KR200320704Y1 - Infrared communication data repeater - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is to solve the limitation of the installation space and distance of the device by extending the communication area of IrDa in the data communication using infrared rays,

A control signal output means for outputting a control code set according to the driving of the user as an IrDa signal, a first relay device for converting and transmitting an RF signal including identifier information to the IrDa signal received from the control signal output means; 1 The RF signal received from the relay apparatus is analyzed to determine the validity of the included identifier information. If the identifier information is abnormal or if the identifier information is not determined, the received RF signal is ignored. And a second relay device which provides a response signal to the reception of the function selection signal to the control signal output means through the first relay device, restores the received RF signal to IrDa, and transmits the received RF signal to the control target device.

Description

Infrared Communication Data Relay {INFRARED COMMUNICATION DATA REPEATER}

The present invention relates to a signal relay device, and more particularly, to expand the communication area of infrared data (hereinafter referred to as 'IrDa') in data communication using infrared rays, The present invention relates to an infrared communication data relay device for removing restrictions and preventing malfunction of a device.

Generally, IrDa communication is used for data communication between various devices such as personal computers and various mobile devices, but communication using IrDa is limited to approximately 5M or less due to its inherent characteristics in its application area. In particular, there is a limitation in that the field of view and distance between the IrDa transmitter provided in the signal output means and the IrDa receiver of the device to be controlled are secured.

Therefore, in the case of IrDa communication which is easily used in various areas, there is a need to overcome the constraints on the communication distance and the field of view securement between the IrDa transmitter and the IrDa receiver of the device.

That is, it is located in another area where the field of view and distance are not secured through the IrDa output means at any position, so that the function control of the device is required.

A method for extending the operating range of an IR signal in accordance with the above requirement is given in US Pat. No. 4,809,359.

However, the method disclosed in the above-mentioned US patent publication has the following problems in extending the operating area of the IR signal by using two repeaters.

First, there is a risk of malfunction due to RF signals commonly detected in daily life or RF signals used in other homes or offices in transmitting radio frequency (RF) signals between two repeaters.

Such a malfunction may be a problem when it occurs in a TV or VCR, but there is a problem that a significant influence is generated when the influence is on gas appliances or electric heaters directly connected to life and property.

Second, since only one-way communication is possible to transmit the signal for extending the IR signal, there is no means and method for confirming whether the command is normally executed after executing the command to the device to be controlled. Therefore, a separate device for determining whether the operation of the control target device is normally performed is required or has a disadvantage in that it must be directly confirmed by the user's naked eye.

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, the purpose of which is to be used in various communication areas, to extend the communication area of IrDa having a limitation of communication distance, and to determine whether the device to be controlled is operated through bidirectional communication. In addition, the identifier is included in the RF signals transmitted and received between the relay devices to prevent malfunctions caused by other RF signals in the surroundings that are commonly generated in real life, thereby providing stability of the system.

1 is a block diagram of an infrared communication data relay device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of performing an IrDa communication relay using an infrared communication data relay device according to the present invention.

The present invention for realizing the above object is a control signal output means for outputting a control code set according to the drive of the user as an IrDa signal; A first relay device for converting and transmitting the IrDa signal received from the control signal output means into an RF signal by including identifier information; The RF signal received by the first relay apparatus is analyzed to determine validity of the included identifier information, and when the identifier information is abnormal or when the identifier information is not determined, the received RF signal is ignored and the identifier information is determined to be normal. And a second relay device for transmitting a response signal for receiving a signal to a control signal output means through a first relay device, and restoring the received RF signal to IrDa and transmitting the signal to a device under control. Provide a data relay.

Therefore, in the present invention, when the function control of a device located at a remote location is selected by using an IrDa signal output means having a limitation of an operating area, an IrDa signal requesting the function control selection of the device is received by the first relay device, The relay device includes the identifier information set in the IrDa signal and then converts the signal into an RF signal and transmits it to the second relay device. The second relay device checks the identifier information included in the received RF signal and checks whether it matches the set value. If it is determined that the information matches, the received RF signal is restored to the IrDa signal and transmitted to the device to execute the selected function.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As can be seen in Figure 1 the infrared communication data relay device according to the present invention is composed of a control signal output means 10, the first relay device 20, the second relay device 30 and the device 40, The control signal output means 10 is, for example, a remote controller, and outputs a set control code for controlling the control target device 40 as an IrDa signal according to a user's driving.

The first relay device 20 converts the next RF signal including the identifier information set in the IrDa signal transmitted from the control signal output means 10 to the second relay device 30 and transmits it to the second relay device 30. Receives the transmission confirmation information of the RF signal received from the 30) and transmits the IrDa signal to the control signal output means 10 side.

The second relay device 30 analyzes the RF signal received from the first relay device 20 to determine the validity of the identifier information included in the signal, and then receives it when the identifier information is abnormal or when the identifier information is not determined. Ignoring the RF signal, if it is determined that the identifier information is normal, the received RF signal is restored to the original IrDa and transmitted to the device 40 under control.

When the second relay device 30 transmits IrDa to the device 40 because the identifier information included in the RF signal received from the first relay device 20 is normal, the first relay device 20 is transmitted. Transmits the IrDa transmission confirmation signal as an RF signal.

The transmission confirmation signal transmitted from the second relay device 30 to the first relay device 20 is applied to half duplex, semi duplex, or full duplex. do.

The device 40 is controlled by IrDa, which is received through the second relay device 30 as an electronic device to be controlled, for example, a personal computer, a printer, a mobile device, an MP3, a TV, a VCR, an audio, or the like.

The control signal output means 10 is a control confirmation of the plurality of keys 11 set for the function selection control of the device 40 to be controlled and the device 40 received by the IrDa from the first relay device 20. A display unit 12 for instructing the user of the information is further provided.

In addition, the first relay device 20 includes an IrDa receiver 21, a controller 22, a signal converter 23, an RF transmitter 24, an RF receiver 25, and an IrDa transmitter 26. The IrDa receiver 21 receives an IrDa signal transmitted from the control signal output means 10 and processes the IrDa signal into a signal that can be recognized by the controller 22.

The controller 22 analyzes the received IrDa signal and the RF signal and then controls the overall operation of each device included in the first relay device 20.

The signal converter 23 includes the identifier information set at the designated position of the IrDa signal bit stream of the control signal output means 10 applied by the controller 22 and outputs it.

The RF transmitter 24 converts an IrDa signal including the identifier information into an RF signal for long distance transmission and transmits the converted RF signal to the second relay device 30.

The RF receiver 25 receives a transmission confirmation signal transmitted from the second relay device 30, processes the signal into a signal that can be recognized by the controller 22, and outputs the signal.

The IrDa transmitter 26 converts the transmission confirmation signal received from the second relay device 30 into an IrDa signal and transmits it to the control signal output means 10.

In addition, the second relay device 30 includes an RF receiver 31, a controller 32, an identifier checker 33, an RF transmitter 34, and an IrDa transmitter 35. Receives an RF signal transmitted from the relay device 20, processes the signal to be recognized by the control unit 32, and outputs the signal.

The controller 32 analyzes the received signal and then controls the general operation of each device provided in the second relay device 30.

The identifier checker 33 checks the identifier information included in the RF signal received by the first relay device 20 and determines whether the received RF signal is valid through comparison with a set value.

When the identifier information included in the received RF signal is valid, the RF transmitter 34 transmits a transmission confirmation as an RF signal to the first relay device 20 according to a signal applied from the controller 32.

The IrDa transmitter 35 restores the RF signal transmitted from the first relay apparatus 20 to the IrDa signal and transmits the RF signal to the device 40 so that the corresponding device 40 can perform a selected function.

The controller 32 may be configured to check whether the identifier information included in the RF signal is different from the value set or ignore the received RF signal when the identifier information is not detected, thereby preventing malfunction of the device 40. give.

Referring to the operation of extending the control of the operating area of the IrDa signal through the present invention including the function as described above are as follows.

When the user selects a function control by driving an arbitrary key 11 to control an arbitrary function for an arbitrary device 40 located outside the operating area of the IrDa, the control signal output means 10 sets a code. IrDa signal is transmitted (S101).

At this time, since the IrDa receiver 21 in the first relay device 20 located in the radius of the operating area of the IrDa signal transmitted from the control signal output means 10 receives it and applies it to the controller 22 side, The control unit 22 in the relay device 20 determines whether or not the IrDa signal is received (S102).

If the reception of the IrDa signal is not detected by the control unit 22 in the first relay device 20 in the determination of S102, the signal is maintained in an inactive state until the IrDa signal is detected, and when the reception of the IrDa signal is detected, the signal is converted. The identifier information set at the bit stream set position of the IrDa signal received through the unit 23 is included and applied to the RF transmitter 24 (S103).

The RF transmitter 24 converts an IrDa signal including the identifier information into an RF signal suitable for remote transmission (S104) and converts the IrDa signal into an RF signal on the side of the second relay device 30 located outside the operating area of the IrDa signal. It transmits (S105).

At this time, since the RF receiving unit 31 in the second relay device 30 receives the RF signal transmitted from the first relay device 20 and applies it to the control unit 32, the control unit 32 receives the first relay device. It is determined whether an RF signal is received from step 20 (S106).

When reception of the RF signal is detected by the control unit 32 in the second relay device 30, the control unit 32 checks identifier information included in the RF signal received through the identifier checking unit 33 (S07). It is determined whether or not to match the validity (S108).

If it is determined that the identified identifier information does not match the set information, the received RF signal is ignored (S109). If it is determined that the identifier information included in the received RF signal matches the set value, the second relay apparatus ( The controller 32 within 30 converts the RF signal received through the IrDa transmitter 35 into an IrDa signal (S110) and transmits the converted RF signal to the device 40 to be controlled so that the function of the device 40 to be controlled is performed. Give it to (S111).

At the same time, the control unit 32 in the second relay device 30 transmits an acknowledgment signal indicating that the IrDa signal is normally relayed to the device 40 to be controlled via the RF transmitter 34 in half-duplex communication, repeated communication, or transmission. By applying a dual communication method to the RF signal to the first relay device 20 side, it is displayed on the display unit 12 of the control signal output means 10 via the first relay device (20).

Accordingly, the user of the control signal output means 10 confirms that the function selection of the device 40 is normally performed.

As described above, the present invention performs control of a device located at a long distance through the relay of IrDa having a limit of an operating area, and so that the confirmation information of the control function selected by the bidirectional communication function is displayed on the control signal output means. This provides stability and convenience in use.

In addition, by checking the identifier information set in the process of relaying the IrDa signal, it is possible to prevent malfunction of other devices in the vicinity, thereby providing stability and reliability in use.

Claims (9)

Control signal output means for outputting a control code set according to the driving of the user as an IrDa signal; A first relay device for converting and transmitting the IrDa signal received from the control signal output means into an RF signal by including identifier information; The RF signal received by the first relay apparatus is analyzed to determine validity of the included identifier information, and when the identifier information is abnormal or when the identifier information is not determined, the received RF signal is ignored and the identifier information is determined to be normal. And a second relay device which restores the received RF signal to IrDa and transmits the received RF signal to a device under control. The method of claim 1, When the second relay apparatus transmits IrDa to the device side because the identifier information included in the RF signal received from the first relay apparatus is determined to be normal, the second relay apparatus converts the transmission confirmation signal of the IrDa signal to the first relay apparatus as an RF signal. Infrared communication data relay device, characterized in that for transmitting. The method of claim 1, The control signal output means includes a plurality of keys set for function selection control of the device; And a display unit for instructing a user of control confirmation information of a device received as an IrDa signal from the first relay device. The method of claim 1, The first relay device includes an IrDa receiver for receiving an IrDa signal transmitted from a control signal output means; A control unit which analyzes the received IrDa signal and controls overall operations for transmission to the RF signal; A signal converter including identifier information set at a designated location of a bit stream of the received IrDa signal; An RF transmitter for converting an IrDa signal including the identifier information into an RF signal and transmitting the RF signal to a second relay device; An RF receiver for receiving a transmission confirmation signal transmitted from the second relay device; And an IrDa transmitter for converting a transmission confirmation signal received from the second relay device into an IrDa signal and transmitting the converted confirmation signal to the control signal output means. The method of claim 1, When the second relay device detects a normal reception of a signal for controlling a device function by checking an identifier of the received signal, the second relay device transmits half duplex or semi duplex communication to the first relay device. A data relay device that transmits a response signal for acknowledgment by applying full duplex. The method of claim 1, The second relay device may include: an RF receiver configured to receive and process an RF signal transmitted from the first relay device; A control unit which analyzes the RF signal received from the first relay device and controls overall operations for transmission to the IrDa signal; An identifier checking unit which checks the identifier information included in the RF signal received by the first relay device and determines whether or not it is valid through comparison with a set value; An IrDa transmitter for restoring an IrDa signal and transmitting the identifier information included in the RF signal received by the first relay apparatus to the device side; And an RF transmitter for transmitting a transmission confirmation signal on whether to control a function of a device to the first relay device. The method of claim 6, And the controller in the second relay device ignores the received RF signal when the identifier information included in the RF signal received from the first relay device does not match. The method of claim 6, And the controller in the second relay device ignores the received RF signal when it is detected that the identifier information is not included in the RF signal received from the first relay device. The method of claim 6, When the control unit in the second relay device performs the function control of the device with respect to the received RF signal, and transmits the result thereof to the control signal output means through the first relay device to display on the control signal output means. Infrared communication data relay.