WO2004015648A1

WO2004015648A1 - Remote control system and method

Info

Publication number: WO2004015648A1
Application number: PCT/IB2003/003200
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robin J. Blackwell; Neil A. Hankin
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date: 2002-08-03
Filing date: 2003-07-22
Publication date: 2004-02-19
Also published as: AU2003282856A1; GB0218058D0

Abstract

A remote control system and method are provided, the system having an RF remote control unit 124 operable to control many devices 122, 132 in the home 100. The selection of which device to control is enabled by the provision of an infrared station 128, 134 for each location 120, 130 in the home. The stations emit location information which is received by the remote control unit 124. Associations between the location information and the devices 122, 132 enable the remote control unit to select which device the RF remote control command should be sent to, and to transmit that command accordingly. The system is suitable for controlling devices having RF control capability installed, such as televisions, video recorders, audio systems and lighting installations.

Description

DESCRIPTION

REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD

The present invention relates to a remote control system for controlling devices, and further relates to a remote control unit and station suitable for use in the system, and also relates to methods of remote control. The present invention has particular, but not exclusive, application to remote control units for devices such as televisions, video recorders, audio equipment, set top boxes, and lighting appliances.

The remote control of consumer devices in the home such as televisions, video recorders, set top boxes and audio hi-fi equipment is often achieved with a dedicated remote control unit (RCU). The RCU typically enables a user to control a variety of system functions from a distance. For example, in the case of a device such as a TV or a VCR the user may increase the volume or change the received channels. Many hand-held remote control units employ infrared mechanisms to transmit the control signals to an infrared receiver embedded in the device. The use of infrared based remote control is relatively low in cost, operates over a relatively short distance and requires line of sight communication. It is common for a user to have independent remote control units for each electronic device in his possession, or to have a single "universal remote control" which can learn the command signals from other remote control units and then be used for each device, with the user required to select the device for control prior to issuing control commands.

Other remote control systems employ radio frequency (RF) based remote control mechanisms. The use of RF may increase the range of communication and does not require direct line of sight with the receiving device, providing a more flexible control experience for the user. However, the ability of RF signals to penetrate walls and ceilings can lead to the inadvertent control of a neighbour's device(s), much to the neighbour's annoyance. Typically, such a system attempts to prevent this interference by allocating a control identifier to a system, with the RCU transmitting such an identifier with each command transmission. The identifier may be set using switches or dials provided on the device and RCU.

EP 0721282 B1 describes the initial set-up of an RF remote control for a video system in which the RF remote control unit is also provided with an infrared transmitter. The video system enables a user to enter a remote control identifier for the RF transmitter through a remote identifier set-up display using the infrared transmitter. RF command signals are ignored by the system until the remote control identifier is entered. However, problems exist with all of the above in that a user owning two or more RF control compatible devices may either inadvertently control the wrong device, or has to manually enter which device he/she wishes to control before entering control commands. For example, a TV upstairs may receive commands (e.g. channel change) from the RF remote downstairs, which can be frustrating for anyone watching the upstairs TV. Additionally, a user may inadvertently choose the same control identifier as that already chosen by his neighbour thereby ensuring interference problems.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to mitigate the above problems.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for controlling one of a plurality of devices, comprising an infrared station for transmitting infrared signals, a remote control unit comprising infrared receiving means for receiving said infrared signals, selection means for selecting the device to control at least in part in dependence on the received infrared signals, and radio frequency transmission means for transmitting radio control signals to the device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for controlling one of a plurality of devices in a system comprising an infrared station operable to transmit infrared signals and a remote control unit operable to receive said infrared signals and select a device for control by transmitting radio control signals to the device, wherein said method comprises: receiving an infrared signal from the infrared station; selecting a device to control at least in part in dependence on the received infrared signals; and transmitting radio frequency control signals to the selected device.

Preferably, the infrared signals comprise location information, which is coupled to devices associated with that location. For example, the location information may relate to a bedroom in the user's home, and the RCU therefore can determine its present location from the infrared station located in that room. Therefore a user's input on the RCU to change channels on the TV for example will be directed at the appropriate TV in that room, thereby preventing accidental control of another TV in another room in the consumers home, or of a TV in a neighbours home. The infrared signal transmitted by the station is naturally contained within the room walls and therefore other stations may be located in other locations within the home or building to enable a suitably equipped RCU to determine its location, select appropriate devices within that room for control and direct its RF output accordingly. This may be achieved by associating each device in a location with the location information transmitted by the station, for example by matching identity codes (ID) of each device in a location with an identifier transmitted by the station in that location.

To ensure reliable reception of the infrared location information by the

RCU, the infrared station may advantageously be located in, or on a light switch fitting in the room, since such switches generally are positioned a reasonable distance (about shoulder height) from the floor thereby providing a good infrared "view" across the room.

Furthermore, for large rooms each station may have several infrared transmitters angled, or capable of being manipulated through an angle, to provide an even and wide distribution of the infrared signals within the room.

Advantageously, the infrared signals are broadcast periodically to help ensure reception by the infrared receiver of the remote control unit. According to further aspects of the present invention, there is provided a remote control unit and infrared station for use with the aforementioned system and method.

Hence an RF remote control unit is enabled to determine its location, and select which device the RCU should send commands to depending on that location. The user may input that he wishes to control the TV, and commands will be directed to the TV in the room in which he is present (and presumably watching) rather than to the TV in the lounge or in any other room within the user's home.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a home having a system for controlling one of a plurality of devices,

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a remote control unit for use in the system of Figure 1 ,

Figure 3 is a block diagram of an infrared station, Figure 4 illustrates a table and radio data message, Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for controlling one of a plurality of devices.

It should be noted that the Figures are diagrammatic and not drawn to scale. Relative dimensions and proportions of parts of these Figures have been shown exaggerated or reduced in size, for the sake of clarity and convenience in the drawings. The same reference signs are generally used to refer to corresponding or similar features in modified and different embodiments.

Figure 1 is a diagram of a user's home fitted with a system for controlling one of a plurality of devices. The system is shown for simplicity having a first TV 122 (TV1) and a second TV 132 (TV2) in location 120 and location 130 respectively. Furthermore, there is also provided an infrared station 128 located in the first location 120 and a second infrared station 134 located in the upper location 130. The TVs 122, 132 are capable of receiving RF signals from a remote control unit 124 (RCU). The RCU 124 is adapted to receive infrared signals from an infrared station. In Figure 1 , the RCU 124 is shown as being physically present in location 120 and therefore would receive infrared signals from the station 128 associated with that location.

Figure 2 shows the remote control unit 124 in more detail. The remote control unit 124 comprises infrared transparent regions such as windows 300 and is provided with a user interface in the form of user input buttons 302 and a touchscreen 304. The touchscreen is capable of displaying further user interface elements representing buttons or keys having functionalities familiar to the user and relevant to the control of the various devices that the user owns. By way of example, the touchscreen is shown in Figure 2 displaying volume control keys and channel changing keys. Figure 2 (Inset) is a block diagram of the components of the remote control unit 124, comprising in this embodiment selection means 310 in the form of a central processing unit (CPU) which executes program instructions fetched from and stored within a memory 330. The memory also stores data entered by the user or the manufacturer concerning control codes for devices with which the remote control is compatible and intended to control, and other programs relating to usual remote control operation. The remote control further comprises an RF transmitter 350 which broadcasts RF signals comprising said control codes. Furthermore, the CPU 310 analyses infrared data received by a photodiode 320 located behind the infrared transparent window 300.

Figure 3 schematically depicts an infrared station 128 comprising a microcontroller 410, and an infra red transmitter 420, the micro controller 410 comprising programme instructions for formatting an infrared signal comprising location information in accordance with the present invention. The format is preferably of a standard known to those skilled in the art such as RC5 or RC6. In this embodiment, the microcontroller comprises an identifier ID 410a in a memory area within the microcontroller. The ID may be set or programmed by the user if the optional user input 440 is provided. The ID associated with the station (and thereby the location in which the user places the station) is encoded by the microcontroller as a signal 430, which in this embodiment is then transmitted according to programming instructions within the microcontroller 410. In this embodiment, the location information in the form of the station ID is encoded using the infrared RC6 standard, which comprises a basic infrared message having the following form:

RC6 start pattern - RC6 mode 6A - OEM address (16 bits) - data

Where OEM address is a 16-bit field identifying the manufacturer of the station and the data field contains the location information. • Setting up the System

The user inputs commands (for e.g. representing "change channel") via the buttons and touchscreen of the remote control unit 124. The commands are intended by the user to control devices that are capable of being controlled by the radio frequency control signals emitted by the transceiver 350 of the remote control. Prior to being able to control devices, the system must acquire information regarding the devices present in the system and where they are located.

This may be achieved by the user filling in a table displayed on the display of the remote control unit. An example of such a Table 500 is presented in Figure 4. The user has entered the device identifiers TV1, STB, VCR1 , TV2 for example as entries in the first column 502, and location IDs associated with an infra red emitting station fitted in the rooms in which those devices are located in the second column 504. In the Table 500 the user has informed the remote control unit that TV1 , STB1 and VCR1 , are all in the location associated with location ID 1. This represents for example room 120 of Figure 1 , which may, for example be the lounge. TV2 however, is located in a different room 130. The RCU 124 interrogates each RF compatible device and assigns a device address or identifier (e.g. an 8 bit number) to the device and stores this device address in the table (not shown in the Figure). Therefore the Table 500 shown in Figure 4 has been rendered user friendly to the user allowing him/her to assign a familiar name (here TV1) to the device, whilst the RCU, when sending commands, replaces the familiar name with the devices address assigned to the device. In this embodiment, the infrared stations 128, 134 having location ID 1 and location ID 2 are placed in the respective rooms 120, 130. The infra red station having location ID 1 , (station 128 as shown in Figure 1), is preferably located such that the remote control unit may receive the infra red signals reliably within the room. For example placing the infra red station on a light switch will allow the infra red transmissions 430 to spread across most of the room thereby enabling the remote control unit 124 to receive the infra red signals reliably without having to be pointed at the infrared station 128.

The remote control unit addresses a device to control by transmitting a radio control data message, an example of which is shown in Figure 4. The radio message 510, has various fields 510a, 510b, 510c, in which a source address, the destination address (in this example the device address for which the radio control message is intended) and the actual command data are inserted. Current examples of digital radio protocols such as those complying with IEEE 802.11b ("WiFi"), 802.15.4 ("ZigBee" - www.zigbee.org), or Bluetooth™ (www.bluetooth.com) are suitable for sending such a radio message and allocating device identifiers in an initial registration and discovery procedure.

• The system in use.

A flow diagram illustrating the main steps of a method for controlling one of a plurality of devices is presented in Figure 5, the method being performed as a loop, wherein:

• the infrared signals transmitted by the infrared station are received by the RCU photodiode 320 and the location ID 410a extracted from the message by CPU 310 of the RCU unit and cached in memory 330 (step 602)

• the CPU monitors user input (step 604) corresponding to a remote control command (e.g. TV volume increase) upon receiving user input the CPU selects a device for control by comparing the contents of Table 500 stored in memory with the user input obtained in step 604 and the cached location data

410a obtained from the infrared station (step 606)

The CPU subsequently inserts the selected device (e.g. TV1) address and user command into the fields of a radio message

510 and the message is transmitted (step 608)

Following which the CPU loops back to monitoring for infrared signals

The use of infrared for the location stations ensures that individual rooms have a unique infrared signal or "finger print" associated with them, since infrared will not penetrate the walls of a modern building. Furthermore, the positioning of the infrared stations in light switches enables a wide area of coverage ensuring that the remote control unit is able to receive and monitor its location accurately.

In a further embodiment the infrared signals are emitted periodically from the stations, for example every second or so. The infrared stations, being fitted to the walls or light switches of a users home, or any other building in which the system of the present invention is implemented, have the advantage of constant power to the infrared stations since light switches have access to a buildings main supply. The constant power provision enables periodic emission of the infrared signals, improving the likelihood of reception by the RCU. In another embodiment several separate infrared transmitters 420 are located within one light switch enabling a wider coverage of view and thereby improving the chance of infrared reception in the remote control unit 124 no matter where the remote control unit is positioned in the room.

In yet a further embodiment, the system set-up is further automated, with the RCU acquiring a location ID 410a from an infra-red station 128, and associating the location ID with device ID's acquired in the interrogation/discovery phase during set-up. A simple confirmation by the user is required to check which device should be associated with which location.

In the above a remote control system is described within the context of a user's home. However, it will be apparent that the system and methods described may be implemented in a work environment or other buildings. Furthermore, the location information may be a simple ID hardwired by the manufacturer. Alternatively, the location ID may be coupled to actual location information such as grid map references as determined by, for example, global positioning satellite systems. The location information in the form of an ID may be user programmable, so that the user for instance may denote a station with location 'ID1' as referring to the 'bedroom', or the 'lounge', or whichever room description is appropriate for the user. Hence the display 304 of the remote control unit may in operation display the location of the room to the user (as shown in Figure 2) thereby enabling confirmation that infrared signals are being received and the RCU is, so to speak "aware" of its present location.

In yet another embodiment, a radio controlled lighting system is provided in the user's home, with the infrared stations enabling the RCU to determine its present location and thereby select the lighting appliances in that location automatically for control. Hence a command by the user on the RCU to "dim the light" will be directed to the lamp located in the room in which the user is currently located, enabling quick intuitive user control of lighting.

From reading the present disclosure other modifications will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, such modifications may involve other features which are already known in the design, manufacture and use of remote control systems and consumer electronic goods and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for controlling one of a plurality of devices, (122,132) comprising an infrared (128, 134) station for transmitting infrared signals, a remote control unit (124) comprising infrared receiving means (320) for receiving said infrared signals, selection means (310) for selecting the device to control at least in part in dependence on the received infrared signals, and radio frequency transmission means (350) for transmitting radio control signals to the device.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the received infrared signals comprise location (120, 130) information.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the location information comprises an ID (410a) associated with a location (120) in which one or more of the devices for control are located.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein the device for control is selected by the selection means matching an identifier (502) associated with the device with the received location information (504).

5. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the infrared station (128) is located on a light switch fitting in a room in which one or more of the devices for control are located.

6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said remote control unit (124) comprises a user interface (302, 304) for accepting input from a user, and wherein said selection means selects a device to control in dependence on the received infrared signals and said user input.

7. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said infrared station comprises several infrared transmitters (420) arranged to provide a wide coverage area over which the infrared signals are transmitted.

8. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein said infrared signals are transmitted periodically.

9. A remote control unit (124) for use with the system of claim 1 , comprising infrared receiving means (320) for receiving said infrared signals, selection means (310) for selecting a device to control at least in part in dependence on the received infrared signals, and radio frequency transmission means (350) for transmitting radio control signals to the device.

10. An infrared station (128) for use with the system of claim 1.

11. A method for controlling one of a plurality of devices (122, 132) in a system comprising an infrared station (128) operable to transmit infrared signals and a remote control (124) unit operable to receive said infrared signals and select a device for control by transmitting radio control signals to the device, wherein said method comprises: receiving an infrared signal from the infrared station; selecting a device to control at least in part in dependence on the received infrared signals; and transmitting radio frequency control signals to the selected device.

12. A method according to claim 11 , wherein the infrared signals comprise location information.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the device for control is selected by the selection means (210) matching an identifier associated with the device with the received location information.

14. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the infrared signal is transmitted periodically.