JPH08265878A - Input device, processing unit and remote control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the operability by adopting a shape of an operation panel of an operation means similar to a shape of a prescribed operating range. CONSTITUTION: When an operating panel of a sensor 2 of a remote commander 1 is touched by a finger tip, the operating position is sent to a television receiver 3. an icon (not shown) and a cursor are displayed within a prescribed operating range of a screen 4 of the television receiver 3. When the television receiver 3 receives data resulting from depressing the sensor 2, the processing corresponding to the icon displayed on an area where the cursor 5 is located is executed. In this case, the shape of the operating range 7 is similar to the shape of the operating panel of the sensor 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an input device, a processing device,
And a remote control system. In particular, operability is improved by making the shape of the operation surface of an input device such as a remote commander and the shape of the operation range in which an icon or the like is displayed on a processing device such as a television receiver similar to each other. The present invention relates to an input device, a processing device, and a remote control system that are capable of performing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a television receiver, a VCR
A remote commander is often used to operate (Video Cassette Recorder). These remote commanders are provided with button icons corresponding to the respective functions of the television receiver and the VCR which are control targets, and by operating the predetermined button icons, each device is caused to perform a predetermined operation. Is made possible.

However, in such a remote commander, as the number of functions increases, the number of button icons provided in the remote commander also increases, and not only does the remote commander increase in size, but also a large number of buttons are required to select a predetermined function. There is a problem that the operability is deteriorated because a predetermined button icon has to be searched from among the button icons.

Therefore, the present applicant has previously proposed to display a menu on the screen of the television receiver and select a predetermined menu from the menu by operating the remote commander. In the following proposal, when the fingertip is placed on the operation surface of the remote commander and moved, the cursor displayed on the television receiver is also moved in response to the movement. Further, when the selection operation is performed while the cursor is positioned on a predetermined icon, the process corresponding to the icon is performed.

As a result, it is not necessary to provide many button icons on the remote commander, and the remote commander can be downsized.

[0006]

By the way, in the above-described system, the shape of the range in which the icon for operating the remote commander is displayed (in the present specification, the operating range) is the operation of the remote commander. It did not always correspond to the shape of the surface.

Therefore, the user is given an impression that the position of the fingertip on the operation surface of the remote commander does not correspond to the position of the cursor on the operation range of the television receiver, and the operability is poor. There were challenges.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and is to improve operability.

[0009]

An input device of the present invention is an input for inputting to operate an icon to a processing device which performs a process corresponding to an operation of an icon displayed in a predetermined operation range. The device is characterized in that it is provided with operating means for operating an arbitrary position on the operating surface, and the shape of the operating surface of the operating means is similar to the shape of a predetermined operating range.

In this input device, the detection means can detect the absolute coordinates of the operation position of the operation means.

The processing device of the present invention is a processing device which performs processing in response to a remote control signal input from an input device having an operating means for operating an arbitrary position on an operating surface, A display means for displaying an icon is provided in the operation range, and the display means displays the icon in a predetermined operation range similar to the shape of the operation surface of the operation means.

In this processing apparatus, it is possible to emphasize and display a predetermined operation range on the display means. Further, the display means can display a cursor at a position corresponding to the operation position of the operation means within a predetermined operation range. Furthermore, the display means can change the display state of the icon displayed at the position corresponding to the operation position of the operation means.

In the remote control system of the present invention, the input device has an operation means for operating an arbitrary position on the operation surface, and the processing device has a display means for displaying an icon in a predetermined operation range. The shape of the operation surface of the operation means and the shape of the predetermined operation range are similar to each other.

In this remote control system, the detecting means can detect the absolute coordinates of the operating position of the operating means. Further, it is possible to emphasize and display a predetermined operation range on the display means. Furthermore, the display means includes
The cursor can be displayed at a position corresponding to the operation position of the operation means within the predetermined operation range. Further, the display means can change the display state of the icon displayed at the position corresponding to the operation position of the operation means.

[0015]

In the input device of the present invention, the shape of the operation surface of the operation means is similar to the shape of the predetermined operation range.

In the processing apparatus of the present invention, the display means displays the icon in a predetermined operation range similar to the shape of the operation surface of the operation means.

In the remote control system of the present invention, the shape of the operation surface of the operation means and the shape of the predetermined operation range are similar.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Before that, in order to clarify the correspondence between each means of the invention described in the claims and the following embodiments, The following is a description of the features of the present invention with the addition of a corresponding embodiment (however, one example) in the subsequent parentheses.

That is, the input device of the present invention has an icon (for example, the button icons 57 and 5 shown in FIG. 7) displayed in a predetermined operation range (for example, the operation range 7 shown in FIG. 1).
8 etc.) is an input device for inputting to operate an icon to a processing device (for example, the television receiver 3 shown in FIG. 1) that performs a process corresponding to the operation of An operating means for operating an arbitrary position (for example, the sensor 2 shown in FIG. 1), a detecting means for detecting an operating position of the operating means (for example, the scanning circuit 21 shown in FIG. 2), and a detecting means. Output means (for example, the FM transmitter 23 shown in FIG. 2) for outputting the detection result of 1) as a remote control signal, and the shape of the operation surface of the operation means is similar to the shape of a predetermined operation range. And

The processing apparatus of the present invention includes an input device (for example, the remote commander 1 shown in FIG. 1) having an operating means (for example, the sensor 2 shown in FIG. 1) for operating an arbitrary position on the operation surface. ) Is a processing device that performs processing in response to a remote control signal input from
Display means for displaying an icon (for example, the display unit 4 shown in FIG. 1), receiving means for receiving a remote control signal (for example, FM receiver 31 shown in FIG. 5), and remote control received by the receiving means. Extraction means (for example, RS-232 shown in FIG. 5) for extracting the operation position of the operation means from the signal.
C decoder 32) and the operating position of the operating means extracted by the extracting means determines whether or not the operating position of the operating means is equivalent to the display position of the icon displayed on the display means (for example, the program shown in FIG. 6). Processing steps S7, S9, etc.) and executing means for executing a predetermined process corresponding to the determination result of the determining means (for example, CPU 41 shown in FIG. 5).
The display means is characterized by displaying the icon in a predetermined operation range similar to the shape of the operation surface of the operation means.

The remote control system of the present invention includes a processing device (for example, the television receiver 3 shown in FIG. 1) for processing in response to a remote control signal, and an input for inputting a remote control signal to the processing device. A remote control system including a device (for example, the remote commander 1 shown in FIG. 1), wherein the input device is an operation unit (for example, the sensor 2 shown in FIG. 1) for operating an arbitrary position on the operation surface. Etc.), detection means for detecting the operation position of the operation means (for example, the scanning circuit 21 shown in FIG. 2), and output means for outputting the detection result of the detection means as a remote control signal (for example, FIG. 2).
The FM transmitter 23 shown in FIG. 2) and the like, and the processing device displays a remote control signal from a display unit (for example, the display unit 4 shown in FIG. 1) for displaying an icon and a remote control signal from the output unit in a predetermined operation range. Receiving means (for example, FM receiver 31 shown in FIG. 5) for receiving and extracting means for extracting the operation position of the operating means from the remote control signal received by the receiving means (for example, RS-232C decoder shown in FIG. 5). Three
2, etc.) and the operation position of the operation means extracted by the extraction means, and a determination means for determining whether or not the operation position of the icon displayed on the display means (for example, the processing step of the program shown in FIG. 6). S7, S9, etc.) and execution means (for example, CPU 41 shown in FIG. 5) for executing a predetermined process corresponding to the determination result of the determination means, and the shape of the operation surface of the operation means and the predetermined operation. It is characterized in that the shape of the operation range is similar.

Of course, this description does not mean that each means is limited to the above.

FIG. 1 shows an AV (Audio Vi) to which the present invention is applied.
sual) system configuration example. In this embodiment, when the operation surface of the sensor 2 of the remote commander 1 is operated by the user's finger, the absolute coordinates of the operation point are output as radio waves (FM waves) to the television receiver 3. Has been done.

When the television receiver 3 receives the radio wave, the television receiver 3 displays an icon (not shown in FIG. 1) and other icons in the operation range 7 of the display section 4 which is similar in shape to the operation surface of the sensor 2. In addition to displaying necessary information, the cursor 5 is displayed at a position in the operation range 7 corresponding to the received absolute coordinates. It should be noted that the operation range 7 is a range that does not extend beyond the display screen of the display unit 4.

Further, the sensor 2 is adapted to be capable of being pressed, and an FM indicating that the pressing is made.
When a (frequency Modulation) wave is received, the television receiver 3 controls the VCR 6 or receives a predetermined channel in response to the command assigned to the icon where the cursor 5 is located at that time. Built-in TV (TeleVision) tuner 35
(FIG. 5) is controlled.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the internal electrical configuration of the remote commander 1. In the sensor 2, the upper left corner of the operating surface is the origin (0, 0), the axis to the right horizontally from the origin is the X axis, and the axis perpendicular to the downward direction is the Y axis. When you touch a flat surface with your finger, the electrostatic capacitance at the contact point changes, and the coordinates (X, Y) of the contact point P are changed.
Are detected by the scanning circuit 21. The scanning circuit 21 keeps the sensor 2 at X
Scanning is performed in the axial direction and the Y-axis direction, and the absolute coordinates of the operation point P are captured.

The X coordinate and Y coordinate data fetched by the scanning circuit 21 is RS (Receive Send) -2.
It is adapted to be supplied to the 32C encoder 22. The RS-232C encoder 22 also receives a click signal generated when the sensor 2 is pressed by a finger in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. RS
The 232C encoder 22 converts these input data into R
The data is encoded according to the S-232C format and the encoded data is output to the FM transmitter 23. The FM transmitter 23 FM-modulates the data supplied from the encoder 22 and outputs it as a remote control signal by radio waves from the antenna 24.

3 and 4 show the principle of operation position detection in the sensor 2. As shown in FIG.
When is touched by a finger, as shown in FIG. 4, the conductive members 28 in the region R touched by the finger (a large number of them are arranged in a lattice, for example, at a pitch interval sufficiently smaller than the size of the finger). Capacitance changes. The scanning circuit 21 is
The contact area R is determined from the conductive member 28 whose capacitance has changed, and the point P at the center of this area R is calculated. Then, the absolute coordinates of the point P are output as the absolute coordinates of the operation position.

Here, a predetermined number of sensors 2 (for example, 12
It is also possible to preliminarily divide the divided areas into fixed areas and output a signal indicating that any one of the divided areas is selected to the television receiver 3. However, in doing so, as will be described later, a plurality of icons are displayed on the display unit 4 of the television receiver 3 and a predetermined icon is selected from them in response to a remote control signal from the remote commander 1. In such a case, the display position of the icon is limited to 12 fixed positions. Further, when the cursor 5 displayed on the display unit 4 is moved to a position corresponding to the operation position of the sensor 2 of the remote commander 1, the position where the cursor 5 can be moved is limited to 12 positions. Will be done.

Therefore, it is possible to display an icon at an arbitrary position on the display unit 4 so that an arbitrary icon displayed at an arbitrary position can be selected by one operation, and further, a cursor can be selected. In order to be able to move to any position on the display unit 4 by one operation, as shown in FIG. 4, an operation at any position (not a fixed position) of the sensor 2 is detected. It is preferable to be able to do so.

Next, FIG. 5 shows an example of the internal electrical configuration of the television receiver 3. In this embodiment, a television (TV) tuner 35 demodulates a broadcast radio wave received via an antenna 34, and a video signal of the demodulated signal is output to a display unit 4 via a superimpose circuit 36 and displayed. It is designed to let you. The audio signal output from the TV tuner 35 is supplied to an amplifier via a volume control circuit 37, and is supplied from the amplifier to a speaker (neither is shown).

Channel control interface 3
3 is a CPU (Central Processing Uni
Controlled by t) 41, the TV tuner 35 is made to receive a predetermined broadcast channel. The volume control interface 39 is connected to C via the bus.
Controlled by PU41, volume control circuit 3
A control signal of a predetermined voltage is output to 7. As a result, the volume control circuit 37 becomes T
The audio signal output from the V tuner 35 is adjusted to a predetermined level and output to the amplifier.

NTSC (National Television System C)
ommitte) encoder 38 is a RAM (Random Access M)
The image data (bitmap data) of, for example, a cursor developed in the emory) 43 is read and converted into an NTSC video signal, and the superimposing circuit 3
It is output to 6. The superimposing circuit 36 is N
The signal input from the TSC encoder 38 is superimposed (combined) with the video signal output from the TV tuner 35 and output to the display unit 4.

The VCR interface 40 is controlled by the CPU 41 via the bus and outputs a predetermined control signal to the VCR 6. ROM (Read Only
The memory 42 stores programs necessary for the CPU 41 to execute various processes. C
The PU 41 executes various programs by executing the programs stored in the ROM 42.

The FM receiver 31 is the remote commander 1
The radio wave output from the antenna 24 is received via the antenna 30 and FM demodulated. The FM demodulated signal is input to the RS-232C decoder 32,
It is designed to be decoded. The data decoded by the RS-232C decoder 32 is supplied to the CPU 41 via the bus.

Next, referring to the flow chart of FIG.
An example of the operation when controlling the television receiver 3 or the VCR 6 will be described.

First, in step S1, RS-23
It is determined whether or not data is input from the 2C decoder 32. If no data has been input, the process ends.

The user is the television receiver 3 or V
When the CR 6 wants to execute a predetermined operation, it touches an arbitrary position of the sensor 2 of the remote commander 1 with a finger. When the absolute coordinates of the center point P of the range touched by the finger are detected by the scanning circuit 21, the RS-232C encoder 22 converts the absolute coordinates into data according to the RS-232C format, FM transmitter 23
Output to. The FM transmitter 23 FM-modulates this data and outputs it to the television receiver 3 by radio waves via the antenna 24.

FM receiver 31 of the television receiver 3
Receives this radio wave via the antenna 30, and FM demodulates the received signal. The FM demodulated signal is RS-232C.
It is supplied to the decoder 32 and decoded. The data (absolute coordinates of the operation point P) obtained as a result of this decoding is input to the CPU 41.

If it is determined in step S1 that data has been input from the RS-232C decoder 32,
In step S2, the CPU 41 develops, on the RAM 43, a bitmap arranged in the operation range 7 similar to the operation surface of the sensor 2 as shown in FIG. Then, the bitmap data expanded in the RAM 43 is read out and supplied to the NTSC encoder 38, where NT
It is converted into an SC video signal. Then, this signal is supplied to the superimposing circuit 36 and superimposed on the video signal output from the TV tuner 35. Then, the superimposed signal is output to the display unit 4. As a result, a screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display unit 4.

In the example of FIG. 7, a button icon 57 in which the characters "TV" are displayed and a button in which the characters "Video" are displayed in the operation range 7 similar to the operation surface of the sensor 2. While the icon 58 is displayed,
The word "Please select" is displayed. Further, at this time, the cursor 5 is displayed in the position corresponding to the absolute coordinates of the point P within the operation range 7.

That is, the absolute coordinates of the XY plane (operation surface) of the sensor 2 have a one-to-one correspondence with the absolute coordinates of the operation range 7 of the display unit 4. As a result, the cursor 5
Is displayed at a position corresponding to the operation point P operated by the user with his / her finger, so that the position of the fingertip on the operation surface of the sensor 2 and the position of the cursor 5 in the operation range 7 of the display unit 4 are displayed to the user. It is possible to prevent giving the impression that and do not correspond, and thereby improve the operability.

Further, in this case, the CPU 41 develops the bitmap in the RAM 43 so that the operation range 7 is highlighted. That is, the CPU 41 displays the portion of the operation range 7 with, for example, a specific color or pattern, or displays it in reverse, or displays the frame surrounding the operation range 7 with a thick line. Like R
The bitmap is expanded in AM43.

Therefore, in this case, since the portion of the operation range 7 is highlighted on the display unit 4, the user
Which range of the display unit 4 is the operation range 7,
Can be recognized immediately.

After that, the process proceeds to step S3, and RS-23
It is determined whether or not more data is input from the 2C decoder 32. If no data has been input, the process proceeds to step S4, and a process of erasing the superimposed portion of the screen is executed. That is, when the user once operates the sensor 2 with the finger to display the screen as shown in FIG. 7 and then releases the finger from the sensor 2, the absolute coordinate data is not input from the RS-232C decoder 32. For,
The CPU 41 determines that the operation has been interrupted, and the RAM 4
The reading of the image data developed in 3 is stopped.

On the other hand, in step S3, RS-23
When it is determined that the data is input from the 2C decoder 32, the process proceeds to step S5, and whether the data is click signal data, that is, the signal data indicating that the sensor 2 is pressed. It is determined whether or not. If the data is not the click signal data, since the data is absolute coordinate data, the process proceeds to step S6, and the process of moving and displaying the cursor 5 at the position corresponding to the absolute coordinate data is executed.

That is, the CPU 41 changes the address of the bitmap data of the cursor 5 developed in the RAM 43 so that the cursor 5 moves to the position corresponding to the newly input absolute coordinate data. As a result, the position of the cursor 5 displayed on the display unit 4 is moved corresponding to the position of the finger on the sensor 2.

However, as described above, the absolute coordinates of the sensor 2 on the XY plane are 1 and the absolute coordinates of the operation range 7 of the display unit 4.
Since it corresponds to the pair 1, the cursor 5 is not moved to a position outside the operation range 7. That is, the cursor 5 moves only within the operation range 7.

On the other hand, in step S5, RS-23
When it is determined that the data input from the 2C decoder 32 is the click signal data, the process proceeds to step S7 and the button icon 57 of the television shown in FIG.
Whether or not (the operating position of the sensor 2 is
It is determined whether or not the display position of the button icon 57 corresponds.

That is, for example, when the user wants to operate the television receiver 3, the user moves the cursor 5 onto the button icon 57 of the television and further presses the sensor 2. When the click signal data is input from the RS-232C decoder 32, the CPU 41 determines that the button icon where the cursor 5 is located at that time is selected. If the button icon is the TV button icon 57, the process proceeds to step S8 to execute the TV setting process. Details of the television setting process will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

If it is determined in step S7 that the television button icon 57 has not been selected, the flow advances to step S9 to determine whether or not the video button icon 58 has been selected (operation position of the sensor 2). But,
Whether or not it corresponds to the display position of the button icon 58) is determined. That is, when the sensor 5 is pressed while the cursor 5 is located on the video button icon 58, steps S9 to S10 are performed.
Then, the VCR setting process is executed. Details of this VCR setting processing will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When it is determined in step S9 that the selected button icon 58 is not the video button icon 58, the process returns to step S3 and the subsequent processes are repeated.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
Details of the television setting process in step S8 of FIG. 6 will be described.

First, in step S21, the CPU 4
1 causes the RAM 43 to expand predetermined bitmap data, and causes the display unit 4 to display an image as shown in FIG. 9, for example. That is, in this embodiment, the TV tuner 35
Shows the number of the channel being received at that time (8 displayed after the character CH in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 9) and the value of the volume set in the volume control circuit 37 at that time (implementation of FIG. 9). In the case of the example, 5) displayed after the character VOL is displayed. Further, button icons 51 and 52 for increasing or decreasing the channel number and button icons 53 and 54 for increasing or decreasing the value of the volume are displayed. The cursor 5 is also displayed at the position corresponding to the absolute coordinates of the position of the finger on the sensor 2.

Also in this case, the above display is made in the operation range 7 similar to the operation surface of the sensor 2, and the operation range 7 is highlighted. However, the cursor 5,
Also, displays other than the button icons 51 to 54 which are the operation targets of the remote commander 1, that is, the characters CH8 and VOL5 can be displayed outside the operation range 7.

Next, in step S22, RS-23
It is determined whether or not the data is input from the 2C decoder 32, and if not input, the television setting process ends.

In step S22, RS-232C
When it is determined that the data is input from the decoder 32, the process proceeds to step S23, and it is determined whether or not the data is click signal data. If it is not the click signal data, the data being input is the absolute coordinate position data, so step S2
4, the process of moving and displaying the cursor 5 at the position represented by the absolute coordinates is executed. Then, step S22
Then, the subsequent processing is repeatedly executed.

In step S23, RS-232C
If it is determined that the data input from the decoder 32 is click signal data, step S
25. At that time, it is determined whether or not the cursor 5 is located on the button icon 51 for increasing the channel number. If it is determined that it is located on the button icon 51, the process proceeds to step S26, and the process of increasing the channel number by 1 is executed.

That is, the CPU 41 controls the TV tuner 35 via the channel control interface 33 to set the number of the channel being received to the current number 8.
Change from 9 to 9. As a result, the image of the channel number 9 is displayed on the display unit 4. Also,
At this time, the channel display is also changed from CH8 to CH9.

If it is determined in step S25 that the button icon 51 has not been selected,
In step S27, it is determined whether or not the cursor 5 is located on the button icon 52 operated when decreasing the channel number. When it is determined in step S27 that the button icon 52 is selected, the process proceeds to step S28, and the process of reducing the channel number by one is executed. That is, CP
U41 is the channel control interface 33
The TV tuner 35 is controlled via the, and the number of the receiving channel is decreased from the current number 8 to 7. This allows
An image corresponding to the channel of number 7 is displayed on the display unit 4. At this time, the channel display is CH8.
Changed to CH7.

When it is determined in step S27 that the button icon 52 is not selected,
In step S29, it is determined whether the button icon 53 for increasing the volume (volume) has been selected. When it is determined that the button icon 53 is selected, the process proceeds to step S30, and the process of increasing the volume value by 1 from the current value is executed. That is, the CPU 41 controls the volume control circuit 37 via the volume control interface 39 to change the volume value from the current value 5 to 6. As a result, a louder sound is output. Also, at this time, the display of the volume is changed from VOL5 to VOL.
Changed to 6.

On the other hand, in step S29,
When it is determined that the button icon 53 is not selected, the process proceeds to step S31, and it is determined whether or not the button icon 54 that is operated when reducing the volume is selected. When it is determined that the button icon 54 is selected, the process proceeds to step S32,
A process of reducing the value of the volume by 1 is executed. That is, the CPU 41 controls the volume control circuit 37 via the volume control interface 39 to reduce the volume value from the current value 5 to 4. As a result, the level of the audio signal is changed to a slightly smaller value. At this time, the display of the volume is also changed from VOL5 to VOL4.

If it is determined in step S31 that the button icon 54 is not selected,
The process returns to step S22, and the subsequent processes are repeatedly executed.

Next, the details of the VCR setting process in step S10 of FIG. 6 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S41, the CPU 4
1 develops predetermined data on the RAM 43 as bitmap data so that an image as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the display unit 4, for example.

As a result, in the present embodiment, the cursor 5, on the operation range 7 similar to the operation surface of the sensor 2,
Button icons 51 and 52 for changing channels (to be recorded), a button icon 61 for increasing the display at the recording start time by 1, a button icon 62 for decreasing the display by 1, and a portion of the recording start time. Button icon 63 for increasing the display of 1 by 1, a button icon 64 for decreasing the display by 1, and button icons 65 to 6 for making similar changes to the recording end time.
8. A button icon 69 for selecting (determining) the recording reservation is displayed. Also in this case, the portion of the operation range 7 is highlighted and displayed as in the case described above.

Further, in this case, on the left side of the operation range 7,
Characters of recording start time and button icons 61 to 6
4, the recording start time (14:30 in FIG. 11) changed, the recording end time character, and the recording end time changed by operating the button icons 65 to 68 (16: in FIG. 11). 30), characters of the channel, and the channel to be recorded (see FIG. 11).
In, 8) is displayed.

Next, in step S42, RS-23
It is determined whether data is input from the 2C decoder 32. If it is determined that the data has not been input, it is determined that the operation has been interrupted, and the processing ends.

When it is determined that the data is input from the RS-232C decoder 32, the process proceeds to step S43, and it is determined whether or not the data is click signal data. When it is determined that the data is not the click signal data, the data is the data of the absolute coordinate position, so the process proceeds to step S44, and the process of moving the cursor 5 to the position corresponding to the absolute coordinate data is executed.

In step S43, RS-232C
If it is determined that the data input from the decoder 32 is the click signal data, step S45
Then, it is determined whether or not the button icon 61 for increasing the recording start time by 1 has been selected (whether or not the sensor 2 has been pressed while the cursor 5 is located on the button icon 61). If it is determined that the button icon 61 has been selected, step S46.
Then, the recording start time is incremented by 1. FIG.
In the example of 1, the number 14 is changed to 15.

If it is determined in step S45 that the button icon 61 is not selected,
In step S47, it is determined whether the button icon 62 that reduces the start time by 1 has been selected. If it is determined that the button icon 62 is selected, the process proceeds to step S48, and the start time is set to 1
The processing that is reduced only by is executed. In the case of this embodiment, the process of reducing the number 14 to 13 is executed.

When it is determined in step S47 that the button icon 62 is not selected,
Proceed to step S49, and display the minutes of the start time by 1
It is determined whether or not the button icon 63 that increases by 10 is selected, and if it is selected, step S50
Then, the processing for increasing the number representing the minute by 1 is executed. In the case of this embodiment, the number 30 (at the recording start time) is changed to 31.

If it is determined in step S49 that the button icon 63 has not been selected,
In step S64, it is determined whether or not the button icon 64 that decrements the number indicating the minute by 1 in the start time has been selected. If it is determined that it has been selected, the process proceeds to step S52, and the process of reducing the number representing the minute by 1 is executed. In the case of this embodiment, the number 30 (at the recording start time) is changed to 29.

Thereafter, in steps S53 to S60, the same processing as that at the recording start time of steps S45 to S52 described above is executed, respectively, and the processing of increasing or decreasing the number indicating the time and minute of the recording end time is executed. To be done.

Further, in steps S61 to S64, the button icon 51 for increasing the channel number is added.
Alternatively, it is determined whether or not the button icon 52 to decrease is selected, and if it is selected, the process of increasing or decreasing the number representing the channel number by 1 is performed.
This is executed in the same manner as in steps S25 to S28 of FIG.

Thereafter, in step S65, it is determined whether or not the button icon 69 for selecting the recording reservation has been selected. If it is determined that the button icon 69 has been selected, the process proceeds to step S66 and the above steps are performed. A process of transferring the recording start time and recording end time set by the process and the channel to be recorded to the VCR 6 is executed.

When it is determined in step S65 that the recording reservation button icon 69 is not selected, the process returns to step S42, and the subsequent processes are repeatedly executed.

In the above processing, the cursor 5 is moved to a predetermined button icon and then the sensor 2 is pressed to select the button icon. However, the cursor 5 is not displayed. It is also possible to select a predetermined function. Hereinafter, an example of this case will be described.

FIG. 12 shows a processing example of the CPU 41 in this case. The flowchart of FIG. 12 is
This corresponds to the flowchart of FIG. 6 described above.

The basic processing is the same as in FIG. That is, first in step S81, R
From the S-232C decoder 32, it is determined whether or not data is input, and if not input, the process ends. Then, when the data has been input, the process proceeds to step S82, and the display unit 4 displays a screen as shown in FIG. 13, for example. As is apparent from the comparison of FIG. 13 with FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the same display as in FIG. 7 is performed except that the cursor 5 is not displayed.

Next, in step S83, RS-23
It is determined whether or not data is input from the 2C decoder 32, and if not input, the process proceeds to step S84, it is determined that the process is interrupted, and the OSD on the screen is determined.
(On Screen Display) data, that is, the display of the portion of the operation range 7 is deleted.

In step S83, RS-232C
When it is determined that the data is input from the decoder 32, it is determined in step S85 whether the data is click signal data. If the data is not the click signal data, the data is absolute position coordinate data, and thus the process proceeds to step S86.
The display state of the button icon on the screen corresponding to the area allocated on the sensor 2 is changed, for example, by highlighting it.

That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, when a predetermined position in the upper half area 2A of the sensor 2 is touched by a finger, the "TV" displayed above the display unit 4 is displayed. The button icon 57 of is highlighted. On the other hand, when a predetermined position in the lower half area 2B of the sensor 2 is touched with a finger, the "video" button icon 58 displayed below the display unit 4 is highlighted. .

The display state of the button icon may be changed by, for example, reversing the display, for example, by making the luminance higher than that of other portions, or by adding a specific color or pattern.

If it is determined in step S85 that the input data is click signal data, the flow advances to step S87 to determine whether or not the television button icon 57 has been selected, that is, the television button icon 57. In the state in which is highlighted, it is determined whether or not the sensor 2 has been pressed. When the television button icon 57 is selected, the process proceeds to step S88, and the television setting process is executed. Details of this television setting processing will be described later with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

When it is determined in step S87 that the button icon 57 is not selected,
In step S89, it is determined whether the video button icon 58 is selected, that is, the video button icon 58 is selected.
In the state in which is highlighted, it is determined whether or not the sensor 2 has been pressed. When it is determined that the video button icon 58 is selected, the process proceeds to step S90, and the VCR setting process is executed. This V
Details of the CR setting process will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When it is determined in step S89 that the button icon 58 is not selected,
The process returns to step S83, and the subsequent processes are repeatedly executed.

Next, the details of the television setting process in step S88 of FIG. 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S101, as shown in FIG.
A screen as shown in FIG. This FIG.
As is clear from the display of FIG. 9, the display of is the same as the display in FIG. 9 except that the cursor 5 is not displayed. Then, in this case, the sensor 2 is vertically divided into four regions 2C to 2F. The vertical division corresponds to the display of the four button icons 51 to 54 in the vertical direction on the display unit 4.

Next, in step S102, RS-2
It is determined whether or not data is input from the 32C decoder 32, and if it is input, it is determined in step S103 whether or not the data is click signal data. If the data is not the click signal data, since the data is absolute coordinate data, the process proceeds to step S104, and the button icon on the screen is highlighted in correspondence with the area assigned to the sensor 2.

That is, for example, in FIG. 15, when the point included in the uppermost area 2C of the sensor 2 is detected as the contact point, the button icon 51 displayed on the uppermost side is highlighted. Second area 2D from the top
When the point belonging to is the contact point, the second button icon 52 from the top is highlighted. Further, when the point belonging to the third area 2E from the top is the contact point, the third button icon 53 from the top is highlighted. Similarly, the coordinates of the contact point are the lowest area 2F
, The button icon 54 at the bottom is highlighted.

Thereafter, in steps S105 to S112, the same processes as those in steps S25 to S32 in FIG. 8 are executed.

That is, when the sensor 2 is pressed while any of the button icons 51 to 54 is highlighted, it is determined that the highlighted button icon is selected, and the button icon is selected. The process corresponding to is executed.

Next, FIG. 16 shows step S90 of FIG.
The details of the VCR setting process in FIG. This process is also basically the same as the process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

That is, first in step S131,
A screen as shown in FIG. 17 is displayed on the display unit 4. As is clear from the comparison between the display of FIG. 17 and the display of FIG. 11, the display content is the same as that in FIG. 11 except that the cursor 5 is not displayed.

In this embodiment, the area of the sensor 2 is 2G to 2N and 2P to 2 as shown in FIG.
It is divided into 11 areas of R. These areas are button icons 61 (area 2G), 62 (area 2H), 65 (area 2I), 66 displayed on the display unit 4, respectively.
(Area 2J), 63 (area 2K), 64 (area 2L),
67 (area 2M), 68 (area 2N), 51 (area 2)
P), 52 (region 2Q), and 69 (region 2R).

In step S132, RS-232
It is determined whether or not the data is input from the C decoder 32, and if the data is input, step S1
In step 33, it is determined whether the data is click signal data. If the data is not the click signal data, since the data is absolute coordinate data, the process proceeds to step S134, and the process of highlighting the button icon on the screen corresponding to the area assigned on the sensor 2 is executed. It

That is, when the absolute coordinates of the contact point of the sensor 2 are included in any one of the areas 2G to 2N or 2P to 2R, the button icons 61, 62, 65, 66, 63 corresponding to that area. , 64, 67, 6
8, 51, 52, or 69 is highlighted.

Then, in steps S135 to S156, the same processing as in steps S45 to S66 of FIG. 10 is executed.

That is, the button icons 61, 62, 65,
66, 63, 64, 67, 68, 51, 52, or 6
When any one of 9 is highlighted and the sensor 2 is pressed, it is determined that the highlighted button icon is selected,
The process corresponding to the button icon is executed.

In the above embodiment, the position of the display section 4 corresponding to the coordinates of the operation point is determined and the process corresponding to the position is executed. It is also possible to store the pattern in the receiver 3 and recognize the pattern obtained from the locus in the television receiver 3 and execute the command obtained by the recognition.

In this case, the pattern can be recognized on the side of the remote commander 1, but in that case, the remote commander 1 can be used only for the corresponding television receiver, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if recognition is performed on the television receiver (AV device) side, by changing the command pattern between the AV devices, a VCR, a CD player, an audio tape recorder, etc., can be operated as a single remote commander. Allows remote control individually.

In the above description, the television receiver 3 and the VCR 6 are taken as examples of AV equipment.
The present invention can also be used when remotely controlling other AV equipment. Further, the present invention can be applied to, for example, a computer system and the like in addition to the AV system. In this case, the remote commander 1
Besides being an independent input device, it can be configured integrally with, for example, a keyboard.

Further, in the present embodiment, the operation range 7 is provided on the right side of the display section 4, but the operation range 7 may be provided in other parts of the display section 4. That is, the display range 7 can be appropriately provided, for example, at a position that does not hinder viewing of the information displayed on the display unit 4. Also, if
If the display unit 4 and the operation surface of the pad 2 are similar to each other, the entire display unit 4 can be used as the operation surface.

Furthermore, in the television receiver 3, depending on the shape of the operation surface of the sensor of the remote commander used,
It is possible to change the shape of the operation range 7 so as to be similar to the shape. This is because, for example, at the time of initial setting, information about the shape of the operation surface of the sensor is transmitted from the remote commander to the television receiver 3
It can be realized by sending to.

In this embodiment, the remote commander 1
Therefore, the signal is transmitted by the FM wave, but the signal from the remote commander 1 can be transmitted by other wireless transmission medium, wired transmission medium, or the like.

[0107]

As described above, according to the input device of the present invention, since the shape of the operation surface of the operation means is similar to the shape of the predetermined operation range, the operability of the device can be improved. it can.

Further, according to the processing apparatus of the present invention, the icon is displayed in a predetermined operation range similar to the shape of the operation surface of the operation means, so that a desired icon can be selected quickly and easily. Is possible.

According to the remote control system, since the shape of the operation surface of the operation means and the shape of the predetermined operation range are similar, the operability of the device can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an AV system to which the present invention is applied.

2 is a block diagram showing an internal electrical configuration of a remote commander 1 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the sensor 2 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a principle of detecting an operating point of the sensor 2 of FIG.

5 is a block diagram showing an internal electrical configuration of the television receiver 3 of FIG.

6 is a flowchart showing a processing example of the television receiver 3 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example in step S2 of FIG.

8 is a flowchart showing a processing example of television setting processing in step S8 of FIG.

9 is a diagram showing a display example in step S21 of FIG.

10 is a flowchart showing a processing example of VCR setting processing in step S10 of FIG.

11 is a diagram showing a display example in step S41 of FIG.

12 is a flowchart showing another processing example of the television receiver 3 of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example in step S82 of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a processing example of television setting processing in step S88 of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a display example in step S101 of FIG.

16 is a flowchart showing a processing example of VCR setting processing in step S90 of FIG.

17 is a diagram showing a display example in step S131 of FIG.

[Description of Codes] 1 Remote Commander 2 Sensor 3 Television Receiver 4 Display 5 Cursor 6 VCR 7 Operating Range 21 Scanning Circuit 22 RS-232C Encoder 23 FM Transmitter 24, 30 Antenna 31 FM Receiver 32 RS-232C Decoder 35 TV Tuner 36 Superimpose circuit 37 Volume control circuit 38 NTSC encoder 40 VCR interface 41 CPU 42 ROM 43 RAM

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An input device for inputting to perform an operation of an icon to a processing device that performs a process corresponding to an operation of an icon displayed in a predetermined operation range, which comprises: An operating means for operating an arbitrary position; a detecting means for detecting an operating position of the operating means; and an outputting means for outputting a detection result of the detecting means as a remote control signal. The input device is characterized in that the shape is similar to the shape of the predetermined operation range. 2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects absolute coordinates of an operation position of the operation unit. 3. A processing device for performing processing in response to a remote control signal input from an input device having an operation means for operating an arbitrary position on an operation surface, wherein an icon is displayed in a predetermined operation range. Display means for displaying, receiving means for receiving the remote control signal, and from the remote control signal received by the receiving means,
Extraction means for extracting the operation position of the operation means, and a determination for determining whether the operation position of the operation means extracted by the extraction means corresponds to the display position of the icon displayed on the display means Means, and an executing means for executing a predetermined process corresponding to the determination result of the determination means, the display means, in the predetermined operation range of the shape similar to the shape of the operation surface of the operating means, A processing device characterized by displaying an icon. 4. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display unit emphasizes and displays the predetermined operation range. 5. The processing device according to claim 3, wherein the display unit displays a cursor at a position corresponding to an operation position of the operation unit within the predetermined operation range. 6. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display unit changes a display state of the icon displayed at a position corresponding to an operation position of the operation unit. 7. A remote control system comprising: a processing device that performs processing in response to a remote control signal; and an input device that inputs the remote control signal to the processing device, wherein the input device is an operation surface. And a processing unit for operating an arbitrary position, a detection unit for detecting an operation position of the operation unit, and an output unit for outputting a detection result of the detection unit as a remote control signal. A display means for displaying an icon in a predetermined operation range, a receiving means for receiving a remote control signal from the output means, and a remote control signal received by the receiving means,
Extraction means for extracting the operation position of the operation means, and a determination for determining whether the operation position of the operation means extracted by the extraction means corresponds to the display position of the icon displayed on the display means Means and an executing means for executing a predetermined process corresponding to the determination result of the determination means, wherein the shape of the operation surface of the operation means and the shape of the predetermined operation range are similar to each other. Characteristic remote control system. 8. The remote control system according to claim 7, wherein the detection means detects absolute coordinates of an operation position of the operation means. 9. The remote control system according to claim 7, wherein the display unit emphasizes and displays the predetermined operation range. 10. The remote control system according to claim 7, wherein the display unit displays a cursor at a position corresponding to an operation position of the operation unit within the predetermined operation range. 11. The remote control system according to claim 7, wherein the display unit changes a display state of the icon displayed at a position corresponding to an operation position of the operation unit.