JPH0514978A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize the inexpensive remote control commander with a light weight without loss of degree of freedom in the operability and the remote controller in which the position of command keys of the remote control commander is recognized for the user clearly even in a dark environment. CONSTITUTION:The remote controller is provided with a solar battery 2, a battery 4 charged by a photoelectric current generated by the solar battery 2, photodetection means (2, 3) detecting the state of light radiation to a remote control commander to generate a contrast detection signal, and light emitting means (5, 6) receiving a drive voltage from the solar battery 2 and the battery 4 and making light emission in response to the contrast detection signal, and a pattern displayed by the light emitting means 6 is formed on the surface of a case of the remote controller.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control transmission / reception device for wirelessly remotely controlling a controlled device such as an audio device, and more particularly to a lighting technique for the device in a space where total lighting is not possible.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A remote control transmission / reception device (hereinafter, abbreviated as a remote control device) for performing so-called remote operation has a receiving device in a controlled device and a commander for issuing an operation command for the receiving device. As a commander for such a remote control (hereinafter, abbreviated as remote control commander or commander), usually, a plurality of command keys exposed to the outside of the casing, that is, the remote control case are used to command the operation of the controlled device. In some cases, a remote control signal including a command signal as an operation command corresponding to the command key is transmitted by infrared rays, radio waves, ultrasonic waves, or the like according to the operation of the command key.

In an AV (Audio-Visual) room, a projection room, a passenger compartment when driving at night, or the like, in a place where the entire room cannot be brightened while the controlled device is in use, the operation key of the controlled device is operated. -It is absolutely necessary to use partial lighting to illuminate the area and clarify its position. If the controlled device is of a stationary type, it is sufficient to use an external illumination means near the operation key or a so-called self-illumination type illumination means provided on the operation surface, and there is no problem.

However, since the commander is portable, it is difficult to illuminate the operation surface of the commander with the fixed illumination means. On the other hand, in order to make it self-illuminating, the wiring for supplying the power supply voltage to the lighting means in the commander must be provided, or the commander must have a built-in rechargeable battery sufficient to supply the power supply voltage to the lighting means. I have to. If the former had a power supply wiring for lighting, freedom of movement would be limited, and if the latter had a built-in battery, the built-in battery and its charging circuit would be needed, so it would be light and inexpensive. Constructing a commander is difficult.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides a lightweight and inexpensive remote control commander without losing the degree of freedom in operability, and a remote control even in a dark space for a user. -The purpose is to provide a remote control device in which the position of the command key of the commander can be clearly recognized.

[0006]

A remote controller according to the present invention comprises a housing,
A remote control commander including a command key exposed from the housing to the outside, and a command generation unit disposed in the housing and wirelessly issuing a command to a controlled device in response to an operation of the command key. The remote control commander includes a solar cell, a storage battery charged by a photocurrent generated by the solar cell, and a light irradiation state to the remote control commander to detect a light / dark detection signal. It has a light detecting means for emitting light, and a light emitting means for emitting a light in response to the light / dark detection signal supplied with a driving voltage by the solar cell and the storage battery, and a pattern displayed by the light emitting means on the surface of the casing. Is formed.

[0007]

The remote control device according to the present invention charges the storage battery with the photocurrent generated by the solar cell, detects the light irradiation state to the remote control commander by the light detection means, and outputs the light / dark detection signal. The pattern formed on the surface of the casing forming the commander is light-emitted and displayed according to the light / dark detection signal by the light emitting means to which the driving voltage is supplied by the battery and the storage battery, and the position of the command key is visually recognized.

[0008]

Embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the first embodiment, a remote control commander is provided with a solar battery and a storage battery, which is charged when the surroundings are bright and which itself illuminates a command key on its operating surface when it is dark. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a remote control commander according to the first embodiment. FIG.

In the figure, a commander 1 internally includes a solar cell 2 as a photoelectric conversion element, that is, a solar energy-converting element, and a photocurrent generated by irradiating the solar cell 2 with visible light is generated by a charge control circuit 3. It is controlled and the storage battery 4 is charged. The drive voltage from the solar cell 2 and the storage battery 4 is supplied to the illumination control circuit 5, and a so-called bright / dark state indicating the bright / dark state around the commander obtained from the control signal from the charging control circuit 3, that is, the photocurrent of the solar cell 2. A detection signal is provided. The illumination control circuit 5 selectively supplies both the supplied drive voltages to the lamp 6 to drive the light emission based on the brightness detection signal. The lamp 6 is illuminated to clarify the position of the command key on the operation surface of the commander 1.

With this configuration, when the surroundings are bright, charging is performed, and when it is dark, the command key is illuminated,
Even when there is no overall illumination, the position of the command key can be clearly seen, and a lightweight and inexpensive remote control can be provided without requiring a special external charging device. In addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, the second
In this embodiment, the light emission drive time of the remote control commander itself, that is, the light emission drive time by the drive voltage of only the storage battery is shortened to compensate the so-called charge voltage of the storage battery.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a remote control commander according to the second embodiment. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, a lamp 7 is provided to illuminate the permanent place of the commander. The permanent location of the commander is set in advance, for example, in a dashboard shape or a console in the vehicle compartment, or in a dedicated commander storage section provided in a controlled device or the like. Then, the permanent place attachment / detachment detection circuit 8 detects the attachment / detachment state of the commander at the permanent place, and supplies the attachment / detachment detection signal to the illumination control circuit 5. The illumination control circuit 5 responds to the attachment / detachment detection signal and the brightness / darkness detection signal by the self-illumination display lamp 6
Lighting control.

The second embodiment will be described more specifically below. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an appearance of an example of such a remote control commander 1. As shown, the commander 1
It has the above-mentioned light receiving surface of the solar cell 2 on a part of its operation surface, and also has a command key for issuing an operation command to the controlled device.
It has group 9. In the command key group 9, for example, a so-called display pattern of characters, symbols or marks corresponding to the operation command is transparently formed on the surface of the first command key. Further, in the vicinity of the light receiving surface of the solar cell 2, a phototransistor 10 as a light detecting means described later is provided with the light receiving surface exposed. The commander 1 has a transmitting surface 11 at its tip.

On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows a side view of the commander 1 and a basic block diagram of a permanent place attachment / detachment detection circuit 8 when the commander 1 is attached / detached at a permanent place. ing. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 3 are designated by the same reference numerals. The permanent location attachment / detachment detection circuit 8 has, for example, a push switch 81 that closes when a predetermined pressing force is applied, and one end of the push switch 81 is grounded and the other end is connected to a power source via a resistor. The other end of the push switch 81 is further connected to the input end of the waveform shaping circuit 82. The waveform shaping circuit 82 includes a chattering removing unit, removes a noise component of the input signal supplied to the input terminal, and makes a matching with the next stage circuit.

With this configuration, when the commander 1 is mounted in a predetermined permanent place, the push switch 81 is closed by the pressing of the commander 1 and a low level signal is supplied to the waveform shaping circuit 82. Further, when the commander 1 is separated from the predetermined permanent place, the push switch 81 is opened and a high level signal is supplied to the waveform shaping circuit 82. And
The waveform shaping circuit 82 outputs the waveform-shaped attachment / detachment detection signal to the output terminal 83 according to these.

FIG. 5 is a basic detailed block diagram constructed by embodying the block diagram of FIG. 2 based on the configurations of FIGS. 3 and 4. The same parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 4 are designated by the same reference numerals. In the figure, in the remote control commander 1, one end of a solar cell 20 is grounded, and the other end is connected to an anode of a backflow prevention diode 30. The cathode of the storage battery 40 is connected to the cathode of the diode 30, and the cathode of the storage battery 40 is grounded. Further, the cathode of the diode 30 and the anode of the storage battery 40 are connected to the respective anodes of the light emitting diode group 60 for self-illumination display of the commander 1, and these cathodes are grounded at the emitter. Each of them is connected to the collector of the PNP switching transistor 50. Light emitting diode group 60
Is displayed from the inside of the commander 1 to the outside as shown in FIG. 4 in order to display the transparent patterns formed on the respective surfaces of the command key group 9 of the commander 1 as shown in FIG. The command key is emitted.

Phototransistor 1 as a light receiving element
Reference numeral 0 is for detecting the external light of the commander 1, that is, the bright / dark state of the surroundings, the collector is connected to the power supply, and the emitter is grounded via the resistor 51. The output of the phototransistor 10 is derived as an electric signal by the resistor 51 and is one input of the level comparator 52. The divided voltage by the resistors 53 and 54 is applied to the other input of the comparator 52 to be the reference level. The comparison output of the comparator 52 becomes a bright / dark detection signal and is supplied to the base of the switching transistor 50.

On the other hand, in the permanent location of the commander 1,
The illumination lamp 7 is installed, and the lamp 7 is driven to emit light by a drive transistor 71 which receives the output signal of the above-mentioned permanent location attachment / detachment detection circuit 8 as a base input. The operation will be described below. First, in the first state, when the commander 1 is mounted in a permanent location, the switch 81 shown in FIG. 4 is in the closed state due to the pressing of the commander 1. Is output, that is, a high-level attachment / detachment detection signal is output, whereby the drive transistor 71 shown in FIG. 5 is turned on, and the permanent place illumination light 7 is turned on. Then, the solar cell 2 causes a photocurrent to be generated by the irradiation of visible light by the light 7, and causes the storage battery 40 to be charged with the electromotive force through the diode 30. At the same time, the phototransistor 10 receives the light emitted from the light 7 and its output level increases to exceed the reference level, so that the output of the comparator 52 becomes a high level and the commander 1 becomes a predetermined level. Be installed in a permanent location,
Alternatively, the light irradiation state on the commander 1 is detected. The high-level brightness / darkness detection signal of the comparator 52 turns off the switching transistor 50, whereby the light emitting diode group 60 is not supplied with a drive current and does not emit light. As described above, while the commander 1 is mounted in the permanent place, the pattern 7 on the operation surface is not illuminated and the permanent place lighting light 7 is turned on to enter the charging state.

Next, in the second state, when the commander 1 is detached from the permanent place and left in a dark surrounding space, as shown in FIG.
Since the switch 81 shown in FIG. 6 is opened when the commander 1 is released, the attachment / detachment detection circuit 8 outputs a signal indicating the detachment state of the commander, that is, a low-level attachment / detachment detection signal, which is shown in FIG. The drive transistor 71 is turned off, and the permanent location lighting 7 is turned off. At the same time, the phototransistor 10
The light emitted by the light 7 is no longer received, and its output is small and below the reference level, so the level comparator 5
The output of 2 becomes low level, and it is detected that the commander 1 is separated from the predetermined permanent place or that the commander 1 is not irradiated with effective light. This comparator 5
The low-level bright / dark detection signal of 2 turns on the switching transistor 50, whereby the light emitting diode group 60 is supplied with a drive current and is in a light emitting state. In this way, when the commander 1 leaves the permanent place and is left in the dark surrounding space, the pattern on the operation surface is illuminated and the permanent place lighting light 7 is turned off. Become.

In the third state, when the commander 1 is left in a bright surrounding space instead of the dark surrounding space as in the second state, the permanent place lighting light 7 is turned off at the same time. Photo transistor 10
The external light is emitted instead of the light emitted from the light 7 and is received. Therefore, the output of the phototransistor 10 increases and exceeds the reference level, so that the output of the comparator 52 becomes a high level and it is detected that the commander 1 is in the bright surrounding space. The high-level bright / dark detection signal of the comparator 52 turns off the switching transistor 50, whereby the light emitting diode group 60 is not supplied with the drive current and does not emit light. In this way, when the commander 1 is left in the surrounding space in the bright state, the pattern on the operation surface does not emit light, and the permanent location lighting 7 does not light up.
And the solar cell 2 will be in a charge state by irradiation of external light.

In this way, the commander 1 emits the command key light only when it is used in the dark surrounding space, and the built-in storage battery 40 is constructed so that the commander 1 always maintains the effective charge state. The charging voltage can be compensated. In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the solar cell is used as the charging means of the commander, and the charging voltage supplying means is not required externally. Therefore, the maintenance of the voltage of the vehicle battery must be taken into consideration. It is suitable for in-vehicle remote control devices that must be used. Also, if in the passenger compartment,
Since the use range of the user is also limited to some extent, the permanent location of the commander as in the second embodiment can be effectively determined, which is convenient. In the second embodiment, the phototransistor 10 is provided as a system for driving the light-emitting diode group 60 to emit light, and the light-emission output of the phototransistor 10 controls the light-emission. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the light emission may be controlled by the photocurrent generated by the solar cell 2. Regarding the light emission display on the command key surface, those skilled in the art should clarify the position by performing light emission display in the vicinity of the command key or collectively brightening the entire command key group. Various modifications are easy.

[0021]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
A light emitting means for charging the storage battery with the photocurrent generated by the solar cell, detecting the light irradiation state to the remote control / commander by the light detecting means, and issuing a light / dark detection signal, and supplying the drive voltage by the solar cell and the storage battery. The pattern formed on the surface of the case forming the commander is lit according to the light / dark detection signal so that the position of the command key can be visually recognized, so that the degree of freedom in operability is not lost. In addition, a lightweight and inexpensive commander can be configured. Further, the position of the command key of the commander can be clearly visible even in a space where total illumination cannot be performed while the controlled device is used, without requiring a special external charging device.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a remote control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front external view of a remote control commander according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a remote control commander according to a second embodiment and a block diagram of a permanent place attachment / detachment detection circuit.

FIG. 5 is a basic detailed block diagram of a remote control device according to a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols for main parts] 1 ... Remote control commander 2 ... solar cell 3 ... Charging control circuit 4 ... Storage battery 5: Lighting control circuit 50 ... Switching transistor 51, 53, 54 ... Resistance 52 ... Level comparator 6 …… Light for self-illumination display 60: Light emitting diode group 7 ... Light for permanent place lighting 71 ... Drive transistor 8: Permanent place attachment / detachment detection circuit 81 ... Push switch 82 ... Waveform shaping circuit 83 ... Output end 9: Command key group 10 ... Photo transistor 11 …… Sending surface

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A casing, a command key exposed from the casing to the outside, and a command placed in the casing to give a command to a controlled device wirelessly according to an operation of the command key. A remote control device having a remote control commander including a command generation unit, wherein the remote control commander includes a solar cell,
A storage battery that is charged by the photocurrent generated by the solar cell, a light detection unit that detects a light irradiation state to the remote controller / commander and emits a brightness / darkness detection signal, and a drive voltage by the solar cell and the storage battery are supplied. A remote control device comprising: a light emitting unit that emits light according to the light / dark detection signal, and a pattern displayed by the light emitting unit is formed on a surface of the housing. 2. A casing, a command key exposed to the outside from the casing, and a command which is arranged in the casing and wirelessly gives a controlled device in response to an operation of the command key. A remote control device having a remote control commander including a command generation unit, and a permanent location lighting means for illuminating a permanent location of the remote control commander, and a detachment detection by detecting a detached state of the remote control commander in the permanent location. The remote control commander has a permanent location attachment / detachment detection unit that outputs a signal, and the remote control commander includes a solar cell, a storage battery charged by photocurrent generated by the solar cell, and the remote control.
A light detecting means for detecting a light irradiation state to the commander and emitting a light / dark detection signal, and a light emitting means for emitting a light in response to the light / dark detection signal and the attachment / detachment detection signal supplied with a driving voltage by the solar cell and the storage battery. A remote control device having a pattern that is displayed by the light emitting means on the surface of the housing.