JP2000201385A - REMOTE CONTROLLER AND CONTROL SYSTEM USING THE SAME - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To realize high-performance operation control with good operability and a simple configuration. A remote controller (10) for transmitting control information to a controlled system from a remote place and controlling the controlled system, wherein a plurality of switches (6) for inputting switch information as control information; An input means including a pointing device 7 for inputting the pointing information and an audio input unit 5 for inputting audio information as control information; an input determining unit 2 for determining a type of the control information input from the input means; An encoding unit 3 that encodes the control information in a predetermined format based on the result of the determination and that the header adding unit 4 adds identification information indicating a type of the control information as a header;
It has a transmission processing unit 5 and a transmission unit 9 that convert information encoded by the encoding unit 3 and to which a header is added into a wireless communication signal and transmit the signal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to remotely controlling the operation of a controlled system including an audiovisual device (AV device) such as a television and a VTR, a personal computer, and an electronic device such as a car navigation system. And a control system using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, AV devices such as televisions and VTRs have become widespread.
For example, it can be performed remotely using a remote controller using infrared communication.

However, this remote controller uses a remote controller dedicated to a TV for each of the AV devices, for example, a TV, and a remote controller dedicated to a VTR for a VTR. Operation control is performed after selecting a corresponding remote controller, and there is a problem that operability when remotely controlling a plurality of AV devices is poor.

In order to solve this problem, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-36778 discloses that a two-way communication is performed with a controlled system such as a plurality of AV devices and a user interface is improved by using a liquid crystal display and a touch panel. Thus, a remote controller, a portable information terminal, and an audio-visual device that can dramatically improve the usability of collective management for each AV device and the like are described.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-298606 describes a portable unit having a speaker, a microphone, a display, and a keypad, wirelessly connecting a base station such as a desktop computer, and transmitting and receiving voice and data. This portable unit can be used at least as an input / output device of the base station.

[0006]

However, although the above-mentioned conventional remote controllers and the like have improved user interface functions, they also attempt to control various highly sophisticated operation controls on the remote controller side. However, the load on the remote controller side is large and the configuration is complicated, which hinders the reduction in size and weight of the remote controller, and the user interface operation becomes more complicated and complicated, making the operation more complicated and easy to carry. The inherent feature of the remote controller that it is possible to perform operation control is lost, and there has been a problem that the maintainability and productivity of the remote controller deteriorate due to its complexity.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a remote controller capable of realizing high-performance operation control with good operability and a simple configuration, and a control system using the same. With the goal.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a remote controller according to the first aspect of the present invention transmits control information to a controlled system from a remote place and controls the controlled system. A plurality of switches for inputting switch information as the control information, a pointing device for inputting pointing information as the control information, and at least one of voice input means for inputting voice information as the control information. Input means, encoding means for encoding control information input from the input means in a predetermined format, and transmitting means for converting the information encoded by the encoding means into a radio communication signal and transmitting the signal. It is characterized by.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, among the input means, switch information is input from a plurality of switches, pointing information is input from a pointing device, and voice information is input from the voice input means. The control information is encoded into a predetermined format by the encoding means, and the encoded information is converted to a wireless communication signal by the transmission means and transmitted, thereby realizing a high-performance remote controller with a simple configuration.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote controller according to the first aspect of the present invention, which determines whether the control information input from the input means is switch information, pointing information, or audio information. The encoding apparatus further includes a determination unit, and the encoding unit adds identification information corresponding to the type determined by the determination unit to the control information.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the discriminating means discriminates whether the control information input from the input means is switch information, pointing information, or audio information, and encodes based on the discrimination result. Performs relatively simple processing of adding identification information corresponding to the type of control information to each control information.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the remote controller according to the first aspect of the present invention, the type of control information input from the input means is set to switch information, pointing information, or audio information. And a switch setting unit that adds identification information corresponding to the type switched and set by the switch setting unit to the control information.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, whether the input control information is switch information, pointing information, or audio information is set in advance by the switching setting means, and the encoding means sets the set control information. The identification information corresponding to the type of the control information is added to the control information.

Further, the remote controller according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the remote controller according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, further comprising a notifying means for notifying and outputting when the voice information input to the voice input means is at a predetermined level or more. It is characterized by having.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the voice information is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the notification unit outputs a notification using, for example, a speaker combined with a microphone or a simple piezo element, and notifies the location of the remote controller itself. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control system for remotely transmitting control information to a controlled system, and a controlled system controlled by the control information transmitted from the remote controller. A remote system, wherein the remote controller includes a plurality of switches for inputting switch information as the control information, a pointing device for inputting pointing information as the control information, and a voice for inputting voice information as the control information. Input means having at least one of the input means, encoding means for encoding the control information input from the input means in a predetermined format, and converting the information encoded by the encoding means into a wireless communication signal. Transmission means to transmit Wherein the controlled system comprises: a receiving unit for receiving control information transmitted from the remote controller; a decoding unit for decoding control information input from the receiving unit; and the control information decoded by the decoding unit. Control processing means for performing a predetermined control process based on the

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the remote controller encodes the switch information, the pointing information, and the control information of the voice information input from the input means in a predetermined format, and the transmitting means encodes the encoded information. Is converted to a wireless communication signal and transmitted to the controlled system side. For example, a controlled system such as an AV device or a personal computer receives the wireless communication signal indicating the control information and decodes the received signal. And the control processing means performs predetermined control processing based on the decoded information.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the control system according to the fifth aspect, the remote controller determines whether the control information input from the input means is switch information, pointing information, or audio information. A first discriminating unit for discriminating the type of the received information, the encoding unit adds identification information corresponding to the type discriminated by the first discriminating unit to the control information, and the controlled system The apparatus further comprises second determining means for determining whether the identification information added to the control information input from the means is switch information, pointing information, or audio information, and wherein the decoding means performs the second determination. The decoding is performed corresponding to the type determined by the means.

According to the invention of claim 6, in the remote controller, when encoding the control information, the first discriminating means discriminates the type of the control information, and based on the discrimination result, the encoding means responds to this type. The controlled system receives the information to which the identification information has been added, transmits the identification information to the control information, and the second determination means easily determines the type of the control information. Decode and execute quick control processing.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the control system according to the fifth or sixth aspect, the control processing means of the controlled system determines that the second determination means is a type of voice information. If the setting for performing the character input process corresponding to the voice information is made, the voice recognition process for the voice information is performed, and the character input process is performed based on the voice recognition result. Is determined to be a type of voice information, and if a setting for performing a character input process corresponding to the voice information is not made, a command process corresponding to the voice information is executed.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the control processing means of the controlled system performs a character input process when the control information is determined to be audio information and the current state of the controlled system is a character input process. In the case of the state, the voice recognition processing of the decoded voice information is performed, the character input processing corresponding to the character indicated by the voice recognition processing result is performed, and it is determined that the control information is the voice information. If the current state of the controlled system is not the state in which the character input processing is performed, the voice recognition processing of the decoded voice information is performed, and the command processing corresponding to the character indicated by the voice recognition processing result is executed.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a remote controller and a control system using the same according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Embodiment 1] to [Embodiment 3] The order will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote controller according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a remote controller 1
0 is a control unit 1, a voice input unit 5 connected to the control unit 1,
It has a switch 6, a pointing device 7, a notification unit 8, and a transmission unit 9.

Here, the voice input unit 5 is realized by a microphone or the like, and inputs voice information to the control unit 1. Switch 6 is
It is realized by a plurality of switches such as buttons and keys, and inputs switch information. The pointing device 7 is realized by a joystick, a trackball, a trackpad, a line-of-sight detector, and the like, and inputs pointing information including position information. The notification unit 8 performs notification of an electronic sound or the like under the control of the control unit 1. This notification is made because the remote controller 10 is small and lightweight, so that even if it is lost, for example, in a living room, the remote controller 10 can be quickly notified of its location.

The transmitting unit 9 is realized by, for example, an infrared LED, and transmits information output from the control unit 1 to a controlled system (not shown). Of course, the configuration may be such that the transmitting unit 9 uses a radio wave. However, for a simple configuration, a configuration using an infrared LED is preferable.

The control section 1 has an input determination section 2, an encoding section 3, and a transmission control section 5. The input determination unit 2 determines the information type of the voice information input from the voice input unit 5, the switch information input from the switch 6, and the pointing information input from the pointing device 7,
The result of the determination is output to the encoding unit 3. Further, the input determination unit 2 causes the notification unit 8 to perform notification when the voice input level is equal to or higher than a certain level.

The encoding section 3 has a header adding section 4 and, based on the judgment result inputted from the input judging section 2, each control information, that is, voice information, switch information, Alternatively, the pointing information is encoded, and identification information indicating the type of the control information is added to the encoded control information as a header. This header is added by the header adding unit 4, and the header adding unit 4 generates a header indicating the type of control information corresponding to the determination result input from the input determining unit 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the type of control information is voice information, a voice header is added to the front of the voice information (see FIG. 2A), and the type of control information is switch information. In some cases, a switch header is added to the front of the switch information (see FIG. 2B). If the type of control information is pointing information, a position header is added to the front of the pointing information ( FIG. 2 (c)).

Since the audio information input from the audio input unit 5 to the input determination unit 2 is an analog signal, the encoding unit 3 uses an A / D converter (not shown) to convert the audio information input into time and pitch. Then, the digital information is converted into digital information decomposed into each information of length and sound length, and the converted digital information is encoded in a predetermined transmission format.

Since the switch information input from the switch 6 to the input determination unit 2 is analog information, the encoding unit 3 uses an A / D converter (not shown) to switch the switch information input at a predetermined interval or at a predetermined interval. The digital information is converted into digital information decomposed into information including the switch number and the state in accordance with the change, and the converted digital information is encoded in a predetermined transmission format.

Further, since the pointing information input from the pointing device 7 to the input determining unit 2 is an analog signal, the encoding unit 3
The pointing information input is converted by the / D converter into digital information decomposed into information on the direction, the moving amount, and the moving speed, and the converted digital information is encoded in a predetermined transmission format.

The transmission processing unit 5 performs a modulation process or the like in which various kinds of control information input from the encoding unit 3 are made to correspond to the transmission unit 9, and the transmission unit 9 transmits and outputs the signal subjected to the transmission processing.

Next, the operation processing procedure of the control unit 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.
In FIG. 3, first, the control unit 1 is in a pause state (step S101), and determines whether there is an input from any of the voice input unit 5, the switch 6, and the pointing device 7 (step S102). ), If there is no input (step S102, NO), the operation returns to the sleep state, and if there is an input (step S102, YE).
S), the remote controller 10 is activated (step S103).

Thereafter, the input determination unit 2 mainly executes an input determination process for determining the type of the input control information (step S104), and the encoding unit 3 further performs the input determination process based on the determination result. An encoding process is performed (step S105).

Thereafter, the control information encoded by the transmission processing unit 5 and the transmission unit 9 is transmitted and output to a controlled system (not shown) (step S106), and step S106 is performed.
The process shifts to 101 and becomes the rest state again.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of the input determination processing in step S104.
The input determination unit 2 determines whether the input is voice information input (step S201). If the input is voice information (step S201, YES), it is further determined whether the input is voice information of a certain level or higher (step S20).
2) In the case where the input is voice information of a certain level or higher (step S202, YES), the notification unit 8 is caused to perform a notification process (step S203), and thereafter the input of voice information is not higher than a certain level (step S202) (NO), the process directly proceeds to step S204, instructing the encoding unit 3 to add a voice header, and returns to step S104.

If the input is not voice information (step S20)
(1, NO) further determines whether or not it is position information, that is, whether or not it is pointing information (step S).
205), if it is position information (step S201, Y
ES), it instructs the decoding unit 3 to add a position header (step S206), and returns to step S104.

On the other hand, if it is not the position information (step S2
05, NO), that is, in the case of switch information,
Instruct the encoding unit 3 to add a switch header (step S207), and return to step S104.

As described above, in the first embodiment, encoding is performed in accordance with various control information input from the input unit including the voice input unit 5, the switch 6, and the pointing device 7, and the encoded data is transmitted in a predetermined transmission format. Since only the configuration is adopted, the remote operation control for the controlled system can be performed with a simple circuit configuration without mounting a control processing device that performs high-performance and complicated processing such as encoding processing and recognition processing.

For example, the control unit 1 of the remote controller 10 can be realized using a microcomputer. However, since the configuration is simple, a simple IC such as a combination circuit of a logic circuit or a gate array, a custom I
C can also be realized, not only to reduce costs,
It is possible to promote reduction in size and weight and power saving, and further exhibit the original features of the remote controller.

Also, since it can be constituted by a simple circuit,
The maintainability of the remote controller is also improved.
Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when the voice information input is equal to or higher than a certain level, an electronic sound or the like is notified from the notification unit 8, so that, for example, the remote controller that has been reduced in size and weight in the occupied room is lost. Even if it does, the presence of the lost remote controller can be immediately known. Note that the notification unit 8 may be configured as a microphone / speaker combined circuit combined with the voice input unit 5. This further simplifies the configuration of the remote controller 10.

In Embodiment 1 described above, the notification unit 8 is added to the configuration, but a configuration without the notification unit 8 may be employed. Further, it is not necessary to configure all of the voice input unit 5, the switch 6, and the pointing device 7, and at least one may be provided. When only one of the voice input unit 5, the switch 5, and the pointing device 7 is used as a component, the input determination unit 2 can be omitted, and the configuration can be further simplified.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a remote controller according to a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the remote controller according to the second embodiment. The configuration of the remote controller 11 is different from the configuration of the input determination unit 2 of the remote controller 10 according to the first embodiment in the input switching unit 13. The other configuration and operation are the same as in the first embodiment.

In FIG. 5, the input switching unit 13 includes a voice input unit 5, a switch 6, and a pointing device 7.
Which control information of the input control information is input is set in advance, and the encoding unit 3 performs the encoding process based on this setting.

The input switching setting for the input switching unit 13 is set by an input instruction from the input switching switch 12 provided in the switch 6. Of course, it may be set by an input instruction from the pointing device 7 or the voice input unit 5.

The input switching setting by the input switching unit 13 implements three input switchings of voice information, switch information, and pointing information. For example, voice information, switch information, and pointing information are used. May be set to switch between the two inputs. This is because the encoding process of the switch information and the pointing information is similar, whereas the encoding process of the audio information performs a relatively different process from the encoding process of the switch information and the pointing information. Further, the input switching setting of the input switching unit 13 may be a setting by a hard switch or a setting by a soft switch.

The overall control processing procedure of the control unit 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as that shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, but the determination of steps S201 and S205 in the input determination processing of step S104 shown in FIG. The difference from the first embodiment is that the processing is determined according to the contents set for input switching.

According to the second embodiment, the first embodiment
Since the same operation and effect as those described above can be obtained, it is not necessary to perform relatively complicated input determination processing, so that the device configuration of the remote controller is further simplified.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment which is a controlled system used in combination with the first or second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a controlled system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Controlled system 20 shown in FIG. 6 functions as a personal computer.

In FIG. 6, the controlled system 20
Is a receiving unit 21 corresponding to the transmitting unit 9 and an input / output port 2
2, a controlled peripheral device group 28 including a plurality of controlled peripheral devices such as a control unit 23, a memory 24, and a CRT.

The input / output port 22 is connected to the receiving unit 2
1, an input / output port between the control unit 23 and the controlled peripheral device group 28 is formed. The control unit 23 has an input determination unit 25, a decoding unit 26, and a processing unit 27. The input determination unit 25 includes the remote controllers 10 and 1 input via the reception unit 21 and the input / output port 22.
1 is received, and the type of the control information, that is, the voice information, the switch information, or the pointing information is determined from the identification information of the header of the received control information.

The decoding unit 26 performs a decoding process according to the type of the control information based on the judgment result of the input judgment unit 25, and outputs the result to the processing unit 27. Processing unit 27
Performs various processes on the controlled peripheral device group 28 according to the control information content based on the decoding result. This process is executed directly on the controlled peripheral device group 28 via the bus 29, or is executed on the controlled peripheral device group 28 corresponding to the control information via the input / output port 22.

Since the decoding process of the decoding unit 26 and the processing content of the processing unit 27 are complicated and high-performance processes, it is possible to execute, for example, a speech recognition process using an application stored in the memory 24. it can.

The control unit 23 not only performs control processing based on the control information input via the reception unit 21 but also
Various control processes are also performed based on control information from the controlled peripheral device group 28. Therefore, the control unit 23 can use, for example, a high-performance CPU, and executes a control process based on control information input from the remote controllers 10 and 11 by an application stored in the memory 24 as a part of the process. can do.

Here, the remote controllers 10 and 11
The control processing procedure of the control unit 23 based on the control information input from will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7, the input determination unit 25 reads the header content of the input control information, and determines whether the header content is a switch header, a voice header, or a position header (step S301).

If the result of the determination is a switch header, the decoding unit 26 decodes the switch information (step S302), and based on the decoded switch information, the processing unit 27 performs a selection or determination operation process. (Step 303), the process proceeds to step S301.

If the result of the determination is a voice header, the decoding section 26 decodes the voice information (step S3).
04) Further, it is determined whether or not the control unit 23 is currently set to the character input state (step S305). If it is not in the character input state (step S305, NO), the processing unit 27 performs a character recognition process on the decoded audio information, and performs a command operation process corresponding to the character indicated by the character recognition result (step S305). S306), and proceeds to step S301. On the other hand, when it is in the character input state (step S305, YES), the processing unit 27
The character recognition processing of the decoded voice information is performed, the character input processing corresponding to the character indicated by the character recognition result is performed (step S307), and the process proceeds to step S301. This character input processing is performed, for example, by inputting a character corresponding to voice information when a word processor application displayed on a display unit (not shown) of the controlled peripheral device group 28 such as a CRT is being executed. is there.

If the result of the determination is a position header, the decoding unit 26 decodes the pointing information (step S308), and based on the decoded pointing information, the processing unit 27 sends a command to the group of controlled peripheral devices such as a CRT. 28, a pointer moving process for moving the pointer displayed on the display unit (not shown) is executed (step S30).
9), proceed to step S301.

As described above, in the third embodiment, high-performance control processing including character recognition processing corresponding to control information transmitted from the remote controllers 10 and 11 can be performed.

FIG. 8 is an external view of a control system incorporating the above-described first to third embodiments.
In FIG. 8, this control system is roughly composed of a portable information terminal 30 and a personal computer 40.

The portable information terminal 30 has the configuration shown in the first or second embodiment and also has a portable telephone function.

The transmitting section 31 is an infrared LED and corresponds to the transmitting section 9. The switch group 32 corresponds to the switch 6. The microphone / speaker 33 corresponds to the voice input unit 5 and the notification unit 8. The configuration corresponding to the control unit 1 is provided inside the housing of the portable information terminal 30.

Although the portable information terminal 30 shown in FIG. 8 does not have a configuration corresponding to the pointing device 7, a pointing device may be added if necessary. Of course, a switch corresponding to a cursor movement key can be used instead of the function of the pointing device.

The personal computer 40 has the structure shown in the third embodiment, and functions independently as a normal personal computer. The main body 41 of the personal computer 40 has a receiving unit 42 and a PC card slot 43.
Corresponds to the receiving unit 21. A PC card (not shown) is inserted into the PC card slot 43. By storing an application in the case where control information is received from the portable information terminal 30 as a remote controller, the function of the memory 24 is stored in the PC card. Will fulfill. The configuration corresponding to the control unit 23 is the
1, and corresponds to a CPU (not shown) of the personal computer 40.

By storing the process when the control information is received from the remote controller in the PC card, only the PC card interface function is provided. Operation control by a remote controller becomes possible.

Note that the main body of the personal computer 40 may have a hard disk (not shown), and the hard disk may store processing when control information is received from the remote controller.

Further, the transmitting function of the portable information terminal 30 and the receiving function of the personal computer 40 are performed using infrared rays, but are realized by wireless communication using radio waves in addition to optical communication such as infrared rays. You may make it. Particularly, since the portable information terminal 30 has a function of transmitting and receiving a mobile phone including the antenna 34, the transmitting function of the mobile phone may be shared as the transmitting function of the remote controller.

The portable information terminal 30 has been described as having a function of a remote controller for controlling the operation of the personal computer 40. However, the portable information terminal 30 can be similarly applied to other personal computers or other electronic devices such as a navigation system. Can be applied. In this case, it is preferable to set a controlled system to be operated and controlled on the portable information terminal.

Further, specific identification information is set between the portable information terminal and a controlled system controlled by the portable information terminal, and the portable information terminal as a remote controller adds the specific identification information as a header. Transmission may be performed, thereby preventing interference.

If the transmission function has directivity, such as infrared rays, and can be transmitted only to nearby controlled systems, the specific identification information described above need not be provided. Needless to say.

As described above, the above-described embodiment has a simple configuration in which the remote controller simply encodes the voice information, the switch information, and the pointing information and transmits the encoded information to the controlled system.
For example, processing such as voice recognition processing and decoding processing is performed by the controlled system, and the load is appropriately distributed. , Power saving, and maintainability are further promoted.

[0071]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, among the input means, switch information is output from a plurality of switches, pointing information is output from a pointing device, and voice information is output from a voice input means. Each of the input control information is encoded into a predetermined format by encoding means, and the encoded information is converted into a wireless communication signal by the transmitting means and transmitted. Because it is realized, a complicated configuration such as a high-performance microcomputer and a decoder is not required, and a small and lightweight high-performance remote controller is realized with a simple configuration of only input means, encoding means, and transmission means. It has the effect of being able to do so.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the determination means determines whether the control information input from the input means is switch information, pointing information, or audio information, and based on the determination result. Since the encoding means performs a relatively simple process of adding identification information corresponding to the type of control information to each control information, this makes it possible to increase the load on the remote controller without significantly increasing the load on the remote controller. This has the effect of greatly reducing the load on the identification determination processing of voice information, pointing information, and the like on the side.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the switch setting means determines whether the input control information is switch information or not.
Pointing information or audio information is set in advance, and the encoding unit adds identification information corresponding to the type of the set control information to the control information. By using the user's intention to input control information via the controller, the load on the type determination processing of the control information on the remote controller side is further reduced, and the remote controller side is reduced in size and weight, power saving is promoted, and the identification information is controlled. By adding the information to the information, the load on the controlled system is reduced, and the load on the entire control system is further reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the audio information is at a predetermined level or more, the notification unit outputs a notification using, for example, a speaker combined with a microphone, a simple piezo element, or the like, and determines the location of the remote controller itself. Since the notification is performed, the size and weight of the remote controller can be reduced, the power saving can be promoted, and even if the remote controller is easily lost, the presence of the remote controller can be immediately found.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the remote controller encodes switch information, pointing information, and control information of audio information inputted from the input means in a predetermined format, and the transmitting means encodes the control information. This is realized with a simple configuration of converting the transmitted information to a wireless communication signal and transmitting it to the controlled system side. For example, a controlled system such as an AV device or a personal computer receives a wireless communication signal indicating this control information, Since the information is decoded by the decoding means and the control processing means performs predetermined control processing based on the decoded information, it is possible to reduce the size, weight, and power consumption as simple as possible. Remote controller with sufficient processing capacity to perform decoding and complex control processing. Load distribution between the remote control system and the remote controller can be reduced in size and weight, power consumption can be improved, and operability can be improved despite high-performance control processing. Play.

According to the invention of claim 6, in the remote controller, when encoding the control information, the first judging means judges the type of the control information, and based on the judgment result, the encoding means changes the type of the control information. The controlled system adds the corresponding identification information to the control information and transmits the control information. The controlled system receives the information to which the identification information is added, and the second determination unit easily determines the type of the control information and decodes the information. Since the means decodes and executes the quick control processing, the load distribution between the remote controller side and the controlled system side is appropriately performed, and the processing load on the entire control system is reduced. And quick control can be performed.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the control processing means of the controlled system, when it is determined that the control information is voice information, determines that the current state of the controlled system is a character input processing. Is performed, the voice recognition processing of the decoded voice information is performed, and the character input processing corresponding to the character indicated by the voice recognition processing result is performed.
When the control information is determined to be audio information,
If the current state of the controlled system is not the state of performing the character input processing, the voice recognition processing of the decoded voice information is performed, and the command processing corresponding to the character indicated by the voice recognition processing result is performed. Therefore, the character input processing by voice information input and the command input processing by voice information input, which involves complicated processing of voice recognition processing on the controlled system side, can be easily performed using a remote controller with a simple configuration. This has the effect that the operability of the entire control system can be further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote controller according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a header is added to control information by a header adding unit 4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control processing procedure by a control unit 1 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an input determination processing procedure in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote controller according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a controlled system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control processing procedure of the control unit 23 for control information transmitted from the remote controller according to the first or second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an external view of a control system incorporating the first to third embodiments of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 control unit 2 input determination unit 3 encoding unit 4 header adding unit 5 transmission processing unit 6 switch 7 pointing device 8 notification unit 9 transmission unit 10, 11 remote controller 12 input changeover switch 13 input changeover unit 20 controlled system 21 reception unit 22 Input / output port 23 Control unit 24 Memory 25 Input determination unit 26 Decoding unit 27 Processing unit 28 Controlled peripheral device group

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A remote controller for transmitting control information to a controlled system from a remote place and controlling the controlled system, comprising: a plurality of switches for inputting switch information as the control information; and pointing as the control information. A pointing device for inputting information, and input means having at least one of voice input means for inputting voice information as the control information; and an encode for encoding control information input from the input means in a predetermined format. And a transmitting means for converting the information encoded by the encoding means into a wireless communication signal and transmitting the wireless communication signal. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discriminating means for discriminating whether the control information input from said input means is switch information, pointing information, or audio information. 2. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein identification information corresponding to the control information is added to the control information. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a switching setting unit configured to switch and set a type of the control information input from the input unit to switch information, pointing information, or audio information. 2. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein identification information corresponding to the type set to be switched is added to the control information. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that outputs a notification when voice information input to the voice input unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. Remote controller. 5. A control system comprising: a remote controller that transmits control information to a controlled system from a remote place; and a controlled system controlled by the control information transmitted from the remote controller. An input including at least one of a plurality of switches for inputting switch information as the control information, a pointing device for inputting pointing information as the control information, and audio input means for inputting audio information as the control information Means, encoding means for encoding control information input from the input means in a predetermined format, and transmitting means for converting the information encoded by the encoding means into a wireless communication signal and transmitting the signal, and The control system is Receiving means for receiving the control information transmitted from the remote controller; decoding means for decoding the control information input from the receiving means; and performing predetermined control processing based on the control information decoded by the decoding means. A control system comprising: 6. The remote controller further includes first determining means for determining whether the control information input from the input means is switch information, pointing information, or audio information. Adding identification information corresponding to the type determined by the first determination unit to the control information, the controlled system determines whether the identification information added to the control information input from the reception unit is switch information, 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second determination unit configured to determine a type of the pointing information or the audio information, wherein the decoding unit performs decoding corresponding to the type determined by the second determination unit. 5
The control system according to item 1. 7. The control processing means of the controlled system,
The second determination means determines that the type is the type of audio information;
When the setting for performing the character input process corresponding to the voice information is made, the voice recognition process for the voice information is performed, and the character input process is performed based on the voice recognition result. 7. A command processing corresponding to the voice information is executed when it is determined that the type is the information type and the setting for performing the character input processing corresponding to the voice information is not made. The control system as described.