JPH0879864A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a remote controller which can be handled conveniently and can prevent its presence from becoming obscure by forming the controller in a specific size and shape so that the user of the controller may easily hold and grasp in his hand. CONSTITUTION: A remote commander 10 is formed in such a way that the width of the commander 10 becomes broader as going toward its upper end 12 and narrower as going toward its bottom end 14. Since the commander 10 is formed in such a shape, the user of the commander 10 can easily grasp the commander 10. In addition, since the commander 10 has a flat bottom face, the remote commander 10 can be put on a flat surface 16 in an upright state. The flat bottom section can be attached rotatably to the main body of the commander 10 so that the bottom section may be non-rotated and may function as a function selecting switch. The function selecting switch 32 allows the selection of a device to be controlled and, when a numeric key pad 22 is operated by the user, a signal to be transmitted is decided. Thus an appropriate control signal is transmitted to the device to be controlled.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to a remote control device, and more particularly to a universal remote control device having a special shape that can be easily grasped by a user's hand and for controlling various electronic devices. Regarding Commander.

[0002]

2. Description of the Prior Art Almost all electronic devices on the market today include a remote control device. Such remote control devices are generally all different,
Typically, a particular remote control device is used only for its own electronic device. Such remote control devices are often used for their lifetime, but replacement with older devices is somewhat difficult.

In addition, electronic equipment is generally becoming more and more complex, and remote control devices use more switches and buttons operated by the user of the device. Further, the remote control device is more complicated, and its size and shape are inconvenient to handle.
In general, remote control devices use long flat rectangular housings, which are somewhat inconvenient to use and unclear in location because they are flat and easily covered by newspapers and the like.

Thus, conventional remote control devices are often difficult to grasp, their location is easily unknown, and they are overly complicated due to the large number of elements operated by the user. There is.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a universal remote commander device for controlling electronic equipment which is capable of obviating the above mentioned drawbacks peculiar to the prior art. .

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a remote commander device having a size and shape that can be easily held and grasped by the user's hand.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a remote commander device having a function selection switch for selecting one of a plurality of electronic devices to be controlled by the remote commander device.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a remote commander device having a generally simplified keypad and capable of controlling various electronic devices by a function selection switch. is there.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a special V-shaped housing which has a vertical cross section in one longitudinal section which is wider at the upper end than at the bottom. In the cross section, the upper end is narrower than the bottom. This results in a generally cylindrical shape that should be more easily held and manipulated by the user as compared to a flat housing.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an elongated cylindrical remote commander device having a flat bottom surface that can be placed upright on a flat surface. By adopting such a shape, it is possible to provide a special stand having a recess for receiving the flat bottom surface of the remote commander device.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device having a generally flat bottom surface into which a rotatable knob or select switch can be incorporated.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings,
The same or similar elements are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0013]

According to the present invention, in a remote control device for controlling the operation of an electronic device, the remote control device has a shape and dimensions for being gripped by a user's hand, and the shape has a first shape. In the cross section, the upper end is wider than the lower end, and in the second cross section orthogonal to the first cross section, the upper end is narrower than the lower end in the second cross section. Has a flat bottom,
Thereby that the body element can be placed upright on a flat surface and that it is placed on the body element,
A keypad having a plurality of switches actuated by a user, a selection switch arranged on the body element for selecting a function of an electronic device to be controlled, and actuation of one of the plurality of switches of the keypad. And a control signal transmission device for transmitting a control signal to an electronic device to be controlled in response to the control signal.

[0014]

In the V-shaped housing of the remote control device, the upper end is wider than the bottom in one longitudinal section, and the upper end is narrower than the bottom in the vertical section orthogonal thereto. This results in a generally cylindrical shape that should be more easily held and manipulated by the user as compared to a flat housing.

The remote commander device is an elongated cylindrical shape having a flat bottom surface that can be placed upright on a flat surface. By adopting such a shape, it is possible to provide a special stand having a recess for receiving the flat bottom surface of the remote commander device.

The remote control device has a generally flat bottom surface into which a rotatable knob or select switch can be incorporated.

[0017]

1 illustrates a remote commander 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and more particularly, the shape of such a remote commander is shown to be wide at the top 12 and narrow at the bottom 14. ing. With such a shape, the remote commander 10 can be easily gripped by the user's hand. Further, the remote commander 10 is placed on the flat surface 16 and can be placed upright. Therefore, the flat bottom surface 20 of the remote commander 10 is an important feature of the present invention. Further, as shown in FIG.
The flat bottom may be rotatably mounted on the body, whereby the bottom is rotated and acts as a function select switch or, for example when operating a video tape recorder, as a jug switch.

Therefore, the arrangement of the keypads is restricted in consideration of the special shape of the remote commander 10. In particular,
The standard numeric keypad 22 is located along with other keys that control the videotape recorder, such as stop, play, fast forward and pause keys 24. By making the upper part 12 of the remote commander 10 wider than the lower part 14, the keys to be arranged as a group are arranged in a large area of the device to be grasped by the hand, and the keys which do not need to be arranged as a group, that is, 1 or 2 The keys, which are independent switches of, are placed in a smaller area. In particular, the increasing / decreasing volume switch 26 and the increasing / decreasing channel selection switch 28 are disposed in the lower portion 14 which is a narrow area. Further, the muting and recall switch 30 is arranged below the volume and channel selection switches 26 and 28.

The function selection switch 32 is arranged in the form of a slide switch in this example, which allows the user to select a VCR, cable or TV. As mentioned above, such a slide switch is shown in FIG.
It can be incorporated as a rotary switch at the bottom of the universal remote commander, as shown in.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the remote commander 10. The remote commander has an upper region 40 and a lower region 42.
It has been shown to be narrower, and as will be apparent with reference to FIG. 1 in combination, the two sides in each of the two orthogonal cross sections are inclined opposite to each other so that, by the hand of the user, While not strictly cylindrical, it will be clear that the device feels generally cylindrical.

FIG. 3 shows a remote commander 10 that uses a combination of bases or stands 50. A recess 52 is formed in the upper portion of the base, and the recess 52 is configured to receive the lower end 54 of the remote commander 10, thereby placing the device in an upright position.

FIG. 4 shows details of the base 50, in particular 3
Two of one or more upwardly projecting ribs 60, 62 are shown, such ribs 60, 62 cooperating with the outer surface of the lower end 54 of the remote commander.

The ribs 60, 62 ensure that the remote commander 10 is securely attached to the base 50 and held upright.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the selection switch is arranged inside the main body 70 of the remote commander 72, and the lower end portion 74 thereof is rotatably attached to the main body 70. Thus, the rotation of the lower end portion 74 causes the selection switch (not shown) to rotate inside the main body 70, and the function of the remote commander 72 is selected. A display 76 is provided in combination with the mark 78 on the lower end 74 to indicate to the user the selected function.

The remote commander 10 is a general-purpose device, that is,
It is intended to be a device capable of operating various devices and equipment manufactured by various manufacturers. Therefore, the remote commander is equipped with a storage device, which stores instruction protocols for various devices and equipment manufactured by various manufacturers. More specifically, FIG. 6 shows the electronic circuitry provided in the universal or universal remote commander 10, 72, which is provided with a programmable fixed storage device (ROM) 80, which storage device is It contains all of the above protocol information. The central processing unit (CPU) 82 includes a function switch 84 and a keypad 8.
6 translates the protocol based on the input signal from 6 to generate a command signal, which command signal is fed via line 88 to an infrared transmitter 90, which is suitable for infrared radiation. Control command signal to the television,
The data is transmitted to the VCR, the cable device, etc. 92. The function switch 84 allows selection of the device to be controlled, as described above, and when the keypad 86 is activated by the user, the signal to be transmitted is determined. Such a remote commander 10 typically has a power switch 94, which turns on / off the device being controlled.
Control the off state.

As is well known, the central processing unit 82 and the infrared transmitter 90 are powered by a battery 96,
The present invention contemplates illuminated keypads 86, which are also connected to battery 96. The keypad 86 may be illuminated, for example, by a light source located behind a transparent plastic key.

Although the specific preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, the scope and spirit thereof defined by the claims. It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that various other configurations can be used without departing from the above.

[0028]

The remote commander device of the present invention has the advantage of providing a generally cylindrical shape which should be more easily held and manipulated by the user as compared to a flat housing.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage that it is possible to provide an elongated cylindrical remote commander device having a flat bottom surface that can be placed upright on a flat surface.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage that a special stand having a recess for receiving the flat bottom surface of the remote commander device can be provided.

According to the present invention, there is the advantage of being able to provide a remote control device having a generally flat bottom surface into which a rotatable knob or selection switch can be incorporated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front front view of a remote commander device according to an example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the remote commander device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the remote commander device of FIG. 1 placed on a stand used to hold it in an upright position.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional elevation view of the base used in the example of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a remote commander device according to another example of the present invention, showing a remote commander device having a rotation-based function switch.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of the remote commander device of FIGS. 1 and 5.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Remote Commander Device 12 Upper 14 Lower 16 Flat Surface 20 Flat Bottom 22 Numeric Keypad 24 Keys 26, 28 Volume and Channel Selector Switch 30 Muting and Recall Switch 32 Function Selector Switch 40 Upper Area 42 Lower Area 50 Base or Stand 52 Recessed portion 54 Lower end portion 60, 62 Rib 70 Main body 72 Remote commander device 74 Rotating portion 76 Display 78 Mark 80 ROM 82 CPU 84 Function switch 86 Keypad 88 wire 90 Infrared transmitter 92 TV, VCR, cable 94 Power switch 96 Battery

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A remote control device for controlling the operation of an electronic device, wherein the remote control device has a shape and dimensions for being gripped by a user's hand, and the shape has a wider upper end than a lower end in the first cross section. A body element configured such that the upper end is narrower in width than the lower end in a second cross section orthogonal to the first cross section, and the main body element has a flat bottom at the lower end, The body element may be placed upright on a flat surface, the keypad having a plurality of switches arranged on the body element and operated by a user, and the function of the electronic device to be controlled. A select switch disposed on the body element for selection and a control for transmitting a control signal to an electronic device to be controlled in response to actuation of one of the plurality of switches of the keypad. Remote control device comprising a signal transmission apparatus. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, further comprising a stand element, the stand element having a flat lower surface and a recess formed in an upper surface thereof, the recess being the body element. A remote control device configured to receive the flat bottom of the. 3. The remote control device according to claim 2, wherein the stand element has a plurality of protruding ribs formed in the recess, the ribs engaging an outer surface of the lower end of the body element. A remote control device characterized by being configured to. 4. The remote control device according to claim 1, further comprising an illuminating device for illuminating the keypad, wherein the illuminating device is arranged inside the main body element. apparatus. 5. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the flat bottom is rotatably mounted to the body element, and the selection switch rotates the flat bottom with respect to the body element. A remote control device characterized in that it is configured to be operated by.