JPH06284483A - Wireless remote control system for air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely perform the remote operation by a remote controller by providing a switch setting a custom code to a remote controller, storing the custom code received by an air conditioner for the first time and letting the custom code be its own code. CONSTITUTION:When the power source of an air conditioner 1 is turned on, a control circuit 13 sets the reception sensitivity of a reception part 11 weakly. A wireless remote controller 2 makes a setting switch 6 approach the air conditioner 1 in accordance with a desired custom code, pushes the button of an operation part 3, and transmits a custom code with a code signal. The conditioner 1 sets the reception sensitivity to the strong side after it stores the received custom code in a RAM 14. Subsequently, when the air conditioner 1 selects the custom code from the reception signal, compares the code with the code of the RAM 14 and controls an equipment 12 to be controlled by the control contents in accordance with the code signal if they coicide. Thus, a remote control can be surely performed for the air conditioner by the remote controller having the same custom code.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner wireless remote control system for remotely controlling an air conditioner,
In particular, the present invention relates to a wireless remote control system for an air conditioner that simplifies setting of custom codes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A remote control system (hereinafter referred to as a remote control system) for remotely performing operations such as on / off of air conditioning operation of an air conditioner, temperature setting, timer setting, and the like, is a wireless remote control system for performing this wirelessly. , Currently widely used. In the remote control system, code signals indicating the above operations are transmitted and received between the air conditioner and a remote controller that can be operated by hand (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller). The code signal generally uses an electromagnetic wave or an optical signal transmitted in space as a medium.

In recent years, it is not uncommon for remote control systems to be introduced into various electric devices other than air conditioners, and optical signals of various remote control systems to be mixed in the same room.
In addition, a plurality of air conditioners may be used in the same room or adjacent spaces. In order to prevent the code signals from interfering with each other, a custom code for associating a specific remote controller with a specific air conditioner may be provided.

In a remote control system using a custom code, setting switches are provided on the remote controller and the air conditioner, respectively, and both setting switches are set to have the same custom code before the air conditioner is operated. Set to. At the time of driving, a custom code is added to the code signals transmitted from the remote controller and indicating the above-mentioned operations, and then transmitted. The air conditioner receiving this compares the received custom code with the set custom code, and accepts various operations only when they match. As a result, even if multiple remote control systems are mixed,
The association between the remote controller and the air conditioner is established,
Interference is prevented.

[0005]

By the way, in the conventional remote control system using the above-mentioned custom code, it is necessary to provide setting switches for the remote controller and the air conditioner, and of course, it is necessary to match the settings of these setting switches. is there. Normally, the remote controller is considered to be an accessory used in one set in the air conditioner, so that one air conditioner has two identical setting switches, which is uneconomical.

Further, since it is up to the user to set the two setting switches so that they are matched with each other, the handling of the air conditioner becomes troublesome for the user.

An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless remote control system for an air conditioner which solves the above problems and simplifies the setting of custom codes.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention sets a custom code for one-to-one correspondence between an air conditioner and a remote controller for remotely operating the air conditioner. In this system, a switch for setting a custom code is provided in the remote controller, the air conditioner stores the custom code received from the remote controller for the first time after the power is turned on, and sets the custom code as its own custom code.

Further, the air conditioner may be provided with means for lowering the sensitivity of reception from the power-on until the first reception for setting the custom code of itself.

[0010]

With the above structure, the custom code is set by the switch of the remote controller. On the other hand, the air conditioner does not have a custom code when the power is turned on. The remote control sends its own custom code to the air conditioner. The air conditioner memorizes the custom code received for the first time after the power is turned on, and thereafter uses this as its own custom code. Therefore, the air conditioner can be remotely operated by the remote controller having the same custom code.

After the power of the air conditioner is turned on and before the custom code is transmitted from the desired remote controller, if the custom code from the remote controller of another device in the next room or the like is intercepted by the air conditioner, the air conditioner will be intercepted. Since the machine remembers the custom code, it may be impossible to operate from the original remote control. Therefore,
Immediately after the power is turned on, the reception sensitivity of the air conditioner is reduced. This eliminates the possibility of interception. On the other hand, a signal stronger than the signal from the remote controller in the adjacent room arrives from the original remote controller because this remote controller is in the same room as the air conditioner. In addition, when the user intentionally operates the remote controller toward or near the air conditioner, a stronger signal than other remote controllers can be obtained in terms of directivity and transmission distance. Therefore, the air conditioner can receive the signal from the remote controller even if the reception sensitivity is low. After the air conditioner stores the custom code in this manner, the sensitivity of the reception is returned to normal, and the remote control can be performed from a wide range as before.

[0012]

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as an air conditioner) 1 and its remote controller 2. The remote controller 2 includes an operation unit 3 including push buttons for various operations, a door interlock switch 4 that is opened and closed by opening and closing a door (described later), a temperature reading unit 5 that detects room temperature, and a custom code. Setting switch 6, a liquid crystal display unit 8 for displaying an operating state, a transmission unit 9 for transmitting a code signal,
And C that executes various operations of the remote controller 2 with each part as an input / output
It has a PU 10. The CPU 10 generates code signals corresponding to these operations in order to perform operation / stop of the air conditioner 1, temperature setting, air volume setting, operation mode setting, timer control, and the like. The remote controller 2 is driven by a built-in battery.

The appearance of the remote controller is shown in FIG. Figure 2
2B shows the door closed, and FIG. 2A shows the door opened. As shown in the figure, the remote controller 2 has a round box-shaped housing 21, and a door 23 supported by a hinge 22 on one side of the housing 21. The housing 21 is provided with a start / stop button 24 which is one of the operation parts 3. On the surface of the door 23, some buttons of the operation unit 3 and the liquid crystal display unit 8 are arranged. In addition, a button that constitutes most of the operation unit 3 and a door interlock switch 4 are arranged in the door. Operation part 3
The operation function of the operation buttons constituting the above corresponds to the notation of each operation button (“personal” or the like). The door interlock switch 4 is provided to switch the function of the operation unit 3 according to the open / closed state of the door 23. The temperature reading unit 5 is vigorously provided by a temperature sensor or the like arranged in the ventilation hole 25 at the top of the housing 21. CPU10 is ROM
It includes RAM and the like, and is mounted on a substrate or the like housed in the housing 21. The setting switch 6 is D
It is composed of a small switch such as an IP switch and is arranged in a door or a lid provided on the back surface of a housing (not shown).
The transmitter 9 is provided on the top of the housing 21 to emit an optical signal such as infrared rays.

The part relating to the custom code in the control program of the CPU 10 is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

On the other hand, in the air conditioner 1, a receiver 11 for receiving an optical signal transmitted from the remote controller 2, a control circuit 13 for controlling the controlled device 12 according to the received contents, and a RAM 14 for storing a received code such as a custom code. , Receiver 1
It has a sensitivity changing means 15 for lowering the receiving sensitivity of No.1. The controlled device 12 is most of the air conditioner 1 excluding the remote control system part described here.
The control circuit 13 uses the sensitivity changing unit 15 to make the receiving unit 11
It also has a function to set the reception sensitivity of the to variable.
The receiving unit 11, the control circuit 13, and the RAM 14 are circuits that operate when the power of the air conditioner is turned on, and continue to operate even when the remote controller 2 is stopped by the operation / stop selection. Although not shown, the air conditioner 1 is provided with a reset switch that operates the control circuit 13 in the same manner as when the power is turned on.

As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioner 1 is formed in a substantially box shape, and a receiver (infrared sensor or the like) 11 is provided on one side facing the room. When the receiving sensitivity is high, the range W in which the receiving unit 11 can receive the optical signal from the remote controller 2 has wide directivity and distance as shown in FIG. 3A, and is sufficiently wide in the room where the air conditioner is installed. Occupy a range.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing in detail the operation of the control circuit 13 when the power is turned on (at the time of reset).

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described.

The operation of the air conditioner 1 and the remote controller 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the power of the air conditioner 1 is turned on (at the time of reset), the control circuit 13 sets the receiving sensitivity of the receiving unit 11 to the weaker side (step 5-1). If the transmission output of the remote controller 2 is constant, the reception range thereof is limited to the vicinity of the air conditioner 1 like the range N shown in FIG. Therefore, reception is possible only when transmission is performed with the top portion (transmission portion) of the remote controller 2 placed in this narrow range N.

After reducing the reception sensitivity, the air conditioner 1 waits for the input of the custom code (step 5-2). On the other hand, the remote controller 2 receives various operations of the operation unit 3 by being driven by a battery (step 4-1). If the operation content of the operation unit 3 requires transmission to the air conditioner 1, the transmission is performed. Here, the user sets the setting switch 6 to a desired custom code after or before turning on the power of the air conditioner 1. The type of custom code is 1,
If there are three types, a few, select an appropriate one. Then, the remote controller 2 is brought close to the air conditioner 1 as shown in FIG. 3B, and then any button of the operation unit 3 is pressed.
The CPU of the remote controller 2 reads the setting switch 6 and
A custom code corresponding to this is generated and is output from the transmitter 9 together with a code signal corresponding to the button operation (step 4-2). The optical signal holding the custom code is
It is radiated from the housing 21 and reaches the receiver 11 of the air conditioner 1.

The air conditioner 1 judges whether or not the received custom code is a matching code among three types of predetermined types, for example, 1, 2 and 3, and if there is a matching code, it is stored in the RAM. And the reception sensitivity is improved (step 5-3). If they do not match, it is determined to be noise, and the RAM is not stored. After this, operation is performed according to the code signal following the custom code. After that, the air conditioner 1 is in a normal use state (step 5-
4). In normal use, the remote controller 2 adds a custom code to the code signals indicating various operations and transmits the code signals.
The air conditioner 1 selects a custom code from the received signal and compares it with its own custom code stored in the RAM. Only when these match, the controlled device 12 is controlled by the control content according to the code signal.

As explained above, the DI is installed on the air conditioner side.
Even though there is no custom code setting switch such as the P switch, it receives the custom code from the remote controller and stores it, so the switch is saved and the setting labor is saved, and the custom code setting is greatly simplified. To be done.

[0024]

The present invention exhibits the following excellent effects.

(1) Only one set switch is required for one set of air conditioner and remote controller, which is economical.

(2) The setting switch need only be set in one place, which does not burden the user.

(3) Once the custom code is set,
It is convenient because it is retained unless the power is turned off.

(4) Even if the same remote control system is used nearby, erroneous setting of the custom code is prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a remote controller of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a reception range depending on the sensitivity of the receiving unit of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the remote controller of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the air conditioner of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Air conditioner (air conditioner) 2 Remote controller (remote control) 6 Switch for setting custom code (setting switch)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A system for setting a custom code for making a one-to-one correspondence between an air conditioner and a remote control for remotely operating the air conditioner, wherein the remote control is provided with a switch for setting the custom code, The air conditioner stores the custom code received from the remote control for the first time after turning on the power, and sets the custom code to its own custom code. A wireless remote control system for an air conditioner. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner is provided with means for reducing the sensitivity of reception from the time when the power is turned on to the first reception when the own custom code is set. Wireless remote control system for aircraft.