JPH0541893A - Distance azimuth reaction type remote control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To relieve the load of the user and to improve the control accuracy by deciding automatically a distance and an azimuth to be added to a control data given from a 1st electronic device (remote control transmitter) to a 2nd electronic device (television receiver) without the user setting input. CONSTITUTION:An electromagnetic wave of a command data D1 from a 1st electronic device A is received by plural reception sections 8a, 8b with different directivity in a 2nd electronic device B, level detection circuits 10a, 10b output a signal in response to the reception strength, an adder circuit 14 adds output from the level detection circuits 10a, 10b, a microcomputer 16 calculates a distance L between both the electronic devices A, B to calculate an azimuth thetabased on an output ratio from the level detection circuits 10a, 10b and a relevant factor is controlled while the distance L or the azimuth theta is added to the command data D1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is provided between a first electronic device and a second electronic device which are spaced apart from each other (for example, a remote control transmitter of an AV device and a television set). A remote control system configured to receive an electromagnetic wave including command data by a second electronic device, and perform control according to the command data of the received electromagnetic wave in the second electronic device, as an element of control data. , A distance / direction-responsive remote control system including a distance between both electronic devices and a direction of the first electronic device with respect to the second electronic device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is a conceptual view of a conventional distance / azimuth reaction type remote control system of this type.

In the figure, A ₁ is a first electronic device, B ₁
Is a second electronic device. The first electronic device A ₁ is, for example, an infrared remote control transmitter, and has a keyboard 30 for inputting various commands, a microcomputer 32 for coding key inputs and controlling various controls, and a coded signal. The transmission unit 34 is configured to transmit in the form of infrared rays, which is a type of electromagnetic wave. The second electronic device B ₁ is, for example, a television set, and includes a receiving unit 36 that receives an infrared signal, a microcomputer 38 that decodes the received signal and controls various controls, and device units 40 that are controlled by the microcomputer 38. It consists of

In the first electronic device A ₁ , a certain factor (volume, for example) for the second electronic device B ₁ is designated by the keyboard 30, and the first electronic device A ₁ is set to the second electronic device B _1. Input the numerical value of the distance away from and the angle of the azimuth of the _first electronic device A ₁ with respect to the second electronic device B ₁ . Microcomputer 32
Encodes these input data and sends them to the transmitting unit 34, and the transmitting unit 34 modulates the encoded data into an infrared signal and transmits it.

In the second electronic device B ₁ , the receiving section 3
6 receives the infrared signal, detects it, demodulates it, and sends it to the microcomputer 38. Microcomputer 38
Decodes the demodulated signal and controls each unit 40 of the device according to the decoded control data. This control data includes elements such as distance and azimuth, and these elements are taken into consideration when controlling each unit 40 of the device.

As a specific example, it is assumed that the first electronic device A ₁ is a remote control transmitter and the second electronic device B ₁ is a television set. Then, it is assumed that the user holding the remote control transmitter A ₁ is at a position of, for example, 5 m in distance and 45 ° to the right with respect to the television set B ₁ .

When data of this distance 5 m and azimuth 45 ° is input from the keyboard 30 of the remote control transmitter A ₁ , the microcomputer 38 on the television set B ₁ side has a reference for left and right speakers stored in its ROM in advance. The element of the distance of 5 m and the azimuth of 45 ° is added to the sound volume of 1 to control the left and right sound volume. Since the distance is relatively long, the volume is increased as a whole, and since it is 45 ° to the right, the volume balance is adjusted such that the volume of the right speaker is smaller than that of the left speaker. Further, when adjusting the screen brightness and contrast of the image from the same user position as described above, the microcomputer 38 adjusts the brightness slightly and the contrast tight because the distance is relatively long.

As described above, the volume and the image can be remotely controlled to be appropriate according to the position (distance and azimuth) of the user holding the remote control transmitter A.

[0009]

In the case of the conventional distance / orientation reaction type remote control system, the user operating the _first electronic device A _{1 determines} the distance and azimuth with respect to the second electronic device B ₁ . It is necessary to confirm and perform an input operation on the keyboard 30, but the confirmation and input operation becomes very troublesome. Further, since it is inevitable that a considerable error occurs in the distance and azimuth based on the user's visual judgment, the error tends to occur in the control on the second electronic device B ₁ side as well.

The present invention was devised in view of such circumstances, and when the distance and the azimuth are factors of control, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user and improve the control accuracy. The purpose is to do.

[0011]

According to the present invention, an electromagnetic wave of command data transmitted from a first electronic device is received by a second electronic device, and the command data of the received electromagnetic wave is received by the second electronic device. A distance / orientation reaction including the distance between the first and second electronic devices and the azimuth of the first electronic device with respect to the second electronic device as elements of the control data for performing the following control. Type remote control system, wherein the second electronic device includes a plurality of receiving units that have different directivities with respect to arrival directions of electromagnetic waves,
A plurality of level detection circuits that output a signal of a level corresponding to the intensity of the electromagnetic wave received by each reception unit, an addition circuit that adds the output from each level detection circuit, and a first output circuit based on the output from this addition circuit. First and second means for calculating the distance between the electronic devices, means for calculating the orientation of the first electronic device with respect to the second electronic device based on the outputs of the plurality of level detection circuits, and the control A means for controlling the data in consideration of the calculated distance or azimuth is provided.

[0012]

Operation: The control data is corrected to take into account the elements of distance or azimuth, but the distance or azimuth is not confirmed and keyed by the user as in the conventional example, but the directivity is changed. The calculation is automatically performed based on the strengths of the electromagnetic waves received by the plurality of receiving units.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical construction of a distance / azimuth reactive remote control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, A is a first electronic device and B is a second electronic device. The first electronic device A is, for example, an infrared remote control transmitter, and has a keyboard 2 for inputting various commands, a microcomputer 4 for coding key inputs and controlling various controls, and a coded signal for electromagnetic waves. Transmitter 6 that transmits in the form of infrared rays, which is a type of
Etc.

The second electronic device B is, for example, a television set, and the first and second receiving portions 8a, 8 having different directivities in the arrival direction of the infrared signal are provided at the frontmost stage.
b (see FIG. 2). Each receiving unit 8a, 8b,
It incorporates a directional receiving antenna, receiving amplifier, and A / D converter.

First and second level detection circuits 10 for outputting DC voltage level signals respectively corresponding to the intensities of the infrared signals received by the receivers 8a, 8b.
a and 10b, first and second detection output correction circuits 12a and 12b for correcting the output levels of the respective level detection circuits 10a and 10b, and an addition circuit for adding the corrected level data D _L and D _R 14 are provided.

Command data D ₁ and D ₂ (for example, volume adjustment and brightness adjustment) output from the first and second receivers 8a and 8b, and the first and second detection output correction circuits 12a and 1b.
2b and the level data D _L and D _R output from the adder circuit 14 and the addition data D _A (= D _L + D _R ) output from the adder circuit 14
The microcomputer 16 for inputting the control signal controls the device components 18 of the second electronic device B on the basis of the respective data, and the first and second detection output correction circuits 12a,
The correction coefficient 12b is adjusted.

As a specific example, assuming that the first electronic device A is a remote control transmitter and the second electronic device B is a television set, the distance / azimuth reaction type remote control system of this embodiment will be described below. The operation of will be described.

The power source of the remote control transmitter A is a battery. Therefore, the battery voltage gradually drops with continued use. However, if the distance and azimuth are the same, the size of the level data D _L and D _R of the infrared signal must always be the same. It is the role of the detection output correction circuits 12a and 12b to correct the level with respect to the fluctuation of the battery voltage.

Therefore, the battery voltage data is transmitted to the television set B from the remote control transmitter A positioned at a predetermined distance and azimuth periodically or arbitrarily, and the correction coefficient in the detection output correction circuits 12a and 12b is sent. Adjust. That is, in the remote control transmitter A, the keyboard 2
To command the transmission of battery voltage data. The microcomputer 4 reads the battery voltage and transmits it as battery voltage data from the transmitter 6. The battery voltage data received by the receivers 8a and 8b of the television set B is input to the microcomputer 16 as command data D ₁ and D ₂ , and the microcomputer 16 detects the detection output correction circuit 12a based on the input battery voltage data. Adjust the correction factor of 12b. As described above, the adjustment is such that the level data D _L and D _R have the same magnitude if the distance and the azimuth are the same.

In the remote control transmitter A, the keyboard 2 is operated to adjust a certain factor (for example, volume) for the television set B. In this case, regardless of the position of the user, that is, the remote control transmitter A, it is not necessary to input the distance and azimuth on the keyboard 2 as in the conventional case. The microcomputer 4 codes the input factor and transmits it to the transmission unit 6. The transmitter 6 modulates the coded control data into an infrared signal and transmits the infrared signal.

In the television set B, after the first and second receivers 8a and 8b receive and amplify the infrared signal,
First and second level detection circuits 10a, it sends out to 10b, demodulates the instruction data D _1, D ₂ of the digital by the A / D converter. This command data D ₁ , D
₂ is input to the microcomputer 16. The command data D ₁ and D ₂ are the same and will be unified below with the command data D ₁ .

On the other hand, the first and second level detection circuits 10
The a and 10b send signals of DC voltage level corresponding to the intensity of the received infrared signal to the first and second detection output correction circuits 12a and 12b, respectively. Detection output correction circuit 12
a and 12b correct the input DC voltage signal in accordance with the correction coefficient currently given by the microcomputer 16, and as the left level data D _L and the right level data D _R , the microcomputer 16 and the adder circuit 14 respectively. To send to. The adder circuit 14 adds the left and right level data D _L and D _R, and adds the added data D _L and D _R.
A (= D _L + D _R ) is sent to the microcomputer 16.

The microcomputer 16 has a specified factor (for example, sound volume) according to various kinds of input data, that is, the command data D ₁ , the left level data D _L , the right level data D _R , and the addition data D _A. Take control.

Here, the microcomputer 16 adds the addition data D _A (= D _L +) input from the addition circuit 14.
D _R ) based on the remote control transmitter A and TV set B
The distance L between and is calculated. Further, the azimuth θ of the remote control transmitter A with respect to the television set B is calculated based on the ratio D _L / D _R of the left and right level data D _L and D _R input from the first and second detection output correction circuits 12a and 12b. To do. These are based on the principle of attenuation characteristics and directivity of infrared rays (electromagnetic waves).

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the directivity of the receiving antennas in both receiving sections 8a and 8b. 20 _{L of} broken line
Indicates the directivity of the first receiving section 8a, 20 _R indicates the directivity of the second receiving section 8b, and the solid line 20 indicates the combined directivity obtained by combining the two directivity characteristics 20 _L and 20 _R.

The microcomputer 16 is defined in advance as a function of one or both of the distance L and the azimuth θ for each factor for which control is instructed, and is softwareized.
Therefore, with respect to the control data having the factor designated by the command data D _1, the control data is finally created in consideration of the distance L or the azimuth θ calculated by the above calculation, and the control data for the corresponding portion in each unit 18 of the device is generated. Is sent.

That is, for example, the volume balance between the left speaker and the right speaker is controlled according to the azimuth θ, the overall volume is controlled according to the distance L, or the screen brightness and contrast are controlled according to the distance L. .. Such control is established regardless of what the receiving channel is. Note that the distance L for each factor
It is also possible to make fuzzy inference control a control that takes into consideration the direction and the direction θ.

In the above embodiment, two receiving sections 8a and 8b having different directivities in the direction of arrival of electromagnetic waves are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the directivities are different. It is also possible to provide three or more receiving units that operate, and in that case, the number of level detection circuits and detection output correction circuits is correspondingly increased. If the output of the transmission electromagnetic wave is always stable without being affected by the fluctuation of the battery voltage, the detection output correction circuits 12a and 12b may be omitted.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of receiving sections having different directivities are provided, and both the first and second receiving sections are calculated by the calculation based on the intensity of the electromagnetic wave received at each receiving section. The distance between the electronic devices and the azimuth of the first electronic device with respect to the second electronic device are automatically calculated, and the control data is corrected based on the calculation result. It is possible to improve control accuracy because it is possible to eliminate the troublesomeness of checking and key input and eliminating human error.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a distance / azimuth reactive remote control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing directional characteristics of two receiving units in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a conventional distance / azimuth reactive remote control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A first electronic device (remote control transmitter) B second electronic device (television set) 6 transmitter 8a first receiver 8b second receiver 10a first level detection circuit 10b second level detection circuit 12a 1st detection output correction circuit 12b 2nd detection output correction circuit 14 Addition circuit 16 Microcomputer 18 Equipment parts

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An electromagnetic wave of command data transmitted from a first electronic device is received by a second electronic device, and the second electronic device performs control according to the command data of the received electromagnetic wave. As the element of control data,
A distance / direction responsive remote control system including a distance between both second electronic devices and a direction of the first electronic device with respect to the second electronic device, wherein the second electronic device is an electromagnetic wave. Of a plurality of receiving units having different directivities with respect to the direction of arrival, a plurality of level detecting circuits outputting signals of levels corresponding to the intensity of electromagnetic waves received by each receiving unit, and An adder circuit for adding the outputs, a means for calculating the distance between the first and second electronic devices based on the output from the adder circuit, and a second circuit for calculating the outputs of the plurality of level detection circuits. A distance / azimuth responsive type including means for calculating an azimuth of a first electronic device with respect to an electronic device, and means for controlling the control data in consideration of the calculated distance or azimuth. Remote control system.