JPH09322278A - Remote controller and its display method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the remote controller and its display method by which convenience is enhanced by overcoming the complicatedness that the remote controller is designed as a separate unit from a controlled device and inconvenience that a display direction of a display section is constant. SOLUTION: The remote controller is designed so that a front panel 2 of a set body 1 is separated and used as an integrated device and separated devices. In the case of using the set body 1 as it is, the front panel 2 is used for the front panel of the set body 1. When the set body 1 is used for remote control, the front panel 2 is removed from the set body 1 and the set body 1 is controlled remotely as the remote controller. Thus, the remote controller is reduced for the cost and the complicatedness is eliminated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control device (hereinafter simply referred to as a "remote control device") used for controlled devices such as on-vehicle electronic devices (car navigation, car audio, etc.) and television receivers. ) And its display method, and more particularly, to a remote control device and its display method that improve convenience by using the front panel of the remote control device also as the remote control device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, AV devices such as in-vehicle electronic devices and television receivers have come to be used not only in air conditioners and lighting devices but also in remote control devices, which has improved convenience for users. . This remote control device is very convenient because it can be turned on / off, tuned in, and adjusted in volume, etc., apart from a controlled device such as an on-vehicle electronic device. On the other hand, the remote control device is generally provided as a separate body from the controlled device, and there has not been a remote control device having a front panel of the controlled device detached from it. Also, the display direction of the display unit of this remote control device is previously determined to be one direction,
In particular, when trying to perform an instantaneous operation with an on-vehicle electronic device, the remote control device has to be held again in accordance with the display direction of the display section, which is inconvenient.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to eliminate the complexity of the remote control device being provided separately from the controlled device. is there. Another object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device and a display method thereof, in which the inconvenience that the display direction of the display unit of the remote control device is previously determined to be one direction is eliminated to improve convenience. That is.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the present invention, the following means have been taken. That is, as a basic configuration of the remote control device of the first invention, a controlled device (set body), a front panel detachably attached to the controlled device, and a detection means for detecting a detached state of the front panel. Based on the detection result of the detection means, when the front panel is attached, it is used as it is as the front panel of the controlled device, and when it is attached or detached, the control device is controlled to be used as a remote control device for wirelessly remotely controlling the controlled device. Equipped with.

According to the remote control device of the first invention, since the front panel of the controlled device can be used also as the remote control device, the controlled device and the remote control device can be integrally formed, The cost of the remote control device can be reduced. At the same time, the complexity of providing a remote control device separately can be eliminated. In particular, when the present invention is applied to a remote control device used in a narrow place such as a vehicle-mounted electronic device, it is convenient because it can be used largely when used and can be compactly housed when not used.

Further, in the remote control device having the controlled device (set main body) of the second invention, the remote control main body for remotely controlling the controlled device, and the display section provided in the remote control main body, use of the remote control main body The detection means for detecting the state and the control means for controlling the display direction of the display section based on the detection result of the detection means are included.

The display method of the remote control device of the present invention is performed by the following display method. That is, in a display method of a remote control device having a controlled device, a remote control main body for remotely controlling the controlled device, and a display unit provided in the remote control main body, a usage state of the remote control main body (for example, vertical / horizontal usage state) ) Is detected, and based on the detection result of the detection step, the remote controller body is in any usage state (vertical / horizontal),
Direction that makes it easy to see the display direction of the display (optimal display direction)
And the control process including the control process. This allows
The visibility of the display unit in the remote control device can be improved, and even when the remote control device is changed, it can be used without changing the visual direction, so that the operability of the remote control device is improved.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment 1 Embodiment 1 of the remote control device and its display method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

First, the outline of the remote control device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1A and 1B are views showing a first embodiment of a remote control device of the present invention, FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a set body, and FIG. 1B is a state in which a front panel of the set body is used as a remote control device. It is a perspective view shown.

In the remote control device of this embodiment, the front panel 2 of the set body 1 is separable so that the front panel and the remote control device are combined. That is, when the set body 1 is used as it is, the front panel 2 is used as the front panel of the set body 1 as shown in FIG.

When the set body 1 is used by remote control, as shown in FIG. 1B, the front panel 2 is detached from the set body 1 and the set body 1 is remotely operated as a remote control device. At this time, the state in which the front panel 2 is detached from the set body 1 is detected by the detecting means 3 described later.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, a description will be given of the main part of the circuit configuration of the remote control device relating to the first embodiment and the second embodiment to be described later. FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram showing the configuration of the remote control device of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the circuit configuration of the remote control device of the present invention comprises a detection means 3 for detecting the usage state of the remote control device, a microprocessor 4 as a control means for analyzing the detection result of the detection means 3 and controlling the system, A display driver 5 that drives a display unit in the next stage under the control of the microprocessor 4, a display unit 6 such as a liquid crystal display panel that displays video and data information, an operation unit 7 for a user to perform a predetermined operation, and It is composed of a transmitting unit 8 which transmits a remote control signal in response to a key operation of the operating unit 7.

The circuit operation of the remote control device of the present invention having such a configuration will be described.

The detecting means 3 is a means for detecting the use state of the remote control device of the present invention. For example, when the front panel 2 is detached from the set body 1 and used as a remote control device as shown in FIG. 1, the front panel 2 is set. It is a gyro sensor that is a switch element that detects detachment / attachment from the main body 1, or a gyro sensor that detects a usage state (usage direction, etc.) of a remote control device described later.

The detection result of the detection means 3 is sent to the microprocessor 4, and the microprocessor 4 analyzes the detection result to calculate the usage state of the remote control device and executes various operation commands via a predetermined control signal. . Further, a memory is inserted in the microprocessor 4, and this memory stores information and program data necessary for controlling the microprocessor 4 and is used for executing the instruction.

The display driver 5 generates a drive signal suitable for the display unit 6 in the subsequent stage, and performs an operation of changing the display form (display direction) of the display unit 6 as described later by an operation command of the microprocessor 4. To do. The display unit 6 displays various video data and information necessary for operation in a direction suitable for the user's usage of the remote control device.

The operation section 7 is a section for interfacing with the user, and is provided with various operation keys such as a tuning key and a volume key. Then, the transmission unit 8 transmits a remote control signal in response to a key operation of the operation unit 7 by the user. That is, when the user operates the operation key of the remote controller, the operation signal is read by the transmission processor (not shown), and a predetermined remote controller signal format (PP
M (Pulse Position Modulation) method, etc., and a control signal is transmitted through a light emitting diode (not shown).

Next, the details of the detecting means of the remote control device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the details of the detection means of the remote control device of the present invention.
(A) is a figure which shows a mechanical detection method, (b)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a detection method using a rotation sensor.

The mechanical detection method in FIG. 3 (a) is based on the switch element 9 provided in the remote controller of the present invention.
Is a method of detecting the attachment / detachment state of the front panel 2 described above and analyzing the detection result by the microprocessor 4. According to this method, it is possible to detect attachment / detachment of the front panel relatively easily, and thereby, it is possible to grasp the situation in which the front panel is used as a remote control device,
The function as a remote control device can be switched.

Further, in the detection method using the rotation sensor in FIG. 3B, the rotation sensor 10 provided in the remote control device of the present invention detects the use state of the remote control device described later by the electrodes 11 and 12, and In this method, the detection result is analyzed by a microprocessor (not shown). According to this method, it is possible to easily detect the usage state of the remote control device, which will be described later, and thereby switch the display direction of the display unit 6 according to the usage state of the remote control device. The detection means of the remote control device of this example is not limited to the one described above, and it goes without saying that another configuration or means having the same function may be used.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the remote control device and the display method thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4A and 4B are perspective views showing a second embodiment of the remote control device of the present invention, FIG. 4A is a view showing a vertical use state, and FIG. 4B is a view showing a horizontal use state. is there. The circuit configuration and the detecting means are substantially the same as those described above, and the description thereof will be omitted here because they are duplicated.

In FIG. 4, a controlled device (set body) (not shown) and a remote control body 13 for remotely controlling the set body are separately provided, and the remote control body 13 is provided with a display section 6. Be present.

As shown in FIG. 3A, when the remote controller main body 13 of the present invention is used in the vertical direction,
The use state of the remote controller main body 13 is detected by the detection means such as the switch element 9 in (a). The detection result of the detection means is processed as in the above circuit operation, and then the remote controller main body 1
On the display unit 6 of No. 3, "CD1 4-5 (horizontal character)" is displayed in the display direction that is easily visible in the vertical direction of the remote controller body 13.

When the remote controller main body 13 of the present invention shown in FIG. 3B is used in the lateral direction, the use state of the remote controller main body 13 is detected by the detecting means such as the rotation sensor 10 shown in FIG. 3B. The display direction of the display unit 6 is controlled by the microprocessor 4, the display driver 5, etc. of FIG. Then, on the display unit 6 of the remote controller main body 13, similarly, "CD1 4-5 (horizontal characters)" is displayed in a display direction that is easily visible. As a result, even when the user uses the remote controller main body 13 in the lateral direction, the display direction of the display unit 6 remains the same, so that the user can easily use it without changing the visual direction.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment,
Various embodiments can be adopted. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the usage pattern of the remote control device has been described by exemplifying the vertical and horizontal directions. ,
It is also possible to display in a direction that is easy to see toward the traveling direction. Further, the controlled device to which the remote control device of the present invention is applied can be applied to any electronic device using the remote control device, and the present invention is not limited to the shape or method of the detecting means. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can be developed in various forms without being limited to the embodiment described above.

[0028]

According to the remote control device of the first aspect of the present invention, the front panel of the remote control device can be used also as the remote control device, so that the cost of the remote control device can be reduced. Can be planned. Further, the complexity of providing the remote control device as a separate body can be eliminated. In particular, when the remote control device is used in a relatively narrow place such as a vehicle-mounted electronic device, it is useful because it can be used largely when used and can be compactly housed when not used.

According to the second invention of the remote control device and the display method thereof, as described in claims 2 to 7,
Detecting the usage state of the remote control device by the detection means, the remote control device is displayed in the optimum display direction in any of the usage directions, thus improving the visibility of the display unit of the remote control device, In addition, the operability of the remote control device can be improved. Especially when using the remote control device in a relatively narrow space such as in-vehicle electronic equipment, even when the remote control device is changed,
Since it can be used without changing the visual direction,
Useful.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a remote control device of the present invention, (a) is a perspective view showing a set body, and (b) is a state in which a front panel of the set body is used as a remote control device. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram showing a configuration of a remote control device of the present invention.

3A and 3B are explanatory views showing details of the detection means of the remote control device of the present invention, FIG. 3A is a view showing a mechanical detection method, and FIG. 3B is a view showing a detection method using a rotation sensor. is there.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of a remote control device of the present invention, (a) showing a vertical use state and (b) showing a horizontal use state. Is.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Set body, 2 ... Front panel, 3 ... Detection means, 4 ...
Microprocessor, 5 ... Display driver, 6 ... Display unit,
7 ... Operation part, 8 ... Transmission part, 9 ... Switch element, 10 ... Rotation sensor, 11, 12 ... Electrode, 13 ... Remote control main body

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A controlled device, a front panel detachably attached to the controlled device, detection means for detecting a detached state of the front panel, and the front panel based on a detection result of the detection means. When the device is mounted, it is used as it is as a front panel of the controlled device, and when the front panel is attached or detached, it is equipped with control means for controlling the device to be used as a remote control device for remotely controlling the device wirelessly. Characteristic remote control device. 2. A remote control device having a controlled device, a remote control main body for remotely controlling the controlled device, and a display unit provided in the remote control main body, the detection means detecting a usage state of the remote control main body. And a control unit that controls the display direction of the display unit based on the detection result of the detection unit. 3. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device is particularly applied to an on-vehicle electronic device having a front panel. 4. A display method of a remote control device, comprising: a controlled device, a remote control main body for remotely controlling the controlled device, and a display section provided in the remote control main body, wherein a usage state of the remote control main body is detected. And a control step of controlling the display direction of the display unit in a direction that is easy to see, based on the detection result of the detection process, according to the usage state of the remote controller main body. Display method of control device. 5. The detecting step detects the vertical / horizontal use state of the remote controller main body, and visually recognizes the display direction of the display unit regardless of the vertical / horizontal use state of the remote controller main body. The display method of the remote control device according to claim 3, wherein the display is controlled in a direction that facilitates the operation. 6. The detecting step detects the usage state of the remote controller main body in the traveling direction, and changes the display direction of the display unit toward the traveling direction according to the usage state of the remote controller main body in the traveling direction. The display method of the remote control device according to claim 3, wherein the display is controlled in a direction that is easily visible. 7. The display method of the remote control device according to claim 4, wherein the display method of the remote control device is applied particularly to an in-vehicle electronic device having a front panel. .