JPH09224293A - Remote control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily select an operation object device by the remote controller and to set a remote control operation environment in matching with the device. SOLUTION: In the remote control system consisting of a remote controller 1 and one or plural kinds of devices, the device stores specific control information consisting of an ID code specific to the device, all control signals required for remote control and display data for operation guide in a storage section and is provided with a transmission processing means sending altogether the stored control information in response to a transmission request signal sent from the remote, controller. The remote controller 1 sends the transmission request signal of control information by each of infrared ray emitting elements 11-13 and receives the control information sent from the device altogether through an infrared ray receiving element 14 and stores it to control information fields 21b, 21c... of a storage section 21.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wireless remote control device for bidirectionally transmitting and receiving a signal to and from a device to be operated using infrared light, radio waves, etc. The present invention relates to a remote control system composed of various types of devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A remote control device capable of operating a plurality of types of equipment must be provided with means for selecting the equipment to be operated. As such a device selecting means, a method of switching a switch on a remote control device to make a selection, or a method of selecting from a displayed menu is general.

In such a selection method, there is a method in which only the devices that can communicate with the remote control device are displayed in the menu on the remote control device so that the options are narrowed down to the available devices (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-335069). Issue).
Further, there is also one in which operated devices are connected to each other by a signal line and a priority of remote control is set between the devices (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-2).
45275).

There is a technique known as a learning remote controller as a means for applying one remote controller to the operation of various devices. This learning remote control device can perform the function of any remote control device by receiving a learning function, that is, receiving and storing a signal from another remote control device and reproducing and outputting the signal.

In addition to this, there is also a system in which the function selection menu is transmitted from the operated device to the remote control device, and the selection result of the menu is transmitted from the remote control device to the operated device (JP-A-2-280597). Gazette).

[0006]

However, in the method of selecting a remote control operation target device in the prior art, the switches and menu display contents of the remote control device and the actual device are often not intuitively connected, and thus the selection is not performed. In this case, it may be confusing as to which device the operation target is.

For example, there are two VCRs, and the menu display of the remote control device is "VTR1",
"VTR2" is displayed, but there was a problem that it was not immediately known which VCR was VTR1 (or VTR2).

Further, the learning remote control device in the prior art has a problem in that all the signals corresponding to each key operation have to be stored in advance, which is troublesome. There is also a problem that the number of devices that can be supported is limited depending on the storage capacity.

However, the problem concerning the storage capacity can be solved by adopting the menu selection method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 280597/1990.

In this menu selection method, the device ID code and the remote control device ID are exchanged between the device and the remote control device.
By transmitting and receiving data such as codes and user ID codes, each other is recognized, and the information required at that time is displayed on the remote control device side, thereby transmitting control signals from the remote control device to the device. Is possible.

However, when this menu selection method is adopted, unless the amount of data transferred from the device to the remote control device is sufficiently reduced to shorten the communication time, it takes time to display the menu and the operability of the remote control device is poor. A new problem arises.

Therefore, considering the operability, the number of items in the menu cannot be increased too much. This means that the remote control device may not support all the functions of the device.

Although this problem can be solved by dividing the menu into a plurality of menus, there is a problem in that the procedure of switching a plurality of menus is required and the operation becomes complicated. Also, due to the limitation of the amount of data to the remote control device, there is a problem that dot images cannot be used for menu display and only characters are displayed, resulting in poor clarity.

The present invention was devised to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a remote control control system capable of easily selecting a device to be operated by a remote control device and setting a remote control operation environment according to the device. To provide.

[0015]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the remote control system according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises:
One remote control device having a transmission unit, a reception unit, a storage unit, a display unit and a key operation unit, and a remote control device having a transmission unit, a reception unit, a storage unit, a display unit and a key operation unit. In the system including one or a plurality of types of devices, the device stores unique control information including a device-specific ID code, all control signals required for remote operation, and display data for operation guidance in the storage unit. In addition to storing the stored control information, the remote control device includes a transmission processing unit that collectively transmits the stored control information from the transmission unit in response to a transmission request signal transmitted from the remote control device. A transmission processing unit that transmits a transmission request signal from the transmission unit, and a storage processing unit that collectively receives the control information transmitted from the device by the reception unit and stores the control information in the storage unit. It is those with a door.

A remote control control system according to a second aspect of the present invention is the remote control control system according to the first aspect, wherein the remote control device is provided with a device selection switch, and a device selection operation is performed by operating the device selection switch. At this time, if the received ID code does not match any of the ID codes stored in the storage unit, the transmission processing unit transmits a control information transmission request signal to the device, and the storage processing unit It has a learning function of collectively receiving the control information transmitted from the device and storing it in the storage unit.

A remote control control system according to a third aspect of the present invention is the remote control control system according to the first or second aspect, wherein the remote control device counts the operation frequency of the device and stores the count value for each device. A storage unit is provided,
If the storage capacity is insufficient when storing new control information in the storage unit, the control information of the device with the smallest count value stored in the count value storage unit is deleted, and New control information is stored in the deletion area.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 and 3 are an electrical configuration diagram and an external perspective view of a remote control device 1 which constitutes a remote control control system of the present invention.

1 and 3, the remote controller 1
Are three infrared light emitting elements 11, 12, 13, one infrared light receiving element 14, one aiming LED 15, a touch keypad / display unit 16, a device selection switch 17, a learning switch 18, a reset switch 19, It is composed of a control unit 20 and a storage unit 21 that control the operation of the entire apparatus.

Three infrared light emitting elements 11, 12, 13
Have different directions for transmitting signals, and the main infrared light emitting element 11 located at the center is slightly forward and downward,
The right infrared light emitting element 12 is arranged slightly to the right front and the left outside seat light emitting element 13 is arranged slightly to the left front and slightly downward to transmit an infrared signal.

The signals output from the infrared light emitting elements 11, 12, and 13 during the device selection operation are signals obtained by adding information indicating from which device the response request signal to the device is output. These signals are transmitted in a time division manner to prevent interference. At this time, L for aiming
The ED15 is turned on to irradiate the spot to the front so that the device can be easily aimed.

On the other hand, all the infrared light emitting elements 11, 12 and 13 transmit the same signal except when the device selection operation is performed, and transmit the signal over a wide range.

The infrared light receiving element 14 receives the control information transmitted from the device and necessary for operating the device. The control information includes an ID code unique to the device, operation data corresponding to each key input on the keypad, display data on the touch keypad / display unit 16 (these will be described later).

The touch keypad / display section 16 is formed by stacking a transparent touch keypad 16a on a liquid crystal display device 16b, and the touch keypad 16a shown in FIG.
Eight touch keys are provided.

The operation contents of each touch key are displayed on the liquid crystal display device 16b. Specific examples thereof are shown in FIGS.

In the present embodiment, the display contents are up to 4 pages per device, and the function of the touch key is different for each device. These pages can be switched by operating touch keys.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are displays for operating a certain video deck. Normally, operations such as recording and reproduction are performed with the display contents shown in FIG. Then, when this display is displayed, the timer reservation key (the second “SET” key from the bottom left) 1
When 6a-1 is touched, the timer reservation display shown in FIG. 6 is displayed so that timer reservation can be performed. Further, when the end key (upper right "EXIT" key) 16a-2 is touched in this display content, the display content of FIG. 5 is returned again. In this way, the user can perform a desired operation by operating the touch key while viewing the display shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The storage unit 21 is composed of a non-volatile memory. The operation target ID field 21a of the storage unit 21 stores the ID code of the device to be operated. In addition, each control information field 21b, 21c
.. stores control information regarding each device operated by the remote control device 1.

The contents of the control information are the ID code of the device, the operation data, the display data, the operation count data, the frequency ranking data and the like. In the present embodiment, the coefficient value storage unit according to claim 3 has the control information fields 21b, 21c.
.. is an area for storing operation frequency data.

The operation data describes the operation according to the operation of the touch keypad 16a, and an example of the configuration is shown in FIG. That is, 48 for every four display pages
The operation data corresponding to each touch key is stored.

A part of the data is the instruction content, and stores the device operation instruction when the operation corresponding to the touch key is the device operation and the display switching instruction when the operation corresponding to the display page is switched.

Then, if the stored instruction content is a device operation instruction, a signal for transmission is stored in the remaining data portion, and if the stored instruction content is a display switching instruction, the remaining data is stored. The page number is stored in the data part.

The display data is a pattern to be displayed on the touch keypad / display section 16, and as shown in FIG. 8, display pattern data for four pages is stored.

The frequency ranking data is ranking data of the usage frequency of each device, and is 1, 2, 3 ... In descending order of the usage frequency of each device. For ranking, the usage count data is stored for each device,
Each time a device is operated a certain number of times or more, the frequency rank of the device is increased by 1 (that is, the device having a higher frequency rank is replaced).

The control unit 20 executes the device selection operation while the device selection switch 17 is being pressed, and the device selection switch 1
The device that is the operation target when 7 is released is determined as the operation target device. If the determined control information of the operation target device is not stored in the storage unit 21, the learning routine is subsequently executed.

The control unit 20 also executes the learning routine when the learning switch 18 is pressed.

When executing the learning routine, the storage unit 21
If the free area is insufficient, the control information of the device having the lowest frequency rank (the frequency rank data is the maximum value) is deleted to secure the free area.

Further, the control unit 20 includes the reset switch 1
When 9 is pressed, the storage unit 21 is initialized.

The transmission processing means according to claim 1 is 3
This is realized by the individual infrared light emitting elements 11, 12, 13 and the control unit 20, and the storage processing means is realized by the single infrared light receiving element 14 and the control unit 20.

2 and 4 are an electrical configuration diagram and an external perspective view of one device (video deck) 3 that constitutes the remote control system of the present invention.

In FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the remote control interface of the device 3 includes three infrared light receiving elements 31, 3
2, 33, one infrared light emitting element 34, remote control I / F
The control unit 35, the direction detection logic 36, the ROM 37, and the control unit 38 that controls the operation of the entire device are configured.

The ROM 37 stores control information including ID data, operation data, and display data.

Three infrared light receiving elements 31, 32, 33
Have different directions for receiving signals, and the main infrared light receiving element 31 located at the center is located slightly forward and downward,
The right infrared light receiving element 32 is arranged right front slightly downward, and the left infrared light receiving element 33 is arranged left front slightly downward so as to receive an infrared signal.

Then, these infrared receiving elements 31, 3
2, 33 are the infrared light emitting elements 11 of the remote control device 1,
When the three types of response request signals transmitted from the remote control devices 1 and 2 are received, the direction detection logic 36 receives the signals from the remote control device 1 based on the input levels of the signals received by the infrared light receiving elements 31, 32 and 33. It is determined whether the signal is directed to the device 3.

Various determinations have been made in the past as to whether or not the signal from the remote control device 1 is directed to the device 3, so a detailed description of the determination method will be omitted here.

When it is determined that the signal from the remote control device 1 is directed to the device 3, the infrared light emitting element 34 transmits the ID code stored in the ROM 37. This ID code is unique to the device 3, and is different for each set even in the same product, and is used by the remote control device 1 to identify the partner device.

In the remote controller I / F control unit 35, any one of the infrared ray receiving elements 31, 32, 33 is connected to the remote controller unit 1.
If the ID code included in the signal is the same as the ID code stored in the ROM 37 when the control information transmission request signal is received from the ROM 37, the control information stored in the ROM 37, that is, the ID code, The operation data and the display data are transmitted from the infrared light emitting element 34.

Further, the remote controller I / F control section 35 sends the control information stored in the ROM 37 to the infrared light emitting element 34 even when the ID code is not included in the transmission request signal of the control information from the remote controller 1. Send from However, in the control information transmission request signal, an ID not belonging to the device 3
When the code is included, the control information is not transmitted.

That is, in the case of a control information transmission request signal for the device 3 itself or a control information transmission request signal of unspecified (no ID code), the control information stored in the ROM 37 is transmitted. If the signal is a control information transmission request signal to another device, the control information stored in the ROM 37 is not transmitted.

When any of the infrared ray receiving elements 31, 32 and 33 receives a control signal including the ID code of the device 3 from the remote control device 1, the device control section 38 instructs the signal. Based on the above, the device operation such as power on / off is controlled.

The transmission processing means according to claim 1 is 1
It is realized by the individual infrared light emitting elements 34 and the remote control I / F control unit 35.

Next, the operation of the remote control device 1 in the remote control control system configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

At the time of starting immediately after the power source is inserted or immediately after the reset switch 19 is pressed, the initialization procedure (steps S1 to S1) is performed.
Execute step S4).

That is, the storage unit 21 is initialized (step S1), and learning is performed so that at least one device can be operated (steps S2 to S4). After that, the touch keypad 16a and the switches 17, 18,
The process branches depending on the input content of 19 (step S
5).

That is, when any key of the touch keypad 16a is pressed, a normal device operation routine is executed (step S6), and when the device selection switch 17 is pressed, the device to be operated is operated. The selection routine is executed (step S7), and when the learning switch 18 is pressed, the learning routine is executed (step S8).

FIG. 10 shows a device operation routine (step S
6) is a flowchart of the device selection routine (step S7), and FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the learning routine (step S8).

That is, in the device operation routine, the control information having the ID code that matches the operation target ID code stored in the operation target ID field 21a of the storage unit 21 is selected, and the selected control information is selected by the touched key. The middle operation data is selected (step S11). And
The process branches depending on the instruction content of the operation data (step S12).

If the instruction content is a device operation instruction, the ID code of the operation target device and the transmission signal in the operation data are transmitted from each infrared light emitting element 11, 12, 13 (step S13), and if it is a display switching instruction. For example, the page designated by the operation data is selected from the display data and displayed (step S18).

After these processes, the operation count data of the operation target device stored in the storage unit 21 is incremented (step S14), and it is checked whether or not it has reached a predetermined value (step S15).

When the number of operations reaches the predetermined value, the number of operations is reset to 0 (step S16) and the frequency rank data of the operation target device is advanced by 1 (step S1).
7) Return to the main routine. In other cases, the process returns to the main routine without executing steps S17 and S18.

In the device selection routine, first the aiming LED
15 is turned on (step S21), time-division transmission of response request signals is started from the infrared light emitting elements 11, 12, and 13 (step S22), and polling of the ID code signal input from the device to the infrared light receiving element 14 is performed. Start (step S23).

In this state, the device selection switch 17
If is turned off (step S24), LE for aiming
Turn off D15, stop sending the response request signal, and
The code polling ends (step S25). Then, it is confirmed whether the ID code is actually received (step S26), and if the ID code is not received, the process returns to the main routine.

That is, in step S26, the ID
If the device selection switch 17 is turned off before the code is received, the device selection is stopped.

On the other hand, if the ID code is received in step S26, whether the last received ID code is already stored in any of the control information,
That is, it is determined whether or not the control information of the selected device has been learned (step S27), and if it has been learned, the operation target device is switched based on the received ID code (step S28).

If not learned, the ID of the selected device
After transmitting the code (step S29), the learning routine is called (step S30). That is, the learning is performed by focusing on the selected device. Then, after the completion of these procedures, the process returns to the main routine.

In the learning routine, a message indicating that the remote control device 1 is learning is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 16b (step S31). Then, it is confirmed whether or not there is a free area for newly storing the control information in the storage unit 21 (step S32). If the free area is insufficient, the frequency ranking among the control information already stored is determined. The one set to the lowest is erased to secure a free area (step S33).

After that, the control unit 20 transmits a control information transmission request signal from each of the infrared light emitting elements 11, 12, and 13 (step S34). When the infrared light receiving element 14 receives the control information from the device, the control information is stored in the empty area of the storage unit 21 (step S35).

Next, the control unit 20 sets the frequency rank of the device which has newly learned the control information to the highest rank and sets the number of times of use to 0 (step S36). Further, in order to select the device for which control information has been newly learned as the operation target, the ID code of the device that received the control information is stored in the operation target ID field 21a, and the first page of the display data of the control information is displayed. (Step S37).

After the completion of these procedures, the process returns to the main routine.

Next, the operation of the device 3 in the remote control control system having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The device 3 includes infrared light receiving elements 31, 32, 3
3 is in a signal input waiting state (step S41). When a signal is received, the process branches according to the type (step S42).

That is, if the response request signal is received, a response operation is performed (steps S43 and S44), and if the control information transmission request signal is received, a learning response operation is performed (step S4).
5, S46), if it is a general remote control signal, device control is performed (steps S47, S48), respectively, and the process returns to the main routine.

In the response operation, the direction detection logic 36 determines whether or not the response request signal is directed to the device 3 (step S43). If the signal is directed to the device 3, it is stored in the ROM 37. The corresponding ID code is transmitted from the infrared light emitting element 34 (step S44).

In the learning operation, the ID code included in the transmission request signal of the received control information is confirmed (step S
45), if the ID code in the signal matches the ID code of the device 3 or if the signal does not include the ID code, the infrared light emitting element 34 transmits the control information stored in the ROM 37 (step S46). .

In the device control, the ID code included in the received control signal is confirmed (step S47), and the I code of the device 3 is checked.
If it coincides with the D code, the operation of the device 3, for example, turning on / off of the power source is controlled via the device control unit 38 (step S48).

[0077]

The remote control system according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises one remote control device and one or more kinds of equipment, and the equipment includes an ID code unique to the equipment and all necessary remote controls. Unique control information consisting of control signals and display data for operation guidance is stored in the storage unit, and the stored control information is collected by the transmission unit in response to a transmission request signal transmitted from the remote control device. The remote control device includes a transmission processing unit for transmitting, and the remote control device transmits the control information transmission request signal from the transmission unit, and the control information transmitted from the device is collectively received by the reception unit and stored in the storage unit. Since the configuration including the storage processing means is performed, the device operations for the remote control device are learned in a lump, so that one signal corresponding to each key operation is provided.
You can save the trouble of remembering. Moreover, since the number of items in the menu can be set to a sufficiently large number, it is possible to provide a menu display that is easy to understand with graphics.

Further, in the remote control control system according to the second aspect of the present invention, the remote control device is provided with a device selection switch, and the received ID code is stored in the storage unit when the device is selected by operating the device selection switch. If the ID code does not match any of the stored ID codes, the transmission processing unit transmits a control information transmission request signal to the device, and the storage processing unit collectively receives and stores the control information transmitted from the device. Since the configuration is provided with a learning function that is stored in the control unit, when trying to operate a device that does not store control information in the storage unit of the remote control device, the control information is automatically registered (stored in the storage unit). As a result, the device selected as the operation target does not become inoperable.

Further, in the remote controller control system according to the third aspect of the present invention, the remote controller is provided with a count value storage unit for counting the operation frequency of the device and storing the count value for each device, and new control information is stored in the storage unit. When the storable capacity is insufficient when storing, the control information of the device with the smallest count value stored in the count value storage unit is deleted, and new control information is stored in the deleted area. With this configuration, since the storage area for newly storing the control information is always secured, the target device that can be operated by one remote control device is not limited.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a remote control device that constitutes a remote control control system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a device that constitutes the remote control system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a remote control device that constitutes the remote control control system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of a device that constitutes the remote control system of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating an operation content of each touch key displayed on the liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating an operation content of each touch key displayed on the liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a storage state of operation data.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a storage state of display data.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart (main routine) for explaining the operation of the remote control device.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart (apparatus operation routine) for explaining the operation of the remote control device.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart (device selection routine) for explaining the operation of the remote control device.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart (learning routine) for explaining the operation of the remote control device.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the controlled device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Remote control device 3 Equipment 11-13, 34 Infrared light emitting element 14, 31-33 Infrared light receiving element 16 Touch keypad / display section 17 Equipment selection switch 18 Learning switch 20 Control section 21 Storage section 35 Remote control I / F control section 37 ROM

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A remote controller having a transmitter, a receiver, a memory, a display and a key operation unit, and a remote controller having a transmitter, a receiver, a memory, a display and a key operation unit. In a remote control control system consisting of one or a plurality of types of devices that are remotely controlled by the device, the device is a unique device including an ID code unique to the device, all control signals necessary for remote operation, and display data for operation guidance. The remote controller further includes control information stored in the storage unit, and transmission processing means for collectively transmitting the stored control information from the transmission unit in response to a transmission request signal transmitted from the remote control device. The device includes a transmission processing unit that transmits a transmission request signal of the control information from the transmission unit, and the control information transmitted from the device is collectively received by the reception unit. Remote control system is characterized in that a storage processing unit that stores the 憶部. 2. The remote control device is provided with a device selection switch, and when the received ID code does not match any of the ID codes stored in the storage unit when the device selection operation is performed by operating the device selection switch. Has a learning function of transmitting a control information transmission request signal to the device by the transmission processing means, and collectively receiving the control information transmitted from the device by the storage processing means and storing the control information in a storage unit. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein 3. The remote control device is provided with a count value storage unit that counts the operation frequency of the device and stores the count value for each device.
If the storage capacity is insufficient when storing new control information in the storage unit, the control information of the device with the smallest count value stored in the count value storage unit is deleted, and 3. The remote control control system according to claim 1, wherein new control information is stored in the deletion area.