JPH07236183A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to select only a required equipment even when equipments of the same sorts are arranged and to execute remote control for the selected equipment by receiving a command signal in accordance with coincidence between set ID and unit ID in an ID operation mode. CONSTITUTION:An ID mode on key 20, an ID mode off key 21 and an ID mode set key 22 are especially mounted on a remote commander 10 as keys for the ID operation mode in addition to various keys 11 to 17 to be used for normal operation. When the ID operation mode is set up by depressing the key 20, only an equipment of which unit ID coincides with set ID executes control operation based upon a succeeding command signal. One or both of the unit ID and set ID are displayed on a display equipment and the display format of the equipment is changed in accordance with the coincidence/non-coincidence of both the ID codes.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic device which can be operated by a remote commander such as infrared rays.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Electronic equipment, which is capable of various adjustments and the like by a remote commander using infrared rays or radio waves, is widely used, and is known as a television device, a monitor device, a VTR, a CD player, or the like. ing. In these remote control methods, a command signal is set so that the operation of the remote commander on a certain device does not cause another device to react and malfunction.

That is, the command signal transmitted from the remote commander to the electronic device has a data code and a category code, and the operation content (for example, operation content such as power-on or channel switching) is shown as the data code, and the category The target device (model) is shown as a code. Therefore, when the power of the television is turned on by the remote commander while the VTR is arranged next to the television, only the television is turned on and the VTR does not react. In other words, even if the VTR side receives a command signal that the power is turned on, the category code is different, and therefore the command is not accepted.

[0004]

However, when a plurality of devices having the same category code are arranged, all of them respond to the command signal. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a multi-monitor device is known in which a plurality of monitor devices 1a to 1i are arranged in a stack to display a multi-image or a magnified image. In this case, if some operation is performed by a remote commander, All the monitor devices 1a to 1i that have received the command signal will react.

Since all the monitor devices 1a to 1i react to each other, for example, when turning on / off all the monitor devices, one operation of the remote commander is sufficient, which is very convenient. However, this may be inconvenient in some cases.

For example, in such a multi-monitor device, image quality adjustment of contrast, brightness, chroma, phase, aperture, etc. is made for each of the monitor devices 1a to 1i so that the image quality of each monitor device 1a to 1i becomes uniform. However, these adjustments are enabled by the remote commander. However, if they are stacked in a stack as shown in FIG. 11, for example, when the remote commander is operated to adjust the image quality of the monitor device 1a, the command signal is received by the other monitor devices 1b to 1i. As a result, the adjustment operation is performed even in the other monitor devices 1b to 1i. That is, the image quality cannot be adjusted individually.

Therefore, in order to individually adjust the image quality using the remote commander, it is necessary to take measures such as turning off all the power supplies of the monitor devices other than the monitor device to be adjusted or using a wired remote controller. , I will be forced to do complicated work.

Such a situation is not limited to the multi-monitor device, but the same inconvenience occurs when a plurality of the same model are installed side by side. For example, when the VTRs are arranged side by side and can be played back respectively, and if the remote commander is operated when it is desired to play back only the desired VTR, the playback operation will be started for the other VTRs.

[0009]

In view of such a problem, the present invention selects only a desired device among the same models even if the same model which receives a command signal of the same category code is lined up and the remote mode is selected. The purpose is to enable commander operation.

That is, in an electronic device which can be operated by a remote commander, a first ID given individually for each device and a second ID variably set by a predetermined operation for designating an operation target device And a first storage device for storing the first I when the ID operation mode is set.
Control means for selecting execution / non-execution of operation control based on a command signal from the remote commander is provided in accordance with the match / mismatch of D and the second ID.

Further, the above-mentioned electronic devices, that is, a plurality of electronic devices each storing a different first ID, are arranged so as to commonly receive a command signal from a remote commander, and a second electronic device is provided. By variably setting the ID, only a desired device among the plurality of devices can execute a predetermined operation in response to the operation of the remote commander.

Here, the electronic device is provided with a display means, and when the ID operation mode is set, the first ID and the second ID are displayed.
One or both of the IDs are displayed on the display means.

Further, when the ID operation mode is set, the first
Of the first ID and the second I in the display means depending on whether the ID of the second ID and the ID of the second ID do not match.
Display of one or both of D is executed in a different manner.

[0014]

The first ID (unit I set for each device)
D) and the second ID (set ID) for designating the operation target by the remote commander, and when the user operates only the electronic device, the user sets the set ID to the unit ID of the device. To In the ID operation mode, if the command signal is accepted according to the match between the set ID and the unit ID, even if a large number of the same models are arranged side by side, only one of them can be operated by the remote commander. Become.

When such an electronic device is arranged on a stack as shown in FIG. 11 and, for example, a multi-monitor is used, individual adjustment of each device by a remote commander can be easily performed.

Further, by displaying the first and second IDs or one of them, it becomes an effective guide when the user uses. Also, if the first and second IDs match, for example, it is displayed in blue, if they do not match, it is displayed in red, or if they match, blinking is performed. This makes it possible for the user to identify which device is operable in the ID operation mode.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the electronic equipment of the present invention will be described below by taking a case where a monitor device, in particular, a large number of monitor devices 1a to 1i are arranged in a stack as shown in FIG. Explain.

The main part of each monitor device 1 (1a-1i) is
Each is configured as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 2 denotes a video processing circuit unit, which performs predetermined processing according to the supplied video signal form (composite video signal or Y / C video signal or RGB video signal) and demodulates it into an R signal / G signal / B signal. Supply to CRT3. Further, in this video processing circuit, image quality variable adjustment such as brightness and contrast is also performed.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a sync separation circuit, which extracts a horizontal sync signal H and a vertical sync signal V from an input video signal and supplies them to a deflection circuit 5. The deflection circuit 5 generates horizontal and vertical deflection currents in accordance with the horizontal synchronization signal H and the vertical synchronization signal V, and the horizontal deflection coil 6H and the vertical deflection coil 6V, respectively.
To perform image scanning.

Reference numeral 7 is a control section formed by a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, interface section and the like, and 8 is a memory. As will be described later, this memory 8 holds a unit ID individually given to each device and a set ID set by the user for designating an operation target by the remote commander, and data is stored even when the power is turned off. So as not to disappear
A non-volatile RAM, an EEP-ROM, or the like may be used, or a power backup unit may be added to the D-RAM or S-RAM.

A command receiving unit 9 receives an infrared command signal from the remote commander 10 shown in FIG. 2, demodulates it, and supplies it to the control unit 7.

The remote commander 10 is provided with various operation keys as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 11 is a direct channel key (numerical key), 12 is a power key, 13 is a volume up / down key, and 14 is a channel up / down key. Reference numerals 15, 16 and 17 are keys for menu operation, for example, the menu key 15 is a key for executing menu display, the select key is a key for selecting operation for moving a cursor or a pointer in the menu, and enter. The key is a key for executing the selected content.

In this embodiment, an ID mode on key 20, an ID mode off key 21, and an ID mode set key 22 are provided as keys for the ID operation mode. The contents of these commands will be described later.

Reference numerals 23 to 27 are up / down keys for image quality adjustment, 23 is a contrast key, 24 is a brightness key, 25 is an aperture key, 26 is a chroma key, and 27 is a phase key.

When a certain key among various kinds of keys provided in this way is pressed, the microcomputer inside the remote commander 10 reads the command data corresponding to the key from the ROM or RAM, and uses the predetermined carrier. Modulate. Then, the light emitting diode is turned on / off by the modulation signal and a command signal is output as an infrared modulation signal.

Such an infrared command signal is received by a light receiving element (for example, a phototransistor) in the command receiving section 9 of the monitor device 1, converted into an electric signal, demodulated, supplied to the control section 7 as command data, and decoded. Will be.

The control unit 7 controls each unit according to the content of the decoded command signal. For example, in the present embodiment, when a command signal from the image quality adjustment keys (23 to 27) is supplied, the video processing unit 2 is controlled accordingly and the coefficient variable setting of the adjustment circuit is performed.

Here, the monitor device 1 having such a structure is shown in FIG. 11 as, for example, nine monitor devices 1a to 1i.
When the multi-monitor device is arranged by stacking like this, normally, the command signal from the remote commander 10 is accepted by all the monitor devices 1a to 1i. When the power key 12 is pressed on the commander 10, all the monitor devices 1a to 1i are powered on.

However, in such a multi-monitor device, it is important that there is no difference in image quality between the monitor devices 1a to 1i. Therefore, the image quality is adjusted individually in each device so that there is no difference in the image quality between the monitor devices 1a to 1i.

In this embodiment, for example, in such a case, the remote commander 10 allows only a specific monitor device to be operated, thereby facilitating the adjustment work. Needless to say, not only the image quality adjustment but also all the operations that can be performed by the remote commander 10 can be individually performed.

For this reason, the unit IDs individually given to each monitor device 1 are stored in the memory 8 of the monitor device 1.
Then, the set ID set by the user for designating the device to be operated is stored. First, as the unit ID, for example, ID numbers 1 to 255 are the monitor device 1
Randomly assigned at the factory. This is because each monitor device 1a to 1i should have a different unit ID as much as possible even if a multi-monitor device is formed by using a certain nine monitor devices 1 as shown in FIG.

Since the individual unit IDs are set for the monitor devices 1a to 1i in this manner, the ID operation mode of this embodiment in which only the specific monitor device is operated by the remote commander 10 can be executed.

This operation will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the processing of the control unit 7, and FIGS. 5 to 10 are the monitor devices 1a to 1
It shows an example of the display state of i. It should be noted that FIGS. 3 and 4 only show the main processing, that is, the processing related to the ID operation mode, for simplification of description.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the control section 7 receives the command signal, the processing advances from step F101 to step F102. Here, the user wants to know the unit ID assigned to each of the monitor devices 1a to 1i and performs a predetermined operation, for example, the menu key 15, the select key 16, and the enter key 17 to display the unit ID as a process in the menu. If an operation for designating a process is performed (note that the remote commander 10 may of course be provided with a dedicated key for a unit ID display operation), a process of displaying the unit ID number is performed in step F103. Do. This processing is to be displayed as an OSD on the CRT screen of the monitor device 1 (the same applies to the display of various ID numbers described later).

Now, it is assumed that the monitor devices 1a to 1i have unit IDs of "015", "002", and "176", respectively.
"250""037""016""010""096"
If the number "052" is given, the respective monitor devices 1a to 1i are the remote commander 1 respectively.
In order to display the unit ID stored in the memory 8 in response to the unit ID display operation from 0, on the multi-screen by the monitor devices 1a to 1i, as shown in FIG.
SD display is made. This allows the user to confirm the unit ID of each monitor device 1a-1i.

The unit ID can be changed by the user, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, the user can individually rewrite the unit ID by a predetermined operation. Therefore, for example, if there is a monitor device with the same unit ID, rewrite the same unit ID.
Can be reset so that does not exist. However, since the unit ID is randomly given as described above and the monitor device is shipped, it is unlikely that the unit ID needs to be rewritten in this way. Although not particularly necessary, the unit IDs of the monitor devices 1a to 1i are "001", "002", ... As shown in FIG.
・ By rewriting to a serial number that is easy to remember, such as "009", it will be easier to use.

When these unit IDs are rewritten by operating the remote commander 10, it must be done for each device, for example, at the stage before stacking or in the ID operating mode described below. Can be executed as an operation.

The unit ID may be variably set and stored by, for example, a mechanical switch.
For example, a mechanical switch (which may be any type of switch) capable of changing 1 to 256 is provided on the back surface of the monitor device 1, and the unit I can be selected depending on the switch state.
D may be stored and changed by a switch operation.

When the command signal is received and it is not the unit ID display operation, the process proceeds to step F104 to determine whether or not the ID operation mode is currently set. If it is not the ID operation mode in the normal state, it is determined whether the received command signal is the ID operation mode ON command, that is, whether the ID mode ON key 20 is pressed (F105). If the command signal is not in the ID operation mode and the command signal is not the ID operation mode ON command, the process proceeds to step F106 to perform normal processing. That is, predetermined control is performed according to the command content. When this is viewed as the entire multi-monitor device, the same operation is executed in each of the monitor devices 1a to 1i.

If the command for turning on the ID operation mode is given in step F105, the ID operation mode is turned on (F10
7) Then, it is determined whether or not the set ID and the unit ID stored in the memory 8 at that time match (F108).
The set ID is an ID number set by the user to specify an operation target by the remote commander 10, and is updated every time it is set and held in the memory 8 (that is, held as a last memory).

As an initial value, the set ID number =
If it is stored as "001", when the unit ID is set in each of the monitoring devices 1a to 1i as shown in FIG. 5, the set ID does not match the unit ID in any of the monitoring devices. Therefore, in all the monitor devices 1, the process proceeds to step F109.
The unit ID and the set ID are displayed as shown in. The OSD display of the unit ID and the set ID is displayed as red characters, for example.

The display of the unit ID and the set ID as described above indicates that the ID operation mode is turned on. The red display means the unit ID and set I
The monitor device 1 displaying the non-matching state of D does not accept an operation from the remote commander 10 during the ON period of the ID operation mode (however, the ID mode ON key 20, the ID mode OFF key 21, the ID mode set key). Only 22 will be accepted and decoded).

If the ID mode ON key 20 is pressed and the process proceeds to step F108 at the time when the set ID is "002", it means that only the monitor device 1b has the unit ID and the set ID matched. Become. Therefore, in the monitor device 1b, the process proceeds to step F110 to display the set ID and the unit ID as blue character characters. At this time, the other monitor devices 1a and 1c
In step 1i, the process proceeds to step F109 and the set ID and the unit ID are displayed in red. Therefore, only the monitor device 1b is displayed in a different display mode on the multi-screen as shown in FIG.
And the set ID will be displayed.

Here, the blue display (that is, the unit ID and the set ID coincidence display) means that the monitor device is the operation target of the remote commander 10 in the ID operation mode. That is, in the state of FIG. 9, only the monitor device 1b can be operated.

During the ID operation mode in which the unit ID and the set ID are displayed on the screen as described above, if a command signal is received, the process proceeds from step F104 to step F111. Here, it is determined whether or not the received command signal is applied to the ID mode set key 22, and if it is a command of the ID mode set key 22, a set ID designation (change of set ID) process is performed (F112). This set ID designation processing will be described later with reference to FIG.

If it is not the command of the ID mode set key 22, it is judged whether the ID operation mode has been turned off, that is, whether the ID mode off key 21 has been pressed (F
113).

If the command is not for turning off the ID operation mode but for operating various other operation keys, is the unit ID = set ID at that time, that is, is the state in which blue display is being performed? Whether or not it is determined (F114), and if the unit ID = set ID, predetermined operation control is executed according to the decoding content of the command signal (F115). If the unit ID is not the set ID, the command signal is not accepted, and no control processing according to the command content is performed (F116).

Therefore, if the contrast adjustment key 23 is pressed in the state of FIG. 7, the contrast adjustment is executed only in the monitor device 1b, but in the other monitor devices 1a and 1c to 1i, the command signal is output. Will not be adjusted even if is received,
That is, the user can operate only the monitor device 1b by the remote commander 10 by setting the set ID in the ID operation mode to "002".

If the command signal received during the ID operation mode is the OFF operation of the ID operation mode, step F113
To F114, the ID operation mode is turned off, and the unit ID and set ID displays are turned off (F
118) Needless to say, after the ID operation mode is turned off, when a normal operation command signal is received, the process proceeds to step F106 and the processing corresponding to the command signal is unconditionally executed.

Here, when the user wants to operate a certain arbitrary monitor device, it is necessary to change the set ID. For example, when the ID operation mode is set to operate the monitor device 1b and the set ID is "001" and the state shown in FIG.
Must be in the state of.

After operating the monitor device 1b, if it is desired to operate the monitor device 1e this time, the set I
It is necessary to change D to "037" to bring it to the state of FIG. 8 (that is, the state where the OSD display is blue assuming that the monitor device 1e is designated by the set ID).

Such a change of the set ID is executed by pressing the ID mode set key 22 in the ID operation mode. That is, this is the process of step F112.
The process of step F112 is shown in detail in FIG. First ID
Set mode (F200). In this ID set mode, a user's numerical input or enter input is awaited, but in order to present that fact, the OSD display of the set ID may be blinked in the ID set mode. .

Then, in steps F201, F202 and F203, the input or ID number input is awaited. The ID number is input as a direct numerical value input or numerical value increment / decrement input by using the numerical keys 11 or channel up / down keys. The enter operation is an operation for determining the input numerical value as the set ID, and for example, this is an operation of pressing the ID mode set key 22 again in the ID set mode.

When a numerical value is input, in step F204,
It is determined whether or not the numerical value matches the unit ID number. If they do not match, the OSD is displayed in red with the set value as a set ID number. If they match, the value is displayed in blue as a set ID number.

For example, when the ID mode set key 22 is pressed from the state of FIG. 6 to shift to the ID set mode,
If the user inputs "0", "3", and "7" with the number keys 11, the display is as shown in FIG. 7 (however,
Numbers should be blinking as they have not been decided yet). That is, only the monitor device 1e has a blue OSD display because the input numerical value matches the unit ID, and the other monitor devices 1a to 1d and 1f to 1i have a red OSD display because the input numerical value and the unit ID do not match.

When the user desires to operate the monitor device 1e, the enter operation, that is, the ID mode set key 22 is pressed here. Then, the process proceeds to step F207, the input numerical value is used as a new set ID number to rewrite the memory 8, the ID setting mode is ended (F208), and the process returns to the routine of FIG.

When the remote commander 10 is operated in the ID operation mode, the monitor device 1e proceeds to step F115 in response to the reception of the command signal, and the operation according to the operation is executed. ~ 1d
And 1f to 1i, the command signal is ignored in step F116. That is, only the monitor device 1e designated by the set ID can be operated.

As described above, in this embodiment, for example, FIG.
Even with a multi-monitor device like
By setting 0, only an arbitrary monitor device can be operated, and for example, image quality adjustment for each device can be easily performed by the remote commander 10. Further, normally (when not in the ID operation mode), common operations are performed, and therefore, for example, when all power-on operations are performed simultaneously, it is convenient to operate all nine units with one operation.

The operation in the ID operation mode is realized by storing the unit ID and the set ID on the monitor device 1 side and performing the comparison process by the control unit 7. Therefore, there is also an advantage that no special cost increase occurs.

In this embodiment, both the unit ID and the set ID are displayed in the ID operation mode, but only the set ID may be displayed as shown in FIG. 9, for example. Of course, the match / mismatch with the unit ID may be expressed by a display color or the like. In this case ID
In this example, only the number "037" is changed in display color. When the unit ID is not displayed in the ID operation mode, the unit ID may be confirmed by the display (menu display) as shown in FIG. Although not shown, it is also possible to display only the unit ID in the ID operation mode.

Further, the matching / mismatching of the unit ID and the set ID is expressed by converting the display color of the OSD character image into blue / red, but of course other colors may be used, and blinking instead of color is possible. The display mode may be used, or the character size may be increased. If they match, the OSD display of characters or marks indicating the device to be operated may be performed separately from the ID number.

When both the unit ID and the set ID are displayed as in the embodiment, the match / mismatch is
By confirming the number, the user can know
It is not always necessary to change the display mode due to match / mismatch (however, it is needless to say that it is better to change the display mode in order to improve operability).

In the above description of the embodiment, the unit ID
Although different numbers are set for the monitor devices 1a to 1i, as described above, the unit I
A change setting wave of D is possible. Therefore, it is easy to understand that it is possible to specify and operate a plurality of monitor devices, such as only specific two of the nine devices, by setting a common unit ID for a certain monitor device. To be done.

In the embodiment, the unit ID and the set I
Although D is stored in the memory, the set ID does not necessarily have to be stored. That is, when the ID set mode is entered and the set ID is input, the unit ID
If the result data of the match / mismatch with is held, the processing in the ID operation mode can be performed without storing the set ID.

Furthermore, although the embodiments have been described with reference to the monitor device, the present invention can be applied to any electronic equipment which can be operated by the remote commander. For example, it is also effective when setting VTRs side by side. In addition to the infrared type remote commander, the application of the present invention is naturally effective in a device corresponding to a remote commander using another transmission method such as radio waves or ultrasonic waves.

[0066]

As described above, the electronic device of the present invention has the first ID (unit ID) set individually for each device.
And a second ID (set ID) for designating the operation target by the remote commander, and in the case of the ID operation mode, the set ID and unit ID
Since the command signal is received according to the coincidence with each other, there is an effect that even if many devices of the same model are arranged side by side, only a specific electronic device can be operated by setting the set ID. Therefore, it is very suitable for an individual adjustment operation of each monitor device in the multi-monitor device.

In the ID operation mode, the first and second operations are performed.
By displaying the user ID or one of them, it will be an effective guide when the user uses it.
Display modes depending on whether the first and second IDs match (that is, the operation target in the ID operation mode) and when the IDs do not match (that is, the operation target in the ID operation mode) Change the I
It is possible to identify which device is operable in the D operation mode, and the operability is further improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a configuration of a main part of an embodiment of an electronic device of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a remote commander corresponding to the electronic device of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of processing related to an ID operation mode according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of processing in an ID set mode according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a unit ID display state of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a display example in an ID operation mode according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a display example in an ID operation mode according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a display example in an ID operation mode according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of another display example in the ID operation mode of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a unit ID display state according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a multi-monitor device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1a to 1i Monitor device 2 Video processing circuit 3 CRT 5 Deflection circuit 7 Control unit 8 Memory 9 Command receiving unit 10 Remote commander 11 Direct channel key (numeric key) 12 Power key 13 Volume up / down key 14 Channel up / down Key 15 Menu Key 16 Select Key 17 Enter Key 20 ID Mode On Key 21 ID Mode Off Key 22 ID Mode Set Key 23 Contrast Key 24 Brightness Key 25 Aperture Key 26 Chroma Key 27 Phase Key

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Akashi Kawamura 6-735 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An electronic device operable by a remote commander, wherein a first ID given individually for each device and a second set variably set by a predetermined operation for designating an operation target device Storage means for storing an ID, and execution / non-execution of operation control based on a command signal from the remote commander in response to a match / mismatch between the first ID and the second ID when the ID operation mode is set. An electronic device comprising: a control unit that selects execution. 2. A plurality of electronic devices each storing a different first ID are arranged so as to be able to receive a command signal from the remote commander, and the second electronic device is also provided.
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein only the desired device performs a predetermined operation according to the operation of the remote commander by variably setting the ID of the. 3. A display means is provided, and one or both of the first ID and the second ID are displayed on the display means when an ID operation mode is set. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2. 4. When the ID operation mode is set, the first
Of the first I and the second ID of the first I in the display means.
The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein display of one or both of D and the second ID is executed in a different mode.