit section 11 connects the output of the speech synthesis circuit 13 to the telephone line 2.
Send on a. The voice transmitted from the home telecontroller 1 is reproduced on the handset of the telephone 4, and a predetermined message is given to the operator.

For example, at the beginning of operation, the home telecontroller 1 requests the operator to input a password. The PIN number is for making it possible to respond to an operator's instruction only when a predetermined PIN number is input. A PIN number is usually a 3 or 4 digit number. The operator presses the dial buttons (“1” to “0”) on the telephone 4.
After entering the PIN using , press the "#" key to indicate the end of input.

When the correct password is entered, the telecontroller 1 becomes operable from outside the home.

In a telecontrol system, the equipment to be operated is managed not by its name but by its equipment number. For example, a unique number is assigned to each device, such as the entrance light is device number 1, the garden light is device number 2, the bedroom air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as "air conditioner") is device number 3, and so on. Therefore, when operating a device, it is first necessary to specify the device to be operated using the device number. The device number is designated by the operator inputting the device number using dial buttons on the telephone and then pressing the "#" key. For example, to specify the lighting in the living room, enter "2#".

After specifying the device number, it is necessary to specify the operating status of the device. This designation is made by inputting a control number. The control number is specified, for example, by inputting "1" when turning on the power of the device, and "0" when turning off the power. The input is completed by pressing the "#" key at the end, as in the case of specifying the device number.

By the above-described operation, the telephone line 2b is connected from the telephone 4.

A signal transmitted to the home telecontroller 1 via the exchange 3 and the telephone line 2a is first separated from a transmission signal in the telephone circuit section 11, and is given to the receiving section 22. The receiving section 22 converts the sent DTMF signal into binary data and provides it to the control signal generation circuit 18. Based on the received data, the control signal generation circuit 18 determines the equipment to be controlled and what state the equipment should be in, and operates the corresponding equipment via the equipment control circuit 16. The telecontroller 1 notifies the telephone 4 of the results of device control as a voice message using the voice synthesis circuit 13.

Note that the telecontroller 1 automatically ends its operation when a control signal for ending is input or when there is no input for a certain period of time or more. The termination control signal is, for example, when "0" is input as the device number.

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of a program executed by a microcomputer when the control signal generation circuit 18 is demonstrated using a microcomputer. Referring to FIG. 9, this program starts in response to an incoming call from a telephone outside the home. In step 5401, the home telecontroller 1 automatically responds with a voice message and prompts the operator to input a password, for example.

In step 5402, the home telecontroller 1 accepts the input of the password from the operator.

In step 5403, it is determined whether the password has been input within a predetermined time.

If the answer is No, control proceeds to step 5414; otherwise, control proceeds to step 5404. If the control proceeds to step 5414, it means that the password has not been input within the predetermined time, so the home telecontroller 1 hangs up the call and ends the operation.

When control proceeds to step 5404, it is determined whether the input password matches a predetermined correct password.

If the answer is No, control proceeds to step 5413; otherwise, control proceeds to step 5405.

When control proceeds to step 5413, it is determined whether the number of times an incorrect password has been input is less than or equal to a predetermined value. If the answer is YES, control proceeds to step 5415.

In step 5415, a message to the effect that the password is incorrect is transmitted as a voice message to the other party's telephone. Control then returns to step 5402.

If the answer to the determination in step 5413 is NO, control proceeds to step 5414. Since the wrong PIN number was entered multiple times, it is doubtful whether the person currently communicating is the correct operator. Therefore, in order to protect the system from unauthorized operation, the home telecontroller 1 hangs up the call and ends its operation.

If the answer to the determination in step 5404 is YES,
Control proceeds to step 5405, where the following series of devices are controlled. In step 5405, the device number to be operated is input.

In step 8406, the input device number is “
0" is determined. If the answer is YES, this is an instruction to end the operation as described above, so control proceeds to step 5414, and after the call is hung up, the operation of the home telecontroller 1 is ended.

If the answer to the determination in step 5404 is No, control proceeds to step 5407. In step 5407, it is determined whether the input device number is the correct device number. The device number is registered in advance in the microcomputer, and this determination is made by comparing the input device number with the registered device number. If the answer to the determination is No, control proceeds to step 5412, and after an error message is sent to the other party, control returns to step 5405.

If the answer to the determination in step 5407 is YES, control proceeds to step 5408. In step 3408, the operating state of the specified device is detected via the device control circuit 16, and the state is transmitted as a voice message to the other party's telephone. Control then proceeds to step 54
Proceed to 09.

In step 5409, the operator inputs a control number.

Control continues to step 5410 where it is determined whether the input control number is the correct control number. If the answer to the determination is No, control proceeds to step 5412;
After the error message is sent to the party, control returns to step 5405.

If the answer to the determination in step 5410 is YES,
Control continues to step 5411.

In step 5411, the operating state of the designated device is changed according to the designated control number. The home telecontroller 1 transmits a change in the operating state of the device to the operator as a voice message. Control then returns to step 5405.

After the above-described operations are repeated, "0" is input as the device number in step 5406, thereby ending the operation of the home telecontroller 1 and disconnecting the telephone.

As described above, the conventional telecontrol system uses the existing outside telephone 4 as an external controller. Therefore, telecontrol can be achieved without the need to set up special facilities outside the home.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, since the existing outside telephone 4 is used as an external controller, there are significant limitations when operating the conventional telecontrol system. Since a regular telephone is used, the keys that can be used to operate the telecontrol system are the numeric keys "1" to "0", "#" and "*".
” special keys. When specifying equipment, the number assigned to each equipment must be used rather than the actual equipment name. When operating the device,
Instead of using easy-to-understand expressions such as "turn on the power" and "turn off the power," you have to enter control numbers ("1" and "0"), making the operation difficult to understand. Furthermore, each time the telecontrol system is used, a predetermined password must be entered using a dial button, which takes time and effort.

For this reason, the current telecontrol system is extremely difficult to use for people who are not good at operating machines.

There are many cases where telecontrol systems that have been purchased are left unused.

At present, the only countermeasure for this problem is to have the operator carry a small, easy-to-carry operation manual and refer to it during operation.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a telecontrol system that is easy to use and is less likely to cause operational errors.

[Means for Solving the Problem] The telecontrol system according to claim 1 is connected to a telephone line and a device to be operated, and for controlling the device in response to an operation instruction signal given through the telephone line. The present invention includes an in-home telecontroller and a portable telecontroller that is detachably attached to a telephone and capable of communicating with the indoor telecontroller through the telephone and a telephone line.

The home telecontroller according to the invention described in claim 2 is connected to a telephone line, and includes a communication means for communicating through the telephone line, and one control item for regulating the operation of the equipment according to a predetermined procedure. means for selecting, means for generating a DTMF signal indicating the selected control item and providing it to the communication means, and equipment for controlling the equipment in response to an operation instruction signal transmitted to the communication means through a telephone line. control means.

The portable telecontroller according to claim 3 includes a communication means that is detachably attached to a telephone and can communicate with the home telecontroller through a telephone line, and a DT MF multiplication signal transmitted from the home telecontroller. A display means for displaying a predetermined message, a key input means that allows an operator to input in a plurality of ways, and a key input means for instructing an operation to the indoor telecontroller based on the value inputted by the key input means. and response signal generation means for generating a DTMF signal and providing it to the communication means.

[Function] In the telecontrol system according to the invention set forth in claim 1, direct communication between the portable telecontroller and the indoor telecontroller is possible. Certain operations, such as notification of a PIN number, are performed manually. This can be done without human intervention, reducing operational errors compared to conventional systems in which a person uses a telephone to give instructions to the home telecontroller.

In the home telecontroller according to the invention set forth in claim 2, instructions for specifying control items, etc.
The F signal can be sent to the other party through a telephone line. Additionally, various devices can be controlled in response to operation instruction signals sent from the other party. Since DTMF signals are used for transmission and reception, at the other end of the communication,
By electrically processing the DTMF signal, it is possible to respond to an in-home telecontroller for certain processing without human intervention, or to display operating instructions in a form that is easy for humans to understand.

Compared to conventional indoor telecontrollers that are operated by humans only through telephones, operational errors can be reduced.

The portable telecontroller according to the invention according to claim 3 is configured to receive DTMF transmitted from the home telecontroller.
Based on the signal, a predetermined message can be displayed to the operator. Compared to conventional operations using only the device number, it is possible to give easier-to-understand operation instructions. Furthermore, predetermined data can be transmitted to the indoor telecontroller based on the input value. Therefore, the input method can also be made easier for the operator.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a telecontrol system according to the present invention. The system shown in FIG. 1 is different from the conventional system shown in FIG. 6 or 7 because it is a portable system that is detachably attached to a telephone 4 and can communicate with an in-home telecontroller 1. The controller 6 is included, and the in-home telecontroller 1 is provided with a function for communicating with the portable controller 6. Identical parts have been given the same reference numerals and names in FIGS. 1 and 6. In FIG. Their functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed explanations about them will not be repeated here.

Although the telecontrol system according to the present invention can be applied as is to a system having star-shaped wiring as shown in FIG. 7, the following description will be made with reference to the case where the home bus 8a is used.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the portable controller 6.

Referring to FIG. 2, the portable controller 6 transmits the DTMF signal generated by the portable controller 6 onto the telephone line through the handset of the telephone 4 (FIG. 1), and transmits the DTMF signal from the telephone line. A coupler 31 receives the signal from the handset of the telephone 4 as an audio signal and converts it into an electrical signal.
and a receiving section 33 which is connected to the coupler 31 and converts the DTMF signal received from the home telecontroller 1 into a form that can be internally processed; based on the control signal generation circuit 60 for generating necessary display data, transmission data, and other control signals; A display section 68 , a key input section 67 connected to the control signal generation circuit 60 and used by the operator to input necessary data, and an input to the output of the control signal generation circuit 60 .
A transmitting section 32 whose output is connected to the input section of the coupler 31 and outputs a DTMF signal to be transmitted to the home telecontroller 1 (FIG. 1) based on data given from the control signal generating circuit 60; , connected to coupler 31,
It includes a speaker 65 for reproducing the voice message transmitted from the home telecontroller 1 as voice.

The coupler 31 is attached near the speaker of the handset (not shown), and is installed near the micro 2 for collecting the sound reproduced by the speaker of the handset and converting it into an electrical signal, and the microphone part of the handset, A speaker 61 for converting the DTMF signal given from the transmitter 32 into audio and transmitting it to the home telecontroller 1 through the handset.
including. The micro 2 is connected to the receiving section 3 by the cable 5b.
Connected to 3. The speaker 61 is connected to the transmitter 32 by a cable 5a. The output of Micro 2 is also connected to speaker 65 by cable 5c.

The receiving section 33 is connected to the cable 5b, and includes a DTMF receiving circuit 64 for converting the DTMF signal converted into an electrical signal by the micro 2 into binary data, and a DTMF receiving circuit 64 for decoding the binary data output from the DTMF receiving circuit 64. , a received data decoding circuit 69 for providing control-related information transmitted from the home telecontroller 1 to the control signal generation circuit 60;
including.

The transmitting unit 32 is connected to the control signal generating circuit 60, and includes a transmitting data generating circuit 66 for generating control data to be transmitted to the home telecontroller 1 based on a command given from the control signal generating circuit 60, and a transmitting data generating circuit 66 for generating control data to be transmitted to the home telecontroller 1. Generation circuit 6
6, and a DTMF transmitting circuit 63 for converting the digital signal output from the transmitting data generating circuit 66 into a DTMF signal and supplying the signal to the speaker 61 through the cable 5a.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the home telecontroller 1 used in the telecontrol system according to the present invention. The device shown in FIG. 3 is different from the conventional in-home telecontroller shown in FIG. The present invention is to newly include a transmitting section 21 for outputting a DTMF signal to be transmitted to. Identical parts in FIGS. 3 and 8 are given the same reference numerals and the same names. Their functions are also the same. Therefore, a detailed explanation of them will not be repeated here.

Referring to FIG. 3, the receiving section 22 includes a DTMF receiving circuit 14 connected to the telephone circuit section 11 for extracting a DTMF signal from the received signal separated by the telephone circuit section 11 and converting it into a digital signal; It includes a received data decoding circuit 17 whose input is connected to the output of the DTMF receiving circuit 14 and which decodes the content of the received data transmitted from the portable controller 6 and supplies it to the control signal generation circuit 18 .

The transmitting section 21 includes a transmitting data generating circuit 15 whose input is connected to the output of the control signal generating circuit 18 and which generates transmitting data to be transmitted to the portable controller 6 based on a command from the control signal generating circuit 18; Data generation circuit 15
DT for converting the digital signal outputted by the DTMF signal into a DTMF signal and transmitting it on the telephone line through the telephone circuit section 11
MF transmitting circuit 12.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the external appearance of the portable controller 6 used in the telecontrol system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the appearance of the portable controller 6 is similar to a so-called electronic notebook. In this example, the micro 2 of the portable controller 6 is connected to the main body of the portable controller 6 via a cable 5b. Further, the speaker 61 is connected to the main body of the portable controller 6 via the cable 5a. A cable 5C branches off from the cable 5a15b, and a speaker 65 (earphone) is provided at the tip thereof.

The speaker 61 is fixed to the microphone portion of the handset 4a of the telephone 4. The micro 2 is fixed to the speaker portion of the handset 4a.

As mentioned above, this portable controller 6 has a so-called electronic notebook type appearance, and includes a display section 68 consisting of a liquid crystal display panel, etc., and a plurality of keys (in the case of this figure, [◇J, r
()J, at least three keys of "Yes").

The three types of keys described above each have the following functions. "
The ``Meet'' key is used to display the previous screen.

The "◇" key is used to display the next screen. The "Yes" key is used to signal the end of the operator's work or to specify a change in the state of the controlled key.

FIG. 5 shows the control signal generation circuit 6 of the portable controller 6.
1 is a flowchart of a program executed by a microcomputer when the microcomputer realizes 0. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the telecontrol system according to the present invention operates as follows.

First, the speakers 61 and 6 of the portable controller 6
2 to the outside telephone 4 (Fig. 1) as shown in Fig. 4.
Attach it to the transmitter/receiver 4a. By turning on the power of the portable controller 6, a connection confirmation message is displayed on the display section 68 (step 5501). The connection confirmation message is, for example, ``If the device has been connected, please press the "Yes"button.'' The operator checks the connection, and if the connection is correct, press the "Yes" button 67.
Press. During this time, the portable controller 6 waits until the "Yes" key is input (step 5502). When the "Yes" button is pressed, the portable controller 6 outputs the home telephone number as a DTMF signal by the transmission data generation circuit 66 and the DTMF transmission circuit 63, and outputs the home telephone number as a DTMF signal to the speaker 6.
1 and the outside telephone 4 to the telephone line 2b (step S503). The exchange 3 calls the home telecontroller 1 in response to the DTMF signal. The portable controller 6 displays a response confirmation message during the call at home (step 5504). The response confirmation message is, for example, ``The telecontroller is currently calling.'' If the telecontroller responds, please press the ``Yes''button.'' After displaying the response confirmation message, the portable controller 6 waits until "yes" is input (step 5505).

The operator listens to the response from the telecontroller 1 through the earphone 65. After confirming that there is a response from the telecontroller 1, the operator presses the "Yes" button. When the "Yes" button is pressed, the portable controller 6 transmits the transmission data generation circuit 66 and the DTMF transmission circuit 6.
3. Enter the PIN number D via the speaker 61 and telephone 4.
The TMF signal is sent to the home telecontroller 1 (step S506). As a result, the home telecontroller 1 becomes operable from outside the home.

Next, the portable controller 6 controls the devices 7a to 7x in the house.
need to know the status of For this purpose, the portable controller 6 includes a transmission data generation circuit 66, a DTMF transmission circuit 6
3. Transmit a control signal as a DTMF signal to the telecontroller 1 via the speaker 61, and cause the telecontroller 1 to transmit the device status as data (step 5507).
. At this time, the display section displays the message "We are currently preparing the telecontroller. Please wait for a while."

When the home telecontroller 1 receives a control signal from the portable controller 6, it operates as follows. The control signal is separated from the transmission signal by the telephone circuit section 11, and
The signal is input to the TMF receiving circuit 14. The DTMF receiving circuit 14 converts the DTMF signal into a digital signal and supplies it to the received data decoding circuit 17. Received data decoding circuit 1
7 decodes the input signal and in this case gives a command to the control signal generation circuit 18 to check the status of each connected device 7a to 7X and transmit it. The control signal generation circuit 18 connects each device 7a to 7 via the device control circuit 16.
The state of x is confirmed and the data is given to the transmission data generation circuit 15. The transmission data generation circuit 15 converts the data given from the control signal generation circuit 18 into a format for transmission, and outputs the data as a digital signal to the DTMF transmission circuit 12.
give to

The DTMF transmission circuit 12 converts the digital signal into an analog signal and supplies it to the telephone circuit section 11 .

This signal is sent out onto the telephone line by the telephone circuit section 11, and the portable telecontroller 6 receives this data (step S507).

The home telecontroller 1 itself uses the same device number as in the past for device management. However, when displaying the portable telecontroller 6, the actual device name, which is easier to understand, is used instead of the device number. As an example, assume that the entrance light is device number 1, the garden light is device number 2, and the bedroom air conditioner is device number 3. The status of each device before operation is
OFF, ON, OFF in the order of device numbers L2 and 3 respectively
Suppose that Furthermore, in FIG. 5, the letter "l" represents a device number.

In step 8508 and subsequent steps, actual operations for changing the status of each device are performed. At step 5508, equipment number 1 is selected. Control is at step 5509
Proceed to.

In step 5509, the operating state of the i-th device is displayed on the display section 68. In this example, the portable telecontroller 6 displays "The light at the entrance is out. May I come in?" The portable telecontroller 6 then waits until the "r+", "r6" or "Yes" button is pressed (step 5510). Pressing any of these buttons causes control to proceed to step 5511.

In step 5511, whether the pressed button or
It is determined whether or not. If the answer to this judgment is YES, control proceeds to step 8516, and after processing to return to the operation of the previous device, control proceeds to step 5509.
Take it too. If the answer to the determination in step 5511 is No, control proceeds to step 5512.

In step 5512, the pressed button is "0"
It is determined whether it is a button. If the answer is YES, the control proceeds to step 5517, and after the settings for processing the next device are made, the control proceeds to step 5509.
Return to If the answer to the determination in step 5512 is No, control proceeds to step 5513.

In step 5513, it is determined whether ri=OJ. If the answer to this determination is YES, control proceeds to step 5518, and after a termination command is sent to the home telecontroller 1, this program is terminated. What should be noted in steps 8516 and 5517 is that device number 1 changes by the number of operable devices. Therefore, step 851
6.5517, it is necessary to restrict the value of "i" so that only controllable devices are displayed.

Also, since the end of the operation is indicated by the device number "0", i
can also take the value 0.

If the answer to the determination in step 5513 is No, control proceeds to step 5514. Since the process proceeds to step 5514 when the "Yes" key is pressed, it is necessary to change the state of the corresponding device. Therefore, the portable telecontroller 6 transmits the corresponding device number and control number to the home telecontroller 1. In this case, the control number for the home telecontroller 1 is "1" to turn on the device as described above, and "0" to turn it off.
”. The portable telecontroller 6 selects the control number corresponding to the message displayed on the screen only when the "Yes" button is pressed, and sends the transmission data generation circuit 66,
The device number and control number are transmitted to the home telecontroller 1 via the DTMF transmission circuit 63 and the speaker 61.

The home telecontroller 1 is a portable telecontroller 6
When receiving the device number and control number from , it operates as follows. The received signal is separated from the transmitted signal by the telephone circuit section 11 and is provided to the DTMF receiving circuit 14. DT
The MF receiving circuit 14 converts the input signal into a digital signal and supplies it to the received data decoding circuit 17. The received data decoding circuit 17 decodes the meaning of the input signal and provides it to the control signal generation circuit 18 as a specific command.

The control signal generation circuit 18 controls the device with the specified device number in accordance with the specified control number via the device control circuit 16 in accordance with the command given from the received data decoding circuit 17.

After confirming that the state of the designated device number has changed, the control signal generation circuit 18 provides information regarding the changed operating state to the transmission data generation circuit 15. The transmission data generation circuit 15 converts the applied data into a format for transmission and provides it to the DTMF transmission circuit 12 as a digital signal.

The DTMF transmission circuit 12 converts the applied digital signal into an analog signal and provides it to the telephone circuit section 11. Therefore, the changed operating state of the device is given from the home telecontroller 1 to the portable telecontroller 6 (step 5515).

The portable telecontroller 6 is the home telecontroller 1
When the operating state of the changed device is received from , a message corresponding to the changed operating state is displayed on the display section 68 .

A more specific operating method will be explained in accordance with the above example. In the following, a case will be described in which all devices are powered on.

``The light at the entrance is out. May I come in?'' appears on display 6.
8, the operator presses the "Yes" button. The portable telecontroller 6 transmits the device number 1 and the control number 1 to the home telecontroller 1. When the home telecontroller 1 receives the signal, it turns on the device (entrance lighting) corresponding to device number 1. The telecontroller 1 then informs the portable telecontroller 6 of this change of state with a DTMF signal. The display on the portable telecontroller 6 changes to "The entrance light is on. Do you want to turn it off?" In addition, in this case, the speech synthesis circuit 13, (
The same data is also given to the speech synthesis circuit 1 (Fig. 3).
3 sends a voice message corresponding to this state change onto the telephone line. Therefore, the operator can also use the earphone 65 to confirm changes in the operating state.

Next 1. When the "◇" button is pressed, the message "Lights in the living room are on. Do you want to turn them off?" is displayed on the display section 68. In this case, the status is not changed, so press the "◇" button.

The display says "The air conditioner in the bedroom is turned off. Can you turn it in?"
becomes. The operator presses the "Yes" button to turn on the power. The portable telecontroller 6 transmits the device number 3 and the control number 1 to the home telecontroller 1. As a result, the home telecontroller 1 turns on the air conditioner in the bedroom and sends a message to that effect back to the portable telecontroller 6.

The display on the portable telecontroller 6 changes to "The air conditioner in the bedroom is on. I'll turn it off."

Furthermore, press the "◇" button. In this example, it is assumed that there are three devices connected to the home telecontroller 1.

The display section 68 of the portable telecontroller 6 displays "Do you want to end the telecontrol operation?". To end, the operator presses the "Yes" button. If the process does not end, the operator further presses the "◇" button. In this case, the display on the portable telecontroller 6 changes to "The entrance light is on. Do you want to turn it off?" Also, when the operator presses the "0" button, the display on the portable telecontroller 6 changes to "
There is an air conditioner in the bedroom.

Do you want to cut it?”

By using the portable telecontroller 6 as described above, the operator can easily change the state of the equipment connected to the home telecontroller 1. The telecontrol system according to the present invention has the following advantages over conventional systems.

(1) Interactive operation allows operations to be performed with fewer key inputs. Therefore, the telecontrol system can be operated with a simple operation and with fewer errors in operation.

(2) Although only the device number and control number are used to actually control the device, what is displayed on the portable telecontroller 6 is the device name and more specific operating status of the device. Therefore, it is possible to operate the telecontrol system with easier-to-understand operations than the conventional system that uses only numbers. By using voice in conjunction with the conventional method, even more reliable operations can be performed.

(3) Eliminates the hassle of entering passwords, device numbers, and control numbers. Therefore, there is less possibility that input errors will occur due to these inputs.

(4) As a portable telecontroller, it is sufficient to have a function similar to that of a so-called electronic notebook. Therefore,
It is possible to downsize it to the same size as an electronic notebook. Portable telecontrollers can be easily carried around and the in-home telecontroller can be operated from anywhere.

(5) At the beginning of communication, the home telecontroller 1 can easily confirm whether the communication partner is a portable telecontroller or an operator using a conventional telephone. By also providing the speech synthesis circuit 13 as shown in FIG.
If you do not have a portable telecontroller, you can use the home telecontroller 1 using the same operating method as before.

"Effects of the Invention" As described above, according to the telecontrol system according to the invention of claim 1, data communication can be performed between the portable telecontroller and the home telecontroller. Compared to conventional systems that use only a telecontroller and require human intervention to respond, the telecontrol system is easier to operate and reduces operational errors.In other words, it provides a telecontrol system that is easier to use. can do.

According to the home telecontroller according to the second aspect of the invention, communication can be performed using DTMF signals other than voice. On the communication partner side, by electrically processing the DTMF signal, human intervention can be minimized and communication contents can be displayed in a form that is easy for humans to understand. Therefore, errors in operation by the operator can be reduced, and an in-home telecontroller that is easier for the operator to use can be provided.

The portable telecontroller according to the third aspect of the invention can display a predetermined message based on the DTMF signal sent from the home telecontroller. This message can be made easy for the operator to understand due to the functions of the portable telecontroller 6.

Therefore, the operator can easily understand the message and respond easily. Furthermore, since the input means is provided independently, it is possible to use a simpler and easier operation method than when using buttons on a telephone. That is, it is possible to more easily control the home telecontroller from a remote location.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a telecontrol system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a portable telecontroller used in the telecontrol system according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a portable telecontroller used in the telecontrol system according to the present invention. 4 is a block diagram of the home telecontroller of the telecontrol system, FIG. 4 is an external view of the portable telecontroller of the telecontrol system according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the portable telecontroller 6 of the present invention. 6 and 7 are schematic block diagrams of the conventional telecontrol system, FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the home telecontroller of the conventional telecontrol system, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the program. 1 is a flowchart of a program executed in a conventional home telecontroller. In the figure, 1 is an in-home telecontroller, 4 is a telephone, 6 is a portable telecontroller, 12.63 is a DTMF transmission circuit, 13 is a voice synthesis circuit, 14.64 is a DTMF reception circuit, and 15.66 is a transmission data generation circuit. , 16 is a device control circuit, 17.69 is a received data decoding circuit, 18.60 is a control signal generation circuit, 21.32 is a transmitting section, 22.33 is a receiving section, 31 is a coupler, 67 is a key input section, 68 indicates the display section. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A telecontrol system that controls the operation of equipment in a home through a telephone line, which is connected to the telephone line and the equipment and controls the equipment in response to a predetermined operation instruction signal given through the telephone line. a home telecontroller for controlling the home; and a portable telecontroller that is detachably attached to a telephone connected to the telephone line and capable of communicating with the home telecontroller through the telephone and the telephone line. Including telecontrol system. (2) An in-home telecontroller for controlling the operation of a plurality of devices in the home based on operation instruction signals sent from outside the home through a telephone line, which is connected to the telephone line and transmitted through the telephone line. communication means for performing communication; means for selecting one from among control items that define the operation of the device according to a predetermined procedure; and generating a DTMF signal indicating the selected control item to perform the communication. and equipment control means for controlling the equipment in response to the operation instruction signal transmitted to the communication means through the telephone line. (3) A portable telecontroller for controlling the operation of equipment in a home via a telephone line, the equipment comprising:
It is directly controlled by an in-home telecontroller installed in the home, and the in-home telecontroller has a function of decoding DTMF signals transmitted through the telephone line, and is detachable from the telephone connected to the telephone line. a communication means that is attached and capable of communicating with the home telecontroller through the telephone line; and DTMF transmitted from the home telecontroller.
a display means for displaying a predetermined message based on the signal; a key input means that allows an operator to input in a plurality of ways; D for instructing the home telecontroller to operate
means for generating a TMF signal and generating a response signal for providing to said communication means.